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"all things" is found in all things, and moreover it has been observed also in bodies, that these consist of four elements, even if one thing in some has gained predominance, and another in others as we have mentioned, so indeed it is also recognized in the case of these dispositions, that it is not possible to find any unmixed action in those who practice, or contemplation; but we say that one predominates whose power appears more clearly, just as, of course, has also been recognized in the case of the two who are praised, that in each one, one of the two dispositions predominated. But both are praiseworthy and lead those who possess them to a divine destiny, since the one serves Christ or Christ's own and is helped, while the other listens to the things said by him and departs from things here and proceeds to the higher things of the mysteries and despises the body and becomes entirely of the mind.

19 But one and the same end has been established for both through all things; for see how both teachers are also beheaded in Rome. For the things of the virtues have arrived at one end—pay attention, you who are discerning, both to the place and to the time and to the person—in Rome, which rules the cities and signifies strength by its name. But Peter goes first, and Paul is later in his end—and this is mysterious and hidden—; and at the hands of Nero, the greatest among rulers or, in his cruelty, the worst. Nevertheless, they also have some difference in their two ends, having been configured one way and another in their slaughter; for the one, I mean Peter, had to journey toward heaven in his posture, while Paul had to incline toward the earth and bend downward, so that they might blend their qualities and harmonize them into a symphony as from opposites.

20 Both, then, as I had said, are images of the divine manifestations and of virtue and of the Lord's commandments and of contemplation and of action. What then of us, O friends and brothers? Has the discourse set forth such things to us in vain? Has it presented Peter and Paul as images of an archetype for no purpose? Or is there also some purpose for which the skillful discourse has carved them out and brought them into our midst so as to expend so many words and to cut so great a path? Truly we and what we have written are futile if these things did not also look toward benefit and the good repute of the many; for neither God nor nature nor a sensible man has anything of working in vain. Surely the discourse did not go through these things for me for the sake of Peter or Paul? Was it so that those who have been glorified might be glorified, and those who have been honored might be honored with a glory beyond all perishable glory and an honor which no word could ever reach? Was it for their sake that the many discourses were poured out and the gospels were introduced and the old and new were compared? By no means; not for the sake of the saints, not for their honor or benefit, but so that we might enjoy the readings and be stirred up toward virtue and be led toward a like zeal and be conformed to the archetypes or that we might approach as near as possible, even if we are not able to receive all the coloring, yet we might attain to the imitation as much as is possible.

21 Let us therefore become Peter—and this is not a bold thing to say, since we are also exhorted to become as Christ and this is a word of our salvation and this is the manner of the divine economy; for this reason God became poor in the flesh, so that we might become rich in his divinity—let us therefore imitate Peter and the things of Peter, let us rush toward the truth, let us imitate the zeal, the faith, the steadfastness, the quickness, the fiery spirit. If we happen to be in a boat or are occupied with nets and are fondly disposed to the catching of fish, and we hear Christ calling, "Come, and I will make you fishers of men," let us not delay, let us leave everything and follow the one who calls; it is better to catch men alive than to fish for fish. If a stater is required of us and we hear "cast the net into the

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πάντα» ἐν πᾶσι κεῖται, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν σώμασι τεθεώρηται, ὡς ἐκ τεσ σάρων ταῦτα συνέστηκε, κἂν τὸ μὲν ἐν ἐνίοις τὸν πλεονασ μὸν εἴληχε, τὸ δὲ ἐν ἑτέροις ὡς μεμνήμεθα, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἕξεων τῶνδε γνωρίζεται, ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἀμιγῆ τινα πρᾶξιν ἐν τοῖς ἀσκουμένοις ἢ θεωρίαν· πλεονά ζειν δέ φαμεν ἐκείνην ἧς τὸ κράτος ἀριδηλότερον ἀναφαί νεται, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖν δυοῖν εὐφημουμένοιν ἐπέγνωσται, ὡς ἑκατέρου ἑκάτερα τῶν ἕξεων πλεονάσαντος. ἀμφότερα δὲ ἐπαινετὰ καὶ πρὸς θείαν μοῖραν τοὺς κεκτημένους ἀνάγοντα, ἐπεὶ τὸ μὲν ὑπηρετεῖ τῷ Χριστῷ ἢ τοῖς Χριστοῦ καὶ συλλαμβάνεται, τὸ δὲ ἀκροᾶται τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένων καὶ ἀπανίσταται τῶν ἐνθένδε καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἄνω τῶν μυστηρίων χωρεῖ καὶ περιφρονεῖ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τοῦ νοὸς ὅλον γίνεται.

19 Ἀλλ' ἓν καὶ ἀμφοῖν τὸ διὰ πάντων τέρμα καθέ στηκεν· ἴδε καὶ γὰρ ὡς εἰς Ῥώμην καὶ ἄμφω οἱ διδάσκαλοι ἀποτέμνονται. εἰς ἓν γὰρ τέλος τὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν κατην τήκασι-πρόσχες ὁ συνετὸς καὶ τῷ τόπῳ καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῷ προσώπῳ-ἐν Ῥώμῃ τῇ κυριευούσῃ τῶν πόλεων καὶ ἰσχὺν σημαινούσῃ παρὰ τῆς κλήσεως· προλαμβάνει δὲ Πέτρος, καὶ Παῦλος εἰς τὸ τέλος καθυστερεῖ-καὶ τοῦτο μυστηριῶδες καὶ κρύφιον-· καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Νέρωνος τοῦ μεγίστου ἐν ἄρχουσιν ἢ ἐν ἀπηνέσι τοῦ χείρονος. πλὴν ἔχουσί τι καὶ ἐν τοῖν τελοῖν τὸ διάφορον, ἄλλος καὶ ἄλλως σχηματισθέντες ἐν τῇ σφαγῇ· τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἔδει, τὸν Πέτρον φημὶ, πρὸς οὐρανὸν ὁδοιπορεῖσθαι τῷ σχήματι, τὸν δὲ Παῦλον πρὸς γῆν ἐπικλῖναι καὶ κάτω νεῦσαι, ὡς ἂν ἀνα κεράσωσι τὰς ποιότητας καὶ πρὸς συμφωνίαν ὡς ἐξ ἐναντίων ταύτας ἁρμόσωσιν.

20 Ἄμφω γοῦν εἰκόνες ὡς εἰρήκειν οὗτοι τῶν θείων ἐμφάσεων καὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ ἐνταλμάτων δεσποτικῶν καὶ θεω ρίας καὶ πράξεως. τί οὖν ἡμεῖς, ὦ φίλοι καὶ ἀδελφοί; ἆρ' εἰς μάτην ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος τὰ τοιαῦτα παρέθετο; ἆρ' ἐπὶ κενῆς ὡς ἀρχετύπῳ εἰκόνας τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τὸν Παῦλον παρέστησεν; ἢ ἔστι τις καὶ σκοπός, δι' ὃν αὐτοὺς ὁ τεχνί της λόγος ὑπέξεσε καὶ εἰς μέσον ἡμᾶς ἔφερεν ὡς καὶ τοσού τους λόγους παραναλῶσαι καὶ τοσαύτην τρίβον τεμεῖν; μά ταιοι ὄντως ἡμεῖς καὶ ἃ γεγραφήκαμεν, εἰ μὴ καὶ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἀφορῷεν ταῦτα καὶ τῶν πολλῶν εὐδοκίμησιν· οὔτε γὰρ θεὸς οὔτε φύσις οὔτ' ἐχέφρων ἀνὴρ ἔχουσί τι τῶν εἰς μάτην ἐργάζεσθαι. μὴ γοῦν Πέτρου χάριν ἢ Παύλου ταῦτα μοι διεξῄει ὁ λόγος; μὴ ὡς ἂν δοξασθεῖεν οἱ δεδοξασ μένοι καὶ τιμηθεῖεν οἱ τετιμημένοι δόξαν τὴν ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν δόξαν φθαρτὴν καὶ τιμὴν ἧς οὐδείς πω λόγος ἐφίκοιτο; μὴ διὰ τού τους οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν λόγων ἐχέθησαν καὶ τῶν εὐαγγελίων εἰσήχθησαν καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ καὶ νέα παρενεβλή θησαν; οὔμενουν· οὐ τῶν ἁγίων χάριν, οὐ τῆς ἐκείνων τιμῆς εἴτ' ὀνήσεως, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡμεῖς τῶν ἀκροαμάτων ἀπολαύσαιμεν καὶ προσερεθισθῶμεν εἰς ἀρετὴν καὶ πρὸς ζῆλον ἐπαχθῶμεν τὸν ὅμοιον καὶ προσεικονισθῶμεν τοῖς ἀρχετύποις ἢ ὅτι ἐγγυτάτω προσίωμεν, κἂν μὴ πᾶσαν χρωματουργίαν δυνηθῶ μεν εἰσδέξασθαι, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἐφικτὸν ἐφιξοίμεθα τῆς μιμήσεως.

21 Γενώμεθα οὖν Πέτρος-καὶ οὐ τολμηρὸν τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὡς Χριστὸς γενέσθαι παρεγγυώμεθα καὶ τοῦτο λόγος σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ τοῦτο τρόπος τῆς θείας οἰκονομίας· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ θεὸς πτωχεύει τὴν σάρκα, ἵν' ἡμεῖς πλουτήσωμεν τὴν ἐκείνου θεότητα-μιμησώμε θα οὖν Πέτρον καὶ τὰ τοῦ Πέτρου, πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐ θορμήσωμεν, μιμησώμεθα τὸν ζῆλον, τὴν πίστιν, τὸ στερρόν, τὸ τάχος, τὸ ἔμπυρον. ἂν ἐν πλοίῳ τυγχάνωμεν ἢ δικτύοις ἐνασχολώμεθα καὶ ἰχθύων ἄγραις προσφιλῶς διακείμεθα, ἀκούσωμεν δὲ καλοῦντος Χριστοῦ «δεῦτε καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων», μὴ βραδύνωμεν, καταλείψωμεν πάντα καὶ τῷ καλοῦντι ἀκολουθήσωμεν· κρεῖττον ἀνθρώπους ζωγρεῖν ἢ ἁλιεύειν ἰχθῦς. ἂν στατὴρ ἡμῖν ἀπαιτῆται καὶ «βάλλετε τὸ ἀμφίβληστρον» ἀκούσωμεν «εἰς τὴν