12

to receive so great a reward for having left your own things and having lifted the cross on your shoulders and having followed Christ. If you are asked by Christ who he is, do not, having followed human reasonings, you yourself say something unworthy of the Lord; He is a man in what is seen, but also God in what is hidden. Do not stumble like the Jews at outward things; for this is a stone of stumbling, but it is also recognized as a cornerstone. Therefore, let the mystery be revealed to you from the Father of lights, and say without hesitation: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

22 How wonderful this declaration of yours will be. By this you will put Arius to shame, and Sabellius, and you will show them to be nonsensical in their dogmas; and you will overturn Nestorius and you would make disappear the whole swarm of heretics. For in the name of the Son, the consubstantial and co-powerful nature with the Father will be brought together, and the confusion of Sabellius will be despised by you; for Father and Son are distinguished by the properties of their hypostases; and the blasphemy of Nestorius will be cast down; for Christ is one, from the virgin and Theotokos, perfect God and perfect man, one in hypostasis, but two in natures. If you should confess thus, by a short statement the whole of the proclamation will be set right for you. And the reward for the confession how lofty and wonderful, and beyond all hope and thoughts. Your name will be changed, and no longer Simon but Peter you will be called, blessed one, and upon your word as upon a firm rock Christ will build the church, against which the gates of Hades shall not prevail, and you will receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, than which what could be more blessed? and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven, and bound again in heaven, whatever you wish to bind on earth.

23 Of these rewards, what could be more blessed and more honorable? For if from a mortal king who honors a man for a time one should receive a small charge, he feels pleasure and his soul rejoices; from the greatest and immortal King, who holds authority over all the earth and all of heaven and what is around them, to receive such and so great a majesty, how great an excess of pleasure it brings! This is ineffable and inexplicable and inaccessible to human reasoning. Let us strive, therefore, to become Peters by the works of virtues, so that we may also obtain equal rewards. But if we are naturally suited to be conformed to Paul, let us become Pauls abundantly. First, let us cast away the zeal which we do not have according to knowledge; let us renounce attachment to the legal ordinances, if not willingly, then unwillingly; let our eyes be struck; let us cast off this sensible light, so that we may behold the intelligible light; let us be renamed from Sauls to Pauls; if we go to Ananias, let us receive illumination from him and gain the radiance in both respects; let us see at the same time the visible light of the sun and the inaccessible light of the Sun of righteousness; let us re-graft that legal zeal onto the gospel; let us be eager to teach to all the ends of the earth; let us pass through the borders of Syria, Phrygia, Cappadocia; let us be stoned, let us be scourged, let us receive forty stripes save one, let us be imprisoned; if we are hard-pressed, let us also testify that we are Romans; it is good to gain salvation; if the gospel would be benefited, let us run as far as Illyricum, making the preaching clear; if Peter should arrive first in Rome and should anticipate the end of martyrdom, let us walk after him; and for whose sake we went up to Jerusalem so that we might get to know him, let us again after him arrive at the universal theater, so that we may contend before both angels and men; let us bear the thorn in the flesh; if we are distressed, let us entreat three times concerning this; if we should hear, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is in

12

τοσοῦτον λαβεῖν τὸν μι σθὸν οἷς τε ἀφῆκας τὰ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἦρας ἐπ' ὤμων καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ἠκολούθησας. ἂν παρὰ Χριστοῦ ἐρωτηθῇς τίς ἐστιν, μὴ ἀνθρωπίνοις ἀκολου θήσας λογισμοῖς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐρεῖς τι τοῦ δεσπότου ἀνάξιον· ἄνθρωπός ἐστι τὸ φαινόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεὸς τὸ κρυπτό μενον. μὴ προσκόψῃς ὡς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τοῖς ἔξωθεν· λίθος μέν ἐστιν οὗτος προσκόμματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκρογωνιαῖος γνω ρίζεται. ἐκ γοῦν τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν φώτων ἀποκαλύφθητι τὸ μυστήριον καὶ ἀνενδοιάστως εἰπέ· «σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ζῶντος».

22 Ὡς θαυμασία σου αὕτη γενήσεται ἡ ἀπόφασις. Ἄρειον ἐκ τούτου καταισχυνεῖς καὶ Σαβέλλιον καὶ ὡς φληνάφους ἀποφανεῖς ἐν τοῖς δόγμασι, συναναστρέψεις δὲ καὶ Νεστό ριον καὶ σύμπαν σμῆνος τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἀφανίσειας. τῷ γὰρ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ τὸ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ὁμοούσιον καὶ ὁμοδύναμον συναχθήσεται καὶ ἡ τοῦ Σαβελλίου συνα λοιφή σοι καταπτυσθήσεται· διῄρηται γὰρ πατὴρ καὶ υἱὸς τοῖς τῶν ὑποστάσεων ἰδιώμασι· καταβληθήσεται καὶ Νεστορίου τὸ βλάσφημον· Χριστὸς γὰρ εἷς ὁ ἐκ τῆς παρθένου καὶ θεοτόκου, θεὸς τέλειος καὶ ἄνθρωπος τέλειος, εἷς μὲν τὴν ὑπόστασιν, τὰς δὲ φύσεις διπλοῦς. εἰ οὕτως ὁμολογή σειας, διὰ μικροῦ λόγου τὸ πᾶν σοι κατορθωθήσεται τοῦ κηρύγματος. καὶ ἡ ἀντίδοσις τῆς ὁμολογίας ὡς ὑψη λή τε καὶ θαυμασία καὶ πάσης ἐλπίδος ὑπερκειμένη καὶ ἐννοιῶν. μετονομασθήσῃ τὴν κλῆσιν καὶ οὐκέτι Σίμων ἀλλὰ Πέτρος ἀκούσῃς μακάριος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ τῷ σῷ ὡς ἐπὶ πέτρᾳ στερρᾷ ἐποικοδομήσει τὴν ἐκκλησίαν Χριστός, ἧς τοῦ ᾅδου πύλαι οὐ κατισχύουσι, καὶ λάβῃς τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, οὗ τί ἂν εἴη εὐδαιμονέστερον; καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ δεδεσμένον αὖθις ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς δῆσαι θελήσειας.

23 Τούτων τῶν ἀμοιβῶν τί ἂν γένοιτο μακαριώτερόν τε καὶ τιμιώτερον; εἰ γὰρ παρὰ βασιλέως θνητοῦ πρὸς καιρὸν τιμῶντος τὸν ἄνθρωπον μικρὰν προστασίαν προσλάβῃ τις, ἡδονὴν ἄγει καί οἱ ἐπιγαννύσκεται ἡ ψυχή· παρὰ μεγίστου καὶ ἀθανάτου βασιλέως τοῦ τὸ κῦρος πάσης γῆς καὶ παν τὸς οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοῦ περὶ ταῦτα κατέχοντος τοσοῦτον καὶ τηλίκον μεγαλεῖον λαβεῖν, ὅσην φέρει τῆς ἡδονῆς τὴν ὑπερβολήν! ἄρρητός ἐστιν αὕτη καὶ ἀνερμήνευτος καὶ ἀνθρω πίνοις λογισμοῖς ἀνεπίβατος. σπουδάσωμεν οὖν Πέτροι γενέσθαι ταῖς ἐργασίαις τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἵνα καὶ τῶν ἴσων γερῶν ἐπιτύχωμεν. ἀλλ' εἰ Παῦλον μᾶλλον ἀπεικονισθῆναι πεφύ καμεν, ἀφθόνως γενοίμεθα Παῦλοι. πρῶτον μὲν τὸν ζῆλον, ὃν οὐ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν ἔχομεν, ἀπορρίψωμεν· τῇ προσφύσει τῶν νομικῶν διαταγμάτων ἀποταξώμεθα, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἑκόντες, ἀλλ' ἄκοντες· πληγῶμεν τὰς ὄψεις· ἀποβαλώμεθα τὸ αἰσθη τὸν τοῦτο φῶς, ἵνα τὸ νοητὸν κατοπτεύσωμεν· μετονο μασθῶμεν ἐκ Σαύλων εἰς Παύλους· ἂν εἰς Ἀνανίαν ἀπέλ θωμεν, δεξώμεθα παρὰ τούτου τὸ φώτισμα καὶ κατ' ἄμφω τὴν λάμψιν κερδήσωμεν· ἴδωμεν συνάμα φῶς ἡλίου φαινό μενον καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης φῶς τὸ ἀπρόσιτον· μετακεντρίσωμεν τὸν νομικὸν ἐκεῖνον ζῆλον εἰς εὐαγγέ λιον· εἰς πάντα γῆς τὰ πέρατα διδάσκειν προθυμηθῶμεν· διέλθωμεν Συρίας τὰ ὅρια, Φρυγίας, Καππαδοκίας, λιθασθῶμεν, μαστιχθῶμεν, τεσσαράκοντα παρὰ μίαν λάβωμεν, καθειρχθῶμεν· ἂν βιασθῶμεν καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἑαυτοὺς δια μαρτυρώμεθα· καλὸν κερδῆσαι τὴν σωτηρίαν· ἂν ὠφελοῖτο τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, μέχρι τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ διαδράμωμεν διατρα νοῦντες τὸ κήρυγμα· ἂν προλάβῃ Πέτρος εἰς Ῥώμην καὶ τὸ τοῦ μαρτυρίου τέλος προλάβοιτο, κατόπιν τούτου βαδίσω μεν· καὶ δι' ὃν ἀνήλθομεν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὅπως ἂν αὐτὸν ἱστορήσωμεν, καὶ αὖθις μετὰ τοῦτον εἰς τὸ παγκόσμιον θέατρον καταντήσωμεν, ἵν' ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀγωνισώμεθα· φέρωμεν τὸν σκόλοπα τῆς σαρκός· ἂν δυσφορῶμεν, τρὶς ὑπὲρ τούτου παρακαλέσωμεν· ἂν ἀκούσωμεν «ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου, ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν