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he hardens.” You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” Then he went on: “On the contrary, O man, who are you to answer back to God?” Paul therefore silences those who seek to pry into dispensations. Then, while they are not permitted even these things, do you, by being meddlesome about the blessed substance itself which governs all things, not think you are worthy of countless thunderbolts? And how is this not of the utmost madness? Hear the prophet saying, or rather, God through him: “If I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a Lord, where is my fear?” For the one who fears does not pry, but worships; he is not meddlesome, but gives praise and glorifies. Let the powers above and the blessed Paul teach you these things; for he does not rebuke others for these things while being disposed otherwise himself. Hear, at least, what he says to the Philippians, showing that he has partial knowledge, just as when writing to the Corinthians he said, “We know in part” and not yet the whole, and now has attained: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.” What is clearer than this utterance? He has cried out more brightly than a trumpet, teaching the whole world to love and be content with the measure of knowledge that has been given and not to think that they have now grasped the whole. What do you say? Tell me: you have Christ speaking in you, and you say, “I do not consider that I have made it my own”? For this very reason, he says, I said that I have Christ speaking in me; he himself taught me these things. So these men too, if they were not completely destitute of the Spirit’s help and had not pushed away all his working from their own soul, would not, when Paul says, “I do not consider that I have made it my own,” have thought that they had grasped the whole. And how is it clear, he says, that he says these things about faith and knowledge and dogmas, and not about life and conduct; that I consider myself imperfect in life and conduct? Indeed, he made this clear by saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” But he who was about to receive the crown and had finished the race would not have said, “I do not consider that I have made it my own.” Besides, things to be done and things not to be done are not hidden from any man, but are clear and known to all, both to barbarians and Persians and to the whole race of men. But that I may make what I am saying even clearer, I will read the sequence of the passage itself. For after saying, “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil workers,” and after discoursing at length about those who introduce Jewish doctrines unseasonably, he went on to say: “Whatever were gains to me, I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I will count everything as loss, that I may be found not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is from God, the righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.” Then he says of what faith: “…to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.” What is “the power of his resurrection”? A new kind, he says, of resurrection was shown. For many dead were also raised many times before him, but not one in this way. For all the others who were raised returned again to the earth and, being freed for a time from the tyranny of death, were brought again under its rule; but the Lord’s body, having been raised, did not return to the earth, but ascended into the heavens and destroyed all the tyranny of the enemy and with himself raised up the whole world, and now sits on the royal throne. Paul, therefore, considering all these things and showing that no reasoning will be able to represent such and so great wonders, but that faith alone can teach and make them clear, said concerning faith: “…to know the power of his resurrection.” For if reasoning cannot represent a resurrection simply—for this is greater than human nature and the sequence of events—, the resurrection differing so much from other resurrections, what will be able to

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σκληρύνει». Ἐρεῖς οὖν μοι· Τί ἔτι μέμφεται; τῷ γὰρ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκε; Τότε ἐπήγαγεν· «Μενοῦν γε, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος τῷ Θεῷ;» Οἰκονομίας τοίνυν ζητοῦντας περιεργάζεσθαι ἐπιστομίζει ὁ Παῦλος. Εἶτα ἐκείνοις μὲν οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἐφεῖται· σὺ δὲ τὴν μακαρίαν αὐτὴν οὐσίαν τὴν πάντα οἰκονομοῦσαν πολυπραγμονῶν, οὐχ ἡγῇ ἄξιος εἶναι μυρίων σκηπτῶν; καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης ταῦτα μανίας; Ἄκουσον τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ δι' ἐκείνου· «Εἰ πατήρ εἰμι ἐγώ, ποῦ ἔστιν ἡ δόξα μου; καὶ εἰ Κύριός εἰμι, ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ φόβος μου;» Ὁ γὰρ φοβούμενος οὐ περιεργάζεται, ἀλλὰ προσκυνεῖ, οὐ πολυπραγμονεῖ, ἀλλ' εὐφημεῖ καὶ δοξάζει. ∆ιδασκέτωσάν σε ταῦτα καὶ αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος· οὐ γὰρ ἑτέροις μὲν ταῦτα ἐπιπλήττει, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐχ οὕτω διάκειται. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τί Φιλιππησίοις φησί, δεικνὺς ὅτι μερικὴν ἐπίγνωσιν ἔχει, καθάπερ καὶ Κορινθίοις γράφων ἔλεγεν ὅτι «Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν» καὶ τοῦ παντὸς οὐδέπω, καὶ νῦν ἐπείληπται· «Ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι.» Τί ταύτης σαφέστερον τῆς φωνῆς; Σάλπιγγος λαμπρότερον ἐβόησε τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν παιδεύων ἀγαπᾶν καὶ στέργειν τῷ δοθέντι τῆς γνώσεως μέτρῳ καὶ μὴ νομίζειν τὸ πᾶν ἀπειληφέναι νῦν. Τί λέγεις; εἰπέ μοι· τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχεις ἐν σεαυτῷ λαλοῦντα, καὶ λέγεις ὅτι «Ἐγὼ οὐ λογίζομαι ἐμαυτὸν κατειληφέναι»; ∆ιὰ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, φησίν, εἶπον, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχω ἐν ἐμαυτῷ λαλοῦντα· αὐτός με ταῦτα ἐδίδαξεν. Ὥστε καὶ οὗτοι, εἰ μὴ παντελῶς ἔρημοι τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἦσαν βοηθείας καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀπώσαντο ψυχῆς, οὐκ ἄν, Παύλου λέγοντος· «Οὐ λογίζομαι ἐμαυτὸν κατειληφέναι», αὐτοὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἐπειλῆφθαι ἐνόμισαν. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, φησίν, ὅτι περὶ πίστεως ταῦτα λέγει καὶ γνώσεως καὶ δογμάτων, καὶ οὐχὶ περὶ βίου καὶ πολιτείας· ὅτι ἀτελῆ ἐμαυτὸν νομίζω ἐν βίῳ καὶ πολιτείᾳ; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν τοῦτο δῆλον ἐποίησεν εἰπών· «Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος.» Ὁ δὲ τὸν στέφανον μέλλων ἀπολαμβάνειν καὶ τὸν δρόμον τελέσας, οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν· «Οὐ λογίζομαι ἐμαυτὸν κατειληφέναι.» Ἄλλως δὲ τὰ πρακτέα καὶ τὰ μὴ πρακτέα, οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶν ἀφανῆ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι δῆλα καὶ γνώριμα, καὶ βαρβάροις καὶ Πέρσαις καὶ παντὶ τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ σαφέστερον ὃ λέγω ποιήσω, αὐτῆς ἀναγνώσομαι τῆς περικοπῆς ἀκολουθίαν. Εἰπὼν γάρ· «Βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας, βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς ἐργάτας» καὶ πολλὰ διαλεχθεὶς περὶ τῶν εἰσαγόντων ἰουδαϊκὰ δόγματα ἀκαίρως, ἐπήγαγε λέγων· «Ἅτινά μοι ἦν κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν· ἀλλὰ μὲν οὖν γε καὶ ἡγήσομαι τὰ πάντα ζημίαν, ἵνα εὑρεθῶ μὴ ἔχων δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ νόμου, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, τὴν διὰ τῆς πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Εἶτα λέγει ποίας πίστεως· «... τοῦ γνῶναι αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῶν παθημάτων αὐτοῦ». Τί ἐστι «δύναμιν ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ»; Καινός τις, φησίν, ἀναστάσεως ἐδείχθη τρόπος. Πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνου πολλάκις ἀνέστησαν νεκροί, οὕτω δὲ οὐδὲ εἷς. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι πάντες ἀναστάντες πάλιν εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑπέστρεφον καί, πρὸς καιρὸν ἀπαλλαττόμενοι τῆς τοῦ θανάτου τυραννίδος, ὑπὸ τὴν ἀρχὴν πάλιν ἤγοντο τὴν ἐκείνου· τὸ δὲ σῶμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν ἀναστὰν οὐκ εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑπέστρεψεν, ἀλλ' εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνέβη καὶ πᾶσαν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ κατέλυσε τὴν τυραννίδα καὶ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν οἰκουμένην συνανέστησεν ἅπασαν καὶ νῦν τῷ θρόνῳ κάθηται τῷ βασιλικῷ. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοῶν ὁ Παῦλος καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι τὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα θαύματα λογισμὸς μὲν οὐδεὶς παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται, πίστις δὲ μόνη δύναται διδάξαι καὶ ποιῆσαι σαφῆ, ἔλεγεν ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει· «... τοῦ γνῶναι τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ». Εἰ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἀνάστασιν οὐ δύναται παραστῆσαι λογισμός- μεῖζον γὰρ τοῦτο τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως καὶ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολουθίας ἐστί- , τὴν τοσοῦτον τῶν ἄλλων ἀναστάσεων διαφέρουσαν ἀνάστασιν ποῖος δυνήσεται