John Chrysostom, On the Praises of Saint Paul the Apostle

he needed a stronger bridle, lest being carried away by the rush of his zeal, he might also disobey what was said. For this very reason, suppressing that madness of his, first He calms the waves of that torrential anger through the blinding, and then He speaks with him, showing the unapproachableness of His wisdom, and the excellence of His knowledge, and so that he might learn against whom he was warring, whom he cannot bear not only when punishing, but not even when benefiting. For darkness did not blind him, but an excess of light darkened him. 4.3 And why, he says, did this not happen from the beginning? Do not seek this, nor be overly curious, but concede to the incomprehensible providence of God the fitness of the time. For he himself also does this, saying: But when He who had set me apart from my mother's womb, and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me. Therefore you too should not be overly curious, when Paul says this. For then, then it was expedient, the scandals having been removed from the midst. Henceforth, let us learn from this, that no one at all, neither of those before him, nor he himself found Him of his own accord, but Christ revealed Himself. Wherefore He also said: You did not choose Me, but I chose you. Since for what reason, seeing the dead being raised in His name, did he not believe? For seeing the lame walking, and demons fleeing, and the paralyzed being strengthened, he gained nothing; for he who was so meddlesome regarding the apostles was not ignorant of these things. And when Stephen was being stoned, being present and seeing his face as the face of an angel, he gained nothing from this. How then did he gain nothing from this? Because he had not yet been called. 4.4 But you, hearing these things, do not think the call is compulsory; for God does not compel, but allows them to be masters of their choices even after the call. For He also revealed Himself to the Jews when it was necessary, but they were unwilling to receive it because of the glory that is from men. But if one of the unbelievers should say, how is it clear that He called Paul from heaven, and he was persuaded? for why did He not also call me? we will say this to him: do you believe this at all, tell me, O man? Therefore, if you believe, it is sufficient for you as a sign. For if you do not believe that He called from heaven, how can you say, why did He not also call me? but if you believe that He called, this is sufficient for you as a sign. Believe, therefore; for He also calls you from heaven, if you have a well-disposed soul; as if you are ungrateful and perverse, not even a voice brought to you from above will suffice for salvation. 4.5 How many times, then, did the Jews hear a voice borne from heaven, and did not believe? how many signs did they see, both in the New and in the Old, and did not become better? But in the Old, these ones after countless wonders made a calf; but the harlot of Jericho, having seen none of these things, showed wonderful faith concerning the spies. And in the land of promise, these ones, though signs were happening, remained more senseless than stones; but the Ninevites, having seen only Jonah, believed and repented, and turned away the divinely-sent wrath. And in the New, at the very presence of Christ, the thief, seeing Him being crucified, worshipped; but these ones, seeing Him raising the dead, both bound and crucified Him. 4.6 And what about in our case? Did not fire, leaping forth from the temple, from the foundations in Jerusalem, drive away those who were building, and thus made them desist from their lawless undertaking at that time? but still they did not change, nor did they put away their hardness of heart. And how many other wonders happened after that time, and they gained nothing from them? such as the thunderbolt that was brought down against the roof of the temple of Apollo; the oracle of this very demon, which compelled the then-reigning emperor to move the nearby lying martyr,

σφοδροτέρου ἐδεῖτο χαλινοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τῇ ῥύμῃ τῆς προθυμίας ἀγόμενος, καὶ παρακούσῃ τῶν λεγομένων. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καταστέλλων αὐτοῦ τὴν μανίαν ἐκείνην, πρῶτον κατευνάζει τὰ κύματα τῆς ῥαγδαίας ὀργῆς ἐκείνης διὰ τῆς πηρώσεως, καὶ τότε αὐτῷ διαλέγεται, δεικνὺς τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀπρόσιτον, καὶ τὸ τῆς γνώσεως ὑπερέχον, καὶ ἵνα μάθῃ τίνα πολεμεῖ, ὃν οὐ μόνον κολάζοντα, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εὐεργετοῦντα δύναται ἐνεγκεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ σκότος αὐτὸν ἐπήρωσεν, ἀλλ' ὑπερβολὴ φωτὸς αὐτὸν ἐσκότισε. 4.3 Καὶ τί δήποτε μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦτο ἐγένετο, φησί; Μὴ ζήτει τοῦτο, μηδὲ περιεργάζου, ἀλλὰ παραχώρει τῷ ἀκαταλήπτῳ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο ποιεῖ λέγων· Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ ἀφορίσας με ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, καὶ καλέσας διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοί. Οὐκοῦν καὶ σὺ μηδὲν περιεργάζου πλέον, ὅταν Παῦλος τοῦτο λέγῃ. Τότε γάρ, τότε συνέφερε τῶν σκανδάλων ἀρθέντων ἐκ μέσου. Λοιπὸν ἀπὸ τούτου μάθωμεν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς οὐδαμῶς οὐδὲ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς οἴκοθεν αὐτὸν εὗρεν, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐφανέρωσε. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς. Ἐπεὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁρῶν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἀνισταμένους νεκρούς, οὐκ ἐπίστευσεν; Ὁρῶν γὰρ χωλὸν βαδίζοντα, καὶ δαίμονας δραπετεύοντας, καὶ παραλυτικοὺς σφιγγομένους, οὐδὲν ἐκαρποῦτο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠγνόει ταῦτα ὁ οὕτω περιεργαζόμενος τοὺς ἀποστόλους. Καὶ Στεφάνου δὲ λιθαζομένου, παρὼν καὶ ἰδὼν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου, οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδανε. Πῶς οὖν οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδανεν; Ὅτι οὐδέπω ἦν κεκλημένος. 4.4 Σὺ δὲ ἀκούων ταῦτα, μὴ ἀναγκαστὴν τὴν κλῆσιν εἶναι νόμιζε· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀναγκάζει ὁ Θεός, ἀλλ' ἀφίησι κυρίους εἶναι προαιρέσεων καὶ μετὰ τὴν κλῆσιν. Καὶ γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις ἀπεκάλυψεν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ὅτε ἐχρῆν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠθέλησαν δέξασθαι διὰ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις τῶν ἀπίστων, πόθεν δῆλον ὅτι Παῦλον ἐκάλεσεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἐπείσθη; διὰ τί γὰρ μὴ καὶ ἐμὲ ἐκάλεσεν; ἐκεῖνο πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐροῦμεν· πιστεύεις τοῦτο, εἰπέ μοι ὅλως, ὦ ἄνθρωπε; Οὐκοῦν εἰ πιστεύεις, ἀρκεῖ σοι εἰς σημεῖον. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀπιστεῖς ὅτι ἐκάλεσεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, πῶς λέγεις, διὰ τί μὴ καὶ ἐμὲ ἐκάλεσεν; εἰ δὲ πιστεύεις ὅτι ἐκάλεσεν, ἀρκεῖ σοι τοῦτο εἰς σημεῖον. Πίστευε τοίνυν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ σὲ καλεῖ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἐὰν ψυχὴν εὐγνώμονα ἔχῃς· ὡς ἐὰν ἀγνώμων ᾖς καὶ διεστραμμένος, οὐδὲ τὸ ἐνεχθῆναί σοι φωνὴν ἄνωθεν ἀρκέσει εἰς σωτηρίαν. 4.5 Ποσάκις γοῦν ἤκουσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι φωνῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ φερομένης, καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν; πόσα εἶδον σημεῖα, καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ, καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, καὶ οὐκ ἐγένοντο βελτίους; Ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, οὗτοι μετὰ μυρία θαύματα ἐμοσχοποίησαν· ἡ δὲ Ἱεριχουντία πόρνη μηδὲν τούτων θεασαμένη πίστιν ἐπεδείξατο θαυμαστὴν περὶ τοὺς κατασκόπους. Καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ δὲ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας οὗτοι μὲν, τῶν σημείων γινομένων, ἔμενον λίθων ἀναισθητότεροι· οἱ δὲ Νινευῗται τὸν Ἰωνᾶν θεασάμενοι μόνον, ἐπίστευσαν καὶ μετενόησαν, καὶ τὴν θεήλατον ὀργὴν ἀπεκρούσαντο. Ἐν δὲ τῇ Καινῇ, ἐπ' αὐτῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς παρουσίας, ὁ μὲν λῃστὴς σταυρούμενον ἰδών, προσεκύνησεν· οὗτοι δὲ νεκροὺς ἐγείροντα θεασάμενοι, καὶ ἔδησαν καὶ ἐσταύρωσαν. 4.6 Τί δὲ ἐφ' ἡμῶν; Οὐχὶ πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ ναοῦ, ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων τῶν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐκπηδῆσαν ἐφήλατο τοῖς οἰκο δομοῦσι, καὶ οὕτως αὐτοὺς ἀπέστησε τῆς παρανόμου τότε ἐπιχειρήσεως; ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ μετεβάλοντο, οὐδὲ ἀπέθεντο τὴν πώρωσιν. Πόσα δὲ ἕτερα γέγονε μετ' ἐκεῖνο θαύματα τότε, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδαναν; οἷον ὁ κεραυνὸς ὁ κατὰ τῆς ὀροφῆς τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος κατενεχθείς· ὁ τοῦ δαίμονος αὐτοῦ τούτου χρησμός, ὃς τὸν τότε βασιλεύοντα ἠνάγκαζε μετακινεῖν τὸν πλησίον κείμενον μάρτυρα,