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all-venerable, having both served and touched the apostolic hands, and being both honored and revered to the equality of the all-honorable chains, it obtained a depository in the imperial palace, in which a sacred precinct dedicated to the apostle, as a sacred and heavenly treasure, both embraced and enfolded it within. And now for faithful emperors and for the service of emperors, and for the multitudes of all the faithful, it is a spring of sanctification, a bestowal of heavenly graces, an influx of all kinds of cures, a saving protection for those who venerate it, and a spiritual restoration for those who embrace it. But if it is seen as somewhat small and shapeless, it should not be overlooked for this reason; for it contains within itself the apostolic strength and power for miracles. This he also possessed as a mighty sword and recognized as a two-edged blade. Since the other apostolic garments and vestments are also full of much simplicity and humility, but if one looks to their spiritual comeliness and majesty [f. 174 ro], he will find them filled with divine and heavenly grace, and in no way lacking in apostolic miracles, but to speak of that very one himself and to be mindful of these things. And I deem the guardhouse itself in every way worthy of praise and full of all reverence, as having been deemed worthy to receive within such a great precinct of holiness.

50 I also consider the very ground on which, having been summoned, he slept as a prisoner, to be holy and a partaker of the apostolic grace. But someone doubts that these things are so, or that they are established in a participation of the grace that was in the apostle. Let the shadows and the handkerchiefs persuade him. The former, being formed by the obstruction of the body to the sunlight and being far from touching the chief apostle, and the latter, having approached his skin, partook of the divine grace from there, being filled with the same miracle-working power and, what is more paradoxical than this, by a second sequence and transfer of participation, the graces were imparted to those who approached, and the same vividness of the miracles gushed forth undiminished.

51 One must therefore consider, if [f. 174 vo] the things being worked are such, of what sort was the one working them; and if the things that participate are productive of such great miracles, how great must one think him to be who is participated in by them. For that through which is greater than that in which it is, holding the position of cause to that which is caused and of a lesser to a receptive height and dignity. And if someone would grant me to see his sandals and his garments, which he was instructed by the angel to put on, I would have kissed and embraced them and hidden them as a heavenly gift in the chambers of my heart. Therefore, by joining such a sacred sword to the sacred and apostolic chains, we imagine that we see him in our minds, and by touching both, we suppose that we touch him. And in no way do we in our thoughts separate things that are locally separated and divided from one another. But impressing them upon the mind and uniting and joining both these things and him into one through faith, we refer our discourse to him who suffered for His sake.

52 Embracing these things, we believe we see him himself. And calling him to mind, we suppose we see these things placed around him, and we have not become [f. 175 ro] entirely without a share in his graces. But even if he resides in old Rome through the allotment of his body, he does not wish to be absent from us through his sword and his chains. For he is present also with us. And possessing this as a whole, we are not broken off from our connection and union with him. But since the grace is one, working through the body and the chains and garments and the sword, no one would disbelieve that in each of these, it is present complete and whole, and that to those who faithfully approach and embrace them, it measures out the recompense according to the fervor of their divine longing.

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πάνσεπτος καὶ ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς χερσὶν καὶ ὑπουργήσασα καὶ προσψαύσασα καὶ πρὸς ἰσότητα τῶν παντίμων ἁλύσεων καὶ τιμωμένη καὶ σεβομένη, τῆς ἐν βασιλείοις ἔλαχε καταθέσεως, ἐν οἷς τέμενος ἱερὸν τῷ ἀποστόλῳ ἀνιδρυμένον ὡς θησαυρὸν ἱερὸν καὶ οὐράνιον ταύτην ἔνδον ἐνεκολπώσατό τε καὶ περιέστειλε. Καὶ νῦν βασιλεῦσι πιστοῖς καὶ θεραπείᾳ βασιλέων, καὶ πλήθεσι πάντων πιστῶν ἁγιασμοῦ πηγὴ, χαρίτων οὐρανίων παροχὴ, ἰαμάτων παντοίων ἐπιρροὴ, προσκυνούντων σωτήριος φυλακὴ καὶ τῶν ἀσπαζομένων ἀνόρθωσις ψυχική. Εἰ δὲ καὶ βραχεῖα τις ὁρᾶται καὶ ἄμορφος οὐ διὰ τοῦτο παρορατέον· τὴν γὰρ ἀποστολικὴν ἐν αὐτῇ περιέχει τῶν τεραστίων ἰσχύν τε καὶ δύναμιν. Ταύτην καὶ ὡς δυνατοῦ ῥομφαίαν ἐκέκτητο καὶ ὡς δίστομον ἐγνώριζε μάχαιραν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τἄλλα τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἐσθημάτων τε καὶ περιβλημάτων πολλῆς γέμει τῆς εὐτελείας καὶ ταπεινότητος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν νοητὴν εὐπρέπειαν καὶ μεγαλειότητά [φ. 174 ρο] τις ἀπιδὼν εὑρήσει ταῦτα πεπληρωμένα θεϊκῆς καὶ οὐρανίου χάριτος καὶ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν τερατουργημάτων κατὰ μηδὲν ἐλλείποντα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνόν τε εἰπεῖν καὶ τούτων ἐπιμνησθῆναι. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν φρουρὰν παντοίως ἀξιῶ εὐφημίας καὶ πάσης σεβασμιότητος ἔμπλεων ὡς ἀξιωθῆσαν τηλικούτων ἁγιωσύνης τέμενος ἔνδον εἰσδέξασθαι.

50 Ἐγὼ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔδαφος ἐφ' ᾧ ἀνακληθεὶς ἐκαθεύδησε δέσμιος, ἁγιοπρεπὲς ὑπολαμβάνω καὶ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς χάριτος μέτοχον. Ἀλλὰ διστάζει τις μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν αὐτὰ, μήδ' ἐν μετουσίᾳ τῆς ἐν τῷ ἀποστόλῳ καθίστασθαι χάριτος. Αἱ σκιαὶ τοῦτον πεισάτωσαν καὶ τὰ σιμικίνθια. Αἱ μὲν τῇ ἀντιφράσει τοῦ σώματος πρὸς τὸ ἡλιακὸν φῶς συνιστάμεναι καὶ μακρὰν οὖσαι τῆς τοῦ κορυφαίου προσψαύσεως, τὰ δὲ τῷ τούτου χρωτὶ πλησιάσαντα τῆς ἐκεῖθεν μετείληφε θείας χάριτος, τῆς ἴσης θαυματουργοῦ δυνάμεως ἐμπιπλάμενα καὶ, ὃ τούτου παραδοξότερον, κατὰ δευτέραν μετουσίας ἀκολουθίαν τε καὶ μετάβασιν τῶν χαρίτων τοῖς προσπελάζουσι μεταδιδομένων καὶ τὸ ταυτὸν τῆς ἐναργείας τῶν θαυμάτων ἀναβλυζόντων ἀμείωτον.

51 Σκοπεῖν οὖν χρὴ, εἰ [φ. 174 ῃο] τὰ ἐνεργούμενα τοιαῦτα ποταπὸς ἦν ὁ ἐνεργῶν, καὶ εἰ τὰ μετέχοντα τηλικούτων θαυμάτων παρεκτικὰ, πηλίκον οἴεσθαι δεῖν τὸν ὑπ' αὐτῶν μετεχόμενον. Μεῖζον γὰρ τὸ δι' οὗ τοῦ ἐν ᾧ ἐστι, αἰτίαν τοῦ λόγου ἐπέχον πρὸς αἴτιον καὶ ὑποδεοῦς πρὸς δεκτικὸν ὕψωμα καὶ ἀξίωμα. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰ σανδάλια τούτου καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια, ἃ περιβαλέσθαι πρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἐπετέτραπτο, δοίη μοί τις θεάσασθαι, ἠσπασάμην ἂν καὶ περιεπτυξάμην καὶ ὡς οὐράνιον δῶρον τοῖς τῆς καρδίας ταμείοις συνέκρυψα. Τὴν οὖν τοιαύτην ἱερὰν μάχαιραν ταῖς ἱεραῖς καὶ ἀποστολικαῖς ἐπισυνάπτοντες ἁλύσεσιν, ἐκεῖνον ὁρᾶν νοητῶς φανταζόμεθα, καὶ ἀμφοτέροις προσψαύοντες, ἐκείνῳ προσψαύειν οἰόμεθα. Καὶ οὐδαμῶς ταῖς ἐννοίαις συνδιϊστῶμεν τὰ τοπικῶς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διϊστάμενά τε καὶ διαιρούμενα. Ἀλλ' ἐντυποῦντες αὐτὰ τῷ νῷ καὶ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνον εἰς ἓν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἑνοῦντες καὶ συνάπτοντες, πρὸς τὸν δι' αὐτὸν πεπονθότα τὴν ἀναφορὰν τοῦ λόγου ποιούμεθα.

52 Ταῦτα περιπτυσσόμενοι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ὁρᾶν πιστεύομεν. Κἀκεῖνον ἀνιστοροῦντες, ταῦτα τούτῳ περικείμενα ὁρᾶν οἰόμεθα, καὶ οὐ πάντη τῶν αὐτοῦ χαρίτων ἀμέτοχα [φ. 175 ρο] καθεστήκαμεν. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τῇ παλαιᾷ ἐμφιλοχωρεῖ Ῥώμῃ διὰ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀποκληρώσεως, οὐδὲ ἡμῶν ἀπολιμπάνεσθαι βούλεται διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ μαχαίρας καὶ τῶν ἁλύσεων. Πάρεστι γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Καὶ τοῦτον ὡς ὅλον κατέχοντες, οὐκ ἀπερρήγμεθα τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν συναφείας τε καὶ ἑνώσεως. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς χάριτος μιᾶς οὔσης τῆς διὰ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῶν ἁλύσεων καὶ ἱματίων καὶ τῆς μαχαίρας ἐνεργούσης, οὐκ ἄν τις διαπιστήσειεν μὴ οὐχὶ καὶ ἐν ἑκάστῳ τούτων, ἄρτιον καὶ ὁλόκληρον συμπαρεῖναι, καὶ τοῖς πιστῶς προσιοῦσι καὶ περιπτυσσομένοις πρὸς τὸ τοῦ θείου πόθου διάπυρον ἀντιμετρεῖν τὴν ἀντίδοσιν.