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dangers, from prisons, from daily deaths, from hunger and thirst, and nakedness, from other such things; but since his argument now was not against the false apostles, but against the apostles, and they had also partaken of these things, I mean the dangers, he frames his argument from another direction; for when he directed it against the false apostles, he thus presents the comparison, bringing forward his endurance in dangers and saying: Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft; now however he speaks of his former manner of life, and says: But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ. See how he insists on this again and again, that he became a disciple of Christ, not with a man as mediator, but because Christ himself deemed him worthy to reveal all knowledge to him. And what proof could there be for unbelievers that God revealed those ineffable mysteries to you by himself, and not through some intermediary? My former manner of life, he says. For if it were not God who revealed it, I would not have had so sudden a change. For those who are taught by men, when they are vehement and fervent in opposition, need time and much contrivance to be persuaded; but he who so suddenly changed, and at the very height of his madness became completely sober, it is clear that having received a divine vision and teaching, he immediately returned to perfect health. For this reason he is compelled to relate his former manner of life, and he calls them as witnesses of what happened. For that the only-begotten Son of God deigned to call me himself from the heavens, you do not know; for how could you, not being present? but that I was a persecutor, you know very well. For my vehemence was spread even to you; and yet the distance between the Palestinians and the Galatians is great; so that the report would not have traveled so far, if there had not been a great excess in what was happening, and intolerable to all. Therefore he also says: For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, that I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure, and wasted it. Do you see how he states each thing with emphasis, and is not ashamed? For he did not simply persecute, but with all excess, and not only did he persecute, but he also wasted it, that is, he attempted to extinguish the Church, to destroy it, to pull it down, to annihilate it; for this is the work of one who wastes. And 61.627 I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

9. For lest you think that the matter was one of anger, he shows that he did everything out of zeal, even if not according to knowledge, not persecuting out of vainglory or enmity, but also being zealous for the traditions of my fathers. What he says is this: If I did the things against the Church not on account of man, but on account of divine zeal, though misguided, yet zeal nonetheless; how now, running on behalf of the Church and having come to know the truth, do I do these things for vainglory? For if, in my error, such a passion did not control me, but the zeal of God led me to this, much more, when I came to know the truth, would I rightly be free from all such suspicion. For at the same time I converted to the doctrines of the Church, and I stripped off all Jewish prejudice, displaying much more zeal here; which is a sign of having converted with truth, and of being possessed by divine zeal. For if this were not so, what else, tell me, was it that prepared for so great a change, and dishonor for honor, and dangers for ease, and

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κινδύνων, ἀπὸ τῶν δεσμωτηρίων, ἀπὸ τῶν καθημερινῶν θανάτων, ἀπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ τοῦ δίψους, καὶ τῆς γυμνότητος, ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐ πρὸς τοὺς ψευδαποστόλους, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ὁ λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ νῦν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ καὶ τούτων ἦσαν κεκοινωνηκότες, τῶν κινδύνων λέγω, ἑτέρωθεν μεθοδεύει τὸν λόγον· ἐπεὶ, ὅτε πρὸς τοὺς ψευδαποστόλους ἀπετείνατο, οὕτω προσάγει τὴν σύγκρισιν, τὴν ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις ὑπομονὴν εἰς μέσον φέρων καὶ λέγων· ∆ιάκονοι Χριστοῦ εἰσι; (παραφρονῶν λαλῶ·) ὑπὲρ ἐγώ· ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως, ἐν πληγαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως, ἐν φυλακαῖς περισσοτέρως, ἐν θανάτοις πολλάκις· νῦν μέντοι τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν λέγει, καί φησι· Γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ ἄνθρωπον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτὸ, οὐδὲ ἐδιδάχθην, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὅρα πῶς ἄνω καὶ κάτω τοῦτο διισχυρίζεται, ὅτι τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέγονε μαθητὴς, οὐκ ἀνθρώπου μεσιτεύοντος, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ δι' ἑαυτοῦ καταξιώσαντος ἀποκαλύψαι τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῷ πᾶσαν. Καὶ ποία τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν ἀπόδειξις γένοιτ' ἂν τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἀποκαλύψαι σοι δι' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ μὴ διὰ μέσου τινὸς τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἐκεῖνα μυστήρια; Ἡ προτέρα ἀναστροφὴ, φησίν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ ἐκκαλύπτων, οὕτως ἀθρόαν ἔσχον μεταβολήν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων διδασκόμενοι, ὅταν σφοδροὶ καὶ διακαεῖς ὦσιν ἐν τοῖς ἐναντίοις, χρόνου δέονται καὶ πολλῆς τῆς μηχανῆς πρὸς τὸ πεισθῆναι· ὁ δὲ οὕτως ἀθρόον μεταστὰς, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τῆς μανίας ἀκμῇ καθαρῶς νήψας, εὔδηλον ὅτι θείας τυχὼν ὄψεως καὶ διδασκαλίας, ἀθρόον πρὸς τὴν καθαρὰν ἐπανῆλθεν ὑγείαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀναγκάζεται περὶ τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ διηγήσασθαι ἀναστροφῆς, καὶ μάρτυρας αὐτοὺς καλεῖ τῶν γενομένων. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ κατηξίωσεν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ με καλέσαι ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἴστε· πῶς γὰρ, οἱ μὴ παρόντες; ὅτι δὲ διώκτης ἤμην, σφόδρα ἴστε. Καὶ γὰρ μέχρις ὑμῶν ἡ σφοδρότης ἡ ἐμὴ διεδόθη· καίτοι πολὺ τὸ διάστημα Παλαιστινῶν καὶ Γαλατῶν· ὥστε οὐκ ἂν τοσοῦτον διέβη ἡ φήμη, εἰ μὴ πολλὴ τῶν γινομένων ὑπερβολὴ ἦν, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀφόρητος. ∆ιὸ καί φησιν· Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφήν ποτε ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ, ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐδίωκον τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπόρθουν αὐτήν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἕκαστον μετὰ ἐπιτάσεως τίθησι, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται; Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἐδίωκεν, ἀλλὰ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἁπάσης, καὶ οὐκ ἐδίωκε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπόρθει, τουτέστι, σβέσαι ἐπεχείρει τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καταστρέψαι, καθελεῖν, ἀφανίσαι· τοῦτο γὰρ πορθοῦντος ἔργον. Καὶ 61.627 προέκοπτον ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ ὑπὲρ πολλοὺς συνηλικιώτας ἐν τῷ γένει μου, περισσοτέρως ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων.

θʹ. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι θυμοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν, δείκνυσιν ὅτι ζήλῳ τὸ πᾶν ἐποίει, εἰ καὶ μὴ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν, οὐκ ἀπὸ κενοδοξίας, οὐδὲ ἔχθρας ἐκδιώκων, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων. Ὃ δέ φησι, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Εἰ τὰ κατὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οὐ δι' ἄνθρωπον ἔπραττον, ἀλλὰ διὰ ζῆλον θεῖον, ἐσφαλμένον μὲν, ζῆλον δὲ ὅμως· πῶς νῦν ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τρέχων καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιγνοὺς, διὰ κενοδοξίαν ταῦτα πράττω; Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῷ σφάλλεσθαι οὐκ ἐκράτει μου πάθος τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζῆλος ἐπὶ τοῦτό με ἤγαγε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ὅτε τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπέγνων, πάσης ἀπηλλάχθαι τοιαύτης δίκαιος ἂν εἴην ὑπονοίας. Ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ μετέστην πρὸς τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας δόγματα, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀπεδυσάμην πρόληψιν Ἰουδαϊκὴν, πολλῷ πλείονα ζῆλον ἐνταῦθα ἐπιδειξάμενος· ὅπερ ἐστὶ σημεῖον τοῦ μετὰ ἀληθείας μεταστῆναι, καὶ ζήλῳ κατεχόμενον θείῳ. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, τί ἦν ἕτερον, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ παρασκευάζον γενέσθαι τοσαύτην μεταβολὴν, καὶ ὕβριν τιμῆς, καὶ κινδύνους ἀνέσεως, καὶ