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evil, nor was I content with blaspheming myself, but I also persecuted those who wished to be devout. Great was the madness of the blasphemy. But I received mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 2. For what reason then did other Jews not receive mercy 62.517? Because not out of ignorance, but knowing and being very well aware, they did what they did. And that you may learn accurately, hear what the Evangelist says, that Many of the Pharisees and Jews believed, but did not confess Him. For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. And again Christ says: How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another? and again, The parents of the blind man said these things, he says, on account of the Jews, so that they might not be put out of the synagogue. And the Jews themselves again said, You see that we are gaining nothing, because the whole world has gone after him. For everywhere the passion of love for power troubled them. And yet they themselves said that No one can forgive sins, but God alone; and immediately He did this, which they said was a sign of God. These things, therefore, were not of ignorance. But where was Paul then? Perhaps one might say: At the feet of Gamaliel, having nothing in common with the seditious crowds. But Gamaliel was a man who did nothing for the sake of love of power. How then after these things is Paul found with the crowd? He saw the doctrine growing, and prevailing from then on, and all of them being persuaded. For in the time of Christ, they sometimes went with Him, and sometimes with the teachers; but when they were completely estranged, then, from that point on, not like the others for the sake of love of power did he do what he did, but out of zeal. For what reason was he going to Damascus? He considered the matter a pestilence, and feared lest the preaching be spread everywhere. But the Jews were not so; for not for the sake of leadership over the many, but for the sake of love of power did they do everything. See then what they say: They will take away our nation and our city. What kind of fear shook them? A human one. But this is worth examining, how being exact concerning the law, he knew nothing; for he himself was the one who said. What He had promised beforehand through his prophets. How then do you not know, being a zealot for the ancestral law, educated at the feet of Gamaliel? but those who spent their time on lakes and rivers and tax collectors ran to him and received him, but you, the one learned in the law, persecute? For this reason he condemned himself, saying, I am not worthy to be called an apostle; for this reason he confesses the ignorance that unbelief produced; for this reason he says he received mercy. What is, He counted me faithful? He betrayed none of the Master's things; he said all things were His, even his own. He did not usurp the glory of God. For hear him saying elsewhere, Men, why do you pay attention to us? We are men of like nature with you. This is, He counted me faithful. And again elsewhere, I labored more abundantly than all of them, he says; yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me; and again, The one who works in us both to will and to work. He shows himself from this to be worthy of punishment; for mercy is for such as these. And again elsewhere he says: A partial hardening has happened to Israel. But the grace of God, he says, abounded exceedingly with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. What is this? Lest having heard, I received mercy, you might think only so much: I was a blasphemer, he says, and a persecutor and an insolent man; therefore worthy of punishment; but I was not punished, for I received mercy. Was it then this 62.518 alone, and was the mercy only to the extent of not inflicting punishment? By no means, but also many other great things. For God did not only deliver us from the impending judgment, but also made us righteous and sons and brothers and friends and heirs and fellow heirs. For this reason he says, Grace abounded exceedingly, showing that the gifts surpassed even the mercy. For these things are not of one who shows mercy, but of one who loves,

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φαῦλον, οὐδὲ ἠρκούμην αὐτὸς βλασφημῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς βουλομένους εὐσεβεῖν ἐδίωκον. Πολλὴ τῆς βλασφημίας ἡ μανία. Ἀλλ' ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ. βʹ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν καὶ ἄλλοι Ἰουδαῖοι οὐκ ἠλεήθη 62.517 σαν; Ὅτι οὐκ ἐξ ἀγνοίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰδότες καὶ σφόδρα ἐπιστάμενοι ἔπραττον ἅπερ ἔπραττον. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ἀκριβῶς, ἄκουε τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι Πολλοὶ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Ἰουδαίων ἐπίστευον μὲν, οὐχ ὡμολόγουν δέ. Ἠγάπησαν γὰρ τὴν δόξαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων μᾶλλον, ἤπερ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χριστός φησι· Πῶς δύνασθε πιστεύειν, δόξαν παρὰ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες; καὶ πάλιν, Ταῦτα εἶπον, φησὶν, οἱ γονεῖς τοῦ τυφλοῦ διὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ἵνα μὴ ἀποσυνάγωγοι γένωνται. Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πάλιν ἔλεγον, Ὁρᾶτε ὅτι οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμεν, ὅτι πᾶς ὁ κόσμος ὑπάγει ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὸ τῆς φιλαρχίας πάθος ἠνώχλει. Καὶ μὴν αὐτοὶ εἶπον, ὅτι Οὐδεὶς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ Θεός· καὶ εὐθέως ἐποίησε τοῦτο, ὅπερ ἔφησαν εἶναι σημεῖον Θεοῦ. Οὐκ ἦν οὖν ταῦτα ἀγνοίας. Ποῦ δὲ ὁ Παῦλος ἦν τότε; Ἴσως ἄν τις εἴποι· Παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ, οὐδὲν κοινὸν μετὰ τῶν ὄχλων ἔχων τῶν στασιαστῶν. Ὁ δὲ Γαμαλιὴλ ἀνήρ τις ἦν οὐ φιλαρχίας ἕνεκέν τι ποιῶν. Πῶς οὖν μετὰ ταῦτα εὑρίσκεται μετὰ τοῦ ὄχλου ὁ Παῦλος; Ἑώρα αὐξανόμενον τὸ δόγμα, καὶ κρατοῦν λοιπὸν, καὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς πειθομένους. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποτὲ μὲν αὐτῷ συνῄεσαν, ποτὲ δὲ τοῖς διδασκάλοις· ὅτε δὲ τέλεον ἀπεσχοινίσθησαν, τότε λοιπὸν, οὐχ ὡς οἱ λοιποὶ φιλαρχίας ἕνεκεν ἔπραττεν ἅπερ ἔπραττεν, ἀλλὰ ζήλου. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν εἰς ∆αμασκὸν ἐπορεύετο; Λύμην τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνόμιζε, καὶ ἐδεδοίκει μὴ πανταχοῦ διαδοθῇ τὸ κήρυγμα. Οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐχ οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ τῆς προστασίας τῶν πολλῶν ἕνεκεν, ἀλλὰ φιλαρχίας χάριν πάντα ἔπραττον. Ὅρα γοῦν τί φασιν· Ἀροῦσιν ἡμῶν τὸ ἔθνος καὶ τὴν πόλιν. Ποῖος αὐτοὺς κατέσεισε φόβος; ἀνθρώπινος. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἄξιον ἐξετάσαι, πῶς ἀκριβὴς ὢν περὶ τὸν νόμον, οὐδὲν ἔγνω· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ λέγων. Ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ οἶδας ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου, παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιήλου παιδευόμενος; ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἐν λίμναις καὶ ποταμοῖς διατρίβοντες καὶ τελῶναι προσέδραμον καὶ ἐδέξαντο, σὺ δὲ διώκεις ὁ νομομαθής; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κατεγίνωσκεν ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος· διὰ τοῦτο τὴν ἄγνοιαν ὁμολογεῖ, ἣν ἡ ἀπιστία ἔτικτε· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν ἐλεηθῆναι. Τί ἐστι, Πιστόν με ἡγήσατο; Οὐδὲν τῶν ∆εσποτικῶν προεδίδου· πάντα αὑτοῦ ἔλεγεν εἶναι, καὶ τὰ ἴδια. Οὐκ ἐσφετερίζετο τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν. Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγοντος, Ἄνδρες, τί ἡμῖν προσέχετε; ἡμεῖς ὁμοιοπαθεῖς ὑμῖν ἐσμεν ἄνθρωποι. Τοῦτό ἐστι, Πιστόν με ἡγήσατο. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ, Περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα, φησίν· οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ, ἀλλ' ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί· καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν. ∆είκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τούτου τιμωρίας ἄξιον· ὁ γὰρ ἔλεος ἐπὶ τούτοις γίνεται. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Πώρωσις ἀπὸ μέρους τῷ Ἰσραὴλ γέγονεν. Ἀλλ' ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ, φησὶν, ὑπερεπλεόνασε μετὰ πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσας, Ἠλεήθην, τοσοῦτον μόνον νομίσῃς, Βλάσφημος, φησὶν, ἤμην καὶ διώκτης καὶ ὑβριστής· οὐκοῦν καὶ κολάσεως ἄξιος· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐτιμωρήθην· ἠλεήθην γάρ. Ἆρ' οὖν τοῦτο 62.518 μόνον, καὶ μέχρι τούτου ὁ ἔλεος τοῦ μὴ δοῦναι τιμωρίαν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα. Οὐ γὰρ τῆς ἐπηρτημένης ἡμᾶς δίκης μόνης ἀπήλλαξεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαίους ἐποίησε καὶ υἱοὺς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ φίλους καὶ κληρονόμους καὶ συγκληρονόμους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Ὑπερεπλεόνασεν ἡ χάρις, δηλῶν ὅτι ὑπερέβη καὶ τὸν ἔλεον τὰ δῶρα. Ταῦτα γὰρ οὐκ ἐλεοῦντός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ φιλοῦντος,