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nothing; for it requires faith alone, not syllogisms. For this reason, it is especially worthy of admiration, not only because it is useful and salvific, but also because it is easy and simple, and readily grasped by all; which is especially the work of God's providence, Who sets forth His own gifts as common to all. For just as He did in the case of the sun and moon and earth and sea and the other things, not giving a greater share of the supply from these to the rich and wise, and a lesser one to the poor, but setting forth an equal enjoyment for all, this He also did in the case of the preaching, and much more so, inasmuch as this is more necessary than those. For this reason Paul also says continually: To all the nations. Then, showing them that he is not granting them any favor, but is fulfilling a master's command, and directing them to thanksgiving to the God of all, he says: I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. Which he also said when writing to the Corinthians. And he says this, ascribing the whole to God. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. 2. O noble soul! Having undertaken a matter full of so many dangers, a journey across the sea, temptations, plots, uprisings (for it was likely that one about to discourse to so great a city, tyrannized by impiety, would endure storms of temptations; and so indeed he ended his life in this city, having been beheaded by the one then ruling as tyrant); but nevertheless, expecting to endure such things, he became no more reluctant for any of them, but was eager and in travail and ready. For this reason he says: So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. What are you saying, O Paul? When you should say, "And I boast, and I am proud, and I glory in it," you do not say this, but something less than this, that you are not ashamed; which we are not accustomed to say about things that are exceedingly glorious. What then is it that he says? And for what reason does he speak in this way, although he exults in it more than in heaven? At any rate, when writing to the Galatians he said: But God forbid that I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. For what reason then does he not say here, "And I boast," but, "I am not ashamed"? The Romans were exceedingly impressed with the affairs of the world on account of their wealth, on account of their power, on account of their victories and their own emperors; for they considered these to be equal to gods. At any rate, they also called them so. For this reason they also served them with temples and altars and sacrifices. Since, then, they were so puffed up, and Paul was about to preach Jesus, the one reputed to be the son of the carpenter, the one raised in Judea and in the house of a lowly woman, who had no bodyguards, who was not girt with wealth, but who even died as a convict with robbers, and who endured many other inglorious things, it was likely that they would be ashamed, not yet knowing any of the secret and great things; for this reason he says, I am not ashamed, teaching them for the time being not to be ashamed; for he knew that if they accomplished this, they would quickly advance and come to boasting. You too, therefore, if you hear someone saying, "You worship the crucified one?" do not be ashamed, nor look down, but rather glory and adorn yourself, and with free eyes and an uplifted face accept the confession. And if he should say again, "You worship the crucified one?" say again to him, "But not the adulterer nor the parricide nor the child-murderer (for such are all their gods), but the one who through the cross silenced demons, and destroyed their countless sorceries." For the cross is for our sake the work of unspeakable love for mankind, the symbol of great care. And in addition to what has been said, since they also boasted greatly in reason, and were puffed up, being clothed with external wisdom, "I," he says, "bidding a long farewell to these syllogisms, come preaching a cross, and for this I am not ashamed." For it is the power of God unto salvation. For since there is also a power of God unto punishment (for when He punished the Egyptians, He said: This is my great power), and

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οὐδέν· πίστεως γὰρ δεῖται μόνης, οὐ συλλογισμῶν. ∆ιὸ δὴ μάλιστα αὐτὸ θαυμάζειν ἄξιον, οὐχ ὅτι χρήσιμον καὶ σωτήριον μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ εὔκολον καὶ ῥᾷστον, καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν εὔληπτον· ὃ δὴ μάλιστα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας ἔργον ἐστὶ, κοινὰ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ προτιθέντος ἅπασιν. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐποίησεν, οὐ τοῖς μὲν πλουτοῦσι καὶ σοφοῖς πλείονος μεταδιδοὺς τῆς ἀπὸ τούτων χορηγίας, ἐλάττονος δὲ τοῖς πένησιν, ἀλλ' ἴσην ἅπασι τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν προτιθεὶς, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κηρύγματος εἰργάσατο, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον, ὅσῳ καὶ ἀναγκαιότερον τοῦτο ἐκείνων. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλός φησι συνεχῶς· Πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς αὐτοῖς, ὅτι οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς χαρίζεται, ἀλλ' ἐπίταγμα πληροῖ δεσποτικὸν, καὶ παραπέμπων αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων εὐχαριστίαν, φησίν· Ἕλλησί τε καὶ βαρβάροις, σοφοῖς τε καὶ ἀνοήτοις ὀφειλέτης εἰμί. Ὃ καὶ Κορινθίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγε. Λέγει δὲ τοῦτο, τὸ πᾶν ἀνατιθεὶς τῷ Θεῷ. Οὕτω τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ πρόθυμον, καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελίσασθαι. ʹ. Ὢ ψυχῆς γενναίας! πρᾶγμα τοσούτων κινδύνων μεστὸν ἀναδεξάμενος, ἀποδημίαν διαπόντιον, πειρασμοὺς, ἐπιβουλὰς, ἐπαναστάσεις (καὶ γὰρ εἰκὸς πόλει τοσαύτῃ μέλλοντα διαλέγεσθαι, ὑπὸ ἀσεβείας τυραννουμένῃ, νιφάδας πειρασμῶν ὑπομένειν· οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ, παρὰ τοῦ τότε τυραννοῦντος ἀποτμηθείς)· ἀλλ' ὅμως τοσαῦτα προσδοκῶν ὑπομένειν, οὐδενὶ τούτων ὀκνηρότερος ἐγίγνετο, ἀλλὰ κατηπείγετο καὶ ὤδινε καὶ πρόθυμος ἦν. ∆ιό φησιν· Οὕτω τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ πρόθυμον, καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ εὐαγγελίσασθαι. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον. Τί φὴς, ὦ Παῦλε; ∆έον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Καὶ 60.408 καυχῶμαι, καὶ σεμνύνομαι, καὶ ἐναβρύνομαι, τοῦτο μὲν οὐ λέγεις, τὸ δὲ ἔλαττον τούτου, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπαισχύνῃ· ὅπερ οὐκ ἐπὶ τῶν σφόδρα λαμπρῶν λέγειν εἰώθαμεν. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὅ φησι; καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὕτω φθέγγεται, καίτοι γε ἀγαλλόμενος ἐπ' αὐτῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ οὐρανῷ; Γαλάταις γοῦν ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγεν· Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι, εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐνταῦθα οὐ λέγει, ὅτι Καὶ καυχῶμαι, ἀλλ' ὅτι Οὐκ ἐπαισχύνομαι; Σφόδρα πρὸς τὰ τοῦ κόσμου πράγματα ἦσαν ἐπτοημένοι οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον, διὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν, διὰ τὰς νίκας καὶ τοὺς αὐτῶν βασιλεῖς· ἰσοθέους γὰρ ἡγοῦντο τούτους. Οὕτω γοῦν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐκάλουν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ναοῖς αὐτοὺς ἐθεράπευον καὶ βωμοῖς καὶ θυσίαις. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὕτως ἦσαν πεφυσιωμένοι, ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἔμελλε κηρύττειν τὸν Ἰησοῦν τὸν νομιζόμενον τοῦ τέκτονος υἱὸν, τὸν ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ τραφέντα καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ γυναικὸς εὐτελοῦς, οὐ δορυφόρους ἐσχηκότα, οὐ χρήματα περιβαλ[λ]όμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς κατάδικον ἀποθανόντα μετὰ λῃστῶν, καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ ἄδοξα ὑπομείναντα, καὶ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι, οὐδὲν τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων καὶ μεγάλων εἰδότας οὐδέπω· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Οὐκ ἐπαισχύνομαι, ἐκείνους διδάσκων τέως μὴ ἐπαισχύνεσθαι· ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι, ἂν τοῦτο κατορθώσωσι, ταχέως προϊόντες καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ καυχᾶσθαι ἥξουσι. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς τινὸς λέγοντος· Τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον προσκυνεῖς; μὴ ἐπαισχυνθῇς, μηδὲ κάτω βλέψῃς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐναβρύνου καὶ καλλωπίζου, καὶ ἐλευθέροις ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ ὑψηλῷ προσώπῳ κατάδεξαι τὴν ὁμολογίαν. Κἂν εἴπῃ πάλιν· Τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον προσκυνεῖς; εἰπὲ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἀλλ' οὐ τὸν μοιχὸν οὐδὲ τὸν πατραλοίαν οὐδὲ τὸν παιδοκτόνον (τοιοῦτοι γὰρ οἱ παρ' αὐτοῖς θεοὶ πάντες), ἀλλὰ τὸν διὰ σταυροῦ δαίμονας ἐπιστομίσαντα, καὶ τὰς μυρίας αὐτῶν ἀνελόντα μαγγανείας. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ σταυρὸς δι' ἡμᾶς τὸ τῆς ἀφάτου φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον, τὸ τῆς πολλῆς κηδεμονίας σύμβολον. Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ἐπειδὴ καὶ λόγῳ μέγα κομπάζοντες, καὶ τὴν ἔξωθεν περιβεβλημένοι σοφίαν ἐφυσῶντο, Ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἐῤῥῶσθαι πολλὰ τούτοις εἰπὼν τοῖς συλλογισμοῖς, σταυρὸν ἔρχομαι κηρύττων, καὶ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο αἰσχύνομαι. ∆ύναμις γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γάρ ἐστι καὶ δύναμις Θεοῦ εἰς κόλασιν (καὶ γὰρ ὅτε τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἐκόλαζεν, ἔλεγεν· Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ δύναμίς μου ἡ μεγάλη), καὶ