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the all-brightest luminaries, not the one set for the shining of the day and the other for the torch-bearing of the night, but both belonging to the day and chasing away the night of ignorance and persuading those who are taught to walk honorably as in the day, the thrones of Christ's calling, upon which the two-fold lord rested, the splendid-fruited trees of paradise, from which those who partake receive incorruptibility, the two-spouted rivers of the teachings of Christ, from which those who drink do not die but are transformed to immortality, the two swords of the spirit cutting the better from the worse. O living tablets, in which the things of the new covenant have been inscribed; O two pillars breathing fire guiding the new people not to a land that is trodden and perishes and at different times changes masters for lordship and dominion, but to the one that is divine and imperishable, which the feet of the meek tread, and like you, are beautiful and proclaim good news; O unshakable towers of the church, who kept her unmoved and unshaken for ages; O Peter and Paul—for I rejoice in your names, for they lead to virtue and exhortation; O men who appeared and struggled beyond human measure and at the end of the mystery have become gods by grace, since you have been well-pleasing to Him who is God by nature; Accept this discourse of ours even if we have offered it poorly and not lavishly, since it is likely for all to experience such a thing. For what discourse could reach your virtue? What of your labors? What of your struggles? What of your wonders? What of the splendor and brightness from there? Who will be able to praise just the shadow of Peter? O shadow of Peter, for to you I will turn my discourse and speak as to one with a soul; for I pray to you now that you might overshadow me and that my diseases might be dissolved; O divine shadow, worthy of your own soul, O you who exist alongside a body, but raise up bodies from ill health; O you who do not partake of sensation, yet provide health to the senses; what tongue could praise you? what discourse could extol you? what mind could comprehend your strength? Who ever heard of a man's shadow restoring sick men and raising up the paralyzed? A wise saying has stated that man is a shadow, but I find a shadow to be a creator of extraordinary things; How very great, Peter, is the grace from heaven that has come upon you, through which even the things of your shadow perform wonders for you.

28 But one must return again to Peter and Paul; for if we were to recount their deeds in detail, all of time would not suffice. Receive this our discourse kindly, even if it is not such as to be sufficient to be measured against your greatness, which we have made not so much by design as by chance. For what have we in common with Capua and with him who presides over the place as high priest? But the uncertainty of fortune, but the unevenness of affairs and the changeability of time have joined us in these things, and the zeal of the high priest, which he nourishes for you, the apostles, and his fervent desire have compelled me to this discourse. which, as I have often said, O Peter and Paul, accept graciously, since it has been offered to you from a loving heart, and give in return both to those who compelled and to us who were compelled, and simply to all, whatever is good, whatever is honorable, whatever is truly profitable and draws one near to Christ through purification, to live out the remainder of our life in peace and tranquility. For until when will there be mighty waves and billows? Until when, sedition and strife? Send away the devices of Satan farther, for we have grown weary falling into them; our mind and all our inward power take away from sensible and temporal things and make us to be occupied always with the things that are above us; Finally, be merciful to us who have stumbled much in life, when you sit in judgment according to the Lord's word, and establish us in the eternal and blessed tabernacles, where there is the pure sound of those who celebrate, where the dwelling of those who rejoice is, where the

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φωστῆρες οἱ παμφαέστατοι, οὐχ ὁ μὲν εἰς ἡμέρας φαῦσιν τεθεὶς ὁ δὲ νυκτὸς τὴν δᾳδούχησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄμφω ἡμερινοὶ καὶ τὴν νύκτα τῆς ἀγνοίας διώκοντες καὶ ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εὐσχημόνως τοὺς διδασκομένους περιπατεῖν ἀναπείθοντες, οἱ θρόνοι τῆς Χριστοῦ ἀνακλήσεως, ἐφ' ὧν ὁ διπλοῦς ἀνεπαύσατο κύριος, τὰ δένδρα τοῦ παραδείσου τὰ ἀγλαόκαρπα, ὧν οἱ μεταλαμβάνοντες τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν ἀπολαμβάνουσιν, οἱ δίκρουνοι ποταμοὶ τῶν διδαγμάτων Χριστοῦ, ἐξ ὧν οἱ πιόντες οὐκ ἀποθνήσκουσιν ἀλλὰ μεταστοιχειοῦνται πρὸς τὸ ἀθάνατον, αἱ διτταὶ τοῦ πνεύματος μάχαιραι τὸ κρεῖττον ἀπὸ τοῦ χείρονος διατέμνουσαι. ὦ πλάκες ἔμψυχοι, ἐν αἷς τὰ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης ἐγκαταγέγραπται· ὦ στύλοι δύο πυρίπνοοι τὸν νέον καθοδηγοῦντες λαὸν οὐ πρὸς γῆν πατουμένην καὶ φθειρομένην καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλους ἀλλαττομένην εἰς δεσποτείαν τε καὶ κυρίευσιν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν θείαν τε καὶ ἀνώλεθρον, ἣν πόδες πατοῦσι πραέων καὶ καθ' ὑμᾶς ὡραῖοι καὶ ἀγαθὰ εὐαγγελιζόμενοι· ὦ πύργοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀκράδαντοι, ἀσάλευτον ταύτην τηρήσαντες καὶ εἰς αἰῶνας ἀπερικλόνητον· ὦ Πέτρε καὶ Παῦλε-χαίρω γὰρ τοῖς ὑμετέροις ὀνόμασιν, ἔχουσι γὰρ εἰς ἀρετὴν καὶ παράκλησιν· ὦ ἄνθρωποι φανέντες καὶ ἀγωνισάμενοι ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον καὶ τὸ τοῦ μυστηρίου τέλος θεοὶ γεγενημένοι τῇ χάριτι, ἐπεὶ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν εὐηρεστήσατε· δέξασθε τὸν ἡμέτερον τουτονὶ λόγον κἂν πενιχρῶς καὶ οὐ φιλοτίμως αὐτὸν προσηνέγκαμεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πάντας εἰκὸς τὸ τοιοῦτον παθεῖν. τίς γὰρ ἂν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑμῶν ἐφίκοιτο λόγος; τίς τῶν ἄθλων; τίς τῶν ἀγώνων; τίς τῶν θαυμάτων; τίς τῆς ἐκεῖθεν αἴγλης τε καὶ λαμπρότητος; τίς μόνην τὴν σκιὰν ἐπαινέσαι Πέτρου δυνήσεται; ὦ Πέτρου σκιά, πρὸς σὲ γὰρ ἀποστρέψω τὸν λόγον καὶ ὡς ἐμψύχῳ σοι διαλέξομαι· σοῦ γὰρ καὶ δέομαι νῦν ὡς ἄν μοι ἐπισκιάσαις καὶ τὰ τῶν νόσων διαλυθείη μοι· ὦ θεία σκιὰ ψυχῆς ἰδίας ἀξία, ὦ παρυποστᾶσα μὲν σώματι, σώματα δὲ ἀπανιστῶσα καχεξιῶν· ὦ μὴ εὐμοιροῦσα αἰσθήσεως καὶ αἰσθήσεσι παρέχουσα τὴν ὑγιείαν· ποία γλῶσσα εὐφημήσειε; ποῖος λόγος ἐγκωμιάσειε; τίς νοῦς τῆς σῆς ἰσχύος ἐφίκοιτο; τίς ἤκουσε πώποτε ἀνθρώπου σκιὰν νοσοῦντας ἀνθρώπους ἀνιστῶσαν καὶ παραλύτους ἐγείρουσαν; σκιὰν μὲν εἶναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον λόγος εἰρήκει σοφός, ἀλλ' εὑρίσκω σκιὰν πραγμάτων ἐξαισίων δημιουργόν· ὡς μεγίστη σοι, Πέτρε, ἡ ἐπιφοιτήσασα χάρις ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, δι' ἣν οὕτως καὶ τὰ τῆς σκιᾶς σοι τερατουργεῖ.

28 Ἀλλ' ἐπανιτέον πάλιν εἰς Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον· εἰ γὰρ πρὸς λεπτὸν τὰ αὐτῶν διηγήμεθα, ὁ σύμπας χρόνος οὐκ ἐξαρκέσειε. δέξασθε τουτονὶ τὸν λόγον τὸν ἡμέτερον εὐμενῶς, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοιοῦτος ὡς τῷ ὑμετέρῳ μεγαλείῳ παραμετρηθήσεσθαι ἱκανός, ὃν οὐ γνώμῃ μᾶλλον ἢ τύχῃ χρησάμενοι πεποιήκαμεν. τί γὰρ κοινὸν ἡμῖν καὶ Καπούᾳ καὶ τῷ τόπου ἀρχιερατικῶς προστατεύοντι; ἀλλὰ τὸ τῆς τύχης ἀβέβαιον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνώμαλον καὶ τὸ τοῦ χρόνου εὐμετάβολον ἡμᾶς συνῆψαν ἐν τούτοις, καὶ ὁ τοῦ ἀρχιερατεύον τος ζῆλος, ὃν ὑμῖν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἐκτρέφει, καὶ πόθος τούτου ὁ ἔνθερμος εἰς τοῦτόν με τὸν λόγον ἠνάγκασαν. ὃν ὡς πολλάκις ἔφην, ὦ Πέτρε καὶ Παῦλε, προσδέξασθε προσηνῶς, ἐπείπερ ἐκ φιλούσης καρδίας ὑμῖν προσενήνεκται, καὶ ἀντιδοίητε τοῖς τε βιασαμένοις τοῖς τε βιασθεῖσιν ἡμῖν καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς σύμπασιν ὅσα χρηστά, ὅσα σεμνά, ὅσα ὄντως λυσιτελῆ καὶ Χριστῷ προσοικειοῦντα διὰ καθάρσεως, τὴν ἐπίλοιπον ἡμῶν βιοτὴν ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ γαλήνῃ διαγαγεῖν. μέχρι γὰρ τίνος τρικυμίαι καὶ κλύδωνες; μέχρι τίνος τὸ στασιῶδες καὶ μάχιμον; τὰς τοῦ σατὰν μηχανὰς μακρότερον ἀποπέμποιτε, ἀπειρήκαμεν γὰρ αὐταῖς ἐμπίπτοντες· τὸν νοῦν ἡμῶν καὶ πᾶσαν ἔσωθεν δύναμιν τῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ προσκαίρων ἀφέλετε καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ἐνσχολάζειν διὰ παντὸς ἀπεργάσασθε· τέλος ἵλεοι γένοισθε τοῖς πολλὰ σφαλεῖσιν ἐν τῷ βίῳ ἡμῖν, ἐπὰν εἰς κρίσιν καθίσητε κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου φωνήν, καὶ ταῖς αἰωνίαις καὶ μακαρίαις σκηναῖς καθιδρύσατε, ὅπου ἦχος καθαρὸς ἑορταζόντων, ὅπου εὐφραινομένων ἡ κατοικία, ὅπου ἡ