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for the prophets at the time of need when the water was divided, through the 46.933 current the Jordan became crossable, parting its stream within itself just enough to allow the feet of the prophets to pass through on the dry bottom, but in subsequent time and for the rest of men it was such as it had been before. That Lycus, once pushed back from its disorderly course, makes the miracle of Gregory last forever, remaining for all subsequent time such as the faith of the great man made it at the time of the wonder-working.

But the purpose of what happened was not the astonishment of the onlookers, but the salvation of those dwelling by the river. So that while the miracle is equal (for the nature of water yields equally both to the prophets and to the imitator of the prophets), if one must speak with boldness, what was done by this man excels in philanthropy, through which the salvation of the inhabitants was secured, the water being fettered once in that current, and remaining motionless for the future. Since, as such miracles were spreading everywhere in the country, believed to be worked by the power of faith in Christ, and all desired to partake of that faith which was testified to by such miracles, and the preaching went forth everywhere, and the mystery was at work and zeal for the good was intensified, the priesthood being established among all, so that through all people faith might increase and grow; an embassy therefore comes to him from a neighboring city, to come to them, and to establish the church among them through the priesthood. Comana was the name of the city, where all the people with one accord asked the great man to be their guest, requesting the grace. Having therefore been among them and spent some days, and having inflamed in them even more the desire for the mystery by what he both did and said; when it was time both for their embassy to come to its conclusion, and for someone to be appointed high priest of the Church among them; then the opinions of all those in authority were busied about those who seemed to excel in eloquence and birth, and in other distinction. For they thought, since these qualities were also present in the great Gregory, that the one coming to this grace ought not to be without them. But as the votes were divided in many ways, and different people preferred different candidates, the great man waited for some counsel to come to him from God concerning the matter at hand. And just as Samuel is remembered not to have been struck by the beauty and size of bodies in his judgment for the kingdom, but to seek a kingly soul, even if it be in a despised body; in the same way he too, overlooking the earnest efforts for each of the nominees, looked to one thing alone, whether someone, even before the proclamation, by a careful life and virtue, might bear the priesthood in his character. And while some brought forward their nominees with encomiums, each putting forward his own candidate, he was bidden to look also to the more humble according to their station in life (for it was possible even among such 46.936 to find someone higher in life than the most distinguished, according to the wealth of his soul), one of the leaders of the vote thought such a judgment from the great man was an insult and a mockery, if, when the others were judged by their eloquence and rank and the apparent witness of their life, and none was accepted for the priesthood, some from the artisans were thought more worthy for such a grace; and at the same time, approaching him with sarcasm, he says, "If you command these things, that these men, being such as they are, chosen from the whole city, should be overlooked, and that someone from the rabble should be taken up to the leadership of the priesthood, it is time for you then to call Alexander the charcoal-burner to the priesthood; and let us move on to this man, if you please, and let the whole city agree with one another in our votes." He therefore uttered these things, slandering his judgment, and through this ironic vote the [opinion] concerning the previous candidates

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προφήταις ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς χρείας σχισθέντος τοῦ ὕδατος, διὰ τοῦ 46.933 ῥεύματος διαβατὸς ὁ Ἰορδάνης ἐγένετο, τοσοῦτον διασχὼν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸ ῥεῖθρον, ὅσον τοῖς ποσὶ παρα σχεῖν τῶν προφητῶν διὰ ξηροῦ τοῦ πυθμένος ἐνδιο δεῦσαι, τῷ δὲ ἐφεξῆς χρόνῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοιοῦτος ἦν, οἷος καὶ πρόσθεν ἦν. Λύκος ἐκεῖνος ἅπαξ ἀπωσθεὶς τῆς ἀτάκτου φορᾶς, εἰς τὸ ἀεὶ τὸ θαῦμα τοῦ Γρηγορίου ποιεῖ, παντὶ τῷ ἐφεξῆς χρόνῳ τοιοῦτος μένων, οἷον αὐτὸν ἡ τοῦ μεγάλου πί στις ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς θαυματουργίας ἐποίησεν.

Ὁ σκοπὸς δὲ τῶν γινομένων οὐχὶ ἡ τῶν ὁρώντων ἔκ πληξις ἦν, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν προσοικούντων τῷ ποταμῷ σωτηρία. Ὥστε τοῦ θαύματος τὸ ἴσον ἔχοντος (ὑπο χωρεῖ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς προφήταις καὶ τῷ μιμητῇ τῶν προφητῶν κατὰ τὸ ἴσον ἡ τοῦ ὕδατος φύσις), εἰ χρὴ μετὰ παῤῥησίας εἰπεῖν, πλεονεκτεῖ τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ τὸ παρὰ τούτου γενόμενον, δι' οὗ τῶν προσοικούντων ἡ σωτηρία κατησφαλίσθη, τοῦ ὕδατος πεδηθέντος ἅπαξ κατ' ἐκεῖνο τοῦ ῥεύματος, καὶ ἀκινήτου πρὸς τὸ ἐφεξῆς διαμένοντος. Ἐπειδὴ, πανταχοῦ τῆς χώρας τῶν τοιούτων θαυμάτων διαφοιτώντων, τῇ δυνάμει τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως ἐνεργεῖσθαι πεπιστευμένων, καὶ πάντες μετέχειν ἐπεθύμουν ἐκείνης τῆς πίστεως τῆς ὑπὸ τῶν τοιούτων μαρτυρουμένης θαυμάτων, καὶ πανταχοῦ προῄει τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ ἐνεργὸν ἦν τὸ μυστήριον καὶ ἡ σπουδὴ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐπετείνετο, τῆς ἱερωσύνης παρὰ πᾶσι καθισταμένης, ὡς ἂν διὰ πάντων ἡ πίστις πλεονάζοι καὶ αὔξοιτο· γίνεται οὖν πρεσβεία πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ πόλεώς τινος ἀστυγείτονος, ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐκκλησίαν διὰ τῆς ἱερωσύνης συστήσασθαι. Κώμανα δὲ τῇ πόλει τοὔνομα, ᾗ ἐπιξενωθῆναι τὸν μέγαν ἠξίουν πανδημεὶ πάντες τὴν χάριν αἰτούμενοι. Γενόμενος τοίνυν παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ συνδιαγαγὼν ἡμέρας τινὰς, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς τὴν περὶ τὸ μυστή ριον ἐπιθυμίαν ἐξάψας οἷς ἐποίει τε καὶ ἐφθέγγετο· ἐπειδὴ καιρὸς ἦν καὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν αὐτῶν εἰς πέρας ἐλθεῖν, καὶ ἀναδειχθῆναί τινα τῆς παρ' αὐτοῖς Ἐκκλη σίας ἀρχιερέα· τότε τῶν μὲν ἐν τέλει πάντων αἱ γνῶ μαι τοὺς προέχειν δοκοῦντας λόγῳ τε καὶ γένει, καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ περιφανείᾳ περιειργάζοντο. Ὤοντο γὰρ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ταῦτα περὶ τὸν μέγαν Γρηγόριον ἦν, μηδὲ τούτων δεῖν ἄμοιρον εἶναι, τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν χάριν ταύτην ἐρχό μενον. Πολλαχῆ δὲ ταῖς ψήφοις μεριζομένων, καὶ ἄλ λων ἄλλον προαιρουμένων, ἀνέμενεν ὁ μέγας θεόθεν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τινὰ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον συμβουλήν. Καὶ καθὼς ὁ Σαμουὴλ μνημονεύεται, μὴ καταπλαγῆναι κάλλος σωμάτων καὶ μέγεθος ἐν τῇ τῆς βασιλείας κρίσει, ἀλλὰ ψυχὴν ἐπιζητεῖν βασιλικὴν, κἂν ἐν κατα φρονουμένῳ σώματι τύχῃ· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον κἀκεῖ νος, τὰς περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ἐψηφισμένων σπουδὰς παραβλέπων, πρὸς ἓν ἀφεώρα μόνον, εἴ τις καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀνακηρύξεως, δι' ἐπιμελείας βίου καὶ ἀρε τῆς, ἐν τῷ τρόπῳ τὴν ἱερωσύνην φέροι. Ὡς δὲ οἱ μὲν παρῆγον τοὺς ὑπεψηφισμένους μετ' ἐγκωμίων, ἕκα στος τὸν παρ' αὐτοῦ προβαλλόμενος, ὁ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς εὐτελεστέρους κατὰ τὸ τοῦ βίου σχῆμα βλέπειν ἐκελεύετο (δυνατὸν γὰρ εἶναι καὶ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις 46.936 εὑρεθῆναί τινα τῶν περιφανεστέρων τῷ βίῳ κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ψυχῆς ὑψηλότερον), ὕβριν ᾠήθη τις τῶν προεστηκότων τῆς ψήφου καὶ χλευασμὸν τὴν τοιαύτην τοῦ μεγάλου κρίσιν, εἰ, τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῷ ἀξιώματι καὶ τῇ φαινομένῃ τοῦ βίου μαρτυρίᾳ κε κριμένων τῶν ἄλλων, μηδενὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην παραδεχθέντος, ἐκ τῶν βαναύσων πρὸς τοιαύτην χάριν νομίζοιντό τινες ἀξιώτεροι· καὶ ἅμα κατειρωνευόμενος προσελθὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν, Εἰ ταῦτα κελεύεις, φησὶ, τούτους μὲν τοιούτους ὄντας περιοφθῆναι τοὺς πάσης ἐξειλεγμένους τῆς πόλεως, ἐκ δὲ τῶν συρ φετῶν εἰς προστασίαν τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀναληφθῆ ναί τινα, ὥρα σοι λοιπὸν τὸν ἀνθρακέα καλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην Ἀλέξανδρον· καὶ μεταβάν τες ἐπὶ τοῦτον, εἰ δοκεῖ, συμφωνήσωμεν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ταῖς ψήφοις ἡ πόλις πᾶσα. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ἐφθέγγετο τὴν γνώμην διαβάλλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ διὰ τῆς εἰρωνικῆς ταύτης ψήφου τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς προ λαβοῦσιν