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very poor in royal things, and the first poor man; so indeed here also, being judged in comparison with angels, men are sinners, even if they are righteous. But if Paul who worked righteousness in the law is the first sinner, who then of the others could be called righteous? For not by way of slandering his life as licentious does he say this, far from it, but by comparing that righteousness with this one, he shows it to be nothing; and not only this, but he also declares those who have it to be sinners. But for this reason I obtained mercy, he says, that in me first Jesus Christ might display all his longsuffering, for a pattern to those who are to believe in him for eternal life. 2. Do you see how again he humbles and restrains him 62.522 self, stating another, more lowly reason? For to say that he obtained mercy because of ignorance does not show the one who received mercy to be a great sinner, nor excessively condemned; but to have obtained mercy for this reason, that no one who has sinned might henceforth despair, but might be confident that he too will obtain the same things, is something exceedingly great and with exaggeration. So that having uttered, I am the first of sinners, and a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man; and, I am not worthy to be called an apostle, and all that he has said; still he uttered nothing so humble. And this will be clear from an example. For let there be a populous city having all its citizens depraved, some less, some more, but all of them condemned; and let there be one among those many who is more worthy of punishment and vengeance than all, having committed every form of evil. If then someone says that the king wishes to forgive all, they will not so believe the word, until they see the most depraved of them obtain this; for there is no longer any doubt. This is also what Paul says, that God, wishing to fully convince men that He forgives them all things, chose the most sinful of all. For if I obtained forgiveness, he says, no one would doubt concerning the others; as if someone would say even in common parlance, If God forgives this man, He will punish none of the others. And he shows through this that he was not even worthy of forgiveness, but enjoyed it first for the sake of the salvation of others. Let no one then doubt, he says, about salvation, since I was saved. And see the humility of this blessed man. He did not say, That he might show longsuffering in me, but, All longsuffering; as if he were to say: He cannot be more longsuffering towards another than towards me, nor find one so sinful, in need of all His mercy, of all longsuffering, not a part, like those who sin in part. For a pattern, he says, to those who are to believe in him for eternal life, that is, for encouragement, for exhortation. But since he uttered something great about the Son, and that He had shown so much love, lest anyone might think the Father was deprived of this, he ascribes glory to Him also, saying: Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. For these things, he says, we glorify not only the Son, but also the Father. We ask the heretics then: Behold, to the only God, he has said, speaking of the Father; is the Son therefore not God? and, to the only immortal; is the Son therefore not immortal? and what He gives to us after this, does He Himself not have? Yes, he says, both God and immortal, but not such as the Father. What do you say? not such, and He is of a lesser substance? therefore also of a lesser immortality. But what is a greater and a lesser immortality? For immortality is nothing else than not being corruptible. For glory is greater and lesser, but immortality is not greater and lesser, just as health is not lesser and greater; for either a thing must be corruptible, or not at all. What then, he says? Are we also immortal in the same way? Far from it; by no means. Why? Because He has this by nature, while we

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τῶν βασιλικῶν σφόδρα πένης, καὶ πρῶτος πένης· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, πρὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους κρινόμενοι, ἁμαρτωλοὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ εἰ δίκαιοι. Εἰ δὲ Παῦλος ὁ τὴν ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοσύνην ἐργασάμενος πρῶτος ἁμαρτωλὸς, τίς ἄρα τῶν ἄλλων δίκαιος ἂν κληθείη; Οὐ γὰρ διαβάλλων αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον ὡς ἀσελγῆ, τοῦτό φησι, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐκείνην πρὸς ταύτην συγκρίνων, τὸ μηδὲν εἶναι δείκνυσιν· οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὺς τοὺς ἔχοντας αὐτὴν ἀποφαίνει. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἠλεήθην, φησὶν, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ἐνδείξηται Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὴν πᾶσαν μακροθυμίαν, πρὸς ὑποτύπωσιν τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν εἰς αὐτὸν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πάλιν ταπεινοῖ καὶ καταστέλλει ἑαυ 62.522 τὸν, ἑτέραν εὐτελεστέραν λέγων αἰτίαν; Τὸ μὲν γὰρ δι' ἄγνοιαν λέγειν ἐλεηθῆναι, οὐ σφόδρα δείκνυσιν ἁμαρτωλὸν τὸν ἐλεούμενον, οὐδὲ ἄγαν κατεγνωσμένον· τὸ δὲ διὰ τοῦτο ἐλεηθῆναι, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἀπαγορεύῃ λοιπὸν τῶν ἡμαρτηκότων, ἀλλὰ θαῤῥῇ ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν αὐτῶν τεύξεται, σφόδρα μέγα καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς. Ὥστε φθεγξάμενος, Πρῶτός εἰμι ἐγὼ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, καὶ βλάσφημος καὶ διώκτης καὶ ὑβριστής· καὶ, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος, καὶ ὅσα εἴρηκεν· ὅμως οὐδὲν οὕτω ταπεινὸν ἐφθέγξατο. Καὶ ἐπὶ ὑποδείγματος δὲ τοῦτο σαφὲς ἔσται. Ἔστω γὰρ πόλις πολυάνθρωπος πάντας τοὺς πολίτας ἔχουσα φαύλους, τοὺς μὲν ἧττον, τοὺς δὲ μᾶλλον, πάντας μέντοι κατεγνωσμένους· εἷς δέ τις ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐκείνοις πάντων μᾶλλον ἔστω κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας ἄξιος, καὶ πᾶν ἐπελθὼν εἶδος κακίας. Ἂν τοίνυν λέγῃ τις, ὅτι πᾶσιν ἀφεῖναι βούλεται ὁ βασιλεὺς, οὐχ οὕτω πιστεύσουσι τῷ λόγῳ, ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὸν πάντων φαυλότερον αὑτῶν τούτου τυχόντα· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ λοιπὸν ἀμφισβήτησις. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλός φησιν, ὅτι βουλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς πληροφορῆσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὅτι πάντα αὐτοῖς ἀφίησι, τὸν πάντων ἁμαρτωλότερον εἵλετο. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν, ἐμοῦ τυχόντος συγχωρήσεως, φησὶ, περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀμφισβητήσειέ τις· ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγέ τις καὶ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ, Ἐὰν δὲ τῷδε ὁ Θεὸς συγχωρήσῃ, οὐδένα τῶν ἄλλων κολάσει. Καὶ δείκνυσι διὰ τούτου οὐδὲ ἄξιον ἑαυτὸν ὄντα συγχωρήσεως, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν εἰς ἑτέρους σωτηρίαν ταύτης πρότερον ἀπολαύσαντα. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἀμφιβαλλέτω, φησὶ, περὶ σωτηρίας, ὁπότε ἐγὼ ἐσώθην. Καὶ ὅρα τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην. Οὐκ ἔφη, Ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν ἐμοὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν, ἀλλὰ, Τὴν πᾶσαν μακροθυμίαν· ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγε· Μᾶλλον ἐμοῦ ἐπ' ἄλλῳ οὐκ ἔχει μακροθυμῆσαι, οὐδὲ εὑρεῖν οὕτως ἁμαρτωλὸν, παντὸς δεόμενον αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐλέους, πάσης τῆς μακροθυμίας, οὐ μέρους, καθάπερ οἱ ἐπὶ μέρους ἁμαρτάνοντες. Πρὸς ὑποτύπωσιν, φησὶ, τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν ἐπ' αὐτῷ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, τουτέστι, πρὸς παράκλησιν, πρὸς προτροπήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μέγα τι περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ ὅτι τοσαύτην ἀγάπην ἐνεδείξατο, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ ταύτης ἀπεστερῆσθαι τὸν Πατέρα, ἀναφέρει καὶ αὐτῷ δόξαν ἐπάγων, καί φησι· Τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ σοφῷ Θεῷ τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων, φησὶν οὐ τὸν Υἱὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Πατέρα δοξάζομεν. Ἐρώμεθα οὖν τοὺς αἱρετικούς· Ἰδοὺ, Μόνῳ Θεῷ, εἴρηκε περὶ Πατρὸς λέγων· ἆρα οὐ Θεὸς ὁ Υἱός; καὶ, Μόνῳ ἀφθάρτῳ· ἆρα οὐκ ἄφθαρτος ὁ Υἱός; καὶ ὃ δίδωσιν ἡμῖν μετὰ ταῦτα, αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔχει; Ναὶ, φησὶ, καὶ Θεὸς, καὶ ἄφθαρτος, ἀλλ' οὐ τοιοῦτος, οἷος ὁ Πατήρ. Τί φής; οὐ τοιοῦτος, καὶ ἐλάττονος οὐσίας ἐστίν; οὐκοῦν καὶ ἀφθαρσίας ἐλάττονος. Τί δέ ἐστι, μείζων καὶ ἥττων ἀφθαρσία; ἡ γὰρ ἀφθαρσία οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν, ἢ τὸ μὴ διαφθείρεσθαι. ∆όξα μὲν γὰρ μείζων καὶ ἥττων ἐστὶν, ἀφθαρσία δὲ μείζων καὶ ἥττων οὐκ ἔστιν, ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ ὑγεία ἥττων καὶ πλείων· ἢ γὰρ φθείρεσθαί τι δεῖ, ἢ μηδ' ὅλως. Τί οὖν, φησίν; ἡμεῖς καὶ ἄφθαρτοι ὡσαύτως; Μὴ γένοιτο· οὐδαμῶς. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν φύσει τοῦτο ἔχει, ἡμεῖς