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preaches the gospel. For since they knew his former name, that he was called Saul, if having been changed he were immediately called Paul, then some reported to them that Paul, who persecuted the Church, was preaching the gospel, they would not have known that this was he, because he was not called Paul, but Saul. For this reason, He allowed him to keep his former name for a long time, so that he might become known to all the faithful, both to those who were far away and had not seen him. 4. For what reason, then, his name was not changed immediately, has been sufficiently demonstrated. It is necessary, therefore, to come to the beginning of the account itself. But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. What is, "Still"? For what had he done before this, that it says, "Still"? For "Still" is said of a man who has done many evil things before. What then did he do? For what evil did he not do, tell me? He filled Jerusalem with blood, slaying the faithful, he ravaged the Church, he persecuted the apostles, he slaughtered Stephen, he spared neither men nor women. Listen at least to his disciple saying: "But Saul was laying waste the Church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women." For the marketplace was not enough for him, but he also burst into houses; "Entering house after house," it says. And it did not say "leading" or "drawing" men and women, but "dragging" men and women; as if speaking about a wild beast, "dragging" men and women; and not only men, but also women. He did not respect their nature, nor pity their sex, nor was he deterred by their weakness. For he did these things out of zeal, not out of anger. For this reason, the Jews who did the same things are worthy of accusation; but he, doing the same things, is worthy of pardon. For from the very things they did it was clear that they did these things for the sake of honor and the glory from the many; but he was not so, but zealous for God, even if not according to knowledge; for this reason they left the women alone, and made war on the men, since they saw their own honor passing over to them; but he, being zealous, stood against all. Luke, therefore, understanding all these things, and seeing him not yet satisfied, said: "But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord." The murder of Stephen did not satisfy him, the persecution of the Church did not fulfill his desire, but he went on further, and in no way did his madness cease; for it was zeal. But having just returned from the slaughter of Stephen, he persecuted the apostles; and he did the same thing, as if a savage wolf, having leapt upon a flock of sheep, and having seized a lamb from there, and torn it with its own mouth, 51.139 became bolder from the seizure. Thus also Saul leapt upon the choir of the apostles, he seized from there the lamb of Christ, he tore Stephen to pieces, and so he became bolder from this slaughter. For this reason he says, "Still." And yet, whom would that murder not have satisfied? Whom would the gentleness of the one being slaughtered not have shamed, the words which, while being stoned, he prayed for those who stoned him, saying, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"? For this reason the persecutor became a preacher of the gospel. For immediately after the murder he was changed; God heard that man's voice. For Stephen was worthy to be heard both on account of the future virtue of Paul, and on account of his own confession, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Let all who have enemies, all who are taken advantage of, hear. For even if you suffer ten thousand terrible things, you have not yet been stoned, like Stephen. And see what happens. One spring, that of Stephen, was stopped up, and another was opened, sending forth ten thousand rivers. For when the mouth of Stephen was silenced, the trumpet of Paul immediately sounded. Thus God never completely abandons his

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εὐαγγελίζεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ πρότερον αὐτοῦ ὄνομα ᾔδεσαν, ὅτι Σαῦλος ἐλέγετο, εἰ μεταβληθεὶς εὐθέως Παῦλος ἐκλήθη, εἶτα ἀπήγγειλάν τινες αὐτοῖς, ὅτι Παῦλος εὐαγγελίζεται, ὁ διώκων τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, οὐκ ἂν ἔγνωσαν ὅτι οὗτος ἐκεῖνος ἦν, διὰ τὸ μὴ Παῦλον αὐτὸν καλεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ Σαῦλον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν μέχρι πολλοῦ τὴν προτέραν ἔχειν προσηγορίαν, ἵνα πᾶσι γνώριμος γένηται τοῖς πιστοῖς, καὶ τοῖς πόῤῥωθεν οὖσι καὶ οὐχ ἑωρακόσιν αὐτόν. δʹ. Τίνος μὲν οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐκ εὐθέως μετεβλήθη αὐτοῦ τοὔνομα, ἱκανῶς ἀποδέδεικται. Ἀνάγκη λοιπὸν ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἐλθεῖν τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἀρχήν. Σαῦλος δὲ ἔτι ἐμπνέων ἀπειλῆς καὶ φόνου εἰς τοὺς μαθητὰς τοῦ Κυρίου. Τί ἐστιν, Ἔτι; Τί γὰρ ἐποίησε πρὸ τούτου, ὅτι λέγει, Ἔτι; Τὸ γὰρ, Ἔτι, περὶ ἀνθρώπου πολλὰ κακὰ πεποιηκότος ἔμπροσθεν λέγεται. Τί οὖν ἐποίησε; Τί γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν, εἰπέ μοι, κακόν; Αἱμάτων ἐνέπλησε τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα τοὺς πιστοὺς ἀναιρῶν, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐπόρθει, τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐδίωκε, τὸν Στέφανον ἔσφαξεν, οὐκ ἀνδρῶν, οὐ γυναικῶν ἐφείδετο. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τοῦ μαθητοῦ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Σαῦλος δὲ ἐλυμαίνετο τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, κατὰ τοὺς οἴκους εἰσπορευόμενος, σύρων τε ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἤρκει αὐτῷ ἡ ἀγορὰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὰς οἰκίας ἐπεπήδα· Κατὰ τοὺς οἴκους γὰρ εἰσπορευόμενος, φησί. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ἄγων, οὐδὲ, ἕλκων ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας, ἀλλὰ, Σύρων ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας· καθάπερ περὶ θηρίου διαλεγόμενος, Σύρων ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας· καὶ οὐκ ἄνδρας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκας. Οὐδὲ τὴν φύσιν ᾐδεῖτο, οὐδὲ τὸ γένος ἠλέει, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἀπεκλᾶτο. Ζήλῳ γὰρ, οὐχὶ θυμῷ ταῦτα ἐποίει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι τὰ αὐτὰ ποιοῦντες, ἄξιοι κατηγορίας· οὗτος δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ ποιῶν, ἄξιος συγγνώμης. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὧν ἐποίουν δῆλοι ἦσαν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τιμῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ δόξης τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ταῦτα ἔπραττον· οὗτος δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ ζηλῶν, εἰ καὶ μὴ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνοι τὰς μὲν γυναῖκας ἠφίεσαν, τοῖς δὲ ἀνδράσιν ἐπολέμουν, ἐπειδὴ εἰς ἐκείνους ἑώρων τὴν ἑαυτῶν περιελθοῦσαν τιμήν· οὗτος δὲ, ἅτε ζηλοτυπῶν, πρὸς ἅπαντας ἵστατο. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοήσας ὁ Λουκᾶς, καὶ ὁρῶν αὐτὸν οὔπω κορεννύμενον, ἔλεγε· Σαῦλος δὲ ἔτι ἐμπνέων ἀπειλῆς καὶ φόνου εἰς τοὺς μαθητὰς τοῦ Κυρίου. Οὐκ ἐκόρεσεν αὐτὸν ὁ φόνος Στεφάνου, οὐκ ἐνέπλησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἡ δίωξις τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἀλλὰ περαιτέρω προῄει, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ ἵστατο τῆς μανίας· ζῆλος γὰρ ἦν. Ἀλλ' ἐπανελθὼν ἄρτι ἀπὸ τῆς σφαγῆς Στεφάνου, ἐδίωκε τοὺς ἀποστόλους· καὶ ταὐτὸν ἐποίει, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ λύκος ἄγριος ἐπιπηδήσας ποίμνῃ προβάτων, καὶ ἀρνίον ἁρπάσας ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ τῷ οἰκείῳ σπαράξας στόματι, 51.139 θρασύτερος ὑπὸ τῆς ἁρπαγῆς ἐγένετο. Οὕτω καὶ Σαῦλος ἐπεπήδησε τῷ χορῷ τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἥρπασεν ἐκεῖθεν τὸ ἀρνίον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὸν Στέφανον διεσπάραξεν, ἐγένετο λοιπὸν ὑπὸ τῆς σφαγῆς ταύτης θρασύτερος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Ἔτι. Καίτοι τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἐνέπλησεν ὁ φόνος ἐκεῖνος; τίνα οὐκ ἂν κατῄδεσεν ἡ ἐπιείκεια τοῦ σφαττομένου, τὰ ῥήματα ἅπερ λιθαζόμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν λιθαζόντων ηὔχετο, Κύριε, λέγων, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ διώκτης εὐαγγελιστὴς γέγονεν. Εὐθέως γὰρ μετὰ τὸν φόνον οὗτος μετεβάλλετο, ἐκείνου τῆς φωνῆς ἤκουσεν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ γὰρ ἄξιος ἦν ἀκούεσθαι Στέφανος καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν Παύλου τὴν ἐσομένην, καὶ διὰ οἰκείαν ὁμολογίαν, Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Ἀκουέτωσαν ὅσοι ἐχθροὺς ἔχουσιν, ὅσοι πλεονεκτοῦνται. Κἂν γὰρ μυρία πάθῃς δεινὰ, οὐδέπω ἐλιθάσθης, καθάπερ ὁ Στέφανος. Καὶ ὅρα τί γίνεται. Ἐνεφράττετο μία πηγὴ ἡ τοῦ Στεφάνου, καὶ ἠνοίγετο ἑτέρα μυρίους ἀφιεῖσα ποταμούς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐσίγησε τὸ στόμα Στεφάνου, ἤχησεν εὐθέως ἡ σάλπιγξ τοῦ Παύλου. Οὕτως οὐδέποτε ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τέλος ἐγκαταλιμπάνει τοὺς