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those running to him, but He Himself gives gifts greater than what the enemies take away. For they did not cast out such a soldier from the ranks as the one Christ brought in in his place. And Saul, yet. And this word, "Yet," signifies something else; for instance, that Christ drew him to Himself while still raging, still savage, still at the peak of his anger, still burning with murder. For He did not wait for the sickness to cease, and the passion to be extinguished, and the savage man to become gentler, and thus draw him; but He overcame him in the very height of his madness, to show his own power, that in the midst of that frenzy, while his anger was still boiling, He prevails over and conquers the persecutor. For we especially admire a physician when he is able to extinguish and completely remove a rising fever and the flame of the sickness when it is at its extreme intensity; which is what happened in the case of Paul. For while he was at the peak of the flame, like some dew coming down from above, the voice of the Lord completely delivered him from the sickness. But Saul, yet breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, left the multitude, and then assailed the rulers. For just as one who wishes to cut down a tree leaves the branches and cuts the root from below, so indeed he came against the disciples, wishing to destroy the root of the preaching. But the disciples were not the roots of the preaching, but the Master of the disciples. For this reason He said: I am the vine, you are the branches. And that root is unconquerable. For this reason, the more branches they cut off, the more and greater ones sprouted again. For instance, Stephen was cut off, and Paul sprouted forth, and those who believed through Paul. And it came to pass, it says, as he drew near to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him, and falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? For what reason did the voice not come first, but rather a light shone around him first? So that he might hear the voice in quietness. For since one who is set on some matter and is full of anger, even if ten thousand call, does not turn, being wholly occupied with the 51.140 present task; so that this would not happen in the case of Paul, and that, being drunk with the madness of what had happened, he might disregard the voice, or not even hear it at all, having his whole mind set on that plunder, first, by blinding his eyes with the light, and having checked his anger, and having extinguished all the turmoil of his soul, and having made a great calm in his mind, He then sent forth the voice, so that, with his arrogance cast down, he might henceforth pay attention to what was said with a sound mind. Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? This is not so much of one accusing as of one making a defense. Why do you persecute me? What small or great thing do you have to accuse me of? what wrong have you suffered from me? That I raised your dead? That I cleansed the lepers? That I cast out demons? But for these things I ought to be worshipped, not persecuted. And that you may learn that, "Why do you persecute me?" is more of one making a defense, hear how His Father also used this saying toward the Jews. For just as He says, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" so too that one says to the Jews: "My people, what have I done to you, or how have I grieved you?" Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Behold, you lie prostrate; behold, you are bound without a chain. Just as, therefore, when a master, having caught a servant who was running about much and doing countless terrible things, and having bound him, should say to him while bound, "What do you want me to do to you now? Behold, you have been brought under my hand;" so also Christ, having seized Paul, cast him prostrate, and seeing him trembling and afraid and unable to do anything, says: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Where, then, has that anger gone? And where the madness? And where the untimely zeal? Where the bonds and the running about? And where that savagery? You will now be motionless, and you are not even able to see the one being persecuted;

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αὐτῷ προστρέχοντας, ἀλλὰ μείζονα ὧν ἀποστεροῦσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ δίδωσιν αὐτὸς τὰ δῶρα. Οὐ γὰρ τοιοῦτον ἐξέβαλον ἀπὸ τῆς φάλαγγος στρατιώτην ἐκεῖνοι, οἷον ἀντεισήγαγεν ὁ Χριστός. Σαῦλος δὲ ἔτι. Καὶ ἄλλο τι δηλοῖ τὸ, Ἔτι, τοῦτο· οἷον, ὅτι ἔτι μαινόμενον, ἔτι ἀγριαίνοντα, ἔτι ἐν ἀκμῇ τοῦ θυμοῦ ὄντα, ἔτι τῷ φόνῳ ζέοντα ἐπεσπάσατο ὁ Χριστός. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνέμεινε λῆξαι τὸ νόσημα, καὶ σβεσθῆναι τὸ πάθος, καὶ πραότερον γενέσθαι τὸν ἄγριον, καὶ οὕτως εἵλκυσεν· ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἀκμῇ τῆς μανίας αὐτὸν ἐχειρώσατο, ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν, ὅτι ἐν μέσῃ τῇ βακχείᾳ τότε ἐκείνῃ ζέοντος ἔτι τοῦ θυμοῦ κρατεῖ καὶ περιγίνεται τοῦ διώκτου. Καὶ γὰρ ἰατρὸν τότε θαυμάζομεν μάλιστα, ὅταν δυνηθῇ τὸν πυρετὸν αἰρόμενον καὶ τὴν φλόγα τοῦ νοσήματος οὖσαν ἐν ἄκρᾳ σφοδρότητι κατασβέσαι καὶ παντελῶς ἀφανίσαι· ὃ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου γέγονεν. Ἐν ἀκμῇ γὰρ αὐτὸν ὄντα τῆς φλογὸς, ὥσπερ τις δρόσος ἄνωθεν κατενεχθεῖσα, ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ νοσήματος ἀπήλλαξε παντελῶς. Σαῦλος δὲ ἔτι ἐμπνέων ἀπειλῆς καὶ φόνου εἰς τοὺς μαθητὰς τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀφῆκε τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι λοιπὸν ἐπεπήδα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ δένδρον βουλόμενος ἐκτεμεῖν, τοὺς κλάδους ἀφεὶς, κάτωθεν ἐκκόπτει τὴν ῥίζαν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς ἦλθε, τὴν ῥίζαν τοῦ κηρύγματος βουλόμενος ἀνελεῖν. Ἀλλὰ οὐκ ἦσαν ῥίζαι τοῦ κηρύγματος οἱ μαθηταὶ, ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν μαθητῶν ∆εσπότης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα. Ἐκείνη δὲ ἀκαταγώνιστος ἡ ῥίζα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὅσῳ πλείονα ἐξέτεμνον κλήματα, τοσούτῳ καὶ πλείονα καὶ μείζονα πάλιν ἐβλάστανεν. Ἐξετμήθη γοῦν Στέφανος, καὶ ἀνεβλάστησε Παῦλος καὶ οἱ διὰ Παύλου πιστεύσαντες. Ἐγένετο δὲ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν αὐτὸν τῇ ∆αμασκῷ, ἐξαίφνης περιήστραψεν αὐτὸν φῶς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ πεσὼν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἤκουσε φωνὴν λέγουσαν αὐτῷ, Σαῦλε, Σαῦλε, τί με διώκεις; Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ πρῶτον ἡ φωνὴ ἠνέχθη, ἀλλὰ πρότερον φῶς αὐτὸν περιήστραψεν; Ἵνα μεθ' ἡσυχίας ἀκούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ πρός τι πρᾶγμα τεταμένος καὶ θυμοῦ πλήρης ὢν, κἂν μυρίοι καλῶσιν, οὐκ ἐπιστρέφεται, ὅλος τῆς 51.140 προκειμένης ὑποθέσεως ὤν· ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἐπὶ Παύλου τοῦτο γένηται, καὶ μεθύων τῇ μανίᾳ τῶν γεγενημένων παραπέμψηται τὴν φωνὴν, ἢ μηδὲ ἀκούσῃ τὴν ἀρχὴν, τὴν διάνοιαν ἅπασαν πρὸς τὴν λεηλασίαν ἐκείνην ἔχων, πρότερον διὰ τοῦ φωτὸς πηρώσας αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν καταστείλας, καὶ σβέσας ἅπαντα τῆς ψυχῆς τὸν θόρυβον, καὶ πολλὴν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ γαλήνην ποιήσας, οὕτω τὴν φωνὴν ἀφῆκεν, ἵνα κατενεχθείσης τῆς ἀλαζονείας σώφρονι τῷ λογισμῷ προσέχῃ τοῖς λεγομένοις λοιπόν. Σαῦλε, Σαῦλε, τί με διώκεις; Οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐγκαλοῦντός ἐστιν, ὅσον ἀπολογουμένου. Τί με διώκεις; Τί μικρὸν ἢ μέγα ἐγκαλεῖν ἔχων ἐμοί; τί παρ' ἐμοῦ ἠδικημένος; ὅτι τοὺς νεκροὺς ὑμῶν ἀνέστησα; ὅτι τοὺς λεπροὺς ἐκάθηρα; ὅτι τοὺς δαίμονας ἀπήλασα; Ἀλλὰ διὰ ταῦτα προσκυνεῖσθαί με, οὐχὶ διώκεσθαι ἔδει. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τὸ, Τί με διώκεις; ἀπολογουμένου μᾶλλόν ἐστιν, ἄκουσον πῶς καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τούτῳ κέχρηται τῷ ῥήματι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὗτος λέγει, Σαῦλε, Σαῦλε, τί με διώκεις; οὕτω κἀκεῖνος πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους φησί· Λαός μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι, ἢ τί ἐλύπησά σε; Σαῦλε, Σαῦλε, τί με διώκεις; Ἰδοὺ κεῖσαι πρηνὴς, ἰδοὺ δέδεσαι χωρὶς ἁλύσεως. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὅταν δεσπότης οἰκέτην πολλὰ περιφεύγοντα καὶ μυρία ἐργαζόμενον δεινὰ λαβὼν ὑπὸ χεῖρας, καὶ δήσας λέγοι πρὸς αὐτὸν δεδεμένον, Τί σοι βούλει ποιήσω νῦν; ἰδοὺ γέγονας ὑποχείριος· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν Παῦλον λαβὼν, ῥίψας πρηνῆ, καὶ ὁρῶν τρέμοντα καὶ δεδοικότα καὶ οὐδὲν ἐργάζεσθαι δυνάμενον, φησί· Σαῦλε, Σαῦλε, τί με διώκεις; Ποῦ οὖν ὁ θυμὸς ἐκεῖνος οἴχεται; ποῦ δὲ ἡ μανία; ποῦ δὲ ὁ ζῆλος ὁ ἄκαιρος; ποῦ τὰ δεσμὰ καὶ αἱ περιδρομαί; ποῦ δὲ ἡ ἀγριότης ἐκείνη; Ἀκίνητος μὲν ἔσῃ νῦν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν τὸν διωκόμενον δύνασαι·