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he spoke of his own achievements; but what kind? Those that benefited his listeners. For he did not deliver a long speech about self-control, nor about humility, nor about not bearing grudges, but about what? About this, which the one then reigning most needed to learn, about justice, and keeping one's hands clean from bribes. And David again, when boasting, boasts of those things which are able to correct the hearer. For he too did not speak of any other virtue, but he brought forward the bear and the lion, and nothing else. For to carry the argument further is the mark of an ambitious and boastful man; but to say these things which were necessary for the present need is the mark of a philanthropic man who sees the common good; which is what Paul also did. For he was being slandered as not being an approved apostle, nor having any strength. It was necessary, therefore, on account of those things to fall into these, which especially showed his high standing. 5.15 Do you see by how many ways he taught the hearer not to boast without purpose? First, by showing that he did this out of necessity; second, by calling himself a fool, and by using many disclaimers; third, by not saying everything, but concealing the greater things, and this when there was a necessity; fourth, by putting on another persona, and saying: "I know a man"; fifth, by not bringing every other virtue into the open, but that part for which the present occasion especially called. 5.16 Not only in boasting, but also in insulting was he of such a character. And yet this too was forbidden, insulting a brother, but he used this also in such a fitting manner as to be more approved than those who give praise. For this reason, by calling the Galatians foolish both once and twice, and the Cretans lazy gluttons and evil beasts, from this he is also proclaimed. For he gave us a boundary and a rule, so that when matters concerning God are being neglected, not to use gentle treatment, but to handle the word more forcefully. And for all things measures are laid down by him; for this reason, in doing and saying all things he was approved, both in insulting and in praising, in turning away and in healing, in exalting himself and in being moderate, in boasting and in declaring wretched. And why are you surprised, if insult and reviling are approved, when even murder was approved and deceit and craft, both in the Old and in the New? 5.17 Therefore, having examined all these things with accuracy, let us both admire Paul, and glorify God, and let us ourselves so handle him, so that we also may obtain the eternal goods, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

6.t Encomium of the same on the holy apostle Paul, Discourse 6 6.1 Do you wish today, beloved, leaving aside the great and marvelous things of Paul, which seem to some to have a certain handle for criticism, that we should bring these things forward? for we shall see that even these things make him no less brilliant and great than those. What then is it that has a handle for criticism? He was once seen, it is said, fearing blows; for he was seen, when they stretched him out for the scourges; and not only then, but also another time again in the case of the seller of purple, when he also caused trouble for those wishing to bring him out. For he did this contriving nothing other than safety for himself and not to fall quickly into the same things. What then might we say? That nothing shows him to be so great and marvelous as these things that have been said; for instance, that having such a soul, not daring, nor reckless, and a body so yielding to blows and trembling at scourges, he looked down on all things no less than the incorporeal powers

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ἐξεῖπεν οἰκεῖα κατορθώματα· ἀλλὰ ποῖα; Ἃ τοῖς ἀκούουσι συνέφερεν. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ σωφροσύνης ἀπέτεινε λόγον μακρόν, οὐδὲ περὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης, οὐδὲ περὶ τοῦ μὴ μνησικακεῖν, ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ τίνος; Ὑπὲρ τούτου, ὃ μάλιστα ἔδει μαθεῖν τὸν τότε βασιλεύοντα, ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ τοῦ καθαρὰς ἔχειν τὰς χεῖρας δώρων. Καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ πάλιν καυχώμενος, ἀπ' ἐκείνων καυχᾶται τῶν δυναμένων τὸν ἀκροατὴν διορθῶσαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἄλλην εἶπεν ἀρετήν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄρκτον καὶ τὸν λέοντα παρήγαγεν εἰς μέσον, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ περαιτέρω τὸν λόγον ἐξαγαγεῖν, φιλοτίμου καὶ ἀλαζόνος· τὸ δὲ εἰπεῖν ταῦτα ἃ πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν ἔμελλε χρείαν ἀναγκαῖα εἶναι, φιλανθρώπου καὶ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν συμφέρον ὁρῶντος· ὃ δὴ καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίησε. Καὶ γὰρ διεβάλλετο, ὡς οὐκ ὢν ἀπόστολος δόκιμος, οὐδὲ ἔχων τινὰ ἰσχύν. Ἀνάγκη τοίνυν ἦν δι' ἐκεῖνα εἰς ταῦτα ἐμπεσεῖν, ἃ μάλιστα ἐδείκνυ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀξίωμα. 5.15 Ὁρᾷς δι' ὅσων ἐπαίδευσε τὸν ἀκροατὴν μὴ ἁπλῶς καυχᾶσθαι; Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἀνάγκῃ τοῦτο ἐποίησε· δεύτερον, διὰ τοῦ καὶ ὡς ἄφρονα ἑαυτὸν καλέσαι, καὶ πολλαῖς χρήσασθαι παραιτήσεσι· τρίτον, διὰ τοῦ μὴ πάντα εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μείζονα ἀποκρύψασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἀνάγκης οὔσης· τέταρτον, διὰ τοῦ προσωπεῖον ἕτερον ὑπελθεῖν, καὶ εἰπεῖν ὅτι· Οἶδα ἄνθρωπον· πέμπτον, διὰ τοῦ μὴ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀρετὴν ἅπασαν εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέρος οὗ μάλιστα ὁ παρὼν ἐδεῖτο καιρός. 5.16 Οὐκ ἐν τῷ καυχᾶσθαι δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ὑβρίζειν τοιοῦτος ἦν. Καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο κεκωλυμένον ἦν, τὸ ὑβρίζειν ἀδελφόν, ἀλλ' οὕτω καὶ τούτῳ δεόντως ἐχρήσατο πάλιν ὡς τῶν ἐγκωμιαζόντων μᾶλλον εὐδοκιμῆσαι. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ Γαλάτας καλῶν ἀνοήτους καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς, καὶ Κρῆτας γαστέρας ἀργάς, καὶ θηρία κακά, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἀνακηρύττεται. Καὶ γὰρ ὅρον ἡμῖν ἔδωκε καὶ κανόνα, ὥστε τῶν κατὰ Θεὸν ἀμελουμένων μὴ κεχρῆσθαι θεραπείᾳ, ἀλλὰ πληκτικώτερον μεταχειρίζειν τὸν λόγον. Καὶ πάντων μέτρα ἐστὶ παρ' αὐτῷ κείμενα· διὰ δὴ τοῦτο πάντα ποιῶν καὶ λέγων εὐδοκίμει, καὶ ὑβρίζων καὶ ἐπαινῶν, καὶ ἀποστρεφόμενος καὶ θεραπεύων, καὶ ἐπαίρων ἑαυτὸν καὶ μετριάζων, καὶ καυχώμενος καὶ ταλανίζων. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ ὕβρις καὶ λοιδορία εὐδοκιμεῖ, ὅπου γε καὶ φόνος εὐδοκίμησε καὶ ἀπάτη καὶ δόλος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Καινῆς; 5.17 Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξετάσαντες, καὶ Παῦλον θαυμάσωμεν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν δοξάσωμεν, καὶ ἡμεῖς οὕτως αὐτὸν μεταχειρισώμεθα, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

6.t Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον ἀπόστολον Παῦλον λόγος στʹ 6.1 Βούλεσθε τήμερον, ἀγαπητοί, παρέντες τὰ μεγάλα Παύλου καὶ θαυμαστά, ἃ δοκεῖ παρά τισι λαβήν τινα ἔχειν, ταῦτα εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν; καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὰ ἐκείνων ὀψόμεθα οὐκ ἔλαττον αὐτὸν ποιοῦντα λαμπρὸν καὶ μέγαν. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λαβὴν ἔχει; Ὤφθη ποτέ, φησί, πληγὰς δεδοικώς· καὶ γὰρ ὤφθη, ὅτε αὐτὸν προέτειναν τοῖς ἱμᾶσι· καὶ οὐ τότε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοτε πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς πορφυροπώλιδος, ὅτε καὶ πράγματα παρέσχε τοῖς βουλομένοις αὐτὸν ἐξαγαγεῖν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο κατασκευάζων τοῦτο ἐποίει ἢ ἀσφάλειαν ἑαυτῷ καὶ τὸ μὴ ταχέως τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν. Τί οὖν ἂν εἴποιμεν; Ὅτι οὐδὲν αὐτὸν οὕτω μέγαν δείκνυσι καὶ θαυμαστόν, ὡς ταῦτα τὰ εἰρημένα· οἷον ὅτι ψυχὴν ἔχων τοιαύτην, οὐχὶ τολμηράν, οὐδὲ ἀπονενοημένην, καὶ σῶμα οὕτως εἶκον πληγαῖς καὶ τρέμον μάστιγας, τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων οὐκ ἔλαττον πάντων ὑπερεῖδε