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to be crowned, would choose to contend? What boxer, when it is possible to bind on the crown, would choose again to enter the contest, and to have his own head battered? What general, when it is possible to be released from the war with glory and trophies, and to rest with the king in the palace, would accept to still sweat and be drawn up for battle? How then, living so very bitter a life, do you still wish to remain here? Did you not say, I fear lest, having preached to others, I myself should become a castaway? Even if for no other reason, for this at least it was necessary to desire the release; if the present things were full of countless goods, at least for the sake of Christ who is longed for, it was necessary to long for release from them. O the soul of Paul! nothing equal to it has been, nor will be. You fear the future, you are involved in countless dangers, and you do not wish to be with Christ? No, he says; and this for the sake of Christ, that I might make those whom I have made His servants more well-disposed; that the field which I have planted, I might make to bear fruit. Have you not heard me seeking not my own advantage, but that of my neighbors? Have you not heard that I prayed to be accursed from Christ for the sake of many coming to Him? He who chose that, shall I not much more choose this, gladly suffering loss for myself through the delay and postponement, that some salvation might come to them? Who will speak of Your mighty acts, O Lord, that You did not allow Paul to be hidden, that You showed such a man to the world? All the angels praised You with one accord when You made the stars, and so also when You made the sun; but not so as when You showed Paul to us and to the whole world. For this reason the earth has become more brilliant than heaven, he sent forth brighter flashes than the light of the sun, he spread forth radiant beams. How great a fruit has this man borne for us, not fattening ears of corn, nor nourishing pomegranates, but bearing the fruit of piety, and bringing it to its prime, and continually recovering it when it falls away? Rightly so; for this sun will be able to do nothing to help the fruit of the trees once it has rotted. But Paul recalled from sins those who had countless corruptions; and this sun indeed gives way to the night, but that man overcame the devil. Nothing took him, nothing held him. That one, borne from on high, sends its rays downward; but he, rising from below, did not fill the space between heaven and earth with light, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he also filled the angels with much pleasure. How? For if over one sinner who 62.207 repents there is joy in heaven, but he from his first public speech caught many, how would he not fill the powers above with joy? 2. And what am I saying? Simply it is enough for Paul to speak, and for the heavens to leap and rejoice at this. For if, when the Israelites went out of Egypt, the mountains skipped like rams; when men were translated from earth to heaven, how great do you think the joy was? For these reasons, To abide in the flesh is more needful for you. What defense shall we have then? For often a man is assigned a small and poor city, and does not choose to go elsewhere, preferring his own rest; Paul could have departed to be with Christ, and did not want Christ; Christ, whom he so longed for, as to choose even Gehenna for His sake; and he still remained contending for the sake of men. What will be our defense? But should one remember Paul at all, simply? See what he did; He showed that it is better to depart, persuading them not to grieve; he showed that even if he remains, he remains for this reason, for their sake, that it is not from the wickedness of those plotting against him. Therefore, in order to make them trustworthy, he also set forth the cause. If

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στεφανωθῆναι, ἕλοιτο ἀγωνίζεσθαι; τίς πυκτεύων, παρὸν ἀναδήσασθαι τὸν στέφανον, ἕλοιτο πάλιν εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα εἰσιέναι, καὶ κατακόπτειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλήν; ποῖος στρατηγὸς, ἐξὸν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ πολέμου μετὰ εὐδοξίας καὶ τροπαίων, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἀναπαύεσθαι, καταδέξαιτο ἂν ἔτι καὶ ἱδροῦν καὶ παρατάττεσθαι; Πῶς οὖν τὸν οὕτω κατάπικρον ζῶν βίον, ἔτι ἐνταῦθα μένειν βούλει; οὐχὶ σὺ ἔλεγες, Φοβοῦμαι μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι; Εἰ καὶ διὰ μηδὲν ἕτερον, διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν ἐχρῆν ἐπιθυμεῖν τῆς ἀπαλλαγῆς· εἰ μυρίων ἦν ἀγαθῶν μεστὰ τὰ παρόντα, διὰ γοῦν τὸν Χριστὸν τὸν ποθούμενον ἔδει ποθεῖν τὴν τούτων ἀπαλλαγήν. Βαβαὶ τῆς τοῦ Παύλου ψυχῆς! οὐδὲν ἴσον ἐκείνης γέγονεν, οὐδὲ ἔσται. Φοβῇ τὸ μέλλον, μυρίοις ἐνέχῃ δεινοῖς, καὶ οὐ βούλει εἶναι πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν; Οὒ, φησί· καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἵνα οὓς εἰργασάμην αὐτοῦ δούλους, εὐνουστέρους καταστήσω· ἵνα ὅπερ ἐφύτευσα γεώργιον, καρποφορῆσαι ποιήσω. Οὐκ ἤκουσάς μου οὐχὶ τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ ζητοῦντος συμφέρον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πλησίον; οὐκ ἤκουσας, ὅτι ἀνάθεμα ηὐχόμην γενέσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πολλοὺς αὐτῷ προσελθεῖν; Ὁ ἐκεῖνο ἑλόμενος, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦτο αἱρήσομαι, ἡδέως ἐμαυτὸν ζημιῶν διὰ τῆς ἀναβολῆς καὶ ὑπερθέσεως, ἵνα ἐκείνοις γένηταί τις σωτηρία; Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας σου, Κύριε, ὅτι Παῦλον οὐκ ἀφῆκας λαθεῖν, ὅτι ἔδειξας τῇ οἰκουμένῃ τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα; Ἤνεσάν σε πάντες ἄγγελοι ὁμοθυμαδὸν, ὅτε τὰ ἄστρα εἰργάσω, οὐκοῦν καὶ ὅτε τὸν ἥλιον· ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως, ὡς ὅτε τὸν Παῦλον ἔδειξας ἡμῖν καὶ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ πάσῃ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λαμπροτέρα γέγονεν ἡ γῆ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, φαιδρότερος οὗτος τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ φωτὸς ἀφῆκε λαμπροτέρας τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς, φαιδρὰς τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἥπλωσεν. Ἡλίκον ἡμῖν οὗτος ἔτεκε τὸν καρπὸν, οὐκ ἀστάχυς πιαίνων, οὐδὲ ῥοιὰς τρέφων, ἀλλὰ τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας καρπὸν καὶ τίκτων, καὶ εἰς ἀκμὴν ἄγων, καὶ διαπίπτοντα συνεχῶς ἀνακτώμενος; Εἰκότως· οὗτος μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος τὸ ἅπαξ διασαπὲν τῶν ἀκροδρύων οὐδὲν ὀνῆσαι δυνήσεται. Παῦλος δὲ τοὺς μυρίας ἔχοντας σηπεδόνας, ἐξ ἁμαρτημάτων ἀνεκαλεῖτο· καὶ οὗτος μὲν παραχωρεῖ τῇ νυκτὶ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῦ διαβόλου περιεγένετο. Οὐδὲν εἷλεν ἐκεῖνον, οὐδὲν ἐκράτησεν. Ἐκεῖνος ἀφ' ὕψους φερόμενος, κάτω τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀφίησιν· αὐτὸς δὲ κάτωθεν ἀνατέλλων, οὐχὶ τὸ μέσον οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ φωτὸς ἐπλήρωσεν, ἀλλὰ ἅμα τὸ στόμα ἀνέῳξε, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἐνέπλησε πολλῆς τῆς ἡδονῆς. Πῶς; Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετα 62.207 νοοῦντι χαρὰ γίνεται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκ πρώτης δημηγορίας πολλοὺς ἐθήρευσε, πῶς οὐκ ἐμπλήσει χαρᾶς τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις; βʹ. Καὶ τί λέγω; ἁπλῶς ἀρκεῖ Παῦλον φθέγγεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐπὶ τούτῳ σκιρτᾷν καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ, ὅτε ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐξῄεσαν οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται, ἐσκίρτησαν τὰ ὄρη, ὡς κριοί· ὅτε ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν μετέστησαν ἄνθρωποι, πόσην οἴει εἶναι χαράν; ∆ιὰ ταῦτα, Τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς. Ποίαν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν λοιπὸν ἡμεῖς; Πολλάκις γὰρ ἄνθρωπος κληροῦται πόλιν μικρὰν καὶ πενιχρὰν, καὶ οὐχ αἱρεῖται ἀπελθεῖν ἑτέρωθι, τὴν οἰκείαν προκρίνων ἀνάπαυσιν· πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν εἶχεν ἀπελθεῖν ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησε τὸν Χριστόν· Χριστὸν, ὃν οὕτως ἐπόθει, ὡς δι' αὐτὸν καὶ γέενναν αἱρεῖσθαι· καὶ ἔμενεν ἔτι ἀγωνιζόμενος διὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Τίς ἔσται ἡμῖν ἀπολογία; Ὅλως δὲ μεμνῆσθαι χρὴ Παύλου ἁπλῶς; Ὅρα τί εἰργάσατο· Ἔδειξεν, ὅτι κρεῖσσον τὸ ἀπελθεῖν, πείθων αὐτοὺς μὴ ἀλγεῖν· ἔδειξεν, ὅτι κἂν μένῃ, διὰ τοῦτο μένει, δι' ἐκείνους, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς πονηρίας γίνεται τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων. Ἵνα τοίνυν ἀξιοπίστους αὐτοὺς ἐργάσηται, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἔθηκεν. Εἰ