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of affairs, and through sympathy and tears and in every way supporting those in calamities and becoming a common harbor for all. 13.17 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." And this was not accomplished by him in any ordinary way. Listen, then, to God bearing witness to him: "There is no man like him on the earth, a blameless, just, true, God-fearing man, abstaining from every evil thing." 13.18 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And from this he made a great abundance of contests and prizes. For he was not driven by men, but the arch-evil demon himself, having attacked him and moved all his devices, thus came upon him, driving him from his house and country and bringing him out to the dunghill, stripping him of all his money, possessions, children, the very health of his body, and delivering him to a most grievous famine; and after him, some of his friends also, not in an ordinary way, leaped upon him and tore open the wounds of his soul. 13.19 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven." But he also reaped this beatitude with great abundance. For those present then slandered him, saying that he was punished less than he had sinned, extending long accusations against him and words full of falsehood and slander. 13.20 But nevertheless, he snatched these men, who were about to be in danger, from the divinely-sent plague, bearing no grudge against them for any of the things that had been said. And here again he fulfilled that commandment: "Love your enemies, pray for those who spitefully use you." For he loved and prayed for them and took away the wrath of God and absolved their sin; and this, though he had heard no prophets, no evangelists, no priests, no teacher, nor anyone else counseling him on virtue. 13.21 Do you see how great a noble soul is and how it is sufficient for virtue in itself, even if it enjoys no care? And yet he had ancestors who were not only not good, but who also displayed great wickedness. For concerning his ancestor Paul says: "Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright."

14.t Ch. 14. That even in the time of the apostles there were many scandals and

many who were led astray, and persecutions of teachers and swift executions

14.1 What then, in the time of the apostles, tell me? Did not countless such things happen? Listen

then to what Paul says: "You know this, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes." Did not the teachers dwell in prisons? Were they not bound with chains? Did they not suffer the worst evils from their own people and from strangers? After them, did not grievous wolves enter the flocks in their place? Did not Paul foretell these things to the Ephesians when he had sent for them at Miletus? 14.2 "For I know this," he says, "that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them." Did not Alexander the coppersmith cause him countless troubles, persecuting him from all sides, fighting, contending, and putting him in such agony as to even command his disciple and say: "Beware of him also, for he has greatly resisted our words"? 14.3 Was not the whole nation of the Galatians by certain false brethren

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πραγμάτων καὶ διὰ συμπαθείας καὶ δακρύων καὶ διὰ παντὸς τρόπου τοὺς ἐν συμφοραῖς ἀνέχων καὶ κοινός τις ἁπάντων λιμὴν γενόμενος. 13.17 «Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται.» Καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν αὐτῷ κατώρθωτο. Ἄκουσον γοῦν τοῦ Θεοῦ μαρτυροῦντος αὐτῷ· «Οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ὅμοιος αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἄνθρωπος ἄμεμπτος, δίκαιος, ἀληθινός, θεοσεβής, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος.» 13.18 «Μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν πολλὴν τῶν ἀγώνων καὶ τῶν βραβείων τὴν δαψίλειαν ἐποιήσατο. Οὐ γὰρ δι' ἀνθρώπων ἠλαύνετο, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ ἀρχέκακος δαίμων ἐπιθέμενος καὶ πάντα αὐτοῦ τὰ μηχανήματα κινήσας, οὕτως ἦλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν, ἀπελάσας αὐτὸν καὶ οἰκίας καὶ πατρίδος καὶ εἰς τὴν κοπρίαν ἐξαγαγών, χρημάτων ἐκβαλὼν πάντων, κτημάτων, παίδων, αὐτῆς τοῦ σώματος τῆς ὑγιείας καὶ λιμῷ παραδοὺς χαλεπωτάτῳ· μετὰ δὲ ἐκείνου καὶ τῶν φίλων τινές, οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἥλλοντο καὶ ἀνέξαινον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ ἕλκη. 13.19 «Μακάριοί ἐστε, ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσι καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι, ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀφθονίας ἐκαρπώσατο τὸν μακαρισμόν. Καὶ γὰρ διέβαλλον αὐτὸν οἱ παρόντες τότε, ἐλάττονα ὧν ἐπλημμέλησε λέγοντες αὐτὸν τετιμωρῆσθαι, μακρὰς κατηγορίας ἀποτείνοντες κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ λόγους ψευδεῖς καὶ συκοφαντίας γέμοντας. 13.20 Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τούτους μέλλοντας κινδυνεύειν ἐξήρπασε τῆς θεηλάτου πληγῆς, ὑπὲρ οὐδενὸς τῶν εἰρημένων μνησικακήσας αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν ἐκεῖνο ἐπλήρου τὸ παράγγελμα, τό· «Ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν, εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς.» Καὶ γὰρ ἠγάπησε καὶ ηὔξατο ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνεῖλε καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτῶν ἔλυσε· καίτοι μὴ προφητῶν, μὴ εὐαγγελιστῶν, μὴ ἱερέων, μὴ διδασκάλου, μὴ ἄλλου τινὸς ἀκούσας ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς συμβουλεύοντος. 13.21 Ὁρᾷς ἡλίκον ἐστὶ γενναία ψυχὴ καὶ πῶς ἀρκεῖ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἑαυτῇ, κἂν μηδεμιᾶς ἐπιμελείας ἀπολαύῃ; Καίτοι γε προγόνους οὐ μόνον χρηστοὺς οὐκ ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴν κακίαν ἐπιδειξαμένους. Περὶ γοῦν τοῦ προγόνου αὐτοῦ φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Μή τις πόρνος ἢ βέβηλος, ὡς Ἠσαῦ, ὃς ἀντὶ βρώσεως μιᾶς ἀπέδοτο τὰ πρωτοτόκια αὐτοῦ.»

14.t Κεφ. ιδʹ. Ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων πολλὰ τὰ σκάνδαλα καὶ

πολλοὶ οἱ παρασυρόμενοι καὶ διδασκάλων διώξεις καὶ ἀναιρέσεις ταχεῖαι

14.1 Τί δέ, ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων, εἰπέ μοι; οὐ μυρία τοιαῦτα ἐγίνετο; Ἄκουσον

γοῦν τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Οἶδας τοῦτο ὅτι ἀπεστράφησάν με πάντες οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὧν ἐστι Φύγελλος καὶ Ἑρμογένης.» Οὐ δεσμωτήρια ᾤκουν οἱ διδάσκαλοι; οὐχ ἁλύσεις περιέκειντο; οὐ παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων, οὐ παρὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τὰ ἔσχατα ἔπασχον κακά; οὐ μετ' ἐκείνους ἀντ' ἐκείνων λύκοι βαρεῖς εἰσῄεσαν εἰς τὰ ποίμνια; οὐχὶ ταῦτα προὔλεγεν ὁ Παῦλος Ἐφεσίοις εἰς Μίλητον αὐτοὺς μεταπεμψάμενος; 14.2 «Ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶδα, φησίν, ὅτι εἰσελεύσονται μετὰ τὴν ἄφιξίν μου λύκοι βαρεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς, μὴ φειδόμενοι τοῦ ποιμνίου. Καὶ ἐξ ὑμῶν δὲ αὐτῶν ἀναστήσονται ἄνδρες λαλοῦντες διεστραμμένα, τοῦ ἀποσπᾶν τοὺς μαθητὰς ὀπίσω αὐτῶν.» Οὐ χαλκοτύπος ἀνὴρ Ἀλέξανδρος μυρία παρέσχεν αὐτῷ πράγματα, πανταχόθεν ἐλαύνων, πολεμῶν, πυκτεύων καὶ εἰς τοσαύτην αὐτὸν κατέστησεν ἀγωνίαν ὡς καὶ τῷ μαθητῇ παραγγεῖλαι καὶ εἰπεῖν· «Ὃν καὶ σὺ φυλάσσου· λίαν γὰρ ἀνθέστηκε τοῖς ἡμετέροις λόγοις»; 14.3 Οὐχ ὁλόκλη ρον ἔθνος τῶν Γαλατῶν ὑπό τινων ψευδαδέλφων