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but you not even your fellow-servant? He emulated the Master, but you not even your fellow-servant? And what defense will you have? 7.4 And how did he imitate him, you say? Consider this from the beginning and from the very preambles. For when he came up from the divine streams bearing so much fire as not even to wait for a teacher; for he did not wait for Peter, nor did he go to James, nor to any other, but being lifted up by his eagerness, he so set the city ablaze that a harsh war was fanned against him; since even when he was a Jew, he did things beyond what was warranted, binding, leading away, confiscating. So also Moses, though no one had appointed him, hindered the injustice of the barbarians against his kinsmen. For these things are proof of a noble soul and a free mind, not enduring to bear in silence the evils of others, even if there is no one to appoint him. For that he rightly leaped to the leadership, God showed by appointing him later; which He has also done in the case of Paul. For that this man also did well in taking up the word then and the teaching, God also made this clear, by quickly bringing him to the dignity of the teachers. 7.5 For if they leaped to these matters for the sake of honor and pre-eminence, and for their own service, they would rightly have been accused. But since they loved dangers, and drew deaths upon themselves, so that they might save all others, who is so wretched as to bring a charge against such great eagerness? For that they did these things out of love for the salvation of the perishing, both the decree of God made clear, and the destruction of those who wrongly loved this love made clear. Others too once leaped for rule and leadership, but they all died, some being burned up, others being swallowed by the opening of the earth. For they did this not for the sake of leadership, but out of a love for pre-eminence. Uzziah also leaped for it, but he too became unclean; Simon also leaped for it, but he was condemned, and was in danger of the ultimate penalty; Paul also leaped for it, but was crowned, not with priesthood and honor, but with service and labors and dangers. And because he ran forth from great zeal and eagerness, for this reason he is proclaimed and was brilliant from the very beginning. 7.6 For just as the appointed ruler, if he does not pursue the matter as he ought, is worthy of a greater punishment, so also if someone is not appointed, but handles it fittingly, I do not mean the things of the priesthood, but the care of the many, he is worthy of everything. For this reason this man, more vehement than fire, did not wait for a single day to be quiet, but at the same time that he came up from the holy spring of the waters, he kindled a great flame for himself, and considered neither dangers, nor the ridicule and shame from the Jews, nor to be disbelieved by them, nor anything else of the sort; but taking other eyes, those of love, and another mind, he fell upon them with great force, like some torrent, sweeping away all things of the Jews, and showing through the Scriptures that this is the Christ. And yet he did not yet have many gifts of grace, nor had he yet been deemed worthy of so great a Spirit; but nevertheless he was immediately inflamed, and did all things with a soul ready for death, and as if making a defense for his past time, he so did all things, and took pains to throw himself into the most laborious part of the war, and that which was full of dangers and fears. 7.7 And yet, being so daring and impetuous and breathing fire, he was again so obedient and compliant to the teachers as not to oppose them in so great a rush of eagerness. For coming to him when he was then fervent and raging, they said that he must depart to Tarsus and Caesarea, and he did not speak against it; they said that he must be let down through the wall, and he endured it; they advised him to shave his head, and he did not oppose it; they said not to enter into the

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σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦ συνδούλου; ἐκεῖνος ∆εσπότην ἐζήλωσε, σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ τὸν ὁμόδουλον; καὶ ποίαν ἕξεις ἀπολογίαν; 7.4 Καὶ πῶς αὐτὸν ἐμιμήσατο, φησί; Τοῦτο ἐξ ἀρχῆς σκόπει καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν προοιμίων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων ναμάτων τοσοῦτον πῦρ ἔχων ἀνῆλθεν, ὡς μηδὲ ἀναμεῖναι διδάσκαλον· οὐ γὰρ περιέμεινε Πέτρον, οὐδὲ ἦλθε πρὸς Ἰάκωβον, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἄλλον οὐδένα, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς προθυμίας ἀρθείς, οὕτω τὴν πόλιν ἀνῆψεν ὡς πόλεμον ἀναρριπισθῆναι κατ' αὐτοῦ χαλεπόν· ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἰουδαῖος ὤν, τὰ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν ἐποίει, δεσμεύων, ἀπάγων, δημεύων. Οὕτω καὶ Μωσῆς, οὐδενὸς χειροτονήσαντος αὐτόν, τὴν ἀδικίαν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐκώλυσε τὴν κατὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων. Ταῦτα γὰρ ψυχῆς γενναίας ἀπόδειξις καὶ γνώμης ἐλευθέρας, οὐκ ἀνεχομένης σιγῇ φέρειν τὰ ἑτέρων κακά, κἂν μηδεὶς ὁ χειροτονῶν ᾖ. Ὅτι γὰρ δικαίως ἐπεπήδησε τῇ προστασίᾳ, ἔδειξεν ὁ Θεὸς χειροτονήσας αὐτὸν ὕστερον· ὃ καὶ ἐπὶ Παύλου πεποίηκεν. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ οὗτος καλῶς ἐποίησε τοῦ λόγου ἁψάμενος τότε καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ τοῦτο ἐδήλωσεν ὁ Θεός, ταχέως αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν διδασκάλων ἀξίωμα ἀγαγών. 7.5 Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τιμῆς ἕνεκεν καὶ προεδρίας ἐπεπήδων τοῖς πράγμασι, καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν θεραπείας εἰκότως ἂν ἐνεκλήθησαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ κινδύνους ἠγάπων, καὶ θανάτους ἐπεσπῶντο, ἵνα τοὺς ἄλλους διασώσωσιν ἅπαντας, τίς οὕτως ἄθλιος ὥστε ἐγκαλέσαι προθυμίᾳ τοσαύτῃ; Ὅτι γὰρ τῆς τῶν ἀπολλυμένων σωτηρίας ἐρῶντες ταῦτα ἔπραττον, ἐδήλωσε καὶ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ψῆφος, ἐδήλωσε καὶ ἡ τῶν κακῶς ἐρασθέντων τὸν ἔρωτα τοῦτον ἀπώλεια. Ἐπεπήδησάν ποτε καὶ ἕτεροι ἀρχῇ καὶ προστασίᾳ, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἀπέθανον, οἱ μὲν ἐμπρησθέντες, οἱ δὲ γῆς διαστάσει καταποθέντες. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ προστασίαν τοῦτο ἐποίουν, ἀλλὰ διὰ προεδρίας ἔρωτα. Ἐπεπήδησε καὶ Ὀζίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ἀκάθαρτος γέγονεν· ἐπεπήδησε καὶ Σίμων, ἀλλὰ κατεδικάσθη, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἐκινδύνευσε· ἐπεπήδησε καὶ Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ἐστεφανώθη, οὐχὶ ἱερωσύνῃ καὶ τιμῇ, ἀλλὰ διακονίᾳ καὶ πόνοις καὶ κινδύνοις. Καὶ ὅτι ἀπὸ ζήλου πολλοῦ καὶ προθυμίας ἐπέδραμε, διὰ τοῦτο ἀνακηρύττεται καὶ λαμπρὸς ἐκ προοιμίων ἦν. 7.6 Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ χειροτονούμενος ἄρχων, ἂν μὴ δεόντως τὸ πρᾶγμα μετίῃ, καὶ μείζονός ἐστι κολάσεως ἄξιος, οὕτω κἂν μὴ χειροτονηθῆ τις, μεταχειρίζῃ δὲ προσηκόντως, οὐ λέγω τὰ τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν προνοίας, τοῦ παντὸς ἄξιός ἐστι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδεμίαν ἀνέμεινεν ἡμέραν ἡσυχάζων ὁ πυρὸς οὗτος σφοδρότερος, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τε ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τῆς ἱερᾶς τῶν ὑδάτων πηγῆς, καὶ πολλὴν ἀνῆψεν ἑαυτῷ τὴν φλόγα, καὶ οὔτε κινδύνους ἐνενόησεν, οὐ τὸν γέλωτα καὶ τὴν αἰσχύνην τὴν παρὰ Ἰουδαίων, οὐ τὸ ἀπιστεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν· ἀλλ' ἑτέρους λαβὼν ὀφθαλμούς, τοὺς τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ ἑτέραν διάνοιαν, μετὰ πολλῆς ἐνέπιπτε τῆς ῥύμης, ὥσπερ τις χειμάρρους, ἅπαντα παρασύρων τὰ Ἰουδαίων, καὶ διὰ τῶν Γραφῶν δεικνὺς ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός. Καίτοι γε οὔπω χαρίσματα πολλὰ τῆς χάριτος ἦν αὐτῷ, οὔπω τοσούτου Πνεύματος κατηξίωτο· ἀλλ' ὅμως εὐθέως ἐφλέγετο, καὶ ψυχῇ θανατώσῃ πάντα ἔπραττε, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπολογούμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ παρελθόντος χρόνου, οὕτω πάντα ἐποίει, καὶ ἐπραγματεύετο εἰς τὸ πονοῦν μάλιστα τοῦ πολέμου μέρος ἑαυτὸν ἐμβάλλων, καὶ ὃ κινδύνων ἔγεμε καὶ φόβων. 7.7 Καὶ ὅμως οὕτω τολμητὴς ὢν καὶ ὁρμητίας καὶ πῦρ πνέων, οὕτω πάλιν πειθήνιος ἦν καὶ εὐήνιος τοῖς διδασκάλοις ὥστε μὴ ἐν τοσαύτῃ ῥύμῃ προθυμίας αὐτοῖς ἀντιπεσεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ ζέοντι τότε καὶ μαινομένῳ προσελθόντες εἶπον ὅτι δεῖ ἀπελθεῖν εἰς Ταρσὸν καὶ Καισάρειαν, καὶ οὐκ ἀντεῖπεν· εἶπον ὅτι χρὴ διὰ τοῦ τείχους χαλασθῆναι, καὶ ἠνέσχετο· συνεβούλευσαν ξυρᾶσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἀντέπεσεν· εἶπον μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ