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of enemies, and the additions of persecutions were for him additions of greater boldness and an occasion of greater courage. 7.11 For indeed he was once shut up, and shone so brightly, that he shook the foundations, and opened the doors, and converted the jailer to himself, and almost persuaded the judge, so that he himself said: In a little you persuade me to become a Christian. Again he was stoned, and entering the city that was stoning him, he converted it. They called him as if they were about to judge him, sometimes Jews, sometimes Athenians, and the judges became disciples, the adversaries became obedient. And just as a fire falling into various materials grows more, and takes the underlying material as an addition; so also the tongue of Paul, with whomever it came in contact, converted them to himself, and those who fought against him, being captured by his words, quickly became food for this spiritual fire, and through them again the word was raised up, and went on to others. Therefore he also said: I am bound, but the word of God is not bound. They drove him into exile; and while the deed was a persecution, the result was a mission of teachers. And what friends and allies would have done, this his enemies did, not allowing him to be settled in one place, but leading the physician about everywhere, by the means with which they plotted against him, by the means with which they drove him out, so that all might hear his tongue. They bound him again, and provoked him the more; they drove out the disciples, and sent them to those who had no teacher; they brought him to a greater tribunal, and benefited the greater city. 7.12 Therefore also the Jews, being distressed concerning the apostles, said: What shall we do to these men? By what we intend, they say, by these things we cause it to grow. They delivered him to the jailer, that he might hold him securely; but he was more securely bound by Paul. They sent him with prisoners, that he might not escape; but he catechized the prisoners; they sent him by sea, so that even unwillingly they might prepare for the journey to be completed quickly; and the shipwreck that occurred became an occasion of teaching for his fellow sailors; they threatened countless punishments, that the preaching might be extinguished, but it was raised up the more. And just as in the case of the Master the Jews said: Let us kill him, lest the Romans come and take away our city and nation, and the opposite happened, —for since they killed him, for this reason the Romans took away both their nation and their city, and the very things they thought were hindrances, these became aids to the preaching—, so also while Paul was preaching, the very things they brought against him to cut off the word, these made it grow, and raised it to an unspeakable height. 7.13 For all these things, then, let us give thanks to the resourceful God, let us bless Paul, through whom these things have come to pass, let us pray that we ourselves may also obtain the same good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto ages of ages. Amen. Save me from all my persecutors and deliver me, lest he seize my soul like a lion, with no one to rescue or to save.” And the help for the maiden was swift; for when she suddenly disappeared, the suitor went away, having gained only one thing: a race of licentiousness. But the bride stood by the bridegroom, singing somewhere: “My help is rightly from God, who saves the upright in heart.” Let us then also learn the struggles of self-control against the things of the flesh, let us wage war against pleasures as the martyr did, let us arm ourselves for the flesh against the flesh, let us prepare our members for the glory of the resurrection, let us not be overcome by delights which procure the pains of Gehenna, let us flee what is pleasant, so that what is truly pleasant may not escape from us. Let the widow keep her goodwill for her deceased spouse as if again into

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ἐχθρῶν, καὶ αἱ προσθῆκαι τῶν διωγμῶν προσθῆκαι πλείονος παρρησίας ἦσαν αὐτῷ καὶ μείζονος θάρσους ὑπόθεσις. 7.11 Συνεκλείσθη γοῦν ποτε, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξέλαμψεν, ὥστε καὶ τὰ θεμέλια τινάξαι, καὶ τὰς θύρας ἀναπετάσαι, καὶ τὸν δεσμοφύλακα μεταστῆσαι πρὸς ἑαυτόν, καὶ τὸν δικάζοντα μικροῦ μεταπεῖσαι, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον λέγειν· Ἐν ὀλίγῳ με πείθεις Χριστιανὸν γενέσθαι. Πάλιν ἐλιθάζετο, καὶ τὴν καταλεύουσαν πόλιν εἰσελθὼν μετέθηκεν. Ἐκάλεσαν αὐτὸν ὡς μέλλοντες κρίνειν, ποτὲ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι, ποτὲ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ γεγόνασιν οἱ δικασταὶ μαθηταί, οἱ ἀντίδικοι ὑπήκοοι. Καὶ καθάπερ πῦρ ἐμπεσὸν εἰς διαφόρους ὕλας μᾶλλον αὔξεται, καὶ προσθήκην λαμβάνει τὴν ὑποκειμένην ὕλην· οὕτω καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα Παύλου, ὅσοις ἂν συνεγένετο, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν αὐτοὺς μεθίστη, καὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντες αὐτῷ τοῖς ἐκείνου λόγοις ἁλόντες τροφὴ ταχέως ἐγίγνοντο τῷ πνευματικῷ τούτῳ πυρί, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πάλιν ὁ λόγος ᾔρετο, καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέρους προῄει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· ∆έδεμαι, ἀλλ' ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται. Ἐφυγάδευον αὐτόν· καὶ τὸ μὲν πρᾶγμα δίωξις ἦν, τὸ δὲ συμβαῖνον, ἀποστολὴ διδασκάλων. Καὶ ὅπερ ἂν ἐποίησαν φίλοι καὶ συντεταγμένοι, τοῦτο ἐποίουν οἱ πολέμιοι, οὐκ ἐῶντες ἐν ἑνὶ ἱδρυθῆναι χωρίῳ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ περιάγοντες τὸν ἰατρόν, δι' ὧν ἐπεβούλευον, δι' ὧν ἤλαυνον, ὡς πάντας ἀκοῦσαι τῆς ἐκείνου γλώττης. Ἔδησαν πάλιν αὐτόν, καὶ μᾶλλον παρώξυναν· τοὺς μαθητὰς ἤλασαν, καὶ τοῖς οὐκ ἔχουσι διδάσκαλον ἔπεμψαν· ἐπὶ μεῖζον ἤγαγον δικαστήριον, καὶ τὴν μείζονα ὠφέλησαν πόλιν. 7.12 ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀλγοῦντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔλεγον· Τί ποιήσομεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις; ∆ι' ὧν, φασί, προαιρούμεθα, διὰ τούτων αὔξομεν. Παρέδωκαν τῷ δεσμοφύλακι, ἵνα ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸν κατάσχῃ· ὁ δὲ ἀκριβέστερον ἐδέθη ὑπὸ Παύλου. Μετὰ δεσμωτῶν ἔπεμψαν, ἵνα μὴ φύγῃ· ὁ δὲ τοὺς δεσμώτας κατήχησε· διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης ἔπεμψαν, ἵνα καὶ ἄκοντες παρασκευάσωσι ταχέως ἀνυσθῆναι τὴν ὁδόν· καὶ τὸ ναυάγιον τὸ συμβὰν ἐγένετο διδασκαλίας ὑπόθεσις τοῖς συμπλέουσι· μυρίας ἠπείλουν κολάσεις, ἵνα σβεσθῇ τὸ κήρυγμα, τὸ δὲ ᾔρετο μᾶλλον. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἔλεγον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτόν, ἵνα μὴ ἔλθωσιν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ ἄρωσιν ἡμῶν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἔθνος, καὶ τοὐναντίον συνέβη, -ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπέκτειναν αὐτόν, διὰ τοῦτο ἦραν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ τὸ ἔθνος αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἅπερ ἐνόμιζον εἶναι κωλύματα, ταῦτα ἐγένετο βοηθήματα τοῦ κηρύγματος-, οὕτω καὶ Παύλου κηρύττοντος, ἅπερ ἐπῆγον ἐκεῖνοι τὸν λόγον ἐκκόπτοντες, ταῦτα αὐτὸν ηὔξησε, καὶ εἰς ὕψος ἐπῆρεν ἄφατον. 7.13 ∆ιὰ δὴ ταῦτα πάντα εὐχαριστήσωμεν τῷ εὐμηχάνῳ Θεῷ, μακαρίσωμεν τὸν Παῦλον, δι' οὗ ταῦτα γέγονεν, εὐξώμεθα καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Σῶσόν με ἐκ πάντων τῶν διωκόντων με καὶ ῥῦσαί με, μήποτε ἁρπάσῃ ὡς λέων τὴν ψυχήν μου, μὴ ὄντος λυτρουμένου μηδὲ σῴζοντος.» Καὶ ταχεῖα ἡ τῆς κόρης βοήθεια· ἀφανοῦς γὰρ γενομένης ἐξαίφνης, ὁ μὲν μνηστὴρ ἀπῄει ἓν μόνον κερδάνας ἀσελγείας ἱπποδρομίαν. Τῷ νυμφίῳ δὲ ἡ νύμφη παρειστήκει που ψάλλουσα· «∆ικαίως ἡ βοήθειά μου παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ σῴζοντος τοὺς εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ.» Μάθωμεν δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τοὺς κατὰ τῶν σαρκικῶν τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἀγῶνας, ἐπιστρατεύσωμεν ἡδοναῖς ὡς ἡ μάρτυς, ὑπὲρ σαρκὸς κατὰ σαρκὸς ὁπλισώμεθα, τῇ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὰ μέλη προευτρεπίσωμεν δόξῃ, μὴ κρατώμεθα τέρψεσι τὰ τῆς γεέννης ὀδυνηρὰ προξενούσαις, φεύγωμεν τὸ ἡδύ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄντως ἡδὺ ἀφ' ἡμῶν δραπετεύσῃ. Ἡ χήρα τῷ τεθνεῶτι συνοίκῳ τηρείτω τὴν εὔνοιαν ὡς πάλιν εἰς