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who created all things through Jesus Christ; that now to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the Church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Those who come to a physician's office must not just go there, but in order to learn how to be healed, and to apply remedies. And so we, having come here, must not do this simply, but to learn the excess of Paul's humility. For what? Since he was about to speak of the greatness of God's grace, hear what he says: To me, who am less than the least of all saints, this grace was given. It was indeed a mark of humility to mourn over his former sins, even though they were blotted out, and to remember them, and to be moderate, as when he calls himself a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent man; but nothing is equal to this. For "formerly," he says, "I was such," and he calls himself one born out of due time; but to be moderate after so many achievements and in the present, and to call himself the least of all, is a mark of much and surpassing moderation. To me, who am less than the least of all saints. He did not say, "Of the apostles;" so that even that is less than this. For there he said, "I am not worthy to be called an apostle;" but here he says he is even less than the least of all saints. To me, he says, who am less than the least of all saints, this grace was given. What grace? to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the plan of the mystery hidden from the ages in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, that now to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the Church the manifold wisdom of God. Granted, it was not revealed to men; and do you enlighten angels and archangels, and principalities and powers? Yes, he says; for it was hidden in God, and in God who created all things through Jesus. And do you dare to say this? Yes, he says. But whence did this become clear to the angels? Through the Church. And he did not simply say, The varied wisdom of God, but, The manifold. What then is this? Did angels not know? By no means; for if principalities did not know, much more would angels not have known. What then? Did not even archangels know? Not even they; for whence were they to know? By whose revealing? When we learned, then they too learned through us. For hear the angel saying to Joseph, You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. He was sent to the Gentiles, but they to the circumcision. So that, what is most wonderful and astonishing, to me, he says, was given, to the least, 62.50 And this too was of grace, that the small one was entrusted with greater things, to become a preacher of these things. For he who became a preacher of greater things, is in this great. To preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. If His riches are unsearchable, even after being manifested, much more His essence. If it is still a mystery, much more so before it was made known. For He calls it a mystery for this reason, because not even angels knew, nor was it clear to any other. And to make all see, he says, what is the plan of the mystery hidden from the ages in God who created all things through Jesus Christ. Angels knew only this, that The Lord's portion became His people; and again, The prince of the Persians, he says, resisted me. So it is no wonder if they were ignorant of this too. For if they were ignorant of the things concerning the return, much more these things; for this is the gospel. Who, he says, will save His people Israel. Nothing concerning the Gentiles; but concerning the Gentiles the Spirit reveals. That they were called, then, they knew, but that it was for the same things, and so as to sit on the throne of God, who would have expected this? who would have believed? Which has been hidden, he says, in God. But this plan he reveals more clearly in the Epistle to the Romans. In God, he says, who created all things through Jesus Christ. And he well made mention

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πάντα κτίσαντι διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατὰ πρόθεσιν τῶν αἰώνων, ἣν ἐποίησεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Τοὺς εἰς ἰατρεῖον ἐρχομένους οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐκεῖ δεῖ πορεύεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὥστε μανθάνειν θεραπεύεσθαι, καὶ φάρμακα ἐπιτιθέναι. Καὶ ἡμᾶς τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα παραγενομένους, οὐχ ἁπλῶς δεῖ τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ μανθάνειν τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης Παύλου τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Τί γάρ; Ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλε λέγειν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἄκουσον τί φησιν· Ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη. Ἦν μὲν ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέροις ἁμαρτήμασι, καίτοι ἐξηλειμμένοις, θρηνεῖν, καὶ μεμνῆσθαι αὐτῶν, καὶ μετριάζειν, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ βλάσφημον ἑαυτὸν καὶ διώκτην καὶ ὑβριστήν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἴσον τούτου. Πρότερον γὰρ, φησὶ, τοιοῦτος ἤμην, καὶ ἔκτρωμα δὲ ἑαυτὸν καλεῖ· τὸ δὲ μετὰ τοσαῦτα κατορθώματα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος μετριάζειν, καὶ πάντων ἑαυτὸν λέγειν ἐλαχιστότερον, πολλῆς καὶ ὑπερβαλλούσης ἐστὶ μετριότητος. Ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων. Οὐκ εἶπε, Τῶν ἀποστόλων· ὥστε κἀκεῖνο τούτου ἔλαττον. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ εἶπεν, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἁγίων πάντων ἐλαχιστότερον εἶναί φησιν. Ἐμοὶ, φησὶ, τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη. Ποία; Εὐαγγελίσασθαι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ φωτίσαι πάντας, τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἀποκεκαλυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἔστω, ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἀπεκαλύφθη· καὶ ἀγγέλους καὶ ἀρχαγγέλους φωτίζεις, καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας; Ναὶ, φησίν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ κέκρυπτο, καὶ Θεῷ τῷ πάντα κτίσαντι διὰ Ἰησοῦ. Καὶ τολμᾷς τοῦτο εἰπεῖν; Ναὶ, φησίν. Ἀλλὰ πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον τοῖς ἀγγέλοις γέγονε; ∆ιὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ἡ ποικίλη σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ', Ἡ πολυποίκιλος. Τί οὖν ἐστι τοῦτο; οὐκ ᾔδεσαν ἄγγελοι; Οὐδαμῶς· εἰ γὰρ ἀρχαὶ οὐκ ᾔδεσαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἄγγελοι οὐκ ᾔδεσαν ἄν. Τί οὖν; οὐδὲ ἀρχάγγελοι ᾔδεσαν; Οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνοι· πόθεν δὲ καὶ ἔμελλον εἴσεσθαι; τίνος ἀποκαλύπτοντος; Ὅτε ἡμεῖς ἐμάθομεν, τότε κἀκεῖνοι δι' ἡμῶν. Ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ ἀγγέλου λέγοντος πρὸς τὸν Ἰωσήφ· Καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν· αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν. Αὐτὸς ἀπεστάλη εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν. Ὥστε, τὸ θαυμασιώτερον καὶ ἔκπληκτον, ἐμοὶ, φησὶν, ἐδόθη τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ, 62.50 Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ χάριτος ἦν, τὸ τὸν μικρὸν τὰ μείζονα ἐγχειρισθῆναι, τὸ γενέσθαι τούτων εὐαγγελιστήν. Ὁ γὰρ τῶν μειζόνων γενόμενος εὐαγγελιστὴς, ταύτῃ μέγας ἐστίν. Εὐαγγελίσασθαι ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἰ ὁ πλοῦτος αὐτοῦ ἀνεξιχνίαστος, καὶ μετὰ τὸ φανῆναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ οὐσία. Εἰ μυστήριον ἔτι ἐστὶ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον πρὸ τοῦ γνωρισθῆναι. Μυστήριον γὰρ αὐτὸ διὰ τοῦτο καλεῖ, ἐπειδὴ μηδὲ ἄγγελοι ᾔδεσαν, μηδὲ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ δῆλον ἦν. Καὶ φωτίσαι πάντας, φησὶ, τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ Θεῷ τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἄγγελοι τοῦτο μόνον ᾔδεσαν, ὅτι Ἐγενήθη μερὶς Κυρίου λαὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ ἄρχων τῶν Περσῶν, φησὶν, ἀντέστῃ μοι. Ὥστε οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο ἠγνόουν. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ τῆς ἐπανόδου ἠγνόουν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ταῦτα· καὶ γὰρ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦτό ἐστιν. Ὅστις, φησὶ, σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Οὐδὲν περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸ Πνεῦμα ἀποκαλύπτει. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἐκλήθησαν, ᾔδεσαν, ὅτι δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς, καὶ ὥστε εἰς τὸν θρόνον καθίσαι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο τίς ἂν προσεδόκησε; τίς ἂν ἐπίστευσε; Τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ Θεῷ. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν οἰκονομίαν σαφέστερον ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἀποκαλύπτει. Ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶ, τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ καλῶς ἐμνημόνευσε