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showing much zeal for his cause. 17.9 And he made the resurrection secretly and in a corner, entrusting its proof to all time thereafter; but the cross, in the midst of the city, in the midst of the feast, in the midst of the people of the Jews, with both courts present, both Roman and Jewish, with the feast gathering everyone together, in the middle of the day, in the common theater of the world, he endured. 17.10 And since only those present were seeing what was happening, he commanded the sun, being hidden, to announce the audacious deed throughout the whole world. And yet for many, as I have already said, the matter became a stumbling block; but one must not pay attention to these, but to those who are being saved, to those who have prospered. 17.11 And why do you wonder, if in the present life the cross is so glorious that it is even called the glory of Christ and that Paul boasts in it? For on that fearful and dreadful day, when he comes showing his own glory, when he comes in the glory of his Father, when the fearful judgment is at hand, when all human nature stands by, when rivers of fire are boiling, when hosts of angels and of the powers above are poured out below with him all at once, when those myriad prizes, when some shine as the sun, and others as the stars, 17.12 when companies of martyrs, when choirs of apostles, when regiments of prophets, when all assemblies of noble men are brought into the midst, then indeed, then in that splendor, in that manifestation, he comes bearing it, sending forth brilliant rays. “For then, he says, will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, but the sign of the cross will appear.” 17.13 O splendor of the passion, O brightness of the cross; the sun is darkened and the stars fall like leaves, but the cross shines through more clearly than all of them, occupying the whole heaven. Do you see how the Master is adorned with this? how he shows the matter to be his glory, when on that day he shows it to the whole world with such brilliance?

18.t Chap. 18. That no small gain has come to the church from the events

18.1 You too, therefore, when you see some being scandalized by the events,

first, consider that they have their scandals not from this, but from their own weakness; and those who have not suffered this make it clear. Then observe that many also shone more brightly from this, glorifying God and thanking him with all zeal for these things as well. Therefore do not look at those who are shaken, but also at those who stand firm and remain unmoved and are made stronger by this; not those who are troubled, but also those who sail with a fair wind and are far more numerous than those who are swept away. But if those were more numerous, one doing the will of the Lord is better than ten thousand transgressors.

19.t Chap. 19. That many became martyrs in this case

both living and dead

19.1 Consider how many also bound on themselves the crown of martyrdom. For some were scourged, others were thrown into prison, others were bound with chains as evildoers, others were cast out of their country, others lost their substance, others toward the

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πολλὴν περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐτοῦ σπουδὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος. 17.9 Καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀνάστασιν λάθρα καὶ ἐν παραβύστῳ πεποίηκεν, ἐπιτρέπων αὐτῆς τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνῳ παντί· τὸν δὲ σταυρὸν ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πόλει, ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἑορτῇ, ἐν μέσῳ τῷ δήμῳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἑκατέρων τῶν δικαστηρίων παρόντων, Ῥωμαϊκῶν τε καὶ Ἰουδαϊκῶν, τῆς ἑορτῆς πάντας συναγούσης, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μέσῃ, ἐν κοινῷ τῆς οἰκουμένης θεάτρῳ ὑπέμεινε. 17.10 Καὶ ἐπειδὴ οἱ παρόντες μόνον ἑώρων τὸ γινόμενον, ἐπέταξε τῷ ἡλίῳ κρυβέντι πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπαγγεῖλαι τὸ τόλμημα. Καίτοι πολλοῖς, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπών, σκάνδαλον τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐγίνετο· ἀλλ' οὐ δεῖ τούτοις προσέχειν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς σωζομένοις, τοῖς κατωρθωκόσι. 17.11 Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ οὕτω λαμπρὸς ὁ σταυρὸς ὡς καὶ δόξαν αὐτὸν καλεῖσθαι Χριστὸν καὶ τὸν Παῦλον ἐπ' αὐτῷ καυχᾶσθαι; Ἐν γὰρ ἐκείνῃ τῇ φοβερᾷ καὶ φρικώδει ἡμέρᾳ, ὅταν ἔλθῃ τὴν δόξαν ἐνδεικνύμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ὅταν τὸ φοβερὸν παρῇ κριτήριον, ὅταν πᾶσα ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παραστήκῃ φύσις, ὅταν ποταμοὶ πυρὸς καχλάζοντες, ὅταν ἀγγέλων δῆμοι καὶ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων ἀθρόον ἐκχέωνται κάτω μετ' αὐτοῦ, ὅταν βραβεῖα τὰ μυρία ἐκεῖνα, ὅταν οἱ μὲν ὡς ἥλιος λάμπωσιν, οἱ δὲ ὡς ἀστέρες, 17.12 ὅταν συμμορίαι μαρτύρων, ὅταν ἀποστόλων χοροί, ὅταν προφητῶν τάγματα, ὅταν γενναίων ἀνδρῶν σύλλογοι πάντες εἰς μέσον ἄγωνται, τότε δή, τότε ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ λαμπρότητι, ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ περιφανείᾳ, αὐτὸν ἔρχεται φέρων λαμπρὰς ἀφιέντα ἀκτῖνας. «Τότε γάρ, φησί, φανήσεται τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται καὶ ἡ σελήνη οὐ δώσει τὸ φέγγος αὐτῆς, τὸ δὲ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ φανήσεται.» 17.13 Ὢ πάθους λαμπρότης, ὢ σταυροῦ φαιδρότης· ἥλιος σκοτίζεται καὶ ἄστρα πίπτει ὥσπερ φύλλα, ὁ δὲ σταυρὸς πάντων ἐκείνων φανότερον διαλάμπει, ὅλον κατέχων τὸν οὐρανόν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐγκαλλωπίζεται τούτῳ ὁ ∆εσπότης; πῶς δόξαν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὂν ἀποφαίνει, ὅταν ἐν ἐκείνῃ δεικνύῃ αὐτὸν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ πάσῃ μετὰ τοσαύτης λαμπηδόνος;

18.t Κεφ. ιηʹ. Ὅτι οὐ μικρὸν ἀπὸ τῶν συμβάντων κέρδος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ γέγονεν

18.1 Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὅταν ἴδῃς τινὰς ἀπὸ τῶν συμβάντων σκανδαλιζομένους,

πρῶτον μὲν ἐκεῖνο λογίζου ὅτι οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἀσθενείας τὰ σκάνδαλα ἔχουσι· καὶ δηλοῦσιν οἱ τοῦτο μὴ παθόντες. Ἔπειτα σκόπει ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ διέλαμψαν ἐντεῦθεν μειζόνως, τὸν Θεὸν δοξάζοντες καὶ μετὰ πάσης εὐχαριστοῦντες σπουδῆς αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις. Οὐκοῦν μὴ τοὺς σαλευομένους ὅρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς παγίως ἑστῶτας καὶ ἀκινήτους μένοντας καὶ ταύτῃ ἰσχυροτέρους γινομένους· μὴ τοὺς θορυβουμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐξ οὐρίων πλέοντας καὶ πολλῷ πλείους ὄντας τῶν παρασυρέντων. Εἰ δὲ πλείους ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι, κρείττων εἷς ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα Κυρίου ἢ μύριοι παράνομοι.

19.t Κεφ. ιθʹ. Ὅτι πολλοὶ μάρτυρες ἐν τῇ ὑποθέσει ταύτῃ ἐγένοντο

καὶ ζῶντες καὶ τετελευτηκότες

19.1 Ἐννόησον ὅσοι καὶ μαρτυρίου στέφανον ἀνεδήσαντο. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐμαστιγώθησαν, οἱ δὲ εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐνεβλήθησαν, οἱ δὲ ἁλύσεις ὡς κακοῦργοι περιέκειντο, οἱ δὲ πατρίδος ἐξέπεσον, οἱ δὲ οὐσίαν ἀπέβαλον, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὴν