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it might seem to the hearers. Wishing to signify the multitude and the magnitude of which very wonders, he said that if they were written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. The saying can signify either of two things: one, that if it were written without omission, so many books would be composed as to be infinite and unlimited in number, and to exceed in multitude the need of the world. And the other is, that perhaps also, wishing to represent the magnitude of the events, he was showing that they are so great as to exceed human hearing and in no way to be able to be contained by the world. Although there were many signs performed by the Savior, the evangelists recorded few, so that the multitude of the things said might not seem to exceed the memory of the hearers. Either, then, he says this, that if all things were written without omission, there were going to be so many books as to be innumerable and to exceed the need of the world and of what can be known; or that, if someone should wish to represent the magnitude of the events, they are such as to exceed human hearing, so as not to be able to be contained by the world.

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ἀκουόντων δοκῇ. ὧνπερ τεραστίων τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος σημᾶναι θελήσας εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐὰν γράφηται καθ' ἕν, οὐδ' αὐτὸν οἶμαι τὸν κόσμον χωρῆσαι τὰ γραφόμενα βιβλία. ἑκάτερον δὲ σημαίνειν δύναται ὁ λόγος, ἓν μέν, ὅτι εἰ ἀπαραλείπτως ἐγράφετο, τοσαῦτα συνετάχθη βιβλία ὡς ἄπειρα εἶναι καὶ ἀπεριόριστα ἀριθμῷ, ὑπερβαίνειν δὲ τῷ πλήθει τὴν τοῦ κόσμου χρείαν. ἄλλο δέ, ὅτι καὶ ἴσως τὸ μέγεθος τῶν γεγονότων παραστῆσαι θελήσας ἐδείκνυεν, ὅτι τοσαῦτά ἐστιν ὡς ὑπερβαίνειν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀκοὴν καὶ χωρεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ κόσμου μηδαμῶς δύνασθαι. Πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος γενομένων σημείων ὀλίγα ἱστόρησαν οἱ εὐαγγελισταί, ἵνα μὴ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν λεγομένων ὑπερβαίνειν δόξῃ τὴν μνήμην τῶν ἀκουσάντων. ἢ οὖν τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι, εἰ ἀπαραλείπτως πάντα ἐγράφη, τοσαῦτα ἔμελλεν εἶναι βιβλία ὡς ἀναρίθμητα εἶναι καὶ ὑπερβαίνειν τὴν τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τοῦ δυναμένου γνωσθῆναι χρείαν ἢ ὅτι, ἐὰν θελήσῃ τις τὸ μέγεθος τῶν γεγονότων παραστῆσαι, τοιαῦτά ἐστιν ὡς ὑπερβαίνειν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀκοὴν ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι χωρηθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ κόσμου.