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needs those who serve, but the end is the same for all. For in like manner it leads to heaven the one who is poor in spirit, and the one persecuted for His sake, and those who have shown compassion toward their own kind. What then shall we say to these things? That all things are connected to each other, converging and conspiring toward the one goal. For poverty is amenable to migration, and love for the poor is not estranged from poverty. But it seems good to me first to investigate the present saying; and then so to consider the harmony and the meaning in what has been examined. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Persecuted from where, and by whom? Therefore, the ready saying shows us the stadium of the martyrs, and signifies the race of faith. For persecution explains the intense effort of the runner for speed; or rather, it also signifies the victory in the running. For it is not possible for a runner to win otherwise, without leaving his fellow runner behind him. Since therefore both he who runs toward the prize of the high calling, and he who is pursued by the enemy for the prize, equally have at their back, the one his competitor, the other his pursuer; these are they who complete the race of martyrdom, in the contests for piety, being pursued and not overtaken; it seems that the main point of the blessedness set forth according to hope, has been set forth in the final sayings like some kind of crown. For it is truly blessed to be persecuted for the Lord's sake. Why? Because to be driven out by evil becomes the cause of being in the good. For alienation from the evil one becomes an occasion for affinity with the good; and the good and that which is beyond all good, is the Lord Himself, to whom the one who is persecuted runs. Therefore he is truly blessed, who uses the enemy as a co-worker for the good. For since human life lies on the border between the good and the worse, just as he who has slipped from the good and high hope finds himself in the abyss; so he who is removed from sin, and alienated from corruption, pursues both righteousness and incorruption. So that of the persecution carried out by the tyrants against the martyrs, its appearance, as it readily seems, is painful to the senses; but the purpose of what 44.1296 happens, surpasses all blessedness. But it would be better 44.1296 for us to perceive the meaning of the saying through examples. Who does not know how much more difficult it is judged to be plotted against than to be loved? And yet this which seems difficult often becomes the cause of good fortune in this life for many, as the story of Joseph shows; who, having been plotted against by his brothers, and driven out from living with them, through his sale was shown to be king of those who had plotted against him, and would not perhaps have advanced to so great a dignity, had not envy, through that plot, paved the way for his kingdom. Just as, therefore, if someone having knowledge of the future, had foretold to Joseph, that, 'Being plotted against, you will be blessed,' he would not have seemed at first credible to the hearer, who was looking at the immediate pain; for he would not have thought it possible for a good end to be revealed from an evil intent; so also here the persecution brought upon the faithful by the tyrants, having much pain according to the senses, makes the hope of the kingdom set before them through suffering difficult to accept for the more carnal; but the Lord, overlooking the weakness of nature, proclaims beforehand to the weaker ones, what the end of the contest is, so that by the hope of the kingdom they might easily overcome the temporary sensation of pain. For this reason the great Stephen rejoices while being stoned all around, and as some sweet dew he eagerly receives on his body the successive showers of stones, and repays the murderers with blessings, praying that this sin not be held against them; since he had both heard the promise, and saw the hope coinciding with what was happening. For in the kingdom

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θεραπευόντων προσδέεται, ἀλλὰ τὸ πέρας ἐπὶ πάντων ἴσον. Ὁμοίως γὰρ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἄγει τὸν πτω χεύσαντα τῷ πνεύματι, καὶ τὸν ἕνεκεν αὐτοῦ διω χθέντα, καὶ τοὺς τὸ συμπαθὲς ἐπιδειξαμένους πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον. Τί οὖν φαμεν πρὸς ταῦτα; Ὅτι ἔχεται ἀλ λήλων τὰ πάντα πρὸς τὸν ἕνα σκοπὸν συννενευκότα καὶ συμπνέοντα. Ἥ τε γὰρ πτωχεία πρὸς μετανάστα σιν εὔκολος, καὶ ἡ φιλοπτωχεία τῆς πτωχείας οὐκ ἠλλοτρίωται. Ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖ καλῶς ἔχειν πρότερον τὸν παρόντα λόγον ἀναζητῆσαι· εἶθ' οὕτω τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἐξητασμένοις συμφωνίαν καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἐπισκέψασθαι. Μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης. Πόθεν δεδιωγμένοι, καὶ παρὰ τίνος; Ὁ μὲν οὖν πρόχειρος λόγος τὸ τῶν μαρτύρων ἡμῖν ὑποδείκνυσι στάδιον, καὶ τὸν τῆς πίστεως δρόμον ὑποσημαίνει. Ἡ γὰρ δίωξις, τὴν σύντονον τοῦ τρέχοντος περὶ τὸ τάχος σπουδὴν ἑρμηνεύει· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ τρέχειν νίκην ὑποσημαίνει. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἑτέρως νικῆσαι τρέχοντα, μὴ κατόπιν καταλιπόντα ἑαυτοῦ τὸν συντρέχοντα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὅ τε πρὸς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τρέχων, καὶ ὁ διὰ τὸ βραβεῖον διωκό μενος παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἐπίσης ἔχουσι κατὰ νώτου, ὁ μὲν τὸν διαμιλλώμενον, ὁ δὲ τὸν διώκοντα· οὗτοι δέ εἰσιν οἱ τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου δρόμον ἀνύοντες, ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγῶσι, διωκόμενοι καὶ οὐ κατα λαμβανόμενοι· ἔοικε τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς κατ' ἐλπίδα προκειμένης μακαριότητος, οἷόν τινα στέφανον ἐν τελευταίοις προτεθεικέναι λόγοις. Μακάριον γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς τὸ ἕνεκεν τοῦ Κυρίου διώκεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι τὸ παρὰ τοῦ κακοῦ ἐκδιώκεσθαι, αἴτιον ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ γενέσθαι καθίσταται. Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἀλλοτρίωσις, τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν οἰκειώσεως ἀφορμὴ γίνεται· ἀγαθὸν δὲ καὶ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ ἐπέκεινα, αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος, πρὸς ὃν ἀνατρέχει ὁ διωκόμενος. Οὐκοῦν μακάριος ὡς ἀληθῶς, ὁ συνεργῷ τῷ ἐχθρῷ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν χρώμενος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν μεθορίῳ κεῖται τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ τοῦ χείρονος ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ζωὴ, ὥσπερ ὁ τῆς ἀγαθῆς τε καὶ ὑψηλῆς ἐλπίδος ἀπολισθήσας, ἐν τῷ βαράθρῳ γίνεται· οὕτως ὁ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπῳκισθεὶς, καὶ τῆς φθορᾶς ἀλλοτριωθεὶς, δικαιοσύνην τε καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν μετέρχεται. Ὥστε τῆς παρὰ τῶν τυράννων γινομένης κατὰ τῶν μαρτύρων διώξεως, τὸ μὲν εἶδος κατὰ τὸ προχείρως φαινό μενον, ἀλγεινὸν εἶναι τῇ αἰσθήσει· ὁ δὲ σκοπὸς τῶν 44.1296 γινομένων, ὑπερβαίνει πᾶσαν μακαριότητα. Κρεῖτ 44.1296 τον δ' ἂν εἴη δι' ὑποδειγμάτων ἡμᾶς τοῦ λόγου κατ ιδεῖν τὴν διάνοιαν. Τίς οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅσῳ τοῦ ἀγαπᾶσθαι τὸ ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι χαλεπώτερον κέκριται; Τοῦτο μέν τοι πολλάκις τὸ δοκοῦν χαλεπὸν, καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον εὐκληρίας πολλοῖς αἴτιον γίνεται, οἷον περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται· ὃς ἐπιβουλευ θεὶς παρὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, καὶ τῆς μετ' αὐτῶν συν διαγωγῆς ἀπελαθεὶς, διὰ τῆς πράσεως βασιλεὺς ἀν εδείχθη τῶν ἐπιβεβουλευκότων, οὐκ ἂν ἴσως προελ θὼν ἐπὶ τὸ τηλικοῦτον ἀξίωμα, μὴ τοῦ φθόνου διὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἐκείνης τὴν βασιλείαν ὁδοποιήσαντος. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν εἴ τις τοῦ μέλλοντος τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχων, προεῖπε τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, ὅτι Ἐπιβουλευθεὶς μακάριος ἔσῃ, οὐκ ἂν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου πιθανὸς ἔδοξε τῷ ἀκούοντι, πρὸς τὸ παραχρῆμα λυπηρὸν ὁρῶντι· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ᾠήθη δυνατὸν εἶναι κακῆς προαιρέσεως ἀγαθὸν ἀνα δειχθῆναι τὸ πέρας· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ τῶν τυ ράννων τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐπαγόμενος διωγμὸς, πολὺ κατὰ τὴν αἴσθησιν τὸ ἀλγεινὸν ἔχων, δυσπαράδεκτον ποιεῖ τοῖς σαρκωδεστέροις τὴν διὰ τῶν ἀλγεινῶν αὐτοῖς προκειμένην τῆς βασιλείας ἐλπίδα· ἀλλ' ὁ Κύριος τὸ σαθρὸν ὑπεριδὼν τῆς φύσεως, προαναφωνεῖ τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις, οἷόν ἐστι τῆς ἀγωνίας τὸ πέρας, ἵνα τῇ τῆς βασιλείας ἐλπίδι τὴν πρόσκαιρον τῶν ἀλγεινῶν αἴσθησιν εὐκόλως καταπαλαίσωσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο χαίρει ὁ μέγας Στέφανος κύκλῳ καταλιθαζόμενος, καὶ οἷόν τινα δρόσον ἡδεῖαν προθύμως τῷ σώματι δέχεται τὰς ἐπαλλήλους τῶν λίθων νιφάδας, καὶ εὐλογίαις τοὺς μιαιφονοῦντας ἀμείβεται, μὴ στῆναι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τούτοις αὐτοῖς ἐπευχόμενος· ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῆς ἐπαγ γελίας ἤκουσε, καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῖς φαινομένοις εἶδε συμβαίνουσαν. Ἐν βασιλείᾳ γὰρ