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he set forth, much more I ought to consider these things a glory. O the blessed bonds, O the blessed hands, which that chain adorned. The hands of Paul were not so precious when they raised and lifted up the lame man in Lystra, as when they were bound with fetters. If I had been in those times, then I would have especially embraced them, and placed them upon my eyes; I would not have ceased kissing hands deemed worthy to be bound for my Lord. Do you marvel at Paul, when the viper fastened on his hand, and did nothing? Do not marvel; for it revered the chain; and the whole sea revered it; for he was bound then. If someone gave me the power to raise the dead now, I would not choose this, but the chain; if I were free from ecclesiastical cares, and had a robust body, I would not have refused to make so great a journey, only to see the chains, and the prison where he was bound. And yet many signs of his miracles are everywhere, but they are not as desirable as those of his marks. And in the Scriptures it does not so delight me to see him working miracles, as suffering evil, being scourged, being dragged. Truly wonderful are both the handkerchiefs and the aprons from his body, working extraordinary things; but not such as those. Having beaten him, it says, and having laid many stripes on him, they threw him into prison; and again, Being bound they were singing hymns to God; and again, Having stoned him, they dragged him out of the city, thinking him to be dead. Do you wish to learn how great a thing is an iron chain placed around a servant's body for Christ's sake? Hear Christ Himself saying, Blessed are you. What? when you raise the dead? No; but what? when you heal the blind? Not at all; but what? When they reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil, falsely against you for my sake. And if hearing evil things so makes one blessed, what would suffering evil not accomplish? Hear this blessed one himself saying elsewhere: Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness. But more glorious than this crown is the bond. He will deem me worthy of this, he says, and I am not particular about those other things. It is enough for me for all reward to suffer evil for Christ. Let it be granted me to utter that saying, that I fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, and I need nothing more. Peter also was deemed worthy of this chain; For he was, it says, bound, and delivered to soldiers, and was sleeping. Thus he rejoiced, and was not in pain, so as even to sleep; for a deep sleep would not have held him, if indeed he were in great anxiety. He was sleeping between soldiers; and an angel came to him, and striking his side, awoke him. If then someone said to me, What would you wish? to be the angel who struck Peter, or Peter who was saved? I would have chosen to become Peter, for whom the angel also came. May I have the benefit of those bonds. And how, one says, does he pray as one delivered from great evils? Do not marvel; for he prays, fearing that he might die. But he feared to die because he still wished for his life to be the occasion for sufferings. Hear then what the blessed Paul himself says: To depart and be with Christ is far better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. This he also called a gift when writing: For it has been granted to you, he says, by Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. So that this is greater than that; for it was granted as a gift. It is truly a very great gift, and greater than all these, than to make the sun and the moon stand still, than to move the world; this is greater than to have power over demons, or to cast out demons. They are not so pained when they are driven out by our faith, as when they see us suffering some evil for Christ, and being bound; for this makes our confidence greater. It is not for this reason good to be bound for Christ, that the act procures a kingdom, but that it is done for Christ; I do not call the bonds blessed for this reason, that they lead to heaven, but that it is for the Lord of heaven

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προετίθει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐγὼ ταῦτα ὀφείλω δόξαν ἡγεῖσθαι. Ὢ τῶν μακαρίων δεσμῶν, ὢ τῶν μακαρίων χειρῶν, ἃς ἐκόσμησεν ἡ ἅλυσις ἐκείνη. Οὐκ ἦσαν οὕτω τίμιαι αἱ χεῖρες Παύλου τὸν χωλὸν τὸν ἐν Λύστροις ἀναστήσασαι καὶ ἐγείρασαι, ὡς τὰ δεσμὰ περικείμεναι. Εἰ κατ' ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους ἦν ἐγὼ, τότε ἂν μάλιστα αὐτὰς περιεπτυξάμην, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κόρας ἔθηκα τὰς ἐμάς· οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην καταφιλῶν χεῖρας καταξιωθείσας ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆εσπότου δεθῆναι τοῦ ἐμοῦ. Θαυμάζεις Παῦλον, ὅτε καθῆψεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ἔχις τῆς χειρὸς, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐποίησε; Μὴ θαυμάσῃς· ᾐδέσθη γὰρ τὴν ἅλυσιν· καὶ θάλαττα δὲ ὁλόκληρος ταύτην ᾐδεῖτο· τότε γὰρ ἐδέδετο. Εἴ τίς μοι νεκροὺς ἔδωκεν ἀναστῆσαι νῦν, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο εἱλόμην, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἅλυσιν· εἰ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν φροντίδων ἐκτὸς ἤμην, καὶ τὸ σῶμα εὔρωστον εἶχον, οὐκ ἂν παρῃτησάμην ἀποδημίαν τοσαύτην ποιήσασθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὰς ἁλύσεις μόνον ἰδεῖν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔνθα ἐδέδετο. Καίτοι καὶ τῶν θαυμάτων αὐτοῦ πολλὰ πανταχοῦ σημεῖα τυγχάνει, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἐστὶ ποθεινὰ, ὡς τὰ τῶν στιγμάτων. Καὶ ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτω με εὐφραίνει θαύματα ἐργαζόμενος, ὡς πάσχων κακῶς, μαστιζόμενος, συρόμενος. Ὄντως θαυμαστὰ καὶ τὰ τοῦ χρωτὸς σουδάρια καὶ τὰ σημικίνθια, παράδοξα ἐργαζόμενα· ἀλλ' οὐ τοιαῦτα οἷα ἐκεῖνα. ∆είραντες αὐτὸν, φησὶ, καὶ ἐπιθέντες πολλὰς πληγὰς, ἔβαλον εἰς φυλακήν· καὶ πάλιν, ∆εδεμένοι ὕμνουν τὸν Θεόν· καὶ πάλιν, Λιθάσαντες αὐτὸν, ἔσυρον ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, νομίσαντες αὐτὸν τεθνάναι. Βούλεσθε μαθεῖν ὅσον ἐστὶν ἅλυσις σιδηρᾶ διὰ Χριστὸν περικειμένη σώματι δουλικῷ; ἀκούσατε αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, Μακάριοί ἐστε. Τί; ὅταν νε 62.58 κροὺς ἀναστήσητε; Οὐχί· ἀλλὰ τί; ὅταν τυφλοὺς θεραπεύσητε; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ τί; Ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ διώξωσι, καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα, ψευδόμενοι καθ' ὑμῶν ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Εἰ δὲ τὸ κακῶς ἀκοῦσαι οὕτω ποιεῖ μακαρίους, τὸ κακῶς παθεῖν τί οὐκ ἂν εἰργάσατο; Ἄκουε αὐτοῦ τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου λέγοντος ἀλλαχοῦ· Λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος. Ἀλλὰ τοῦ στεφάνου τούτου λαμπρότερος ὁ δεσμός. Τούτου με καταξιώσει, φησὶ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ἀκριβολογοῦμαι. Ἀρκεῖ μοι πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀντίδοσιν τὸ παθεῖν κακῶς διὰ τὸν Χριστόν. ∆ότω μοι φθέγξασθαι ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι Ἀνταναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, καὶ οὐδενὸς δέομαι. Κατηξιώθη καὶ Πέτρος ταύτης τῆς ἁλύσεως· Ἦν γὰρ, φησὶ, δεδεμένος, καὶ παραδεδομένος στρατιώταις, καὶ ἐκάθευδεν Οὕτως ἔχαιρε, καὶ οὐκ ἤλγει, ὡς καὶ καθεύδειν· οὐκ ἂν δὲ αὐτὸν βαθὺς ὕπνος εἶχεν, εἴ γε ἐν φροντίδι ἦν πολλῇ. Ἐκάθευδε μεταξὺ στρατιωτῶν ὤν· καὶ ἄγγελος ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ πατάξας αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευρὰν, ἤγειρεν. Εἴ τις τοίνυν εἶπέ μοι, Τί ἐβούλου; ἄγγελος εἶναι ὁ Πέτρον νύξας, ἢ Πέτρος ὁ διασωθείς; Πέτρος ἂν εἱλόμην γενέσθαι, δι' ὃν καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος ἦλθεν. Ἐγὼ τῶν δεσμῶν ὀναίμην ἐκείνων. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶν, ὡς μεγάλων κακῶν ἀπαλλαγεὶς εὔχεται; Μὴ θαυμάσῃς· εὔχεται γὰρ, δεδοικὼς μὴ ἀποθάνῃ. Τὸ δὲ ἀποθανεῖν ἐδεδοίκει διὰ τὸ ἔτι βούλεσθαι αὐτὸν τὴν ζωὴν εἶναι ὑπόθεσιν τῶν παθῶν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τί φησι; Τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον, τὸ δὲ παραμένειν τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς. Τοῦτο καὶ χάριν ἐκάλεσε γράφων· Ἐχαρίσθη γὰρ ὑμῖν, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐ μόνον τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχειν. Ὥστε τοῦτο ἐκείνου μεῖζόν ἐστιν· ἐχαρίσατο γάρ. Ὄντως ἐστὶ χάρις μεγίστη, καὶ πασῶν τούτων μείζων, τοῦ τὸν ἥλιον στῆσαι καὶ τὴν σελήνην, τοῦ τὸν κόσμον κινῆσαι· τοῦτο μεῖζον τοῦ δαιμόνων κρατῆσαι, ἢ ἀπελάσαι δαίμονας. Οὐχ οὕτως ἀλγοῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι πίστει τῇ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐλαυνόμενοι, ὡς ὅταν ἡμᾶς ἴδωσι κακόν τι πάσχοντας διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ δεσμουμένους· μείζονα γὰρ τοῦτο ποιεῖ τὴν παῤῥησίαν. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο καλὸν τὸ δεδέσθαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, ὅτι βασιλείαν προξενεῖ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀλλ' ὅτι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν γίνεται· οὐ διὰ τοῦτο μακαρίζω τοὺς δεσμοὺς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν παραπέμπουσιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι διὰ τὸν ∆εσπότην τοῦ οὐρανοῦ