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of the bonds, where indeed it makes illustrious not only the one bound, but also those begotten by him at that time? Do those begotten in Paul's bonds have some advantage, I do not say according to grace, for the grace is the same, nor according to remission, for the remission of all is the same, but because from the very beginning they are taught to rejoice and exult in such things. In that same hour of the night, it says, taking them, he washed them of their wounds, and was baptized. And behold then the fruit: he immediately gave back carnal things. Having brought them up into his house, he immediately set a table, and rejoiced with his whole household, having believed in God. For why would he not, when heaven was opened to him through the opening of the prison doors? He washed the teacher, set a table, and rejoiced. Paul's chain entered into the prison, and made all things there a church, and made all a body of Christ, and set a spiritual table, and brought forth pangs, at which angels rejoice. Did I say in vain that the prison is more glorious than heaven? For this has become the cause of the joy there. For if there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, if where two are gathered in His name, there Christ is in their midst, where Silas and Paul and the jailer and his whole house and so much faith were, how much more? See the vehemence of faith. But this prison has reminded me of another prison. Which one indeed 62.63? Where Peter was. But nothing of the sort happened there; but he was delivered to four quaternions of soldiers to guard him, and he was not singing hymns nor staying awake, but was sleeping; and he had not even been scourged, but the danger was greater. For here the whole matter had already been accomplished, and they had paid the penalty; but there, not yet. So that if the wounds were not causing pain, yet the expectation of the future was troubling. See the miracle there also. Behold, an angel of the Lord, it says, stood by him, and a light shone in the cell; and striking Peter on the side, he roused him, saying, Rise up quickly. And immediately his chains fell off from his hands. So that one might not think the matter was of the light only, he also touched Peter. But no one saw the light, but only he himself, and he thought that it was a vision; thus those who are asleep do not perceive the benefactions of God. And the angel said to him, it says, Gird yourself and put on your sandals. And he did so. And he says to him, Put on your cloak, and follow me. And going out he followed him, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. And when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And entering, they went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. Why did this not happen here, as it did in the case of Paul and Silas? Because there they were going to release them; for this reason He did not wish them to be released in this way; but in the case of the blessed Peter, they were going to lead him out for execution. What then? Would it not have been much more wonderful, he says, when he was brought out and delivered into the hands of the king, to be snatched then from the midst of the dangers, and to suffer nothing? for so the soldiers would not have perished either. A great question has been raised here. Did God save His servant, he says, with the punishment of others, with the destruction of others? What then shall we say? First then, that it was not with the destruction of others; second, that this did not happen from the economy of the matter, but from the bitterness of the judge. How? For God so arranged things, that not only should these not perish, but that he also should be saved, just as indeed also here in the case of the jailer; but that man did not use the gift as he ought. And when day came, it says, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers, as to what had become of Peter. Then what? Herod makes an examination of the matter, and after questioning them, he commanded them to be led away. For if he had not questioned them, there would have been some defense; but now he brought them forward, questioned them, learned that he had been bound, that the

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τῶν δεσμῶν, ὅπου γε οὐ μόνον τὸν περικείμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ τεχθέντας ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λαμπροὺς ποιεῖ; Ἔχουσί τι πλέον οἱ ἐν τοῖς Παύλου δεσμοῖς τεχθέντες, οὐ κατὰ τὴν χάριν λέγω, ἡ γὰρ αὐτὴ χάρις, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν, ἡ γὰρ αὐτὴ πάντων ἄφεσις, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκ προοιμίων παιδεύονται χαίρειν καὶ ἀγάλλεσθαι τοῖς τοιούτοις πράγμασιν. Αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ τῆς νυκτὸς, φησὶ, παραλαβὼν αὐτοὺς, ἔλουσεν ἀπὸ τῶν πληγῶν, καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη. Καὶ θέα λοιπὸν τὸν καρπόν· ἀντέδωκεν εὐθέως τὰ σαρκικά. Ἀναγαγὼν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν οἶκον, εὐθέως παρέθηκε τράπεζαν, καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο πανοικὶ πεπιστευκὼς τῷ Θεῷ. Τί γὰρ οὐκ ἔμελλεν, ἀνοιγέντος αὐτῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διὰ τῆς ἀνοίξεως τῶν τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου θυρῶν; Ἔλουσε τὸν διδάσκαλον, τράπεζαν παρέθηκε, καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο. Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἡ Παύλου ἅλυσις, καὶ ἐκκλησίαν εἰργάσατο πάντα τὰ ἐκεῖ, καὶ σῶμα Χριστοῦ πάντας ἐποίησε, καὶ τράπεζαν ἔθηκε τὴν πνευματικὴν, καὶ ὠδῖνας ἔτεκεν, ἐφ' αἷς ἄγγελοι χαίρουσι. Μήτι εἰκῆ ἔλεγον τὸ δεσμωτήριον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λαμπρότερον; Τῆς γὰρ ἐκεῖ χαρᾶς τοῦτο γέγονεν αἴτιον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐφ' ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι χαρὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς, εἰ ὅπου δύο εἰσὶ συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, ἐκεῖ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅπου Σίλας καὶ Παῦλος καὶ ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ καὶ ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ ὅλη καὶ πίστις τοσαύτη, πόσῳ μᾶλλον; Ὅρα τὴν σφοδρότητα τῆς πίστεως. Ἀλλὰ τὸ δεσμωτήριον τοῦτο ἑτέρου με ὑπέμνησε δεσμωτηρίου. Ποίου δὴ 62.63 τούτου; Ἔνθα Πέτρος ἦν. Ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ἐγένετο ἐκεῖ· ἀλλ' ἦν παραδεδομένος τέσσαρσι τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐχ ὕμνει οὐδὲ ἠγρύπνει, ἀλλ' ἐκάθευδε· καὶ οὐδὲ μεμαστιγωμένος ἦν, ἀλλὰ μείζων ὁ κίνδυνος. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ ἤδη τὸ πᾶν εἴργαστο, καὶ δίκην ἦσαν δεδωκότες· ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐδέπω. Ὥστε εἰ μὴ πληγαὶ ὠδύνων, ἀλλ' ἡ προσδοκία τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐθορύβει. Ὅρα καὶ ἐκεῖ τὸ θαῦμα. Ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου, φησὶν, ἐπέστη, καὶ φῶς ἔλαμψεν ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι· πατάξας δὲ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Πέτρου, ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν λέγων· Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει. Καὶ εὐθέως ἐξέπεσον αὐτοῦ αἱ ἁλύσεις ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν. Ὥστε μὴ νομίσαι τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦ φωτὸς μόνον εἶναι, καὶ τὸν Πέτρον ἔνυξεν. Οὐδεὶς δὲ τὸ φῶς ἑώρα, ἀλλὰ μόνος αὐτὸς, καὶ ἐδόκει ὅτι ὅραμά ἐστιν· οὕτως οὐκ ἐπαισθάνονται οἱ καθεύδοντες τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐεργεσιῶν. Εἶπε δὲ, φησὶν, ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτόν· Περίζωσαι καὶ ὑπόδησαι τὰ σανδάλιά σου. Καὶ ἐποίησεν οὕτω. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Περιβαλοῦ τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου, καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι. Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι ἀληθές ἐστι τὸ γινόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου· ἐδόκει δὲ ὅραμα βλέπειν. ∆ιελθόντες δὲ πρώτην φυλακὴν καὶ δευτέραν, ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τὴν σιδηρᾶν τὴν φέρουσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἥτις αὐτομάτη ἠνοίχθη αὐτοῖς. Καὶ εἰσελθόντες, προῆλθον ῥύμην μίαν, καὶ εὐθέως ὁ ἄγγελος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀπέστη. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ τοῦτο γέγονεν ἐνταῦθα, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου καὶ Σίλα; Ὅτι ἐκεῖ μὲν ἔμελλον ἀπολύειν αὐτούς· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἠθέλησεν οὕτως ἀπολυθῆναι αὐτούς· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου, εἰς φόνον αὐτὸν ἔμελλον ἐξάγειν. Τί οὖν; οὐ πολλῷ θαυμασιώτερον ἦν, φησὶν, ἐξαχθέντα καὶ παραδοθέντα ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως χερσὶ, τότε ἐκ μέσων αὐτῶν ἐξαρπασθῆναι τῶν κινδύνων, καὶ μηδὲν παθεῖν; οὕτω γὰρ ἂν οὐδὲ οἱ στρατιῶται ἀπώλοντο. Μέγα ἐνταῦθα κεκίνηται ζήτημα. Ὁ Θεὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ δοῦλον, φησὶ, μετὰ τῆς ἑτέρων ἔσωσε τιμωρίας, μετὰ τῆς ἑτέρων ἀπωλείας; Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν, ὅτι οὐ μετὰ τῆς ἑτέρων ἀπωλείας· δεύτερον, ὅτι οὐ τῆς τοῦ πράγματος οἰκονομίας τοῦτο γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ δικαστοῦ πικρίας. Πῶς; Ὁ μὲν Θεὸς οὕτως ᾠκονόμησεν, ὡς μὴ μόνον τούτους μὴ ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖνον σωθῆναι, καθάπερ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐπὶ τοῦ δεσμοφύλακος· ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐκ ἐχρήσατο τῇ δωρεᾷ εἰς δέον. Γενομένης δὲ ἡμέρας, φησὶν, ἦν τάραχος οὐκ ὀλίγος ἐν τοῖς στρατιώταις, τί ἄρα ὁ Πέτρος ἐγένετο. Εἶτα τί; Ἐξέτασιν τοῦ πράγματος ποιεῖται ὁ Ἡρώδης, καὶ ἀνακρίνας αὐτοὺς, ἐκέλευσεν ἀπαχθῆναι. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μὴ ἀνέκρινεν, ἦν ἄν τις ἀπολογία· νῦν δὲ παρέστησεν, ἀνέκρινεν, ἔμαθεν ὅτι ἐδέδετο, ὅτι τὸ