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might speak to an assembly, to those who claim to rule all men together through education. 8.28.2 But he, lifted up by the greatness of his nature and the wealth of the gift from above, did not occupy one of the covered houses nor did he sit down in one workshop and deliver a discourse, as even the first of their philosophers were accustomed to be with those who approached them, but running up to the Areopagus, where there was a harsh and formidable council judging capital cases, and finding a great multitude gathered there, he stood and addressed the assembly better than their customary orators who contended daily among them. 8.28.3 And taking his beginning from an inscription that was engraved on an altar, and from there aptly proclaiming to them the unknown God and having concluded his whole argument, he was so far from making any mistake in his words, as one ignorant of external wisdom, that he persuaded and converted Dionysius, the chief of the Areopagites, along with his wife, and made them servants of Christ, turning them away from many altars by means of one altar and a small inscription. 8.29.1 Coming down from there a victor, where the warlike demon of the Greeks was strongest, and from there moving on to the neighboring city of Corinth, which was the metropolis of Achaia, and having spoken the saving doctrine in the synagogues, he went away leading a convert, not one of the many nor one of the common people, but the ruler of the synagogue himself with his whole household, and having conquered the law from its summit and magnified the cross as a lofty trophy, so he left that city also submitted to Christ. 8.29.2 And as time went on and the word of piety advanced, like a general he continually acquired cities, villages, fields for the king day by day, cutting the sinews of the tyrant who formerly ruled. 8.30.1 For he went from Corinth to the country of the Pisidians, then occupying Lycaonia and the cities of Phrygia, and from there visiting Asia, then Macedonia, he was a common teacher of the world, benefiting those present by his tongue, and converting the absent through his letters; and of him alone the knee did not tire of always journeying, nor the tongue grow weary in unceasingly explaining the mysteries of the gospel to enemies and friends. 8.30.2 But as for his teaching, such was he; and for the rest of his life's philosophy, what sort of man? Always and continually persevering in the word and serving the gospel, he did not even receive for free the bread he ate from anyone, but the day held his struggle against countless enemies, and the night his knife and leather and the work of his craft, so that from this he might have his provisions, and appear to all as an unburdensome apostle, an inexpensive preacher, sparing his hosts even for a piece of bread. 8.31.1 Let us hear these words, priests, we who not only do not share with the altars, but also grow rich from them and live luxuriously and make the sacred property our own possession and command our subjects oppressively like slaves on account of Christ. Priesthood is not lordship, but rather servitude to the one who understands; not a position of magisterial arrogance, but the stewardship of a devout ministry. 8.31.2 Did not the divine Paul have authority to eat and drink from the sacred things and to receive at least a small reward for his countless labors for the healing of his body which was beaten daily? But he did not use his authority, so that having received nothing on earth, he might claim everything in the heavens. Therefore he was also deemed worthy of things beyond human, while still bound to his corruptible flesh. 8.31.3 And that he might behold a pledge of the good things to come and of the honors there, he is caught up to the third heaven, he sees visions surpassing our lot here below, and he hears unspeakable words, as he himself says, and this while being moderate and everywhere shunning boasting and parading his own advantages. But only that he might subdue the pride of those who on

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δημηγορήσειε, τοῖς ἀξιοῦσι κατὰ παίδευσιν πάντων ὁμοῦ βασιλεύειν ἀνθρώπων. 8.28.2 Ὁ δὲ μεγέθει φύσεως καὶ πλούτῳ τῆς ἄνωθεν δωρεᾶς ἐπαιρόμενος οὐχ ἕνα τῶν ὑποστέγων δόμων κατέλαβεν οὐδὲ ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἐργαστηρίου καθίσας διάλεξιν ἐποιήσατο, ὡς εἰώθεσαν καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς φιλοσόφων συνεῖναι τοῖς πλησιάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν Ἄρειον πάγον ἀναδραμών, ἔνθα ἦν βουλὴ σκληρὰ καὶ ἐπίφοβος ταῖς φονικαῖς δίκαις δικάζουσα, εὑρὼν δὲ πλῆθος ἐκεῖ συνειλεγμένον πολύ, στὰς ἐδημηγόρει ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἐθάδας ῥήτορας, τοὺς καθ' ἡμέραν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀγωνιζομένους. 8.28.3 Λαβὼν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐξ ἐπιγράμματος ὅπερ ἦν ἐγκεκολλαμμένον βωμῷ, κἀκεῖθεν αὐτοῖς εὐαφόρμως τὸν ἄγνωστον καταγγείλας Θεὸν καὶ σύμπαντα τὸν λόγον συμπερανάμενος τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχε τοῦ ὡς ἰδιώτης τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας διαμαρτεῖν τι περὶ τοὺς λόγους, ὥστε τὸν κορυφαῖον τῶν Ἀρεοπαγιτῶν ∆ιονύσιον ἅμα τῇ γυναικὶ πείσας μετέστησε καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰργάσατο δούλους, ἐξ ἑνὸς βωμοῦ καὶ μικροῦ ἐπιγράμματος πολλῶν ἀποστήσας βωμῶν. 8.29.1 Κατελθὼν νικητὴς ἐκεῖθεν ἔνθα μάλιστα ἴσχυσεν ὁ πολεμικὸς τῶν Ἑλλήνων δαίμων, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ μεταβὰς πρὸς τὴν γείτονα πόλιν τὴν Κόρινθον οὖσαν τῆς Ἀχαΐας μητρόπολιν, καὶ λαλήσας ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς τὸ σωτήριον δίδαγμα ᾤχετο ἄγων προσήλυτον, οὐχ ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν οὐδὲ τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸν τὸν ἀρχισυνάγωγον μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ νικήσας ἀπὸ κορυφῆς τὸν νόμον καὶ μεγαλύνας τὸν σταυρὸν ὡς ὑψηλὸν τρόπαιον, οὕτω κἀκείνην ἀφῆκε τὴν πόλιν τῷ Χριστῷ ὑποκύψασαν. 8.29.2 Τοῦ δὲ χρόνου προϊόντος καὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς εὐσεβείας προσκόπτοντος ὥσπερ τις στρατηγὸς διετέλει προσκτώ μενος τῷ βασιλεῖ καθ' ἡμέραν πόλεις, κώμας, ἀγρούς, ὑποκόπτων τὰ νεῦρα τοῦ πρότερον κρατοῦντος τυράννου. 8.30.1 Μετῆλθεν γ' οὖν ἐκ Κορίνθου πρὸς τὴν Πισίδων χώραν, εἶτα τὴν Λυκαονίαν καὶ τὰς τῆς Φρυγίας πόλεις καταλαβών, κἀκεῖθεν τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπισκεψάμενος, εἶτα τὴν Μακεδονίαν, κοινὸς ἦν τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσ καλος, τοὺς μὲν ὁρωμένους ἀπὸ γλώττης ὠφελῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἀπόντας διὰ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ἐπιστρέφων· μόνου δὲ ἐκείνου οὐ γόνυ ἔκαμνεν ὁδεῦον ἀεί, οὐ γλῶττα ἐνάρκα πρὸς ἐχθροὺς καὶ φίλους ἀνελλιπῶς διεξιοῦσα τὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου μυστήρια. 8.30.2 Ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν διδασκαλίαν τοιοῦτος· τὴν δὲ ἄλλην τοῦ βίου φιλοσοφίαν οἷος ἄνθρωπος; Ἀεὶ καὶ συνεχῶς τῷ λόγῳ προσκαρτερῶν καὶ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ δουλεύων οὐδὲ ἄρτον οὗ μετελάμβανε δωρεὰν παρά τινος ἐκομίζετο, ἀλλ' ἡμέρα μὲν εἶχε τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν πρὸς μυρίους ἐχθρούς, νὺξ δὲ τὴν σμίλην καὶ τὰ σκύτη καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης ἐργασίαν, ἵν' ἐκεῖθεν μὲν ἔχῃ τὸν ἐπισιτισμόν, φαίνηται δὲ πᾶσιν ἀν επαχθὴς ἀπόστολος, ἀδάπανος κῆρυξ καὶ μέχρις ἄρτου τῶν ξενιζόντων φειδόμενος. 8.31.1 Τούτων τῶν λόγων, ἱερεῖς, ἀκούσωμεν, οἱ μὴ συμμεριζόμενοι τοῖς θυσιαστηρίοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλουτοῦντες ἀπ' ἐκείνων καὶ τρυ φῶντες καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν περιουσίαν ἴδιον κτῆμα ποιούμενοι καὶ τοῖς ὑπη κόοις διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν οἷα δούλοις φορτικῶς ἐπιτάττοντες. Οὔκ ἐστιν ἱερωσύνη δεσποτεία, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τῷ συνιέντι δουλεία· οὐκ ἀρχοντικῆς αὐθαδείας ἀξίωμα, ἀλλ' εὐλαβοῦς διακονίας οἰκονομία. 8.31.2 Μὴ οὐκ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος ἐσθίειν καὶ πίνειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ μικρὸν γοῦν λαμβάνειν τῶν μυρίων πόνων γέρας εἰς θεραπείαν τυπτομένου τοῦ σώματος καθ' ἡμέραν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐχρήσατο τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ, ἵνα μηδὲν ἐπὶ γῆς λαβὼν πάντα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀπαιτήσῃ. ∆ιὸ καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἠξιώθη ἔτι τῇ φθαρτῇ συνδεδεμένος σαρκί. 8.31.3 Καὶ ἵνα καὶ τῶν μελ λόντων ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ τιμῶν ἀρραβῶνα θεάσηται, ἀναλαμ βάνεται μὲν ἄχρι τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, βλέπει ὀπτασίας ὑπερβαινούσας τὸν ἐνθάδε κλῆρον, ἀκούει δὲ ῥημάτων ἀρρήτων, ὡς αὐτός φησιν, καὶ ταῦτα μετριάζων καὶ ἀποδιδράσκων πανταχοῦ τὸ μεγαλαυχεῖσθαι καὶ ἐμπομ πεύειν τοῖς ἰδίοις πλεονεκτήμασιν. Ἵνα δὲ μόνον τὰ φρονήματα καταστείλῃ τῶν ἐπὶ