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58

will winnow him. And there is salvation in no one else. What blows 60.87 do you think they receive from these words? For there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. Here he also speaks lofty things. For when there is nothing to achieve, but only to show boldness, he does not spare; for he was not afraid, lest he might strike a blow; and he did not say simply, Through another; but, There is salvation in no one else; showing that this man is able to save us, and at the same time wishing to frighten them. And seeing the boldness of Peter and John, and perceiving that they were uneducated and common men, they were amazed, and they recognized them, that they had been with Jesus. And how, he says, did the uneducated out-speak both them and the chief priests? Because it was not they who were speaking, but the grace of the Spirit through them. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition. Great was the boldness of the man; and it is clear from his not leaving them in the court itself. So that if they had said, It is not so, he would have accused them. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred with one another, saying, What shall we do to these men? You see them in perplexity, and again human fear accomplishing everything. Just as, then, in the case of Christ they were not able to overturn what had happened nor to obscure it, but with their trying to prevent it, the things of the faith increased the more; so also it happens now. What shall we do? O the folly! if they thought that after tasting the contests they would henceforth be terrified; or rather if, having accomplished nothing from the beginning, they expected to do something after such oratory. The more, therefore, they wished to hinder, the more the matters grew; For that a notable sign has been done by them is manifest to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us threaten them with a threat, that they speak no more to any man in this name. And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. See both their shamelessness, and the apostles' wisdom. But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people. The signs silenced them, and for the rest they did not even endure them to complete their speech; but interrupted them while speaking, very insultingly. For all were glorifying God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old, on whom this sign of healing had been performed. But let us look at what has been said from the beginning. What shall we do to these men? At first, then, they did everything for the sake of human glory; but now another thing was added, not to seem to be murderers; which they said after this: You intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Let us threaten them with a threat, that they speak no more to any man in this name. O the folly! Having been persuaded that he was risen, and having received this as proof that he is 60.88 God, they expected him who was not held by death to be obscured by their own contrivances. What is equal to this folly? and do not wonder that they again attempt impossible things. For such is wickedness; it sees nothing, but is everywhere thrown into confusion. For being treated insultingly, they were disposed as though deceived; which is the case with those who are prepossessed, with those who are mocked at something. And indeed over and over for this reason they were saying that God raised him, and that in the name of Jesus this man stands here whole, showing that Jesus was risen. Moreover, they themselves also believed in a resurrection, a cold and childish one indeed, but they believed nonetheless; but now they disbelieve and are troubled, deliberating what to do with them. This alone, at least, was not sufficient to persuade them at all

58

λικμήσει αὐτόν. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία. Ποίας οἴει πληγὰς 60.87 αὐτοὺς λαμβάνειν ἐκ τούτων τῶν ῥημάτων; Οὔτε γὰρ ὄνομα ἕτερόν ἐστι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ δεδομένον ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ ὑψηλὰ φθέγγεται. Ὅταν γὰρ μὴ ᾖ τι κατορθῶσαι, ἀλλὰ παῤῥησίαν ἐπιδείξασθαι μόνον, οὐ φείδεται· οὐ γὰρ ἐδεδοίκει, μὴ πλήξῃ· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, ∆ι' ἄλλου· ἀλλ', Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία· δηλῶν, ὅτι οὗτος ἡμᾶς σῶσαι δύναται, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς φοβῆσαι. Θεωροῦντες δὲ τὴν τοῦ Πέτρου παῤῥησίαν καὶ Ἰωάννου, καὶ καταλαβόμενοι, ὅτι ἄνθρωποι ἀγράμματοί εἰσι καὶ ἰδιῶται, ἐθαύμαζον, ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε αὐτοὺς, ὅτι σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἦσαν. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶν, οἱ ἀγράμματοι κατεῤῥητόρευσαν καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων; Ὅτι οὐκ αὐτοὶ ἐφθέγγοντο, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτῶν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις. Τόν τε ἄνθρωπον ὁρῶντες σὺν αὐτοῖς ἑστῶτα τὸν τεθεραπευμένον, οὐδὲν εἶχον ἀντειπεῖν. Πολλὴ ἡ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παῤῥησία· καὶ δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ δικαστηρίῳ μὴ καταλιπεῖν αὐτούς. Ὥστε εἰ εἶπον, ὅτι Οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, ἐκεῖνος ἂν κατηγόρησε. Κελεύσαντες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔξω τοῦ συνεδρίου ἀπελθεῖν, συνέβαλλον πρὸς ἀλλήλους, λέγοντες· Τί ποιήσομεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις; Ὁρᾷς ἐν ἀπορίᾳ ὄντας, καὶ πάλιν τὸν φόβον τὸν ἀνθρώπινον πάντα ἐργαζόμενον. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀνατρέψαι τὸ γενόμενον οὐκ ἴσχυσαν οὐδὲ συσκιάσαι, ἀλλὰ κωλυόντων αὐτῶν μᾶλλον ἐπεδίδου τὰ τῆς πίστεως· οὕτω καὶ νῦν γίνεται· Τί ποιήσομεν; Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! εἰ γευσαμένους τῶν ἀγώνων λοιπὸν καταπλήξεσθαι ἐνόμιζον· μᾶλλον δὲ εἰ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν μηδὲν ἰσχύσαντες, μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην ῥητορείαν προσεδόκησάν τι ποιήσειν. Ὅσῳ οὖν ἐβούλοντο κωλύειν, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ηὔξετο τὰ πράγματα· Ὅτι μὲν γνωστὸν σημεῖον γέγονε δι' αὐτῶν, πᾶσι τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ φανερὸν, καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα ἀρνήσασθαι. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον διανεμηθῇ εἰς τὸν λαὸν, ἀπειλῇ ἀπειλησώμεθα αὐτοῖς μηκέτι λαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ μηδενὶ ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ καλέσαντες αὐτοὺς, παρήγγειλαν τὸ καθόλου μὴ φθέγγεσθαι, μηδὲ διδάσκειν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Ὅρα καὶ τούτων τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὴν φιλοσοφίαν. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀποκριθέντες, εἶπον πρὸς αὐτούς· Εἰ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἀκούειν μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κρίνατε. Ἡμεῖς οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἃ εἴδομεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν, μὴ λαλεῖν. Οἱ δὲ προσαπειλησάμενοι ἀπέλυσαν αὐτοὺς, μηδὲν εὑρίσκοντες τὸ πῶς κολάσονται αὐτοὺς, διὰ τὸν λαόν. Ἐπεστόμισαν αὐτοὺς τὰ σημεῖα, καὶ λοιπὸν οὐδὲ ἠνέσχοντο πληρῶσαι αὐτοὺς τὸν λόγον· ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ λέγοντας διέκοψαν σφόδρα ὑβριστικῶς. Ὅτι πάντες ἐδόξαζον τὸν Θεὸν ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι. Ἐτῶν γὰρ ἦν πλειόνων ὁ ἄνθρωπος τεσσαράκοντα, ἐφ' ὃν ἐγεγόνει τὸ σημεῖον τοῦτο τῆς ἰάσεως. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ἄνωθεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Τί ποιήσομεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις; Τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον διὰ δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην πάντα ἐποίουν· νυνὶ δὲ καὶ ἕτερον προσέκειτο, τὸ μὴ δόξαι μιαιφόνους εἶναι· ὃ μετὰ ταῦτα ἔλεγον· Βούλεσθε ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου. Ἀπειλῇ ἀπειλησώμεθα αὐτοῖς μηκέτι λαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ μηδενὶ ἀνθρώπων. Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! Πεισθέντες ὅτι ἀνέστη, καὶ τοῦτο τεκμήριον λαβόντες ὅτι ἔστι 60.88 Θεὸς, τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου μὴ κατασχεθέντα ὑπὸ οἰκείων προσεδόκησαν μηχανημάτων συσκιάζεσθαι. Τί ταύτης τῆς ἀνοίας ἴσον; καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ὅτι πάλιν ἀνηνύτοις ἐπιχειροῦσι. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ πονηρία· οὐδὲν ὁρᾷ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ θορυβεῖται. Ἐπηρεαζόμενοι γὰρ, ὡς ἠπατημένοι οὕτω διέκειντο· ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐπὶ τῶν προληφθέντων, ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμπαιχθέντων ἐπί τινι. Καὶ μὴν ἄνω καὶ κάτω διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγον, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρε, καὶ ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὗτος παρέστηκεν ὑγιὴς, δεικνύντες, ὅτι ἀνέστη ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀνάστασιν ἐνόμιζον, ψυχρὰν μὲν καὶ μειρακιώδη, ἐνόμιζον δὲ ὅμως· νῦν δὲ ἀπιστοῦσι καὶ θορυβοῦνται, τί ποιεῖν αὐτοῖς βουλευόμενοι. Τοῦτο γοῦν μόνον οὐκ ἦν ἱκανὸν πεῖσαι αὐτοὺς μηδὲν