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he accomplished. For having taken up strife instead of natural friendship, he was the first to inaugurate the earth with murder, so also Stephen the thrice-blessed was the first to sanctify the earth with his own blood through pious struggles, a man second to the apostles in time, but first in valiant deeds. 12.2.3 And do not be indignant with me, Peter, do not be annoyed, James, do not be displeased, John, if I not only compare the man to your philosophy, but even wish to grant him something more; rather, rejoice, for you are fathers without envy and you exult in the achievements of your sons and are gladly surpassed by your children in virtue. For if there is anything good and great in Stephen, this is entirely yours, his teachers and initiators. 12.2.4 For the success of the athletes becomes the glory of the trainer. Therefore, having begged your indulgence for a little, I will say with boldness what the subject gives me for the advocacy of the champion according to Christ. 12.3.1 You are the eldest of the disciples, holy Peter, and before all you proclaimed Jesus Christ. While you were still preaching the evangelical word and going from city to city and changing from country to country and toiling at the proclamation, this man, having entered the stadium and seized the crown of the contests, passed into heaven and was glorified while you were still occupied on earth; and what is greater, the Father and the Son themselves calling him through the wondrous vision. Thus, then, even Peter, and what has been said is sufficient. For it is audacious to contend at length with fathers concerning primacy. 12.3.2 But let us see also your deeds, James, brother of John. You are an evangelist of Christ, a second catch after Peter. And who would not admire your faith? For you were only called and without any delay you obeyed. You left behind with the boat also your father Zebedee; and you followed Christ as a true disciple. You suffered eagerly for the sake of piety, I confess; for Herod the tyrant did away with you by the sword, but many years after Stephen. 12.3.3 And why do I name them one by one, when against all the saints together he took up the prize of martyrdom, being the first to be arrayed against the devil and the first to conquer, imitating David, even if through a reversal of the deed? With stones David conquered Goliath, with stones Stephen also conquered the devil; but the one with those he threw, the other with those he was hit by. But let us, the people of Christ, as the army of Israel then did, shout and acclaim the victory hymns, seeing them as present, marveling at them as they stand. 12.4.1 For noble is everyone who champions piety, even if he comes second or third after those who contended before; yet he is not worthy of such wonder as the first. The second, moved by zeal for his predecessor, was thus drawn to the imitation toward the effort; but he who used no one as a guide, but became the discoverer of the good, rightly receives the vote for primacy. 12.4.2 Great, therefore, is the man's zeal, wherefore great also is his honor; and immortal is his memory, which neither oblivion has covered nor time has dimmed, but generation succeeding generation with the narratives, we celebrate this feast without fail, priests, people, children, men, women. But we must also examine the history itself, so that by getting close to the events we may admire the man more. 12.5.1 Stephen was the first of the deacons according to Christ, sanctified by grace, a vessel filled with the Spirit, day by day strengthening his own people and turning back those who were straying to the straight path. But since he held to the teaching more vehemently, he grieved the enemies more than the other apostles, and before them the first foe, the devil. For that one sets his fiery eyes and savage gaze upon those who are more committed to piety. He therefore raised up against him a faction of the race of the Alexandrians, quick to sedition. And you have surely heard of the men of that city, how they are hot and boiling for whatever they might readily

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εἰργάσατο ἀναλαβὼν γὰρ ἀντὶ τῆς φυσικῆς φιλίας ἔριδα πρῶτος φόνῳ τὴν γῆν ἐκαίνισεν, οὕτως καὶ Στέφανος ὁ τρισμακάριος πρῶτος τῷ οἰκείῳ αἵματι τὴν γῆν διὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἀγωνισμάτων ἡγίασεν, ἀνὴρ τοῖς χρόνοις τῶν ἀποστόλων δεύτερος, τοῖς δὲ ἀνδραγαθήμασι πρῶτος. 12.2.3 Καί μοι μὴ ἀγανακτήσῃς Πέτρε, μὴ ἀχθεσθῇς Ἰάκωβε, μὴ δυσχεράνῃς Ἰωάννη, εἰ μὴ μόνον συγκρίνω τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ φιλοσοφίᾳ τὸν ἄνδρα, ἀλλ' εἴ τι καὶ πλέον αὐτῷ νέμειν ἐθέλω· μᾶλλον γάνυσθε, ἄφθονοι γάρ ἐστε πατέρες καὶ τοῖς κατορθώμασι τῶν υἱῶν ἐπαγάλλεσθε καὶ ἡδέως νικᾶσθε παρὰ τῶν τέκνων εἰς ἀρετήν. Εἰ γάρ τι καλὸν καὶ μέγα παρὰ Στεφάνῳ, τοῦτο πάντως ὑμέτερον, τῶν παιδευτῶν ἐκείνου καὶ μυσταγωγῶν. 12.2.4 Ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἀθλητῶν εὐδοκίμησις δόξα γίνεται τοῦ παιδοτρίβου. ∆ιὸ μικρὸν ὑμᾶς παραιτησάμενος ἐρῶ μετὰ παρρησίας ἅ μοι δίδωσιν ἡ ὑπόθεσις εἰς συνηγορίαν τοῦ κατὰ Χριστὸν ἀριστέως. 12.3.1 Πρεσβύτερος εἶ τῶν μαθητῶν, ἅγιε Πέτρε, καὶ πρὸ πάντων τὸν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν κατήγγειλας. Ἔτι δὲ σοῦ τὸν λόγον τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν κηρύττοντος καὶ πόλιν ἐκ πόλεως μετιόντος καὶ χώραν ἐκ χώρας ἀμεί βοντος καὶ πονοῦντος τὸ κήρυγμα, οὗτος εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ στάδιον καὶ ἁρπάσας τῶν ἀγωνισμάτων τὸν στέφανον, μετελθὼν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐδοξάσθη ἔτι σοῦ περὶ γῆν στρεφομένου· καὶ τὸ μεῖζον αὐτοῦ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καλούντων αὐτὸν διὰ τῆς θαυμαστῆς ὀπτασίας. Οὕτως μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ἀρκεῖ τὰ εἰρημένα. Τολμηρὸν γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον περὶ πρωτείων ἁμιλλᾶσθαι πατράσιν. 12.3.2 Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τὰ σά, Ἰάκωβε, ἀδελφὲ τοῦ Ἰωάννου. Εὐαγγελιστὴς εἶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, θήραμα δεύτερον μετὰ Πέτρον. Καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀγασθείη σου τῆς πίστεως; Μόνον γὰρ ἐκλήθης καὶ μηδὲν μελλήσας ὑπήκουσας. Κατέλιπες μετὰ τῆς πορθμίδος καὶ τὸν πατέρα τὸν Ζεβεδαῖον· ἠκολούθησας δὲ καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ ὡς γνήσιος μαθητής. Ἔπαθες ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας προθύμως, ὁμολογῶ· μαχαίρᾳ γάρ σε Ἡρώδης ὁ τύραννος διεχρήσατο, ἀλλὰ μετὰ Στέφανον πολλοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις. 12.3.3 Καὶ τί τοὺς καθ' ἕκαστον ὀνομάζω, ὁπότε κατὰ πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν ἁγίων τὸ τοῦ μαρτυρίου βραβεῖον ἀνείλετο, πρῶτος πρὸς τὸν διάβολον παραταξάμενος καὶ πρῶτος νικήσας, μιμη σάμενος τὸν ∆αβίδ, εἰ καὶ δι' ἀντιστρόφου τοῦ πράγματος; Λίθοις ὁ ∆αβὶδ τὸν Γολιὰθ ἐνίκησε, λίθοις καὶ Στέφανος τὸν διάβολον· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν οἷς ἔβαλεν, ὁ δὲ οἷς ἐβλήθη. Ἡμεῖς δέ, ὁ Χριστοῦ λαός, ὡς ἡ στρατιὰ τότε τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κράζωμεν καὶ εὐφημῶμεν τὰ ἐπινίκια ὡς παρόντα βλέποντες, ὡς ἑστῶτα θαυμάζοντες. 12.4.1 Καλὸς μὲν γὰρ ἅπας ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑπερμαχῶν, κἂν δεύτερος ἢ τρίτος τοῖς προαθλήσασιν ἐπιγένηται· οὐ μὴν τοιούτου θαύματος ἄξιος οὗπερ ὁ πρῶτος. Ὁ μὲν δεύτερος ζήλῳ τοῦ προλαβόντος ἐναχθεὶς πρὸς τὴν μίμησιν οὕτως ἑλκύσθη πρὸς τὴν σπουδήν· ὁ δὲ μηδενὶ καθηγεμόνι χρησάμενος, εὑρετὴς δὲ γεγονὼς τοῦ καλοῦ εἰκότως τὴν τοῦ πρωτείου δέχεται ψῆφον. 12.4.2 Μεγάλη οὖν ἡ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς προθυμία, διὸ μεγάλη καὶ ἡ τιμή· ἀθάνατος δὲ ἡ μνήμη, ἣν οὔτε λήθη ἐκάλυψεν οὔτε χρόνος ἠμαύρωσεν, ἀλλὰ γενεὰ ἐκ γενεᾶς διαδεχομένη τὰ διηγήματα ταύτην ἀπαραβάτως τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελοῦμεν, ἱερεῖς, λαός, παῖδες, ἄνδρες, γυναῖκες. Σκοπητέον δὲ καὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν αὐτήν, ἵνα ἐν χρῷ τῶν πραγμάτων γενόμενοι μᾶλλον τὸν ἄνδρα θαυμάσωμεν. 12.5.1 Πρῶτος ἦν τῶν κατὰ Χριστὸν διακόνων ὁ Στέφανος, ἡγιασμένος τῇ χάριτι, σκεῦος πεπληρωμένον τοῦ Πνεύματος, καθ' ἡμέραν βεβαιῶν τοὺς οἰκείους καὶ τοὺς πλανωμένους πρὸς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὑποστρέφων ὁδόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ σφοδρότερον εἴχετο τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ μᾶλλον παρὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀποστόλους τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐλύπει καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνων τὸν πρῶτον δυσμενῆ τὸν διάβολον. Πυρώδεις γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐφίστησι καὶ ἄγριον βλέποντας τοῖς μᾶλλον τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ συνισταμένοις. Ἤγειρεν οὖν αὐτῷ σύστημα τὸ τῶν Ἀλεξανδρέων γένος εἰς στάσιν ὀξύρροπον. Πάντως δὲ ἀκηκόατε τοὺς ἄνδρας τῆς πόλεως, ὅπως θερμοί τε εἰσὶ καὶ ζέοντες ἐπὶ πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν προχείρως