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would have been astounded and reasonably disbelieved at the paradoxical nature of the wonder, when no one among the distinguished men who had ever been among mortals, not king, not lawgiver, not philosopher, not Greek, not barbarian, is recorded as having conceived of such a thing, nor even having come to a fantasy of something similar? For it was a desirable thing for each one, if he established his own profession even only on his own land, and was able to make the laws that seemed good prevail even over one, his own nation; but he, having conceived of nothing mortal and human, see if he did not truly again utter the voice of God, saying in these very words to those most humble disciples of his: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” 3.7.10 And how, the disciples might have said, certainly answering the teacher, will this be possible for us? For how, come now, shall we preach to the Romans? And how shall we converse with the Egyptians? And what speech shall we use to the Greeks, men brought up only in the Syrian tongue? 3.7.11 But as for Persians and Armenians, and Chaldeans, and Scythians, and Indians, and whatever barbarian nations there might be, how shall we persuade them to abandon the gods of their fathers, and to worship the one creator of all? And with what sufficiency of words shall we confidently go forth to this? Or what hope of success will there be for us, who dare to legislate against the laws of all nations concerning their own gods, which have been established from of old? And by what power is it possible to prevail in this daring deed? 3.7.12 When the disciples of Jesus would have likely said or thought these things, the teacher, with the addition of one word, proposed to them a solution to their difficulties, saying that they would succeed “in my name.” For he did not command them to make disciples of all nations simply and without qualification, but with the necessary addition of “in his name.” 3.7.13 For since the power of his name was such, as the apostle said, that “God bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,” reasonably showing the virtue of the power hidden from the many in his name, he said to his disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations in my name.” 3.7.14 Then he also prophesies very accurately what is to come, saying: “For this gospel must be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” But the word was spoken then in a corner of the earth, and only those present heard. How then could he be credible to them in saying this, unless they had received proof of the truth in his words from the other inspired works done by him? For you must confess, upon consideration, that they believed what he said. 3.7.15 For no one disobeyed his command, but obeying his will according to what was commanded, they made disciples of every race of men, being sent out from their own land to all the nations, and in a short time the words were seen in deeds. At any rate, the gospel was preached in a short time in the whole world as a testimony to the nations, and barbarians and Greeks shared in the writings about Jesus in their native characters and in their native tongue. 3.7.16 And yet who would not reasonably wonder, what then was the manner of the teaching of the disciples of Jesus? For did they go into the middle of a city, then stand in the marketplace and, using a louder cry, call together the passers-by and then address the people? And what, then, was the speech of their public address, by which it was likely that the listeners were persuaded? And how did they address the people, men inexperienced in speeches and having no share of any education? 3.7.17 But surely they did not speak to a crowd, but rather spoke individually to those they happened to meet. What then, and what sort of words did they use to persuade their hearers, since their struggle was not small, not denying the shameful death of the one being proclaimed? 3.7.18 For if, concealing this and not confessing to all what and how many things he suffered at the hands of the Jews, they brought forward only the solemn and glorious things, I mean the

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ἐξεπλάγη καὶ ἠπίστησεν ἂν εἰκότως τῷ παραδόξῳ τοῦ θαύματος, ὅτε μηδεὶς μὲν τῶν πώποτε ἐν ἀνθρώποις γενομένων διαφανῶν, μὴ βασιλεὺς μὴ νομοθέτης μὴ φιλόσοφος μὴ Ἕλλην μὴ βάρβαρος, τοιοῦτόν τι διανοηθεὶς ἱστορεῖται, ἀλλ' οὐδ' εἰς φαντασίαν ἐλθὼν τοῦ παραπλησίου; ἀγαπητὸν γὰρ ἑκάστῳ ἦν, εἰ καὶ ἐπὶ μόνης τῆς οἰκείας γῆς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἐπάγγελμα συνεστήσατο, καὶ τοὺς καλῶς ἔχειν φανέντας νόμους κἂν ἐφ' ἑνὸς τοῦ οἰκείου ἔθνους κρατῦναι οἷός τε ἦν· ὁ δὲ μηδὲν θνητὸν καὶ ἀνθρώπινον διανοηθεὶς ὅρα εἰ μὴ ὡς ἀληθῶς θεοῦ πάλιν προήκατο φωνήν, αὐτολεξεὶ φήσας τοῖς εὐτελεστάτοις ἐκείνοις αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς· «πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη». 3.7.10 καὶ πῶς, εἶπον ἂν οἱ μαθηταὶ τῷ διδασκάλῳ πάντως που ἀποκρινάμενοι, τοῦθ' ἡμῖν ἔσται δυνατόν; πῶς γὰρ Ῥωμαίοις, φέρε, κηρύξομεν; πῶς δ' Αἰγυπτίοις διαλεχθησόμεθα; ποίᾳ δὲ χρησόμεθα λέξει πρὸς Ἕλληνας, ἄνδρες τῇ Σύρων ἐντραφέντες μόνῃ φωνῇ; 3.7.11 Πέρσας δὲ καὶ Ἀρμενίους, καὶ Χαλδαίους, καὶ Σκύθας, καὶ Ἰνδούς, καὶ εἴ τινα βαρβάρων γένοιτο ἔθνη, πῶς πείσομεν τῶν μὲν πατρίων θεῶν ἀφίστασθαι, ἕνα δὲ τὸν πάντων δημιουργὸν σέβειν; ποίᾳ δὲ λόγων ἱκανότητι θαρσοῦντες ἐπὶ τοῦτο παρελευσόμεθα; ἢ τίς ἡμῖν ἐλπὶς ἔσται τοῦ κατορθώματος ἀντινομοθετεῖν τολμῶσιν τοῖς πάντων ἐθνῶν περὶ τῶν οἰκείων θεῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος κειμένοις νόμοις; ἐπὶ ποίᾳ δὲ καὶ δυνάμει περιέσεσθαι ἔστιν τοῦ τολμήματος; 3.7.12 ταῦτα ἢ φησάντων ἂν κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἢ διανοηθέντων τῶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθητῶν, μιᾶς προσθήκῃ λέξεως αὐτοῖς ὁ διδάσκαλος λύσιν τῶν ἀπορηθέντων ὑπέθετο, φήσας κατορθώσειν «τῷ ὀνόματί μου»· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἁπλῶς καὶ ἀδιορίστως μαθητεῦσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη προσέταττεν, μετὰ προσθήκης δὲ ἀναγκαίας τῆς «ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ». 3.7.13 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ δύναμις τῆς αὐτοῦ προσηγορίας τοιαύτη τις ἦν, ὡς φάναι τὸν ἀπόστολον, ὅτι δὴ «ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων», εἰκότως τῆς τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθανούσης ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐμφαίνων, τοῖς αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἔφησεν· «πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῷ ὀνόματί μου». 3.7.14 εἶτα καὶ θεσπίζει εὖ μάλα ἀκριβῶς τὸ μέλλον εἰπών· «δεῖ γὰρ κηρυχθῆναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦτο ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν». ὁ δὲ λόγος εἴρητο μὲν ἐν γωνίᾳ γῆς τότε, καὶ οἱ παρόντες ἤκουον μόνοι. πῶς οὖν ἄρα πιστὸς ἦν αὐτοῖς τοῦτο λέγων, εἰ μὴ ἐξ ἑτέρων τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πεπραγμένων ἐνθέων ἔργων τῆς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἀληθείας αὐτοῦ τὴν πεῖραν εἰλήφεσαν; ὅτι γὰρ ἐπίστευσαν λέγοντι, συλλογιζομένῳ σοι ὁμολογεῖν ἀνάγκη. 3.7.15 προστάξαντι γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἠπείθει, ἀλλὰ πειθαρχήσαντες αὐτοῦ τῷ νεύματι κατὰ τὰ παρηγγελμένα πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων ἐμαθήτευον, ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας γῆς ἐπὶ πάντα στειλάμενοι τὰ ἔθνη, ἐν ὀλίγῳ τε ἦν ἔργα θεωρῆσαι τοὺς λόγους. κεκήρυκτο γοῦν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ εἰς μαρτύριον τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καὶ βάρβαροι καὶ Ἕλληνες τὰς περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γραφὰς πατρίοις χαρακτῆρσιν καὶ πατρίῳ φωνῇ μετελάμβανον. 3.7.16 Καίτοι τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀπορήσειεν εὐλόγως, τίς ἦν ἄρα ὁ τῆς τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ διδασκαλίας τρόπος; ἆρα γὰρ εἰς μέσην παρελθόντες πόλιν, ἔπειτα ἐν ἀγορᾷ στάντες καὶ βοῇ μείζονι χρησάμενοι συνεκάλουν τοὺς παριόντας κἄπειτα ἐδημηγόρουν; καὶ τίς ἦν ἄρα αὐτοῖς τῆς δημηγορίας ὁ λόγος, ᾧ πεπεῖσθαι εἰκὸς ἦν τοὺς ἀκροωμένους; πῶς δὲ καὶ ἐδημηγόρουν ἄνδρες λόγων ἄπειροι καὶ πάσης ἀμέτοχοι παιδείας; 3.7.17 ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐ κατὰ πλῆθος, κατὰ μέρος δὲ τοῖς προστυχοῦσι διελέγοντο. τίσιν οὖν καὶ ὁποίοις ἐχρῶντο λόγοις ἐπὶ πειθὼ τῶν ἀκουόντων, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ μικρὸς ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀγών, μὴ ἀρνουμένοις τὸν ἐπονείδιστον θάνατον τοῦ καταγγελλομένου; 3.7.18 εἰ μὲν γάρ, τοῦτον ἐπικρυψάμενοι καὶ μὴ ὁμολογοῦντες εἰς πάντας, οἷα καὶ ὁπόσα πέπονθεν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων, τὰ σεμνὰ μόνα καὶ ἔνδοξα προσεκόμιζον λέγω δὲ τὰς