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for the sake of immortality and incorruptibilityfor this is what he means to say, "having loosed the pangs of death", and likewise the ascent into heaven; and he calls the future state "times of refreshing", and he says that this is the blessing promised beforehand to Abraham, and proclaimed through all the prophets to all the nations, and that the Lord Christ is its author, through whom all the nations are blessed. Glory to God who prepared and foretold these things and has now fulfilled them and is still fulfilling them. Amen. STEPHEN 5.213 This Stephen, the protomartyr and protodeacon of the New Covenant, who had the great Paul, still a zealot for the law, as his own murderer, who alone struggled against the whole synagogue, who roused the Arbiter of the contest to the sight, this is the one who saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God; for though all of holy Scripture says he is seated, this one saw him standing; for the intensity of the struggle roused the Arbiter to the sight. Wherefore, being urged by him to ascend to that glory, he prayed for those stoning him, saying: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," but you yourself, "receive my spirit." Behold, he too saw and proclaimed the same things as the others, that Christ is in heaven, the author of the second state, whom he also beseeches to receive him there. Note 5.214 And this man, being a fervent preacher and champion of the New Covenant, with his own eyes saw more spiritually Jesus being within the firmament, whom, as he was being stoned, he beseeches to receive his spirit. This man delivered a long address to the Jews, in which he convicted them of having become murderers of Jesus. Through this he also confirms for us what the first ones also said, death and resurrection and ascension into heaven. Glory to God who prepared and foretold these things and has now fulfilled them and is still fulfilling them. Amen. PAUL 5.215 This is the great Paul, the apostle, the commander of the heavenly host, who has Christ speaking in him, who bears the marks of Christ in his body, the great teacher of the Church, who endures countless deaths every day for the Church, who boasts in the Lord and in his own weaknesses, who has the grace of Christ gushing forth in him, who speaks in tongues to all the nations, once a persecutor, but now persecuted, once a sinner, but now having received mercy, who was caught up to the third heaven and again into paradise, the hearer of inexpressible words, the chosen judge of spiritual gifts, the great rule-setter and one who surpasses the other teachers of the Church, Paul, whose greeting in all his epistles, as a kind of sign, is "the grace of the Lord." 5.216 He, throughout all his epistles, as one already in the second state, continues rejoicing and confident; "He raised us up with him and seated us with him," he says, "in the heavenly places," and, "By hope we were saved," and countless other things, which it is not easy to list now. But let us mention some, so that we do not prolong the discourse. Thus he says in the First Epistle to the Corinthians as follows: "If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." But what, O Paul, after this life here, what other hope should we have? Yes, he says, there is a better life, a powerful and heavenly one, promised by God with an oath. 5.217 For he says: "So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us, which we have as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, according to the order

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ἀθανασίας χάριν καὶ ἀφθαρσίαςτοῦτο γὰρ βούλεται λέγειν "λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου", καὶ ὁμοίως τὴν ἄνοδον τὴν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν· καὶ "καιροὺς ἀναψύξεως" καλεῖ τὴν μέλλουσαν κατάστασιν, καὶ ταύτην λέγει τὴν προεπηγγελμένην εὐλογίαν τῷ Ἀβραάμ, καὶ διὰ πάντων τῶν προφητῶν αὐτὴν κηρυττομένην ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ ἀρχηγὸν αὐτῆς τὸν ∆εσπότην Χριστὸν εἶναι, δι' οὗ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εὐλογοῦνται. ∆όξα τῷ ταῦτα ἑτοιμάσαντι καὶ προμηνύσαντι Θεῷ καὶ νῦν πληρώσαντι καὶ ἔτι πληροῦντι. Ἀμήν. ΣΤΕΦΑΝΟΣ 5.213 Οὗτος ὁ Στέφανος, ὁ τῆς Νέας ∆ιαθήκης πρωτομάρτυς καὶ πρωτοδιάκονος, ὁ τὸν μέγαν Παῦλον ἔτι ζηλωτὴν ὑπάρχοντα τοῦ νόμου φονέα ἴδιον κεκτημένος, ὁ μόνος μετὰ πάσης συναγωγῆς ἀγωνιζόμενος, ὁ τὸν Ἀγωνοθέτην πρὸς τὴν θέαν ἐξαναστήσας, οὗτος ὁ θεωρῶν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς διηνοιγμένους καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἑστῶτα ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ· πάσης γὰρ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς καθήμενον λεγούσης, οὗτος ἑστῶτα εἶδεν· ἡ γὰρ σφοδρότης τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν τὸν Ἀγωνοθέτην ἐξανέστησεν. Ὅθεν καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ προτρεπόμενος ἀνιέναι εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν δόξαν ηὔχετο τοῖς αὐτὸν λιθάζουσι λέγων· "Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην", ἀλλὰ σὺ αὐτὸς "δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου". Ἰδοὺ καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ εἶδε καὶ κηρύττει, ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ὁ τῆς δευτέρας καταστάσεως ἀρχηγός, ὃν παρακαλεῖ καὶ αὐτὸν αὐτόθι δέξασθαι. Παραγραφή 5.214 Καὶ οὗτος τῆς Νέας ∆ιαθήκης κῆρυξ καὶ ἀγωνιστὴς θερμὸς ὑπάρχων αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐθεάσατο πνευματικώτερον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἔσωθεν ὄντα τοῦ στερεώματος, ὃν καὶ λιθαζόμενος παρακαλεῖ δέξασθαι αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα. Οὗτος πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐξέτεινε μεγάλην δημηγορίαν, ἐν ᾗ αὐτοὺς ἤλεγξε φονέας τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γεγονότας. ∆ιὰ τούτου καὶ αὐτὸς πιστούμενος ἡμᾶς, ἅπερ καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι εἰρήκασι, θάνατον καὶ ἀνάστασιν καὶ ἄνοδον εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. ∆όξα τῷ ταῦτα ἑτοιμάσαντι καὶ προκαταγγείλαντι καὶ νῦν πληρώσαντι καὶ ἔτι πληροῦντι. Ἀμήν. ΠΑΥΛΟΣ 5.215 Οὗτος ὁ μέγας Παῦλος, ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὁ τῆς οὐρανίου φάλαγγος ταξιάρχης, ὁ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχων τὸν Χριστὸν λαλοῦντα, ὁ τὰ στίγματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέρων, ὁ μέγας διδάσκαλος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὁ μυρίους θανάτους καθ' ἑκάστην ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπομένων, ὁ ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχώμενος καὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις ἀσθενείαις, ὁ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν ἑαυτῷ βρύουσαν ἔχων, ὁ γλώσσαις λαλῶν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὁ ποτὲ διώκτης, νῦν δὲ διωκόμενος, ὁ ποτὲ ἁμαρτωλός, νῦν δὲ ἠλεημένος, ὁ ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ ἁρπαγεὶς καὶ πάλιν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, ὁ τῶν ἀρρήτων ῥημάτων ἀκουστής, ὁ τῶν πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων κεκριμένος δικαστής, ὁ μέγας κανονάρχης καὶ ὑπερβαίνων τοὺς λοιποὺς διδασκάλους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, Παῦλος, οὗ ὁ ἀσπασμὸς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς Ἐπιστολαῖς αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἐν τάξει σημείου, ἡ "χάρις" ἐστὶ "τοῦ Κυρίου". 5.216 Οὗτος καθόλου ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ Ἐπιστολαῖς, ὡς ἤδη γενόμενος ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ καταστάσει, γεγηθὼς καὶ πεποιθὼς διατελεῖ· "Συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισε, φάσκων, ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις", καί· "Τῇ ἐλπίδι ἐσώθημεν", καὶ ἄλλα μύρια, ἃ νῦν καταλέγειν οὐκ εὐχερές. Ἐνίων δὲ μνημονεύσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ τὸν λόγον μηκύνωμεν. Λέγει τοίνυν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους πρώτῃ Ἐπιστολῇ οὕτως· "Εἰ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἐν Χριστῷ ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν μόνον, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν." Ἀλλὰ τί, ὦ Παῦλε, μετὰ τὴν ἐνταῦθα ζωήν, ποίαν ἄλλην ἐλπίζειν ὀφείλομεν; Ναί, φησίν, ἔστι τις κρείττων ζωή, ἰσχυρὰ καὶ οὐράνιος, μεθ' ὅρκου παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελλομένη. 5.217 Φησὶ γάρ· "Ἐν ᾧ περισσότερον βουλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιδεῖξαι τοῖς κληρονόμοις τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ ἐμεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ, ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι Θεόν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν οἱ καταφυγόντες κρατῆσαι τῆς προκειμένης ἐλπίδος, ἣν ὡς ἄγκυραν ἔχομεν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀσφαλῆ τε καὶ βεβαίαν καὶ εἰσερχομένην εἰς τὸ ἐσώτερον τοῦ καταπετάσματος, ὅπου πρόδρομος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσῆλθεν Ἰησοῦς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν