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wishing to seize me, and through a window in a basket I was let down through the wall, and escaped his hands.

CHAPTER 12. To boast is not profitable for me; but I will come to visions and revelations

of the Lord. He says this, not as if he had said nothing, but because he is about to move on to another kind of boasting, which shows him to be more glorious and more distinguished. And he says these things in himself, teaching them to be humble. For if he who has so much is like this, what ought they not to do? I know a man in Christ fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—that he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to speak. On behalf of such a one I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses. For if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool. For I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone 95.768 should think of me above what he sees me to be, or hears anything from me. And because of the abundance of the revelations, that I should not be exalted, a thorn in the flesh was given to me. There being many revelations, he mentions this one; and that there were many, he himself went on to say, "because of the abundance of the revelations, that I should not be exalted." For this reason he also mentions the time of the fourteen years, to show that he who had been patient for so long a time would not have spoken of it now, if he had not known the great necessity. An angel of Satan, to buffet me, that I should not be exalted. Satan is called "the adversary" in the Hebrew tongue. For Scripture, relating this concerning Solomon, says: "There was no Satan in his days"; that is, warring, opposing. What he says, therefore, is this: God did not allow the preaching to advance without effort, suppressing our pride; but He permitted our adversaries to attack us. He therefore calls an angel of Satan, Alexander the coppersmith, Hymenaeus and Philetus, those who said the resurrection had already happened, and all who opposed the word of the preaching, and contended with it, and warred against it, and cast [him] into prisons. Therefore, just as he calls the Jews sons of the devil, for emulating his works, so also he calls everyone who opposes the preaching angels of Satan. This, then, "a thorn was given to me," he says, "to buffet me"; not as if God arms such people; may it never be; nor punishing, nor chastising for the time being, but permitting, and reserving them for the day of judgment. Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times, that it might depart from me. And this is of great humility, not to hide it. And He said to me: My grace is sufficient for you. That is, that you raise the dead, and heal the blind, and do the other signs. For my power is made perfect in weakness. For being driven out, and persecuted, they overcame all. Therefore, I will most gladly boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. So that they might not fall away, since the false apostles were boasting in the opposite things, and these men were in persecutions, he shows that through these things they become more glorious. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. 95.769 Lest anyone should think he is speaking of a physical weakness, he also described the weakness by kind, saying: "In insults, in persecutions, in necessities, in distresses." Do you see how he has now revealed him whom he called Satan above, and that he did not have a pain in his head, as the babblers say. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Where there is affliction, there is also consolation. And where there is consolation, there is also grace. For when he fell into prison, then he performed those wondrous things. When he was shipwrecked, and was carried to the barbarian land, then he was most glorified.

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με θέλων, καὶ διὰ θυρίδος ἐν σαργάνῃ ἐχαλάσθην διὰ τοῦ τείχους, καὶ ἐξέφυγον τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΒʹ. Καυχᾶσθαι δὴ οὐ συμφέρει μοι· ἐλεύσομαι δὲ εἰς ὀπτασίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις

Κυρίου. Τοῦτό φησιν, οὐχ ὡς οὐδὲν εἰρηκὼς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μέλλει μεταβαίνειν εἰς ἕτερον καυχήσεως εἶδος, ὃ λαμπρότερον αὐτὸν δείκνυσι καὶ ἐπισημότερον. Ταῦτα δέ φησιν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἐκείνους παιδεύων ταπεινοφρονεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τοσαῦτα ἔχων, τοιοῦτος, τί οὐκ ὤφειλον ἐκεῖνοι ποιεῖν; Οἶδα ἄνθρωπον ἐν Χριστῷ πρὸ ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων· εἴτε ἐν σώματι, οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος, οὐκ οἶδα, ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν· ἁρπαγέντα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ. Καὶ οἶδα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἄνθρωπον· εἴτε ἐν σώματι, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα, ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν· ὅτι ἡρπάγη εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, καὶ ἤκουσεν ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι. Ὑπὲρ τοῦ τοιούτου καυχήσομαι· ὑπὲρ δὲ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐ καυχήσομαι, εἰ μὴ ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου. Ἐὰν γὰρ θελήσω καυχήσασθαι, οὐκ ἔσομαι ἄφρων. Ἀλήθειαν γὰρ ἐρῶ. Φείδομαι δὲ, μή τις 95.768 εἰς ἐμὲ λογίσηται ὑπὲρ ὃ βλέπει με, ἢ ἀκούει τι ἐξ ἐμοῦ. Καὶ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι, ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί. Πολλῶν οὐσῶν ἀποκαλύψεων, μίαν ταύτην τίθησιν· ὅτι δὲ ἦσαν πολλαὶ, αὐτὸς ἐπεξιὼν εἶπεν, ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων, ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὸν χρόνον τίθησι τῶν δεκατεσσάρων ἐτῶν, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ὁ τοσοῦτον καρτερήσας χρόνον, νῦν ἂν ἐξεῖπεν, εἰ μὴ πολλὴν ᾔδει τὴν ἀνάγκην. Ἄγγελος Σατὰν, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι. Σατὰν ὁ ἀντικείμενος λέγεται τῇ τῶν Ἑβραίων φωνῇ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπὶ Σολομῶντος διηγουμένη φησὶν ἡ Γραφή· Οὐκ ἦν Σατὰν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ· τουτέστι πολεμῶν, ἀντικείμενος. Ὃ τοίνυν λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐκ εἴασεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπονητὶ προχωρῆσαι τὸ κήρυγμα, καταστέλλων ἡμῶν τὸ φρόνημα· ἀλλὰ συνεχώρησε τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις ἐπιτίθεσθαι ἡμῖν. Ἄγγελον τοίνυν Σατανᾶ λέγει, Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν χαλκέα, Ὑμέναιον καὶ Φιλητὸν, τοὺς τὴν ἀνάστασιν λέγοντας ἤδη γεγονέναι, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀντικειμένους τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ κηρύγματος, καὶ φιλονεικοῦντας αὐτῷ, καὶ πολεμοῦντας, καὶ ἐμβάλλοντας εἰς δεσμωτήρια. Ὥσπερ οὖν υἱοὺς διαβόλου καλεῖ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, τὰ ἐκείνου ζηλοῦντας, οὕτω καὶ ἀγγέλους Σατανᾶ πάντα τὸν ἀντιπίπτοντα τῷ κηρύγματι. Τοῦτο οὖν, ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ, φησὶν, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ· οὐχ ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς τοιούτους ὁπλίζοντος· μὴ γένοιτο· οὐδὲ κολάζοντος, οὐδὲ τιμωρουμένου τέως, ἀλλὰ συγχωροῦντος, καὶ ἀφιέντος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως. Ὑπὲρ τούτου τρὶς τὸν Κύριον παρεκάλεσα, ἵνα ἀποστῇ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτο πολλῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης, τὸ μὴ κρύψαι. Καὶ εἴρηκέ μοι· Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου. Τουτέστιν, ὅτι Νεκροὺς ἐγείρεις, καὶ τυφλοὺς θεραπεύεις, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τῶν σημείων ποιεῖς. Ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. Ἐλαυνόμενοι γὰρ, καὶ διωκόμενοι, πάντων περιεγένοντο. Ἥδιστα οὖν μᾶλλον καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἵνα μὴ καταπέσωσι, τῶν ψευδαποστόλων ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐναντίοις καυχωμένων, καὶ ὄντων τούτων ἐν διωγμοῖς, δείκνυσιν ὅτι διὰ τούτων λαμπρότεροι γίνονται. ∆ιὸ εὐδοκῶ ἐν ἀσθενείαις, ἐν ὕβρεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν διωγμοῖς, ἐν στενοχωρίαις ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ. 95.769 Ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ σωματικὴν ἀσθένειαν λέγειν αὐτὸν, καὶ κατ' εἶδος τὴν ἀσθένειαν διηγήσατο, λέγων· Ἐν ὕβρεσιν, ἐν διωγμοῖς, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις. Εἶδες ὅπως αὐτὸν νῦν ἀπεκάλυψεν, ὃν εἶπεν ἄνω Σατανᾶν, καὶ οὐχὶ ἄλγος, ὥς φασιν οἱ ληροῦντες, περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν εἶχεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι. Ἔνθα θλίψις, ἐκεῖ καὶ παράκλησις. Καὶ ἔνθα παράκλησις, ἐκεὶ καὶ χάρις. Ὅτε γοῦν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔπεσε, τότε θαυμαστὰ ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖνα. Ὅτε ἐναυάγησεν, καὶ εἰς τὴν βάρβαρον ἐξηνέχθη χώραν, τότε μάλιστα ἐδοξάσθη.