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being falsely accused. But the false accusers are rather convicted by this also; so true is what I have always said, that "To do evil, this is to suffer evil." And yet he did not slander at all, but proved. Thus, when we are insulted for things of which we are not conscious, we suffer nothing. They wanted, then, to kill him; but they do not do this, wishing to attach a plausible reason to their audacious act. What then? Was the insult not plausible? The insult was not his, but the prophet's accusation; or they willingly also postponed it, so that they might not seem to kill him on account of the things said against them, just as they did with Christ, but for impiety. But this saying was one of piety. Therefore, while attempting to kill him and also to harm his reputation, they were cut to the heart. For they were afraid, lest some other new thing might happen concerning him again. Then, what they do in Christ's case, this they also do in Stephen's; and just as there, when He said, "You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power," they called the matter blasphemy and made the crowds witnesses; so indeed also here. There they tore their garments; here they stopped their ears. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord. And casting him out of the city, they stoned him. And yet if he were lying, they should have let him go as a madman. But he spoke thus, wishing to win them over. And since he had spoken only of death, and had discussed nothing about the resurrection, he now opportunely adds this doctrine. And he says that He appeared to him thus, as he somewhere relates, so that they might in this way receive the word, who, since to say "sitting" was offensive to them, for the time being moves the discussion to the resurrection, and says that He is "standing." From this I conjecture that his face was also glorified. For God, being a lover of mankind, through the very things they plotted, wished to call them out, even if nothing more came of it. And casting him out of the city, they stoned him. Again the death is outside the city, as in the case of Christ, and in the death itself the confession and the preaching being proclaimed. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul, and they stoned Stephen, 60.142 calling upon [God], and saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit." This shows and at the same time teaches them, that it is not destroyed. And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." As if defending himself, that his previous words were not of anger, he says, "Lord;" or also wishing to draw them to himself by this. For to let go of anger and wrath at the murder, and to show his soul pure of passion, made his word easy to accept. But Saul was consenting to his death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the Church in Jerusalem. This persecution was not simply so, but seems to me to have happened by a divine plan. And they were all scattered throughout the country of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Do you see how again God allows trials to happen? But see from this, also how things are managed. They were admired for the signs, when scourged they suffered nothing, they were set over the regions, the word grew; then He allows a great hindrance to arise. And a persecution arises, not an ordinary one, so that at the same time these also flee (for they feared they had become bolder), and it might be clear to all that they were men who were afraid and fleeing. For lest you should say after this that they succeeded by grace alone, even if they were persecuted; both they themselves became more timid, and those others bolder. And they were all scattered, except the apostles, he says. Not in vain, then, did I say that the persecution was part of a divine plan; for if it had not happened, the disciples would not have been scattered. And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over

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συκοφαντούμενος. Ἀλλ' οἱ συκοφάνται μᾶλλον ἐλέγχονται καὶ ταύτῃ· οὕτως ἀληθὲς, ὅπερ ἀεὶ ἔλεγον, ὅτι Τὸ ποιεῖν κακῶς, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ πάσχειν κακῶς. Καίτοι αὐτὸς οὐδὲν ἐσυκοφάντησεν, ἀλλ' ἀπέδειξεν. Οὕτως, ὅταν ὑβριζώμεθα ἐν οἷς οὐ συνοίδαμεν, οὐδὲν πάσχομεν. Ἐβούλοντο μὲν οὖν ἀνελεῖν· ἀλλ' οὐ ποιοῦσι τοῦτο, αἰτίαν θέλοντες εὔλογον περιθεῖναι τῷ τολμήματι. Τί οὖν; ἡ ὕβρις οὐκ ἦν εὔλογος; Οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὕβρις, ἀλλὰ τοῦ προφήτου κατηγορία· ἢ ἑκόντες καὶ ἀνεβάλλοντο, ὥστε μὴ δόξαι διὰ τὰ εἰς αὐτοὺς αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀσέβειαν. Τοῦτο δὲ εὐσεβείας ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα. ∆ιὸ μετὰ τοῦ ἀνελεῖν ἐπιχειροῦντες καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ βλάψαι, διεπρίοντο. Ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ, μὴ πάλιν καινόν τι περὶ αὐτὸν ἄλλο γένηται. Εἶτα, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποιοῦσι, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Στεφάνου· καὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖ, ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, Ὄψεσθε ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς δυνάμεως τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθήμενον, βλασφημίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔλεγον καὶ μάρτυρας τοὺς ὄχλους ἐποίουν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Ἐκεῖ διέῤῥηξαν τὰ ἱμάτια· ὧδε τὰ ὦτα συνέσχον. Ὑπάρχων δὲ πλήρης Πνεύματος ἁγίου, ἀτενίσας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἶδε δόξαν Θεοῦ, καὶ Ἰησοῦν ἑστῶτα ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνεῳγμένους, καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Κράξαντες δὲ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, συνέσχον τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν, καὶ ὥρμησαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπ' αὐτόν. Καὶ ἐκβαλόντες ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, ἐλιθοβόλουν. Καὶ μὴν εἰ ἐψεύδετο, ὡς μαινόμενον ἔδει ἀφεῖναι. Ὁ δὲ οὕτως εἶπε, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς ἐπαγαγέσθαι. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ θανάτου μόνον, περὶ ἀναστάσεως οὐδὲν διελέχθη, καὶ τοῦτο λοιπὸν εὐκαίρως προστίθησι τὸ δόγμα. Οὕτω δὲ αὐτῷ λέγει φανῆναι, ὥς που διέξεισιν, ἵνα κἂν οὕτω δέξωνται τὸν λόγον, ὃς, ἐπεὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν καθῆσθαι φορτικὸν αὐτοῖς ἦν, τέως τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως κινεῖ λόγον, καί φησιν αὐτὸν ἵστασθαι. Ἀπὸ τούτου στοχάζομαι καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ δεδοξάσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς φιλάνθρωπος ὢν, δι' ὧν ἐπεβουλεύοντο ἐκεῖνοι, δι' αὐτῶν ἐβούλετο αὐτοὺς ἐκκαλέσασθαι, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν πλέον ἐγένετο, Καὶ ἐκβαλόντες ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, ἐλιθοβόλουν. Πάλιν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ὁ θάνατος, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ θανάτῳ ἡ ὁμολογία καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα διαγγελλόμενον. Καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες ἀπέθεντο τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας νεανίου καλουμένου Σαύλου, καὶ ἐλιθοβόλουν τὸν Στέφανον 60.142 ἐπικαλούμενον [τὸν Θεὸν], καὶ λέγοντα· Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστὲ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου. ∆εικνύοντος ὁμοῦ τοῦτο καὶ διδάσκοντος αὐτούς ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπόλλυται. Καὶ θεὶς τὰ γόνατα, ἔκραξε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Ὥσπερ ἀπολογούμενος, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὰ πρότερα θυμοῦ ἦν, φησί· Κύριε· ἢ καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς ταύτῃ ἐπισπάσασθαι. Τὸ γὰρ ἀφεῖναι μὲν τὸν θυμὸν καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν τῷ φόνῳ, καθαρὰν δεῖξαι δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ πάθους, εὐπαράδεκτον ἐποίει τὸν λόγον. Σαῦλος δὲ ἦν συνευδοκῶν τῇ ἀναιρέσει αὐτοῦ. Ἐγίνετο δὲ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ διωγμὸς μέγας ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τὴν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὗτος ὁ διωγμὸς, ἀλλ' οἰκονομικῶς δοκεῖ μοι συμβῆναι. Καὶ πάντες διεσπάρησαν κατὰ τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ Σαμαρείας, πλὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς πάλιν πειρασμοὺς συγχωρεῖ ὁ Θεὸς γίνεσθαι; Ἀλλ' ἴδε μοι ἐντεῦθεν, καὶ ὅπως οἰκονομεῖται τὰ πράγματα. Ἐθαυμάσθησαν διὰ τὰ σημεῖα, μαστιχθέντες οὐδὲν ἔπαθον, κατέστησαν ἐπὶ τῶν χωρῶν, ηὔξετο ὁ λόγος· λοιπὸν συγχωρεῖ κώλυμα γενέσθαι μέγα. Καὶ γίνεται διωγμὸς οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν, ὥστε ὁμοῦ καὶ τούτους φυγεῖν (ἐφοβοῦντο γὰρ θρασυτέρους αὐτοὺς γενομένους), καὶ πᾶσι δῆλον ὑπάρξαι, ὅτι ἄνθρωποι ἦσαν οἱ φοβούμενοι καὶ φεύγοντες. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ σὺ μετὰ ταῦτα λέγῃς, ὅτι χάριτι μόνον κατώρθουν, κἂν ἐδιώκοντο· καὶ αὐτοὶ δειλότεροι γεγόνασι, καὶ ἐκεῖνοι θρασύτεροι. Καὶ πάντες διεσπάρησαν, πλὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων, φησί. Οὐκ ἄρα μάτην ἔλεγον, ὅτι οἰκονομίας ὁ διωγμὸς ἦν· εἰ μὴ γὰρ γέγονεν, οὐκ ἂν οἱ μαθηταὶ διεσπάρησαν. Συνεκόμισαν δὲ τὸν Στέφανον ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς, καὶ ἐποιήσαντο κοπετὸν μέγαν ἐπ'