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was flashed round with the light, but before 60.154 it? Because the many would not have believed, but would even have mocked; when even there, hearing a voice brought from above, they said that it was thunder. But this man was more credible in reporting his own affairs. And bound he was brought in, though no bonds were on him, and they dragged him who expected to drag others. And for what reason did he not eat, nor drink? He was condemning himself for what had happened, he confessed, he prayed, he besought God. But if anyone should say, that the thing was of necessity (for Elymas also suffered the same), we will say: Yes, he suffered, but he remained as he was. How then was he not compelled? And what is more compelling than the earthquake at the resurrection, than the soldiers who reported it, than the other signs, than seeing him risen? But these things are not compelling, but instructive. Why did the Jews not believe when they heard these things? That he was speaking the truth was clear. For he would not have changed, had this not happened; so that all ought to have believed. He was not inferior to those who proclaimed his resurrection, but rather even more credible, having been changed so suddenly. He had not associated with any of the faithful, but was changed in Damascus, or rather, he suffered this before Damascus. I ask the Jew: Whence, tell me, was Paul changed? He saw so many signs, and was not changed; his teacher was changed, and this man was not changed; who persuaded him? or rather, who suddenly instilled in him such zeal, that he even prayed to be accursed for Christ's sake? The truth of the matters is manifest. But as I was saying, for now let us be put to shame by the eunuch, both being enlightened and reading. See how he was in power, how he was in wealth, and not even on the road was he idle? What sort of man, then, was this one when staying at home, who could not bear to be at leisure even on the roads? what sort of man was this one at night? 4. All you who are in positions of honor, hear, and imitate his lack of pride and his reverence. And yet, when about to depart for home, he did not say to himself: I am going to my own country, there I will receive the baptism, the cold words of the many. He did not require signs, he did not require wonders; from the prophet alone he believed. For this reason Paul mourns himself, saying: But for this reason I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief, and that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering. It is truly worthy to admire this eunuch. He did not see Christ, he saw no sign; he still saw Jerusalem standing, and he believed Philip. Whence then did he become such a man? His soul was full of care, he paid attention to the Scriptures, he was occupied with reading. And yet the thief saw signs, and the magi saw a star; but this man saw nothing of the kind, and he believed; so beneficial is the reading of the Scriptures! What then of Paul? Did he not study the law? But it seems to me that this man was deliberately deferred, for the reasons I have stated before, as Christ wished from all sides to draw the Jews. For if they had had sense, nothing would have profited them so much as this. For this, even more than signs, and than all things, was sufficient to draw them to him; just as, on the other hand, nothing is so wont to scandalize the more obtuse. See, then, after the dispersion of the apostles, God also working the signs. The Jews accused the 60.155 apostles, they threw them into prison; for the rest, God works wonders. And how, see: To bring them out of the prison, was his sign; to lead Philip, was his sign; to bring Paul to himself, was his sign; to show himself to Stephen, was his sign. And consider how Paul is honored, and how the eunuch. Here Christ also appears, perhaps on account of his hardness, and because he would not have been persuaded otherwise. Let us too, being occupied with these wonders, prepare ourselves to be worthy. Many now, not even entering into church, do not know what is said; but the eunuch, both in the marketplace and while being carried in a chariot, gave his attention to the reading of the Scriptures. But not you; for none of you has a book in his hands, but anything rather than the book. And why does he not see him before Jerusalem, but

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περιηστράφθῃ τῷ φωτὶ, ἀλλὰ πρὸ 60.154 αὐτῆς; Ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐπίστευσαν οἱ πολλοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐχλεύασαν ἄν· ὅπου γε καὶ ἐκεῖ ἄνωθεν ἐνεχθείσης φωνῆς ἀκούοντες ἔλεγον, ὅτι Βροντή ἐστιν· οὗτος δὲ ἀξιόπιστος ἦν ἀπαγγέλλων μᾶλλον τὰ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ δεδεμένος εἰσήγετο, οὐ περικειμένων αὐτῷ δεσμῶν, καὶ εἷλκον αὐτὸν τὸν προσδοκήσαντα τοὺς ἄλλους ἕλξειν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἔφαγεν, οὐδὲ ἔπιε; Κατεγίνωσκεν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις, ἐξωμολογεῖτο, ηὔχετο, παρεκάλει τὸν Θεόν. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις, ἀνάγκης εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα (καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἐλύμας τὸ αὐτὸ ἔπαθεν), ἐροῦμεν· Ναὶ ἔπαθεν, ἀλλ' ἔμεινεν ὡς εἶχε. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἠναγκάσθη; Καὶ τί ἀναγκαστικώτερον τοῦ σεισμοῦ τοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, τῶν στρατιωτῶν τῶν ἀπαγγειλάντων, τῶν σημείων τῶν ἄλλων, τοῦ ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν ἀναστάντα; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα ἀναγκαστικὰ, ἀλλὰ διδακτικά. Ἰουδαῖοι διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν ταῦτα ἀκούοντες; Ὅτι ἠλήθευε δῆλον ἦν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν μετέθετο, μὴ γενομένου τούτου· ὥστε πάντας πιστεῦσαι ἔδει. Τῶν τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ κηρυττόντων οὐχ ἥττων ἦν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀξιοπιστότερος, ἀθρόον μεταβεβλημένος. Οὐ συνεγένετό τινι τῶν πιστῶν, ἀλλ' ἐν ∆αμασκῷ μετεβάλετο, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ τοῦτο ἔπαθεν. Ἐρωτῶ τὸν Ἰουδαῖον· Πόθεν, εἰπέ μοι, μετεβλήθη Παῦλος; Τοσαῦτα σημεῖα εἶδε, καὶ οὐ μετεβλήθη· ὁ διδάσκαλος αὐτοῦ μετεβλήθη, καὶ οὗτος οὐ μετεβλήθη· τίς ἔπεισεν αὐτόν; μᾶλλον δὲ τίς ἀθρόον τοσαύτην ἐνέβαλεν αὐτῷ προθυμίαν, ὡς καὶ ἀνάθεμα εὔξασθαι γενέσθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Φανερά ἐστιν ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔφην, τέως τὸν εὐνοῦχον αἰσχυνθῶμεν, καὶ φωτιζόμενον καὶ ἀναγινώσκοντα. Ὁρᾶτε, πῶς ἦν ἐν δυναστείᾳ, πῶς ἦν ἐν πλούτῳ, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν ὁδῷ ἡσύχαζε; Τίς ἦν ἄρα οὗτος μένων ἐπ' οἰκίας, μηδὲ ἐν ὁδοῖς ἀνεχόμενος σχολάζειν; τίς ἦν οὗτος ἐν νυκτί; δʹ. Ὅσοι ἐν ἀξιώμασίν ἐστε, ἀκούσατε, καὶ τὸ ἄτυφον καὶ εὐλαβὲς μιμήσασθε. Καίτοι μέλλων ἀπιέναι οἴκαδε, οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς ἑαυτόν· Ἀπέρχομαι εἰς τὴν πατρίδα, ἐκεῖ λαμβάνω τὸ λουτρὸν, τὰ ψυχρὰ ῥήματα τῶν πολλῶν. Οὐκ ἐδεήθη σημείων, οὐκ ἐδεήθη θαυμάτων· ἀπὸ τοῦ προφήτου μόνον ἐπίστευσε. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα πενθεῖ ἑαυτὸν ὁ Παῦλος, λέγων· Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ, καὶ ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ πρώτῳ ἐνδείξηται Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὴν πᾶσαν μακροθυμίαν. Ἄξιον ὄντως θαυμάσαι τὸν εὐνοῦχον τοῦτον. Οὐκ εἶδε τὸν Χριστὸν, οὐκ εἶδε σημεῖον· ἔτι τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα συνεστῶτα ἑώρα, καὶ ἐπίστευε τῷ Φιλίππῳ. Πόθεν οὖν τοιοῦτος γεγένηται; Μεμεριμνημένη ἦν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ, προσεῖχε Γραφαῖς, ἐσχόλαζεν ἀναγνώσεσι. Καίτοι καὶ ὁ λῃστὴς εἶδε σημεῖα, καὶ οἱ μάγοι εἶδον ἀστέρα· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν εἶδε τοιοῦτον, καὶ ἐπίστευε· τοσοῦτόν ἐστιν ἡ τῶν Γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσις ὠφέλιμος! Τί οὖν Παῦλος; οὐχὶ τὸν νόμον ἐμελέτα; Ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ οὗτος ἐπίτηδες ἀναβληθῆναι, δι' ἅπερ εἶπον προλαβὼν πανταχόθεν βουλομένου ἐπισπάσασθαι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ νοῦν εἶχον, οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς οὕτως ὠφέλει ὡς τοῦτο. Τοῦτο γὰρ, καὶ σημείων μᾶλλον, καὶ πάντων, ἱκανὸν ἦν αὐτοὺς ἐφελκύσασθαι· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲν οὕτω σκανδαλίζειν εἴωθε τοὺς παχυτέρους. Ὅρα γοῦν μετὰ τὴν διασπορὰν τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ποιοῦντα τὰ σημεῖα. Ἐνεκάλεσαν Ἰουδαῖοι τοῖς 60.155 ἀποστόλοις, ἐνέβαλον εἰς δεσμωτήριον· λοιπὸν ὁ Θεὸς θαυματουργεῖ. Καὶ πῶς, ὅρα· Τὸ ἐξενεγκεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς φυλακῆς, αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἦν· τὸ ἀγαγεῖν Φίλιππον, αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἦν· τὸ Παῦλον προσαγαγέσθαι, αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἦν· τὸ δεῖξαι Στεφάνῳ ἑαυτὸν, αὐτοῦ σημεῖον ἦν. Καὶ σκόπει, πῶς μὲν τιμᾶται Παῦλος, πῶς δὲ ὁ εὐνοῦχος. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς φαίνεται, ἴσως διὰ τὸ σκληρὸν, καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἄλλως ἐπείσθη. Τούτοις ἐνστρεφόμενοι καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῖς θαύμασιν, ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς παρασκευάσωμεν. Πολλοὶ νῦν οὐδὲ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσιόντες, οὐκ ἴσασι τὰ λεγόμενα· ὁ δὲ εὐνοῦχος, καὶ ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ ὀχήματος φερόμενος, τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῶν Γραφῶν προσεῖχεν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑμεῖς· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὑμῶν βιβλίον ἔχει μετὰ χεῖρας, ἀλλὰ πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ βιβλίον. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μὴ πρὸ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ὁρᾷ αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ