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and after laying many stripes on them, they threw them into prison. How great a boast, how great a pleasure, how great an honor, how great a splendor to know that he was bound for Christ's sake? But see the wondrous thing: And the prison, it says, was shaken while Paul was bound, and everyone's chains were loosed. Have you seen the nature of bonds loosing bonds? And the jailer, waking up and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. What then did Paul do? He cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.' Do you see his lack of vainglory, his lack of pride, and his affection? He did not say, 'These things have happened because of us,' but as if he were one of the prisoners, he says, 'For we are all here.' For if he had been silent, and had not restrained his hands with a loud voice, he would have thrust the sword through his throat; but he cried out, because he had been cast into the inner prison. 'You have done this against yourself,' he says, 'by casting into the inner prison those who were about to free you from danger.' Have you seen Paul's love for mankind and his care? He chose rather to be bound and to be in danger himself than to overlook that man perishing. Who would not be astonished by the power of the chains that were around him? that it brought those who had bound him to the feet of the one who was bound, and made them subject to him. For the jailer, it says, fell down before Paul; and the one who was loosed was at the feet of the one who was bound, and the one who had bound him begged the one who was bound to be loosed from fear. Did you not bind him, tell me? Did you not cast him into the inner prison? Did you not secure his feet in the stocks? Why do you tremble? Why are you troubled? Why do you weep? Why have you drawn the sword? 'I did not know,' he says, 'that the power of Christ's prisoners was so great.' What are you saying? He received authority to open the heavens, and was he not going to open a prison? He loosed those who were bound by demons, and was a piece of iron going to overcome him? He who looses souls that are bound, would he not have been able to loose his own body? He who through his garments loosed others from those bonds and delivered them from demons, would he not have loosed himself through himself? For this reason he was first bound, and then he loosed those who were bound, so that you might learn that the servants of Christ, when bound, have much greater 63.715 strength than those who are loosed. For thus the strength of the saint is shown more brightly, when even while bound he prevails over those who are loosed. When, therefore, the one who is bound looses not only himself but also those who are bound, what is the benefit of the walls, what is the advantage of casting him into the inner prison, when indeed he has also opened the outer one? But let us hear him glorying in this very thing and saying: 'I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you.' For it is a great and mighty dignity, greater than kingship and consulship and all things, to be bound for Christ's sake. For nothing is so splendid as a prisoner for Christ's sake, as the chains that were around those holy hands. This is far more splendid and more honorable than being an apostle, than being a teacher, than being an evangelist. If anyone loves Christ, he knows what is said; if anyone is madly and ardently in love with the Master, he knows the power of the chains; he would choose to be a prisoner for Christ's sake rather than to dwell in the heavens. For perhaps this is more splendid than sitting at His right hand, and this is more honorable and more blessed than sitting on twelve thrones. If someone granted me all of heaven, or that chain with which Paul's hands were bound, I would have preferred that chain; if someone placed me with the angels above, or with Paul in bonds, I would have chosen the prison; if someone made me one of those powers that are around the throne, or such a prisoner, I would rather have chosen to become such a prisoner; for indeed nothing is better than to suffer some evil for Christ's sake. If someone gave me the power to raise the dead now, I would not have chosen this, but the chain; for indeed nothing is more blessed than that chain. I should have wished to be now in those places where those bonds remain, and to see the chains that demons fear and shudder at, but angels revere.

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καὶ ἐπιθέντες πληγὰς πολλὰς ἔβαλον εἰς φυλακήν. Πόσον καύχημα, πόση ἡδονὴ, πόση τιμὴ, πόση λαμπρότης εἰδέναι, ὅτι διὰ Χριστὸν ἐδέθη; Ἀλλ' ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστόν· Καὶ ἐσείσθη, φησὶ, τὸ δεσμωτήριον δεδεμένου Παύλου, καὶ πάντων τὰ δεσμὰ ἀνέθη. Εἶδες δεσμῶν φύσιν τὰ δεσμὰ ἀναλύουσαν; Ἔξυπνος δὲ γενόμενος ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ, καὶ ἰδὼν ἀνεῳγμένας τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς, σπασάμενος μάχαιραν ἔμελλεν ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρεῖν. Τί οὖν ὁ Παῦλος; Ἐφώνησε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγων· Μηδὲν πράξῃς σεαυτῷ κακὸν, πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε. Ὁρᾷς αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀκενόδοξον καὶ τὸ ἄτυφον καὶ τὸ φιλόστοργον; οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι ∆ι' ἡμᾶς ταῦτα γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ὡσανεὶ τῶν δεσμωτῶν εἷς, φησί· Πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε. Εἰ γὰρ ἐσίγησε, καὶ μὴ διὰ τῆς μεγάλης φωνῆς κατέσχεν ἐκείνου τὰς χεῖρας, ὤθησεν ἂν διὰ τοῦ λαιμοῦ τὸ ξίφος· ἐβόησε δὲ, ἐπειδὴ εἰς τὴν ἐνδοτέραν φυλακὴν ἦν βεβλημένος· Κατὰ σαυτοῦ τοῦτο πεποίηκας. φησὶν, ἐνδοτέρω βαλὼν τοὺς μέλλοντάς σε ἐλευθεροῦν τοῦ κινδύνου. Εἶδες τὸ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ κηδεμονικὸν τοῦ Παύλου; εἵλετο δεδέσθαι μᾶλλον καὶ κινδυνεύειν αὐτὸς, ἢ ἐκεῖνον περιιδεῖν ἀπολλύμενον. Τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλήξειεν ἡ τῶν περικειμένων αὐτῷ δεσμῶν δύναμις; ὅτι τοὺς δήσαντας εἰς τοὺς πόδας ἦγε τοῦ δεδεμένου, καὶ ὑποχειρίους ἐκείνους τούτου ἐποίει· Προσέπεσε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ τῷ Παύλῳ· καὶ ὁ λελυμένος ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἦν τοῦ δεδεμένου, καὶ ὁ δήσας ἠξίου τὸν δεθέντα λυθῆναι τοῦ φόβου. Οὐχὶ σὺ ἔδησας, εἰπέ μοι; οὐχὶ εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν ἔβαλες φυλακήν; οὐχὶ εἰς τὸ ξύλον ἠσφαλίσω τοὺς πόδας; τί τρέμεις; τί θορυβῇ; τί δακρύεις; τί τὸ ξίφος ἀπεσπάσω; Οὐκ ᾔδειν, φησὶν, ὅτι τοσαύτη τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δεσμίων ἡ δύναμις. Τί λέγεις; οὐρανοὺς ἔλαβεν ἐξουσίαν ἀνοίγειν, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οὐκ ἔμελλεν ἀνοίγειν; τοὺς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων δεδεμένους ἔλυε, καὶ σιδήριον ἔμελλεν αὐτοῦ περιέσεσθαι; ὁ ψυχὰς δεδεμένας λύων, τὸ σῶμα τὸ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσε λῦσαι; ὁ διὰ τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἑτέρους τῶν δεσμῶν ἐκείνων λύων, καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων ἀπαλλάττων, αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἂν ἔλυσεν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πρῶτον ἐδέθη, καὶ τότε τοὺς δεδεμένους ἔλυσεν, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλοι δεδεμένοι πολλῷ τῶν λελυ 63.715 μένων μείζονα ἔχουσι τὴν ἰσχύν. Οὕτω γὰρ λαμπροτέρα ἡ ἰσχὺς τοῦ ἁγίου δείκνυται, ὅταν καὶ δεδεμένος τῶν λελυμένων κρατῇ. Ὅταν οὖν ὁ δεδεμένος μὴ μόνον ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς δεδεμένους λύῃ, τί τῶν τοίχων τὸ ὄφελος, τί τὸ πλέον ἀπὸ τοῦ εἰς τὴν ἐσωτέραν αὐτὸν φυλακὴν ἐμβαλεῖν, ὅπου γε καὶ τὴν ἐξωτέραν ἀνέῳξεν; Ἀλλ' ἀκούσωμεν αὐτοῦ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐγκαυχωμένου καὶ λέγοντος· Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ ὁ δέσμιος ἐν Κυρίῳ. Καὶ γὰρ μέγα ἀξίωμα καὶ σφοδρὸν, καὶ βασιλείας καὶ ὑπατείας καὶ πάντων μεῖζον, τὸ διὰ Χριστὸν δεδέσθαι· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω λαμπρὸν ὡς δέσμιος διὰ Χριστὸν, ὡς αἱ ἁλύσεις αἱ περικείμεναι ταῖς ἁγίαις χερσὶν ἐκείναις. Τοῦτο τοῦ ἀπόστολον εἶναι, τοῦ διδάσκαλον εἶναι, τοῦ εὐαγγελιστὴν εἶναι, κατὰ πολὺ λαμπρότερον καὶ σεμνότερον. Εἴ τις φιλεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἔγνω τὸ λεγόμενον· εἴ τις μαίνεται καὶ περικαίεται τοῦ ∆εσπότου, οἶδε τὴν δύναμιν τῶν δεσμῶν· ἕλοιτο ἂν δέσμιος εἶναι διὰ Χριστὸν, ἢ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς οἰκεῖν. Τάχα γὰρ καὶ τοῦ καθίσαι ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦτο λαμπρότερον, καὶ τοῦ καθίσαι ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνων τοῦτο σεμνότερον καὶ μακαριστότερον. Εἴ τις ἐμοὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐχαρίζετο πάντα, ἢ τὴν ἅλυσιν ἐκείνην, ᾗ τὰς χεῖρας ὁ Παῦλος ἐδέδετο, ἐκείνην ἂν ἐγὼ προετίμησα· εἴ τίς με μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἵστη ἄνω, ἢ μετὰ Παύλου δεδεμένου, τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἂν εἱλόμην· εἴ τίς με μετ' ἐκείνων ἐποίει τῶν δυνάμεων, τῶν περὶ τὸν θρόνον, ἣ δεσμώτην τοιοῦτον, τοιοῦτος ἂν μᾶλλον εἱλόμην γενέσθαι δεσμώτης· καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲν βέλτιον τοῦ κακῶς παθεῖν τι διὰ τὸν Χριστόν, Εἴ τίς μοι νεκροὺς ἔδωκεν ἀναστῆσαι νῦν, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο εἱλόμην, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἅλυσιν· καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲν τῆς ἁλύσεως ἐκείνης μακαριώτερον. Ἐβουλόμην ἐν τοῖς τόποις γενέσθαι νῦν ἐκείνοις, ἐν οἷς ἐκεῖνα τὰ δεσμὰ μένει, καὶ ἰδεῖν τὰς ἁλύσεις, ἃς δεδοίκασι μὲν δαίμονες καὶ φρίττουσιν, αἰδοῦνται δὲ ἄγγελοι.