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was there need of signs, that they should believe? And the report of them came to the ears of the Church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. Why, when so great a city received the word, did they not come themselves, but send Barnabas? Because of the Jews. Nevertheless, it was no small thing that was being dispensed even so, that Paul should come there; nor was it simply, but very providentially that they turn him away, so that the voice of the preaching, the trumpet of the heavens, might not be shut up in Jerusalem. Do you see how everywhere Christ made use of their wickedness for 60.192 a necessary purpose, and as He willed from above, and of their hatred for Paul for the building up of the Church from the Gentiles? But see this holy man also, I mean Barnabas, how he did not look to his own things, but ran to Tarsus. Who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord, for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great multitude was added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed to Tarsus, to seek Paul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. The man was very kind and simple and an acquaintance of Paul. Therefore he also came to the athlete, to the general, to the gladiator, to the lion; I do not have anything to say; for whatever I may say, I will speak less than the worth of Paul. He came to the hunting dog that kills lions, to the strong bull, to the bright lamp, to the mouth sufficient for the world. Truly for this reason they were first called Christians in Antioch, because Paul spent so much time in it. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught a great multitude; and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. No small encomium for the city. This can stand against all, that it was the first of all others to enjoy that mouth for so long a time; whence also here first they were deemed worthy of the name. Do you see to what height he raised the city and made it more illustrious? This was Paul's achievement. Where three thousand, where five thousand believed, where so great a multitude, nothing of the sort happened, but they still only heard of the Way; but here they were named Christians. And in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. Since the fruit of almsgiving also had to be planted here, it is advantageously arranged for the prophets to come down. But observe for me how none of the distinguished men becomes a teacher to these either; for they had teachers from Cyprus and Cyrene, and Paul (even if he surpassed them), just as Paul had Barnabas and Ananias; but for this reason he is not diminished at all; yet he also had Christ. And there stood up one 60.193 of them named Agabus, and signified that there should be a great famine over all the world. Which also came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Necessarily here he signifies that a great famine was about to come, which indeed also happened, as it was foretold concerning it. For lest some should think the famine happened because Christianity came in, because demons departed, the Holy Spirit foretells what is about to happen, just as Christ also foretold many things, and it came to pass. Therefore not for this reason, since this had to happen from the beginning, but because of the evils done to the apostles; and though these things were done, God for a time was long-suffering; but as they persisted, a famine occurs, indicating to the Jews the evils that were to come. But even if it was because of them, on account of the others it ought to have ceased even while it existed. For what wrong have the Greeks done, that even having done no wrong they themselves should share in the evils? But if not because of the Jews, then they ought rather to have been approved of, because they were doing their own thing, because they killed, punished, took vengeance, persecuted from all sides. And see when the famine occurs; when the Gentiles were at last accepted. 2. But if on account of the evils, he says, these ought to have been exempted. Why, tell me? did not Christ say to them beforehand: In the world

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τῶν σημείων ἀνάγκη γέγονεν, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν; Ἠκούσθη δὲ ὁ λόγος εἰς τὰ ὦτα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς οὔσης ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐξαπέστειλαν Βαρνάβαν διελθεῖν ἕως Ἀντιοχείας. Τί δήποτε τοιαύτης πόλεως δεχομένης τὸν λόγον, οὐκ ἦλθον αὐτοὶ, ἀλλὰ Βαρνάβαν πέμπουσι; ∆ιὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. Πλὴν οὐ μικρὸν δή τι οἰκονομεῖται καὶ οὕτω τὸ τὸν Παῦλον ἐνταῦθα παραγενέσθαι· οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα οἰκονομικῶς αὐτὸν ἀποστρέφονται, ἵνα μὴ κατακλεισθῇ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ κηρύγματος, ἡ σάλπιγξ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἶδες πῶς πανταχοῦ ταῖς κακίαις αὐτῶν εἰς 60.192 δέον, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐβούλετο ἄνωθεν, ἀπεχρήσατο ὁ Χρι60.192.20 στὸς, καὶ τῷ μίσει τῷ πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίας; Ἀλλ' ἴδε καὶ τοῦτον τὸν ἅγιον, τὸν Βαρνάβαν λέγω, πῶς οὐ τὸ αὐτοῦ εἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἔδραμεν εἰς Ταρσόν. Ὃς παραγενόμενος, καὶ ἰδὼν τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐχάρη, καὶ παρεκάλει πάντας τῇ προθέσει τῆς καρδίας προσμένειν τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἦν ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ πλήρης Πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ πίστεως. Καὶ προσετέθη ὄχλος ἱκανὸς τῷ Κυρίῳ. Ἐξῆλθε δὲ εἰς Ταρσὸν ὁ Βαρνάβας ἀναζητῆσαι Παῦλον, καὶ εὑρὼν ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν. Πολὺ χρηστὸς ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ ἀφελὴς καὶ τοῦ Παύλου συνήθης. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀθλητὴν, ἐπὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν, ἐπὶ τὸν μονομάχον, ἐπὶ τὸν λέοντα· οὐκ ἔχω τί εἴπω· ὅσα γὰρ ἂν εἴπω, ἐλάττονα τῆς ἀξίας τοῦ Παύλου ἐρῶ. Ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸν κύνα τὸν θηρατικὸν, τὸν λέοντας ἀναιροῦντα, ἐπὶ τὸν ταῦρον τὸν ἰσχυρὸν, ἐπὶ τὴν λαμπάδα τὴν φαιδρὰν, ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα τὸ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἀρκοῦν. Ὄντως διὰ τοῦτο ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ἐχρηματίσθησαν καλεῖσθαι Χριστιανοὶ, ὅτι Παῦλος ἐν ταύτῃ τοσοῦτον διέτριψε χρόνον. Ἐγένετο δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐνιαυτὸν ὅλον συναχθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ διδάξαι ὄχλον ἱκανὸν, χρηματίσαι τε πρῶτον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τοὺς μαθητὰς Χριστιανούς. Οὐ μικρὸν τῆς πόλεως τὸ ἐγκώμιον. Τοῦτο πρὸς ἅπαντας στῆναι δύναται, ὅτι τοῦ στόματος ἐκείνου τοσοῦτον ἀπέλαυσε χρόνον πρώτη τῶν ἄλλων ἁπασῶν· ὅθεν καὶ πρώτως ἐνταῦθα τοῦ ὀνόματος ἠξιώθησαν. Ὁρᾷς εἰς ὅσον ὕψος ἐπῆρε τὴν πόλιν καὶ περιφανεστέραν ἐποίησε; Τοῦτο Παύλου κατόρθωμα. Ἔνθα τρισχίλιοι, ἔνθα πεντακισχίλιοι ἐπίστευσαν, ἔνθα τοσοῦτον πλῆθος, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ἔτι τῆς ὁδοῦ μόνον ἤκουον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ Χριστιανοὶ ὠνομάσθησαν. Ἐν ταύταις δὲ ἡμέραις κατῆλθον ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων προφῆται εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ἐνταῦθα καρπὸν φυτευθῆναι ἔδει, συμφερόντως οἰκονομεῖται τοὺς προφήτας κατελθεῖν. Σὺ δέ μοι παρατήρει πῶς οὐδεὶς τῶν περιφανῶν καὶ τούτοις γίνεται διδάσκαλος· Κυπρίους γὰρ ἔσχον διδασκάλους καὶ Κυρηναίους, καὶ Παῦλον (εἰ καὶ οὗτος ὑπερέβαινεν αὐτοὺς), ὥσπερ Παῦλος Βαρνάβαν καὶ Ἀνανίαν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν παρὰ τοῦτο ἠλάττωται· ἔσχε δὲ ὅμως καὶ τὸν Χριστόν. Ἀναστὰς δέ τις 60.193 ἐξ αὐτῶν ὀνόματι Ἄγαβος, ἐσήμανε, λιμὸν μέγαν μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι ἐφ' ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην. Ὅστις καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου Καίσαρος. Ἀναγκαίως ἐνταῦθα λιμὸν μέγαν μέλλοντα ἔσεσθαι σημαίνει, ὃς δὴ καὶ ἐγένετο, καθὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ προεῤῥήθη. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσωσί τινες διὰ τοῦτο τὸν λιμὸν γεγονέναι, ὅτι Χριστιανισμὸς εἰσῆλθεν, ὅτι δαίμονες ἀπέστησαν, προλέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὃ μέλλει συμβαίνειν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς προεῖπε πολλὰ, καὶ ἐξέβη. Οὐ τοίνυν διὰ τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἔδει ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦτο γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ κακὰ τὰ εἰς τοὺς ἀποστόλους γενόμενα· ὧν καὶ γενομένων, τέως ἐμακροθύμει ὁ Θεός· ὡς δὲ ἐνέκειντο, λιμὸς γίνεται, μηνύων τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις τὰ ἐσόμενα κακά. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ δι' αὐτοὺς ἦν, διὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔδει καὶ ὄντα παύσασθαι. Τί γὰρ ἠδίκησαν Ἕλληνες, ἵνα καὶ μηδὲν ἀδικήσαντες αὐτοὶ τῶν κακῶν μετάσχωσιν; Εἰ δὲ μὴ διὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ εὐδοκιμῆσαι δὴ αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν, ὅτι τὸ αὐτῶν ἐποίουν, ὅτι ἀνῄρουν, ἐκόλαζον, ἐτιμωροῦντο, πάντοθεν ἐδίωκον. Καὶ θέα πότε γίνεται ὁ λιμός· ὅτε καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ λοιπὸν προσεδέχθησαν. βʹ. Ἀλλὰ εἰ διὰ τὰ κακὰ, φησὶν, ἔδει τούτους ὑπεξαιρεθῆναι. ∆ιὰ τί, εἰπέ μοι; οὐχὶ προλαβὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Χριστός· Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ