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he was sleeping. But he thought he saw a vision, it says. He passed through the first and second guard. Where now are the heretics? How did he pass through, let them tell us; but they would not be able to. And yet for this reason he commands him both to gird himself and to put on his sandals, and by this persuading him that it is not a phantom; and so that he might shake off sleep, and know that it is true. For this reason also his chains immediately fell from his hands, and, “Arise quickly,” he hears. This is not of one making a disturbance, but of one persuading him not to delay. And he did not know, it says, that what was being done by the angel was true; but he thought he saw a vision. Naturally, because of the excessiveness of the things happening. 3. Do you see how great is the excessiveness of a sign? how it astonishes the one seeing? how it does not allow it to be believed? For if 60.201 Peter thought he saw a vision in so much time, even though he himself had girded himself and put on his sandals; what would another not have experienced? And having passed, it says, the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate; and having gone out, they went forward one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. However, the things that happened inside were more wonderful; but this was henceforth more human. When there was no hindrance, then the angel departed. For Peter would not have gone forward with so many hindrances being present; for truly, truly it was an astonishment. “Now I know,” he says, “that truly the Lord has sent his angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.” Now, not then, when I was in the prison. And having come to his senses he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, it says. What is, “Having come to his senses?” Having considered where he is. Either then he perceived this; or that he ought not simply to depart, but to requite his benefactor; which also having realized he came to the house of Mary. Who is this John? Perhaps that one who was always with them; for for this reason he also added his distinguishing mark. See how great a good affliction is, how much they accomplished praying in the night, how it made them watchful. Did you see how great the gain from the murder of Stephen? Did you see how great the benefit of this prison? For it is not by punishing those who wrong them that God shows the Gospel to be great; but among those who wrong them, with those suffering nothing terrible, he shows that the afflictions in themselves are great, so that we might not seek their release at all, nor vengeance. Consider how even their maidservants were henceforth of equal honor with them. From joy, it says, she did not open. This also happened well, so that they too might not be astonished at seeing him immediately, and disbelieve, but that their minds might be trained. And what we are accustomed to do, she also was found doing; for she was eager to bring the good news herself; for truly it was good news. But they said to her, “You are mad”; but she insisted that it was so; and they said, “It is his angel.” From this it is true that each of us has an angel. And from where did it come to them to suppose then that it was an angel? They suspected this from the occasion. But as he continued knocking, it says, having opened they saw him, and were amazed. But having motioned with his hand, he made a great silence, so that they might hear the things from him. Henceforth he was much more longed for by the disciples, not only for having been saved, but also for having stood by and immediately come to them. Henceforth both those of the household learn everything clearly; and strangers learn, if indeed they wished to believe; but they did not wish to. This also happened in the case of Christ. “Report,” he says, “these things to James and to the brothers.” See how he is not vainglorious. For he did not say, “Make these things known to those everywhere”; but, “To the brothers.” And he withdrew to another place. For he did not tempt God, nor cast himself into temptations; since when they were also commanded this, they did it. For having entered, it says, “into the temple speak to the people.” They heard, and were immediately persuaded. But the angel did not say this, but by departing in silence and leading him out by night gave him authority to withdraw. And this also happens, so that we may learn that many things are also ordered in a human way, so that he might not fall 60.202 into it again. For so that they might not say that the

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ἐκάθευδεν. Ἐδόκει δὲ ὅραμα βλέπειν, φησί. ∆ιῆλθε δὲ πρώτην καὶ δευτέραν φυλακήν. Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ αἱρετικοί; Πῶς διῆλθεν, εἰπάτωσαν ἡμῖν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν. Καίτοι διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν καὶ ζώσασθαι κελεύει καὶ ὑποδήσασθαι, καὶ τούτῳ πείθων αὐτὸν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι φάντασμα· καὶ ἵνα ἀποτινάξηται τὸν ὕπνον, καὶ γνῷ, ὅτι ἀληθές ἐστι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέπεσον αὐτοῦ αἱ ἁλύσεις ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν, καὶ, Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει, ἀκούει. Οὐ θορυβοῦντος δέ ἐστι τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ πείθοντος μὴ ἀναβάλλεσθαι. Καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει, φησὶν, ὅτι ἀληθές ἐστι τὸ γινόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου· ἐδόκει δὲ ὅραμα βλέπειν. Εἰκότως, διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῶν γινομένων. γʹ. Ὁρᾷς πόσον ἐστὶν ὑπερβολὴ σημείου; πῶς ἐκπλήττει τὸν ὁρῶντα; πῶς οὐκ ἀφίησι πιστευθῆναι; Εἰ 60.201 γὰρ Πέτρος ἐδόκει ὅραμα βλέπειν ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ, καίτοι αὐτὸς ζωσάμενος καὶ ὑποδησάμενος· τί ἕτερος μὴ ἔπαθεν ἄν; ∆ιελθόντες δὲ, φησὶ, πρώτην φυλακὴν καὶ δευτέραν, ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τὴν σιδηρᾶν· καὶ ἐξελθόντες προῆλθον ῥύμην μίαν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέστη ὁ ἄγγελος ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Τὰ μέντοι ἔνδον γενόμενα θαυμασιώτερα ἦν· τοῦτο δὲ λοιπὸν ἀνθρωπινώτερον. Ὅτε οὐδὲν κώλυμα ἦν, τότε ἀπέστη ὁ ἄγγελος. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν προῆλθεν ὁ Πέτρος τοσούτων ὄντων κωλυμάτων· ὄντως γὰρ, ὄντως ἔκπληξις ἦν. Νῦν ἔγνων, φησὶν, ὅτι ἀληθῶς ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Κύριος τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξείλετό με ἐκ χειρὸς Ἡρώδου καὶ πάσης τῆς προσδοκίας τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Νῦν, οὐχὶ τότε, ὅτε ἐν τῷ δεσμῷ ἤμην. Συνιδών τε ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς Ἰωάννου, φησί. Τί ἐστι, Συνιδών; Λογισάμενος ὅπου ἐστίν. Ἢ τοίνυν τοῦτο συνεῖδεν· ἢ ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀπελθεῖν δεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀμείψασθαι τὸν εὐεργέτην· ὃ καὶ συνιδὼν ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν Μαρίας. Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ Ἰωάννης; Ἴσως ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀεὶ αὐτοῖς συνών· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ παράσημον αὐτοῦ ἔθηκεν. Ὅρα ὅσον ἐστὶν ἀγαθὸν ἡ θλῖψις, πόσον εὐχόμενοι ἐν νυκτὶ ἤνυον, πῶς διεγηγερμένους αὐτοὺς εἰργάσατο. Εἶδες τοῦ φόνου Στεφάνου ὅσον τὸ κέρδος; εἶδες τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου τούτου ὅση ἡ ὠφέλεια; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐπεξιὼν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν αὐτοὺς, μέγα δείκνυσιν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν, οὐδὲν ἐκείνων πασχόντων δεινὸν, αὐτὰς καθ' ἑαυτὰς τὰς θλίψεις δείκνυσι μέγα οὔσας, ἵνα μὴ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν αὐτῶν πάντως ζητῶμεν, μηδὲ τὴν ἐκδικίαν. Σκόπει δὲ πῶς καὶ αἱ παιδίσκαι αὐτῶν λοιπὸν ὁμότιμοι αὐτοῖς ἦσαν. Ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς, φησὶν, οὐκ ἤνοιξε. Καλῶς καὶ τοῦτο γέγονε, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι ἐκπλαγῶσιν εὐθέως ἰδόντες, καὶ ἀπιστήσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἐγγυμνασθῇ αὐτῶν ἡ διάνοια. Καὶ ὅπερ ἔθος ἡμῖν ποιεῖν, εὑρέθη πράττουσα καὶ αὐτή· ἵνα γὰρ αὐτὴ τὰ εὐαγγέλια κομίσῃ ἐσπούδαζεν· ὄντως γὰρ εὐαγγέλια ἦν. Οἱ δὲ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτήν· Μαίνῃ· ἡ δὲ διισχυρίζετο οὕτως ἔχειν· οἱ δὲ εἶπον, ὅτι Ἄγγελος αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. Ἐκ τούτου ἀληθὲς, ὅτι ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἄγγελον ἔχει. Καὶ πόθεν ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς ἄγγελον εἶναι τότε ὑπονοῆσαι; Ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦτο ὑπώπτευσαν. Ὡς δὲ ἐπέμενε κρούων, φησὶν, ἀνοίξαντες εἶδον αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐξέστησαν. Ὁ δὲ κατασείσας τῇ χειρὶ, ἡσυχίαν πολλὴν ἐποίησεν, ὥστε ἀκοῦσαι τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ. Ποθεινότερος πολλῷ λοιπὸν ἦν τοῖς μαθηταῖς, οὐ τῷ σωθῆναι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἐπιστῆναι καὶ εὐθέως ἐπελθεῖν. Μανθάνουσι λοιπὸν καὶ οἱ οἰκεῖοι πάντα σαφῶς· μανθάνουσι καὶ οἱ ἀλλότριοι, εἴ γε ἤθελον πιστεῦσαι· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠθέλησαν. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γέγονεν. Ἀπαγγείλατε, φησὶν, Ἰακώβῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ταῦτα. Ὅρα, πῶς οὐκ ἔστι κενόδοξος. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε· Τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ δῆλα ποιήσατε ταῦτα· ἀλλὰ, Τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. Καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς ἕτερον τόπον. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπείραζε τὸν Θεὸν, οὐδὲ εἰς πειρασμοὺς ἐνέβα[λ]λεν ἑαυτόν· ἐπεὶ ὅτε καὶ τοῦτο ἐκελεύσθησαν, ἐποίησαν. Εἰσελθόντες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ λαλεῖτε τῷ λαῷ. Ἤκουσαν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐπείσθησαν. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν ὁ ἄγγελος, ἀλλὰ τῷ σιγῇ ἀποστῆναι καὶ νυκτὸς ἐξαγαγεῖν ἔδωκεν ἐξουσίαν ἀναχωρῆσαι. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, ἵνα μάθωμεν ὅτι καὶ ἀνθρωπίνως πολλὰ ᾠκονόμηται, ὥστε μὴ περι 60.202 πεσεῖν πάλιν αὐτόν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ εἴπωσιν, ὅτι ὁ