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153

Manaen; or rather by the Spirit. For by how much the persons are of less account, by so much the more manifest does the grace of God appear. He is then ordained for a mission, so as to preach with authority. How then does he himself say: 'Not from men, nor through man'? The 'Not from men,' he said, to show that no man called him or brought him forward; and the 'through man,' that he was not sent by this or that man, but by the Spirit. Wherefore also he added thus: 'So they, being sent out by the Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.' But let us look at what was said from the beginning. 'Now when day came,' it says, 'there was no small stir concerning Peter, and having examined the guards, he commanded that they should be led away.' Thus he did not perceive that he was attempting to punish unjustly. Behold, I take up the argument on their behalf. The bonds were there, the guards within, the prison was shut, the wall nowhere dug through, 60.206 all said the same things; the man has been snatched away, why do you condemn them? if they had wanted to release him, they would have released him before this, or would have gone out with him. But did they receive money? From where could he who did not even have anything to give to a poor man, give to these? For the chains were not broken, nor were they loosed. He ought to have seen that the matter was divine and not human. Then since he was about to mention history henceforth, for this reason he also gives the names, that he might be shown to be verifying all things. 'And having persuaded Blastus,' it says, 'who was over the king's bedchamber, they asked for peace.' They do this, because there was a famine. 'And on an appointed day,' it says, 'Herod sat on his throne and made a public address.' 'And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him; and being eaten by worms, he died.' 2. This Josephus also says, that he fell into a long illness. Now the multitude did not know this, but the Apostle records it. But yet their ignorance also was of use, as they reckoned that what happened to Herod was on account of the death of James and the murder of the soldiers. See: when he slew the apostle, He did nothing of the sort, but when he slew these, then he was speechless. Therefore, being at a loss and ashamed, he went down from Judea to Caesarea. It seems to me that wanting to lead them away also, he came for the defense of these; for he was angry with those, thus serving these. See how vainglorious the man is. When he was about to give them the gift, he made a public address. And Josephus says that he also wore a splendid robe made of silver. See how they also were flatterers, and the mind of the apostles. For him whom a whole nation served, these men spat upon. And again there comes a great respite for them, and countless good things from his punishment. But if this man, on hearing, 'The voice of a god and not of a man,' although he had said nothing, suffered such things; how much more would Christ, if He were not Himself God, always saying, 'My words are not My own,' and, 'My servants would have fought,' and such like things. But that man ended his life shamefully and pitifully, and is no longer seen. And see him being persuaded by Blastus, and being a wretched man, easily angered, and again reconciled, and everywhere a slave of the people, and having nothing of a free man. And consider also the authority of the Holy Spirit. 'While they were ministering,' it says, 'to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said: Separate for Me Barnabas and Saul.' Who would have dared, not being of the same authority, to say these things? And this is done, so that they might not be in common with one another. He saw that they had greater power, and were able to suffice for many. But how did He say it to them? Through prophets perhaps. For this reason he said beforehand, that they were also prophets and were fasting and ministering, that you may learn that there was need of great soberness. He is ordained in Antioch, where he preaches. Why did He not say, 'Separate for the Lord,' but 'for Me'? It shows that the authority and the power are one. Do you see how great a thing fasting is? It shows that the Spirit was doing all things. A great thing the

153

Μαναῆ· μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ὅσῳ γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα ἐλάττονά ἐστι, τοσούτῳ γυμνοτέρα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φαίνεται χάρις. Χειροτονεῖται λοιπὸν εἰς ἀποστολὴν, ὥστε μετ' ἐξουσίας κηρύττειν. Πῶς οὖν αὐτός φησιν· Οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ δι' ἀνθρώπων; Τὸ μὲν, Οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων, εἶπεν, ἵνα δηλώσῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἄνθρωπος αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν οὐδὲ προσηγάγετο· τὸ δὲ, ∆ι' ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι οὐχ ὑπὸ τοῦδε ἐπέμφθη, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὕτως ἐπήγαγεν· Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἐκπεμφθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος κατῆλθον εἰς τὴν Σελεύκειαν, ἐκεῖθέν τε ἐπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Κύπρον. Ἴδωμεν δὲ ἄνωθεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης, φησὶν, ἦν τάραχος οὐκ ὀλίγος διὰ τὸν Πέτρον, καὶ ἀνακρίνας τοὺς φύλακας ἐκέλευσεν ἀπαχθῆναι. Οὕτως οὐκ ᾔσθετο, ὅτι καὶ κολάζειν ἀδίκως ἐπιχειρεῖ. Ἰδοὺ τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀναλαμβάνω λόγον. Τὰ δεσμὰ ἦν, οἱ φύλακες ἔνδον, τὸ δεσμωτήριον κεκλεισμένον, οὐδαμοῦ τοῖχος διορωρυγ 60.206 μένος, πάντες τὰ αὐτὰ ἔλεγον· ἀνάρπαστος ὁ ἄνθρωπος γέγονε, διὰ τί αὐτοὺς καταδικάζεις; εἰ ἤθελον ἀπολῦσαι, πρὸ τούτου ἀπέλυσαν ἂν, ἢ συνεξῆλθον. Ἀλλὰ χρήματα ἔλαβον; Πόθεν ὁ μηδὲ πένητι δοῦναι ἔχων, τούτοις ἐδίδου; οὐδὲ γὰρ διεθρύβησαν αἱ ἁλύσεις, οὐδὲ λελυμέναι ἦσαν. Ἔδει ἰδεῖν, ὅτι θεῖον τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπινον. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἱστορίας ἔμελλε μεμνῆσθαι λοιπὸν, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα τίθησιν, ἵνα δειχθῇ πάντα ἐπαληθεύων. Καὶ πείσαντες Βλάστον, φησὶ, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος τοῦ βασιλέως, ᾐτοῦντο εἰρήνην. Τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, ἐπειδὴ λιμὸς ἦν. Τακτῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ καθίσας ὁ Ἡρώδης ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἐδημηγόρει, φησί. Παραχρῆμα δὲ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἄγγελος Κυρίου· καὶ γενόμενος σκωληκόβρωτος ἐξέψυξε. βʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ Ἰώσηπος λέγει, ὅτι μακρᾷ περιέπεσε νόσῳ. Οἱ μὲν οὖν πολλοὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ᾔδεσαν, ὁ δὲ ἀπόστολος αὐτὸ τίθησι. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἄγνοια ὠφέλει λογιζομένων αὐτῶν τῷ Ἰακώβου θανάτῳ καὶ τῷ τῶν στρατιωτῶν φόνῳ τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἡρώδην συμβεβηκέναι. Ὅρα· ὅτε μὲν τὸν ἀπόστολον ἔσφαξεν, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον εἰργάσατο, ὅτε δὲ τούτους, λοιπὸν ἐν ἀφασίᾳ ἦν. Ἅτε οὖν ἠπορηκὼς καὶ αἰσχυνόμενος κατῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς τὴν Καισάρειαν. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καὶ ἐκείνους ἀπαγαγεῖν βουλόμενος, πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ἦλθε τούτων· ὠργίζετο γὰρ ἐκείνοις τούτους οὕτω θεραπεύων. Ὅρα πῶς κενόδοξος ὁ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι. Μέλλων αὐτοῖς διδόναι τὴν δωρεὰν, ἐδημηγόρησεν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰώσηπός φησιν, ὅτι καὶ ἐσθῆτα λαμπρὰν ἐξ ἀργύρου πεποιημένην περιέκειτο. Ὅρα καὶ ἐκεῖνοι πῶς κόλακες ἦσαν, καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὸ φρόνημα. Ὃν γὰρ ἔθνος ὁλόκληρον ἐθεράπευσε, τοῦτον οὗτοι διέπτυον. Πάλιν δὲ γίνεται ἀνάπνευσις αὐτῶν μεγάλη, καὶ μυρία ἀγαθὰ ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνου τιμωρίας. Εἰ δὲ οὗτος ἀκούσας, ὅτι Φωνὴ Θεοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου, καίτοι γε μηδὲν εἰπὼν τοιαῦτα ἔπαθε· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἂν ὁ Χριστὸς, εἰ μὴ Θεὸς ἦν αὐτὸς, ἀεὶ λέγων, ὅτι Τὰ ῥήματα τὰ ἐμὰ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὰ, καὶ, Οἱ ὑπηρέται ἂν οἱ ἐμοὶ ἠγωνίζοντο, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ αἰσχρῶς καὶ ἐλεεινῶς τὸν βίον κατέλυσε, καὶ οὐδὲ φαίνεται λοιπόν. Ὅρα δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Βλάστου ἀναπειθόμενον, καὶ ἅτε δὴ ταλαίπωρον ὄντα εὐκόλως ὀργιζόμενον, καὶ πάλιν καταλλαττόμενον, καὶ πανταχοῦ δοῦλον τῶν δήμων, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐλεύθερον ἔχοντα. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ τὴν αὐθεντείαν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Λειτουργούντων δὲ αὐτῶν, φησὶ, τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ νηστευόντων, εἶπε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· Ἀφορίσατε δή μοι τὸν Βαρνάβαν καὶ Σαῦλον. Τίς ἂν ἐτόλμησε, μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐξουσίας ὢν, ταῦτα εἰπεῖν; Τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι αὐτοὺς κοινῇ μεθ' ἑαυτῶν. Εἶδεν αὐτοὺς μείζονα δύναμιν ἔχοντας, καὶ πολλοῖς δυναμένους ἀρκέσαι. Πῶς δὲ αὐτοῖς εἶπεν; ∆ιὰ προφητῶν ἴσως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προλαβὼν εἶπεν, ὅτι καὶ προφῆται ἦσαν καὶ ἐνήστευον καὶ ἐλειτούργουν, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι πολλῆς νήψεως χρεία ἦν. Ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ χειροτονεῖται, ἔνθα κηρύττει. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ εἶπε, Τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀφορίσατε, ἀλλ' Ἐμοί; ∆είκνυσιν, ὅτι ἕν ἐστι τὸ τῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως. Ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἡ νηστεία μέγα; ∆είκνυσιν, ὅτι πάντα τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐποίει. Μέγα τι ἡ