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to Jerusalem. But they, having passed through from Perga, came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Again they entered the synagogues in the guise of Jews, so as not to be attacked or driven out, and thus they accomplished everything. And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak. From this point on, therefore, we learn the things concerning Paul, having learned no small things about Peter in what was said before. But let us look at what was said from the beginning. And when they were, he says, in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the metropolis of Cyprus. They spent a year in Antioch. It was necessary to go there also, and not to sit here continually; they needed greater teachers. See how they do not tarry even in Seleucia, knowing that from the neighboring city they would have reaped much benefit, but they hasten to the urgent matters there as well. For having come to the metropolis of the island, they hastened to set the proconsul straight. And that it was not flattery to say, He was with the proconsul, a prudent man, learn from the deed, how he did not need many 60.211 words, how he was willing to hear them. And he also lists the names of the cities; showing that because they had recently received the word, there was a need to be established to remain in the faith; for which reason they also visited them continually. See that he said nothing to the magician until he gave an occasion; but they preached only the word of the Lord. For since he saw the others paying attention, he himself aimed at this one thing, that that man might not be persuaded. And why did he not work another sign? Because there was no sign equal to this, to overcome the enemy. 2. And see, first he accuses, and then he punishes. And he shows that he suffered this justly by saying: O full of all deceit. That is, having nothing lacking, he says. And he said well, Of all deceit; for he was acting hypocritically. Son of the devil; for he was doing his work. Enemy of all righteousness; for all righteousness was truly this. It seems to me that he also reproves his life, by saying these things. And that he might show that the words were not of anger, for this reason he said beforehand, Filled with the Holy Spirit; that is, with power. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you. It was not, then, a punishment, but a healing. For he was almost saying: It is not I who do it, but the hand of God. See his lack of pride. You shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. He says this, that he might give him a chance to repent. For nowhere did they wish to appear from a more somber perspective, even if these things happened to enemies. But in the case of their own, it was fitting; but in the case of outsiders, it was not, so that the matter might not be thought to be of compulsion and fear from then on. And the proof of his blindness was that he sought for someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul sees the blinding, and immediately believes; and not simply, but Being astonished; for he saw that these things were not words nor deceit. See how much love he had for the teaching, being in such a high position. He did not say to him, Will you not cease to pervert the proconsul; but, The ways of the Lord, which was more; so that he might not seem to be flattering. Why then does John depart from them? For John, he says, having departed from them, returned to Jerusalem; since they were now being sent on a longer journey; and yet he was a minister, while they had the danger. Again, coming to Perga, they pass by the other cities; for they were hastening to the metropolis, Antioch. And see how the writer cuts things short. They sat down in the synagogue, he says, and on the sabbath day; so as to prepare the way for the word. And they do not speak first, but when they were permitted, as they were invited as strangers. But if they had not waited, there would have been no speech. Here Paul preaches for the first time. And see his understanding; where the word was sown, he passes by; but where there was none, he spends time, just as he himself says in writing: And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named. And this too was a mark of great courage. Truly from the beginning the man is wonderful;

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εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. Αὐτοὶ δὲ διελθόντες ἀπὸ τῆς Πέργης παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν τῆς Πισιδίας καὶ εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων ἐκάθισαν. Πάλιν εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς ἐν σχήματι Ἰουδαίων εἰσῄεσαν, ὥστε μὴ πολεμεῖσθαι μηδὲ ἐλαύνεσθαι, καὶ οὕτω τὸ πᾶν κατώρθουν. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, ἀπέστειλαν οἱ ἀρχισυνάγωγοι πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγοντες· Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ, εἰ ἔστι λόγος ἐν ὑμῖν παρακλήσεως πρὸς τὸν λαὸν, λέγετε. Λοιπὸν ἐντεῦθεν τὰ κατὰ Παῦλον μανθάνομεν, οὐ μικρὰ περὶ τοῦ Πέτρου μαθόντες ἐν τοῖς πρῴην εἰρημένοις. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ἄνωθεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Καὶ γενόμενοι, φησὶν, ἐν Σαλαμῖνι, κατήγγελλον τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ μητροπόλει τῆς Κύπρου. Ἐποίησαν ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ. Ἔδει κἀκεῖ ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ μὴ διαπαντὸς ἐνθάδε καθῆσθαι· ἔδει μειζόνων αὐτοῖς διδασκάλων. Ὅρα πῶς καὶ ἐν Σελευκείᾳ οὐ διατρίβουσιν, εἰδότες, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς γείτονος πόλεως ἐκαρπώσαντο ἂν πολλὴν τὴν ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ κατεπείγοντα σπεύδουσι καὶ ἐκεῖ. Πρὸς γὰρ τὴν μητρόπολιν ἐλθόντες τῆς νήσου, τὸν ἀνθύπατον ἔσπευδον διορθῶσαι. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ κολακείας ἦν τὸ λέγειν, Συνῆν τῷ ἀνθυπάτῳ, ἀνδρὶ συνετῷ, ἀπὸ τοῦ πράγματος μάνθανε, πῶς οὐκ ἐδεήθη λό 60.211 γων πολλῶν, πῶς ἠθέλησεν αὐτῶν ἀκοῦσαι. Καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα δὲ καταλέγει τῶν πόλεων· δεικνὺς, ὅτι ἐπειδὴ προσφάτως τὸν λόγον ἐδέξαντο, χρεία ἦν ἐπιστηρίζεσθαι τῇ πίστει ἐμμένειν· διὸ καὶ συνεχῶς αὐταῖς ἐφίσταντο. Ὅρα ὅτι οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν μάγον εἶπεν, ἕως ἐκεῖνος ἀφορμὴν ἔδωκεν· ἀλλὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου μόνον κατήγγελλον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοὺς ἄλλους ἑώρα προσέχοντας, αὐτὸς πρὸς ἓν τοῦτο ἐσκόπει, ὥστε ἐκεῖνον μὴ πεισθῆναι. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ ἕτερον σημεῖον ἐποίησεν; Ὅτι οὐκ ἦν τούτου ἴσον, τοῦ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἑλεῖν. βʹ. Καὶ ὅρα, πρότερον ἐγκαλεῖ, καὶ τότε τιμωρεῖται. ∆είκνυσι δὲ δικαίως αὐτὸν παθόντα τῷ λέγειν· Ὢ πλήρης παντὸς δόλου. Τουτέστιν, οὐδὲν ἔχων ἐλλιπὲς, φησί. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, Παντὸς δόλου· ὑπεκρίνετο γάρ. Υἱὲ διαβόλου· τὸ γὰρ ἔργον ἐκείνου ἔπραττεν. Ἐχθρὲ πάσης δικαιοσύνης· ἡ γὰρ πᾶσα δικαιοσύνη ὄντως αὕτη ἦν. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καὶ τὸν βίον ἐλέγχειν τὸν αὐτοῦ, ταῦτα λέγων. Καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν θυμοῦ τὰ ῥήματα, διὰ τοῦτο προλαβὼν εἶπε, Πλησθεὶς Πνεύματος ἁγίου· τουτέστιν, ἐνεργείας. Καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ χεὶρ Κυρίου ἐπὶ σέ. Οὐκ ἄρα τιμωρία ἦν, ἀλλ' ἴασις. Μονονουχὶ γὰρ ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χείρ. Ὅρα τὸ ἄτυφον. Ἔσῃ τυφλὸς, μὴ βλέπων τὸν ἥλιον ἄχρι καιροῦ. Τοῦτο λέγει, ἵνα δῷ αὐτῷ μετανοῆσαι. Οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ ἐβούλοντο ἀπὸ τῶν σκυθρωποτέρων φαίνεσθαι, εἰ καὶ εἰς ἐχθροὺς ταῦτα ἐγένετο. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν οἰκείων εἰκότως· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων οὐχὶ, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀνάγκης εἶναι λοιπὸν καὶ δέους. Τεκμήριον δὲ τῆς τυφλότητος, τὸ χειραγωγοὺς ζητεῖν. Εἶτα ὁρᾷ τὴν πήρωσιν ὁ ἀνθύπατος, καὶ εὐθὺς πιστεύει· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' Ἐκπληττόμενος· εἶδε γὰρ, ὅτι οὐ λόγοι οὐδὲ ἀπάτη ταῦτα. Ὅρα πόσον ἔρωτα εἶχε διδασκαλίας ἐν ἀρχῇ ὢν τοσαύτῃ. Οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν, Οὐ παύσῃ διαστρέφων τὸν ἀνθύπατον· ἀλλὰ, Τὰς ὁδοὺς Κυρίου, ὃ πλέον ἦν· ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ κολακεύειν. Τί δήποτε δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης ἀναχωρεῖ ἀπ' αὐτῶν; Ἰωάννης γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀποχωρήσας ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα· ἅτε ἐπὶ μακροτέραν λοιπὸν στελλομένων ὁδόν· καίτοι γε ὑπηρέτης ἐκεῖνος ἦν, αὐτοὶ δὲ τὸν κίνδυνον εἶχον. Πάλιν ἐλθόντες εἰς Πέργην, παρατρέχουσι τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις· ἐπὶ τὴν μητρόπολιν γὰρ ἠπείγοντο τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς ὑποτέμνεται ὁ συγγραφεύς. Ἐκάθισαν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ, φησὶ, καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν σαββάτων· ὥστε προοδοποιῆσαι τῷ λόγῳ. Καὶ οὐ πρῶτοι λέγουσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπιτραπέντες, ἅτε ὡς ξένους προσεκαλοῦντο. Εἰ μὴ περιέμειναν δὲ, οὐκ ἂν ἐγένετο λόγος. Ἐνταῦθα πρῶτον κηρύττει Παῦλος. Καὶ ὅρα αὐτοῦ τὴν σύνεσιν· ἔνθα μὲν ἦν κατεσπαρμένος ὁ λόγος, παρατρέχει· ἔνθα δὲ οὐδεὶς ἦν, ἐνδιατρίβει καθὼς καὶ αὐτός φησι γράφων· Οὕτω δὲ φιλοτιμούμενος εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, οὐχ ὅπου ὠνομάσθη Χριστός. Ἀνδρείας δὲ ἦν καὶ τοῦτο πολλῆς. Ὄντως ἐκ προοιμίων θαυμαστὸς ὁ ἀνήρ·