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to become our great king. For how is he not great, who sent poor fishermen, unlettered, common men, eleven in number, obscure, stateless, more silent than fish, wearing a single tunic, unshod, naked, to every part of the world, and took them all as if by command? This is truly a great king; who cleansed the world of error, and brought back the truth in a short space of time, and cast down the tyranny of the devil; who is a great king even before his subjects, not having the strength of his rule in his servants, not in appearance and garments, but in his very nature. For, he says, for this I was born. This is a great king; who does not have his honor from without, who needs no one in order to be king, who does all that he wills. For, "Go," he says, "make disciples of all nations"; and the word became deed. I will it; be cleansed. I say to you, deaf demon, come out of him. Be silent, be muzzled. Depart into the fire prepared for the devil. Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world. Do you see the authority everywhere? Do you see the power? For he so captivated those who obeyed, as to persuade them to give up their soul rather than to transgress what was commanded. For a king receives honors from his subjects themselves; 55.212 but this one gives honor to his subjects. For this reason, the one is only a name, but the other is a reality. A great king, who made the whole world a heaven, and prepared barbarians to be philosophers, and urged them to imitate angels. He has subdued peoples to us, and nations under our feet. O, the wonder! Those who crucified him, these he persuaded to worship him; those who insulted him, who blasphemed, who were hardened like stones, these he taught even to give up their souls according to his will. For the success was not the apostles', but of the one who prepared the way for them, and moved their soul. For how could the fisherman or the tentmaker have converted so great a world, unless his words cleared away all these hindrances? And warding off sorcerers, and tyrants, and orators, and philosophers, and all who opposed them like dust, and dissipating them like smoke, they thus sowed the light of truth, not with weapons, nor with an abundance of money, but using a bare word; or rather, the word was not bare, but more powerful than any deed. How then? They called on the name of the crucified one, and death fled, and demons were driven out, diseases were loosed, bodily deformities were corrected, wickedness was driven away, dangers vanished, and the elements were changed. Therefore when they say to us, "Why did he not help himself on the cross?" let us say this, that this was more wonderful. For it was not the same to come down from the cross, as after being crucified to raise so many dead in his name. For that he remained then willingly, he showed from the things that came after. For he who cast out death when it came upon others, could much more have driven it away from himself before it came; and he who gives life to others, could much more have given it to himself; which he also did after three days, rising in great abundance. And this he showed through the things that came after. For when his name, upon the bodies of others, is seen to have such strength that when it is called it puts death to flight, no one could doubt that in his own body he would have shown much strength, and subdued death. He has subdued peoples to us, and nations under our feet. See the wisdom of the Prophet, saying all things with accuracy. For what the apostles said afterwards, "Why do you look at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?", this the Prophet says from above. And the phrase, "Under our feet," signifies subjection, or rather, great subjection. And if you wish to learn of the subjection the

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ἡμῶν γενέσθαι βασιλεὺς μέγας. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ μέγας, ὁ πένητας ἁλιεῖς, ἀγραμμάτους, ἰδιώτας ἕνδεκα τὸν ἀριθμὸν, ἀσήμους, ἀπόλιδας, ἰχθύων ἀφωνοτέρους, μονοχίτωνας, ἀνυποδέτους, γυμνοὺς, πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀποστείλας, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐξ ἐπιτάγματος πάντας λαβών; Τοῦτο ἀληθῶς βασιλεὺς μέγας· ὁ τὴν οἰκουμένην τῆς πλάνης ἐκκαθάρας, καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπαναγαγὼν ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ, καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν τυραννίδα καθελών· ὁ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ὑπηκόων μέγας βασιλεὺς, οὐκ ἐν τοῖς δούλοις ἔχων τῆς ἀρχῆς τὴν ἰσχὺν, οὐκ ἐν σχήματι καὶ ἱματίοις, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ φύσει. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τοῦτο γεγένημαι. Τοῦτο βασιλεὺς μέγας· ὁ μὴ ἐπείσακτον ἔχων τὴν τιμὴν, ὁ μηδενὸς δεόμενος ἵνα ᾖ βασιλεὺς, ὁ πάντα ποιῶν ὅσα βούλεται. Πορευθέντες γὰρ, φησὶ, μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ ὁ λόγος ἔργον ἐγένετο. Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι. Σοὶ λέγω, τὸ δαιμόνιον τὸ κωφὸν, ἔξελθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο. Πορεύεσθε εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ. ∆εῦτε, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. Ὁρᾷς πανταχοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν; ὁρᾷς τὴν δύναμιν; Οὕτω γὰρ εἷλε τοὺς ὑπακούσαντας, ὡς πεῖσαι τὴν ψυχὴν προέσθαι μᾶλλον, ἢ τὸ ἐπιταχθὲν παρελθεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ βασιλεὺς παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν ὑπηκόων 55.212 ἔχει τὰς τιμάς· οὗτος δὲ τοῖς ὑπηκόοις παρέχει τὴν τιμήν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο, τοῦτο μὲν ὄνομα μόνον ἐστὶν, ἐκεῖνο δὲ πρᾶγμα. Βασιλεὺς μέγας, ὃς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν οὐρανὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ βαρβάρους φιλοσοφεῖν παρεσκεύασε, καὶ ἀγγέλους μιμεῖσθαι προὔτρεψεν. Ὑπέταξε λαοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! Τοὺς σταυρώσαντας, τούτους ἔπεισε προσκυνεῖν, τοὺς ὑβρίζοντας, τοὺς βλασφημοῦντας, τοὺς λίθοις προσηλωμένους, τούτους ἐδίδαξε καὶ ψυχὰς προέσθαι κατὰ τὸ αὐτῷ δοκοῦν. Οὐ γὰρ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἦν τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ προοδοποιοῦντος αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν κινοῦντος ψυχήν. Πῶς γὰρ ὁ ἁλιεὺς ἢ ὁ σκηνοποιὸς τοσαύτην ἂν μετέθηκαν οἰκουμένην, ἀλλ' ἢ τὰ ἐκείνου ῥήματα πάντα ταῦτα καθῄρει τὰ κωλύματα; Καὶ γόητας, καὶ τυράννους, καὶ ῥήτορας, καὶ φιλοσόφους, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀνθισταμένους καθάπερ κόνιν ἀποσοβοῦντες, καὶ καπνὸν διαλύοντες, οὕτως ἔσπειραν τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς, οὐχ ὅπλοις, οὐδὲ χρημάτων περιουσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ κεχρημένοι ψιλῷ· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἦν ψιλὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' ἔργου παντὸς δυνατώτερος. Πῶς οὖν; Ἐκάλουν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ σταυρωθέντος, καὶ ὁ θάνατος ἐδραπέτευε, καὶ δαίμονες ἐφυγαδεύοντο, νοσήματα ἐλύετο, λῶβαι σωμάτων διωρθοῦντο, κακία ἀπηλαύνετο, κίνδυνοι ἠφανίζοντο, καὶ στοιχεῖα μετεβάλλοντο. Ὅταν οὖν λέγωσιν ἡμῖν, ∆ιὰ τί μὴ ἐβοήθησεν ἑαυτῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ; τοῦτο λέγωμεν, ὅτι τοῦτο θαυμαστότερον ἦν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἴσον ἐκ τοῦ σταυροῦ κατελθεῖν, καὶ μετὰ τὸ σταυρωθῆναι ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ τοσούτους ἀναστῆσαι νεκρούς. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ τότε ἑκὼν ἔμενεν, ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἔδειξεν. Ὁ γὰρ ἑτέροις ἐπελθόντα τὸν θάνατον ἐκβαλὼν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, πρὶν ἢ ἐπελθεῖν, διακρούσασθαι ἠδύνατο· καὶ ὁ ἑτέροις παρέχων ζωὴν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἑαυτῷ παρασχεῖν ἠδύνατο· ὅπερ καὶ ἐποίησε μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας. Καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἔδειξεν. Ὅταν γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ σωμάτων ἀλλοτρίων φαίνηται τοσαύτην ἔχον ἰσχὺν, ὡς καλούμενον φυγαδεῦσαι τὸν θάνατον, οὐδεὶς ἀμφιβάλλειν δύναιτ' ἂν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ πολλὴν ἂν τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐπεδείξατο, καὶ τὸν θάνατον ὑπέταξεν. Ὑπέταξε λαοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔθνη ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ἡμῶν. Ὅρα τοῦ Προφήτου τὴν σοφίαν, πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας λέγοντος. Ὃ γὰρ μετὰ ταῦτα ἔλεγον οἱ ἀπόστολοι Τί ἡμῖν προσέχετε, ὡς ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ εὐσεβείᾳ πεποιηκόσι τοῦ περιπατεῖν αὐτόν; τοῦτο ἄνωθεν ὁ Προφήτης λέγει. Τὸ δὲ, Ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας, τὸ ὑποτεταγμένον δηλοῖ, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν πολλὴν ὑποταγήν. Καὶ εἰ βούλει μαθεῖν τῆς ὑποταγῆς τὴν