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to enter and stone Paul. And they dragged him outside the city, perhaps fearing him. And when they had prayed, it says, with fastings, they committed them to the Lord. And they taught to fast in temptations. They did not say what they themselves had done, but what God had done with them, to me they seem to speak of the temptations. They did not come here simply, nor to rest, but were led providentially by the Spirit, so that the preaching to the Gentiles might be confirmed. And why, he says, did they not make presbyters in Cyprus nor in Samaria? Because the one was near the apostles, and the other near Antioch, and the word prevailed; but here they were in need of much comfort, and especially those from the Gentiles, who ought to be taught many things. They came teaching that they had been rightly ordained by the Spirit. And see the warmth of Paul. He does not inquire if he should speak to the Gentiles, but speaks immediately; for this reason he said. I did not consult with flesh and blood. γʹ. Tribulation is truly a great good, and it is of a great soul, and the achievement of a noble one. How many believed after this, and no one shone so brightly? Thus we have need of eagerness everywhere, of much burning zeal, of a soul arrayed for death; for otherwise it is not possible to obtain the kingdom, without being crucified. Let us not deceive ourselves. For if in war it is not possible to be saved while living luxuriously and making money and trading and being idle; much more so in this war. Or do you not think there is now a war more grievous 60.231 than all wars? For our struggle, he says, is not against flesh and blood. And to those who are at lunch, and walking, and bathing the enemy is present. For he knows no time of truce, except only that of sleep; but often even then he makes war, both by injecting impure thoughts, and by making men more licentious from their dreams. But we, as if the matter for which he wars is of little account, are not sober, nor do we rouse ourselves, nor do we look to the multitude of the powers opposed to us; we do not consider that this itself is of the greatest misfortune; but being surrounded by so many wars, we live luxuriously as if in peace. Believe me, it is possible to suffer things more grievous now than what Paul suffered. They threw stones at him then; it is possible to be struck with words even now, more grievous than stones. What then must be done? What he did; for he did not hate those who were stoning him, but after they had dragged him out he entered again into the city, to do good to those who had done such wrongs. If you also bear with the insolent man, the harsh one, the one who has done these things to you unjustly, you also have been stoned. For do not say, "I did no wrong." For what wrong did Paul do, that he should be stoned? He was proclaiming a kingdom, he was leading men away from error, he was bringing them to God; these things are worthy of crowns, these of proclamation, these of countless good things, not of stones; but yet he suffered the contrary. For this is the glorious victory. And they dragged him, it says. And you too they often drag; but be not angry, but preach the word through forbearance. Has someone insulted you? Be silent, and bless if you are able, and so you too have preached the word, you have taught forbearance, you have taught gentleness. I know many who do not suffer so much from wounds, as from a blow through words; for the body receives the one wound, but the soul the other. But let us not feel pain, or rather, having felt pain, let us endure. Do you not see the boxers, who with their heads wounded, gritting their teeth, so tamely bear the pains? But here there is no need to gnash the teeth, no need to bite. Remember your Master, and you have immediately applied the remedy with the memory; remember Paul; consider that you who are struck have conquered, but he who struck has been defeated, and you will heal the whole thing through this. It is a turn of the scale, be not carried away, and you have accomplished the whole thing immediately; do not be moved, and you have extinguished the whole thing. It is a great comfort to suffer something for Christ's sake; you do not preach the word of faith, but you preach the word of philosophy. But the more he sees forbearance, it is said, the more he attacks. Do you feel pain for this reason, then, that he increases your rewards the more? But he becomes useless, it is said. This is an excuse for one's own

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ἐμβῆναι καὶ λιθάσαι Παῦλον. Ἔξω δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἔσυραν, τάχα δεδοικότες ἐκεῖνον. Καὶ προσευξάμενοι, φησὶ, μετὰ νηστειῶν, παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ. Καὶ νηστεύειν ἐδίδασκον ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς. Οὐκ εἶπαν ὅσα αὐτοὶ ἐποίησαν, ἀλλ' ὅσα ὁ Θεὸς μετ' αὐτῶν, Ἐμοὶ δοκοῦσι τοὺς πειρασμοὺς λέγειν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἦλθον ἐνταῦθα, οὐδὲ διαναπαυσόμενοι, ἀλλ' οἰκονομικῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος ὁδηγούμενοι, ὥστε τὸ κήρυγμα τῶν ἐθνῶν βεβαιωθῆναι. Καὶ διὰ τί, φησὶν, ἐν Κύπρῳ οὐκ ἐποίησαν πρεσβυτέρους οὐδὲ ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ; Ὅτι ἐκείνη μὲν ἐγγὺς ἦν τῶν ἀποστόλων, αὕτη δὲ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἐκράτει· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πολλῆς ἐδέοντο παραμυθίας, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν, ὀφείλοντες πολλὰ διδάσκεσθαι. Ἦλθον διδάσκοντες, ὅτι εἰκότως ἐχειροτονήθησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Καὶ ὅρα τὸ θερμὸν Παύλου. Οὐ πυνθάνεται εἰ δεῖ λαλῆσαι ἔθνεσιν, ἀλλ' εὐθέως λαλεῖ· διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν. Οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι. γʹ. Μέγα ὄντως ἀγαθὸν ἡ θλῖψις, καὶ μεγάλης ψυχῆς ἐστι, καὶ γενναίας κατόρθωμα. Πόσοι μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπίστευσαν, καὶ οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἔλαμψεν; Οὕτω προθυμίας ἡμῖν δεῖ πανταχοῦ, πυρώσεως πολλῆς, ψυχῆς πρὸς θάνατον παρατεταγμένης· ἄλλως γὰρ οὐκ ἔνι τῆς βασιλείας τυχεῖν, μὴ σταυρωθέντα. Μὴ ἀπατῶμεν ἑαυτούς. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν πολέμῳ σωθῆναι οὐ δυνατὸν τρυφῶντα καὶ χρηματιζόμενον καὶ καπηλεύοντα καὶ ῥᾳθυμοῦντα· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τούτῳ. Ἢ οὐκ οἴεσθε πόλεμον εἶναι νῦν πάντων πολέμων χαλεπώτα 60.231 τον; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν, φησὶν, ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα. Καὶ ἀριστῶσι, καὶ βαδίζουσι, καὶ λουομένοις πάρεστιν ὁ ἐχθρός. Οὐ γὰρ οἶδε καιρὸν ἀνακωχῆς, εἰ μὴ τὸν τοῦ ὕπνου μόνον· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τότε πολεμεῖ, καὶ λογισμοὺς ἐμβάλλων ἀκαθάρτους, καὶ ἀσελγεστέρους ἀπὸ τῶν ὀνειράτων ἐργαζόμενος. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς περὶ μικροῦ τοῦ πράγματος ὄντος, ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐκεῖνος πολεμεῖ, οὐ νήφομεν, οὐδὲ διανιστάμεθα, οὐδὲ βλέπομεν εἰς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἡμῖν δυνάμεων· οὐκ ἐννοοῦμεν, ὅτι τοῦτο αὐτὸ τῆς μεγίστης δυσπραγίας ἐστίν· ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοσούτων κυκλούμενοι πολέμων, ὡς ἐν εἰρήνῃ τρυφῶμεν. Πιστεύσατέ μοι, ὧν Παῦλος ἔπαθε χαλεπώτερα ἔστι παθεῖν νῦν. Ἔβαλλον αὐτὸν τότε λίθοις ἐκεῖνοι· ἔστι ῥήμασι βάλλεσθαι καὶ νῦν λίθων χαλεπωτέροις. Τί οὖν δεῖ ποιεῖν; Ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐποίησε· τοὺς βάλλοντας γὰρ οὐκ ἐμίσησεν, ἀλλὰ συράντων αὐτὸν εἰσῆλθε πάλιν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, εὐεργετήσων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἠδικηκότας. Ἂν ἐνέγκῃς καὶ σὺ τὸν ὑβριστὴν τὸν τραχὺν, τὸν ἀδίκως σε ἐργασάμενον ταῦτα, ἐλιθάσθης καὶ σύ. Μὴ γὰρ εἴπῃς, ὅτι Οὐδὲν ἠδίκησα. Τί γὰρ Παῦλος ἠδίκησεν ἵνα λιθασθῇ; Βασιλείαν κατήγγελλε, πλάνης ἀπῆγε, τῷ Θεῷ προσῆγε· ταῦτα στεφάνων ἄξια, ταῦτα ἀνακηρύξεως, ταῦτα μυρίων ἀγαθῶν, οὐ λίθων· ἀλλ' ὅμως τἀναντία ἔπασχεν. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ λαμπρὰ νίκη. Καὶ ἔσυραν αὐτὸν, φησί. Καί σε πολλάκις σύρουσιν· ἀλλὰ μὴ ὀργισθῇς, ἀλλὰ κήρυξον τὸν λόγον διὰ τῆς ἐπιεικείας. Ὕβρισέ σε; Σίγησον, καὶ εὐλόγησον εἰ δύνασαι, καὶ οὕτως ἐκήρυξας καὶ σὺ τὸν λόγον, ἐπαίδευσας ἐπιείκειαν, ἐπαίδευσας πραότητα. Οἶδα πολλοὺς οὐχ οὕτω τραύμασιν ἀλγοῦντας, ὡς πληγῇ τῇ διὰ ῥημάτων· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ τὸ τραῦμα τὸ σῶμα δέχεται, ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἡ ψυχή. Ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀλγήσωμεν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀλγήσαντες ἐνέγκωμεν. Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τοὺς πυκτεύοντας, οἳ διατετρωμένοι τὰς κεφαλὰς, τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐνδακόντες, οὕτως ἡμέρως φέρουσι τὰς ἀλγηδόνας; Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐ χρεία βρύξαι τοὺς ὀδόντας, οὐ χρεία δακεῖν. Ἀναμνήσθητι τοῦ ∆εσπότου τοῦ σοῦ, καὶ τὸ φάρμακον εὐθέως ἐπέθηκας τῇ μνήμῃ· ἀναμνήσθητι Παύλου· ἐννόησον ὅτι σὺ ἐνίκησας ὁ πληττόμενος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἥττηται ὁ πλήξας, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἰάσω διὰ τούτου. Ῥοπή ἐστι, μὴ συναρπαγῇς, καὶ τὸ πᾶν κατώρθωσας εὐθέως· μὴ κινηθῇς, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἔσβεσας. Μεγάλη παραμυθία τὸ διὰ Χριστόν τι παθεῖν· οὐ κηρύττεις τὸν λόγον τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ κηρύττεις τὸν λόγον τῆς φιλοσοφίας. Ἀλλ' ὅσῳ ἂν ἴδῃ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν, φησὶ, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἐπιτίθεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν ἀλγεῖς, ὅτι μᾶλλόν σοι τοὺς μισθοὺς αὔξει; Ἀλλ' ἄχρηστος γίνεται, φησί. Τοῦτο σκῆψις τῆς ἰδίας