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this leap. Who will speak of your mighty acts, O Lord, that you did not let Paul be hidden, that you showed such a man to the world? All the angels praised you with one accord, when you made the stars, and when you made the sun, but not so much as when you showed Paul to the whole world. For this reason the earth has become more brilliant 63.790 than heaven, since he is more brilliant than the light of the sun. And this sun yields to the night, but he overcame the devil; and the one, being carried from on high, sends down his rays; but he, rising from below, did not fill the space between heaven and earth with light, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he filled the angels with great pleasure. For if there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, and he in his first public speech caught five myriads of men, how much joy does he not fill the powers above with? And what am I saying? It is enough for Paul simply to speak, for the heavens to leap and rejoice. For what is more fervent than his heart, who ran about everywhere in the world, being dragged, being stoned, in order to loose those who were bound, and to bring them over to himself? For he did not accomplish things as one fighting, but as one coming to a ready and certain victory, so he set up trophies, digging up, tearing down, casting down the strongholds of the devil, and the devices of demons, and he did not take even a little breath, but leaping from these to those, and again from those to others, and like some excellent general setting up trophies every day, or rather, every hour. For entering the battle line with only a tunic, he would capture the cities of the enemy, men and all; and the tongue of Paul was bow and spear and arrow and everything. For he only spoke, and his sayings fell upon the enemies more vehemently than any fire, they drove out the demons, and brought back to him the men possessed by them. For when he cast out that evil demon, five myriads of sorcerers came together and burned their books of magic, and they were converted to the truth. And just as in war when a tower has fallen, or a tyrant has been brought down, all those with him, throwing away their weapons, run to the general, so indeed it happened then; for when the demon was cast out, they were all besieged, and throwing away their books, or rather destroying them, they ran to Paul's feet. But he, being arrayed against the world as against a single army, stood nowhere, but as if he were winged, he did everything; and now he straightened a lame man, now he raised a dead man, now he maimed another, the magician I mean; and not even when shut up in prison did he keep quiet, but even there he brought the jailer over to himself, working this beautiful captivity. David is admired for bringing down Goliath with only a single stone; but if one were to examine the achievements of Paul, that was the work of a child; and as great as the difference is between a shepherd and a general, so great is the difference between this one and that one; for this one did not bring down the spiritual Goliath by throwing a stone, but by only speaking he destroyed the entire phalanx of the devil. And like a lion roaring and sending forth a flame from his tongue, so he was unbearable to all as he advanced; and he continually leaped about everywhere, he ran to these, he went to those, he moved to these, he leaped away to others, advancing faster than the wind; and 63.791 like one house or one ship, governing the entire world, and drawing up those being baptized, and strengthening those who were dizzy, encouraging the sailors, sitting at the helm, looking about the prow, pulling ropes, rowing an oar, hoisting a sail, looking to heaven, being himself all things, both sailor and pilot and lookout and sail and ship, and suffering all things in order to loose the evils of others. And like some athlete, himself wrestling, running, boxing; or a soldier fighting at the walls, fighting on foot, fighting at sea; so he pursued every form of battle; and he breathed fire, and was unapproachable to all,

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τοῦτο τὸ πήδημα. Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας σου, Κύριε, ὅτι Παῦλον οὐκ ἀφῆκας λαθεῖν, ὅτι ἔδειξας τῇ οἰκουμένῃ τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα; Ἤνεσάν σε πάντες ἄγγελοι ὁμοθυμαδὸν, ὅτε τὰ ἄστρα εἰργάσω, καὶ ὅτε τὸν ἥλιον, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως, ὡς ὅτε Παῦλον ἔδειξας τῇ οἰκουμένῃ πάσῃ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο φαιδροτέρα γέγονεν ἡ γῆ 63.790 τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἐπειδὴ φαιδρότερος οὗτος τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ φωτός. Καὶ οὗτος μὲν ὁ ἥλιος παραχωρεῖ τῇ νυκτὶ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῦ διαβόλου περιεγένετο· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀφ' ὕψους φερόμενος, κάτω τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀφίησιν· αὐτὸς δὲ κάτωθεν ἀνατέλλων, οὐχὶ τὸ μέσον οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς τοῦ φωτὸς ἀνεπλήρωσεν, ἀλλ' ἅμα τό τε στόμα ἠνέῳξε, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἐνέπλησε πολλῆς τῆς ἡδονῆς. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι χαρὰ γίνεται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκ πρώτης δημηγορίας μυριάδας πέντε ἀνδρῶν ἐθήρευσε, πόσης οὐκ ἐμπίπλησι χαρᾶς τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις; Καὶ τί λέγω; ἁπλῶς ἀρκεῖ Παῦλον φθέγγεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς σκιρτᾷν καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι. Τί γὰρ τῶν σπλάγχνων τούτου θερμότερον, ὃς πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης περιέτρεχε συρόμενος, λιθαζόμενος, ἵνα τοὺς δεδεμένους λύσῃ, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν μεταστήσῃ; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὡς μαχόμενος, οὕτω τὰ πράγματα ἤνυεν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπὶ ἑτοίμην καὶ πρόχειρον νίκην ἐρχόμενος, οὕτως ἵστη τὰ τρόπαια, κατασκάπτων, καθαιρῶν, καταβάλλων τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ ὀχυρώματα, καὶ τῶν δαιμόνων τὰ μηχανήματα, καὶ οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἀνέπνει, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τούτων ἐπ' ἐκείνους, καὶ πάλιν ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἐφ' ἑτέρους μεταπηδῶν, καὶ καθάπερ τις στρατηγὸς ἄριστος καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἱστῶν τρόπαια, μᾶλλον δὲ καθ' ἑκάστην ὥραν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ χιτωνίσκου μόνον εἰς τὴν παράταξιν εἰσελθὼν, αὐτάνδρους ᾕρει τῶν ἐναντίων τὰς πόλεις· καὶ τόξα καὶ δόρατα καὶ βέλη καὶ πάντα ἡ γλῶττα Παύλου. Καὶ γὰρ ἐφθέγγετο μόνον, καὶ παντὸς πυρὸς σφοδρότερον τοῖς πολεμίοις αἱ ῥήσεις ἐμπίπτουσαι, τοὺς μὲν δαίμονας ἤλαυνον, τοὺς δὲ ὑπ' αὐτῶν κατεχομένους ἀνθρώπους πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπανήγαγον. Ὅτε γὰρ τὸν δαίμονα ἐκεῖνον τὸν πονηρὸν ἐξέβαλε, γοήτων ἀνδρῶν μυριάδες πέντε συνελθόντες τὰ βιβλία τῶν μαγειῶν κατέκαιον, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν μεθίσταντο. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐν πολέμῳ πύργου πεσόντος, ἢ τυράννου κατενεχθέντος, οἱ μετ' ἐκείνου πάντες τὰ ὅπλα ῥίψαντες τῷ στρατηγῷ προστρέχουσιν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τότε ἐγένετο· τοῦ γὰρ δαίμονος ἐκβληθέντος πολιορκηθέντες ἅπαντες, καὶ τὰ βιβλία ῥίψαντες, μᾶλλον δὲ καταλύσαντες, τοῖς Παύλου ποσὶ προσέτρεχον. Ὁ δὲ καθάπερ ἑνὶ στρατοπέδῳ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ παραταττόμενος, οὐδαμοῦ ἵστατο, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τις ὑπόπτερος ὢν, πάντα ἐποίει· καὶ νῦν μὲν χωλὸν διώρθου, νῦν δὲ νεκρὸν ἤγειρε, νῦν δὲ ἕτερον ἐπήρου, τὸν μάγον λέγω· καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ κατακλειόμενος ἡσύχαζεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖ τὸν δεσμοφύλακα μετῆγε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, τὴν καλὴν ταύτην αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐργαζόμενος. Θαυμάζεται ∆αυῒδ τὸν Γολιὰθ καταφέρων ἀπὸ λίθου μόνον ἑνός· ἀλλ' εἰ τὰ Παύλου κατορθώματά τις ἐξετάσειεν, παιδὸς ἔργον ἐκεῖνο· καὶ ὅσον ποιμένος καὶ στρατηγοῦ τὸ μέσον, τοσοῦτον τούτου κἀκείνου τὸ διάφορον· οὗτος γὰρ οὐ λίθον ῥίπτων τὸν νοητὸν Γολιὰθ κατέφερεν, ἀλλὰ φθεγγόμενος μόνον ἅπασαν κατέλυσε τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν φάλαγγα. Καὶ καθάπερ λέων βρυχώμενος καὶ φλόγα ἀπὸ τῆς γλώττης ἀφιεὶς, οὕτω πᾶσιν ἀφόρητος ἦν ἐπιών· καὶ πανταχοῦ μετεπήδα συνεχῶς, ἔδραμεν ἐπὶ τούτους, ἦλθεν ἐπ' ἐκείνους, μετέστη πρὸς τούτους, ἀπεπήδησε πρὸς ἑτέρους, ἀνέμου ταχύτερον ἐπιών· καὶ 63.791 καθάπερ μίαν οἰκίαν ἢ πλοῖον ἓν, τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν κυβερνῶν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν βαπτιζομένους ἀνέλκων, τοὺς δὲ ἰλιγγιῶντας στηρίζων, τοῖς ναύταις παρακελευόμενος, ἐπὶ τῶν αὐχένων καθήμενος, τὴν πρώραν περισκοπῶν, σχοινία τείνων, κώπην ἐλαύνων, ἱστίον ἕλκων, πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπων, πάντα αὐτὸς ὢν, καὶ ναύτης καὶ κυβερνήτης καὶ πρωρεὺς καὶ ἱστίον καὶ πλοῖον, καὶ πάντα πάσχων ἵνα τὰ ἑτέρων λύσῃ κακά. Καὶ καθάπερ τις ἀθλητὴς, αὐτὸς παλαίων, τρέχων, πυκτεύων· ἢ στρατιώτης τειχομαχῶν, πεζομαχῶν, ναυμαχῶν· οὕτω πᾶν εἶδος μετῄει μάχης· καὶ πῦρ ἐνέπνει, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀπρόσιτος ἦν,