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having laid it aside, and wandering through the world almost naked in his soul, and having banished every passion from his mind, and imitating the impassibility of the incorporeal powers; he bore all other things easily as if suffering in another's body, and prisons and chains and banishments and scourgings and threats and death, and every form of punishment; but having been separated from one soul beloved by him, he was so confounded and disturbed, that in the place where he expected to see the one he loved but did not find him, he immediately fled from the city. What is this, O blessed Paul? While bound in the stocks, and dwelling in prison, and with scourgings laid upon you, and your back drenched with blood, you both initiated and baptized, and offered the sacrifice, and did not despise one who was about to be saved; but having come to Troas and finding the field cleared, and ready to receive the seeds, did you cast away from your hands so great a gain, and immediately flee? Yes, he says; for I was held by a great tyranny of despondency, and the absence of Titus greatly constrained my mind, and it so seized and overcame me, as to compel me to do this. Do you see what a great contest it is to be able to bear gently 63.793 the separation from a loved one? how painful and bitter a thing? how it requires a lofty and vigorous soul? For it is not enough for those who love to be bound only in soul, nor do they find this sufficient for comfort, but they also need bodily presence; and if this is not present, no small part of their gladness is cut off. Do you wish to learn how great a weapon it is for drawing the brethren to oneself, even if some are unbelievers, to be gentle and mild and to offer a sweet disposition? hear what Paul says when going before an unbelieving judge to be judged: I think myself happy, being about to be judged before you. And he said these things, not flattering him; far from it; but wishing to win him over through mildness. Therefore he also won him in part, and he who was thought to be the condemned took the judge captive, and the one subdued himself confesses the victory with a clear voice in the presence of all, saying: In a little you persuade me to become a Christian. What then of Paul? I would pray, that not only you, but also all who are present might become such as I am. Indeed, the signs of Paul's miracles are many in many places, but they are not as desirable as the marks; and it does not gladden me as much in the Scriptures when he works miracles, as when he is suffering evil, being scourged, dragged, stoned; For having stoned him, it says, they dragged him outside the city; and again, Having beaten him, and laid many stripes upon him, they threw him into prison. How great a boast, how great a pleasure, how great an honor, how great a splendor, to know that he was bound for Christ's sake? But see the wondrous thing; And the prison was shaken, it says, while Paul was bound, and everyone's chains were loosed. Have you seen the nature of bonds loosing bonds? And the jailer, waking up, and seeing the doors of the prison opened, drawing his sword, was about to kill himself. What then of Paul? He cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm; for we are all here. Do you see his freedom from vainglory, and his lack of pride, and his affection? He did not say that these things happened because of us, but as if he were one of the prisoners, he says: For we are all here. For if he had been silent, and had not restrained that man's hands with his loud voice, he would have thrust the sword through his throat. But he cried out, since he had been cast into the inner prison. You have done this against yourself, he says, by casting further in those who were about to free you from danger. Did you see the philanthropy and care of Paul? he chose rather to be bound and to be in danger himself, than to see that man perish. And just as some soldier who has the whole world warring against him, and moves about in the midst of the enemy ranks, and suffers nothing terrible; so also Paul, alone among barbarians, among Greeks, appearing everywhere on land, everywhere on sea. And just as a spark falling into stubble or grass to its own

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ἀποθέμενος, καὶ γυμνῇ σχεδὸν τὴν οἰκουμένην περιιὼν τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ πᾶν πάθος ἐξορίσας τῆς διανοίας, καὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων τὴν ἀπάθειαν μιμούμενος· τὰ μὲν ἄλλα πάντα ῥᾳδίως ἔφερεν ὡς ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ πάσχων σώματι, καὶ δεσμωτήρια καὶ ἁλύσεις καὶ ἀπαγωγὰς καὶ μάστιγας καὶ ἀπειλὰς καὶ θάνατον, καὶ πᾶν κολάσεως εἶδος· μιᾶς δὲ ψυχῆς ἀγαπωμένης παρ' αὐτοῦ χωρισθεὶς, οὕτω συνεχύθη καὶ διεταράχθη, ὡς ἐν ᾗ τὸν ἀγαπώμενον προσδοκῶν ἰδεῖν οὐχ εὗρεν, εὐθέως καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀποπηδῆσαι. Τί τοῦτο, ὦ μακάριε Παῦλε; ξύλῳ μὲν δεδεμένος, καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκῶν, καὶ μάστιγας ἔχων ἐπικειμένας, καὶ τὰ νῶτα αἵματι περιῤῥεόμενος, καὶ ἐμυσταγώγεις καὶ ἐβάπτιζες, καὶ θυσίαν προσῆγες, καὶ ἑνὸς οὐ κατεφρόνησας μέλλοντος σώζεσθαι· εἰς δὲ τὴν Τρῳάδα ἐλθὼν καὶ τὴν ἄρουραν εὑρὼν ἐκκεκαθαρμένην, καὶ ἑτοίμην οὖσαν τὰ σπέρματα ὑποδέξασθαι, τοσοῦτον ἔῤῥιψας ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν κέρδος, καὶ ἀπεπήδησας εὐθέως; Ναὶ, φησί· πολλῇ γὰρ κατεσχέθην ἀθυμίας τυραννίδι, καὶ σφόδρα μου συνέσχε τὴν διάνοιαν ἡ Τίτου ἀπουσία, καὶ οὕτω μου ἐκράτησε καὶ περιεγένετο, ὡς ἀναγκάσαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Εἶδες πῶς μέγιστος ἆθλος τὸ δυνηθῆναι ἐνεγκεῖν πράως 63.793 ἀγαπωμένου χωρισμόν; πῶς ὀδυνηρὸν πρᾶγμα καὶ πικρόν; πῶς ὑψηλῆς δεόμενον καὶ νεανικῆς ψυχῆς; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι μόνον τὸ τῇ ψυχῇ συνδεδέσθαι, οὐδὲ ἀποχρῶνται τούτῳ εἰς παραμυθίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σωματικῆς δέονται παρουσίας· κἂν μὴ τοῦτο προσῇ, οὐ μικρὸν τῆς εὐφροσύνης ὑποτέτμηται μέρος. Βούλει μαθεῖν ἡλίκον ὅπλον ἐστὶν εἰς τὸ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐπισπᾶσθαι, κἂν ἄπιστοί τινες εἶεν, τὸ πρᾶον εἶναι καὶ ἥμερον καὶ γλυκὺν παρεχόμενον τρόπον; ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος πρὸς δικαστὴν εἰσιὼν ἄπιστον κριθησόμενος· Μακάριον ἥγημαι ἐμαυτὸν, μέλλων ἐπὶ σοῦ κρίνεσθαι. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐ κολακεύων αὐτόν· ἄπαγε· ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἡμερότητος κερδᾶναι βουλόμενος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐκ μέρους ἐκέρδανε, καὶ τὸν δικαστὴν εἷλεν ὁ τέως κατάδικος εἶναι νομιζόμενος, καὶ τὴν νίκην αὐτὸς ὁ χειρωθεὶς ὁμολογεῖ λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ παρόντων ἁπάντων, λέγων· Ἐν ὀλίγῳ με πείθεις Χριστιανὸν γενέσθαι. Τί οὖν ὁ Παῦλος; Εὐξαίμην ἂν ἔγωγε, μὴ μόνον σὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς παρόντας ἅπαντας τοῦτο γενέσθαι, ὅπερ ἐγώ. Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν πολλαχοῦ τῶν Παύλου θαυμάτων τὰ σημεῖα τυγχάνει, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἐστὶ ποθεινὰ ὡς τὰ στίγματα· καὶ οὐχ οὕτω με ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς εὐφραίνει θαύματα ἐργαζόμενος, ὥσπερ πάσχων κακῶς, μαστιζόμενος, συρόμενος, λιθαζόμενος· Λιθάσαντες γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἔσυρον ἔξω τῆς πόλεως· καὶ πάλιν, ∆είραντες αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπιθέντες πολλὰς πληγὰς, ἔβαλον εἰς φυλακήν. Πόσον καύχημα, πόση ἡδονὴ, πόση τιμὴ, πόση λαμπρότης, εἰδέναι, ὅτι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐδέθη; Ἀλλ' ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστόν· Καὶ ἐσείσθη, φησὶ, τὸ δεσμωτήριον δεδεμένου Παύλου, καὶ πάντων τὰ δεσμὰ ἀνέθη. Εἶδες δεσμῶν φύσιν τὰ δεσμὰ ἀναλύουσαν; Ἔξυπνος δὲ γενόμενος ὁ δεσμοφύλαξ, καὶ ἰδὼν ἀνεῳγμένας τὰς θύρας τῆς φυλακῆς, σπασάμενος μάχαιραν, ἔμελλεν ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρεῖν. Τί οὖν ὁ Παῦλος; Ἐφώνησε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, λέγων, Μηδὲν πράξῃς σαυτῷ κακόν· πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε. Ὁρᾷς αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀκενόδοξον, καὶ τὸ ἄτυφον καὶ τὸ φιλόστοργον; Οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι ∆ι' ἡμᾶς ταῦτα γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ὡσανεὶ τῶν δεσμωτῶν εἷς, φησί· Πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐνθάδε. Εἰ γὰρ ἐσίγησε, καὶ μὴ διὰ τῆς μεγάλης φωνῆς κατέσχεν ἐκείνου τὰς χεῖρας, ὤθησεν ἂν διὰ τοῦ λαιμοῦ τὸ ξίφος. Ἐβόησε δὲ, ἐπειδὴ εἰς τὴν ἐνδοτέραν φυλακὴν ἦν βεβλημένος. Κατὰ σαυτοῦ τοῦτο πεποίηκας, φησὶν, ἐνδοτέρω βαλὼν τοὺς μέλλοντάς σε ἐλευθεροῦν τοῦ κινδύνου. Εἶδες τὸ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ κηδεμονικὸν τοῦ Παύλου; εἵλετο δεδέσθαι μᾶλλον καὶ κινδυνεύειν αὐτὸς, ἢ ἐκεῖνον ἰδεῖν ἀπολλύμενον. Καὶ καθάπερ τις στρατιώτης τὴν οἰκουμένην πολεμοῦσαν ἔχων ἅπασαν, καὶ ἐν μέσοις τοῖς τάγμασι τῶν πολεμίων στρεφόμενος, καὶ μηδὲν πάσχων δεινόν· οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος, μόνος ἐν βαρβάροις, ἐν Ἕλλησι, πανταχοῦ γῆς, πανταχοῦ θαλάττης φαινόμενος. Καὶ ὥσπερ σπινθὴρ εἰς καλάμην ἢ χόρτον ἐμπίπτων πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ