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of nature was that blessed one? For I am kindled with longing for the man, and for this reason I do not cease to turn him over and over continually; and just as looking into some archetypal image, into his soul, I consider the contempt for the passions, the excess of his courage, the burning ardor of his love for God, and I am astonished, how one man, having willed it, accomplished the whole collection of virtues, while each of us does not even wish to accomplish a chance thing. Who then will deliver us from the inescapable punishment, when Paul has displayed so great a magnitude of virtue, he who partook of the same nature as we, who was subject to the same passions, who lived in such difficulty of times, and was, so to speak, dragged, torn apart, and publicly hauled about each day by those who fought against the preaching? And so that you may not hear from our tongue the achievements of this blessed man, and the courage which he showed each day on behalf of the preaching of piety, it is necessary to hear him saying: But in whatever anyone dares—I speak in foolishness—I also dare. Observe a God-loving soul; he calls the matter not only daring, but also foolishness; teaching us not to parade our accomplishments simply, without necessity and with nothing compelling us, if any of us should be found to have done something good. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. On these things, he says, are they proud? Let them not think that we are left behind; for we also partake of the same things. Then he added: Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more. Behold for me here the virtue of the soul of this blessed man; for since he called what was done by him both daring and foolishness, although he found himself in so great a necessity, not even so was he content with what was said, but when he was about to show himself surpassing them by a great measure, 63.801 so that no one might think that he uttered these things out of self-love, again he calls what was said by him foolishness; all but saying: Do I not know that I am doing a thing which appears so to many, and is not fitting for me? but the great necessity that has pushed me to this forces me; therefore forgive me, he says, for uttering words of foolishness. Let us imitate even the shadow of this man, we who have such burdens of sins lying upon us, and often accomplish one small thing, and do not even endure to keep this in the storehouses of our mind, but because we hunt for glory from men, we parade it, and put it forth in public, and through this untimely chatter deprive ourselves of the reward from God? But this blessed one did not suffer any such thing, but having said, "I am more," he then enumerates the achievements of his courage, and says: In labors more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths often. What do you say? Strange and paradoxical is what is said by you. For is it possible to endure death often? Yes, he says; even if not in experience, yet in will; teaching us that he continually gave himself over to such dangers for the sake of the preaching, which produce death for him; but the grace of God preserved the athlete in the very midst of the dangers, so that great benefit came from him to those who were being taught; and what follows next again conceals, so to speak, all that has been said; For who is weak, he says, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? Oh, how great is this man's tender affection, how great 63.802 his watchfulness, how great his care! What mother is so torn in her heart, when her child is feverish and lying on a bed, as this blessed one was? On behalf of those who were weak in every place, he was weaker still, and on behalf of those who were made to stumble, he burned. For observe for me the emphasis of the word; he did not say, "Who is made to stumble, and I am not grieved," but, "I burn," he says, indicating to us the intensity of the pain, and all but showing himself being set on fire and burning inwardly on behalf of those who endured the scandals. I know that to a great

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φύσεως ἦν ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος; Ἐκκαίομαι γὰρ εἰς τὸν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πόθον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς αὐτὸν περιστρέφων οὐ παύομαι· καὶ ὥσπερ εἰς ἀρχέτυπόν τινα εἰκόνα, εἰς τὴν τούτου ψυχὴν ἐνορῶν, λογίζομαι τῶν παθῶν τὴν ὑπεροψίαν, τῆς ἀνδρίας τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, τοῦ φίλτρου τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸ διάπυρον, καὶ ἐκπλήττομαι, πῶς πᾶσαν μὲν τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν συναγωγὴν εἷς ἄνθρωπος βουληθεὶς κατώρθωσεν, ἡμῶν δὲ ἕκαστος οὐδὲ τὸ τυχὸν κατορθοῦν βούλεται. Τίς οὖν ἡμᾶς ἐξαιρήσεται τῆς κολάσεως τῆς ἀπαραιτήτου, Παύλου τοσοῦτον μέγεθος ἀρετῆς ἐπιδειξαμένου, τοῦ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμῖν κοινωνοῦντος φύσεως, τοῦ τοῖς αὐτοῖς πάθεσιν ὑποκειμένου, τοῦ ἐν τοσαύτῃ καιρῶν δυσκολίᾳ γεγονότος, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ὡς εἰπεῖν ἑλκομένου, σπαραττομένου, καὶ δημοσίᾳ συρομένου ὑπὸ τῶν τῷ κηρύγματι πολεμούντων; Καὶ ἵνα μὴ παρὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας γλώττης ἀκούητε τὰ παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου κατορθώματα, καὶ τὴν ἀνδρίαν ἢν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας κηρύγματος καθ' ἑκάστην ἐπεδείκνυτο, ἀναγκαῖον αὐτοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λέγοντος· Ἐν ᾧ δ' ἄν τις τολμᾷ, ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ λέγω, τολμῶ κἀγώ. Σκόπει ψυχὴν φιλόθεον· οὐ μόνον τόλμαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφροσύνην τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖ· παιδεύων ἡμᾶς μὴ ἁπλῶς ἄνευ ἀνάγκης, καὶ μηδενὸς ἀναγκάζοντος, τὰ ὑφ' ἡμῶν γεγενημένα ἐκπομπεύειν, εἴγε τινὲς ἐξ ἡμῶν εὑρεθεῖεν ἀγαθόν τι ἐργασάμενοι. Ἑβραῖοί εἰσι; κἀγώ· Ἰσραηλῖταί εἰσι; κἀγώ· σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ εἰσι; κἀγώ. Ἐπὶ τούτοις, φησὶ, μέγα φρονοῦσι; μὴ νομιζέτωσαν λείπεσθαι ἡμᾶς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς τῶν αὐτῶν μετέχομεν. Εἶτα ἐπήγαγεν· ∆ιάκονοι Χριστοῦ εἰσι; παραφρονῶν λαλῶ, ὑπὲρ ἐγώ. Θέα μοι ἐνταῦθα τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀρετήν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ τόλμαν καὶ ἀφροσύνην ἐκάλεσε τὸ γεγενημένον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καίτοι εἰς τοσαύτην ἀνάγκην καταστὰς, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἠρκέσθη τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ἀλλ' ὅτε ἔμελλεν ἑαυτὸν δεικνύναι πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ ἐκεί 63.801 νους ὑπερακοντίζοντα, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ ἀπὸ φιλαυτίας αὐτὸν ταῦτα φθέγγεσθαι, πάλιν παραφροσύνην καλεῖ τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενον· μονονουχὶ λέγων· Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδα ὅτι πρᾶγμα ποιῶ τοῖς πολλοῖς παριστάμενον, καὶ οὐκ ἐμοὶ πρέπον· ἀλλ' ἡ πολλή με ἀνάγκη εἰς τοῦτο συνωθήσασα ἐκβιάζεται· διὸ σύγγνωτέ μοι, φησὶ, παραφροσύνης ῥήματα φθεγγομένῳ. Τούτου κἂν τὴν σκιὰν μιμησώμεθα ἡμεῖς οἱ τοσαῦτα φορτία ἁμαρτημάτων ἔχοντες ἐπικείμενα, καὶ πολλάκις ἕν τι βραχὺ κατορθοῦντες, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο εἰς τὰ ταμιεῖα τῆς διανοίας φυλάττειν ἀνεχόμενοι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων θηρᾶσθαι δόξαν ἐκπομπεύοντες, καὶ εἰς μέσον προτιθέντες, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀκαίρου ταύτης φλυαρίας τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀμοιβῆς ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστεροῦντες; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος τοιοῦτόν τι πέπονθεν, ἀλλ' εἰπὼν, Ὑπὲρ ἐγὼ, ἀπαριθμεῖται λοιπὸν τὰ τῆς ἀνδρίας αὐτοῦ κατορθώματα, καί φησιν· Ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως, ἐν πληγαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως, ἐν θανάτοις πολλάκις. Τί λέγεις; ξένον τι καὶ παράδοξόν ἐστι τὸ παρὰ σοῦ λεγόμενον. Ἔστι γὰρ πολλάκις θάνατον ὑπομεῖναι; Ναὶ, φησίν· εἰ καὶ μὴ τῇ πείρᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ γνώμῃ· διδάσκων ἡμᾶς, ὅτι διηνεκῶς τοιούτοις ἑαυτὸν κινδύνοις ἐξεδίδου διὰ τὸ κήρυγμα θάνατον αὐτῷ τίκτουσιν· ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάρις ἐν αὐτοῖς μέσοις τοῖς κινδύνοις τὸν ἀθλητὴν διεφύλαττεν, ὥστε τοῖς μαθητευομένοις πολλὴν γίνεσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ τὴν ὠφέλειαν· καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς δὲ ἐπαγόμενον πάλιν ἅπαντα ὡς εἰπεῖν τὰ εἰρημένα ἀποκρύπτει· Τίς γὰρ ἀσθενεῖ, φησὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; Βαβαὶ, πόση τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τούτου ἡ φιλοστοργία, πόση 63.802 ἡ ἀγρυπνία, πόση ἡ μέριμνα; ποία μήτηρ οὕτω διακόπτεται τὰ σπλάγχνα, τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτῆς πυρέττοντος, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης κειμένου, ὡς ὁ μακάριος οὗτος; ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν ἑκάστῳ τόπῳ ἀσθενούντων μᾶλλον ἠσθένει, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων ἐπυροῦτο. Σκόπει γάρ μοι λέξεως ἔμφασιν· οὐκ εἶπε, Τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ λυποῦμαι, ἀλλὰ, Πυροῦμαι, φησὶ, τὴν ἐπίτασιν ἡμῖν τῆς ὀδύνης δηλῶν, καὶ μονονουχὶ δεικνὺς ἐμπυριζόμενον αὐτὸν καὶ καιόμενον ἔνδοθεν ὑπὲρ τῶν τὰ σκάνδαλα ὑπομενόντων. Οἶδα ὅτι εἰς πολὺ