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having fought about circumcision, the one who moved all things, and not desisting until he succeeded, with the decree having been ratified, he circumcises the disciple. Not only does he not hinder others, but he even does this himself. Nothing is wiser than Paul; so that he looked at all things with a view to what was expedient; he did nothing simply from prejudice. This man, he says, he wished to go out with him. This is the wonderful thing, that he even took him along. Because of the Jews, he says, who were in those places. This is the reason for circumcising; for they would not have endured to hear the word from an uncircumcised man. And what? See the achievement; he circumcised, in order to abolish circumcision; for he was preaching the decrees of the apostles. Do you see a battle, and through battle, edification? Not being warred upon by others, but themselves also doing contrary things, thus they built up the Church. They introduced a decree not to circumcise, and he circumcises. And they increased, it says, in number daily. Did you see the gain of the circumcision? Then for the rest he does not spend time on these things, since he came to visit; but what? He goes on further. 60.248 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them to keep the decrees that were decided upon by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. So the Churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. And having passed through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, leaving Phrygia and Galatia, they hastened into the interior. Having come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit did not permit them. Now why they were forbidden, he does not say; but that they were forbidden, he did say, teaching us only to obey and not to seek the reasons, and showing that they did many things in a human way as well. And passing by Mysia they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; A certain man of Macedonia was standing, entreating him and saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. Why a vision, and not the Holy Spirit command? He wished them to be drawn on in this way also; since also a dream appeared to the saints; and from the beginning he himself saw a vision, of a man coming in and laying his hands on him. Then also for this reason He draws him there, that the preaching might be extended. And besides, also for this reason he is hindered from spending time in the other cities, Christ urging him on. For these were going to enjoy John for a long time, and perhaps were not at all in need; but there it was necessary to go. And so, crossing over, he will go forth. And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. And setting sail from Troas we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a colony. And we were in that city spending some days. Thus also Christ appears to him, saying, that you must stand before Caesar. Then he also names the places, as one relating a history, and showing where he lingered; and he shows that it was in the greater ones, while the others he passed by. The colony is a dignity of a city. But let us look at what was said from the beginning. He lays a necessity upon Barnabas of the journey, saying: Let us visit the cities in which we have proclaimed the word. And yet it was not right to ask him, who was about to accuse him after this. 4. This happens also in the case of God and Moses; the one asks, the other is angry. For example when He says: If her father had but spit in her face; and again, Let Me alone, that being angered I may blot out this people; and Samuel, when he mourns for Saul; for through both great goods come about. So also here, the one is angry, the other no longer is. This also happens in our case. And the contention with reason, that that one might be taught, and the matter not seem to be a pretense. For he who yielded everywhere would not here have not yielded, he who so loved Paul, as even before this to have sought him out in Tarsus, and to have brought him to the apostles, and to have worked the alms in common, and to have accepted in common the things concerning the decree. Not then through

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μαχεσάμενος περὶ τῆς περιτομῆς, ὁ πάντα κινήσας, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ἀποστὰς, ἕως ὅτε κατώρθωσε, τοῦ δόγματος κυρωθέντος, περιτέμνει τὸν μαθητήν. Οὐ μόνον ἑτέρους οὐ κωλύει, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο ἐργάζεται. Οὐδὲν Παύλου συνετώτερον· ὥστε πάντα πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἑώρα· οὐδὲν ἁπλῶς ἐποίει προλήψει. Τοῦτον ἠθέλησε, φησὶν, ἐξελθεῖν σὺν αὐτῷ. Τὸ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο, ὅτι καὶ ἐπήγετο αὐτόν. ∆ιὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, φησὶ, τοὺς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς τόποις ἐκείνοις. Αὕτη ἡ αἰτία τοῦ περιτεμεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἠνέσχοντο παρὰ ἀκροβύστου τὸν λόγον ἀκοῦσαι. Καὶ τί; Ὅρα τὸ κατόρθωμα· περιέτεμεν, ἵνα περιτομὴν καθέλῃ· τὰ δόγματα γὰρ ἐκήρυττε τὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων. Ὁρᾷς μάχην, καὶ διὰ μάχης οἰκοδομήν; Οὐ παρ' ἑτέρων πολεμούμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐναντία ποιοῦντες, οὕτω τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ᾠκοδόμουν. ∆όγμα εἰσήνεγκαν μὴ περιτέμνειν, καὶ περιτέμνει. Καὶ ἐπερίσσευον, φησὶ, τῷ ἀριθμῷ καθ' ἡμέραν. Εἶδες τὸ κέρδος τῆς περιτομῆς; Εἶτα λοιπὸν οὐκ ἐνδιατρίβει τούτοις, ἅτε ἐπισκέψασθαι ἐλθών· ἀλλὰ τί; Πόῤῥω πρόεισιν. 60.248 Ὡς δὲ διεπορεύοντο τὰς πόλεις, παρεδίδουν αὐτοῖς φυλάσσειν τὰ δόγματα τὰ κεκριμένα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Αἱ μὲν οὖν Ἐκκλησίαι ἐστερεοῦντο τῇ πίστει, καὶ ἐπερίσσευον τῷ ἀριθμῷ καθ' ἡμέραν. ∆ιελθόντες δὲ τὴν Φρυγίαν καὶ τὴν Γαλατικὴν χώραν, κωλυθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος λαλῆσαι τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, τὴν Φρυγίαν καὶ τὴν Γαλατίαν ἀφέντες, εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιον ἔσπευδον. Ἐλθόντες κατὰ τὴν Μυσίαν ἐπείραζον εἰς τὴν Βιθυνίαν πορεύεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ εἴασεν αὐτοὺς τὸ Πνεῦμα. ∆ιὰ τί μὲν οὖν ἐκωλύθησαν, οὐ λέγει· ὅτι δὲ ἐκωλύθησαν, εἶπε, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς πείθεσθαι μόνον καὶ μὴ ζητεῖν τὰς αἰτίας, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι πολλὰ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνως ἐποίουν. Παρελθόντες δὲ τὴν Μυσίαν κατέβησαν εἰς Τρωάδα. Καὶ ὅραμα διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ὤφθη τῷ Παύλῳ· Ἀνήρ τις ἦν Μακεδὼν ἑστὼς, παρακαλῶν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγων· ∆ιαβὰς εἰς Μακεδονίαν, βοήθησον ἡμῖν. ∆ιὰ τί ὅραμα, καὶ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐκέλευσεν; Ἐβούλετο αὐτοὺς καὶ οὕτως ἐφέλκεσθαι· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ὄναρ ἐφάνη· καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτὸς ὅραμα εἶδεν, ἄνδρα εἰσελθόντα καὶ ἐπιθέντα αὐτῷ χεῖρας. Εἶτα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ ἕλκει, ἵνα ἐκτείνηται τὸ κήρυγμα. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κωλύεται ἐνδιατρῖψαι ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσιν, ἐπείγοντος αὐτὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ ἔμελλον ἀπολαύσεσθαι Ἰωάννου καὶ χρόνον πολὺν, καὶ ἴσως οὐδὲ πάνυ ἐδέοντο· ἐκεῖ δὲ ἀπελθεῖν ἔδει. Καὶ ἀντιπεράσας λοιπὸν ἔξεισιν. Ὡς δὲ τὸ ὅραμα εἶδεν, εὐθέως ἐζητήσαμεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς Μακεδονίαν, συμβιβάζοντες ὅτι προσκέκληται ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος εὐαγγελίσασθαι αὐτούς. Ἀναχθέντες δὲ ἀπὸ Τρωάδος εὐθυδρομήσαμεν εἰς Σαμοθρᾴκην, τῇ τε ἐπιούσῃ εἰς Νεάπολιν, ἐκεῖθέν τε εἰς Φιλίππους, ἥτις ἐστὶ πρώτη τῆς Μακεδονίας πόλις, κολώνεια. Ἦμεν δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πόλει διατρίβοντες ἡμέρας τινάς. Οὕτως αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς φαίνεται λέγων, ὅτι Καίσαρί σε δεῖ παραστῆναι. Εἶτα λέγει καὶ τοὺς τόπους, ἅτε ἱστορίαν ἐξηγούμενος, καὶ δεικνὺς ποῦ ἐνεχρόνισε· καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι ἐν ταῖς μείζοσι, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας παρῄει. Ἀξίωμά ἐστι πόλεως ἡ κολώνεια. Ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν ἴδωμεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Ἀνάγκην περιτίθησι τῷ Βαρνάβᾳ τῆς ἀποδημίας λέγων· Ἐπισκεψώμεθα τὰς πόλεις, ἐν αἷς κατηγγείλαμεν τὸν λόγον. Καίτοι οὐκ ἔδει ἀξιοῦν αὐτὸν μέλλοντα κατηγορεῖν μετὰ ταῦτα. δʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ γίνεται καὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως· ὁ μὲν ἀξιοῖ, ὁ δὲ ὀργίζεται. Οἷον ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Εἰ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῆς ἐνέπτυσεν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς· καὶ πάλιν, Ἄφες με, καὶ θυμωθεὶς ἐξαλείψω τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον· καὶ ὁ Σαμουὴλ, ὅταν πενθῇ τὸν Σαούλ· δι' ἑκατέρων γὰρ μεγάλα γίνεται ἀγαθά. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ μὲν ὀργίζεται, ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἔτι. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν γίνεται. Καὶ ὁ παροξυσμὸς εἰκότως, ἵνα ἐκεῖνος παιδευθῇ, καὶ μὴ δόξῃ σκηνὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα εἶναι. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὁ πανταχοῦ εἴκων, ἐνταῦθα οὐκ εἶξεν, ὁ οὕτω Παῦλον φιλῶν, ὥστε καὶ πρὸ τούτου ζητῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐν Ταρσῷ, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους αὐτὸν ἀπενεγκεῖν, καὶ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην κοινὴν ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸ δόγμα κοινῇ καταδέξασθαι. Οὐκ ἂν οὖν διὰ