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more glorious. And this is not yet the great thing, that he conquered, but that in such a guise he conquered one in such a state. Who will tell 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. Because of this, the earth has become brighter than the heaven, since this man is brighter than the light of the sun. And this sun indeed yields to the night, but that man overcame the devil; and the one, carried from on high, sends down its 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 much delight. For if there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, and he from his first public speech caught five myriads of men, with how much joy does he not fill the powers above? And what am I saying? It is simply enough for Paul to speak, for the heavens to leap and rejoice. If then Paul, boasting in so many achievements, and appearing like an angel on the earth, was eager each 63.817 day to make a gain, and to array himself for the dangers on behalf of the truth, and to gather for himself spiritual merchandise, and never to stand still; what apology could we have, who are not only destitute of all achievements, but also subject to so many faults, of which even one alone, if it belonged to us, would be sufficient to bring us down into the very abyss of destruction, and we make no effort even to correct these, let alone to take up the works of virtue? Or was not that blessed one of the same nature as us? For I am inflamed with longing for the man, and for this reason I do not cease to turn him over and over constantly; and as to some archetypal image, to this man's 63.816 ...nes and barbarians and Scythians and those at the very ends of the world sing each day? and who is more venerable, the one who conquers in chains, or the one who is conquered in a purple robe, the one standing below and striking, or the one sitting above and being struck? the one commanding and being despised, or the one being commanded and having no regard for the commands? the one being alone and prevailing, or the one being defeated with ten thousand armies? For if to conquer is more splendid than to be conquered, Paul is by all means more glorious. And this is not yet the great thing, that he conquered, but that in such a guise he conquered one in such a state. Who will tell 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. Because of this, the earth has become brighter than the heaven, since this man is brighter than the light of the sun. And this sun indeed yields to the night, but that man overcame the devil; and the one, carried from on high, sends down its 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 much delight. For if there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, and he from his first public speech caught five myriads of men, with how much joy does he not fill the powers above? And what am I saying? It is simply enough for Paul to speak, for the heavens to leap and rejoice. If then Paul, boasting in so many achievements, and appearing like an angel on the earth, was eager each 63.817 day to make a gain, and to array himself for the dangers on behalf of the truth, and to gather for himself spiritual merchandise, and never to stand still; what apology could we have, who are not only destitute of all achievements, but also subject to so many faults, of which even one alone, if it belonged to us, would be sufficient to bring us down into the very abyss of destruction, and we make no effort even to correct these,

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ἐνδοξότερος. Καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο μέγα, ὅτι ἐνίκησεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐν τοιούτῳ σχήματι τὸν ἐν τοιούτῳ ἐνίκησε. 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 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 ἐπλήρωσεν, ἀλλ' ἅμα τὸ στόμα ἀνέῳξε, 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. Εἰ τοίνυν Παῦλος, ὁ τοσούτοις κομῶν κατορθώμασι, καὶ καθάπερ ἄγγελος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς φαινόμενος, καθ' ἑκάστην 63.817 ἐσπούδαζε τὴν ἡμέραν κερδαίνειν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας κινδύνους παρατάττεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἐμπορίαν τὴν πνευματικὴν ἑαυτῷ συλλέγειν, καὶ μηδέποτε ἵστασθαι· ποίαν ἂν σχοίημεν ἡμεῖς ἀπολογίαν, οἱ μὴ μόνον πάντων ὄντες ἔρημοι τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοσούτοις ἐλαττώμασιν ὑποκείμενοι, ὧν καὶ ἓν μόνον προσὸν ἡμῖν, ἱκανὸν εἰς αὐτὸ τῆς ἀπωλείας τὸ βάραθρον καταγαγεῖν, καὶ μηδεμίαν ποιούμενοι σπουδὴν κἂν γοῦν ταῦτα διορθοῦν, μήτι γε τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργων ἐφάπτεσθαι; Ἢ οὐχὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμῖν φύσεως ἦν ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος; Ἐκκαίομαι γὰρ εἰς τὸν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πόθον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς αὐτὸν περιστρέφων οὐ παύομαι· καὶὥσπερ εἰς ἀρχέτυπόν τινα εἰκόνα, εἰς τὴν τούτου 63.816 νες καὶ βάρβαροι καὶ Σκύθαι καὶ οἱ πρὸς αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ τέρματα καθ' ἑκάστην ᾄδουσι τὴν ἡμέραν; τίς δὲ καὶ σεμνότερος, ὁ ἐν δεσμοῖς νικῶν, ἢ ὁ ἐν ἁλουργίδι νικώμενος, ὁ κάτω ἑστὼς καὶ βάλλων, ἢ ὁ ἄνω καθήμενος καὶ βαλλόμενος; ὁ ἐπιτάττων καὶ καταφρονούμενος, ἢ ὁ ἐπιταττόμενος καὶ οὐδένα λόγον ἔχων τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων; ὁ μόνος ὢν καὶ περιγενόμενος, ἢ ὁ μετὰ μυρίων στρατοπέδων ἡττώμενος; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ νικᾷν τοῦ νικᾶσθαι λαμπρότερον, πάντως ὁ Παῦλός ἐστιν ἐνδοξότερος. Καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο μέγα, ὅτι ἐνίκησεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐν τοιούτῳ σχήματι τὸν ἐν τοιούτῳ ἐνίκησε. 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 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 ἐπλήρωσεν, ἀλλ' ἅμα τὸ στόμα ἀνέῳξε, 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. Εἰ τοίνυν Παῦλος, ὁ τοσούτοις κομῶν κατορθώμασι, καὶ καθάπερ ἄγγελος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς φαινόμενος, καθ' ἑκάστην 63.817 ἐσπούδαζε τὴν ἡμέραν κερδαίνειν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας κινδύνους παρατάττεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἐμπορίαν τὴν πνευματικὴν ἑαυτῷ συλλέγειν, καὶ μηδέποτε ἵστασθαι· ποίαν ἂν σχοίημεν ἡμεῖς ἀπολογίαν, οἱ μὴ μόνον πάντων ὄντες ἔρημοι τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοσούτοις ἐλαττώμασιν ὑποκείμενοι, ὧν καὶ ἓν μόνον προσὸν ἡμῖν, ἱκανὸν εἰς αὐτὸ τῆς ἀπωλείας τὸ βάραθρον καταγαγεῖν, καὶ μηδεμίαν ποιούμενοι σπουδὴν κἂν γοῦν ταῦτα διορθοῦν,