215

in paradise. To whom is due all glory, honor, and worship, now and unto the endless ages. Amen.

HOMILY 36. An encomium on the holy apostle Paul. The lives and the conduct of the saints for this reason, written for us

has the grace of the Spirit left behind, so that learning how they, being of the same nature as us, accomplished all the works of virtue, we might be roused to this same labor, and kindle a fervent love and affection for them. How then will this happen? If we continually cleave to those men, and carry them about in our mind, and cleave to the same way of life as they did. For in this, more than in all other things together, will God be glorified. For if the heavens declare the glory of God, not by uttering a voice, but by preparing others for this through the sight of them, much more do those who offer a wondrous life, even if they are silent, glorify God, since others glorify God because of them. For heaven, though seen for so long a time, has not greatly persuaded men to marvel at its Creator; but the blessed apostles, having preached for a short time, drew the whole world to themselves. And the one stands, keeping its own bound and rule. But the height of their soul surpassed all the heavens, and its beauty was such that even God proclaimed it. For the angels marveled at the stars when they came to be; but the beauty of the apostles' souls He Himself praised, saying: You are the light of the world. And this heaven a cloud has often covered; but their soul no temptation covered, but even then it shone out most of all. Therefore Paul also said: I am well pleased in weaknesses, in persecutions, in afflictions; and again to the Philippians: Because I have you in my heart in my bonds; and elsewhere: That you, he says, may hear, I am bound; everywhere putting forth his bonds; which I greatly love, which rouses my heart and brings me to a desire to bring Paul into the midst, who labored more than the others, concerning whom Christ says: This is a chosen vessel to me. This man, at any rate, at the time of the preaching was devastating the Church, entering into houses, and dragging off both men and women; and as he drew near to Damascus, suddenly a light shone around him, and blinded him. But that blinding became the enlightenment of the world. For since he saw wrongly, God rightly blinded him, so that he might see again usefully, at the same time giving him a demonstration of His own power, and in the suffering prefiguring the things to come, and teaching the manner of the preaching, that it is necessary to cast off all these things from within, and closing the eyes, to follow Him everywhere. Wherefore he himself cried out, declaring this very thing: If anyone among you seems to be wise, let him become a fool, that he may become wise; as it is not possible to see again rightly, without first having been rightly blinded, and having cast out the thoughts from within that troubled him, and having entrusted everything to faith. But let no one hearing these things think that this call was forced; for he was able to return again from whence he came out. For many, 63.840 having seen other greater wonders, turned back again, both in the New and in the Old Testament, such as Judas, Nebuchadnezzar, Elymas the magician, Simon, Ananias, Sapphira, the whole people of the Jews. But not Paul; but having seen clearly, he hastened his course toward the pure light, and flew toward heaven. But if you ask why he was blinded, hear him saying: For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God and wasted it, and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. Since therefore he was so vehement and unapproachable, he needed a stronger bridle, so that he might not by the force of

215

ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ὧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Λςʹ. Ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον ἀπόστολον Παῦλον. Τοὺς τῶν ἁγίων βίους καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν διὰ τοῦτο ἀναγράπτους ἡμῖν

καταλέλοιπεν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις, ἵνα μαθόντες, ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς ὄντες ἡμῖν φύσεως ἅπαντα τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς κατώρθωσαν, διαναστῶμεν περὶ τὴν ταύτης ἐργασίαν, καὶ σφοδρὸν τὸν ἔρωτα τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀγάπης ἀνάψωμεν. Πῶς οὖν τοῦτο γενήσεται; Ἂν συνεχῶς ἐχώμεθα τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων, καὶ ἐν διανοίᾳ αὐτοὺς περιφέροντες, τῆς αὐτῆς ἐκείνοις ἐχώμεθα πολιτείας. Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ πλέον ἢ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ Θεὸς δοξασθήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, οὐ φωνὴν ἀφιέντες, ἀλλ' ἑτέρους διὰ τῆς ὄψεως εἰς τοῦτο παρασκευάζοντες, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ παρεχόμενοι βίον θαυμαστὸν, κἂν σιγῶσι, τὸν Θεὸν δοξάζουσιν, ἑτέρων δι' αὐτοὺς τὸν Θεὸν δοξαζόντων. Οὐρανὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὁρώμενος, οὐ σφόδρα ἔπεισε θαυμάσαι τὸν τούτου δημιουργόν· οἱ μακάριοι δὲ ἀπόστολοι, ὀλίγον κηρύξαντες χρόνον, τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐφειλκύσαντο πᾶσαν. Καὶ οὗτος μὲν ἕστηκε τὸν οἰκεῖον φυλάσσων ὅρον τε καὶ κανόνα. Τῆς δὲ ἐκείνων ψυχῆς τὸ ὕψος πάντας ὑπερέβη τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ τὸ κάλλος δὲ αὐτῆς τοιοῦτον ἦν, ὡς καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀνακηρύττειν αὐτό. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄστρα οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐθαύμασαν, ὅτε ἐγένοντο· τῆς δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων ψυχῆς τὸ κάλλος αὐτὸς ἐπῄνεσεν, εἰπών· Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. Καὶ τοῦτον μὲν τὸν οὐρανὸν νεφέλη πολλάκις ἐκάλυψε· τὴν δὲ τούτων ψυχὴν οὐδεὶς ἐκάλυψε πειρασμὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τότε μάλιστα ἐξέλαμπε. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Εὐδοκῶ ἐν ἀσθενείαις, ἐν διωγμοῖς, ἐν θλίψεσι· καὶ Φιλιππησίοις πάλιν· ∆ιὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶς ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἵνα ὑμεῖς, φησὶν, ἀκούσητε, ἐγὼ δέδεμαι· πανταχοῦ τὸν δεσμὸν προτιθείς· οὗ σφόδρα ἐρῶ, ὃς διανίστησί μου τὴν καρδίαν καὶ εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἄγει τὸν Παῦλον εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν, τὸν μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων κοπιάσαντα, περὶ οὗ ὁ Χριστός φησι· Σκεῦος οὗτος ἐκλογῆς μοι ἐστίν. Οὗτος γοῦν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ κηρύγματος ἐλυμαίνετο τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, κατὰ τοὺς οἴκους εἰσπορευόμενος, σύρων τε ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐγγίζειν αὐτὸν τῷ ∆αμασκῷ, ἄφνω περιήστραψεν αὐτὸν φῶς, καὶ ἐπήρωσεν. Ἀλλ' ἡ πήρωσις ἐκείνου φωτισμὸς γέγονε τῆς οἰκουμένης. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔβλεπε κακῶς, ἐπήρωσεν αὐτὸν καλῶς ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς ἀναβλέψαι χρησίμως, ὁμοῦ μὲν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως ἀπόδειξιν αὐτῷ παρεχόμενος, ὁμοῦ δὲ ἐν τῷ πάθει τὰ μέλλοντα προδιατυπῶν, καὶ τοῦ κηρύγματος τὸν τρόπον διδάσκων, ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα οἴκοθεν ἀποβαλόντα, καὶ μύσαντα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, αὐτῷ πανταχοῦ ἕπεσθαι χρή. ∆ιὸ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐβόα, τοῦτο αὐτὸ δηλῶν· Εἴ τις δοκεῖ σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν ὑμῖν, γενέσθω μωρὸς, ἵνα γένηται σοφός· ὡς οὐκ ἐνὸν ἀναβλέψαι καλῶς, μὴ πρότερον πηρωθέντα καλῶς, καὶ τοὺς οἴκοθεν ταράττοντας αὐτὸν ἐκβαλόντα λογισμοὺς, καὶ τῇ πίστει τὸ πᾶν ἐπιτρέψαντα. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς ταῦτα ἀκούων, ἠναγκασμένην νομιζέτω εἶναι ταύτην τὴν κλῆσιν· καὶ γὰρ ἠδύνατο πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν, ὅθεν ἐξέβη. Πολλοὶ γοῦν 63.840 ἕτερα μείζονα θαύματα ἰδόντες, ὑπέστρεψαν πάλιν, καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, οἷον ὁ Ἰούδας, ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ, ὁ Ἐλύμας ὁ μάγος, ὁ Σίμων, ὁ Ἀνανίας, ἡ Σάπφειρα, ὅλος τῶν Ἰουδαίωνὁ δῆμος. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Παῦλος· ἀλλὰ διαβλέψας, πρὸς τὸ ἀκήρατον φῶς τὸν δρόμον ἐπέτεινε, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἵπτατο. Εἰ δὲ ἐξετάζεις, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπηρώθη, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφήν ποτε ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ, ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐδίωκον τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπόρθουν αὐτὴν, καὶ προέκοπτον ἐν τῷ Ἰουδαϊσμῷ ὑπὲρ πολλοὺς συνηλικιώτας ἐν τῷ γένει μου, περισσοτέρως ζηλωτὴς ὑπάρχων τῶν πατρικῶν μου παραδόσεων. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὕτω σφοδρὸς ἦν καὶ ἀπρόσιτος, σφοδροτέρου ἐδεῖτο χαλινοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τῇ ῥύμῃ τῆς