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to overcome; but what is much greater, though being twelve in number, to draw the whole world to themselves. And, Have dominion in the midst of thine enemies. He did not say, Conquer in the midst of your enemies, but, Have dominion, to show that the trophy was not won by battle array, but the lordship came from a command. For thus the apostles prevailed, having Christ within them, as if doing all things by command. Whence also every house was opened to them, and the believers obeyed more readily than any slave, giving up their possessions, and laying the prices at the apostles' feet, not even daring to take anything for their own need; so 55.270 did they magnify them, that they did not even dare to join themselves to them. 4. But not only over the faithful did they have such strength, but also over the unbelievers. For what, tell me, is the proof of a slave? Is it not to do whatever his master commands? And what is the sign of a master? Is it not to accomplish in his slaves whatever he himself wishes? Who then were they who accomplished what they wished over the kings and rulers of that time? Were they not the apostles? It is clear that they were. For the kings and the rulers wished to hold the world in impiety, and commanded men to worship demons; but the apostles the contrary, and their will was done. But if you speak to me of the prison, and the scourgings, and the tortures, you tell me of greater lordships. How and in what way? Because even when these things were happening, their will was being done. For not by the law of the many masters, but by virtue they took upon themselves this lordship, which needed nothing from without, but shone forth while being plotted against by all. For slaves have often conspired against and destroyed those other masters, since their lordship was somehow incomplete and very weak; but this lordship they had not the strength to extinguish, but by plotting against it they showed it to shine forth more greatly. Who then would be a more glorious master, the one needing countless aids to rule his servants, or the one freed from all those things, and leading and carrying his subjects with authority? It is clear that it is the latter. For the masters of this common sort, if they do not have the laws helping them, and the fact of dwelling in cities, have often lost their life along with their lordship; but Paul demonstrated his lordship both in deserts and everywhere. Do you wish to see him more glorious than kings also? He introduced laws throughout the whole world, and men, leaving aside the laws of kings, were persuaded by his writings. Besides, the ones ruled over bodies, the others over souls. What slave, then, has so obeyed a master, what subject a king with goodwill, as the faithful obeyed Paul when he merely wrote a letter? What could one say of the longing, the zeal on his behalf, when they were ready even to pluck out their eyes? Who ever possessed such slaves? The Prophet, therefore, considering all these things, how they subjected the faithful, how they were fearsome to the unbelievers, driving them by force, and how through them Christ prevailed, did not simply say, Rule in the midst of your enemies, but Have dominion, indicating an intensified lordship. And seeing these things the enemies were able to do nothing, although they had the laws on their side, and executioners, and all authority. But these men were more powerful because of him who dwelt in them. He had dominion through them; he did not simply rule, but had dominion; for he prevailed exceedingly. On account of him within them, therefore, they defied fire and sword, and wild beasts, and all other things. For Christ was with them in all things, who, as if struggling in others' bodies, and freed from all the painful things in life, so rejoiced, and 55.271 so leaped for joy, being possessed by the lordship of Christ, sparing not money, not bodies, not the present life. And these things

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περιγενέσθαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μεῖζον, καὶ δώδεκα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντας τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπισπάσασθαι. Καὶ κατακυρίευε ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου. Οὐκ εἶπε, Νίκα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, ἀλλὰ, Κυρίευε, ἵνα δείξῃ οὐκ ἐκ παρατάξεως τὸ τρόπαιον γινόμενον, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐπιταγῆς τὴν δεσποτείαν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἐκράτουν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ὥσπερ ἐξ ἐπιτάγματος πάντα ποιοῦντες. Ὅθεν καὶ πᾶσα αὐτοῖς οἰκία ἀνέῳκτο, καὶ δούλου παντὸς εὐπειθέστερον οἱ πιστεύοντες ὑπήκουον, τά τε ὄντα ἀποδιδόμενοι, καὶ τὰς τιμὰς παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τιθέντες τῶν ἀποστόλων, οὐδὲ εἰς τὴν χρείαν τολμῶντές τι λαβεῖν· οὕτω 55.270 τε αὐτοὺς ἐμεγάλυνον, ὅτι οὔτε ἐτόλμων κολλᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς. δʹ. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν πιστῶν τοσαύτην εἶχον ἰσχὺν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀπίστων. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, δούλου τεκμήριον; ἆρ' οὐ τὸ ποιεῖν ὅπερ ὁ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ ἐπιτάττει; Τί δεσπότου δὲ σημεῖον; ἆρ' οὐ τὸ ταῦτα ἀνύειν ἐν τοῖς δούλοις, ἅπερ αὐτὸς βούλεται; Τίνες οὖν οἱ ἀνύσαντες ἅπερ ἤθελον ἐπὶ τῶν τότε βασιλέων καὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων; ἆρ' οὐχ οἱ ἀπόστολοι; Εὔδηλον ὅτι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ βασιλεῖς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐβούλοντο κατέχειν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ δαίμοσι λατρεύειν ἐπέταττον· οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι τοὐναντίον, καὶ τὸ θέλημα τούτων ἐγίνετο. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις μοι τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ τὰς μάστιγας, καὶ τὰς βασάνους, μείζονάς μοι λέγεις τὰς δεσποτείας. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ὅτι καὶ τούτων γινομένων τὸ θέλημα τὸ τούτων ἐγίνετο. Οὐ γὰρ νόμῳ τῷ τῶν πολλῶν δεσποτῶν, ἀλλ' ἀρετῇ ταύτην ἀνεδήσαντο τὴν δεσποτείαν, τὴν οὐδενὸς τῶν ἔξωθεν δεομένην, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ παρὰ πάντων ἐπιβουλεύεσθαι λάμπουσαν. Ἐκείνους μὲν γὰρ τοὺς δεσπότας ἐπιβουλεύσαντες δοῦλοι πολλάκις ἠφάνισαν, ἐπειδὴ ἀτελὴς ἦν τις καὶ ἀσθενεστάτη· ταύτην δὲ σβέσαι οὐκ ἴσχυσαν, ἀλλ' ἐπιβουλεύοντες μειζόνως ἔδειξαν διαλάμπουσαν. Τίς οὖν λαμπρότερος ἂν εἴη δεσπότης, ὁ μυρίων δεόμενος βοηθημάτων, ἵνα κρατῇ τῶν οἰκετῶν, ἢ ὁ πάντων ἀπηλλαγμένος ἐκείνων, καὶ μετ' ἐξουσίας ἄγων καὶ φέρων τοὺς ὑποκειμένους; Εὔδηλον ὅτι οὗτος. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ δεσπόται τὴν δεσποτείαν ταύτην τὴν τῶν πολλῶν, ἂν μὴ τοὺς νόμους ἔχωσι βοηθοῦντας, καὶ τὸ ἐν πόλεσιν οἰκεῖν, πολλάκις μετὰ τῆς δεσποτείας καὶ τὴν ζωὴν ἀπώλεσαν· Παῦλος δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐρημίαις καὶ πανταχοῦ τὴν κυριότητα ἐπεδείκνυτο. Βούλει καὶ βασιλέων ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν λαμπρότερον; Εἰσήγαγε νόμους πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ τοὺς τῶν βασιλέων ἀφέντες νόμους οἱ ἄνθρωποι τοῖς ἐκείνου γράμμασιν ἐπείθοντο. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ οἱ μὲν σωμάτων, οἱ δὲ ψυχῶν ἐκράτουν. Τίς οὖν οὕτω δοῦλος δεσπότῃ, ἀρχόμενος βασιλεῖ μετ' εὐνοίας ὑπήκουσεν, ὡς οἱ πιστοὶ τῷ Παύλῳ ἐπιστέλλοντι μόνον; Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὸν πόθον, τὸν ζῆλον τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ὅπου γε καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορύξαι ἕτοιμοι ἦσαν; τίς τοιούτους ἐκτήσατο δούλους ποτέ; Ἅπερ ταῦτα πάντα ἐννοῶν ὁ Προφήτης, πῶς μὲν τοὺς πιστοὺς ὑπέταξαν, πῶς δὲ τοῖς ἀπίστοις ἦσαν φοβεροὶ, κατὰ κράτος αὐτοὺς ἐλαύνοντες, καὶ πῶς δι' αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπεκράτει, οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Κυρίευε ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, ἀλλὰ Κατακυρίευε, τὴν ἐπιτεταμένην δεσποτείαν δηλῶν. Καὶ ταῦτα ὁρῶντες οἱ πολέμιοι οὐδὲν ἴσχυον ποιεῖν, καίτοι τοὺς νόμους μεθ' ἑαυτῶν ἔχοντες, καὶ δημίους, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἅπασαν. Ἀλλ' ἦσαν οὗτοι δυνατώτεροι διὰ τὸν ἐνοικοῦντα ἐν αὐτοῖς. Οὗτος κατεκυρίευσε δι' αὐτῶν· οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐκυρίευσεν, ἀλλὰ κατεκυρίευσε· καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ἐκράτει. ∆ιὰ γοῦν τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ πυρὸς κατετόλμων καὶ σιδήρου, καὶ θηρίων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων. Καὶ γὰρ εἰς πάντα ἦν μετ' αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστὸς, οἳ καθάπερ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις ἀγωνιζόμενοι σώμασι, καὶ πάντων ἀπαλλαγέντες τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ λυπηρῶν, οὕτως ἔχαιρον, καὶ 55.271 οὕτως ἐσκίρτων, ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ δεσποτείας κατεχόμενοι, μὴ χρημάτων φειδόμενοι, μὴ σωμάτων, μὴ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς. Καὶ ταῦτα