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by choice, and he so mortified the nature of the flesh, as to be disposed in no way less than the sacrificial victims being slaughtered, but even much more. For he did not offer oxen and sheep, but slaughtered himself doubly each day. Wherefore he also dared to say: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, calling his own blood a libation. Yet he was not content with these sacrifices, but since he had well consecrated himself, he also offered the whole world, both land and sea, both Greek and barbarian, and absolutely all this creation, traversing it like some winged eagle, not simply traveling, but pulling up the thorns of sins 63.843, and sowing the word of piety, driving out error, bringing back the truth, making angels out of men, or rather, making men angels from demons. Wherefore also, when he was about to depart after so much sweat and these frequent trophies, comforting his disciples, he said: Even if I am poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. So you also rejoice and share your joy with me. What then could be equal to this sacrifice, which he offered, having drawn the sword of the spirit? which he brought to the altar which is above the heavens? But Abel was slain, murdered by Cain, and by this became more glorious? But I have counted for you ten thousand deaths, as many as the days this blessed one lived preaching. And if you wish to learn of a slaughter that went to the very point of trial, that one fell at the hands of his brother, who had been neither wronged nor benefited; but this one was slain by those whom he hastened to rescue from countless evils, and for whom he suffered all that he suffered. But Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation, and was he alone of such a kind among all? For Paul also was of such a kind, alone among all. And that one saved only himself with his children; but this one, when a much more terrible flood overtook the world, not by fastening planks together and making an ark, but by composing his epistles instead of planks, rescued not two and three and five relatives, but the whole world, when it was about to be submerged, from the midst of the waves. For the ark was not of such a kind as to be carried about in one place, but it reached the ends of the world, and even until now brings everyone into this chest, constructing it to be proportional to the multitude of those being saved, and receiving those more irrational than brute beasts, he makes them rivals of the powers above, and in this he surpasses that ark. For that one, having taken in a raven, sent out a raven again, and having received a wolf, did not change its wildness; but this one not so, but having taken in wolves, he made them sheep, and having taken in ravens and jackdaws, he made them doves, and casting out all irrationality and wildness from human nature, he introduced the gentleness of the Spirit. And to this day this ark remains sailing, and is not broken up, nor has the storm of wickedness been strong enough to loosen its planks, but sailing on, it has calmed the tempest of the storm; and very rightly so; for these planks are anointed not with bitumen and pitch, but with the Holy Spirit. But do we admire Abraham, because when he heard, "Go out from your country and from your kindred," he left his fatherland and house, and friends and relatives, and the command of Christ was everything to him? For we also admire this. But what could be equal to Paul, who left not his fatherland and house and relatives, but the world itself and all things in it for Jesus' sake, and heaven itself, and the heaven of heavens, and sought one thing only, the love of Jesus? For "neither things present," he says, "nor things to come, nor height, nor depth will be able to separate us from the love of God." But that one, casting himself into dangers, rescued his nephew from the barbarians? But this one, not his nephew, nor three and five cities, but the whole world, not from barbarians, but from the very

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προαιρέσει, καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν φύσιν οὕτως ἐνέκρωσεν, ὡς τῶν σφαγιαζομένων ἱερείων μηδὲν ἔλαττον διακεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ βοῦς καὶ πρόβατα προσέφερεν, ἀλλὰ ἑαυτὸν διπλῇ καθ' ἑκάστην ἐσφαγίαζε τὴν ἡμέραν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐθάῤῥησεν εἰπεῖν· Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι, σπονδὴν ἑαυτοῦ τὸ αἷμα καλέσας. Οὐ μὴν ἠρκέσθη ταῖς θυσίαις ταύταις, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καλῶς ἑαυτὸν καθιέρωσε, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην πᾶσαν προσήνεγκε, καὶ γῆν καὶ θάλατταν, καὶ Ἑλλάδα καὶ βάρβαρον, καὶ πᾶσαν ἁπαξαπλῶς τὴν κτίσιν ταύτην, καθάπερ τις ὑπόπτερος ἀετὸς γενόμενος ἐπῆλθεν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὁδοιπορῶν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀκάνθας τῶν ἁμαρ 63.843 τημάτων ἀνασπῶν, καὶ τὸν λόγον τῆς εὐσεβείας κατασπείρων, τὴν πλάνην ἀπελαύνων, τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπανάγων, ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀγγέλους ποιῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀπὸ δαιμόνων ἀγγέλους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. ∆ιὸ καὶ μέλλων ἀπιέναι μετὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἱδρῶτας καὶ τὰ πυκνὰ ταῦτα τρόπαια, παραμυθούμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς, ἔλεγεν· Εἰ καὶ σπένδομαι ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ καὶ λειτουργίᾳ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν. Καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ μοι. Τί τοίνυν γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς θυσίας ταύτης ἴσον, ἢν τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος σπασάμενος ἔθυσεν; ἣν ἐν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ προσήγαγε τῷ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν; Ἀλλ' ἀνῃρέθη δολοφονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Κάϊν ὁ Ἄβελ, καὶ ταύτῃ λαμπρότερος γέγονεν; Ἀλλ'ἐγώ σοι μυρίους ἠρίθμησα θανάτους, καὶ τοσούτους, ὅσας ἡμέρας κηρύττων ὁ μακάριος ἔζησεν οὗτος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν μέχρι τῆς πείρας αὐτῆς προελθοῦσαν βούλει μαθεῖν σφαγὴν, ἐκεῖνος μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μήτε ἀδικηθέντος, μήτε εὐεργετηθέντος; κατέπεσεν· οὗτος δὲ ὑπὸ τούτων ἀνῄρητο, οὓς ἐξαρπάσαι τῶν μυρίων ἠπείγετο κακῶν, καὶ δι' οὓς πάντα ἔπασχεν, ἅπερ ἔπαθεν. Ἀλλὰ Νῶε δίκαιος τέλειος ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μόνος ἐν ἅπασι τοιοῦτος ἦν; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Παῦλος μόνος ἐν ἅπασι τοιοῦτος. Κἀκεῖνος μὲν ἑαυτὸν μετὰ τῶν παίδων διέσωσε μόνον· οὗτος δὲ, πολὺ χαλεπωτέρου τὴν οἰκουμένην κατακλυσμοῦ καταλαβόντος, οὐ σανίδας πηξάμενος, καὶ κιβωτὸν ποιήσας, ἀλλὰ ἀντὶ σανίδων τὰς ἐπιστολὰς συνθεὶς, οὐ δύο καὶ τρεῖς καὶ πέντε συγγενεῖς, ἀλλὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν καταποντίζεσθαι μέλλουσαν ἐκ μέσων ἥρπασε τῶν κυμάτων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοιαύτη ἦν ἡ κιβωτὸς, ὡς ἐν ἑνὶ περιφέρεσθαι τόπῳ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τέρματα τῆς οἰκουμένης κατέλαβε, καὶ πάντας εἰσάγει μέχρι τοῦ νῦν εἰς τὴν λάρνακα ταύτην, σύμμετρον τῷ πλήθει τῶν σωζομένων αὐτὴν κατασκευάζων, καὶ δεχόμενος ἀλόγων ἀνοητοτέρους, ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσιν ἐφαμίλλους ἐργάζεται, καὶ ταύτῃ νικῶν τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐκείνην. Ἐκείνη μὲν κόρακα λαβοῦσα, κόρακα πάλιν ἐξέπεμψε, καὶ λύκον ὑποδεξαμένη, τὴν θηριωδίαν οὐ μετέβαλεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ λαβὼν λύκους, πρόβατα εἰργάσατο, καὶ λαβὼν κόρακας καὶ κολοιοὺς, περιστερὰς τούτους ἀπετέλεσε, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀλογίαν καὶ θηριωδίαν τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσεως ἐκβαλὼν, τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπεισήγαγεν ἡμερότητα. Καὶ μέχρι νῦν μένει πλέουσα ἡ κιβωτὸς αὕτη, καὶ οὐ διαλύεται, οὐδὲ ἴσχυσεν αὐτῆς τὰς σανίδας χαυνῶσαι τῆς κακίας ὁ χειμὼν, ἀλλ' αὕτη πλέουσα τοῦ χειμῶνος τὴν ζάλην κατέλυσε· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ ἀσφάλτῳ καὶ πίσσῃ, ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ κεχρισμέναι αἱ σανίδες αὗταί εἰσιν. Ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ θαυμάζομεν, ὅτι ἀκούσας, Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου, ἀφῆκε πατρίδα καὶ οἰκίαν, καὶ φίλους καὶ συγγενεῖς, καὶ πάντα ἦν αὐτῷ τὸ ἐπίταγμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῦτο θαυμάζομεν. Ἀλλὰ τί Παύλου γένοιτ' ἂν ἴσον, ὃς οὐ πατρίδα καὶ οἰκίαν καὶ συγγενεῖς ἀφῆκεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν κόσμον καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ πάντα διὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἓν μόνον ἐζήτει, τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὴν ἀγάπην; Οὔτε γὰρ ἐνεστῶτα, φησὶν, οὔτε μέλλοντα, οὔτε ὕψωμα, οὔτε βάθος δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος εἰς κινδύνους ῥίψας ἑαυτὸν, τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν ἐξήρπασε τῶν βαρβάρων; Ἀλλ' οὗτος οὐ τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν, οὐδὲ τρεῖς καὶ πέντε πόλεις, ἀλλὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν, οὐκ ἀπὸ βαρβάρων, ἀλλ' ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῶν