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and make this your work, just as the apostles did preaching, just as the prophets did teaching, so also we should make friends, the reward will be great. Let us fashion royal images for ourselves; this is the mark of disciples. And how are we not working something greater than if we imparted to them the power to raise the dead? The diadem and the purple show the king, and without these, even if he has golden garments, the king is not yet manifest. So now also, you work the mark, and you will make friends for yourself and for others. There is no one who, being loved, will wish to hate. Let us learn the colors with which they are blended, with which this image is composed; let us be affable; let us not wait for our neighbors. Do not say: If I see someone waiting, I become worse than him; but rather when you see it, take the initiative and quench his passion. Do you see someone weary, and you intensify the disease? Let us achieve this above all things, to take the lead in honoring one another; to esteem others as better than ourselves, do not think you are diminished. For if you take the lead in honor, you have honored yourself more, drawing upon yourself to be honored more. Everywhere let us yield the first place to others. Let us remember none of the terrible things done to us, but only if anything was good. Nothing makes a friend so much as a grateful tongue, a mouth that speaks well, a soul free from pride, a contempt for vainglory, a disdain for honor. If we achieve these things, we shall be able to become unconquerable by the snares of the devil, and having accomplished virtue with exactness, to attain the good things promised to those who love Him, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

60.287 HOMILY 41. And when he entered the synagogue, he spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the kingdom of God.

a. See how everywhere he thrusts himself into the synagogues, and so comes out; for everywhere he wished to receive an occasion from them, as I said. For the Gentiles were then provoked to jealousy, and eagerly received him, and the Jews, seeing the Gentiles receive him, repented. He wished to withdraw the disciples from there and to make his beginning from them, so that they might not be gathered together; and he did not do this simply. For this reason he reasoned with them continually, because he was persuading them. Do not then, because you have heard of boldness, think it harshness; he reasoned about good things, about a kingdom; who would not have listened? But when some were hardened and disbelieved, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus. And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. They rightly called the preaching "the Way." For truly this was the way that leads to the kingdom of heaven. In the school, it says, of a certain Tyrannus he reasoned. And this continued for two years, so that all heard the word, both Jews and Greeks. Do you see how much his attentiveness accomplished? Both Jews and Greeks heard. And God wrought special 60.288 miracles by the hands of Paul, so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. They did not only touch them while he wore them, but also took and applied them. For this reason Christ did not permit him to go into Asia, reserving this time, as I think. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying: We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.

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καὶ ἔργον τοῦτο θῆτε καθάπερ οἱ ἀπόστολοι τὸ 60.288 κηρύττειν, καθάπερ οἱ προφῆται τὸ διδάσκειν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ φίλους ποιεῖν, μισθὸς ἔσται μέγας. Βασιλικὰς εἰκόνας ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς κατασκευάζωμεν· τοῦτο γνώρισμα μαθητῶν. Καὶ πῶς οὐ μεῖζον ἐργαζόμεθα, ἢ εἰ δύναμιν αὐτοῖς ἐνετίθεμεν νεκροὺς ἀνιστᾷν; Τὸ διάδημα καὶ ἡ ἁλουργὶς δείκνυσι τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ τούτων οὐκ ὄντων, κἂν χρυσᾶ ἔχῃ ἱμάτια, οὔπω ὁ βασιλεὺς δῆλος. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ νῦν, τὸ γνώρισμα σὺ ἐργάζου, καὶ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ φίλους καὶ ἄλλοις. Οὐδείς ἐστιν ὅστις φιλούμενος θελήσει μισεῖν. Μάθωμεν τὰ χρώματα, δι' ὧν κεράννυνται, δι' ὧν αὕτη συντίθεται ἡ εἰκών· εὐπροσήγοροι ὦμεν· μὴ περιμένωμεν τοὺς πλησίον. Μὴ εἴπῃς· Ἐὰν ἴδω τινὰ περιμένοντα, χείρων αὐτοῦ γίνομαι· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὅταν ἴδῃς, πρόλαβε καὶ σβέσον αὐτοῦ τὸ πάθος. Ὁρᾷς κάμνοντα, καὶ ἐπιτείνεις τὴν νόσον; Τοῦτο μάλιστα πρὸ πάντων κατορθώσωμεν, τὸ προηγεῖσθαι τῇ τιμῇ ἀλλήλους· τὸ ἡγεῖσθαι ἀλλήλους ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν, μὴ νομίσῃς ἐλαττοῦσθαι. Ἂν ἄρα προηγήσῃ τῇ τιμῇ, σαυτὸν ἐτίμησας πλέον, εἰς τὸ πλέον τιμηθῆναι ἐπισπώμενος. Πανταχοῦ τῶν πρωτείων ἑτέροις παραχωρῶμεν. Μηδὲν τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς εἰργασμένων δεινῶν μνημονεύωμεν, ἀλλ' εἴ τι ἀγαθόν. Οὐδὲν οὕτω ποιεῖ φίλον, ὡς γλῶσσα εὐχάριστος, στόμα εὔφημον, ψυχὴ ἄτυφος, κενοδοξίας ὑπεροψία, τιμῆς καταφρόνησις. Ἂν ταῦτα κατορθώσωμεν, δυνησόμεθα γενέσθαι ἀχείρωτοι ταῖς παγίσι τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὴν ἀρετὴν διανύσαντες τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

60.287 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΜΑʹ. Εἰσελθὼν δὲ εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν, ἐπαῤῥησιάζετο ἐπὶ μῆνας τρεῖς, διαλεγόμενος καὶ πείθων τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ.

αʹ. Ὅρα πανταχοῦ ἑαυτὸν εἰσωθοῦντα εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς, καὶ οὕτως ἐξιόντα·

πανταχοῦ γὰρ παρ' αὐτῶν ἐβούλετο λαβεῖν ἀφορμὴν, ὅπερ ἔφην. Τά τε γὰρ ἔθνη παρεζήλου λοιπὸν, καὶ προθύμως ἀπεδέχοντο αὐτὸν, οἵ τε Ἰουδαῖοι, τῶν ἐθνῶν δεχομένων, μετενόουν. Ἐβούλετο ἀποστῆσαι τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν λαβεῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν, ὥστε μὴ συνάγεσθαι· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο ἐποίει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο διελέγετο αὐτοῖς συνεχῶς, ὅτι ἔπειθε. Μὴ οὖν ἐπειδὴ παῤῥησίαν ἤκουσας, τραχύτητα νομίσῃς· περὶ χρηστῶν πραγμάτων διελέγετο, περὶ βασιλείας· τίς οὐκ ἂν ἤκουσεν; Ὡς δέ τινες ἐσκληρύνοντο καὶ ἠπείθουν, κακολογοῦντες τὴν ὁδὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ πλήθους, ἀποστὰς ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ἀφώρισε τοὺς μαθητὰς, καθ' ἡμέραν διαλεγόμενος ἐν τῇ σχολῇ Τυράννου τινός. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ ἔτη δύο, ὥστε πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν Ἀσίαν ἀκοῦσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας. Ὁδὸν τὸ κήρυγμα εἰκότως ἐκάλουν. Ὄντως γὰρ αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς ἦν ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἐν τῇ σχολῇ, φησὶ, Τυράννου τινὸς διελέγετο. Καὶ τοῦτο ἐγένετο ἐπὶ ἔτη δύο, ὥστε πάντας ἀκοῦσαι τὸν λόγον Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας. Ὁρᾷς πόσον ἤνυσεν ἡ ἐπιστασία; Καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες ἤκουον. ∆υνάμεις τε οὐ τὰς τυχού 60.288 σας ἐποίει ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῶν χειρῶν Παύλου, ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας ἐπιφέρεσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ χρωτὸς αὐτοῦ σουδάρια ἢ σιμικίνθια, παὶ ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν τὰς νόσους, τά τε πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ ἐξέρχεσθαι ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Οὐχὶ φοροῦντες ἥπτοντο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαμβάνοντες ἐπετίθεσαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἴα ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπελθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν, τηρῶν τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι. Ἐπεχείρησαν δέ τινες ἀπὸ τῶν περιερχομένων Ἰουδαίων ἐξορκιστῶν, ὀνομάζειν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἔχοντας τὰ πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, λέγοντες· Ὁρκίζομεν ὑμᾶς τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ὃν Παῦλος κηρύσσει.