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I agree also. But if you set against this the scourgings of Paul over so many years, and the constant hunger, and the nakedness, and the chains, and the prison, and the dangers, and the plots from his own people, from strangers, from tyrants, from the whole world, and with these things, the bitterest of all, I mean the pains for those who fall, the care for all the Churches, the burning indignation, which he endured for each one who was scandalized, you will see how the soul that bore these things was stronger than rock, and conquered iron and adamant; and what that one suffered in the body, this one suffered in the soul, and more grievously than any worm, the despondency for each of those who were scandalized gnawed at his soul. Whence also he continually sent forth fountains of tears, not only by day, but also by night; and was more sharply torn apart for each one of them than any woman in labor. Wherefore he also said: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again. Whom would one be amazed at after Job? Moses, certainly. But he surpassed even this one by a great margin. For his other deeds were great, but the chief point and crown of that holy soul was that he chose to be blotted out of the book for the salvation of the Jews. But this one chose to perish with others; whereas Paul chose not to perish with them, but for others to be saved, he himself would fall from the infinite glory. And the one fought with Pharaoh, but the other fought daily with the devil; and the one labored for one nation, but the other for the whole world, not with sweat, but also streaming on all sides with blood instead of sweat, setting right not only the inhabited world, but also the uninhabited, not only Greece, but also the barbarian land. It was possible to bring forward Joshua, and Samuel, and the other prophets; but that we may not make the discourse longer, let us proceed to the chief among them; for when he appears greater than these, no dispute remains concerning the others. Who then are the chief? Who else after these, but David and Elijah and John? of whom the one was the forerunner of the first coming of Christ, the other of the second; wherefore they also shared the same title with one another. What then was the excellence of David? Humility and love for God. And who has achieved both these things more, or who not less, than the soul of Paul? And what was the wonder of Elijah? that he shut up heaven, and brought on a famine, and called down fire? I think not; but that he was zealous for the Lord, and was more vehement than fire. But if you should see the zeal of Paul, you will see it prevailing by as much as he surpassed the others. For what could be equal to those words which, zealous for the glory of the Lord, he spoke, that I could wish that I myself were accursed for my brethren, 63.846 my kinsmen according to the flesh? For this reason, though heaven was set before him, and the crowns, and the prizes, he delayed and lingered, saying: To abide in the flesh is more needful for you. For this reason he considered neither the visible creation, nor the invisible, to be sufficient for a demonstration of his love and zeal, but even fashioned in his speech another which did not exist, so as to show what he willed and desired. But John ate locusts and wild honey? But this one lived in the midst of the inhabited world, as that one did in the desert, not eating locusts and wild honey, but setting forth a table far more frugal than that, and not even having a supply of necessary food, on account of his zeal for the preaching. But did John show great boldness toward Herod? But this one silenced not one or two or three, but ten thousand like him, or rather, even far more terrible than that tyrant. It remains then to examine him in comparison with the angels; wherefore leaving the earth, we will ascend to the vaults of the heavens. But let no one condemn the discourse for its boldness. For if the Scripture has called priests angels, what wonder is it, if we compare him who is better than all with those powers? What then

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Ὁμολογῶ κἀγώ. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν τὰς ἐντοσούτοις ἔτεσι τοῦ Παύλου μάστιγας, καὶ τὸν λιμὸν τὸν διηνεκῆ, καὶ τὴν γυμνότητα, καὶ τὰς ἁλύσεις, καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους, καὶ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς τὰς παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων, τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, τὰς παρὰ τῶν τυράννων, τὰς παρὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ἀντιτιθῇς, καὶ μετὰ τούτων τὰ πάντων πικρότερα, λέγω δὴ τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν πιπτόντων ὀδύνας, τὴν φροντίδα τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν πασῶν, τὴν πύρωσιν, ἣν ὑπὲρ ἑκάστου τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων ὑπέμενεν, ὄψει πῶς πέτρας στεῤῥοτέρα ἦν ἡ ταῦτα φέρουσα ψυχὴ, καὶ σίδηρον καὶ ἀδάμαντα ἐνίκα· καὶ ἅπερ ἐκεῖνος ἔπασχεν ἐν τῷ σώματι, ταῦτα οὗτος ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ σκώληκος παντὸς χαλεπώτερον ἡ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων ἀθυμία διέτρωγε τὴν ψυχήν. Ὅθεν καὶ πηγὰς δακρύων ἠφίει διηνεκῶς, οὐ τὰς ἡμέρας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς νύκτας· καὶ πάσης γυναικὸς ὠδινούσης δριμύτερον διεσπᾶτο καθ' ἕκαστον αὐτῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Τεκνία μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω. Τίνα ἄν τις μετὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ ἐκπλαγείη; τὸν Μωϋσέα πάντως. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον ἐκ πολλοῦ περιόντος ὑπερηκόντισε. Μεγάλα μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, τὸ δὲ κεφάλαιον καὶ ἡ κορωνὶς τῆς ἁγίας ψυχῆς ἐκείνης, ὅτι ἐξαλειφθῆναι εἵλετο τῆς βίβλου ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν συναπολέσθαι ἑτέροις ᾑρεῖτο· ὁ δὲ Παῦλος οὐ συναπολέσθαι, ἀλλ' ἑτέρων σωζομένων αὐτὸς ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς δόξης τῆς ἀπεράντου. Καὶ ὁ μὲν τῷ Φαραὼ, ὁ δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ καθ' ἡμέραν ἐπύκτευε· καὶ ὁ μὲν ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς ἔθνους, ὁ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ἔκαμνεν, οὐχ ἱδρῶτι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αἵματι ἀντὶ ἱδρῶτος πάντοθεν περιῤῥεόμενος, οὐχὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἀοίκητον διορθούμενος, οὐχὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν βάρβαρον. Ἐνῆν καὶ τὸν Ἰησοῦν εἰς μέσον παραγαγεῖν, καὶ τὸν Σαμουὴλ, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους προφήτας· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ μακρότερον ποιῶμεν τὸν λόγον, ἐπὶ τοὺς κορυφαίους αὐτῶν βαδίσωμεν· ὅταν γὰρ τούτων φανῇ κρείττων, οὐδεμία περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀμφισβήτησις λείπεται. Τίνες δὲ οἱ κορυφαῖοι; Τίνες δὲ ἄλλοι μετὰ τούτους, ἢ ὁ ∆αυῒδ καὶ ὁ Ἠλίας καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης; ὧν ὁ μὲν τῆς προτέρας παρουσίας, ὁ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρόδρομος· διὸ καὶ τῆς προσηγορίας ἀλλήλοις ἐκοινώνησαν. Τί οὖν τὸ ἐξαίρετον τοῦ ∆αυΐδ; Ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη καὶ ὁ πρὸς Θεὸν ἔρως. Καὶ τίς μὲν μᾶλλον, τίς δὲ οὐχ ἧττον τῆς Παύλου ψυχῆς ἀμφότερα ταῦτα κατώρθωσε; Τί δὲ τὸ θαυμαστὸν τοῦ Ἠλίου; ὅτι τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔκλεισε, καὶ λιμὸν ἐπήγαγε, καὶ πῦρ κατήγαγεν; Οὐκ ἔγωγε οἶμαι· ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐζήλωσεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆εσπότου, καὶ πυρὸς σφοδρότερος ἦν. Ἀλλ' εἰ τὸν Παύλου ζῆλον ἴδοις, τοσοῦτον ὄψει κρατοῦντα, ὅσον ἐκεῖνος τῶν ἄλλων περιῆν. Τί γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο τῶν ῥημάτων ἐκείνων ἴσον, ἅπερ ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου δόξης ζηλῶν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ηὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν 63.846 τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τῶν οὐρανῶν αὐτῷ προκειμένων, καὶ τῶν στεφάνων, καὶ τῶν ἐπάθλων, ἔμελλε καὶ ἐβράδυνε λέγων· Τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ τὴν κτίσιν αὐτῷ τὴν ὁρωμένην, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὴν νοητὴν ἐνόμισεν ἀρκεῖν εἰς παράστασιν τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ τοῦ ζήλου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέραν οὐκ οὖσαν ἔπλασε τῷ λόγῳ, ὥστε ἐνδείξασθαι ὅπερ ἠθέλησε καὶ ἐπεθύμει. Ἀλλ' ὁ Ἰωάννης ἀκρίδας ἤσθιε καὶ μέλι ἄγριον; Ἀλλ'οὗτος ἐν μέσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, διέτριβεν, ἀκρίδας μὲν καὶ μέλι ἄγριον μὴ σιτούμενος, πολὺ δὲ εὐτελεστέραν ταύτης παρατιθέμενος τράπεζαν, καὶ οὐδὲ τῆς ἀναγκαίας εὐπορῶν τροφῆς διὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κηρύγματος σπουδήν. Ἀλλὰ πολλὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἡρώδην οὗτος παῤῥησίαν ἐπεδείξατο; Ἀλλ' οὗτος οὐχ ἕνα καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς, ἀλλὰ μυρίους κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἐπεστόμισε, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπωτέρους ἐκείνου τοῦ τυράννου. Λείπεται πρὸς τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτὸν ἐξετάσαι λοιπόν· διόπερ ἀφέντες τὴν γῆν, πρὸς τὰς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀναβησόμεθα ἁψῖδας. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς τόλμαν καταγινωσκέτω τοῦ λόγου. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς ἱερέας ἀγγέλους ἐκάλεσεν ἡ Γραφὴ, τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ τὸν ἁπάντων ἀμείνω ταῖς δυνάμεσι παραβάλλομεν ἐκείναις; Τί οὖν