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commands. For before all others he himself knows the nature of things; he knows that insolence is not extinguished by insolence, but by gentleness. And if you should wish to see this happening in actual practice, read the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and you will see how many times, when the people of the Jews rose up against them and gnashed their teeth, they, imitating the dove, and answering with fitting gentleness, put an end to their anger, quenched their rage, and stopped their assault. For when they said, "Did we not strictly command you not to speak in this name?" although they were able to work countless miracles, they neither said nor did anything harsh, but with all meekness they defended themselves, saying: "Whether it is right to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge." Do you see the innocence of the dove? Behold the wisdom of the serpent. For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. Do you see how it is necessary to be precise in every way, so as not to be humbled by dangers, nor to be provoked by anger? For this reason he also said: "Beware of men; for they will deliver you over to councils, and in their synagogues they will flog you; and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a 57.391 testimony to them and to the Gentiles. For again he prepares them to be sober, everywhere granting them the suffering of evil, but leaving the doing of it to others, so that you may learn that in suffering evil is the victory, and from this stand the brilliant trophies. For he did not say, "You too fight, and resist those who wish to insult you"; but only that you will suffer the worst things. 3. Alas! how great is the power of the one speaking! how great is the philosophy of those hearing! For it is truly worthy of admiration, how they did not immediately leap away on hearing these things, men fearful of noise, who had never crossed that lake around which they fished; and how they did not consider and say to themselves: "And where then shall we flee? The courts are against us, the kings are against us, the governors, the synagogues of the Jews, the peoples of the Greeks, rulers and ruled." For by this he foretold to them not only Palestine and the evils in it, but he also set in motion the wars of the whole world, saying: "You will be brought before kings and governors," showing that after these things he was about to send them as preachers to the Gentiles also. "You have set the world at war with us, you have armed all the inhabitants of the earth against us, peoples, tyrants, kings. And what follows is much more dreadful, when on our account people are about to become killers of brothers, and killers of children, and killers of fathers. "For," he says, "brother will deliver brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death." "How then will the rest believe," one might say, "when they see on our account children being killed by fathers, and brothers by brothers, and all things filled with pollution? Will they not drive us out from everywhere as avenging demons, as accursed men and destroyers of the world, seeing the earth filled with kindred blood and such murders? A fine (is it not?) peace we will give by bringing into the houses, filling them with so many slaughters. For if we were many, and not twelve; if we were not unlearned and illiterate, but wise and orators and skilled in speaking; or rather if we ourselves were kings, and had armies and an abundance of money; how would we have had the strength to persuade anyone, by kindling civil wars, and wars much more grievous than civil ones? For even if we should despise our own salvation, who of the others will pay attention to us? But none of these things did they either consider or say, nor did they demand an accounting of the commands, but they only yielded and obeyed. And this was not only of their own virtue, but also of the wisdom of the Teacher. For see how to each of the terrible things he joined a consolation; and concerning those who did not receive them he said: "It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city"; and here again, having said, "Before governors and

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ἐπιτάγματα. Πρὸ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων αὐτὸς οἶδε τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων φύσιν· οἶδεν ὅτι θρασύτης οὐ θρασύτητι, ἀλλ' ἐπιεικείᾳ σβέννυται. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων τοῦτο γινόμενον ἰδεῖν ἐθέλοις, ἀνάγνωθι τῶν Πράξεων τῶν ἀποστόλων τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ ὄψει ποσάκις τοῦ δήμου τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατεξαναστάντος καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας θήγοντος, τὴν περιστερὰν οὗτοι μιμούμενοι, καὶ μετὰ τῆς πρεπούσης ἐπιεικείας ἀποκρινόμενοι, κατέλυσαν τὸν ἐκείνων θυμὸν, ἔσβεσαν τὴν μανίαν, ἐξέλυσαν τὴν ὁρμήν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγον· Οὐ παραγγελίᾳ παρηγγείλαμεν ὑμῖν μὴ λαλεῖν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ; καίτοι μυρία δυνάμενοι θαυματουργεῖν, τραχὺ μὲν οὐδὲν οὔτε εἶπον, οὔτε ἐποίησαν, μετὰ πραότητος δὲ πάσης ἀπελογοῦντο λέγοντες· Εἰ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ὑμῶν ἀκούειν μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κρίνατε. Εἶδες τὸ ἀκέραιον τῆς περιστερᾶς; βλέπε τὸ φρόνιμον τοῦ ὄφεως· Ἡμεῖς γὰρ οὐ δυνάμεθα ἃ οἴδαμεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν μὴ λαλεῖν. Εἶδες πῶς πανταχόθεν ἠκριβωμένους εἶναι χρὴ, ὥστε μὴ ὑπὸ κινδύνων ταπεινοῦσθαι, μηδὲ ὑπὸ θυμοῦ παροξύνεσθαι; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἔλεγε· Προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· παραδώσουσι γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰς συνέδρια, καὶ ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν ὑμᾶς· καὶ ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας καὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, εἰς 57.391 μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι. Πάλιν γὰρ νήφειν αὐτοὺς παρασκευάζει, πανταχοῦ τὸ μὲν παθεῖν κακῶς αὐτοῖς διδοὺς, τὸ δὲ ποιῆσαι ἑτέροις ἀφιεὶς, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἐν τῷ παθεῖν κακῶς ἡ νίκη, καὶ τὰ λαμπρὰ ἐντεῦθεν ἕστηκε τρόπαια. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπε, Πυκτεύετε καὶ ὑμεῖς, καὶ ἀνθίστασθε τοῖς ἐπηρεάζειν βουλομένοις ὑμῖν· ἀλλ' ὅτι Τὰ ἔσχατα πείσεσθε, μόνον. γʹ. Βαβαί! πόση τοῦ λέγοντος ἡ δύναμις! πόση τῶν ἀκουόντων ἡ φιλοσοφία! Καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ἄξιον θαυμάζειν, πῶς οὐκ εὐθέως ἀπεπήδησαν ταῦτα ἀκούοντες, ἄνθρωποι ψοφοδεεῖς, καὶ τὴν λίμνην οὐδέποτε ὑπερβάντες ἐκείνην, περὶ ἣν ἡλίευον· πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἐνενόησαν, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς εἶπον· Καὶ ποῦ φευξόμεθα λοιπόν; Τὰ δικαστήρια καθ' ἡμῶν, οἱ βασιλεῖς καθ' ἡμῶν, οἱ ἡγεμόνες, αἱ συναγωγαὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, οἱ δῆμοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ἄρχοντες καὶ ἀρχόμενοι. Ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ οὐχὶ μόνον τὴν Παλαιστίνην αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ κακὰ προανεφώνησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τῆς οἰκουμένης παρήνοιξε πολέμους, εἰπών· Ἐπὶ βασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε καὶ ἡγεμόνας· δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι μετὰ ταῦτα κήρυκας αὐτοὺς ἔμελλε πέμπειν. Τὴν οἰκουμένην ἡμῖν ἐξεπολέμωσας, τοὺς τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντας ἅπαντας ὥπλισας καθ' ἡμῶν, δήμους, τυράννους, βασιλεῖς. Καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς δὲ πολὺ φρικωδέστερον, ὅταν καὶ ἀδελφοκτόνοι καὶ παιδοκτόνοι καὶ πατροκτόνοι δι' ἡμᾶς μέλλωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι γίνεσθαι. Παραδώσει γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀδελφὸς ἀδελφὸν εἰς θάνατον, καὶ πατὴρ τέκνον, καὶ ἐπαναστήσονται τέκνα ἐπὶ γονεῖς, καὶ θανατώσουσιν αὐτούς. Πῶς οὖν οἱ λοιποὶ, φησὶ, πιστεύσουσιν, ὅταν ἴδωσι δι' ἡμᾶς παῖδας ὑπὸ πατέρων ἀναιρουμένους, καὶ ἀδελφοὺς ὑπὸ ἀδελφῶν, καὶ μιασμάτων τὰ πάντα πληρούμενα; Οὐ γὰρ ὡς δαίμονας ἀλάστορας, οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐναγεῖς καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης λυμεῶνας ἀπελάσουσιν ἡμᾶς πάντοθεν, αἱμάτων συγγενικῶν τὴν γῆν πληρουμένην ὁρῶντες καὶ φόνων τοιούτων; Καλήν γε (οὐ γάρ;) τὴν εἰρήνην εἰς τὰς οἰκίας εἰσάγοντες δώσομεν, τοσούτων αὐτὰς ἐμπιπλῶντες σφαγῶν. Εἰ γὰρ πολλοί τινες ἦμεν, καὶ μὴ δώδεκα· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἰδιῶται μηδὲ ἀγράμματοι, ἀλλὰ σοφοὶ καὶ ῥήτορες καὶ δεινοὶ λέγειν· μᾶλλον δὲ εἰ βασιλεῖς αὐτοὶ, καὶ στρατόπεδα ἔχοντες, καὶ χρημάτων περιουσίαν· πῶς ἂν ἰσχύσαμεν πεῖσαί τινας, ἐμφυλίους πολέμους ἀνάπτοντες, καὶ ἐμφυλίων δὲ πολλῷ χαλεπωτέρους; Κἂν γὰρ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας καταφρονήσωμεν, τίς ἡμῖν τῶν ἄλλων προσέξει; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων οὔτε ἐνενόησαν, οὔτε εἶπον, οὔτε εὐθύνας ἀπῄτουν τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων, ἀλλ' εἶκον καὶ ἐπείθοντο μόνον. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀρετῆς ἦν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου σοφίας. Ὅρα γὰρ πῶς ἑκάστῳ τῶν δεινῶν παραμυθίαν παρέζευξε· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μὴ δεχομένων αὐτοὺς ἔλεγεν· Ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ· καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν εἰπὼν, Ἐπὶ ἡγεμόνας καὶ