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to give an account of this conspiracy. And having said these things, he dismissed the assembly. A lawful assembly, he says, because there were three assemblies held according to the law each month; but this one was unlawful. Then he also frightened them, saying, We are in danger of being charged with sedition. But let us look at what was said from the beginning. But when these things were accomplished, he says, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and 60.299 Achaia, to go to Jerusalem. No longer does he do this in a human way, but by the Spirit, by whom also he chose to pass through. For this is what, Purposed, means, and the word has such a meaning. But for what reason he sends Timothy and Erastus, it does not say; but it seems to me that it says this also, In the Spirit. Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone. And see, he sent two of those who ministered to him, both to announce his coming and to make them more eager. He spends more time in Asia than anywhere else; reasonably so; for there was the great clan of the philosophers. And having come, he reasoned with them again; for there was great superstition there. For a certain man named Demetrius, he says, a silversmith, having gathered together the workmen of like occupation, said: Sirs, you know and see and hear; so manifest was what was happening; that this Paul, he says, has persuaded and turned away a great multitude. So not by violence, if he persuaded; thus ought one to persuade a city. Then he adds that which touched them, that they are not gods, which are made by hands. What is this? He is overturning, he says, our craft. And lest they should consider, and say, that a man alone has such power, and if he has such power, he ought to be obeyed, he added: Whom all Asia and the world worships. They thought to build a wall against the divine Spirit with their voice, being children of the Greeks. From this craft, he says, we have our wealth. And if from this craft your wealth is derived, how did a common man persuade them? how did he overcome so great a custom? what was he doing or saying? It is not of Paul, it is not of a man. And this is sufficient to say, that they are not gods. If, then, the impiety is so easily detected, it ought to have been condemned long ago; but if it is strong, it ought not to be so quickly overthrown. Not only, he says, is this our part in danger. As if saying something greater, he added this. And when they heard this, and were full of wrath, they cried out, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians. For they had gods according to their city. And they were so disposed, as if by their voice they were recovering her worship, and undoing what had been done. 3. See the disorderly multitude. But when Paul, he says, wished to enter in to the people, the disciples would not allow him. Paul, then, wished to enter in to address the people; for he took persecutions as an occasion for teaching; but the disciples would not allow him. Consider, with how much care for him they acted everywhere. And from the beginning they brought him out, so that he might not receive the blow in a vital part; and yet they had heard that he must also see Rome; nevertheless they prevent him. But he foretells it by way of stewardship, so that they might not be troubled by what happened. Thus they did not wish him to suffer anything. And certain of the Asiarchs, he says, besought him not to enter into the theater. Knowing his zeal, they besought him; so all the faithful loved him. And for what reason, he says, did Alexander wish to make a defense? Was he himself accused? So as to find an opportunity, and to overturn the whole thing and inflame the wrath of the people. Did you see the disorderly wrath? Well and with rebuke the town clerk says, What man is there that does not know the city of the Ephesians? Thus speaking about what they feared; as if he said: Do you not serve her? And he did not say, For what man is there that does not know Artemis? but, our city; conciliating them. Seeing then that these things are undeniable, 60.300 you ought to be quiet. He makes these charges, so to speak, as if to say: Why then do you seek these things as if they were uncertain? it is clear that the insolence passes to the goddess. They wished to make piety a pretext for their gain. Then he gently rebukes them, showing that they had come together unreasonably. And to do nothing rashly, he says. Showing, that rashly

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ἀποδοῦναι λόγον τῆς συστροφῆς ταύτης. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, ἀπέλυσε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. Ἔννομον ἐκκλησίαν, φησὶ, διότι τρεῖς ἐκκλησίαι ἐγίνοντο κατὰ νόμον καθ' ἕκαστον μῆνα· αὕτη δὲ ἦν παράνομος. Εἶτα καὶ ἐφόβησεν αὐτοὺς εἰπών· Κινδυνεύομεν ἐγκαλεῖσθαι στάσεως. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ἄνωθεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Ὡς δὲ ἐπληρώθη ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι, διελθὼν τὴν Μακεδονίαν καὶ 60.299 Ἀχαΐαν, πορεύεσθαι εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. Οὐκ ἔτι ἀνθρωπίνως ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι, ᾧ καὶ προείλετο διελθεῖν. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἔθετο, καὶ τοιαύτην ὁ λόγος ἔννοιαν ἔχει. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἀποστέλλει Τιμόθεον καὶ Ἔραστον, οὐ λέγει· ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ καὶ περὶ τούτου εἰπεῖν τὸ, Ἐν Πνεύματι. ∆ιὸ μηκέτι στέγοντες, εὐδοκήσαμεν καταλειφθῆναι ἐν Ἀθήναις μόνοι. Καὶ ὅρα, δύο τῶν διακονούντων αὐτῷ ἀπέστειλε, τήν τε παρουσίαν ἀπαγγεῖλαι καὶ προθυμοτέρους ποιῆσαι. Μάλιστα πάντων τῇ Ἀσίᾳ ἐνδιατρίβει· εἰκότως· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἦν ἡ πολλὴ φατρία τῶν φιλοσόφων. Καὶ ἐλθὼν, πάλιν αὐτοῖς διελέγετο· καὶ γὰρ πολλὴ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἡ δεισιδαιμονία. ∆ημήτριος γάρ τις, φησὶν, ἀργυροκόπος, συναθροίσας τοὺς περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐργάτας, εἶπεν· Ἄνδρες, ἐπίστασθε καὶ θεωρεῖτε καὶ ἀκούετε· οὕτω κατάδηλον ἦν τὸ γινόμενον· Ὅτι οὗτος, φησὶν, ὁ Παῦλος πείσας μετέστησεν ἱκανὸν ὄχλον. Ὥστε οὐ βιαίως, εἰ ἔπεισεν· οὕτω δεῖ πείθειν πόλιν. Εἶτα ἐπάγει ὅπερ αὐτῶν καθήπτετο, ὅτι Οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοὶ οἱ διὰ χειρῶν γινόμενοι. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Ἀνατρέπει, φησὶ, τὴν τέχνην τὴν ἡμετέραν. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἐννοήσωσι, καὶ εἴπωσιν, ὅτι μόνος ἄνθρωπος τοιαῦτα ἰσχύει, καὶ εἰ τοσοῦτον ἰσχύει, αὐτῷ δεῖ πείθεσθαι, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἣν ὅλη ἡ Ἀσία καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη σέβεται. Τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῶν ᾤοντο ἐπιτειχίζειν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ θείῳ, ὄντες παῖδες Ἕλληνες. Ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ἐργασίας, φησὶν, ἡ εὐπορία ἡμῶν ἐστι. Καὶ εἰ ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς ἐργασίας εὐπορία ὑμῖν περιγίνεται, πῶς ἔπεισεν ἄνθρωπος εὐτελής; πῶς τοσαύτης ἐκράτησε συνηθείας; τί ποιῶν ἢ τί λέγων; Οὐκ ἔστι Παύλου, οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνδρός. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀρκεῖ τὸ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί. Εἰ μὲν οὖν οὕτως εὐφώρατον τὸ τῆς ἀσεβείας, πάλαι καταγνωσθῆναι ἔδει· εἰ δὲ ἰσχυρὸν, οὐχ οὕτως ἀναιρεθῆναι ταχέως. Οὐ μόνον δὲ, φησὶ, τοῦτο κινδυνεύει ἡμῖν τὸ μέρος. Ὡς δή τί ποτε μεῖζον λέγων, τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ καὶ γενόμενοι πλήρεις θυμοῦ ἔκραζον· Μεγάλη ἡ Ἄρτεμις Ἐφεσίων. Κατὰ πόλιν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἦσαν θεοί. Καὶ οὕτω διέκειντο, ὡς διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ἀνακτώμενοι τὸ σέβας αὐτῆς, καὶ τὰ γεγενημένα ἀναλύοντες. γʹ. Ὅρα ἄτακτον πλῆθος. Τοῦ δὲ Παύλου, φησὶ, βουλομένου εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν δῆμον, οὐκ εἴων αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταί. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Παῦλος ἐβούλετο εἰσελθεῖν δημηγορῆσαι· τοὺς γὰρ διωγμοὺς ἐλάμβανεν εἰς διδασκαλίαν· ἀλλ' οἱ μαθηταὶ οὐκ εἴων αὐτόν. Σκόπει, πόσῃ περὶ αὐτὸν προνοίᾳ κέχρηνται πανταχοῦ. Καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγον, ὥστε μὴ περὶ τὰ καίρια λαβεῖν τὴν πληγήν· καίτοι γε ἤκουσαν, ὅτι δεῖ καὶ Ῥώμην ἰδεῖν· ὅμως κωλύουσιν. Οἰκονομικῶς δὲ προαγορεύει, ἵνα μὴ τῷ γενομένῳ θορυβηθῶσιν. Οὕτως οὐδὲ πάσχειν τι αὐτὸν ἐβούλοντο. Καὶ τῶν ἀσιαρχῶν δέ τινες παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν, φησὶ, μὴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ θέατρον. Εἰδότες αὐτοῦ τὴν προθυμίαν, παρεκάλουν· οὕτω πάντες αὐτὸν ἐφίλουν οἱ πιστοί. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶν, ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐβούλετο ἀπολογεῖσθαι; μὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐνεκλήθη; Ὥστε καιρὸν εὑρεῖν, καὶ τὸ πᾶν καταστρέψαι καὶ ἐκκαῦσαι τοῦ δήμου τὸν θυμόν. Εἶδες θυμὸν ἄτακτον; Καλῶς καὶ ἐπιτιμητικῶς ὁ γραμματεὺς, Τίς ἔστι, φησὶν, ὃς οὐ γινώσκει τὴν Ἐφεσίων πόλιν; Οὕτως εἰπὼν περὶ οὗ ἐφοβοῦντο· ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὐ θεραπεύετε αὐτήν; Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Τίς γάρ ἐστιν, ὃς οὐ γινώσκει τὴν Ἄρτεμιν; ἀλλὰ, Τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἡμετέραν· θεραπεύων αὐτούς. Ἀναντιῤῥήτων οὖν τούτων ὄντων, 60.300 δέον ἐστὶν ὑμᾶς κατεσταλμένους ὑπάρχειν. Ταῦτα δῆθεν ἐγκαλεῖ, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Τί τοίνυν ζητεῖτε ὡς ἀδήλων ὄντων; φανερὸν, ὡς ἡ ὕβρις εἰς τὴν θεὸν διαβαίνει. Πρόσχημα τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐβούλοντο ποιεῖν τοῦ χρηματισμοῦ. Εἶτα ἠρέμα καθάπτεται αὐτῶν, δεικνὺς, ὅτι ἀλογίστως συνῆλθον. Καὶ μηδὲν, φησὶ, προπετὲς πράττειν. ∆εικνὺς, ὅτι προπετῶς