234

I wished to see the dust of the mouth, through which Christ spoke great and unutterable things, and greater things than through himself; for just as he worked greater things through his disciples, so also he spoke; through which the Spirit gave to the world those wondrous oracles. For what good thing did that mouth not work? It cast out demons, it loosed sins, it silenced tyrants, it stopped the tongues of philosophers, it brought the world to God, it persuaded barbarians to be philosophers, it reshaped all things on the earth; and things in heaven, too, it arranged in whatever way it wished, binding whom it wished, and loosing there according to the authority given to it. Not only of the mouth, but also of that heart I wished to see the dust, which one would not err in calling the heart of the world, and the spring of countless good things, and the beginning and element of our life. For the spirit of life was supplied from there to all, and was distributed to the members of Christ, not sent out through arteries, but through a good disposition. This heart was so broad, as to receive even whole cities and peoples and nations; For "My heart," he says, "is enlarged." But yet love, which enlarged it, often constrained and afflicted a heart so broad; "For out of much affliction," he says, "and anguish of heart I wrote this to you." And I desired to see it dissolved, the one burning for each of those who were perishing, the one travailing a second time for the children who miscarried, the one seeing God (for "the pure in heart," he says, "shall see God"); the one that had become a sacrifice (for "A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit"); the one higher than the heavens, broader than the world, 60.680 brighter than the sunbeam, hotter than fire, harder than adamant, the one sending forth rivers; for "Rivers," he says, "shall flow from his belly of living water"; where was the spring that leaps up, and waters not the face of the earth, but the souls of men; from where not only rivers, but also fountains of tears went forth both by night and by day; the one that lived a new life, not this one of ours ("For I no longer live," he says, "but Christ lives in me." Therefore Paul's heart was His heart, and a tablet of the Holy Spirit, and a book of grace); the one trembling for the sins of others ("For I am afraid," he says, "lest I have labored over you in vain," "Lest as the serpent deceived Eve," "Lest when I come I find you not such as I wish"); but for itself both fearing and being confident ("For I am afraid," he says, "Lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified;" and, "For I am persuaded, that neither angels nor principalities will be able to separate us"), the one counted worthy to love Christ as no one else has loved, the one that despised death and hell, and was broken by the tears of brethren ("For what are you doing," he says, "weeping and breaking my heart?"), the most enduring, and not bearing to be separated from the Thessalonians for the space of an hour. 4. I wished to see the dust of the hands that were in chains, through the laying on of which the Spirit was supplied, through which these letters were written; "For see with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand;" and again, "The greeting by my own hand, Paul's," of those hands, which the viper saw and fell off into the fire. I wished to see the dust of the eyes that were nobly blinded, that looked up for the salvation of the world, that were counted worthy to see Christ even in the body, that saw earthly things and saw them not, that beheld the things which are not seen, that knew not sleep, that kept vigil in the middle of the night, that did not suffer the afflictions of those with eye diseases. I wished also to see the dust of those feet that ran throughout the world and grew not weary, that were bound in the stocks when the prison was shaken, that went about the inhabited and uninhabited world, that journeyed often. And why must I speak in detail? I wished to see the tomb where the weapons of righteousness are laid up, the weapons of light, the members that are now living, having been put to death

234

τοῦ στόματος ἐβουλόμην τὴν κόνιν ἰδεῖν, δι' οὗ τὰ μεγάλα καὶ ἀπόῤῥητα ὁ Χριστὸς ἐλάλησε, καὶ μείζονα ἢ δι' ἑαυτοῦ· ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰργάσατο μείζονα διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἐφθέγξατο· δι' οὗ τὸ Πνεῦμα τῇ οἰκουμένῃ τοὺς θαυμαστοὺς ἐκείνους χρησμοὺς ἔδωκε. Τί γὰρ οὐκ εἰργάσατο ἐκεῖνο τὸ στόμα ἀγαθόν; ∆αίμονας ἤλασεν, ἁμαρτήματα ἔλυσε, τυράννους ἐπεστόμισε, φιλοσόφων γλώττας ἐνέφραξε, τὴν οἰκουμένην τῷ Θεῷ προσήγαγε, βαρβάρους φιλοσοφεῖν ἔπεισε, πάντα μετεῤῥύθμισε τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ· καὶ τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς δὲ, ὃν ἐβούλετο, διετίθει τρόπον, δεσμῶν οὓς ἐβούλετο, καὶ λύων ἐκεῖ κατὰ τὴν δεδομένην ἐξουσίαν αὐτῷ. Οὐ τοῦ στόματος δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς καρδίας ἐκείνης ἐβουλόμην τὴν κόνιν ἰδεῖν, ἣν οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι καρδίαν τῆς οἰκουμένης εἰπὼν, καὶ τῶν μυρίων ἀγαθῶν πηγὴν, καὶ ἀρχὴν καὶ στοιχεῖον τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς. Τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα τῆς ζωῆς ἐκεῖθεν εἰς ἅπαντα ἐχορηγεῖτο, καὶ τοῖς μέλεσι τοῦ Χριστοῦ διεδίδοτο, οὐ δι' ἀρτηρίας ἐκπεμπόμενον, ἀλλὰ διὰ προαιρέσεως ἀγαθῶν. Αὕτη οὕτω πλατεῖα ἡ καρδία ἦν, ὡς καὶ πόλεις ὁλοκλήρους δέχεσθαι καὶ δήμους καὶ ἔθνη· Ἡ καρδία γάρ μου, φησὶ, πεπλάτυνται. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὴν οὕτω πλατεῖαν συνέσχε πολλάκις καὶ ἔθλιψεν ἡ εὐρύνουσα αὐτὴν ἀγάπη· Ἐκ γὰρ πολλῆς θλίψεως, φησὶ, καὶ συνοχῆς καρδίας ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ταύτην. Καὶ διαλελυμένην ἐπεθύμουν ἰδεῖν τὴν πυρουμένην καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν ἀπολλυμένων, τὴν ὠδίνουσαν ἐκ δευτέρου τὰ ἐξαμβλούμενα τῶν παίδων, τὴν τὸν Θεὸν ὁρῶσαν (Οἱ γὰρ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, φησὶ, τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται)· τὴν θυσίαν γεγενημένην (Θυσία γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ, πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον)· τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν τῶν οὐρανῶν, εὐρυτέραν τῆς οἰκουμένης, 60.680 τὴν τῆς ἀκτῖνος φαιδροτέραν, τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς θερμοτέραν, τὴν τοῦ ἀδάμαντος στεῤῥοτέραν, τὴν τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἀφιεῖσαν· Ποταμοὶ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ὕδατος ζῶντος· ἔνθα ἦν ἡ πηγὴ ἡ ἁλλομένη, καὶ ποτίζουσα οὐ τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ὅθεν οὐ ποταμοὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πηγαὶ δακρύων ἐξῄεσαν καὶ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν· τὴν καινὴν ζήσασαν ζωὴν, οὐ ταύτην τὴν ἡμετέραν (Ζῶ γὰρ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ, φησὶν, ὁ Χριστός. Ἄρα ἐκείνου καρδία ἦν ἡ Παύλου καρδία, καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου πλὰξ, καὶ βιβλίον τῆς χάριτος)· τὴν τρέμουσαν μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἁμαρτημάτων (Φοβοῦμαι γὰρ, φησὶ, μή πως εἰκῆ κεκοπίακα εἰς ὑμᾶς, Μή πως ὁ ὄφις Εὔαν ἠπάτησε, Μή πως ἐλθὼν οὐχ οἵους θέλω εὕρω ὑμᾶς)· ὑπὲρ δὲ ἑαυτῆς καὶ δεδοικυῖαν καὶ θαῤῥοῦσαν (Φοβοῦμαι γὰρ, φησὶ, Μή πως ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτὸς ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι· καὶ, Πέπεισμαι γὰρ, ὅτι οὔτε ἄγγελοι οὔτε ἀρχαὶ δυνήσονται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι), τὴν καταξιωθεῖσαν φιλῆσαι Χριστὸν, ὡς οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἐφίλησε, τὴν θανάτου καὶ γεέννης καταφρονήσασαν, καὶ ὑπὸ δακρύων ἀδελφικῶν συντριβομένην (Τί γὰρ ποιεῖτε, φησὶ, κλαίοντες καὶ συντρίβοντές μου τὴν καρδίαν;), τὴν καρτερικωτάτην, καὶ οὐ στέγουσαν καιρὸν ὥρας ἀποστῆναι Θεσσαλονικέων. δʹ. Ἐβουλόμην τὴν κόνιν ἰδεῖν τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἐν ἁλύσει, δι' ὧν τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐχορηγεῖτο, δι' ὧν ταῦτα τὰ γράμματα ἐγράφετο· Ἴδετε γὰρ πηλίκοις γράμμασιν ὑμῖν ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί· καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου, τῶν χειρῶν ἐκείνων, ἃς ἰδοῦσα ἡ ἔχις ἐξέπεσεν εἰς τὴν πυράν. Ἐβουλόμην τὴν κόνιν ἰδεῖν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν πηρωθέντων καλῶς, τῶν ἀναβλεψάντων ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῆς οἰκουμένης, τῶν καὶ ἐν σώματι Χριστὸν ἰδεῖν καταξιωθέντων, τῶν ὁρώντων τὰ γήϊνα καὶ οὐχ ὁρώντων, τῶν βλεπόντων τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα, τῶν μὴ εἰδότων ὕπνον, τῶν ἐν μέσαις ταῖς νυξὶν ἀγρυπνούντων, τῶν οὐ πασχόντων τὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμιώντων. Ἐβουλόμην καὶ τῶν ποδῶν ἰδεῖν ἐκείνων τὴν κόνιν τῶν περιδραμόντων τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ μὴ καμνόντων, τῶν ἐν ξύλῳ δεδεμένων, ἡνίκα τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἔσεισε, τῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην καὶ ἀοίκητον περιελθόντων, τῶν ὁδοιπορούντων πολλάκις. Καὶ τί δεῖ κατὰ μέρος λέγειν; Ἐβουλόμην τὸν τάφον ἰδεῖν, ἔνθα τὰ ὅπλα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀπόκειται, τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτὸς, τὰ μέλη τὰ νῦν ζῶντα, νενεκρωμένα