243
to give of one's labors; but that which is from others' is not only not good, but also precarious. And falling upon his neck, he says, they wept. This shows their disposition towards him. They fell upon his neck, as embracing him with final embraces, and having received much love and affection from his discourse. For if we, when simply parting from one another, groan, even though we know that we will see each other again, how could they then have been torn away from Paul without emotion? I think that Paul also wept. Being torn away, he says. He also shows the violence by saying, "Being torn away from them." And reasonably so; for it was no longer possible for them to embark on the sea. What does it mean, "Sailing with a straight course, we came to Cos"? Instead of, We did not go around nor did we spend time in other places. And the next day, he says, to Rhodes. See him hurrying. "And finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia." Perhaps that one was staying there; therefore they embarked on it, not finding another one going to Caesarea. "And when we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left." This is not said simply, but to show that he did not even deign to get near it, sailing straight for Syria; so he hastened. Then "we landed at Tyre," he says, "and finding disciples, we stayed with them." When they were near Jerusalem, they no longer run, but even stay with the brethren for seven days. Look for me now also at the days. After the Days of Unleavened Bread they came to Troas in five days; then there seven; twelve in all; then to Assos, 60.317 to Mitylene, opposite Chios, to Trogyllium, to Samos and to Miletus; eighteen days in all. Then to Cos, to Rhodes, to Patara, twenty-one; then from there in five days to Tyre, twenty-six; then there seven, thirty-three; then to Ptolemais one, thirty-four; then he stays in Caesarea more than the others; and then finally the prophet brings them up from there. Thus Pentecost is fulfilled, and he keeps it there. See him, when the Spirit did not prevent him, being obedient. They said: "Do not give yourself into the theater," and he did not give himself; many times they brought him out, and he was persuaded; again he fled through a window; and now, so to speak, when countless people were beseeching him, both those in Tyre and those in Caesarea, and weeping and foretelling countless terrible things, he does not yield. And indeed they did not simply foretell the terrible things, but they foretold them through the Spirit. If, then, the Spirit commanded, why did they speak against it? Because they did not know what seemed good to the Spirit. And otherwise, they were not making their exhortation through the Spirit either. For they were not simply foretelling the terrible things to him, but that he ought not to go up, out of concern for him. But after we had completed the days, he says; that is, fulfilled; and by days he means the appointed ones; "when all, with wives and children, were bringing us on our way." 3. See how great the comfort was; and again they part with prayer. And in Ptolemais they stay one day, but in Caesarea more. And when he heard that he was to suffer countless terrible things, then he hurries, not throwing himself into dangers, but believing it to be the command of the Spirit. "But after these days," he says, "we made preparations and went up to Jerusalem;" that is, having taken the things for the journey. "And some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, bringing with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge;" "and when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly." And see, Agabus did not say that they will bind Paul, lest he seem to speak by agreement; but, "The man who owns this belt." So he also had a belt. But since they could not persuade him, for this reason they wept, then they became quiet. Do you see philosophy? Do you see affection? "We fell silent," he says, "saying, 'The will of the Lord be done.'" "Bringing," he says, "one with whom we were to lodge." Therefore not in the church. For then, when they went up concerning doctrines, they are lodged in the church; but now with a certain early disciple. He shows the long time of the preaching from now on; whence it seems to me that he shortens many years in the Acts, speaking only of the urgent matters. What is, "The will of the Lord
243
κόπων διδόναι· τὸ δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων, οὐ μόνον οὐ καλὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπισφαλές. Καὶ ἐπιπεσόντες τῷ τραχήλῳ, φησὶν, αὐτοῦ ἔκλαιον. Τοῦτο τὴν διάθεσιν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν δείκνυσιν. Ἐπέπεσον δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον, ἅτε ὑστέρας περιπλοκὰς περιπλεκόμενοι, καὶ πολλὴν ἀπὸ τῆς δημηγορίας λαβόντες τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὸ φίλτρον. Εἰ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἡμεῖς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διαλυόμενοι στένομεν, καίτοι εἰδότες, ὅτι ἀποληψόμεθα ἀλλήλους, πῶς ἂν ἐκεῖνοι τότε Παύλου ἀπαθῶς ἀπεσπάσθησαν; Ἐγὼ καὶ τὸν Παῦλον οἶμαι κλαίειν. Ἀποσπασθέντες, φησί. ∆είκνυσι καὶ τὴν βίαν τῷ εἰπεῖν, Ἀποσπασθέντες ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Καὶ εἰκότως· εἰς γὰρ τὴν θάλασσαν λοιπὸν ἐμβῆναι αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐνῆν. Τί ἐστιν, Εὐθυδρομήσαντες ἤλθομεν εἰς τὴν Κῶν; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Οὐ περιήλθομεν οὐδὲ διετρίψαμεν ἐν ἑτέροις τόποις. Τῇ δὲ ἑξῆς, φησὶν, εἰς Ῥόδον. Ὅρα αὐτὸν ἐπειγόμενον. Καὶ εὑρόντες πλοῖον διαπερῶν εἰς Φοινίκην. Ἴσως ἐκεῖνο αὐτόθι διέτριβε· διὸ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπιβαίνουσιν, οὐχ εὑρόντες ἄλλο εἰς Καισάρειαν ἀπερχόμενον. Ἀναφάναντες δὲ τὴν Κύπρον, καὶ καταλιπόντες αὐτὴν εὐώνυμον. Τοῦτο οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται, ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐγγὺς αὐτῆς γενέσθαι ἠξίωσε, κατευθὺ πλέοντες τῆς Συρίας· οὕτως ἔσπευδεν. Εἶτα καὶ κατήχθημεν εἰς Τύρον, φησὶ, καὶ εὑρόντες μαθητὰς, ἐμείναμεν πρὸς αὐτούς. Ὅτε πλησίον ἦσαν Ἱεροσολύμων, οὐκ ἔτι τρέχουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μένουσι παρὰ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας. Ἴδε μοι λοιπὸν καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας. Μετὰ τὰ Ἄζυμα εἰς Τρωάδα ἦλθον δι' ἡμερῶν πέντε· εἶτα ἐκεῖ ἑπτά· τὰς πάσας δώδεκα· εἶτα εἰς τὴν Ἄσσον, 60.317 εἰς Μυτιλήνην, ἀντικρὺ Χίου, εἰς Τρωγύλιον, εἰς Σάμον καὶ εἰς Μίλητον· δεκαοκτὼ ἡμέραι αἱ πᾶσαι. Εἶτα εἰς Κῶν, εἰς Ῥόδον, εἰς Πάταρα, εἴκοσι καὶ μία· εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν δι' ἡμερῶν πέντε εἰς Τύρον, ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσι· λοιπὸν ἐκεῖ ἑπτὰ τριάκοντα καὶ τρεῖς· εἶτα εἰς Πτολεμαΐδα μίαν, τριάκοντα τέσσαρες· εἶτα εἰς Καισάρειαν πλείους μένει τῶν ἄλλων· καὶ τότε λοιπὸν ἐκεῖθεν αὐτοὺς ἀνάγει ὁ προφήτης. Οὕτως ἡ Πεντηκοστὴ πληροῦται, καὶ ἐκεῖ αὐτὴν ποιεῖ. Ὅρα αὐτὸν ὅτε τὸ Πνεῦμα οὐκ ἐκώλυε πειθόμενον. Εἶπον· Μὴ δῷς σαυτὸν εἰς τὸ θέατρον, καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκε· πολλάκις αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγον, καὶ ἐπείσθη· διὰ θυρίδος πάλιν ἔφυγε· καὶ νῦν ὡς εἰπεῖν μυρίων παρακαλούντων, καὶ τῶν ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ τῶν ἐν Καισαρείᾳ, καὶ κλαιόντων καὶ μυρία προλεγόντων δεινὰ, οὐκ ἀνέχεται. Καὶ μὴν οὐχ ἁπλῶς τὰ δεινὰ προέλεγον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος προέλεγον. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐκέλευσε, διὰ τί ἀντεῖπον; Ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδεσαν ἅπερ ἐδόκει τῷ Πνεύματι. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ οὐδὲ τὴν παραίνεσιν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐποιοῦντο. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς αὐτῷ τὰ δεινὰ προὔλεγον, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀναβῆναι οὐ χρὴ, φειδόμενοι αὐτοῦ. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἐξαρτίσαι τὰς ἡμέρας, φησί· τουτέστι, πληρῶσαι· ἡμέρας δὲ λέγει τὰς τεταγμένας· προπεμπόντων ἡμᾶς πάντων σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις. γʹ. Ὅρα πόση ἡ παράκλησις ἦν· καὶ πάλιν εὐχόμενοι διαλύονται. Καὶ ἐν Πτολεμαΐδι μίαν μένουσιν ἡμέραν, ἐν δὲ Καισαρείᾳ πλείους. Καὶ ὅτε ἤκουσεν ὅτι μυρία δεινὰ ἔχει παθεῖν, τότε ἐπείγεται, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοὺς κινδύνους ῥίπτων ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἡγούμενος τοῦ Πνεύματος εἶναι τὸ πρόσταγμα. Μετὰ δὲ τὰς ἡμέρας ταύτας ἐπισκευασάμενοι, φησὶν, ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα· τουτέστι, τὰ πρὸς τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν λαβόντες. Συνῆλθον δὲ καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀπὸ Καισαρείας σὺν ἡμῖν, ἄγοντες παρ' ᾧ ξενισθῶμεν, Μνάσωνί τινι Κυπρίῳ, ἀρχαίῳ μαθητῇ· γενομένων δὲ ἡμῶν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ἀσμένως ἐδέξαντο ἡμᾶς οἱ ἀδελφοί. Καὶ ὅρα, οὐκ εἶπεν Ἄγαβος, ὅτι Παῦλον δήσουσιν, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ἐκ συνθήκης λέγειν· ἀλλὰ, Τὸν ἄνδρα, οὗ ἐστιν ἡ ζώνη αὕτη. Ἄρα καὶ ζώνην εἶχεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἴσχυον πεῖσαι, διὰ τοῦτο ἔκλαιον, εἶτα ἡσύχασαν. Ὁρᾷς φιλοσοφίαν; ὁρᾷς φιλοστοργίαν; Ἡσυχάσαμεν, φησὶν, εἰπόντες· Τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου γενέσθω. Ἄγοντες, φησὶ, παρ' ᾧ ξενισθῶμεν. Ἄρα οὐκ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. Τότε μὲν γὰρ, ὅτε ὑπὲρ δογμάτων ἀνῄεσαν, ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ξενίζονται· νῦν δὲ παρὰ μαθητῇ τινι ἀρχαίῳ. ∆είκνυσι πολὺν τοῦ κηρύγματος τὸν χρόνον λοιπόν· ὅθεν μοι δοκεῖ πολλὰ ἔτη ἐπιτέμνειν ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν οὗτος, τὰ κατεπείγοντα μόνον λέγων. Τί ἐστι, Τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου