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the testimony concerning me. See, not even this is without witness, but the witness is from the outcome. He said that They will not receive your testimony; and they did not receive it. And yet from reasoning one should have suspected that they would certainly receive it. For I was the one imprisoning and beating, he says. So for this reason they should have received it; and yet they did not receive it. Therefore he also learns this in the trance, that he would not be received. Here he establishes two things, that they are without excuse; for they did not persecute him according to probability nor according to reason; and that Christ was God, prophesying things contrary to expectation, and not looking at what had happened, but foreknowing the things to come. How then does he say, Before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel 60.333 he will bear my name? He will bear, He said, not that he will in all cases persuade; and besides, Jews elsewhere were persuaded, but here they were not. Where they most of all should have been persuaded, knowing his former zeal, here they were not persuaded. And when the blood of Stephen your martyr was being shed, I myself was standing by and consenting to his death. See where again the discourse ends, on the strong point. For he shows that he himself was the persecutor, and not only persecuting, but also killing Stephen with ten thousand hands. He reminded them of a terrible murder. Then indeed they especially could not bear it, since this convicted them; and already the prophecy was being fulfilled. The zeal, therefore, was great, and the accusation vehement, and the witnesses of the truth of Christ discoursing with boldness. But the Jews could no longer bear to hear the whole speech, but being greatly inflamed with anger they were shouting. And he said to me, Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles. And they listened to him until this word, and they raised their voice, saying, Away with such a one from the earth; for it is not fitting that he should live. And as they were crying out and throwing off their garments, and casting dust into the air, the tribune commanded him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by scourging, that he might know for what cause they cried so against him. And when the tribune ought to have examined if these things were so, or even them; but he, having done nothing more, announces that he is to be examined with scourges. For he commanded him, it says, to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined with scourges, that he might know for what cause they cried so against him. And yet he ought to have learned from those who were crying out, and to have asked if they were taking issue with any of the things said; but he simply uses his authority, and does it to please them; for he was not seeking how he might do something justly, but how he might stop their anger, unjust as it was. But as they were stretching him for the thongs, he said to the centurion standing by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned? Paul did not lie, God forbid, in calling himself a Roman; for he was a Roman; for which reason the tribune, upon hearing it, is afraid. And for what reason, he says, was he afraid? For another reason, he would have feared lest he be caught and pay a greater penalty. And see, he does not say it simply, but, Is it lawful for you? The charges are two, both that it was without reason, and that he was a Roman. Those who were worthy to be so called had this great privilege then; and not all obtained this; for they say that from Hadrian's time all were named Romans, but in the old days it was not so. And he also said he was a Roman in order to escape the punishment; for he would have become contemptible if he had been scourged; but now by saying this, he casts them into greater fear. But if they had scourged him, they would have also diverted the matter, or even killed him; but now it does not happen so. See how God allows many things to happen in a human way, both in their case and in that of the rest. But the tribune, by answering that, I obtained this citizenship for a large sum, shows that he suspected Paul's saying he was a Roman to be a pretext; and perhaps he supposed this from Paul's apparent poverty. And when the centurion heard it, he went to the 60.334 tribune and reported it, saying, See what you are about to do; for this man is a Roman. And the tribune came and said to him, Tell me, are you a Roman? And he said:

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τὴν μαρτυρίαν περὶ ἐμοῦ. Ὅρα, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀμάρτυρον, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκβάσεως ἡ μαρτυρία. Εἶπεν ὅτι Οὐ δέξονταί σου τὴν μαρτυρίαν· καὶ οὐκ ἐδέξαντο. Καὶ μὴν ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ἔδει ὑποπτεῦσαι, ὅτι πάντως δέξονται. Ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤμην ὁ φυλακίζων καὶ δέρων, φησίν. Ὥστε διὰ τοῦτο ἔδει αὐτοὺς δέξασθαι· καὶ ὅμως οὐκ ἐδέξαντο. ∆ιὸ καὶ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μανθάνει τὸ μὴ παραδεχθῆναι. Ἐνταῦθα δύο κατασκευάζει, ὅτι τε ἀναπολόγητα αὐτοῖς ἐστίν· οὐ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς αὐτὸν ἐδίωκον οὐδὲ κατὰ λόγον· καὶ ὅτι Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Χριστὸς τὰ παρὰ προσδοκίαν προφητεύων, καὶ οὐχ ὁρῶν εἰς τὰ γενόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα προειδώς. Πῶς οὖν λέγει, Ἐνώπιον ἐθνῶν καὶ βασιλέων υἱῶν τε Ἰσραὴλ 60.333 βαστάσει τὸ ὄνομά μου; Βαστάσει, εἶπεν, οὐ πάντως πείσει· ἄλλως δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀλλαχοῦ μὲν ἐπείθοντο, ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχί. Ὅπου μάλιστα ἔδει πεισθῆναι, εἰδότας αὐτοῦ τὴν προτέραν προθυμίαν, ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἐπείθοντο. Καὶ ὅτε ἐξεχεῖτο τὸ αἷμα Στεφάνου τοῦ μάρτυρός σου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἤμην ἐφεστὼς, καὶ συνευδοκῶν τῇ ἀναιρέσει αὐτοῦ. Ὅρα ποῦ πάλιν ὁ λόγος τελευτᾷ, εἰς τὸ ἰσχυρὸν κεφάλαιον. ∆είκνυσι γὰρ, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ ἐλαύνων, καὶ οὐκ ἐλαύνων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μυρίαις χερσὶν ἀναιρῶν τὸν Στέφανον. Ὑπέμνησεν αὐτοὺς μιαιφονίας χαλεπῆς. Τότε δὴ μάλιστα οὐκ ἤνεγκαν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἤλεγχεν αὐτούς· καὶ ἤδη ἡ προφητεία ἐπληροῦτο. Ὁ ζῆλος τοίνυν πολὺς, καὶ ἡ κατηγορία σφοδρὰ, καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ παῤῥησίᾳ διαλεγόμενοι. Ἀλλ' οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο λοιπὸν πάσης ἀκοῦσαι τῆς δημηγορίας, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ σφόδρα ἐμπρησθέντες ἐβόων. Καὶ εἶπε πρός με· Πορεύου, ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰς ἔθνη μακρὰν ἀποστελῶ σε. Ἤκουον δὲ αὐτοῦ ἄχρι τοῦ λόγου τούτου, καὶ ἐπῆραν τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῶν, λέγοντες· Αἶρε ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τὸν τοιοῦτον· οὐ γὰρ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῇν. Κραζόντων δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ῥιπτούντων τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ κονιορτὸν βαλλόντων εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ χιλίαρχος εἰσάγεσθαι αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν, εἰπὼν μάστιξιν ἀνετάζεσθαι αὐτὸν, ἵνα γνῷ, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν οὕτω κατεβόων αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τὸν χιλίαρχον δέον ἐξετάσαι, εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχοι, ἢ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους· ὁ δὲ μηδὲν πλέον ποιήσας, μάστιξιν ἀνετάζειν αὐτὸν ἐπαγγέλλεται. Ἐκέλευσε γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, εἰσάγεσθαι εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν, εἰπὼν μάστιξιν ἀνετάζεσθαι αὐτὸν, ἵνα γνῷ, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν οὕτω κατεβόων αὐτοῦ. Καὶ μὴν παρ' ἐκείνων ἔδει μαθεῖν τῶν καταβοώντων, καὶ ἐρωτῆσαι εἴ τινος τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπελαμβάνοντο· ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ χρᾶται, καὶ ἐκείνοις πρὸς χάριν ποιεῖ· οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐζήτει, ὅπως δικαίως τι πράξειεν, ἀλλ' ὅπως παύσειε τὸν ἐκείνων θυμὸν ἄδικον ὄντα. Ὡς δὲ προσέτεινον αὐτὸν τοῖς ἱμᾶσιν, εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἑστῶτα ἑκατόνταρχον· Εἰ ἄνθρωπον Ῥωμαῖον καὶ ἀκατάκριτον ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν μαστίζειν; Οὐκ ἐψεύσατο Παῦλος, μὴ γένοιτο, Ῥωμαῖον ἑαυτὸν εἰπών· Ῥωμαῖοςγὰρ ἦν· διὸ καὶ ὁ χιλίαρχος ἀκούσας φοβεῖται. Καὶ τίνος, φησὶν, ἕνεκεν ἐφοβήθη; Εἰ ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν ἕτερον, ἔδεισεν ἂν, μὴ ἁλῷ καὶ μείζονα δίκην δῷ. Καὶ ὅρα, οὐχ ἁπλῶς φησιν, ἀλλ', Εἰ ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν; ∆ύο τὰ ἐγκλήματα, καὶ τὸ ἄνευ λόγου, καὶ τὸ Ῥωμαῖον ὄντα. Μεγάλην εἶχον ταύτην τότε προνομίαν οἱ ἀξιούμενοι οὕτω καλεῖσθαι· καὶ οὐ πάντες τούτου ἐτύγχανον· ἀπὸ γὰρ Ἀδριανοῦ φασι πάντας Ῥωμαίους ὀνομασθῆναι, τὸ δὲ παλαιὸν οὐχ οὕτως ἦν. Ἢ καὶ Ῥωμαῖον ἑαυτὸν εἶπεν, ἵνα διαφύγῃ τὴν τιμωρίαν· εὐκαταφρόνητος γὰρ ἂν ἐγένετο μαστιχθείς· νῦν δὲ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, εἰς πλείονα αὐτοὺς ἐμβάλλει φόβον. Εἰ δὲ ἐμάστιξαν, καὶ παρέτρεψαν ἂν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἢ καὶ ἀπέκτειναν αὐτόν· νῦν δὲ οὐχ οὕτω γίνεται. Ὅρα πῶς ὁ Θεὸς συγχωρεῖ καὶ ἀνθρωπίνως πολλὰ γενέσθαι, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν. Ὁ δὲ χιλίαρχος ἀποκριθεὶς, ὅτι Πολλοῦ κεφαλαίου τὴν πολιτείαν ταύτην ἐκτησάμην, δείκνυσιν ὑποπτεῦσαι πρόφασιν εἶναι τὸ εἰπεῖν ἑαυτὸν Ῥωμαῖον τὸν Παῦλον· καὶ ἴσως τοῦτο ὑπέλαβεν ἀπὸ τῆς λιτότητος Παύλου τῆς φαινομένης. Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος, προσελθὼν τῷ χι 60.334 λιάρχῳ ἀπήγγειλε, λέγων· Ὅρα τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν· ὁ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος Ῥωμαῖός ἐστι. Προσελθὼν δὲ ὁ χιλίαρχος εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Λέγε μοι, εἰ σὺ Ῥωμαῖος εἶ; Ὁ δὲ ἔφη·