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there must be frankness and the justification, so as to put them to shame. But if there is nothing to what they accuse me of, no one can grant me to them. Even if he wishes, he says, he will not be able to. He did not say, I am not worthy to die, nor, to be released, but, I am ready to be judged before Caesar; at the same time remembering the dream, he was more emboldened to appeal. And he did not say, You, but, No one; and he added, I appeal to Caesar, so that the insult would not be toward him. Then Festus, having conferred with the council, answered: You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go. Do you see how he grants a favor? For this is a favor, to confer with the accusers, which is a sign of a corrupt mind, and of one who confuses the proper order. See again his trial being prolonged, and the plot becoming an occasion for the proclamation. For these things are so arranged, that he should be carried away to Jerusalem with ease and under guard, plotted against by no one; for it was not the same thing to arrive simply, and for such a cause. This also made the Jews come together there. Then again time passes while he is staying in Jerusalem, so that you may learn that even after time had passed, the plot against him has no strength, as God does not allow it. And this king Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea. This Agrippa, who is also Herod, seems to me to be another, so that this is the fourth after the one who was over James. See how the enemies cooperate unwillingly. So that the audience might be a great one, Agrippa conceived a desire for the hearing; and he does not hear simply, but with preparation. And see the defense, which the ruler gives: And since this man has appealed to Augustus, I have decided to send him, about whom I have nothing definite to write to my lord. Thus Festus writes, and the cruelty of the Jews is paraded; for when the ruler says these things, he is above suspicion. For this reason 60.356 he says this, so that the Jews might be condemned by him as well; and after everyone has voted against them, then God brings the punishment. But consider: Lysias condemned, Felix condemned, Festus and those who favored them condemned, Agrippa condemned. What then? Even the Pharisees condemned them. And that he did condemn, hear him saying: They brought no charge of such things as I supposed. And yet they did bring them, but they did not prove them; for the plot and the audacity gave reason to suspect this, but the examination nothing of the sort. And concerning a certain Jesus, he says, who was dead. He reasonably says "concerning a certain one," as being a man in authority, and not caring for these things. For this reason also he said, "I being at a loss," regarding the inquiry into these matters. For truly the investigation of such matters was beyond the hearing of such a judge. And if you are at a loss, why do you drag him to Jerusalem? For this reason Paul also, not deigning to be judged by him, appeals to Caesar, saying: I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged; for concerning this also they were accusing me. Do you hear the appeal? do you hear the plot of the Jews? do you hear the sedition? 4. All these things, when he heard them, stirred up Agrippa to a desire to listen. And Festus grants the favor, and Paul then becomes more illustrious. Such things, as I said, the plots brought about. If it were not for these things, none of the rulers would have deigned to hear him, no one would have listened with such quiet and silence. And he seems to be teaching and making a defense, but he is rather delivering a public oration with much good order. Let us not then think plots a difficult thing. As long as we do not plot against ourselves, no one will be able to plot against us; or rather, they do plot, but they harm us in no way, but even benefit us in the greatest things; so that we are masters of ourselves both in suffering evil and in not suffering. Behold, I testify and I say with a loud voice and clearer than a trumpet, and if it were possible to ascend to a high place to cry out, I would not have refrained, that no one of the men who inhabit the earth will be able to harm the Christian. And why do I say, of men? Not even the demon himself, the tyrant, the devil, unless he harms himself; and even if someone should wish to work any evil against us,

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παῤῥησίας καὶ τὴν δικαιολογίαν εἶναι δεῖ, ὥστε ἐντρέψαι. Εἰ δὲ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὧν κατηγοροῦσί μου, οὐδείς με δύναται χαρίσασθαι. Κἂν θέλῃ, φησὶν, οὐ δυνήσεται. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἄξιός εἰμι ἀποθανεῖν, οὐδὲ, Ἀπολυθῆναι, ἀλλ', Ἕτοιμος κρίνεσθαι ἐπὶ Καίσαρος· ἅμα καὶ τοῦ ὀνείρατος μνησθεὶς, μᾶλλον ἐθάῤῥησεν ἐπικαλέσασθαι. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Σὺ, ἀλλ', Οὐδείς· καὶ προσέθηκε, Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι εἰς ἐκεῖνον τὴν ὕβριν. Τότε ὁ Φῆστος συλλαλήσας μετὰ τοῦ συμβουλίου, ἀπεκρίθη· Καίσαρα ἐπικέκλησαι· ἐπὶ Καίσαρα πορεύσῃ. Εἶδες πῶς χαρίζεται; Τοῦτο γὰρ χάρις ἐστὶ, τὸ συλλαλεῖν μετὰ τῶν κατηγόρων, ὃ διεφθαρμένης γνώμης ἐστὶ, καὶ συγχεούσης τὴν τάξιν. Ὅρα πάλιν ἐκτεινομένην αὐτοῦ τὴν δίκην, καὶ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἀφορμὴν τοῦ κηρύγματος γινομένην. Ταῦτα γὰρ οἰκονομεῖται, ὥστε μετὰ εὐκολίας καὶ φυλακῆς ἀπενεχθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα ὑπὸ μηδενὸς ἐπιβουλευόμενον· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἴσον ἁπλῶς παραγενέσθαι, καὶ ἐπὶ αἰτίᾳ τοιαύτῃ. Τοῦτο καὶ συνελθεῖν ἐποίησεν Ἰουδαίους ἐκεῖ. Εἶτα πάλιν χρόνος γίνεται ἐνδιατρίβοντος αὐτοῦ τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι καὶ χρόνου γενομένου, οὐδὲν τὰ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ἰσχύει, τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ συγχωροῦντος. Ἀγρίππας δὲ οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ Βερνίκη κατήντησαν εἰς Καισάρειαν. Οὗτος ὁ Ἀγρίππας ὁ καὶ Ἡρώδης, ἕτερός μοι δοκεῖ, ὡςεἶναι τέταρτον τοῦτον μετ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐπὶ Ἰακώβου. Ὅρα τοὺς ἐχθροὺς συμπράττοντας ἄκοντας. Ὥστε δὲ μέγα γενέσθαι τὸ ἀκροατήριον, εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐνέπεσεν ὁ Ἀγρίππας τῆς ἀκροάσεως· καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀκούει, ἀλλὰ μετὰ παρασκευῆς. Καὶ ἴδε τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ἢν ὁ ἄρχων φησί· Καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τούτου ἐπικαλεσαμένου τὸν Σεβαστὸν, ἔκρινα πέμπειν αὐτὸν, περὶ οὗ ἀσφαλές τι τῷ κυρίῳ γράψαι οὐκ ἔχω. Οὕτω γράφει ὁ Φῆστος, καὶ ἐκπομπεύεται ἡ ὠμότης ἡ Ἰουδαϊκή· ὅταν γὰρ ταῦτα ὁ ἄρχων λέγῃ, ἀνύποπτός ἐστι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο 60.356 δὲ λέγει, ὥστε καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ καταγνωσθῆναι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους· μετὰ δὲ τὸ πάντας αὐτῶν καταψηφίσασθαι, τότε ἐπάγει τὴν κόλασιν ὁ Θεός. Σκόπει δέ· κατέγνω Λυσίας, κατέγνω Φῆλιξ, κατέγνω Φῆστος καὶ οἱ χαριζόμενοι αὐτοῖς, κατέγνω Ἀγρίππας. Τί λοιπόν; Κατέγνωσαν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι. Καὶ ὅτι κατέγνω, ἄκουε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν ἐπέφερον ὧν ὑπενόουν ἐγώ. Καὶ μὴν ἤνεγκαν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἤλεγξαν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιβουλὴ καὶ τὸ τόλμημα, τοῦτο ὑποπτεύειν ἐδίδου, ἡ δὲ ἐξέτασις οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον. Καὶ περί τινος, φησὶν, Ἰησοῦ τεθνηκότος. Εἰκότως Περί τινος λέγει, ἅτε ἄνθρωπος ἐν ἀρχῇ ὢν, καὶ τούτων οὐ φροντίζων. Ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς αἰτίας καὶ τὸ, Ἀπορούμενος ἐγὼ, εἶπεν, εἰς τὴν περὶ τούτων ἐξέτασιν. Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως τοιούτου δικαστοῦ ὑπερέβαινεν ἀκοὰς ἡ τῶν τοιούτων ζήτησις. Καὶ εἰ ἐν ἀπορίᾳ εἶ, τί εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἕλκεις; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος οὐκ ἀξιῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κρίνεσθαι, Καίσαρα ἐπικαλεῖται, λέγων· Ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος Καίσαρος ἑστώς εἰμι, οὗ με δεῖ κρίνεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ περὶ τούτου ἐνεκάλουν. Ἀκούεις ἔφεσιν; ἀκούεις ἐπιβουλὴν Ἰουδαίων; ἀκούεις στάσιν; δʹ. Ταῦτα πάντα τὸν Ἀγρίππαν εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐξήγειρεν ἀκούοντα. Καὶ δίδωσιν ὁ Φῆστος τὴν χάριν, καὶ γίνεται λοιπὸν λαμπρότερος ὁ Παῦλος. Τοιαῦτα, ὅπερ ἔφην, αἱ ἐπιβουλαὶ προεξένησαν. Εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ἦν, οὐδεὶς ἂν τούτων κατηξίωσεν ἀκοῦσαι αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀρχόντων, οὐδεὶς ἂν μετὰ τοσαύτης ἡσυχίας καὶ σιγῆς. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν διδάσκειν καὶ ἀπολογεῖσθαι, δημηγορεῖ δὲ μᾶλλον μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐταξίας. Μὴ δὴ χαλεπόν τι πρᾶγμα νομίσωμεν τὰς ἐπιβουλάς. Ἕως ἂν ἑαυτοῖς μὴ ἐπιβουλεύωμεν, οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν ἐπιβουλεῦσαι δυνήσεται· μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπιβουλεύουσι μὲν, οὐδὲν δὲ βλάπτουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφελοῦσιν ἡμᾶς τὰ μέγιστα· ὥστε ἡμεῖς ἑαυτῶν κύριοι καὶ τοῦ παθεῖν κακῶς καὶ τοῦ μὴ παθεῖν. Ἰδοὺ διαμαρτύρομαι καὶ μεγάλῃ λέγω τῇ φωνῇ καὶ σάλπιγγος τρανότερον, καὶ εἰ ἦν ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ ἀναβάντα βοῆσαι, οὐκ ἂν παρῃτησάμην, ὅτι τὸν Χριστιανὸν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων τῶν οἰκούντων τὴν γῆν βλάψαι δυνήσεται. Καὶ τί λέγω, ἀνθρώπων; Οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ δαίμων, ὁ τύραννος, ὁ διάβολος, ἂν μὴ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀδικήσῃ· κἂν ὁτιοῦν τις ἡμᾶς κακὸν ἐργάσασθαι βουληθῇ,