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278

promise made by God, I stand on trial; to which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain; for which hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa. Why? Is it judged incredible among you, if God raises the dead? He presents two arguments concerning the resurrection, one from the prophets; and he does not bring forward a prophet, but the belief of the Jews themselves; and another, even stronger one, from the facts. What is this one? That Christ spoke to him, having risen from the dead. And he constructs this also from arguments, recounting precisely his former madness; then also with praise of the Jews; Night and day serving, he says, it hopes to attain. So that even if I were not of an irreproachable life, for these things I ought not to be judged, King Agrippa. Then also another argument. Why? Is it judged incredible among you, if God raises the dead? For if there were not such a belief, if they had not been brought up in these doctrines, but it were now being introduced, perhaps no one would have accepted the word. Then he says how he persecuted; and this is constructive; and he brings forward the chief priests as witnesses, and the cities outside, and that he heard him saying to him, 'It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' Then he shows also God's love for humanity, that he appeared even while being persecuted, and that 'He did not benefit me alone, but also sent me as a teacher to others.' 2. And he shows also the prophecy which he heard: 'For this purpose I have appeared to you; delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you.' Showing all these things, he said: I myself, therefore, thought that I ought to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I cast my vote against them; and in all the synagogues I punished them often and tried to make them blaspheme; and being exceedingly furious against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. In which, as I was journeying to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday on the road I saw, O king, a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.' But rise and stand upon your feet; for to this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you as a minister and a witness both of what you have seen and of what I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me. Observe how gently he speaks. God, he says, said to me, that 'I have appeared to you to appoint you as a minister 60.361 and a witness, both of what you have seen and of what I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins.' As if he were saying: 'I was persuaded by these things, by this vision he won me over, and so persuaded me as not to delay.' Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision; but to those in Damascus first and in Jerusalem, and to all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles, I declare that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of repentance. He, therefore, who also teaches others about the best life, how could he himself, he says, have become a leader of sedition and contention? For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Having therefore obtained help from God, I stand to this day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing outside of what the prophets

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ἐπαγγελίας ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἕστηκα κρινόμενος· εἰς ἣν τὸ δωδεκάφυλον ἡμῶν, ἐν ἐκτενείᾳ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν λατρεῦον, ἐλπίζει καταντῆσαι· περὶ ἧς ἐλπίδος ἐγκαλοῦμαι, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων. Τί; ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ' ὑμῖν, εἰ ὁ Θεὸς νεκροὺς ἐγείρει; ∆ύο τίθησι περὶ ἀναστάσεως λογισμοὺς, ἕνα μὲν τὸν ἀπὸ προφητῶν· καὶ οὐ παράγει προφήτην, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴν δόξαν· ἄλλον δὲ τὸν καὶ ἰσχυρότερον τὸν ἀπὸ πραγμάτων. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτον; Ὅτι διελέχθη αὐτῷ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν. Καὶ κατασκευάζει καὶ τοῦτον ἀπὸ λογισμῶν, τὴν προτέραν αὐτοῦ μανίαν διηγούμενος ἀκριβῶς· εἶτα καὶ μετὰ ἐγκωμίου τῶν Ἰουδαίων· Νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν λατρεῦον ἐλπίζει, φησὶ, καταντῆσαι. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀλήπτου βίου ἤμην, ὑπὲρ τούτων οὐκ ἔδει κρίνεσθαι, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα. Εἶτα καὶ ἄλλος λογισμός. Τί; ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ' ὑμῖν, εἰ ὁ Θεὸς νεκροὺς ἐγείρει; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοιαύτη δόξα ἦν, εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἀνατεθραμμένοι ἦσαν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς δόγμασι, νῦν δὲ εἰσεφέρετο, ἴσως οὐκ ἂν ἐδέξατό τις τὸν λόγον. Εἶτα λέγει, πῶς ἐδίωκε· καὶ τοῦτο κατασκευαστικόν· καὶ τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς παράγει μάρτυρας, καὶ τὰς ἔξω πόλεις, καὶ ὅτι ἤκουσε λέγοντος αὐτῷ· Σκλῆρόν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν. Ἔπειτα δείκνυσι καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, ὅτι καὶ διωκόμενος ὤφθη, καὶ ὅτι Οὐκ ἐμὲ μόνον εὐεργέτησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέροις ἔπεμψε διδάσκαλον. βʹ. ∆είκνυσι δὲ καὶ τὴν προφητείαν, ἣν ἤκουσεν Εἰς τοῦτο ὤφθην σοι· ἐξαιρούμενός σε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς οὓς ἐγώ σε ἀποστέλλω. Ταῦτα πάντα δεικνὺς, ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἔδοξα ἐμαυτῷ πρὸς τὸ ὄνομα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου δεῖν πολλὰ ἐναντία πρᾶξαι. Ὃ καὶ ἐποίησα ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν ἁγίων ἐγὼ φυλακαῖς κατέκλεισα, τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἐξουσίαν λαβών· ἀναιρουμένων τε αὐτῶν κατήνεγκα ψῆφον· καὶ κατὰ πάσας τὰς συναγωγὰς πολλάκις τιμωρῶν αὐτοὺς, ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν· περισσῶς τε ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς, ἐδίωκον ἕως καὶ εἰς τὰς ἔξω πόλεις. Ἐν οἷς καὶ πορευόμενος εἰς τὴν ∆αμασκὸν μετ' ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπιτροπῆς τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχιερέων, ἡμέρας μέσης κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν εἶδον, βασιλεῦ, οὐρανόθεν ὑπὲρ τὴν λαμπρότητα τοῦ ἡλίου περιλάμψαν με φῶς, καὶ τοὺς σὺν ἐμοὶ πορευομένους. Πάντων δὲ καταπεσόντων ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἤκουσα φωνὴν λαλοῦσαν πρός με καὶ λέγουσαν τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ· Σαοὺλ, Σαοὺλ, τί με διώκεις; σκληρόν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν. Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπον· Τίς εἶ, Κύριε; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς, ὃν σὺ διώκεις. Ἀλλὰ ἀνάστηθι,καὶ στῆθι ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας σου· εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ὤφθην σοι, προχειρίσασθαί σε ὑπηρέτην καὶ μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες, ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι, ἐξαιρούμενός σε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς οὓς ἐγώ σε ἀποστέλλω, ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς, καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις πίστει τῇ εἰς ἐμέ. Σκόπει, πῶς ἡμέρως διαλέγεται. Ὁ Θεὸς φησὶν, εἶπε πρός με, ὅτι Ὤφθην σοι προχειρίσασθαι σε ὑπηρ 60.361 έτην καὶ μάρτυρα, ὧν τε εἶδες, ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαι σοι, ἐξαιρούμενός σε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς οὓς ἐγώ σε ἀποστέλλω, ἀνοῖξαι ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς, καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτοὺς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Ὡσεὶ ἔλεγε· Τούτοις ἐπείσθην, ταύτῃ τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ με ἐπηγάγετο, καὶ οὕτως ἔπεισεν, ὥστε μὴ ἀναβάλλεσθαι. Ὅθεν, βασιλεῦ Ἀγρίππα, οὐκ ἐγενόμην ἀπειθὴς τῇ οὐρανίῳ ὀπτασίᾳ· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐν ∆αμασκῷ πρῶτον καὶ Ἱεροσολύμοις, εἰς πᾶσάν τε τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπαγγέλλω μετανοεῖν, καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ἄξια τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα πράσσοντας. Ὁ τοίνυν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους παιδεύων περὶ βίου ἀρίστου, πῶς ἂν αὐτὸς στάσεως καὶ φιλονεικίας, φησὶν, ἀρχηγὸς γέγονα; Ἕνεκα τούτων οἱ Ἰουδαῖοί με συλλαβόμενοι ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, ἐπειρῶντο διαχειρίσασθαι. Ἐπικουρίας οὖν τυχὼν τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ἕστηκα, μαρτυρόμενος μικρῷ τε καὶ μεγάλῳ, οὐδὲν ἐκτὸς λέγων ὧν τε οἱ προφῆται