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to destroy. But if the sailors were not yet persuaded, but are persuaded later, do not be surprised; for their kind is somehow impetuous and hard to persuade. But consider for me the intelligence of Paul from this also. For he does not rebuke and become harsh, but gently, Thus it was necessary, he says. For he knew that someone who rebukes in a time of disaster is not well-received, but when the greater part of the disaster has passed, then he becomes well-received. Then, therefore, he presses on, when all hope of being saved had been taken away; then he also foretells the good things. But when the fourteenth night came, he says, being afraid they prayed for day to come. Lest anyone say that nothing happened, he added this, showing that everything had happened. And that it happened, the fear also bears witness; For they prayed, he says, for day to come, being afraid. And the place was difficult; for these things happen in the Adriatic; and the great lack of food; For this is the fourteenth day that you have continued without food, in expectation. So from all things they were in the midst of death; which is why he also adds: I urge you to take some food. For this is for your salvation; that is, Lest you be destroyed by hunger, take some food. And having taken bread, he says, he gave thanks to God. 4. See, his giving thanks for what had happened not only strengthened them, but also makes them cheerful. We were, he says, all the souls in the ship, two hundred and seventy-six. Concerning these he said: There will be no loss of life among you. This is from a fully assured soul, to say that they will be saved. And when they had eaten their fill of food, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat. Do you see? They are persuaded only to take food; but from then on they so cast everything upon Paul as to even throw out the wheat. See them doing human things also, and Paul not preventing them. But when, he says, day came, they loosened the rudder-bands. The ship is broken up in the day, that they might not be broken up by fear, that you might see the prophecy in deed. But the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners. Do you see that in this too they were granted to Paul? For on his account the centurion did not allow them to be killed. Thus they seem to me to be acknowledged evils, so that they chose to kill them but nothing more came of it, since the plan was prevented, but some swam out, and others were carried on planks, and so all were saved, and the prophecy came to its fulfillment, even if it was not impressive in its timing; for he did not foretell it many years before, but following the nature of the events; for all things were hopeless, and through their own salvation they learned who Paul was. But someone might say: Why did he not also save the ship? So that they might learn what sort of danger they escaped; that the whole thing was not of human help, but of the hand of God saving them without a ship. Thus the righteous, even if they are in a storm, or in the sea, or in the open sea, suffer nothing terrible, but they also save others along with themselves. If a ship in danger and suffering shipwreck, and prisoners were saved on account of Paul, consider what it is to have a holy man 60.372 in a house; for many storms also come upon us, and much more severe than these, but he is able to grant us grace also, only if we obey the saints just as they did, if we do what they command. For they are not saved simply, but they themselves also brought faith. Even if the saint is a prisoner, he accomplishes greater things than those who are free. And consider this having happened here. The unbound centurion was in need of the bound one; the knowledgeable pilot needed the non-pilot, or rather, the true pilot. For he was not piloting such a vessel, but the Church of the world, having learned from Him who is also Lord of the sea, not by human art, but by spiritual wisdom. In this vessel there are many shipwrecks, many waves, spirits of wickedness, Within are fightings, without are fears; so that he was the true pilot. See then how our whole life is like this. For sometimes we enjoy kindness, and sometimes a storm, and sometimes through our own ill counsel, and through laziness we fall into countless evils; rather

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ἀπολέσαι. Εἰ δὲ οἱ ναῦται οὐδέπω ἐπείσθησαν, ἀλλ' ὕστερον πείθονται, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· καὶ γὰρ τὸ γένος τὸ τούτων ἰταμόν πώς ἐστι καὶ σκληρὸν πρὸς τὸ πείθεσθαι. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τὴν σύνεσιν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ Παύλου. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτιμᾷ καὶ τραχύνεται, ἀλλ' ἡμέρως, Οὕτως ἔδει, φησίν. Ἤδει γὰρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν εὐπαράδεκτος ἐγκαλῶν τις ἐν συμφορᾷ, ἀλλ' ὅταν καὶ τὰ πλείονα παρατρέχῃ τῆς συμφορᾶς, τότε εὐπαράδεκτος γίνεται. Τότε τοίνυν ἐπιτίθεται, ὅτε πᾶσα ἡ ἐλπὶς τοῦ σωθῆναι περιῃρέθη· τότε καὶ τὰ χρηστὰ προλέγει. Ὡς δὲ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη νὺξ ἐγένετο, φησὶ, φοβούμενοι ηὔχοντο ἡμέραν γενέσθαι. Ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι οὐδὲν γέγονε, τοῦτο ἐπήγαγε, δεικνὺς πάντα γεγονότα. Ὅτι δὲ γέγονε, καὶ ὁ φόβος μαρτυρεῖ· Ηὔχοντο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡμέραν γενέσθαι φοβούμενοι. Καὶ ὁ τόπος χαλεπός· κατὰ γὰρ τὸν Ἀδρίαν ταῦτα συμβαίνει· καὶ ἡ ἀσιτία ἡ πολλή· Τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην γὰρ σήμερον ἡμέραν προσδοκῶντες ἄσιτοι διατελεῖτε. Ὥστε ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐν μέσῳ ἦσαν θανάτου· διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει· Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς προσλαβεῖν τροφῆς. Τοῦτο γὰρ πρὸς τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας ὑπάρχει· τουτέστι, Μή ποτε λιμῷ διαφθαρῆτε, τροφῆς μεταλάβετε. Λαβὼν δὲ ἄρτον, φησὶν, εὐχαρίστησε τῷ Θεῷ. δʹ. Ὅρα, τὸ εὐχαριστῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγενημένοις οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς ἐπέῤῥωσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐθύμους ποιεῖ. Ἦμεν δὲ, φησὶ, πᾶσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ διακόσιαι ἑβδομηκονταέξ. Περὶ τούτων ἔλεγεν· Ἀποβολὴ ψυχῆς οὐδεμία ἔσται ἐξ ὑμῶν. Τοῦτο πεπληροφορημένης ψυχῆς, τὸ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι σωθήσονται. Κορεσθέντες δὲ τῆς τροφῆς ἐκούφιζον τὸ πλοῖον ἐκβαλλόμενοι τὸν σῖτον. Ὁρᾷς; πρὸς τὸ λαβεῖν τροφὴν πείθονται μόνον· ἀλλ' οὕτω λοιπὸν τὸ πᾶν ἔῤῥιψαν ἐπὶ τὸν Παῦλον, ὡς καὶ τὸν σῖτον ἐκβαλεῖν. Ὅρα αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ποιοῦντας, καὶ οὐ κωλύοντα τὸν Παῦλον. Ὅτε δὲ, φησὶν, ἡμέρα ἐγένετο, ἀνῆκαν τὰς ζευκτηρίας. ∆ιαλύεται τὸ πλοῖον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, ἵνα μὴ τῷ φόβῳ διαλυθῶσιν, ἵνα ἴδῃς ἔργῳ τὴν προφητείαν. Τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν βουλὴ ἐγένετο, ἵνα τοὺς δεσμώτας ἀποκτείνωσιν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο τῷ Παύλῳ ἐχαρίσθησαν; διὰ γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐκ εἴασεν αὐτοὺς ἀναιρεθῆναι ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος. Οὕτω μοι δοκοῦσιν ὡμολογημένοι εἶναι κακοὶ ἐκεῖνοι, ὥστε ἑλέσθαι αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀνελεῖν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν πλέον γέγονε, τοῦ βουλήματος κωλυθέντος, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἐξεκολύμβησαν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ σανίδων ἐφέροντο, καὶ πάντες οὕτως ἐσώθησαν, καὶ ἡ προφητεία τέλος ἐλάμβανεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῷ χρόνῳ σεμνή τις οὖσα· οὐ γὰρ πρὸ πολλῶν ἐτῶν αὐτὴν προεῖπεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων ἑπόμενος· ἀνέλπιστα γὰρ ἦν πάντα, καὶ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας σωτηρίας ἐμάνθανον τίς ὁ Παῦλος ἦν. Ἀλλ' εἴποι ἄν τις· ∆ιὰ τί μὴ καὶ τὸ πλοῖον διέσωσεν; Ἵνα μάθωσιν οἷον κίνδυνον διέφυγον· ὅτι οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνης βοηθείας ἦν τὸ πᾶν, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χειρὸς χωρὶς πλοίου σωζούσης. Ὥστε οἱ δίκαιοι κἂν ἐν χειμῶνι ὦσι, κἂν ἐν θαλάσσῃ, κἂν ἐν πελάγει, οὐδὲν πάσχουσι δεινὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρους συνδιασώζουσιν. Εἰ πλοῖον κινδυνεῦον καὶ ναυάγιον ὑπομένον, καὶ δεσμῶται διὰ Παῦλον ἐσώθησαν, ἐννόησον, τί ἐστιν ἅγιον ἄνδρα 60.372 εἶναι ἐν οἰκίᾳ· πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ χειμῶνες καὶ ἡμῖν ἐφίστανται, καὶ πολλῷ τούτων χαλεπώτεροι, ἀλλὰ δύναται καὶ ἡμᾶς χαρίσασθαι, μόνον ἐὰν πειθώμεθα τοῖς ἁγίοις καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι, ἂν ποιῶμεν ἃ προστάττουσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς σώζονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ πίστιν εἰσήνεγκαν. Κἂν δέσμιος ᾖ ὁ ἅγιος, τῶν λελυμένων μείζονα ἐργάζεται. Καὶ σκόπει τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα γεγενημένον. Ὁ λελυμένος ἑκατόνταρχος αὐτοῦ ἐδεῖτο τοῦ δεδεμένου· ὁ ἐπιστήμων κυβερνήτης τοῦ μὴ κυβερνήτου ἔχρῃζε, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ ὄντως κυβερνήτου. Οὐ γὰρ τοιοῦτον ἐκυβέρνα σκάφος, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, παρ' ἐκείνου μαθὼν τοῦ καὶ θαλάσσης ∆εσπότου, οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνῃ τέχνῃ, ἀλλὰ πνευματικῇ σοφίᾳ. Ἐν τῷ σκάφει τούτῳ πολλὰ ναυάγια, πολλὰ κύματα, πνεύματα πονηρίας, Ἔσωθεν μάχαι, ἔξωθεν φόβοι· ὥστε ὁ ὄντως κυβερνήτης ἐκεῖνος ἦν. Ὅρα δὴ τὸν βίον ἡμῶν ἅπαντα πῶς τοιοῦτός ἐστι. Ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολαύομεν, ποτὲ δὲ χειμῶνος, ποτὲ καὶ παρ' οἰκείαν ἀβουλίαν, καὶ παρὰ τὸ ῥᾳθυμεῖν δὲ μυρίοις ἐμπίπτομεν κακοῖς· μᾶλλον