Letter 1108: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
On the Apostle: "He is a vessel of election unto me." "This is a vessel of election unto me," Christ says of Paul, when he entrusted the apostolic proclamation to him. For he would not have handed over the Church, for which he poured out his precious blood, to a teacher who would not bring virtue commensurate with the grace received. Nor would he have bestowed this testimony had he not seen Paul's eagerness matching the magnitude of the task. For he wished the preaching to run everywhere, not only by the power of the Spirit but also by the zealous cooperation of the one entrusted with it. And Paul proved worthy of the commission. For he traversed land and sea, endured prisons and beatings, faced shipwrecks and plots, and counted all these things as nothing compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. He became all things to all people so that he might by all means save some. And the one who chose him was not mistaken, for the result confirmed the choice: from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum, Paul fully preached the Gospel of Christ, not building upon another's foundation but laying foundations where Christ had not yet been named.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Περὶ τοῦ ᾿Αποστόϊζλου, ὅτι ε Σκεῦος ἐκ.1λοη ἧς μοί ἐστιν οὗτος. » ε Σχεῦος ἐχλογῆς μοί ἔστιν οὗτος, » περὶ Παύλου φησὶν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτε τὸ ἀποστολιχὸν αὐτῷ χή- ρυγμα (δ0) ἐνεχείρισεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν, ὑπὲρ ἧς τὸ «ἔμιον αὐτοῦ αἷμα ἐξέχεεν Ἐχχλησίας, ταύτην φέ- ρων παραδέδωχε διδασχάλῳ μὴ μέλλοντι τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀντίῤῥοπον συνοίσειν τῇ χάριτι" ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ ταύτην ἐποιεῖτο τὴν μαρτυρίαν, μὴ συμθαίνουσαν ὁρῶν αὖ- τοῦ τὴν προθυμίαν τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ πράγματος. Τρέ- χειν γὰρ τὸ χήρυγμα πανταχοῦ ἐδαύλετο, οὗ μόνον τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλὰ χαὶ τῷ τρόπῳ τῶν χηρυττόντων νευ- ρούμενον. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ σημεῖα καὶ ὑπόνοιαν δύναται δέξασθαι πονηράν ()" βίος δὲ ὀρθὸς, χαὶ αὑτοῦ τοῦ διαδόλου ἐμφράττει τὸ στόμα. Μὴ τοίνυν ἐχ τῶν σημείων μόνον νομιζέσθωσαν () χεχρατηχέναι τὸ χή- ρνγμα, οἱ μηδεμίαν βίου ὀρθοῦ βουλόμενοι ποιεῖσθαι πρόνοιαν. Συνέπραττε γὰρ τοῖς γινομένοις καὶ λεγο- μένοις χαὶ ὁ τῶν κηρυττόντων βίος, μηδεμίαν λαδὴν διδούς. Εἰ τοίνυν χαὶ νῦν ὁ τῶν ὑφηγητῶν βίος ἡμιλ- λᾶτο τῇ ἀποστολιχῇ πολιτείᾳ, ἴσως μὲν καὶ σημεῖα ἐγίνετο ἄν. Εἰ δὲ χαὶ μὴ ἐγίνετο, ἤρχει πρὸς φω- «ισμὸν τῶν ὁρώντων. δη58) ΡΓΏ ΕΒ. ] ἰᾳίτυν ποάΐοαυθ υἱία ἀοοίογυπ), Ἐοἰοβίοο δΔροβίο οϑιη 14π υἱνεηὰΐ ΟΧΧΧ. --- ΑἈΒΕΝΟΌΡΗΙΟ ΓΕΟΤΟἉΙ͂Ι. ὃε Αγροξίοίο, « ας εἰεειϊοπὶς πιδὶ εεἰ εἰ . » « οἰεοιϊουΐε ( 6δ5ὶ οἰδοίαπι) τα μἱ 6δὲ ἰϑῖ6.,» Δ Ραυΐο ἱπᾳαὶ! ΟἸγἰδίυ8, φυδηάο ϑροδιο!ΐουπι ἱραΐ ργῶ- Ἄσοπίυπι οοπηἰ θαι. Νοαθθ οπΐ οἰ ᾽4πι, ΡΓῸ ἢν ρῥτοιίοδυπι βδαηραίΐποι δυυπὶ οἴϊπιιδογδῖ, πιλε σι το ἰδποῖα ἰγδάϊἀ (Δ, φυΐ υἱγιυΐοπι ἰἀυδιτίαπιᾳυὰ . π ρᾶγδπὶ οἱ γοβροηάδηίοηι σγαιΐ8 Δ]]Δίυγυ ποη . : δεοὰ ηδη0υ6 πος ἰοϑιἰπηοηΐαπι οἱ ρογη θυ ΐβδοὶ, βὶ π0η υἱά 88οὲ ραγὶ νοὶυΐ ρδϑϑῖ ργοφγοιϊθηίδπι ἰρβίυβ ϑ3ηἰπιΐ ργοη)ριϊ υἀὐΐιεη) οὐπὶ 'ρ8ὲ Γαΐ πιδρηΐ!υ- ἀΐηα. Ὀδίφας ϑηΐαι Ἰοοογαπι οὐγτγογὸ υοίοδαὶ ργοῦ- πἰυπ), πο βοἷυπι δογπΊοη6, δ6ἀ οἱ πιο θι. ὈΓ2800- εἴσῃ Δοϊαπεῖιπι υοϊὰϊ αυϊρυδύθϑηι πδγνΐβ οΟΠρᾶ- Β δἴυηι. Δ. Νλδτη πίγδουϊα αυϊάοηη οἰΐδηι βιιβρίοἷοηοπὶ ργῶνδηὶ γοοίρογο ροβϑυηὶ (ψιιδϑὶ δ οὶ ἃ ἀφοπιοηθ Ροϊΐυ5 φυᾶπι ἢ60 ραἰγοηίυν). γ᾽ δι ι6πὶ γϑοῖδ ἰρ- δια οἰϊαπὶ ἀϊδὈοἹ οα ΟὈίυγαι. θυλγα π0 85π γἱις ργοθδὲ ὀυγαπὶ δυβοίραγθ νοϊυηῖ, Π0Ν 68ι ΄υοά οχἰβιϊπηοηῖ, ΡΟῈΡ τηΐγα οἴδοίιπι) (υἾ586, υἱ Ρ ΓΞ. ἐοηΐαπὶ (Ενδηρ6 οὈιϊπογεῖ. Οοορογδυδιυγ Θηἶπὶ φυ ἤεορδηὶ ἀϊοδθαηίν, οἰἰδπὶ Υἱΐα ρΓῶοΟ- ηἶυπι ἰΠΠυὰ (Δοἰθπιίαπι, πϑιλ! ηἰ ὉΠ18πὸ γοργο θη θη ΓΑΊΪΟΠΘΠΙ 85ΠΈ11" ἰδγϑίυγ, [Ὁγί88586 πἰίγϑουΐδ οἱΐδη) ἤδγθηϊ. ϑίη δυΐϊθπὶ οἱ ἡυ ] ἤδγοηὶ, ϑυΐϊοογοι δὰ ἱπΠυπιΐ πα ἀ08 δρθοί8- γα] υἱί8.
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