His Closing Appeal

It was better for me, then, to hide and to wait for this opportunity. Yes, I am sure that from your knowledge of the sacred Scriptures you will agree and approve of my conduct in this. For you will see that, now that those who stirred you up against us have been silenced, your righteous clemency is plain to see, and it has been proved to everyone that you never persecuted the Christians at all. It was they who made the churches desolate, so that they could sow the seeds of their own ungodliness everywhere. Because of them I too, had I not fled, would long ago have suffered from their treachery. For it is very clear that those who did not shrink from uttering such slanders against me before the great Augustus, and who attacked bishops and virgins so violently, were also seeking to bring about my death. [a]

But thanks be to the Lord, who has given you the kingdom. All are confirmed in their opinion of your goodness and of their wickedness. From that wickedness I fled at first, so that I might now make this appeal to you, and that you might find someone to whom you could show kindness. So I beg you, since it is written, “A soft answer turns away wrath,” and “Righteous thoughts are acceptable to the king,” receive this defense of mine, and restore all the bishops and the rest of the clergy to their own countries and their churches. Then the wickedness of my accusers will be exposed, and you, both now and on the day of judgment, may have the boldness to say to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the King of all: “‘None of yours have I lost.’ These are the ones who plotted the ruin of all, while I grieved for those who perished, and for the virgins who were scourged, and for everything else that was done against the Christians. And I brought back those who were banished, and restored them to their own churches.”