Chapter XXXII.—Peter’s Private Instruction.

When Peter spoke thus to us, every one of us eagerly assured him, that ere now we were awake, being satisfied with short sleep, but that we were afraid to arouse him, because it did not become the disciples to command the master; “and yet even this, O Peter, we had almost ventured to take upon ourselves, because our hearts, agitated with longing for your words, drove sleep wholly from our eyes.  But again our affection towards you opposed it, and did not suffer us violently to rouse you.”  Then Peter said:  “Since therefore you assert that you are willingly awake through desire of hearing, I wish to repeat to you more carefully, and to explain in their order, the things that were spoken yesterday without arrangement.  And this I propose to do throughout these daily disputations, that by night, when privacy of time and place is afforded, I shall unfold in correct order, and by a straight line of explanation, anything that in the controversy has not been stated with sufficient fulness.”  And then he began to point out to us how the yesterday’s discussion ought to have been conducted, and how it could not be so conducted on account of the contentiousness or the unskilfulness of his opponent; and how therefore he only made use of assertion, 123and only overthrew what was said by his adversary, but did not expound his own doctrines either completely or distinctly.  Then repeating the several matters to us, he discussed them in regular order and with full reason.