On the Man Born Blind
De caeco nato
The Light of Christ and the Soul§1
1Concerning the blind from birth (formerly under the authorship of John Chrysostom): On zeal and piety, and concerning the one blind from birth. The Word of God is the source of light; for being full of light and shining forth, it illuminates and surrounds the minds of the faithful. For He himself shines from Himself and in Himself, and gives brightness to those enjoying Him; and He not only illuminates the mind of the faithful, but also grants the name of light.
For the Divine Scripture, regarding those who are companions of ignorance and live with unbelief, justly names them darkness, because they do not receive the torch of truth, so that they might be sons of light. Therefore the divine apostle Paul says: We are not sons of night, nor of darkness, but sons of light and of day (Romans 13:12). And just as we are truly sons of light through the evangelical Word spoken through the mouth of God: I am the light of the world, says Christ; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). For that Word is light, which, if believed by us, prepares one to become a son of light. Therefore the Savior says: While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light (John 12:36).
Just as this sensible light is upon the bodies, so the spiritual Word of God is upon the souls; and just as darkness is in the night, so ignorance is in the wandering souls. Therefore also the blessed David writes concerning such things, saying: They did not know, nor did they understand; they wander in darkness (Psalm 95:11). Thus also God calls the assembly baptized in ignorance, and unwilling to be awakened toward the knowledge of the spiritual teaching, night, because of the ignorance living with it.
For when God was saying to the Jews through the prophet: I likened your mother to a night (Hosea 2:17); and interpreting what kind of night he means, like darkness, he added: My people were made like a people not having knowledge. Because of this, they did not know, nor did they understand; they wander in the night (Psalm 95:11).
But they are thus; but those having received the teaching of Christ, having received the light, such are made light. For our God is light; and his Word, who from himself being impassibly begotten before the ages, is called light; and the holy and consubstantial and life-giving Spirit, light. Light, and light, and light; but one light; and the soul having received the word, is named light.
But God is by nature a tri-hypostatic light, but we are by participation in him; and again our Lord Jesus Christ is light, concerning whom the evangelist John says: 'The true light was coming, which enlightens every man coming into the world' (John 1:9). But being light existing from unutterable light, and the law is sent through a light-bearing source, according to the prophet saying: 'Your law is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths' (Psalm 119:105).
Therefore the soul having received the truth, the luminous word, and it itself is made light, and it hears from Paul: 'For you were once darkness, but now light in the Lord' (1 Cor 6:9). And when the intellect receives the evangelical light, it is named light according to faith; and likewise also according to works. For 'let your light shine' (Matt 5:16), he says, 'before men, so that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in the heavens.' For it is necessary for the one having received the light of faith to come even into works of light.
And it is not only necessary for the soul of the believer to be light, but also according to works to shine before men; for this reason also the Savior says: 'Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in the heavens' (Matt 5:16). And behold the wonderful thing: for the light from God is simple, but it has diverse rays not by nature, but by activities; and the shining teaching of God is sent upon every believing soul, according to the thing said: 'And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us, so that by him our works may be directed' (Psalm 89:17).
Greek · §1
De caeco nato (olim sub auctore Joanne Chrysostomo) Περὶ ζήλου καὶ εὐσεβείας, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλόν. αʹ. Πηγὴ φωτὸς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος· φωτὸς γὰρ γέμων, καὶ φωτὸς ἐκλάμπων, φωτίζει καὶ περιαστράπτει τὰς τῶν πιστῶν διανοίας. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ λάμπει, καὶ τοὺς ἀπολαύοντας αὐτοῦ καταυγάζει· καὶ οὐ μόνον φωτίζει τῶν πιστῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὄνομα φωτὸς χαρίζεται. Ἡ γὰρ θεία Γραφὴ τοὺς τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ συντρόφους ὄντας, καὶ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ συζῶντας, δικαίως ὀνομάζει σκότος, μὴ δεχομένους τὴν λαμπάδα τῆς ἀληθείας, ἵνα ὦσιν υἱοὶ φωτός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος· Οὐκ ἐσμὲν υἱοὶ νυκτὸς, οὐδὲ σκότους, ἀλλ' υἱοὶ φωτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας. Καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς υἱοὶ φωτός ἐσμεν οἱ τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ λόγου τοῦ λαληθέντος διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ· Ἐγὼ γάρ εἰμι, φησὶν ὁ Χριστὸς, τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου· ὁ ἀκολουθῶν ἐμοὶ, οὐ μὴ περιπατήσει ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἕξει τὸ φῶς τῆς ζωῆς. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ λόγος ἐστὶ φωτὸς, ὃς ἐὰν πιστευθῇ παρ' ἡμῶν, υἱὸς φωτὸς παρασκευάζει γενέσθαι. Ὅθεν φησὶ καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ· Ἕως τὸ φῶς ἔχετε, πιστεύετε εἰς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα υἱοὶ φωτὸς γένησθε. Ὡς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων τὸ αἰσθητὸν τὸ τοῦτο φῶς, οὕτως ἐπὶ τῶν ψυχῶν ὁ νοερὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος· καὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ τὸ σκότος, τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς πεπλανημέναις ψυχαῖς ἡ ἄγνοια. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων γράφει, λέγων· Οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, οὐδὲ συνῆκαν· ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονται. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἀγνοίᾳ βεβαπτισμένην, καὶ μὴ βουλομένην ἀνανεῦσαι πρὸς τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας, νύκτα καλεῖ, διὰ τὴν συζῶσαν αὐτῇ ἄγνοιαν. Ὅτε γὰρ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὁ Θεὸς ἔλεγε διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· Νυκτὶ ὡμοίωσα τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν· καὶ ἑρμηνεύων ὁποίαν λέγει νύκτα ὁμοίαν σκότους, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὡμοιώθη ὁ λαός μου λαῷ μὴ ἔχοντι γνῶσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, οὐδὲ συνῆκαν· ἐν νυκτὶ διαπορεύονται. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὕτως· οἱ δὲ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας δεξάμενοι τὸ φῶς, οἱ τοιοῦτοι φῶς ἀποτελοῦνται. Ἔστι γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν φῶς· καὶ ὁ Λόγος αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πρὸ αἰώνων ἀπαθῶς γεννηθεὶς, φῶς λέγεται· καὶ τὸ ἅγιον καὶ ὁμοούσιον καὶ ζωαρχικὸν Πνεῦμα, φῶς. Φῶς, καὶ φῶς, καὶ φῶς· ἀλλ' ἓν φῶς· καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ δεξαμένη τὸν λόγον, φῶς ὀνομάζεται. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Θεὸς φύσει τρισυπόστατον φῶς, ἡμεῖς δὲ κατὰ μετουσίαν ἐκείνου· καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς φῶς, περὶ οὗ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης φησίν· Ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Ἀλλὰ φῶς ὑπάρχων ἐκ φωτὸς ἀῤῥήτου, καὶ τὸν νόμον διαπέμπεται φωτὸς γέμοντα, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην τὸν λέγοντα· Λύχνος τοῖς ποσί μου ὁ νόμος σου, καὶ φῶς ταῖς τρίβοις μου. ∆εξαμένη τοίνυν ἡ ψυχὴ τῆς ἀληθείας τὸν φωτεινὸν λόγον, καὶ αὐτὴ φῶς ἀποτελεῖται, καὶ ἀκούει παρὰ τοῦ Παύλου· Ἦτε γάρ ποτε σκότος, νυνὶ δὲ φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ. Ὅταν δὲ δέξηται ἡ διάνοια τὸ φῶς τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν πίστιν φῶς ὀνομάζεται· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα. Λαμψάτω γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸν δεξάμενον φῶς πίστεως ἐλθεῖν καὶ εἰς ἔργα φωτός. Οὐ μόνον δὲ εἶναι δεῖ τοῦ πιστοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν φῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα λάμπειν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Σωτήρ φησι· Λαμψάτω φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστόν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ φῶς ἁπλοῦν ἐστιν, ἀκτῖνας δὲ διαφόρους ἔχει οὐ τῇ φύσει, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἐνεργείαις· καὶ πέμπεται μὲν ἡ λάμπουσα τοῦ Θεοῦ διδασκαλία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν πιστὴν ψυχὴν, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· Καὶ ἔστω ἡ λαμπρότης Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, ἵνα παρ' αὐτῷ κατευθύνηται τὰ ἔργα
The Beauty of the Church and the Power of Faith§2
2Ours. There is one brightness, but coming to us it constitutes many brightnesses: the brightness of almsgiving, the brightness of temperance, the brightness of hospitality, the brightness of familial affection. Toward God there is one brightness; but this, being sent to us, constitutes diverse gleamings through diverse activities: to one, the brightness of prophecy; to another, the brightness of apostleship; to another, the brightness of martyrdom.
There, there is one brightness; but toward us, there are many, according to what has been said: 'With you is the beginning in the day of your power, in the brightnesses of your saints.' Why then does Paul enumerate, and say: 'Are not all apostles? Are not all prophets? Are not all teachers?' (1 Cor 12:29-30). Paul does not divide thus simply, but as he finds souls of fitness; he does not divide according to authority, but according to the confession of the faith; not that he gives according to his own will, nor according to his desire, but that his will is not unmeasured, but according to the gifts of the graces.
For just as the flowery and brightly-colored royal garment receives a solar ray and produces diverse gleamings, and as the beauty is of the dye, so it achieves such splendor; and just as by the present dye it is re-dyed and the beauty of the air is turned into gold, or into purple, or into green, or into some other of the colors, not by the ray being divided, but by the garment, the ray's effect being shaped by the lightuch ways the beauty of the Church always shines with blossoms, having a royal garment and being adorned with a heavenly and variegated array; as also the psalmist says: 'Daughters of kings in your honor; the queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold of various colors' (Ps 45:13).
How is she variegated? By the gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to the voice of Paul: 'God working through signs and wonders and various powers, and the distributions of the Holy Spirit' (1 Cor 12:4-6). But what shall I name the Church of Christ? A bride having been adorned, a queen having been beautified, a paradise tending, a garden flowing with fruitfulness, and if I should say anything else, I speak of less than its worth. Therefore the prophet Isaiah, taking up the voice of the Church from her own person, was saying: 'Let my soul rejoice' (Isa 61:10).
Upon the Lord; for he clothed me with a garment of salvation. And since he was in a pattern, and he was unable to express the whole beauty of the Church, he sets before him a distinction, saying: As a bride he has adorned me with beauty, and as a bridegroom he has placed upon me a crown, and as a land increasing its offspring, and as a garden of vegetables its seed. For the Church of the living God is a garden truly as if enclosed and a paradise; but I say paradise not according to that ancient one, but much higher than that. For there a serpent reigned, but here Christ reigns.
4. Do not pay attention to the reliability of places, but to the power of the reality. For neither is a paradise wonderful if it does not have a God-command being kept; nor are the lowly places insulted if they have God reigning the law. What is better? what is superior? a paradise, or a desert? And yet, because of the transgression, paradise did not benefit Adam; but because of endurance, the desert did not harm Job. Adam is disgraced in paradise because of disobedience, but Job is crowned in the desert because of endurance.
For nowhere does the reliability of places contribute if good judgment is not running together; and the heaven is higher than paradise, but the devil falls from there. The earth is deep, and the heaven is suspended; the devil falls from heaven having transgressed, according to: I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven (Luke 3:9); but the poor are raised from the earth, according to: He raises the poor from the earth, and lifts the needy from the desert (1 Samuel 2:8). Do you see how it is not the difference of places that grants us advantages, but everywhere faith, and endurance, and hope weave the crowns for the worthy?
Nothing is more solemn than a bedchamber, nothing is more naked than a theater; what did adultery in a bedchamber benefit the unruly Egypt? what harmed the first martyr Thecla, to practice nakedness in a theater? She did not sin by being naked, the holy one is not insulted, but is crowned. And she who is in the theater is crowned, but she who is in the bridal chamber is honored. What did the idols benefit, and the worship of non-existents? I say the greatness of temples; but what harmed the martyrs, the poverty of the tombs? Error was not shamed in greatness, and the things of the martyrs were raised in humility; thus the Church of the living God...
Greek · §2
ἡμῶν. Μία ἐστὶν ἡ λαμπρότης, ἀλλ' ἐρχομένη πρὸς ἡμᾶς πολλὰς λαμπρότητας ἀποτελεῖ, λαμπρότητα ἐλεημοσύνης, λαμπρότητα σωφροσύνης, λαμπρότητα φιλοξενίας, λαμπρότητα φιλοστοργίας. Παρὰ μὲν τῷ Θεῷ μία λαμπρότης· αὕτη δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς πεμπομένη, ταῖς ἐνεργείαις διαφόρους ἀποτελεῖ τὰς 59.544 μαρμαρυγάς· τῷ μὲν χαριζομένη λαμπρότητα προφητείας, ἄλλῳ λαμπρότητα ἀποστολῆς, ἄλλῳ λαμπρότητα μαρτυρίου. Ἐκεῖ μὲν μία λαμπρότης· εἰς ἡμᾶς δὲ πολλαὶ, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· Μετὰ σοῦ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς δυνάμεώς σου ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότησι τῶν ἁγίων σου. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν Παῦλος ἀπαριθμεῖται, καὶ λέγει· Μὴ πάντες ἀπόστολοι; μὴ πάντες προφῆται; μὴ πάντες διδάσκαλοι; Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὕτω διαιρεῖ ὁ Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ὡς εὑρίσκει ψυχὰς ἐπιτηδείας, οὐ κατὰ τὴν αὐθεντίαν μερίζει, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς πίστεως· οὐχ ὅτι παρὰ τὸ βούλημα αὐτοῦ δίδωσιν, οὐδὲ παρὰ τὸ θέλημα, ἀλλ' ὅτι τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄκριτον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰ χαρίσματα τῶν δωρεῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ ἀνθηρὰ καὶ εὐβαφῆ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐσθῆτος δέχεται μὲν ἀκτῖνα ἡλιακὴν, διαφόρους δὲ τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς ἀνατέλλει, καὶ οἷον ἂν εἴη τῆς βαφῆς τὸ κάλλος, τοιαύτην τὴν εὔχροιαν ἀπεργάζεται, καὶ ὥσπερ ὑπὸ τῆς προκειμένης βαφῆς μεταβάπτεται καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος τὸ κάλλος εἰς χρυσὸν, ἢ εἰς πορφύραν, ἢ εἰς πράσινον, ἢ εἰς ἄλλο τι τῶν χρωμάτων, οὐ τῆς ἀκτῖνος μεριζομένης, ἀλλὸ τῆς ἐσθῆτος τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς ἀκτῖνος σχηματιζομένης τῷ φωτί· τοιούτοις ἀεὶ ἄνθεσι λάμπει τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸ κάλλος, βασιλικὴν ἔχουσα τὴν ἐσθῆτα, καὶ ἐστολισμένη οὐράνιον καὶ ποικίλην στολήν· ὡς καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς λέγει· Θυγατέρες βασιλέων ἐν τῇ τιμῇ σου· πάρεστι ἡ βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν σου ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ περιβεβλημένη, πεποικιλμένη. Πῶς πεποίκιλται; Ταῖς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος δωρεαῖς, κατὰ τὴν Παύλου φωνὴν, Ἐνεργοῦντος τοῦ Θεοῦ σημείοις καὶ τέρασι καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσι, καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς. Ἀλλὰ τί ὀνομάσω τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν; Νύμφην ἐστολισμένην, βασιλίδα κεκαλλωπισμένην, παράδεισον κομῶντα, λειμῶνα βρύοντα τὴν εὐκαρπίαν, καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερον ἂν εἴπω, τῆς ἀξίας ἔλαττον φθέγγομαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας ἐκ προσώπου τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀναλαβὼν αὐτῆς τὴν φωνὴν, ἔλεγεν· Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ ψυχή μου ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ· ἐνέδυσε γάρ με ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐν ὑποδείγματι ἦν, καὶ ὅλον τὸ κάλλος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οὐκ ἠδύνατο φράσαι, διαφορὰν αὐτῷ περιτίθησι, λέγων· Ὡς νύμφην κατεκόσμησέ με κόσμῳ, καὶ ὡς νυμφίῳ περιέθηκέ μοι μίτραν, καὶ ὡς γῆν αὔξουσαν τὰ γεννήματα αὐτῆς, καὶ ὡς κῆπον λαχάνων τὰ σπέρματα αὐτοῦ. Κῆπος γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς κεκλεισμένος καὶ παράδεισος ἡ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος· παράδεισον δὲ λέγω οὐ κατὰ τὸν ἀρχαῖον ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλὰ πολὺ ἐκείνου ἀνώτερον. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἐβασίλευσεν ὄφις, ἐνταῦθα δὲ βασιλεύει ὁ Χριστός. βʹ. Μὴ τῇ ἀξιοπιστίᾳ πρόσεχε τοῦ ὀνόματος, ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πράγματος. Οὔτε γὰρ παράδεισός ἐστι θαυμαστὸς, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ Θεοῦ ἐντολὴν τηρουμένην· οὔτε τὰ εὐτελῆ τῶν τόπων ὑβρίζεται, ἐὰν ἔχῃ Θεοῦ βασιλεύοντος τὸν νόμον. Τί βέλτιον; τί κρεῖττον; παράδεισος, ἢ κοπρία; Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸν Ἀδὰμ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν παράδεισος οὐκ ὠφέλησεν· τὸν Ἰὼβ δὲ διὰ τὴν ὑπομονὴν κοπρία οὐκ ἔβλαψεν· ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἐν παραδείσῳ καταισχύνεται διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν, Ἰὼβ δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας στεφανοῦται διὰ τὴν ὑπομονήν. Οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ ἀξιοπιστία τῶν τόπων συμβάλλεται, μὴ συντρεχούσης τῆς ἀγαθῆς γνώμης· καὶ παραδείσου ὑψηλότερος ὁ οὐρανὸς, ἀλλὰ πίπτει ἐκεῖθεν ὁ διάβολος. Ἡ γῆ βαθεῖα, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς μετεωρίζεται· πίπτει ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ὁ διάβολος παραβὰς, κατὰ τὸ, Ἐθεώρουν τὸν σατανᾶν ὡς ἀστραπὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πεσόντα· ὑψοῦνται δὲ ἀπὸ γῆς πτωχοὶ, κατὰ τὸ, Ὁ ἐγείρων ἀπὸ γῆς πτωχὸν, καὶ ἀπὸ κοπρίας ἀνυψῶν πένητα. Ὁρᾷς ὡς οὐχ ἡ τῶν τόπων διαφορὰ χαρίζεται ἡμῖν τὰ πλεονεκτήματα, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ πίστις, καὶ ὑπομονὴ, καὶ ἐλπὶς τοὺς στεφάνους πλέκει τοῖς ἀξίοις; Οὐδὲν κοιτῶνος σεμνότερον, οὐδὲν θεάτρου γυμνότερον· τί ὠφέλησε τὴν ἀκόλαστον Αἰγυπτίαν ἡ ἐν κοιτῶνι μοιχεία; τί ἔβλαψε τὴν πρωτομάρτυρα Θέκλαν τὸ ἐν θεάτρῳ γυμνὴν παλαίειν; Οὐχ ἡμάρτηκε γυμνουμένη, οὐχ ὑβρίζεται ἡ ἁγία, ἀλλὰ στεφανοῦται. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐν τῷ 59.545 θεάτρῳ στεφανοῦται, ἡ δὲ ἐν τῷ νυμφῶνι στηλιτεύεται. Τί ὠφέλησε τὰ εἴδωλα, καὶ ἡ τῶν μὴ ὄντων προσκύνησις; τὰ τῶν ναῶν μεγέθη λέγω· τί δὲ ἔβλαψε τοὺς μάρτυρας ἡ τῶν τάφων εὐτέλεια; οὐ κατῃσχύνθη ἡ πλάνη ἐν μεγέθει, καὶ ὑψώθη τὰ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐν ταπεινώσει; Οὕτως ἡ Ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεοῦ τοῦ
The Church as Paradise and the Serpent's Error§3
3A paradise of luxury exists while living. In that paradise the serpent danced and deceived; in this paradise the Savior says: 'Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall ever harm you' (Luke 10:19).
In the paradise, the way of life was closed to Adam because of the transgression; and so that God might show that a virtuous soul is not hindered, those outside the paradise receive greater things than those in the paradise. Paradise is shut off from Adam, but Peter is trusted with the keys of heaven; Adam is cast out of paradise, but Paul is caught up to the third heaven; the tree of life is barred from Adam; for God said, it is said, 'Lest Adam touch the tree of life' (Genesis 3:22). There life is forbidden, and the tree of life was forbidden by the transgressor; here the wood of the cross was brought, and all who desire to reap life eternal.
In the paradise, after the transgression, Adam hides from God, being struck by his conscience; he is called by Him who seeks all things, and says: 'Adam, where are you?' (Genesis 3:9). For did you not know where you were? 'Adam, where are you?' Rebuking his lawlessness, He says, 'Where are you?' instead of, 'In what state are you?' Did the deception of the serpent not bring you equality with God? Did you see how you became naked? 'Where are you?' 'I heard your voice, and I was afraid and hid.' That one hides in paradise; the apostles say, 'We all, with unveiled faces, reflect the glory of the Lord, from glory to glory' (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Did you see boldness outside the paradise? Did you see shame inside the paradise? In the paradise, after the transgression, God clothed Adam in tunics of skin. Let us see what he put on. That one there put on a tunic; here, 'as many as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ' (Galatians 4:4). Having been shut out from paradise, the Cherubim and the turning sword were blocking the way of paradise; and it was like a wall and a fortification to Adam, not allowing him to enter because of the misconduct in the paradise after the transgression. I am not speaking against the paradise, but that that God-befitting place did not benefit the one who, not having willed to live with a good intention, desired to turn back. And there was a wall of fire surrounding the paradise, and not allowing the transgressor to enter...
to show that it was not the fire that was an enemy to him, but the transgression which prevented Adam from entering the wall of fire; and Elijah snatched up a chariot of fire into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). The Church of God does not lie, saying: God clothed me with a garment of salvation (Ps 18:10), and as a bride he adorned me with beauty, as a land increasing its offspring, and as a great garden of truth. This great garden is the universal Church.
Christ reigns, and as a lawgiver he is believed, unless someone should be found in the Church suffering from a heretical wandering, under the teaching of serpents—I am speaking indeed of heretical wandering—and being cast out from here, like Adam from paradise. For just as there, he who was persuaded by the teaching of the serpent was exiled from paradise, so also in the Church those not obeying Paul, not being taught by Peter, but being persuaded by the teachings of serpents, are cast out from this paradise.
Whence is this evident? Paul says: For I am zealous for you with a zeal of God; for I have betrothed you to one man, to present a pure virgin to Christ (2 Cor 11:2). But I fear lest, just as the serpent deceived Eve (Gen 3:13), so your minds might be corrupted. But there is no place here for the teaching of the serpent, since the Great Shepherd crushes the head of the serpents with the staff of faith. For just as a shepherd, our wonderful Father, crushes the heads of the dragons with the evangelical faith and the hope toward Christ; and as an excellent gardener and keeper, he nurtures the plants of the Church, but uproots if there is any illicit seed or shoot; he delivers the disease of impiety, the Greek wandering, as thorns to the fire; but the heretical wandering he casts out like wild weeds, clothed with the zeal of God, which many do not recognize.
For some have become accustomed to sophistically arguing against the Church and the holy shepherds, just as also against this wonderful father; and many, in the form of leniency, introduce laziness, and they insult zeal, and they attempt to blunt the word of God which is at its peak. For one can find someone in the form of leniency saying: What do we have in common with the Greeks? Does he wish to be saved? Let him be saved. He who says these things has not yet been inflamed with the zeal of piety; he who sees someone perishing, and does not mourn that person's loss, and his own ruin.
Greek · §3
ζῶντος παράδεισός ἐστι τρυφῆς. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐκείνῳ ὁ ὄφις ἐχόρευσε, καὶ ἠπάτα· ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τούτῳ λέγει ὁ Σωτήρ· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς οὐ μὴ ἀδικήσει. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐκλείσθη ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς τῷ Ἀδὰμ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν· καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐμποδίζεται ἡ ἐνάρετος ψυχὴ, ἔξω τοῦ παραδείσου τὰ μείζονα λαμβάνει τῶν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἀποκλείεται ὁ παράδεισος, καὶ Πέτρος πιστεύεται τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· Ἀδὰμ ἐκβάλλεται τοῦ παραδείσου, καὶ Παῦλος ἁρπάζεται ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ· τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἀποτειχίζεται τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς· εἶπε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, Μήποτε ἅψηται Ἀδὰμ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς. Ἐκεῖ ἡ ζωὴ κεκώλυται, καὶ τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ἐκωλύθη παρὰ τοῦ παραβάντος· ὧδε ἐπάγη τὸ ξύλον τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ βουλόμενοι τρυγῶσι ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν κρύπτεται ὁ Ἀδὰμ τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος πληττόμενος· ἀνακαλεῖται αὐτὸν ὁ τὰ πάντα ζητῶν, καί φησιν· Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; Οὐκ ᾔδεις γὰρ ποῦ ἐστιν; Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; Ἐλέγχων αὐτοῦ τὴν παρανομίαν λέγει, Ποῦ εἶ; ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἐν τίσιν εἶ; Μὴ ἰσοθεΐαν σοι ἤνεγκεν ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ ὄφεως; εἶδες πῶς γεγύμνωσαι; Ποῦ εἶ; Τῆς φωνῆς σου ἤκουσα, καὶ ἐκρύβην. Ἐκεῖνος κρύπτεται ἐν παραδείσῳ· οἱ ἀπόστολοι λέγουσιν, Ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμεθα, ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν. Εἶδες παῤῥησίαν ἔξω τοῦ παραδείσου; εἶδες αἰσχύνην ἔσω τοῦ παραδείσου; Ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν ἐνέδυσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἀδὰμ χιτῶνας δερματίνους. Ἴδωμεν τί ἐνδέδυται. Ἐκεῖνος ἐκεῖ χιτῶνα ἐνεδύσατο· ὧδε, Ὅσοι εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθησαν, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσαντο. Ἐκεῖ ἀποκλεισθέντος τοῦ παραδείσου, τὰ Χερουβὶμ, καὶ ἡ στρεφομένη ῥομφαία κωλύουσα τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ παραδείσου· καὶ ἦν ὥσπερ τεῖχος καὶ ἀποτείχισμα τῷ Ἀδὰμ, μὴ συγχωροῦν εἰσελθεῖν διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν τὴν ἐν παραδείσῳ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν. Οὐκ εἰς κατηγορίαν λέγω τοῦ παραδείσου, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκεῖνο τὸ θεοπρεπὲς χωρίον οὐδὲν ὠφέλησε τὸν μὴ μετὰ γνώμης ἀγαθῆς ἀναστρέφεσθαι βουληθέντα. Καὶ ἦν πυρὸς τεῖχος κυκλοῦν τὸν παράδεισον, καὶ μὴ συγχωροῦν τῷ παραβάντι εἰσελθεῖν· ἵνα δείξῃ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐ τὸ πῦρ πολέμιον ἦν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἡ παράβασις τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκώλυσε τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ τεῖχος εἰσελθεῖν· καὶ Ἠλίαν ἅρμα πυρὸς ἥρπασεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. Οὐ ψεύδεται ἡ Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγουσα· Ἐνέδυσέ με ὁ Θεὸς ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου, καὶ ὡς νύμφην κατεκόσμησέ με κόσμῳ, ὡς γῆν αὔξουσαν τὰ γεννήματα αὐτῆς, καὶ ὡς μέγας τῆς ἀληθείας κῆπος. Οὗτος ὁ μέγας. παράδεισος, ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἡ οἰκουμενική. Χριστὸς βασιλεύει, καὶ νομοθετῶν πιστεύεται, εἰ μήπου τις εὑρεθῇ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ αἱρετικὴν πλάνην νοσῶν, ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ὄφεων διδασκαλίας, λέγω δὴ τῆς αἱρετικῆς πλάνης, καὶ ἐκβαλλόμενος ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς τοῦ παραδείσου Ἀδάμ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ὁ πεισθεὶς τῇ τοῦ ὄφεως διδασκαλίᾳ ἐξωρίσθη τοῦ παραδείσου· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ οἱ Παύλῳ μὴ πειθόμενοι, ὑπὸ Πέτρου μὴ διδασκόμενοι, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τῶν ὄφεων πειθόμενοι διδασκαλίαις, ἐκβάλλονται τούτου τοῦ παραδείσου. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Λέγει ὁ Παῦλος· Ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς ζῆλον Θεοῦ· ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ. Φοβοῦμαι δὲ μήπως, ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὔαν, οὕτω φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχει χώραν ἐνταῦθα ὄφεως διδασκαλία, τοῦ μεγάλου ποιμένος τῇ βακτηρίᾳ τῆς πίστεως συντρίβοντος τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν ὄφεων. Καὶ γὰρ ὡς ποιμὴν ὁ θαυμάσιος ἡμῶν πατὴρ συντρίβει τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν δρακόντων τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐλπίδι· καὶ ὡς ἄριστος φυτοκόμος καὶ κηπουρὸς, τρέφει μὲν τὰ φυτὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐκριζοῖ δὲ, εἴ τι νόθον σπέρμα καὶ βλάστημα· τὴν νόσον τῆς δυσσεβείας, τὴν πλάνην τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ὡς ἀκάνθας πυρὶ παραδίδωσι· τὴν δὲ αἱρετικὴν πλάνην ὡς ἄγρωστιν ἐκτίλας ἐκβάλλει, 59.546 ζήλῳ ἐνδεδυμένος Θεοῦ, ὃν οἱ πολλοὶ ἀγνοοῦσιν. Εἰώθασι γάρ τινες κατασοφιστεύειν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ποιμένων, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τούτου τοῦ θαυμασίου πατρός· καὶ πολλοὶ ἐν ἐπιεικείας σχήματι ἀργίαν εἰσάγουσι, καὶ ζῆλον ὑβρίζουσι, καὶ Θεοῦ ἀκμάζοντα λόγον πειρῶνται ἀμβλύνειν. Ἔστι γὰρ εὑρεῖν τινα ἐν σχήματι ἐπιεικείας λέγοντα· Τί γὰρ κοινὸν ἔχομεν πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας; θέλει σωθῆναι; σωθήτω. Ὁ ταῦτα λέγων οὐδέπω ἐτρώθη ζήλῳ εὐσεβείας· ὁ βλέπων ἀπολλύμενον, καὶ μὴ πενθῶν τὴν ἐκείνου ἀπώλειαν, καὶ ἰδίαν ζημίαν
God's vengeance through His servants§4
4Being held, not knowing a zeal for piety, he was not struck by the arrow of truth.
Therefore, he who sees one perishing and does not show zeal, as Paul says, 'Who is weak, and is not weak?' (1 Cor 9:27), is not a disciple of Paul. Let him compare the achievements of the Father, and he will find him agreeing with the apostolic voices: 'Who is weak, and is not weak?' 'Who is stumbled, and am I not burned?' Those thinking thus are brothers of the apostles.
For the righteous does not only lose heart in those things in which he sins, but also in those in which he sees others sinning, as David says: 'Despair has seized me because of sinners who have abandoned your law' (Ps 118:28). If anyone loses heart over the sins of others, he has a zeal for piety. For the righteous, when his own life is being corrected, weeps and mourns to erase his own sin; and then, having ceased from his own sin, he mourns the remaining sins of others, just as Paul says: 'Lest coming, I should mourn many of those who sinned before and did not repent' (2 Cor 13:10).
Paul mourns those who sinned and did not repent. Samuel mourns Saul, as God says: 'How long will you mourn over Saul?' (1 Sam 16:1). You see a soul perishing, and you do not mourn? If anyone sees a dead man being carried out, and does not weep, he is proven to be impure, hard, and beastly. If you see a soul being baptized in impiety, and being condemned to eternal death, and remaining in unfaithfulness, do you not weep, tell me, and mourn? And this is a pious soul?
Indeed, all other sins the one thinking well must mourn, except, however, when he sees a soul baptized in the impiety of Hellenism. Over such a soul one must not only mourn, but also be burned and consumed by zeal, so that he may become a disciple of Paul. For, he says, while Paul was rubbing his way in Athens, his spirit was consumed, seeing the city to be a sepulcher. Why then do the saints think these things, just as this wonderful one was a father avenging piety? For just as a king on earth, holding the inhabited world under him, has advocates assisting him in each court of the palace, so God has the faithful shepherds as avengers of piety. For many, frequently spreading rumors among the Greeks, say whatever...
Lest Christians hear those saying to them, 'Why do you blaspheme? Why are you impious?' and immediately they are dragged away; 'Behold the avengers of God; is God not able to avenge himself?' But He does not avenge himself (for He does not insult the divinity), but through faithful servants, the ignorant slaves, He lashes. Does God have need of avenging? Yes; not because He is weak, but so that He may open for you a door of zeal. For if He did everything by Himself, the way of life would be closed to the zealot.
Pharaoh never fought against God, though he was submerged in impiety; and nowhere was a lash brought upon him until Moses the faithful rose up. The many-godded error with the false priests and false prophets was not trimmed away, and nowhere was a plague from God, until Elijah the zealot rose up. The saints are, it is confessed, the avengers of God. Therefore also Paul says: 'We are ready to avenge all offense, when your obedience is fulfilled' (Rom 12:19).
Furthermore, the wonderful Deborah, having the weakness of a woman but prophesying the courage of virtue, about whom the Scripture says, 'And Deborah arose, a mother in Israel' (Judg 4:4), and she became a mother to the people through piety, and she flourished so much that she even says to the generals of war, regarding those around Barak: 'If you do not come to war with us, we are not going.' They did not boast of the woman's courage, but of the power of prophecy. Many went out as co-workers of God's counsel, and they cut down the foreign tribes.
That blessed Deborah, bringing the truth, says: 'Lord, those who love you, like the rising of the sun; but your enemies, like the glimmer of a lamp' (Judg 5:31). Lord, those who love you, like the rising of the sun; because the sun is never extinguished; but your enemies, like the glimmer of a lamp; for a lamp has light for a short time, and again it is extinguished. Then He praises the general who ministered to God's counsel, and after these things He commands the inhabitants of Majore to be cursed, because they did not go out to the help of the Lord.
Did God then need help? Yes. It is necessary for those helping in piety to be revealed. Thus also this wonderful father does not help God as if He were powerless, but having been led to this, he avenges piety, demonstrating through the body toward destruction, but for souls...
Greek · §4
τιθέμενος, οὐκ οἶδε ζῆλον εὐσεβείας, οὐκ ἐτρώθη βέλεσιν ἀληθείας. γʹ. Ὁ βλέπων οὖν ἀπολλύμενον, καὶ μὴ ζηλῶν ὥς πού φησι Παῦλος, Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος μαθητὴς Παύλου. Ἀντιπαραβαλλέτω τοῦ Πατρὸς τὰ κατορθώματα, καὶ εὑρήσει αὐτὸν συνᾴδοντα ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς φωναῖς· Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; Οἱ οὕτω φρονοῦντες, ἀδελφοί εἰσι τῶν ἀποστόλων. ∆ίκαιος γὰρ οὐκ ἐν οἷς ἁμαρτάνει μόνον ἀθυμεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν οἷς βλέπει ἄλλους ἁμαρτάνοντας, ὥς φησιν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Ἀθυμία κατέσχε με ἀπὸ ἁμαρτωλῶν τῶν ἐγκαταλιμπανόντων τὸν νόμον σου. Εἴ τις ἐπὶ ταῖς ἄλλων ἁμαρτίαις ἀθυμεῖ, ζῆλον ἔχει εὐσεβείας. Ὁ γὰρ δίκαιος, ὅταν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον διορθῶται, δακρύει καὶ πενθεῖ τοῦ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξαλεῖψαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ· καὶ τότε τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῆς ἰδίας παυσάμενος, τὰς ἄλλων λοιπὸν πενθεῖ ἁμαρτίας, καθὼς καὶ Παῦλος· Μήπως ἐλθὼν πολλοὺς πενθήσω τῶν προημαρτηκότων, καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων. Παῦλος πενθεῖ τοὺς ἁμαρτήσαντας, καὶ μὴ μετανοήσαντας· Σαμουὴλ πενθεῖ τὸν Σαοὺλ, ὡς εἰπεῖν τὸν Θεόν· Ἕως πότε σὺ πενθεῖς ἐπὶ Σαούλ; Βλέπεις ψυχὴν ἀπολλυμένην, καὶ οὐ πενθεῖς; Νεκρὸν ἐάν τις ἴδῃ προκομιζόμενον, καὶ μὴ δακρύσῃ, ὡς ἀπηνὴς καὶ σκληρὸς καὶ θηριώδης ἐλέγχεται· ψυχὴν ἐὰν ἴδῃς ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ βαπτιζομένην, καὶ αἰωνίῳ θανάτῳ καταδικαζομένην, καὶ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ διαμένουσαν, οὐ δακρύεις, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ πενθεῖς; καὶ τοῦτο εὐλαβοῦς ψυχῆς; Πάντα μὲν οὖν τὰ ἄλλα ἁμαρτήματα δεῖ πενθεῖν τὸν εὖ φρονοῦντα, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ, ὅταν ἴδῃ ψυχὴν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ βεβαπτισμένην Ἑλληνισμοῦ. Ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ ψυχῇ οὐ δεῖ μόνον πενθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πυροῦσθαι καὶ ἐμπιπρᾶσθαι τῷ ζήλῳ· ἵνα γένηται Παύλου μαθητής. ∆ιατρίβοντος γὰρ, φησὶ, Παύλου ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις, ἐνεπίπρατο αὐτοῦ τὸ πνεῦμα, θεωροῦντος κατείδωλον οὖσαν τὴν πόλιν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ταῦτα οἱ ἅγιοι φρονοῦσιν, ὥς που καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος πατὴρ ἔκδικος τῆς εὐσεβείας ἦν; Καθάπερ γάρ ἐστι βασιλεὺς ὁ ἐπὶ γῆς κατέχων τῆς ὑπ' αὐτὸν οἰκουμένος, ἔχει δὲ ἐν ἑκάστῳ δικαστηρίῳ τοῦ παλατίου συνηγοροῦντας· οὕτως ἔχει ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς πιστοὺς ποιμένας ἐκδίκους τῆς εὐσεβείας. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλάκις διασύροντες τῶν Ἑλλήνων λέγουσιν, ὅταν ἀκούσωσι Χριστιανῶν λεγόντων αὐτοῖς, ∆ιὰ τί βλασφημεῖτε; διὰ τί ἀσεβεῖτε; εὐθέως διασύρουσιν· Ἴδε οἱ ἔκδικοι τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὐ δύναται ἑαυτὸν ἐκδικῆσαι ὁ Θεός; Ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἐκδικεῖ (οὐ γὰρ ὑβρίζει τὴν θεότητα), ἀλλὰ διὰ πιστῶν οἰκετῶν τοὺς ἀγνώμονας δούλους μαστίζει. Χρείαν ἔχει ἐκδίκων ὁ Θεός; Ναί· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ἀσθενεῖ, ἀλλ' ἵνα σοὶ θύραν ζήλου ἀνοίξῃ. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἐποίει, ἀπεκλείετο ἡ ὁδὸς τῆς ζωῆς τῷ ζηλωτῇ. Οὐκ ἐθεομάχει ποτὲ Φαραὼ, καὶ ἦν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ βεβυθισμένος· καὶ οὐδαμοῦ μάστιξ προσηνέχθη, ἕως ἂν ἔκυψε Μωϋσῆς ὁ πιστός; Οὐκ ἐκόμα ἡ πολύθεος πλάνη σὺν τοῖς ψευδέσιν ἱερεῦσι καὶ τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ παρὰ Θεοῦ πληγὴ, ἕως ἀνέκυψεν Ἠλίας ὁ ζηλωτής; Ἔκδικοί εἰσιν ὁμολογουμένως τοῦ Θεοῦ οἱ ἅγιοι. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ἔχομεν ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοὴν, ὅταν πληρωθῇ ὑμῶν ἡ ὑπακοή. Ἔτι δὲ ἡ θαυμασία ∆εβόῤῥα ἐν γυναιξὶν, ἡ γυναικὸς ἀσθένειαν ἔχουσα, καὶ ἀνδρείαν ἀρετῆς προφητεύουσα, περὶ ἧς φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, καὶ Ἀνέστη ∆εβόῤῥα, μήτηρ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, μήτηρ ἐγένετο τοῦ λαοῦ δι' εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἤκμαζεν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς πολέμου γενομένου τοὺς περὶ τὸν Βαρὰκ λέγειν τῇ γυναικί· Ἐὰν μὴ σὺ ἔλθῃς εἰς πόλεμον μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐρχόμεθα. Οὐ τῇ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐθάῤῥουν ἀνδρείᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῆς προφητείας δυνάμει. Ἐξῆλθον πολλοὶ συνεργοὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῆς, καὶ ἐξέκοπτον τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους. Ἐκείνη οὖν ἡ μακαρία ∆εβόῤῥα τὴν ἀλήθειαν φέρουσα λέγει· Κύριε, οἱ ἀγαπῶντές σε, ὡς ἀνατολὴ τοῦ ἡλίου· οἱ δὲ ἐχθροί σου, ὡς ἀπόσμηγμα λύχνου. 59.547 Κύριε, οἱ ἀγαπῶντές σε, ὡς ἀνατολὴ τοῦ ἡλίου· ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἥλιος οὐδέποτε σβέννυται· οἱ δὲ ἐχθροί σου, ὡς ἀπόσμηγμα λύχνου· λύχνος γὰρ καὶ πρόσκαιρον ἔχει φῶς, καὶ πάλιν σβέννυται. Εἶτα ἐπαινεῖ τὸν στρατηγὸν ὑπουργήσαντα τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῇ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κελεύει καταρᾶσθαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Μαζὼρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξῆλθον εἰς βοήθειαν Κυρίου. Βοηθείας ἄρα ἔχρῃζεν ὁ Θεός; Ναί. ∆εῖ φανῆναι τοὺς βοηθοῦντας τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος πατὴρ οὐ Θεῷ ὡς ἀτονοῦντι βοηθεῖ, ἀλλ' εἰς τοῦτο ταγεὶς ἐκδικεῖ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, τῷ σώματι μὲν ἐνδεικνύμενος πρὸς ἀπώλειαν, ἀλλὰ ψυχὰς
The Zeal of the Spirit and the Trial of the Blind Man§5
5Driving toward power, for the arrows of the powerful are ineffective. And do not marvel if the shepherds of Christ and teachers of piety avenge the truth; but even if one is not a teacher, not having trusted in a teaching throne, but having simply received the word of Christ and being in the rank of a disciple, he ought to have zeal for God, and to render rewards to the benefactor in speaking freely, and to speak on behalf of the truth, and to contend against impiety, so that he may hear from the Holy Scripture: 'Child, contend for the truth, and the Lord God will fight for you.'
It is nothing to marvel at if the holy ones avenge piety. Often God is called something through leniency, as a good God, and the prophets do not forgive piety being struck by the leniency of God. God says through Moses: 'Say to Pharaoh, Let my people go;' (Exodus 5:1) but if you do not want, behold, I will send signs, and I will strike you. Moses struck the word upon the word, and understanding is given to the pious, and he says: Do not think that he has a people out of equality, and God has a people. And Having contended, let not the great goodness and leniency of God hinder him, and let him not think he is opposing God, having heard: 'Your people, and My people,' the proclamation refers. Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: 'Let my people go;' (Exodus 5:1) but if you do not want, behold, I will send signs, and I will strike you and your servants; so that you may know that the earth and its fullness belong to the Lord (Psalm 24:1).
the land heard the people and the people, and did not follow the word, but says, 'All the earth is the Lord's.' For even if God used leniency, this does not betray the masterly authority. For this reason also God spoke thus, so that the zeal of the pious might be stripped bare. But the faithful also always love to exceed the words of God; for the Savior says to the disciples: 'What do men say the Son of Man is?' (Mark 4:36) One of the disciples says...
of him: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' May the zeal of the Holy Spirit teach you also to be zealous, and to suffer for the sake of piety, and to contend the good struggle for the sake of righteousness.
For it is worthy, the imitating of good teachers, to be good disciples, as also Paul says: 'Become imitators of me, just as I also of Christ' (Matt 9:27). Do you wish to learn whether even the simple disciple, having the rank of a disciple, ought to have zeal for piety? Listen how Christ healed the one blind from birth; but rather let us hear from the beginning of the history. For after many things having been said to the evangelist, thus he began to say: 'As Jesus was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth' (John 9:1). And his disciples asked him, saying, and the following (John 9:2). And having spat, and having made clay, he anointed his eyes, and said to him: 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam'; and having washed, he looked up (John 9:6-7). The Jews knew him, and they say: 'Is not this the one sitting for alms, being blind?' (John 9:8). Others were saying, 'Yes'; others, 'No', but 'he is like him' (John 9:9). He was saying, 'It is I' (John 9:9).
But the Pharisees and the rulers of the Jews, seeing that the wonder has many attracting to Christ, being bitten by the zeal of impiety, and being struck by the sting of the truth, call the once-blind man in. And it was to see an evil theater, of piety being avenged, and of evil judges judging, and of a great advocate contending, and of God rewarding and overseeing. They call the once-blind and having seen again, the children of the Jews, and they set him in the midst of the council, and say to him: 'Tell how you received sight, and who opened your eyes to you, and what he did to you?' (John 9:15). These things they said, not that they might know, but that by the form of the question they might instill fear. For often the form of the question becomes to the one asked a teacher to answer, or to be silent; as if someone were to say to someone...
Greek · §5
ἐμβαλλόμενος πρὸς δυναστείαν. Τὰ γὰρ βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκονημένα. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ οἱ ποιμένες Χριστοῦ καὶ διδάσκαλοι εὐσεβείας ἐκδικοῦσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἀλλὰ κἂν μὴ ᾖ τις διδάσκαλος, μηδὲ διδασκαλικὸν θρόνον πεπιστευμένος, ἀλλὰ ἁπλῶς δεξάμενος Χριστοῦ λόγον, καὶ ἐν μαθητοῦ τάξει τυγχάνων, ὀφείλει ζῆλον ἔχειν Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι τῷ εὐεργέτῃ ἐν τῷ ἐλευθεροστομεῖν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας φθέγγεσθαι, καὶ κατὰ ἀσεβείας ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ἵνα ἀκούσῃ παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς· Τέκνον, ἀγώνισαι ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας, Καὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. Οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν, εἰ εὐσέβειαν ἐκδικοῦσιν ἅγιοι. Πολλάκις καλεῖ τι δι' ἐπιείκειαν, ὡς Θεὸς ἀγαθὸς, καὶ οἱ προφῆται οὐ συγχωροῦσι τρωθῆναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιεικείας. Λέγει ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Μωϋσέως· Εἰπὸν τῷ Φαραὼ, Ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου· εἰ δὲ οὐ βούλει, ἰδοὺ ἀποστελῶ τὰ σημεῖα, καὶ πατάξω σε. Ἐπλήγη Μωϋσῆς ἐπὶ τῷ ῥήματι, καὶ δίδοται ἔννοια τῷ εὐσεβεῖ, καί φησι· Μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι ἐξ ἰσοτιμίας ἔχει λαὸν αὐτὸς, καὶ λαὸν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ἀγωνιάσας, μήποτε ἡ πολλὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθότης καὶ ἐπιείκεια βλάψῃ αὐτὸν, καὶ νομίσῃ ἀντιπολιτεύεσθαι Θεῷ, ἀκούσας, Ὁ λαός σου, καὶ, Ὁ λαός μου, ἀναφέρει τὸ κήρυγμα. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν Ἑβραίων· Ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου· εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλει, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστελῶ τὰ σημεῖα, καὶ πατάξω σε καὶ τοὺς θεράποντάς σου· ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Ἡ γῆ ἤκουσε λαὸν καὶ λαὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἠκολούθησε τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλὰ λέγει, Πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστίν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ ἐχρήσατο ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' οὗτος οὐ προδίδωσι τὴν δεσποτικὴν αὐθεντίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς οὕτως ἐλάλησεν, ἵνα γυμνωθῇ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς ὁ ζῆλος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλοῦσιν ἀεὶ πιστοὶ ὑπερβαίνειν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῖς μαθηταῖς· Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου; Λέγει εἷς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος καὶ ὑμᾶς διδασκέτω ζηλωτὰς εἶναι, καὶ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πάσχειν, καὶ ἀγωνίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα. δʹ. Ἄξιον γάρ ἐστι τὸ μιμητὰς εἶναι διδασκάλου ἀγαθοὺς μαθητὰς, ὡς καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ. Θέλεις μαθεῖν, ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἁπλῶς μαθητὴς καὶ μαθητοῦ τάξιν ἔχων ὀφείλει ἔχειν ζῆλον εὐσεβείας; Ἄκουε πῶς ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλὸν ἐθεράπευσε· μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς τῆς ἱστορίας ἀκούσωμεν. Μετὰ γὰρ πολλὰ τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ εἰρημένα, οὕτως ἤρξατο λέγειν· Παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον τυφλὸν ἐκ γενετῆς. Καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ πτύσας, καὶ πηλὸν ποιήσας, Ἔχρισεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν τοῦ Σιλωάμ· καὶ νιψάμενος ἀνέβλεψεν. Οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἔγνωσαν αὐτὸν, καὶ λέγουσιν· Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην καθήμενος τυφλὸς ὤν; Ἄλλοι ἔλεγον, Ναί· ἄλλοι, Οὒκ, ἀλλ' ὅμοιος αὐτῷ ἐστιν. Ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι. Οἱ Φαρισαῖοι δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁρῶντες, ὅτι τὸ θαῦμα πολλοὺς ἔχει ἑλκύσαι πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν, δακνόμενοι ἐκ τοῦ ζήλου τῆς ἀσεβείας, καὶ πληττόμενοι τῷ κέντρῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, καλοῦσιν ἔσω τόν ποτε τυφλόν. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν πονηρὸν θέατρον, εὐσεβείας ἐκδικουμένης, καὶ πονηρῶν δικαστῶν κρινόντων, καὶ μεγάλου συνηγόρου συναγωνιζομένου, καὶ Θεοῦ βραβεύοντος καὶ ἐφορῶντος. Καλοῦσι τόν ποτε τυφλὸν καὶ ἀναβλέψαντα Ἰουδαίων παῖδες, καὶ ἱστῶσιν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ συνεδρίου, καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· 59.548 Εἰπὲ πῶς ἀνέβλεψας, καὶ τίς σου διήνοιξε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ τί σοι ἐποίησεν; Ταῦτα ἔλεγον, οὐχ ἵνα μάθωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῷ σχήματι τῆς ἐρωτήσεως φόβον ἐνέγκωσιν. Πολλάκις γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ἐρωτήσεως διδάσκαλος γίνεται τῷ ἐρωτωμένῳ ἀποκρίνασθαι, ἢ σιωπῆσαι· ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι τινὶ
The Advocate's Defense and the Blind Man's Witness§6
6Regarding the testimony to be given to a matter: Do you know the premise? Was it present? From where do you know the matter? And the very form teaches him to deny it.
So do they: How did you see? Who opened your eyes? But he, caring less for the threat, possessed more of the truth, and says: A certain man, called Jesus, having made clay, anointed my eyes and said to me: 'Go, wash in the Siloam' (John 9:6). And having gone, I washed, and I saw. He did not know the truth, but he recognized the benefit; he did not yet know the merit of the benefactor. A certain man, having made clay, anointed my eyes, and I see.
The Jews did not believe that he was blind and had seen, until his parents of the one who had seen were called. The diversion of malice into doubt brought away the truth. They call the parents of the blind man; malice by itself brings witnesses together. The parents of the blind man were called.
Again the same form of questioning: 'This is your son, whom you say was born blind? (John 9:25) How then does he see now?' They, having perceived the way of malice, that they are bringing threats, say to them: 'We know that this is our son; and that he was born blind we know; but how he sees now, or who opened his eyes, we do not know; he has age, ask him; he himself will speak about himself. And see the wisdom of God.'
So that they might not divert his voice, the one who had seen, as if he were a child, or as if he did not know how to speak, as in common courts, God caused him first to be shown in the age of law. 'He has age,' they say; 'ask him'; because immature advocates are needed, but those bringing maturity, they themselves become their own advocates.
His parents answered and said: 'This is our son, and that he was born blind we know.' The parents testified so that there would be no doubt that he was not blind. 'He has age, ask him; he himself will speak about himself.' They call him again, he says, a second time, and say to him: 'What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?' He, moreover, having clothed himself with the zeal of God, unfolds the question, and as if for those unworthy of an answer, not worthy of a word, but what does he say to them? 'I have already said to you, and...'
“You did not hear; why do you wish to hear me again? Do you not also wish to become his disciples?” (John 7:40). And he who has not yet heard Christ's teaching imitates it. For the Jews, having surrounded the Savior in Solomon's Colonnade during the festivals (John 10:23), said to him: “How long will you lift up our soul? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” He says to them: “I said to you, and you did not hear; why do you wish to hear again?” And see the piety of the advocate.
Because he paid attention to the malice of the Jews, for they do everything and shape threats and fear to be cast upon him so that he might not confess himself teacher, he says to them: “I said to you already, and you did not hear; why do you wish to hear again? Do you not also wish to become his disciples?” By saying, “Do you not also?”, he showed that the “I am” is being confessed. Let every Christian coming from Hellenism have this voice. For when a Greek meets you, having an ancient habit of error, and says to you, “Become a Christian,” say to him, “Yes; do you not also wish to become?”
The goal, therefore, of the one who recovered both soul and body, was such: “I said to you already, and you did not hear; why do you wish to hear me again? Do you not also wish to become his disciples?” Instead of saying, “Stay this far from turning to me,” for I also more eagerly expect you, having been changed, to confess Christ himself according to the truth.
Then what was against him from the Jews? They mocked him and said: “You are a disciple of that man, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses; but this one we do not know from where he is.” Consider the multitude of the objectors, and the power of one standing against them. And the advocate of the truth did not be silent again, but stood firm, saying, “For in this it is wonderful,” saying, that you do not know from where he is, and he opened my eyes (John 9:35). If this man were not from God, he would not have been able to do anything. He stands struggling, and God is the overseer and the judge; many are terrible against one strong man, an unbelieving cloud against a single drop of faith. From the age, he says, it was not heard that someone opened the eyes of one born blind (John 9:32). If this man were not from God, he would not have been able to do anything. Because you magnify yourselves, he says, in the teaching of Moses. He does not mention Moses at all, so that—
Greek · §6
μέλλοντι μαρτυρεῖν εἰς πρᾶγμα· Οἶδας τὴν ὑπόθεσιν; παρῆς; πόθεν οἶδας τὸ πρᾶγμα; καὶ τὸ σχῆμα αὐτὸν διδάσκει ἀρνήσασθαι. Οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι· Πῶς ἀνέβλεψας; τίς ἠνέῳξέ σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; Ὁ δὲ ἧττον φροντίσας τῆς ἀπειλῆς, εἴχετο μᾶλλον τῆς ἀληθείας, καί φησιν· Ἄνθρωπός τις, λεγόμενος Ἰησοῦς, πηλὸν ποιήσας ἐπέχρισέ μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ εἶπέ μοι· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὸ Σιλωάμ. Καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἐνιψάμην, καὶ ἀνέβλεψα. Οὐκ ᾔδει τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ἐγνώρισε· τοῦ εὐεργέτου τὸ ἀξίωμα οὔπω ᾔδει. Ἄνθρωπός τις πηλὸν ποιήσας ἐπέχρισέ μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ βλέπω. Οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι τυφλὸς ἦν, καὶ ἀνέβλεψεν, ἕως ὅτου ἐφώνησαν τοὺς γονεῖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀναβλέψαντος. Ἡ παραγραφὴ τῆς κακίας εἰς ἀμφιβολίαν ἤνεγκε τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Καλοῦσι τοὺς γονεῖς τοῦ τυφλοῦ· ἡ κακία καθ' ἑαυτῆς συνάγει τοὺς μάρτυρας. Ἐκλήθησαν οἱ γονεῖς τοῦ τυφλοῦ. Πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ σχῆμα τῆς ἐρωτήσεως· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμῶν, ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε, ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη; Πῶς οὖν ἄρτι βλέπει; Ἐκεῖνοι τὸν τρόπον τῆς κακίας νοήσαντες, ὅτι ἀπειλὰς προσφέρουσιν, λέγουσιν αὐτοῖς· Ἴσμεν, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ἡμῶν· καὶ ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη, οἴδαμεν· πῶς δὲ νῦν βλέπει, ἢ τίς ἤνοιξεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, οὐκ οἴδαμεν· αὐτὸς ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε· αὐτὸς τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λαλήσει. Καὶ ὅρα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν. Ἵνα μὴ παραγράφωνται αὐτοῦ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ ἀναβλέψαντος, ἢ ὡς νέου ὄντος, ἢ ὡς οὐκ εἰδότος εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν κοινῶν δικαστηρίων, ᾠκονόμησεν ὁ Θεὸς πρῶτον δειχθῆναι αὐτὸν τῆς ἐννόμου ἡλικίας. Ἡλικίαν ἔχει αὐτὸς, φησίν· αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε· ἐπειδὴ οἱ ἀφήλικες συνηγόρων χρῄζουσιν, οἱ δὲ τελείαν φέροντες τὴν ἡλικίαν, αὐτοὶ ἑαυτῶν συνήγοροι γίνονται. Ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπον, ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη, οἴδαμεν. Ὡμολόγησαν οἱ γονεῖς, ἵνα μὴ ᾖ ἀμφιβολία, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν τυφλός. Ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε· αὐτὸς τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ λαλήσει. Καλοῦσι πάλιν, φησὶν, αὐτὸν ἐκ δευτέρου, καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Τί ἐποίησέν σοι; πῶς ἠνέῳξέν σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; Ἐκεῖνος λοιπὸν ἐνδυσάμενος Θεοῦ ζῆλον, διαπτύει τὴν ἐρώτησιν, καὶ ὡς ἀναξίους ἀποκρίσεως, οὐκ ἀξιοῖ λόγου, ἀλλὰ τί λέγει αὐτοῖς; Εἶπον ὑμῖν ἤδη, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε· τί πάλιν θέλετέ μου ἀκούειν; μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ γενέσθαι; Καὶ μιμεῖται τὴν Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν, ὁ μηδέπω ἀκούσας τὴν Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν. Οἱ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν τοῖς ἐγκαινίοις κυκλώσαντες τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐν τῇ στοᾷ Σολομῶντος, ἔλεγον αὐτῷ· Ἕως πότε τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις; Εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν παῤῥησίᾳ. Λέγει αὐτοῖς· Εἶπον ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε· τί πάλιν θέλετε ἀκούειν; Καὶ ὅρα συνηγόρου εὐσέβειαν. Ἐπειδὴ προσέσχεν τῇ κακίᾳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὅτι πάντα ποιοῦσι, καὶ σχηματίζονται ἀπειλὴν, καὶ φόβον αὐτῷ ἐπισείειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ὁμολογεῖν αὐτὸν διδάσκαλον, λέγει αὐτοῖς· Εἶπον ὑμῖν ἤδη, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε· τί πάλιν θέλετε ἀκούειν· μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι; Τῷ εἰπεῖν, Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς; ἔδειξεν, ὅτι τὸ Ἐγὼ ὁμολογεῖται. Ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν ἐχέτω πᾶς Χριστιανὸς ἀφ' Ἑλληνισμοῦ καταγόμενος. Ὅταν γάρ σοι συντύχοι Ἕλλην ἀρχαίαν ἔχων συνήθειαν πλάνης, καὶ εἴποι σοι, ὅτι Χριστιανὸς ἐγένου, εἰπὲ αὐτῷ, Ναί· μὴ καὶ σὺ θέλεις γενέσθαι; Ὁ σκοπὸς τοίνυν τοῦ ἀναβλέψαντος καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, τοιοῦτος ἦν. Εἶπον ὑμῖν ἤδη, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε· τί πάλιν θέλετέ μου ἀκούειν; μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ γενέσθαι; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Τοσοῦτον ἀπέχετε τοῦ ἐμὲ μεταπεῖσαι, ὅτι καὶ ἐγὼ προσδοκῶ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς μεταβληθέντας Χριστὸν αὐτὸν καθομολογῆσαι. Εἶτα τί πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Ἐλοιδόρησαν αὐτὸν, καὶ εἶπον· Σὺ εἶ μαθητὴς ἐκείνου, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἐσμὲν μαθηταί. Ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν, ὅτι Μωϋσῇ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεός· τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν. Ἐννόησον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἑνὸς τοῦ ἀνθεστηκότος. Καὶ οὐκ ἐσιώπησε πάλιν ὁ συνήγορος τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλ' 59.549 ἵστατο, Ἐν γὰρ τούτῳ θαυμαστόν ἐστι, λέγων, ὅτι ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε πόθεν ἐστὶν, καὶ ἠνέῳξέν μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. Εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος παρὰ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἠδύνατο ποιεῖν οὐδέν. Εἰστήκει ἀγωνιζόμενος, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπόπτης καὶ βραβευτής· πολλοὶ δεινοὶ καθ' ἑνὸς ἰσχυροῦ, νέφος ἄπιστον πρὸς μίαν σταγόνα πίστεως. Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, φησὶν, οὐκ ἠκούσθη, ὅτι ἤνοιξέ τις ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλοῦ γεγεννημένου. Εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος παρὰ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἠδύνατο ποιεῖν οὐδέν. Ἐπειδὴ σεμνύνεσθε, φησὶ, τῇ Μωϋσέως διδασκαλίᾳ. Οὐ μνημονεύει μὲν Μωϋσέως τέως, ἵνα
From Human Supporter to Divine Witness§7
7Let him not be provoked. For he says, 'From the beginning of the age it has not been heard that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind' (John 9:32), that is, 'Who else opened them, a prophet?' Nor did they see the superiority, nor the comparison. But as much as this man held to the truth, so much did they not cease from shamelessness.
Since they were not able to deny it, they endeavored instead to cover it, and they say: 'Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinful human.' The glory of the Son is the glory of the Father, and the glory is undivided. He is contending, having the good struggle toward the Jews. They say to him, 'Give glory to God.' How? By our law? And is it right to benefit another and for another to be glorified? 'Give glory to God.' Another benefactor, and to another should I give glory? They confessed that Jesus made clay and anointed his eyes; does the one who opened them confess, and should I give the glory to another? Why should I give glory to God? Because this work is the work of God. Therefore, seeing, you confess that Christ is God. 'Give glory to God.' For if the work is of God, and to Him the glory is owed, the maker of the work is God Himself. 'Give glory to God.' We know that this man is a sinful human.
The once-blind man answered them: 'If he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that being blind, now I see' (John 9:25). He spoke with such boldness that they ordered him to be cast out. And they cast him out, says the evangelist, out (John 9:34). Blessed is the one set apart from the synagogue of evildoers. And see what happens. Because he contended the good struggle, and sympathized with the glory of God, and confessed the Savior gloriously with much boldness; and while his theater was being filled with wrestling matches, the wrestler was cast out without receiving the crown, and the referee meets him outside.
For Jesus heard, he says, that they had cast him out; and finding him, he says to him. Oh, the speech of the one finding him! That which error destroys, truth finds. Why then did he meet him? The Savior saw a soul full of gratitude; he saw a soul not yet having been made known to speak concerning God, but considering him to be some faithful prophet; for he asks concerning the Christ. And what does he say about him? That he is a prophet. And the Savior said this: 'If you consider him a prophet, and anth...'
Suspecting a human, he struggles thus: what will he do if he learns the glory of the deity? If, suspecting a human and calling him a prophet, he has brought so much support for the sake of truth, and has undergone such a great struggle without having yet been instructed, but having been enlightened by grace alone: understand him, that if, thinking to support a human, he did not depart from the truth, he will speak evangelically: 'In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the God was the Word' (John 1:1); what will result? Therefore, moreover, the Lord corrected him toward knowledge, having received the struggle, and having sealed the faith for him.
The Savior answers him; for this one did not recognize the character. For when He sent him to the pool of Siloam to wash, He sent him blind; but when he returned seeing, he did not see the Savior because of the crowd being mixed there, but immediately, before seeing the Master, having been called into the struggle, he struggled. But the Master made clay before washing him himself, and anointed his eyes, so that he might complete what was lacking. When therefore He sent him out, Christ finding him, said to him: 'Do you believe in the Son of God?' (John 9:35). For it is not necessary for you to believe in a struggling man as a prophet, but as the Son of God.
That one, not having recognized the face, recognized the voice. 'Do you believe,' He says, 'in the Son of God?' He knew the voice, and with delight he cried out, 'And who is He, Lord, so that I may believe in Him?' Why do you believe Him saying to the believer: 'Do you believe in the Son of God?' 'I know that your word is true; yet even if you should tell me the knowledge, I do not waver in believing you.' 'And who is He, Lord, so that I may believe in Him?' And the prophet replied: 'And you have seen Him, and the one speaking with you, He is that one.'
He who supported from within, discourses from without: 'Do you believe in the Son of God?' But the one enlightened in both body and mind said: 'And who is He, Lord, so that I may believe in Him?' And the one answering said to him: 'And you have seen Him, and the one speaking with you, He is that one.' And he said: 'I believe, Lord,' and he worshiped Him. These things are said to me so that you all may learn to follow a good teacher, and to imitate a good shepherd, and to struggle for the sake of truth; for your one...
Greek · §7
μὴ παροξύνῃ· λέγει δὲ, Ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσθη, ὅτι ἤνοιξέ τις ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλοῦ γεγεννημένου, τουτέστιν, Τίς ἤνοιξεν ἄλλος προφήτης; οὐδὲ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν ὁρῶντες, οὐδὲ σύγκρισιν. Ὅσον δὲ οὗτος τῆς ἀληθείας ἀντείχετο, τοσοῦτον ἐκεῖνοι τῆς ἀναισχυντίας οὐκ ἐπαύοντο. Ἐπειδὴ ἀρνήσασθαι οὐκ ἐδύναντο, ἐσπούδασαν λοιπὸν καλύψαι, καί φασι· ∆ὸς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ· οἴδαμεν ἡμεῖς, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος οὗτος ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν. ∆όξα Υἱοῦ ἡ δόξα Πατρὸς, καὶ ἀμέριστος ἡ δόξα. Ἀγωνίζεται ἔχων τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα πρὸς Ἰουδαίους. Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, ∆ὸς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ. Ποίῳ; Τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ἡμετέρου; Καὶ δίκαιόν ἐστι ἄλλον εὐεργετῆσαι, καὶ ἄλλον δοξασθῆναι; ∆ὸς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ. Ἄλλος εὐεργέτης, καὶ ἄλλῳ δῶ δόξαν; Ὡμολόγησαν, ὅτι πηλὸν ἐποίησεν Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἔχρισεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς· ὁ ἀνοίξας ὁμολογεῖται, καὶ ἄλλῳ ἀνενέγκω τὴν δόξαν; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ δῶ δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ; Ὅτι τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν. Ἴδε οὖνἄκοντες ὁμολογεῖτε, ὅτι Θεὸς ὁ Χριστός. ∆ὸς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ὀφείλεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα· ὁ ποιητὴς τοῦ ἔργου αὐτός ἐστι Θεός. ∆ὸς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ. Ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος οὗτος ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν. Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ ποτὲ τυφλός· Εἰ ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν, οὐκ οἶδα· ἓν οἶδα, ὅτι τυφλὸς ὢν ἄρτι βλέπω. εʹ. Μέχρι τούτου ὡς ἐπαῤῥησιάσατο, ἐκέλευσαν αὐτὸν ἐκβληθῆναι ἔξω. Καὶ ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν, φησὶν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ἔξω. Μακάριος ὁ ἀφορισθεὶς συναγωγῆς πονηρευομένων. Καὶ ὅρα τί γίνεται. Ἐπειδὴ ἠγωνίσατο τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα, καὶ συνηγόρησε Θεοῦ δόξῃ, καὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα ὡμολόγησεν ἐνδόξως μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παῤῥησίας· καὶ ἦν αὐτοῦ τὸ θέατρον πεπληρωμένον τῶν παλαισμάτων, ἐξεβλήθη ἔξω ὁ παλαιστὴς, μὴ λαβὼν τὸν στέφανον, καὶ ἀπαντᾷ αὐτῷ ἔξω ὁ βραβευτής. Ἤκουσε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω· καὶ εὑρὼν αὐτὸν λέγει αὐτῷ. Ὢ τῆς ῥήσεως τοῦ εὑρόντος αὐτόν· ὃν ἀπόλλυσιν ἡ πλάνη, εὑρίσκει ἡ ἀλήθεια. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ αὐτῷ ἀπήντησεν; Εἶδεν ὁ Σωτὴρ ψυχὴν εὐγνωμοσύνης γέμουσαν· εἶδε ψυχὴν μηδέπω γνωσθεῖσαν ὑπὲρ Θεοῦ λέγειν, ἀλλὰ νομίζουσαν ὑπὲρ προφήτου τινὸς πιστοῦ· ἐρωτᾶται γὰρ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ τί λέγει περὶ αὐτοῦ; Ὅτι προφήτης ἐστίν. Ὁ δὲ Σωτὴρ τοῦτο εἶπεν· Εἰ προφήτην νομίζων, καὶ ἄνθρωπον ὑπονοῶν, οὕτως ἀγωνίζεται, τί οὐ ποιήσει, ἐὰν μάθῃ τὴν δόξαν τῆς θεότητος; Εἰ ἄνθρωπον ὑπονοῶν, καὶ προφήτην ὀνομάζων τοσαύτην ἤνεγκεν ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας συνηγορίαν, καὶ ἀγῶνα τηλικοῦτον ἀνεδέξατο μηδέπω κατηχηθεὶς, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ μόνης τῆς εὐεργεσίας φωτισθείς· ἐννόησον αὐτὸν, ὅτι εἰ ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπου νομίζων συνηγορεῖν, οὐκ ἐξέστη τῆς ἀληθείας, ἐὰν μάθῃ εὐαγγελικῶς λέγειν· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος· καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος· τί ἔσται; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λοιπὸν αὐτὸν εἰς γνῶσιν διωρθώσατο, τὸν μὲν ἀγῶνα ὑποδεξάμενος, τὴν δὲ πίστιν αὐτῷ σφραγίσας. Ἀπαντᾷ αὐτῷ ὁ Σωτήρ· οὐκ ἐγνώριζε γὰρ τὸν χαρακτῆρα οὗτος. Ὅτε γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ τοῦ νίψασθαι, τυφλὸν ἀπέστειλεν· ὡς δὲ ἐπανῆλθε βλέπων, τὸν μὲν Σωτῆρα οὐκ εἶδε τῷ πλήθει ὄντα ἀναμεμιγμένον, ἀλλὰ εὐθέως, πρὶν τοῦ ∆εσπότην ἰδεῖν, εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα κληθεὶς ἠγωνίσατο. Πηλὸν δὲ πρὸ τοῦ αὐτὸν νίψασθαι ἐποίησεν ὁ ∆εσπότης, καὶ ἔχρισεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, ἵνα ἀναπληρώσῃ τὸ λεῖπον. Ὅτε οὖν ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω, εὑρὼν αὐτὸν ὁ Χριστὸς, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Σὺ πιστεύεις εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Οὐ δεῖ γάρ σε ὡς προφήτῃ πιστεῦσαι ἀγωνιζομένῳ, ἀλλ' ὡς Υἱῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐκεῖνος τὸ πρόσωπον μὴ 59.550 γνωρίσας, τὴν φωνὴν ἀνεγνώρισε. Σὺ πιστεύεις, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἐπέγνω τὴν φωνὴν, καὶ μετὰ περιχαρείας ἐβόησε, Καὶ τίς ἐστι, Κύριε, ἵνα πιστεύσω εἰς αὐτόν; ∆ιὰ τί πιστεύεις σοι λέγοντι τῷ πιστῷ· Σὺ πιστεύεις εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Οἶδα ὅτι ὁ λόγος σου ἀληθής ἐστιν· ὅμως δὲ κἂν εἴπῃς μοι τὴν γνῶσιν, οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλω σοι πιστεῦσαι. Καὶ τίς ἐστι, Κύριε, ἵνα πιστεύσω εἰς αὐτόν; Καὶ ὁ προγνώστης ἀντέφη· Καὶ ἑώρακας αὐτὸν, καὶ ὁ λαλῶν μετὰ σοῦ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν. Ὁ ἔσω συνηγορήσας, ἔξω διαλέγεται· Σὺ πιστεύεις εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ὁ δὲ πεφωτισμένος καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν, ἔφησε· Καὶ τίς ἐστι, Κύριε, ἵνα πιστεύσω εἰς αὐτόν; Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Καὶ ἑώρακας αὐτὸν, καὶ ὁ λαλῶν μετὰ σοῦ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν. Ὁ δὲ ἔφη· Πιστεύω, Κύριε· καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ. Ταῦτά μοι εἴρηται, ἵνα μάθητε πάντες καλῷ διδασκάλῳ ἕπεσθαι, καὶ ποιμένα ἀγαθὸν μιμεῖσθαι, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας ἀγωνίζεσθαι· ὁ γὰρ ὑμῶν
The Thief's Confession and the Lesson of Piety§8
8The struggle happens in cooperation with the Great Shepherd. You marveled that a blind man became a co-witness of the truth having been benefited; you marveled at the robber who, before the benefit, co-witnessed with Christ. For always a divine soul, zealously seeking the truth, opens many mouths co-witnessing to the truth through its own reliabilityility.
Christ was hanging on the cross, and two robbers, one on the right and one of good characterter, and the Jews are slandering, the chief priests are blaspheming: 'Behold the King of the Jews' (Matt 27:42); and again, 'If he is the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe in him' (Matt 27:42); and again, 'He saved others, but he cannot save himself' (Mark 15:31). Likewise, the one crucified robber also blasphemed, saying: 'If you are the Son of God, save yourself and us' (Luke 23:39). But the other robber said nothing, punishing the condemned by his silence.
Since therefore the chief priests and the scribes, knowing the law, but rather being ignorant, those who ought to have confessed Christ from the prophetic readings, did not confess; God opens an unexpected mouth upon the cross, co-witnessing to the truth. And see what he does. He does not even first hear the voice of Christ, and this one co-witnesses, and then he is crowned. For two robbers were crucified, he says, one on the right and one of good characterter; and the Savior was in the middle like a yoke of truth, crowning indeed the one confessing, but condemning the one blaspheming.
And behold the wonderful thing. Of the scribes and the chief priests blaspheming Christ, and saying: 'If he is the King of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe in him' (Matt 27:42); and of the other robber: 'If you are the Son of God, save yourself and us' (Luke 23:39); the one of good characterter says nothing. For the two robbers were icons of the people of the Jews and of ours. For the one blasphemes and is condemned; but the one believes and repents and is saved. Therefore the one of good characterter, the brother of the Jewish robbery, says nothing (for the ignorant Jews were a robber people, as the Savior testifies saying: 'My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a robbers' den' Matt 21:13); and the choice of the first is Jewish; but the choice of the second is Christian.
Driven by evil, but seizing salvation through repentance; thus speaks the ignorant thief, having a Jewish choice: 'If you are the Son of God, save yourself and us, by coming down from the cross.' But the other, the discerning one, is found—the one responsible in the courtroom, a judge at the cross; but also teaching the fear of God.
For the first cry of the thief to the fellow-robber says: 'Do you not even fear God, since you are in the same judgment?' And 'We indeed are judged justly, for we receive what is worthy of what we have done'; but this one did nothing strange. What are you saying? You, stealing outside, condemn here? You, murdering outside, teach fear here? 'Do you not even fear God?' Learn the cross of Christ, so that the voice may become to you a teacher of piety.
For see the wonderful thing: the thief says to the fellow-robber: 'Do you not even fear God?' He proclaims God himself crucified with them, and suffering long-sufferingly for the sake of humanity. And that regarding the Savior he says: 'Do you not even fear God?' Learn from the following: 'Do you not even fear God, since you are in the same judgment?' And 'We indeed are judged justly, for we receive what is worthy of what we have done'; but this one did nothing strange.
I say these things so that you may learn to toil for the sake of piety, and to show zeal both in the house and in the marketplace, and to contend for Christ, so that you also may receive from him the crown of righteousness, like this discerning thief. For listen to him toward the blasphemous fellow-robber: 'Do you not even fear God, since you are in the same judgment?' And 'We indeed are judged justly, for we receive what is worthy of what we have done'; but this one did nothing strange.
And he said to Jesus, 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42). Did you see a true sympathy? Did you see how he, the Christ, confessed God truly? 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom.' He confesses his own evils and sympathizes with the Lord.
You were tortured so much, thief, before the ruler, so that you might confess the robberies, and the murders, and the thefts which you did, even if you did not confess; and here you say, without tortures, 'We indeed are judged justly, for we receive what is worthy of what we have done'? Through ten thousand tortures you only just confessed before the ruler; and here, having no one to compel you, easily...
Greek · §8
ἀγὼν συνεργείᾳ γίνεται τοῦ μεγάλου ποιμένος. Ἐθαυμάσατε, ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγένετο συνήγορος τῆς ἀληθείας εὐεργετηθείς· ἐθαυμάσατε τὸν λῃστὴν τὸν πρὸ τῆς εὐεργεσίας συνηγορήσαντα τῷ Χριστῷ. Ἀεὶ γὰρ θεία ψυχὴ ἀλήθειαν ζηλοῦσα, διὰ τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἀξιοπιστίαν ἀνοίγει πολλὰ στόματα συνηγοροῦντα τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Ἐπὶ σταυροῦ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκρέματο, καὶ δύο λῃσταὶ, εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων, καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι φλυαροῦσιν, ἀρχιερεῖς βλασφημοῦσιν· Ἴδε ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων· καὶ πάλιν, Εἰ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ ἐστι, καταβάτω νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἵνα ἴδωμεν, καὶ πιστεύσωμεν αὐτῷ· καὶ πάλιν, Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν, ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται σῶσαι. Ὡσαύτως καὶ ὁ συσταυρωθεὶς λῃστὴς καὶ αὐτὸς ἐφλυάρει λέγων· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, σῶσον σεαυτὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς. Ὁ δὲ ἕτερος λῃστὴς οὐκ ἐλάλει οὐδὲν, τῇ σιωπῇ κολάζων τοὺς καταδίκους. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς, οἱ νόμον εἰδότες, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀγνοοῦντες, οἱ ὀφείλοντες ἀπὸ τῶν προφητικῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων Χριστὸν ὁμολογῆσαι, οὐχ ὡμολόγησαν· ἀνοίγει ὁ Θεὸς ἀπροσδόκητον στόμα ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ, συνηγοροῦν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Καὶ βλέπε τί ποιεῖ. Οὐδὲ πρῶτον ἀκούει φωνῆς Χριστοῦ, καὶ οὗτος συνηγορεῖ, καὶ τότε στεφανοῦται. Ἐσταυρώθησαν γὰρ, φησὶ, σὺν αὐτῷ δύο λῃσταὶ, εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν, καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων· καὶ ἦν ὁ Σωτὴρ μέσος ὥσπερ ζυγὸς ἀληθείας, κουφίζων μὲν τὸν ὁμολογοῦντα, καταδικάζων δὲ τὸν βλασφημοῦντα. Καὶ ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστόν. Τῶν γραμματέων καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων βλασφημούντων τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ λεγόντων· Εἰ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ ἐστι, καταβάτω νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, ἵνα ἴδωμεν, καὶ πιστεύσωμεν αὐτῷ· καὶ τοῦ ἄλλου λῃστοῦ· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, σῶσον σεαυτὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς· οὐδὲν λέγει εἷς τῶν λῃστῶν ὁ εὐγνώμων. Οἱ γὰρ δύο λῃσταὶ εἰκόνες ἦσαν τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ βλασφημεῖ, καὶ κατακρίνεται· ὁ δὲ πιστεύει, καὶ μετανοεῖ, καὶ σώζεται. Λέγει οὖν τῶν ἀγνωμόνων ὁ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς λῃστείας ἀδελφὸς (λῃστικὸς γὰρ ἦσαν λαὸς οἱ ἀγνώμονες Ἰουδαῖοι, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ ὁ Σωτὴρ λέγων· Ὁ οἶκός μου οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐποιήσατε αὐτὸν σπήλαιον λῃστῶν· καὶ ἡ μὲν τοῦ πρώτου προαίρεσις Ἰουδαϊκή· ἡ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου Χριστιανικὴ, ἀπὸ κακῶν μὲν ὁρμωμένη, μετανοίᾳ δὲ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἁρπάζει)· λέγει οὖν ὁ ἀγνώμων λῃστὴς, καὶ Ἰουδαϊκὴν ἔχων προαίρεσιν· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, σῶσον σεαυτὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς, καταβὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ· ὁ δὲ ἄλλος εὐγνώμων εὑρίσκεται, ὁ ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ ὑπεύθυνος, ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ δικαστής· ἀλλὰ καὶ διδάσκων φόβον Θεοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ πρώτη φωνὴ τοῦ λῃστοῦ τῷ συλλῃστῇ λέγει· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματι εἶ; Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξε. Τί λέγεις; ὁ ἔξω κλέπτων, ὧδε καταδικάζεις; ὁ ἔξω φονεύων, ὧδε φόβον διδάσκεις; Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεόν; Μάθε τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸν σταυρὸν, ἵνα ἡ φωνὴ γένηταί σοι εὐσεβείας διδάσκαλος. Ὅρα γὰρ τὸ θαυμαστόν· ὁ λῃστὴς λέγει τῷ συλλῃστῇ· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεόν; Θεὸν αὐτὸν κηρύττει τὸν ἑκουσίως 59.551 συνεσταυρωμένον αὐτοῖς, καὶ μακροθύμως ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος πάσχοντα. Καὶ ὅτι περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος λέγει· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεόν; ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς μάνθανε· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματι εἶ; Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν. Ταῦτα λέγω, ἵνα μάθητε ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας κάμνειν, καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ τὸν ζῆλον ἐνδείκνυσθαι, καὶ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ἵνα καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης λάβητε στέφανον, ὡς ὁ εὐγνώμων οὗτος λῃστής. Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν βλάσφημον συλλῃστήν· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματι εἶ; Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν. Καὶ ἔλεγε τῷ Ἰησοῦ, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Εἶδες συνηγορίαν ἀληθῆ; εἶδες πῶς αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ὡμολόγησε; Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ὁμολογεῖ τὰ ἴδια κακὰ, καὶ συνηγορεῖ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. Τοσαῦτα ἐβασανίσθης, λῃστὰ, ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, ἵνα ὁμολογήσῃς τὰς λῃστείας, καὶ τοὺς φόνους, καὶ τὰς κλοπὰς, ἃς ἐποίησας, εἰ καὶ οὐχ ὡμολόγησας· καὶ ὧδε λέγεις ἐκτὸς βασάνων, Ἄξια ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν; ∆ιὰ μυρίων βασάνων μόλις ὡμολόγησας ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος· καὶ ὧδε μηδένα ἔχων τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα, εὐκόλως
The Difference in Confession§9
9Do you confess in such a way? Yes, he says; but there death follows that confession, whereas here repentance and life follow the confession. For we receive what is worthy of what we have done; but this man did nothing strange. If we, he says, acted justly; this man acted unjustly. For we murdered the living, but this man raised the dead; we plundered what belonged to others, but this man gave his own wealth to the inhabited world.
The robber fights with the collector, and says: 'Until this time, during the time of the cross, we came together and traveled together, but now from the cross the way is split for me; if you wish to travel with me toward life, come; but if not, go your own way.' From that point, when I was traveling with you, I was first with you; but now the cross has split that way, the second one, into two. By repentance the way of the robbers is split. And the psalm and the end of the psalm were being fulfilled then: 'The Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the ungodly shall perish' (Ps 1:6). When therefore the robber agreed with the truth, he turns toward the King of glory, and says, 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom' (Lk 23:42).
6. Let the Arians be ashamed, then, and let them hear what the robber says: 'Lord, remember me, when you come in your kingdom.' The robber sees one crucified, and confesses Lord; the heretic confesses himself a co-heir with the Father, and blasphemes as a creature. 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom.'
I wished to say something to the robber: 'May Christ remember you, for what worthy thing have you done? That you murdered? That you plundered?' For you say, 'Remember me, when you come in your kingdom.' But let no one think that Christ saved the robber by grace alone, but that he was indebted to him by obligation. What kind of debt? he says; that he acted justly? He gave alms? He shared his own? He entrusted? He stayed awake? He did a deed that no one else did? But that he believed in God? And prophets believed in God, and patriarchs believed, hymnographers believed, apostles, preachers, martyrs; but all these, having seen God in glory, but this one in insolence. But set up myriads of servants serving a master, when the master is in prosperity and honor.
Greek · §9
οὕτως ὁμολογεῖς; Ναὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἀκολουθεῖ θάνατος, ὧδε τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἕπεται μετάνοια καὶ ζωή. Ἄξια γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν. Εἰ ἡμεῖς, φησὶ, δικαίως· οὗτος ἀδίκως. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ τοὺς ζῶντας ἐφονεύσαμεν, οὗτος τοὺς νεκροὺς ἤγειρεν· ἡμεῖς τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐσυλήσαμεν, οὗτος τὸν ἴδιον πλοῦτον τῇ οἰκουμένῃ δέδωκε. Μάχεται ὁ λῃστὴς τῷ συλλῃστῇ, καί φησι· Μέχρι τούτου τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀλλήλοις συνήλθομεν καὶ συνωδεύομεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σχίζεταί μοι ἡ ὁδός· ἐὰν θέλῃς συνοδεῦσαί μοι πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν, ἐλθέ· εἰ δὲ μὴ, τὴν οἰκείαν πορεύου. Ἔνθεν, ὅτε σὺν σοὶ συνώδευον, τὴν πρώτην μετὰ σοῦ ἤμην· ἀλλὰ νῦν ὁ σταυρὸς ἔσχισεν αὐτὴν τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν δευτέραν εἰς δύο. Μετανοίᾳ σχίζεται ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν λῃστῶν. Καὶ ἦν ὁ ψαλμὸς καὶ τὸ τέλος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τότε πληρούμενον· Γινώσκει Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. Ὅτε οὖν συνηγόρησεν ὁ λῃστὴς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, στρέφεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τῆς δόξης, καί φησι, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν βασιλείᾳ σου. ϛʹ. Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν λοιπὸν οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ, καὶ ἀκουέτωσαν τί ὁ λῃστὴς λέγει· Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ὁ λῃστὴς βλέπει ἐσταυρωμένον, καὶ Κύριον ὁμολογεῖ· ὁ αἱρετικὸς ὁμολογεῖ σύνθρονον τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ὡς κτίσμα βλασφημεῖ. Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἤθελόν τινα εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν λῃστήν· Μνησθείη σου ὁ Χριστὸς, τί ἄξιον ποιήσαντος; Ὅτι ἐφόνευσας; ὅτι ἐσύλησας; λέγεις γὰρ, Μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἀλλὰ μή τις νομιζέτω, ὅτι κατὰ χάριν μόνον ἔσωσε τὸν λῃστὴν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ὀφειλὴν ἐχρεωστεῖτο αὐτῷ. Ποῖον χρέος; φησίν· ὅτι ἐδικαιοπράγησεν; ἐλεημοσύνας ἔδωκεν; τὰ ἴδια ἐμέρισεν, ἐνήστευσεν, ἠγρύπνησεν; ἐποίησε πρᾶγμα, ὃ μηδεὶς ἄλλος; Ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐπίστευσε τῷ Θεῷ; Καὶ προφῆται ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ πατριάρχαι ἐπίστευσαν, ὑμνογράφοι ἐπίστευσαν, ἀπόστολοι, κήρυκες, μάρτυρες· ἀλλ' οὗτοι πάντες ἐν δόξῃ θεασάμενοι τὸν Θεὸν, οὗτος δὲ ἐν ὕβρει. Ἀλλὰ στῆσον μυρίους οἰκέτας δουλεύοντας δεσπότῃ, ὅτε ὁ δεσπότης ἐστὶν ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ καὶ τιμῇ·
Faith in Prosperity vs. Adversity§10
10Consider one slave who does not depart from his own master in a time of trial, tribulation, and flight; but those myriads of slaves who, in the time of trial and flight, abandon the master and withdraw. Are these slaves, who in prosperity abandon the master in the time of trial, able to be like those who follow the master in adversity? Not at all.
Peter believed, but seeing the dead raised and beholding his glory, he believed; Paul believed, but seeing light from heaven, which scorched the bodily eyes and enlightened the spiritual eyes; Abraham believed, but beholding a divine vision; Isaiah believed, but seeing him sitting upon a high throne and the Cherubim around him. All saw, but in glory; but this one in insolence; therefore he also cried out, 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42).
From those concerning me, you owe it to me to say: 'Why do you say?' That I am a sinner, and a murderer, and a robber until this hour; many are my evils, I confess, but I have in my mind a hidden faith, which no one knew, except the Master alone who suffers with me. From the outside, the Master holds the outward symbols of suffering; and I, he says, did not pay attention to the apparent insolence, but I glorify the hidden kingdom. So also you say: 'Lord, do not see my apparent injustices, but the hidden faith, and, Remember me, when you come in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42).
Christ, having said nothing to anyone, but being silent, neither answering Pilate nor any other ignorant person among the Jews Jews Jews, answers then; and since it was very heavy and absurd to remain silent, he answers at last and says to the robber: 'Amen, amen, I say to you: today you will be with me in Paradise' (Luke 23:43). Oh, the goodness of the benefactor! Since I would ask for grace with delay, and you say, 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom' (Luke 23:42).
Greek · §10
καὶ ἕνα δοῦλον ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ καὶ θλίψεως καὶ φυγῆς, οὐκ ἀναχωροῦντα τοῦ ἰδίου δεσπότου· ἐκείνους δὲ τοὺς μυρίους δούλους ἐν τῷ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ καιρῷ καὶ τῆς φυγῆς καταλιπόντας τὸν δεσπότην καὶ ὑποχωρήσαντας· ἆρά γε οὗτοι οἱ δοῦλοι οἱ ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ τὸν δεσπότην ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ 59.552 πειρασμοῦ καταλιπόντες, ὅμοιοι εἶναι δύνανται τοῦ ἐν δυσπραγίᾳ τῷ δεσπότῃ ἀκολουθήσαντος; Οὐδαμῶς. Ἐπίστευσε Πέτρος, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν νεκροὺς ἐγείραντα, τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ θεασάμενος ἐπίστευσεν· ἐπίστευσε Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν φῶς οὐρανόθεν, καὶ τὰς μὲν σωματικὰς ὄψεις πηρώσαντα, τὰ δὲ ψυχικὰ ὄμματα φωτίσαντα· ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ θεασάμενος ὄψιν θεϊκήν· Ἡσαΐας ἐπίστευσεν, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν αὐτὸν καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Ὅλοι εἶδον, ἀλλ' ἐν δόξῃ· οὗτος δὲ ἐν ὕβρει· διὸ καὶ ἔκραζε, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἀπὸ τῶν κατ' ἐμὲ ὀφείλετέ μοι εἰπεῖν· διὰ τί λέγεις; Ὅτι ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, καὶ φονεύς· λῃστὴς μέχρι τῆς ὥρας ταύτης· πολλά μου τὰ κακὰ, ὁμολογῶ, ἀλλ' ἔχω ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ μου πίστιν κεκρυμμένην, ἣν οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ∆εσπότης μόνος ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάσχων. Ἔξωθεν ἔχει ὁ ∆εσπότης τὰ τοῦ πάθους φαινόμενα σύμβολα· καὶ ἐγὼ, φησὶν, οὐ προσέσχον τῇ φαινομένῃ ὕβρει, ἀλλὰ τὴν κεκρυμμένην βασιλείαν δοξάζω. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ λέγε· Κύριε, μὴ ἴδῃς μου τὰς ἀδικίας τὰς φαινομένας, ἀλλὰ τὴν πίστιν τὴν κρυπτομένην, καὶ, Μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. ∆ιόλου μηδὲν μηδενὶ λαλήσας Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ σιωπήσας, καὶ μήτε τῷ Πιλάτῳ ἀποκριθεὶς, μήτε τινὶ ἄλλῃ ἀγνώμονι ψυχῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀποκρίνεται τότε· καὶ ἐπειδὴ πολὺ βαρὺ ἦν καὶ ἄτοπον τὸ σιωπᾷν, ἀποκρίνεται λοιπὸν, καὶ λέγει τῷ λῃστῇ· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν, λέγω σοι· σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ὢ τοῦ εὐεργέτου χάρις! ἐπειδὴ βραδεῖαν ᾐτήσω τὴν χάριν, καὶ λέγεις, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.
The Promise of Paradise to the Thief§11
11“You asked for a slow thing, but I give a swift grace; today you shall be with me in paradise.” Have you seen the salvation of God? Have you seen the benevolence of the Lord? Have you seen the great judge of the truth? “Today you shall be with me in paradise.” Before this, no one among the Jews or the patriarchs heard the promise of paradise from the time that Adam passed through and went out of it; even though God promised ten thousand things to the faithful humans; yet He promised paradise to no one, not even to the thief. Nowhere does the mouth of God appear promising paradise to man after Adam was cast out, or even to this one, the thief first.
Why did He not first say something about paradise to any of the patriarchs, or any of the prophets, or any of the apostles? But to the ancients He promised: “I will give you a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8); to the apostles He says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3); paradise is nowhere; He keeps the paradise in the midst as a promise first to the thief. For when Paul says: “I was caught up into paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4); but this happened after the thief.
Why then did he enter first, having cried out with one voice? For why? Often he sang psalms; often he struggled; often he glorified God; once, he says, “my God is righteous, the victor of salvation”; since He did not cast out the first man Adam from paradise because of many sins, but because of one disobedience; so the yoke of righteousness promised to let the thief enter into paradise first, not having confessed many things, but having brought forward one confession of faith. It is said of Adam's sin, that he touched the tree contrary to the commandment; what is the justification of the thief? That he touched the cross with faith, and entered into paradise. What then happens? The Savior indeed promised salvation; but the time was not, nor...
Greek · §11
Σὺ βραδεῖαν ᾔτησας, ἐγὼ ταχεῖαν δίδωμι τὴν χάριν· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Εἶδες Θεοῦ σωτηρίαν; εἶδες ∆εσπότου εὐεργεσίαν; εἶδες τὸν μέγαν τῆς ἀληθείας δικαστήν; Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Πρὸ τούτου οὐδεὶς ἤκουσεν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἢ τῶν πατριαρχῶν ἐπαγγελίαν παραδείσου, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ Ἀδὰμ παρέβη, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ· καίτοι μυρία ὁ Θεὸς ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῖς πιστοῖς· καὶ οὐδενὶ ἐπηγγείλατο παράδεισον, ἢ τῷ λῃστῇ· οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται τὸ στόμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελλόμενον παράδεισον ἀνθρώπῳ μετὰ τὸ ἐκβληθῆναι τὸν Ἀδὰμ, ἢ τούτῳ πρῶτον τῷ λῃστῇ. ∆ιὰ τί μηδενὶ τῶν πατριαρχῶν πρῶτον εἶπε περὶ παραδείσου, οὐδενὶ τῶν προφητῶν, οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων; Ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἐπηγγείλατο· ∆ώσω σοι γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι· τοῖς ἀποστόλοις λέγει· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· παράδεισος οὐδαμοῦ· ἐν μέσῳ τηρεῖ τὸν παράδεισον εἰς ἐπαγγελίαν πρῶτον τῷ λῃστῇ. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃ Παῦλος· Ἡρπάγην εἰς τὸν παράδεισον· ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸν λῃστὴν τοῦτο ἐγένετο. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν πρῶτος εἰσῆλθεν ὁ μίαν ὁμοῦ φθεγξάμενος φωνήν; τί γάρ; πολλάκις ἔψαλλε; πολλάκις ἠγωνίσατο; πολλάκις ἐθεολόγησεν; Ἅπαξ, φησί· δίκαιος ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ βραβευτὴς τῆς σωτηρίας· ἐπειδὴ τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον Ἀδὰμ οὐ διὰ πολλὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐξέβαλε τοῦ παραδείσου, ἀλλὰ διὰ μίαν παρακοήν· οὕτως ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζυγὸς πρῶτον εἰσελθεῖν ἐν παραδείσῳ τὸν λῃστὴν ἐπηγγείλατο, τὸν μὴ πολλά τινα ὁμολογήσαντα, ἀλλὰ μίαν ὁμολογίαν πίστεως προσενεγκόντα. Εἶπον τὸ ἁμάρτημα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ὅτι ἥψατο τοῦ ξύλου παρὰ τὴν ἐντολήν· τίς ἡ δικαιολογία τοῦ λῃστοῦ; Ὅτι ἥψατο τοῦ σταυροῦ μετὰ πίστεως, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. Τί λοιπὸν γίνεται; Ἐπηγγείλατο μὲν τὴν σωτηρίαν ὁ Σωτήρ· καιρὸς δὲ οὐκ ἦν, οὐδὲ
The Baptism of the Thief§12
12The thief was given the opportunity to believe and be enlightened, for the Savior had decreed: 'Unless one is born of water and Spirit, he shall certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven' (John 3:5). The thief found no opportunity or boldness, nor did he have the time to be baptized, for he was hanging on the cross.
The Savior finds a way even in a desperate way. Since the one aged by sins had believed in the Savior, and he needed to be cleansed, Christ manages, after the passion, that the soldier pierce the side of the Lord with a spear, and blood and water gush out; for from his side, the Evangelist says, 'Blood and water came out' (John 19:34), in the truth of the one fallen, as a type of the mysteries. And the blood and water did not come out simply flowing, but in a torrent, so that it might sprinkle the body of the thief; for that which is sent in a torrent sprinkles, but that which flows simply flows calmly, as it comes. But in a torrent blood and water came out from the side, so that, having sprinkled the thief, it might baptize him, as the Apostle says: 'We have come to Zion with the blood of sprinkling, speaking better than Abel' (Hebrews 12:24).
Why does the blood of Christ speak better than Abel? Because the blood of Abel was at the peak of the murderer, but the blood of Christ cleanses even the murderers who repent. Learn therefore the zeal for the truth, and love the boldness for the sake of Christ; follow the true Teacher struggling for the truth, so that having heard thus from the Apostle Paul, 'Become imitators of me, as I am of Christ' (1 Cor 11:1), you may be worthy yourself of the crowns of righteousness, which Christ our God has prepared for the eternal good things for those who loved him (2 Tim 4:8); of which may we all attain, by the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the power, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Greek · §12
ἐνεδίδοτο τῷ λῃστῇ πιστεῦσαι καὶ φωτισθῆναι· ὁ Σωτὴρ γὰρ ἀπεφήνατο· Ἐὰν μήτις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Οὐχ ηὕρισκεν εὐκαιρίαν ἢ παῤῥησίαν ὁ λῃστὴς, οὐκ εἶχε καιρὸν βαπτισθῆναι· ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ γὰρ ἐκρέματο Εὑρίσκει τοιγαροῦν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν ἀπόροις πόρον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐπίστευσε τῷ Σωτῆρι ὁ 59.553 πεπαλαιωμένος ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, καὶ ἔδει αὐτὸν καθαρισθῆναι, οἰκονομεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ τὸ πάθος τὸν στρατιώτην νύξαι τῇ λόγχῃ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐκπηδᾷ αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς πλευρᾶς αὐτοῦ, φησὶν ὁ Εὐαγγελιστὴς, Ἐξῆλθεν αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ, ἐν ἀληθείᾳ τοῦ πεσόντος, εἰς τύπον τῶν μυστηρίων. Καὶ οὐκ ἐξῆλθε δὲ τὸ αἷμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ οὕτως ἁπλῶς ῥέον, ἀλλὰ ῥοίζῳ, ἵνα ῥαντίσῃ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ λῃστοῦ· τὸ γὰρ μετὰ ῥοίζου πεμπόμενον ῥαντίζει, τὸ δὲ ῥέον ἠρέμα ῥέει, καθὼς ἔρχεται. Ἀλλὰ μετὰ ῥοίζου ἐξῆλθεν τὸ αἷμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς, ἵνα ῥαντίσας τὸν λῃστὴν βαπτίσῃ, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγει· Προσεληλύθαμεν Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ. ∆ιὰ τί παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ κρεῖττον λαλεῖ 59.554 τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Ἐπειδὴ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Ἄβελ ἐν τῇ κορυφῇ τοῦ φονέως· τὸ δὲ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ καθαρίζει καὶ τοὺς φονευτὰς μετανοοῦντας. Μάθε οὖν τὸν ζῆλον τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀγάπησον τὴν ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ παῤῥησίαν· ἀκολούθησον ἀληθεῖ ∆ιδασκάλῳ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας ἀγωνιζομένῳ, ἵνα οὕτως ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου, Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ, καταξιωθῇς καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν στεφάνων τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ὧν ἡτοίμασεν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσιν αὐτὸν Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν· ὧν γένοιτο καὶ ἡμᾶς πάντας ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.