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If it is always shut up within, the soul being destroyed and consumed by envy and sloth and pining away, it is quickly extinguished; but if, as into a fertile field, it is sown into the souls of the brethren, the treasure is multiplied many times over, both for those who receive it and for the one who possesses it. And just as a spring, when continually drawn from, is purified more and gushes forth more, but when buried up is choked; so also a spiritual gift and a teaching word, when continually drawn upon and given to those who wish to draw from it, gushes forth more; but when buried by malice and envy, it is diminished and completely extinguished. Since, therefore, the profit for us is so great, let us bring forth what we have into the midst and pay you the whole debt, first reminding you of the entire sequence of these debts. 2. Know, therefore, and remember from before, that when we were discoursing on the glory of the Only-begotten, we enumerated many reasons for the condescension in His words; and we said that not only because of the covering of the flesh, nor only because of the weakness of His hearers does Christ often say humble things, but in many places also to teach humility. And we then sufficiently went through those reasons, mentioning both the prayer at the time of Lazarus and the one made at the cross itself, and showing clearly that He made the one to confirm the economy of salvation, and the other to correct the weakness of His hearers, He Himself needing no help. But that He also did many things teaching them humility, hear this also. He poured water into the basin; and as if this were not en48.786 ough, He even girded Himself with a towel, bringing Himself down to the utmost humility, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and with the disciples' feet He also washed the feet of the betrayer. Who would not be astonished and marvel? He washes the feet of the one about to betray Him; and when Peter refused and said, Lord, You shall never wash my feet, He does not pass over him, but says to him: If I do not wash your feet, you have no part with me; and he said, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Did you see the disciple's piety in both, both in his refusal and in his consent? For though the words were opposite, yet both were spoken from a fervent mind. Do you see how he was everywhere fervent and aroused? But as I was saying, lest, on account of the lowliness of the act, you should condemn His nature as lowly, hear what He says to them after the washing: Do you know what I have done for you? You call me Lord and Teacher, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to do likewise for one another. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, you also should do to one another. Do you see that He did many things for the sake of an example? For just as a teacher filled with wisdom lisps along with lisping children, and the lisping is not proof of the teacher's ignorance, but of his care for the children; so also Christ did these things not because of a humble substance, but because of condescension. And one must not simply pass these things by; for if we were to examine this very thing by itself now, see how great an absurdity would follow. For if the one washing seems to be humbler than the one being washed (and Christ is the one washing, and the disciples are the ones being washed), then Christ would be humbler than the disciples. But no one, not even a madman, would say this. Do you see how great an evil it is to be ignorant of the reasons for which Christ did all that He did? Or rather, do you see how great a good it is to examine all things with exactness, and not simply that He said or did something humble, but to add for whose sake and why? He did not do this here only, but elsewhere He also hinted at this same thing. Having said

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ἐὰν ἔνδον διαπαντὸς ἀποκλείηται, φθόνῳ καὶ ὄκνῳ καὶ τηκεδόνι φθειρομένης τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ κατεσθιομένης, κατασβέννυται ταχέως· ἂν δὲ, ὥσπερ εἰς ἄρουραν εὔφορον, εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ψυχὰς διασπείρηται, πολυπλασίων ὁ θησαυρὸς καὶ τοῖς ὑποδεχομένοις, καὶ τῷ κεκτημένῳ. Καὶ καθάπερ πηγὴ συνεχῶς μὲν ἐξαντλουμένη καθαίρεται μᾶλλον καὶ ἀναβλύζει πλέον, καταχωννυμένη δὲ ἀποπνίγεται· οὕτω καὶ χάρισμα πνευματικὸν καὶ λόγος διδασκαλικὸς συνεχῶς μὲν ἀντλούμενος καὶ διδοὺς ἀρύεσθαι τοῖς βουλομένοις, ἀναβλύζει πλέον· βασκανίᾳ δὲ καὶ φθόνῳ καταχωσθεὶς, ἐλαττοῦται καὶ σβέννυται τέλεον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοσοῦτον τὸ κέρδος ἡμῖν, ὅπερ ἂν ἔχωμεν, φέρε εἰς μέσον καταθέντες, πᾶσαν ὑμῖν ἀποδῶμεν τὴν ὀφειλὴν, πρότερον ἀναμνήσαντες τῆς ἀκολουθίας τῶν ὀφλημάτων τούτων ἁπάσης. βʹ. Ἴστε τοίνυν καὶ μέμνησθε πρώην, ὅτι περὶ τῆς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς δόξης διαλεγόμενοι, πολλὰς ἠριθμοῦμεν αἰτίας τῆς ἐν τοῖς ῥήμασι συγκαταβάσεως· καὶ ἐλέγομεν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς περιβολὴν, οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν μόνον τῶν ἀκουόντων ταπεινὰ φθέγγεται πολλάκις ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ πολλαχοῦ καὶ ταπεινοφρονεῖν διδάσκων. Κἀκείναις μὲν ἱκανῶς τότε ἐπεξήλθομεν ταῖς αἰτίαις, καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ Λαζάρῳ, καὶ τῆς πρὸς αὐτῷ τῷ σταυρῷ γενομένης εὐχῆς μνημονεύσαντες, καὶ δείξαντες σαφῶς, ὅτι τὴν μὲν, ἵνα τὴν οἰκονομίαν πιστώσηται, τὴν δὲ, ἵνα τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀσθένειαν διορθώσηται, πεποίηκεν, οὐδεμιᾶς αὐτὸς δεόμενος βοηθείας. Ὅτι δὲ πολλὰ καὶ ταπεινοφρονεῖν αὐτοὺς διδάσκων ἐποίει, καὶ τοῦτο ἄκουσον. Ἔβαλεν ὕδωρ εἰς τὸν νιπτῆρα· καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἀρ48.786 κοῦν τοῦτο, ἔτι καὶ λεντίῳ διεζώσατο, πρὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην εὐτέλειαν κατάγων ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἤρξατο νίπτειν τοὺς πόδας τῶν μαθητῶν, μετὰ δὲ τῶν μαθητῶν καὶ τοῦ προδότου τοὺς πόδας ἔνιψε. Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη καὶ θαυμάσειε; Τοῦ μέλλοντος αὐτὸν προδιδόναι νίπτει τοὺς πόδας· καὶ τὸν Πέτρον διακρουόμενον καὶ λέγοντα, Κύριε, οὐ μή μου νίψεις τοὺς πόδας, οὐ παρατρέχει, ἀλλά φησι πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐὰν μὴ νίψω σου τοὺς πόδας, οὐκ ἔχεις μέρος μετ' ἐμοῦ· ὁ δὲ, Κύριε, μὴ τοὺς πόδας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὴν κεφαλήν. Εἶδες εὐλάβειαν μαθητοῦ δι' ἀμφοτέρων, καὶ διὰ τῆς παραιτήσεως, καὶ διὰ τῆς συγκαταθέσεως; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐναντία τὰ ῥήματα, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ ζεούσης ἀμφότερα γνώμης ἐλέγετο. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πανταχοῦ θερμὸς ἦν καὶ διεγηγερμένος; Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τὴν τοῦ πράγματος εὐτέλειαν τῆς φύσεως καταγνῷς εὐτέλειαν, μετὰ τὸ νίψαι τί φησι πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ἄκουσον· Γινώσκετε τί πεποίηκα ὑμῖν; Ὑμεῖς καλεῖτέ με, ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, καὶ καλῶς λέγετε· εἰμὶ γάρ. Εἰ οὖν ἐγὼ ὁ Κύριος καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος ἔνιψα ὑμῶν τοὺς πόδας, οὕτω καὶ ὑμεῖς ὀφείλετε ἀλλήλοις ποιεῖν. Ὑπόδειγμα γὰρ ἔδωκα ὑμῖν, ἵνα ὡς ἐγὼ ἐποίησα ὑμῖν, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀλλήλοις ποιῆτε. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι πολλὰ ὑποδείγματος ἕνεκεν ἐποίει; Καθάπερ γάρ τις διδάσκαλος σοφίας πεπληρωμένος παιδίοις ψελλίζουσι συμψελλίζει, καὶ ὁ ψελλισμὸς οὐ τῆς ἀμαθίας τοῦ διδασκάλου, ἀλλὰ τῆς κηδεμονίας τῆς πρὸς τοὺς παῖδάς ἐστι τεκμήριον· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐ δι' εὐτέλειαν τῆς οὐσίας ταῦτα ἐποίει, ἀλλὰ διὰ συγκατάβασιν. Καὶ δεῖ ταῦτα οὐχ ἁπλῶς παρατρέχειν· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο εἰ καθ' ἑαυτὸ νῦν ἐξετάσωμεν, ὅρα ὅσον ἄτοπον ἕψεται. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ νίπτων τοῦ νιπτομένου εὐτελέστερος εἶναι δοκεῖ (ἔστι δὲ ὁ μὲν νίπτων ὁ Χριστὸς, οἱ μαθηταὶ δὲ οἱ νιπτόμενοι), ἄρα εὐτελέστερος ἔσται ὁ Χριστὸς τῶν μαθητῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἂν τοῦτο οὐδὲ μαινόμενος εἴποι. Ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἐστὶ κακὸν τὰς αἰτίας ἀγνοεῖν, δι' ἃς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίει πάντα ἅπερ ἐποίει; Μᾶλλον δὲ βλέπεις, ὅσον ἐστὶν ἀγαθὸν πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξετάζειν, καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς, ὅτι εἶπέ τι ταπεινὸν ἢ ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ διὰ τί προστιθέναι; Οὐκ ἐνταῦθα δὲ μόνον τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ᾐνίξατο. Εἰπὼν