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women. What do they say? Not, Be comforted; not, Be urged; not, Come, give the favor; but what do they say? Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick. Death has watched for your absence, and is forcing out your friend. Stand by Lazarus who is being stolen, being seized, being warred against, being struck with many arrows, with fever and pains and a cloud of evils; and it is uncertain if you will even find your friend.

Jesus heard, and said: This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of man might be glorified by it. What then shall I admire? The providence of what was said, the prophecy, the outcome? The command beyond human power, the ineffable love for humanity, the gentleness of the words, the honor toward the Father? I find all things of God. He foretold as God, This sickness is not unto death, and not long after He brought about the deed. He sent up the glory to God, showing the doxology of the Father and the Son to be one; he consoled the sisters with the saying, giving them good hopes, saying: This sickness is not unto death. Lazarus is not dying. For if he is not given to death, he remains alive. But he is given, and he is not given. For when someone gives back what he has received, in truth he does not receive it. Having said these things, Jesus, it says, remained in that place for two days. Why did he remain? He spent the time, so that death might clearly take Lazarus; so that the passing wave might sink the boat. For if he had been present, the fever would have fled, and what happened would have been attributed to the nature of the sickness; and even if to Jesus, yet the miracle would be lesser. Therefore, the common death of men took him, and held him as a prisoner.

After these things Jesus, who was not present, who had not touched, who had not seen with his own eyes, says to those who did not know: Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I go, that I may awaken him. A great consolation for men; death was changed into sleep, destruction was transformed into salvation by a word. Let no one then despair of the dead; for all live to God, sleeping when he wills, and rising when he wills. The disciples, not understanding the meaning of the riddle, say to him: Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be saved. For natural sleep is a cure for those who are sick. Then he says to them plainly: Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes. And who rejoices over one who is dead? who is gladdened over a dead friend? one should be gloomy and grieve for those of their own who have been warred against. But, I am glad for your sakes, because 62.774 I was not there. For if I had been there, the fever would have been extinguished by a word, and the miracle would have been shown to be lesser, or the matter would have been considered a common occurrence; but now I have remained, so that the wolf might completely tear apart the lamb; for death, having grown strong, devoured, and again God took away every tear from every face of the earth. They came, they hurried to Bethany, not running to extinguish the fire, but to see the ashes of the fire; perhaps, when they were able to find the remains of a shipwreck; for he already stank, being four days dead. For in the case of shipwrecks it is possible even to find a keel, and to gather planks, and to take a yardarm, and to keep rudders for the use of another ship, and by using great diligence to save some part of the cargo; but in the case of Lazarus all things were burdensome, and cessation, and a giving up of stench. The mourning was at its height, and the dead man was held under the stone. And many, it says, of the Jews had come from the city, that they might console the sisters of the one who had died. I have witnesses, he says, of the coming grace, so that the work might not be thought a theft, but a security of truth. Jesus came, a pilot after a shipwreck, a physician after a dead man. And why did you come here, O Master? that you might be accused, as having neglected your friend, as having overlooked him perishing, as not having arranged things for him as he was about to die? Martha heard, and caring little for her sorrowful appearance comes running along the road, and begins to complain to the Savior mournfully: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. For with the shepherd present, how does a sheep perish? with the general fighting, how were the gates opened?

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γυναῖκας. Τί λέγουσιν; Οὐ, Παρακλήθητι· οὐκ, Ἐπείχθητι· οὐκ, Ἐλθὲ, δὸς τὴνχάριν· ἀλλὰ τί φασι; Κύριε, ἴδε, ὃν φιλεῖς, ἀσθενεῖ. Ἐπετηρήσατο ὁ θάνατος τὴν σὴν ἀποδημίαν, καὶ τὸν σὸν ἐκβιάζεται φίλον. Ἐπίστηθι Λαζάρῳ κλεπτομένῳ, ἁρπαζομένῳ, πολεμουμένῳ, πολλοῖς τοξεύμασι βαλλομένῳ, πυρετῷ καὶ ἀλγηδόσι καὶ νέφει κακῶν· ἄδηλον δὲ, εἰ καὶ τὸν φίλον εὑρήσεις.

Ἤκουσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἡ ἀσθένεια αὐτὴ οὐκ ἔστι πρὸς θάνατον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου δι' αὐτῆς. Τί οὖν θαυμάσω; τῶν λεχθέντων τὴν πρόνοιαν, τὴν προφητείαν, τὴν ἔκβασιν; τὸ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἐπίταγμα, τὴν ἀπόῤῥητον φιλανθρωπίαν, τὴν ἐπιείκειαν τῶν λόγων, τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τιμήν; Πάντα εὑρίσκω Θεοῦ. Προεῖπεν ὡς Θεὸς, Ἡ ἀσθένεια αὕτη οὐκ ἔστι πρὸς θάνατον, καὶ ἐπήγαγε μετ' οὐ πολὺ τὸ ἔργον. Ἀνέπεμψε τὴν δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, μίαν εἶναι Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ δεικνὺς δοξολογίαν· παρεμυθήσατο τῇ φάσει τὰ ἀδελφὰς, χρηστὰς ἐλπίδας αὐταῖς ἐπιδοὺς, εἰπών· Ἡ ἀσθένεια αὕτη οὐκ ἔστι πρὸς θάνατον. Οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει Λάζαρος. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ δίδοται τῷ θανάτῳ, μένει ζῶν. Ἀλλὰ δίδοται, καὶ οὐ δίδοται. Ὅταν γάρ τις, ὃ ἔλαβεν, ἀποδῷ, τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐ λαμβάνει. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἐκείνῳ ἔμεινε δύο ἡμέρας. ∆ιὰ τί ἔμεινε; Τὸν χρόνον ἐδαπάνησεν, ἵνα σαφῶς τὸν Λάζαρον ὁ θάνατος λάβῃ· ἵνα τὸ κῦμα παρερχόμενον τὸ σκάφος βαπτίσῃ. Εἰ γὰρ παρῆν, ἐδραπέτευσεν ἂν ὁ πυρετὸς, καὶ τῇ φύσει τοῦ νοσήματος ἐλογίζετο τὸ γινόμενον· εἰ δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἀλλὰ καταδεέστερον τὸ θαῦμα. Ἔλαβε τοίνυν αὐτὸν ὁ κοινὸς τῶν ἀνθρώπων θάνατος, καὶ τοῦτον εἶχε δεσμώτην.

Μετὰ ταῦτα ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὁ μὴ παρὼν, ὁ μὴ ψηλαφήσας, ὁ μὴ αὐτοπτήσας τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσι λέγει· Λάζαρος ὁ φίλος ἡμῶν κεκοίμηται. Ἀλλὰ πορεύομαι, ἵνα ἐξυπνίσω αὐτόν. Πολλὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων παραμυθία· ὁ θάνατος εἰς ὕπνον μετεβλήθη, ἡ ἀπώλεια εἰς σωτηρίαν μετηνέχθη λόγῳ. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἀπαγορεύσῃ· πάντες γὰρ ζῶσι τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτε θέλει καθεύδοντες, καὶ ὅτε θέλει ἐγειρόμενοι. Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ, ἀγνοήσαντες τοῦ αἰνίγματος τὸν λόγον· Κύριε, εἰ κεκοίμηται, σωθήσεται. Θεραπεία γὰρ τοῖς κάμνουσιν ὁ κατὰ φύσιν ὕπνος. Τότε λέγει αὐτοῖς παῤῥησίᾳ· Λάζαρος ἀπέθανε, καὶ χαίρω δι' ὑμᾶς. Καὶ τίς ἐπὶ νεκρῷ χαίρει; τίς εὐφραίνεται ἐπὶ φίλου τεθνεῶτος; σκυθρωπάζειν ἔδει καὶ λυπεῖσθαι πολέσαντας τοὺς ἑαυτῶν. Ἀλλὰ, Χαίρω δι' ὑμᾶς, ὅτι 62.774 οὐκ ἤμην ἐκεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ ἤμην, ὁ πυρετὸς ἐσβέννυτο λόγῳ, καὶ ἔλαττον ἐδείκνυτο τὸ θαῦμα, ἢ συνηθείας τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνομίζετο· νῦν δὲ ἔμεινα, ἵνα ὁλοκλήρως ὁ λύκος τὸν ἀμνὸν διαρπάσῃ· κατέπιε γὰρ ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας, καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ Θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου τῆς γῆς. Ἦλθον, ἠπείχθησαν ἐπὶ τὴν Βηθανίαν, οὐ τὴν πυρκαϊὰν σβέσαι δραμόντες, ἀλλὰ τῆς πυρκαϊᾶς τὴν κόνιν θεάσασθαι· τάχα δὲ, ὅτε λείψανα ναυαγίου εὑρεῖν ἠδύναντο· ἤδη γὰρ ὦζε τετραήμερος ὤν. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν ναυαγίων ἐστι καὶ τρόπιν εὑρεῖν, καὶ σανίδας συναγαγεῖν, καὶ κέρας λαβεῖν. καὶ πηδάλια εἰς ἑτέρας νηὸς χρῆσιν φυλάξαι, καὶ πολλῇ σπουδῇ χρησαμένους μέρος τι τοῦ φόρτου διασῶσαι· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Λαζάρου πάντα φορτικὰ, καὶ παῦσις, καὶ δυσωδίας ἀνάδοσις. Τὸ πένθος ἦν ἐν ἀκμῇ, καὶ ὁ νεκρὸς ὑπὸ τὸν λίθον κατείχετο. Καὶ πολλοὶ, φησὶ, τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐληλύθεισαν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως, ἵνα παραμυθήσωνται τὰς ἀδελφὰς τοῦ τεθνεῶτος. Μάρτυρας ἔχω, φησὶ, τῆς ἐσομένης χάριτος, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἔργον κλοπὴ νομισθῇ, ἀλλ' ἀληθείας ἀσφάλεια. Ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, κυβερνήτης μετὰ ναυάγιον, ἰατρὸς μετὰ νεκρόν. Καὶ τί ἦλθες ὧδε, ὦ ∆έσποτα; ἵνα ἐγκληθῇς, ὡς ῥᾳθυμήσας τοῦ φίλου, ὡς παριδὼν ἀπολλύμενον, ὡς μὴ συνταξάμενος μέλλοντι τελευτᾷν; Ἤκουσεν ἡ Μάρθα, καὶ μικρὸν τοῦ λυπηροῦ σχήματος φροντίσασα ἔρχεται δρομαία κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἐγκαλεῖν ἄρχεται τῷ Σωτῆρι πενθικῶς· Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανέ μου ὁ ἀδελφός. Ποιμένος γὰρ παρόντος, πῶς ἀπόλλυται πρόβατον; στρατηγοῦ μαχομένου, πῶς διηνοίγοντο πύλαι;