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are fulfilled against me; but if not, that I may know? A report, He says, has come to me. But I wish again to learn by experience more accurately through the deeds themselves, not that I am ignorant, but because I wish to teach men, not simply to pay attention to words, nor, if someone says something against another, to believe it readily; but that they should first investigate accurately and learn by experience through the deeds themselves, and so believe. And for this reason He said in another Scripture: Do not believe every word. For nothing so subverts the life of men as to quickly believe someone's reasonings. This the prophet David also said, prophesying, Him that secretly slanders his neighbor, him I drove out.

2. See how there was no ignorance in the Savior when He said, Where have you laid

him, just as there was not in the Father when He said to Adam, Where are you, or to Cain, Where is Abel your brother, or, I will go down and see if they are acting according to the cry which has come to me; but if not, that I may know. Therefore it is now time to set ourselves against those who say that it was because of weakness that Christ, after praying, raised Lazarus. Pay attention, then, beloved, with all accuracy, I beseech you. So Lazarus died, and Jesus was not in that place, but in Galilee, and he said to his disciples: Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But they, thinking that he was speaking of this sleep, say to him: Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover. Jesus says to them plainly, Lazarus is dead. The Savior then comes to Jerusalem to the place where Lazarus was laid, and the sister of Lazarus meets him and says to him: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

If you had been here. You are weak, O woman. The woman does not now understand that even though Christ was not present in the body, he was present by the authority of his divinity; but she measures the power of the teacher by the presence of his body. Martha says to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And now, she says, I know that whatever you ask of God, he gives to you. The Savior, therefore, makes the prayer in response to her request. For God did not need prayer in order to raise the dead. For did he not also raise other dead people? When he met a dead man being carried out at the gate, he only touched the bier, and raised the dead man. Did he need prayer then to raise the one who had died? And again at another time he only said by a word 48.782 in the case of the girl, Talitha cumi, and immediately he handed her over healthy to her parents. Did he need prayer then? And what am I to say about the teacher? His disciples raised the dead by a word alone. Did not Peter raise Tabitha by a word? Did not Paul perform many signs through his garments?

Learn also what is more paradoxical than these things. The shadow of the apostles raised the dead. For they brought, it says, the sick on beds, so that at least the shadow of Peter might overshadow some of them, and immediately they were raised up. What then? The shadow of the disciples raised the dead, and the teacher needed prayer to raise the dead? But because of the weakness of the woman the Savior makes the prayer; for she says to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died; and now I know, that whatever you ask of God, God gives to you. You have asked for a prayer, I give a prayer. The fountain lies there; for example, if someone brings a vessel, it fills it; if it is large, he receives much; if it is small, he receives little. This woman, therefore, asked for a prayer, and the Savior gives a prayer. Another said, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only, let it be done for you, say by a word, and my servant will be healed; and the Savior said to him: According to your faith let it be done for you. Another said, Come, heal my daughter; and

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πρός με συντελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἵνα γνῶ; Ἀκοὴ, φησὶν, ἦλθε πρός με. Ἀλλὰ θέλω πάλιν ἀκριβέστερον δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν πεῖραν λαβεῖν, οὐχ ὅτι ἐγὼ ἀγνοῶ, ἀλλ' ὅτι διδάξαι βούλομαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, μὴ ἁπλῶς τοῖς λόγοις προσέχειν, μηδὲ, ἐὰν εἴπῃ τίς τι κατὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου, πιστεύειν εὐχερῶς· ἀλλὰ πρότερον αὐτοὺς ψηλαφήσαντας ἀκρι βῶς καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν πεῖραν κατα μαθόντας, οὕτω πιστεύειν χρή. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν Γραφῇ ἑτέρᾳ ἔλεγε· Μὴ πιστεύετε παντὶ λόγῳ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀνατρέπει τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὡς τὸ ταχέως πιστεύειν τινὰ τοῖς λογισμοῖς. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης ∆αυῒδ προφητεύων ἔλεγε, Τὸν κατα λαλοῦντα λάθρα τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξ εδίωκον.

βʹ. Εἶδες πῶς οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄγνοια τῷ Σωτῆρι ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν, Ποῦ τεθείκατε

αὐτὸν, ὡς οὐδὲ τῷ Πατρὶ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν τῷ Ἀδὰμ, Ποῦ εἶ, ἢ τῷ Κάϊν, Ποῦ ὁ ἀδελφός σου Ἄβελ, ἢ, Καταβὰς ὄψομαι εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην πρός με συν τελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἵνα γνῶ. Οὐκοῦν ὥρα δὴ λοι πὸν πρὸς ἐκείνους παρατάξασθαι τοὺς λέγοντας, ὅτι δι' ἀσθένειαν ὁ Χριστὸς προσευξάμενος ἤγειρε τὸν Λάζαρον. Προσέχετε δὴ, ἀγαπητοὶ, μετὰ πάσης ἀκρι βείας, παρακαλῶ. Ἐτελεύτησε τοίνυν ὁ Λάζαρος, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἐν τοῖς τόποις ἐκείνοις ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ, καὶ ἔλεγε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· Λάζαρος ὁ φίλος ἡμῶν κεκοίμηται. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ νομίζοντες ὅτι περὶ τοῦ ὕπνου τούτου διαλέγεται, λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, εἰ κεκοίμηται, σωθήσεται. Λέγει αὐτοῖς φανερῶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Λάζαρος ἀπέθανεν. Ἔρχεται λοιπὸν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις εἰς τὸν τόπον ὅπου ὁ Λάζαρος ἔκειτο, καὶ ἀπαντᾷ αὐτῷ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τοῦ Λαζάρου, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανέ μου ὁ ἀδελφός.

Εἰ ἦς ὧδε. Ἀσθε νεῖς, ὦ γύναι. Οὐκ ἐπίσταται νῦν ἡ γυνὴ ὅτι καὶ μὴ παρὼν ὁ Χριστὸς σωματικῶς, παρῆν τῇ τῆς θεότητος ἐξουσίᾳ· ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ σώματος παρουσίᾳ ἐπιμετρεῖ ται τοῦ διδασκάλου τὴν δύναμιν. Λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ Μάρθα, Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανέ μου ὁ ἀδελφός. Καὶ νῦν, φησὶν, οἶδα ὅτι ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσῃ τὸν Θεὸν, δίδωσί σοι. Ὁ Σωτὴρ οὖν πρὸς τὴν αἴτησιν αὐτῆς ποιεῖ τὴν προσευχήν. Οὐ γὰρ προσευχῆς ἐδέετο ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα τὸν νεκρὸν ἐγείρῃ. Μὴ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλους νεκροὺς οὐκ ἤγειρεν; Ὅτε ὑπήντησέ τινα ἐκφερόμενον ἐν τῇ πύλῃ νεκρὸν, μόνον ἥψατο τῆς σοροῦ, καὶ ἀνέστησε τὸν νεκρόν. Μὴ προσευχῆς ἐδεήθη τότε εἰς τὸ ἐγεῖραι τὸν τεθνεῶτα; Καὶ πάλιν ἄλλοτε μόνον λόγῳ εἶπεν 48.782 ἐπὶ τῆς κόρης, Ταλιθὰ κοῦμι, καὶ εὐθέως παρέδωκεν αὐτὴν τοῖς γονεῦσιν αὐτῆς ὑγιῆ. Μὴ προσευχῆς ἐδεήθη τότε; Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου; οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λόγῳ μόνῳ τοὺς νεκροὺς ἤγειραν. Πέτρος τὴν Ταβιθὰν οὐ λόγῳ διήγειρε; Παῦλος οὐ διὰ τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ πολλὰ σημεῖα πεποίηκε;

Μάθε δὲ καὶ τὸ παραδοξότερον τούτων. Ἡ σκιὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων νεκροὺς ἤγειρεν. Ἔφερον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπὶ κραββάτων τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας, ἵνα κἂν ἡ σκιὰ Πέτρου ἐπισκιάζῃ τινὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐθέως διηγεί-ροντο. Τί οὖν; ἡ σκιὰ τῶν μαθητῶν διήγειρε τοὺς νεκροὺς, καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος προσευχῆς ἐδέετο, ἵνα τὸν νεκρὸν ἐγείρῃ; Ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς γυναικὸς ποιεῖ τὴν προσευχὴν ὁ Σωτήρ· λέγει γὰρ αὐτῷ, Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανέ μου ὁ ἀδελφός· καὶ νῦν οἶδα, ὅτι ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσῃ τὸν Θεὸν, δίδωσί σοι ὁ Θεός. Προσευχὴν ᾔτησας, προσευχὴν δίδωμι. Κεῖται ἡ πηγή· οἷον, ἐάν τις προσενέγκῃ ἀγγεῖον, γεμίζει αὐτό· ἐὰν ᾖ μέγα, μέγα λαμβάνει· ἐὰν ᾖ μικρὸν, μικρὸν λαμβάνει. Αὕτη τοίνυν προσευχὴν ᾔτησε, καὶ δίδωσι προσευχὴν ὁ Σωτήρ. Ἄλλος εἶπεν, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἄξιος, ἵνα μου ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην εἰσέλθῃς, ἀλλὰ μόνον, γενηθήτω σοι, εἰπὲ λόγῳ, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Σωτήρ· Κατὰ τὴν πίστιν σου γενηθήτω σοι. Ἄλλος εἶπε, ∆εῦρο, θεράπευσόν μου τὴν θυγατέρα· καὶ