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changing it, turning the sting of death against itself, transforming the harm of the wood into salvation, taking a day that terrified the world, and giving in return a day that gladdened the world. Do not be persuaded by me, but by your own eyes; look at the present church, and cease striving against us. It is the day of the cross, and we all rejoice, and we fast from evils, and we cleanse all things, those within, those without. This is the reason for the feast, this is the manner of the joy. I speak of small wonders of the power of the cross; look at the circle of the inhabited world, how many villages, how many cities, how many places, how many nations, how many islands, how many rivers, how many shores, how many races and tribes, and tongues of barbarians; all these fast on account of the cross, having crucified their passions by its power; and the night ends for many, but the labor of the fast does not end.

And now why have we all come together to hear something about the cross, and we fill the church, and push one another, sweating, toiling, though before judges we often claim the chief seats, yet before Jesus we gladly stand? Because Jesus also stood for us, that he might stop the streams of wickedness. What then was done today? For let not the wonders of this day simply pass us by. It was now light, and early dawn, and he is led, his hands bound, into the praetorium of Pilate. What hands? The hands that healed the blind, that cured the lame. And the fingers that formed eyelids were fastened in bonds, and the healer of nature was restrained from fulfilling the proper work of his art. These things were rendered in return to the Lord. He was bound who binds the waters in the clouds, who looses those bound in fortitude, who grants release to the captives; he was bound who loosed Lazarus from the bonds of death; he was led into the praetorium who is attended by ten thousand angels. He stood before Pilate who has heaven for his throne; and the creator endured being dragged by his creatures, the former by what was formed, the maker by what was made. What then upon these things? What happens? And they themselves, it says, did not enter the praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. O the great lawlessness! They commit a murder of injustice, and they refuse to enter the praetorium, taking care not to be defiled, they who were already defiled, destroying the sheep by a sheep. Therefore, the judge of the whole inhabited world awaited judgment; he awaited witnesses, who is the witness of souls; having formed, and being judged; and men indeed sat judging, but God stood, and standing was silent, standing before the doors of men, the Lord of the heavenly gates. Pilate asked, perhaps more humane than the Jews. Why do I say perhaps? The things done will show the truth: "What accusation do you bring against this man?" Who can accuse God? For I am forced to utter the words of Pilate. For Jesus is silent, not the Word being at a loss for words, but lest by his 50.814 answer he should undo the crown of the cross.

And did he who had no possessions desire possessions? The homes of others, he who never had a place to lay his head? Money, he who stripped his own disciples even to their belts? Not having a donkey, he procured another's, that he might bless your children. State a pretext, fabricate one, that you may kill him justly. The Jews answered him: "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over to you." A great proof of the facts, an indefinite declaration; state the evil, and do not mislead the hearer. Pilate says to them: "Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law." A prudent judge cast the burden upon the heads of the Jews; you take the partner in wickedness. The Jews say to him: "It is not lawful for us to kill anyone." How then did you kill Isaiah, how Zechariah, how each of the prophets? But it is not lawful for you to kill, not because you do not wish to, but because you are not able to; for they had already been deprived of such authority by the Romans.

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μεταβαλὼν, τὸ τοῦ θανάτου κέντρον κατ' αὐτοῦ πε ριστρέψας, τὴν τοῦ ξύλου βλάβην εἰς σωτηρίαν με τατιθεὶς, ἡμέραν λαβὼν τὸν κόσμον πτήσασαν, καὶ ἡμέραν ἀντιδιδοὺς τὸν κόσμον εὐφράνασαν. Ἐμοὶ μὴ πεισθῇς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς σοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς· βλέπε τὴν παροῦσαν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πέπαυσο πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐρί ζων. Ἡμέρα σταυροῦ, καὶ πάντες ἀγαλλόμεθα, καὶ νηστεύομεν ἀπὸ κακῶν, καὶ καθαρεύομεν ἅπαντα, τὰ ἔσω, τὰ ἔξω. Οὗτος ὁ τῆς ἑορτῆς λόγος, οὗτος ὁ τῆς εὐφροσύνης τρόπος. Μικρὰ λέγω τῆς τοῦ σταυ ροῦ δυνάμεως θαύματα· βλέψον πρὸς τὸν κύκλον τῆς οἰκουμένης, πόσαι κῶμαι, πόσαι πόλεις, πόσοι τόποι, πόσα ἔθνη, πόσαι νῆσοι, πόσοι ποταμοὶ, πόσοι αἰγιαλοὶ, πόσα γένη καὶ φυλαὶ, καὶ βαρβάρων γλῶσ σαι· οὗτοι πάντες διὰ σταυρὸν ἀσιτοῦσι, τῇ ἐκείνου δυνάμει τὰ πάθη σταυρώσαντες· καὶ λύεται νὺξ πολλοῖς, καὶ οὐ λύεται τῆς νηστείας ὁ πόνος.

Καὶ νῦν τί συνήλθομεν πάντες ἀκοῦσαί τι περὶ σταυροῦ, καὶ πληροῦμεν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἀλλήλους ὠθοῦμεν, ἱδροῦντες, πονοῦντες, ἐπὶ μὲν δικαστῶν πολλάκις ἀξιούμενοι προεδρίας, ἐπὶ δὲ Ἰησοῦ ἡδέως ἑστῶτες; Ὅτι καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἔστη δι' ἡμᾶς, ἵνα στήσῃ κακίας ῥεύματα. Τί οὖν ἐπράχθη σήμερον; μὴ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἡμᾶς παραδράμῃ τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης τὰ θαύματα. Φέγγος ἦν λοιπὸν, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ περίορθρον, καὶ εἰσ άγεται δεδεσμένος τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον Πι λάτου. Χεῖρας ποίας; Τυφλῶν ἰατικὰς, χωλῶν θερα πευτικάς. Καὶ δάκτυλοι δεσμοῖς ἐνηλοῦντο βλέφαρα πλάσαντες, καὶ ὁ θεραπευτὴς τῆς φύσεως κατείχετο μὴ τὸ οἰκεῖον πληρῶσαι τῆς τέχνης ἔργον. Ταῦτα Κυρίῳ ἀνταποδέδοται. Ἐδέθη ὁ δεσμεύων νεφέλαις ὕδατα, ὁ λύων πεπεδημένους ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ, ὁ αἰχμα λώτοις ἄφεσιν χαριζόμενος· ἐδέθη ὁ Λάζαρον λύσας τῶν τοῦ θανάτου δεσμῶν· ἤχθη εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον ὁ μυρίοις ἀγγέλοις δορυφορούμενος. Παρέστη τῷ Πι λάτῳ ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν θρόνον ἔχων· καὶ ἠνείχετο ἑλκό μενος ὁ δημιουργὸς παρὰ τῶν δημιουργημάτων, ὁ πλάστης ὑπὸ τοῦ πλάσματος, ὁ ποιητὴς ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιηθέντος. Τί οὖν ἐπὶ τούτοις; τί γίνεται; Καὶ αὐτοὶ, φησὶν, οὐκ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον ἵνα μὴ μιανθῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα φάγωσι τὸ πάσχα. Ὢ τῆς πολλῆς παρανομίας! φόνον ἀδικίας ἐργάζον ται, καὶ εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον εἰσελθεῖν παραιτοῦνται, φυλαττόμενοι μὴ μιανθῆναι οἱ ἤδη μεμιασμένοι, προβάτῳ τὸ πρόβατον λύοντες. Ἀνέμεινε τοίνυν κρι τήριον ὁ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης κριτής· ἀνέμεινε μάρτυρας, ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν μάρτυς· πλάσας, καὶ κρι νόμενος· καὶ ἄνθρωποι μὲν ἐκάθηντο δικάζοντες, Θεὸς δὲ εἱστήκει, καὶ ἑστὼς ἐσιώπα, παρὰ τὰ πρό θυρα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑστὼς, ὁ τῶν οὐρανίων πυλῶν ∆εσπότης. Ἠρώτησεν ὁ Πιλᾶτος, τάχα Ἰουδαίων φιλανθρωπότερος. Τί λέγω τάχα; ∆είξει τὰ πεπρα γμένα τὴν ἀλήθειαν· Τίνα κατηγορίαν φέρετε κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου; τίς ἔχει Θεὸν αἰτιάσασθαι; ἀναγκάζομαι γὰρ τὰ Πιλάτου φθέγξασθαι. Ἰησοῦς γὰρ σιωπᾷ, οὐ λόγων ἀπορῶν ὁ Λόγος, ἀλλὰ μὴ 50.814 τῇ ἀποκρίσει λύσῃ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸν στέφανον.

Καὶ κτημάτων ἐπεθύμησεν ὁ ἀκτήμων; οἴκων ἀλλοτρίων, ὁ μηδέποτε ἔχων ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλῖναι; χρημά των, ὁ καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους μαθητὰς ἄχρι τῆς ζώνης γυμνώσας; Ὄνον οὐκ ἔχων, ἀλλότριον ἐκτήσατο, ἵνα τοὺς ὑμετέρους παῖδας εὐλογήσῃ. Εἴπατε πρόφασιν, πλάσατε, δικαίως ἀνέλετε. Ἀπεκρίθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος κακοποιὸς, οὐκ ἄν σοι παρεδώκαμεν αὐτόν. Μεγάλη πραγμάτων ἀπόδειξις, ἀόριστος ἀπόφασις· εἰπὲ τὴν κακίαν, καὶ μὴ περι πλάνα τὸν ἀκροατήν. Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὑμῶν κρίνατε. Εὐγνώμων δικαστὴς ἀπέθετο τὸ βάρος κατὰ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων κεφαλῆς· ὑμεῖς λάβετε τῆς κακίας κοινω νόν. Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Ἡμῖν οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἀνελεῖν οὐδένα. Πῶς οὖν ἀνείλετε Ἡσαΐαν, πῶς Ζαχαρίαν, πῶς ἕκαστον τῶν προφητῶν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῖν ἀνελεῖν, οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι· ἤδη γὰρ ἦσαν τῆς τοιαύτης ἐξουσίας παρὰ Ῥωμαίων ἀφῃρημένοι.