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an overseer of hidden things. I am a woman, and I bear a shameful and hidden suffering; for I have unemptying streams of blood, and ceaseless fountains of unclean flows. I need, therefore, a spring, which is he himself, that he might secretly cleanse my unseemly flow; for the law does not accept such a disease. The crowd pushes me, the wretched one, away as unclean; but the physician who is present, being the creator of nature, who formed from a rib, would not refuse to deliver from corruption; for by a word alone he commands, and the suffering does not remain; he is troubled in the Spirit, and he demands the dead from Hades; from a few loaves he feeds thousands, he is washed with tears and causes forgiveness to spring forth.

But no one dares this, except unwavering faith alone; taking this, therefore, as a guide for my soul, I will approach secretly, and in silence I steal the healing by a touch; and if I escape notice, it is all gain, for I know that I will be saved; but if, not escaping notice, I should be called into the midst, I would not be accused for having dared for a cure, nor will I be made to give back what faith has plundered; for all its gifts, being from God, are irrevocable; for he who said to the sea, “Peace, be still,” will also stop up my unseen spring. Come, therefore, O faith, steer what is to come, and quickly cut through the wave of the crowds, so that I may moor the rotten vessel of my body in that calm harbor; for a drop of his help is able to effortlessly choke the abyss of blood within me; and so, having planned these things well, she ventures upon unventured things, and neither fears time, nor considers poverty, nor counts the multitude; but having leaped over all these things through faith, or rather with faith, secretly touching the Master’s tunic, she opportunely plundered the profit of healing, believing that union with him was a deliverance from her suffering; truly a deliverance; for she was immediately healed of her affliction.

For for twelve years, struggling daily and yearly with the 64.20 disease, she was robbed of her life, being slaughtered always, and yet not dying; for the first year, she began to feel certain pains and torments; it was the second year, and the hidden things of this unseen city were in turmoil; the third year was present, and she was seized by a swelling of the nerves and veins; it was the fourth year, and a certain spring of blood came forth from her; the fifth year, and physicians ran together from everywhere, baring limbs which it is not lawful for men to see; the sixth year was completed, and the terrible thing intensified even more; the seventh year, and while so much wealth was being spent, the corruption of blood remained inexhaustible; the eighth year arrived, and those who treated her confessed defeat; it was the ninth year, and leaving her as completely despaired of, they departed; the tenth year approached, and the woman was utterly destitute of substance and health; the eleventh year, and no helper stood by the one in pain; the twelfth year was counted, and the physician of souls was present in the final hour, healing diseases by touch and word and faith. Having met him, and believing in what was to come, she received what she wanted; but she trembled, knowing that she had not escaped notice. For what does the Savior say? Who touched me? For I perceived power had gone out from me. He did not say, “What woman touched me?” lest those present might occupy themselves in a doubtful search for a woman; but he said, “Who touched me?” leaving the voice in suspense, so that each one hearing it might suppose such an attempt to be that of a man; Who touched me? For I perceived power had gone out from me. What are you saying, O Master? Have you come for your things to be plundered? Have you willingly offered the kingdom to the faithful for the taking? And how do you ask what you know, and seek what you are not ignorant of? If you were unwillingly robbed of the power that went out, you ought to have restrained it; but if you were willingly plundered, why are you vexed at giving what faith compels to receive from you?

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κρυφίων ἐπόπτης. Γυνή εἰμι, καὶ περιφέρω πάθος αἰσχρὸν καὶ κρυπτόν· ἔχω γὰρ αἱμάτων ἀκένωτα ῥεῖθρα, καὶ κρήνας ἀνελλιπεῖς ὀχετῶν ἀκαθάρτων. Χρῄζω τοίνυν πηγῆς, ἥτις ἐστὶν αὐτὸς, ἵνα μου λάθρα καθαρίσῃ τὴν ἀσχήμονα ῥύσιν· νόμος γὰρ τὴν τοιαύτην οὐ προσίεται νόσον. Ὄχλος με τὴν ἀθλίαν ὡς μυσαρὰν ἀπωθεῖται· ἀλλ' ὁ παρὼν ἰατρὸς, τῆς φύσεως ὢν δημιουργὸς, ὃς ἀνέπλασεν ἐκ πλευρᾶς, ἀπαλλάξαι φθορᾶς οὐκ ἂν παραιτήσηται· λόγῳ γὰρ μόνῳ κελεύει, καὶ τὸ πάθος οὐ μένει· ταράττεται τῷ Πνεύματι, καὶ τὸν ᾅδην τοὺς νεκροὺς ἀναπράττει· ἐξ ὀλίγων ἄρτων ἐμπιπλᾷ χιλιάδας, νίπτεται δάκρυσι καὶ πηγάζει τὴν ἄφεσιν.

Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς τοῦτο θαῤῥεῖ, εἰ μὴ μόνη πίστις ἀδίστακτος· ταύτην οὖν παραλαβοῦσα χειραγωγὸν κατὰ ψυχὴν πρόσειμι λαθοῦσα, καὶ σιγῇ λῃστεύω τὴν θεραπείαν ἀφῇ· κἂν μὲν λάθω, κέρδος τὸ πᾶν, οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι σωθήσομαι· εἰ δὲ μὴ λαθοῦσα εἰς μέσον κληθείην, οὐκ ἂν ἐγκληθείην διὰ θεραπείαν τολμήσασα, οὐδὲ ἀναπραχθήσομαι ἅπερ ἡ πίστις ἐσύλησεν· ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ ὡς Θεοῦ ὑπάρχει πάντα τὰ ταύτης χαρίσματα· ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν τῇ θαλάσσῃ. Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο, καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀφανῆ ἀναστομώσει πηγήν. ∆εῦρο τοίνυν, ἡ πίστις, τὸ μέλλον κυβέρνησον, καὶ τῷ κύματι τῶν ὄχλων συντόμως διάκοψον, ἵνα μου τὸ σαθρὸν σκάφος τοῦ σώματος εἰς τὸν γαληνὸν ἐκεῖνον προσορμίσω λιμένα· δύναται γὰρ ἡ ῥανὶς τῆς αὐτοῦ βοηθείας τὸν ἐν ἐμοὶ τῶν αἱμάτων ἀκαμάτως ἀποπνίξαι βυθόν· οὕτω δὲ ταῦτα βουλευσαμένη καλῶς τοῖς ἀτολμήτοις ἐπιτολμᾷ, καὶ οὔτε χρόνον δέδιεν, οὐ πενίαν λογίζεται, οὐ πλῆθος ἀριθμεῖ· πάντα δὲ ταῦτα διὰ τῆς πίστεως, μᾶλλον δὲ μετὰ τῆς πίστεως ὑπερπηδήσασα, λάθρα τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ χιτῶνος ἁψαμένη, τῆς ἰάσεως τὸ κέρδος εὐκαίρως ἐσύλησε, τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἕνωσιν ἀπαλλαγὴν εἶναι τοῦ πάθους πιστεύσασα· ὄντως ἀπαλλαγήν· ἰάθη γὰρ Εὐθέως ἀπὸ τῆς μάστιγος.

∆ώδεκα γὰρ ἔτη τῇ 64.20 νόσῳ πυκτεύουσα καθ' ἡμέραν καὶ κατ' ἔτος, τὴν ζωὴν ὑπέκλεπτε, σφαττομένη πάντοτε, καὶ τέως μὴ θνήσκουσα· πρῶτος γὰρ ἐνιαυτὸς, καί τινων ὀδυνῶν καὶ πόνων εἰς αἴσθησιν ἤρχετο· δεύτερον ἔτος ἦν, καὶ πόλεως τῆς ἀφανοῦς ταύτης ἐθορύβει τὰ κρύφια· τρίτος παρῆν ἐνιαυτὸς, καὶ τῇ τῶν νεύρων καὶ φλεβῶν ὀγκώσει συνείχετο· τέταρτον ὑπῆρχεν ἔτος, καὶ πηγή τις ἐξ αὐτῆς αἱμάτων προήρχετο· πέμπτος ἐνιαυτὸς, καὶ πανταχόθεν ἰατροὶ συνέτρεχον, μέλη παραγυμνοῦντες ἃ μὴ θέμις ὁρᾶσθαι τοῖς ἄῤῥεσιν· ἕκτον ἔτος ἠνύετο, καὶ εἰς πλέον τὸ δεινὸν ἐπετείνετο· ἕβδομος ἐνιαυτὸς, καὶ πλούτου τοσούτου κενουμένου ἡ τῶν αἱμάτων φθορὰ ἀνεξάντλητος ἔμενεν· ὄγδοον ἔτος ἐπέστη, καὶ τὴν ἧτταν ὡμολόγουν οἱ ἰατρεύοντες· ἔννατος ἦν ἐνιαυτὸς, καὶ ταύτην παντελῶς ἀπεγνωσμένην καταλείποντες ἀπῄεσαν· δέκατον ἔτος ἤγγισεν, καὶ ἦν ἡ γυνὴ οὐσίας καὶ ὑγείας καθάπαξ ἀπερίστατος· ἑνδέκατος ἐνιαυτὸς, καὶ βοηθὸς οὐδεὶς τῇ κατωδύνῳ παρίστατο· δωδέκατον ἔτος ἠριθμεῖτο, καὶ παρῆν ὁ τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ὥρᾳ, ἁφῇ καὶ λόγῳ καὶ πίστει τὰς νόσους ἰώμενος. Τούτῳ συντυχοῦσα, καὶ τὸ μέλλον πιστεύσασα, ἔλαβεν ὅπερ ἤθελεν· ἀλλ' ἔτρεμεν εἰδυῖα ὅτιπερ οὐκ ἔλαθεν. Τί γάρ φησιν ὁ Σωτήρ; Τίς ὁ ἁψάμενός μου; ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔγνων δύναμιν ἐξελθοῦσαν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Οὐκ εἶπε, Τίς ἡ ἁψαμένη μου; ἵνα μή πως οἱ παρόντες εἰς ἀμφίβολον ζήτησιν γυναίου ἑαυτοὺς ἀπασχολήσωσιν· ἀλλ' εἶπε, Τίς ὁ ἁψάμενός μου, ἐν μετεώρῳ καταλείπων τὴν φωνὴν, ἵνα ἕκαστος ἀκούων, ἀνδρὸς εἶναι νομίσῃ τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπιχείρησιν· Τίς ὁ ἁψάμενός μου; ἐγὼ γὰρ δύναμιν ἔγνων ἐξελθοῦσαν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ. Τί λέγεις, ὦ ∆έσποτα; εἰς τὸ συλᾶσθαι τὰ σὰ παραγέγονας; εἰς ἁρπαγὴν θέλων τοῖς πιστοῖς τὴν βασιλείαν προέθηκας; καὶ πῶς ἐρωτᾷς ὃ οἶδας, καὶ ζητεῖς ὃ οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς; Εἰ μὴ θέλων ἐκλάπης τὴν ἐξελθοῦσαν δύναμιν, ὤφειλες ἐπισχεῖν· εἰ δὲ βουληθεὶς ἐσυλήθης, τί δυσχεραίνεις διδοὺς ἅπερ ἡ πίστις παρὰ σοῦ λαμβάνειν βιάζεται;