he permitted them; nor were they, having shut up his servant Peter in prison, and bound him on all sides, and appointed soldiers to guard him carefully, shuddering at the fisherman as a barbarian, able to gain control of what they were eager for, always inheriting shame instead of glory, whom the prophet Isaiah also reproached, saying: Lord, your arm is strong, and they did not know; but when they know, let them be ashamed. For it is truly full of shame, that Herod the king, and bonds and bars and guards, and chief priests and scribes and Pharisees and the whole assembly of the Jews, were not able to guard one disciple of the Lord, a common man, poor, a companion of fishes. What will the children of the Jews say to these things, who even recently with a shameless face and mouth dared to say to the Lord: You have a demon, who seeks to kill you? You say he has a demon, O Jews, whom your father the devil cannot bear to see? Scourged invisibly by whom did the legion, no longer able to bear it, openly cry out the truth, saying: What have we to do with you, Jesus? Have you come before the time to torment us? I know who you are, the Son of God. The demon, being set on fire, makes a defense, and you, being well-treated, call the Lord Jesus Christ one possessed by a demon? To whom did the legion of demons say: If you cast us out, permit us to enter the herd of swine, to Solomon who built Jerusalem or to the Master Christ who holds all things in his hand? But the demon-loving Jews will say at once: What then? Did not Solomon rule over the demons? Did he not shut them all up as one under one? Did he not bind them with Jewish characters? Have they not feared him to this day? But, O Jewish cobblers, sorcerer-demons, in vain you bring these things forward; for only the Master Christ has mightily bound the strong man and plundered his goods. For Solomon not only did not rule over the demons in a kingly manner, but he was also ruled by them, being corrupted towards the end. For loving the passion of polygamy, enticed by the devil's procurement, and whinnying after a herd of foreign women like a mare-mad horse, he defiled the chamber of the knowledge of God. For leaving the God of his fathers, for whom he also built the temple, he constructed caves for idols. How then is the master of demons a slave of demons? O the Jewish wickedness, O the longsuffering of the Master Christ. Being reproached, he exhorts; being reviled, he accepts; being slapped, he sets free; being crucified, he prays for those who crucify him, he gives sight to the man blind from birth, and is slandered as a sinner. For do you not know, possessing an inviolate memory, that the spiritually blind children of the Jews cried out to the one who had physically regained his sight, saying on the day before: Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner? O the unbridled lips of the Jews. Is Christ a sinner? And how is he a sinner who takes away sins? When does a slave free a slave? When does a liable person redeem a liable person? When does a debtor tear up the bond of a debtor? A free man frees a slave; for does a slave free a slave? One who is not liable redeems a condemned man; for does a condemned man redeem a condemned man? A wealthy man tears up the bond of a debtor; for does a prisoner release a prisoner? And what evidence of sinfulness have you seen of the Master Christ? The changing of water into wine? This is a command of divinity, not an eructation of sin. But the calling of Lazarus from the dead? And this he commanded as a life-giver, and did not babble as a sinner. But with us being silent, O Jews, take the blind man himself as a guide from your error. Be not ashamed to be guided by the blind man; for he does not cast you into a pit, but sets you upon a rock; for he has a shining, unquenchable lamp of the

συνεχώρησεν αὐτοῖς· οὔτε τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ Πέτρον ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ κατακλείσαν τες, καὶ πανταχόθεν συνδήσαντες, καὶ στρατιώτας ἐπιμελῶς φυλάττειν ὁρίσαντες, ὡς βάρβαρον τὸν ἁλιέα φρίττοντες, ἠδυνήθησαν ἐγκρατεῖς γενέσθαι τοῦ σπουδαζομένου, ἀεὶ αἰσχύνην ἀντὶ δόξης κληρονομήσαντες, οὓς καὶ ὀνειδίζων ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας ἔλεγεν· Κύριε, ἰσχυρός σου ὁ βραχίων, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν, γνόντες δὲ αἰσχυνθήτωσαν. Ὄντως γὰρ αἰσχύνης ἀνάμεστον, τὸ Ἡρῴδην τὸν βασιλέα, δεσμά τε καὶ κλεῖθρα καὶ φύλακας, ἀρχιερεῖς τε καὶ γραμματεῖς καὶ φαρισαίους καὶ ὅλον τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων συνάθροισμα, ἕνα μαθητὴν τοῦ κυρίου μὴ δυνηθῆναι φυλάξαι, ἰδιώτην, ἄπορον, ἰχθύων συνόμιλον. Τί ἐροῦσι πρὸς ταῦτα Ἰουδαίων παῖδες, οἱ καὶ ἀρτίως ἀπηρυθριασμένῳ προσώπῳ καὶ στόματι τολμήσαντες εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν κύριον· ∆αιμόνιον ἔχεις, τίς σε ζητεῖ ἀποκτεῖναι; ∆αιμόνιον ἔχειν λέγετε, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὃν οὔτε ἰδεῖν ὑπομένει ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ διάβολος; Ὑπὸ τίνος ἀοράτως μαστιζόμενος ὁ λεγεὼν καὶ φέρειν μηκέτι δυνάμενος ἀναφανδὸν ἐβόησε τὴν ἀλήθειαν λέγων· Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, Ἰησοῦ; Ἦλθες πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς; Οἶδά σε τίς εἶ, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ; Ὁ δαίμων πυρακτούμενος ἀπολογεῖται, καὶ ὑμεῖς εὐεργετούμενοι δαιμονιῶντα τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν προσφωνεῖτε; Τίνι εἶπεν ὁ λεγεὼν τῶν δαιμόνων· Εἰ ἐκβάλλεις ἡμᾶς, ἐπίτρεψον ἡμῖν εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοίρων εἰσελθεῖν, Σολομῶντι τῷ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα κτίσαντι ἢ τῷ δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ τῷ τὰ σύμπαντα ἐν τῇ χειρὶ βαστάζοντι; Ἀλλ' ἐροῦσιν εὐθέως οἱ φιλοδαίμονες Ἰουδαῖοι· Τί οὖν; Σολομὼν οὐκ ἐδεσπότευσε τῶν δαιμόνων; Οὐχὶ πάντας ὑφ' ἓν ὡς ἕνα συνέκλεισεν; Οὐχὶ ἰουδαΐζουσι χαρακτῆρσι τούτους ἐπέδησεν; Οὐχὶ ἄχρι τῆς σήμερον τοῦτον δεδοίκασιν; Ἀλλ' ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι πεταλοράπται, μαγγανοδαίμονες, μάτην ταῦτα προβάλλεσθε· μόνος γὰρ ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς κραταιῶς τὸν ἰσχυρὸν ἔδησε καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ διήρπασεν. Σολομὼν γὰρ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐδεσπότευσε τῶν δαιμόνων βασιλικῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐδεσποτεύθη πρὸς τῷ τέλει διαφθαρείς. Ἀγαπήσας γὰρ τὸν τῆς πολυγαμίας ἔρωτα τῇ τοῦ διαβόλου μαστροπότητι δελεασθείς, καὶ εἰς ἀγέλην γυναικῶν ἀλλοφύλων ὡς ἵππος θηλυμανὴς ἐπιχρεμετίσας, ἐρρύπωσε τὸν τῆς θεογνωσίας θάλαμον. Καταλιπὼν γὰρ τὸν θεὸν τῶν πατέρων αὐτοῦ, ᾦ καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἐδείματο, εἰδώλοις σπήλαια κατεσκεύαζεν. Πῶς οὖν δαιμόνων δεσπότης ὁ τῶν δαιμόνων δοῦλος; Ὢ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς κακίας, ὢ τῆς τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ μακροθυμίας. Ὀνειδιζόμενος παρακαλεῖ, λοιδορούμενος προσίεται, ῥαπιζόμενος ἐλευθεροῖ, σταυρούμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν σταυρούντων προσεύχεται, τὸν ἐκ γεννητῆς τυφλὸν ὀμματοῖ, καὶ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸς διαβάλλεται. Ἦ γὰρ οὐκ ἴστε ἄσυλον τὴν μνήμην φέροντες, ὅτιπερ Ἰουδαίων παῖδες οἱ ψυχικῶς τυφλώττοντες πρὸς τὸν σωματικῶς ἀναβλέψαντα ἐβόων λέγοντες τῇ προτεραίᾳ· ∆ὸς δόξαν τῷ θεῷ· ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν ὅτι ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν; Ὢ Ἰουδαϊκῶν ἀθυρώτων χειλέων. Ἁμαρτωλὸς ὁ Χριστός; Καὶ πῶς ἁμαρτωλὸς ὁ ἁμαρτίας ἀφαιρούμενος; Πότε δοῦλος δοῦλον ἐλευθεροῖ; Πότε ὑπεύθυνος ὑπεύθυνον λυτροῦται; Πότε χρεώστης χρεώστου τὸ χειρόγραφον διαρρήσσει; Ἐλεύθερος δοῦλον ἐλευθεροῖ· μὴ γὰρ δοῦλος δοῦλον; Ἀνεύθυνος κατάδικον λυτροῦται· μὴ γὰρ κατάδικος κατάδικον; Εὔπορος χρεωφειλέτου τὸ χειρόγραφον διαρρήσσει· μὴ γὰρ δέσμιος δέσμιον λύει; Τί δὲ καὶ ἐθεάσασθε τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ ἁμαρτωλοποιὸν δεῖγμα; Τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος εἰς οἶνον μεταβολήν; Τοῦτο θεότητος κέλευσμα, οὐχὶ δὲ ἁμαρτίας ἔρευγμα. Ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν τοῦ Λαζάρου κλῆσιν; Καὶ τοῦτο ὡς ζωοποιὸς ηὐθέντησεν, οὐχὶ δὲ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸς ἐβαττολόγησεν. Ἡμῶν δὲ σιωπησάντων, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, λάβετε τῆς πλάνης ὑμῶν ὁδηγὸν αὐτὸν τὸν τυφλόν. Μὴ αἰσχυνθῆτε ὑπὸ τοῦ τυφλοῦ ὁδηγηθῆναι· οὐ γὰρ εἰς βόθυνον ὑμᾶς ῥίπτει, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πέτραν ἵστησιν· ἔχει γὰρ λάμπουσαν, ἄσβεστον τὴν λαμπάδα τῆς