the world also put on the yoke of slavery, serving creation, and was mastered, being tyrannized by Satan through the excesses of the passions, God introduced the law through holy men, having shined a little light of the knowledge of God upon us. But since the many, being hard of hearing, were not persuaded because of the prevailing error, we needed not only the counsel from the saints, but also the goodwill and grace from above to easily change us for the better. The saints led on behalf of the nations and idolaters, those who had been wronged by the devil and led astray from the straight path as if by force. For he was then powerful and hard to overcome by those who resisted, as God was judging them to be freed; for as righteous he was to have mercy also on these as weak and crushed by unbearable greed, and to punish the one who had cruelly attacked the weaker ones. Christ, therefore, the righteousness of God the Father, having appeared, led us into the light of the knowledge of God, having justified us through faith. Therefore, the time of Christ's coming was already showing the present judgment and justice upon the nations; for they were about to be delivered from the greed of the devil, as Christ the righteous judge justly had mercy on them. And the word signifies this: for the world is not condemned now, when the time to be justified was present; for thinking thus we do not fight against that word which says: For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. For neither, as some say, does he here call the world the Jews who crucified the Lord, those who were required to pay the penalty for their outrages against Christ; for the death of Christ justifies all humanity. Therefore it is more fitting to understand it thus. Therefore, in accordance with this understanding, the judgment will be against the one who has wronged the world, but not against the world that has endured injustice. And he who came to save us more fittingly accomplished this by punishing the one who did wrong, and having mercy on the one who was wronged; the definition of this present judgment is that the ruler of this world is to be cast out. But he calls him a ruler, though he is not this in a proper sense; for God alone is king of all things, but because of their lack of understanding, men designated him as their ruler. He therefore received the title from what had happened; for thus also sin is said to have reigned over the ungodly, although it is something insubstantial, from which things sinners by their actions seem to subject themselves to it. Therefore, he is either cast out of his rule, his strength having been shattered, or "out" signifies the punishment and the journey to Hades; for there the devil was justly cast out, since he warred not only against men, but also against the God of all, Jesus. Wherefore, though formerly inexperienced with bonds and punishment, he was now required to pay the penalty for his outrages, having come to the extreme of all impiety.

18 Jo 12, 37-38 He states many accusations against the Jews; for many signs did not put them to shame, but in a certain way they were unchangeable in their hardness of heart, with nothing lacking for their correction. But even if the Jews had been put to shame and believed, still it was impossible for the Holy Spirit to lie, who spoke through the prophet Isaiah concerning their unbelief; for they neither believed the prophets, nor did Christ, the power and arm of the Father, become known to the Jews. But he said "no one" hyperbolically because few out of many were saved. And wishing to expose their immeasurable perversity, the evangelist added "before them," showing that they did not even believe what they saw.

19 Jo 12, 38 The arm of God the Father is the Son. Jo 12, 41 From which things he here shows the Son having such glory, which he saw

Isaiah, it is clear that there is no difference between Father and Son; for there is nothing greater that a man can see, nor does scripture say anything greater than this; for the Seraphim, which Isaiah saw under the throne of God, are above and more honorable than

κόσμος καὶ ὑπέδυ τὸν τῆς δουλείας ζυγὸν λατρεύων τῇ κτίσει καὶ ἐδεσπόζετο τυραννούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ ταῖς τῶν παθῶν πλεονεξίαις, εἰσήγαγεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν νόμον διὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν ὀλίγον ἡμῖν τῆς θεογνωσίας ἐπιλάμψας τὸ φῶς. ἐπειδὴ δὲ δυσήκοοι ὄντες οἱ πολλοὶ οὐκ ἐπείθοντο διὰ τὴν συνέχουσαν πλάνην, οὐ μόνης ἐχρῄζομεν τῆς παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων συμβουλῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν εὐμενείας καὶ χάριτος εὐκόλως ἐπὶ τὸ ἄμεινον ἡμᾶς μετατιθείσης. ἡγοῦντο οἱ ἅγιοι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ εἰδωλολατρῶν τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ἀδικηθέντας καὶ τῆς εὐθείας ὁδοῦ ἀποπλανηθέντας καθάπερ ἐκ βίας. ἦν γὰρ τότε δυνατὸς καὶ δυσκαταγώνιστος τοῖς ἀνθισταμένοις θεοῦ δικάζοντος ἐλευθερωθῆναι· ὡς γὰρ δίκαιος εἶχεν ἐλεῆσαι καὶ τούτους ὡς ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀφορήτου πλεονεξίας συντετριμμένους καὶ τὸν ὠμῶς ἐπελθόντα τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις τιμωρήσασθαι. ὁ οὖν Χριστὸς ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς δικαιοσύνη φανεὶς ἤγαγεν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ φῶς τῆς θεογνωσίας διὰ τῆς πίστεως δικαιώσας ἡμᾶς. ὁ οὖν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας καιρὸς παροῦσαν ἤδη τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι κρίσιν καὶ δίκην ἐδείκνυεν· ἔμελλον γὰρ ἀπαλλάττεσθαι τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου πλεονεξίας δικαίως αὐτοὺς ἐλεοῦντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ δικαίου κριτοῦ. καὶ τοῦτο σημαίνει ὁ λόγος· οὐ γὰρ νῦν ὁ κόσμος κατακρίνεται, ὅτε τοῦ δικαιοῦσθαι παρῆν ὁ καιρός· οὕτω γὰρ νοοῦντες κἀκείνῳ τῷ λόγῳ οὐκ ἀντιμαχόμεθα τῷ λέγοντι· οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ· οὐδὲ γάρ, ὥς φασί τινες, ὧδε τοὺς σταυρώσαντας τὸν κύριον Ἰουδαίους κόσμον καλεῖ, τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν τολμημάτων ἀπαιτηθέντας δίκην· ὁ γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θάνατος τὴν πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπότητα δικαιοῖ. διὸ οὕτω μᾶλλον ἀκόλουθον νοεῖν. ἀκολούθως οὖν τῇ νοήσει ταύτῃ ἔσται ἡ κρίσις κατὰ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον ἠδικηκότος, οὐ μὴν κατὰ τοῦ τοῦ κόσμου τὴν ἀδικίαν ὑπομείναντος. καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς ἐλθὼν πρεπόντως μᾶλλον τοῦτο ἐτέλεσε τὸν ἀδικήσαντα τιμωρησάμενος, τὸν δὲ ἀδικηθέντα ἐλεήσας· ὅρος αὐτῆς ἐνεστώσης κρίσεως τὸ ἐκβληθῆναι ἔξω τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. ἄρχοντα δὲ αὐτὸν καλεῖ οὐ κυρίως ὄντα τοῦτο· μόνος γὰρ τῶν ἁπάντων βασιλεὺς ὁ θεός, ἀλλ' ὅτι ὑπὸ ἀσυνεσίας οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἄρχοντα ἑαυτῶν τοῦτον ἐπεγράψαντο. ἔσχεν οὖν τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐκ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία λέγεται τῶν ἀσεβῶν βεβασιλευκέναι καίπερ ἀσύστατόν τι οὖσα, ἐξ ὧν πράττοντες οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ δοκοῦσιν ἑαυτοὺς ταύτῃ καθυποτάττειν. ἢ τῆς ἀρχῆς οὖν ἐκβάλλεται καταρραγείσης αὐτοῦ τῆς ἰσχύος ἢ τὸ ἔξω δηλοῖ τὴν κόλασιν καὶ τὴν εἰς ᾅδου βάδισιν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ὁ διάβολος ἐκβληθεὶς δικαίως ἐπείπερ οὐ μόνον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπολέμησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ πάντων θεῷ Ἰησοῦ. διὸ καὶ πάλαι ἄπειρος ὢν δεσμῶν καὶ κολάσεως νῦν δίκας τῶν τολμημάτων ἀπῃτεῖτο ὡς εἰς ἄκρον ἁπάσης δυσσεβείας ἐλθών.

18 Jo 12, 37-38 Πολλὰ λέγει τὰ κατὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐγκλήματα· πολλὰ γὰρ σημεῖα οὐκ ἐδυσώπησαν αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ τρόπον τινὰ ἄτρεπτοι ἦσαν τῇ σκληροκαρδίᾳ οὐδενὸς ἐλλείψαντος τῶν εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν. εἰ δὲ καὶ δυσωπηθέντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπίστευσαν, ἀλλ' οὖν ἀδύνατον ἦν ψεύσασθαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου λαλῆσαν περὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀπιστίας· οὔτε γὰρ τοῖς προφήταις ἐπίστευσαν οὔτε γνώριμος γέγονε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ὁ Χριστός, ἡ δύναμις καὶ ὁ βραχίων τοῦ πατρός. ὑπερβολικῶς δὲ εἶπεν τὸ οὐδεὶς διὰ τὸ ὀλίγους ἐκ πολλῶν σεσῷσθαι. θέλων δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἄμετρον δυστροπίαν ἐλέγξαι ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς προσέθηκε καὶ τὸ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν δεικνύς, ὅτι οὐδὲ οἷς ἑώρων ἐπίστευον.

19 Jo 12, 38 Βραχίων τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ υἱός ἐστιν. Jo 12, 41 Ἐξ ὧν ὧδε δηλοῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοσαύτην ἔχοντα δόξαν, ἣν εἶδεν

Ἠσαΐας, δῆλον, ὅτι οὐδεμία διαφορὰ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ· οὐ γάρ ἐστί τι πλεῖον ἄνθρωπον δύνασθαι θεωρῆσαι οὐδὲ ἕτερόν τι λέγει τούτου μεῖζον ἡ γραφή· τὰ γὰρ Σεραφίμ, ἃ εἶδεν Ἠσαΐας ὑπὸ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ θρόνον, ὑπεράνω ἐστὶ καὶ ἐντιμότερα τῶν