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accusing, did he betray the all-beneficent one? Or what was the handle of the drama for the madman? {CHORUS} Hear this man, who will announce all things to you clearly. {MESSENGER} Hear, wretched one, you who were once all-blessed, hear what unfortunate words I bring you. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, alas, we are undone; you are clear in your speech; for you have come, as it seems, a messenger of evils. {MESSENGER} Of evils, yes, but true nonetheless; for what shall I say? When he had eaten the new passover, as he said, having set before the initiates the best meal, a great supper, and having pointed out in riddles the traitor, then having washed the feet of the disciples, he went out as was his custom to the mount of olives, and having told the initiates all that he would now suffer, and having prepared them all with initiations, with many other things he also said this to God: "Father, grant me now the greatest glory; "for never leaving the glory that is with you, "I will come to a greater one, having slain the enemy of mortals;" and you give all nations to him who has them from you; "and taking them all, and as their prize of valor "being hung up above, I assign them again to your two hands. "And being glorified by my heroic deeds," call friends to a feast. Blessed are you, "blessed is he who has accomplished such things." He again sends forth a voice like thunder, declaring glorification with a sky-coursing shout: "And having glorified you before, I will now glorify you more." But when these things resounded strangely to the initiates, he came to them in the place of the winter-brook to a garden, where he often gathered, which not even the seller, being ignorant, in the middle of the night arrived, leading a crowd of the blood-stained, bearing swords and murdering in their audacity; who also approaching as a friend to the Teacher, said "Hail, Rabbi," and kissed him perversely. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, alas, what worse than this could one dare? What then did my Son say in reply to him? {MESSENGER} He said nothing, except "Friend, for what have you come?" And at once the blood-stained men laid hands on him; and we, letting go, fled, one one way, another another. But Peter the renowned also denied him with words; and only the one who leaned on his breast followed quietly. And I myself seemed to have learned from someone speaking in silence, as if gently to him, the perverse seller of the Teacher: "Such impiety! O wretched one, do you not fear God? "do you not revere the law of the substance of mortals, "and Adam who sowed the earth-born ear of corn "and the patriarchs of a chosen race? "Appearing as an initiate, you shame your fellow disciples, "betraying the mystagogue, alas, for silver, "you betrayed him to death to the blood-stained. "Did he not say? Did he not provide for your mind, "to consider for what things he now willingly suffers? "But you did not endure; therefore you will soon know. "Know well, that a pious race warms the father. "For if he were not restrained by the oaths of Abraham, "he would never have refrained from avoiding these things "and from there giving you your just deserts. "For do you think he endures these sufferings, "if he were not gaining something great from it? "But now when he comes again from the earth, "he will rise anew, and will hold judgment in silence, "speaking to the Father against you of your sin "and the audacity of this mad people, "as he also foretold long ago by the tongue of David, "to one not ignorant even before the audacious act; "and he will fill all the earth with glorious words "and with renowned, countless, wondrous deeds, "and you will see him coming again in the Father's glory, "bringing judgment to the living and the dead "and giving to all what is according to their worth. "How then will you and the blood-stained look upon him, "or what just penalty will you not pay? "But even before this you will pay a just penalty, "if you do not wash your blood-stained hands; "which, if you are willing even now to understand, "he himself will wipe away with flowing streams. "Or may you learn now, having tasted your audacity, "and with you also the whole crowd of avengers. "But now if you must remain, remain for one day, "if you do not suffer something, of which great fear prevails, "and I will become a prophet of these words. "But go away and about yourself "take thought; for he himself will take good care of himself. "But you, as is fitting, will die an evil man in an evil way, "first hung in hanging nooses, "having rushed a swift leap into Hades, "frozen with grief, as one who betrayed for silver, "and a stream of all-consuming fire will receive you. "For you do not now wish to escape punishment; "and you will obtain these things, and I foretell this to you: "the coming torch of the god will not see you; "you will not behold the resurrection of the corpse-raiser. "For to such an extent

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ἐγκαλῶν προὔδωκε παντευεργέτην; ἢ τίς λαβὴ δράματος ἦν τῷ μαινόλῃ; {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Ἄκουε τοῦδ' ὅς σοι τρανῶς πάντ' ἀγγελεῖ. {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Ἄκουε, τλῆμον, ἡ τὸ πρὶν πανολβία, ἄκουσον οὕς σοι δυστυχεῖς φέρω λόγους. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Αἲ αἴ, διοιχόμεσθα· δῆλος εἶ λόγῳ· κακῶν γὰρ ἥκεις, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἄγγελος. {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Κακῶν μέν, ἀληθῶν δ' ὅμως· τί γὰρ φράσω; Ἐπεὶ τὸ πάσχα καινόν, ὡς ἔφη, φάγοι, μύσταις ἄριστον παραθείς, δεῖπνον μέγα, δείξας δ' ἐν αἰνιγμοῖσι τὸν λογοπράτην, ἔπειτα νίψας τῶν μαθητῶν τοὺς πόδας, ἔξεισιν ὡς εἴθιστ' ἐλαιῶν εἰς ὄρος, εἰπών τε μύσταις πάνθ' ἅπερ τανῦν πάθοι, καταρτίσας πάντας τε μυσταγωγίαις, πολλοῖς ξὺν ἄλλοις καὶ τάδ' εἶπε πρὸς Θεόν· «Πάτερ, μέγιστον νῦν πάρασχέ μοι κλέος· »τὸ παρὰ σοὶ γὰρ μὴ λιπών ποτε κλέος, «εἰς μεῖζον ἥξω, δυσμενῆ κτανὼν βροτῶν·» ἔθνη τε διδοῖς πάντ' ἔχοντι πρὸς σέθεν· «λαβὼν δὲ πάντας, χὠς ἀριστεῖον σφέων » ὑπερκρεμασθείς, αὖγε σαῖν χεροῖν νέμω. «Κυδρούμενος δὲ τοῖς ἀριστεύμασί μου,» κάλει φίλους εἰς δαῖτα. Μακάριος εἶ, «μακάριος τοιάδε διειργασμένος.» Ὅδ' αὖθις ἀφίησιν ὡς βροντῶν ὄπα, δηλῶν κλεϊσμὸν αἰθεροδρόμῳ βοῇ· «Καὶ πρὶν κλεΐσας, νῦν κλεΐσω σε πλέον.» Ἐπεὶ δὲ μύσταις ταῦτ' ἐνηχήθη ξένως, ἥκει πρὸς αὐτοῖς ἐν τόπῳ τοῦ χειμάρου πρὸς κῆπον, ᾗχι πολλάκις συνήγετο, ὃν οὐδ' ὁ πράτης ἀγνοῶν νύκτωρ μέσον ἔφθασεν ὄχλον τῶν μιαιφόνων ἄγων, ξιφηφοροῦντας καὶ φονῶντας ἐν θράσει· ὃς καὶ προσιὼν ὡς φίλος ∆ιδασκάλῳ, Ῥαββὶ προσειπὼν χαῖρ', ἐφίλει δυστρόπως. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Φεῦ, φεῦ, τί χεῖρον τοῦδε τολμήσειέ τις; Τί γοῦν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀντέφησε Παῖς ἐμός; {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Οὐκ εἶπεν οὐδέν, πλὴν «Ἑταῖρ', ἐφ' ᾧ πάρει;» Ἄφαρ δ' ἔβαλλον χεῖρας οἱ μιαιφόνοι· ἄμμες δ' ἀφέντες ἄλλος ἄλλῃ φεύγομεν. Πέτρος δ' ὁ κλεινὸς καὶ λόγοις ἀπείπατο· μόνος δ' Ἐπιστήθιος εἵπετ' ἀτρέμας. Ἔδοξα δ' αὐτὸς ὑπό του πεπυθέναι σιγῇ λέγοντος ὡς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἠρέμα τὸν δύστροπον πράτην γε τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου· «Τῆς ἀσεβείας· ὦ τάλ', οὐ φοβῇ Θεόν; » οὐ θεσμὸν αἰδῇ τῶν βροτῶν τῆς οὐσίας, «Ἀδάμ τε τὸν σπείραντα γηγενῆ στάχυν » καὶ πατριάρχας ἐκλελεγμένου γένους; «μύστης φανεὶς σὺ συμμαθητὰς αἰσχύνεις, »τὸν μυσταγωγόν, φεῦ, προδοὺς ἀργυρίου, «προὔδωκας αὐτὸν εἰς φόνον μιαιφόνοις. » Οὐκ εἶπεν; οὐ σῆς προὐνοήσατο φρενός, «σκοπεῖν ἐφ' οἷσι νῦν ἑκὼν ἀλγύνεται; » σὺ δ' οὐκ ἀνέσχου· τοιγαροῦν γνοίης τάχει. «Εὖ δ' ἴσθι, πατρὸς δ' εὐσεβὲς θάλπει γένος. » Εἰ μὴ γὰρ ὅρκοις Ἀβραὰμ ἐπεσχέθη, «οὐκ ἄν ποτ' ἔσχε μὴ τάδ' ὑπεξιέναι » κἀντεῦθεν ὑμῖν ἀποδοῦναι τὴν δίκην. «∆οκεῖς γὰρ αὐτὸν τάδ' ὑποστῆναι πάθη, » εἰ μή τι κερδαίνοντα κἀντεῦθεν μέγα; «Νῦν δ' ἐκ χθονὸς μὲν ἔστ' ἂν ἔρχηται πάλιν, » καινῶς ἄνεισι, σῖγα δ' ἕξεται κρίσιν, «ἐρῶν καθ' ὑμῶν Πατρὶ σὴν ἁμαρτίαν » λαοῦ τε τοῦδε μαινόλου τολμηρίαν, «ὡς καὶ προεῖπε ∆αυΐδου γλώσσῃ πάλαι, » οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντι καὶ πρὸ τῆς τολμηρίας· «πλήσει τε πᾶσαν γαῖαν εὐδόξων λόγων » ἔργων τε κλεινῶν, μυρίων, θαυμασίων, «ὄψεσθε δ' ἐν Πατρὸς μολοῦντ' αὖθις κλέει, » κρίσιν φέροντα ζῶσι καὶ τεθνηκόσι «καὶ πᾶσι παρέχοντα τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν. » Πῶς γοῦν προσόψει σύ τε καὶ μιαιφόνοι, «ἢ ποίαν οὐκ ἐκτίσετ' ἔνδικον τίσιν; » πλὴν καὶ πρὸ τοῦδε τίσετ' ἔνδικον τίσιν, «εἰ μὴ χέρας νίψεσθε τὰς μιαιφόνους· » ἅς, ἢν θέλητε κἂν τανῦν ξυνιέναι, «αὐτὸς ῥυτοῖς νασμοῖσιν ἀπομόρξεται. » Ἢ σῆς γε τόλμης νῦν μάθῃς γεγευμένος, «σὺν σοὶ δὲ καὶ πᾶς τῶν ἀλαστόρων ὄχλος. » Νῦν δ' εἰ μένειν δεῖ, μίμν' ἐφ' ἡμέραν μίαν, «εἰ μή τι πάθῃς, ὧν φόβος πολὺς κρατεῖ, » κἀγὼ προφήτης τῶν λόγων γενήσομαι. «Ἀλλ' ἐκποδὼν ἄπιθι καὶ σαυτοῦ πέρι » φρόντιζε· ταὐτοῦ δ' αὐτὸς εὖ γε θήσεται. «Σὺ δ', ὥσπερ εἰκός, κατθανῇ κακὸς κακῶς, » πρῶτα κρεμαστοῖς ἐν βρόχοις ἠρτημένος, «πήδημ' ἐς ᾅδην κραιπνὸν ὁρμήσας τάχος, » λύπῃ παχνωθείς, ὡς προδοὺς ἀργυρίου, «καὶ νᾶμα πυρὸς παμφάγου σε δέξεται. » Οὐ γὰρ θέλεις νῦν ἐκφυγεῖν τιμωρίαν· «καὶ τῶνδε τεύξῃ, προὐννέπω δέ σοι τάδε· » οὔ σ' ἡ 'πιοῦσα λαμπὰς ὄψεται θεοῦ· «οὐ νεκρεγέρτου νεκρέγερσιν κατίδῃς. » Ἐς γὰρ τοσοῦτον