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but we do not know where this man is from.” Truly, “They have not known nor understood; they walk in darkness.” Truly, this is “a foolish people and not wise.” Rightly did Christ cry out to them: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” Who can contend with such an ungrateful mind set against them? Who will refute their contentious ill-will? Christ poured out so many miracles upon them, strengthening the paralyzed, cleansing the lepers, making the infirm well, healing the possessed, opening the eyelids of the eyes, raising their dead from the tombs, changing water into wine, and providing countless other things which are a labor to tell. And yet among them there was not even a little faith.

7 Suppose you are not persuaded by us, O Jew, read the hierophants, unfold the pages that lie beside you. Do not accept Peter nor Paul. You have rejected the evangelists. At least listen to Moses. What did he write beforehand in the law? - “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; him you shall hear.” See what Isaiah prophesying exclaims: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel.” Hear Jeremiah crying out loudly: “This is our God; no other can be compared to him.” And going on a little, he says: “After this he was seen on earth and conversed with men.” See again what Zechariah signified: “Behold the man, <the dawn> is his name” <and Malachi: “For you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise> with healing in its wings.” And the woman with the issue of blood, healed after many years, along with others, confirmed and sealed the word, receiving her healing by the touch of his garment’s fringe. What? Read Ezekiel and the “man of desires” with care. How so the one? “This gate” of the Lord, he said, “and the Lord shall enter through it and shall go out and the gate shall be shut.” And Daniel: “I saw,” he says, “and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming.”

8 Stand by Jacob and learn what he says among the blessings. “A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations.” Take up the harp of the Spirit and see what David precisely sang: “Mother Zion, a man will say, and a man was born in her, and the Most High himself has established her.” For the mother was a virgin and remained so after childbirth, keeping unshaken the seals of virginity which nature had placed. Again see what David says: “In his days righteousness shall flourish,” and what follows: “He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.” Did any of our teachers foretell these things? Did any of the Savior’s disciples write such things on tablets or papyri? Did not those who preached about him, these children of the circumcision, trumpet these things? Did not the descendants of Abraham proclaim these things? Does he not delight to believe in these things? Be ashamed of the demons crying out and saying: “What have we to do with you, Son of the living God?” Revere the confession concerning the Lord Christ from angels and men and demons and all creation together. But if you reject these too, accept the Father’s testimony concerning him, thundering from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”; to him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ οἴδαμεν πόθεν ἐστίν.» Ὄντως «οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οὐδὲ συνῆκαν, ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονται.» Ἀληθῶς οὗτος «λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ οὐχὶ σοφός.» Εἰκότως ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀνεβόα· «Ηὐλήσαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ὠρχήσασθε· ἐθρηνήσαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐκ ἐκόψασθε.» Τίς πρὸς τὴν οὕτως κατ' αὐτῶν παρατάξηται ἀγνώμονα γνώμην; Τίς τὴν φιλόνεικον αὐτῶν δυσμένειαν διελέγξει; Τοσαύτας αὐτοῖς θαυματουργίας ὁ Χριστὸς περιήντλησε, τοὺς παραλελυμένους νευρῶν, τοὺς λεπροὺς καθαρίζων, τοὺς κακωμένους ὑγιάζων, τοὺς δαιμονιῶντας ἰώμενος, ἀνοίγων τῶν ὀμμάτων τὰ βλέφαρα, τοὺς νεκροὺς αὐτῶν ἀνιστῶν ἐκ τάφων, ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μεταποιῶν, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία παρέχων ἅπερ ἐργῶδες λαλεῖν. Καὶ πίστεως παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐδαμοῦ κἂν βραχύ.

7 Ἔστω ἡμῖν οὐ πείθῃ, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, τοὺς ἱεροφάντας ἀνάγνωθι, τὰς παρὰ σοὶ κειμένας σελίδας ἀνάπτυξον. Μὴ δέξῃ τὸν Πέτρον μηδὲ τὸν Παῦλον. Τοὺς εὐαγγελιστὰς ἀφωσίωσαι. Ἄκουσον γοῦν καὶ Μωυσέως. Τί ἐν νόμῳ προέγραψε; - «Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεός, ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσετε.» Βλέπε τί προφητεύων Ἠσαΐας βοᾷ· «Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ.» Ἄκουσον Ἰερεμίου κεκραγότος μεγάλα· «Οὗτος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν.» Καὶ ὑποκαταβαίνων φησίν· «Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη.» Ὅρα πάλιν τί Ζαχαρίας ἐσήμανεν· «Ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, <ἀνατολὴ> ὄνομα αὐτῷ» <καὶ Μαλαχίας· «Ἀνατελεῖ ὑμῖν τοῖς φοβουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά μου ἥλιος δικαιοσύνης> καὶ ἴασις ἐν ταῖς πτέρυξιν αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ τὸν λόγον αἱμόρρους γυνή, μετὰ πολλὰ ἔτη ἰαθεῖσα, σὺν καὶ ἄλλοις ἐβεβαίωσε καὶ ἐσφράγισε, τῇ ἁφῇ τοῦ κρασπέδου δεξαμένη τὴν ἴασιν. Τί; Τὸν Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ τὸν «ἄνδρα τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν» φιλολόγως ἀνάγνωθι. Πῶς ὁ μέν; «Αὕτη ἡ πύλη» τοῦ κυρίου, ἔλεγε, «καὶ εἰσελεύ σεται κύριος δι' αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξελεύσεται καὶ ἔσται ἡ πύλη κεκλεισμένη.» Ὁ δὲ ∆ανιήλ· «Ἐθεώρουν», φησίν, «καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος.»

8 Παράστηθι τῷ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τί λέγει μεταξὺ τῶν εὐλογιῶν κατάμαθε. «Οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως οὗ ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν.» Ἅψαι τῆς κιθάρας τοῦ Πνεύματος καὶ θέασαι τί ∆αυὶδ ἀκριβῶς ἐμελῴδησε· «Μήτηρ Σιών, ἐρεῖ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐγεννήθη ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν ὁ ὕψι-στος.» Παρθένος γὰρ ἡ μήτηρ καὶ μετὰ τόκον διέμεινε, τῆς παρθενίας σφραγῖδας ἃς ἡ φύσις ἐπέθηκεν ἀπαρασαλεύτους φυλάττουσα. Πάλιν ὅρα τί λέγει ∆αυίδ· «Ἀνατελεῖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνη», καὶ ἑξῆς· «Κατακυριεύσει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμῶν ἕως περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης.» Μὴ ταῦτά τις τῶν διδασκάλων τῶν ἡμετέρων προεμήνυσε; Μή τις τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐν δέλτοις ἢ χάρταις τὰ τοιαῦτα συνέγραψεν; Οὐχ ὅσοι περὶ αὐτοῦ προεκήρυξαν τὰ τῆς περιτομῆς ταῦτα περιεσάλπισαν τέκνα; Οὐχ οἱ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἔγγονοι ταῦτα ἀνεκήρυξαν; Ἐν τούτοις οὐ χαίρει πιστεύειν; Ἐντράπηθι τοὺς δαίμονας ἀναβοῶντας καὶ λέγοντας· «Τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ» τοῦ ζῶντος; Αἰδέσθητι ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ δαιμόνων καὶ πάσης ὁμοῦ τῆς κτίσεως τὴν περὶ τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ ὁμολογίαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τούτους παραιτῇ, δέξαι τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπ' αὐτῷ μαρτυρίαν οὐρανόθεν βροντῶσαν· «Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα»· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.