powerful. To these the blessed Baptist has addressed, saying: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Therefore, the unbeliever will surely be somewhere, and perverse. With those who have such a disposition and have fallen into this impiety, Christ does not deign to be, but, if one must say something human, he disregards and is listless, as if weighed down by their wickedness from spending time 84 with them. And this he will teach, saying: How long will I be with you and put up with you? For he who says that those who received authority to cast them out through his commands were weak in power against evil spirits, accuses the grace rather than those who received it. For that it was Christ who was working in them is not at all difficult for those willing to see. And indeed, the lame man at the Beautiful Gate was healed, but Peter attributed the miracle to Christ while speaking to the Jews, as is written in the Acts. And somewhere again he addressed one of those healed by him: Aeneas, Christ heals you. From all this, therefore, it is clear that he who said of the holy apostles that they could not cast it out impiously accused his power. And in another way, Christ is indignant when the saints are slandered, who were emboldened for the word of the sacred proclamations and have been appointed as initiators under heaven, being testified by his grace that they are his disciples and flash forth the light of true knowledge of God to all everywhere, with their teachings being usefully followed by miraculous mighty works. ZU LK 9, 42 But I think it is better according to the first interpretation to understand the father of the demon-possessed as unbelieving. Therefore, he ought to have gone away grieving. But lest anyone think that Christ himself 85 was weak toward the accomplishment of the miracle, he rebuked the unclean spirit and immediately the young man was delivered from his sickness. ZU LK 9, 42φ He has well said that He gave him back to his father; for he was no longer his father's, but belonged to the spirit that controlled him; since he shook off the dominion, he became his own father's again; but the gift is from Christ, who also gave to the holy apostles the authority to be able to perform the divine signs and to rebuke the unclean spirits. And the blessed evangelist says that the crowds were astonished at the majesty of God. ZU LK 9, 43φ All that Jesus did was worthy of admiration among all. For something extraordinary and divine shone forth in his every action, so that the scripture which says is true: You will lay glory and majesty upon him. And though all indeed marveled at everything that Jesus did, yet he did not say the things that followed to everyone, but to his own disciples, that Although all the things I do are such that all marvel at them, yet understand to what extent I am about to humble myself, being handed over for all, that I might take away the sin of the world. Therefore, so that the initiators of the world might know precisely the mystery concerning him, he usefully and necessarily makes the prediction and says: Let these words sink into your hearts 86; for the Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. And what is the occasion that prepared Christ to say these things, it is necessary, I think, to say. Therefore, he took up Peter and James and John to the mountain and was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun. He showed them the glory with which he will shine upon the world at the appointed times, then coming down from the mountain, he freed someone from an evil and harsh spirit. But it was altogether necessary for him to endure the saving passion for us and to bear the wickedness of the Jews. When this indeed happened, it is not unreasonable to think that the disciples would be in turmoil

δυναμένη. τούτοις ὁ μακάριος βαπτιστὴς προσπεφώνηκε λέγων· Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ. οὐκοῦν ὁ ἄπιστος ἔσται που πάντως καὶ διεστραμμένος. τοῖς οὕτως ἔχουσι γνώμης καὶ εἰς τοῦτο πεσοῦσιν ἀνοσιότητος οὐκ ἀξιοῖ συνεῖναι Χριστός, ἀλλ' εἰ χρή τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων εἰπεῖν ὀλιγορεῖ καὶ ἀκηδιᾷ ὡσανεὶ διὰ τὴν κακίαν βαρούμενος τὴν 84 μετ' αὐτῶν διατριβήν. καὶ τοῦτο διδάξει λέγων· Ἕως τίνος ἔσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀνέξομαι ὑμῶν; ὁ γὰρ λέγων ἀσθενῆσαι πρὸς ἐνέργειαν τὴν κατὰ πνευμάτων πονηρῶν τοὺς διὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ νευμάτων ἐξουσίαν λαβόντας ἐκβάλλειν αὐτά, τῆς χάριτος μᾶλλον κατηγορεῖ καὶ οὐχὶ τῶν λαβόντων αὐτήν. ὅτι γὰρ Χριστὸς ἦν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς, χαλεπὸν οὐδὲν τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν ἰδεῖν. καὶ γοῦν τεθεράπευται μὲν ὁ ἐπὶ τῇ ὡραίᾳ πύλῃ χωλός, ἀνετίθει δὲ Πέτρος Χριστῷ τὸ παράδοξον τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις προσλαλῶν ὡς ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι γέγραπται. προσπεφώνηκε δέ που πάλιν ἑνὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ τεθεραπευμένων· Αἰνέα, ἰᾶταί σε ὁ Χριστός. πανταχόθεν τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἐναργὲς ὅτι τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως κατηγόρησεν ἀνοσίως ὁ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων εἰπὼν ὅτι οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν αὐτὸ ἐκβαλεῖν. καὶ καθ' ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον ἀγανακτεῖ Χριστὸς συκοφαντουμένων ἁγίων, οἳ καὶ τὸν τῶν ἱερῶν κηρυγμάτων ἐθαρρήθησαν λόγον καὶ μυσταγωγοὶ τέθεινται τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ χάριτι μαρτυρούμενοι ὅτι τε εἶεν αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεογνωσίας ἐναπαστράπτουσι φῶς τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ ταῖς παρ' αὐτῶν διδασκαλίαις ἑπομένης χρησίμως καὶ τῆς παραδόξου μεγαλουργίας. ZU LK 9, 42 Ἄμεινον δὲ οἶμαι κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἀπόδοσιν ἄπιστον νοεῖν τὸν τοῦ δαιμονῶντος πατέρα. διὸ καὶ ἔδει λυπούμενον ἀπελθεῖν. ἀλλ' ἵνα μή τις οἴηται καὶ αὐτὸν ἀτονῆσαι Χριστὸν 85 πρὸς τὴν τοῦ παραδόξου κατόρθωσιν, ἐπετίμησε τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ πνεύματι καὶ παραχρῆμα τοῦ νοσεῖν ὁ νεανίας ἀπηλλάττετο. ZU LK 9, 42φ Καλῶς εἴρηκεν ὅτι Ἀπέδωκεν αὐτὸν τῷ πατρί· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἔτι τοῦ πατρός, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος πνεύματος ἐπειδὴ ἀπεσείσατο τὴν πλεονεξίαν, γέγονε πάλιν τοῦ ἰδίου πατρός· Χριστοῦ δὲ τὸ δῶρον, ὃς καὶ τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις δέδωκεν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ δύνασθαι κατορθοῦν τὰς θεοσημείας καὶ τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις πνεύμασιν ἐπιτιμᾶν. ἐκπλήττεσθαι δέ φησιν τοὺς ὄχλους ὁ μακάριος εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐπὶ τῇ μεγαλειότητι τοῦ θεοῦ. ZU LK 9, 43φ Πάντα ἃ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐποίει, θαυμασμοῦ ἄξια παρὰ πᾶσιν ἦν. ἐπέλαμπε γάρ τι ἐξαίρετον καὶ θεῖον πάσῃ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀληθεύειν τὴν λέγουσαν γραφήν· ∆όξαν καὶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐπιθήσεις ἐπ' αὐτόν. εἰ καὶ πάντες μέντοιγε ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐποίει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα τούτοις οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς πάντας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὰς ὅτι Εἰ καὶ τοιαῦτά ἐστιν ἃ ποιῶ πάντα, ὡς πάντας ἐπ' αὐτοῖς θαυμάζειν, ἀλλὰ κατανοήσατε, εἰς ὅσον ἐμαυτὸν ταπεινοῦν μέλλω ὑπὲρ πάντων παραδιδόμενος, ἵνα ἄρω τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. ἵν' οὖν εἰδεῖεν ἀκριβῶς τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ μυστήριον οἱ τῆς οἰκουμένης μυσταγωγοί, χρησίμως καὶ ἀναγκαίως ποιεῖται τὴν προαγόρευσιν καί φησι· Θέσθε ὑμεῖς εἰς τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν 86 τοὺς λόγους τούτους· ὁ γὰρ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλλει παραδίδοσθαι εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων. καὶ ποία τίς ἐστιν ἡ πρόφασις ἡ ταῦτα εἰπεῖν παρασκευάσασα Χριστόν, ἀναγκαῖον ὡς οἶμαι λέγειν. οὐκοῦν ἀνεκόμισε μὲν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Πέτρον καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν· ἔλαμψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος. ἔδειξεν αὐτοῖς τὴν δόξαν, μεθ' ἧς ἐπιλάμψει τῷ κόσμῳ κατὰ καιρούς, εἶτα κατελθὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους πονηροῦ τε καὶ ἀπηνοῦς πνεύματος ἠλευθέρωσέ τινα. ἀλλ' ἔδει πάντως αὐτὸν τὸ σωτήριον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὑπομεῖναι πάθος καὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἀνασχέσθαι σκαιότητος. οὗ δὴ γεγονότος οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς ἐννοεῖν ἐν θορύβοις ἔσεσθαι τοὺς μαθητὰς