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to die, I will not deny you.” It was possible to say: “If you strengthen me, I will not deny you. If you secure me, weak as I am, I do not fear the shipwreck. If you share in the battle, I do not dread death.” But the one was of the tongue, the other a sin of the heart. For this reason Peter, having fallen, rose again and became a guide for others who had fallen; but the other, led from the deep to a pit, threw down the silver, and taking a rope, hanged himself.

8 “A sign that is spoken against” is the cross; for as the Jews were crucifying, the sun withdrew; the synagogue was slandering and the earth was shaken. The people cried out, “Crucify him,” but the rocks, unable to bear the weight of the blasphemy, were split. The elders and the scribes said, “We remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’” But the centurion cried out, “Truly this was the Son of God.” But even to this day the word of the cross is “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to us who are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” “And a sword will pierce through your own soul also, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” The sword is called discord, because just as the sword splits and divides bodies, so also discord brings souls to doubt; for though she was a virgin, she was also a woman; though the Mother of God, yet from our own clay. Therefore a sword passed through her soul, “so that thoughts from many hearts might be revealed.” What thoughts? The various thoughts about Christ at the time of the passion, sometimes not subscribing that he was a prophet, sometimes the redeemer of Israel, and on these points enduring much doubt because of the agitation from the passion, so that the disciples with Cleopas, passing by, would say to him: “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Then when asked, “What things?” they added: “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet,” and the rest. Therefore, just as they held him to be a prophet and one who would redeem Israel, because of the passion they were in danger of casting aside this opinion about him, that he would redeem Israel. And this did not happen in vain, but so as to show that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men.” For at the passion of the cross all were sifted and shaken, not only the disciples in general, but also the chosen ones and his mother. This has established the whole world, in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

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ἀποθανεῖν, οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσομαι.» Ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν· «Ἐάν με ἐνισχύσῃς, οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσομαι. Ἐὰν ἀσφαλίσῃ με, ὁ ἀσθενὴς οὐ δέδοικα τὸ ναυάγιον. Ἐὰν τῷ πολέμῳ κοινωνήσῃς, οὐκ εὐλαβοῦμαι θάνατον.» Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν γλώττης ὑπῆρχεν, τὸ δὲ καρδίας ἁμάρτημα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο <ὁ> μὲν Πέτρος πεσὼν ἀνέστη καὶ χειραγωγὸς ἑτέρων πεπτωκότων ἐγένετο· ὁ δέ, ἀπὸ βάθους πρὸς βόθρον ὁδηγηθείς, ἔρριψε τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸ σχοινίον λαβὼν ἀπήγξατο.

8 «Σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον» ὁ σταυρός· τῶν γὰρ Ἰουδαίων σταυρούντων, ἀνεχώρει ὁ ἥλιος· ἡ συναγωγὴ ἐσυκοφάντει καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐσαλεύετο. Ὁ λαὸς ἐβόα· «Σταύρωσον αὐτόν», ἀλλ' αἱ πέτραι μὴ φέρουσαι τὸν ὄγκον τῆς βλασφημίας ἐρρήγνυντο. Οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς ἔλεγον· «Ἐμνήσθημεν ὅτι ὁ πλάνος ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν ἔτι ζῶν ὅτι μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι.» Ὁ δὲ ἑκατόνταρχος ἐβόα· «Ἀληθῶς θεοῦ υἱὸς ἦν οὗτος.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι νῦν ὁ λόγος ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ «Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον, ἔθνεσι δὲ μωρία, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς κλητοῖς Χριστὸς θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία.» «Καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία, ὅπως ἂν ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν ἐκ πολλῶν καρδιῶν διαλογισμοί.» Ῥομφαία ἡ διχόνοια λέγεται ἐπειδὴ, καθάπερ ἡ ῥομφαία σχίζει καὶ μερίζει τὰ σώματα, οὕτως καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς πρὸς ἀμφιβολὴν ἡ διχόνοια· εἰ γὰρ καὶ παρθένος ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυνή· εἰ καὶ θεοτόκος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἡμετέρου φυράματος. Ῥομφαία τοίνυν αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διέβαινεν, «ὅπως <ἂν> ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν ἐκ πολλῶν καρδιῶν διαλογισμοί.» Ποῖοι διαλογισμοί; Οἱ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους διάφοροι, ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὸν προφήτην, ποτὲ δὲ λυτρωτὴν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ οὐχ ὑπογράφοντες, πολλὴν καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀμφιβολίαν διὰ τὸν σάλον τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πάθους ὑπομένοντες, ὥστε τοὺς περὶ Κλεόπαν μαθητὰς παριόντας καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγειν· «Σὺ μόνος παροικεῖς ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ οὐκ ἔγνως τὰ γενόμενα ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέ ραις ταύταις.» Εἶτα ἐρωτηθέντες «ποῖα;» ἐπήγαγον· «Τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου, ὃς ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ προφήτης, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.» Οὐκοῦν ὥσπερ προφήτην μὲν εἶχον καὶ λυτρούμενον τὸν Ἰσραήλ· διὰ δὲ τὸ πάθος καὶ ταύτην ἐμβάλλειν περὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπόληψιν ὅτι λυτροῦται τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκινδύνευον. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ μάτην ἐγίνετο, ἀλλ' ὥστε δεῖξαι ὅτι «τὸ μωρὸν τοῦ θεοῦ σοφώτερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν.» Τὸ γὰρ τοῦ σταυροῦ πάθος οἱ πάντες ἐσινιάσθησαν καὶ ἐσαλεύθησαν, οὐ μόνον οἱ ἁπλῶς μαθηταί, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἐκλεκτοὶ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐστήριξεν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, σὺν ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.