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crown. 5. Since, then, the commands were great, and their prizes not visible, see what He does: He Himself demonstrates them through His works, and brings the crowns into view. For just as one who is commanded to walk an untrodden path, if he sees someone who has walked it before him, takes it up more easily, and receives greater zeal; so also in the commandments, those who see their predecessors easily follow. So that our nature might follow more easily, He took this flesh, and our nature, and so He walked this path, and demonstrated the commandments through His works. For the saying, "If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also," He Himself did, when the servant of the high priest slapped Him. For He did not retaliate against him, but showed such forbearance as to say, "If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike me?" Have you seen a meekness full of awe? Have you seen a humility that causes astonishment? He was being struck, not by some free man, but by a slave, a scoundrel, and a household menial, and with such forbearance He answers these things. So also His Father said to the Jews, "My people, what have I done to you? Or how have I grieved you? Or how have I troubled you? Answer me." Just as He says, "Bear witness to the wrong," so also His Father, "Answer Me;" and just as He says, "Why do you strike me," so also the Father, "How have I grieved you, or how have I troubled you?" Again, teaching poverty, see how He demonstrates it through His works, saying, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Have you seen the intensity of poverty? He had no table, no lamp, no house, no seat, nothing else of the sort. He taught about bearing evil report nobly, which He demonstrated through His works. For when they called him possessed by a demon and a Samaritan, though able to destroy them in turn, and to exact punishment for their insolence, He did nothing of the sort, 51.352 but even did them good, and cast out their demons. And having said, "Pray for those who mistreat you," He did this when He ascended the cross. For when they crucified and nailed Him, hanging there He said, "Forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." He said these things not because He Himself was unable to forgive, but to teach us to pray for our enemies. For since He demonstrated the teaching not only by word, but also by deed, for this reason He also added the prayer. Let none of the heretics, therefore, because of His great love for mankind, condemn the things said as weakness; for He is the one who says, "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." But since He wished to teach (and one who teaches advances the teaching not only by what he says, but also by what he does), for this reason He also added the prayer; since He also washed the feet of the disciples, not as being inferior, but being God and Master He descended to such humility. 2. For this reason, indeed, He said, "Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart." Hear again another way of bringing the very prizes and rewards into the midst, and showing them before your eyes. He promised a resurrection of bodies, incorruptibility, the meeting in the air, the being caught up in the clouds; these things He showed through deeds. How and in what way? Having died, He rose again; which is why He was with them for forty days, to fully convince them and show them how great our bodies are to be after the resurrection. Again, saying through Paul, that "We will be caught up in the clouds to meet Him in the air," this too He showed by works. For after the resurrection, when He was about to ascend into the heavens, in their presence, it says, "He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight"

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στέφανος. εʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ τὰ ἐπιτάγματα μεγάλα ἦν, καὶ τὰ ἔπαθλα αὐτῶν οὐ φαινόμενα, ὅρα τί ποιεῖ· αὐτὸς αὐτὰ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείκνυται, καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους ἐπ' ὄψιν ἄγει. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ κελευόμενος ἀτριβῆ βαδίζειν ὁδὸν, ἐὰν ἴδῃ πρότερόν τινα βαδίσαντα, εὐκολώτερον ἅπτεται, καὶ πλείονα λαμβάνει τὴν προθυμίαν· οὕτω καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς, οἱ τοὺς προηγουμένους ὁρῶντες, ῥᾳδίως ἕπονται. Ἵν' οὖν εὐκολώτερον ἡ ἡμετέρα φύσις ἀκολουθήσῃ, ταύτην λαβὼν τὴν σάρκα, καὶ τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, οὕτως αὐτὴν ἐβάδισε, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπεδείξατο. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἐάν τίς σε ῥαπίσῃ ἐπὶ τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, στρέψον αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην, αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν, ὅταν αὐτὸν ἐῤῥάπισεν ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως. Οὐ γὰρ ἠμύνατο αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην ἐπιείκειαν ἐπεδείξατο, ὡς εἰπεῖν· Εἰ μὲν κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ καλῶς, τί με δέρεις; Εἶδες πραότητα φρίκης γέμουσαν; εἶδες ταπεινοφροσύνην ἔκπληξιν ἔχουσαν; Ἐτύπτετο, οὐ παρ' ἐλευθέρου τινὸς, ἀλλὰ παρ' οἰκέτου, μαστιγίου, καὶ οἰκοτρίβου, καὶ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀποκρίνεται τῆς ἐπιεικείας ταῦτα. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἔλεγε· Λαός μου, τί ἐποίησά σοι; ἢ τί σε ἐλύπησα; ἢ τί παρηνόχλησά σοι; ἀποκρίθητι. Ὥσπερ αὐτός φησι, Μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, Ἀποκρίθητί μοι· καὶ ὥσπερ αὐτός φησι, Τί με δέρεις, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ, Τί ἐλύπησά σε, ἢ τί παρηνόχλησα; Πάλιν ἀκτημοσύνην παιδεύων, ὅρα πῶς διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτὴν ἐπιδείκνυται λέγων· Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλῖναι. Εἶδες ἀκτημοσύνης ἐπίτασιν; Οὐ τράπεζα ἦν αὐτῷ, οὐ λυχνία, οὐκ οἶκος, οὐ δίφρος, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν. Ἐδίδασκε περὶ τοῦ κακῶς ἀκούοντας φέρειν γενναίως, ὅπερ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπεδείξατο. Ὅτε γὰρ δαιμονῶντα αὐτὸν ἐκάλουν καὶ Σαμαρείτην, δυνάμενος αὐτοὺς πάλιν ἀπολέσαι, καὶ τῆς ὕβρεως αὐτῶν ἀποτῖσαι δίκην, οὐδὲν ἐποίει τοιοῦτον, 51.352 ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐηργέτει, καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας αὐτῶν ἀπήλαυνε. Καὶ εἰπὼν, Εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν τοῦτο ἀναβὰς ἐποίησεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐσταύρωσαν καὶ προσήλωσαν, κρεμάμενος ἔλεγεν, Ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσι. Ταῦτα ἔλεγεν οὐκ ἀτονῶν αὐτὸς ἀφιέναι, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς παιδεύων εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐ λόγῳ μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἐπεδείκνυτο, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν εὐχὴν προσέθηκε. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν τῶν αἱρετικῶν, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἀσθένειαν καταγινωσκέτω τῶν εἰρημένων· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ λέγων, Ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε, ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀφιέναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ παιδεύειν ἐβούλετο (ὁ δὲ παιδεύων οὐ δι' ὧν λέγει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ὧν ποιεῖ τὴν διδασκαλίαν προάγει), τούτου χάριν καὶ τὴν εὐχὴν προσέθηκεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν τοὺς πόδας ἔνιπτεν, οὐχ ὡς ἐλάττων ὢν, ἀλλὰ Θεὸς ὢν καὶ ∆εσπότης εἰς τοσοῦτο κατέβη ταπεινοφροσύνης. ʹ. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἔλεγε· Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ἑτέρως πάλιν τὸ τὰ βραβεῖα αὐτὰ καὶ τὰ ἔπαθλα εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ ὑπὸ ὀφθαλμοὺς δεικνύναι, ἄκουσον. Ὑπέσχετο σωμάτων ἀνάστασιν, ἀφθαρσίαν, τὴν εἰς ἀέρα ἀπάντησιν, τὴν ἐν νεφέλαις ἁρπαγήν· ταῦτα διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔδειξε. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἀποθανὼν ἀνέστη· διὸ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας αὐτοῖς συνῆν, ἵνα αὐτοὺς πληροφορήσῃ καὶ δείξῃ ἡλίκα ἡμῶν εἶναι μέλλει τὰ σώματα μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Πάλιν λέγων διὰ τοῦ Παύλου, ὅτι Ἐν νεφέλαις ἁρπαγησόμεθα εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀέρα, καὶ τοῦτο ἔδειξεν ἔργοις. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἡνίκα ἔμελλεν ἀνιέναι εἰς οὐρανοὺς, παρόντων αὐτῶν Ἐπήρθη, φησὶ, καὶ νεφέλη ὑπέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν