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being, and knowing how to bear infirmity. A man, not God; for he was a man, and not God, who was struck. Who then is this one of many toils and many pains and smitten by all? Does he perhaps suffer justly what he suffers? This one bears our sins, and suffers for our sake. I find no fault in him. But do not be ashamed of the reproachful good things. For having suffered so much, he remained impassible; he was wounded, he was spat upon, he endured the most shameful things, and the same one remains honored, glorious, as one of those who have been smitten, says Isaiah himself: And we considered him to be in toil, and in smiting, and in affliction; but he was wounded for our sins, and was made weak for our iniquities. Therefore both he and we lie wounded. By his stripe we were healed.

A dead man, the physician of the dead; a wounded man, the antidote for men of many toils. But how long do you wander around our security, O man? say more clearly what is sought. As a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb. A good sheep given over to evil butchers; if you slaughter, O Jews, do not shear; but if you shear, spare a sheep bearing good fruit. And two other evildoers were led with him. For the account has come around to us to the eleventh hour of the day, so that no one should despair of his own life. And I wished to pass over the story, because 50.816 it has often been told, but I see the robber always compelling me. And it is no great thing; for he also forced the gates of paradise, having turned his craft to salvation. A lamb stood upon the cross, and two wolves; but the one remained in earthly opinion; but the other was already changing, saying, Remember me, when you come into your kingdom. O the power of Jesus! The robber already a prophet, preaching from the cross; Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom. For what do you see of a king, O robber? A blow, spittle, nails and wood, and the taunts of the Jews, and already the spear of the soldiers being bared. But I do not see, he says, the things that appear; I see angels standing around, the sun fleeing, the veil being torn, the earth trembling, the dead already preparing to flee; Jesus receiving all, who also gave the same denarius to the workers who came about the eleventh hour; Amen I say to you (receive you also the amen, O robber, who today are a robber), today you will be with me in paradise. I who cast you out, bring you in, who closed the gates of paradise, who walled it with a flaming sword; for if I do not bring you in, the gates remain closed. Come, O robber, having robbed the devil, and been crowned against him; having seen a man, you also worshipped God, having cast away your old weapons, and taken up those of faith.

And while these things were so, and all things were being sanctified, from the aether, the sun, from plants, the wood, from animals, the gall, from woven things, the seamless tunic, from the sea, the purple robe, from metals and iron, the spear and nails, and from the twin springs, of blood and water poured forth, the Savior was doing his own work: Father, forgive them their sin. Forgiveness for whom? For Greeks, Jews, strangers, barbarians, for all simply; for he spoke once, and the work is always being accomplished. For he did not say, Forgive, for his enemies only; each year he says it, and always says it, and whoever wishes receives it. They all gathered at the praetorium of Pilate; saying what? We know that that deceiver said while still alive; After three days I will rise. Do you know at all? Do you remember at all that he is raised? Secure the tomb; for you secure it for me; guard a dead man, lest he escape. You have, he says, a guard, go; make it as secure as you know how; close it as you know how, prepare it as you know how, guard it as you know how; if you did not guard it, you leave me a pretext for an excuse.

But now I hand over to you yourselves, him who when he lived was seized by you, but when he was killed, escaped all of you. Let us therefore remain sober, so that the deep sleep

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ὢν, καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν. Ἄνθρωπος, οὐ Θεός· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἦν, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς, ὁ πληττόμενος. Τίς οὖν οὗτος ὁ πολύπονος καὶ πολυώδυνος καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων βαλλόμενος; μήπου καὶ δικαίως ἃ πάσχει πάθῃ; Οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται. Ἐγὼ οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν εὑρίσκω ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ αἰσχύνου τοῖς ἐπονειδίστοις ἀγαθοῖς. Τοσαῦτα γὰρ παθὼν, ἔμεινεν ἀπαθής· ἐτρώθη, ἐνεπτύσθη, τὰ αἴσχιστα ὑπέμεινε, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς μένει ἔντιμος, ἔνδοξος, τῶν πεπληγμένων ὥς τις, φησὶν αὐτὸς ὁ Ἡσαΐας· Καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ, καὶ ἐν πληγῇ, καὶ ἐν κακώσει· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐμαλακίσθη διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἡμεῖς τραυματίαι κείμεθα. Τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν.

Νεκρὸς νεκρῶν ἰατρός· τραυματίας πολυπόνων ἀνθρώπων ἀντιφάρμακον. Ἀλλ' ἕως πότε τὴν ἡμετέραν ἄδειαν περιπλανᾷς, ὦ ἄνθρωπε; εἰπὲ σαφέστερον τὸ ζητούμενον. Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος ἄφωνος. Χρηστὸν πρόβατον κακοῖς μαγείροις ἐκδοθέν· εἰ σφάττετε, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, μὴ κείρετε· εἰ δὲ κείρετε, φείσασθε προβάτου χρηστὰ καρποφοροῦντος. Ἤγοντο δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι μετ' αὐτοῦ κακοῦργοι δύο. Περιήκει γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος εἰς τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν τῆς ἡμέρας, ἵνα μηδεὶς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ζωὴν ἀπαγορεύσῃ. Καὶ ἐβουλόμην μὲν ὑπερβῆναι τὴν ἱστορίαν, διὰ τὸ 50.816 πολλάκις αὐτὴν εἰρῆσθαι, ὁρῶ δὲ λῃστὴν ἀεί με βιαζόμενον. Καὶ οὐ μέγα· καὶ γὰρ παραδείσου θύρας ἐβιάσατο, τὴν τέχνην εἰς σωτηρίαν μεταβαλών. Εἱστήκει ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀμνὸς, καὶ δύο λύκοι· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γνώμη· ὁ δὲ ἤδη μετεβάλλετο, Μνήσθητί μου, λέγων, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ὢ τῆς δυνάμεως Ἰησοῦ! ὁ λῃστὴς ἤδη προφήτης ἀπὸ σταυροῦ κηρύσσων· Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Τί γὰρ ὁρᾷς βασιλέως, ὦ λῃστά; Ῥάπισμα, ἔμπτυσμα, ἥλους καὶ ξύλον, καὶ τὰ Ἰουδαίων σκώμματα, καὶ ἤδη τὴν λόγχην τῶν στρατιωτῶν γυμνουμένην. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁρῶ, φησὶ, τὰ φαινόμενα· ἀγγέλους περιεστῶτας ὁρῶ, ἥλιον φεύγοντα, καταπέτασμα ῥηγνύμενον, τὴν γῆν τρέμουσαν, νεκροὺς ἤδη φεύγειν μελετῶντας· Ἰησοῦς πάντας δεχόμενος, ὁ καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἐλθοῦσιν ἐργάταις δοὺς τὸ αὐτὸ δηνάριον· Ἀμὴν λέγω σοι (λάβε καὶ σὺ τὸ ἀμὴν, ὦ λῃστὰ, ὁ σήμερον λῃστὴς), σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ἐγώ σε ἐκβαλὼν, εἰσάγω, ὁ τὰς θύρας τοῦ παραδείσου κλείσας, ὁ ῥομφαίᾳ πυρίνῃ τειχίσας· ἂν γὰρ ἐγὼ μὴ εἰσάγω, μένουσιν αἱ θύραι κεκλεισμέναι. ∆εῦρο, ὦ λῃστὰ, τὸν διάβολον λῃστεύσας, καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ στεφανωθείς· ἄνθρωπον ἰδὼν, καὶ Θεὸν προσεκύνησας, τὰ μὲν πάλαι ῥίψας ὅπλα, τὰ δὲ τῆς πίστεως ἀναλαβών.

Τούτων δὲ οὕτως ἐχόντων, καὶ πάντων ἁγιαζομένων, ἐκ μὲν αἰθέρος, ἡλίου, ἐκ δὲ φυτῶν, ξύλου, ἐκ δὲ ζώων, χολῆς, ἐκ δὲ ὑφασμάτων, χιτῶνος ἀδιαῤῥήκτου, ἐκ δὲ θαλάσσης, πορφυρᾶς στολῆς, ἐκ δὲ μετάλλων καὶ σιδήρου, λόγχης καὶ ἥλων, καὶ διδύμων πηγῶν, αἵματος καὶ ὕδατος προχυθέντος, ὁ Σωτὴρ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἐποίει· Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Τίσιν ἄφεσις; Ἕλλησιν, Ἰουδαίοις, ξένοις, βαρβάροις, πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς· ἅπαξ γὰρ εἶπε, καὶ ἀεὶ τὸ ἔργον τελεῖται. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν πολεμίων μόνον, Ἄφες, εἶπε· καθ' ἕκαστον ἔτος λέγει, καὶ ἀεὶ λέγει, καὶ ὁ βουλόμενος λαμβάνει. Συνῆλθον πάντες ἐπὶ τὸ πραιτώριον Πιλάτου· τί λέγοντες; Οἴδαμεν ὅτι ὁ πλάνος ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν ἔτι ζῶν· Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι. Ὅλως οἶδας; ὅλως μέμνησαι ὅτι ἐγήγερται; Ἀσφαλίζου τὸν τάφον· ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀσφαλίζῃ· φρούρησον νεκρὸν, μὴ φύγη. Ἔχετε φησὶ, κουστωδίαν, ὑπάγετε· ἀσφαλίσασθε ὡς οἴδατε· ἀποκλείετε ὡς οἴδατε, ὡς οἴδατε σκευάσατε, ὡς οἴδατε φρουρήσατε· εἰ μὴ ἐφυλάξατε, ἐμοὶ προφάσεως λόγον καταλιμπάνετε.

Νυνὶ δὲ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς παραδίδωμι, ὅτε μὲν ἔζη παρ' ὑμῶν κατασχεθέντα, ὅτε δὲ ἀνῃρέθη, πάντας ὑμᾶς λαθόντα. Μείνωμεν τοίνυν νήφοντες, ἵνα τὸν βαθὺν ὕπνον