4

he carved. But why did he wipe it away and not carve it? Why? Listen. If he had carved it and not wiped it away, it would have been about to bear even a small remnant of the former debt. Wherefore, observing this, the blessed Paul also cried out, saying: Christ has taken the bond of our sins out of the way, nailing it to the cross. But why did he nail it to the cross? So that everyone passing by might learn of its invalidation. Therefore our Lord Christ fasted after his baptism, but he suffered this voluntary passion not immediately after the baptism, but after a period of three years, which is signified as six days before, the abolisher of all passion, the bridal adornment of the church. So he suffered this passion after performing many and wondrous signs, after raising the dead, after strengthening the paralytics, after giving sight to the blind and cleansing the lepers. But nevertheless the apostles, being filled with the holy spirit, joining these two festivals, the fast and the passion, handed down one universal feast to the race of Christians. Let us therefore exult and be glad, because six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany. Why? So that he might provoke the Jews and save the nations. Six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany. Why? So that he might fulfill the mystery and open the place of propitiation, so that he might dine with Lazarus and anticipate his burial, so that he might be tempted as a slave and be freed as a son. Six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany. Why? So that he might be scourged on behalf of the condemned and as a lover of mankind deliver them from scourges. Six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany. Why? So that having been pierced in the side by a lance, he might heal the side of Adam, so that Judas Iscariot might value the material ointment at three hundred denarii, but agree on the Lord Christ for thirty pieces of silver. Six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany. Why? So that the cross might take root and the seal might blossom, so that he might shut up hades and open paradise. Six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany. Why? To wear a crown of thorns and uproot our sins, so that he might be numbered with the faithful and go to the father. Six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus who had died was, who could not be consigned to oblivion, the chief citizen of the city, who died once and was sent back to life a second time, who was stolen by a natural death and raised by the Lord's grace, who was seized by the tyrant of Tartarus and snatched away by Christ the King, who was defiled by sickness and renewed by a word. For you all know clearly, friends of Lazarus, or rather disciples of the Lord, that after Lazarus had died and had been given to the tomb, after four days Jesus came to Bethany, so that he might awaken Lazarus. For in his sight he was asleep, for he was his friend, acting as friends do. But Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, came to the Savior. Mary, being simple, kept quiet, for the little woman was more prudent; but Martha, leaping forth and being in grief, besought the Lord, crying out: Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died; but even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. But the Lord said to Martha: Martha, why do you speak mistakenly? Why do you not know what you are saying? You are hindering your brother, you do not permit him to rise, you are drunk with grief. Arius has not yet sprouted and you are bringing forth a weed of weakness in divinity, saying: If you had been here my brother would not have died. Was I not here, Martha? Ask my disciples and learn that even if I was absent in the body, I was present in the spirit. For your brother only just died and the angel who was with him reported his departure to me as to a king, immediately

4

ἐχάραξεν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ἀπήλειψε καὶ οὐκ ἐχάραξεν; ∆ιὰ τί; Ἄκουε. Εἰ ἐχάραξε καὶ οὐκ ἀπήλειψεν, ἤμελλε φέρειν κἂν μικρὸν λείψανον τοῦ προτέρου χρέους. Ὅθεν τοῦτο θεωρήσας καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος ἐβόα λέγων· Τὸ χειρόγραφον ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἦρκεν ἐκ μέσου Χριστὸς τῷ σταυρῷ αὐτὸ προσηλώσας. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ τῷ σταυρῷ αὐτὸ προσήλωσεν; Ἵνα πᾶς παραπορευόμενος μάθῃ τὴν τούτου ἀκυρωσίαν. Ἐνήστευσε τοίνυν ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν Χριστὸς μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, ἔπαθε δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἑκούσιον πάθος οὐκ εὐθὺς μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τριετῆ χρόνον, τὸ πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν ὡς σημαινόμενον, τὸ παντὸς πάθους ἀναιρετικόν, τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας νυμφοστολικόν. Ἔπαθεν οὖν τοῦτο τὸ πάθος μετὰ τὸ πολλὰ καὶ θαυμαστὰ σημεῖα ἐργάσασθαι, μετὰ τὸ νεκροὺς ἀναστῆσαι, μετὰ τὸ παραλύτους σφίγξαι, μετὰ τὸ τυφλοὺς ὀμματῶσαι καὶ λεπροὺς καθαρίσαι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οἱ ἀπόστολοι πνεύματος ἁγίου ἐμπλησθέντες ταύτας τὰς δύο πανηγύρεις, τὴν νηστείαν καὶ τὸ πάθος συνάψαντες, μίαν ἑορτὴν πάνδημον τῷ γένει τῶν Χριστιανῶν παρέδωκαν. Ἀγαλλιαθῶμεν οὖν καὶ εὐφρανθῶμεν, ὅτι πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα Ἰουδαίους δριμύξῃ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη διασώσῃ. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὸ μυστήριον καὶ ἀνοίξῃ τὸ ἱλαστήριον, ἵνα τῷ Λαζάρῳ συνδειπνήσῃ καὶ τὴν ταφὴν προθυμιάσῃ, ἵνα ὡς δοῦλος πειρασθῇ καὶ ὡς υἱὸς ἐλευθερωθῇ. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα ὑπὲρ τῶν καταδίκων φραγελλωθῇ καὶ ὡς φιλάνθρωπος τούτους μαστίγων ἀπαλλάξῃ. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα τὴν πλευρὰν λόγχῃ νυχθεὶς τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἰάσηται, ἵνα Ἰούδας ὁ Ἰσκαριώτης τὸ μὲν ὑλικὸν μύρον τριακοσίων δηναρίων διατιμήσηται, τὸν δὲ δεσπότην Χριστὸν τριάκοντα ἀργυρίων συμφωνήσῃ. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἵνα τὸν σταυρὸν ῥιζώσῃ καὶ τὴν σφραγῖδα ἀνθήσῃ, ἵνα τὸν ᾅδην ἐμφράξῃ καὶ τὸν παράδεισον ἀνοίξῃ. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἀκάνθινον στέφανον φορέσαι καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἐκριζῶσαι, ἵνα τοῖς πιστοῖς συντάξηται καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ὁδεύσῃ. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζαρος ὁ τεθνηκώς, ὁ λήθῃ παραπεμφθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος, ὁ πόλεως ἀρχιπολίτης , ὁ ἅπαξ τεθνηκὼς καὶ δεύτερον τῷ βίῳ παραπεμφθείς, ὁ φυσικῷ θανάτῳ κλαπεὶς καὶ δεσποτικῇ χάριτι ἐγερθείς, ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου ταρτάρου ἁρπαγεὶς καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Χριστοῦ ἀποσπασθείς, ὁ νόσῳ καταρρυπωθεὶς καὶ λόγῳ ἀνανεωθείς. Ἴστε γὰρ πάντες σαφῶς, οἱ τοῦ Λαζάρου φίλοι, μᾶλλον δὲ οἱ τοῦ κυρίου μαθηταί, ὅτιπερ τοῦ Λαζάρου θανόντος καὶ τάφῳ παραδοθέντος μετὰ τέσσαρας ἡμέρας ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ἵνα τὸν Λάζαρον διυπνίσῃ. Παρ' αὐτῷ γὰρ κεκοίμητο, ἦν γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ φίλος ὡς τὰ φίλων διαπραττόμενος. Μάρθα δὲ καὶ Μαρία αἱ ἀδελφαὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου τῷ σωτῆρι προσῆλθον. Ἁπλῆ μὲν ἡ Μαρία οὖσα ἡσυχίαν ἦγεν, συνετώτερον γὰρ ἦν τὸ γύναιον· ἡ δὲ Μάρθα προεκπηδήσασα καὶ ὡς ἐν λύπῃ ὑπάρχουσα παρεκάλει τὸν κύριον βοῶσα· Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε οὐκ ἄν μου ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἀδελφός· ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν οἶδα ὅτι ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσῃ τὸν θεόν, δώσει σοι ὁ θεός. Ὁ δὲ κύριος πρὸς τὴν Μάρθαν· Μάρθα, τί ἐσφαλμένα φθέγγῃ; Τί οὐκ οἶδας ὃ λέγεις; Ἐμποδίζεις τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, οὐ συγχωρεῖς τοῦτον ἀναστῆναι, τῇ λύπῃ μεθύεις. Οὐδέπω ὁ Ἄρειος ἐβλάστησε καὶ σὺ ἀσθενοθεΐας ζιζάνιον προφέρεις λέγουσα· Εἰ ἦς ὧδε οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανέ μου ὁ ἀδελφός. Οὐκ ἤμην ὧδε, Μάρθα; Ἐρώτησον τοὺς μαθητάς μου καὶ μάθε ὅτιπερ εἰ καὶ ἀπὼν ἤμην τῷ σώματι, παρὼν ἤμην τῷ πνεύματι. Μόνον γὰρ ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἀδελφός σου καὶ ὁ συνὼν αὐτῷ ἄγγελος τὴν μετάθεσιν αὐτοῦ ἀνήνεγκέ μοι ὡς βασιλεῖ, εὐθέως