But testing the things to come, having passed over her previous evils with amnesty, he honors the woman and praises her repentance, he justifies her tears and crowns her intention. But the Pharisee, seeing the wonder, is struck in his mind and, being struck with envy, does not accept the woman's repentance, but even strikes with reproach her who so honored the Lord and diminishes the dignity of the one honored, condemning him of ignorance. For, it says, when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself: If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner. O foolish and senseless and entirely Pharisee! By saying these things, you do not expose the character of the woman, but you accuse your own intention, saying that he does not know who the woman once was. Therefore you did not honor him with the invitation as a God who knows all things; are you not ashamed then, O brilliant accuser and slanderer, that you invite him as God and able to bless, but cry out against him as a man who knows nothing beyond us. This man, he says, if he were a prophet. And how much better than you, O Pharisee, was the woman in Sichem, who did not know a prophet and from first sight gratefully confessed the Savior. For, "Lord," she says, "I perceive that you are a prophet." And how much more admirable than you is this sinful woman, whose sin you see, but whose repentance you do not see. But you also condemn her whom the judge justifies, and you blame and censure her whom God, having accepted, crowns, because seeing God in the form of a man reclining at your house, she knew and honored him; and having uncovered the wounds of her soul, she asked for mercy and amnesty for her past life. But you, having honored him with the invitation, dishonor him with reproach, saying: If he were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him. Wretched man! Because he did not expose your evils, you condemn him for ignorance? Because he entered your roof, weighed down with many evils, you do away with his knowledge? But because you deemed him worthy to come under your roof, to recline with you and to lay a hand on your food, he consented and did not refuse, do you consider him one of the many? And were you worthy to host God, or to set a table for the one who prepares a table in the desert? But being a lover of mankind he did not refuse to receive drink and food even from your servants. Why then do you accuse the philanthropic master, O Pharisee, who balances the scale of goodness equally for all? And why, while straining out the gnat of the woman, do you swallow the camel of your own evils? And do you wish God to be long-suffering towards you, but severe towards her? Why do you provoke the judge over the crimes of others, while asking for pardon for your own? Why did you and Judas agree to test the Lord? For you, as if clean from filth, disparaging the woman for her sins, condemn God for ignorance; while he, as if a friend of the poor, is indignant, saying: "What is this waste of ointment? For it could have been sold for a great price and given to the poor." O the senseless opinion! O the ungrateful ways! Do you consider the service to Christ a waste, Judas, and call a futile expense that which went to the honor of God? How much have we given of what we have received? Let us consider, from when the world was created, how many rivers of mercy flow from his nature, and God does not consider abundance a loss. How many fragrances does the earth sprout? Herbs of roses and lilies, and storax, nard and stacte and the others from which the fine ointment is made. And God does not consider it a waste. And because a small alabaster of ointment is poured on the feet of Christ, you grumble? Did he then receive it for nothing, that you should grumble? He received ointment and showed a way of repentance; he received tears and staunched a fountain of sins. What waste is there, then, if the woman was saved, through whom paradise was closed, through whom Adam was cast out with her? But does this grieve you, Judas? Naturally; for also the devil

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ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα δοκιμάζων, ἀμνηστίᾳ παρελθὼν τὰ προλαβόντα αὐτῆς κακὰ τιμᾷ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ ἐπαινεῖ τὴν μετά νοιαν, δικαιοῖ τὰ δάκρυα καὶ στεφανοῖ τὴν πρόθεσιν. Ὁ δὲ φαρισαῖος ὁρῶν τὸ θαῦμα πλήττεται τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ φθόνῳ βαλλόμενος οὐ παραδέχεται τῆς γυναικὸς τὴν μετάνοιαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν οὕτω τιμήσασαν τὸν κύριον ἐπιρραπίζει τῇ λοιδορίᾳ καὶ τοῦ τιμηθέντος ἐλαττοῖ τὸ ἀξίωμα ἄγνοιαν αὐτοῦ καταψηφι ζόμενος. Ἰδὼν γάρ, φησίν, ὁ φαρισαῖος ὁ καλέσας αὐτὸν εἶπεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ· Οὗτος εἰ ἦν προφήτης, ἐγίνωσκεν ἂν τίς καὶ ποταπὴ ἡ γυνή, ἥτις ἅπτεται αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν. Ὦ ἄφρον καὶ ἀσύνετε καὶ τὰ ὅλα φαρισαῖε! Ταῦτα λέγων οὐ τῆς γυναικὸς διελέγχεις τὸν τρόπον, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἰδίας κατηγορεῖς προαιρέσεως ἀγνοεῖν αὐτὸν λέγων τίς ποτε ὑπῆρχε ἡ γυνή. Οὐκοῦν οὐχ ὡς θεὸν πάντα γινώσκοντα τῇ κλήσει ἐτίμησας· οὐκ αἰδῇ οὖν, ὦ λαμπρὲ κατήγο ρε καὶ συκοφάντα, ὅτι καλεῖς μὲν αὐτὸν ὡς θεὸν καὶ εὐλογῆσαι δυνάμενον, καταβοᾷς δὲ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀνθρώπου καὶ μηδὲν ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς εἰδότος. Οὗτος, φησίν, εἰ ἦν προφήτης. Καὶ πόσον σου βελτίων, ὦ φαρισαῖε, ἡ ἐν Σικήμοις γυνή, ἡ μὴ προφήτην εἰδυῖα καὶ ἐκ πρώτης ὄψεως τὸν σωτῆρα εὐγνωμόνως ὁμολογήσασα. Κύριε γάρ, φησί, θεωρῶ ὅτι προφήτης εἶ σύ. Πόσῳ δέ σου θαυμασιωτέρα καὶ αὕτη ἡ ἁμαρτωλός, ἧς τὴν μὲν ἁμαρτίαν ὁρᾷς, τὴν δὲ μετάνοιαν οὐ βλέπεις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ κατακρίνεις ἣν ὁ κριτὴς δικαιοῖ, καὶ μέμφῃ καὶ ψέγεις ἣν ὁ θεὸς ἀποδεξάμενος στεφανοῖ, ὅτι ἰδοῦσα παρά σοι θεὸν ἐν ἀνθρώπου μορφῇ κατακείμενον ἔγνω καὶ ἐτίμησε· καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκκαλύψασα τραύματα ἔλεον ᾔτησε καὶ τῶν βεβιωμένων τὴν ἀμνηστίαν. Σὺ δὲ τιμήσας τῇ κλήσει ἀτιμάζεις τῇ λοιδορίᾳ λέγων· Εἰ ἦν προφήτης ἐγίνωσκεν ἂν τίς καὶ ποταπὴ ἡ γυνὴ ἥτις ἅπτεται αὐτοῦ. Ἄθλιε! Ἐπειδὴ τὰ σὰ οὐκ ἤλεγξε κακά, ἄγνοιαν αὐτοῦ καταψηφίζῃ; Ἐπειδὴ τὴν πολλοῖς κακοῖς βεβαρημένην σου στέγην ὑπῆλθεν, ἀναιρεῖς αὐτοῦ τὴν γνῶσιν; Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἠξίωσας αὐτὸν τὴν σὴν ὑπελθεῖν στέγην, ἀνακλιθῆ ναι μετά σου καὶ χεῖρα ἐπιβαλεῖν τοῖς ἐδέσμασί σου, ἐπένευσε καὶ οὐκ ἀπηξίωσεν, ἕνα αὐτὸν τῶν πολλῶν νομίζεις; Ἄξιος δὲ ἦσθα ξενοδοχῆσαι θεὸν ἢ τράπεζαν παραθῆναι τῷ ἑτοιμάζοντι τράπε ζαν ἐν ἐρήμῳ; Ἀλλὰ φιλάνθρωπος ὢν οὐ παρῃτήσατο καὶ παρὰ τῶν σῶν οἰκετῶν πόμα καὶ σιτίον ὑποδέξασθαι. Τί οὖν αἰτιᾶσαι φιλάνθρωπον δεσπότην, ὦ φαρισαῖε, ὁμοίως εἰς πάντας τὸν τῆς χρηστότητος ζυγὸν ταλαντεύοντα; Τί δὲ τὸν κώνωπα τῆς γυναικὸς διϋλίζων τὴν κάμηλον τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν καταπίνεις; Καὶ ἐπὶ σοὶ μὲν μακρόθυμον εἶναι τὸν θεὸν βούλῃ, ἐπὶ ταύτῃ δὲ ἀπότομον; Τί ἐπ' ἀλλοτρίοις ἐγκλήμασι παροξύνεις τὸν δικαστήν, ἐπὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις συγγνώμην αἰτῶν; Τί συνεφωνήσατε σὺ καὶ Ἰούδας πειρᾶσαι τὸν κύριον; Σὺ μὲν γὰρ ὡς καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι διασύρων τὴν ἄνθρωπον ἄγνοιαν καταψη φίζῃ θεοῦ, ὁ δὲ ὡς φιλόπτωχος ἀγανακτεῖ λέγων· Τίς ἡ ἀπώλεια τοῦ μύρου τούτου; Ἠδύνατο γὰρ πραθῆναι πολλοῦ καὶ δοθῆναι πτωχοῖς. Ὢ τῆς ἀγνώμονος γνώμης! Ὢ τῶν ἀχαρίστων τρόπων! Ἀπώλειαν τίθεις, Ἰούδα, τὴν θεραπείαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ μάταιον ἀνάλωμα καλεῖς τὸ εἰς τιμὴν προχωρῆσαν θεοῦ; Πόσον ἐδώκαμεν ὧν ἐλάβομεν; Λογισώμεθα ἀφ' οὗπερ ὁ κόσμος ἀνεδείχθη, πόσοι παρὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ φύσεως ἐλέους ῥέουσι ποταμοί, καὶ οὐ λογίζεται θεὸς ζημίαν τὴν ἀφθονίαν. Πόσας ἡ γῆ εὐωδίας βλαστάνει; Πόας ῥόδων καὶ κρίνων, καὶ στύρακα, νάρδον καὶ στακτὴν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἀφ' ὧν τὸ καλὸν κατασκευάζεται μύρον. Καὶ οὐ λογίζεται θεὸς ἀπώλειαν. Καὶ ἵνα μικρὸν ἀλάβα στρον μύρου τοῖς ποσὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐπιχεθῇ, γογγύζεις; Μὴ οὖν προῖκα αὐτὸ ἔλαβεν, ἵνα γογγύσῃς; Ἔλαβεν μύρον καὶ ἔδειξε μετανοίας τρόπον· ἔλαβε δάκρυα καὶ ἔστησε πηγὴν ἁμαρτη μάτων. Ποία οὖν ἐστιν ἀπώλεια, εἰ ἐσώθη ἡ γυνή, δι' ἣν ὁ παράδεισος ἀπεκλείσθη, δι' ἣν Ἀδὰμ συνεξεβλήθη; Ἀλλὰ λυπεῖ σε τοῦτο, Ἰούδα; Εἰκότως· καὶ γὰρ τὸν διάβολον

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