Gregory of Nazianzus, The Passion of Christ

I, knowing though that everything is choice; for God does not save one unwilling by force. O perverse one, O most wicked and blood-stained, what a thing you have done, having sold a benefactor? May he himself, who hoped you to be the father of a son, wipe you out root and branch, having wounded you with fire. Begone, you doer of shameful deeds, you destroyer of friendship; I have spat you out, nor is it right to speak with you even in your absence; for God also detests the deceitful man. O Child, why is it that for gold, which might be counterfeit, you have given clear tests to men, but for men, by which one must discern the wicked, no mark is implanted on the body? But do you, knowing yourself, wish all to be ignorant? May he perish, may the evildoer justly perish; begone, begone, most wicked and blood-stained one, may you perish; but I will look upon my Child alive, even if now, groaning much and smitten with the goads of grief, I, the all-suffering, weep; for I am a woman and was born to tears. {CHORUS} Ai, ai, ai, ai; Hush, hush, you will no longer see your Child alive. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, why do you lament? What is the handle of this drama? {CHORUS} I do not know; but it seems this messenger nearby will tell what happened there concerning your beloved Child. {ANGEL} It was decided for your Child to die this day by the vote of the scribes and of the elders. {THEOTOKOS} Alas, the expectation has come which I, long fearing, wasted away with groans for what was to be. {CHORUS} But what was the trial, what words of the Hebrews took him down and ratified his death? {THEOTOKOS} Women, who are near to this misfortune, women, it is not to be borne, I will not endure it; I will cast away, I will release my body, I will depart from life by dying; farewell, I am no more. But you, tell me in what manner it has been decided for the Child to die; is the vote for him to die by the stoning hand? Or is the judgment for him to break forth his spirit by the sword? {ANGEL} I happened to be coming from the country inside the gates, and I wanted to learn about this matter; for I always had goodwill for your Child, seeing what wonderful things he did among mortals, and he opened the pupils of my eyes. I see a crowd that has run and reached the height, and I asked one of the citizens, seeing the assembly; "What is new in the city? Has some message from enemies stirred up the city of the Hebrews?" This man said: "Do you not see that Jesus nearby, standing to run the contest of death?" And I see an unhoped-for sight, which I wish I never had; him standing downcast and silent, but them, like dogs thirsting for blood, running around him, gaping at him. When the crowd of Jews was full, the wretched leader spoke with a double mind, turning his words one way and another in fear; and at last he said, marveling at your Son, seeing him as innocent, irreproachable, and proceeding with understanding to all words, but not praising them as murdering lawlessly one against whom he found no cause for death, he said at any rate, he said: Who wishes to say whether it is necessary for Jesus to die, or not? and to release this one rather than the blood-stained one of the robbers they held in bonds. But they roared that it was necessary for him to die on a cross, and to release the robber, the evildoer. The governor said the opposite to these things, but he did not persuade the crowd, though he seemed to speak well. For another again said the opposite to this, trusting in his shouting and ignorant boldness; but he did not approve; and at this a great tumult of the foul-mouthed crowd arises; which indeed shouted that it is right for your Child to die. But that evil one speaking in the multitude prevails, who said it is necessary for your Child to die on a tree. And now while dawn has appeared, darkness flows out, and indeed they will drag him outside the gate to run the contest for his soul that lies before him, according to which the judgment is to die; for on this day he will leave this life. {THEOTOKOS} Ai, ai, you reveal a word that is the beginning of evils. Yes, yes, I, wretched one, see a sea of evils so great, that I may never swim out of it again nor cross the wave of this misfortune. Alas, where will the mind of the Hebrews go? what will be the end of their audacity and boldness, if they dare to contrive the murder even of God? And for him I have no care; for death will not overcome the one who puts death to death; I bore him, and I know how I gave birth, having escaped the harsh pains of childbirth; but I mourn for them, who are subject to misfortune. For there will be, there will be an avenging justice for the murder, which the impious dare to commit lawlessly through envy. Ai, ai, ai, ai; Not now for the first time, but often has envy harmed many, but not so much as it might now harm his own friends, the crowd of Hebrews.

ἐγώ, εἰδυῖα καίπερ ὡς τὸ πᾶν προαίρεσις· Θεὸς γὰρ οὐκ ἄκοντα σαώζει βίᾳ. Ὦ δύστροπ', ὦ κάκιστε καὶ μιαιφόνε, οἷον πέπραχας, πεπρακὼς εὐεργέτην; Αὐτός σ', ὃν ἐλπὶς παιδὸς εἶναι πατέρα, πρόρριζον ἐκτρίψειεν οὐτάσας πυρί. Ἔρρ', αἰσχροποιέ, φιλίας διαφθορεῦ· ἀπέπτυσ' οὐδ' ἀπόντι σοι δεῖ συλλαλεῖν· τὸν γὰρ δόλιον καὶ Θεὸς βδελύσσεται. Ὦ Παῖ, τί δὴ χρυσοῦ μέν, ὃς κίβδηλος ᾖ, τεκμήρι' ἀνθρώποισιν ὤπασας σαφῆ, ἀνδρῶν δ' ὅτῳ χρὴ τὸν κακὸν διειδέναι, οὐδεὶς χαρακτὴρ ἐμπέφυκε σώματος; ἀλλ' αὐτὸς εἰδώς, ἀγνοεῖν πάντας θέλεις; Ὄλοιτ' ὄλοιτο πανδίκως κακεργάτης· ἔρρ' ἔρρε, παγκάκιστε καὶ μιαιφόνε, ὄλοι'· ἐγὼ δὲ ζῶντα Παῖδ' ἐπόψομαι, κἂν νῦν στένουσα πολλὰ καὶ πεπληγμένη κέντροις ἀνίας, ἡ παντλάμων δακρύω· γυνὴ γάρ εἰμι κἀπὶ δακρύοις ἔφυν. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Αἲ αἲ αἲ αἴ· Σίγα, σίγα, Παῖδ' οὐκέτ' ὄψει ζῶντα σόν. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Οἴμοι, τί θρηνεῖς; τίς δὲ δράματος λαβή; {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Οὐκ οἶδ'· ἔοικε δ' οὐ μακρὰν ὅδ' ἄγγελος λέξειν τἀκεῖθεν σοῦ φίλου Παιδὸς πέρι. {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Ἔδοξε θανεῖν Παῖδα σὸν τῇδ' ἡμέρᾳ γραμματέων ψήφῳ τε καὶ πρεσβυτέρων. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Οἴμοι, προσῆλθεν ἐλπίς, ἣν φοβουμένη πάλαι, τὸ μέλλον ἐξετηκόμην γόοις. {ΧΟΡΟΣ} Ἀτὰρ τίς ἀγών, τίνες Ἑβραίων λόγοι καθεῖλον αὐτὸν κἀπεκύρωσαν θανεῖν; {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Γυναῖκες, αἳ τῆσδ' ἐγγύς ἐστε συμφορᾶς, γυναῖκες, οὐκ ἀνασχέτ' οὐκ ἀνέξομαι· ῥίψω, μεθήσω σῶμ', ἀπαλλαγήσομαι βίου θανοῦσα· χαίρετ', οὐκέτ' εἴμ' ἐγώ. Σὺ δ' εἰπὲ τίνι κέκριται τρόπῳ θανεῖν Παῖδ'· ἆρα λευσίμῳ χερὶ ψῆφος θανεῖν; ἢ δὴ σιδήρῳ πνεῦμ' ἀπορρῆξαι κρίσις; {ΑΓΓΕΛΟΣ} Ἐτύγχανον μὲν ἀγρόθεν πυλῶν ἔσω βαίνων, πυθέσθαι δ' ἤθελον τοῦ δὴ πέρι· σῷ γὰρ ἀεί ποτ' εἶχον εὔνοιαν Τέκνῳ, βλέπων νιν οἷ' ἔρεξε θαυμάστ' ἐν βροτοῖς, κἀμοῦ δὲ διήνοιξεν ὀμμάτων κόρας. Ὁρῶ δ' ὄχλον δραμόντα καὶ φθάσαντ' ἄκραν, ἀστῶν δὲ δή τιν' ἠρόμην, ἄθροισμ' ἰδών· «Τί καινὸν ἄστει; μῶν τι δυσμενῶν πάρα ἄγγελμ' ἀνεπτέρωκεν Ἑβραίων πόλιν;» Ὅδ' εἶπ'· «Ἰησοῦν κεῖνον οὐχ ὁρᾷς πέλας ἑστῶτ' ἀγῶνα θανάτου δραμούμενον;» Ὁρῶ δ' ἄελπτον φάσμ', ὃ μή ποτ' ὤφελον· τὸν μὲν κατηφῆ καὶ σιγῶνθ' ἑστηκότα, τοὺς δ' ὥστε κύνας αἵματος διψαλέους κύκλῳ περιτρέχοντας, ἐγκεχηνότας. Ἐπεὶ δὲ πλήρης ἦν Ἰουδαίων ὄχλος, δείλαιος ἀγὸς διχόμυθ' ἐφθέγγετο, λόγους ἑλίσσων ἄλλοτ' ἄλλους ἐν φόβῳ· τέλος δ' ἔφη, σὸν Υἱὸν ἐκπαγλούμενος, ὡς ἀκέραιον, ἀνεπίπληκτον βλέπων, καὶ ξυνετῶς χωροῦντα πρὸς πάντας λόγους, τοὺς δ' οὐκ ἐπαινῶν ὡς φονῶντας ἀνόμως, καθ' οὗπερ οὐχ εὕρισκεν αἰτίαν φόνου, ἔλεξε γοῦν, ἔλεξε· Τίς χρῄζει λέγειν, ὡς ἄρ' Ἰησοῦν κατθανεῖν, ἢ μή, χρεών; καὶ τόνδ' ἀφεῖναι μᾶλλον ἢ μιαιφόνον ὧν εἶχον ἐν δεσμοῖσι λῃστήρων ἕνα. Ἐπερρόθησαν δ' ὡς θανεῖν σταυρῷ δέον, λῃστῆρα δ' ἀφεῖναί τε τὸν κακεργάτην. Ὁ δ' ἡγεμὼν ἔφησε τοῖσδ' ἐναντία, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπειθ' ὅμιλον, εὖ δοκῶν λέγειν. Ἄλλος γὰρ αὖθις εἶπε τῷδ' ἐναντία, κραυγῇ πίσυνος κἀμαθεῖ τολμηρίᾳ· ὃς δ' οὐκ ἐπῄνει· κἀπὶ τῷδ' ἀνίσταται ὄχλου θόρυβος ἀθυρογλώσσου μέγας· ὃς δὴ κέκραγε Παῖδα σὸν θανεῖν θέμις. Κεῖνος δὲ νικᾷ κακὸς ἐν πλήθει λέγων, ὃς εἶπε δεῖν σὸν Παῖδα θανεῖν ἐν ξύλῳ. Ἤδη δ' ἕως πέφηνεν, ἐκρέει κνέφας, καὶ δή νιν ἑλκύσουσιν ἔξω τῆς πύλης ψυχῆς ἀγῶνα τὸν προκείμενον πέρι δραμούμενον, καθ' ὃν θανεῖν ἐστὶ κρίσις· ἐν ἡμέρᾳ γὰρ τῇδε λείψει τὸν βίον. {ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΣ} Αἲ αἴ, κακῶν ἀρχηγὸν ἐκφαίνεις λόγον. Ναὶ ναὶ κακῶν πέλαγος ἡ τάλαιν' ὁρῶ τοσοῦτον, ὥστε μήποτ' ἐκνεῦσαι πάλιν μηδ' ἐκπερᾶσαι κῦμα τῆσδε συμφορᾶς. Φεῦ τῆς Ἑβραίων πῇ προβήσεται φρενός; τί τέρμα τόλμης καὶ θράσους γενήσεται, εἰ καὶ Θεοῦ τολμῶσι τεκταίνειν φόνον; Καὐτοῦ μὲν οὔ μοι φροντίς· οὐ γάρ που μόρος κατακρατήσει θανατοῦντος τὸν μόρον· ἔτικτον αὐτόν, οἶδα δ' ὡς ἐγεινάμην, στερρὰς φυγοῦσα τῶν τόκων ἀλγηδόνας· αὐτοὺς δὲ πενθῶ συμφορᾷ κεχρημένους. Ἔσται γὰρ ἔσται ποινάτωρ δίκη φόνου, ὃν δυσσεβεῖς τολμῶσιν ἀνόμως φθόνῳ. Αἲ αἲ αἲ αἴ· Οὐ νῦν τὸ πρῶτον, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις φθόνος ἔβλαψε πολλούς, οὐ τόσον δ' ὅσον φίλους αὐτοῦ τανῦν βλάψειεν, Ἑβραίων ὄχλον.