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how was he greater than a physician, becoming nature itself to the maimed? And what physicians were not able by their art to correct, these things he himself restored by his consolation, through his great providence for them, becoming limbs to them in place of their own. For just as if they were healthy and sound of foot and seeing, so were those disposed who were mutilated in these limbs, not perceiving their lameness or their maiming because of his great providence. For this reason he did not say, that I comforted the lame and the blind, but, I was a foot to them and an eye; and again, I was a father of the helpless. Nor here did he say, I comforted orphans, but, I was a father to them; showing by this that he did not even permit a feeling of orphanhood to arise, nor allow the terrible thing to appear; just as in the other case he removed the maiming by the abundance of his providence for those who had suffered such things, and took away the very feeling of their afflictions. And he did not only heal mutilated bodies, nor correct the state of orphanhood, becoming limbs to the one and parents to the other, but he also appointed himself a judge; or rather, even more than a judge. For The cause, he says, which I knew not, I searched out, and I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the spoil out of their teeth. This is much more than a judge. For those who judge sit waiting for the wronged, and after their petition, then the most approved of judges offer their assistance; while the many do not even do this; but this man surpassed even the most approved, and outstripped them by a great measure. For he did not wait for the wronged to come to him, nor did he come to their aid after their petition, but he himself went about proactively seeking the wronged, and not merely seeking, but with great vigilance, with great care. And you will know this clearly, when you understand the power of the word; for he did not say, I sought, but, The cause which I knew not I searched out; that is, I investigated, I busied myself with many affairs, I continued 63.483 setting everything in motion, so as to find if anyone wronged was hidden somewhere. Did you see the sleepless soul? Behold also his courage and zeal: And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous. That which bites, their power, I destroyed, he says, so that for the future they would become useless for another injustice. He therefore benefited both, delivering the one from suffering evil, and the other from doing evil and making them more temperate. Then his vigor and endurance: And I plucked the spoil out of their teeth. For I did not despair nor give up, even if the matter was already seized, but even that which had been swallowed I drew up, showing the providence of some excellent and sober shepherd concerning his fellow servants. And what of his humility? For consider how great it was: If I have also despised the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they contended with me. For what shall I do, if the Lord should make a visitation of me? Did not they also come to be in the womb as I did? Did you see a contrite mind and one that examines the nature of men with accuracy and knows what is a slave, what is free, this thing that is tossed about by many? Having cast out this inequality, therefore, from the equality of birth he introduces the argument concerning philosophy. And the wonderful thing about him is that in doing these things, he did not consider himself to be humble, but to be fulfilling a debt. Wherefore he also set forth a reasoning that persuades all men to think nothing more of their servants, even if they be masters ten thousand times over. For these names, slave and free, are only bare names, empty of realities; but slavery is defined in sin, and freedom in righteousness. Was he therefore humble in this way, but not desirable and lovely? Yes, lovely; and consider here too the excess. For just as in terrible things he bore what was brought upon him with all vehemence, so also in prosperity he accomplished each virtue with much abundance, not simply nor as it happened, but arriving at the very summit. Yea, though my maidservants have often said, Who would give us of

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πῶς ἰατροῦ μείζων, ἀντὶ τῆς φύσεως τοῖς πεπηρωμένοις ἐγίνετο; καὶ ἅπερ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἰατροὶ τῇ τέχνῃ διορθῶσαι, ταῦτα αὐτὸς ἀνεκτᾶτο τῇ παρακλήσει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς πρόνοιαν ἀντὶ τῶν μελῶν αὐτοῖς γινόμενος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὑγιεῖς καὶ ἀρτίποδες καὶ βλέποντες, οὕτω διέκειντο οἱ τὰ μέλη ταῦτα κεκολοβωμένοι, οὐκ αἰσθανόμενοι τῆς χωλείας οὐδὲ τῆς πηρώσεως διὰ τὴν πολλὴν τούτου πρόνοιαν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐδὲ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ παρεμυθούμην χωλοὺς καὶ τυφλοὺς, ἀλλὰ, Ποῦς αὐτῶν ἤμην καὶ ὀφθαλμός· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἤμην πατὴρ ἀδυνάτων. Οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα εἶπεν, Παρεμυθούμην ὀρφανοὺς, ἀλλὰ, Πατὴρ ἤμην αὐτῶν· δηλῶν διὰ τούτου, ὅτι οὐδὲ αἴσθησιν ἠφίει γίνεσθαι τῆς ὀρφανίας, οὐδὲ φανῆναι τὸ δεινὸν συνεχώρει· καθάπερ ἐκεῖ τὴν πήρωσιν τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς προνοίας τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα πεπονθότων, καὶ αὐτὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἀναιρῶν τὴν αἴσθησιν. Οὐ σώματα δὲ μόνον ἐθεράπευε κεκολοβωμένα, οὐδὲ ὀρφανίας διώρθου, τοῖς μὲν ἀντὶ μελῶν, τοῖς δὲ ἀντὶ γονέων γινόμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαστὴς αὐτοχειροτόνητος καθίστατο· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ δικαστοῦ πλέον· ∆ίκην γὰρ, φησὶν, ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν, ἐξιχνίασα, καὶ συνέτριψα μύλας ἀδίκων, καὶ ἐκ μέσου τῶν ὀδόντων αὐτῶν ἐξήρπασα ἅρπαγμα. Τοῦτο δικαστοῦ πολὺ πλέον. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ δικάζοντες κάθηνται ἀναμένοντες τοὺς ἠδικημένους, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἔντευξιν, τότε τὴν παρ' ἑαυτῶν παρέχουσι συμμαχίαν οἱ δοκιμώτατοι τῶν δικαζόντων· ὡς οἵ γε πολλοὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο· οὗτος δὲ καὶ τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους ἐνίκησε, καὶ ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ὑπερηκόντισεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνέμενε τοὺς ἀδικουμένους ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἔντευξιν ἐπῄει τῇ συμμαχίᾳ, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸς προλαμβάνων περιῄει ζητῶν τοὺς ἠδικημένους, καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ζητῶν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀγρυπνίας, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς φροντίδος. Καὶ τοῦτο εἴσῃ σαφῶς, τῆς λέξεως καταμαθὼν τὴν δύναμιν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐζήτησα, ἀλλὰ, ∆ίκην ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν ἐξιχνίασα· τουτέστι, ἠρεύνησα, περιειργασάμην πολυπραγμονῶν, διετέλεσα 63.483 πάντα κινῶν, ὥστε εὑρεῖν μή πού τις ἠδικημένος λανθάνῃ. Εἶδες τὴν ἄγρυπνον ψυχήν; ὅρα καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν σπουδήν· Καὶ συνέτριψα μύλας ἀδίκων. Τὸ δηκτικὸν αὐτὸ, τὴν δυναστείαν κατέλυσα, φησὶν, ὥστε λοιπὸν καὶ εἰς ἑτέραν ἀδικίαν ἀχρήστους γενέσθαι. Ἀμφοτέρους τοίνυν ὠφέλει, τοὺς μὲν τοῦ παθεῖν κακῶς, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ ποιεῖν κακῶς ἀπαλλάττων καὶ σωφρονεστέρους ποιῶν. Εἶτα τὴν εὐτονίαν καὶ τὴν καρτερίαν· Καὶ ἐκ μέσου ὀδόντων αὐτῶν ἐξήρπασα ἅρπαγμα. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπεγίνωσκον οὐδὲ ἀπηγόρευον, εἰ καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα προκατειλημμένον ἦν, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τὸ καταποθὲν ἀνιμώμην, ποιμένος ἀρίστου τινὸς καὶ νήφοντος πρόνοιαν περὶ τοὺς συνδούλους ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Τί δὲ ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη; ἐννόησον γὰρ καὶ ἡλίκη· Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐφαύλισα κρῖμα θεράποντός μου ἢ θεραπαίνης, κρινομένων αὐτῶν πρός με. Τί γὰρ ποιήσω, ἐὰν ἐπισκοπήν μου ποιήσηται ὁ Κύριος; πότερον οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ ἐγενόμην ἐν γαστρὶ, κἀκεῖνοι γεγόνασιν; Εἶδες συντετριμμένην διάνοιαν καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν ἐπισκεπτομένην μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ εἰδυῖαν τί δοῦλος, τί ἐλεύθερος, τοῦτο τὸ ὑπὸ πολλῶν περιφερόμενον; Ταύτην γοῦν ἐκβαλὼν τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν, ἀπὸ τῆς ὁμοτιμίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν γέννησιν τὸν περὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας εἰσάγει λόγον. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ταῦτα ποιῶν, οὐδὲ ταπεινοφρονεῖν ἐνόμιζεν, ἀλλ' ὀφειλὴν πληροῦν. ∆ιὸ καὶ λογισμὸν ἔθηκε τὸν ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους πείθοντα, μηδὲν πλέον φρονεῖν τῶν οἰκετῶν, κἂν μυριάκις ὦσι δεσπόται. Τὰ γὰρ ὀνόματα ταῦτα, ὁ δοῦλος καὶ ὁ ἐλεύθερος, ὀνόματα μέν ἐστι μόνον ψιλὰ, πραγμάτων ἔρημα· ἡ δὲ δουλεία ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ, καὶ ἡ ἐλευθερία ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὁρίζεται. Ἄρ' οὖν ταπεινὸς μὲν οὕτως, οὐχὶ δὲ ποθεινὸς καὶ ἐπέραστος; Ναὶ ἐπέραστος· καὶ σκόπει κἀνταῦθα τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς μετὰ πάσης σφοδρότητος τὰ ἐπενεχθέντα ἤνεγκεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐημερίᾳ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἑκάστην μετὰ πολλῆς κατώρθωσε τῆς περιουσίας, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ ἄκρον ἀφικόμενος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πολλάκις εἶπον αἱ θεράπαιναί μου· Τίς ἂν δῴη ἡμῖν τῶν