5

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery; and so on. Do not, therefore, think that perfection is a destruction; for it is not a destruction, but a fulfillment; and what He did for bodies, this He also does for the law. What then did He work upon bodies? Coming and finding many limbs crippled, and all of them in a deficient state, He made them complete, and restored them to their proper comeliness, making it clear to all through the very facts that He Himself had both laid down the ancient laws and created our nature. And that He was eager to demonstrate this is clear especially from the healing of the blind man. For passing by and seeing a certain blind man, He made clay, and anointed his maimed eyes with that clay, and said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.’ For why did the One who continually raised the dead with a bare command, and worked many other such wonders, here add an action, making clay, and fashioning his eyes? Is it not clear that so that when you hear that God took dust from the earth and formed man, you might learn through what is happening now that this is He who in the beginning formed man? since if He did not wish to show this, what He was doing would have been superfluous. Then, so that you might learn that the need for clay did not cooperate with Him for the recovery of sight for the maimed man, but that it was sufficient even without that matter to form the eyes by a command alone, He adds and says, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.’ For after showing us through the manner of His creative act who it was who also made man from the beginning, then He says to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.’ Just as, therefore, an excellent sculptor, wishing to display his own skill through his works, leaves a part, while fashioning the statue, so that he may give proof of the skill of the whole in what is lacking; so also Christ, wishing to show that He Himself made the whole man, left this one incomplete, so that by coming 48.790 and restoring the eyes, He might through the part instill in us faith concerning the whole. And see where He did this: not on a hand or a foot, but on the eyes, the most beautiful and necessary of our members, and than which no member is more precious to us. But He who was able to fashion the most beautiful and most necessary part, I mean the eyes, it is clear that He is also able to make the hand and the foot and the other members. O those blessed eyes, which became a spectacle to all present, and drew all to themselves, and uttered a voice through their beauty, teaching all present the power of Christ. And what happened was paradoxical; for the blind man was teaching those who see to see. Which Christ indeed, indicating, said: ‘For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’ O blessed maiming! For what he did not receive from nature, he received from grace, being harmed in no way so much by the delay as he gained from the manner of his creation. For what could be more wonderful than those eyes, which blameless and holy hands deigned to fashion? And what happened in the case of the barren woman, this also happened here. For just as she was in no way harmed by the delay, but rather even became more glorious, receiving her child not by the laws of nature, but by the laws of grace; so also the blind man was in no way harmed by his past maiming, but even gained the greatest things from it, being deemed worthy to see the Sun of Righteousness first, and then this perceptible sun. 5. I say these things so that we may not be disheartened, whenever we see either ourselves, or certain others, in misfortunes. For if we bear all that befalls us with thanksgiving and courage, every thing for us will certainly come to a good end and have many good things

5

Ἠκούσατε ὅτι Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὅτι Ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσε· καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίσητε κατάλυσιν εἶναι τὴν τελείωσιν· οὐ γάρ ἐστι κατάλυσις, ἀλλὰ πλήρωσις· καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων ἐποίησε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ νόμου ποιεῖ. Τί δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων εἰργάσατο; Ἐλθὼν καὶ εὑρὼν ἀνάπηρα πολλὰ μέλη, καὶ ἐνδεῶς ἔχοντα πάντα, ἀπήρτισε, καὶ εἰς τὴν προσήκουσαν εὐκοσμίαν ἐπανήγαγε, διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν ἅπασι ποιῶν φανερὸν ὅτι καὶ τοὺς ἀρχαίους αὐτὸς τέθεικε νόμους, καὶ τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐδημιούργησε. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο ἐσπούδαζεν ἀποδεῖξαι, δῆλον ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ τυφλοῦ θεραπείας μάλιστα. Παριὼν γὰρ καὶ ἰδών τινα τυφλὸν, ἐποίησε πηλὸν, καὶ τὸν τοιοῦτον πηλὸν τοῖς πεπηρωμένοις ἐπέχρισεν ὄμμασι, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὸν Σιλωάμ. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ὁ νεκροὺς ἐπιτάγματι ψιλῷ συνεχῶς ἐγείρων, καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα θαυματουργῶν, ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἔργον τι προστίθησι, πηλὸν ποιῶν, καὶ διαπλάττων αὐτῷ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; οὐκ εὔδηλον ἵν' ὅταν ἀκούσῃς ὅτι ἔλαβεν ὁ Θεὸς χοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔπλασεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, μάθῃς διὰ τοῦ νῦν γινομένου ὅτι οὗτος ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν πλάσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον; ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο δεῖξαι ἐβούλετο, περιττὸν ἦν ὅπερ εἰργάζετο. Εἶτα ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐχ ἡ τοῦ πηλοῦ χρεία συνέπραξεν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἀνάβλεψιν τοῦ πεπηρωμένου, ἀλλ' ἤρκει καὶ χωρὶς τῆς ὕλης ἐκείνης προστάγματι μόνῳ διαπλάσαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, προστίθησι καὶ λέγει· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὸν Σιλωάμ. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ δεῖξαι ἡμῖν διὰ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς δημιουργίας τίς ἦν ὁ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ποιήσας, τότε λέγει αὐτῷ· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὸν Σιλωάμ. Καθάπερ οὖν ἀνδριαντοποιὸς ἄριστος βουλόμενος διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπιδείξασθαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τέχνην, ἀφίησι, τὸν ἀνδριάντα διαπλάττων. τὸ μέρος, ἵνα περὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς τέχνης ἀπόδειξιν ἐν τῷ λείποντι δῷ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτι τὸν ὅλον ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸς ἐποίησε δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ἀφῆκεν ἀτελῆ τοῦτον, ἵν' ἐλθὼν 48.790 καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀποδοὺς, διὰ τοῦ μέρους τὴν περὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἡμῖν ἐγκαταβάλῃ πίστιν. Καὶ ὅρα ποῦ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν· οὐκ ἐπὶ χειρὸς καὶ ποδὸς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ὀφθαλμῶν, τοῦ καλλίστου καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτου τῶν μελῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων, καὶ οὗ τιμιώτερον ἡμῖν οὐδέν ἐστι μέλος. Ὁ δὲ τὸ κάλλιστον καὶ ἀναγκαιότατον διαπλάσαι δυνηθεὶς, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς λέγω, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ χεῖρα καὶ πόδα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δύναται κατασκευάσαι μέλη. Ὢ μακαρίων ὀφθαλμῶν ἐκείνων, οἳ θέατρον ἐγένοντο τοῖς παροῦσιν ἅπασι, καὶ πάντας πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπεσπάσαντο, καὶ φωνὴν διὰ τοῦ κάλλους ἀφῆκαν, διδάσκοντες τοὺς παρόντας ἅπαντας τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν. Καὶ ἦν παράδοξον τὸ γινόμενον· ὁ γὰρ τυφλὸς τοὺς ὁρῶντας βλέπειν ἐδίδασκεν. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Εἰς κρῖμα ἦλθον εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον, ἵνα οἱ μὴ βλέποντες βλέψωσι, καὶ οἱ βλέποντες τυφλοὶ γένωνται. Ὢ πηρώσεως μακαρίας· οὓς γὰρ οὐκ ἔλαβε παρὰ τῆς φύσεως, ἔλαβε παρὰ τῆς χάριτος, οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς ἀναβολῆς ζημιωθεὶς τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἐκέρδανε τοῦ κατὰ τὴν δημιουργίαν τρόπου. Τί γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν θαυμαστότερον ἐκείνων, οὓς ἄμωμοι καὶ ἅγιαι χεῖρες διαπλάσαι κατηξίωσαν; Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς στείρας συνέβη, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐγένετο. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνη οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς μελλήσεως παρεβλάπτετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ λαμπροτέρα μᾶλλον ἐγένετο, οὐ νόμοις φύσεως, ἀλλὰ νόμοις χάριτος τὸ παιδίον ἀπολαβοῦσα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ τυφλὸς οὐδὲν ἐκ τῆς παρελθούσης παρεβλάβη πηρώσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδανε, τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιον πρότερον ἰδεῖν καταξιωθεὶς, καὶ τότε τοῦτον τὸν αἰσθητόν. εʹ. Ταῦτα λέγω ἵνα μὴ δυσχεραίνωμεν, ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμεν ἢ ἑαυτοὺς, ἢ ἑτέρους τινὰς ἐν συμφοραῖς ὄντας. Ἂν γὰρ εὐχαρίστως καὶ γενναίως φέρωμεν τὰ συμπίπτοντα ἅπαντα, πάντως εἰς τέλος χρηστὸν καὶ πολλὰ ἔχον ἀγαθὰ πᾶσα ἡμῖν