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worthy of his divinity, he begins to speak humble things, through all things showing that he is not an opponent of God. "If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father who sent me, for my Father is greater than I." For when he made himself equal to the Father, they tried to stone him. But if these things are not so, you will be compelled to praise the Jews, because they justly crucified him, as an opponent of God; for he who makes himself equal to God and the Father, but is not, is an opponent of God. Therefore, then, Paul lies when he says: "He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God." What, then, is the Savior, in respect to which he was not incarnate? Thus the [saying], "I am going to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God;" His in one way by nature, and ours in another way by grace and adoption; in one way through his own good pleasure, and through the created assumption [of flesh]. and ours in another way as creatures. And if you doubt in these things, he could have said: "Our Father and yours." For what reason did he distinguish himself, if not to teach us this God-befitting concept? You see, he says, how he is in need of the Father's help, saying: "Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour." You read incorrectly. He said, "Now my soul is troubled;" and having made a distinction here, he added, "What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this reason I have come to this hour." For by saying,

"For this reason I came to this hour," he showed that he was not shrinking from his saving death. For "with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you," he says. "If it is pos48.1092sible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done." Does he then fear death, or does he come to the passion unwillingly? he who said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be killed, and be buried, and on the third day be raised;" he who said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up;" he who said, "I have authority to lay down my life, and I have authority to take it up again;" and, "No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own accord, and I take it up again;" he who rebuked Peter, who shortly before had been called blessed for the saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," and then, thinking the passion unworthy of him, heard: "Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men;" he who set his face to go up to Jerusalem, that through his passion he might grant salvation to all; he who through the prophets proclaimed also the manner of his passion, through Jeremiah: "Against me they devised an evil device, saying: 'Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us cut him off from the land of the living,'" signifying the cross; and through David: "They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink;" and, "They pierced my hands and my feet; they divided my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots;" and through Isaiah: "I gave my back to the scourges, and my cheeks to blows, and I did not turn my face away from the shame of spitting." You know, then, that all these things were fulfilled on the cross. For he was scourged by Pilate, struck by a servant, spat upon by the lawless, nailed to a cross by soldiers, while they divided his garments and cast lots. He who signified the passion through many things, how does he shrink back now? Why then does he say, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me?" The devil did not know who he was; for seeing him thirsting, hungering, wearying, and his other economies, he thought him to be a mere man, but seeing his divine miracles, he supposed him to be God. Therefore he was in doubt about him, not knowing him. For if he had known accurately that he was God, he would not have dared to approach him; as Paul also says: "For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." Therefore the Master feigns cowardice, drawing him on, so that coming upon him as a man, he might be defeated by him, and all the captives who were held by him might be redeemed. Just as if

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αὐτοῦ θεότητος ἄξια, ἄρχεται ταπεινὰ λέγειν, διὰ πάντων δεικνὺς μὴ εἶναι ἀντίθεος. Εἰ ἠγαπᾶτέ με, ἐχαίρετε ἂν, ὅτι ἐγὼ πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντά με Πατέρα, ὅτι ὁ Πατήρ μου μείζων μου ἐστίν. Ὅτε γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἴσον ἐποίει τοῦ Πατρὸς, λιθάζειν αὐτὸν ἐπεχείρουν. Εἰ δὲ ταῦτα οὕτω μὴ ἔχει, ἀναγκασθήσῃ ἐπαινεῖν Ἰουδαίους, ὅτι δικαίως ἐσταύρωσαν αὐτὸν, ὡς ἀντίθεον· ὁ γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἴσον τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ ποιῶν, μὴ ὢν δὲ, ἀντίθεος. Ψεύδεται οὖν λοιπὸν Παῦλος, λέγων· Οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὁ Σωτὴρ, καθ' ὃ οὐκ ἐσαρκώθη; Οὕτω τὸ, Πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μου καὶ Πατέρα ὑμῶν, καὶ Θεόν μου καὶ Θεὸν ὑμῶν· ἄλλως αὐτοῦ κατὰ φύσιν, καὶ ἄλλως ἡμῶν κατὰ χάριν καὶ θέσιν· ἄλλως ὡς διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν εὐδοκίαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν κτιστὴν πρόσληψιν. καὶ ἄλλως ἡμῶν ὡς δημιουργημάτων. Εἰ δὲ ἀμφιβάλλεις ἐν τούτοις, εἶχεν εἰπεῖν· Πατέρα ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν διέστειλεν ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἢ ταύτην ἡμᾶς τὴν θεοπρεπῆ ἔννοιαν διδάσκων; Βλέπεις, φησὶ, πῶς ἐπιδέεται τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς βοηθείας, λέγων· Νῦν ἡ ψυχή μου τετάρακται. Καὶ τί εἴπω; Πάτερ, σῶσόν με ἐκ τῆς ὥρας ταύτης. Κακῶς ἀναγινώσκεις· εἶπε, Νῦν ἡ ψυχή μου τετάρακται· καὶ ἀποδιαστείλας ὧδε, ἐπήγαγε τὸ, Τί εἴπω; Πάτερ, σῶσόν με ἐκ τῆς ὥρας ταύτης· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἐλήλυθα εἰς τὴν ὥραν ταύτην. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν,

∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον εἰς τὴν ὥραν ταύτην, ἔδειξεν, ὅτι οὐ τὸν θάνατον ἀνεδύετο τὸν σωτήριον. Ἐπιθυμίᾳ γὰρ ἐπεθύμησα τὸ πάσχα τοῦτο φαγεῖν μεθ' ὑμῶν, φησίν. Εἰ δυ48.1092 νατὸν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο· πλὴν μὴ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ σὸν γενέσθω. Ἆρα τὸν θάνατον δειλιᾷ, ἢ ἄκων ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἔρχεται; ὁ εἰπὼν, ∆εῖ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πολλὰ παθεῖν, καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι, καὶ ταφῆναι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστῆναι· ὁ εἰπὼν, Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν· ὁ εἰπὼν, Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν· καὶ, Οὐδεὶς αἴρει αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· ἐγὼ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ τίθημι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐγὼ πάλιν λαμβάνω αὐτήν· ὁ ἐπιτιμήσας τῷ πρὸ βραχέος μακαρισθέντι Πέτρῳ ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ἔπειτα δὲ ἀνάξιον αὐτοῦ τὸ πάθος νομίσας, ἀκούσας· Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ· σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ὁ στηρίξας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀναβῆναι εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἵνα σωτηρίαν διὰ τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ πᾶσι χορηγήσῃ· ὁ διὰ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τὸ εἶδος τοῦ πάθους αὐτοῦ προκηρύξας, διὰ μὲν Ἱερεμίου· Ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐλογίσαντο λογισμὸν πονηρὸν, λέγοντες· ∆εῦτε καὶ ἐμβάλλωμεν ξύλον εἰς τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκτρίψωμεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ γῆς, τὸν σταυρὸν σημαίνων· διὰ δὲ ∆αυΐδ· Ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος· καὶ, Ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου· διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον· καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου· Τὸν νῶτόν μου δέδωκα εἰς μάστιγας, τὰς δὲ σιαγόνας μου εἰς ῥαπίσματα, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπόν μου οὐκ ἀπέστρεψα ἀπὸ αἰσχύνης ἐμπτυσμάτων. Οἶδας οὖν ταῦτα πάντα τελεσθέντα ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ. Ὑπὸ γὰρ Πιλάτου ἐφραγελλώθη, ὑπὸ δούλου ἐῤῥαπίσθη, ὑπὸ ἀνόμων ἐνεπτύσθη, ὑπὸ στρατιωτῶν ἥλοις ἐν σταυρῷ ἐπάγη, διαμεριζομένων αὐτοῦ τὰ ἱμάτια καὶ κλῆρον βαλλόντων. Ὁ διὰ πολλῶν τὸ πάθος σημάνας, πῶς ἀναδύεται νῦν; ∆ιὰ τί οὖν λέγει, Πάτερ, εἰ δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο; Ἠγνόει ὁ διάβολος τίς ἦν· βλέπων γὰρ αὐτὸν διψῶντα, πεινῶντα, κοπιῶντα, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίας, ἐνόμισεν αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι ψιλὸν, ὁρῶν δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰ θεϊκὰ θαύματα, Θεὸν ὑπενόει· ἀμφέβαλεν οὖν περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἀγνοῶν αὐτόν. Εἰ γὰρ ᾔδει ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι Θεὸς ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ἐτόλμησεν αὐτῷ προσελθεῖν· ὡς καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Εἰ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἂν τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν. Προβάλλεται οὖν ὁ ∆εσπότης δειλίαν, ἐκεῖνον ἐπισπώμενος, ἵνα ἐπελθὼν ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ, τροπωθῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ λυτρωθῶσι πάντες οἱ αἰχμάλωτοι, ὅσοι κατείχοντο ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Ὥσπερ ἂν