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he preached. For he is truly God and man, not of Peter, not of Paul, not of Joseph, nor of any father was he called the son, but of man; for he had no father on earth, he who had no mother in heaven. 7. Therefore, wishing the word to be confirmed by deed, and knowing what he was about to do, the all-creating wisdom and power of God, in whom are all the hidden treasures of knowledge. There are some, he said, of those standing here, who will not taste death, until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. If then, as if he spoke of one 96.557 "There is someone of those standing here," we would have supposed it to signify the same as, "If I wish him to remain until I come, what is that to you?" spoken concerning John the Theologian, that he would remain without tasting death until the coming of Christ; for so indeed have some of the exceedingly wise interpreted that. But since the word indicated that more would see, and indeed the deed also followed, it will not give place to those wishing to understand the interpretation of the word in this way. "There are some of those standing here," he says. For what reason, "some," and not all? were they called to this sight? Were not all disciples and apostles? Did not all, having been called, follow in like manner? Did not all receive the same gift of healing? And how were not all deemed worthy also of this vision beyond sight? Is not the Master impartial? All were indeed disciples, but not all were blinded by the disease of avarice. All were disciples, but not all were deprived of the keenness of their eye by the rheum of envy. All were disciples, but not all were traitors. All were apostles, but not all, through despair, were caught in a noose, and corrected evil with evil. All were lovers of Christ, but one was a lover of money; this was Judas Iscariot, he alone was not worthy of the sight of the divinity. For let the wicked man, it says, be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord. Therefore, being left alone from the others, both envious and malicious, he was inflamed to greater madness. But it was necessary for all to become spectators of the glory, those who were to be spectators of the passion later on. From there he takes the chief of the apostles as witnesses of his own glory and splendor; three in number, hinting at the sacred mystery of the Trinity; and by two or three witnesses every word shall be established. Thus he shuts out the traitor from the accusations of betrayal. And he reveals his own divinity to the apostles. For seeing Andrew remaining below with the others, he could not say under the pretext of an apology, that by not obtaining the sight, he was led to the selling of the Master. For this reason Andrew remained below, and the whole remaining chorus of apostles, though separated physically in place, yet united by the bond of love, staying below in body, but following the teacher above in longing, and in the movements of the soul. 8. And "after six days," Matthew and Mark, the divine evangelists, write; but Luke the most wise: "It came to pass after these words about eight days." Properly and truly eight, and six days are proclaimed by the heralds of truth. For what is said is not a disagreement, 96.560 but a harmony proceeding from the same spirit. For they are not the ones speaking, but the Spirit of God speaking in them. For "when the Paraclete comes," he says, "he will teach you, and remind you of all things." Therefore, those who said, "after six days," having removed the endpoints, the first I say and the last, counted the middle ones; but the one counting eight days, has made both these and those countable. For it is customary for men to count in this way and that. And six is taken as the first and perfect number. For it is composed of its own parts. For of this, three is the half, two the third, and the

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ἐκήρυξε. Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὄντως καὶ ἄνθρωπος, οὐ Πέτρου, οὐ Παύλου, οὐ Ἰωσὴφ, οὐδέ τινος πατρὸς υἱὸς ἐχρημάτισεν, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπου· οὐ γὰρ ἔσχε πατέρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὁ μὴ ἐσχηκὼς μητέρα ἐν οὐρανοῖς. ζʹ. Ἔργῳ τοίνυν πιστωθῆναι τὸν λόγον βουλόμενος, καὶ εἰδὼς ὃ μέλλει δρᾷν, ἡ παντουργὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία καὶ δύναμις, ἐν ᾧ πάντες οἱ θησαυροὶ τῆς γνώσεως ἀπόκρυφοι. Εἰσί τινες, ἔλεγε, τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων, οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου, ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἔφησεν 96.557 Ἔστι τις τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων, ταυτὸ μηνύειν ὑπετοπήσαμεν, τῷ, Ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ; περὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Θεολόγου εἰρημένῳ, ὡς θανάτου ἄγευστον διαμένειν, μέχρι τῆς Χριστοῦ παρουσίας· οὕτω γὰρ ἤδη τινὲς ἐκεῖνο τῶν λίαν σοφῶν ἐξελάβοντο. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ πλείονας ὁ λόγος τοὺς ὀψομένους ἐμήνυσεν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐπηκολούθησεν, οὐ δώσει χώραν τοῖς βουλομένοις ὧδε νοεῖν τοῦ λόγου τὴν ἔκδοσιν. Εἰσὶ τοίνυν τινὲς τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων, φησί· τίνος ἕνεκεν, τινὲς, καὶ οὐχ ἅπαντες; ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν ταύτην ἐκλήθησαν; Οὐ πάντες μαθηταὶ καὶ ἀπόστολοι; οὐχὶ πάντες κληθέντες ὁμοίως ἐπηκολούθησαν; οὐ πάντες τοῦ ἴσου χαρίσματος τῶν ἰάσεων ἔτυχον; καὶ πῶς οὐ πάντες καὶ ταύτης τῆς ὑπὲρ θέαν κατηξιώθησαν ὄψεως; Οὐχ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀπροσωπόληπτος; Πάντες μὲν μαθηταὶ, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες τῇ νόσῳ τῆς φιλαργυρίας τυφλώττοντες. Πάντες μαθηταὶ, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες τῇ λήμῃ τῆς βασκανίας τὸ ὀξυδερκὲς ἀφῃρημένοι τοῦ ὄμματος. Πάντες μαθηταὶ, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες προδόται. Πάντες ἀπόστολοι, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες δι' ἀπογνώσεως βρόχῳ περιπειρόμενοι, καὶ κακῷ τὸ κακὸν διορθούμενοι. Πάντες φιλόχριστοι, εἷς δὲ φιλάργυρος· Ἰούδας οὗτος ὁ Ἰσκαριώτης, εἷς μόνος οὐκ ἄξιος ἦν τῆς θέας τῆς θεότητος. Ἀρθήτω γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ἀσεβὴς, ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου. Μόνος μὲν οὖν τῶν λοιπῶν ἀφιέμενος, ὅ τε φθονερός τε καὶ βάσκανος, εἰς πλείονα μανίαν ἐξεπυρεύετο. Ἔδει δὲ πάντας τῆς δόξης ἐπόπτας γενέσθαι, τοὺς θεατὰς τῶν παθημάτων ἐσομένους εἰς ὕστερον. Ἐντεῦθεν τοὺς κορυφαίους τῶν ἀποστόλων προσλαμβάνεται μάρτυρας τῆς οἰκείας δόξης τε καὶ λαμπρότητος· τρεῖς δὲ τὸν ἀριθμὸν, τῆς Τριάδος τὸ σεπτὸν ὑπεμφαίνων μυστήριον· καὶ ἐπὶ δύο ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων πᾶν ῥῆμα σταθήσεται. Οὕτως ἀποκλείει μὲν τῷ προδότῃ τὰ τῆς προδοσίας ἐγκλήματα. Ἀποκαλύπτει δὲ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τὴν οἰκείαν θεότητα. Τὸν γὰρ Ἀνδρέαν ὁρῶν σὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς οὗτος κάτω μείναντα, οὐκ εἶχεν εἰπεῖν ἀπολογίας προσχήματι, τῷ μὴ τυχεῖν τῆς θέας, πρὸς τὴν ἀπεμπολὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἐνάγεσθαι. Τούτου χάριν Ἀνδρέας κάτω μεμένηκε, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λοιπὸς τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸς, τῷ τόπῳ μὲν σωματικῶς διιστάμενοι, τῷ δεσμῷ δὲ τῆς ἀγάπης ἑνούμενοι, κάτω μὲν τῷ σώματι διατρίβοντες, ἄνω δὲ τῷ πόθῳ τῷ διδασκάλῳ ἑπόμενοι, καὶ τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς κινήμασι. ηʹ. Καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας μὲν ἓξ, Ματθαῖος καὶ Μάρκος οἱ θεῖοι εὐαγγελισταὶ γράφουσι· Λουκᾶς δὲ δὴ ὁ σοφώτατος· Ἐγένετο μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ὡς ἡμέραι ὀκτώ. Κυρίως καὶ ἀληθῶς ὀκτὼ, καὶ ἓξ ἡμέραι πρὸς τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας κηρύκων ἀναγορεύονται. Οὐ διαφωνία γὰρ τὸ λεγόμενον, 96.560 συμφωνία δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκφερομένη πνεύματος. Οὐ γὰρ αὐτοί εἰσιν οἱ λαλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ λαλοῦν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὅταν γὰρ ἔλθῃ, φησὶν, ὁ Παράκλητος, αὐτὸς διδάξει ὑμᾶς, καὶ ὑπομνήσει ὑμᾶς πάντα. Οἱ μὲν οὖν, μεθ' ἡμέρας ἓξ, φήσαντες, τὰς ἄκρας ὑπεξελόμενοι, τὴν πρώτην λέγω καὶ τελευταῖαν, τὰς μέσας ἠρίθμησαν· ὁ δὲ ἡμέρας ἀριθμῶν ὀκτὼ, ταύτας κἀκείνας ἀριθμίους πεποίηκεν. Οὕτως γὰρ κἀκείνως ἀριθμεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἴθισται. Καὶ ἓξ μὲν ὡς πρῶτος καὶ τέλειος ἀριθμὸς παραλαμβάνεται. Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν οἰκείων μερῶν οὗτος ἀπαρτίζεται. Τούτου γὰρ τρία τὸ ἥμισυ, δύο τὸ τρίτον, καὶ τὸ