we are ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. Furthermore, the wonderful Deborah among women, having the weakness of a woman, but prophesying the manliness of virtue, about whom the Scripture says, And Deborah arose, a mother in Israel; she became a mother to the people on account of her piety, and so flourished that even the generals of the war that occurred, those around Barak, said to the woman: If you do not come into the war with us, we will not go. They did not trust in the woman's courage, but in the power of prophecy. Many co-workers of God's counsel went out, and cut down the foreigners. Therefore that blessed Deborah, bearing the truth, says: Lord, may those who love you be as the rising of the sun; but your enemies, as the snuff of a lamp. 59.547 Lord, may those who love you be as the rising of the sun; because the sun is never extinguished; but your enemies, as the snuff of a lamp; for a lamp has a temporary light, and is extinguished again. Then she praises the general who served the counsel of God, and after this she commands to curse the inhabitants of Meroz, because they did not come to the help of the Lord. Did God, then, need help? Yes. Those who help piety must be made manifest. So therefore this wonderful father also does not help God as one who is weak, but having been appointed to this, he avenges piety, on the one hand delivering the body to destruction, but on the other casting souls into power. For the arrows of the mighty one are sharpened. And do not be amazed, if the shepherds of Christ and teachers of piety avenge the truth; but even if one is not a teacher, nor entrusted with a teacher's throne, but has simply received the word of Christ, and is in the rank of a disciple, he ought to have zeal for God, and to give recompense to the benefactor by speaking freely, and to speak for the truth, and to strive against impiety, that he might hear from the holy Scripture: Son, strive for the truth, and the Lord God will fight for you. It is no wonder if saints avenge piety. Often He calls for something through forbearance, as a good God, and the prophets do not permit piety to be wounded by the forbearance of God. God says through Moses: Say to Pharaoh, Let my people go; but if you will not, behold, I will send the signs, and I will strike you. Moses was struck by the word, and a thought is given to the pious man, and he says: Do not think that he has a people, and God has a people, out of equality. And being in agony, lest the great goodness and forbearance of God might harm him, and he might think he is opposing God, having heard, "Your people," and, "My people," he reports the proclamation. Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go; but if you will not, behold, I will send forth the signs, and I will strike you and your servants; that you may learn that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The earth heard "a people" and "a people," and did not follow the word, but says, All the earth is the Lord's. For though God used forbearance, yet this man does not betray the master's authority. For this reason God also spoke thus, that the zeal of the pious man might be laid bare. But the faithful also always love to exceed the words of God; for the Savior says to the disciples: Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? One of his disciples says: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. May the zeal of the Holy Spirit also teach you to be zealous, and to suffer for piety, and to fight the good fight for righteousness. 4. For it is worthy for good disciples to be imitators of a teacher, as Paul also says: Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ. Do you want to learn that even a simple disciple, and one having the rank of a disciple, ought to have zeal for piety? Hear how Christ healed the man blind from birth; or rather let us hear the story from the beginning. For after many things had been said by the evangelist, he began to speak thus: As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, and the rest. And having spit,

ἔχομεν ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοὴν, ὅταν πληρωθῇ ὑμῶν ἡ ὑπακοή. Ἔτι δὲ ἡ θαυμασία ∆εβόῤῥα ἐν γυναιξὶν, ἡ γυναικὸς ἀσθένειαν ἔχουσα, καὶ ἀνδρείαν ἀρετῆς προφητεύουσα, περὶ ἧς φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, καὶ Ἀνέστη ∆εβόῤῥα, μήτηρ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, μήτηρ ἐγένετο τοῦ λαοῦ δι' εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἤκμαζεν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς πολέμου γενομένου τοὺς περὶ τὸν Βαρὰκ λέγειν τῇ γυναικί· Ἐὰν μὴ σὺ ἔλθῃς εἰς πόλεμον μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐρχόμεθα. Οὐ τῇ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐθάῤῥουν ἀνδρείᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῆς προφητείας δυνάμει. Ἐξῆλθον πολλοὶ συνεργοὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῆς, καὶ ἐξέκοπτον τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους. Ἐκείνη οὖν ἡ μακαρία ∆εβόῤῥα τὴν ἀλήθειαν φέρουσα λέγει· Κύριε, οἱ ἀγαπῶντές σε, ὡς ἀνατολὴ τοῦ ἡλίου· οἱ δὲ ἐχθροί σου, ὡς ἀπόσμηγμα λύχνου. 59.547 Κύριε, οἱ ἀγαπῶντές σε, ὡς ἀνατολὴ τοῦ ἡλίου· ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἥλιος οὐδέποτε σβέννυται· οἱ δὲ ἐχθροί σου, ὡς ἀπόσμηγμα λύχνου· λύχνος γὰρ καὶ πρόσκαιρον ἔχει φῶς, καὶ πάλιν σβέννυται. Εἶτα ἐπαινεῖ τὸν στρατηγὸν ὑπουργήσαντα τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῇ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κελεύει καταρᾶσθαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Μαζὼρ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξῆλθον εἰς βοήθειαν Κυρίου. Βοηθείας ἄρα ἔχρῃζεν ὁ Θεός; Ναί. ∆εῖ φανῆναι τοὺς βοηθοῦντας τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος πατὴρ οὐ Θεῷ ὡς ἀτονοῦντι βοηθεῖ, ἀλλ' εἰς τοῦτο ταγεὶς ἐκδικεῖ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, τῷ σώματι μὲν ἐνδεικνύμενος πρὸς ἀπώλειαν, ἀλλὰ ψυχὰς ἐμβαλλόμενος πρὸς δυναστείαν. Τὰ γὰρ βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκονημένα. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ οἱ ποιμένες Χριστοῦ καὶ διδάσκαλοι εὐσεβείας ἐκδικοῦσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἀλλὰ κἂν μὴ ᾖ τις διδάσκαλος, μηδὲ διδασκαλικὸν θρόνον πεπιστευμένος, ἀλλὰ ἁπλῶς δεξάμενος Χριστοῦ λόγον, καὶ ἐν μαθητοῦ τάξει τυγχάνων, ὀφείλει ζῆλον ἔχειν Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι τῷ εὐεργέτῃ ἐν τῷ ἐλευθεροστομεῖν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας φθέγγεσθαι, καὶ κατὰ ἀσεβείας ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ἵνα ἀκούσῃ παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς· Τέκνον, ἀγώνισαι ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας, Καὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ σοῦ. Οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν, εἰ εὐσέβειαν ἐκδικοῦσιν ἅγιοι. Πολλάκις καλεῖ τι δι' ἐπιείκειαν, ὡς Θεὸς ἀγαθὸς, καὶ οἱ προφῆται οὐ συγχωροῦσι τρωθῆναι τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιεικείας. Λέγει ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Μωϋσέως· Εἰπὸν τῷ Φαραὼ, Ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου· εἰ δὲ οὐ βούλει, ἰδοὺ ἀποστελῶ τὰ σημεῖα, καὶ πατάξω σε. Ἐπλήγη Μωϋσῆς ἐπὶ τῷ ῥήματι, καὶ δίδοται ἔννοια τῷ εὐσεβεῖ, καί φησι· Μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι ἐξ ἰσοτιμίας ἔχει λαὸν αὐτὸς, καὶ λαὸν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ἀγωνιάσας, μήποτε ἡ πολλὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθότης καὶ ἐπιείκεια βλάψῃ αὐτὸν, καὶ νομίσῃ ἀντιπολιτεύεσθαι Θεῷ, ἀκούσας, Ὁ λαός σου, καὶ, Ὁ λαός μου, ἀναφέρει τὸ κήρυγμα. Τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν Ἑβραίων· Ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου· εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλει, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστελῶ τὰ σημεῖα, καὶ πατάξω σε καὶ τοὺς θεράποντάς σου· ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Ἡ γῆ ἤκουσε λαὸν καὶ λαὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἠκολούθησε τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλὰ λέγει, Πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστίν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ ἐχρήσατο ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' οὗτος οὐ προδίδωσι τὴν δεσποτικὴν αὐθεντίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς οὕτως ἐλάλησεν, ἵνα γυμνωθῇ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς ὁ ζῆλος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ φιλοῦσιν ἀεὶ πιστοὶ ὑπερβαίνειν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῖς μαθηταῖς· Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου; Λέγει εἷς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος καὶ ὑμᾶς διδασκέτω ζηλωτὰς εἶναι, καὶ ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας πάσχειν, καὶ ἀγωνίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα. δʹ. Ἄξιον γάρ ἐστι τὸ μιμητὰς εἶναι διδασκάλου ἀγαθοὺς μαθητὰς, ὡς καὶ Παῦλος λέγει· Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ. Θέλεις μαθεῖν, ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἁπλῶς μαθητὴς καὶ μαθητοῦ τάξιν ἔχων ὀφείλει ἔχειν ζῆλον εὐσεβείας; Ἄκουε πῶς ὁ Χριστὸς τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλὸν ἐθεράπευσε· μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς τῆς ἱστορίας ἀκούσωμεν. Μετὰ γὰρ πολλὰ τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ εἰρημένα, οὕτως ἤρξατο λέγειν· Παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον τυφλὸν ἐκ γενετῆς. Καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λέγοντες, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ πτύσας,