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promise, when he also confessed him to be judge of the whole world. 68Jo 8, 59 How did he hide? not by withdrawing himself into a corner of the temple nor by taking refuge in a small house, as one might suppose, nor indeed by slipping behind a wall or a pillar, but by divine authority he made himself invisible to those who were plotting against him and unseen, he went out through their midst and passed by in this way.

69 col1Jo 9, 1-3 Thinking that people fall into sicknesses on account of their own or ancestral sin, they ask such a question. But Jesus, making distinctions of things with divine knowledge, denied both now; and yet some are punished for their own offenses, like the paralytic, and some on account of their parents, as where it says: I have struck your children, and you have not received discipline. Others for neither of these, others for a test, like Job. But this blind man was created blind for this reason, so that in the time of his sojourn, Christ, by healing him, might make it known to all that he himself is the creator of every living thing. Some were also struck on account of ancestral sin, just as is also said through the prophet: In vain I have struck your children; you have not received discipline. 70Jo 9, 4 As the light that came into the world, he calls the time of his sojourn 'day', in which it was necessary for him, by working the works of the Father, to show his own kindred consubstantiality with him. But he calls his own departure 'night'. 71Jo 9, 5 He calls himself 'light' both because he enlightens the souls of those who believe in him and because he was about to open the eye of the man blind from birth. 72 Jo 9, 6-7 Through this it is shown that he himself created all things and that he made man from clay; for by supplying what was lacking through clay, he shows that he also made the whole man from earth and that he again forms those who after this are constituted from seed and blood; for behold, in the case of the blind man he shows both things: that he constituted the rest of his body from blood and seed, but having left the eyes unformed, he now supplies them, which is the most beautiful part of the body, through the clay, having displayed in one living being the two works of creation. And when he went away and washed, his eyes were opened, not because the clay was washed away by the water, but miraculously, as it was applied, the clay supplied the eyes in an ineffable way. 73Jo 9, 8-9 While some were saying it was the same man, from the character of his face, but not believing on account of the eyes, and others were doubting this, the one who had received his sight resolved their ambiguity, saying, 'I am he.' 75 Jo 9, 10 Though it was necessary to know from the work who it was who performed the miracle, they seek to recognize who it was from his appearance. 76Jo 9, 10-11 Putting aside their doubt, they then inquired how his eyes were opened. He answered and told the truth, but for the time being calls Jesus a man on account of his human body. 77Jo 9, 15 When the Pharisees asked, he used the same account with them also. 78Jo 9, 16 But they reached such a height of impiety as to prefer the sabbath irrationally over his divine power, when it was necessary to reason from what had miraculously happened that he who possessed such power was Lord of the sabbath and of all legislation. 79 Jo 9, 16 79 Out of extreme impiety, they preferred the sabbath to his divine power, and yet even in the time of Moses the command of the sabbath was not believed otherwise than through the sign that occurred concerning the manna. Therefore, having seen the miracle that occurred for the benefit of men, they should have yielded on the inactivity of the sabbath, just as then in the beginning, so also now, in order to learn that the purpose of the command is altered for the benefit of men. But they, blinded by unbelief, do not see that even God until now works his works on the sabbath, nor that the priests in the temple

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ἐπαγγελίαν, ὅτε καὶ κριτὴν αὐτὸν τῆς ὅλης οἰκουμένης ὡμολόγησεν. 68Jo 8, 59 πῶς ἐκρύβη; οὐκ εἰς γωνίαν τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἑαυτὸν περιστείλας οὐδ' εἰς οἰκίσκον, ὡς ἄν τις οἰηθείη, καταφυγὼν οὐδὲ μὴν ὀπίσω τοίχου ἢ στύλου περικάμψας, ἀλλ' ἐξουσίᾳ θεϊκῇ ἀόρατον ἑαυτὸν τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσι καταστήσας διὰ μέJoυ αὐτῶν μὴ ὁρώμενος καὶ ἐξῆλθε καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως.

69 col1Jo 9, 1-3 Νομίζοντες δι' οἰκείας ἢ προγο νικῆς ἁμαρτίας περιπίπτειν τοῖς νοσή μασι τὴν τοιαύτην ποιοῦνται ἐρώτησιν. ὁ δὲ ἸηJoῦς θείᾳ ἐπιστήμῃ τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ποιούμενος διαιρέσεις ἀμ φότερα ἀπηγόρευσε νῦν· καίτοι εἰσὶ μέν τινες δι' οἰκεῖα πταίσματα τιμω ρούμενοι ὡς ὁ παράλυτος, εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ διὰ τοὺς γονεῖς ὡς ἔνθα φησίν· ἐπάταξα τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν καὶ παιδείαν οὐκ ἐδέξασθε. ἄλλοι δι' οὐδὲν τού των, ἄλλοι διὰ δοκιμασίαν ὡς ὁ Ἰώβ. οὗτος δὲ ὁ τυφλὸς διὰ τοῦτο ἐπλάσθη τυφλός, ἵνα ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐπιδη μίας ἰασόμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Χριστὸς πᾶσι γνωστὸν ποιήσῃ, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ παντὸς ζῴου πλάστης. Τινὲς καὶ διὰ προγονικῆς ἁμαρ τίας ἐπλήγησαν καθάπερ καὶ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγεται· μάτην ἐπάταξα τέκνα ὑμῶν, παιδείαν οὐκ ἐδέξασθε. 70Jo 9, 4 Φῶς ἐλθὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἡμέραν λέγει τὸν τῆς ἐπιδημίας καιρόν, ἐν ᾧπερ ἔδει αὐτὸν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πατρὸς ἐργαζόμενον τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἑαυτοῦ δεικνύειν συγγενῆ ὁμοουσιότητα. νύκτα δὲ λέγει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀναχώρησιν. 71Jo 9, 5 Φῶς ἑαυτὸν καλεῖ διά τε τὸ φωτίζειν τὰς τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευόντων ψυχὰς καὶ ὅτι ἤμελλεν ἀνοῖξαι τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλοῦ. 72 Jo 9, 6-7 ∆ιὰ τούτου δείκνυται, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐδημιούργησε τὰ πάντα καὶ ὅτι ἐκ πηλοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐποίησεν· δι' ὧν γὰρ τὸ λιπὸν διὰ πηλοῦ ἀναπληροῖ, δηλοῖ ὅτι καὶ τὸν πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐκ γῆς ἐποίησε καὶ τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα ἐκ σπερμάτων καὶ αἱμάτων συνισταμένους αὐτὸς πάλιν διαπλάττει· ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ τυφλοῦ ἀμφότερα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἄλλο αὐτοῦ σῶμα ἐξ αἱμάτων καὶ σπερμάτων συνέστησεν, ἐάσας δὲ ἀπλάστους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς νῦν αὐτοὺς ὅπερ ἐστὶ κάλλιστον τοῦ σώματος μέρος διὰ τοῦ πηλοῦ ἀναπληροῖ, ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ ζῴῳ τὰ δύο ἐπιδείξας ἔργα τῆς δημιουργίας. ἀπελθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ νιψαμένου ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ οὐκ ἀποπαύοντος τοῦ πηλοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος νίψεως, ἀλλὰ παρα δόξως προσβολῇ αὐτοῦ ὑπάγοντος καὶ ἀπορρήτως τὰ ὄμματα ἀνεπλήρωσεν ὁ πηλός. 73Jo 9, 8-9 Τῶν μὲν τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι λεγόντων ἐκ τοῦ χαρακτῆρος τῆς ὄψεως οὐ πιστευόντων δὲ διὰ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ἄλλων δὲ ἐνδοιαζόντων ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὸ ἀμφίβολον αὐτοῖς λύων ὁ ἀναβλέψας ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι. 75 Jo 9, 10 ∆έον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔργου γνῶναι τίς ἦν ὁ ποιήσας τὸ θαῦμα, ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως ἐπιζητοῦσιν ἐπιγνῶναι ὅστις ἦν. 76Jo 9, 10-11 Ἀποθέμενοι τὴν ἀμφιβολίαν ἐπυνθάνοντο λοιπὸν τὸ πῶς ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί. ἀπεκρίθη καὶ εἶπεν τὸ ἀληθές, ἄνθρωπον δὲ τέως ὀνο μάζει τὸν ἸηJoῦν διὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον σῶμα. 77Jo 9, 15 Τῶν Φαρισαίων ἐρωτησάντων τῇ αὐτῇ καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐχρήσατο διηγήσει. 78Jo 9, 16 Εἰς τοσαύτην δὲ ἀσεβείας ἀκρότητα ἔφθασαν ὡς τὸ σάββατον ἀλόγως τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ προκρίνειν δυνάμεως, δέον ἐκ τοῦ παραδόξως γεγονότος λογί σασθαι, ὅτι σαββάτου ὁμοῦ καὶ πάσης νομοθεσίας δεσπότης ὑπῆρχεν ὁ τοσαύτης ἐπειλημμένος δυνάμεως. 79 Jo 9, 16 79 Ὑπὸ ἄκρας ἀσεβείας τὸ σάββατον τῆς αὐτοῦ θείας δυνάμεως προετίμων καίτοιγε καὶ ἐπὶ Μωυσέως οὐκ ἄλλως πιστευθείσης τῆς τοῦ σαββάτου ἐντολῆς εἰ μὴ διὰ τοῦ γεγονότος ἐπὶ τοῦ μάννα σημείου. ἐχρῆν οὖν ἑωρακότας αὐτοὺς τὸ θαῦμα τὸ ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπων γεγονὸς εἰς τὴν τοῦ σαββάτου ἀργίαν ὑπεῖξαι ὥσπερ τότε ἐν ἀρχῇ καὶ νῦν εἰς τὸ μαθεῖν, ὅτι εἰς εὐεργεσίαν ἀνθρώπων ἡ τῆς ἐντολῆς ὑπόθεσις μεταποιεῖται. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι ὑπὸ ἀπιστίας τυφλώττοντες οὐχ ὁρῶσιν, ὅτι καὶ ὁ θεὸς μέχρι νῦν ἐν σαββάτῳ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἔργα ποιεῖ οὐδὲ ὅτι οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τὸ