he died, having handed over the kingdom to Tiberius his son. And the Lord was then fifteen years old. And Tiberius Caesar, having a genuine friend in Pilate, sent him as ruler of Judea, and he was there until the death of the Caesar. And in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, according to the voice of the Gospel, John came by a revelation of God, preaching a baptism of repentance in all Judea, and the Lord was baptized by him, being thirty years old, and he began the work according to the Gospel. And Herod at that time had cast out his own wife, who was the daughter of Aretas the king of Arabia, about whom Paul made mention in the epistle to the Corinthians, and had taken Herodias the wife of Philip his brother while he was still living. But the preacher of the truth, John the Baptist, not bearing the impropriety, came against Herod with strong rebukes. But he, seized with uncontrollable anger, doing a favor to the adulteress because of her boldness, beheaded the prophet, but it was not long before he paid the penalty for his audacious deeds. For his wife, having been dishonorably driven out, went to Aretas her father and lamented the violence done to her. And he, as his daughter had been insulted, having gathered all his people, went against him in war, and cut down all his armies, and having given his land to fire, took it captive. his. And in the eighteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, and the twentieth of Herod, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, the saving passion occurred thirteen days before the Kalends of April. And our Lord Jesus Christ suffered willingly for us, being true God and man, with his two natures in no way admitting division or separation, For on the cross and in the tomb the economy of the two natures remained undivided, in which is known our one and only Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word of the living God. And since in the universe the cross is glorious and the universe was established in a cross-like form, as the preceding argument has shown, it was fitting that the Lord endured death by the cross, so that through his own blood he might sanctify all things, and redeem us from the curse of the law, and free us from the dominion of the devil and ransom us from tyranny and corruption. Therefore the Lord died for us truly and not in appearance, crucified under Pontius Pilate the governor, and was buried, and rose on the third day according to the Scriptures, truly, eleven days before the Kalends of April at the vernal equinox, his divinity not having descended into suffering and death (may it not be; for let such a thought depart and be far from every Christian, for the divine is impassible and immortal), but rather being present with the flesh united to it hypostatically, consubstantial with us and subject to like suffering, and economically making the passions of the flesh its own, and granting to us, through the mystical eating of the true body and blood of the rational Lamb, Christ our God, remission of sins and eternal life. But having accomplished the mystery concerning the cross and the resurrection, the Christ-killing Jews plotted among themselves how to hide the miracle. and first with a sufficient sum of money they persuade Pilate for the tomb to be sealed and to be guarded by the custody of the soldiers. But God allowed them to do everything, so that through what they themselves contrive evilly, they might rather establish the truth. For if they had not guarded it, they would have been able to say, even if what was said was false, that he was stolen by his disciples. But now, having set a watch around the tomb with so much security, the resurrection became undeniable, with the soldiers proclaiming the miracle everywhere, although they had received no small amount of money from the chief priests. And with the Lord having been taken up and very great miracles being performed in his name through the holy apostles, again
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ἐτελεύτησε, παραδοὺς τὴν βασιλείαν Τι βερίῳ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ. Ἦν δὲ ὁ Κύριος τότε ἐτῶν δεκα πέντε. Τιβέριος δὲ ὁ Καῖσαρ γνήσιον φίλον ἔχων τὸν Πιλάτον, ἡγούμενον τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἀπέστειλε, καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ Καίσαρος. Ἐν ἔτει δὲ πέμ πτῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Τιβερίου Καίσαρος, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου φωνὴν, ἦλθεν Ἰωάννης κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ Θεοῦ κηρύσσων βάπτισμα με τανοίας ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη ὁ Κύριος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ὢν ἐτῶν τριάκοντα, καὶ ἤρξατο τῆς κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον πραγματείας. Ἦν δὲ Ἡρώδης κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐκβαλὼν τὴν ἰδίαν γυναῖκα, θυγατέρα οὖσαν Ἀρέτα τοῦ βασι λέως Ἀραβίας, περὶ οὗ ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κοριν θίους ἐπιστολῇ μνείαν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ λαβὼν Ἡρω διάδα τὴν γυναῖκα Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτι ζῶντος αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ κήρυξ τῆς ἀληθείας Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστὴς, μὴ φέρων τὴν ἀτοπίαν, σφοδρῶς τοῖς ἐλέγχοις ἐπῆλθε τῷ Ἡρώδῃ. Ὁ δὲ, ἀκατασχέτῳ θυμῷ ληφθεὶς, χαριζόμενος τῇ μοιχαλίδι τὴν παῤῥησίαν, τὸν προφήτην ἀπεκεφάλισεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν τὴν δίκην εἰσεπράξατο τῶν τολμηθέντων. Ἡ γὰρ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀτίμως διωχθεῖσα ἐπορεύθη πρὸς τὸν Ἀρέταν τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς, καὶ τὴν βίαν ἀπωδύρετο. Ὁ δὲ, ὡς ὑβρισμένης τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ, συναγαγὼν πάντα τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐπῆλθεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ κατέκοψε πάντα τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ πυρὶ παραδοὺς ᾐχμαλώτευσεν. αὐτοῦ. Ἐν ἔτει δὲ ὀκτὼ καὶ δεκάτῳ Τιβερίου Καίσαρος, Ἡρώδου δὲ εἰκοστῷ, ἡγεμονεύοντος Ποντίου Πιλά του τῆς Ἰουδαίας, γέγονε τὸ σωτήριον πάθος πρὸ δεκατριῶν Καλανδῶν Ἀπριλλίων. Πέπονθε δὲ ὁ Κύ ριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἑκουσίως, Θεὸς ὢν ἀληθινὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος, τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ δύο 4036 φύσεων μηδαμοῦ ἐπιδεχομένων μερισμὸν ἢ διαίρεσιν, Ἐν σταυρῷ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τάφῳ ἀμέριστος ἔμεινε ἡ οἰκονομία τῶν δύο φύσεων, ἐν αἷς γνωρίζεται ὁ εἷς καὶ μόνος Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ ζῶντος Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἐπειδήπερ ἐν τῷ παντὶ ὁ σταυρὸς ἔνδοξος καὶ τὸ πᾶν σταυροειδῶς ὑπέστη, καθὼς προλαβὼν ἀπέδειξεν ὁ λόγος, εἰκό τως ὁ Κύριος τὸν διὰ σταυροῦ ὑπέμεινε θάνα τον, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου ἁγιάσῃ τὰ σύμ παντα, καὶ ἐξαγοράσῃ ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νό μου, καὶ ἐλευθερώσῃ ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς καταδυναστείας τοῦ διαβόλου καὶ λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς τυραννί δος καὶ φθορᾶς. Ἀπέθανεν οὖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀληθῶς καὶ οὐ κατὰ φαντασίαν ὁ Κύριος, σταυρωθεὶς ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, καὶ ἐτάφη, καὶ ἀνέστη τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, ἀληθῶς, τῇ πρὸ δεκαμιᾶς Καλανδῶν Ἀπριλλίων κατὰ τὴν ἐαρινὴν ἰσημερίαν, οὐ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ καταπε σούσης εἰς πάθη καὶ θνῆσιν (μὴ γένοιτο· ἀπίοι γὰρ καὶ ἀπέστω ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ Χριστιανοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτο φρόνημα, ἀπαθὲς γὰρ τὸ θεῖον καὶ ἀθάνατον), συμπαρούσης δὲ μᾶλλον τῇ ἑνωθείσῃ αὐτῇ καθ' ὑπόστα σιν ὁμοουσίῳ ἡμῖν καὶ ὁμοιοπαθεῖ σαρκὶ, καὶ οἰκειου μένης τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη οἰκονομικῶς, καὶ δωρου μένης ἡμῖν, διὰ τῆς μυστικῆς βρώσεως τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ σώματος καὶ αἵματος τοῦ λογικοῦ Ἀμνοῦ, Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἄφεσιν ἀμαρτιῶν καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Τὸ δὲ κατὰ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν μυστήριον ἐπιτελέσαντες οἱ κυριοκτόνοι Ἰουδαῖοι εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐδραματούργουν, ὅπως κρύψωσι τὸ θαῦμα. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν χρήμασιν ἱκανοῖς πείθουσι τὸν Πι λάτον σφραγισθῆναι τὸν τάφον καὶ φυλαχθῆναι ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν στρατιωτῶν κουστωδίας. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς συνεχώ ρησεν αὐτοῖς πάντα ποιεῖν, ἵνα δι' ὧν αὐτοὶ κακουρ γοῦσι, μᾶλλον συνιστῶσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐφύλαξαν, εἶχον ἂν εἰπεῖν, εἰ καὶ ψευδὲς τὸ λεγόμε νον, ὅτι ἐκλάπη ὑπὸ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ. Νῦν δὲ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀσφαλείας περικαθίσαντες τῷ τάφῳ, ἀναμφίβολος ἡ ἀνάστασις γέγονε, τῶν στρατιωτῶν 4037 πανταχοῦ τὸ θαῦμα κηρυττόντων, καίπερ λαβόντες ἐκ τῶν ἀρχιερέων χρήματα οὐκ ὀλίγα. Τοῦ δὲ Κυρίου ἀναληφθέντος καὶ θαυμάτων μεγί στων ἐπιτελουμένων ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων, πάλιν
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