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and go away. The paralytic becomes an evangelist, a teacher of the unbelievers, a physician and a herald to their shame and condemnation; a physician, not by voice, but by deeds, not by words, but by the things themselves. For he bore clear and indisputable 48.809 proof, and what he said, he showed through his body. After these things Jesus finds him, and says to him: Behold, you have become well, sin no more, lest something worse happen to you. Have you seen the wisdom of a physician? Have you seen his care? He not only delivered him from the present sickness, but also secures him for the future; and very opportunely. For when he was on his bed, He said nothing of the sort, He did not remind him of his sins; for the soul of the sick is somehow irritable and miserable; but when He drove away the sickness, when He restored him to health, when He gave proof of His power and His care by deed, then He makes His counsel and exhortation timely, appearing trustworthy henceforth through the very deeds. Why then did that man, upon departing, make Him known to the Jews? Wishing to make them partakers of the true teaching. But for this reason, it says, they hated Him, and persecuted Him. Here pay attention to me; for here is the whole struggle. For this reason they persecuted Him, because He did these things on the Sabbath. Let us see then how He defends Himself; for the manner of His defense shows us, whether He is of the subordinate, or of the free, whether of those who serve, or of those who command. What had happened seemed to be the greatest transgression; for indeed someone once, having gathered wood on the Sabbath, was stoned for this, because he carried burdens on the Sabbath. For this great sin Christ was accused, that He broke the Sabbath. Let us see, then, if He first asks for pardon as a servant and a subordinate, or if as one having power He displays authority, as a Master, and one set over the law, and as one who has Himself given the commandments. How then does He defend Himself? He says: My Father is working until now, and I am working. Have you seen His authority? And yet if He were inferior and less than the Father, what was said is not a defense, but a greater crime and a more grievous accusation. For when someone does what only the greater is permitted to do, then being caught is accused and says, "Because the greater one did it, for this reason I also did it," he not only does not absolve himself from the charges by this manner of defense, but also renders himself liable to greater blame and accusation. For it is a matter of arrogance and presumption to attempt things greater than one's worth. And Christ, therefore, if He were inferior, what He said would not be a defense, but a greater crime; but since He was equal to Him, for this reason it is not a crime. And if you wish, I will make what I am saying clear by an example. To the king alone it is permitted to wear the purple robe and to have a diadem upon his head, and to no other. If, therefore, one of the common people should appear wearing this attire, and then being dragged into court should say, "Because the king wears this attire, for this reason I also wear it," he not only does not release himself from the accusation, but also makes himself liable to greater punishment and penalty by this manner of defense. Again, to release the most shameful from 48.810 punishment and penalty, such as murderers, robbers, tomb-raiders, and those who have dared other such things, is a matter of royal munificence alone. And so if some judge, having released one who has been condemned without the royal consent, is accused, and he himself also says, "Because the king also releases, I also release," he is not only not freed by this manner, but also kindles a greater wrath against himself; and very rightly so. For it is not just for inferiors in their insolence to resort to the authority of their superiors, and from there to furnish a defense for themselves, since this is a greater outrage

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καὶ ὕπαγε. Ὁ παραλυτικὸς εὐαγγελιστὴς γίνεται, διδάσκαλος τῶν ἀπίστων, ἰατρὸς καὶ κήρυξ εἰς ἐκείνων αἰσχύνην καὶ κατάκριμα· ἰατρὸς, οὐχὶ διὰ φωνῆς, ἀλλὰ δι' ἔργων, οὐχὶ διὰ λόγων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν. Σαφῆ γὰρ καὶ ἀναμφι 48.809 σβήτητον ἐπεφέρετο τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ ὅπερ ἔλεγεν, ἐδείκνυε διὰ τοῦ σώματος. Μετὰ ταῦτα εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἴδε, ὑγιὴς γέγονας, μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γένηται. Εἶδες ἰατροῦ σοφίαν; εἶδες κηδεμονίαν; οὐκ ἀπήλλαξε τοῦ παρόντος νοσήματος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἀσφαλίζεται· καὶ μάλα εὐκαίρως. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον εἶπεν, οὐκ ἀνέμνησεν αὐτὸν ἁμαρτημάτων· δυσάρεστος γάρ πως καὶ ταλαίπωρός ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ἀῤῥωστούντων ψυχή· ὅτε δὲ ἀπήλασε τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν, ὅτε πρὸς τὴν ὑγίειαν ἐπανήγαγεν, ὅτε τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς κηδεμονίας ἔργῳ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν παρέσχετο, τότε εὔκαιρον ποιεῖται τὴν συμβουλὴν καὶ τὴν παραίνεσιν, ἀξιόπιστος δι' αὐτῶν λοιπὸν τῶν ἔργων φαινόμενος. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνος ἀπελθὼν κατάδηλον ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις; Κοινωνοὺς αὐτοὺς βουλόμενος λαβεῖν τῆς ἀληθοῦς διδασκαλίας. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι διὰ τοῦτο ἐμίσουν αὐτὸν, φησὶ, καὶ ἐδίωκον. Ἐνταῦθά μοι προσέχετε· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ ὁ πᾶς ἐστιν ἀγών. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐδίωκον αὐτὸν, ὅτι ταῦτα ἐποίει ἐν σαββάτῳ. Ἴδωμεν οὖν πῶς ἀπολογεῖται· ὁ γὰρ τῆς ἀπολογίας τρόπος δείκνυσιν ἡμῖν, εἴτε τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων, εἴτε τῶν ἐλευθέρων ἐστὶν, εἴτε τῶν διακονουμένων, εἴτε τῶν ἐπιταττόντων. Παρανομία μεγίστη ἐδόκει εἶναι τὸ γεγενημένον· καὶ γὰρ ξύλα ποτέ τις ἐν σαββάτῳ συλλέξας ἐλιθάσθη διὰ τοῦτο, ὅτι βαστάγματα ἔφερεν ἐν σαββάτῳ. Τοῦτο τὸ μέγα ἁμάρτημα ἐνεκαλεῖτο ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτι ἔλυσε τὸ σάββατον. Ἴδωμεν οὖν εἰ πρότερον συγγνώμην αἰτεῖ ὡς δοῦλος καὶ ὑποτεταγμένος, ἢ ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων καὶ αὐθεντίαν ἐπιδείκνυται, ὡς ∆εσπότης, καὶ ἐπικείμενος τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτὸς δεδωκώς. Πῶς οὖν ἀπολογεῖται; φησίν· Ὁ Πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι. Εἶδες αὐθεντίαν; Καίτοι εἰ καταδεέστερος καὶ ἐλάττων ἦν τοῦ Πατρὸς, οὐκ ἔστι τὸ εἰρημένον ἀπολογία, ἀλλ' ἔγκλημα μεῖζον καὶ κατηγορία χαλεπωτέρα. Ὅταν γὰρ ποιῇ τις, ὃ τῷ μείζονι μόνῳ ποιεῖν ἔξεστιν, εἶτα ἁλοὺς ἐγκαλεῖται καὶ λέγει, ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ ὁ μείζων ἐποίησε, διὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ ἐποίησα, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀπολύει τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἑαυτὸν τούτῳ τῆς ἀπολογίας τῷ τρόπῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μείζονος μέμψεως καὶ κατηγορίας ὑπεύθυνον ἑαυτὸν καθίστησιν. Ὑπερηφανίας γὰρ καὶ ἀλαζονείας ἐστὶ, τὸ τοῖς μείζοσι τῆς ἀξίας ἐπιχειρεῖν πράγμασι. Καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τοίνυν εἰ καταδεέστερος ἦν, οὐκ ἦν ἀπολογία τὸ λεγόμενον, ἀλλ' ἔγκλημα μεῖζον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἴσος αὐτῷ ἦν, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἔγκλημα. Καὶ εἰ βούλεσθε, ἐπὶ ὑποδείγματος ὃ λέγω ποιήσω φανερόν. Τῷ βασιλεῖ φέρειν ἁλουργίδα, καὶ διάδημα ἔχειν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς μόνῳ ἔξεστιν, ἑτέρῳ δὲ οὐδενί. Ἐὰν τοίνυν φανῇ τις τῶν πολλῶν τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα περικείμενος, εἶτα καὶ εἰς δικαστήριον ἑλκόμενος λέγῃ, ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα περίκειται, διὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ περίκειμαι, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἑαυτὸν τῆς κατηγορίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ μείζονος κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας καθίστησιν ὑπεύθυνον τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς ἀπολογίας. Πάλιν τὸ τοὺς αἰσχίστους ἀφεῖναι 48.810 κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας, οἷον ἀνδροφόνους, λῃστὰς, τυμβωρύχους, καὶ τοὺς ἕτερα τοιαῦτα τετολμηκότας, βασιλικῆς ἐστι φιλοτιμίας μόνης. Κἂν τοίνυν τις δικαστὴς, τὸν καταδικασθέντα χωρὶς βασιλικῆς γνώμης ἀφεὶς, ἐγκαλῆται, καὶ λέγει καὶ αὐτὸς, ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀφίησι, κἀγὼ ἀφίημι, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀπαλλάττεται τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μείζονα ἐξάπτει καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ὀργήν· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δίκαιον ἐν ταῖς παροινίαις ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν μειζόνων αὐθεντίαν ἀναβαίνοντας τοὺς ὑποδεεστέρους, ἐκεῖθεν ἑαυτοῖς πορίζεσθαι τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ὕβρις μείζων