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accomplished by grace. And there it is possible to see skin being cut, and ichor flowing, and putrefaction spreading, and to endure much unpleasantness arising from the sight, and much pain and grief, not only from the sight of the wounds, but also from the pain of those being cauterized and cut; for no one is so stony-hearted as, when standing by those suffering these things and hearing them shrieking, not to be broken down, and confounded, and to receive much despondency in his soul; but nevertheless, because of the desire for the spectacle, we endure all these things. But here there is nothing of the sort to see, no fire being applied, no iron being plunged in, no blood flowing, no sick man in pain, no one shrieking; and the reason is the wisdom of the healer, needing none of these external things, but being sufficient in itself. For it is enough just to command, and all terrible things are loosed. But this is not the wonderful thing, that he performs the healing with such ease, but that it is also painless, inflicting no suffering on those being treated. Since, therefore, the wonder is greater, and the healing more complete, and the pleasure for the spectators is pure of all despondency, come let us with precision watch Christ healing. And he got into a boat and crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven you." They are less than the centurion in faith, but greater than the man at the pool. For that one neither drew the physician, nor brought the sick man to the physician, but approached him as God, and says, "Only say the word, and my servant will be healed." But these did not draw the physician to the house, and in this they are equal to the centurion; but they carried the sick man to the physician, and in this they are less, because they did not say, "Only say the word." However, these are much better than the man lying there. For that one says, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is troubled;" but these knew that Christ needed nothing, not waters, not a pool, not anything else of the sort; but nevertheless Christ delivered not only the centurion's, but also this one and that one from their diseases, and did not say, "Since you brought less faith, you will receive the healing accordingly;" but him who showed greater faith he sent away with praises and crowns, saying, "Not even in Israel have I found such faith." But him who brought less than that one he did not praise at all, yet he did not deprive him of health, nor even that one who showed no faith. But just as physicians treating the same disease received from 51.56 some a hundred gold pieces, from others half, from others less, and from some nothing at all; so indeed also Christ received from the centurion much and ineffable faith, but from this one less, and from that one not even a common amount, and yet he healed them all. For what reason, then, did he deem worthy of the benefit even him who contributed nothing? Because it was not from sloth, nor from insensibility of soul, but from being ignorant of Christ and having never heard any wonder about him, neither small nor great, that he did not show faith. For this reason, then, he also enjoyed pardon; which the evangelist also hinted at, saying, "For he did not even know who he was," but recognized him by sight alone, when he met him a second time.

5. Some, then, say that when only those who brought him believed, this man was healed; but this is not so. For "seeing their faith," not only of those who brought him, but also of the one brought. What then? Is another not healed when another believes? he says. I do not think so, unless one is unable to believe either because of tender age or because of excessive weakness. How then in the case of the Canaanite woman, he says, did the mother believe, but the daughter was healed? and when the centurion disbelieved, how was the boy raised up, and saved? Because not

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κατορθούμενον χάριτι. Κἀκεῖ μὲν καὶ δέρμα ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τεμνόμενον, καὶ ἰχῶρα ῥέοντα, καὶ σηπεδόνα κινουμένην, καὶ πολλὴν ἀηδίαν ἀπὸ τῆς θεωρίας ἐγγινομένην ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ πολλὴν ὀδύνην καὶ λύπην, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως τῶν τραυμάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλγηδόνος τῶν καιομένων καὶ τῶν τεμνομένων· οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὕτω λίθινος, ὡς παρεστὼς τοῖς ταῦτα πάσχουσι, καὶ ἀκούων ὀλολυζόντων, οὐχὶ κατακλᾶται, καὶ συγχεῖται, καὶ πολλὴν τῇ ψυχῇ δέχεται τὴν ἀθυμίαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως διὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς θεωρίας ταῦτα πάντα ὑπομένομεν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, οὐ πῦρ προσαγόμενον, οὐ σίδηρον βαπτιζόμενον, οὐχ αἷμα ῥέον, οὐ τὸν κάμνοντα ὀδυνώμενον, οὐκ ὀλολύζοντα· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ἡ σοφία τοῦ ἰατρεύοντος, οὐδενὸς δεομένη τούτων τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ ἑαυτῇ αὐτάρκης οὖσα. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ ἐπιτάξαι μόνον, καὶ πάντα λύεται τὰ δεινά. Οὐ τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ θαυμαζόμενον, ὅτι μετ' εὐκολίας τοσαύτης ποιεῖται τὴν ἰατρείαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἀνωδύνως, οὐδένα πόνον ἐπάγων τοῖς θεραπευομένοις. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ μεῖζον τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ πλείων ἡ θεραπεία, καὶ καθαρὰ πάσης ἀθυμίας ἡ ἡδονὴ τοῖς θεωμένοις, φέρε μετὰ ἀκριβείας θεασώμεθα θεραπεύοντα τὸν Χριστόν. Καὶ ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον διεπέρασε, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς ἰδίαν πόλιν, καὶ ἰδοὺ προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ παραλυτικὸν ἐπὶ κλίνης βεβλημένον, καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν εἶπε τῷ παραλυτικῷ· Θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου. Τοῦ μὲν ἑκατοντάρχου ἐλάττους εἰσὶ κατὰ τὴν πίστιν, τοῦ δὲ ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ μείζους. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ οὔτε τὸν ἰατρὸν εἵλκυσεν, οὔτε τὸν ἄῤῥωστον πρὸς τὸν ἰατρὸν ἤγαγεν· ἀλλ' ὡς Θεῷ προσῆλθε, καί φησιν· Εἰπὲ λόγῳ μόνον, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου. Οὗτοι δὲ τὸν μὲν ἰατρὸν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν οὐχ εἵλκυσαν, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτό εἰσιν ἴσοι τῷ ἑκατοντάρχῃ· τὸν δὲ ἄῤῥωστον πρὸς τὸν ἰατρὸν ἐκόμισαν, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτό εἰσιν ἐλάττους, ὅτι οὐκ εἶπον, Εἰπὲ λόγῳ μόνον. Τοῦ μέντοι κειμένου πολὺ βελτίους οὗτοι. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ λέγει· Κύριε, ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἔχω, ἵνα, ὅταν ταραχθῇ τὸ ὕδωρ, βάλῃ με εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν· οὗτοι δὲ ᾔδεισαν, ὅτι οὐδὲν δεῖ τῷ Χριστῷ, οὐχ ὑδάτων, οὐ κολυμβήθρας, οὐκ ἄλλου τοιούτου τινός· ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχὶ τὸν τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον κἀκεῖνον τῶν νοσημάτων ἀπήλλαξε, καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἐπειδὴ πίστιν ἐλάττονα προσήνεγκας, καὶ τὴν θεραπείαν ὡσαύτως λήψῃ· ἀλλὰ τὸν μείζονα ἐπιδειξάμενον μετ' ἐγκωμίων καὶ στεφάνων ἀπέπεμψεν εἰπών· Οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τοσαύτην πίστιν εὗρον. Τὸν δὲ ἐλάττονα προσενεγκάμενον ἐκείνου οὐκ ἐπῄνεσεν οὐδὲν, οὐ μὴν τῆς ὑγείας ἀπεστέρησεν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνον τὸν οὐδεμίαν ἐπιδειξάμενον πίστιν. Ἀλλὰ καθάπερ ἰατροὶ τὸ αὐτὸ νόσημα θεραπεύοντες παρὰ 51.56 μὲν τῶν ἑκατὸν χρυσίνους ἔλαβον, παρὰ δὲ τῶν ἡμίσεις, παρὰ τῶν ἐλάσσους, παρ' ἐνίων δὲ οὐδὲν ὅλως· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, παρὰ μὲν τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου πολλὴν καὶ ἄφατον ἐδέξατο πίστιν, παρὰ δὲ τούτου ἐλάττονα, παρ' ἐκείνου δὲ οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν, καὶ ὅμως ἅπαντας ἐθεράπευσε. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν καὶ τὸν οὐδὲν καταβαλόντα τῆς εὐεργεσίας ἠξίωσεν; Ὅτι οὐδὲ παρὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν, οὐδὲ παρὰ ἀναισθησίαν ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ μηδὲν μηδέποτε μήτε μικρὸν μήτε μέγα ἀκηκοέναι περὶ αὐτοῦ θαῦμα, τὴν πίστιν οὐκ ἐπεδείξατο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν καὶ συγγνώμης ἀπήλαυσεν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς αἰνιττόμενος ἔλεγεν· Οὐδὲ γὰρ ᾔδει, ὅστις ποτὲ ἦν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὄψεως αὐτὸν μόνης ἐπέγνω, ὅτε ἐκ δευτέρου συνέτυχεν.

εʹ. Τινὲς μὲν οὖν φασιν, ὅτι τῶν προσενεγκάντων πιστευσάντων μόνον, οὗτος ἐθεραπεύετο· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο. Ἰδὼν γὰρ τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν, οὐχὶ τῶν προσενεγκάντων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ προσενεχθέντος. Τί οὖν; ἑτέρου πιστεύσαντος ἕτερος οὐ θεραπεύεται; φησίν. Οὐκ ἔγωγε οἶμαι, πλὴν εἰ μή τι ἢ διὰ ἡλικίας ἄωρον, ἢ διὰ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀσθένειαν ἀδυνάτως ἔχει πρὸς τὸ πιστεῦσαι. Πῶς οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς Χαναναίας, φησὶν, ἐπίστευσε μὲν ἡ μήτηρ, ἐθεραπεύετο δὲ ἡ θυγάτηρ; καὶ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου δὲ ἀπιστήσαντος πῶς ὁ παῖς ἀνίστατο, καὶ διεσώζετο; Ὅτι οὐκ