Israel? Or has it not been written for you: “You shall not shed innocent blood, lest you die a wicked death”? “I,” says Israel, “killed the Lord.” Why? “Because it was necessary for him to suffer.” You have been deceived, O Israel, using such sophistry concerning the slaughter of the Lord. It was necessary for him to suffer, but not by you. It was necessary for him to be dishonored, but not by you. It was necessary for him to be judged, but not by you. It was necessary for him to be hung, but not by your right hand. This voice, O Israel, you should have cried out to God: “O Master, even if it was necessary for your Son to suffer and this is your will, let him suffer indeed, but not by me. Let him suffer by foreigners. Let him be judged by the uncircumcised. Let him be nailed by a tyrannical right hand, but not by me.” But you, O Israel, did not cry this voice out to God, nor did you make expiation to the Master, nor were you shamed by his works. You were not shamed by a withered hand restored to the body, nor by the eyes of the blind being opened by his hand, nor by paralyzed bodies being made firm by his voice, nor did the newer sign shame you, a dead man of four days already being raised from a tomb. You, therefore, having set these things aside in the evening for the slaughter of the Lord, prepared for him sharp nails and false witnesses and nooses and scourges and vinegar and gall and a sword and affliction as for a murderous robber. For having brought upon him both scourges for his body and a thorn for his head, you also bound his beautiful hands, which formed you from the earth, and that beautiful mouth of his that fed you life, you fed gall, and you killed your Lord on the great feast.

And you were rejoicing, but he was hungering. You were drinking wine and eating bread, but he vinegar and gall. You were bright in countenance, but he was downcast. You were exulting, but he was afflicted. You were singing psalms, but he was being judged. You were commanding, but he was being nailed. You were dancing, but he was being buried. You were lying down on a soft couch, but he in a tomb and a coffin. O lawless Israel, why did you commit this new crime, casting your Lord into new sufferings, your Master, the one who formed you, the one who made you, the one who honored you, the one who called you Israel? But you were not found to be Israel, for you did not see God, you did not perceive the Lord, you did not know, O Israel, that this is the firstborn of God, the one begotten before the morning star, the one who made the light rise, the one who made the day bright, the one who divided the darkness, the one who fixed the first starting-post, the one who hung the earth, the one who extinguished the abyss, the one who stretched out the firmament, the one who ordered the world, the one who set the stars in heaven, the one who made the luminaries bright, the one who made the angels in heaven, the one who fixed the thrones there, the one who formed man upon the earth. This was the one who chose you and guided you from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob and the 12 patriarchs. This was the one who guided you into Egypt and protected you and nourished you there. This was the one who led you by light in a pillar, and covered you in a cloud, who cut the Red Sea and led you through and scattered your enemy. This is the one who gave you manna from heaven, who gave you drink from a rock, who gave you the law on Horeb, who gave you an inheritance in the land, who sent the prophets to you, who raised up your kings. This is the one who came to you, who healed your sufferers and raised your dead. This is the one against whom you acted impiously. This is the one whom you wronged. This is the one whom you killed. This is the one whom you sold for silver, demanding from him the two-drachma tax for his own head. Ungrateful Israel, come, and be judged by me concerning your ungratefulness. At what price did you value being guided by him? At what price did you value the finding of your fathers? At what price did you value the descent into Egypt and the nourishment there through the good Joseph? At what price did you value the ten plagues? At what price did you value the nightly pillar and

Ἰσραήλ; Ἢ οὐ γέγραπταί σοι· «Οὐκ ἐκχεεῖς αἷμα ἀθῷον, ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνῃς κακῶς»; Ἐγὼ μέν, φησὶν Ἰσραήλ, ἀπέκτεινα τὸν κύριον. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ἔδει αὐτὸν παθεῖν. Πεπλάνησαι, ὦ Ἰσραήλ, τοιαῦτα σοφιζόμενος ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ κυρίου σφαγῇ. Ἔδει αὐτὸν παθεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὸ σοῦ. Ἔδει αὐτὸν ἀτιμασθῆναι, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὸ σοῦ. Ἔδει αὐτὸν κριθῆναι, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὸ σοῦ. Ἔδει αὐτὸν κρεμασθῆναι, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὸ τῆς δεξιᾶς σου. Ταύτην, ὦ Ἰσραήλ, πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὤφειλες βοῆσαι τὴν φωνήν· «Ὦ δέσποτα, εἰ καὶ ἔδει σου τὸν υἱὸν παθεῖν καὶ τοῦτό σού ἐστιν τὸ θέλημα, πασχέτω δή, ἀλλὰ ὑπ' ἐμοῦ μή. Πασχέτω ὑπὸ ἀλλοφύλων. Κρινέσθω ὑπὸ ἀκροβύστων. Προσηλούσθω ὑπὸ τυραννικῆς δεξιᾶς, ὑπὸ δὲ ἐμοῦ μή.» Σὺ δὲ ταύτην, ὦ Ἰσραήλ, πρὸς τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἐβόησας τὴν φωνήν, οὐδὲ ἀφωσίωσαι τῷ δεσπότῃ, οὐδὲ ἐδυσωπήθης τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἐδυσώπησέν σε χεὶρ ξηρὰ ἀποκαθεσταμένη τῷ σώματι, οὐδὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ πηρῶν διὰ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ ἀνοιγόμενοι, οὐδὲ παραλελυμένα σώματα διὰ φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀναπηγνύμενα, οὐδὲ τὸ καινότερόν σε ἐδυσώπησεν σημεῖον, νεκρὸς ἐκ μνημείου ἐγειρόμενος ἤδη τεσσάρων ἡμερῶν. Σὺ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα παραπεμψάμενος ἑσπέρας ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου σφαγὴν ἡτοίμασας αὐτῷ ἥλους ὀξεῖς καὶ μάρτυρας ψευδεῖς καὶ βρόχους καὶ μάστιγας καὶ ὄξος καὶ χόλην καὶ μάχαιραν καὶ θλῖψιν ὡς ἐπὶ φόνιον λῃστήν. Ἐπενεγκὼν γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ μάστιγας τῷ σώματι καὶ ἄκανθαν τῇ κεφαλῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς καλὰς αὐτοῦ χεῖρας ἔδησας, αἵ σε ἔπλασαν ἀπὸ γῆς, καὶ τὸ καλὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖνο στόμα τὸ ψωμίσαν σε ζωήν, ἐψώμισας χολήν, καὶ ἀπέκτεινάς σου τὸν κύριον ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἑορτῇ.

Καὶ σὺ μὲν ἦσθα εὐφραινόμενος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ λιμώττων. Σὺ ἔπινες οἶνον καὶ ἄρτον ἤσθιες, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὄξος καὶ χολήν. Σὺ ἦσθα φαιδρὸς τῷ προσώπῳ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐσκυθρώπαζεν. Σὺ ἦσθα ἀγαλλιώμενος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐθλίβετο. Σὺ ἔψαλλες, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐκρίνετο. Σὺ ἐκέλευες, ἐκεῖνος δὲ προσηλοῦτο. Σὺ ἐχόρευες, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐθάπτετο. Σὺ μὲν ἐπὶ στρωμνῆς μαλακῆς ἦσθα κατακείμενος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐν τάφῳ καὶ σορῷ. Ὦ Ἰσραὴλ παράνομε, τί δὴ τοῦτο ἀπηργάσω τὸ καινὸν ἀδίκημα, καινοῖς ἐμβαλών σου τὸν κύριον πάθεσιν, τὸν δεσπότην σου, τὸν πλάσαντά σε, τὸν ποιήσαντά σε, τὸν τιμήσαντά σε, τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καλέσαντά σε; Σὺ δὲ Ἰσραὴλ οὐχ εὑρέθης, οὐ γὰρ εἶδες τὸν θεόν, οὐκ ἐνόησας τὸν κύριον, οὐκ ᾔδεις, ὦ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πρωτότοκος τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ πρὸ ἑωσφόρου γεννηθείς, ὁ τὸ φῶς ἐπαναστήσας, ὁ τὴν ἡμέραν λαμπρύνας, ὁ τὸ σκότος διακρίνας, ὁ τὴν πρώτην βαλβῖδα πήξας, ὁ κρεμάσας τὴν γῆν, ὁ σβέσας ἄβυσσον, ὁ ἐκτείνας τὸ στερέωμα, ὁ κοσμήσας τὸν κόσμον, ὁ τοὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἁρμόσας ἀστέρας, ὁ τοὺς φωστῆρας λαμπρύνας, ὁ τοὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ ποιήσας ἀγγέλους, ὁ τοὺς ἐκεῖ πήξας θρόνους, ὁ τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀναπλασσάμενος ἄνθρωπον. Οὗτος ἦν ὁ ἐκλεξάμενός σε καὶ καθοδηγήσας σε ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐπὶ τὸν Νῶε, ἀπὸ τοῦ Νῶε ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀβραάμ, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσὰκ καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοὺς ιβʹ πατριάρχας. Οὗτος ἦν ὁ καθοδηγήσας σε εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ διαφυλάξας σε κἀκεῖ διαθρεψάμενος. Οὗτος ἦν ὁ φωταγωγήσας σε ἐν στύλῳ, καὶ σκεπάσας σε ἐν νεφέλῃ, ὁ τεμὼν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν καὶ διαγαγών σε καὶ τὸν ἐχθρόν σου ἀποσκεδάσας. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ σοι μαννοδοτήσας, ὁ ἐκ πέτρας σε ποτίσας, ὁ ἐν Χωρήβ σοι νομοθετήσας, ὁ ἐν γῇ σοι κληροδοτήσας, ὁ ἐξαποστείλας σοι τοὺς προφήτας, ὁ ἐξεγείρας σου τοὺς βασιλεῖς. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πρός σε ἀφικόμενος, ὁ τοὺς πάσχοντάς σου θεραπεύσας καὶ τοὺς νεκρούς σου ἀναστήσας. Οὗτός ἐστιν εἰς ὃν ἠσέβησας. Οὗτός ἐστιν εἰς ὃν ἠδίκησας. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὃν ἀπέκτεινας. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὃν ἀπηργυρίσω ἀπαιτήσας παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰ δίδραχμα ὑπὲρ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ. Ἀχάριστε Ἰσραήλ, δεῦρο, καὶ κρίθητι πρός με περὶ τῆς ἀχαριστίας σου. Πόσου ἀνετιμήσω τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καθοδηγηθῆναι; Πόσου ἀνετιμήσω τὴν τῶν πατέρων σου ἀνεύρεσιν; Πόσου ἀνετιμήσω τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον κάθοδον καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ διατροφὴν διὰ τοῦ καλοῦ Ἰωσήφ; Πόσου ἀνετιμήσω τὰς δέκα πληγάς; Πόσου ἀνετιμήσω τὸν νυκτερινὸν στῦλον καὶ