and having made clay, He anointed his eyes, and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloam; and having washed, he received his sight. The Jews recognized him, and said: Is this not he who sat begging, being blind? Some said, Yes; others, No, but he is like him. He said, that I am he. But the Pharisees and the rulers of the Jews, seeing that the miracle was able to draw many to Christ, being bitten by the zeal of impiety, and struck by the sting of the truth, call inside the man who was formerly blind. And it was possible to see a wicked spectacle, piety being avenged, and wicked judges judging, and a great advocate contending alongside, and God presiding and watching over. The children of the Jews call the man who was formerly blind and had received his sight, and they stand him in the middle of the council, and say to him: 59.548 Tell us how you received your sight, and who opened your eyes, and what did he do to you? They said these things, not in order to learn, but in order to bring fear by the form of the questioning. For often the form of the questioning becomes a teacher to the one being questioned, to answer, or to be silent; as if someone might say to one about to testify in a matter: Do you know the case? Were you there? How do you know the matter? and the form itself teaches him to deny it. So also they: How did you receive your sight? Who opened your eyes? But he, caring less for the threat, clung more to the truth, and says: A certain man, called Jesus, having made clay, anointed my eyes and said to me: Go, wash in Siloam. And having gone, I washed, and I received my sight. He did not know the truth, but he recognized the good deed; he did not yet know the dignity of the benefactor. A certain man, having made clay, anointed my eyes, and I see. The Jews did not believe that he was blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. The objection of wickedness brought the truth into doubt. They call the parents of the blind man; wickedness gathers witnesses against itself. The parents of the blind man were called. Again the same form of questioning: Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? They, understanding the manner of the wickedness, that they were offering threats, say to them: We know that this is our son; and that he was born blind, we know; but how he now sees, or who opened his eyes, we do not know; he is of age, ask him; he will speak for himself. And see the wisdom of God. So that they might not object to the testimony of him who had received his sight, either as being young, or as not knowing how to speak, as in the common courts, God arranged for him first to be shown to be of legal age. He is of age, it says; ask him; since minors need advocates, but those who are of full age become their own advocates. His parents answered and said, that This is our son, and that he was born blind, we know. The parents confessed, so that there would be no doubt that he was not blind. He is of age, ask him; he will speak for himself. They call him again, it says, a second time, and say to him: What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He then, having put on the zeal of God, spits on the question, and as unworthy of an answer, does not deem them worthy of a word, but what does he say to them? I have told you already, and you did not hear; why do you want to hear from me again? Do you also want to become his disciples? And he imitates the teaching of Christ, who had not yet heard the teaching of Christ. For the Jews at the dedication, having surrounded the Savior in the portico of Solomon, said to him: How long do you keep our soul in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. He says to them: I have told you, and you did not hear; why do you want to hear again? And see the piety of the advocate. Since he paid attention to the wickedness of the Jews, that they do everything, and feign a threat, and brandish fear at him so that he would not confess him as teacher, he says to them: I have told you already, and you did not

καὶ πηλὸν ποιήσας, Ἔχρισεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὴν κολυμβήθραν τοῦ Σιλωάμ· καὶ νιψάμενος ἀνέβλεψεν. Οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἔγνωσαν αὐτὸν, καὶ λέγουσιν· Οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην καθήμενος τυφλὸς ὤν; Ἄλλοι ἔλεγον, Ναί· ἄλλοι, Οὒκ, ἀλλ' ὅμοιος αὐτῷ ἐστιν. Ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι. Οἱ Φαρισαῖοι δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁρῶντες, ὅτι τὸ θαῦμα πολλοὺς ἔχει ἑλκύσαι πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν, δακνόμενοι ἐκ τοῦ ζήλου τῆς ἀσεβείας, καὶ πληττόμενοι τῷ κέντρῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, καλοῦσιν ἔσω τόν ποτε τυφλόν. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν πονηρὸν θέατρον, εὐσεβείας ἐκδικουμένης, καὶ πονηρῶν δικαστῶν κρινόντων, καὶ μεγάλου συνηγόρου συναγωνιζομένου, καὶ Θεοῦ βραβεύοντος καὶ ἐφορῶντος. Καλοῦσι τόν ποτε τυφλὸν καὶ ἀναβλέψαντα Ἰουδαίων παῖδες, καὶ ἱστῶσιν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ συνεδρίου, καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· 59.548 Εἰπὲ πῶς ἀνέβλεψας, καὶ τίς σου διήνοιξε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ τί σοι ἐποίησεν; Ταῦτα ἔλεγον, οὐχ ἵνα μάθωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῷ σχήματι τῆς ἐρωτήσεως φόβον ἐνέγκωσιν. Πολλάκις γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τῆς ἐρωτήσεως διδάσκαλος γίνεται τῷ ἐρωτωμένῳ ἀποκρίνασθαι, ἢ σιωπῆσαι· ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι τινὶ μέλλοντι μαρτυρεῖν εἰς πρᾶγμα· Οἶδας τὴν ὑπόθεσιν; παρῆς; πόθεν οἶδας τὸ πρᾶγμα; καὶ τὸ σχῆμα αὐτὸν διδάσκει ἀρνήσασθαι. Οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι· Πῶς ἀνέβλεψας; τίς ἠνέῳξέ σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; Ὁ δὲ ἧττον φροντίσας τῆς ἀπειλῆς, εἴχετο μᾶλλον τῆς ἀληθείας, καί φησιν· Ἄνθρωπός τις, λεγόμενος Ἰησοῦς, πηλὸν ποιήσας ἐπέχρισέ μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ εἶπέ μοι· Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὸ Σιλωάμ. Καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἐνιψάμην, καὶ ἀνέβλεψα. Οὐκ ᾔδει τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ἐγνώρισε· τοῦ εὐεργέτου τὸ ἀξίωμα οὔπω ᾔδει. Ἄνθρωπός τις πηλὸν ποιήσας ἐπέχρισέ μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ βλέπω. Οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι τυφλὸς ἦν, καὶ ἀνέβλεψεν, ἕως ὅτου ἐφώνησαν τοὺς γονεῖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀναβλέψαντος. Ἡ παραγραφὴ τῆς κακίας εἰς ἀμφιβολίαν ἤνεγκε τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Καλοῦσι τοὺς γονεῖς τοῦ τυφλοῦ· ἡ κακία καθ' ἑαυτῆς συνάγει τοὺς μάρτυρας. Ἐκλήθησαν οἱ γονεῖς τοῦ τυφλοῦ. Πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ σχῆμα τῆς ἐρωτήσεως· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ὑμῶν, ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε, ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη; Πῶς οὖν ἄρτι βλέπει; Ἐκεῖνοι τὸν τρόπον τῆς κακίας νοήσαντες, ὅτι ἀπειλὰς προσφέρουσιν, λέγουσιν αὐτοῖς· Ἴσμεν, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ἡμῶν· καὶ ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη, οἴδαμεν· πῶς δὲ νῦν βλέπει, ἢ τίς ἤνοιξεν αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, οὐκ οἴδαμεν· αὐτὸς ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε· αὐτὸς τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λαλήσει. Καὶ ὅρα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν. Ἵνα μὴ παραγράφωνται αὐτοῦ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ ἀναβλέψαντος, ἢ ὡς νέου ὄντος, ἢ ὡς οὐκ εἰδότος εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν κοινῶν δικαστηρίων, ᾠκονόμησεν ὁ Θεὸς πρῶτον δειχθῆναι αὐτὸν τῆς ἐννόμου ἡλικίας. Ἡλικίαν ἔχει αὐτὸς, φησίν· αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε· ἐπειδὴ οἱ ἀφήλικες συνηγόρων χρῄζουσιν, οἱ δὲ τελείαν φέροντες τὴν ἡλικίαν, αὐτοὶ ἑαυτῶν συνήγοροι γίνονται. Ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπον, ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ ὅτι τυφλὸς ἐγεννήθη, οἴδαμεν. Ὡμολόγησαν οἱ γονεῖς, ἵνα μὴ ᾖ ἀμφιβολία, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν τυφλός. Ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε· αὐτὸς τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ λαλήσει. Καλοῦσι πάλιν, φησὶν, αὐτὸν ἐκ δευτέρου, καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Τί ἐποίησέν σοι; πῶς ἠνέῳξέν σου τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; Ἐκεῖνος λοιπὸν ἐνδυσάμενος Θεοῦ ζῆλον, διαπτύει τὴν ἐρώτησιν, καὶ ὡς ἀναξίους ἀποκρίσεως, οὐκ ἀξιοῖ λόγου, ἀλλὰ τί λέγει αὐτοῖς; Εἶπον ὑμῖν ἤδη, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε· τί πάλιν θέλετέ μου ἀκούειν; μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε αὐτοῦ μαθηταὶ γενέσθαι; Καὶ μιμεῖται τὴν Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν, ὁ μηδέπω ἀκούσας τὴν Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίαν. Οἱ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν τοῖς ἐγκαινίοις κυκλώσαντες τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐν τῇ στοᾷ Σολομῶντος, ἔλεγον αὐτῷ· Ἕως πότε τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν αἴρεις; Εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν παῤῥησίᾳ. Λέγει αὐτοῖς· Εἶπον ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατε· τί πάλιν θέλετε ἀκούειν; Καὶ ὅρα συνηγόρου εὐσέβειαν. Ἐπειδὴ προσέσχεν τῇ κακίᾳ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ὅτι πάντα ποιοῦσι, καὶ σχηματίζονται ἀπειλὴν, καὶ φόβον αὐτῷ ἐπισείειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ὁμολογεῖν αὐτὸν διδάσκαλον, λέγει αὐτοῖς· Εἶπον ὑμῖν ἤδη, καὶ οὐκ