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The Lord, wishing to show both what sort of power the demons have against men, and that they work far less evil against men than they both wish and are able to, being hindered by the power of God, did not provide this proof upon men. But He permitted them to enter into the swine, so that from them both the wrath and the power of the demons might be made manifest; and those who destroyed so many swine so quickly are not unable to do the same things to men, dragging them down and doing to them all things whatsoever they wish. 44 Mt 8, 34 Therefore they begged him to depart to other places, as being unworthy to have so great a good in their own country, fearing lest they might suffer something even greater from the power of the one present on account of their own sins.

45 Mt 9, 5 In terms of utterance, both are equally easy to say; but

what he says is something like this: You consider me a blasphemer for promising what I cannot do. Therefore, if you suppose the voice to be one of boasting, what has been considered by you to be easier, to promise the forgiveness of sins or the healing of the paralysis? But surely this is harder for one who is unable to say it, since those who hear are able to obtain proof of his weakness at close hand. For by as much as one happens to believe the healing is under one's eyes, by so much is it easy to get proof of the one speaking, whether being able he rightly promises, or whether he lies, promising these things which he is unable to do. And what he says is something like this: You consider me a blasphemer for promising what I cannot do, that is, the remission of sins; therefore if you suppose the voice to be one of a boaster, what has been considered by you easier, to promise the forgiveness of sins or the healing of the paralysis? But surely this is harder for one who is unable to say it, since those who hear are able to obtain proof of his weakness at close hand, since the healing is before their eyes. So that you may not think that I promise what is unseen by men, a thing which it is possible for one not providing it to escape notice, I say and do this very thing which is difficult for one who is unable to promise, so that from this you may receive proof of my power. 46 Mt 9, 8 They recognize the deed is divine, but they see the one who did it as a man. For this reason they marvel at it as a gift of God and not as his own power. 47 Mt 9, 14-17 Just as, he says, if a piece of unshrunk cloth were put on an old garment, by its silent strength it tears that too, and new wine poured into old wineskins by its own heat bursts the wineskins, it is not possible for them to be enslaved to the old laws; for you, rightly following the <old> customs, keep the fasts of Moses, but since these are about to hand down to men certain new and extraordinary ordinances, they are in no way compelled to keep these. But in due time, with the rest of virtue, they will also display fasting, not by necessity keeping it by certain laws and old customs as you do; for the fast of those in the law differs from those fasting in grace in this, that the former had appointed fasts which they absolutely had to fast, even if unwilling, but the latter fast rather by their own will according to what seems good to them, pursuing it by choice of virtue. And if the season of the forty seems to be appointed as a reminder of the Lord's things, yet even this fast we would pursue more by our own will. 48 Mt 9, 15 And this he said reasonably, so as both to put down their boasting and to show that he does not lead his own disciples toward luxury and ease, but there is a certain time after which they will display their own courage and their endurance in terrible things; showing, moreover, also the difference of the

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κύριος δεῖξαι καὶ ἥντινα τὴν ἀρετὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ δαίμονες ἔχουσιν καὶ ὅτι πολλῷ ἐλάττονα ἢ βούλονταί τε καὶ δύνανται τοὺς ἀν θρώπους ἐργάζονται κακὰ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ κωλυόμενοι δυνάμει, ἐπὶ μὴ ἀνθρώπων ταύτην παρέσχετο τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. ἐπέτρεψεν δὲ αὐτοῖς εἰς τοὺς χοίρους εἰσελθεῖν, ὥστε ἀπὸ ἐκείνων τήν τε ὀργὴν φανῆναι τῶν δαιμόνων καὶ τὴν δύναμιν· καὶ οἱ τοσούτους χοίρους συντόμως ἀφανίσαντες οὐκ ἀδύνατοι τὰ αὐτὰ διατιθέναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καθέλκοντες αὐτοὺς καὶ πάντα πράττειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἅπερ βούλονται. 44 Mt 8, 34 Παρεκάλεσαν τοίνυν ἐφ' ἑτέρους μεταβῆναι τόπους ὡς οὐκ ἄξιοι ὄντες τοσοῦτον ἀγαθὸν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἔχειν χώρας, δείσαντες μήπου τι καὶ μεῖζον πάθωσιν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ παρόντος δυνάμεως τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων ἕνεκεν.

45 Mt 9, 5 Κατὰ μὲν τὴν προφορὰν ὁμοίως εὔκολα ἀμφότερά ἐστιν εἰπεῖν· ὃ

δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· βλάσφημόν με νομίζετε ὡς ἐπαγγελλόμενον ἃ μὴ δύναμαι. οὐκοῦν εἰ μεγαλαυχίας τὴν φωνὴν ὑπολαμβάνετε εἶναι, τί νενόμισται ὑμῖν εἶναι εὐκολώτερον ἐπαγγείλασθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν συγχώρησιν ἢ τῆς παραλύσεως τὴν θεραπείαν; ἀλλὰ μὴν τοῦτο χαλεπώτερον εἰπεῖν τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ, ἐγγύθεν τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀκουόντων λαβεῖν τὸν ἔλεγχον δυναμένων. ὅσῳ γὰρ ὑπ' ὄψεσι τὴν θεραπείαν πιστεύειν συμβαίνει, τοσούτῳ ῥᾴδιόν ἐστι τοῦ φθεγγομένου λαβεῖν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, εἴτε δυνάμενος ἐπαγγέλλεται δικαίως εἴτε καὶ ψεύδεται ταῦτα ὑπισχνούμενος ἃ ἀδυνατεῖ ποιεῖν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· βλάσφημόν με νομίζετε ὡς ἐπαγγελλόμενον ἃ μὴ δύναμαι ἤγουν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν ἄφεσιν· οὐκοῦν εἰ μεγαλαύχου τὴν φωνὴν ὑπολαμβάνετε εἶναι, τί νενόμισται ὑμῖν εὐκολώτερον ἐπαγγείλασθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὴν συγχώρησιν ἢ τῆς παραλύσεως τὴν θεραπείαν; ἀλλὰ μὴν τοῦτο χαλεπώτερον εἰπεῖν τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ, τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐγγύθεν λαβεῖν τὸν ἔλεγχον τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτοῦ δυναμένων, ἅτε ὑπ' ὄψεσι οὔσης τῆς θεραπείας. ὥστε δὲ μὴ νομίζειν ὑμᾶς, ὅτι ὑπισχνοῦμαι τὸ ἀθέατον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὃ καὶ μὴ παρέχοντα λαθεῖν δυνατόν, ὃ δύσκολον ἐπαγγείλασθαι τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ, τοῦτο λέγω τε καὶ ποιῶ, ὥστε ἐντεῦθεν ὑμᾶς λαβεῖν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν δυνάμεως τῆς ἐμῆς. 46 Mt 9, 8 Θεῖον τὸ πρᾶγμα γινώσκουσιν, τὸν δὲ ποιήσαντα ὁρῶσιν ἄνθρωπον. διὰ τοῦτο ὡς δωρεὰν θεοῦ καὶ οὐχ ὡς αὐτοῦ δύναμιν θαυμάζουσιν. 47 Mt 9, 14-17 Ὥσπερ, φησίν, εἰ ῥάκος ἄγναφον ἐπιβληθείη ἐπὶ ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ, τῇ σιγηλῷ στερεότητι κἀκεῖνο διαρρήγνυσιν, οἶνός τε νέος εἰς ἀσκοὺς ἐμβληθεὶς παλαιοὺς τῇ οἰκείᾳ θερμότητι τοὺς ἀσκοὺς διαρρήγνυσιν, οὐ δυνατὸν αὐτοὺς τοῖς παλαιοῖς δουλεύειν νόμοις· ὑμεῖς μὲν γὰρ τοῖς <παλαιοῖς> εἰκότως ἀκολουθοῦντες ἔθεσι τὰς Μωσέως νηστείας φυλάττετε, οὗτοι δὲ ἐπειδὴ καινά τινα καὶ παράδοξα νόμιμα παραδιδόναι μέλλουσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ταῦτα μὲν οὐδαμῶς ἀναγκάζονται φυλάττειν. κατὰ καιρὸν δὲ μετὰ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τὴν νηστείαν ἐπιδείξονται, οὐκ ἀνάγκῃ νομίμοις τισὶ καὶ ἔθεσι παλαιοῖς ὡς ὑμεῖς αὐτὴν φυλάττοντες· καὶ γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἐν νόμῳ νηστεία τούτῳ διενήνοχεν τῶν ἐν τῇ χάριτι νηστευόντων, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ὡρισμένας εἶχον τὰς νηστείας ἃς καὶ νηστεύειν πάντως αὐτοὺς ἐχρῆν καὶ μὴ βουλομένους, οἱ δὲ γνώμῃ μᾶλλον κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτοῖς νηστεύουσιν ἀρετῆς αἱρέσει μετιόντες αὐτήν. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὡρίσθαι ὁ τῶν τετταράκοντα δοκεῖ καιρὸς δι' ὑπόμνησιν τῶν κυριακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτην γνώμης μᾶλλον τὴν νηστείαν μετίοιμεν. 48 Mt 9, 15 Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν εἰκότως εἶπεν, ὥστε καὶ τὴν μεγαλαυχίαν αὐτῶν καθελεῖν καὶ δεῖξαι, ὅτι μὴ πρὸς τρυφὴν καὶ ἄνεσιν τοὺς οἰκείους χειραγωγεῖ μαθητάς, καιρὸς δέ τις μεθ' ὃν ἐπιδείξονται τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἑαυτῶν καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς καρτερίαν· δεικνύων δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ τὸ διάφορον τῶν