John Chrysostom, On Consubstantiality

possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Let us then question them here: is he who a little while ago said at the supper, One of you shall betray me, ignorant whether it is possible or not possible? he who a little while ago said, It is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and, that All of you shall be offended in me; he who said to Peter that, Thou shalt deny me, and, Thou shalt deny me thrice; does he now not know, tell me? And who, even of those in any way settled, would say this? For when the thing unknown is clear to no one, neither to prophets, nor to angels, nor to archangels, perhaps it will provide some hold to the contentious. But when the thing unknown is so manifest and known to all, that even men know it with accuracy, what defense and what excuse is there for those who say that he, being ignorant, said these things? Therefore, this account 48.764 of which I speak, even his servants appear to have known with accuracy, both that he must die, and that he must suffer this by a cross, and so many years before, David, declaring both these things, said from the person of Christ: They pierced my hands and my feet; and he reported the future as if it had happened, showing that, just as it is impossible for things that have happened not to have happened, so also it is impossible for this not to have happened. Again, Isaiah, proclaiming this very thing beforehand, said: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb. Again, John, seeing this lamb, said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, that one who was foretold, he says. And see, it is not simply said the lamb, but of God is added. For since there was another lamb, the Judaic one, showing that this one is of God, for this reason he spoke thus. That one was offered for the nation only, this one was offered for the whole world; and its blood prevented a bodily plague from the Jews only, but the blood of this one has become a common purification for the whole world. And this blood of the Judaic lamb availed as it availed, not from its own nature, but because it was a type of this one, it had that power. 6. Where then are those who say that he is also called Son, and we sons, and from the community of appellation attempt to bring him down to our lowliness? For behold, both a lamb, and a lamb, and the name is one, but the distance between the nature of each is infinite. Therefore, just as when you hear here a community of appellation, you imagine nothing equal, so also here when you hear son and son, do not bring down the Only-begotten to your own lowliness. But what need is there to speak of things that are clear? For if the prayer is of the Godhead, he will be found even falling into contradiction with himself and opposing and fighting himself. For he who said here, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, and hesitating and shrinking from the passion, having said elsewhere that the Son of Man must be delivered up and scourged, when he heard Peter saying, Be it far from you, this shall not be to you, he rebuked him so severely as to say, Get behind me, Satan: you are a stumbling block to me, for you do not mind the things of God, but the things of men. And yet a little while before he had praised and blessed him, but nevertheless he called him Satan, not wishing to insult the Apostle, but wishing to show through the insult how what was said was not according to his mind, but so alien, that he who said these things, although being Peter, he did not hesitate to name Satan. Again elsewhere he says: With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you. For what reason then does he say this Passover? and yet at other times he celebrated this feast with them; for what reason then? Because after it was the cross. And again, Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. And 48.765 in many places both foretelling the passion, and desiring it to happen

δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο· πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλ' ὡς σύ. Ἐρωτήσωμεν τοίνυν αὐτοὺς ἐνταῦθα· ἀγνοεῖ, εἴτε δυνατὸν, εἴτε οὐ δυνατὸν, ὁ πρὸ μικροῦ λέγων ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ, Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με; ὁ πρὸ μικροῦ λέγων, Γέγραπται, Πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσεται τὰ πρόβατα· καὶ, ὅτι Πάντες ὑμεῖς σκανδαλισθήσεσθε ἐν ἐμοί· ὁ τῷ Πέτρῳ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἀρνήσῃ με, καὶ, Ἀρνήσῃ με τρίς· οὗτος ἀγνοεῖ νῦν, εἰπέ μοι; Καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι καὶ τῶν ὁπωσοῦν καθεστηκότων; Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν μὲν ᾖ τὸ ἀγνοούμενον μηδενὶ δῆλον μήτε προφητῶν, μήτε ἀγγέλων, μήτε ἀρχαγγέλων, ἴσως παρέξει τινὰ τοῖς φιλονεικοῦσι λαβήν· ὅταν μέντοι τὸ ἀγνοούμενον οὕτως ᾖ φανερὸν καὶ γνώριμον ἅπασιν, ὡς καὶ ἀνθρώπους αὐτὸ εἰδέναι μετὰ ἀκριβείας, ποία ἀπολογία καὶ ποία συγγνώμη τοῖς λέγουσιν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἀγνοῶν ταῦτα ἔλεγε; Τοῦτον τοίνυν τὸν περὶ οὗ λέγω 48.764 λόγον καὶ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ φαίνονται μετὰ ἀκριβείας εἰδότες, καὶ ὅτι ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ ὅτι διὰ σταυροῦ τοῦτο παθεῖν αὐτὸν ἔδει, καὶ πρὸ τοσούτων ἐτῶν ἀμφότερα ταῦτα δηλῶν ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἔλεγεν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Χριστοῦ· Ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου· καὶ τὸ μέλλον ὡς γεγενημένον ἀπήγγειλε, δεικνὺς ὅτι, καθάπερ τὰ συμβάντα ἀμήχανον μὴ γενέσθαι, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο ἀμήχανον μὴ γεγενῆσθαι. Πάλιν ὁ Ἡσαΐας αὐτὸ τοῦτο προαναφωνῶν ἔλεγεν· Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος. Τοῦτον πάλιν ὁ Ἰωάννης τὸν ἀμνὸν ἰδὼν ἔλεγεν, Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, ἐκεῖνος ὁ προῤῥηθεὶς, φησί. Καὶ ὅρα, οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἴρηται ὁ ἀμνὸς, ἀλλὰ πρόσκειται τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ ἕτερος ἦν ἀμνὸς ὁ Ἰουδαϊκὸς, δηλῶν ὅτι οὗτος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι, διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως εἶπεν. Ἐκεῖνος ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔθνους προσεφέρετο μόνον, οὗτος ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκουμένης προσηνέχθη πάσης· κἀκείνου μὲν τὸ αἷμα πληγὴν σωματικὴν ἐκώλυσεν ἐξ Ἰουδαίων μόνον, τούτου δὲ τὸ αἷμα τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης κοινὸς γέγονε καθαρμός. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τὸ αἷμα τὸ τοῦ Ἰουδαϊκοῦ ἀμνοῦ ἴσχυσεν ὅπερ ἴσχυσεν, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τούτου τύπος ἦν, τὴν δύναμιν ἔσχεν ἐκείνην. ςʹ. Ποῦ τοίνυν εἰσὶν οἱ λέγοντες, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς Υἱὸς λέγεται, καὶ ἡμεῖς υἱοὶ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν προσηγορίαν κοινωνίας εἰς εὐτέλειαν αὐτὸν ἄγειν ἡμετέραν ἐπιχειροῦντες; Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ ἀμνὸς, καὶ ἀμνὸς, καὶ ἓν μὲν τὸ ὄνομα, τὸ δὲ μέσον τῆς φύσεως ἑκατέρας ἄπειρον. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἀκούων ἐνταῦθα προσηγορίας κοινωνίαν, οὐδὲν ἴσον φαντάζῃ, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀκούων υἱὸν καὶ υἱὸν, μὴ πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐτέλειαν κάταγε τὸν Μονογενῆ. Ἀλλὰ τί χρὴ λέγειν περὶ τῶν δήλων; Εἰ γὰρ τῆς Θεότητός ἐστιν ἡ εὐχὴ, εὑρεθήσεται καὶ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ περιπίπτων καὶ ἐναντιολογῶν καὶ μαχόμενος. Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ἐνταῦθα εἰπὼν, Πάτερ, εἰ δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο, καὶ ὀκνῶν καὶ ἀναδυόμενος πρὸς τὸ πάθος, ἀλλαχοῦ εἰπὼν, ὅτι δεῖ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθῆναι καὶ μαστιγωθῆναι, ἐπειδὴ Πέτρου ἤκουσε λέγοντος, Ἵλεώς σοι, οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο, οὕτω σφόδρα ἐπετίμησεν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ· σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καίτοι γε πρὸ βραχέος ἦν αὐτὸν ἐπαινέσας καὶ μακαρίσας, ἀλλ' ὅμως Σατανᾶν αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν, οὐχὶ τὸν Ἀπόστολον ὑβρίσαι βουλόμενος, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ὕβρεως δεῖξαι θέλων, ὡς οὐ κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ τὸ εἰρημένον ἦν, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἀλλότριον, ὡς τὸν ταῦτα εἰρηκότα, καίτοι Πέτρον ὄντα, μὴ ὀκνῆσαι Σατανᾶν ὀνομάσαι. Πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα τὸ Πάσχα τοῦτο φαγεῖν μεθ' ὑμῶν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὸ Πάσχα τοῦτό φησι; καίτοι καὶ ἄλλοτε τὴν ἑορτὴν ταύτην ἐπετέλεσε μετ' αὐτῶν· τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν; Ἐπειδὴ μετ' αὐτὸ ὁ σταυρὸς ἦν. Καὶ πάλιν, Πάτερ, δόξασόν σου τὸν Υἱὸν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ Υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε. Καὶ 48.765 πολλαχοῦ καὶ προλέγοντα τὸ πάθος, καὶ ἐπιθυμοῦντα γενέσθαι