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For it is possible for him to raise up the fallen, and to turn back the straying, and to correct the scandalized, and to free those filled with a myriad of sins, and to make them righteous, and to give life to the dead, and to make what has been demolished more brilliant, and to renew what has grown old. For if he makes things that are not to come into being and grants existence to things that in no way appear anywhere, much more will he correct things that are and have come into being. But many are they who are perishing, many are they who are being scandalized. Many such things have often happened before, but afterwards everything received its proper correction, unless some remained incurably disposed even after the change of affairs. Why are you troubled and distressed, if so-and-so has been cast out and so-and-so has been brought in? Christ was being crucified, and Barabbas the robber was demanded, and the corrupt populace was shouting that the murderer rather than the Savior and benefactor ought to be saved. How many do you think these things scandalized then? How many did these things destroy for a time? Rather, it is necessary to take the argument to an earlier time. Was not this one who was crucified, as soon as he was born, made a migrant and a fugitive, and with his whole house, removed from his very swaddling clothes to a foreign land, being led away for so great a journey's distance to a barbarian country? And did not streams of blood flow from this matter, and unjust murders and slaughters, and all the untimely aged cut down as in a battle line and war, and children torn from the breasts were delivered to slaughter, and while the milk was still on the gullet, the sword was driven through the throat and the neck? What is more grievous than this tragedy? And he who sought to slay him did these things, and the long-suffering God endured such a tragedy being dared, so much blood flowing, and he endured, being able to prevent it, displaying such great long-suffering by some ineffable wisdom. But when he returned from the barbarian country and had grown up, war was fanned against him from every side. And first, the disciples of John were very envious and spiteful, although he was looking after their interests, and they said, “He who was with you beyond the Jordan, behold, this man is baptizing and all are coming to him.” For these were the words of men who were irritated and struck with envy and wasting away with passion. For this reason, one of the disciples who had said these things contended and strove with a certain Jew, raising the question about purification and comparing baptism with baptism, that of John with that of the disciples of Christ. “For,” it says, “there arose a dispute on the part of John's disciples with a certain Jew about purification.” But when he also touched upon miracles, how many slanders? Some called him a Samaritan and one possessed by a demon, saying, “You are a Samaritan and have a demon”; others, a deceiver, saying, “This man is not from God, but he deceives the crowd”; others, a magician, saying, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out demons”; and they continually repeated these things and called him an adversary of God, and a glutton, and a voracious eater, and a drunkard, and a friend of wicked and corrupt men. “For,” it says, “the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” And when he was conversing with the prostitute, they called him a false prophet; “For if he were a prophet,” it says, “he would know who this woman is who is speaking to him”; and every day they sharpened their teeth against him. And not only did the Jews thus make war on him, but not even those who were thought to be his brothers were well-disposed toward him, but war was also fanned against him from his own house. See, then, how they too were corrupted, from which the evangelist went on to say: “For not even his brothers believed in him.”

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∆υνατὸν γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἐγεῖραι καὶ τοὺς πεπλανημένους ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ τοὺς σκανδαλισθέντας διορθῶσαι καὶ τοὺς μυρίων πληρωθέντας ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαλλάξαι καὶ δικαίους ποιῆσαι καὶ τοὺς νεκρωθέντας ζωογονῆσαι καὶ κατασκαφέντα λαμπρότερα ἐργάσασθαι καὶ τὰ παλαιωθέντα ἀνανεῶσαι. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ μὴ ὄντα ποιεῖ γενέσθαι καὶ τοῖς μηδαμοῦ μηδαμῶς φαινομένοις χαρίζεται τὸ εἶναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ὄντα καὶ γενόμενα διορθώσεται. Ἀλλὰ πολλοὶ οἱ ἀπολλύμενοι, πολλοὶ οἱ σκανδαλιζόμενοι. Πολλὰ πολλάκις καὶ ἤδη τοιαῦτα γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ὕστερον τὴν προσήκουσαν ἔλαβε πάντα διόρθωσιν, πλὴν εἰ μή τινες ἀνιάτως ἔμειναν ἔχοντες καὶ μετὰ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολήν. Τί ταράττῃ καὶ ἀλύεις, εἰ ὁ δεῖνα ἑκβέβληται καὶ ὁ δεῖνα εἰσενήνεκται; Ὁ Χριστὸς ἐσταυροῦτο, καὶ Βαραββᾶς ὁ λῃστὴς ἐξῃτεῖτο, καὶ ὁ διεφθαρμένος ἐβόα δῆμος, τὸν ἀνδροφόνον τοῦ Σωτῆρος καὶ εὐεργέτου δεῖν μᾶλλον σωθῆναι. Πόσους νομίζεις ταῦτα ἐσκανδάλισε τότε; Πόσους ταῦτα τέως ἀπώλεσε; Μᾶλλον δὲ ἀνώτερον τὸν λόγον ἀναγκαῖον ἀγαγεῖν. Οὐκ εὐθέως τεχθεὶς οὗτος ὁ σταυρωθεὶς μετανάστης ἐγίνετο καὶ φυγὰς καὶ μετὰ ὁλοκλήρου τῆς οἰκίας πρὸς τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν ἐξ αὐτῶν σπαργάνων ἀπῳκίζετο, διάστημα ὁδοῦ τοσοῦτον εἰς βάρβαρον ἀπαγόμενος χώραν; Καὶ αἱμάτων ῥύακες ἐκ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης ἐγίνοντο καὶ φόνοι ἄδικοι καὶ σφαγαὶ καὶ ἡ ἄωρος ἡλικία πᾶσα καθάπερ ἐν παρατάξει καὶ πολέμῳ κατεκόπτετο καὶ τῶν μαζῶν ἀποσπώμενοι οἱ παῖδες σφαγῇ παρεδίδοντο καὶ ἔτι τοῦ γάλακτος ἐπὶ τοῦ φάρυγγος ὄντος διὰ τοῦ λαιμοῦ καὶ τῆς δέρρης τὸ ξίφος ἠλαύνετο. Τί ταύτης χαλεπώτερον τῆς τραγῳδίας; Καὶ ταῦτα ἔπραττεν ὁ ζητῶν αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν καὶ ὁ μακρόθυμος Θεὸς ἠνείχετο τοιαύτης τολμωμένης τραγῳδίας, τοσούτου ῥέοντος αἵματος, καὶ ἠνείχετο κωλῦσαι δυνάμενος, ἀπορρήτῳ τινὶ σοφίᾳ τὴν τοσαύτην ἐπιδεικνύμενος μακροθυμίαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐπανῆλθεν ἀπὸ τῆς βαρβάρου χώρας καὶ ηὐξήθη, πόλεμος αὐτῷ πανταχόθεν ἀνερριπίζετο. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν οἱ Ἰωάννου μαθηταὶ διεφθόνουν καὶ ἐβάσκαινον, καίτοι γε ἐκείνου τὰ αὐτοῦ θεραπεύοντος, καὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι «Ὃς ἦν μετὰ σοῦ πέραν Ἰορδάνου, ἴδε οὗτος βαπτίζει καὶ πάντες ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτόν.» Ταῦτα γὰρ ὑποκνιζομένων ἦν λοιπὸν τὰ ῥήματα καὶ φθόνῳ βαλλομένων καὶ τηκομένων τῷ πάθει. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ μετὰ Ἰουδαίου τινὸς εἷς τῶν μαθητῶν τῶν ταῦτα εἰρηκότων ἐφιλονείκει καὶ ἐπύκτευε τὸν περὶ καθαρσίων λόγον κινῶν καὶ βάπτισμα βαπτίσματι παραβάλλων, τὸ Ἰωάννου τῷ τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. «Ἐγένετο γάρ, φησίν, ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν Ἰωάννου μετὰ Ἰουδαίου τινὸς ζήτησις περὶ καθαρισμοῦ.» Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῶν σημείων ἥψατο, πόσαι συκοφαντίαι; Οἱ μὲν Σαμαρείτην αὐτὸν ἐκάλουν καὶ δαιμονῶντα λέγοντες ὅτι «Σαμαρείτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις»· οἱ δὲ πλάνον, λέγοντες· «Οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ πλανᾷ τὸν ὄχλον»· οἱ δὲ γόητα, λέγοντες ὅτι «Ἐν τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια»· καὶ συνεχῶς ταῦτα ἐπέλεγον καὶ ἀντίθεον ὠνόμαζον καὶ γαστρίμαργον καὶ ἀδηφάγον καὶ μέθυσον καὶ πονηρῶν καὶ διεφθαρμένων φίλον. «Ἦλθε γάρ, φησίν, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, καὶ λέγουσιν· Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης, τελωνῶν φίλος καὶ ἀμαρτωλῶν.» Καὶ ὅτε δὲ τῇ πόρνῃ διελέγετο, ψευδοπροφήτην αὐτὸν ἐκάλουν· «Εἰ γὰρ ἦν προφήτης, φησίν, ᾔδει τίς ἐστιν ἡ γυνὴ αὕτη ἡ λαλοῦσα αὐτῷ»· καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τοὺς ὀδόντας ἠκόνων κατ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ Ἰουδαῖοι μόνον οὕτως ἐπολέμουν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ δοκοῦντες εἶναι ἀδελφοὶ ὑγιῶς εἶχον πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας ὁ πόλεμος αὐτῷ ἀνερριπίζετο. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς καὶ αὐτοὶ ἦσαν διεφθαρμένοι, ἐξ ὧν καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐπάγων ἔλεγεν· «Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπίστευον εἰς αὐτόν.»