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approaching on account of the faith which they demonstrate. For this reason He showed both the desolation of that one, and the fervent faith and eagerness of this one; for this reason He healed that one on a Sabbath, but this one not on a Sabbath; so that when you see them accusing and rebuking Christ on another day as well, you may learn that even then they were not accusing Him because of the observance of the law, but because they could not bear their own envy. But why did He not come first to correct the paralysis, but says, ‘Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven’? This too He did very wisely. For it is the custom of physicians not to relieve the diseases first, but to remove their sources. For example, often when the eyes are afflicted by a bad humor and a corrupt discharge, the physician, leaving aside the healing of the diseased pupil, attended to the head, where the root and source of the sickness was; so also Christ did, first checking 51.58 the source of the evils. For the source of evils and root and mother of all is the nature of sin. This paralyzes our bodies; this brings on diseases; for this reason He says here also, ‘Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven’; and there He says, ‘Behold, you are well; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you,’ showing by both that these diseases were born from sins. And in the beginning and in the preludes of creation, disease from sin came upon the body of Cain. For he too, after the fratricide, after that transgression, then was his body paralyzed. For to tremble is nothing other than paralysis. For when the power that manages the living being becomes weaker, no longer able to support all the members, it relinquishes them from its own care, then those relaxed members tremble and are carried about.

ςʹ. This Paul also declared; for, accusing the Corinthians of a certain sin, he says, ‘For this reason many among you are weak and sick’; for this reason Christ also first removes the cause of the evils, and having said, ‘Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven,’ He raises up his spirit, He awakens his downcast soul; for the word became deed, and entering into the conscience it touched his soul, and cast out all distress. For nothing so produces pleasure and grants confidence as to have nothing to accuse oneself of. Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is adoption as sons. Thus, at any rate, we too are not able to call upon the Father, until we have washed away our sins in the font of the holy waters. When, at any rate, we ascend from there having laid aside that evil burden, then we say, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven.’ But for what reason did He not do so in the case of the man who had the infirmity for thirty-eight years, but corrected his body first? Because for that man, by the length of time, his sins had been consumed; for the greatness of a trial can make the burden of sins light; just as, therefore, in the case of Lazarus He says, that he received his evil things, and here he is comforted; and again elsewhere He says, ‘Comfort my people, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double for her sins.’ And again the prophet, ‘Lord, give us peace, for you have rendered all things to us,’ indicating that punishments and chastisements bring about forgiveness of sins, and from many places it is possible to make this clear. To me, therefore, it seems that He discussed nothing with that man concerning forgiveness, but secured him for the future, as his past sins had been dealt with by the length of his sickness; or if not this, because he was not yet persuaded of anything great concerning Christ, for this reason He came first to the lesser thing, and that which was manifest and clear, the health of the body; but in the case of this man not so, but since he believed more, and had a more exalted soul, for this reason He first discussed with him concerning the more grievous 51.59 disease; and in addition to all these things, that He might show His equality of honor with the Father. For just as there He healed on the Sabbath, wishing to lead them away from the Jewish observance, and from the

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προσιόντες διὰ τὴν πίστιν, ἣν ἐκδείκνυνται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κἀκείνου τὴν ἐρημίαν, καὶ τούτου τὴν ζέουσαν πίστιν καὶ προθυμίαν ἔδειξε· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἐν σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσε, τοῦτον δὲ οὐκ ἐν σαββάτῳ· ἵν', ὅταν ἴδῃς καὶ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγκαλοῦντας καὶ ἐπιτιμῶντας τῷ Χριστῷ, μάθῃς, ὅτι καὶ τότε οὐ διὰ τὴν τοῦ νόμου παρατήρησιν ἐνεκάλουν, ἀλλὰ τὴν οἰκείαν βασκανίαν φέρειν οὐκ ἔχοντες. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸ τὴν παράλυσιν ὀρθῶσαι πρότερον ἦλθεν, ἀλλά φησι· Θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι; Καὶ τοῦτο σφόδρα σοφῶς. Καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἰατροῖς ἔθος ἐστὶ μὴ πρότερον τὰ νοσήματα λύειν, ἀλλὰ τὰς πηγὰς αὐτῶν ἀναιρεῖν. Οἷον πολλάκις ὑπὸ πονηροῦ χυμοῦ καὶ διεφθαρμένου ῥεύματος ἐνοχλουμένων ὀφθαλμῶν, ἀφεὶς ὁ ἰατρὸς τὴν νοσοῦσαν θεραπεῦσαι κόρην, τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐπεμελήσατο, ἔνθα ἡ ῥίζα καὶ ἡ πηγὴ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἦν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησε, τὴν πηγὴν ἀνα 51.58 στέλλει τῶν κακῶν πρότερον. Πηγὴ γὰρ κακῶν καὶ ῥίζα καὶ μήτηρ πάντων ἐστὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡ φύσις. Αὕτη τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν παραλύει· αὕτη τὰς νόσους ἐπάγει· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησι· Θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· κἀκεῖ φησιν· Ἰδοὺ ὑγιὴς γέγονας, μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γένηται, δηλῶν ἀμφοτέροις, ὅτι ἐξ ἁμαρτημάτων ἐτέχθησαν αὗται αἱ νόσοι. Καὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ καὶ ἐν προοιμίοις τῆς κτίσεως ἐξ ἁμαρτίας ἡ νόσος εἰς τὸ τοῦ Κάϊν κατέσκηψε σῶμα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος μετὰ τὴν ἀδελφοκτονίαν, μετὰ τὴν παρανομίαν ἐκείνην, τότε παρελύθη τὸ σῶμα. Τὸ γὰρ τρέμειν οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ παράλυσις. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν ἡ τὸ ζῶον οἰκονομοῦσα δύναμις ἀσθενεστέρα γένηται, οὐκέτι δυναμένη πάντα διαβαστάζειν τὰ μέλη, ἀφίησιν αὐτὰ τῆς οἰκείας προνοίας, εἶτα χαλασθέντα ἐκεῖνα τρέμει καὶ περιφέρεται.

ςʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἐδήλωσεν· ἁμαρτίαν γάρ τινα Κορινθίοις ἐγκαλῶν φησι· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλοὶ ἐν ὑμῖν ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄῤῥωστοι· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς πρότερον τὴν αἰτίαν ἀναιρεῖ τῶν κακῶν, καὶ εἰπὼν, Θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἀνίστησιν αὐτοῦ τὸ φρόνημα, διεγείρει καταβεβλημένην τὴν ψυχήν· ὁ γὰρ λόγος ἔργον ἐγίνετο, καὶ εἰς τὸ συνειδὸς εἰσελθὼν αὐτῆς ἥπτετο τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀγωνίαν ἐξέβαλεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἡδονὴν ποιεῖ, καὶ παρέχει θαῤῥεῖν ὡς τὸ μηδὲν ἑαυτοῦ κατηγορεῖν. Θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Ὅπου γὰρ ἁμαρτημάτων ἄφεσις, ἐκεῖ υἱοθεσία. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐ πρότερον δυνάμεθα καλέσαι Πατέρα, ἕως ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ τῶν ὑδάτων τῶν ἁγίων ἀπονιψώμεθα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Ὅταν γοῦν ἐκεῖθεν ἀνέλθωμεν τὸ πονηρὸν ἐκεῖνο φορτίον ἀποθέμενοι, τότε λέγομεν, Πάτερ ἡμῶν, ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἀλλὰ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ τριάκοντα ὀκτὼ ἔχοντος οὐχ οὕτως ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ διώρθωσε πρότερον; Ὅτι ἐκείνῳ μὲν τῷ μήκει τοῦ χρόνου τὰ ἁμαρτήματα δεδαπάνητο· δύναται γὰρ πειρασμοῦ μέγεθος τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων φορτίον κοῦφον ποιεῖν· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου φησὶν, ὅτι ἀπέλαβε τὰ κακὰ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνταῦθα παρακαλεῖται· καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λαλήσατε εἰς τὴν καρδίαν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὅτι ἐδέξατο ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου διπλᾶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῆς. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης, Κύριε, εἰρήνην δὸς ἡμῖν, πάντα γὰρ ἀπέδωκας ἡμῖν, ἐμφαίνων, ὅτι αἱ τιμωρίαι καὶ αἱ κολάσεις ἁμαρτημάτων συγχώρησιν ποιοῦσι, καὶ πολλαχόθεν τοῦτό ἐστι φανερὸν ποιῆσαι. Ἐμοὶ τοίνυν δοκεῖ μηδὲν ἐκείνῳ περὶ ἀφέσεως διαλεχθῆναι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον αὐτὸν ἀσφαλίσασθαι, ὡς τῶν ἤδη πλημμεληθέντων τῷ μήκει τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας· ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, διὰ τὸ μηδὲν αὐτὸν μηδέπω περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πεπεῖσθαι μέγα, διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλαττον πρότερον ἦλθε, καὶ τὸ φανερὸν καὶ δῆλον, τὴν τοῦ σώματος ὑγείαν· ἐπὶ δὲ τούτου οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μᾶλλον ἐπίστευσε, καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν εἶχε ψυχὴν, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς χαλεπωτέρας πρό 51.59 τερον διελέχθη νόσου· καὶ πρὸς τούτοις δὲ ἅπασιν, ἵνα τὴν εἰς τὸν Πατέρα ἰσοτιμίαν ἐπιδείξηται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἐν σαββάτῳ ἐθεράπευσε, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς τῆς παρατηρήσεως ἀπαγαγεῖν τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν