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It follows; for no one wanting to learn so great a matter would have used any of those around him by himself as a witness and teacher. In addition to these things, the present life is a time for conduct, but after death, judgment and punishment. However, the death of Christ did not absolve the sins of those who had died before; for what was said, that bronze gates and iron bars were shattered, was said for this reason, because when the body of Christ was first seen as immortal, death was shown to have been abolished. What then? Were those before the coming of Christ wronged? By no means. For it was sufficient for them for salvation not to worship idols, but to worship the one and only true God. But now this alone is not sufficient, but knowledge of Christ is also needed. Therefore one must not say, who in Hades will confess to you, since all there repent and no one is punished. 59 Mt 11, 11 If John is judged according to the birth from a woman against the rest of men, he will be found greater than all, alone filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb so that he leaped, and his mother, partaking of this, prophesied; but if he is compared in this very respect with those in the kingdom of heaven who are about to partake of the Spirit, he will be found, he says , less even than the least of all, meaning those who after the resurrection from the dead are reborn into incorruptibility, that he had not yet partaken of so much grace as not to taste death. But the abundance of the Spirit at that time will be so great for men, that not even the one who has partaken less will be able henceforth to fall prey to death. 61 Mt 11, 14 Just as Elijah will come at the consummation of the present life proclaiming my future manifestation that will be from heaven, so also this one, having put an end to the old things, announced the good news of my coming, at which time a new state of affairs, in the type of things to come, is about to happen. 62 Mt 11, 19 Those who look to the truth, he says, accepted the conduct of John and Christ, as the alteration of their lives was wisely managed for the benefit of those who saw; for he calls this very thing wisdom, the things that were wisely done; for even if the Jews did not believe in Christ, neither through the fasting and desert life of John, nor through the condescending manner of life and providential conduct of the Lord Christ himself, yet he who wisely accomplishes all things was justified by them by omitting nothing of the things that contribute to their benefit and salvation. And they no longer have grounds to accuse him; for he fulfilled all his duties, leaving them not even a shadow of either ignorance or ingratitude. 63 Mt 11, 25 He calls the Jews wise, because the oracles of God were entrusted to them, or because they were wise in doing evil; and the apostles, infants. 64 Mt 11, 27 If he is lord of all, those who did not obey and recognize the lord of all are to be blamed. 65 Mt 11, 27 Showing the complete equality of both his nature and his dignity, he rightly added the words *to whomever the Son chooses to reveal him*; for since he said above to the Father, *you have revealed them to infants*, introducing his own knowledge here on an equal footing with the Father, he declared that he himself is also unknown to all, if indeed the Father reveals him to whomever he wishes. He added *to whomever the Son chooses to reveal him*, speaking of the Father, so that through all things, even the incomprehensible, the equality might be shown, and the equality of the authority to make known, the Father revealing the Son, and the Son the Father, to whomever they wish. 67 Mt 11, 28-30 How then is it that he himself also demands great exactness? You have not yet had experience of my ways and for this reason you think these things so. But if you would come under my yoke and believe in the things given by me, you will find that the difference between the things from me and from Moses is very great; for from me there is forbearance and great kindness; for seeing what a mass of sins, murders and adulteries and things more unspeakable than these, I am long-suffering and I endure those who have done them , not despairing

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ἀκόλουθον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄν τις τοσοῦτο πρᾶγμα βουλόμενος μαθεῖν αὐτῶν τινι τῶν περὶ <αὐτὸν> καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐχρήσατο μάρτυρι καὶ διδασκάλῳ. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ ὁ παρὼν βίος πολιτείας καιρός, μετὰ δὲ τελευτὴν κρίσις καὶ κόλασις. πλὴν ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θάνατος οὐκ ἔλυσε τῶν προτετελευτηκότων ἁμαρτήματα· τὸ γὰρ εἰρημένον, ὅτι πύλαι χαλκαῖ καὶ μοχλοὶ σιδηροῖ συνεθλάσθησαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἐλέχθη, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τότε πρῶτον ὀφθέντος ἀθανάτου ἐδείχθη ὁ θάνατος ἀνῃρημένος. τί οὖν; ἠδικήθησαν οἱ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας Χριστοῦ; οὐδαμῶς. ἤρκει γὰρ αὐτὸ εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι τὸ μὴ εἰδωλολατρεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἕνα μόνον καὶ ἀληθῆ σέβειν θεόν. νῦν δὲ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ γνώσεως δεῖ. οὐκοῦν οὐ δεῖ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἐν ᾅδῃ τίς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι, ἐπεὶ πάντες ἐκεῖ μετανοοῦσι καὶ οὐδεὶς τιμωρεῖται. 59 Mt 11, 11 Ἂν μὲν κατὰ τὴν γέννησιν τὴν ἐκ γυναικὸς κρίνηται Ἰωάννης πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀνθρώπους, πάντων εὑρεθήσεται μείζων, μόνος ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τῆς μητρὸς πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθεὶς ὡς σκιρτῆσαι μὲν αὐτόν, μετασχοῦσαν δὲ τούτου προφητεῦσαι καὶ τὴν μητέρα· ἐὰν δέ γε συγκριθῇ κατ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο τοῖς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν μετέχειν μέλλουσιν τοῦ πνεύματος, εὑρεθήσεται, <φησίν>, ἐλάττων καὶ τοῦ πάντων ἐλάττονος, ἵνα εἴπῃ τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν ἀναγεννωμένων εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν, ὅτι οὔπω τοσαύτης μετέσχε χάριτος, ὥστε μὴ γεύσασθαι θανάτου. ἡ δὲ τότε τοῦ πνεύματος περιουσία τοσαύτη περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔσται, ὥστε μηδὲ τὸν ἐλάττονος μετεσχηκότα δυνηθῆναι θανάτῳ λοιπὸν ὑποπεσεῖν. 61 Mt 11, 14 Ὥσπερ Ἠλίας πρὸς τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ παρόντος βίου ἐλεύσεται τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐμοῦ κηρύττων ἐπιφάνειαν ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἐσομένην, οὑτωσὶ δὲ καὶ οὗτος τέλος δοὺς τοῖς παλαιοῖς τὴν ἐμὴν εὐηγγελίσατο παρουσίαν, ἐφ' οὗ καινή τις καὶ ἐν τύπῳ τῶν μελλόντων ἡ κατάστασις γίνεσθαι μέλλει. 62 Mt 11, 19 Οἱ πρὸς τὸ ἀληθὲς ὁρῶντες, φησίν, ἀπεδέξαντο τὴν Ἰωάννου καὶ Χριστοῦ ἀγωγὴν ὡς μετὰ σοφίας τῆς τῶν βίων ἐναλλαγῆς οἰκονομηθείσης πρὸς ὠφέλειαν τῶν ὁρώντων· αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο σοφίαν καλεῖ, τὰ σοφῶς γεγονότα· καὶ γὰρ εἰ καὶ μὴ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπίστευσαν εἰς τὸν Χριστόν, μήτε διὰ τῆς Ἰωάννου νηστείας καὶ τοῦ ἐρημικοῦ βίου, μήτε διὰ τῆς συγκαταβατικῆς διαίτης καὶ οἰκονομικῆς πολιτείας αὐτοῦ τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ, ἀλλ' οὖν αὐτὸς ὁ πάντα σοφῶς ἐκτελῶν τῷ μηδὲν παραλιπεῖν τῶν συντελούντων εἰς ὄνησιν καὶ σωτηρίαν αὐτῶν ἐδικαιώθη ἀπ' αὐτῶν. καὶ οὐκέτι λοιπὸν ἔχουσιν αὐτῷ ἐγκαλεῖν· πάντα γὰρ ἐξεπλήρωσε τὰ αὐτοῦ μηδὲ σκιὰν αὐτοῖς ἢ ἀγνωμοσύνης ἢ ἀχαριστίας καταλιπών. 63 Mt 11, 25 Σοφοὺς λέγει τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ ὅτι σοφοὶ ἦσαν τοῦ κακοποιῆσαι· νηπίους δὲ τοὺς ἀποστόλους. 64 Mt 11, 27 Εἰ πάντων ἐστὶ δεσπότης, μεμπτέοι οἱ μὴ ὑπακούσαντες καὶ ἐπεγνωκότες τὸν πάντων κύριον. 65 Mt 11, 27 ∆εικνὺς καθόλου τῆς τε φύσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀξίας τὴν ἰσότητα καλῶς ἐπήγαγεν τὸ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν ἄνω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ὅτι ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις, τὴν οἰκείαν γνῶσιν εἰσάγων ἐνταῦθα ἐπ' ἴσης τῷ πατρὶ τὸ πᾶσιν ἄγνωστον καὶ ἑαυτὸν εἶναι ἀπεφήνατο, εἴπερ δὴ αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ ἀποκαλύπτει οἷσπερ καὶ βούλεται. ἐπήγαγεν τὸ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι, τὸν πατέρα λέγων ὡς διὰ πάντων καὶ τοῦ ἀκαταλήπτου φανῆναι τὴν ἰσότητα καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ γνωρίζειν, τοῦ μὲν πατρὸς τὸν υἱὸν ἀποκαλύπτοντος, τοῦ δὲ υἱοῦ τὸν πατέρα, οἷς βούλεται. 67 Mt 11, 28-30 Πῶς οὖν ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς πολλὴν ἀπαιτεῖ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν; οὔπω πεῖραν εἰλήφατε τῶν ἐμῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως ταῦτα νομίζετε. εἰ δὲ ὑποβαίητε τὸν ζυγὸν τὸν ἐμὸν καὶ πιστεύσαιτε τοῖς παρ' ἐμοῦ δεδομένοις, εὑρήσετε πλείστην οὖσαν τῶν παρ' ἐμοῦ τε καὶ Μωσέως τὴν διαφοράν· παρ' ἐμοῦ γὰρ ἀνεξικακία καὶ χρηστότης πολλή· πόσον γὰρ ὄγκον ἁμαρτημάτων ὁρῶν φόνους καὶ μονουχίαν καὶ τὰ τούτων ἀπορρητότερα <μακροθυμῶ> καὶ ἀνέχομαι τῶν <δρασάντων> οὐκ ἀπογινώσκων