to have said as a unique feature of his departure from here, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord”; for neither would Moses, nor any of the Patriarchs or prophets, nor would any of the apostles have said this except Jesus, since the souls of all men 19.16.102 are taken from them. But when this is understood, what was said in the 87th Psalm in this manner from the person of the Savior can be clear: “Among the dead, free.” If you pay attention from the Gospels to the things written about his departure from here, you will find that the interpretation concerning his departure is not discordant with what has been recorded; for if he had died like the thieves crucified with him, when the soldiers broke the legs of those who had suffered, we would not have said that he laid down his life of himself, 19.16.103 but in some way common to those who die. But as it is, “Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, gave up the spirit,” and as a king leaving the body and acting with power and authority what he judged reasonable to do, immediately “the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many”; so that the centurion and those with him guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that happened, were very afraid, saying: “Truly this was the Son of God.” 19.17.104 Perhaps then it was in the traditions concerning Christ, just as that he was born in Bethlehem and would be raised up from the tribe of Judah according to the sound interpretations of the prophetic words, so also concerning his death, that he would depart this life of himself in the way we have said; and it is likely that they knew that the one who would depart in this way would go away to a place where they were not able to be, not even those who understood these things, so that they did not say it in the simpler sense but according to some tradition about Christ, the “Will he kill himself, because he says: ‘Where I go, you cannot come?’” And if the Jews say these things, they say them doubtfully; for the “Will he kill 19.17.105 himself?” is of such a kind. And it is not surprising that they doubt about Christ, when indeed even in the preceding passages those from the crowd who heard the words of Jesus said: “This is truly the prophet; but others said: This is the Christ; but they said: Does the Christ come from Galilee? Did not the Scripture say that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” when also “a division occurred in the crowd because of 19.17.106 him.” But also a little after those things it is written that “The officers answered: Never has a man spoken like this”; so that the Pharisees also said to those who marveled at his word: “Have you also been deceived? Has any of the rulers believed in him or of the Pharisees? But this crowd that does not know the 19.17.107 law is accursed?” when Nicodemus also said: “Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing?” they answered: “Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that a prophet does not come out of Galilee nor 19.17.108 is raised up.” And how could they understand in a simpler sense that he would kill himself, those who heard him say: “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life”? to whom the Pharisees have said that “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true”; to whom Jesus answered, saying: “Even if I testify about myself, † my testimony is true, because I know from where I came and where I am going. 19.17.109 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And if I do judge, my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent me. And in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true. I am the one who testifies about

ἐξαίρετον τῆς ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοῦ ἀπαλλαγῆς εἰρηκέναι τὸ «Οὐδεὶς «αἴρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ»· τοῦτο γὰρ οὔτ' ἂν Μωϋσῆς, οὔτε τῶν Πατριαρχῶν τις ἢ προφητῶν, οὔτ' ἂν τῶν ἀποστόλων τις εἶπεν <πλὴν> τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἐπεὶ πάντων 19.16.102 αἱ ψυχαὶ ἀνθρώπων αἴρονται ἀπ' αὐτῶν. τούτου δὲ νοηθέντος δύναται σαφὲς εἶναι τὸ ἐν πζʹ ψαλμῷ τοῦτον εἰρημένον τὸν τρόπον ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ σωτῆρος· «Ἐν νεκροῖς ἐλεύθερος». ἐπιστήσας ἐκ τῶν εὐαγγελίων τοῖς γεγραμμένοις περὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοῦ ἀπαλλα γῆς εὑρήσεις μὴ ἀπᾴδουσαν τὴν περὶ τῆς ἐξόδου αὐτοῦ ἐκδοχὴν τῶν ἀναγεγραμμένων· εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὡς οἱ συσταυρωθέντες αὐτῷ λῃσταί, τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατεαξάντων τὰ σκέλη τῶν πεπονθότων, ἐτεθνή κει, οὐκ ἂν ἐλέγομεν ὅτι ἔθηκεν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, 19.16.103 ἀλλά τινι ὁδῷ τῶν ἀποθνησκόντων. νυνὶ δὲ «ὁ Ἰησοῦς κράξας «φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἀφῆκεν τὸ πνεῦμα», καὶ ὡς βασιλέως καταλιπόντος τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἐνεργήσαντος μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ ἐξουσίας ἅπερ ἔκρινεν εὔλογον εἶναι ποιεῖν, εὐθέως «τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη «ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη, καὶ αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν, καὶ «τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων «ἠγέρθησαν, καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἀπὸ τῶν μνημείων μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν «αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς»· ὡς τὸν ἑκατόνταρχον καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ τηροῦντας τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἰδόντας τὸν σεισμὸν καὶ τὰ γενόμενα, φοβηθῆναι σφόδρα, λέγοντας· Ἀληθῶς θεοῦ υἱὸς ἦν οὗτος. 19.17.104 Τάχα οὖν ἐν ταῖς περὶ Χριστοῦ παραδόσεσιν ἦν, ὥσπερ τὸ γεγεννῆσθαι αὐτὸν ἐν Βηθλεὲμ καὶ τὸ ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα ἀναστή σεσθαι κατὰ τὰς ὑγιεῖς ἐκδοχὰς τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων, οὕτω καὶ περὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἑαυτὸν ᾧ εἴπομεν τρόπῳ ἀπαλλάξοντος τοῦ βίου· καὶ εἰκὸς ὅτι ᾔδεισαν τὸν οὕτως ἐξελευσόμενον ἀπελεύσεσθαι εἰς χώραν ἔνθα οὐκ ἠδύναντο γενέσθαι οὐδ' οἱ ταῦτα νοοῦντες, ὥστε μὴ κατὰ τὸ ἁπλούστερον αὐτοὺς εἰρηκέναι ἀλλὰ κατά τινα περὶ Χριστοῦ παράδοσιν τὸ «Μήτι ἀποκτενεῖ ἑαυτόν, ὅτι λέγει· «Ὅπου ἐγὼ ὑπάγω ὑμεῖς οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθεῖν;» καὶ εἰ λέγουσιν δὲ ταῦτα οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, διστακτικῶς αὐτά φασι· τὸ γὰρ «Μήτι ἀποκτενεῖ 19.17.105 «ἑαυτόν;» τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. καὶ οὐ θαυμαστὸν ἀμφιβάλλειν αὐτοὺς περὶ Χριστοῦ, ὅτε γε καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω οἱ ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου ἀκού σαντες τῶν λόγων τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἔλεγον· «Οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προ «φήτης· ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός· οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον· Μὴ «γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ὁ χριστὸς ἔρχεται; οὐχ ἡ γραφὴ εἶπεν ὅτι «ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος ∆αβὶδ καὶ ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ τῆς κώμης, ὅπου ἦν «∆αβίδ, ἔρχεται ὁ χριστός;» ὅτε καὶ «σχίσμα γεγένηται ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ δι' 19.17.106 «αὐτόν». ἀλλὰ καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα ἐκείνων γέγραπται ὅτι «Ἀπεκρίθησαν «οἱ ὑπηρέται· Οὐδέποτε ἐλάλησεν οὕτως ἄνθρωπος»· ὡς καὶ τοὺς Φαρισαίους εἰρηκέναι τοῖς θαυμάζουσιν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ· «Μὴ καὶ «ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε; μή τις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἢ «ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων; ἀλλ' ἢ ὁ ὄχλος οὗτος ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὸν 19.17.107 «νόμον ἐπάρατοί εἰσιν;» ὅτε καὶ Νικοδήμου εἰρηκότος· «Μὴ ὁ νόμος «ἡμῶν κρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ πρῶτον παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ «γνῷ τί ποιεῖ; ἀπεκρίθησαν· Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶ; ἐραύ «νησον καὶ ἴδε ὅτι ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης οὐκ ἐξέρχεται οὐδὲ 19.17.108 «ἐγείρεται». πῶς δὲ ἐδύναντο ἁπλούστερον νοεῖν αὐτὸν ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρήσειν οἱ ἀκούσαντες αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· «Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ «κόσμου· ὁ ἀκολουθῶν μοι οὐ μὴ περιπατήσῃ ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ ἀλλ' «ἕξει τὸ φῶς τῆς ζωῆς»; πρὸς ὃν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι εἰρήκασιν ὅτι «Σὺ «περὶ σεαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖς· ἡ μαρτυρία σου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής»· οἷς ἀπεκρίνατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγων· «Κἂν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, † ἡ «μαρτυρία μου ἀληθής ἐστιν, ὅτι οἶδα πόθεν ἦλθον καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγω. 19.17.109 «ὑμεῖς κατὰ τὴν σάρκα κρίνετε, ἐγὼ οὐ κρίνω οὐδένα. καὶ ἐὰν κρίνω «δὲ ἐγώ, ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ ἀληθής ἐστιν, ὅτι μόνος οὐκ εἰμί, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ «καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατήρ. καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ δὲ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ γέγραπται «ὅτι δύο ἀνθρώπων ἡ μαρτυρία ἀληθής ἐστιν· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ μαρτυρῶν «περὶ