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to be able to hand him over, because he was not even able to see him present, whom he was about to hand over, and this despite there being torches and so much light. For he said this, hinting that they had torches and lanterns, and not even so did they find him, for he says, And Judas was standing with them, the one who said: I will hand him over to you. For He blinded their mind, wishing to show His own power, and so that they might learn that they were attempting impossible things. Then hearing his voice they went backward, and fell to the ground. Have you seen how they were not even able to bear his voice, but through their fall clearly showed their own weakness? See the Master's love for mankind. Since 49.387 not even so did he reach the shamelessness of the traitor, nor the ingratitude of the Jews, he gives himself up, and the Lord says: When I showed that they were attempting impossible things, I wished to check their madness; they are not willing, but still persist in their wickedness; behold, I hand myself over. I say these things to you, so that some may not accuse Christ, saying: Why did he not change Judas? why did he not make him better? And how was it necessary to make Judas temperate and good? by necessity, or by will? For if by necessity, not even so was he going to be better; for no one becomes better by necessity; but if by will and choice, he introduced everything that was able to lead him up. But if that man did not wish to receive the medicines, it is not the fault of the physician, but the accusation is against the one who refuses the cure. Do you wish to learn how many things he did, so as to win him back? He granted him many miracles, he foretold to him about the betrayal, he omitted nothing of what it was necessary to show to a disciple. And so that you may learn that, though he was able to change, he was not willing, but the whole thing came from his own indolence; when he handed him over, and brought his madness to an end, he threw down the thirty pieces of silver, saying: I have sinned by handing over innocent blood. Before this you were saying: What are you willing to give me, and I will hand him over to you? When the sin was accomplished, then he knew the sin. From this let us learn that, when we are indolent, neither exhortation nor admonition benefits us; but when we are diligent, we are able to rise up even by ourselves. For consider: When he exhorted him, and was holding him back from his evil undertaking, he neither listened nor accepted the admonition; but when there was no one exhorting, his own conscience rose up, and with no one teaching he changed his mind, and threw down the thirty pieces of silver. For they paid him, he says, thirty pieces of silver. They paid a price for blood that has no price. Why do you take thirty pieces of silver, O Judas? Christ came freely on behalf of the world to pour out his blood, for which you now make agreements. For what could be more shameless than this transaction? who has ever seen, who has ever heard?

4. But so that we may learn the difference between the traitor and the disciples, let us listen; for the evangelist relates everything to us with precision. When these things, he says, happened, when the betrayal went forward, when Judas destroyed himself, when he made those lawless agreements, and was seeking, he says, an opportunity to hand him over; Then the disciples came to him, saying: Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover? Have you seen the disciples, have you seen the disciple? That one was occupied with the betrayal, these with service; that one was making agreements, and was attempting to receive the price for the Master's blood, these are preparing for their ministry. Both he and they enjoyed the same miracles, the same teachings; whence then the difference? From choice. This becomes the cause of evils and of goods. It was this evening, on which the disciples said these things. What is, Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover? We are taught from this, that Christ did not have a designated house. Let those who build splendid houses and long enclosures hear, that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head

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δυνηθῆναι παραδοῦναι αὐτὸν, ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁρᾷν αὐτὸν ἠδύνατο παρόντα, ὃν ἤμελλε παραδιδόναι, καὶ ταῦτα λαμπάδων οὐσῶν καὶ φωτὸς τοσούτου. Ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτο αἰνιττόμενος εἶπεν, ὅτι λαμπάδας καὶ φανοὺς εἶχον, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν ηὕρισκον, φησὶ γὰρ, Καὶ Ἰούδας εἱστήκει μετ' αὐτῶν, ἐκεῖνος εἰπών· Ἐγὼ ὑμῖν παραδώσω αὐτόν. Ἐπήρωσε γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, βουλόμενος δεῖξαι τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν, καὶ ἵνα μάθωσιν ὅτι ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειροῦσιν. Εἶτα ἀκούσαντες τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον ὕπτιοι, καὶ ἔπεσον χαμαί. Εἶδες πῶς οὔτε τὴν φωνὴν ἐνεγκεῖν ἠδυνήθησαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς καταπτώσεως τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀσθένειαν ἐναργῶς ἀπέδειξαν; Ὅρα ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν. Ἐπειδὴ 49.387 οὐδὲ οὕτω καθίκετο τῆς ἀναισχυντίας τοῦ προδότου, οὕτε τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀγνωμοσύνης, ἑαυτὸν ἐκδίδωσι, καί φησιν ὁ Κύριος· Ὅτε ἔδειξα ὡς ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ἠβουλήθην αὐτῶν ἀναστεῖλαι τὴν μανίαν· οὐ βούλονται, ἀλλ' ἔτι ἐπιμένουσι τῇ πονηρίᾳ· ἰδοὺ ἐμαυτὸν παραδίδωμι. Ταῦτα λέγω ὑμῖν, ἵνα μὴ κατηγορήσωσί τινες τοῦ Χριστοῦ, λέγοντες· ∆ιὰ τί οὐ μετέβαλε τὸν Ἰούδαν; διὰ τί οὐκ ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν βελτίονα; Καὶ πῶς ἔδει ποιῆσαι τὸν Ἰούδαν σώφρονα καὶ ἐπιεικῆ; ἀνάγκῃ, ἢ γνώμῃ; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀνάγκῃ, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι βελτίων· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀνάγκῃ γίνεται βελτίων· εἰ δὲ γνώμῃ καὶ προαιρέσει, πάντα εἰσήγαγε τὰ δυνάμενα αὐτὸν ἀναγαγεῖν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἠβουλήθη δέξασθαι ἐκεῖνος τὰ φάρμακα, οὐ τοῦ ἰατροῦ τὸ ἔγκλημα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τὴν θεραπείαν διακρουομένου ἡ κατηγορία. Θέλεις μαθεῖν πόσα ἐποίησεν, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀνακτήσασθαι; Ἐδωρήσατο αὐτῷ πολλὰ θαύματα, προεῖπεν αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς προδοσίας, οὐδὲν ἐνέλειπεν ὧν ἐχρῆν εἰς μαθητὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι δυνατὸς ὢν μεταβαλέσθαι οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ῥᾳθυμίας τὸ πᾶν ἐγένετο· ἐπειδὴ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν μανίαν αὐτοῦ εἰς τέλος ἤγαγεν, Ἔῤῥιψε τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια, λέγων· Ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῶον. Πρὸ τούτου ἔλεγες· Τί θέλετέ μοι δοῦναι, κἀγὼ ὑμῖν παραδώσω αὐτόν; Ἐπειδὴ ἐτελέσθη ἡ ἁμαρτία, τότε ἔγνω τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνωμεν ὅτι, ὅταν ῥᾳθυμῶμεν, οὔτε παραίνεσις ἡμᾶς ὠφελεῖ, οὔτε νουθεσία· ὅταν δὲ σπουδάζωμεν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν δυνάμεθα διαναστῆναι. Ἐννόησον γάρ· Ὅτε παρῄνει αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀνέστελλεν αὐτὸν τῆς κακῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως, οὐκ ἤκουσεν οὔτε κατεδέξατο τὴν νουθεσίαν· ὅτε δὲ οὐδεὶς ἦν ὁ παραινῶν, τὸ οἰκεῖον συνειδὸς ἐπανέστη, καὶ οὐδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ διδάσκοντος μετεβάλετο, καὶ ἔῤῥιψε τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια. Ἔστησαν γὰρ, αὐτῷ, φησὶ, τριάκοντα ἀργύρια. Τιμὴν κατέβαλον αἵματος τιμὴν οὐκ ἔχοντος. Τί λαμβάνεις τριάκοντα ἀργύρια, ὦ Ἰούδα; ∆ωρεὰν ἦλθεν ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκχέαι τὸ αἷμα, ὑπὲρ οὗ σύμφωνα νῦν ποιεῖς. Τί γὰρ ἂν ἀναισχυντότερον τοῦ συναλλάγματος τούτου; τίς εἶδες τίς ἤκουσέ ποτε;

δʹ. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθωμεν τὴν διαφορὰν τοῦ προδότου καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν, ἀκούσωμεν· ἅπαντα γὰρ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἡμῖν διηγεῖται ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Ὅτε ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐγένετο, ὅτε ἡ προδοσία προεχώρησεν, ὅτε ἀπώλεσεν ἑαυτὸν ὁ Ἰούδας, ὅτε τὰς παρανόμους ἐκείνας συνθήκας ἐποιήσατο, καὶ ἐζήτει, φησὶν, εὐκαιρίαν, ἵνα αὐτὸν παραδῷ· Τότε προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ λέγοντες· Ποῦ θέλεις ἑτοιμάσωμέν σοι φαγεῖν τὸ Πάσχα; Εἶδες μαθητὰς, εἶδες μαθητήν; Ἐκεῖνος περὶ τὴν προδοσίαν ἠσχολεῖτο, οὗτοι περὶ τὴν διακονίαν· ἐκεῖνος σύμφωνα ἐποίει, καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ τὴν τιμὴν λαμβάνειν ἐπεχείρει, οὗτοι περὶ τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν παρασκευάζονται. Τῶν αὐτῶν θαυμάτων ἀπήλαυσαν καὶ οὗτος κἀκεῖνοι, τῶν αὐτῶν διδαγμάτων· πόθεν οὖν ἡ διαφορά; Ἀπὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως. Αὕτη αἰτία τῶν κακῶν καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν γίνεται. Ἡ ἑσπέρα αὕτη ἦν, καθ' ἣν οἱ μαθηταὶ ταῦτα ἔλεγον. Τί ἐστι, Ποῦ θέλεις ἑτοιμάσωμέν σοι φαγεῖν τὸ Πάσχα; ∆ιδασκόμεθα ἐντεῦθεν, ὅτι οὐκ εἶχεν οἰκίαν ἀφωρισμένην ὁ Χριστός. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ τὰς λαμπρὰς οἰκίας οἰκοδομοῦντες καὶ τοὺς μακροὺς περιβόλους, ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν