to seek obedience from men, to whom you have not given a willing ear through your word. And for this reason, fearing lest I become ineffective, I guarded only what pertained to myself, not being zealous concerning others.

129 Mt 25, 34-46 But since you cast yourselves in, the accusation devolves upon you. But the sketch of the words reveals the force of the events, as if the righteous will say these things and as if they will hear what the nature of the matter holds; for it is clear that they will not say these things then nor will they ask, when it has been resolved in what was said by Christ; but thus often in the scriptures the things that lie in the events are characterized by words.

130 Mt 26, 17-18 But Mark and Luke did not say that he had said, that I will eat the Passover as another says, but "where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples." And these things can signify the "preparation of the Passover," not the eating of it; for John indicates that on the day of the Passover the Passover had not yet been eaten by the Jews, since indeed, as we were saying, it was necessary on the same day and hour for both the typical Passover and the true one to be accomplished. But he was not yet about to reveal to the man that the Passover was being prepared, but before his knowledge, it was necessary to be the Passover, unless he also hinted at this by saying *my time is at hand*. And he reveals also at the supper itself, that he himself has eaten the supper; for Luke says: "When the hour came, he reclined, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said to them: I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God"; for he did not say "I will no longer not eat it," but "I will not eat," revealing on the one hand his sympathy for the disciples, that he pitied them who were about to have the feast uncelebrated because of his departure; for this is the meaning of "I have desired to eat the Passover with you before I suffer," adding on the other hand, that they will have grief and he will prefer to their cheerfulness what is advantageous for them and for the whole world, namely not to eat the Passover, but for him himself to become the Passover, of which the fulfillment is "in the kingdom of God," when he completely passes over death; for this the word Passover means, signifying a passing over. 131 Mt 26, The preparation of the Passover has indeed taken place. But it is a supper and not yet the eating of the Passover; for neither was there the posture of those eating the Passover, but they were reclining at supper. And John also spoke of a supper, making no mention of the Passover, saying: "Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" and what follows. "Before the feast of the Passover," he says, not during the feast of the Passover, so that we have appropriately understood "the first day of Unleavened Bread" as meaning the day before the Unleavened Bread. 132 Mt 26, 24 And the "it would have been good for him not to have been born" is said with respect to the punishment; for non-existence is more desirable than a bad existence. 133 Mt 26, 26 That Judas went out beforehand, John has indicated; for the minister of the killing of Christ would not have received the type of the saving communion; and yet the Lord bore him in all other things, but this was no longer permitted. And for us the type is to bar the wicked from holy communion, even if in all other things we bear them through forbearance; for it is clear that to destroy the Savior "he went out," having been handed over to the devil; for "after the morsel," it says, "Satan entered into him," so that having taken him handed over he led him away. 134 Mt 26, 26-28 And in saying the blood is poured out for many, for

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ζητεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπακοήν, οἷς οὐ δέδωκας διὰ τοῦ λόγου σου τὸ εὐ ήκοον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φοβηθεὶς μὴ ἄπρακτος γένωμαι τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ ἐφύ λαξα μόνον μὴ ἐσπουδακὼς περὶ ἑτέρους.

129 Mt 25, 34-46 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἐμβάλλετε, τὸ ἔγκλημα εἰς ὑμᾶς περιίσταται. δηλοῖ δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν δύναμιν ἡ τῶν λόγων ὑπο τύπωσις ὡς ἐρούντων ταῦτα τῶν δικαίων καὶ ὡς ἀκουσομένων ἅπερ ἡ τοῦ πράγματος ἔχει φύσις· δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἐροῦσιν αὐτὰ τότε καὶ οὐ ζητήσουσιν, ὁπότε λέλυται ἐν τῷ εἰρημένῳ ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ· ἀλλ' οὕτω πολλάκις ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ῥήμασι χαρακτηρίζεται τὰ ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι κείμενα.

130 Mt 26, 17-18 Μᾶρκος δὲ καὶ ὁ Λουκᾶς οὐκ εἶπον αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι, ὅτι ἔδομαι τὸ πάσχα ὡς ἕτερός φησιν, ἀλλὰ «ποῦ ἐστιν τὸ κατάλυμα, ὅπου τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν μου φάγω». δύναται δὲ ταῦτα τὴν «παρασκευὴν τοῦ πάσχα » δηλοῦν, οὐ τὴν βρῶσιν· ὁ γὰρ Ἰωάννης δηλοῖ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πάσχα ἡμέραν μήπω τὸ πάσχα βρωθὲν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων, ἐπει δήπερ ὡς ἐλέγομεν ἐχρῆν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν καὶ ὥραν τό τε τυπι κὸν πάσχα καὶ τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐπιτελεσθῆναι. οὐδέπω δὲ ἔμελλεν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ δηλοῦν, ὅτι παρασκευάζεται μὲν τὸ πάσχα , πρὸ δὲ τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ ἔδει πάσχα , εἰ μή τι καὶ τοῦτο ὑπεσήμηνεν εἰπὼν ὁ καιρός μου ἐγγύς ἐστιν . δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ <τῷ> δείπνῳ, ὅτι ὃ βέβρωκεν αὐτὸς τὸ δεῖπνον· λέγει γὰρ ὁ Λουκᾶς· «ὅτε ἐγένετο ὥρα, ἔπεσεν, καὶ οἱ ιβʹ ἀπόστολοι σὺν αὐτῷ. καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα τοῦτο τὸ πάσχα φαγεῖν μεθ' ὑμῶν πρὸ τοῦ με παθεῖν· λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν οὐ μὴ φάγω αὐτὸ ἕως οὗ πληρωθῇ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ »· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν οὐκέτι μὴ «φάγω αὐτό », ἀλλ' «οὐ μὴ φάγω » δηλῶν μὲν τὴν συμπάθειαν αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰς τοὺς μαθητάς, ὅτι ᾤκτιρεν αὐτοὺς μέλλοντας τὴν ἑορτὴν ἀνεόρταστον ἕξειν τῇ ἀπολείψει αὐτοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ «ἐπε θύμησα μεθ' ὑμῶν φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα πρὸ τοῦ με παθεῖν », ἐπιφέρων δέ, ὅτι λύπην ἕξουσιν καὶ προτιμήσει τῆς ἐκείνων εὐθυμίας τὸ καὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ παντὶ κόσμῳ συμφέρον τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα , ἀλλ' αὐτὸν πάσχα γενέσθαι, οὗ ἡ πλήρωσίς ἐστιν «ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ », ὅτε παντελῶς ὑπερβαίνει θάνατον· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ λέξις τοῦ πάσχα δηλοῖ ὑπέρβασιν σημαίνουσα. 131 Mt 26, Ἡ μὲν ἑτοιμασία γέγονε τοῦ πάσχα. δεῖπνον δέ ἐστιν καὶ οὔπω τοῦ πάσχα βρῶσις· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν σχῆμα τῶν τὸ πάσχα ἐσθιόντων, ἀλλ' ἀνέκειντο δειπνοῦντες. καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης δὲ δεῖπνον εἴρηκεν οὐδεμίαν μνή μην τοῦ πάσχα ποιησάμενος λέγων· «πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα, ἵνα μεταβῇ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἀγαπήσας τοὺς ἰδίους τοὺς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτοὺς» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. «πρὸ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ πάσχα» λέγει, οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ πάσχα, ὥστε καὶ «τὴν πρώτην τῶν ἀζύμων » οἰκείως ἐδεξάμεθα τὴν πρὸ τῶν ἀζύμων νοήσαντες. 132 Mt 26, 24 Τὸ δὲ καλὸν εἶναι τὸ μὴ γεγεννῆσθαι πρὸς τὴν κόλασιν εἴρηται· κακῆς γὰρ ὑπάρξεως ἀνυπαρξία αἱρετωτέρα. 133 Mt 26, 26 Ὅτι προεξῆλθεν Ἰούδας, Ἰωάννης ἐδήλωσεν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐδέξατο τῆς σωτηρίου κοινωνίας τύπον ὁ τῆς χριστοκτονίας ὑπηρέτης· καίτοι τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἤνεγκεν αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκέτι συνεχωρεῖτο. καὶ ἡμῖν ὁ τύπος εἰς τὸ τῆς ἁγίας κοινωνίας ἀπείργειν τοὺς πονηρούς, εἰ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἄλλα πάντα δι' ἀνεξικακίας φέρομεν αὐτούς· δῆλον γάρ, ὅτι ὀλέσειν τὸν σωτῆρα «ἐξῆλθεν » παραδοθεὶς τῷ διαβόλῳ· «μετὰ » γὰρ «τὸ ψωμίον εἰσῆλθεν », φησίν, «εἰς ἐκεῖνον ὁ σατανᾶς », ὥστε λαβὼν αὐτὸν ἔκδοτον

ἀπήγαγεν. 134 Mt 26, 26-28 Περὶ πολλῶν δὲ λέγων ἐκχύννεσθαι τὸ αἷμα περὶ

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