an aid to courage; for courage will never be securely from your bravery, because nothing in man is a firm and unchangeable good, but from my invincible power, secure courage will belong to those who share in me.

126 Jο 17,9-13 Why does he say, I ask concerning them, and what is the question? Now, he says, they need the spiritual oversight that works invisibly in souls, because I no longer walk with them in the body nor will I converse with them; for I will now leave the world, passing over into the heavens. And set over them the invisible oversight, preserving them as sons, as they have become, having received from me the name of sonship. Indeed, while I was present, it was sufficient for them to see me and to hear me, and this was enough for them to be kept safe. At any rate, they were kept safe and no one has fallen away from the salvation in me, except only the one who has given himself over to destruction, concerning whom also the prophetic spirit has been fulfilled, that his "memorial be blotted out from the earth." But now, as I am already returning to you, I ask for your invisible oversight for them.

127 Jο 17,10 This is what I acquire through sanctification and to whom I grant perfection in divine form by imparting my spirit. And he adds that what is yours is also mine. These would be the heavenly things, which do not now receive sanctification, but have been established in sanctification from the beginning; for not even to them does sanctification come otherwise than through the Son, who has indeed divinely and yet carnally sanctified all things. Therefore he is glorified not only in those now acquired for his kingdom, but also in those who have remained in the kingdom from the beginning; for this is, "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Such also is what is said by the angels: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." For this reason the Son of God came in the body, so that he might extend the glory in heaven also upon the earth, and be glorified not only among the saints in heaven, but also among those being sanctified on earth.

128 Jο 17,16 In this he clearly distinguishes between what is by nature and what is by likeness; for he says that he himself is not of the world, and likewise that the disciples are not of the world. And it is clear that Christ, in truth, was not from the world, since he had indeed descended from heaven, but the apostles, by likeness to Christ, have passed over from the world. And he says that they have become strangers to men because of their virtue which is beyond human, and that they are reasonably hated by those who think the opposite. Therefore, they already have from me, through their intimacy with me, their alienation from the world and no longer are in need. But they are in need of confirmation in this good, so that they may not be harmed by the wickedness of the devil and be alienated from this divine intimacy

again.

129 Jο 17,17-19 Let the good in them be true and the sanctification genuine, lest "having begun in the Spirit," they should ever be "perfected in the flesh" nor live according to carnal thoughtlessness, but according to the virtue of this word, in which again is true virtue.

130 Jο 17,18 Here the inequality is great; for he sends, he says, the disciples just as he himself is sent from the Father. But there is no equality between the presence from heaven to earth and the sending of the disciples which took place on earth; for they are not sent as teachers by nature, as the Lord is, but having received the power and wisdom to teach, and thus through imitation the good enters into the world and what was sent from heaven from the Father passes on to all through the disciples sent by him.

132 Jο 18,1-4 We must observe that John passes over the story concerning the distress and grief of the Lord, which the others have not omitted. But, as I was saying,

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τοῦ θαρσεῖν ἐπικουρία· οὐ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀνδρείας τὸ θαρσεῖν ἔσται βεβαίως ποτέ, ὅτι μηδὲν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ στερρὸν καὶ ἄτρεπτον ἀγαθόν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀηττήτου δυνάμεως ἀσφαλὲς τὸ θάρσος τοῖς ἐμοῖς μετόχοις ὑπάρξει.

126 Jο 17,9-13 ∆ιὰ τί φησιν ἐρωτῶ περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τίς ἡ ἐρώτησις; ἤδη, φησίν, τῆς πνευματικῆς ἐπιστασίας δέονται τῆς ἀοράτως ἐν ψυχαῖς ἐνεργούσης, ὅτι μηκέτι κατὰ σῶμα πορεύομαι αὐτοῖς μηδὲ διαλέξομαι· καταλείψω γὰρ ἤδη τὸν κόσμον εἰς οὐρανοὺς μεταβαίνων. ἐπίστησον δὲ αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀόρατον ἐπιστασίαν δια φυλάττων αὐτοὺς υἱοὺς ὥσπερ γεγόνασιν λαβόντες παρ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς υἱότητος. ἐμοῦ μὲν δὴ παρόντος ἐξήρκει τὸ ἐμὲ ὁρᾶν καὶ ἐμοῦ ἀκούειν καὶ τοῦτο ἦν αὐτοῖς ἱκανὸν εἰς τὸ φυλάττεσθαι. ἐφυλάχθησαν γοῦν καὶ οὐδεὶς τῆς ἐν ἐμοὶ σωτηρίας ἐκπέπτωκεν, εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἀπώλειαν ἑαυτὸν ἐκδε δωκώς, καθ' οὗ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ προφητικὸν πεπλήρωται τὸ ἐξολεθρευθῆναι "ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον" αὐτοῦ. νῦν δὲ ἐπανιὼν ἤδη πρὸς σὲ τὴν σὴν αὐτοῖς ἀόρατον ἐπιστασίαν αἰτῶ. 127 Jο 17,10 Τοῦτ' ἔστι ὅσα κτῶμαι δι' ἁγιασμοῦ καὶ οἷς ἀποδίδωμι τὴν ἐν θείᾳ μορφῇ τελείωσιν μεταδιδοὺς τοῦ ἐμοῦ πνεύματος. προστίθησι δὲ ὅτι καὶ τὰ σὰ ἐμά. ταῦτα δὲ ἂν εἴη τὰ οὐράνια, ἃ μὴ προσλαμβάνει νῦν ἁγιασμόν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν ἁγιασμῷ βέβηκεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκείνοις ἑτέρως ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ἢ διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ θεϊκῶς μέντοι καὶ σαρκικῶς ἔτι πάντα ἁγιάσαντος. δοξάζεται οὖν οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς νῦν κτηθεῖσιν ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας διαμείνασιν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ "γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς" . τοιοῦτον καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων λεγόμενον· "δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας" . διὰ τοῦτο ἧκεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ σώματος, ἵνα τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ δόξαν καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐκτείνῃ καὶ δοξάζηται μὴ μόνον ἐν τοῖς κατ' οὐρανὸν ἁγίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ γῆν ἁγιαζομένοις. 128 Jο 17,16 Σαφῶς ἐν τούτῳ διαιρεῖ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ τὸ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν· ἑαυτόν τε γάρ φησιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου μὴ εἶναι καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς ὁμοίως μὴ εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου. δῆλον δέ, ὅτι Χριστὸς μὲν κατ' ἀλήθειαν οὐκ ἦν ἀπὸ κόσμου ἅτε δὴ καταβεβηκὼς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι κατὰ τὴν ὁμοίωσιν τὴν Χριστοῦ μεταβεβήκασιν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου. φησὶ δὲ αὐτοὺς ξένους γεγενημένους ἀνθρώποις διὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἀρετήν, μεμισῆσθαι δὲ εἰκότως ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντία φρονούντων. ἔχουσι μὲν οὖν ἤδη παρ' ἐμοῦ διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἐμὲ οἰκειότητος τὴν ἀλλοτρίωσιν τὴν πρὸς κόσμον καὶ οὐκέτι προσδέονται. προσδέονται δὲ τῆς ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τούτῳ βεβαιώσεως ὡς μὴ βλαβῆναι διὰ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου πονη ρίας καὶ τῆς θείας ταύτης οἰκειώσεως ἀπαλλοτριωθῆναι

πάλιν. 129 Jο 17,17-19 Ἔστω δὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀληθὲς τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ἀληθινός, μὴ "ἐναρξάμενοι πνεύματι, σαρκὶ" ἐπιτελεσθῶσί ποτε μηδὲ ζήσωσι κατὰ σαρκικὴν ἀλογιστίαν, ἀλλὰ κατ' ἀρετὴν τούτου λόγου, ἐν ᾧ πάλιν ἀληθὴς ἀρετή. 130 Jο 17,18 Πολὺ ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἀνισότιμον· ἀποστέλλει μὲν γάρ, φησίν, τοὺς μαθητὰς οὕτω ὡς παρὰ πατρὸς αὐτὸς ἀποστέλλεται. οὐδεμία δὲ ἰσοτιμία τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ παρουσίας εἰς γῆν καὶ τῆς ἐν τῇ γῇ γενομένης ἀποστολῆς τῶν μαθητῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὡς φύσει διδάσκαλοι πέμπονται καθάπερ ὁ κύριός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ προσλα βόντες τὴν διδακτικὴν δύναμιν καὶ σοφίαν καὶ οὕτω διὰ τῆς μιμήσεως τὸ ἀγαθὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον χωρεῖ καὶ τὸ ἀποσταλὲν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ παρὰ πατρὸς διὰ τῶν ἀποστελλομένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν ἐπὶ πάντας διαβαίνει.

132 Jο 18,1-4 Προσεκτέον τὸν Ἰωάννην παριόντα τὴν ἱστορίαν τὴν περὶ τῆς ἀδημονίας καὶ λύπης τοῦ κυρίου, ἣν οὐ παραλελοίπασιν οἱ ἄλλοι. ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφην,

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