of his flesh and on earth a hiding took place. 137 Mt 27, 11-14 Good is the looking away from the slanderers; for those hearing were not seeking the truth and the answer was in general terms, which he also showed according to the account of Luke, saying to those asking, "If you are the Christ, tell us. If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask, you will not answer." 138 Mt 27, 26 The scourges for the sins of the world, because many are the scourges of the sinner and according to the prophecy that says, "I gave my back to scourges." And indeed the just thing has been fulfilled on behalf of sinners, and the height of goodness has been fulfilled, when "the just for the unjust" has suffered, so that "by his stripe we might be healed," as Isaiah says. 139 Mt

27, 28-29 Not that they were strong, but that it seemed good to God for these things to happen for the redemption of men, with the "Lord of glory" being dishonored for our sake on account of the dishonor that was our due, and glorifying the day of the just which is always mocked by the uneducated. Since the robe was colored with the color of blood, for this reason those murdering him clothed him, not understanding what they were doing, but rather this robe was a symbol of the scarlet thread in Joshua son of Nun and of the one who bound "the hand" of one of the sons of Judah by Tamar, because the Savior had taken up the blood of the world and of the men in it for the salvation of all. And those "choked by cares and riches and pleasures," having received the word of God and not bringing it to fruition, weaving thorns, they crown Jesus, dishonoring him, but he, taking up our thorns, consumes them on his own head. And they placed a reed in his right hand, those who considered his kingdom to be empty

kingdom. 140 Mt 27, 28-30 The Jews, mocking the Lord, made their mockery with respect to the name of prophet, whence they also said, "Prophesy to us, Christ, who is it that struck you," but the soldiers mock with respect to the name of king; for to this end there was also a scarlet robe instead of purple, and a crown of thorns instead of gold, and the reed instead of a scepter, and the bowing down as to a king and saying, "Hail, King of the Jews." Upon which there was also spitting and striking with the reed, the work of uneducated soldiers and a foolish people making a pretext for mockery, just as they are always accustomed to spurn solemn things, with the prophecy being especially fulfilled upon the Lord that says: "You have made me a reproach to the foolish. I was mute and did not open my mouth, because you are the one who made me." 142 Mt 27, 45 And a certain Phlegon, a philosopher among the Greeks, recalls this darkness as having happened paradoxically on the fourteenth day of the moon, when an eclipse is not accustomed to happen, when it is a great distance away from the sun, as much as from the beginning of heaven to the end; for eclipses happen then, when these two luminaries approach each other; for a solar eclipse happens at a conjunction when the moon passes under it, not at a full moon, when it is diametrically opposite the moon. And this happened, as if creation were mourning over what had happened and for this reason making it clear that when this drunken violence was committed by the Jews their mind was darkened and the intelligible sun departed from them. For whether they considered him—for that darkness was of one who was angry and a sign of what the blood-guilty were about to receive; for for this reason this happens after all the acts of drunken violence, when they had their fill of mockery and had uttered everything they wanted. 143 Mt 27, 50 And this is also the beginning of the transfer of souls to heavenly places. As many as follow Christ, are transferred, which Stephen showed, saying: "Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit" and Paul: "it is better to depart and be with Christ." But the opposite was said of those of old

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σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἔκρυσις ἐχώρη σεν. 137 Mt 27, 11-14 Καλὴ ἡ ἀποσκόπησις πρὸς τοὺς συκοφαντοῦντας· οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἀκούον τες ἐζήτουν τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ κατὰ κοινοῦ ἡ ἀπόκρισις, ὃ καὶ ἔδειξε κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν τοῦ Λουκᾶ εἰπὼν πρὸς τοὺς ἐρωτῶντας «εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός, εἰπὸν ἡμῖν· ἐὰν ὑμῖν εἴπω, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε· ἐὰν δὲ ἐρωτήσω, οὐ μὴ ἀποκριθῆτε ». 138 Mt 27, 26 Αἱ μάστιγες ἀντὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τοῦ κόσμου, ὅτι πολλαὶ αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν τὴν λέγουσαν «τὸν νῶτόν μου δέδωκα εἰς μάστιγας ». καὶ πεπλήρωται μὲν τὸ δίκαιον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτω λῶν, πεπλήρωται δὲ τὸ τῆς ἀγαθότητος ἄκρον, ὁπότε «δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων » πέπονθε, ἵνα «τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἰαθῶμεν », ὡς Ἠσαΐας φησίν. 139 Mt

27, 28-29 Οὐχ ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι ἴσχυον, ἀλλ' ὅτι θεῷ ἐδόκει ταῦτα γίνεσθαι πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκλύτρωσιν ἀτιμασθέντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τοῦ «κυρίου τῆς δόξης » διὰ τὴν ἡμῖν ἐπιβάλλουσαν ἀτιμίαν καὶ δοξάζοντος τὴν ἡμέραν τῶν δικαίων τὴν ἀεὶ διαπαιζομένην ὑπὸ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων. ἐπειδὴ χρώ ματι αἵματος ἡ χλαμὺς ἐκέχρωστο, διὰ τοῦτο οἱ φονῶντες κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐνέδυσαν αὐτὸν μὴ νοοῦντες, ὃ ἐποίουν, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ ἐν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ κοκκίνου ῥάμματος καὶ τοῦ ἐνδήσαντος «τὴν χεῖρα » ἑνὸς τῶν ἐκ τῆς Θάμαρ Ἰούδα υἱῶν σύμβολον ἡ χλαμὺς αὕτη τῷ τὰ αἵματα τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀνθρώπων ἀνειληφέναι ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας πάντων τὸν σωτῆρα. οἱ δὲ «ὑπὸ μεριμνῶν καὶ πλούτου καὶ ἡδονῶν » συμ πνιγόμενοι λαβόντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ τελεσφοροῦντες πλέ κοντες ἀκάνθας στεφανοῦσι τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀτιμάζοντες, ὁ δὲ τὰς ἀκάν θας ἡμῶν ἀναλαβὼν ἀναλίσκει τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῇ. κάλαμον δὲ ἔθηκαν ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ οἱ διάκενον νομίζοντες αὐτοῦ εἶναι τὴν

βασιλείαν. 140 Mt 27, 28-30 Οἱ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι διαπαίζοντες τὸν κύριον ὡς πρὸς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ προφήτου τὴν παιδιὰν ἐποιοῦντο, ἔνθεν καὶ ἔλεγον· «προφήτευσον ἡμῖν, Χριστέ, τίς ἐστιν ὁ παίσας σε », οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται πρὸς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ βασι λέως διαπαίζουσιν· πρὸς τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ χλαμὺς ἀντὶ τῆς πορφύρας κοκκίνη καὶ ἐξ ἀκανθῶν στέφανος ἀντὶ χρυσοῦ καὶ ὁ κάλαμος ἀντὶ σκήπτρου καὶ τὸ προσκυνεῖν ὡς πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ λέγειν· χαῖρε ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων . ἐφ' οἷς ἦν καὶ τὸ ἐμπτύειν καὶ τύπτειν τῷ καλάμῳ στρατιωτῶν ἀπαιδεύτων ἔργον καὶ ἄφρονος λαοῦ τοῦ παίζειν ὑπόθεσιν ποιοῦντος, ὥσπερ εἰώθασιν ἀεὶ τὰ σεμνὰ διαπτύειν πληρουμένης ἐξαιρέτως ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου τῆς προφητείας τῆς λεγούσης· «ὄνειδος ἄφρονι ἔδωκάς με. ἐκωφώθην καὶ οὐκ ἤνοιξα τὸ στόμα μου, ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ποιήσας με ». 142 Mt 27, 45 Καὶ Φλέγων δέ τις παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλόσοφος μέμνηται τούτου τοῦ σκότους ὡς παραδόξως γεγενημένου ἐν τῇ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ τῆς σε λήνης, ὅτε οὐ πέφυκεν ἔκλειψις γίνεσθαι, ὅτε ἀπέχει πολὺ τοῦ ἡλίου διάστημα, ὅσον ἀπ' ἀρχῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἕως τέλους· τότε γὰρ γίνονται ἐκλείψεις, ὅταν πλησιάσωσιν ἀλλήλοις οἱ δύο οὗτοι φωστῆρες· γίνεται γὰρ ἡλίου ἔκλειψις συνόδῳ ὑποδραμούσης αὐτὸν σελήνης, οὐ πανσελήνῳ, ὅτε διάμετρός ἐστι τῇ σελήνῃ. τοῦτο δὲ γέγονεν, ὡς πενθούσης τῆς κτίσεως ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δηλούσης, ὅτι τῆς παροινίας ταύτης πραχθείσης ἐκ Ἰουδαίων ἐσκοτίσθη αὐτῶν ὁ νοῦς καὶ ἀπέστη ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὁ νοητὸς ἥλιος. εἴτε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐνόμιζον-ὀργιζομένου γὰρ ἦν τὸ σκότος ἐκεῖνο καὶ δεῖγμα τοῦ μέλλοντος λαβεῖν τοὺς μιαιφόνους· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ μετὰ πάντα τὰ τῆς παροινίας τοῦτο γίνεται, ὅτε κόρον ἔλαβον τῶν σκωμμάτων καὶ πάντα ἐφθέγξαντο ὅσα ἐθέλησαν. 143 Mt 27, 50 Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἀρχὴ τῆς τῶν ψυχῶν εἰς τὰ οὐράνια μεταθέσεως. ὅσαι δὲ ἀκολουθοῦσι Χριστῷ, μεθίστανται, ὅπερ ἐνεφάνισε Στέφανος εἰπών· «κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστέ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου » καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· «κρεῖσσον τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι ». τοὐναντίον δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν παλαιῶν ἐλέγετο τὸ

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