to lead us to the other side. For it is not possible to reach the other side without having endured the trials of waves and a contrary wind. Then, when we see the many and difficult things surrounding us and, growing weary, we swim through them for a certain distance, let us consider that our boat is then in the midst of the sea, being tormented by the waves which wish to make us shipwrecked «concerning the faith» or some of the virtues. But when we see the spirit of the evil one working against our affairs, let us understand that then the wind is contrary to us. When, therefore, suffering these things, we have passed through three watches of the night of darkness in temptations, striving well as far as possible and keeping ourselves from being shipwrecked «concerning the faith» or some of the virtues—the first watch, the father of darkness and of evil; and the second, his son who opposes and exalts himself «above every so-called god or object of worship»; and the third, the spirit contrary to the Holy Spirit—then let us believe that when the fourth watch has come, when «the night is far gone, and the day is at hand,» the Son of God will come to us, to calm the sea for us, walking upon it. And when we see the Word appearing to us, we will be troubled before we clearly understand that the Savior has visited us, still thinking we see a ghost, and being afraid we will cry out; but He himself will immediately speak to us, saying: Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid. And moved more fervently by the «take heart,» if a Peter should be found among us, journeying indeed «toward perfection» but not yet having become such, coming down from the boat, as if getting outside that temptation in which he was being tormented, he will walk at first upon the waters, wishing to come to Jesus, but as one of little faith and as one still doubting, he will see the strong wind and will be afraid and will begin to sink, but he will not suffer this because he calls on Jesus with a loud voice and says to him: Lord, save me. Then immediately, while such a Peter is still speaking and saying, Lord, save me, the Word will stretch out His hand, offering help to such a one, and will take hold of him as he begins to sink and will rebuke him for his little faith and his doubt. But observe that He did not say: unbeliever, but: O you of little faith, and that it is said: Why did you doubt?, having some faith, but also inclining toward its opposite? 11.7 And after these things, both Jesus and Peter will get into the boat and the wind will cease, and those in the boat, understanding from what dangers they were saved, will worship, saying not simply: You are the Son of God, as did the two demoniacs, but: Truly you are the Son of God; which the disciples in the boat say, for I do not think that others besides the disciples said this. And when we have crossed over in all these things, we will come to the land where Jesus commanded us to go before. Perhaps also some ineffable and hidden mystery is signified concerning certain ones saved by Jesus from the... and the men of that place, recognizing him, clearly the place on the other side, sent into all that surrounding region, the region surrounding the other side—not in the other side itself, but around it—and they brought to him all who were sick. In this, however, observe that they brought to him not only many who were sick, but all those in that surrounding region. And those who were brought to him who were sick begged him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment, asking this favor of him, since they were not like the «woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years» and who «came up behind» and touched «the fringe of his garment,» because «she said to herself, 'If I only touch his garment, I will be made well'»—for observe <the harmony> in the things concerning the fringe of his garment—for which reason «immediately her flow of blood ceased.» But those from the surrounding region of the land of Gennesaret, to which Jesus and his disciples came after crossing over, did not come to Jesus on their own, but were brought by the...
ἡμᾶς προάγειν εἰς τὸ πέραν. Οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν μὴ πειρασμοὺς ὑπομείναντας κυμάτων καὶ ἀνέμου ἐναντίου εἰς τὸ πέραν φθάσαι. Εἶτ' ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμεν πολλὰ τὰ περιεστηκότα ἡμᾶς πράγματα καὶ χαλεπὰ καὶ κάμνοντες μετρίως αὐτὰ ἐπὶ ποσὸν διανηξώμεθα, λογι ζώμεθα ὅτι τὸ πλοῖον ἡμῶν μέσον ἐστὶ τῆς θαλάσσης τότε βασανιζόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων βουλομένων ἡμᾶς ναυαγῆσαι «περὶ τὴν πίστιν» ἤ τινα τῶν ἀρετῶν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὰν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πονηροῦ βλέπωμεν ἀντιπρᾶττον ἡμῶν τοῖς πράγμασιν, ἐννοήσωμεν ὅτι τότε ἡμῖν ἐναντίος ἐστὶν ὁ ἄνεμος. Ἐπὰν οὖν ταῦτα πάσχοντες τρεῖς φυλακὰς τῆς νυκτὸς τοῦ ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς σκότους διανύσωμεν, κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἀγωνιζόμενοι καλῶς καὶ τηροῦντες ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὸ μὴ ναυαγῆσαι «περὶ τὴν πίστιν» ἤ τινα τῶν ἀρετῶν, πρώτην φυλακὴν τὸν πατέρα τοῦ σκότους καὶ τῆς κακίας, καὶ δευτέραν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀντικείμενον καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον «ἐπὶ πάντα λεγόμενον θεὸν ἢ σέβασμα», καὶ τρίτην τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι πνεῦμα, τότε πιστεύωμεν ὅτι τετάρτης ἐνεστηκυίας φυλακῆς, ὅτε «ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν», ἐλεύσεται πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵν' εὐτρεπίσῃ ἡμῖν τὴν θάλασσαν περιπατῶν ἐπ' αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἐπὰν ἴδωμεν τὸν λόγον ἡμῖν ἐμφανιζόμενον, ταραχθη σόμεθα μὲν πρὶν τρανῶς καταλαβεῖν ὅτι ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῖν ἐπιδεδήμηκεν, οἰόμενοι ἔτι φάντασμα θεωρεῖν, καὶ φοβού μενοι κεκραξόμεθα· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς εὐθέως ἡμῖν λαλήσει λέγων· Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγώ εἰμι, μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Καὶ θερμότερον κινούμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ θαρσεῖτε εἴ τις ἐν ἡμῖν εὑρεθείη Πέτρος, ὁδεύων μὲν «ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα», οὐδέπω δὲ τοιοῦτος γεγενημένος, καταβὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ πλοίου, ὡς ἔξω τοῦ πειρασμοῦ γινόμενος ἐκείνου ἐν ᾧ ἐβασανίζετο, περιπατήσει μὲν κατ' ἀρχὰς βουλόμενος ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα, ὡς ἔτι δὲ ὀλιγόπιστος καὶ ὡς ἔτι διστάζων ὄψεται ἰσχυρὸν τὸν ἄνεμον καὶ φοβηθήσεται καὶ ἄρξεται μὲν καταποντί ζεσθαι, οὐ πείσεται δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τὸ τὸν Ἰησοῦν μεγάλῃ καλεῖν φωνῇ καὶ λέγειν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, σῶσόν με. Εἶτ' εὐθέως ἔτι λαλοῦντος τοῦ τοιούτου Πέτρου καὶ λέγοντος· Κύριε, σῶσόν με, ἐκτενεῖ τὴν χεῖρα ὁ λόγος, ὀρέγων τῷ τοιούτῳ βοήθειαν, καὶ ἐπιλήψεται αὐτοῦ ἀρξαμένου κατα ποντίζεσθαι καὶ ὀνειδίσει αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ὀλιγοπιστίᾳ καὶ τῷ δισταγμῷ. Πλὴν τήρει ὅτι οὐκ εἶπεν· ἄπιστε, ἀλλά· ὀλιγόπιστε, καὶ ὅτι λέλεκται· εἰς τί ἐδίστασας, ἔχων μέν τι τῆς πίστεως, κλίνων δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον αὐτῇ; 11.7 Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις γε καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀνα βήσονται εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ κοπάσει ὁ ἄνεμος καὶ οἱ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ἐννοήσαντες ἀφ' οἵων διεσώθησαν κινδύνων, προσ κυνήσουσι λέγοντες, οὐχ ἁπλῶς· θεοῦ υἱὸς εἶ, ὡς καὶ οἱ δύο δαιμονιζόμενοι, ἀλλά· ἀληθῶς θεοῦ υἱὸς εἶ· ὅπερ λέγουσιν οἱ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μαθηταί, οὐ γὰρ ἄλλους τῶν μαθητῶν νομίζω τοῦτο εἰρηκέναι. Ἐπὰν δὲ ἐν τούτοις ὅλοις γενώμεθα διαπεράσαντες, ἐλευσόμεθα εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἔνθα προάγειν ἡμῖν ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Τάχα δὲ καὶ δηλοῦταί τι ἀπόρρητον καὶ κεκρυμ μένον μυστήριον περί τινων σεσωσμένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ καὶ ἐπιγνόντες αὐτὸν οἱ ἄνδρες τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου, δῆλον δ' ὅτι τοῦ ἐν τῷ πέραν, ἀπέστειλαν εἰς ὅλην τὴν περίχωρον ἐκείνην, περίχωρον τοῦ πέραν-οὐκ ἐν αὐτῷ <τῷ> πέραν, ἀλλὰ περὶ αὐτό, -καὶ προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τήρει ὅτι προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ οὐ πολλοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας μόνον, ἀλλὰ πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ περιχώρῳ ἐκείνῃ. Οἱ δὲ προσενεχθέντες αὐτῷ κακῶς ἔχοντες παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἵνα κἂν μόνον ἅψωνται τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ, χάριν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ αἰτοῦντες ταύτην, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἦσαν ὁποία ἡ «αἱμορροοῦσα γυνὴ τὰ δώδεκα ἔτη» καὶ «προσελθοῦσα ὄπισθεν» καὶ ἁψαμένη «τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ», ὅτι «ἔλεγεν ἐν ἑαυτῇ· εἰ μόνον ἅψομαι τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ, σωθήσομαι» -τήρει γὰρ <τὸ σύμφωνον> ἐν τοῖς περὶ τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ-διὸ «παραχρῆμα ἔστη ἡ ῥύσις τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς». Οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς περιχώρου τῆς γῆς Γενησαρέτ, εἰς ἣν διαπεράσαντες ἦλθον ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν προσῆλθον τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἀλλὰ προσήχθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν