25
38.1 But if again he says, "Where have you laid Lazarus?", speaking anthropopathically, and concerning the woman with the flow of blood, "Who touched me?", or "Whom do you seek?", or "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?", or "The child grew and became strong," or "He advanced in stature and wisdom," or "before the child knows how to call 'father' or 'mother'," do you not see from the subject itself the surpassing nature of the 38.2 knowledge, that the accounts are from the flesh and humanity? For all the things in the Old Testament that come down from the person of God the Father for the persuasion of men, having the appearance of ignorance, but not being unknown to God, these things the Logos, having come, has fulfilled, so that he might fulfill what was spoken: "My Father is working until now, and I am working." 38.3 "Where have you laid Lazarus?" he asked, having come near the place; but before coming to the place, having heard from no one, he said to his disciples, "Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep." Therefore, did he who, being distant from the place by so great a journey, knew that 38.4 Lazarus had died, not know when he was present at the place? Certainly not, but he wanted to show that he did all these things, since no one yet fully believed in him, so that he might show forth his great love for humanity in his condescension toward us. 38.5 For they should not have said, "It is the fourth day, he already stinks," nor have gone and shown him, but have said: You know all things, and if you will it, he will live. Wherefore also he wept over the hardness of men's hearts. Therefore he did not ask out of ignorance, but he convicts while testing and shows his love for humanity. 38.6 And he says, "Who touched me?", not because he did not know who touched him, but so that he might not declare the miracle that had happened by himself, but so that she, having heard, might come forward and tell the grace that had been done to her and, having confessed, might hear: "Your faith has saved you," so that he might encourage 38.7 others also to believe, that they might be healed. "Whom," he says, "do they say that I the Son of Man am?" just as also in the Old [Testament] he says from the person of the Father, "Adam, where are you?" And he knew where he was; for which reason he also 38.8 later convicts him, saying, "Did you eat from the tree?" And to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" and he did not ask out of ignorance. For he says, "Cursed are you on the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. For behold, his blood cries out to me." Therefore he who said that the blood cries out did not not know, but he asked for this reason, so that he might give him a place for repentance for a defense. 39.1 But they turn again to the contentiousness of ignorance and they say that these voices in the Old [Testament] are of the Son himself. But their practice is immediately refuted. For the one who said to Moses, "What is this 39.2 in your hand?" himself said, "I am who I am." And the Lord says to the Sadducees, speaking about the resurrection, "But that the dead are raised, God said: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is therefore the God of the living and not of the dead." 39.3 And again it is possible to show many things that were spoken in the Old Testament from the person of the Father; but also often from the person of the Son, 39.4 and again from the person of the Holy Spirit. And "Where is Sarah your wife?" the Son of God who came from above with the two angels said to Abraham. For if he did not know where she was, he would not have said "Sarah." 39.5 * "So Sarah laughed, being inside." He wishes to show her modesty as an example for those who wish to be pious in truth, so that when they receive strangers they may serve from their own labors, but on account of their modesty they may not show their face to the men. 39.6 For that blessed woman certainly prepared the meal, and having prepared it, was not seen in the presence of angels, setting an example of modesty for generations after her. But also that he, the one present, might show who he is, the name
25
38.1 Ἐὰν δὲ πάλιν εἴπῃ «ποῦ τεθείκατε Λάζαρον;» ἀνθρωποπαθῶς λέγων καὶ περὶ τῆς αἱμορροούσης «τίς μου ἥψατο;» ἤ «τίνα ζητεῖτε;» ἤ «τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;» ἤ «τὸ παιδίον ηὔξανε καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο» ἤ «προέκοπτεν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ σοφίᾳ» ἤ «πρὸ τοῦ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα», οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ὑποθέσεως τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τῆς 38.2 γνώσεως, ὅτι ἐκ σαρκὸς καὶ ἀνθρωπότητος τὰ διηγήματα; ὅσα γὰρ ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ διαθήκῃ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ὑποκατερχόμενά εἰσιν εἰς πειθὼ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀγνωσίας ἐχόμενα, οὐκ ὄντα δὲ ἄγνωστα τῷ θεῷ, ταῦτα ἐλθὼν ὁ Λόγος πεπλήρωκεν, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὸ εἰρημένον «ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ 38.3 ἐργάζομαι». «ποῦ τεθείκατε τὸν Λάζαρον;» ἠρώτα ἐγγὺς τοῦ τόπου γενόμενος· πρὸ δὲ τοῦ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὸν τόπον ὑπὸ μηδενὸς ἀκούσας ἔλεγε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ «Λάζαρος ὁ φίλος ἡμῶν κεκοίμηται». ὁ τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοσούτων τῆς ὁδοιπορίας διεστὼς τοῦ τόπου γνοὺς ὅτι 38.4 τέθνηκε Λάζαρος, παρὼν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἠγνόει; οὔκουν, ἄλλ' ἤθελε δεῖξαι ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα ἐποίει, ἐπεὶ οὔπω οὐδεὶς τελείως αὐτῷ ἐπίστευεν, ἵνα ἐνδείξηται τῆς αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς φειδοῦς τὴν πολλὴν 38.5 φιλανθρωπίαν. ἔδει γὰρ ἐκείνας μὴ εἰπεῖν «τεταρταῖός ἐστιν, ἤδη ὄζει» μηδὲ ἀπελθεῖν καὶ δεῖξαι, ἀλλ' εἰπεῖν· πάντα οἶδας καὶ ἐὰν θέλῃς, ζήσεται. διόπερ καὶ ἐδάκρυσεν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πωρώσει. οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τοίνυν ἠρώτα, ἀλλ' ἐλέγχει πειράζων καὶ φιλανθρω38.6 πεύεται. καί «τίς μου ἥψατο;» φησίν, οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδει τίς αὐτοῦ ἥψατο, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ εἴπῃ δι' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ γενόμενον θαῦμα, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἐκείνη ἀκούσασα προσελθοῦσα εἴπῃ τὴν εἰς αὐτὴν γενομένην χάριν καὶ ὁμολογήσασα ἀκούσῃ· «ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε», ὅπως προτρέψη38.7 ται καὶ ἄλλους πιστεύειν, ἵνα ἰαθῶσι. «τίνα με» φησί «λέγουσιν εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;» ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ πατρὸς λέγει «Ἀδάμ, ποῦ εἶ;» ᾔδει δὲ αὐτὸν ποῦ ἐστιν· διὸ καὶ 38.8 ἐλέγχει αὐτὸν μετέπειτα λέγων «ἐκ τοῦ ξύλου ἔφαγες». καὶ τῷ Κάϊν «ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου;» καὶ οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ἠρώτα. λέγει γὰρ «ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἣ ἔχανε δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου. ἰδοὺ γὰρ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ βοᾷ πρός με». οὐκ ἠγνόει τοίνυν ὁ λέγων ὅτι τὸ αἷμα βοᾷ, ἀλλ' ὅπως δῷ αὐτῷ τόπον μετανοίας εἰς ἀπολογίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἠρώτα. 39.1 Στρέφονται δὲ πάλιν εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀμαθίας φιλονεικίαν καί φασιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ εἶναι ταύτας τὰς φωνὰς ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ. εὐθὺς δὲ ἐλέγχεται αὐτῶν τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα. ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν τῷ Μωυσῇ «τί 39.2 τοῦτο τὸ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου;» αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν». καί φησιν ὁ κύριος τοῖς Σαδδουκαίοις περὶ ἀναστάσεως διηγούμενος «ὅτι δὲ ἐγείρονται οἱ νεκροί, εἶπεν ὁ θεός· ἐγὼ ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰακώβ. θεὸς οὖν ἐστι ζώντων καὶ οὐ νεκρῶν». 39.3 καὶ πάλιν πολλὰ ἔστι δεῖξαι ὅτι ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ πατρός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ διαθήκῃ εἰρημένα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ υἱοῦ πολ39.4 λάκις καὶ ἐκ προσώπου πάλιν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος. καί «ποῦ Σάρρα ἡ γυνή σου;» τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἔλεγεν ὁ ἐλθὼν ἄνωθεν σὺν τοῖς δυσὶν ἀγγέλοις υἱὸς θεοῦ. εἰ γὰρ ἠγνόει ποῦ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἂν ἔλεγεν «Σάρρα». 39.5 * «ἐγέλασεν οὖν ἡ Σάρρα ἔνδον οὖσα» βούλεται αὐτῆς ὑποδεῖξαι τὴν σεμνότητα ὑπογραμμὸν τῶν θελουσῶν εὐσεβεῖν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, ἵν' ὅτε ὑποδέχονται ξένους ἐξ ἰδίων καμάτων ὑπηρετῶσι μέν, διὰ δὲ τὴν σεμνότητα τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν τοῖς ἀνδράσι μὴ ὑποδεικνύωσιν. 39.6 ἐκείνη γὰρ ἡ μακαρία πάντως ἐξήρτυσε καὶ ἐξαρτύσασα εἰς πρόσωπον ἀγγέλων οὐκ ὤφθη, σεμνότητος ὑπογραμμὸν ὑποβάλλουσα ταῖς μετὰ ταῦτα γενεαῖς. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἵνα δείξῃ ὁ παρὼν τίς ἐστιν, τὸ ὄνομα