28

they brought him up to the cross. 14.13 Do you see that the ungrateful and negligent gain nothing even from those things that profit; but the grateful and sober are greatly benefited by those very things at which others are scandalized? This can be seen both in the case of Judas and in the case of Job. For Judas was not saved even by Christ, who set the world aright; but Job was not harmed even by the devil, who destroyed so many. 14.14 But the one, suffering countless evils, was crowned; but the other, who had witnessed signs and performed them himself, who had raised the dead and cast out demons—for he too had received this authority—who had heard countless things about the kingdom and gehenna, who had partaken of the mystical table, who had shared in a most awesome supper and enjoyed as much favor and providence as Peter and James and John, or rather, even much more; 14.15 for with the other care and condescension, of which he had much share, he had also been entrusted with the money for the poor; then this one, after so many things, was driven to madness and, having received Satan into his mind through love of money, became a traitor and worked the chief of evils, selling such blood for thirty pieces of silver and betraying the Master with a deceitful kiss. 14.16 How many do you think were scandalized by this, that the betrayal came from a disciple? And what of the citizen of the desert, the fruit of the barren woman, the son of Zacharias, who was counted worthy to baptize that holy and awesome head and to become the forerunner of his own Master, when he was in prison, when he was beheaded and his slaughter became the wages for a harlot's dance, how many do you think were scandalized then? 14.17 And why do I say then? How many now, after so much time, are scandalized hearing these things? And why do I speak of John and the prison and that slaughter, and turn to the servants, when I should again take refuge in the Master?

15.t Ch. 15. That the foolish were scandalized even by the chief of good things, the cross I mean, by which the world was saved

15.1 For the cross of Christ, which set the world aright, which destroyed error,

which made the earth heaven, which cut the sinews of death, which rendered hades useless, which destroyed the devil's citadel, which silenced the demons, which made men angels, which destroyed altars and overthrew temples, which planted this new and strange philosophy in the earth, which worked countless good things, these awesome and great and lofty things, has it not become a scandal to many? 15.2 Does not Paul cry out every day, saying, and is not ashamed? "But we preach Christ crucified, a scandal to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles?" What then, tell me? Ought the cross not to have happened, nor that awesome sacrifice to have been offered, nor so many righteous deeds to have been accomplished, because the matter became a scandal to those who are perishing, both then and after this and for all time? 15.3 And who is so mad, who so beside himself as to say this? Just as, therefore, in this case we must not consider those who are scandalized, although they are so many, but those who are saved, those who have achieved righteousness, those who have enjoyed such great wisdom; and one must not say, "What about those who were scandalized?" for they might rightly consider this for themselves; so it is not so now either. 15.4 For the scandal came not from the nature of the cross, but from the foolishness of those who were scandalized; wherefore Paul adds: "but to those who are called,

28

σταυρὸν αὐτὸν ἀναβιβάσαντες. 14.13 Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἀγνώμονες καὶ ἠμελημένοι, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ὠφελούντων κερδαίνουσιν· οἱ δὲ εὐγνώμονες καὶ νήφοντες ἀφ' ὧν ἕτεροι σκανδαλίζονται, ἀπὸ τούτων τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελοῦνται; Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰούδας οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ τὴν οἰκουμένην διορθώσαντος ἐσώθη· ὁ δὲ Ἰὼβ οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου τοῦ τοσούτους ἀπολέσαντος ἐβλάβη. 14.14 Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν μυρία πάσχων κακὰ ἐστεφανοῦτο· ἐκεῖνος δὲ, ὁ σημεῖα θεασάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς ποιήσας, ὁ νεκροὺς ἐγείρας καὶ δαίμονας ἐλάσας-καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ταύτην εἴληφε τὴν ἐξουσίαν, -ὁ μυρία περὶ βασιλείας καὶ γεέννης ἀκούσας, ὁ τραπέζης κοινωνήσας μυστικῆς, ὁ δείπνου μετασχὼν φρικωδεστάτου καὶ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσας εὐνοίας καὶ προνοίας, ὅσης Πέτρος καὶ Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονος· 14.15 μετὰ γὰρ τῆς ἄλλης ἐπιμελείας καὶ τῆς συγκαταβάσεως, ἧς μετέσχε πολλῆς καὶ τὰ χρήματα τῶν πενήτων ἐγχειρισθεὶς ἦν· τότε οὗτος μετὰ τοσαῦτα ἐξεβακχεύθη καὶ τὸν Σατανᾶν ὑποδεξάμενος διὰ τῆς φιλαργυρίας, εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διάνοιαν ἐγένετο προδότης καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον εἰργάσατο τῶν κακῶν, αἷμα τοιοῦτον πωλήσας τριάκοντα ἀργυρίων καὶ φιλήματι δολίῳ προδοὺς τὸν ∆εσπότην. 14.16 Πόσους οἴει καὶ ἐν τούτῳ σκανδαλισθῆναι, τῷ παρὰ τοῦ μαθητοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν προδοσίαν; Τί δαὶ ὁ τῆς ἐρήμου πολίτης, ὁ τῆς στείρας καρπός, ὁ τοῦ Ζαχαρίου παῖς, ὁ τὴν ἁγίαν ἐκείνην καὶ φρικώδη καταξιωθεὶς βαπτίσαι κεφαλὴν καὶ γενέσθαι πρόδρομος τοῦ οἰκείου ∆εσπότου, ὅτε δεσμωτήριον ᾤκει, ὅτε ἀπετέμνετο καὶ πορνικῆς ὀρχήσεως σφαγὴ μισθὸς ἐγίνετο, πόσους οἴει σκανδαλίζεσθαι τότε; 14.17 Καὶ τί λέγω τότε; Πόσοι νῦν μετὰ χρόνον τοσοῦτον ταῦτα ἀκούοντες σκανδαλίζονται; Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον καὶ τὴν σφαγὴν ἐκείνην καὶ περὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας ἀναστρέφομαι, δέον πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην καταφυγεῖν;

15.t Κεφ. ιεʹ. Ὅτι οἱ ἀνόητοι καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ κεφαλαίου τῶν ἀγαθῶν τοῦ σταυροῦ λέγω δι' οὗ ἡ οἰκουμένη ἐσώθη ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν

15.1 Ὁ γὰρ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ τὴν οἰκουμένην ὀρθώσας, ὁ τὴν πλάνην

λύσας, ὁ τὴν γῆν ποιήσας οὐρανόν, ὁ τοῦ θανάτου τὰ νεῦρα ἐκκόψας, ὁ τὸν ᾅδην ἄχρηστον ἐργασάμενος, ὁ τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν ἀκρόπολιν καταλύσας, ὁ τοὺς δαίμονας ἐπιστομίσας, ὁ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀγγέλους ποιήσας, ὁ βωμοὺς καταλύσας καὶ ναοὺς ἀνατρέψας, ὁ τὴν καινὴν ταύτην καὶ ξένην φιλοσοφίαν εἰς τὴν γῆν καταφυτεύσας, ὁ μυρία ἐργασάμενος ἀγαθά, τὰ φρικώδη ταῦτα καὶ μεγάλα καὶ ὑψηλά, οὐχὶ σκάνδαλον πολλοῖς γέγονεν; 15.2 Οὐχὶ Παῦλος βοᾷ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν λέγων, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται; «Ἡμεῖς δὲ κηρύσσομεν Χριστὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον, ἔθνεσι δὲ μωρίαν;» Τί οὖν, εἰπέ μοι; οὐκ ἐχρῆν γενέσθαι τὸν σταυρόν, οὐδὲ τὴν φρικώδη ἐκείνην ἀνενεχθῆναι θυσίαν, οὐδὲ τοσαῦτα τελεσθῆναι κατορθώματα, ἐπειδὴ σκάνδαλον ἐγένετο τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ τότε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὸν χρόνον; 15.3 Καὶ τίς οὕτω μαινόμενος, τίς οὕτως ἐξεστηκὼς ὡς τοῦτο εἰπεῖν; Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐνταῦθα οὐ τοὺς σκανδαλιζομένους δεῖ λογίζεσθαι, καίτοι τοσούτους ὄντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς σωθέντας, τοὺς κατορθώσαντας, τοὺς ἀπολαύσαντας τῆς τοσαύτης σοφίας· καὶ οὐ χρὴ λέγειν «Τί δὲ πρὸς τοὺς σκανδαλισθέντας;» ἑαυτοῖς γὰρ ἂν εἶεν ἐκεῖνοι δίκαιοι λογίζεσθαι· οὕτω δὴ οὐδὲ νῦν. 15.4 Τὸ γὰρ σκάνδαλον οὐ παρὰ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ σταυροῦ γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἄνοιαν τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων· διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει ὁ Παῦλος· «Αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς κλητοῖς,