waits at home to receive him, as one capable of his visit. And she would not have gone out of her own house, unless she had heard her sister saying: “The Teacher is here and is calling you.” And having arisen, she did not simply arise but quickly, and falling at the feet of Jesus, she said what she said, while the other did not fall down. 81 Not ignorant of whether Martha believes what was being said or not, the Savior asks, saying: “Do you believe this?” but so that we, or also those then present, might learn from her answer her own disposition. But someone else will say that he is not even asking, but is making the declaration, “You believe this.” Then Martha, fulfilling the declaration of the Savior, says: “Yes, Lord”; and, as it were, not only do I believe this which you say, but that you are the Christ I not only now believe, but have also believed, and that you are the son of God who is coming into the world, and visiting all those who believe in you. 82 But someone might ask why she says, “If you had been here,” examining the things of the anagogical sense, if there is a place where Jesus is not? just as where there are two or three gathered together in his name, there he is in their midst; and he stands in the midst of others who do not know him; thus he was present to Mary and to Martha. For they had not progressed so as to know him as present. 83 As for “Where have you laid him?” do not be surprised if it is said as if by one who is ignorant. For scripture says that not only the Savior but also the Father is ignorant, according to a certain meaning, according to the verse, “If anyone among “you is spiritual, let him acknowledge what I write to you, that it is of God; “but if anyone is ignorant, he is ignored.” He asks: “Where have you laid him?” just as he commands the disciples to leave the dead. But Jesus weeps, if any of his friends comes to be in a tomb. 84 While he was far from the tomb, he was deeply moved in the spirit. But when he comes near to the dead man, he is no longer deeply moved in the spirit, but contains the deep emotion within himself. Wherefore it is said: “Being deeply moved in “himself, he comes to the tomb.” And again he rebukes the passion, so that we may learn that he became human, unchangeably as we are. “And it was a cave, “and a stone lay upon it.” For he was laid not in some constructed monument but in a hewn one. And perhaps for this reason, woe to those who build sepulchers or monuments. For houses must be built, and a temple, and whatever is useful to the living. Then he says: “ Take away the stone ”; since the cave was a monument, he himself did not touch the stone, but allowed others to take it away who were suited for the work. But as for the stone that lay on the mouth of the well in Genesis and hindered the sheep from drinking, from which were to come the marked ones and the portion of Jacob, Jacob himself had to take hold, and approaching the stone, roll it away. And indeed it was necessary for Jacob himself to approach at the well, but for Jesus to stand outside the cave. 85 Not, if someone prophesies, is he a prophet; but if someone is a prophet, this one prophesies. For Balaam, being a diviner, prophesies. For not, if someone has done something medical, is he then also a physician; or having done something of building, is he then also a builder. And some wish that Caiaphas did not speak from the holy spirit because David, having sinned, says: “And your holy spirit do not take from me,” and that it does not dwell in a body enslaved to sin, but by the working of evil spirits. For they say that the demons are sometimes able to foretell, as in the case of Paul the spirit of the python, and in the case of the savior, “Ha! what have we to do with you, son of God?” But we learn that people do not say all things from themselves, but some things also being worked upon either by some superior power or by an inferior one. However, just as some of the heterodox misinterpret the meaning of scripture, so the Pharisees take what was said by Caiaphas according to their own meaning. 86 And the Word wishing to turn us away from leaping into dangers more irrationally and more fervently, not even if they are for the sake of the truth, but when caught to stand firm, and when about to be, to shrink back, on account of the
ἀναμένει οἴκοι αὐτὸν ὑποδέξασθαι, ὡς χωρητικὴ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπιδημίας. καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐξῆλθε τοῦ ἑαυτῆς οἴκου, εἰ μὴ ἤκουσε τῆς ἀδελφῆς λεγούσης· «Ὁ διδάσκαλος πάρεστι καὶ φωνεῖ σε». καὶ ἐγερθεῖσα οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἠγέρθη ἀλλὰ ταχύ, καὶ πεσοῦσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Ἰησοῦ εἶπεν ἃ εἶπεν, ἐκείνης μὴ προσπεσούσης. 81 Οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ὁ σωτὴρ πότερον πιστεύει ἡ Μάρθα τοῖς λεγομέ νοις ἢ μή, πυνθάνεται λέγων; «Πιστεύεις τοῦτο;» ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἡμᾶς ἢ καὶ τοὺς τότε παρόντας μαθεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως αὐτῆς τὴν αὐτῆς διάθεσιν. ἄλλος δέ τις φήσει ὅτι οὐδὲ πυνθάνεται, ἀλλ' ἀποφαίνεται τὸ «Πιστεύεις τοῦτο;» εἶτα πληροῦσα ἡ Μάρθα τὴν ἀπόφασιν τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγει· «Ναὶ κύριε»· καὶ οἷον οὐ μόνον τοῦτο ὃ σὺ λέγεις πιστεύω, τὸ δὲ σὲ εἶναι τὸν χριστὸν οὐ μόνον ἄρτι πιστεύω, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεπίστευκα, καὶ ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐρχόμενος, καὶ ἐπιδημῶν πᾶσι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς σέ. 82 Ζητήσαι δ' ἄν τις διὰ τί λέγει· «Εἰ ἦς ὧδε» ἐξετάζων τὰ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς, εἰ ἔστιν ὅπου οὔκ ἐστιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς; ὥσπερ ὅπου εἰσὶ δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ ἐστὶν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν· ἄλλων δὲ μέσος ἕστηκεν τῶν μὴ γινωσκόντων αὐτόν· οὕτως παρῆν τῇ Μαρίᾳ καὶ τῇ Μάρθᾳ. οὐχ οὕτω γὰρ προκεκόφεισαν ὡς γινώσκειν αὐτὸν παρόντα. 83 Τὸ δὲ «Ποῦ τεθείκατε αὐτόν;» μὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ ὥσπερ ὑπὸ ἀγνοοῦντος λέγεται. ἀγνοεῖν γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὸν σωτῆρα ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν πατέρα φησὶν ἡ γραφὴ κατὰ σημαινόμενον κατὰ τὸ «Εἴ τις ἐν «ὑμῖν πνευματικὸς ἐπιγινωσκέτω ἃ γράφω ὑμῖν, ὅτι τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστίν· «εἰ δέ τις ἀγνοεῖ ἀγνοεῖται». ἐρωτᾷ· «Ποῦ τεθείκατε αὐτόν;» ὥς γε τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐντέλλεται ἀφιέναι τοὺς νεκρούς. δακρύει δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἐάν τις αὐτοῦ τῶν φίλων ἐν μνημείῳ γένηται. 84 Μακρὰν μὲν τυγχάνων τοῦ μνημείου ἐνεβριμήσατο τῷ πνεύματι. ὅτε δὲ ἐγγὺς γίνεται τῷ νεκρῷ, οὐκέτι ἐμβριμᾶται τῷ πνεύματι, ἀλλὰ συνέχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἐμβρίμησιν. διὸ λέγεται· «Ἐμβριμώμενος ἐν «ἑαυτῷ ἔρχεται εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον». πάλιν δὲ ἐπιτιμᾷ τῷ πάθει, ἵνα μάθωμεν ὅτι ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν ἀτρέπτως ὡς ἡμεῖς. «Ἦν δὲ σπή «λαιον καὶ λίθος ἐπέκειτο ἐπ' αὐτοῦ». ἐτέθη γὰρ οὐκ ἐν οἰκοδο μητῷ τινι μνημείῳ ἀλλ' ἐν λαξευτῷ. καὶ τάχα διὰ τοῦτο οὐαὶ τοῖς οἰκοδομοῦσι τάφους ἢ μνημεῖα. οἰκοδομεῖσθαι γὰρ δεῖ οἰκίας, καὶ ναόν, καὶ εἴ τι τοῖς ζῶσίν ἐστι χρήσιμον. εἶτά φησιν· « Ἄρατε τὸν λίθον »· ἐπεὶ τὸ σπήλαιον μνημεῖον ἦν, οὐχ ἥψατο αὐτὸς τοῦ λίθου, ἀλλ' ἑτέροις ἐπέτρεψεν ἆραι τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις πρὸς τὸ ἔργον. τοῦ δὲ ἐπικειμένου τῷ στόματι τοῦ φρέατος ἐν τῇ Γενέσει καὶ ἐμ ποδίζοντος τὰ πρόβατα τοῦ πίνειν, ἀφ' ὧν ἔμελλε γενέσθαι τὰ ἐπί σημα καὶ ἡ μερὶς τοῦ Ἰακώβ, αὐτὸν ἔδει ἐπιλαβέσθαι τὸν Ἰακώβ, καὶ προσελθόντα τῷ λίθῳ ἀποκυλίσαι αὐτόν. καὶ ἔδει γε ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ φρέατος αὐτὸν προσελθεῖν τὸν Ἰακώβ, ἔξω δὲ τοῦ σπηλαίου στῆναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν. 85 Οὐκ, εἴ τις προφητεύει, προφήτης· ἀλλ' εἴ τις προφήτης, οὗτος προφητεύει. Βαλαὰμ γὰρ μάντις ὢν προφητεύει. οὐ γάρ, εἴ τις ἰατρικόν τι ἐποίησεν, ἤδη καὶ ἰατρός· ἢ καὶ οἰκοδομικόν τι ποιήσας ἤδη καὶ οἰκοδόμος. καί τινες μὲν βούλονται μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύ ματος τὸν Καιάφαν εἰρηκέναι διὰ τὸ λέγειν τὸν ∆αυεὶδ ἁμαρτήσαντα· «Καὶ τὸ πνεῦμά σου τὸ ἅγιον μὴ ἀντανέλῃς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ», καὶ μὴ κατ οικεῖν αὐτὸ ἐν σώματι κατάχρεῳ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ ἐνεργείας πονη ρῶν πνευμάτων. δύνασθαι γάρ φασιν ἔστιν ὅτε προλέγειν τοὺς δαί μονας ὡς ἐπὶ Παύλου τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πύθωνος, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ «Ἔα, τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ;» μανθάνομεν δὲ ὅτι οὐ πάντα λέγουσιν ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλά τινα καὶ ἐνεργούμενοι ἢ ὑπὸ κρείττονός τινος δυνάμεως ἢ ὑπὸ χείρονος. πλὴν ὥσπερ τινὲς τῶν ἑτεροδόξων τὸν νοῦν τῆς γραφῆς παρεκδέχονται, οὕτως οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὸ ὑπὸ Καιάφα ῥηθὲν πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἐκλαμβάνουσι νοῦν. 86 Καὶ βουλομένου τοῦ λόγου ἐπιστρέφειν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀλο γώτερον καὶ θερμότερον ἐπιπηδᾶν τοῖς κινδύνοις, μηδ' ἂν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ὦσιν, ἀλλὰ καταλαμβανομένους μὲν ἵστασθαι, μέλλοντας δὲ ἀναδύεσθαι, διὰ τὸ τῆς