33

he sees them set forth out of zeal for that one. But behold, this which happens in no one's case, happened in the case of Christ and the apostles, and those who had denied and abandoned him when he was alive, and who left him and fled away when he was arrested, after those countless reproaches and the cross, held him in such high esteem, as even to give their own souls for the confession of and faith in him. And yet, if Christ had died and not risen, how would it make sense for those who fled when he was alive because of the impending danger, to surround themselves with countless dangers for his sake when he was dead? All the others, then, fled, but Peter even denied him a third time with an oath; and he who denied him a third time with an oath and feared the insignificant fear of a servant-girl, when he was dead, wishing to persuade us through the deeds themselves that he saw him risen, was so suddenly changed as to laugh at an entire populace, and to leap into the midst of the theater of the Jews and say that he who was crucified and buried rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven, and to fear no terrible thing himself. From where, then, did his courage come? From where else but from the full assurance concerning the resurrection? For since he saw him, and conversed with him, and heard about the things to come, for this reason, now risking danger as for a living person, he thus dared all terrible things, having received more power and greater courage so as to die for him, and to be crucified head downwards. Therefore, when you see even greater signs happening, and the disciples who formerly abandoned him possessing greater good will toward him, and showing greater boldness, and from every side the change of affairs becoming more glorious, and all things advancing to a state of boldness and cheerfulness, learn from the experience of the events themselves that the things concerning Christ did not remain at death, but a resurrection followed him, and the crucified God lives and abides forever, unchangeable. For if he had not risen and lived, the disciples would not have worked greater signs after these things than those that happened before the cross. For then even the disciples abandoned him; but now the whole inhabited world runs to him, and not only Peter, but countless others, and many more after Peter who had not seen him gave their own souls for his sake, and were beheaded, and suffered countless terrible things, so that they departed having their confession in him sound and intact. How then did the dead man who remains in the tomb, as you say, O Jew, show such strength and power in all those after him, persuading them to worship him alone, and to choose to endure and suffer all things for the sake of not losing their faith in him? Do you see through all these things the clear demonstration of the resurrection, through the signs of that time and of now, through the good will of the disciples of that time and of now, through the dangers in which the believers have continued? Do you want to see his enemies too, fearing his strength and power, and being in much greater agony after the cross? Listen wisely concerning these things too. For, it says, when the Jews saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and common men, they were astonished, and were in agony, not because they were uneducated, but because being uneducated they overcame all the wise, and seeing the man who had been healed with them, they had nothing to say in reply; and yet before this they had contradicted when they saw signs being performed. How then did they not contradict at that time? The invisible power of the crucified one silenced their tongues; he stopped their mouths; he restrained their boldness; for this reason they stood having nothing to say in reply. But when they did speak, see how they confess their own cowardice. Do you wish, it says, to bring this man's blood upon us? And

33

προκειμένους ἀπὸ τῆς περὶ ἐκεῖνον σπουδῆς βλέπῃ. Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ τοῦτο τὸ ἐπὶ μηδενὸς συμβαῖνον, ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγένετο, καὶ οἱ ζῶντα αὐτὸν ἀρνησάμενοι καὶ ἐγκαταλιπόντες, καὶ συλληφθέντα ἀφέντες, καὶ ἀποπηδήσαντες, μετὰ μυρία ἐκεῖνα ὀνείδη καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν, οὕτω περὶ πολλοῦ πεποίηνται, ὡς καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἐπιδοῦναι τὰς ἑαυτῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ὁμολογίας καὶ πίστεως. Καίτοι γε εἰ καὶ τετελευτήκει Χριστὸς καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστη, πῶς εἶχε λόγον τοὺς ἡνίκα ἔζη φυγόντας διὰ τὸν ἐπικείμενον κίνδυνον, ἡνίκα ἐτελεύτησε μυρίοις ἑαυτοὺς δι' ἐκεῖνον περιβάλλειν κινδύνοις; Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες ἔφυγον, Πέτρος δὲ καὶ ἠρνήσατο μεθ' ὅρκου τρίτον, καὶ ὁ μεθ' ὅρκου τρίτον αὐτὸν ἀρνησάμενος καὶ θεραπαινιδίου φόβον εὐτελοῦς δείσας, ἐπειδὴ ἐτελεύτησε, βουλόμενος ἡμᾶς πεῖσαι διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν, ὅτι εἶδεν αὐτὸν ἀναστάντα, οὕτως ἀθρόον μετεβάλλετο ὡς ὁλοκλήρου καταγελάσαι δήμου, καὶ εἰς μέσον τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ θέατρον εἰσπηδῆσαι καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ὁ σταυρωθεὶς καὶ ταφεὶς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνέβη, καὶ μηδὲν αὐτὸν ὑποδεῖσθαι δεινόν. Πόθεν οὖν τὸ θαῤῥεῖν αὐτῷ ἐγένετο; Πόθεν ἄλλοθεν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς πληροφορίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδεν αὐτὸν, καὶ διελέχθη, καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἤκουσε, διὰ τοῦτο ὡς ὑπὲρ ζῶντος κινδυνεύων λοιπὸν, οὕτως ἁπάντων κατετόλμησε τῶν δεινῶν, ἅτε δὴ καὶ πλείονα λαβὼν δύναμιν καὶ μεῖζον τὸ θάρσος ὡς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ τῷ σταυρῷ κατὰ κεφαλῆς προσομιλῆσαι. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἴδῃς καὶ σημεῖα μείζονα γινόμενα, καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς πλείονα κεκτημένους εὔνοιαν περὶ αὐτὸν τοὺς πρότερον ἐγκαταλιπόντας αὐτὸν, καὶ παῤῥησίαν μείζονα ἐπιδεικνυμένους, καὶ πανταχόθεν λαμπροτέραν γινομένην τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν μεταβολὴν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ πεπαῤῥησιασμένον καὶ φαιδρὸν προελθόντα ἅπαντα, μάνθανε δι' αὐτῆς τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς πείρας, ὅτι οὐ μέχρι θανάτου τὰ κατὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔμεινεν, ἀλλὰ ἀνάστασις αὐτὸν διεδέξατο, καὶ ζῇ καὶ μένει διηνεκῶς ὁ σταυρωθεὶς Θεὸς ἀναλλοίωτος. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἰ μὴ ἀνέστη καὶ ἔζη, μείζονα μετὰ ταῦτα σημεῖα εἰργάσαντο οἱ μαθηταὶ τῶν πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ γινομένων. Τότε μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐγκατέλιπον· νυνὶ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη προστρέχει ἅπασα, καὶ οὐχὶ Πέτρος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτεροι μυρίοι, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον μετὰ Πέτρον τῶν οὐχ ἑωρακότων αὐτὸν τὰς ψυχὰς ἐπέδωκαν τὰς ἑαυτῶν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου, καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπετμήθησαν, καὶ μυρία ἔπαθον δεινὰ, ὥστε τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν 51.110 ὁμολογίαν ὑγιῆ καὶ ἀκέραιον ἔχοντας ἀπελθεῖν. Πῶς οὖν ὁ νεκρὸς καὶ ἐν τῷ τάφῳ μένων, ὡς σὺ λέγεις, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, τοσαύτην καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετ' ἐκείνους ἅπασιν ἐπεδείξατο τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, πείθων αὐτοὺς αὐτὸν μόνον προσκυνεῖν, καὶ πάντα αἱρεῖσθαι ὑπομεῖναι καὶ πάσχειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ τὴν πίστιν ἀπολέσαι τὴν εἰς αὐτόν; Ὁρᾷς διὰ πάντων σαφῆ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὴν ὑπόδειξιν, διὰ τῶν σημείων τῶν τότε, τῶν νῦν, διὰ τῆς εὐνοίας τῶν μαθητῶν τῶν τότε, τῶν νῦν, διὰ τῶν κινδύνων ἐν οἷς διετέλεσαν οἱ πιστεύσαντες; Βούλει καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἰδεῖν πεφοβημένους αὐτοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ πολλῷ μᾶλλον μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀγωνιῶντας; Ἄκουε καὶ περὶ τούτων συνετῶς. Θεωροῦντες γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν τοῦ Πέτρου παῤῥησίαν καὶ Ἰωάννου, καὶ καταλαβόμενοι, ὅτι ἄνθρωποι ἀγράμματοί εἰσι καὶ ἰδιῶται, ἐθαύμαζον, καὶ ἠγωνίων, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἀγράμματοι ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀγράμματοι ὄντες πάντων τῶν σοφῶν περιεγένοντο, καὶ Τὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν αὐτοῖς ὁρῶντες τὸν τεθεραπευμένον, οὐδὲν εἶχον ἀντειπεῖν· καίτοι γε πρὸ τούτου ἀντέλεγον σημεῖα ὁρῶντες γινόμενα. Πῶς οὖν τότε οὐκ ἀντεῖπον; Ἀπέστησεν αὐτῶν τὴν γλῶτταν ἡ ἀόρατος τοῦ σταυρωθέντος δύναμις· ἐκεῖνος τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ἐνέφραξεν· ἐκεῖνος τὴν παῤῥησίαν κατέστειλε· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἱστήκεισαν μηδὲν ἔχοντες ἀντειπεῖν. Ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἐφθέγξαντο, ὅρα πῶς τὴν δειλίαν ὁμολογοῦσι τὴν ἑαυτῶν. Βούλεσθε, φησὶν, ἐπαγαγεῖν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου; Καὶ