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corruptive of the body, but not those that come upon us through a destitution of useful thoughts; but concerning the soul, cares for the passions are seized upon. Wherefore also those outside instruct concerning frantic folly: Flee quickly from earthly passions, flee far away, Having the best eye of the soul, and unwavering beams. As it would endure the body's greatly weighing reins, From a pure soul and the splendor of the ethereal father. Therefore, examining not least also the other scriptures, which are far removed from the malevolence of the heretics, as I have already said, we shall learn, that God, who is without share of turning and of all passion, did not fear, He who willingly, according to the Apostle writing to the Galatians, “having put off from himself the principalities and the powers, and gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from the present evil age;” He who rebuked Peter when he was displeased, when He foretold that it was necessary for him to be crucified, and to die, and on the third day to rise again; He who voluntarily ascended the cross, and rejoiced as a giant to run his course; He who by His life-giving death put death to death and redeemed all from death; whose sovereign power also raised up with Himself another multitude long dead, and bestowed upon the whole human nature the hope of resurrection; He who made death for His sake fearless for all, and showed the 39.905 passion to be an object of desire, and caused us not to flee a noble death out of fear, but to submit to the will of God, so that those who faithfully hold to Him receive sufferings and death for His sake without grief and without disturbance, crying out with Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” For it is likely indeed for a mortal to fear death, even if he is confident in the virtue of his life; but for the immortal God to put off immortality and take on cowardice is impossible. But He even tasted death, as He knew and willed, in the flesh, and remained immortal, even then supplying lives to all. For otherwise weakness is also in part attached to the Father because of the “If it is possible;” and a non-existent cowardice is accused of the Son because of the “let it pass;” and the philanthropic and voluntary ascent to the cross appears involuntary, and His mighty and profound descent into Hades without impulse, and both John is found false in saying: “He is Life;” and, “He gives life to whom He will;” and Paul preaching: “He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant;” and, “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross;” that is, enduring even to the cross; for he did not simply say, unto death; and the Lord saying: “I am the light, I am the life and the resurrection;” and, “I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” And for what, then, should we give thanks, as to a guardian who has the first and only authority, to one who suffered for us unwillingly and by some force, as those who are managed by another? or for what reason do we, being fearful, celebrate in faith the thrice-desired and most provident Pascha each year, indeed each day, or rather even each hour, partaking of His body and blood? But they who have been deemed worthy of the highest and everlasting mystery know what I say; for reverence and thanksgiving are owed to one who by his own will and without regret has provided some good of his own. 39.908 Someone might say, that pitying those about whom He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” He also said, “Let this cup pass;” from them, he says, so that they might not commit so great an impiety against themselves toward me. And to understand “Let this cup pass” in this way is not outside of the truth. Since He saw the devil, shuddering indeed and fleeing, whenever the Savior showed Himself to be God through His miracles; but approaching, when He uttered things proper to humanity; “He who catches the wise in their own craftiness,” feigned the present cowardice of death, so that just as

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τοῦ σώματος φθαρτικὰ, οὐ μὴν τὰ λογισμῶν ἐρημίᾳ τῶν χρησίμων ἡμῖν ἐπιγιγνόμενα· περὶ δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν καταλαμβάνονται αἱ ὑπὲρ τῶν παθῶν φροντίδες. ∆ιὸ καὶ οἱ ἔξω παραγγέλλουσι περὶ τῆς ἐμπλήκτου ἀνοίας· Φεῦγε τάχος χθονίων παθέων ἄπο, τηλόσε φεῦγε, Ψυχῆς ὄμμα φέριστον ἔχων, καὶ ἀκλινέας αὐγάς. Σώματος ὡς ἀνέχοιτο μέγα βρίθοντα χαλινὰ, Ἐκ καθαρῆς ψυχῆς τε καὶ αἰθερίης πατρὸς αἴγλης. Ἐπισκοπούμενοι τοίνυν οὐχ ἥκιστα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα γραφικὰ, τὰ μακρὰν ἀπέχοντα τῶν αἱρετικῶν κακονοιῶν, ὡς ἤδη μοι εἴρηται, μαθησόμεθα, ὅτι οὐ δείδιεν ὁ τροπῆς καὶ πάθους παντὸς ἀμέτοχος Θεὸς, ὁ ἑκοντὶ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον Γαλάταις γράφοντα, «Ἀπεκδυσάμενος τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας, καὶ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ·» ὁ ἐπιπλήξας Πέτρῳ δυσχεράναντι, ἡνίκα προέλεγε δεῖν σταυρωθῆναι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστῆναι· ὁ ἐθελοντὴς ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀνελθὼν, καὶ ἠγαλλιωμένος ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδόν· ὁ τῷ ζωοποιῷ αὐτοῦ θανάτῳ τὸν θάνατον θανατώσας καὶ πάντας ἐκ θανάτου λυτρούμενος· οὗ ἡ αὐτεξούσιος ἐνέργεια καὶ ἄλλο πλῆθος θανάτῳ χρόνιον ἅμα αὐτῷ συνανέστησεν, καὶ ὅλῃ τῇ ἀνθρωπείᾳ φύσει ἀναστάσεως ἐλπίδα ἐδωρήσατο· ὁ πᾶσιν ἄφοβον κατασκευάσας τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ θάνατον, καὶ πόθον τὸ 39.905 πάθος ἀναδείξας, καὶ ποιήσας μὴ φεύγειν καλὴν τελευτὴν διὰ τὸν φόβον, ἀλλὰ καταστέλλειν τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ θελήματι, ὡς τοὺς πιστῶς αὐτῷ προσανέχοντας, ἀλύπως καὶ ἀταράχως παθήματα καὶ θάνατον δι' αὐτὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι, σὺν Παύλῳ βοῶντας· «Ἐμοὶ τὸ ζῇν Χριστὸς, καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος.» Θνητὸν μὲν γὰρ δὴ διὰ σὲ θάνατον, κἂν ἀρετῇ βίου πεποιθὼς ᾖ, εἰκός ἐστιν· τὸν δὲ ἀθάνατον Θεὸν ἀθανασίαν ἀποβαλεῖν καὶ δειλίαν ἀναλαβεῖν, ἀδύνατον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ θανάτου, ὡς οἶδεν καὶ ἠθέλησεν, ἐγεύσατο σαρκὶ, καὶ ἀθάνατος διέμεινε, ζωὰς καὶ τότε πᾶσιν χορηγῶν. Ἐπείτοιγε καὶ ἀδυναμία μερικῶς περιάπτεται τῷ Πατρὶ διὰ τὸ, «Εἰ δυνατόν·» καὶ δειλία ἡ οὐκ οὖσα κατηγορεῖται τοῦ Υἱοῦ διὰ τὸ, «παρελθέτω·» καὶ ἀπροαίρετος ἀναφαίνεται ἡ εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν φιλάνθρωπος καὶ αὐτοπροαίρετος ἄνοδος, καὶ ἀνόρμητος αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰς ᾅδου κρατερὰ καὶ ἐμβριθὴς κάθοδος, καὶ ψευδὴς εὑρίσκεται ὅ τε Ἰωάννης λέγων· «Ζωή ἐστιν·» καὶ, «Οὓς θέλει, ζωοποιεῖ·» ὅ τε Παῦλος κηρύττων· «Ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν, μορφὴν δούλου λαβών·» καὶ, «Ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπήκοος γενόμενος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ·» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἀνασχόμενος ἕως σταυροῦ· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἔφη, μέχρι θανάτου· ὅ τε Κύριος εἰπών· «Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς, ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις·» καὶ, «Ἐγὼ τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἵνα πάλιν λάβω αὐτήν. Οὐδεὶς αἴρει αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτήν. Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν.» Καὶ ὑπὲρ τίνος λοιπὸν εὐχαριστῶμεν, ὡς κηδεμόνι καὶ τὸ πρῶτον καὶ μόνον κῦρος ἔχοντι, τῷ ἀπροθύμως καὶ ἔκ τινος βίας, ὡς οἱ ἀπ' ἄλλου διοικούμενοι, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παθόντι; ἢ ἀνθ' ὅτου τὸ τριπόθητον καὶ προμηθέστατον Πάσχα ἑκάστου ἔτους, ἡμέρας μὲν οὖν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὥρας ἑκάστης τῇ πίστει ἐπιτελοῦμεν ἔμφοβοι, μετέχοντες τοῦ σώματος καὶ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ; Ἴσασιν δὲ οἱ τοῦ ἀκροτάτου καὶ διαιωνίου μυστηρίου καταξιωθέντες, ὃ λέγω· τὸ γὰρ σέβας καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία ὀφείλεται τῷ οἰκείᾳ γνώμῃ καὶ ἀμεταμελήτως ἴδιόν τι ἀγαθὸν παρασχομένῳ. 39.908 Εἴποι ἄν τις, ὡς ἐλεῶν ἐκείνους, περὶ ὧν ἔφη, «Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσιν,» εἶπεν καὶ τὸ, «Παρελθέτω τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο·» ἀπ' αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἵνα μὴ τηλικοῦτον καθ' ἑαυτῶν εἰς ἐμὲ δυσσεβήσωσιν. Καὶ οὕτω δὲ νοῆσαι τὸ, «Παρελθέτω τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο,» οὐκ ἔξω ἀληθείας ἐστίν. Ἐπειδὴ ἑώρα τὸν διάβολον, φρίττοντα μὲν καὶ ἀποφεύγοντα, ἡνίκα ἑαυτὸν ὁ Σωτὴρ Θεὸν διὰ τῶν θαυμάτων ἐπεδείκνυεν· προσερχόμενον δὲ, ὅτε ἀνθρωπότητος ἴδια ἐφθέγγετο· τὴν παροῦσαν αὐτῷ δειλίαν θανάτου ὑπέφηνεν «ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν,» ἵνα καθὰ