blind in soul and not seeing "the true light," and others lame and not able to walk according to reason, and others maimed and not able to work according to reason. These then who have suffered these things in their soul, who went up to the mountain with the crowds, where Jesus was, as long as they are away from the feet of Jesus, are not healed by him; but when, having suffered such things, they are cast by the crowds at his feet and at the extremities of the body of Christ, not even being worthy of these things in themselves, then they are healed by him. And when you see in the gathering of what is more commonly called the church those cast down after the last of its members, as if even at the feet of the body of Jesus, the church, the catechumens who have approached with their own deafness and blindness and lameness and maimedness, and in time being healed according to the word, you would not be mistaken in saying that such persons, having gone up with the crowds of the church to the mountain, where Jesus was, were cast at his feet and were healed by him, so that the crowd of the church marvels, seeing changes from such great evils to the better having taken place, so that one might say: those formerly mute later speak the word of God and the "lame walk," the prophecy of Isaiah also being fulfilled not only in bodily things but also in spiritual things, which says: "Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be clear." And there, unless the phrase "the lame shall leap like a deer" is said in a restrictive sense, we will say that it is not in vain that those who were formerly lame and because of Jesus leap like a deer are compared to a deer, a clean animal and an enemy of serpents and able to be in no way harmed by their venom. And the prophecy is also fulfilled in seeing the mute speak, which says: "and the tongue of the stammerers shall be clear," or rather the one that states: "you deaf, hear." And the blind see according to the prophecy that says after "you deaf, hear," also "you blind, look up to see." The blind see, when seeing the world "from the greatness of the beauty of the creatures in proportion" they contemplate their creator, and when they perceive "his (God's) invisible attributes from the creation of the world, understood through what has been made," that is, they diligently and clearly see and understand. And seeing these things the crowds glorified the God of Israel, and they glorify him, being persuaded that the same God is the father of the one who healed the aforementioned and the God of Israel; for he is not "the God of the Jews only," but "of the Gentiles also." Let us therefore bring up with ourselves to the mountain where Jesus is seated, his church, those wishing to go up to it with us who are mute, blind, lame, maimed, and many others, and let us cast them at the feet of Jesus, so that he may heal them, so that the crowds may marvel at their healing. For the disciples are not recorded as marveling at such things, although they were present with Jesus then, as is clear from "And Jesus, calling his disciples to him, said: I have compassion on the crowd" and what follows. But perhaps if you were to pay close attention to "many crowds came to him," you would find that the disciples did not come to him then, but having long since begun to follow, they also followed him to the mountain. But those who were lesser than the disciples came to him, approaching him then for the first time, who have not suffered the same things as those who went up with them. But observe in the gospel who are recorded as having followed Jesus, who as having come to him, who as having been brought, and who as having been divided into those going before and those following, and of those who had come to him, who came to him in the house and who when he was elsewhere. For you would find many things from observation, comparing "spiritual things with spiritual things," worthy of the precise wisdom in the gospels. 11.19 And Jesus, calling his disciples to him, said (15, 32[-39]). Above indeed in the story about the loaves similar to this one, before the
τυφλοὺς τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ μὴ βλέποντας «τὸ ἀληθινὸν φῶς», καὶ ἄλλους χωλοὺς καὶ μὴ δυναμένους κατὰ λόγον πορεύεσθαι, καὶ ἄλλους κυλλοὺς καὶ μὴ δυναμένους κατὰ λόγον ἐργάζεσθαι. Οὗτοι τοίνυν οἱ ταῦτα κατὰ ψυχὴν πεπονθότες, οἱ μετὰ τῶν ὄχλων εἰς τὸ ὄρος ἀναβάντες, ἔνθα ἦν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅσον μὲν ἔξω τῶν ποδῶν εἰσι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, οὐ θεραπεύονται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· ἐπὰν δέ, ὡς τοιαῦτα πεπονθότες, ῥιφῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ὄχλων παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐδὲ τούτων ἄξιοι τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς τυγχάνοντες, τότε ὑπ' αὐτοῦ θεραπεύονται. Καὶ ἐπὰν ἴδῃς ἐν τῷ τῆς κοινότερον ἐκκλησίας λεγομένης ἀθροίσματι ἐρριμμένους μετὰ τοὺς τελευταίους αὐτῆς, οἱονεὶ καὶ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Ἰησοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τοὺς κατηχουμένους προσελθόντας μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας κωφότητος καὶ τυφλότητος χωλότητός τε καὶ κυλλό τητος, καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ θεραπευομένους κατὰ τὸν λόγον, οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις τοὺς τοιούτους λέγων ἀναβάντας μετὰ τῶν ὄχλων τῆς ἐκκλησίας εἰς τὸ ὄρος, ὅπου ἦν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἐρρίφθαι παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ τεθεραπεῦ<σ>θαι αὐτούς, ὥστε τὸν ὄχλον τῆς ἐκκλησίας θαυμάζειν βλέποντας ἀπὸ τηλικούτων κακῶν μεταβολὰς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον γενομένας, ὥστ' ἂν εἰπεῖν· οἱ πρότερον κωφοὶ ὕστερον λαλοῦσι τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ οἱ «χωλοὶ περιπατοῦσι», πληρουμένης καὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἡσαΐου οὐ μόνον ἐν σωματικοῖς ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πνευματικοῖς προφητείας, λέγοντος· «Τότε ἁλεῖται ὡς ἔλαφος ὁ χωλός, καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογγιλάλων.» Κἀκεῖ δέ, εἰ μὴ ἀποκληρωτικῶς εἴρηται τὸ «ὡς ἔλαφος ἁλεῖται ὁ χωλός», φήσομεν μὴ μάτην ἐλάφῳ καθαρῷ ζώῳ καὶ πολεμίῳ τῶν ὄφεων καὶ μηδὲν βλάπτεσθαι ὑπὸ ἰοῦ αὐτῶν δυναμένῳ παραβεβλῆσθαι τοὺς πρότερον χωλοὺς καὶ διὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἁλλομένους ὡς ἔλαφον. Πληροῦται δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸ βλέπεσθαι κωφοὺς λαλοῦντας ἡ λέγουσα προφητεία· «καὶ τρανὴ ἔσται γλῶσσα μογγιλάλων» ἢ μᾶλλον ἡ φάσκουσα· «οἱ κωφοὶ ἀκούσατε.» Καὶ οἱ τυφλοὶ δὲ βλέπουσι κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν προφητείαν ἑξῆς τῷ «οἱ κωφοὶ ἀκούσατε» καὶ «οἱ τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέψατε ἰδεῖν». Οἱ τυφλοὶ δὲ βλέπουσιν, ὅτε βλέποντες τὸν κόσμον «ἐκ μεγέθους τοῦ κάλλους τῶν κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως» αὐτοῖς τὸν γενεσιουργὸν θεωροῦσι, καὶ ὅτε «τὰ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ (τοῦ θεοῦ) ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα» καθορῶσι, τουτέστιν ἐπιμελῶς καὶ σαφῶς ὁρῶσι καὶ νοοῦσι. Ταῦτα δὲ βλέποντες οἱ ὄχλοι ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεὸν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ δοξάζουσι πειθόμενοι ὅτι ὁ αὐτὸς θεὸς πατήρ ἐστι τοῦ θεραπεύσαντος τοὺς προειρημένους καὶ θεὸς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· οὐ γὰρ «Ἰουδαίων μόνον ὁ θεός» ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ «καὶ ἐθνῶν». Ἀναβιβάζωμεν οὖν μεθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος ἔνθα καθέζεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς, τὴν ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ, τοὺς βουλομένους ἀναβαίνειν ἐπ' αὐτὸ μεθ' ἡμῶν κωφούς, τυφλούς, χωλούς, κυλλούς, καὶ ἑτέρους πολλούς, καὶ ῥίπτωμεν αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἵνα θεραπεύσῃ αὐτούς, ὥστε θαυμάσαι ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων θεραπείᾳ τοὺς ὄχλους. Οἱ γὰρ μαθηταὶ οὐκ ἀναγε γραμμένοι εἰσὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα θαυμάζειν, καίτοιγε παρόντες τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τότε, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ «ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ εἶπε· σπλαγχνίζομαι ἐπὶ τὸν ὄχλον» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Τάχα δὲ εἰ ἐπιμελῶς προσέχοις τῷ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοί, εὕροις ἂν ὅτι οἱ μαθηταὶ τότε οὐ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ πάλαι ἀρξάμενοι ἀκολουθεῖν καὶ εἰς τὸ ὄρος ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ. Προσῆλθον δὲ αὐτῷ οἱ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐλάττους καὶ τότε πρῶτον αὐτῷ προσιόντες, <οἵτινες> οὐ τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς μετ' αὐτῶν ἀναβεβηκόσι πεπόνθασι. Παρατήρει δὲ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τίνες μὲν ἀναγεγραμμένοι εἰσὶν ἠκολου θηκέναι τῷ Ἰησοῦ, τίνες δὲ προσεληλυθέναι, τίνες δὲ προσῆχθαι, καὶ τίνες διῃρῆσθαι εἰς προάγοντας καὶ εἰς ἀκολουθοῦντας, καὶ τῶν προσεληλυθότων τίνες αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ προσῆλθον καὶ τίνες ἀλλαχοῦ τυγχάνοντι. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἂν εὕροις ἐκ τῆς παρατηρήσεως «πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ» συγκρίνων ἄξια τῆς ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἀκριβοῦς σοφίας. 11.19 Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν (15, 32[-39]). Ἀνωτέρω μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς ὁμοίας ταύτῃ περὶ τῶν ἄρτων ἱστορίας πρὸ τῶν