by the Savior after the execution of John; for they would not have said this, if they had heard the miracles performed by the Savior before the execution of John. It was therefore not surprising, if Herod also after the execution of John hears the works of the disciples of Jesus, the things done in the name of Jesus; for then Herod heard the name of Jesus, when Jesus sent out his disciples into the villages and cities to preach repentance and to heal diseases, as Mark the evangelist says. For even John himself before the raising of the widow's son had not heard all that Jesus did in Galilee and in Jerusalem, although many miracles had already been performed by the Savior, both before John was thrown into prison and after he was thrown into prison; for then John sent his disciples to Jesus to learn if he was the one expected to come. Mark the evangelist says this, but Matthew the evangelist says that. Question 88. If, as the divine Scripture teaches and we have believed, Christ having been born did not commit sin, how then is the Scripture true which cries out with an oath that "No one has been born who has not sinned, nor is there anyone by nature who has not committed iniquity"? And how could an infant, which received its end at the time of its birth or had but a brief portion of life, have been able to commit sin and iniquity or their opposites? Response. The "No one has been born who has not sinned, nor is there anyone by nature who has not committed iniquity," does not show what is said about Christ, "He committed no sin," to be false. For this saying has been spoken concerning the one born of a man and a woman. But Christ was born of the Holy Spirit and the holy virgin. But the saying is understood thus: No one constituted by nature to sin or commit iniquity has not sinned or committed iniquity; but he is constituted by nature to sin who by his own free choice leads himself to do what he wishes, whether good or evil. But the infant, not yet being of such a capacity, it is clear that it is not constituted by nature to sin. And the "For who shall be pure from stain? No one, even if his life is but one day on the earth," -in no way fits the infant; for Scripture said "life" instead of "conduct"; but just as an infant does not have conduct, so it does not have life. Question 89. If the vessel, which Peter saw in the vision, contained all the clean and unclean things, as Scripture relates to us; for the word "all" is comprehensive of both the aforementioned as it stands; then the same apostle, being commanded without distinction to kill and eat of the things shown, refused, saying, "By no means, Lord, for never

ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος μετὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ Ἰωάννου· οὐκ ἂν γὰρ ἔλεγον τοῦτο, εἰ ἦσαν ἀκούσαντες τὰ πρὸ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως Ἰω άννου γεγονότα θαύματα ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος. Oὐδὲν οὖν ἦν θαυμαστόν, εἰ καὶ ὁ Ἡρώδης μετὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἀκούει τὰ ἔργα τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τὰ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ γεγονότα· τότε γὰρ ἤκουσεν ὁ Ἡρώδης τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰη σοῦ, ὅτε ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὑτοῦ εἰς τὰς κώμας καὶ πόλεις κηρύττειν τὴν μετάνοιαν καὶ θεραπεύειν τὰς νόσους, καθά φησι Μάρκος ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰωάννης πρὸ τῆς ἐγέρσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς χήρας οὐκ ἦν ἀκού σας πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ τε καὶ τῇ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καίτοι πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος θαυμάτων, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ βληθῆναι τὸν Ἰωάννην εἰς φυλακὴν καὶ μετὰ τὸ βληθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰς φυλακήν· τότε γὰρ ἀπέστειλε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὑτοῦ ὁ Ἰωάννης πρὸς τὸν Ἰη σοῦν μαθεῖν, εἰ αὐτὸς εἶ ὁ προσδοκώμενος ἐλθεῖν. Καθά φησι Μάρκος μὲν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς τοῦτο, Ματθαῖος δὲ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐκεῖνο. Ἐρώτησις πη. Eἰ, καθὼς ἡ θεία διδάσκει γραφὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκα μεν, ἁμαρτίαν γεννηθεὶς ὁ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐποίησε, πῶς πάλιν ἀληθεύει ἡ γραφὴ μεθ' ὅρκου βοῶσα ὅτι Oὐδεὶς γεννηθεὶς ὃς οὐχ ἥμαρτεν, οὐδὲ πεφυκὼς ὃς οὐκ ἠνόμησε; Πῶς δὲ καὶ βρέφος, τὸ σύγχρονον τῷ τόκῳ τέλος δεξάμενον ἢ βραχὺ μέρος ζωῆς κομισάμενον, ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ἀνομίαν ἢ τὰ τούτων ἐναντία ποιῆσαι ἠδύνατο; Ἀπόκρισις. Τὸ Oὐδεὶς γεννηθεὶς ὃς οὐχ ἥμαρτεν, οὐδὲ πεφυκὼς ὃς οὐκ ἠνόμησεν, οὐ δείκνυσι ψευδὲς τὸ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρη μένον, τὸ Ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησε. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἐξ ἀνδρὸς καὶ γυναικὸς γεννηθέντος εἴρηται ὁ λόγος οὗτος. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ τῆς ἁγίας ἐγεννήθη παρθένου. Νοεῖ ται δὲ ὁ λόγος οὕτως· Oὐδεὶς πεφυκὼς ἁμαρτάνειν ἢ ἀνομεῖν, ὃς οὐχ ἥμαρτεν ἢ οὐκ ἠνόμησε· πέφυκε δὲ ἁμαρτάνειν ὁ κατὰ τὴν αὐθαίρετον προαίρεσιν ἄγων ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸ πράττειν ἃ βού λεται, εἴτε ἀγαθὰ εἴτε φαῦλα. Τὸ δὲ βρέφος, ἅτε οὔπω ὂν τῆς τοιαύτης δυνάμεως, δῆλον ὅτι οὐδὲ πέφυκεν ἁμαρτάνειν. Καὶ τὸ Τίς γὰρ καθαρὸς ἔσται ἀπὸ ·ύπου; Ἀλλ' οὐδείς, ἐὰν καὶ μία ἡμέρα ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, -οὐδενὶ τρόπῳ ἁρμόζει τῷ βρέφει· τὸ γὰρ βίος ἀντὶ τῆς πολιτείας ἔλεξε ἡ γραφή· τῷ δὲ βρέφει ὥσπερ οὐκ ἔστι πολιτεία οὕτως οὐδὲ βίος. Ἐρώτησις πθ. Eἰ τὸ σκεῦος, ὅπερ ὁ Πέτρος ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ τεθέαται, εἶχε τὰ καθαρά τε καὶ ἀκάθαρτα πάντα, καθὼς ἡμῖν ἡ γραφὴ παραδίδωσι· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ πάντα φωνὴ περιληπτικὴ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν προλεχθέντων καθὼς ἕστηκεν· εἶτα θῦσαι καὶ φαγεῖν ἐκ τῶν δειχθέντων ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος ἀπροσδιορίστως κελευό μενος παρῃτήσατο, Μηδαμῶς, κύριε, λέγων, ὅτι οὐδέποτε