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this cup? But nowhere did He ask the Father concerning the resurrection, but on the contrary He himself declares, saying: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up; and, I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again; no one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. What then is it? and for what reason did He pray? And again He says: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and they will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and the third day He will rise again. And He did not say that the Father will raise me. How then did He pray about this? But for whom did He pray? concerning those who believed in Him. And what He says is this: He is heard easily. For since they did not yet have the proper opinion concerning Him, He said that He was heard; just as He Himself, comforting the disciples, said: If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to my Father, because my 63.70 Father is greater than I. But how did He who emptied Himself, who gave Himself over, not glorify Himself? For He gave Himself, it says, for our sins; and again, Giving Himself a ransom for us all. What then is it? Do you see that because of the flesh He utters humble things concerning Himself? So also here, although being the Son, He was heard for His reverence, it says. For it wishes to show His achievement rather than the grace of God. So great, it says, was His reverence, that on account of this God respected Him. He learned to obey, it says, God; here again it shows how great is the gain of the sufferings. And being made perfect, it says, He became the author of salvation to all who obey Him; and if He, being the Son, gained obedience from the sufferings, much more do we. Do you see how many things He discusses about obedience, so as to persuade them? For they seem to me to be continually rebellious, and not to follow what is said; for He alluded to this by saying: You have become dull of hearing. From what He suffered, it says, He continually learned to obey God. And being made perfect; through sufferings, it says. This then is perfection, and through this one must come to perfection. For not only was He saved Himself, but this also became an abundance of salvation for others. For being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him. Being designated, it says, by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Concerning whom we have much to say, and hard to explain. Being about to bring down his discourse to the difference of the priesthood, he first rebukes them, showing that even so great a condescension was milk, and because they were infants, he dwelt more on the humble discourse according to the flesh, and speaks as about some just man. And see, he neither was entirely silent about the matter, nor did he speak it; for the one he has done, in order to lift up their mind, and to persuade them to be perfect, and not to be deprived of the great doctrines; the other, so as not to overwhelm their mind. Concerning whom we have much to say, he says, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Since they do not listen, for this reason the word is hard to explain. For when one has to deal with people who are not following, nor understanding what is said, he cannot explain it well to them. But perhaps some of you who are standing here are getting dizzy, and think the matter an insult, if because of the Hebrews he himself was hindered from speaking the more perfect word. Indeed then, I think that here too, except for a few, there are many such, so that this is also said about you; but for the sake of the few I will speak. Did he then remain silent, or did he take it up again in what follows, and did the same as in the epistle to the Romans? For there too, having first silenced the objectors, and having said, Nay but, O man, who are you who replies against God? then he brings on the solution. But I think that he has neither been entirely silent, nor has spoken, in order to bring the hearers to a longing. For having mentioned and said that some great things are stored up in the

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ποτήριον τοῦτο; οὐδαμοῦ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐδεήθη τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον αὐτὸς ἀποφαίνεται λέγων· Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν· καὶ, Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν· οὐδεὶς αἴρει αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ. Τί οὖν ἐστι; καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐδεῖτο; Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἰδοὺ ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδοθήσεται τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι καὶ γραμματεῦσι, καὶ κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτὸν θανάτῳ, καὶ παραδώσουσιν αὐτὸν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εἰς τὸ ἐμπαῖξαι καὶ μαστιγῶσαι καὶ σταυρῶσαι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστήσεται. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἀναστήσει με ὁ Πατήρ. Πῶς οὖν περὶ τούτου ἐδεήθη; Ἀλλὰ περὶ τίνων ἐδεήθη; περὶ τῶν πιστευσάντων εἰς αὐτόν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· εἰσακούεται εὐκόλως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδέπω περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν εἶχον τὴν προσήκουσαν, εἶπεν ὅτι εἰσηκούσθη· ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς παραμυθούμενος, ἔλεγεν· Εἰ ἠγαπᾶτέ με, ἐχάρητε ἂν, ὅτι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μου πορεύομαι, ὅτι ὁ 63.70 Πατήρ μου μείζων μού ἐστι. Πῶς δὲ οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασεν ὁ ἑαυτὸν κενώσας, ὁ παραδοὺς ἑαυτόν; Παρέδωκε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν· καὶ πάλιν, ∆οὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων ἡμῶν. Τί οὖν ἐστιν; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι διὰ τὴν σάρκα ταπεινὰ φθέγγεται περὶ ἑαυτοῦ; Οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, καίπερ ὢν Υἱὸς, ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας εἰσηκούσθη, φησί. Βούλεται γὰρ αὐτοῦ δεῖξαι τὸ κατόρθωμα ὂν μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοσαύτη, φησὶν, ἦν αὐτοῦ ἡ εὐλάβεια, ὡς καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου αἰδεῖσθαι αὐτὸν τὸν Θεόν. Ἔμαθεν ὑπακούειν, φησὶ, τῷ Θεῷ· ἐνταῦθα πάλιν δείκνυσιν ὅσον τῶν παθημάτων τὸ κέρδος. Καὶ τελειωθεὶς, φησὶν, ἐγένετο πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ αἴτιος σωτηρίας· εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος Υἱὸς ὢν ἐκέρδανεν ἀπὸ τῶν παθημάτων τὴν ὑπακοὴν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς. Ὁρᾷς ὅσα περὶ ὑπακοῆς διαλέγεται, ὥστε πείθεσθαι αὐτούς; ∆οκοῦσι γάρ μοι συνεχῶς ἀφηνιάζειν, καὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις μὴ παρακολουθεῖν· τοῦτο γὰρ ᾐνίξατο τῷ εἰπεῖν· Νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς. Ἀφ' ὧν ἔπαθε, φησὶ, συνεχῶς ἔμαθεν ὑπακούειν τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ τελειωθείς· διὰ τῶν παθημάτων, φησί. Τοῦτό ἐστιν ἄρα τελείωσις, καὶ διὰ τούτου ἐλθεῖν εἰς τελείωσιν χρή. Οὐ μόνον γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐσώθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέροις τοῦτο γέγονε περιουσία σωτηρίας. Τελειωθεὶς γὰρ ἐγένετο τοῖς ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ αἴτιος αἰωνίου σωτηρίας. Προσαγορευθεὶς, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀρχιερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέχ. Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος, καὶ δυσερμήνευτος. Μέλλων καθιέναι τὸν λόγον εἰς τὴν διαφορὰν τῆς ἱερωσύνης, πρότερον αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιμᾷ, δεικνὺς, ὅτι καὶ ἡ τοσαύτη συγκατάβασις γάλα ἦν, καὶ διὰ τὸ νηπίους εἶναι, πλέον ἐνδιέτριβε τῷ ταπεινῷ λόγῳ τῷ κατὰ σάρκα, καὶ ὡς περί τινος δικαίου διαλέγεται. Καὶ θέα, οὔτε ἀπεσιώπησε τὸν λόγον πάντῃ, οὔτε εἶπε· τὸ μὲν γὰρ, ἵνα ἀναγάγῃ αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ πείσῃ τελείους εἶναι, καὶ μὴ ἀποστερεῖσθαι τῶν μεγάλων δογμάτων, πεποίηκε· τὸ δὲ, ἵνα μὴ καταχώσῃ αὐτῶν τὸν νοῦν. Περὶ οὗ πολὺς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος, φησὶ, καὶ δυσερμήνευτος λέγειν, ἐπεὶ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς. Ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἀκούουσι, διὰ τοῦτο δυσερμήνευτος ὁ λόγος. Ὅταν γάρ τις πρὸς ἀνθρώπους ἔχῃ μὴ παρακολουθοῦντας, μηδὲ τὰ λεγόμενα νοοῦντας, ἑρμηνεῦσαι καλῶς αὐτοῖς οὐ δύναται. Ἀλλ' ἴσως τις ὑμῶν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἑστηκότων ἰλιγγιᾷ, καὶ ἐπήρειαν τὸ πρᾶγμα νομίζει, εἰ δι' Ἑβραίους αὐτὸς ἐνεποδίσθη τὸν τελειότερον λαλῆσαι λόγον. Τάχα μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα, πλὴν ὀλίγων, πολλοὺς εἶναι τοιούτους οἶμαι, ὥστε λέγεσθαι καὶ περὶ ὑμῶν τοῦτο· τῶν δὲ ὀλίγων ἕνεκεν ἐρῶ. Ἆρ' οὖν ἀπεσιώπησεν, ἢ πάλιν αὐτὸν ἀνέλαβεν ἐν τοῖς ἐφεξῆς, καὶ ταὐτὸν ἐποίησεν, οἷον ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιστολῇ; καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ πρότερον ἐπιστομίσας τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας, καὶ εἰπὼν, Μενοῦν γε, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινόμενος τῷ Θεῷ; τότε τὴν λύσιν ἐπάγει. Ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὸν οὔτε πάντῃ σεσιγηκέναι, οὔτε εἰρηκέναι οἶμαι, ἵνα εἰς πόθον ἀγάγῃ τοὺς ἀκροατάς. Μνημονεύσας γὰρ καὶ εἰπὼν μεγάλα τινὰ ἐναποκεῖσθαι τῷ