The law was placed before grace, so that one is readier and more benevolent for the remission of sins for those who sin, whom he absolves from blame each day through baptism and the sacrifice of irrational animals, but now in the present question, no benevolence is left to the law, but the unforgiving is yoked to it, bringing unavoidable danger to the one who has sinned? And let these things be said against the unremarkable nature and contradiction of the questions; but we answer the question that, although the law holds the unforgiving, yet grace has also given repentance to the one who has sinned. For "Your hands are full of blood, but wash yourselves and be clean," and, "if your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow," and "I do not desire the death of the sinner, as that he should turn and live," are voices of divine grace calling sinners to a right disposition toward the law, having received pardon for their previous sins through repentance. Therefore, pardon is good and a gift of divine grace, but it is neither according to the law nor against the law, but above the law and on behalf of the law; above the law, because it is grace, on behalf of the law, because through repentance it leads sinners to a right disposition toward the law, just as with David. Question 105. If for all men, because of the weakness of nature, the help that comes through prayer is necessary, but these things are not present for the Lord Christ, as being Lord and possessing sufficient power for all things, why do we learn from Scripture that Christ prayed more frequently than the apostles? Response. Just as the Lord hungered and thirsted and grew weary, and wept and sweated, although being able, through an abundance of power, to endure none of these things, yet in order to provide a sign of his human nature, he voluntarily endured the weaknesses of nature, so also did he pray for the same reason. For if, when he had voluntarily endured the weaknesses of his own nature, some dare to say that he does not partake of our nature, how would they not say this very thing with an abundance of proof, if it happened that he never prayed to God and the Father? And since concerning the apostles there was no doubt whether they were men, but concerning the Savior there was to be doubt, for this reason the divine Scripture announced that he prayed more frequently than they and the rest of men. For if, having become superior to the weaknesses of the flesh through the resurrection, as the high priest of our confession he intercedes with God for us, how much more, when he was still subject to the weakness of the flesh, did he need loud and strong crying and tears, with which he offered supplication to the one who was able to save him from death? Question 100.

προτέτακται τῆς χάριτος ὁ νόμος, ὥστε τις ἑτοιμότερος καὶ φιλανθρωπότερος εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτημάτων τοῖς ἁμαρτάνου σιν, οὓς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματός τε καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀλόγων θυσίας τῆς μέμψεως ἀπολύει, νῦν δὲ ἐν τῇ προκειμένῃ ἐρωτήσει ·ανὶς οὐχ ὑπολέλειπται τῷ νόμῳ φιλαν θρωπίας, ἀλλὰ συνέζευκται αὐτῷ τὸ ἀσύγγνωστον, κίνδυνον ἐπάγον τῷ ἡμαρτηκότι ἀπαραίτητον; Καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὸ μὴ ἀνεπισήμαντον καὶ τῶν ἐρωτήσεων τὴν ἐναντίωσιν εἰρήσθω ταῦτα· πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἀποκρινόμεθα, ὅτι εἰ καὶ ὁ νόμος τὸ ἀσύγγνωστον ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ χάρις μετάνοιαν δέδωκε τῷ ἡμαρτηκότι. Τὸ γὰρ Aἱ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις, ἀλλὰ λούσασθε καὶ καθαροὶ γένεσθε, καί, ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρ τίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, καὶ τὸ Oὐ βού λομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῆν αὐτόν, φωναί εἰσι τῆς θείας χάριτος ἁμαρτωλοὺς καλοῦσαι εἰς εὐπάθειαν τοῦ νόμου, διὰ μετανοίας εἰληφότας τῶν προη μαρτημένων τὴν συγγνώμην. Ἀγαθὴ μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ἡ συγ γνώμη καὶ τῆς θείας χάριτος δῶρον, οὐκ ἔστι δὲ οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸν νόμον οὐδὲ κατὰ τοῦ νόμου, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τὸν νόμον καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου· ὑπὲρ τὸν νόμον μέν, ὅτι χάρις, ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου δέ, ὅτι διὰ μετανοίας ἄγει τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς εὐπάθειαν τοῦ νόμου, καθάπερ καὶ τὸν ∆αυΐδ. Ἐρώτησις ρε. Eἰ πᾶσι μὲν ἀνθρώποις διὰ τὸ ἀσθενὲς τῆς φύσεως ἀναγ καία ἡ διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ὑπάρχει βοήθεια, ταῦτα δὲ οὐ πρόσεστι τῷ δεσπότῃ Χριστῷ, οἷα δεσπότῃ καὶ ἀρκοῦσαν πρὸς πάντα κεκτημένῳ τὴν δύναμιν, διὰ τί τῶν ἀποστόλων συχνότερον ὑπὸ τῆς γραφῆς τὸν Χριστὸν μανθάνομεν προσευχόμενον; Ἀπόκρισις. Ὥσπερ πεινάσας ὁ κύριος καὶ διψήσας καὶ κοπιάσας, δακρύσας τε καὶ ἱδρώσας, καίτοι δυνάμενος διὰ περιουσίας δυνάμεως μηδὲν τούτων ὑπομένειν, διὰ δὲ τὸ παρέχειν γνώ ρισμα τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης αὑτοῦ φύσεως ἑκουσίως ὑπέμεινε τὰ τῆς φύσεως ἀσθενῆ, οὕτως καὶ τὸ εὔξασθαι διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰ τίαν. Eἰ γὰρ ἑκουσίως ὑπομεμενηκότος αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως τολμῶσί τινες λέγειν μὴ ὑπάρχειν αὐτὸν τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἔλεγον αὐτὸ τοῦτο μετὰ τῆς περιουσίας τῆς ἀποδείξεως, εἰ συνέβη αὐτῷ μηδαμῶς αὐτὸν εὔξασθαι τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί; Καὶ ἐπειδὴ περὶ τῶν ἀποστό λων οὐδεμία γέγονεν ἀμφιβολία εἰ ἄνθρωποι ἦσαν, περὶ δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἔμελλε γίνεσθαι ἀμφιβολία, διὰ τοῦτο συχνότερον αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὸ εὔξασθαι αὐτὸν κατήγγειλεν ἡ θεία γραφή. Eἰ γὰρ τῶν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀσθενειῶν ἀνώτερος διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως γενόμενος ὡς ἀρχιερεὺς τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν ἐντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλ λον ἔτι ὑποκειμένου αὐτοῦ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐδεῖτο με γάλης κραυγῆς καὶ ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ δακρύων, μεθ' ὧν τὴν δέησιν προσέφερε τῷ δυναμένῳ ·ύσασθαι αὐτὸν ἐκ θανάτου; Ἐρώτησις ρ.