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But here there is no need of this preparation. For they were not indolent; for the sign had converted them all; whence also they were full of fear and amazement. Therefore he did not need to begin from this point, but from another, from which he especially conciliated them, by rejecting the glory from them. For nothing so profits and relaxes the hearers, as for the speaker to say nothing great about himself, but even to do away with the suspicion. Therefore they rather glorified themselves by despising glory, and showing that what had happened was not human, but divine; and that they are worthy to wonder with them, not to be wondered at. Do you see how, being free from ambition, he thrusts away the glory directed at himself? Thus also the ancients did, just as Daniel said: And as for me, not in any wisdom that I have; and again Joseph, Is not the interpretation of them through God? and David, When the lion and the bear came, in the name of the Lord I tore them apart with my hands. And these now: Why do you gaze at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? Neither is this ours, he says; for it is not because we are worthy that we have drawn down the influence of God. The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers. See how he continually thrusts himself in among the forefathers, that he might not seem to be introducing some new doctrine; and there he mentioned the patriarch David, and here those around Abraham. has glorified His Servant Jesus. Again humbly, as in the introduction. Then for the rest he dwells on their audacious act, and heightens what has happened, but does not, as before, overshadow it. And he does this, wishing to win them over more. For the more he showed them to be responsible, the more this happened. has glorified, he says, His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied him in the presence 60.76 of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. Two are the charges: both that Pilate wanted to release him, and that you did not want to when he wanted to. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you; but you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. As if he said, In his place you asked for a robber. He made the matter very terrible. For since he had them under his hand, he strikes then vehemently. But the Author of life, he says. Here he establishes the faith of the resurrection. Whom God raised from the dead. Lest anyone should say, Whence is this clear? he no longer takes refuge in prophets, but in himself, since he was now trustworthy. For then, having said that He was risen, he brought David as a witness; but now having said the same thing, the apostolic choir. Of which we are, he says, witnesses. And by faith in his name, this man whom you see and know, his name has made strong, and the faith which is through him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. Seeking to state the matter, he immediately brings forward the sign. In the presence of you all, he says. Since he rebuked them severely, and showed that the crucified one had risen, he again relaxes, giving them opportunity for repentance, saying: And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. You acted in ignorance. This is one defense; a second, as did also your rulers. Just as Joseph said to his brothers, that God sent me before you; or rather, what he said there concisely, Having taken him, delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, this he expands here. But God, what he foretold by the mouth of all his prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he has so fulfilled. At the same time he shows that it is not of them, if this is shown, and that it has happened according to the will of God. And by saying, What He foretold, he alludes to the words which they reproached on the cross, saying, If He wants him, let him save him. For he said, I am the Son of God; he trusted in him; let him now come down from the cross. Is this then nonsense, O foolish ones? Far from it; but so it had to be; and the prophets testify. So it was not through his own weakness that he did not come down, but through power. And he places it in order

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Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐ δεῖται ταύτης τῆς κατασκευῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἐῤῥᾳθύμουν· τὸ γὰρ σημεῖον αὐτοὺς ἐπέστρεψεν ἅπαντας· ὅθεν καὶ δέους καὶ ἐκπλήξεως ἦσαν μεστοί. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ ἐδέησεν αὐτῷ ἐντεῦθεν ἄρξασθαι, ἀλλ' ἑτέρωθεν, ὅθεν μάλιστα αὐτοὺς καὶ ᾠκειώσατο, διακρουσάμενος τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρ' αὐτῶν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ὠφελεῖ καὶ ἀνίησι τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ὡς τὸ μηδὲν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγειν μέγα τὸν λέγοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ὑποψίαν ἀναιρεῖν. Μᾶλλον οὖν ἑαυτοὺς ἐδόξασαν καταφρονήσαντες δόξης, καὶ δείξαντες οὐκ ἀνθρώπινον, ἀλλὰ θεῖον ὂν τὸ γεγονός· καὶ ὅτι τοῦ θαυμάζειν μετ' αὐτῶν, οὐ τοῦ θαυμάζεσθαί εἰσιν ἄξιοι. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς φιλοτιμίας ὢν καθαρὸς, διωθεῖται τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν δόξαν; Οὕτω καὶ οἱ παλαιοὶ ἐποίουν, καθάπερ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν ἐμοί· καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, Οὐχὶ διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ διασάφησις αὐτῶν; καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, Ὅτε ἤρχετο ὁ λέων καὶ ἡ ἄρκτος, ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοὺς διέσπων. Καὶ οὗτοι νῦν· Τί ἡμῖν ἀτενίζετε ὡς ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ εὐσεβείᾳ πεποιηκόσι τοῦ περιπατεῖν αὐτόν; Οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἡμέτερον, φησίν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ ἄξιοί ἐσμεν, ἐπεσπασάμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ῥοπήν. Ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβ, ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν. Ὅρα, πῶς ἑαυτὸν εἰσωθεῖ συνεχῶς εἰς τοὺς προγόνους, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ καινόν τι εἰσάγειν δόγμα· καὶ ἐκεῖ τοῦ πατριάρχου ∆αυῒδ ἐμνημόνευσε, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀβραάμ. Ἐδόξασε τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. Πάλιν ταπεινῶς, καθὼς ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ. Εἶτα λοιπὸν ἐνδιατρίβει τῷ τολμήματι, καὶ ἐπαίρει τὸ γεγενημένον, ἀλλ' οὐχ, ὥσπερ πρότερον, συσκιάζει. Ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο, μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἐπαγαγέσθαι βουλόμενος. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἐδείκνυ ὑπευθύνους, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον τοῦτο ἐγίνετο. Ἐδόξασε, φησὶ, τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ὑμεῖς μὲν παρεδώκατε, καὶ ἠρνήσασθε αὐτὸν κατὰ πρόσω 60.76 πον Πιλάτου, κρίναντος ἐκείνου ἀπολύειν. ∆ύο τὰ ἐγκλήματα, καὶ ὅτι Πιλᾶτος ἤθελεν ἀπολύειν, καὶ ὅτι ὑμεῖς ἐκείνου θελήσαντος οὐκ ἠθελήσατε. Ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν ἅγιον καὶ δίκαιον ἠρνήσασθε, καὶ ᾐτήσασθε ἄνδρα φονέα χαρισθῆναι ὑμῖν· τὸν δὲ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἀπεκτείνατε, ὃν ὁ Θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, οὗ ἡμεῖς μάρτυρές ἐσμεν. Ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν, Ἀντ' αὐτοῦ λῃστὴν ᾐτήσασθε. Σφόδρα ἐδείνωσε τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶχεν αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα, πλήττει λοιπὸν σφοδρῶς. Τὸν δὲ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς, φησίν. Ἐνταῦθα τὴν πίστιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως κατασκευάζει. Ὃν ὁ Θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ, Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; οὐκέτι εἰς προφήτας καταφεύγει, ἀλλ' εἰς ἑαυτὸν, ἐπειδὴ λοιπὸν ἀξιόπιστος ἦν. Τότε μὲν γὰρ εἰπὼν, ὅτι ἀνέστη, τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἐπηγάγετο μάρτυρα· νυνὶ δὲ εἰπὼν τὸ αὐτὸ, τὸν χορὸν τὸν ἀποστολικόν. Οὗ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν, φησὶ, μάρτυρες. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ὃν θεωρεῖτε καὶ οἴδατε, ἐστερέωσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡ δι' αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν ὁλοκληρίαν ταύτην ἀπέναντι πάντων ὑμῶν. Ζητῶν τὸ πρᾶγμα εἰπεῖν, εὐθέως τὸ σημεῖον ἐπάγει. Ἐνώπιον, φησὶ, πάντων ὑμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα αὐτῶν καθήψατο, καὶ ἔδειξεν ἀναστάντα τὸν σταυρωθέντα, πάλιν ἀνίησι, διδοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν μετανοίας, λέγων· Καὶ νῦν, ἀδελφοὶ, οἶδα, ὅτι κατὰ ἄγνοιαν ἐπράξατε, καθὼς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν. Κατὰ ἄγνοιαν ἐπράξατε. Μία αὕτη ἀπολογία· δευτέρα, Καθὼς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν. Ὥσπερ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ὁ Θεός με ἀπέστειλεν ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν· μᾶλλον δὲ, ὃ συνεσταλμένως εἶπεν ἐκεῖ, Τῇ ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔκδοτον λαβόντες, τοῦτο πλατύνει ἐνταῦθα. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς, ἃ προκατήγγειλε διὰ στόματος πάντων τῶν προφητῶν παθεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐπλήρωσεν οὕτως. Ἅμα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκείνων ἐστὶν, ἐὰν τοῦτο δειχθῇ, καὶ ὅτι κατὰ Θεοῦ βουλὴν γέγονε. Τῷ δὲ εἰπεῖν, Ἃ προκατήγγειλε, τὰ ῥήματα, ἃ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ ὠνείδιζον, αἰνίττεται, Εἰ θέλει αὐτὸν, σωσάτω αὐτὸν, λέγοντες. Εἶπε γὰρ, Υἱὸς Θεοῦ εἰμι· πέποιθεν ἐπ' αὐτόν· καταβάτω νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ. Λῆρος οὖν, ὦ ἀνόητοι, ταῦτα; Ἄπαγε· ἀλλ' οὕτως ἔδει γενέσθαι· καὶ μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ προφῆται. Ὥστε οὐ παρὰ οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν οὐ κατέβη, ἀλλὰ παρὰ δύναμιν. Καὶ τίθησιν αὐτὸ ἐν τάξει