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to do to them, to speak thus with boldness? Why do you disbelieve, tell me, O Jew? For it was necessary to pay attention to the sign that had happened and to the words, not to the wickedness of the many. And why then do they not hand them over to the Romans? They had already been slandered to them because of the events concerning Christ, so that they rather blamed themselves for postponing their demonstration. But in the case of Christ it was not so, but having taken Him in the middle of the night they immediately led Him away, and did not delay, fearing the multitude greatly. But concerning these men they neither dared, nor did they lead them to Pilate, being wary and suspicious of the previous events, lest they also be accused on account of those things. And it came to pass on the next day, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem. 3. Again councils in Jerusalem, and there the blood is shed, they did not even respect the city. Annas, it says, and Caiaphas. Peter did not bear even his maidservant asking, before this one he denied, when another was seized. But now having come into their midst, see how he speaks. If we are being examined concerning a good deed done to a sick man, by what means this man has been saved, let it be known to you all. But they say, In what name have you done this? Why do you not say which thing, but obscure it? In what name have you done this? And yet he had said, that We did not do it. See the understanding; he did not say immediately, We did it in the name of Jesus; but what? In His name this man stands before you whole. And he does not say, He was made whole by us. And again, If we are being examined for a good deed done to a sick man. He strikes them as always bringing such accusations, and finding fault with good deeds done to men; and he reminds them of the former things, that they themselves run to murders; and not only this, but they even bring accusations for good deeds. Do you see how the words are weighty? For in these things they were being trained, and for the future were dauntless. From which he shows them that they themselves rather preach Christ unwillingly, and they themselves, who are questioning and examining, exalt the doctrine. Whom you crucified. O the boldness! Whom God raised from the dead. This again is of greater freedom of speech. What he says then, is this: Do not think that we hide the things that are shameful; we are so far from obscuring them, that we even speak boldly. He says these things almost reproaching them, and not simply, but also dwells upon the word, This 60.89 is the stone, he says, which was set at nought by you builders. Then showing that they had worked this to a most approved result, he adds: Who was made the head of the corner; that is, he who by nature is precious and approved, this one was set at nought. Thus from the sign they had great boldness. But consider, how, when it is necessary to teach, they bring forward many prophecies, but when it is time to speak boldly, they only make declarations. For neither, he says, is there another name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. Because the name was given to all men and not to them alone. To this he brings them also as witnesses. For since they said: In what name did you do it? In that of Christ, he says, there is no other name. How then do you ask? Thus this is clear everywhere. For neither is there another name under heaven, he says, by which we must be saved. These are the words of a soul that has condemned the present life. The great boldness shows this. Here he makes it clear that even when he spoke lowly things concerning Christ, it was not from fear, but from condescension; but since now was the time, he speaks such lofty things, as to astonish all his hearers by this very thing. Behold another sign no less than the former. And they recognized them, he says, that they had been with Jesus. The evangelist has not put this passage here simply, but to show where they were. At the Passion, he says. For these alone were with Him then, when they also saw them humbled, dejected; which also especially astonished them, the sudden change. For there were those around Annas and Caiaphas, and these also stood by them; but now
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αὐτοῖς ποιῆσαι, τὸ οὕτω μετὰ παῤῥησίας διαλέγεσθαι; ∆ιὰ τί ἀπιστεῖς, εἰπέ μοι, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε; Τῷ γὰρ γενομένῳ σημείῳ προσέχειν ἔδει καὶ τοῖς λόγοις, οὐ τῇ τῶν πολλῶν πονηρίᾳ. Καὶ τί δήποτε οὐ παραδιδόασιν αὐτοὺς Ῥωμαίοις; Ἤδη ἦσαν διαβεβλημένοι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Χριστὸν, ὥστε μᾶλλον ἑαυτοὺς ἐκάκιζον ὑπερτιθέμενοι τὴν αὐτῶν ἔνδειξιν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἐν μέσαις νυξὶ λαβόντες αὐτὸν εὐθέως ἀπήγαγον, καὶ οὐκ ἀνεβάλοντο δεδοικότες σφόδρα τὸ πλῆθος. Περὶ δὲ τούτων οὔτε ἐθάῤῥουν, οὔτε μὴν ἄγουσιν αὐτοὺς πρὸς Πιλᾶτον, εὐλαβούμενοι καὶ ὑποπτεύοντες τὰ πρότερα, μὴ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ἐγκληθῶσι. Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον συναχθῆναι αὐτῶν τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ πρεσβυτέρους καὶ γραμματεῖς ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. γʹ. Πάλιν συνέδρια ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, καὶ ἐκεῖ τὰ αἵματα ἐκχεῖται, οὐδὲ τὴν πόλιν ᾐδέσθησαν. Ἄννας, φησὶ, καὶ Καϊάφας. Τούτου οὐδὲ τὴν δούλην ἐρωτῶσαν ἤνεγκεν ὁ Πέτρος, ἐπὶ τούτου ἠρνήσατο, ἑτέρου κατασχεθέντος. Νυνὶ δὲ εἰς μέσους αὐτοὺς παρελθὼν, ὅρα πῶς φθέγγεται. Εἰ ἡμεῖς ἀνακρινόμεθα ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπου ἀσθενοῦς, ἐν τίνι οὗτος σέσωσται, γνωστὸν ἔστω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν. Οἱ δὲ, Ἐν ποίῳ ὀνόματι ἐποιήσατε, λέγουσι, τοῦτο; Τὸ ποῖον διὰ τί μὴ λέγεις, ἀλλὰ συσκιάζεις; Ἐν ποίῳ ὀνόματι ἐποιήσατε τοῦτο ὑμεῖς; Καὶ μὴν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἐποιήσαμεν. Ὅρα σύνεσιν· οὐκ εἶπεν εὐθέως, ὅτι Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐποιήσαμεν· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ οὗτος παρέστηκεν ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν ὑγιής. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, Ἐγένετο ὑφ' ἡμῶν ὑγιής. Καὶ πάλιν, Εἰ ἡμεῖς ἀνακρινόμεθα ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπου ἀσθενοῦς. Πλήττει αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀεὶ τοιαῦτα ἐγκαλοῦντας, καὶ εὐεργεσίαις ἀνθρώπων μεμφομένους· καὶ ἀναμιμνήσκει τῶν προτέρων, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ φόνους τρέχουσι· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίαις ἐγκαλοῦσιν. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς ἔχει τὸ βαρὺ καὶ τὰ ῥήματα; Ἐν τούτοις γὰρ ἐγυμνάζοντο, καὶ λοιπὸν ἀκατάπληκτοι ἦσαν. Ἐξ ὧν δείκνυσιν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ μᾶλλον κηρύττουσιν ἄκοντες τὸν Χριστὸν, καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸ δόγμα ἐπαίρουσιν οἱ ἀνακρίνοντες καὶ ἐξετάζοντες. Ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε. Βαβαὶ τῆς παῤῥησίας! Ὃν ὁ Θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Τοῦτο πάλιν μείζονος ἐλευθεροστομίας. Ὃ τοίνυν λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Μὴ νομίσητε, ὅτι τὰ ἐπονείδιστα κρύπτομεν· τοσοῦτον ἀπέχομεν συσκιάσαι, ὅτι καὶ παῤῥησιαζόμεθα. Ταῦτα μονονουχὶ ὀνειδίζων αὐτοῖς λέγει, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει τῷ λόγῳ, Οὗτός 60.89 ἐστιν ὁ λίθος, λέγων, ὁ ἐξουθενηθεὶς ὑφ' ὑμῶν τῶν οἰκοδομούντων. Εἶτα δεικνὺς, ὅτι καὶ εἰς σφόδρα δόκιμον τοῦτο εἰργάσαντο, ἐπάγει· Ὁ γενόμενος εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας· τουτέστιν, ὁ φύσει τίμιος καὶ δόκιμος, οὗτος ἐξουθενήθη. Οὕτως ἀπὸ τοῦ σημείου πολλὴν ἔσχον τὴν παῤῥησίαν. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει, πῶς, ὅτε μὲν διδάξαι χρὴ, προφητείας παράγουσι πολλὰς, ὅτε δὲ παῤῥησιάσθαι, μόνον ἀποφαίνονται. Οὔτε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὄνομά ἐστιν ἕτερον ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τὸ δεδομένον ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς. Ὅτι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις καὶ οὐκ αὐτοῖς μόνοις ἐδόθη τὸ ὄνομα. Πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπάγεται μάρτυρας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγον· Ἐν ποίῳ ὀνόματι ἐποιήσατε; Εἰς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, φησὶν, ἄλλο οὐκ ἔστιν ὄνομα. Πῶς οὖν ἐρωτᾶτε; Οὕτω πανταχοῦ τοῦτο δῆλόν ἐστιν. Οὔτε γὰρ ὄνομα ἕτερόν ἐστιν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν, φησὶν, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς. Ταῦτα ψυχῆς κατεγνωκυίας τῆς ζωῆς τῆς παρούσης ἐστίν. Ἡ πολλὴ παῤῥησία δείκνυσι τοῦτο. Ἐνταῦθα δῆλον ποιεῖ, ὅτι καὶ ὅτε ταπεινὰ ἐφθέγγετο περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐ δεδοικὼς, ἀλλὰ συγκαταβαίνων· ἐπειδὴ δὲ νῦν καιρὸς ἦν, οὕτω φθέγγεται ὑψηλὰ, ὡς αὐτῷ τούτῳ καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἅπαντας καταπλῆξαι. Ἰδοὺ καὶ ἄλλο σημεῖον οὐκ ἔλαττον τοῦ προτέρου. Ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε αὐτοὺς, φησὶν, ὅτι σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἦσαν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο τέθεικε τὸ χωρίον ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ἀλλ' ἵνα δηλώσῃ καὶ ποῦ ἦσαν. Ἐν τῷ πάθει, φησίν. Οὗτοι γὰρ μόνοι τότε συνῆσαν, ὅτε καὶ ἑώρων αὐτοὺς ταπεινοὺς, συνεσταλμένους· ὃ καὶ μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἐξένιζεν, ἡ ἀθρόα μεταβολή. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἦσαν οἱ περὶ Ἄνναν καὶ Καϊάφαν, καὶ παρειστήκεσαν αὐτοῖς καὶ οὗτοι· νῦν δὲ