except for God, he might taste death for everyone», and he will punctuate 28.18.155 after «For everyone» or after «Except for God, for everyone». He will also use the text, «Who is the savior of all men, especially of believers»; and that this is «the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world», hearing specifically that the sin 28.18.156 of the world is taken away, and not of a part of it. But he who says that «It is expedient for us that one man should die» is true will also say that all the things in that place are a true prophecy, beginning from «You know nothing at all»; for the Pharisees and chief priests, not knowing Jesus, who is truth and wisdom and righteousness 28.18.157 and peace, knew nothing. «For he is our peace». But these who knew nothing did not consider in what way it was expedient also for them that this one, insofar as he is a man, should die for the 28.18.158 people; for Jesus who died is a man. Wherefore he himself also says: «But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth». 28.18.159 And since the one who died is a man, but the truth and the wisdom and peace and righteousness were not a man, and of whom it is written: «the Word was God»; the Word God and the truth and the wisdom and the righteousness did not die; for the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, is incapable of 28.18.160 death. But this man died for the people, the purest of all living beings, who took away our sins and weaknesses, being able to take upon himself all the sin of the whole world, to loose and consume and abolish it, since he did no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth, nor 28.18.161 did he know sin. In this regard I think Paul also said thus: «Him who knew no sin, he made to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him»; for he made him to be sin, who knew no sin, in that he who had not sinned at all took upon himself the sins of all, and if I must dare to say it, he became much more than his apostles the refuse of the world and the offscouring of all things, those who said: «We have become as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things until now». 28.19.162 Concerning the fact that often, when certain harsh things prevail in the human race, such as plagues or harmful calms or famines, such things are loosed, as if the evil spirit working them is made powerless, because someone gives himself for the common good, many histories of Greeks and barbarians are told, who neither reject nor disapprove of the notion of such a thing. Whether, therefore, such things are true or not, is not for the present time 28.19.163 to determine with investigation. But one who is able for the whole world, that the whole world might be cleansed, to undertake for its purification—which would have perished if he had not undertaken to die for it—has neither ever been recorded in history nor can be, Jesus alone being able to take upon himself the burden of the sin of all on the cross for all apart from God, and to bear it by his great strength. 28.19.164 For he alone was skilled in bearing infirmity, as the prophet Isaiah says, saying: «a man in suffering 28.19.165 and knowing how to bear infirmity». And he indeed took our sins and was weakened because of our iniquities, and the punishment due to us for our discipline and for us to receive peace came upon him. 28.19.166 For thus I hear of him: «The chastisement of our peace was upon him». And perhaps, since «by his stripe we were healed», we who were healed by the stripe that came upon him from the cross would say, «But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world». This Jesus the Father delivered up for our sins, and because of them «he was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its 28.19.167 shearer is silent». Of him in his humiliation, in which «he humbled himself, becoming obedient

χωρὶς) θεοῦ ὑπὲρ παντὸς γεύσηται θανάτου», καὶ ἐπιστήσει 28.18.155 τῷ «Ὑπὲρ παντός» ἢ τῷ «Χωρὶς θεοῦ ὑπὲρ παντός». συγχρήσε ται δὲ καὶ τῷ «Ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, μάλιστα «πιστῶν»· ὅτι δὲ οὗτός ἐστιν «ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν «ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου», ἰδίως ἀκούων τοῦ αἴρεσθαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν 28.18.156 τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐχὶ μέρους αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ λέγων ἀληθὲς εἶναι τὸ «Συμφέρει ἡμῖν ἵνα εἷς ἄνθρωπος ἀποθάνῃ» φήσει καὶ ὅλα τὰ κατὰ τὸν τόπον προφητείαν εἶναι ἀληθῆ, ἀρχομένην ἀπὸ τοῦ «Ὑμεῖς οὐκ «οἴδατε οὐδέν»· οὐδὲν γὰρ ᾔδεισαν οἱ τὸν Ἰησοῦν μὴ γνωρίζοντες Φαρισαῖοι καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς, ὄντα ἀλήθειαν καὶ σοφίαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην 28.18.157 καὶ εἰρήνην. «Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡμῶν». ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐκ ἐλογίζοντο οὗτοι οἱ μηδὲν εἰδότες τίνα τρόπον συνέφερεν καὶ αὐ τοῖς ἵνα ὁ εἷς οὗτος, καθ' ὃ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν, ἀποθάνῃ ὑπὲρ τοῦ 28.18.158 λαοῦ· ἄνθρωπος γάρ ἐστιν ἀποθανὼν Ἰησοῦς. διὸ καὶ αὐτός φησι· «Νῦν δὲ ζητεῖτέ με ἀποκτεῖναι, ἄνθρωπον ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν λελά 28.18.159 «ληκα». καὶ ἐπεὶ ἄνθρωπος μέν ἐστιν ὁ ἀποθανών, οὐκ ἦν δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ σοφία καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ δικαιοσύνη, καὶ περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· «Θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος»· οὐκ ἀπέθανεν ὁ θεὸς λόγος καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη· ἀνεπίδεκτος γὰρ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, ὁ πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, θανά 28.18.160 του. ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ δὲ ἀπέθανεν οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τὸ πάντων ζῴων καθαρώτερον, ὅστις τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἦρεν καὶ τὰς ἀσθε νείας, ἅτε δυνάμενος πᾶσαν τὴν ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου ἁμαρτίαν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλαβὼν λῦσαι καὶ ἐξαναλῶσαι καὶ ἐξαφανίσαι, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ 28.18.161 ἔγνω ἁμαρτίαν. κατὰ τοῦτο δ' οἶμαι καὶ τὸν Παῦλον εἰρηκέναι οὕτως· «Τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν, «ἵνα ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ»· ἁμαρτίαν γὰρ αὐ τὸν ἐποίησεν, μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν, τῷ μηδὲν αὐτὸν ἡμαρτηκότα τὰς πάντων ἁμαρτίας ἀνειληφέναι, καὶ εἰ δεῖ τολμήσαντα εἰπεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ περικάθαρμα αὐτὸν τοῦ κόσμου γε γονέναι καὶ πάντων περίψημα, τῶν εἰπόντων· «Ὡς περικαθάρματα «τοῦ κόσμου ἐγενήθημεν, πάντων περίψημα ἕως ἄρτι». 28.19.162 Περὶ δὲ τοῦ πολλάκις ἐπικρατούντων τινῶν χαλεπῶν ἐν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει, οἷον λοιμῶν ἢ ἐπιβλαβῶν νηνεμιῶν ἢ λιμῶν, λύεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἱονεὶ καταργουμένου τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος αὐτὰ πονηροῦ πνεύματος, διὰ τὸ ἑαυτόν τινα ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ δι δόναι, πολλαὶ φέρονται Ἑλλήνων καὶ βαρβάρων ἱστορίαι, τὴν περὶ τοῦ τοιούτου ἔννοιαν οὐκ ἀποπτυόντων οὐδὲ ἀποδοκιμαζόντων. πότερον μὲν οὖν ἀληθῆ ἐστιν τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἢ μή, οὐ τοῦ παρόντος 28.19.163 ἐστὶν καιροῦ μετ' ἐξετάσεως διαλαβεῖν. πλὴν ὁ δυνάμενος ὑπὲρ ὅλου <τοῦ> κόσμου, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ κόσμος καθαρθῇ, ἀναδέξασθαι ἐπὶ καθαρσίῳ αὐ τοῦ ἀπολομένου ἂν εἰ μὴ ἀνεδέξατο τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖν, οὔτε ἱστόρηται πώποτε οὔτε ἱστορηθῆναι δύναται, μόνου Ἰησοῦ τὸ πάν των τῆς ἁμαρτίας φορτίον ἐν τῷ ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων χωρὶς θεοῦ σταυρῷ ἀναλαβεῖν εἰς ἑαυτόν, καὶ βαστάσαι τῇ μεγάλῃ αὐτοῦ ἰσχύϊ 28.19.164 δεδυνημένου. καὶ γὰρ οὗτος μόνος ἐπιστήμων ἦν τοῦ φέρειν μαλα κίαν, ὥς φησιν ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας λέγων· «Ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ 28.19.165 «ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν». καὶ οὗτός γε τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἔλαβεν καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡ ὀφειλομένη ἡμῖν εἰς τὸ παιδευθῆναι καὶ εἰρήνην ἀναλαβεῖν κόλασις ἐπ' αὐτὸν 28.19.166 γεγένηται. οὕτω γὰρ ἀκούω τοῦ[τω]· «Παιδεία εἰρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπ' «αὐτόν». τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐπεὶ «τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν», εἴ ποιμεν ἂν οἱ ἰαθέντες ἐκ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐλθόντος αὐτῷ τοῦ μώλωπος τὸ «Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ κυρίου «Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται κἀγὼ κόσμῳ». τοῦ τον τὸν Ἰησοῦν παρέδωκεν ὁ πατὴρ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν, καὶ δι' αὐτὰς «ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐνώπιον τοῦ 28.19.167 «κείραντος ἄφωνος». τούτου ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει, ἣν «ἐταπείνωσεν «ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος ὑπήκοος