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of bone, that is, strong, since of the whole body the most powerful and strongest parts happen to be bones. Therefore "heavy" is the one founded on the rock, the unshakable and unbreakable. Therefore he confesses to the Father, giving thanks for His great Church. For truly great is this Church; which in the twenty-first he called great, saying: From You is my praise in a great church. The Father therefore works praise for the Son in a great Church; but the Son confesses to the Father in a great Church, the one established throughout the whole Church. Let them not rejoice over me who are my enemies unjustly, those who hate me without cause and wink with their eyes. For to me indeed they spoke peaceful things, and in their anger they devised deceits. And they opened their mouth wide against me; they said, "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it." If the favorable outcomes after the passion of our Savior had not been seen, perhaps those who had devised the plot against him would have had occasion to rejoice over him, as if he had vanished and had been able to do nothing; but since his great and large Church shines forth throughout the whole world; and he himself, even now standing in the midst, assembles his heavy and powerful people, and through them confesses to his own Father; For where two or three are gathered in his name, there I am in the midst of them; reasonably those who rejoice in evil, covered in shame, were turned back. For having suffered what worthy of enmity did they take up hatred for him? wherefore Aquila translated, "without cause." And they winked with their eyes, mocking him and deriding the teachings of my wisdom. Then, "To me indeed," he says, "they spoke peaceful things," but in their heart they devised deceits and wrath. And these things were also fulfilled, when seeking to entrap him the Pharisees said to him: Teacher, we know that you are true, and you teach the word of God in truth, and you care for no one; for you do not regard the person; tell us therefore, Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? For they uttered these words deceitfully; wherefore anticipating these things he alluded to them, saying: "To me indeed they spoke peaceful things, and in their anger they devised deceits." But here indeed they conducted their conversations with him deceitfully; but in the end, however, at the time of the passion they cried out with their whole mouth asking 23.313 for his blood upon themselves and upon their children; which indeed he also presents through the preceding words, saying: They opened their mouth wide against me. Then since he was delivered to them as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a blameless lamb is speechless before its shearer, seeing his passion they cried out: "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it." You have seen, O Lord, do not keep silent. And above he said: "When will you look upon it?" and through the preceding words: "You have seen, O Lord." And what did he see? How they approached him deceitfully, and how they opened their mouth wide against him, and how having acted according to their wishes they cried out: "Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it." But You, O Lord, having seen these things, and having borne them and been long-suffering, do not keep silent; but taking up the tribunal of Your justice say: "These things you did, and I was silent;" and again: "I have kept silent, shall I always keep silent?" And in a human way he beseeches, saying to his own Father: "Do not stand far from me;" and, "Awake and attend to my judgment, my God and my Lord, to my cause." For at the time of the passion for us he uttered such words, so that he might be believed to have truly become man in reality, and to be willingly accepting death for us. And let them not rejoice over me, let them not say in their hearts: "Aha, aha, our soul!" nor let them say: "We have swallowed him up." For with You, he says, going forth against the things that were dared, and judging according to Your justice, they will not rejoice, nor will they say in their hearts: "Aha, aha, our soul has prevailed." For even if they have at some time said this with their mouth, yet not also with their hearts

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ὀστεΐνῳ, τουτέστιν, ἰσχυρῷ, ἐπεὶ τοῦ παντὸς σώματος τὰ δυνατώτατα καὶ ἰσχυρότατα ὀστᾶ τυγχάνει. Βαρὺς οὖν ὁ ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν τεθεμελιωμένος, ὁ ἀσάλευτος καὶ ἀῤῥαγής. Τῷ τοίνυν Πατρὶ ἐξομολογεῖται, εὐχαριστῶν ἐπὶ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ αὐτοῦ τῇ πολλῇ. Πολλὴ γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς αὕτη ἡ Ἐκκλησία· ἣν ἐν τῷ εἰκοστῷ πρώτῳ μεγάλην ὠνόμασεν εἰπών· Παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἔπαινός μου ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Πατὴρ ἔπαινον τῷ Υἱῷ κατεργάζεται ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ Πατρὶ ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ πολλῇ, τῇ καθ' ὅλης τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἱδρυμένῃ. Μὴ ἐπιχαρείησάν μοι οἱ ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ἀδίκως, οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεὰν καὶ διανεύοντες ὀφθαλμοῖς. Ὅτι ἐμοὶ μὲν εἰρηνικὰ ἐλάλουν, καὶ ἐπ' ὀργῇ δόλους διελογίζοντο. Καὶ ἐπλάτυναν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν· εἶπον· Εὖγε, εὖγε, εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. Εἰ μὴ τὰ τέλη αἴσια τὰ μετὰ τοῦ πάθους τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἑωρᾶτο, τάχα που χώραν εἶχον καταχαρῆναι αὐτοῦ οἱ τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ συσκευὴν μεμηχανημένοι, ὡς ἀφανισθέντος καὶ μηδὲν δεδυνημένου· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ Ἐκκλησία αὐτοῦ ἡ πολλὴ καὶ μεγάλη διαλάμπει καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης· αὐτός τε εἰσέτι καὶ νῦν ἐν μέσῳ ἑστὼς συγκροτεῖ τὸν βαρὺν καὶ δυνατὸν αὑτοῦ λαὸν, καὶ ἐξομολογεῖται δι' αὐτῶν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Πατρί· Ὅπου γὰρ δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμὶ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν· εἰκότως οἱ ἐπιχαιρεσίκακοι, αἰσχύνην καταχεάμενοι, ἀπεστράφησαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. Τί γὰρ καὶ ἄξιον ἔχθρας παθόντες τὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἤραντο μῖσος; διόπερ ὁ Ἀκύλας, ἀναιτίως, ἡρμήνευσε. ∆ιένευον δὲ ὀφθαλμοῖς χλευάζοντες αὐτὸν, καὶ διασύροντες τὰ τῆς σοφίας μου παιδεύματα. Εἶτα, Ἐμοὶ μὲν, φησὶν, εἰρηνικὰ ἐλάλουν, ἐν δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν δόλους καὶ ὀργὴν διελογίζοντο. Ἐπληροῦτο δὲ καὶ ταῦτα, ὅτε λαβὰς θηρώμενοι ἔλεγον πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· ∆ιδάσκαλε, οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἀληθὴς εἶ, καὶ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπ' ἀληθείας διδάσκεις, καὶ οὐ μέλει σοι περὶ οὐδενός· οὐ γὰρ βλέπεις εἰς πρόσωπον· εἰπὲ οὖν ἡμῖν· Ἔξεστι δοῦναι κῆνσον Καίσαρι ἢ οὔ; Ταύτας γὰρ δολίως προέφερον τὰς φωνάς· διὸ προλαβὼν ταῦτ' ᾐνίττετο φάσκων· Ἐμοὶ μὲν εἰρηνικὰ ἐλάλουν, καὶ ἐπ' ὀργῇ δόλους διελογίζοντο. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μὲν δολίως τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐποιοῦντο ὁμιλίας· ἐν τέλει γε μὴν κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους ὅλῳ τῷ στόματι ἐβόων αἰτοῦν 23.313 τες αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα καθ' ἑαυτῶν καὶ κατὰ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῶν· ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτῷ παρίστησι διὰ τῶν προκειμένων λέγων· Ἐπλάτυναν ἐπ' ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν. Εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ παρεδόθη αὐτοῖς ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἄκακος ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος ἄφωνος, ὁρῶντες αὐτοῦ τὸ πάθος ἐπεφώνουν· Εὖγε, εὖγε, εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. Εἶδες, Κύριε, μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς. Καὶ ἄνωθεν εἶπε· Πότε ἐπόψῃ; καὶ διὰ τῶν προκειμένων· Εἶδες, Κύριε. Τί δὲ εἶδεν; Ὡς δολίως αὐτῷ προσῄεσαν, καὶ ὡς ἐπλάτυναν κατ' αὐτοῦ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, καὶ ὡς κατ' εὐχὰς πράξαντες ἐπεβόων· Εὖγε, εὖγε, εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν. Σὺ δὲ, Κύριε, ταῦτα θεασάμενος, ἀνασχόμενός τε καὶ μακροθυμήσας, μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς· ἀλλ' ἀναλαβὼν τὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου κριτήριον λέγε· Ταῦτα ἐποίησας, καὶ ἐσίγησα· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐσιώπησα, μὴ καὶ ἀεὶ σιωπήσομαι; Ἀνθρωπίνως δὲ ἱκετεύει λέγων πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα· Μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· καὶ, Ἐξεγέρθητι καὶ πρόσχες τῇ κρίσει, ὁ Θεός μου καὶ ὁ Κυριός μου εἰς τὴν δίκην μου. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάθους τοιαύτας ἠφίει φωνὰς, ἵνα πιστευθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἀτρεκέως κατὰ ἀλήθειαν γεγονὼς, καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν θάνατον ἑκουσίως καταδεχόμενος. Καὶ μὴ ἐπιχαρήσειάν μοι, μὴ εἴποισαν ἐν καρδίαις αὐτῶν· Εὖγε, εὖγε, ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν! μηδὲ εἴποισαν· Κατεπίομεν αὐτόν. Σοῦ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπεξελθόντος τοῖς τετολμημένοις, καὶ κρίναντος κατὰ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, οὐκ ἐπιχαρήσονται, οὐδ' ἐροῦσιν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν· Εὖγε, εὖγε, ἴσχυσεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν ποτε τοῦτο εἰρήκασιν, ἀλλ' οὐ καὶ ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν