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should understand it, he forgets him as one dead; for Christ does not live in all, but in those who are active according to him. But as many as think they are Christians, but are not active according to Christ, do not have him living in them. Behold: the wicked man lives according to evil, being "a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God" he does all things for pleasure. He considers the just man dead, since he is deprived of his wicked life and does not receive it in his own mind. 13 I have become like a broken vessel. I have not become a broken vessel, but *like* the broken vessel. And take this example for me: the other men crucified alongside the savior seem to have become useless vessels, vessels of destruction. He who says these things has become *like* the broken vessel, but not broken himself. Just as he became sin, not being sin in the same way as others, but so that they might become the righteousness of God in him, he was made like sin, he was made like the broken vessel. That men are called vessels is not unknown, and some are for honor, others for dishonor. This vessel, according to Jesus, is not of destruction; for he knew no sin. But he has become *like* the broken vessel. He became a curse, that he might bring a blessing. But no curse brings a blessing, but rather destroys the blessing; for no one who is accursed is blessed. But this one, having become a curse, became the cause of blessing, and not to one man, but to all who believe. 14 For I heard the blame of many who dwell round about. I heard many blaming me who were not entirely estranged. The Israelites dwelt round about Jesus. They blamed him: "By Beelzebul the prince of the demons he casts out demons." "He is a sinner because he does not keep the Sabbath." They were round about. If those who said these things were gentiles, they would not have been his circle. These have become his circle. For he says: "and they surrounded 148 me like bees a honeycomb." They surrounded me in a hostile manner. 14 while they were gathered together against me. He mentioned enemies, neighbors vehemently reproaching him, he mentioned those forgetting him from the heart, he speaks of those dwelling round about and blaming. These were gathered together "to take his life," especially when "the nations raged and the peoples imagined vain things"; for here also the raging nations were not yet entirely cut off from him and estranged. "Why did they rage?" They attacked the Hebrews more arrogantly. And the Hebrews also studied the prophecies concerning me vainly and emptily. All the aforementioned orders "were gathered together, they took counsel to take my life." The greatness of the one being besieged is shown, because "all were gathered together at the same time to take his life." Not one, not a second, not ten, not a thousand, but all at the same time. The indomitable and the hard to overthrow, or the not being overthrown, of the soul of Jesus is signified. Scarcely at the same time have they been able to take my life or have they willed it, but they have not taken it. "No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord, that I may take it up again." 14 they took counsel to take my life. They went so far as to take counsel to kill him. But if he himself had not given himself up, they would not have been able to do this. Indeed, when they came to arrest him, he says: "Whom do you seek?" And they say: "Jesus of Nazareth." "I am he," when he said this, "they went backward and fell to the ground." And a second time again: "Whom do you seek?" And he said the same to them, and they fell to the ground again. The third time he says: "I am he," so seize me, "let these go their way"; for no one was able to be arrested with him. This has often been said, that for the sake of not giving the uncertain a suspicion that it was not he who triumphed, but the one who suffered with him, he did not permit this one. And so when Peter said: "I am ready with you both into prison" and to lay down "my life for you," he says: stop, "before the cock crows, you will deny me three times."
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νοήσῃ, ἐπιλανθάνεται αὐτοῦ ὡς νεκροῦ· οὐ γὰρ ε᾿̣ν πᾶσιν ζῇ Χριστός, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς κατ' αὐτὸν ἐνεργοῦσιν. ὅσοι δὲ νομίζουσιν εἶναι Χριστιανοί, μὴ ἐνεργοῦσιν δὲ κατὰ Χριστόν, οὐκ ἔχουσιν ζῶντα αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς. ἴδε· ὁ φαῦλος ἄνθρωπος ζῇ κατὰ κακίαν, "φιλήδονος μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεος" ὑπάρχων πάντα ἡδονικῶς ποιεῖ. τὸν δίκαιον νεκρὸν ἡγεῖται, ἐπεὶ στέρεται τῆς αὐτοῦ ζωῆς τῆς φαύλης καὶ οὐ δέχεται αὐτὴν ἐν τῷ διανοητικῷ ἑαυτοῦ. 13 ἐγενήθην ὡσεὶ σκεῦος ἀπολωλός. οὐ σκεῦος ἀπολωλὸς γέγονα, ἀλλ' ὡς τὸ ἀπολωλὸς σκεῦος. καὶ λάβε μοι τὸ παράδειγμα· οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ἄλλοι παρὰ τὸν σωτῆρα σταυρούμενοι δοκοῦσιν ἄχρηστα σκεύη γεγονέναι, ἀπωλείας σκεύη. οὗτος ὁ λέγων ταῦτα ὡς τὸ ἀπολωλὸς γέγονεν σκεῦος, οὐκ ἀπολωλὸς δέ. ὥσπερ γέγονεν ἁμαρτία οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἁμαρτία ὤν, ἀλλ' ἵν' ἐκεῖνοι δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν ω αὐτῷ γένωνται, ὡμοιώθη τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ὡμοιώθη τῷ σκεύει τῷ ἀπολωλότι. ὅτι δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι λέγονται σκεύη, οὐκ ἀγνοεῖται, καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τιμήν, τὰ δὲ εἰς ἀτιμίαν. τοῦτο τὸ κατὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν σκεῦος οὐκ ἀπωλ̣είας· οὐκ ἔγνω γὰρ ἁμαρτίαν. γεγένηται δὲ ὡς τὸ ἀπολωλὸς σκεῦος. γέγονεν κατάρα, ἵν' εὐλογίαν ἐπαγάγῃ. οὐδεμία δὲ κατάρα εὐλογίαν φέρει, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον φθείρει τὴν εὐλογίαν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐπικατάρατος εὐ λογημένος. οὗτος δε`̣ γενόμενος κατάρα αἴτιος εὐλογίας γέγονεν, καὶ οὐχ ἑνί γε ἀνθρώπῳ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. 14 ὅτι ἤκουσα ψόγον πολλῶν παροικούντων κυκλόθεν. ἤκουσα ψεγόντων με πολλῶν οὐκ ἀπεσχοινισμένων παντάπασιν. παροίκουν κύκλῳ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται. ἔψεγον αὐτόν· "ἐν Βεεζεβοὺλ τῷ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια". "ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν ὅτι τὸ σάββατον οὐ τηρεῖ". κυκλόθεν ἦσαν. εἰ ἦσαν ἐθν̣ικοὶ οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες, οὐκ ἦσαν αὐτοῦ κύκλος. οὗτοι κύκλῳ γεγόνασιν. λέγει γοῦν· "καὶ ἐκύκλωσάν 148 με ὡς αἱ μέλισσαι κηρίον". πολεμικῶς ἐκύκλωσάν με. 14 ἐν τῷ ἐπισυναχθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἅμα ἐπ' ἐμέ. ἐμνημόνευσεν ἐχθρῶν, γειτόνων σφόδρα ὀνειδιζόντων αὐτόν, ἐμνημόνευσεν ἐπιλαθομένων αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ καρδίας, παροικοῦντας κυκλόθεν λέγει καὶ ψέγοντας. οὗτοι ἅμα ἐπισυνήχθησαν "τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν ψυχὴν" αὐτοῦ, τότε μάλιστα ὅτε "ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά"· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ καὶ ἔθνη φρυάξαντα οὔπω πάντη ἀποκεκονμένα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπεσχοινισμένα. "ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν"; ἀλαζονικώτερον ἐπέθεντο τοῖς Ἑβραίοις. καὶ οἱ Ἑβραῖοι δὲ ματαίως καὶ κενῶς ἐμελέτησαν τὰς περὶ ἐμοῦ προφητείας. πάντα τὰ εἰρημένα τάγματα "ἅμα ἐπισυνήχθησαν, τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο". τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ πορθ̣ο̣υμένου δείκνυται, ὅτι "ἅμα πάντες ἐπισυνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τῷ λαβεῖν τὴν ψυχὴν" αὐτοῦ. οὐχ εἷς, οὐ δεύτερος, οὐ δέκα, οὐ χίλιοι, ἀλλὰ ἅμα πάντες. τὸ ἀκαθαίρετον καὶ τὸ δυσανάτρεπτον ἢ τὸ μὴ ἀνατρέπεσθαι τῆς Ἰησοῦ ψυχῆς σημαίνεται. μόλις ἅμα δεδύνηνται λαβεῖν τὴν ψυχήν μου ἢ βεβούληνται, οὐκ εἰλήφασιν δέ. "οὐδεὶς αἴρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· ἐγὼ τίθημι αὐτὴν ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ, ἵνα πάλιν λάβω αὐτήν". 14 τοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο. μέχρι τοῦ βουλεύσασθαι γεγόνασιν ἀποκτεῖναι αὐτόν. εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς δὲ ἑαυτὸν δεδώκει, οὐκ ἠδύναντο τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. ἀμέλει γοῦν ὁπηνίκα ἦλθαν ἐπὶ τῷ συλλαβεῖν αὐτόν, λέγει· "τίνα ζητεῖτε"; καὶ λέγει· "Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ναζαρηνόν". "ἐγώ εἰμι", ὡς εἶπεν, "ἀπῆλθαν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ ἔπεσαν χαμαί". καὶ δεύτερον πάλιν· "τίνα ζητεῖτε"; καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἔπεσαν εἰς τὸ χαμαὶ πάλιν. τὴν τρίτην λέγει· "ἐγώ εἰμι", ἐμὲ οὖν κρατήσατε, "ἄφετε τούτους ὑπάγειν"· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἠδύνατο συνλημφθῆναι μετ' αὐτοῦ. πολλάκις ἐλέχθη τοῦτο, ὅτι ἕνεκα τοῦ μὴ ὑπόλημψιν παρασχεῖν τοῖς ἀβεβαίοις, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτὸς ἠρίστευσεν, ἀλλ' ὁ σὺν αὐτῷ παθών, οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν τοῦτον. καὶ τοῦ Πέτρου οὖν λέγοντος ὅτι· "ἕτοιμός εἰμι μετὰ σοῦ καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν" καὶ θεῖναι "ψυχήν μου ὑπὲρ σοῦ", λέγει· πέπαυσο, "πρὶν ἀλέκτορα φωνῆσαι τρίς με ἀπαρνήσῃ".