131
he preaches him. For when that one said to someone (as I learn): “Do not call me good, for there is one who is good,” by saying “good,” he no longer means that just one, whom the scriptures proclaim, who kills and makes alive—kills the sinners, but makes alive those who live according to his will. But that he was not in fact calling the creator good, is clear to the one who is able to understand. For since the creator was known both to the created Adam and to Enoch who pleased him and to Noah who was seen as righteous by him, likewise also to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, but also to Moses and the people and the whole world, his teacher, the Jesus of Peter, came and said: “No one has known the Father except the Son, just as no one knows the Son except the Father and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” If, therefore, he who was present was himself the Son, from his coming he was revealing to whomever he wished the one who was unknown to all. And thus the Father was unknown to all those before him, not being this one who was known to all. And in saying this, Jesus does not even agree with himself. For at other times, with other words, he presents the fearful and just God from the scriptures, saying: “Do not fear the one who kills the body, but is not able to do anything to the soul; but fear the one who is able to cast both body and soul into the Gehenna of fire. Yes, I say to you, fear this one.” And that he truly said to fear this one as a just God, to whom he also says the wronged should cry out, having spoken a parable to this effect, he adds the interpretation, saying: “If, then, the judge of unrighteousness acted thus because he was constantly being asked, how much more will the Father execute the vengeance of those who cry out to him day and night? Or because he is long-suffering with them, do you think that he will not do it? Yes, I say to you, he will do it, and quickly.” But he who speaks of God as avenging and defending presents him as just by nature and not good. And further, he also praises the Lord of heaven and earth. But if he is Lord of heaven and earth, he is confessed to be the creator, and being the creator, he is just. At one time calling him good, at another just, he is not even so consistent. And third, his wise disciple yesterday was strongly asserting that a waking reality is superior to an apparition, not knowing that a waking reality can be human, while an apparition is acknowledged to be of the divinity. These things and things like them, Peter, Simon, standing outside and discoursing to the crowds, seems to me to be disturbing most of them. Therefore, go out at once, by the power of truth refuting his false words. When Zacchaeus had said these things, Peter, having prayed as was his custom, went out and standing in the place of the day before and having greeted the crowds with the pious custom, began to speak as follows: Our Lord Jesus, being a true prophet (as I will fully inform you about this at the proper time) made his pronouncements briefly on matters at variance with the truth for these two reasons: because he directed his word to pious people who knew to believe the things brought forth by him by way of decree (for the things spoken were not foreign to their custom), and second, because having a fixed time to preach he did not make use of argumentative proof, so that he might not spend all the time of his appointed term on speeches, and
131
αὐτῷ κηρύσσει. ἐκείνου γὰρ εἰπόντος τινί (ὡς μανθάνω)· «Μή με λέγε ἀγαθόν, ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς εἷς ἐστιν», ἀγαθὸν δὲ εἰπὼν οὐκέτι ἐκεῖνον λέγει τὸν δίκαιον, ὃν αἱ γραφαὶ κηρύσσουσιν, ὃς ἀποκτέννει καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, ἀποκτέννει μὲν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ζωοποιεῖ δὲ τοὺς κατὰ γνώμην αὐτοῦ βιοῦντας. ὅτι δὲ ὄντως οὐ τὸν δημιουργὸν ἔλεγεν ἀγαθόν, τῷ διανοη- θῆναι δυναμένῳ σαφές ἐστιν. τοῦ γὰρ δημιουργοῦ ἐγνωσμένου καὶ τῷ πλασθέντι Ἀδὰμ καὶ τῷ εὐαρεστήσαντι αὐτῷ Ἐνὼχ καὶ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δικαίῳ ὁραθέντι Νῶε, ὁμοίως καὶ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Μωϋσῇ καὶ λαῷ καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ, ὁ διδάσκαλος αὐτοῦ Πέ- τρου Ἰησοῦς ἐλθὼν ἔλεγεν· «Oὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός, ὡς οὐδὲ τὸν υἱόν τις οἶδεν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ οἷς ἂν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀπο- καλύψαι». εἰ οὖν αὐτὸς υἱὸς ἦν ὁ παρών, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας οἷς ἐβούλετο τὸν πᾶσιν ἄγνωστον ἀπεκάλυπτεν. καὶ οὕτως τοῖς πρὸ αὐτοῦ πᾶσιν ἄγνωστος ἦν ὁ πατήρ, οὐχ οὗτος ὢν ὁ πᾶσιν ἐγνωσμένος. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν Ἰησοῦς οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ συμφωνεῖ. ἐνίοτε γὰρ ἄλλαις φωναῖς τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν φοβερὸν καὶ δίκαιον συνίστησι θεὸν λέγων· «Μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀποκτέννοντος τὸ σῶμα, τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ μὴ δυνα- μένου τι ποιῆσαι· φοβήθητε δὲ τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς βαλεῖν. ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, τοῦτον φοβήθητε». ὅτι δὲ ὄντως τοῦτον φοβηθῆναι ἔλεγεν ὡς δίκαιον θεόν, πρὸς ὃν καὶ ἀδικουμένους βοᾶν λέγει, παραβολὴν εἰς τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐπάγει τὴν ἑρμηνείαν λέγων· «Eἰ οὖν ὁ κριτὴς τῆς ἀδικίας ἐποίησεν οὕτως διὰ τὸ ἑκάστοτε ἀξιωθῆναι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός; ἢ διὰ τὸ μακροθυμεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς δοκεῖτε ὅτι οὐ ποιήσει; ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, ποιήσει, καὶ ἐν τάχει». ὁ δὲ ἐκδικοῦντα καὶ ἀμυνόμενον λέγων θεὸν δίκαιον αὐτὸν τῇ φύσει συνίστησιν καὶ οὐκ ἀγαθόν. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ κυ- ρίῳ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς. εἰ δὲ κύριός ἐστιν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ὁμολογεῖται δημιουργός, δημιουργὸς δὲ ὢν δίκαιός ἐστιν. ποτὲ μὲν ἀγαθὸν λέγων, ποτὲ δὲ δίκαιον, οὐδὲ οὕτως συμφωνεῖ. τρίτον δὲ ὁ σοφὸς αὐτοῦ μα- θητὴς ἐχθὲς διισχυρίζετο ἐνάργειαν ὀπτασίας ἱκανωτέραν εἶναι, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἡ ἐνάργεια ἀνθρωπεία εἶναι δύναται, ἡ δὲ ὀπτασία θεότητος εἶναι ὁμολογεῖται. ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια, Πέτρε, ὁ Σίμων τοῖς ὄχλοις ἔξω ἑστὼς καὶ διαλεγόμενος, ταράσσειν μοι δοκεῖ τοὺς πλείονας. διὸ ἐξαυτῆς ἔξιθι, ἀληθείας δυνάμει τοὺς αὐτοῦ ψευδεῖς ἐκλύων λόγους. Ταῦτα τοῦ Ζακχαίου εἰπόντος ὁ Πέτρος συνήθως εὐξάμενος ἐξῄει καὶ εἰς τὸν πρὸ μιᾶς τόπον στὰς καὶ τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἔθει προσαγορεύ- σας τοὺς ὄχλους τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως· Ἀληθὴς ὢν προφήτης ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς (ὡς ἐπὶ καιροῦ καὶ περὶ τούτου πληροφορήσω) περὶ τῶν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ διαφερόντων συντόμως τὰς ἀποφάσεις ἐποιεῖτο διὰ δύο ταῦτα, ὅτι πρὸς θεοσεβεῖς ἐποιεῖτο τὸν λόγον εἰδότας τὰ ἀποφάσει ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐκ φερόμενα πιστεύειν (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ξένα τῆς αὐτῶν συνηθείας τὰ λεγόμενα), δεύτερον δὲ ὅτι προθεσμίαν ἔχων κηρύξαι τῷ τῆς ἀποδείξεως οὐκ ἐχρῆτο λόγῳ, ἵνα μὴ εἰς λόγους τὸν πάντα τῆς προθεσμίας δαπανᾷ χρόνον, καὶ