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by God, he says. But how, not yet; but when it became necessary, when he also said: You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit one of another nation; so far was he from vainglory. You know. By saying this he also vouches for their judgment. What then of Cornelius? We are present, he says, before God, to hear all things that are commanded you by God. He did not say, "Before man," but, "Of God," showing that thus one ought to pay attention to the servants of God. Have you seen a mind roused? Have you seen how he was worthy of all these things? Then Peter, he says, opened his mouth and said: Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. This he also said in defense to the Jews who were present. For as he was about to handle the word to them, he first offers something like a defense. What then? Before this 60.180 was He a respecter of persons? God forbid; since even before this it was so. Every one that fears Him and works, he says, righteousness, is accepted with Him. This also Paul says in writing: For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things of the law. And he introduces both doctrine and conduct. For if He did not overlook the magi, nor the Ethiopian, nor the thief, nor the harlot; much more will He certainly not overlook those who work righteousness and are willing. What then, that there are reasonable and gentle men, who are not willing to believe? Behold, you have stated the cause, that they are not willing. But otherwise, by "reasonable" here, he means not the meek, but the one who works righteousness; that is, the one who in all things is well-pleasing, who is such when he has the fear of God as is right. But such a one God alone knows. See how this man was accepted; as soon as he heard, he was persuaded. And now. If an angel came, he says, everyone, whoever he was, would have been persuaded. But the signs now are much greater than those, and yet many disbelieve. Then he begins his teaching, and preserves the nobility for the Jews. The Word, he says, which He sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace; He is Lord of all. First he discourses about His lordship, and very loftily, as was possible, since he was also addressing a soul already become lofty and warmly receiving all things entrusted by him; then, constructing how He is Lord of all, he adds and says: Whom He sent preaching the gospel; that is, calling them to good things, not bringing judgment. 3. From this he shows that this one has been sent from God first to the Jews. Then from what He accomplished throughout all of Judea he proves this jointly, and says: You know the word which was published throughout all Judea; and the wonderful thing, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached. First he spoke of His achievement, and then he dares to speak about His homeland: Jesus of Nazareth. Thus he knew that the homeland was a scandal. How God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power. Again, a construction. For lest anyone should say, And from where is this clear? he adds, saying: Who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil. Then, after the good things He did, he also shows His power, that it is great; for when he overcomes the devil, it is something great and mighty. And the reason, For God was with Him, he says. For this reason the Jews also said thus: We know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs, unless God is with him. Then, when he had shown that He was sent from God, then he says that He was slain, lest you imagine anything absurd. Do you see them nowhere hiding the cross, but placing it with the other things and the manner of it? Whom they also slew, he says, hanging Him on a tree. And He granted Him to be made manifest, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before by God, even to us. And yet He Himself chose them, but this too he attributes to God. To those chosen before, he says. See from where he confirms the resurrection: from the eating. But why, having risen, did He perform no sign, but ate and drank? Because the resurrection itself was a great sign in itself; but for proof of this nothing is so much
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ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, λέγει· τὸ δὲ πῶς, οὐκ ἔτι· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἀνάγκη γέγονεν, ὅτε καὶ εἶπεν· Ὑμεῖς ἐπίστασθε ὡς ἀθέμιτόν ἐστιν Ἰουδαίῳ κολλᾶσθαι ἢ προσέρχεσθαι ἀλλοφύλῳ· οὕτως ἦν πόῤῥω κενοδοξίας. Ὑμεῖς ἐπίστασθε. Τοῦτο λέγων καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων κατεγγυᾶται γνώμην. Τί δαὶ Κορνήλιος; Πάρεσμεν, φησὶν, ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀκοῦσαι πάντα τὰ προστεταγμένα σοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ, Τοῦ Θεοῦ, δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὕτω δεῖ προσέχειν τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλοις. Εἴδετε διάνοιαν διεγηγερμένην; εἴδετε πῶς ἄξιος ἦν πάντων τούτων; Ἀνοίξας δὲ, φησὶ, Πέτρος τὸ στόμα εἶπεν· Ἐπ' ἀληθείας καταλαμβάνομαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι προσωπολήπτης ὁ Θεός. Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας Ἰουδαίους ἀπολογούμενος ἔλεγε. Μέλλων γὰρ πρὸς αὐτοὺς μεταχειρίζειν τὸν λόγον, ὥσπερ ἀπολογίαν πρότερον τίθησι. Τί οὖν; πρὸ τούτου 60.180 προσωπολήπτης ἦν; Μὴ γένοιτο· ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὸ τούτου οὕτως ἦν. Πᾶς ὁ φοβούμενος καὶ ἐργαζόμενος, φησὶ, δικαιοσύνην, δεκτὸς αὐτῷ ἐστι. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος γράφων λέγει· Ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα, φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῇ. Καὶ δόγμα εἰσάγει καὶ πολιτείαν. Εἰ γὰρ μάγους οὐ περιεῖδεν, οὐδὲ Αἰθίοπα, οὐδὲ λῃστὴν, οὐδὲ πόρνην· πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἐργαζομένους δικαιοσύνην καὶ βουλομένους πάντως οὐ περιόψεται. Τί οὖν, ὅτι εἰσὶν ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ ἥμεροι ἄνθρωποι, καὶ πιστεῦσαι οὐ βούλονται; Ἰδοὺ σὺ τὴν αἰτίαν εἶπες, ὅτι οὐ βούλονται. Ἄλλως δὲ ἐπιεικῆ ἐνταῦθα, οὐ τὸν πρᾶον λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸν δικαιοσύνην ἐργαζόμενον· τουτέστι, τὸν ἐν πᾶσιν εὐάρεστον, ὃς τότε τοιοῦτός ἐστιν, ὅταν ἔχῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φόβον ὡς χρή. Τὸν δὲ τοιοῦτον ὁ Θεὸς οἶδε μόνος. Ὅρα πῶς ἦν οὗτος δεκτός· ἅμα ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπείσθη. Καὶ νῦν. εἰ ἄγγελος ἦλθε, φησὶν, ἐπείσθη ἂν ἕκαστος, ὅστις ἂν ἦν. Ἀλλὰ πολλῷ τὰ νῦν σημεῖα ἐκείνων ἐστὶ μείζονα, καὶ ὅμως ἀπιστοῦσι πολλοί. Εἶτα ἄρχεται τῆς διδασκαλίας, καὶ τηρεῖ τὴν εὐγένειαν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις. Τὸν Λόγον, φησὶν, ὃν ἀπέστειλε τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ εὐαγγελιζόμενον εἰρήνην· οὗτός ἐστι Κύριος πάντων. Πρῶτον περὶ τῆς κυριότητος αὐτοῦ διαλέγεται, καὶ σφόδρα ὑψηλῶς, ὡς ἐνῆν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρὸς ψυχὴν εἶχεν ὑψηλὴν ἤδη γενομένην καὶ πάντα θερμῶς δεχομένην τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ παρεγγυώμενα· εἶτα κατασκευάζων πῶς Κύριος ἁπάντων, ἐπάγει καὶ λέγει· Ὃν ἀπέστειλεν εὐαγγελιζόμενον· τουτέστιν ἐπ' ἀγαθοῖς καλοῦντα, οὐ κρίσιν ἐπάγοντα. γʹ. Ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὗτος ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Ἰουδαίοις πρῶτον ἀπέσταλται. Εἶτα ἀφ' ὧν κατώρθωσε καθ' ὅλης τῆς Ἰουδαίας τοῦτο συναποδείκνυσι, καὶ λέγει· Ὑμεῖς οἴδατε τὸ γενόμενον ῥῆμα καθ' ὅλης τῆς Ἰουδαίας· καὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ἀρξάμενον ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐκήρυξεν Ἰωάννης. Πρότερον εἶπεν αὐτοῦ τὸ κατόρθωμα, καὶ τότε θαῤῥεῖ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ πατρίδος εἰπεῖν· Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέθ. Οὕτως ᾔδει, ὅτι σκάνδαλον ἡ πατρίς. Ὡς ἔχρισεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ δυνάμει. Πάλιν κατασκευή. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις εἴπῃ, Καὶ πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; ἐπάγει λέγων· Ὃς διῆλθεν εὐεργετῶν καὶ ἰώμενος πάντας τοὺς καταδυναστευομένους ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου. Εἶτα μετὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὧν ἐποίησε, δείκνυσι καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι πολλή· ὅταν γὰρ τοῦ διαβόλου περιγίνηται, πολλή τίς ἐστι καὶ μεγάλη. Καὶ ἡ αἰτία, Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ, φησίν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι οὕτως ἔλεγον· Οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐλήλυθας διδάσκαλος· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα δύναται ποιεῖν, ἂν μὴ ᾖ ὁ Θεὸς μετ' αὐτοῦ. Εἶτα, ὅτε ἔδειξεν, ὅτι ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀπέσταλται, τότε λέγει, ὅτι ἀνῃρέθη, ἵνα μή τι ἄτοπον φαντασθῇς. Ὁρᾷς αὐτοὺς οὐδαμοῦ κρύπτοντας τὸν σταυρὸν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τιθέντας καὶ τὸν τρόπον; Ὃν καὶ ἀνεῖλον, φησὶ, κρεμάσαντες ἐπὶ ξύλου. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὸν ἐμφανῆ γενέσθαι, οὐ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἀλλὰ μάρτυσι τοῖς προκεχειροτονημένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῖν. Καίτοι γε αὐτὸς αὐτοὺς ἐξελέξατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἀνατίθησι τῷ Θεῷ. Τοῖς προκεχειροτονημένοις, φησίν. Ὅρα πόθεν τὴν ἀνάστασιν βεβαιοῦται· ἀπὸ τοῦ φαγεῖν. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μηδὲν ἀναστὰς, ἐποίησε σημεῖον, ἀλλ' ἔφαγε καὶ ἔπιεν; Ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ἀνάστασις καθ' ἑαυτὴν μέγα σημεῖον ἦν· ταύτης δὲ οὐδὲν οὕτως εἰς ἀπόδειξιν