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we impress the art upon our mind, taking certain rules through the sense of sight; so here too, if we wish to run, and to learn to run well, we look to Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus. What is this? That is, He put the faith in us, He gave the beginning. As Christ also said to his disciples: You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you. And Paul says: Then shall I know, even as also I am known. If then He has placed the beginning in us, He will also add the end. Who for the joy, it says, that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame. That 63.194 is, it was in His power to suffer nothing, if He had wished. For He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; as He Himself also says in the Gospels: The prince of this world comes, and has nothing in Me. It was therefore set before Him, if He wished, not to come to the cross; For I have power, He says, to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. If then He who was under no necessity of being crucified, was crucified for our sakes; how much more is it right for us to endure all things nobly? Who for the joy, it says, that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame. And what is, Despising the shame? The shameful death, it says, He chose. For granted, He was dying; why also shamefully? For no other reason, but to teach us to esteem as nothing the glory that is from men. For this reason, though not subject to sin He chose it, teaching us to make bold against it, and to count it as nothing. Why did it not say 'grief,' but 'shame'? Because He did not bear these things with grief. What then is the end? Hear, for it continues: He is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Do you see the prize? Which Paul also writing says: Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow. He means, according to the flesh. Most of all, then, even if there were no prize, the example would be sufficient to persuade one to choose all things; but now prizes are also set before us, not ordinary ones, but great and ineffable ones. So that when we suffer any such thing, let us think of Christ before the apostles. Why? Because His whole life was full of insults; for He was always hearing that He was mad, and a deceiver, and a sorcerer; and sometimes the Jews said: This man is not of God; and at another: No, it says, but he deceives the people; and again: That deceiver said, while he was yet alive; After three days I will rise again. And they slandered Him for sorcery, saying: He casts out devils through Beelzebub; and that He is mad, and has a devil; Did we not say well, it says, that He has a devil, and is mad? And He heard these things from them, while doing good, working wonders, showing forth the works of God. For if He had heard these things while doing nothing, it would not have been so wonderful; but if while teaching the things pertaining to truth, He heard that He was a deceiver, and while casting out devils, was said to have a devil, and while overthrowing all contrary things, was called a sorcerer; what an excess of wonder does it not contain? For they constantly accused Him of these things. 3. But if you also wish to learn the taunts and the ironies which they used against Him, which especially bite our souls, hear first those concerning his family: Is not this, it says, the carpenter’s son, whose father and mother we know? are not all his brethren with us? and taunting Him about His country, they said He was from Nazareth. And again: Search, 63.195 it says, and see, for out of Galilee has no prophet arisen; and being slandered with so many things, He bore it. And again they said: Does not the Scripture say, that Christ comes from Bethlehem, the town? Do you want to see also the ironies they used at the cross itself? They bowed down to Him, mocking, and they struck Him and buffeted Him, and said: Tell us who it is that struck you? and they offered Him vinegar, and said: If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. And moreover the servant of the high priest gave Him a blow, and said: If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if

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ἐντυποῦμεν τῇ διανοίᾳ τὴν τέχνην, διὰ τῆς ὀπτικῆς κανόνας τινὰς λαμβάνοντες· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, εἰ βουλοίμεθα τρέχειν, καὶ μαθεῖν καλῶς τρέχειν, πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ὁρῶμεν, τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς πίστεως καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Τουτέστιν, αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν ἐνέθηκεν, αὐτὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν δέδωκεν. Ὃ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ὁ Χριστὸς εἶπεν· Οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δέ φησι· Τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι, καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην. Εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡμῖν ἐνέθηκεν, αὐτὸς καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐπιθήσει. Ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ, φησὶ, χαρᾶς, ὑπέμεινε σταυρὸν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας. Τουτ 63.194 έστιν, ἐξῆν αὐτῷ μηδὲν παθεῖν, εἴπερ ἐβούλετο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ δόλος εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ· καθὼς καὶ αὐτός φησιν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις· Ἔρχεται ὁ τοῦ κόσμου ἄρχων, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐδέν. Προὔκειτο τοίνυν αὐτῷ, εἴπερ ἐβούλετο, μὴ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὸν σταυρόν· Ἐξουσίαν γὰρ ἔχω, φησὶ, θεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ μηδεμίαν ἔχων ἀνάγκην τοῦ σταυρωθῆναι, ἐσταυρώθη ἡμῶν ἕνεκεν· πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς δίκαιον πάντα γενναίως ὑπομένειν; Ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς, φησὶν, ὑπέμεινε σταυρὸν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας; Τὸν ἐπονείδιστον, φησὶν, εἵλετο θάνατον. Ἔστω γὰρ, ἀπέθνησκε· τί καὶ ἐπονειδίστως; ∆ι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς διδάσκων μηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν παρ' ἀνθρώπων δόξαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, οὐχ ὑποκείμενος ἁμαρτίᾳ εἵλετο αὐτὴν, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς κατατολμᾷν αὐτῆς, καὶ μηδὲν αὐτὴν τίθεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ εἶπε Λύπην, ἀλλὰ Αἰσχύνην; Ὅτι οὐ μετὰ λύπης ταῦτα ἔφερε. Τί οὖν τὸ τέλος; ἄκουε, ἐπάγει γάρ· Ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ κεκάθικεν. Ὁρᾷς τὸ ἔπαθλον; Ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος γράφων φησί· ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσε, καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ. Τὸ κατὰ σάρκα φησί. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἦν ἔπαθλον, ἱκανὸν τὸ ὑπόδειγμα πεῖσαι πάντα ἑλέσθαι· νυνὶ δὲ καὶ ἔπαθλα ἡμῖν πρόκειται, οὐ τὰ τυχόντα, ἀλλὰ μεγάλα καὶ ἀπόῤῥητα. Ὥστε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπειδάν τι πάθωμεν τοιοῦτον, πρὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐννοῶμεν τὸν Χριστόν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ὅλος ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ὕβρεων ἔγεμε· καὶ γὰρ μαινόμενος ἤκουεν ἀεὶ, καὶ πλάνος, καὶ γόης· καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἔλεγον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· Οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ποτὲ δέ· Οὐχὶ, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ πλανᾷ τὸν ὄχλον· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλάνος εἶπεν ἔτι ζῶν· Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι. Καὶ εἰς γοητείαν δὲ αὐτὸν διέβαλλον λέγοντες· Ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια· καὶ ὅτι μαίνεται, καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχει· Οὐ καλῶς ἐλέγομεν, φησὶν, ὅτι δαιμόνιον ἔχει, καὶ μαίνεται; Καὶ ταῦτα ἤκουε παρ' αὐτῶν, εὐεργετῶν, θαυματουργῶν, Θεοῦ ἔργα ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μηδὲν ποιῶν ταῦτα ἤκουεν, οὐκ ἦν οὕτω θαυμαστόν· εἰ δὲ διδάσκων τὰ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν, πλάνος ἤκουε, καὶ δαίμονας ἐκβάλλων, δαίμονα ἔχειν ἐλέγετο, καὶ πάντα ἀνατρέπων τὰ ἐναντία, γόης ἐλέγετο· ποίαν ὑπερβολὴν θαύματος οὐκ ἔχει; Ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτοῦ συνεχῶς κατηγόρουν. γʹ. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ τὰ σκώμματα καὶ τὰς εἰρωνείας μαθεῖν, ἃς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐποιοῦντο, ὃ μάλιστα δάκνει τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχὰς, ἄκουε πρῶτον τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ γένους· Οὐχ οὗτος, φησὶν, ἐστὶν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱὸς, οὗ ἡμεῖς ἴσμεν τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα; οὐχ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ πάντες παρ' ἡμῖν εἰσι; καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πατρίδος αὐτὸν σκώπτοντες, ἔλεγον ἐκ Ναζαρὲτ αὐτὸν εἶναι. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐρώτησον, 63.195 φησὶ, καὶ ἴδε, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης οὐκ ἐγήγερται· καὶ ἔφερε τοσαῦτα συκοφαντούμενος. Καὶ πάλιν ἔλεγον· Οὐχὶ ἡ Γραφή φησιν, ὅτι ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ τῆς κώμης ἔρχεται ὁ Χριστός; Βούλει καὶ τὰς εἰρωνείας ἰδεῖν ἃς ἐποιοῦντο παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν σταυρόν; Προσεκύνουν αὐτῷ ἐμπαίζοντες, καὶ ἔπαιον αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκολάφιζον, καὶ ἔλεγον· Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν τίς ἐστιν ὁ παίσας σε; καὶ ὄξος προσῆγον, καὶ ἔλεγον· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατάβηθι ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ῥάπισμα ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ, καί φησιν· Εἰ μὲν κακῶς ἐλάλησα, μαρτύρησον περὶ τοῦ κακοῦ· εἰ δὲ