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of a long illness? did you see all inflammation subdued? For he did not utter anything blasphemous, as we hear many do in their misfortunes; he did not curse his day, he was not annoyed at the question, nor did he say: Have you come to mock and ridicule us, that you ask if I want to be made well? but gently and with much meekness, "Yes, Lord." And yet he did not even know who it was that was asking, nor that he was about to heal him; but nevertheless with meekness he relates everything, and demands nothing more, as though speaking to a physician, and wishing only to report his suffering. For perhaps he expected Christ to be useful to him for this, for putting him into the water, and he wishes to draw him in by these words. What then did Christ do? Showing that He can do all things by a word, "Arise," He says, "take up your pallet, and walk." Some then think that this is the one mentioned in Matthew. But it is not; 59.208 and this is clear from many points. And first, from the lack of helpers. For that one had many to care for him and carry him, but this one had no one; for which reason he said, "I have no man." Then also from the reply. For that one says nothing; but this one relates everything about himself. And thirdly, from the season and the time. For this one was on a feast day and on a Sabbath, but that one on another day. And the place of each is different. For the one is healed in a house, the other by the pool. And the manner of the healing is different. For there He says, "Son, your sins are forgiven you"; but here He first strengthens the body, and then cares for the soul. And there is forgiveness; "For your sins are forgiven you," He says; but here is exhortation and a threat securing him for the future. "For sin no more," He says, "lest something worse happen." And the accusations of the Jews are different. For here they bring forward the work on the Sabbath, but there they accuse Him of blasphemy. But consider for me the excellence of the wisdom of God. For He did not raise him up immediately, but first makes him familiar through the question, preparing the way for future faith; and He not only raises him up, but also commands him to take up his little bed, so as to confirm the miracle that was happening, and that no one might think what had happened was a phantasm or a pretense. For if his limbs had not been firmly and strongly knit together, he would not have been able to carry the bed. And Christ often does these things, silencing with superabundance those who wish to be shameless. For also in the case of the loaves, so that no one might say that they were simply satisfied, and what had happened was a phantasm, He arranges for many remnants of the loaves to be left; and to the cleansed leper He says, "Go, show yourself to the priest"; at once providing the most exact proof of the cleansing, and shutting the shameless mouths of those who say He legislates contrary to God. And in the case of the wine He did this likewise. For He did not simply show the wine, but also arranged for it to be brought to the master of the feast, so that the one who knew nothing of what had happened, by acknowledging it, might provide an unsuspected testimony for Him. For this very reason the evangelist also said that the master of the feast did not know where it was from, showing the incorruptible nature of the testimony. And elsewhere having raised a dead person, He says, "Give him something to eat," providing this as a sign of the true resurrection; and through all these things persuading the foolish that He was not some deceiver, nor a producer of phantasms, but had come for the salvation of the common nature of men. 59.209 2. Why then does He not demand faith from him, as He did in the case of the blind men, saying, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Because he did not yet know clearly who He was. For He appears to do this not before the miracles, but after the miracles. For those who had seen His power in other cases, reasonably heard this; but those who had not yet learned of Him, but were about to know Him from the signs, are required to have faith after the miracles. Therefore Matthew also does not introduce this at the beginning of the signs, the

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μακρᾶς ἀῤῥωστίας; εἶδες πᾶσαν φλεγμονὴν κατεσταλμένην; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐφθέγξατό τι βλάσφημον, οἷα τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀκούομεν ἐν ταῖς περιστάσεσιν· οὐ κατηράσατο αὐτοῦ τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐκ ἐδυσχέρανε πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν, οὐδὲ εἶπε· ∆ιασῦραι ἡμᾶς παραγέγονας καὶ κωμῳδῆσαι, ὅτι ἐρωτᾷς, εἰ θέλω ὑγιὴς γενέσθαι· ἀλλὰ πράως καὶ μετ' ἐπιεικείας πολλῆς, Ναὶ, Κύριε. Καίτοι γε οὐδὲ ᾔδει τίς ποτε ἦν ὁ ἐρωτῶν, οὐδὲ ὅτι θεραπεύσειν αὐτὸν ἔμελλεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ ἐπιεικείας ἅπαντα διηγεῖται, καὶ πλέον οὐδὲν ἀπαιτεῖ, ὡς πρὸς ἰατρὸν φθεγγόμενος, καὶ τὸ πάθος ἀπαγγεῖλαι μόνον βουλόμενος. Προσεδόκησε γὰρ ἴσως εἰς τοῦτο χρησιμεύσειν αὐτῷ τὸν Χριστὸν, εἰς τὸ ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτὸν ἐπισπάσασθαι τῶν ῥημάτων βούλεται. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; ∆εικνὺς ὅτι λόγῳ πάντα δύναται ποιεῖν, Ἔγειραι, φησὶν, ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου, καὶ περιπάτει. Τινὲς μὲν οὖν οἴονται τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν ἐν τῷ Ματθαίῳ κείμενον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι· 59.208 καὶ τοῦτο πολλαχόθεν δῆλόν ἐστι. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρημίας τῶν προϊσταμένων. Ἐκεῖνος μέντοι πολλοὺς εἶχε τοὺς ἐπιμελουμένους καὶ φέροντας, οὗτος δὲ οὐδένα· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν, Ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἔχω. Ἔπειτα καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν φθέγγεται· οὗτος δὲ πάντα διηγεῖται τὰ καθ' ἑαυτόν. Καὶ τρίτον ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τοῦ χρόνου. Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἑορτῇ καὶ ἐν Σαββάτῳ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ. Καὶ ὁ τόπος δὲ ἑκατέρων διάφορος. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐν οἰκίᾳ θεραπεύεται, ὁ δὲ παρὰ τὴν κολυμβήθραν. Καὶ ὁ τρόπος δὲ τῆς θεραπείας ἐνηλλαγμένος. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γάρ φησι, Τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ σῶμα συσφίγγει πρότερον, καὶ τότε τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμελεῖται. Κἀκεῖ μὲν ἄφεσις· Ἀφέωνται γάρ σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, φησίν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ παραίνεσις καὶ ἀπειλὴ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον αὐτὸν ἀσφαλιζομένη. Μηκέτι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τι γένηται. Καὶ τὰ ἐγκλήματα δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων διάφορα. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Σαββάτου τὴν ἐργασίαν προφέρουσιν, ἐκεῖ δὲ βλασφημίαν ἐγκαλοῦσιν αὐτῷ. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Οὐ γὰρ εὐθέως αὐτὸν ἀνέστησεν, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον αὐτὸν οἰκειοῦται διὰ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως, τῇ μελλούσῃ προοδοποιῶν πίστει· καὶ οὐκ ἀνίστησι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ κλινίδιον ἆραι κελεύει, ὥστε καὶ τὸ γινόμενον πιστώσασθαι θαῦμα, καὶ μηδένα νομίσαι φαντασίαν εἶναι τὸ γεγενημένον ἢ ὑπόκρισιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ βεβαίως καὶ σφόδρα συνεπάγη τὰ μέλη, τὴν κλίνην φέρειν ἠδύνατο. Ποιεῖ δὲ ταῦτα πολλάκις ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐκ περιουσίας τοὺς ἀναισχυντεῖν βουλομένους ἐπιστομίζων. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄρτων, ἵνα μηδεὶς εἴπῃ, ὅτι ἁπλῶς ἐκορέσθησαν, καὶ φαντασία ἦν τὸ γεγενημένον, παρασκευάζει λείψανα γενέσθαι τῶν ἄρτων πολλά· καὶ τῷ καθαρθέντι δὲ λεπρῷ λέγει Ὕπαγε, δεῖξον σεαυτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ· ὁμοῦ τε τοῦ καθαρμοῦ παρεχόμενος τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἀκριβεστάτην, καὶ τῶν ἀντινομοθετεῖν αὐτὸν λεγόντων τῷ Θεῷ τὰ ἀναίσχυντα ἐμφράττων στόματα. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ οἴνου δὲ τοῦτο ὁμοίως ἐποίησεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ἔδειξε τὸν οἶνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἀρχιτρικλίνῳ ἐνεχθῆναι παρεσκεύασεν, ὥστε τὸν οὐδὲν τῶν γεγενημένων εἰδότα ὁμολογοῦντα, ἀνύποπτον αὐτῷ παρασχεῖν τὴν μαρτυρίαν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς εἶπεν, ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδει ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος, πόθεν ἦν, τὸ ἀδέκαστον τῆς μαρτυρίας ἐμφαίνων. Καὶ νεκρὸν ἀναστήσας ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· ∆ότε αὐτῷ φαγεῖν, τῆς ἀκριβοῦς ἀναστάσεως τοῦτο παρεχόμενος σημεῖον· καὶ διὰ τούτων πάντων πείθων τοὺς ἀνοήτους, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπατεών τις ἦν, οὐδὲ φαντασιοκόπος, ἀλλὰ διὰ σωτηρίαν παρεγένετο τῆς κοινῆς φύσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων. 59.209 βʹ. Τί δήποτε δὲ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖ πίστιν, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν τυφλῶν ἐποίησε, λέγων· Πιστεύετε ὅτι δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; Ὅτι οὐδέπω αὐτὸν ᾔδει σαφῶς ὅστις ἦν. Οὐ γὰρ πρὸ τῶν θαυμάτων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὰ θαύματα τοῦτο φαίνεται ποιῶν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἑτέροις ἑωρακότες αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, εἰκότως τοῦτο ἤκουον· οἱ δὲ οὐδέπω μεμαθηκότες αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων μέλλοντες εἴσεσθαι, μετὰ τὰ θαύματα ἀπαιτοῦνται τὴν πίστιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν σημείων ὁ Ματθαῖος εἰσάγει τοῦτο τὸν