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that he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes and the Pharisees. 4. But if you also wish to learn of grace, hear the weight of his commands, and you will see its power. Unless a man renounces all things, and furthermore 55.188 hates even his own soul, he says, he is not worthy of me. But nevertheless the word was able to become a deed; so great was his grace. And yet what is more one's own than the soul? But even this has been despised because of his commandment. But when you hear, "God has blessed you," do not be disheartened, nor think anything lowly. For as I have already said, the discourse is about the flesh, which has lips, about that which receives grace, about that which receives the blessing. For God does not need blessing, nor grace; for the Divine is without need. For just as the Father, he says, raises the dead and gives them life; so also the Son gives life to whom he will. And again: The works that he does, these also the Son does likewise. And again: As the Father knows me, I also know the Father. For "so," and "likewise," and "as," indicate no difference. But here the discourse is about the economy. And we hear him saying again: For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life for the sheep. Did he therefore not love him before this? How then did he say: This is my beloved Son? But wishing to show the greatness of the accomplishment, he has stated this. Therefore, just as there the explanation has a certain reason, so also here the reason is clear. For on this account he said in anticipation: Fair in beauty beyond the sons of men; and, Grace is poured out upon your lips; and, Therefore God has blessed you for ever; drawing the discourse to that of the economy, so that when he is about to say something again that is less than his own dignity, you may not be disheartened, but may see what the discourse is about. Thus also Jacob, signifying the economy after saying many things, said: His eyes are joyful from wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. But the Godhead does not have teeth. And another prophet says: He shall strike the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the ungodly; uttering the same things as Paul says: Whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of his coming. Therefore, so that when you hear these things you may not despise them, he shows you the power of the Godhead. For he neither separates the flesh from the Godhead, nor the Godhead from the flesh, not by confounding the substances, God forbid, but by showing the union. For this reason he says: God has blessed you for ever. And what is the manner of the blessing? Angels, archangels stand by, thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, sending up praise; all the earth from end to end glorifies and hymns and acclaims the incarnate God. For the first Adam was filled with countless curses; but this one, contrary to him, with much blessing. That one heard, Cursed are you in your works; and the one after him again, and, Cursed is he who does the works of the Lord carelessly; and, Cursed is he who does not abide in all the things written in this book; and, Cursed is he who hangs on a tree. Do you see how many curses? From these Christ freed you, by becoming a curse. For just as he humbled 55.189 himself, to exalt you, and died, to make you immortal; so also he became a curse, to fill you with blessings. What is equal to this blessing, when through a curse he bestows a blessing? For he himself did not need a blessing, but he gives it to you. For just as when I say, that he was humbled, I do not speak of a change, but of the condescension of the economy; so also when I say that he was blessed, I do not mean this, that he needed a blessing, but again I show the condescension of the economy. He was blessed

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ὅτι ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων, καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι. δʹ. Εἰ δὲ βούλει μαθεῖν καὶ σὺ τὴν χάριν, ἄκουε τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων αὐτοῦ τὸν ὄγκον, καὶ ὄψει ταύτης τὴν δύναμιν. Ἐὰν μή τις ἀποτάξηται πᾶσιν, ἔτι δὲ 55.188 μισήσῃ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἴσχυσεν ὁ λόγος ἔργον γενέσθαι· τοσαύτη ἦν αὐτοῦ ἡ χάρις. Καίτοι τί ψυχῆς οἰκειότερον; Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὕτη καταπεφρόνηται διὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα τὸ ἐκείνου. Σὺ δὲ ἀκούων, Εὐλόγησέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, μὴ καταπέσῃς, μηδὲ ταπεινόν τι ἐννοήσῃς. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, περὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ὁ λόγος ἐστὶ, τῆς χείλη ἐχούσης, περὶ τῆς δεχομένης τὴν χάριν, περὶ τῆς δεχομένης τὴν εὐλογίαν. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς εὐλογίας οὐ δεῖται, οὐδὲ χάριτος· ἀνενδεὲς γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει, φησὶ, τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ. Καὶ πάλιν· Τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐκεῖνος ποιεῖ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ. Καὶ πάλιν· Καθὼς γινώσκει με ὁ Πατὴρ, κἀγὼ γινώσκω τὸν Πατέρα. Τὸ γὰρ, Οὕτω, καὶ τὸ, Ὁμοίως, καὶ τὸ, Καθὼς, ἀπαραλλαξίας ἐστίν. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας ὁ λόγος. Ἀκούομεν δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ πάλιν λέγοντος· ∆ιὰ τοῦτό με ὁ Πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ, ὅτι ἐγὼ τὴν ψυχήν μου τίθημι ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. Ἆρα οὖν πρὸ τούτου αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠγάπα; Πῶς οὖν ἔλεγεν· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός; Ἀλλὰ θέλων δεῖξαι τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ κατορθώματος, τοῦτο τέθεικεν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖ ἡ αἰτιολογία ἔχει τινὰ αἰτίαν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡ αἰτία δήλη. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο προλαβὼν εἶπεν· Ὡραῖος κάλλει παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· καὶ, Ἐξεχύθη χάρις ἐν χείλεσί σου· καὶ, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐλόγησέ σε ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· εἰς τὸν τῆς οἰκονομίας ἕλκων λόγον, ἵνα ὅταν μέλλῃ τι πάλιν λέγειν τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀξίας καταδεὲς, μὴ καταπέσῃς, ἀλλ' ἴδῃς περὶ τίνος ὁ λόγος. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἰακὼβ τὴν οἰκονομίαν δηλῶν μετὰ τὸ πολλὰ εἰπεῖν ἔλεγε· Χαροποιοὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς οἶνος, καὶ λευκοὶ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ ἢ γάλα. Ὀδόντας δὲ ἡ θεότης οὐκ ἔχει. Καὶ ἄλλος προφήτης φησί· Πατάξει τὴν γῆν λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ πνεύματι χειλέων ἀνελεῖ ἀσεβῆ· τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Παύλῳ φθεγγόμενος λέγοντι· Ὃν ὁ Κύριος ἀναλώσει τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταργήσει τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ἀκούσας σὺ ταῦτα καταφρονήσῃς, δείκνυσί σοι τῆς θεότητος τὴν ἰσχύν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν σάρκα διαιρεῖ τῆς θεότητος, οὔτε τὴν θεότητα τῆς σαρκὸς, οὐχὶ τὰς οὐσίας συγχέων μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν δεικνύς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Εὐλόγησέ σε ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Τίς δὲ τῆς εὐλογίας ὁ τρόπος; Ἄγγελοι, ἀρχάγγελοι παρεστήκασι, θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαὶ, ἐξουσίαι, αἶνον ἀναπέμποντες· πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ περάτων εἰς τὰ πέρατα δοξολογεῖ καὶ ὑμνεῖ καὶ εὐφημεῖ τὸν σαρκωθέντα Θεόν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτος Ἀδὰμ μυρίας ἐνεπλήσθη κατάρας· οὗτος δὲ ἀπεναντίας ἐκείνῳ πολλῆς τῆς εὐλογίας. Ἐκεῖνος ἤκουσεν, Ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου· καὶ ὁ μετ' ἐκεῖνον πάλιν, καὶ, Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ ποιῶν τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου ἀμελῶς· καὶ, Ἐπικατάρατος, ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει πᾶσι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ· καὶ, Ἐπικατάρατος ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου. Ὁρᾷς πόσαι κατάραι; Τούτων ἠλευθέρωσέ σε ὁ Χριστὸς, γενόμενος κατάρα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐταπείνω 55.189 σεν ἑαυτὸν, ἵνα σὲ ὑψώσῃ, καὶ ἀπέθανεν, ἵνα σὲ ἀθάνατον ἐργάσηται· οὕτω καὶ κατάρα ἐγένετο, ἵνα σὲ εὐλογίας ἐμπλήσῃ. Τί τῆς εὐλογίας ταύτης ἴσον, ὅταν διὰ κατάρας εὐλογίαν χαρίζηται; Οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐδεήθη εὐλογίας, ἀλλὰ σοὶ ταύτην δίδωσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν εἴπω, ὅτι ἐταπεινώθη, οὐ μεταβολὴν λέγω, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας τὴν συγκατάβασιν· οὕτω καὶ ὅταν εἴπω ὅτι ηὐλογήθη, οὐ τοῦτο λέγω, ὅτι ἐδεήθη εὐλογίας, ἀλλὰ πάλιν τῆς οἰκονομίας δείκνυμι τὴν συγκατάβασιν. Ηὐλογήθη