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slandering this paralytic, they say that he became an accuser of Christ, and for this reason heard these things. What then shall we say about that man in Matthew who heard almost the same things? For to him also He said, "Your sins are forgiven you." From which it is clear that this man did not hear these things for this reason either. And this can be learned more clearly from what follows. For after these things, it says, Jesus finds him in the temple; which is a sign of the greatest reverence. For he did not go off to the marketplaces and walkways, nor give himself to luxury and ease; but he spent his time in the temple; and this, though he was about to endure such an attack, and to be driven from there by all; but none of these things persuaded him 59.213 to depart from the temple. Therefore, when Christ found him even after having spoken with the Jews, He hinted at nothing of the sort. But if He had wished to accuse him of this, He would have said to him, "Are you attempting the same things again, and have you not become better through the cure?" But He said none of these things, but only secures him for the future. 2. Why then, when He healed the lame and the maimed, did He nowhere mention these things? It seems to me that for these men, the sicknesses came from sins, but for the others, from a physical infirmity. But if not this, He also spoke to the others through these things and through what was said to these men. For since this sickness was more severe than all the others, through the greater the lesser are also corrected. For just as when He healed another, He commanded to give glory to God, exhorting not that man alone to these things, but also all men through him; so also through these men He exhorts and advises all the rest about these things which He also said to them. And besides this, it can also be said that He saw in his soul great endurance, and He exhorts him as one able to receive the command, holding him to his health both by the good deed and by the fear of future evils. And see the lack of boasting. For He did not say, "Behold, I have made you well," but, "You have become well; sin no more." And again He did not say, "Lest I punish you," but, "Lest something worse happen to you," stating both impersonally, and showing that the health was a matter of grace rather than of worth. For He did not indicate that by paying the penalty he was released from judgment, but that he was saved by loving-kindness. Since if this were not so, He would have said, "Behold, you have paid a sufficient penalty for your sins; be secure from now on." But now He did not speak thus, but how? "Behold, you have become well; sin no more." Let us continually say these things to ourselves also, and if we are released after being punished, let each one say this to himself: "Behold, you have become well; sin no more." But if we do not pay the penalty, persisting in the same things, let us repeat that apostolic saying, that "the goodness of God leads us to repentance; but according to our hardness and impenitent heart, we treasure up for ourselves wrath." Not only by strengthening his body, but also in another way He gave him a great sign of His own divinity. For by saying, "Sin no more," He showed that He knew all the transgressions that had been committed by him before; wherefore He would also be trustworthy concerning the future. So the man went and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. And see him again remaining in the same gratitude. For he did not say that He was the one who said, "Take up your pallet." For since they always brought forward this apparent accusation, he always puts forward the defense, again making the physician known, and hastening to draw in and win over the others. For he was not so senseless as to betray his benefactor after such a good deed and exhortation, and to say this with malicious intent. For even if he were a wild beast, even if he were some inhuman and stony person, both the good deed and the fear were sufficient to restrain him. For having the threat ringing in his ears, he would have feared lest he suffer something worse, having received the greatest proofs of the physician's power; besides, if he had wished to slander Him, he would have kept silent about the healing, and spoken of and accused Him of the transgression. But this is not so, it is not; but the words are of great boldness and

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τὸν παράλυτον τοῦτον διαβάλλοντές φασιν αὐτὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενέσθαι κατήγορον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα ἀκηκοέναι. Τί οὖν περὶ ἐκείνου τοῦ παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ τὰ αὐτὰ σχεδὸν ἀκούσαντος ἐροῦμεν; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκείνῳ εἶπεν· Ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι οὐδὲ οὗτος ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταῦτα ἤκουε. Καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐπαγομένων σαφέστερον ἔστι μαθεῖν. Μετὰ ταῦτα γὰρ, φησὶν, εὑρίσκει αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ὅπερ μεγίστης εὐλαβείας σημεῖόν ἐστιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐχώρησεν εἰς ἀγορὰς καὶ περιπάτους, οὐδὲ τρυφῇ καὶ ἀνέσει ἔδωκεν ἑαυτόν· ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ διῆγε· καίτοι γε τοσαύτην μέλλων ὑπομένειν ἔφοδον, καὶ παρὰ πάντων ἐλαύνεσθαι ἐκεῖθεν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἔπεισεν αὐ 59.213 τὸν ἀποστῆναι τοῦ ἱεροῦ. Εὑρὼν τοίνυν αὐτὸν ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ μετὰ τὸ διαλεχθῆναι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ᾐνίξατο. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖν ἤθελεν, εἶπεν ἂν πρὸς αὐτόν· Πάλιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρεῖς, καὶ οὔτε τῇ θεραπείᾳ γέγονας βελτίων; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον αὐτὸν ἀσφαλίζεται μόνον. βʹ. Τί δήποτε οὖν καὶ χωλοὺς καὶ κυλλοὺς θεραπεύσας, οὐδαμοῦ τούτων ἐμνημόνευσεν; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τούτοις μὲν ἐξ ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ νοσήματα γενέσθαι, τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις ἐξ ἀσθενείας φυσικῆς. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις διὰ τούτων καὶ τῶν πρὸς τούτοις εἰρημένων διελέχθη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων τὸ νόσημα τοῦτο χαλεπώτερον, διὰ τοῦ μείζονος καὶ τὰ ἐλάττονα διορθοῦται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ θεραπεύσας τινὰ ἕτερον, παρήγγειλε δοῦναι δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, οὐκ ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ ταῦτα παραινῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἐκείνου πᾶσιν· οὕτω καὶ τούτοις διὰ τούτων πᾶσι καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς παραινεῖ καὶ συμβουλεύει ταῦτα, ἃ καὶ πρὸς τούτους εἴρηκε. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, κἀκεῖνο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι πολλὴν ἐνεῖδεν αὐτοῦ τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν καρτερίαν, καὶ ὡς δυναμένῳ τὸ παράγγελμα δέξασθαι παραινεῖ, τῇ τε εὐεργεσίᾳ καὶ τῷ φόβῳ τῶν μελλόντων κακῶν κατέχων αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ὑγιείας. Καὶ ὅρα τὸ ἀκόμπαστον. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἴδε ὑγιῆ σε ἐποίησα, ἀλλ', Ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε. Καὶ πάλιν οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἵνα μή σε κολάσω, ἀλλ', Ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γένηται, ἀπροσώπως ἀμφότερα τιθεὶς, καὶ δεικνὺς χάριτος μᾶλλον οὖσαν τὴν ὑγίειαν, ἢ τῆς ἀξίας. Οὐ γὰρ ἐνέφηνεν ὅτι τὴν ἀξίαν δοὺς ἀπηλλάγη δίκης, ἀλλ' ὅτι φιλανθρωπίᾳ ἐσώζετο. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, εἶπεν ἄν· Ἰδοὺ δέδωκας τῶν ἡμαρτημένων δίκην ἱκανήν· ἀσφαλίζου λοιπόν. Νῦν δὲ οὐχ οὕτως εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ πῶς; Ἴδε ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε. Ταῦτα καὶ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς συνεχῶς ἐπιλέγωμεν, κἂν μὲν κολασθέντες ἀπαλλαγῶμεν, τοῦτο ἕκαστος πρὸς ἑαυτὸν λεγέτω· Ἴδε ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε. Ἂν δὲ μὴ δῶμεν δίκην, τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμένοντες, ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐπᾴδωμεν, ὅτι Τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἡμᾶς ἄγει· κατὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητα καὶ ἀμετανόητον ἡμῶν καρδίαν θησαυρίζομεν ἑαυτοῖς ὀργήν. Οὐ τῷ σφίγξαι δὲ τὸ σῶμα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν μέγα αὐτῷ παρέσχετο τῆς οἰκείας θεότητος σημεῖον. Τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἐδήλωσεν εἰδότα πάντα τὰ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῷ γεγενημένα πλημμελήματα· ὅθεν καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἔμελλεν ἀξιόπιστος εἶναι. Ἀπῆλθεν οὖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀπήγγειλε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὸν ὑγιῆ. Καὶ ὅρα αὐτὸν πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένοντα εὐγνωμοσύνης. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ εἰπὼν, Ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τὸ δοκοῦν ἔγκλημα τοῦτο ἀεὶ προέφερον, αὐτὸς τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἀεὶ προβάλλεται, πάλιν τὸν ἰατρὸν δῆλον ποιῶν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐφελκύσασθαι σπεύδων καὶ οἰκειώσασθαι. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἀναίσθητος ἦν, ὡς μετὰ τοσαύτην εὐεργεσίαν καὶ παραίνεσιν προδοῦναι τὸν εὐεργέτην, καὶ κακούργῳ διανοίᾳ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ θηρίον ἦν, εἰ γὰρ ἀπάνθρωπός τις καὶ λίθινος, ἱκανὴ καὶ ἡ εὐεργεσία καὶ ὁ φόβος αὐτὸν ἦν κατασχεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ ἔναυλον ἔχων τὴν ἀπειλὴν, ἔδεισεν ἂν μὴ χεῖρόν τι πάθῃ, μέγιστα λαβὼν τῆς τοῦ ἰατροῦ δυνάμεως δείγματα· ἄλλως τε εἰ διαβάλλειν ἐβούλετο, τὴν ὑγίειαν σιγήσας, τὴν παράβασιν εἶπεν ἂν καὶ κατηγόρησεν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔστι· ἀλλὰ πολλῆς παῤῥησίας τὰ ῥήματα καὶ