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He says: The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. Then again to what is higher: For whatever He does, these things the Son also does likewise; again to what is more humble: The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does, and He will show Him greater works than these. Do you see how humble it is again? Rightly so. For what I have said before, and will not cease to say, this I will say now also; that whenever He says something lowly and humble, He puts it forth with hyperbole, so that the very plainness of the words may persuade even the ungrateful to receive the thoughts with a pious mind. Since if this is not the case, consider how absurd what is said is, working from the words themselves. For when He says, And He will show Him greater works than these, He will be found not yet to have learned many things; which one cannot even say about the apostles. For having once received the grace of the Spirit, they at once both knew and were able to do all things there 59.218 no. which they needed both to know and to be able to do. But this one will be found not yet to have learned many things which He ought to have known. And what could be more absurd than this? What then is the meaning of what was said? Since He strengthened the paralytic, and is about to raise a dead man, for this reason He spoke thus, all but saying this: Do you marvel that I strengthened a paralytic? you will see greater things than these. But He did not speak in this way, but He related it in a more humble manner, in order to soothe their madness. And that you may learn that the word, He will show, is not used in its primary sense, listen to what follows, which He adds again. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, He says, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. And yet, "He can do nothing of Himself," is contrary to, "whom He will." For if it is "whom He will," He can do it of Himself (for to will implies authority); but if He cannot do it of Himself, it is no longer "whom He will." For the phrase, "Just as the Father raises," shows the identity of power; while, "whom He will," [shows] the equality of authority. Do you see that, "He can do nothing of Himself," is not meant to deny His authority, but to indicate the identity of power and will? So also understand the phrase, "He will show Him." For elsewhere He also says: I will raise him up on the last day. And again, showing that He does not act by receiving power, I am the resurrection, He says, and the life. Then, so that you may not say, that He raises and gives life to the dead whom He will, but does not do other things in this way, He anticipated and shut out all such contradiction by saying: For whatever He does, these things the Son also does likewise; showing that He both does all the things that He does, and does them in the same way as He does them; whether you speak of the resurrection of the dead, or the fashioning of bodies, or the remission of sins, or anything else, He works in a like manner to the One who begot Him. 5. But those who neglect their own salvation pay attention to none of these things; so great an evil is the love of pre-eminence. This gave birth to heresies, this confirmed the impiety of the Greeks. For God willed that His invisible attributes should be understood through the creation of this world; but they, leaving these things aside, and disdaining to come by this teaching, cut another path for themselves; for which reason they also fell away from the true one. For this reason also the Jews did not believe, receiving glory from one another, and not seeking the glory that is from God. But let us, beloved, flee this disease with the utmost zeal and all haste. For even if we have ten thousand right actions, the plague of vainglory is sufficient to destroy them all. If, therefore, we desire praise, let us seek the praise that is with God. For praise from men, of whatever kind it may be, no sooner appears than it perishes; and even if it does not perish, it brings us no profit, and it often comes from a corrupt judgment. For what is wonderful about the glory from men, which young men who dance enjoy, and corrupt women, and the greedy and robbers? But he who is admired by God is not admired with these, but with those holy ones, I mean the prophets, the apostles, those who have displayed an angelic life. But if we long to lead crowds around, and to be looked at, let us examine it in itself, and we will find it to be worth nothing. And in general,

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λέγει· Οὐ δύναται ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖν ὁ Υἱὸς οὐδὲν, ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν Πατέρα ποιοῦντα. Εἶτα πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ ὑψηλότερον· Ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ· πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ ταπεινότερον· Ὁ Πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ, ἃ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ, καὶ μείζονα τούτων δείξει αὐτῷ ἔργα. Εἶδες ὅσον πάλιν τὸ ταπεινόν; Εἰκότως. Ὃ γὰρ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι, τοῦτο καὶ νῦν ἐρῶ· ὅτι ἡνίκα ἂν λέγῃ τι χαμαίζηλον καὶ ταπεινὸν, μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς αὐτὸ τίθησιν, ἵνα καὶ τοὺς ἀγνώμονας ἡ τῶν ῥημάτων εὐτέλεια πείσῃ μετ' εὐσεβοῦς διανοίας δέξασθαι τὰ νοήματα. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἐννόησον πῶς ἄτοπον τὸ εἰρημένον, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ῥημάτων γυμνάζων. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃ, Καὶ μείζονα τούτων δείξει αὐτῷ ἔργα, εὑρεθήσεται πολλὰ μηδέπω μαθών· ὅπερ οὐδὲ περὶ ἀποστόλων ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Τοῦ γὰρ Πνεύματος ἅπαξ λαβόντες τὴν χάριν, ἀθρόον πάντα καὶ ᾔδεσαν καὶ ἐδύναντο ἐκεῖ 59.218 νο. ἅπερ καὶ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς καὶ δύνασθαι ἔδει. Οὗτος δὲ εὑρεθήσεται πολλὰ ὧν εἰδέναι ἐχρῆν, μηδέπω μαθών. Καὶ τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἀτοπώτερον; Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον, Ἐπειδὴ τὸν παράλυτον ἔσφιγξε, μέλλει δὲ καὶ νεκρὸν ἐγείρειν, διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως εἶπε, μονονουχὶ τοῦτο λέγων· Θαυμάζετε ὅτι παράλυτον ἔσφιγξα; μείζονα τούτων ὄψεσθε. Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν οὐκ εἶπε, ταπεινότερον δέ πως διέξεισιν, ἵνα αὐτῶν παραμυθήσηται τὴν μανίαν. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τὸ, ∆είξει, οὐ κυρίως εἴρηται, ἄκουσον τῶν ἑξῆς ὧν ἐπάγει πάλιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, φησὶν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ. Καίτοι τὸ, Οὐδὲν δύναται ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖν, τῷ, Οὓς θέλει, ἐναντίον ἐστίν. Εἰ γὰρ οὓς θέλει, δύναται ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖν (τὸ γὰρ θέλειν, ἐξουσίας)· εἰ δὲ οὐ δύναται ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ ἔτι οὓς θέλει. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ, Ὥσπερ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει, τῆς δυνάμεως δείκνυσι τὴν ἀπαραλλαξίαν· τὸ δὲ, Οὓς θέλει, τῆς ἐξουσίας τὴν ἰσότητα. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τὸ, Οὐ δύναται ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖν, οὐ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἀναιροῦντός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀπαράλλακτον τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τοῦ θελήματος ἐνδεικνυμένου; Οὕτω καὶ τὸ, ∆είξει αὐτῷ, νόησον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἐγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Καὶ πάλιν, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἐνέργειαν δεχόμενος ποιεῖ, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ ζωή. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ λέγῃς, ὅτι νεκροὺς μὲν ἐγείρει οὓς θέλει, καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα οὐχ οὕτω ποιεῖ, προλαβὼν πᾶσαν ἀπέκλεισεν ἀντιλογίαν τοιαύτην, εἰπών· Ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ· δηλῶν ὅτι καὶ πάντα ἃ ἐκεῖνος, καὶ οὕτως ὡς ἐκεῖνος ποιεῖ· κἂν νεκρῶν εἴπῃς ἀνάστασιν, κἂν σωμάτων διάπλασιν, κἂν ἁμαρτημάτων ἄφεσιν, κἂν ἀλλοτιοῦν, ὁμοίως ἐργάζεται τῷ γεγεννηκότι. εʹ. Ἀλλ' οὐδενὶ τούτων προσέχουσιν οἱ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀμελοῦντες σωτηρίας· τοσοῦτον κακὸν τὸ προεδρίας ἐρᾷν. Τοῦτο τὰς αἱρέσεις ἔτεκε, τοῦτο τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐβεβαίωσεν ἀσέβειαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Θεὸς τὰ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἠβούλετο διὰ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ κόσμου νοηθῆναι τούτου· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ταῦτα ἀφέντες, καὶ ἀπαξιώσαντες διὰ ταύτης ἐλθεῖν τῆς διδασκαλίας, ἑτέραν ἔτεμον ἑαυτοῖς ὁδόν· διὸ καὶ τῆς οὔσης ἐξέπεσον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν, δόξαν παρ' ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν οὐ ζητοῦντες. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς, ἀγαπητοὶ, τοῦτο φεύγωμεν τὸ νόσημα μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς καὶ σπουδῆς ἁπάσης. Κἂν γὰρ μυρία κατορθώματα ἔχωμεν, πάντα ἱκανὴ διαλῦσαι τῆς κενοδοξίας ἡ λύμη. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπαίνων ἐρῶμεν, τοὺς παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ζητῶμεν ἐπαίνους. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔπαινος, οἷος ἂν ᾖ, ὁμοῦ τε ἐφάνη καὶ ἀπώλετο· κἂν μὴ ἀπόληται, τὸ κέρδος οὐδὲν ἡμῖν ἤνεγκε, καὶ ἀπὸ κρίσεως δὲ γίνεται διεφθαρμένης πολλάκις. Τί γὰρ θαυμαστὸν ἡ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἔχει δόξα, ἧς καὶ ὀρχούμενοι ἀπολαύουσι νέοι, καὶ διεφθαρμέναι γυναῖκες, καὶ πλεονέκται καὶ ἅρπαγες; Ὁ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ θαυμαζόμενος οὐ μετὰ τούτων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων θαυμάζεται, τῶν προφητῶν λέγω, τῶν ἀποστόλων, τῶν ἀγγελικὸν ἐπιδειξαμένων βίον. Εἰ δὲ τὸ περιάγειν ὄχλους, καὶ τὸ ἀποβλέπεσθαι ποθοῦμεν, ἐξετάσωμεν αὐτὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸ, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄξιον εὑρήσομεν ὄν. Ὅλως δὲ,