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is clear from what is brought forward. For the inhabitants, he says, of Jerusalem, not knowing this man, and the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. Great is the accusation, if they continually heard and did not pay attention. But it is not at all surprising; for those things said about Egypt and the desert are sufficient to show their ingratitude. And how did they not know, he says, when John was speaking? What is surprising, when even the prophets were continually crying out? Then another accusation, And finding no cause for death; which was not of ignorance. For let us suppose that they did not regard him as Christ; for what reason did they even kill him? And they asked, he says, Pilate that he be put to death. But when they had fulfilled all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. See how very important this was to them. He spoke the manner of his death, and brings Pilate into the middle, both so that the passion might be clear from the tribunal, and so that they might be more greatly accused, having delivered him to a foreigner. And he did not say, "They petitioned;" but "They asked," when they had found no cause for death, that he should be put to death, so as to show that they obtained it as a favor when he was unwilling; which Peter says more clearly, 60.216 when he had decided to release him. Paul loved them very much. And see, he does not dwell on the ingratitude of the fathers, but brings fear upon them. For Stephen reasonably does this, since he is about to be killed, and not teaching, and showing that the law is already being abolished; but this one no longer does, but only threatens and frightens. But God raised him from the dead. He was seen, he says, for many days by those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. For see this man, as moved by the Spirit himself, proclaiming the passion and the tomb up and down. And we bring you good tidings, he says, of the promise made to the fathers; that is, the fathers received the promise, but you the fulfillment. Then having brought forward John as a witness when he said, that From this man's seed according to the promise he brought to Israel a Savior, after John had preached before his coming a baptism of repentance to Israel, he next brings him forward again saying; Whom do you suppose me to be? I am not he. Then he brings forward also the apostles as witnesses of the resurrection, saying; Who are his witnesses to the people; then David testifying to this very thing, by saying, You will not allow your Holy One to see corruption. For neither did the old things seem to be so strong in themselves, nor these things without those; so that by both he confirms the word. For since they were held by fear as having killed him, and their conscience was alienating them, they do not speak as to Christ-killers, nor as entrusting to them a foreign good, but a domestic one. The name of David was very desirable to them; therefore he also puts it forward, so that they might receive him even so, as if he were saying to be ruled by his son; therefore, do not rebel against him. What is, I will give you the holy things of David, the sure things? The sure things, he says, that never perish. And he does not linger on these things, since the word was henceforth believed; but he intensifies the punishment, and pursues what is desirable to them, showing the law being cast out, and he dwells on what is advantageous, both that great goods will be for those who obey, and that great evils will be for those who disobey. Then again he speaks about David, and this with an encomium. For David, he says, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, was gathered to his fathers; as Peter also said when mentioning him; Let me speak freely about the patriarch David. And he does not say that he died, but, was gathered to his fathers, which was more euphemistic. And see how he nowhere presents their achievements, but those things which contain an accusation. For, They asked and they received, is the greatest accusation against them. Then he recounts the benefactions of God, saying He chose, He exalted, He bore with their manners. But these are not their praises, but God's. But he praises only David, since from

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ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπαγομένου δῆλον. Οἱ γὰρ κατοικοῦντες, φησὶν, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τοῦτον ἀγνοήσαντες, καὶ τὰς φωνὰς τῶν προφητῶν τὰς κατὰ πάντα σάββατον ἀναγινωσκομένας, κρίναντες ἐπλήρωσαν. Μεγάλη ἡ κατηγορία, εἰ συνεχῶς ἀκούοντες οὐ προσεῖχον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· τὰ γὰρ εἰρημένα ἐκεῖνα τὰ κατ' Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὴν ἔρημον ἱκανὰ δεῖξαι αὐτῶν τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην. Καὶ πῶς ἠγνόησαν, φησὶν, Ἰωάννου λέγοντος; Τί θαυμαστὸν, ὅπου γε καὶ τῶν προφητῶν συνεχῶς βοώντων; Εἶτα καὶ ἄλλη κατηγορία, Καὶ μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν θανάτου εὑρόντες· ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν ἀγνοίας. Θῶμεν γὰρ, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς Χριστὸν αὐτὸν εἶχον· τίνος ἕνεκεν καὶ ἀνῄρουν; Καὶ ᾐτήσαντο, φησὶ, Πιλᾶτον ἀναιρεθῆναι αὐτόν. Ὡς δὲ ἐτέλεσαν πάντα τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένα, καθελόντες αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, ἔθηκαν εἰς μνημεῖον. Ὅρα πῶς αὐτοῖς περισπούδαστον ἦν τοῦτο. Τὸν τρόπον εἶπε τὸν τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ Πιλᾶτον εἰς μέσον φέρει, ἅμα μὲν ἵνα δῆλον τὸ πάθος γένηται ἀπὸ τοῦ κριτηρίου, ἅμα δὲ ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι μειζόνως κατηγορῶνται, ἀνδρὶ παραδόντες ἀλλοφύλῳ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐνέτυχον· ἀλλ' Ἠτήσαντο, μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν θανάτου εὑρόντες ἀναιρεθῆναι αὐτὸν, ὥστε δηλῶσαι ὅτι χάριν ἔλαβον ἐκείνου μὴ θέλοντος· ὅπερ σαφέστερον ὁ Πέτρος λέγει, 60.216 Κρίναντος ἐκείνου ἀπολύειν. Πάνυ ἐφίλει αὐτοὺς ὁ Παῦλος. Καὶ ὅρα, οὐκ ἐνδιατρίβει τῇ ἀγνωμοσύνῃ τῶν πατέρων, ἀλλ' αὐτοῖς ἐφίστησι τὸν φόβον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Στέφανος εἰκότως τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἅτε ἀναιρεῖσθαι μέλλων, καὶ οὐχὶ διδάσκων, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι ὁ νόμος ἤδη καταλύεται· οὗτος δὲ οὐκ ἔτι, ἀλλ' ἀπειλεῖ καὶ φοβεῖ μόνον. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ὃς ὤφθη, φησὶν, ἐπὶ ἡμέρας πλείους τοῖς συναναβᾶσιν αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὅρα γὰρ τοῦτον ἅτε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ κεκινημένον τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἄνω καὶ κάτω τὸ πάθος καὶ τὸν τάφον κηρύττοντα. Καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελιζόμεθα, φησὶ, τὴν πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ἐπαγγελίαν γεγενημένην· τουτέστι, τὴν μὲν ἐπαγγελίαν οἱ πατέρες ἐδέξαντο, τὸ δὲ ἔργον ὑμεῖς. Εἶτα μάρτυρα τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐπαγαγὼν ὅτε ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τούτου κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν ἤγαγε τῷ Ἰσραὴλ Σωτῆρα, προκηρύξαντος Ἰωάννου πρὸ προσώπου τῆς εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ βάπτισμα μετανοίας τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, ἑξῆς ἐπάγει πάλιν αὐτὸν λέγων· Τίνα με ὑπονοεῖτε; οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγώ. Εἶτα παράγει καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους μάρτυρας τῆς ἀναστάσεως, λέγων· Οἵτινές εἰσι μάρτυρες αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν λαόν· εἶτα τὸν ∆αυῒδ τοῦτο αὐτὸ μαρτυροῦντα, τῷ λέγειν, Οὐ δώσεις τὸν Ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. Οὔτε γὰρ τὰ παλαιὰ ἰσχυρὰ καθ' ἑαυτὰ ἐδόκει εἶναι οὕτως, οὔτε ταῦτα ἄνευ ἐκείνων· ὥστε δι' ἑκατέρων πιστοῦται τὸν λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ δέει κατείχοντο ὡς ἀνῃρηκότες αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς αὐτοὺς ἠλλοτρίου, οὐχ ὡς πρὸς χριστοκτόνους διαλέγονται, οὐδὲ ὡς ἀλλότριον ἀγαθὸν αὐτοῖς ἐγχειρίζοντες, ἀλλὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον. Πάνυ ποθεινὸν ἦν αὐτοῖς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· διὸ καὶ τίθησιν αὐτὸ, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως αὐτὸν δέξωνται, ὡσεὶ ἔλεγεν ὑπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ βασιλεύεσθαι· οὐκοῦν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀφηνιάζετε. Τί ἐστι, ∆ώσω ὑμῖν τὰ ὅσια ∆αυῒδ τὰ πιστά; Τὰ βέβαια, φησὶ, τὰ οὐδέποτε ἀπολλύμενα. Καὶ οὐκ ἐγχρονίζει τούτοις, ἅτε τοῦ λόγου λοιπὸν πιστευθέντος· ἀλλ' ἐπιτείνει τὴν κόλασιν, καὶ μετέρχεται τὸ αὐτοῖς ποθεινὸν, δεικνὺς τὸν νόμον ἐκβαλλόμενον, καὶ τῷ συμφέροντι ἐνδιατρίβει, ὅτι τε μεγάλα ἀγαθὰ ὑπακούουσι, καὶ ὅτι μεγάλα κακὰ παρακούουσιν ἔσται. Εἶτα περὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ πάλιν λέγει, καὶ τοῦτο μετ' ἐγκωμίου. ∆αυῒδ μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἰδίᾳ γενεᾷ ὑπηρετήσας τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῇ, προσετέθη πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῦ· καθὼς καὶ Πέτρος αὐτοῦ μνημονεύων ἔλεγεν· Ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν μετὰ παῤῥησίας περὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου ∆αυΐδ. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, ὅτι ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀλλὰ, Προσετέθη πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῦ, ὅπερ ἦν εὐφημότερον. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς οὐδαμοῦ κατορθώματα αὐτῶν τίθησιν, ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἔχει κατηγορίαν. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἠτήσαντο καὶ ἔλαβον, μεγίστη κατηγορία αὐτῶν. Εἶτα τὰς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ Θεοῦ καταλέγει, Ἐξελέξατο εἰπὼν, Ὕψωσεν, Ἐτροποφόρησε. Ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἐκείνων ἐγκώμια, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὸν δὲ ∆αυῒδ ἐγκωμιάζει μόνον, ἐπειδὴ ἐξ