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is the one who takes away every defense from them. Then he also states the cause of their unbelief, adding: How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? and from this showing again that they were not considering the things of God, but under such a pretext wished to vindicate their own passion. For they were so far from doing these things for His glory, that they themselves chose human glory rather than His. How then were these men going to undertake such great enmity for the sake of that which they so despised, as to prefer even human glory to it? And having said that they have not the love of God, and having proved this through both of these things, both through the things being done to Him, and through the things that will be done regarding the antichrist, and having clearly convicted them that they are deprived of all excuse, thus he brings Moses as an accuser against them, adding and saying: Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you, Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? What He says is something like this: Before me, he is the one who has been insulted in the things done to me. For you have disbelieved Moses more than me. See how from every side he cast them out from all defense. You say you love God in persecuting me, He says; I have shown that you do this because you hate Him. 59.237 You say I break the Sabbath and transgress the law; I have refuted this accusation also. You insist that you believe Moses by the things you dare to do against me; I show again that this, therefore, is especially not to believe Moses. For I am so far from having come in opposition to the Law, that there is no one else who will accuse you but he himself who gave you the Law. Just as, therefore, concerning the Scriptures He said, 'in which you think you have eternal life'; so also concerning Moses He says, 'in whom you have set your hope,' everywhere conquering them from their own positions. And from where is it clear, he says, that Moses will accuse, and you are not boasting? For what do you and Moses have in common? You have broken the Sabbath, which he legislated to keep; how then would he accuse us? And from where is it clear that we will also believe another who will come in his own name? For you say all these things without witness. And yet all these things have their foundation from above. For when it is confessed that I came from God, from my works, from the voice of John, from the testimony of the Father, it is clear that Moses will accuse them. For what did he say? Did he not say that if someone should come doing signs, and leading to God, and foretelling the future with truth, one must obey him with all persuasion? Has not Christ then done all these things? For He both worked signs with all truth, and drew all to God, and brought fulfillment to his predictions. But from where is it clear that they will believe another? From their hating Christ. For those who turn away from the one who came with the mind of God, it is clear that they will also receive the one who is against God. But if He now brings forward Moses, although He had said, 'I do not receive testimony from man,' do not be surprised; for He is not referring them to Moses, but to the writings of God. However, since the Scriptures frightened them less, He directs the discourse to the person himself, setting up the lawgiver himself as their accuser, and thus making the fear much more dreadful, and He refutes each of the things said by them. But consider: They said they persecuted Him because of their love for God; He shows that they do this because they hate God. They said they held to Moses; He shows that they did these things because they did not believe Moses. For if they were zealous for the Law, they ought to have received the one fulfilling it; if they loved God, they ought to have been persuaded by the one drawing them to Him; if they believed Moses, they ought to have worshipped the one prophesied by him. But if he is disbelieved before me, it is not unreasonable that I too, who am proclaimed by him, am persecuted by you. Just as, therefore, also those admiring John

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ἐστιν ὁ πᾶσαν ἀπολογίαν αὐτοῖς ἀφαιρούμενος. Εἶτα καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀπιστίας αὐτῶν τίθησιν, ἐπάγων· Πῶς δύνασθε πιστεύειν, δόξαν τὴν παρὰ ἀλλήλων λαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν δόξαν τὴν παρὰ τοῦ μόνου Θεοῦ οὐ ζητοῦντες; καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δεικνὺς πάλιν ὅτι οὐ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσκόπουν, ἀλλ' ἐν προσχήματι τοιούτῳ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἐβούλοντο πάθος ἐκδικεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἀπεῖχον διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ δόξαν ποιεῖν ταῦτα, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ᾑροῦντο μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν ἐκείνου. Πῶς οὖν ἔμελλον οὗτοι ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἀναδέχεσθαι τοσαύτην ἀπέχθειαν, ἧς οὕτω κατεφρόνουν, ὥστε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνην αὐτῆς προτιμᾷν; Εἰπὼν δὲ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔχουσι, καὶ ἀποδείξας τοῦτο διὰ τούτων ἑκατέρων, διά τε τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν γινομένων, καὶ διὰ τῶν εἰς τὸν ἀντίχριστον ἐσομένων, καὶ διελέγξας σαφῶς ὅτι πάσης εἰσὶν ἀπεστερημένοι συγγνώμης, οὕτως αὐτοῖς ἐφίστησι καὶ τὸν Μωϋσέα κατήγορον ἐπάγων, καὶ λέγων· Μὴ δοκεῖτε ὅτι ἐγὼ κατηγορήσω ὑμῶν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· ἔστιν ὁ κατηγορῶν ὑμῶν Μωϋσῆς, εἰς ὃν ὑμεῖς ἠλπίκατε. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπιστεύετε Μωϋσεῖ, ἐπιστεύετε ἂν ἐμοί· περὶ ἐμοῦ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψεν. Εἰ δὲ τοῖς ἐκείνου γράμμασιν οὐ πιστεύετε, πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ῥήμασι πιστεύετε; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ὁ ὑβρισμένος ἐν τοῖς εἰς ἐμέ. Μωϋσεῖ γὰρ μᾶλλον ἠπιστήσατε ἢ ἐμοί. Ὅρα πῶς πανταχόθεν πάσης αὐτοὺς ἐξέβαλεν ἀπολογίας. Θεὸν ἐλέγετε ἀγαπᾷν ἐν τῷ διώκειν με, φησίν· ἔδειξα ὅτι μισοῦντες αὐτὸν τοῦτο 59.237 ποιεῖτε. Λέγετε λύειν με τὸ σάββατον, καὶ παραλύειν τὸν νόμον· ἀπεδυσάμην καὶ ταύτην τὴν κατηγορίαν. ∆ιισχυρίζεσθε Μωϋσεῖ πιστεύειν δι' ὧν κατ' ἐμοῦ τολμᾶτε· δείκνυμι πάλιν ὅτι τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἐστι μάλιστα μὴ πιστεύειν τῷ Μωϋσεῖ. Τοσούτῳ γὰρ δέω ἐξ ἐναντίας ἥκειν τῷ νόμῳ, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἔστιν ἄλλος τις ὁ κατηγορήσων ὑμῶν, ἀλλ' ἢ αὐτὸς ὁ τὸν νόμον ὑμῖν δεδωκώς. Ὥσπερ οὖν περὶ τῶν Γραφῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἐν αἷς δοκεῖτε ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν· οὕτω καὶ περὶ Μωϋσέως φησὶν, Εἰς ὃν ὑμεῖς ἠλπίκατε, ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτοὺς χειρούμενος πανταχοῦ. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, φησὶν, ὅτι κατηγορήσει Μωϋσῆς, καὶ οὐ κομπάζεις; τί γὰρ σοὶ καὶ Μωϋσεῖ κοινόν; Τὸ σάββατον ἔλυσας, ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐνομοθέτησε κρατεῖν· πῶς οὖν ἡμῶν ἐκεῖνος κατηγορήσειε; Πόθεν δὲ δῆλον ὅτι καὶ εἰς ἄλλον πιστεύσομεν τὸν ἰδίῳ ὀνόματι ἥξοντα; Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ἀμάρτυρα λέγεις. Καὶ μὴν ἅπαντα ταῦτα ἄνωθεν ἔχει τὴν κατασκευήν. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁμολογηθῇ, ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἦλθον ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων, ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς Ἰωάννου, ἀπὸ τῆς μαρτυρίας τοῦ Πατρὸς, εὔδηλον ὅτι Μωϋσῆς αὐτῶν κατηγορήσει. Τί γὰρ ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν; ἆρ' οὐχ ὅτι ἐὰν ἔλθῃ τις σημεῖα ποιῶν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἄγων, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προλέγων μετὰ ἀληθείας, μετὰ πάσης ὑπακούειν αὐτῷ χρὴ τῆς πειθοῦς; Ὁ τοίνυν Χριστὸς μὴ οὐ πάντα ταῦτα πεποίηκε; Καὶ γὰρ σημεῖα εἰργάσατο μετὰ ἀληθείας ἁπάσης, καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν ἅπαντας εἷλκε, καὶ ταῖς προῤῥήσεσι τὸ τέλος ἐπήγαγεν. Ἀλλὰ πόθεν δῆλον ὅτι ἑτέρῳ πιστεύσουσιν; Ἐκ τοῦ τὸν Χριστὸν μισεῖν. Οἱ γὰρ τὸν μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ γνώμης ἥκοντα ἀποστρεφόμενοι, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἀντίθεον δέξονται Εἰ δὲ Μωϋσέα νῦν προβάλλεται, καίτοι εἰπὼν, Ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου τὴν μαρτυρίαν οὑ λαμβάνω, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰς Μωϋσέα, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ γράμματα αὐτοὺς παραπέμπει. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ αἱ Γραφαὶ ἔλαττον αὐτοὺς ἐφόβουν, εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτὸ περιάγει τὸν λόγον, τὸν νομοθέτην αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς ἐφιστὰς κατήγορον, καὶ πολὺ φρικωδέστερον οὕτω τὸ δέος ποιῶν, καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν παρ' αὐτῶν λεγομένων ἐλέγχει. Σκόπει δέ· Ἔλεγον διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγάπην διώκειν αὐτόν· δείκνυσιν ὅτι διὰ τὸ μισεῖν τὸν Θεὸν τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν. Ἔλεγον ἀντέχεσθαι Μωϋσέως· δείκνυσιν ὅτι διὰ τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν Μωϋσεῖ ταῦτα ἔπραττον. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν νόμον ἐζήλουν, ἔδει δέξασθαι τὸν ἐκεῖνον πληροῦντα· εἰ τὸν Θεὸν ἠγάπων, ἔδει πεισθῆναι τῷ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἕλκοντι· εἰ Μωϋσεῖ ἐπίστευον, ἔδει προσκυνῆσαι τὸν ὑπ' ἐκείνου προφητευόμενον. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἀπιστεῖται πρὸ ἐμοῦ, οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς καὶ ἐμὲ τὸν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κηρυττόμενον ἐλαύνεσθαι παρ' ὑμῶν. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ θαυμάζοντας Ἰωάννην