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of times, but that those are older than these; so that those are one thing, and these are another. Why then does He ask Philip? He knew which of the disciples were most in need of more teaching. For this is he who afterwards says, "Show us the Father, and it is enough for us." For this reason He was training him from the beginning. For if the sign had simply happened, the wonder would not have appeared so great; but now He first compels him to confess the existing lack, so that having realized the situation he was in, he might thus learn more precisely the magnitude of the miracle that was about to happen. And see what that man says: Whence shall we have so many loaves, that these may eat? So also in the Old Testament it was said to Moses. For He did not perform the sign until He had asked him, What is that in your hand? For since paradoxical and sudden events are accustomed to cast us into forgetfulness of what went before, He first bound him with the confession of the present situation, so that when the astonishment came, he would no longer be able to cast out the memory of what had been confessed; and then he might thus learn from the comparison the magnitude of the sign; which is what also happens here. And being asked, he answers, saying: Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient, that each one might take a little. This He said to test him; for He Himself knew what He was about to do. What is, To test him? For did He not know what was going to be said by him? One cannot say this. 2. But what then is the meaning of the word? It is possible to learn it from the Old Testament. For there also it says: And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said, Take your beloved son, whom you have loved, Isaac. For not even there does He seem to say this, that from the test He was waiting to see the outcome, whether he would obey or not; (for how could He who knows all things before their creation?) but both are spoken in a human way. For just as when it says that He searches the hearts of men, it indicates not ignorance by the searching, but precise knowledge; so also when it says that He tested, it says nothing other than that He knew precisely. And it is possible to say another thing, that He was making him more approved, just as then with Abraham, so now He was leading this man through such a question 59.241 to the precise knowledge of the sign. For this reason also the evangelist, so that you would not, by dwelling on the weakness of the word, suspect something strange about what was said, added: For He Himself knew what He was about to do. Nevertheless it is necessary to observe this, how, whenever there is a wicked suspicion, the evangelist immediately corrects it with much earnestness. Just as here, then, so that those listening would not suspect any such thing, he added the correction, saying: For He Himself knew what He was about to do; so also there when he says that the Jews were persecuting him, Not only because He broke the sabbath, but also because He called God His own Father, making Himself equal with God; if this were not a declaration of Christ Himself, confirmed by His works, he would have added this correction there as well. For if in the things he himself says, the evangelist is on guard, lest someone should suspect; much more in the things others were saying about Him would he have been suspicious, if he had not seen a fitting suspicion prevailing about Him. But he did not do so; for he knew this was His mind and unshakeable decree. For this reason, having said, making Himself equal with God, he did not use any such correction; for what was said was not their corrupt suspicion, but His own declaration, ratified by His works. When Philip, therefore, was asked, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, says: There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish; but what are these among so many? Andrew is higher than Philip, but he did not attain to the whole thing. I think he did not say this simply, but having heard the miracles of the prophets, and how Elisha performed the sign concerning the loaves. For this reason he ascended to a certain height, but was not strong enough to reach the very summit. Let us learn from this, we who are given to luxury, what those wonderful and great men were eating,

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καιρῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα τούτων εἶναι πρεσβύτερα· ὥστε ἕτερα μὲν ἐκεῖνα λοιπὸν, ἕτερα δὲ ταῦτά ἐστι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὸν Φίλιππον ἐρωτᾷ; Ἤδει τῶν μαθητῶν τοὺς μάλιστα πλείονος δεομένους διδασκαλίας. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ μετὰ ταῦτα λέγων· ∆εῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἄνωθεν αὐτὸν ἐῤῥύθμιζεν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἁπλῶς τὸ σημεῖον ἐγένετο, οὐκ ἂν τοσοῦτον ἐφάνη τὸ θαῦμα· νῦν δὲ πρότερον αὐτὸν ἀναγκάζει ὁμολογῆσαι τὴν οὖσαν σπάνιν, ἵνα γνοὺς ἐν τίσιν ἦν, ἀκριβέστερον οὕτω μάθῃ τοῦ μέλλοντος γίνεσθαι θαύματος τὸ μέγεθος. Καὶ ὅρα τί φησιν ἐκεῖνος· Πόθεν ἡμῖν ἄρτοι τοσοῦτοι, ἵνα φάγωσιν οὗτοι; Οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα ἔλεγεν. Οὐ γὰρ πρότερον τὸ σημεῖον ἐποίησεν, ἕως ἂν αὐτὸν ἠρώτησε, Τί ποτέ ἐστιν ἐν τῇ χειρί σου; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὰ παράδοξα καὶ ἀθρόον συμβαίνοντα, τῶν προτέρων ἡμᾶς εἰς λήθην ἐμβαλεῖν εἴωθε, πρότερον αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ τοῦ παρόντος κατέδησεν ὁμολογίᾳ, ἵνα τῆς ἐκπλήξεως γενομένης, τὴν μνήμην τῶν ὁμολογηθέντων μὴ δυνηθῇ λοιπὸν ἐκβαλεῖν· εἶθ' οὕτως ἀπὸ τῆς συγκρίσεως μάθῃ καὶ τοῦ σημείου τὸ μέγεθος· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα γίνεται. Καὶ ἐρωτηθεὶς ἀποκρίνεται λέγων· ∆ιακοσίων δηναρίων ἄρτοι οὐκ ἀρκοῦσιν, ἵνα ἕκαστος βραχύ τι λάβῃ. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγε πειράζων αὐτόν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλε ποιεῖν. Τί ἐστι, Πειράζων αὐτόν; ἆρα γὰρ ἠγνόει τὸ μέλλον ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ῥηθήσεσθαι; Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. βʹ. Ἀλλὰ τίς ποτε τῆς λέξεως ἡ διάνοια; Ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς δυνατὸν αὐτὴν καταμαθεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖ φησιν· Καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, καὶ ἐπείραζεν ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ εἶπεν, Λάβε τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητὸν, ὃν ἠγάπησας, τὸν Ἰσαάκ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ τοῦτο λέγων φαίνεται, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας ἀνέμενεν ἰδεῖν τὸ τέλος, εἴτε ὑπακούσεται, εἴτε μή· (πῶς γὰρ ὁ τὰ πάντα εἰδὼς πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν;) ἀλλ' ἀνθρωπίνως ἀμφότερα εἴρηται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ, ὅτι Ἐρευνᾷ τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐκ ἀγνοίας τὴν ἔρευναν δείκνυσιν, ἀλλ' ἀκριβοῦς εἰδήσεως· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ ὅτι Ἐπείρασεν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅτι ἠπίστατο ἀκριβῶς. Κἂν ἕτερον δὲ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι δοκιμώτερον αὐτὸν εἰργάζετο, ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν Ἀβραὰμ τότε, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτον διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐρωτήσεως ἐνάγων νῦν 59.241 εἰς τὴν ἀκριβῆ τοῦ σημείου γνῶσιν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ἵνα μὴ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς λέξεως ἐναπομείνας, ὑποπτεύσῃς τι ἄτοπον περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων, ἐπήγαγεν· Αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλε ποιεῖν. Πλὴν ἐκεῖνο παρατηρεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, πῶς, ὅταν ᾖ ὑπόνοια πονηρὰ, εὐθὺς αὐτὴν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς μετὰ πολλῆς ἐπιδιορθοῦται τῆς σπουδῆς. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐνταῦθα, ἵνα μή τι τοιοῦτον ὑποπτεύσωσιν οἱ ἀκούοντες, προσέθηκε τὴν ἐπιδιόρθωσιν, εἰπών· Αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλε ποιεῖν· οὕτω καὶ ἐκεῖ λέγων, ὅτι ἐδίωκον αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Οὐ μόνον ὅτι ἔλυε τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ Πατέρα ἴδιον ἔλεγε τὸν Θεὸν, ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ· εἰ μὴ ἀπόφασις ἦν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ τῶν ἔργων βεβαιουμένη, προσέθηκεν ἂν κἀκεῖ τὴν ἐπιδιόρθωσιν ταύτην. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς λέγει, ὑφορᾶται ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, μή τις ὑποπτεύσῃ· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν οἷς ἕτεροι περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦτο ἔλεγον, ὑπείδετο ἂν, εἰ μὴ προσήκουσαν ἑώρα περὶ αὐτοῦ κρατοῦσαν ὑπόνοιαν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐποίησεν· ᾔδει γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν γνώμην οὖσαν τοῦτο καὶ ψῆφον ἀκίνητον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, Ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ, οὐκ ἐχρήσατο ἐπιδιορθώσει τινὶ τοιαύτῃ· οὐ γὰρ ἐκείνων ἦν ὑπόνοια διεφθαρμένη τὸ λεγόμενον, ἀλλ' ἀπόφασις αὐτοῦ κεκυρωμένη διὰ τῶν ἔργων. Ἐρωτηθέντος τοίνυν τοῦ Φιλίππου, Φησὶν Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου· Ἔστιν ὧδε παιδάριον ἔχον πέντε ἄρτους κριθίνους, καὶ δύο ὀψάρια· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τί ἐστιν εἰς τοσούτους; Ὑψηλότερος μὲν τοῦ Φιλίππου ὁ Ἀνδρέας, οὐ μὴν εἰς τὸ πᾶν ἔφθασε. Οἶμαι δὲ μηδὲ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀκηκοότα αὐτὸν τῶν προφητῶν τὰ θαύματα, καὶ πῶς Ἑλισσαῖος ἐποίησε τὸ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄρτων σημεῖον. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἀνέβη μὲν ἐπί τι ὕψος, οὐκ ἴσχυσε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν φθάσαι τὴν κορυφήν. Μάθωμεν ἐντεῦθεν οἱ τῇ τρυφῇ προσέχοντες, τίνα ἐσιτοῦντο οἱ θαυμαστοὶ ἄνδρες ἐκεῖνοι καὶ μεγάλοι,