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suspecting. For He did not so cleanse him, that the cleansing should even be disputable; but He commands him to tell no one, teaching what is unboastful and without love of honor. And yet He knew that he would not be persuaded, but would proclaim his benefactor; but nevertheless He does His part. How then elsewhere does He command to speak? he says. Not contradicting Himself, nor opposing Himself, but teaching men to be grateful. For not even there did He command him to proclaim Him, but to give glory to God; through this leper making us free from pride and vainglory, and through that one, to be thankful and grateful, and teaching us everywhere to refer the praise of what is done to the Lord. For since for the most part men, when they are sick, remember God, but when they are freed from their infirmity, become more negligent, commanding them continually, both when sick and when well, to attend to the Lord, He says: Give glory to God. 57.330 And for what reason did He command him to show himself to the priest, and to offer a gift? Again, here fulfilling the Law. For He did not everywhere abrogate it, nor everywhere keep it; but sometimes He did the one, and sometimes the other; by the one preparing the way for the philosophy that was to come, and by the other for a time restraining the shameless tongue of the Jews, and condescending to their weakness. And why do you marvel, if He Himself did this in the beginning, when even the apostles, after being commanded to go to the Gentiles, and the doors of teaching throughout the world had been opened, and the Law had been shut up, and things had been renewed, and all old things had passed away, are seen at one time observing the Law, and at another transgressing it? And what, he says, does this contribute to the observance of the Law, to say, Show yourself to the priest? Not a little. For there was an old law, that the leper who had been cleansed should not entrust the proof of his purification to himself, but should appear before the priest, and offer the proof to his eyes, and by his vote be approved among the clean. For if the priest had not said that the leper was cleansed, he still remained with the unclean outside the camp. Therefore He says, Show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded. He did not say, That which I command; but for the time refers him to the Law, from every side sewing up their mouths. For so that they may not say that He has seized the glory of the priests, He Himself performed the work, but entrusted the proof to them, and made them judges of His own miracles. For so far, He says, am I from fighting against Moses or the priests, that I even lead those who have been benefited by Me to obey them. But what is, for a testimony to them? For a reproof, for a demonstration, for an accusation, if they should be ungrateful. For since they were saying, We persecute him as a deceiver and an imposter, as an enemy of God and a lawbreaker; You will bear witness for me, He says, at that time, that I am not a lawbreaker. For having healed you, I send you to the Law and to the proof of the priests; which was the act of one who honors the Law, and reveres Moses, and does not oppose the ancient decrees. But if they were to gain nothing, even from this one may especially learn His honor for the Law, that even foreknowing they would reap no fruit, He fulfilled all His part. For He both foreknew this very thing, and foretold it. For He did not say, for their correction, nor for instruction; but, for a testimony to them, that is, for an accusation, and for a reproof, and for a testimony, that all things on My part have been done; and foreknowing they would remain incorrigible, I did not even so leave undone what ought to be done; but they remained preserving their own wickedness. This, at any rate, He also says elsewhere; This Gospel will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come; to the nations, to those who do not obey, to those who are not persuaded. For so that no one may say, And for what reason do you preach to all, if not all are going to be persuaded? that I may be shown to have done all my part, and no one may hereafter have a complaint, as not having heard. For it will testify against them
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ὑποπτεύοντες. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἐκάθηρεν, ὡς καὶ ἀμφισβητήσιμον εἶναι τὸν καθαρμόν· ἀλλὰ μηδενὶ εἰπεῖν κελεύει, διδάσκων τὸ ἀκόμπαστον καὶ ἀφιλότιμον. Καίτοιγε ᾔδει, ὅτι οὐ πεισθήσεται ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλ' ἀνακηρύξει τὸν εὐεργέτην· ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ αὐτοῦ ποιεῖ. Πῶς οὖν ἀλλαχοῦ κελεύει εἰπεῖν; φησίν. Οὐχὶ ἑαυτῷ περιπίπτων, οὐδὲ ἐναντιούμενος, ἀλλὰ παιδεύων εὐγνώμονας εἶναι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἀνακηρύττειν ἑαυτὸν ἐκέλευσεν, ἀλλὰ δοῦναι δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ· διὰ μὲν τοῦ λεπροῦ τούτου ἀτύφους ἡμᾶς παρασκευάζων καὶ ἀκενοδόξους, διὰ δὲ ἐκείνου, εὐχαρίστους καὶ εὐγνώμονας εἶναι, καὶ παιδεύων πανταχοῦ τῶν γινομένων τὴν εὐφημίαν ἀναφέρειν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ οἱ ἄνθρωποι νοσοῦντες μὲν μέμνηνται τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς δὲ ἀῤῥωστίας ἀπαλλαγέντες ῥᾳθυμότεροι γίνονται, κελεύων διηνεκῶς καὶ νοσοῦντας καὶ ὑγιαίνοντας προσέχειν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, φησί· ∆ὸς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ. 57.330 Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ δεῖξαι ἑαυτὸν ἐκέλευσε τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ δῶρον προσενεγκεῖν; Πάλιν τὸν νόμον ἐνταῦθα ἀναπληρῶν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πανταχοῦ αὐτὸν παρέλυεν, οὐδὲ πανταχοῦ ἐφύλαττεν· ἀλλὰ ποτὲ μὲν τοῦτο ἐποίει, ποτὲ δὲ ἐκεῖνο· τούτῳ μὲν τῇ μελλούσῃ φιλοσοφίᾳ προοδοποιῶν, ἐκείνῳ δὲ τὴν ἀναίσχυντον τῶν Ἰουδαίων τέως κατέχων γλῶτταν, καὶ συγκαταβαίνων αὐτῶν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἴγε ἐν προοιμίοις αὐτὸς τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ὅπου γε καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι μετὰ τὸ κελευσθῆναι εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ τὰς θύρας ἀνοιγῆναι τῆς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην διδασκαλίας, καὶ τὸν νόμον ἐγκλεισθῆναι, καὶ ἀνανεωθῆναι τὰ πράγματα, καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ ἀναπαύσασθαι ἅπαντα, φαίνονται ποτὲ μὲν τηροῦντες τὸν νόμον, ποτὲ δὲ αὐτὸν παρατρέχοντες; Καὶ τί τοῦτο, φησὶ, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ νόμου συντελεῖ φυλακὴν, τὸ εἰπεῖν, ∆εῖξον σεαυτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ; Οὐ τὸ τυχόν. Καὶ γὰρ νόμος ἦν παλαιὸς, τὸν λεπρὸν καθαρθέντα μὴ ἑαυτῷ τὴν δοκιμασίαν ἐπιτρέπειν τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ, ἀλλὰ φαίνεσθαι τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τοῖς ἐκείνου παρέχειν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ψήφου ταύτης ἐγκρίνεσθαι τοῖς καθαροῖς. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ εἶπεν ὁ ἱερεὺς, ὅτι κεκάθαρται ὁ λεπρὸς, ἔτι μετὰ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἔμενεν ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς. ∆ιό φησι, ∆εῖξον σεαυτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ προσένεγκε τὸ δῶρον, ὃ προσέταξε Μωϋσῆς. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὃ προστάσσω ἐγώ· ἀλλὰ τέως παραπέμπει τῷ νόμῳ, πανταχόθεν ἀποῤῥάπτων αὐτῶν τὰ στόματα. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσιν, ὅτι τῶν ἱερέων τὴν δόξαν ἥρπασε, τὸ μὲν ἔργον αὐτὸς ἐπλήρωσε, τὴν δὲ δοκιμασίαν ἐκείνοις ἐπέτρεψε, καὶ κριτὰς αὐτοὺς ἐκάθισε τῶν οἰκείων θαυμάτων. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπέχω μάχεσθαι, φησὶν, ἢ Μωϋσῇ, ἢ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς παρ' ἐμοῦ εὐεργετηθέντας εἰς τὸ πείθεσθαι ἐκείνοις ἐνάγω. Τί δέ ἐστιν, εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς; Εἰς ἔλεγχον, εἰς ἀπόδειξιν, εἰς κατηγορίαν, ἐὰν ἀγνωμονῶσιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγον, Ὡς πλάνον καὶ ἀπατεῶνα διώκομεν, ὡς ἀντίθεον καὶ παράνομον· σύ μοι μαρτυρήσεις, φησὶ, κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν, ὅτι οὐ παράνομος ἐγώ. Καὶ γὰρ θεραπεύσας σε παραπέμπω τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τῇ τῶν ἱερέων δοκιμασίᾳ· ὅπερ τιμῶντος ἦν τὸν νόμον, καὶ θαυμάζοντος τὸν Μωϋσέα, καὶ οὐκ ἐναντιουμένου τοῖς παλαιοῖς δόγμασιν. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἔμελλον κερδαίνειν, κἀντεῦθεν μάλιστα τὴν πρὸς τὸν νόμον αὐτοῦ καταμαθεῖν ἔστι τιμὴν, ὅτι καὶ προειδὼς οὐδὲν καρπωσομένους, τὰ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐπλήρου. Καὶ γὰρ προῄδει τοῦτο αὐτὸ, καὶ προεῖπεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, εἰς διόρθωσιν αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ, εἰς διδασκαλίαν· ἀλλ', εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς, τουτέστιν, εἰς κατηγορίαν, καὶ εἰς ἔλεγχον, καὶ εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ὅτι τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ πάντα γέγονε· καὶ προειδὼς ἀδιορθώτους μένοντας, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐνέλιπον ἅπερ ποιῆσαι ἐχρῆν· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τὴν οἰκείαν ἔμενον διατηροῦντες κακίαν. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Κηρυχθήσεται τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦτο ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ τότε ἥξει τὸ τέλος· τοῖς ἔθνεσι, τοῖς οὐχ ὑπακούουσι, τοῖς οὐ πειθομένοις. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις λέγῃ, Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν πᾶσι κηρύττεις, εἰ μὴ πάντες μέλλουσι πείθεσθαι; ἵνα τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ πάντα φανῶ πεποιηκὼς, καὶ μηδεὶς ἔχῃ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐγκαλεῖν, ὡς οὐκ ἀκηκοώς. Καταμαρτυρήσει γὰρ αὐτῶν