193

glorious, and which has a reward. 59.264 This is the bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He that eats this bread shall live for ever. He continually repeats the same thing, so as to impress it on the mind of His hearers (for the teaching on these points was the last of all), and to confirm the doctrine of the resurrection, and of eternal life. Therefore He also adds the resurrection, both because He had spoken of eternal life, and to show that this life is not now, but after the resurrection. And whence, says one, are these things manifest? From the Scriptures. For everywhere He refers them to them, bidding them learn these things from them. And when He says, "Giving life to the world," He leads them to jealousy, so that even though they grieved that others should enjoy the gift, they might not remain without. He continually reminds them of the manna, both showing the difference, and leading them to faith. For if it was possible for forty years without harvest and wheat and the other usual things to sustain their life; much more now, having come for greater things, will He be able to do this. And in another way, if those things were types, and they gathered what was brought without sweat and labor; much more shall this be so now, where the difference is so great, and the never dying, and the enjoying of true life. Well does He often make mention of life, since this is desired by men, and nothing is so sweet as not to die. Since also in the Old Testament this was the promise, length of life, and many days; but now it is not simply length, but a life that has no end. At the same time He also wishes to show that He now revokes the punishment that came from sin, loosing that sentence which condemns to death; and introducing not simply life, but eternal life, contrary to the former things. These things He said in the synagogue, teaching in Capernaum, where the most mighty works had been done, so that it was especially necessary for Him to be heard. 2. But why did He teach in the synagogue, and in the temple? Both wishing to catch the multitude of them, and wishing to show that He is not opposed to the Father. Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying. What is, "It is hard"? Rough, laborious, having toil. And yet He said no such thing; for He was not discoursing about conduct, but about doctrines, turning about faith in Himself. What then is, "The saying is hard"? Is it that He promises life and resurrection? that He said He had come down from heaven? but that it is impossible for one who does not eat His flesh to be saved? Are these things, then, tell me, hard? And who would say these things? What then is, "Hard"? Hard to accept, surpassing their weakness, having great fear. For they thought that He was speaking things greater than His own nature and beyond Him. Therefore they also said, Who can hear him? perhaps making an excuse for themselves, since they were about to depart. But Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples murmured about this (for this too is a mark of His divinity, to bring secret things to light), then says: Does this offend you? What if then you shall see the Son of man ascending where He was before? This He also did in the case of Nathanael, saying, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, you believe? You shall see greater things than these; and in the case of Nicodemus, that, No one has ascended up to heaven, but the Son of man, who is in heaven. What then? Does He join difficulties to difficulties? No; God forbid; but by the greatness and the number of the doctrines He wishes to lead them on. For one who simply said, "I have come down from heaven," and added nothing more, would have been more likely to cause offense. but he who said, 59.265 "My body is the life of the world," and who said, "As the living Father has sent Me, and I live by the Father"; and who said, "I have come down from heaven," solves the difficulty. For one who utters one great thing about himself might become suspect, as if he were fabricating; but he who strings together so many things in succession, removes all suspicion. And He does and says all things, so as to lead them away from thinking that Joseph is His father. Not, therefore, wishing to intensify the offense, this

193

ἐνδόξου, καὶ μισθὸν ἐχούσης. 59.264 Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν τὸ μάννα, καὶ ἀπέθανον. Ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον, ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Συνεχῶς τὸ αὐτὸ περιστρέφει, ὥστε αὐτὸ ἐντυπῶσαι τῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων διανοίᾳ (ἐσχάτη γάρ τις ἦν διδασκαλία ἡ περὶ τούτων), καὶ τὸ περὶ ἀναστάσεως δόγμα πιστῶσαι, καὶ τὸ περὶ ζωῆς αἰωνίου. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν προστίθησιν, ὁμοῦ μὲν ἐπειδὴ εἶπε, ζωῆς αἰωνίου, ὁμοῦ δὲ δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ νῦν ἐστὶν αὕτη, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν. Καὶ πόθεν ταῦτα δῆλα, φησίν; Ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ παραπέμπει, παρ' αὐτῶν κελεύων ταῦτα μαθεῖν. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ εἰς ζῆλον αὐτοὺς ἐνάγει, ὥστε κἂν ἀλγήσαντας ἐπὶ τῷ ἄλλους ἀπολαύειν τῆς δωρεᾶς, μὴ μεῖναι ἔξω. Συνεχῶς δὲ ἀναμιμνήσκει τοῦ μάννα, καὶ τὸ διάφορον παριστὰς, καὶ αὐτοὺς εἰς πίστιν ἐνάγων. Εἰ γὰρ δυνατὸν ἐγένετο τεσσαράκοντα ἔτεσιν ἀμητοῦ χωρὶς καὶ σίτου καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀκολουθίας διακρατῆσαι τὴν ἐκείνων ζωήν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν, ἅτε ἐπὶ μείζοσι παραγενόμενος, δυνήσεται τοῦτο. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ εἰ ἐκεῖνα τύποι τινὲς ἦσαν, καὶ χωρὶς ἱδρώτων καὶ πόνων συνέλεγον τὸ φερόμενον· πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν τοῦτο ἔσται, ἔνθα πολλὴ ἡ διαφορὰ, καὶ τὸ μηδέποτε τελευτᾷν, καὶ τὸ ζωῆς ἀπολαύειν τῆς ἀληθοῦς. Καλῶς δὲ ζωῆς πολλάκις μέμνηται, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ποθεινὸν ἀνθρώποις, καὶ οὐδὲν οὕτως ἡδὺ, ὡς τὸ μὴ ἀποθανεῖν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τοῦτο ἦν ἡ ὑπόσχεσις, μῆκος βίου, καὶ πολλαὶ ἡμέραι· ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκ ἔστι μῆκος ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ ζωὴ τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσα. Ἅμα δὲ καὶ δεῖξαι βούλεται, ὅτι τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁμαρτίας γενομένην κόλασιν ἀνακαλεῖται νῦν, τὴν ψῆφον λύων ἐκείνην τὴν θανατοῦσαν· καὶ ζωὴν οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' αἰώνιον εἰσάγων, ἀπεναντίας τοῖς προτέροις. Ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καπερναοὺμ, ἔνθα αἱ πλεῖσται γεγένηνται δυνάμεις, ὥστε ἐχρῆν αὐτὸν ἀκουσθῆναι μάλιστα. βʹ. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν ἐν συναγωγῇ ἐδίδασκε, καὶ ἐν ἱερῷ; Ὁμοῦ μὲν τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν θηρεῦσαι θέλων, ὁμοῦ δὲ δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι οὐκ ἐναντίος ἐστὶ τῷ Πατρί. Πολλοὶ δὲ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν ἀκούσαντες ἔλεγον· Σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος. Τί ἐστι, Σκληρός ἐστι; Τραχὺς, ἐπίπονος, μόχθον ἔχων. Καὶ μὴν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔλεγεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ πολιτείας διελέγετο, ἀλλὰ περὶ δογμάτων, ἄνω καὶ κάτω στρέφων τὴν πίστιν τὴν εἰς ἑαυτόν. Τί οὖν ἐστι, Σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος; Ὅτι ζωὴν ἐπαγγέλλεται καὶ ἀνάστασιν; ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔφη καταβεβηκέναι; ἀλλ' ὅτι σωθῆναι ἀδύνατον τὸν μὴ φαγόντα αὐτοῦ τὴν σάρκα; Ταῦτα οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, σκληρά; Καὶ τίς ἂν ταῦτα εἴποι; Τί οὖν ἐστὶ, Σκληρός; ∆υσπαράδεκτος, ὑπερβαίνων αὐτῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν, πολὺν ἔχων τὸν φόβον. Ἐνόμιζον γὰρ μείζονα τῆς οἰκείας φθέγγεσθαι καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτόν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγον· Τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν; ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν ἀπολογούμενοι τάχα, ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλον ἀποπηδᾷν. Εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ὅτι γογγύζουσιν οἱ μαθηταὶ περὶ τούτου (καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητος, τὸ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα φέρειν εἰς μέσον), εἶτα λέγει· Τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει; Ἂν οὖν ἴδητε τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα, ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ναθαναὴλ ἐποίησε, λέγων, Ὅτι εἶπόν σοι ὅτι, Εἶδόν σε ὑποκάτω τῆς συκῆς, πιστεύεις; μείζονα τούτων ὄψει· καὶ ἐπὶ Νικοδήμου, ὅτι Οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Τί οὖν; ἀπορίας ἀπορίαις συνάπτει; Οὐχί· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ τῷ μεγέθει τῶν δογμάτων καὶ τῷ πλήθει αὐτοὺς ἐπαγαγέσθαι βούλεται. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἰπὼν ἁπλῶς, ὅτι Ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκα, καὶ μηδὲν πλέον προσθεὶς, μᾶλλον ἂν ἐσκανδάλισεν. ὁ δὲ 59.265 εἰπὼν, ὅτι Τὸ σῶμά μου ζωὴ τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Καθὼς ἀπέστειλέ με ὁ ζῶν Πατὴρ, κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν Πατέρα· καὶ ὁ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκα, τὴν ἀπορίαν λύει. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἕν τι μέγα περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φθεγγόμενος, κἂν ὕποπτος γένοιτο, ὡς πλάττων· ὁ δὲ τοσαῦτα συνείρων ἐφεξῆς, πᾶσαν ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑποψίαν. Πάντα δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ λέγει, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἀπαγαγεῖν τοῦ νομίζειν αὐτοῦ πατέρα τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Οὐ τοίνυν τὸ σκάνδαλον ἐπιτεῖναι θέλων, τοῦτο