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196

wisdom; He neither made him manifest, nor allowed him to be hidden; the former, that he might not become shameless and more contentious; the latter, that he, not thinking he was hidden, might not work the audacious deed without fear. Wherefore, as he proceeds, he brings on more manifest reproofs. For before, he had even numbered him with the others, saying, "There are some of you who do not believe" (and that he had numbered the betrayer, the Evangelist showed by saying, "For he knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was that should betray him"); but since he remained, he brings on the reproof more vehemently, "One of you is a devil," and he establishes a common fear for all, wishing to overshadow that man. And here it is worthwhile to ask, why is it that now the disciples say nothing, but later they are afraid and are perplexed, looking at one another and asking, "Lord, is it I?" And Peter motions to John to learn who the betrayer is, and to ask the Master who it is. What then is the reason? Peter had not yet heard, "Get behind me, Satan." For this reason he had no fear; but since he was rebuked, and having spoken from great affection, he was not approved, but was even called Satan; hearing, "One of you shall betray me," he was then reasonably afraid. Besides, he does not now say, "One of you shall betray me," but, "One of you is a devil." Therefore they did not even know what was said, but thought they were only being mocked for wickedness. But why did he say, "Have I not chosen you twelve, and 59.268 one of you is a devil?" Showing that his teaching was free from flattery. For since, when all had forsaken him, they alone remained, and through Peter they confessed him to be the Christ, so that they might not think that for this reason he was going to flatter them, he draws them away from this suspicion. What he says is this: Nothing embarrasses me from reproving the evil; do not think that because you remained, I will choose to flatter you; or because you followed, I do not reprove the wicked. For what is much greater than this in embarrassing a teacher, not even this embarrasses me. For he who remains provides proof of his own affection; but he who was chosen by the teacher, when cast out, attaches a reputation of foolishness among the foolish. But nevertheless, not even this draws me away from reproofs. At least for this reason the Greeks even now accuse Christ, coldly and foolishly. For God is not accustomed to make men good by necessity and force, nor is his election and choice coercive for those who are called, but persuasive. And that you may learn that the call is not by force, consider how many of those called happened to be lost. From which it is manifest that it lies in our own will to be saved and to be lost. 5. Hearing these things, then, let us be taught to be always sober and watchful. For if he who was in that holy choir, who had enjoyed so great a gift, who had performed signs (for he too was with the others who were sent to raise the dead and cleanse lepers), since he was captured by the terrible disease of the evil of avarice, and betrayed his own Master, nothing benefited him, neither the good deeds, nor the gifts, nor being with him, nor the healing, nor the washing of the feet, nor the partaking of the table, nor the keeping of the money-box, but these things even became provisions of punishment for him; let us also fear, lest we ever imitate Judas through avarice. Do you not betray Christ? But when you overlook a poor man wasting away with hunger, or perishing from cold, you yourself also draw upon yourself the same condemnation. And when we partake unworthily of the mysteries, we are destroyed in like manner as the Christ-killers. When we seize, when we strangle the weaker, we shall draw upon ourselves the greatest punishment; and very rightly. For how long will the love of superfluous and unprofitable present things so possess us? For wealth is in superfluous things, in which there is no benefit. How long are we nailed to vain things? how long do we not look upon the things in heaven, are not sober, do not take our fill

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σοφίαν· οὔτε αὐτὸν φανερὸν ἐποίησεν, οὔτε λαθεῖν εἴασεν ἐκεῖνο μὲν, ἵνα μὴ ἀναισχυνθῇ καὶ φιλονεικότερος γένηται· τοῦτο δὲ, ἵνα μὴ νομίζων λανθάνειν, ἀδεῶς ἐργάσηται τὸ τόλμημα. ∆ιὸ καὶ προϊὼν φανερωτέρους ἐπάγει τοὺς ἐλέγχους. Πρότερον μὲν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἠρίθμησεν, εἰπὼν, ὅτι Εἰσί τινες ἐξ ὑμῶν, οἳ οὐ πιστεύουσιν (ὅτι δὲ καὶ τὸν προδότην ἠρίθμησεν, ἐδήλωσεν εἰπὼν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής· Ἤδει γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ μὴ πιστεύοντες, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδώσων αὐτόν)· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐνέμεινε, σφοδρότερον ἐπάγει τὸν ἔλεγχον, Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διάβολός ἐστιν, καὶ κοινὸν πᾶσι τὸν φόβον καθίστησιν, ἐκεῖνον συσκιάσαι βουλόμενος. Ἄξιον δὲ ἐνταῦθα διαπορῆσαι, τί δήποτε νῦν μὲν οὐδὲν λέγουσιν οἱ μαθηταὶ, ὕστερον δὲ δεδοίκασι καὶ διαποροῦνται πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁρῶντες καὶ πυνθανόμενοι, Μή τι ἐγώ εἰμι, Κύριε; Καὶ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ ὁ Πέτρος ἐννεύει μαθεῖν τὸν προδότην, καὶ πυθέσθαι τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου τίς ἐστιν. Τί ποτε οὖν ἐστι τὸ αἴτιον; Οὔπω ἦν ὁ Πέτρος ἀκούσας, Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδέ τι δέος εἶχεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐπετιμήθη, καὶ ἀπὸ πολλῆς διαθέσεως εἰπὼν, οὐκ εὐδοκίμησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σατανᾶς ἤκουσεν· ἀκούων ὅτι Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με, εἰκότως λοιπὸν ἔδεισε. Ἄλλως δὲ, οὐδὲ νῦν φησιν, Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με, ἀλλ', Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διάβολός ἐστι. ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲ ᾔδεσαν τὸ λεγόμενον, ἀλλὰ πονηρίας ᾤοντο σκώπτεσθαι μόνον. Τί δήποτε δὲ τὸ Οὐχὶ ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς, εἶπεν, τοὺς δώδεκα ἐξελεξάμην, καὶ 59.268 εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διάβολός ἐστι; Κολακείας ἀπηλλαγμένην αὐτοῦ τὴν διδασκαλίαν δεικνύς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πάντων αὐτὸν ἐγκαταλειψάντων αὐτοὶ παρέμειναν μόνοι, καὶ διὰ τοῦ Πέτρου ὡμολόγουν εἶναι Χριστὸν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἔμελλεν αὐτοὺς κολακεύειν, ἀπάγει ταύτης τῆς ὑποψίας. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐδέν με δυσωπεῖ πρὸς τὸ τοὺς κακοὺς μὴ ἐλέγχειν· μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἐπειδὴ ἐπεμείνατε, κολακεῦσαι ὑμᾶς αἱρήσομαι· ἢ ἐπειδὴ ἠκολουθήσατε, οὐκ ἐλέγχω τοὺς πονηρούς. Ὃ γὰρ πολὺ τούτου μεῖζόν ἐστιν εἰς τὸ δυσωπῆσαι τὸν διδάσκαλον, οὐδὲ τοῦτό με δυσωπεῖ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ παραμένων, τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλοστοργίας παρέχεται τεκμήριον· ὁ δὲ ἐκλεγεὶς παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου, περιάπτει δόξαν ἀνοίας, ἐκριπτούμενος παρὰ τοῖς ἀνοήτοις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ τοῦτό με ἀπάγει τῶν ἐλέγχων. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ νῦν ἐγκαλοῦσι τῷ Χριστῷ Ἕλληνες ψυχρῶς καὶ ἀνοήτως. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνάγκῃ καὶ βίᾳ ποιεῖν ἀγαθοὺς εἴωθεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ ἡ ἐκλογὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ αἵρεσις βιαστικὴ τῶν καλουμένων ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ προτρεπτική. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς. ὅτι οὐ βιάζεται ἡ κλῆσις, σκόπει πόσους συνέβη τῶν κληθέντων ἀπολέσθαι. Ὅθεν φανερὸν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ κεῖται τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ, τὸ σωθῆναι καὶ ἀπολέσθαι. εʹ. Ταῦτα οὖν ἀκούοντες, παιδευώμεθα νήφειν ἀεὶ καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ εἰς τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον χορὸν τελῶν, ὁ τοσαύτης ἀπολελαυκὼς δωρεᾶς, ὁ σημεῖα πεποιηκώς (καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἦν τῶν πεμφθέντων νεκροὺς ἐγεῖραι καὶ λεπροὺς καθαρίσαι), ἐπειδὴ ἑάλω νοσήματι δεινῷ τῷ τῆς φιλαργυρίας κακῷ, καὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην τὸν ἑαυτοῦ προὔδωκεν, οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ὠφέλησαν, οὔτε αἱ εὐεργεσίαι, οὐχ αἱ δωρεαὶ, οὐ τὸ μετ' αὐτοῦ εἶναι, οὐ θεραπεία, οὐ τὸ τοὺς πόδας νίψαι, οὐ τὸ τῆς τραπέζης κοινωνῆσαι, οὐ τὸ γλωσσόκομον κατέχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐφόδια αὐτῷ ταῦτα κολάσεως γέγονε· φοβηθῶμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, μή ποτε τὸν Ἰούδαν μιμησώμεθα διὰ τῆς φιλαργυρίας. Οὐ προδίδως τὸν Χριστόν; Ἀλλ' ὅταν περιίδῃς πένητα λιμῷ τηκόμενον, ἢ ὑπὸ ψύχους διαφθειρόμενον, τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐφέλκῃ καταδίκην. Καὶ ὅταν ἀναξίως μετέχωμεν τῶν μυστηρίων, ὁμοίως ἀπολλύμεθα τοῖς χριστοκτόνοις. Ὅταν ἁρπάζωμεν, ὅταν ἄγχωμεν τοὺς καταδεεστέρους, μεγίστην ἐπισπασόμεθα τὴν τιμωρίαν· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Μέχρι γὰρ τίνος ὁ ἔρως ἡμᾶς οὕτω κατέχει τῶν παρόντων πραγμάτων τῶν περιττῶν καὶ ἀνονήτων; Ὁ γὰρ πλοῦτος ἐν τοῖς περιττοῖς, ἐν οἷς οὐδὲν ὄφελος γίνεται. Μέχρι τίνος προσηλώμεθα τοῖς ματαίοις; μέχρι τίνος οὐ διαποβλέπομεν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, οὐ νήφομεν, οὐ λαμβάνομεν κόρον