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to heal, and to correct another? For how is it clear that my sins are forgiven? But now he says nothing of the sort, but gives himself to the authority of the one who heals; but these men, being superfluous and envious, plot against the good deeds of others. Therefore he rebukes them, but with all gentleness. For if you disbelieve, he says, the first, and think what was said to be a boast, behold I add another to that, to uncover your secrets; and after that, another again. What is that then? To strengthen the body of the paralytic. And when he spoke to the paralytic, he did not speak clearly declaring his own authority; for he did not say, I forgive you your sins, but, Your sins are forgiven. But since they compelled him, he shows his authority more clearly, saying: But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Do you see how far he was from not wishing to be considered equal to the Father? For he did not say that the Son of Man needs another, or that He gave him authority, but that He has authority. And he does not say this for ambition, but, That I may persuade you, he says, that I do not blaspheme making myself equal to God. For everywhere he wishes to provide clear and irrefutable proofs, as when he says: Go, show yourself to the priest; and he shows Peter's mother-in-law ministering, and allows the swine to be cast down the cliff. So also here, he makes the strengthening of the body a proof of the forgiveness of sins; and of the strengthening, the carrying of the pallet; so that what happened might not be thought a phantom. And he does not do this before he asked them. For what, he says, is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven; or to say, Take up your pallet, and go to your house? What he says is something like this: What seems easier to you, to strengthen a disjointed body, or to loose the sins of a soul? It is clear that it is to strengthen a body. For by as much as the soul is better than the body, by so much is loosing sins greater than this; but since the one is invisible, and the other visible, I add the lesser, but more visible; that the greater and the invisible might receive its proof through this, already revealing beforehand through his works what was said by John, that he himself takes away the sins of the world. 3. Therefore, having raised him up, he sends him to his house; again here showing his lack of pride, and that what had happened was not a phantom; for he makes the witnesses of the illness, 57.361 these he makes also of the health. For I wished, he says, through your suffering to also heal those who seem to be well, but are sick in mind; but since they are not willing, go home, to correct those there. Do you see how he shows that he is the creator of both souls and bodies? Therefore he heals the paralysis of both substances, and makes the invisible clear from the visible; but nevertheless they still crawl on the ground. For when the crowds saw it, he says, they marveled, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men; for the flesh stood in their way. But he did not rebuke them, but proceeds by his works, raising them up and making their minds lofty. For at that time it was no small thing to be thought to be greater than all men, and to have come from God. For if they had well established these things among themselves, proceeding on the way they would have known that he was also the Son of God. But they did not grasp these things clearly; for this reason they were not able to come to him. For they said again: This man is not from God; how is this man from God? And they constantly twisted these things, putting forward these things as cloaks for their own passions. Which many do even now, and seeming to vindicate God, they fulfill their own passions, when it is necessary to pursue all things with gentleness. For even the God of all, being able to send a thunderbolt upon those who blaspheme him, makes the sun to rise, and sends the rains, and provides all other things with abundance; whom it is right for us also to imitate, exhorting, advising, admonishing with meekness, not being angered, nor becoming savage. For there is no harm to God from the

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θεραπεῦσαι, καὶ ἕτερον διορθοῦσαι; πόθεν γὰρ δῆλον, ὅτι ἀφέωνταί μου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι; Νυνὶ δὲ ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον φθέγγεται, ἀλλὰ δίδωσιν ἑαυτὸν τῇ τοῦ θεραπεύοντος ἐξουσίᾳ· οὗτοι δὲ περιττοὶ ὄντες καὶ βάσκανοι, ταῖς ἑτέρων ἐπιβουλεύουσιν εὐεργεσίαις. ∆ιὸ ἐπισκήπτει μὲν αὐτοῖς, μετ' ἐπιεικείας δὲ ἁπάσης. Εἰ γὰρ ἀπιστεῖτε, φησὶ, τῷ προτέρῳ, καὶ κόμπον εἶναι νομίζετε τὸ λεχθὲν, ἰδοὺ καὶ ἕτερον ἐκείνῳ προστίθημι, τὸ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ὑμῶν ἐκκαλύψαι· καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνο πάλιν ἕτερον. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Τὸ σφίγξαι τὸ σῶμα τοῦ παραλελυμένου. Καὶ ὅτε μὲν εἶπε τῷ παραλυτικῷ, οὐ σαφῶς τὴν ἐξουσίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δηλῶν εἶπεν· οὑ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἀφίημί σοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀλλ', Ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκεῖνοι ἠνάγκασαν, τρανοτέραν αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, λέγων· Ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε, ὅτι ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας. Ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἀπεῖχε τοῦ μὴ θέλειν νομίζεσθαι ἴσος τῷ Πατρί; Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι δεῖται ἑτέρου ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἢ ὅτι ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι Ἐξουσίαν ἔχει. Καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτὸ πρὸς φιλοτιμίαν λέγει, ἀλλ' Ἵνα ὑμᾶς πείσω, φησὶν, ὅτι οὐ βλασφημῶ ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ ἀποδείξεις βούλεται παρέχειν σαφεῖς καὶ ἀναντιῤῥήτους, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ὕπαγε, σαυτὸν δεῖξον τῷ ἱερεῖ· καὶ τὴν πενθερὰν Πέτρου δεικνύῃ διακονοῦσαν, καὶ τοὺς χοίρους συγχωρῇ κατακρημνίζεσθαι. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, τῆς μὲν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως τεκμήριον, τὴν τοῦ σώματος σφίγξιν ποιεῖται· τῆς δὲ σφίγξεως, τὸ βαστάσαι τὸν κράββατον· ὥστε μὴ νομισθῆναι φαντασίαν εἶναι τὸ γεγενημένον. Καὶ οὐ πρότερον τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἕως αὐτοὺς ἠρώτησε. Τί γὰρ, φησὶν, εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν, Ἀφέωνταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· ἢ εἰπεῖν, Ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου, καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Τί δοκεῖ ῥᾷον ὑμῖν εἶναι, σῶμα σφίγξαι διῳκισμένον, ἢ ψυχῆς ἁμαρτήματα λῦσαι; Εὔδηλον ὅτι σῶμα σφίγξαι. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ψυχὴ σώματος βελτίων, τοσούτῳ τὸ ἁμαρτήματα λῦσαι τούτου μεῖζον· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν ἀφανὲς, τὸ δὲ φανερὸν, προστίθημι τὸ καταδεέστερον μὲν, φανερώτερον δέ· ἵνα καὶ τὸ μεῖζον καὶ τὸ ἀφανὲς διὰ τούτου λάβῃ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, διὰ τῶν ἔργων προαποκαλύπτων ἤδη τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰωάννου εἰρημένον, ὅτι αὐτὸς αἴρει τὰς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ κόσμου. γʹ. Ἀναστήσας τοίνυν αὐτὸν, εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν πέμπει· πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἄτυφον δεικνὺς, καὶ ὅτι οὐ φαντασία ἦν τὸ γεγενημένον· τοὺς γὰρ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας μάρτυρας, 57.361 τούτους ποιεῖται καὶ τῆς ὑγιείας. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἐβουλόμην, φησὶ, διὰ τοῦ σοῦ πάθους καὶ τοὺς δοκοῦντας ὑγιαίνειν, νοσοῦντας δὲ τὴν διάνοιαν, θεραπεῦσαι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐ βούλονται, ἄπιθι οἴκαδε, τοὺς ἐκεῖ διορθωσόμενος. Ὁρᾷς πῶς δείκνυσι καὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σωμάτων αὐτὸν ὄντα δημιουργόν; Ἑκατέρας οὖν οὐσίας τὴν παράλυσιν ἰᾶται, καὶ τὸ ἀφανὲς ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ δῆλον ποιεῖ· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔτι χαμαὶ σύρονται. Ἰδόντες γὰρ οἱ ὄχλοι ἐθαύμασαν, καὶ ἐδόξασαν τὸν Θεὸν, φησὶν, τὸν δόντα ἐξουσίαν τοιαύτην τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· προσίστατο γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ σάρξ. Αὐτὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐπετίμα, ἀλλὰ πρόεισι διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐγείρων αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὑψηλὸν τὸ φρόνημα ποιῶν. Τέως γὰρ οὐκ ἦν μικρὸν τὸ νομίζεσθαι πάντων ἀνθρώπων εἶναι μείζω, καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ ἥκειν. Εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα καλῶς ἐβεβαίωσαν παρ' ἑαυτοῖς, ὁδῷ προβαίνοντες ἔγνωσαν ἂν, ὅτι καὶ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς ἦν. Ἀλλ' οὐ κατέσχον ταῦτα σαφῶς· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ προσελθεῖν ἠδυνήθησαν. Ἔλεγον γὰρ πάλιν· Οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· πῶς ἐστιν οὗτος παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Καὶ συνεχῶς αὐτὰ ἔστρεφον, τῶν οἰκείων παθῶν ταῦτα προβαλλόμενοι προκαλύμματα. Ὃ πολλοὶ καὶ νῦν ποιοῦσι, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν δοκοῦντες ἐκδικεῖν, οἰκεῖα πληροῦσι πάθη, δέον μετ' ἐπιεικείας ἅπαντα μετιέναι. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, σκηπτὸν δυνάμενος ἀφιέναι ἐπὶ τοὺς βλασφημοῦντας αὐτὸν, τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατέλλει, καὶ τοὺς ὄμβρους ἀφίησι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα μετὰ δαψιλείας παρέχει· ὃν χρὴ καὶ ἡμᾶς μιμουμένους παρακαλεῖν, παραινεῖν, νουθετεῖν μετὰ πραότητος, οὐκ ὀργιζομένους, οὐδὲ ἐκθηριουμένους. Οὐδὲ γὰρ βλάβη τις εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἀπὸ τῆς