206

I have not come of myself, this hints that they knew that he was sent from the Father, even if they did not reveal it. In a twofold way, therefore, he convicts them. And first, what they were speaking in private, these things he brought into the open, crying out, so as to shame them; then also he revealed the things in their mind; as if he were saying: I am not one of the outcasts, nor of those who have simply come. But he who sent me is true, whom you do not know. What is the meaning of, He who sent me is true? If he is true, he sent for a true purpose; if he is true, it is likely that the one sent is also true. 2. And in another way he establishes this, vanquishing them by their own words. For since they were saying, When the Christ comes, no one knows from where 59.280 he is, he shows from this too that he is the Christ. For they too said the phrase, No one knows, in contrast to some local definition; and from this he shows himself to be the Christ, because he came from the Father; and everywhere he testifies that the knowledge of the Father belongs to himself alone, saying: Not that anyone has seen the Father, except him who is from the Father. And the things being said provoked them. For to say, that You do not know him, and to prove that though they knew, they pretend to be ignorant, was enough to sting and vex them. They sought therefore to seize him, and no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Do you see them being invisibly restrained, and their anger being bridled? But why did he not say, that he restrained them invisibly, but Because his hour had not yet come? The evangelist wished to speak in a more human and humble manner, so that he might also be supposed to be a man. For since everywhere he says lofty things, for this reason he sows these things among them. But when he says, that I am from him; he does not say it as a prophet who learns, but as one who sees him, and is with him. For I know him, he says, because I am from him. Do you see how from every angle he establishes the saying, I have not come of myself, and, He who sent me is true, contending against that point, of not being thought alien from God? And consider how great the gain of the humility of the words. For after these things many, it says, were saying: When the Christ comes, will he do more signs than this man has done? How many signs? And yet there were three signs, that of the wine, and that of the paralytic, and that of the royal official's son; and the evangelist has narrated no more. From which it is clear, what I have often said, that they pass over many things, and they discourse to us about those things, concerning which the rulers were working mischief. They sought therefore to seize and kill him. Who? Not the multitude which did not desire rule, nor could be captured by envy; but the priests. For those of the multitude were saying: When the Christ comes, will he do more signs? However, not even this was a sound faith, but as of a common crowd. For to say, When he comes, was not of those who were strongly persuaded that this was the Christ. Therefore, one might either say this, or that it was said by the crowds by way of concession; for as the rulers were striving by every means to show that he was not the Christ, "let us grant that he is not the Christ; will that one be better than this one?" Which I always say, that the duller sort, not from teaching, nor from public speaking, but are led by signs. The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring, and sent officers, to seize him. Do you see that the breaking of the Sabbath was a pretext? But what stung them most, was this. For here, having nothing to charge, neither in the things said, nor in the things done, they wanted to seize him on account of the crowd. And they themselves did not dare, suspecting the danger, but sent their servants, delivering them up. O the tyranny and the madness! or rather, O the foolishness! They themselves, having tried many times and not having prevailed, entrusted the matter to the officers, simply indulging their anger; and yet he discoursed many things also at the pool, and they did nothing of the sort, but they sought indeed, but did not attempt it. But here they no longer endure it, since the crowd was about to run to him. What then says Christ? Yet a little while I am with you. Being able both to bend and to frighten

206

Ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλήλυθα, τοῦτο αἰνίττεται, ὅτι ᾔδεσαν ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀπέσταλτο, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐξεκάλυπτον. ∆ιπλῇ γοῦν αὐτοὺς ἐλέγχει. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἃ κατ' ἰδίαν ἐλάλουν, ταῦτα εἰς μέσον ἤγαγε κράζων, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἐντρέψαι· ἔπειτα καὶ τὰ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐξεκάλυπτεν· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ εἰμὶ τῶν ἀπεῤῥιμμένων, οὐδὲ τῶν ἁπλῶς ἐλθόντων. Ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἀληθὴς ὁ πέμψας με, ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε. Τί ἐστιν, Ἀληθὴς ὁ πέμψας με; Εἰ ἀληθής ἐστιν, ἐπ' ἀληθείᾳ ἔπεμψεν· εἰ ἀληθής ἐστι, καὶ τὸν ἀπεσταλμένον εἰκὸς ἀληθῆ εἶναι. βʹ. Καὶ ἑτέρως δὲ τοῦτο κατασκευάζει, ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτοὺς χειρούμενος λόγων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγον, Ὁ Χριστὸς ὅταν ἔρχηται, οὐδεὶς γινώσκει πόθεν 59.280 ἐστὶ, δείκνυσι καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι τὸν Χριστόν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τὸ, Οὐδεὶς γινώσκει, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τοπικοῦ τινος ἔλεγον διορισμοῦ· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν ὄντα τὸν Χριστὸν, ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἦλθε· καὶ πανταχοῦ τὴν γνῶσιν ἑαυτῷ μαρτυρεῖ μόνῳ τοῦ Πατρὸς, λέγων· Οὐχ ὅτι τὸν Πατέρα τις ἑώρακεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ παρώξυνεν αὐτοὺς τὰ λεγόμενα. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Οὐκ οἴδατε αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸ ἐλέγξαι ὅτι εἰδότες προσποιοῦνται ἀγνοεῖν, ἱκανὸν δακεῖν καὶ καθάψασθαι. Ἐζήτουν οὖν αὐτὸν πιάσαι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπέβαλεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τὴν χεῖρα, ὅτι οὔπω ἐληλύθει ἡ ὥρα αὐτοῦ. Ὁρᾷς αὐτοὺς ἀοράτως κατεχομένους, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν χαλινούμενον; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι κατεῖχεν αὐτοὺς ἀοράτως, ἀλλ' Ὅτι οὔπω ἐληλύθει ἡ ὥρα αὐτοῦ; Ἀνθρωπινώτερον ἠβουλήθη φθέγξασθαι καὶ ταπεινότερον ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ὥστε αὐτὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ὑποπτευθῆναι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πανταχοῦ ὑψηλὰ λέγει, τούτου ἕνεκεν ταῦτα παρασπείρει. Ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ, ὅτι Παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰμι· οὐχ ὡς προφήτης μανθάνων λέγει, ἀλλ' ὡς ὁρῶν αὐτὸν, καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ ὤν. Οἶδα γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐγὼ παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰμι. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἄνω καὶ κάτω κατασκευάζει τὸ, Ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλήλυθα, καὶ, Ὁ πέμψας με ἀληθής ἐστι, πρὸς ἐκεῖνο μαχόμενος, τὸ μὴ νομισθῆναι ἀλλότριον τοῦ Θεοῦ; Καὶ σκόπει πόσον τῆς ταπεινότητος τῶν ῥημάτων τὸ κέρδος. Μετὰ γὰρ ταῦτα πολλοὶ, φησὶν, ἔλεγον· Ὁ Χριστὸς ὅταν ἔλθῃ, μὴ πλείονα σημεῖα ποιήσει ὧν οὗτος ἐποίησε; Πόσα σημεῖα; Καὶ μὴν τρία ἦν σημεῖα, τὸ τοῦ οἴνου, καὶ τὸ τοῦ παραλυτικοῦ, καὶ τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ· καὶ οὐδὲν διηγήσατο πλέον ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, ὅτι τὰ πολλὰ παρατρέχουσι, καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἡμῖν διαλέγονται, ὑπὲρ ὧν οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐκακούργουν. Ἐζήτουν οὖν αὐτὸν πιάσαι καὶ ἀνελεῖν. Τίνες; Οὐ τὸ πλῆθος τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς οὐκ ἐφιέμενον, οὐδὲ βασκανίᾳ ἁλῶναι δυνάμενον· ἀλλ' οἱ ἱερεῖς. Οἱ γὰρ τοῦ πλήθους ἔλεγον· Ὁ Χριστὸς ὅταν ἔλθῃ, μὴ πλείονα σημεῖα ποιήσει; Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὕτη ἦν ὑγιὴς ἡ πίστις, ἀλλ' ὡς πλήθους χυδαίου. Τὸ γὰρ λέγειν, Ὅταν ἔλθῃ, οὐ σφόδρα πεπεισμένων ἦν τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν Χριστόν. Ἢ τοῦτο οὖν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἢ ὅτι κατὰ συνδρομὴν εἴρηται παρὰ τῶν ὄχλων· ὡς γὰρ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἄνω καὶ κάτω σπουδαζόντων δεῖξαι οὐκ ὄντα αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν, θῶμεν μηδὲ εἶναι αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστόν· μὴ τούτου βελτίων ἔσται ἐκεῖνος; Ὅπερ ἀεὶ λέγω, ὅτι οἱ παχύτεροι, οὐκ ἀπὸ διδασκαλίας, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ δημηγορίας, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ σημείων ἐνάγονται. Ἤκουσαν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τοῦ ὄχλου γογγύζοντος, καὶ ἔπεμψαν ὑπηρέτας, ἵνα πιάσωσιν αὐτόν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τοῦ σαββάτου ἡ λύσις πρόσχημα ἦν; Ὃ δὲ μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἔδακνε, τοῦτο ἦν. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖν, οὔτε τοῖς εἰρημένοις, οὔτε τοῖς πεπραγμένοις, διὰ τὸν ὄχλον ἐβούλοντο πιάσαι αὐτόν. Καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν οὐκ ἐτόλμων, τὸν κίνδυνον ὑφορώμενοι, τοὺς δὲ διακόνους ἀπέστελλον ἐκδότους. Ὢ τῆς τυραννίδος καὶ τῆς μανίας! μᾶλλον δὲ ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! Αὐτοὶ πολλάκις ἐπιχειρήσαντες, καὶ οὐκ ἰσχύσαντες, τοῖς ὑπηρέταις τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπέτρεψαν, ἁπλῶς τὸν θυμὸν αὐτῶν διαναπαύοντες· καίτοι πολλὰ διελέχθη καὶ ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ, καὶ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐποίησαν, ἀλλ' ἐζήτησαν μὲν, οὐκ ἐπεχείρησαν δέ. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐκ ἔτι φέρουσι, τοῦ ὄχλου μέλλοντος αὐτῷ προστρέχειν. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ἔτι μικρὸν χρόνον μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι. ∆υνάμενος καὶ ἐπικάμψαι καὶ φοβῆσαι