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having left the land from that day, from which it was said, Your house is left desolate. And even before that, this scarcity was beginning. For there was no longer a prophet among them, nor did grace watch over their holy things. Since, therefore, the Holy Spirit had been withheld, but was about to be poured out abundantly; and the beginning of this distribution came after the cross, not only of abundance, but also of greater gifts (for the gift was more wonderful, as when He says, You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; and again, For you did not receive a spirit of bondage, but you received a spirit of adoption. For the men of old also had a spirit, but did not impart it to others; but the apostles filled myriads); since, therefore, they were about to receive this grace, but it had not yet been given, for this reason he says, For the Holy Spirit was not yet. Since, therefore, the evangelist, speaking of this grace, said, For the Holy Spirit was not yet, that is, given, because Jesus was not yet glorified, calling the cross glory. For since we were enemies and sinners and lacking the gift of God, and hated by God; and grace was proof of reconciliation; but a gift is not given to enemies, nor to those who are hated, but to friends, and to those who have pleased Him; it was necessary first for the sacrifice on our behalf to be offered, and for the enmity in the flesh to be abolished, and for us to become friends of God, and then to receive the gift. For if this happened in the case of the promise to Abraham, much more so in the case of the 59.285 grace. And Paul, declaring this, said, For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void; for the law brings about wrath. What he says is something like this: God promised to Abraham and to his seed to give the land; but his descendants were unworthy of the promise, and from their own labors they could not be well-pleasing. For this reason faith entered, an easy thing, in order to draw down grace, and so that the promises might not fail. And he says: Therefore it is of faith, that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure. For this reason According to grace, since from their toils they did not prevail. But for what reason, having said, according to the Scriptures, does he not also add the testimony? Because their opinion was corrupt. For some said, This is the Prophet; but others said, He deceives the crowd; and others said, The Christ does not come from Galilee, but from Bethlehem, the village; others said, When the Christ comes, no one knows where he is from; and their opinion was divided, as in a disturbed multitude. For they did not pay close attention to what was said, nor for the sake of learning. For this reason, then, he answers them nothing, although they say, Does the Christ come from Galilee? but Nathanael, who spoke more vehemently and critically, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? he praised as a true Israelite. For these men, and those who said to Nicodemus, Search and see that no prophet has arisen from Galilee, did not speak seeking to learn, but simply to overthrow the opinion about Christ. But he, being a lover of truth, and knowing all the ancient things accurately, said this; but they looked to one thing only, to overthrow the fact that he is the Christ. Therefore he revealed nothing to them. For those who even said contradictory things to themselves, at one time, No one knows where he comes from, and at another, From Bethlehem, it is clear that even if they had learned, they would have opposed it. For let it be that they did not know the place, that it was from Bethlehem, because of his life in Nazareth (although even this was not excusable; for he was not born there); did they also not know his lineage, that he was from the house and family of David? How then did they say, Does not the Christ come from the seed of David? But they wished to obscure this also for him, speaking everything maliciously. And for what reason did they not come and say: Since we marvel at everything else, but you command us to believe you according to the Scriptures, tell us, how do the Scriptures say that the Christ must come from Bethlehem, but you have come from Galilee? But they said none of these things, but utter everything wickedly. For that they were not seeking, nor wishing to learn, he immediately added

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τῆς γῆς ἀπολιποῦσα ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ἀφ' ἧς ἐῤῥήθη, Ἀφίεται ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος. Καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνης δὲ ἀρχὴν ἐλάμβανεν αὕτη ἡ σπάνις. Οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ προφήτης παρ' αὐτοῖς ἦν, οὐδὲ ἐπώπτευεν αὐτῶν τὰ ἅγια ἡ χάρις. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀνέσταλτο μὲν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἔμελλε δὲ λοιπὸν ἐκχεῖσθαι δαψιλῶς· ταύτης δὲ τῆς διανομῆς ἀρχὴ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἐγίνετο, οὐ μόνον δαψιλείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ μειζόνων χαρισμάτων (καὶ γὰρ θαυμαστοτέρα ἦν ἡ δωρεὰ, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Οὐκ οἴδατε ποίου πνεύματός ἐστε· καὶ πάλιν, Οὐ γὰρ ἐλάβετε πνεῦμα δουλείας, ἀλλ' ἐλάβετε πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ παλαιοὶ καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν πνεῦμα εἶχον, ἄλλοις δὲ οὐ παρεῖχον· οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι μυριάδας ἐνέπλησαν)· ἐπειδὴ οὖν ταύτην ἔμελλον λαμβάνειν τὴν χάριν, οὔπω δὲ ἦν δοθεῖσα, διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν περὶ ταύτης λέγων τῆς χάριτος ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἔλεγεν· Οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα ἅγιον, τουτέστι, δοθὲν, ἐπεὶ Ἰησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη, δόξαν καλῶν τὸν σταυρόν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐχθροὶ ἦμεν καὶ ἡμαρτηκότες καὶ ὑστερούμενοι τῆς δωρεᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ θεοστυγεῖς· ἡ δὲ χάρις καταλλαγῆς ἦν ἀπόδειξις· δῶρον δὲ οὐ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, οὐδὲ τοῖς μισουμένοις, ἀλλὰ τοῖς φίλοις δίδοται, καὶ τοῖς εὐηρεστηκόσιν· ἔδει πρότερον προσενεχθῆναι τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν θυσίαν, καὶ τὴν ἔχθραν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ καταλυθῆναι, καὶ γενέσθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ φίλους, καὶ τότε λαβεῖν τὴν δωρεάν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦτο γέγονε τῆς πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς 59.285 χάριτος. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ νόμου κληρονόμοι, κεκένωται ἡ πίστις· ὁ γὰρ νόμος ὀργὴν κατεργάζεται. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ δώσειν τὴν γῆν· ἀλλ' ἀνάξιοι ἦσαν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας οἱ ἔκγονοι, καὶ ἐξ οἰκείων οὐκ ἠδύναντο εὐαρεστῆσαι πόνων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἰσῆλθεν ἡ πίστις, πρᾶγμα εὔκολον, ἵνα τὴν χάριν ἐπισπάσηται, καὶ μὴ διαπέσωσιν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι. Καὶ λέγει· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκ πίστεως, ἵνα κατὰ χάριν, εἰς τὸ εἶναι βεβαίαν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Κατὰ χάριν, ἐπειδὴ ἐξ ἱδρώτων οὐκ ἴσχυσαν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν εἰπὼν, κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, οὐκ ἐπάγει καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν; Ὅτι διεφθαρμένη αὐτῶν ἡ γνώμη ἦν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔλεγον· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης· ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον, ὅτι Πλανᾷ τὸν ὄχλον· ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον, Οὐκ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἔρχεται ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ τῆς κώμης· ἄλλοι δὲ ἔλεγον, Ὁ Χριστὸς ὅταν ἔρχηται, οὐδεὶς γινώσκει πόθεν ἐστί· καὶ διάφορος ἦν ἡ γνώμη, ἅτε ἐν πλήθει τεταραγμένῳ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς προσεῖχον τοῖς λεγομένοις, οὐδὲ τοῦ μαθεῖν ἕνεκεν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο τούτοις μὲν οὐδὲν ἀποκρίνεται, καίτοι λέγουσι· Μὴ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ὁ Χριστὸς ἔρχεται; τὸν δὲ Ναθαναὴλ σφοδρότερον εἰπόντα καὶ πληκτικώτερον, Ἐκ Ναζαρὲτ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι; ἐπῄνεσεν ὡς ἀληθῶς Ἰσραηλίτην. Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ καὶ οἱ πρὸς τὸν Νικόδημον εἰπόντες, Ἐρεύνησον καὶ ἴδε, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης οὐκ ἐγήγερται, οὐ μαθεῖν ζητοῦντες ἔλεγον, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ἀνατρέψαι τὴν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δόξαν. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀληθείας ὢν ἐραστὴς, καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ ἀκριβῶς πάντα ἐπιστάμενος, τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· αὐτοὶ δὲ πρὸς ἓν μόνον ἑώρων, τὸ ἀνατρέψαι ὅτι ὁ Χριστός ἐστι. ∆ιόπερ αὐτοῖς οὐδὲν ἀπεκάλυπτεν. Οἱ γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐναντία λέγοντες, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν, Οὐδεὶς γινώσκει πόθεν ἔρχεται, ποτὲ δὲ, Ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ μαθόντες ἠναντιώθησαν. Ἔστω γὰρ, τὸν τόπον ἠγνόουν, ὅτι ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ, διὰ τὴν ἀναστροφὴν τὴν ἐν Ναζαρὲτ (καίτοι οὐδὲ τοῦτο συγγνώμην εἶχεν· οὐ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἐτέχθη)· ἆρα καὶ τὸ γένος ἠγνόουν, ὅτι ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς ∆αυΐδ; Πῶς οὖν ἔλεγον, Οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος ∆αυῒδ ἔρχεται ὁ Χριστός; Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ συσκιάσαι ἐβούλοντο, κακούργως ἅπαντα φθεγγόμενοι. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ προσελθόντες εἶπον· Ἐπειδὴ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα πάντα θαυμάζομεν, κελεύεις δέ σοι πείθεσθαι κατὰ τὰς Γραφὰς, εἰπὲ, πῶς αἱ μὲν Γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ὅτι ἀπὸ Βηθλεὲμ δεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐλθεῖν, σὺ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἀφῖξαι; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπον, ἀλλὰ πάντα πονηρῶς φθέγγονται. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ ζητοῦντες, οὐδὲ μαθεῖν βουλόμενοι, εὐθέως ἐπήγαγεν ὁ