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everywhere they attack them more vehemently. What then? And who will blame God for this? Far from it. For this is their crime. What other sign could one make of your not knowing the law, than your not obeying it? But since they said, 'Has any of the rulers believed in him?' and that 'Those who do not know the law,' Nicodemus fittingly rebukes them, saying thus: 'Does our law judge a man, unless it first hears from him?' For he shows them neither knowing the law, nor doing the law. For if it commands that no man be killed without first being heard, and these men rushed to this before hearing him, they are transgressors of the law. And since they said, 'And none of the rulers believed in him,' for this reason the evangelist points out that he was one of them, showing that rulers too believed in him. For they did not yet show the fitting boldness; nevertheless they were becoming friends with Christ. But see how he brings on the reproof with forbearance. For he did not say, 'You wish to kill him, and you simply condemn the man as an impostor.' But he did not speak thus, but more gently, checking their unspeakable impulse, and their unconsidered and murderous intent. For this reason he turns the discourse to the law, saying: 'Unless it hears him accurately, and knows what he does.' So that not a mere hearing is needed, but an accurate one. For this is, 'And knows what he does,' what he intends, and why, and for what purpose, whether for the overthrow of the state and as an enemy. Being at a loss, therefore, since they had said, 'None of the rulers has believed in him,' they approached him neither vehemently nor with forbearance. 2. For what coherence is there, tell me, when he said, 'Our law judges no one,' to say, 'Are you also from Galilee?' For when it was necessary to show that they had not sent to summon him without a hearing, or that he ought not to be given a hearing, they used their rebuttal more boorishly and angrily: 'Search and see, that a prophet has not risen out of Galilee.' For what did the man say? That he is a prophet? He said that he ought not to be killed without a hearing. But they insultingly, as to one who knew nothing about the Scriptures, added this: as if one should say: 'Go, learn'; for this is what 'Search and see' means. What then of Christ? Since they were turning Galilee and the prophet upside down, releasing everyone from this foreign suspicion, and showing that he is not one of the prophets, but the Lord of the world, he says: 'I am the light of the world.' Not of Galilee, not of Palestine, nor of Judea. What then say the Jews? 'You bear witness of yourself; your witness is not true.' O the foolishness! He referred them up and down to the Scriptures, and they say, 'You bear witness of yourself.' And what did he witness? 'I am the light of the world.' Great 59.289 was the saying, and truly great; but it did not strike them very hard, since he did not now make himself equal to the Father, nor say that he was His Son, nor God, but for the time being, light. They wished, then, to overthrow this also; and yet this is much greater than saying, 'He who follows me shall not walk in darkness,' speaking of light and darkness in a spiritual sense; that is, he does not remain in error. Here he also attracts and encourages Nicodemus as having spoken very boldly, and praises the officers for having done this. For to cry out is the act of one wishing to establish a point, so that they too might hear; and at the same time he hints at those who secretly weave their plots, and in darkness and error; but they will not overcome the light. And he reminds Nicodemus of those words which he formerly spoke; 'Everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.' For since they were saying, 'None of the rulers has believed in him,' for this reason he says, 'He who does evil does not come to the light,' showing that their not coming was not from the weakness of the light, but from their own perverted judgment. They answered and said to him: 'You bear witness of yourself?' What then of him? 'Even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true;' because I know

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πανταχοῦ σφοδρότερον ἐπιτίθενται αὐτοῖς. Τί οὖν; Καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τίς ἐγκαλέσει διὰ τοῦτο; Ἄπαγε. Ἐκείνων γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ ἔγκλημα. Ποῖον δ' ἂν ἄλλο τις ποιήσειε σημεῖον τοῦ μὴ γινώσκειν ὑμᾶς τὸν νόμον, ἢ τὸ μὴ πείθεσθαι; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶπον, ὅτι Μὴ τῶν ἀρχόντων τις ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτόν; καὶ ὅτι Οἱ μὴ γινώσκοντες τὸν νόμον, ἀκολούθως αὐτῶν καθάπτεται ὁ Νικόδημος, οὕτως λέγων· Μὴ ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν κρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ πρότερον; ∆είκνυσι γὰρ αὐτοὺς μήτε γινώσκοντας τὸν νόμον, μήτε ποιοῦντας τὸν νόμον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὐδένα κελεύει ἀποκτιννύναι ἄνθρωπον μὴ πρότερον ἀκούσαντας, οὗτοι δὲ πρὶν ἀκοῦσαι ἐπὶ τοῦτο ὥρμησαν, παραβάται εἰσὶ τοῦ νόμου. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἶπον, Καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν, διὰ τοῦτο ἐπισημαίνεται ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ὅτι εἷς ἦν ἐξ αὐτῶν, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ ἄρχοντες ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν. Παῤῥησίαν μὲν γὰρ οὐδέπω τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐπεδείκνυντο· πλὴν ᾠκειοῦντο τῷ Χριστῷ. Ὅρα δὲ πῶς καὶ μετὰ φειδοῦς τὸν ἔλεγχον ἐπάγει. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὑμεῖς δὲ βούλεσθε αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ ἁπλῶς καταδικάζετε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὡς πλάνον. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ προσηνέστερον, τὴν ἄφατον αὐτῶν ὁρμὴν ἐγκόπτων, καὶ τὸ ἄσκεπτον καὶ φονικόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὸν νόμον τρέπει τὸν λόγον, λέγων· Ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ἀκριβῶς, καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ. Ὥστε οὐδὲ ἀκροάσεως δεῖ ψιλῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκριβοῦς. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, Καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ, τί βούλεται, καὶ διατί, καὶ ἐπὶ τίνι, πότερον ἐπ' ἀνατροπῇ τῆς πολιτείας καὶ ὡς ἐχθρός. Ἀπορηθέντες τοίνυν ἐπειδὴ εἶπον, Οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν, οὔτε σφοδρῶς, οὔτε μετὰ φειδοῦς αὐτῷ προσηνέχθησαν. βʹ. Ποίαν γὰρ ἀκολουθίαν ἔχει, εἰπέ μοι, εἰπόντος ἐκείνου, ὅτι Ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν οὐ κρίνει οὐδένα, εἰπεῖν, Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶ; ∆έον γὰρ δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἀκρίτως ἔπεμψαν αὐτὸν καλέσοντες, ἢ ὅτι οὐ χρὴ μεταδοῦναι λόγου, ἀγροικότερον καὶ θυμικώτερον κέχρηνται τῇ ἀντιῤῥήσει· Ἐρώτησον καὶ ἴδε, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης οὐκ ἐγήγερται. Τί γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος; ὅτι προφήτης ἐστίν; Εἶπεν ὅτι ἄκριτον ἀναιρεθῆναι οὐ δεῖ. Οἱ δὲ ὑβριστικῶς, ὡς οὐκ εἰδότι περὶ τῶν Γραφῶν οὐδὲν, ταῦτα ἐπήγαγον· ὡσανεὶ εἴποι τις· Ὕπαγε, μάθε· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Ἐρώτησον καὶ ἴδε. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ἐπειδὴ ἄνω καὶ κάτω τὴν Γαλιλαίαν ἔστρεφον καὶ τὸν προφήτην, ἀπαλλάττων πάντας ταύτης τῆς ἀλλοτρίας ὑποψίας, καὶ δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐχ εἷς τῶν προφητῶν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κόσμου ∆εσπότης, φησίν· Ἐγὼ φῶς εἰμι τοῦ κόσμου. Οὐ Γαλιλαίας, οὐ Παλαιστίνης, οὐδὲ τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Τί οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι; Σὺ περὶ σεαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖς, ἡ μαρτυρία σου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής. Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! ταῖς Γραφαῖς παρέπεμψεν ἄνω καὶ κάτω, καὶ λέγουσιν, ὅτι Σὺ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖς. Τί δὲ ἐμαρτύρησεν; Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου. Μέγα 59.289 τὸ λεχθὲν, καὶ ὄντως μέγα· ἀλλ' οὐ σφόδρα αὐτοὺς ἔπληξεν, ἐπειδὴ οὔτε ἐξισοῖ νῦν ἑαυτὸν τῷ Πατρὶ, οὔτε Υἱὸς ἐκείνου εἶπεν εἶναι, οὔτε Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ φῶς τέως. Ἐβούλοντο μὲν οὖν ἀνατρέψαι καὶ τοῦτο· καίτοι πολὺ τοῦτο μεῖζον τοῦ εἰπεῖν, Ὁ ἀκολουθῶν ἐμοὶ οὐ μὴ περιπατήσει ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ, φῶς καὶ σκοτίαν νοητῶς λέγων· τουτέστιν, οὐ μένει ἐν τῇ πλάνῃ. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸν Νικόδημον ἐφέλκεται καὶ ἐνάγει ὡς σφόδρα παῤῥησιασάμενον, καὶ τοὺς ὑπηρέτας ἐπαινεῖ τοῦτο πεποιηκότας. Τὸ γὰρ κράξαι, τοῦτό ἐστι βουλομένου κατασκευάσαι, ὥστε κἀκείνους ἀκοῦσαι· ἅμα δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς αἰνίττεται κρυφῇ τοὺς δόλους πλέκοντας, καὶ ἐν τῷ σκότῳ καὶ τῇ πλάνῃ· ἀλλὰ τοῦ φωτὸς οὐ περιέσονται. Καὶ τὸν Νικόδημον ὑπομιμνήσκει τῶν ῥημάτων ἐκείνων, ἅπερ ἔλεγε πρώην· Πᾶς ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων, μισεῖ τὸ φῶς, καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα μὴ φανερωθῇ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν, διὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Ὁ τὰ φαῦλα πράσσων, οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ τῆς τοῦ φωτὸς ἀσθενείας τὸ μὴ ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνων διεστραμμένης γνώμης. Ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· Σὺ περὶ σεαυτοῦ μαρτυρεῖς; Τί οὖν αὐτός; Κἂν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου ἀληθής ἐστιν· ὅτι οἶδα