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I made the sea dry land," willing to lead your forefathers through it and "at the Jordan" "river," with the current running backwards, those who at that time were guided by my power passed through as through a dry country. Surely, you are not ignorant of the ten plagues against the Egyptians, as I worked a three-day darkness, covering the heaven as if with sackcloth. Why then, having shown such things for your forefathers, was I not able now to deliver myself and the bodily instrument assumed by me for the sake of men from your hands? But since this seemed good to the Lord over all and Most High, who is both my own Lord and happens to be my Father, for this reason, calling him Lord, I say: The Lord Lord gives me a tongue of instruction to know when it is necessary to speak a word. Naturally, "and when I was accused," "I was silent," and when false witness was borne against me by you, "I answered nothing," I did this by the command of the Father, for it was necessary "to become obedient to him" "unto death." For this reason, I kept silence, accepting the insults on your behalf, knowing well that there will be a time when "I will no longer be silent," but having received a tongue of instruction from the Father, I will use it at the opportune time, when it is necessary to speak a word. And this would be the time in which I will establish my churches throughout the whole inhabited world of men; for then I will no longer use silence, but I will cry out within the hearing of all the nations, making known my Father, who at the said time will grant me hearing ears able to understand the meaning of my teaching, which, attending in the morning hours, will partake of my instruction. For my Lord himself will open my ears that attend to me and are discipled to me. Therefore I say: He set for me in the morning, or according to Symmachus: He set for me in the morning round about, or according to Aquila: He awakens in the morning, in the morning he awakens for me an ear to hear; for when I called you, I did not have you listening. Therefore I said: Is it because I came and there was no man? I called and there was no one who listened? But to the disciples who will be granted to me by the Father, I will discourse in due season of the grace of the Father, which provides to me then a word and a tongue of instruction, and to my disciples ears to be able to understand the instruction of my words. Therefore I know that these things will happen in due season, but for the time being, at the present, when I made my arrival to you. I was "seeking" among you those who wished "to be saved" but did not find them, and calling all of you, I did not have you listening, and when the time of your audacious deeds came, at the Father's will, I kept silence so as to answer nothing when slandered. And then I offered my back to those who wished to strike me, and to those who shamefully insulted and struck my face, I offered my cheeks, and I did not turn away my face when it was being filled with your spittle, but I remained steadfast, offering my own bodily man given over to all kinds of dishonors and insults, defending no one in any way; for the Father's will was sufficient for me, by which "becoming obedient" I endured all things, knowing that the Lord who rules over all was present as my helper. Therefore I also set my face like a solid rock, convinced that obedience to the Father brings me no shame, whom I always saw standing near me and, as it were, presiding over what was happening and justifying my endurance. But if anyone might say that the insults against me and death itself were justly brought upon me because of some transgressions, let him come forward into the midst and show if any cause or pretext for such great insult against me has come from me. Indeed, if anyone should wish to be judged with me and to refute such a thing, let him draw near to me, and having come forward into the midst, let him stand and refute. But with no one having a blame to bring either against the
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θάλασσαν ξηρὰν» κατέστησα βουληθεὶς τοὺς προπάτορας ὑμῶν δι' αὐτῆς ἀγαγεῖν καὶ «ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου» δὲ «ποταμοῦ» ἀναδραμόντος εἰς τοὐπίσω τοῦ ῥεύματος διῆλθον ὡς διὰ ξηρᾶς χώρας οἱ τηνικαῦτα ὑπὸ τῆς ἐμῆς δυνάμεως ποδηγούμενοι. πάντως δήπου καὶ τὰς κατ' Αἰγυπτίων δέκα πληγὰς οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε, καθὼς ὡσπερεὶ σάκκῳ περιβαλὼν τὸν οὐρανὸν σκότος τριήμερον εἰργασάμην. Τί οὖν ὁ τοσαῦτα ἐνδειξάμενος ἐπὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων προπατόρων οὐχ οἷός τε ἤμην καὶ νῦν ἐμαυτὸν καὶ τὸ δι' ἀνθρώπους ἀναληφθέν μοι ὄργανον σωματικὸν τῶν ὑμετέρων ἐξελέσθαι χειρῶν; ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τοῦτο ἐδόκει τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ ἀνωτάτῳ κυρίῳ, ὃς καὶ ἐμοῦ αὐτοῦ κύριος ὢν καὶ πατὴρ τυγχάνει, διὸ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸν κύριον ὀνομάζων φημί· Κύριος κύριος δίδωσίν μοι γλῶσσαν παιδείας τοῦ γνῶναι ἡνίκα δεῖ εἰπεῖν λόγον. εἰκότως «καὶ ὅτε κατηγορούμενος» «ἐσιώπων» καὶ ψευδομαρτυρούμενος παρ' ὑμῶν «οὐδὲν ἀπεκρινάμην», τοῦτ' ἔπραττον παραγγελίᾳ τοῦ πατρός, ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐχρῆν «ὑπήκοον αὐτῷ γενέσθαι» «μέχρι θανάτου». τούτου χάριν σιωπὴν ἦγον τὰς ὕβρεις τὰς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀναδεχόμενος εὖ εἰδώς, ὅτι ποτὲ ἔσται καιρός, καθ' ὃν «οὐκέτι σιωπήσομαι», ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς λαβὼν γλῶσσαν παιδείας ταύτῃ χρήσομαι εὐκαίρως, ἡνίκα δεῖ εἰπεῖν λόγον. γένοιτο δ' ἂν οὗτος ὁ καιρός, καθ' ὃν τὰς ἐμὰς ἐκκλησίας καθ' ὅλης τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης ἱδρύσω· τότε γὰρ οὐκέτι μὲν σιωπῇ χρήσομαι, βοήσομαι δὲ εἰς ἐπήκοον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ γνωρίζων πατέρα, ὃς κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον χρόνον χαριεῖταί μοι ὠτία ἀκουστικὰ συνιέναι δυνάμενα τῆς ἐμῆς διδασκαλίας τὸν νοῦν, ἅπερ ταῖς ἑωθιναῖς ὥραις προσεδρεύοντα τῆς ἐμῆς μεταλήψεται παιδεύσεως. αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ ἐμὸς κύριος τὰ ἐμὰ ὦτα τὰ ἐμοὶ προσεδρεύοντα καὶ ἐμοὶ μαθητευόμενα διανοίξει. διό φημι· ἔθηκέ μοι πρωΐ, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· ἔθηκέ μοι πρωῒ γύρῳ, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Ἀκύλαν· ἐγείρει ἐν πρωΐᾳ ἐν πρωΐᾳ ἐξεγείρει μοι ὠτίον τοῦ ἀκούειν· ὑμᾶς μὲν γὰρ καλῶν οὐκ εἶχον ὑπακούοντας. διὸ ἔλεγον· διότι ἦλθον καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος; ἐκάλεσα καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων; τοῖς δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς χαρισθησομένοις μοι μαθηταῖς κατὰ καιρὸν διαλεχθήσομαι τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς χάριτος, ἐμοὶ μὲν τότε λόγον παρεχούσης καὶ γλῶσσαν παιδείας, τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς μαθηταῖς ὠτία εἰς τὸ συνιέναι δύνασθαι τὴν τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων παιδείαν. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οἶδα κατὰ καιρὸν γενησόμενα, τέως δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὁπηνίκα τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἄφιξιν ἐποιησάμην. «ἐζήτουν» μὲν παρ' ὑμῖν τοὺς βουλομένους «σωθῆναι» οὐ μὴν εὑρίσκων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντας ὑμᾶς ἀνακαλούμενος, οὐκ εἶχον ὑπακούοντας, καὶ ἐπιστάντος δὲ τοῦ καιροῦ τῶν ὑμετέρων τολμημάτων βουλομένου τοῦ πατρὸς σιωπὴν ἦγον ὡς μηδὲν ἀποκρίνασθαι συκοφαντούμενον. Αὐτίκα δ' οὖν καὶ τύπτειν βουλομένοις παρεῖχον τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ νῶτον, ὑβρίζουσί τε αἰσχρῶς καὶ κατὰ τοῦ προσώπου τύπτουσι παρεῖχον τὰς σιαγόνας καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον δέ μου πληρούμενον τῶν ὑμετέρων σιέλων οὐκ ἀπέστρεφον, ἔμενον δὲ ἀδιάτρεπτος τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ σωματικὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔκδοτον παντοίαις ἀτιμίαις καὶ ὕβρεσι παρέχων μηδένα κατὰ μηδὲν ἀμυνόμενος· ἀπήρκει γάρ μοι τὸ νεῦμα τὸ πατρικόν, ᾧ «γινόμενος ὑπήκοος» τῶν ἁπάντων ἠνειχόμην εἰδώς, ὅτι ὁ κυριεύων τῶν ὅλων κύριος βοηθός μοι παρῆν. διὸ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ὡσεὶ στερεὰν πέτραν παρέστησα πεπεισμένος, ὡς οὐ φέρει μοι αἰσχύνην ἡ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ὑπακοή, ὃν καὶ πλησίον μου ἑστῶτα καὶ ὥσπερ ἀγωνοθετοῦντα τοῖς γινομένοις καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν δικαιοῦντα ὑπομονὴν διὰ παντὸς ἑώρων. εἰ δέ τις ἔχοι τὰς κατ' ἐμοῦ ὕβρεις καὶ τὸν θάνατον αὐτὸν ἐνδίκως ἐπενηνέχθαι μοι φάναι διά τινα πλημμελήματα, δεικνύτω παρελθὼν εἰς μέσον, εἴ τις αἰτία ἢ πρόφασις ἐξ ἐμοῦ τῆς τοσαύτης κατ' ἐμοῦ ὕβρεως γέγονεν. Εἰ δὴ βούλοιτό τις κρίνεσθαί μοι καὶ τοιοῦτό τι ἀπελέγχειν, ἐγγισάτω μοι, εἰς μέσον τε παρελθὼν στήτω καὶ ἐλεγχέτω. οὐδενὸς δὲ ἔχοντος μέμψιν ἐπαγαγεῖν μήτε τῇ