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I will oppose you who are not able to speak against me. But let us return to Christ, who says to the Jews: Since you, though called, disobeyed, I, however, am not disobedient to the Father who willed to sum up all things in me. And having emptied myself, I have suffered the most shameful things of all, knowing that obeying the Father brings me no shame. While Pilate scourged me, and one of the servants struck me, and others spat upon me, setting my face like a hard rock. For the matter was of power, through which I endured; because I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. For he himself also helped me with human measures. And it shows also how he defended him, imposing a penalty on those who insulted him, which he says is approaching quickly, since the Father justified him. For though he was righteous and gave no occasion against himself, they dared to kill him. For which reason, having punished them, he has testified that I am blameless. Therefore the Father says: "And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death." For the leaders of the Jews, having become lovers of money, turned to wickedness against him. For indeed, knowing him, they said: "This is the heir; come, let us kill him." But if anyone thinks I have suffered justly, let him come forward for refutation. But he will not be able. For elsewhere the prophet also says: "See how the righteous one has perished, and no one takes it to heart." In which the Jews also say: "Let us bind the righteous one, for he is useless to us." Rightly righteous, "For he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth." And to "Who is the one who judges me?" is similar the phrase, "Who will convict me of sin?" for he was made like us in all things, except for sin. Therefore he said: "The ruler of this world is coming, and in me he will find nothing." But the mark of a perfect man is, "Who is the one who judges me?" for whom judgment from men is nothing, so as to be silent when condemned by them, but to call his adversaries to the judgment of God. And the phrase, "who will harm me?" reveals the author of life. Therefore their plot is in vain, according to the Psalms: "They took counsel, which they shall not be able to establish." For how, being life, could he be held by death? But insofar as he became man, he seems to receive this from the Father. For as God, he raised himself, saying: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Whereupon he says to them: Behold, all of you 2493 will grow old like a garment, and a moth will consume you. Or mold, according to Symmachus; or a devourer, as Aquila. Through which he signifies the obsolescence of the physical worship directed against him. For everything that grows old and ages is near to vanishing. And he speaks of the consuming moth as the conscience of what they have dared, seeing their own rejection, and the turning of the Gentiles to God. Therefore also at the end of the book he says: "Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be a reproach to all the earth." And he might call their sins a moth. For having their existence from them, they work harm against them. Since the garment also becomes food for the worm it bore. And this is a reason for not fearing things from perishing men, and a demonstration of the incorruptibility of the one speaking. It also indicates the punishment against them and the penalty of moths consuming them with calamities. For elsewhere the prophet also says: "Why will you be struck any more, adding sins? Every head is in pain," and what follows. Through which he indicates their destruction, and the alienation of their country, and the burning of their city. Then he says, Who among you fears the Lord? indicating their scarcity, and the rarity. [This, or something like it] is sought by him who does not desire the death of the sinner, but his repentance. Therefore he says: Even now I call you back, you who are in the darkness of ignorance; and to the reasonable he extends philanthropy. For the remnant was saved, of which the first fruits are the disciples of the Savior. And having become man, he says he is the servant of God. And to hear his voice, not of the law

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ἀντιστήσομαι ὑμῖν ἀντιλέγειν μὴ δυναμένοις. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐπανέλθωμεν, ὅς φησιν Ἰουδαίοις· Ὡς ὑμεῖς μὲν καλούμενοι παρηκούσατε, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἀπειθῶ τῷ Πατέρι πάντα ἐν ἐμοὶ βουληθέντι ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι. Κενώσας δὲ ἐμαυτὸν, τὰ πάντων αἴσχιστα πέπονθα, εἰδὼς μὴ φέρειν μοι αἰσχύνην τῷ πειθαρχεῖν τῷ Πατέρι. Πιλάτου μὲν μαστιγώσαντος, τῶν δὲ ὑπηρετῶν ἑνός με ῥαπίσαντος, ἄλλων δέ μου καταπτυόντων, ὡς στερεὰν πέτραν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου τιθείς. ∆υνάμεως γὰρ ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα, δι' ἣν ἐκαρτέρουν· ὅτι καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με. Αὐτὸς γάρ μου καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ἐβοήθησε μέτροις. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ὡς ἐπήμυνεν αὐτῷ, δίκην ἐπιθεὶς τοῖς ὑβρίσασιν, ἣν καὶ διὰ τάχος ἐγγίζειν φησὶ, δικαιώσαντος αὐτὸν τοῦ Πατέρος. ∆ίκαιον γὰρ ὄντα, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοῦ μὴ δόντα λαβὰς, ἀποκτείνειν ἐτόλμησαν. Ἀνθ' ὧν αὐτοὺς κολάσας, ἀνυπεύθυνον ὑπάρχειν ἐμὲ μεμαρτύρηκεν. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ Πατήρ· "Καὶ δώσω τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ." Φιλόπλουτοι γὰρ γεγονότες οἱ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καθηγηταὶ, πρὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ πονηρίαν ἐτράποντο. Καὶ γὰρ εἰδότες αὐτὸν ἔφασκον· "Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κληρονόμος· δεῦτε, ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτόν." Εἰ δὲ νομίζει τις δικαίως με πεπονθέναι, παρέστω πρὸς ἔλεγχον. Ἀλλ' οὐ δυνήσεται. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ γὰρ ὁ προφήτης φησίν· "Ἴδετε ὡς δίκαιος ἀπώλετο, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐκδέχεται τῇ καρδίᾳ." Παρ' ᾧ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοί φασι· "∆ήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστιν." Εἰκότως δίκαιον, "Οὐ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ἁμαρτίαν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ." Τῷ δὲ, Τίς ὁ κρινόμενός μοι; ἔοικε τὸ, "Τίς ἐλέγξει με περὶ ἁμαρτίας;" κατὰ πάντα γὰρ ἡμῖν, πλὴν ἁμαρτίας, ὡμοίωται. ∆ιόπερ ἔλεγεν· "Ἔρχεται ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ εὑρήσει οὐδέν." Ἀνδρὸς δὲ τελείου χαρακτὴρ, τὸ, Τίς ὁ κρινόμενός μοι; ᾧ μηδὲν ἡ παρ' ἀνθρώποις κρίσις, ὡς σιγᾷν μὲν ὑπ' αὐτῶν καταδικαζόμενον, καλεῖν δὲ πρὸς τὴν παρὰ Θεῷ κρίσιν τοὺς ἐναντίους. Τὸ δὲ, τίς κακώσει με; ἐμφαίνει τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς. Οὐκοῦν εἰς μάτην ἡ τούτων ἐπιβουλὴ, κατὰ τὸ ἐν ψαλμοῖς· "Ἐβουλεύσαντο βουλὴν, ἣν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται στῆσαι." Πῶς γὰρ, ὢν ζωὴ, θανάτῳ κατείχετο; καθὸ δὲ γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, δοκεῖ τοῦτο δέχεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Πατέρος. Ὡς γὰρ Θεὸς, ἤγειρεν ἑαυτὸν λέγων· "Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν." Ἐφ' οἷς φησι πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἰδοὺ πάντες ὑμεῖς 2493 ὡς ἱμάτιον, παλαιωθήσεσθε, καὶ σὴς καταφάγεται ὑμᾶς. Ἢ εὐρὼς, κατὰ Σύμμαχον· ἢ βρωτὴρ, ὡς Ἀκύλας. ∆ι' ὧν σημαίνει τὴν παλαίωσιν τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ σωματικῆς λατρείας. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ παλαιούμενον καὶ γηράσκον, ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ. Σῆτα δὲ λέγει καταβιβρώσκοντα, τὴν συνείδησιν ὧν τετολμήκασιν, ὁρῶντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν μὲν ἀποβολὴν, τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ Θεὸν τῶν ἐθνῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῆς βίβλου φησίν· "Ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτήσει, καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβεσθήσεται, καὶ ἔσονται εἰς ὄνειδος πάσῃ τῇ γῇ." Λέγοι δ' ἂν σῆτα καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἐξ αὐτῶν γὰρ ἔχουσαι τὸ εἶναι, κατ' αὐτῶν τὴν βλάβην ἐργάζονται. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον τροφὴ γίνεται ᾧπερ ἐγέννησε σκώληκι. Λογισμὸς δὲ οὗτος πρὸς τὸ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τὰ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἀπολλυμένων, καὶ ἔνδειξις τῆς τοῦ λέγοντος ἀφθαρσίας. ∆ηλοῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν τιμωρίαν καὶ σητῶν αὐτοὺς δίκην ἐκδαπανῶσαν ταῖς συμφοραῖς. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ γὰρ ὁ προφήτης φησί· "Τί ἔτι πληγήσεσθε προστιθέντες ἁμαρτίας; Πᾶσα κεφαλὴ εἰς πόνον," καὶ τὰ ἐφεξῆς. ∆ι' ὧν αὐτῶν δηλοῖ τὴν ἀπώλειαν, καὶ χώρας ἀλλοτρίωσιν, καὶ πόλεως ἐμπρησμόν. Εἶτά φησι, Τίς ἐν ὑμῖν ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον; τὴν ἀπορίαν τούτων δηλῶν, καὶ τὸ σπάνιον. [Τοῦτο, ἢ τοιοῦτόν τι] δὲ ζητεῖ ὁ μὴ θέλων τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν αὐτοῦ. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἔτι καὶ νῦν ὑμᾶς ἀνακαλοῦμαι ἐν τῷ τῆς ἀγνοίας σκότῳ τυγχάνοντας· καὶ τοῖς ἐπιεικέσι προτείνει φιλανθρωπίαν. Ἐσώθη γὰρ τὸ κατάλειμμα, οὗ καὶ ἀπαρχὴ τοῦ Σωτῆρος οἱ μαθηταί. Καὶ ἄνθρωπος δὲ γεγονὼς, παῖς εἶναί φησι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τὸ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς αὐτοῦ φωνῆς, οὐ νόμου