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Dathan perished, making the envied more glorious, and delivering themselves over to punishment. For envy is a venomous beast, an unclean beast, and a malice of choice, having no forgiveness, a wickedness deprived of any defense, the cause and mother of all evils. Therefore, let us uproot it, that we may be delivered from present evils, and obtain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

59.305 HOMILY 50. And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man blind from

birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"

1. And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. Exceedingly

philanthropic, and caring for our salvation, and wishing to stop the mouths of the ungrateful, He omits nothing of what pertains to Him, even if no one is paying attention. Knowing this, the Prophet indeed said: That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged. For this reason here also, since they did not receive the sublimity of His words, but even called Him demon-possessed, and tried to kill Him, going out of the temple, He heals a blind man, by His absence both soothing their anger, and through the working of the sign softening their harsh and cruel nature, and confirming the things which had been said; and He performs a sign, not an ordinary one, but one that then happened for the first time. For since the world began, he says, it has not been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. For perhaps someone opened the eyes of a blind man; but of one born blind, never. And that He, having gone out of the temple, came to the work on purpose, is clear from this: for He Himself saw the blind man, the blind man did not come to Him; and He looked at him so intently as to cause His disciples also to notice. From this, indeed, they also came to the question. For seeing Him paying close attention, they inquired, saying: Who sinned, this man, or his parents? A mistaken question. For how could he have sinned before he was born? And how, if his parents sinned, would he be punished? Whence then did they come to this question? Before this, healing the paralytic, He said: Behold, you are well; sin no more. They therefore, understanding that that man was paralyzed because of sins, say: Granted, that man was paralyzed for his sins; but about this man what would you say? Did this man sin? But 59.306.30 one cannot say so; for he is blind from birth. But his parents? Not this either. For a child does not pay the penalty for a father. Just as, then, seeing a child suffering, we say: What could one say about this? What has the child done? not asking, but being perplexed; so indeed the disciples said this not so much asking, but being perplexed. What then does Christ say? Neither did this man sin, nor his parents. This He says not acquitting them of sins (for He did not simply say, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but added: that he should be born blind), but that the Son of God might be glorified. For both this man and his parents sinned; but not from this, He says, came the blindness. And He said these things, not indicating that while this man was not thus, others have been blinded from these causes, on account of the sins of their parents. For it is not possible for one to be punished when another sins. Since if we grant this, we will also grant that he sinned before birth. Just as, therefore, in saying, Neither did this man sin, He does not mean that it is possible to sin from birth and be punished; so in saying, Nor his parents, He did not mean that it is possible to be punished on account of parents. For indeed through Ezekiel He refutes this supposition: As I live, says the Lord, if this shall be the

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∆αθὰν ἀπώλοντο, τοὺς μὲν φθονουμένους λαμπροτέρους ποιήσαντες, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ κολάσει παραδόντες. Θηρίον γάρ ἐστιν ἰοβόλον ὁ φθόνος, θηρίον ἀκάθαρτον, καὶ κακία προαιρέσεως, συγγνώμην οὐκ ἔχουσα, πονηρία ἀπολογίας ἀπεστερημένη, πάντων αἰτία καὶ μήτηρ τῶν κακῶν. ∆ιὸ πρόῤῥιζον αὐτὴν ἀνέλωμεν, ἵνα καὶ τῶν παρόντων κακῶν ἀπαλλαγῶμεν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.305 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Νʹ. Καὶ παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον τυφλὸν ἐκ

γενετῆς. Καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, λέγοντες· «Ῥαββὶ, τίς ἥμαρτεν, οὗτος, ἢ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα τυφλὸς γεννηθῇ;»

αʹ. Καὶ παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον τυφλὸν ἐκ γενετῆς. Σφόδρα

φιλάνθρωπος ὢν, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας κηδόμενος, καὶ τῶν ἀγνωμόνων τὰ στόματα ἐμφράξαι θέλων, οὐδὲν τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἡκόντων παραλιμπάνει, κἂν μηδεὶς ὁ προσέχων ᾖ. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ὁ Προφήτης εἰδὼς ἔλεγεν· Ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου, καὶ νικήσῃς ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἐπειδὴ τὸ τῶν λόγων ὑψηλὸν οὐκ ἐδέξαντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ δαιμονῶντα ἐκάλεσαν, καὶ ἀνελεῖν ἐπεχείρουν, ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, θεραπεύει τυφλὸν, τῇ τε ἀπουσίᾳ τὸν θυμὸν παραμυθούμενος, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐργασίας τοῦ σημείου τὸ σκληρὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπηνὲς καταμαλάσσων, καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα πιστούμενος· καὶ ποιεῖ σημεῖον, οὐ τὸ τυχὸν, ἀλλὰ τότε πρῶτον συμβάν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ αἰῶνος, φησὶν, οὐκ ἠκούσθη, ὅτι ἤνοιξέ τις ὀφθαλμοὺς τυφλοῦ γεγεννημένου. Τυφλοῦ μὲν γὰρ ἴσως ἤνοιξέ τις· γεγεννημένου δὲ, οὐκ ἔτι. Καὶ ὅτι ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον ἦλθεν ἐπίτηδες, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶδε τὸν τυφλὸν, οὐχ ὁ τυφλὸς αὐτῷ προσῆλθε· καὶ οὕτω σπουδαίως ἀνέβλεψεν, ὡς καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αἴσθησιν παρασχεῖν. Ἀπὸ τούτου γοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἦλθον. Ὁρῶντες γὰρ αὐτὸν σπουδαίως προσέχοντα, ἐπυνθάνοντο λέγοντες· Τίς ἥμαρτεν, οὗτος, ἢ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ; Ἐσφαλμένη ἡ ἐρώτησις. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἥμαρτε, πρὶν ἢ γεννηθῆναι; πῶς δὲ, τῶν γονέων ἁμαρτόντων, αὐτὸς ἂν ἐκολάσθη; Πόθεν οὖν ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρώτησιν ταύτην; Πρὸ τούτου τὸν παραλελυμένον θεραπεύων, ἔλεγεν· Ἰδοὺ ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε. Οὗτοι τοίνυν ἐννοήσαντες, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος δι' ἁμαρτίας παρελύθη, λέγουσιν· Ἔστω, ἐκεῖνος δι' ἁμαρτήματα παρελύθη· περὶ τούτου δὲ τί ἂν εἴποις; οὗτος ἥμαρτεν; Ἀλλ' 59.306.30 οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· ἐκ γενετῆς γάρ ἐστι τυφλός. Ἀλλ' οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Παῖς γὰρ ὑπὲρ πατρὸς οὐ δίδωσι δίκην. Ὥσπερ οὖν παιδίον κακούμενον ὁρῶντες λέγομεν· Τί ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ τούτου; τί ἐποίησε τὸ παιδίον; οὐκ ἐρωτῶντες, ἀλλὰ διαποροῦντες· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐρωτῶντες τοῦτο ἔλεγον, ἀλλ' ἀποροῦντες. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Οὔτε οὗτος ἥμαρτεν, οὔτε οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαλλάττων αὐτούς φησιν (οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Οὔτε οὗτος ἥμαρτεν, οὔτε οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' ἐπήγαγεν· Ἵνα τυφλὸς γεννηθῇ), ἀλλ' ἵνα δοξασθῇ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἥμαρτε μὲν γὰρ καὶ οὗτος, καὶ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν, φησὶν, ἡ πήρωσις. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐ τοῦτο ἐμφαίνων, ὅτι οὗτος μὲν οὐχ οὕτως, ἄλλοι δέ τινες ἐκ τούτων ἐτυφλώθησαν τῶν αἰτιῶν, διὰ τὰς τῶν γονέων ἁμαρτίας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔνι, ἁμαρτάνοντος ἑτέρου, κολάζεσθαι ἕτερον. Ἐπεὶ εἰ τοῦτο δώσομεν, κἀκεῖνο δώσομεν, ὅτι πρὸ γενέσεως ἥμαρτεν. Ὥσπερ οὖν εἰπὼν, ὅτι Οὔτε οὗτος ἥμαρτεν, οὐ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἔνι ἐκ γενετῆς ἁμαρτεῖν καὶ κολασθῆναι· οὕτως εἰπὼν, Οὔτε οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ, οὐ τοῦτο εἶπεν, ὅτι ἔνι διὰ γονέας κολασθῆναι. Καὶ γὰρ διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιὴλ ταύτην ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν· Ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ἡ