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Paul, making this clear, said: If the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? For all things in us are a proof of the wisdom of God; but much more so the eye. This, at any rate, governs the whole body, this creates beauty for the whole body, this adorns the face, this is a lamp for all the members. For what the sun is in the world, the eye is in the body. If you extinguish the sun, you have destroyed and thrown all things into confusion; if you extinguish the eyes, the feet are useless, and the hands and the soul. For knowledge is gone when these are maimed; for through these we have come to know God. For His invisible attributes, since the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made. Therefore, the eye is a lamp not only to the body, but even before the body, to the soul. For this reason it is established as in a royal place, having obtained the upper region, and sitting enthroned above the other senses. This, then, He forms. Then, so that you may not think that He needs matter when He creates, and so that you may learn that not even in the beginning did He have need of clay (for He who brought forth the greater substances when they were not, much more did He make this without matter); so that you might learn, then, that He does this not on account of need, but to teach that He Himself is the Creator from the beginning, after anointing with the clay, He says: Go, wash; so that you might know that I do not need clay to make eyes, but that My glory might be manifested in him. For that He speaks about Himself, after saying, "That the glory of God might be manifested," He added: I must work the works of Him who sent Me; that is, I must manifest Myself, and do the things that are able to show Me doing the same things as the Father, not similar things, but the same things, which is of a greater identity, and which is said of those who do not differ even in the slightest. Who then will henceforth look against Him, seeing Him able to do the same things as the Father? For He not only formed eyes, nor opened them, but He also bestowed sight; which is proof that He also breathed in a soul. For if it is not working, an eye, even if it is perfectly formed, would never see anything. So He bestowed both the energy from the soul, and gave the member having everything, both arteries, and nerves, and veins, and blood, and all the other things of which our body is composed. I must work while it is day. What do these words mean? And what sequence do they have? A great one. For what He says is this: While it is day, while it is possible for men to believe in Me, while this present life lasts, I must work. Night is coming, that is, the future time; when no one can work. He did not say, "When I cannot work;" but, "When no one can work," that is, when there is no longer faith, nor labors, nor repentance. For that He calls faith a work, they say to Him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? He says: This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent. How then can no one do this work at that time? Because there is no faith, but both willingly and unwillingly they will obey. For lest anyone say that He does this out of ambition, He shows that He works all things out of compassion for them, since they have power to believe only here, 59.309 and are no longer able to gain any fruit there. For this reason He did what He did without the blind man even approaching Him. For that he was worthy to be healed, and if he could see, he would have believed and approached, and if he had heard from someone that He was present, he would not thus have neglected Him, is clear from what follows, from his courage, from his faith itself. For it was likely for him to think and say: What is this? He made clay, and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go, wash. Was He not able to heal, and then send me to Siloam? I have often washed there with many others, and enjoyed no good from it. If He had any power, He would have healed me in His presence; which is what Naaman also said to Elisha. For he too, being ordered to go and wash in the Jordan, disbelieved, and this though there was such a great report about Elisha. But the blind man did not disbelieve, nor did he speak against it,

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Παῦλος δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἐὰν εἴπῃ ἡ ἀκοὴ, ὅτι Οὐκ εἰμὶ ὀφθαλμὸς, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος; οὐ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος; Πάντα μὲν γὰρ τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας ἐστὶν ἀπόδειξις· πολλῷ δὲ μᾶλλον ὀφθαλμός. Τοῦτο γοῦν τὸ πᾶν διακυβερνᾷ σῶμα, τοῦτο τῷ παντὶ σώματι τὸ κάλλος ἐργάζεται, τοῦτο κοσμεῖ τὴν ὄψιν, τοῦτο λύχνος ἐστὶν ἁπάντων τῶν μελῶν. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἥλιος κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην, τοῦτο ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν τῷ σώματι. Ἂν σβέσῃς τὸν ἥλιον, πάντα ἀπώλεσας καὶ συνετάραξας· ἂν σβέσῃς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ πόδες ἄχρηστοι, καὶ χεῖρες καὶ ψυχή. Οἴχεται γὰρ ἡ γνῶσις, πηρωθέντων τούτων· διὰ γὰρ τούτων τὸν Θεὸν ἐγνώκαμεν. Τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ, ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου, τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται. Οὐκ ἄρα τῷ σώματι λύχνος ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ σώματος τῇ ψυχῇ. ∆ιόπερ ὥσπερ ἔν τινι βασιλικῷ χωρίῳ ἵδρυται, τὴν ἄνω λῆξιν λαχὼν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων αἰσθήσεων προκαθήμενος. Τοῦτον οὖν διαπλάττει. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ὅτι ὕλης δεῖται ὅταν ποιῇ, καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐδὲ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν πηλοῦ χρείαν εἶχεν (ὁ γὰρ οὐκ οὔσας οὐσίας τὰς μείζους παραγαγὼν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ταύτην χωρὶς ὕλης ἐποίησεν)· ἵνα οὖν μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ χρείας ἕνεκεν τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ διδάσκων ἑαυτὸν εἶναι δημιουργὸν τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ, χρίσας τὸν πηλόν φησιν· Ἄπελθε, νίψαι· ἵνα εἰδῇς ὅτι οὐ πηλοῦ δέομαι πρὸς τὸ ποιῆσαι ὀφθαλμοὺς, ἀλλ' ἵνα φανερωθῇ ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα ἡ ἐμή. Ὅτι γὰρ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φησιν, εἰπὼν, Ἵνα φανερωθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐμὲ δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πέμψαντός με· τουτέστιν, Ἐμὲ δεῖ φανερῶσαι ἐμαυτὸν, καὶ ποιῆσαι τὰ δυνάμενά με δεῖξαι τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Πατρὶ ποιοῦντα, οὐ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ τὰ αὐτὰ, ὃ μείζονός ἐστιν ἀπαραλλαξίας, καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν διεστηκότων λέγεται. Τίς οὖν ἀντιβλέψει λοιπὸν, ὁρῶν αὐτὸν τὰ αὐτὰ δυνάμενον τῷ Πατρί; Οὐ γὰρ ἔπλασε μόνον ὀφθαλμοὺς, οὐδὲ ἀνέῳξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὁρᾷν ἐχαρίσατο· ὅπερ τεκμήριόν ἐστι τοῦ καὶ ψυχὴν ἐμφυσῆσαι. Ἐκείνης γὰρ μὴ ἐνεργούσης, ὀφθαλμὸς κἂν ἀπηρτισμένος ᾖ, οὐκ ἂν ἴδοι ποτὲ οὐδέν. Ὥστε καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνέργειαν ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ τὸ μέλος ἔδωκε πάντα ἔχον, καὶ ἀρτηρίας, καὶ νεῦρα, καὶ φλέβας, καὶ αἷμα, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ἐξ ὧν σύγκειται ἡμῖν τὸ σῶμα. Ἐμὲ δεῖ ἐργάζεσθαι ἕως ἡμέρα ἐστί. Τί ταῦτα βούλεται τὰ ῥήματα; ποίαν δὲ ἀκολουθίαν ἔχει; Πολλήν. Ὃ γὰρ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἕως ἡμέραἐστὶν, ἕως ἔξεστι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πιστεύειν εἰς ἐμὲ, ἕως ὁ βίος οὗτος ἐνέστηκε, δεῖ με ἐργάζεσθαι. Ἔρχεται νὺξ, τουτέστιν, ὁ μέλλων καιρός· ὅτε οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐργάζεσθαι. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὅτε ἐγὼ οὐ δύναμαι ἐργάζεσθαι· ἀλλ' Ὅτε οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐργάζεσθαι, τουτέστιν, ὅτε οὐκ ἔτι πίστις ἐστὶν, οὔτε πόνοι, οὔτε μετάνοια. Ὅτι γὰρ ἔργον τὴν πίστιν λέγει, λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Τί ποιήσομεν, ἵνα ἐργασώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ; Λέγει· Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα πιστεύσητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος. Πῶς οὖν τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐργάζεσθαι τότε; Ὅτι οὔτε πίστις ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑκόντες καὶ ἄκοντες ὑπακούσονται. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι φιλοτιμούμενος τοῦτο ποιεῖ, δείκνυσιν ὅτι φειδόμενος αὐτῶν πάντα ἐργάζεται, ἐνταῦθα μόνον ἐξουσίαν ἐχόντων πιστεύειν, 59.309 καὶ μηκέτι δυναμένων ἐκεῖ καρποῦσθαί τι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ προσελθόντος τοῦ τυφλοῦ ἐποίησεν ὅπερ ἐποίησεν. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἄξιος ἦν θεραπευθῆναι, καὶ εἰ ἔβλεπεν, ἐπίστευσεν ἂν καὶ προσῆλθεν, καὶ εἰ παρά τινος ἤκουσε παρόντα, οὐδ' ἂν οὕτως ἠμέλησεν, ἐκτῶν ἑξῆς δῆλον, ἐκ τῆς ἀνδρείας, ἐκ τῆς πίστεως αὐτῆς. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν εἰκὸς αὐτὸν ἐννοῆσαι καὶ εἰπεῖν· Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστι; πηλὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ ἐπέχρισέ μου τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ εἶπέ μοι, Ὕπαγε, νίψαι. Οὐκ ἠδύνατο θεραπεῦσαι, καὶ τότε πέμψαι εἰς τὸ Σιλωάμ; Πολλάκις ἐνιψάμην ἐκεῖ μετὰ ἑτέρων πολλῶν, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀπήλαυσα χρηστοῦ. Εἴ τινα δύναμιν εἶχε, παρὼν ἂν ἐθεράπευσεν· ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Νεεμὰν πρὸς τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον ἔλεγε. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος κελευσθεὶς ἀπελθεῖν λούσασθαι εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην, ἠπίστει, καὶ ταῦτα φήμης τοσαύτης οὔσης περὶ τοῦ Ἑλισσαίου. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ τυφλὸς ἠπίστησεν, οὐδὲ ἀντεῖπεν,