231
And of men no one besides him is clean from filth. Therefore he himself died for all, that he might take away the sin of the world. Wherefore also his Father judged to cleanse him from the wound; that is, from the passion that was brought upon him. For he rose, having trampled down death. But some say, that through the judgments the Father exacted on his behalf, he showed that he had not suffered justly, and made him clear of the suspicion of having been justly condemned. And some have spoken thus. Just as he, having undertaken the passions owed by us, made them his own, so also it says that he received the cleansing that came to us through faith. If you give for sin, your soul will see a long-lived seed. And although you have committed such transgressions, if anyone is willing to offer a sacrifice for his own sin, that is, to repent for what he has transgressed, he will escape the, I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death. And he will see the long-lived seed, about which he spoke in parables: "A sower went out to sow." And again: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man sowing good seed in his own field." That is, he thus called eternal life. 2529 But some say this was spoken to the Gentiles, that having suffered so much for you, if you also believe, confessing your sins, you will become partakers of eternal good things. And everyone gives for sin, of whom he says: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me;" what kind was he who said, "I have been crucified with Christ, yet I no longer live. But Christ lives in me?" But not such is he who loves father or mother more than him. For he says, "He is not worthy of me." Therefore, to love Christ with all one's heart and soul is to give for sin. But some, having set forth the saying thus: If he should make an offering for transgression, his soul will see a seed prolonging its Day, have added, that after the passion, the spiritual begetting of the indescribable generation that exists for eternity, being fulfilled by divine power according to the promise to Abraham after the dissolution of corrupting sin, and the ascent of the redeemer. But instead of, And the Lord desires to take away from the travail of his soul, Symmachus says: And the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand; which is fitting for the Savior alone. For the will of the Father was always prospered in his hand. And he gave him also light for the enlightening of those justified through him, and understanding. For the spirit of wisdom and understanding rested upon him, to make men understanding, and to justify those worthy of being justified. But some say thus: The Lord desires to change the sorrow on the cross into joy, by showing him those who were once darkness and had gone astray changed into light, about whom Paul says: "who were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord." And being formed by understanding; that is, being transformed from glory to glory. But to him who is not such, Jeremiah says: "Behold your eyes are not, nor is your heart good." But he who believes in Christ is re-formed into his divine beauty, such as is: "My little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you. For whom he foreknew, he says, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, these he also called." And God is said to have created the two peoples into one new man, that is, having re-formed them. For since the Only-Begotten considers our salvation his own gain, for which he suffered, having taken a body, necessarily the Father calls our healing the removal of Christ's pain, and our enlightenment his light, as we are changed for the better and re-formed by the understanding of God. To these he adds: To justify a righteous one, serving many well. For Christ did not come to be served, as he himself says, but rather to serve the economy of the incarnation. And as he was do 2532 ing all things in obedience to the Father, it was also fitting for him, having girt himself with a towel, to pour water into the basin, and the toward all
231
Ἀνθρώπων δὲ οὐδεὶς πλὴν αὐτοῦ καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου. Οὐκοῦν ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων αὐτὸς ἀπέθανεν, ἵνα περιέλῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔκρινεν ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καθαρίσαι αὐτὸν τῆς πληγῆς· τοῦτ' ἔστι τοῦ ἐπενεχθέντος αὐτῷ πάθους. Ἀνέστη γὰρ πατήσας τὸν θάνατον. Τινὲς δέ φασιν, ὅτι δι' ὧν ὁ Πατὴρ ἀπῄτησε δίκας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, τὸ μὴ δικαίως αὐτὸν πεπονθέναι παρέστησεν, καὶ καθαρὸν αὐτὸν τῆς ἐπὶ δικαίᾳ κατακρίσει πεποίηκεν ὑποψίας. Τινὲς δὲ οὕτως εἰρήκασιν. Ὥσπερ τὰ ἡμῖν χρεωστούμενα πάθη αὐτὸς ἀναδεξάμενος οἰκειώσατο· οὔτω καὶ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως γενομένην ἡμῖν κάθαρσιν αὐτὸν δεδέχθαι φησίν. Ἐὰν δῶτε περὶ ἁμαρτίας, ἡ ψυχὴ ὑμῶν ὄψεται σπέρμα μακρόβιον. Καίπερ δὲ τοιαῦτα πλημμελησάντων ὑμῶν, ἐάν τις ἐθελήσῃ θυσίαν ἀνενεγκεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀμαρτίας, τοῦτ' ἔστι μετανοεῖν ἐφ' οἷς ἐπλημμέλησεν, ἐκφεύξεται τὸ, ∆ώσω τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀντὶ τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους ἀντὶ τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὄψεται τὸ μακρόβιον σπέρμα, περὶ οὗ ἔλεγεν ἐν παραβολαῖς· "Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείροντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ἀγρῷ." Ἤγουν τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν οὕτως ἐκάλεσε. 2529 Πρὸς δὲ τὰ ἔθνη τινὲς εἰρῆσθαι τοῦτό φασιν, ὡς Τοσαῦτα παθόντος ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἐὰν καὶ ὑμεῖς πιστεύσητε, τὰς ἁμαρτίας ὑμῶν ἐξομολογούμενοι, κοινωνοὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν καταστήσεσθε. ∆ίδωσι δὲ περὶ ἀμαρτίας πᾶς, περὶ οὗ φησιν· "Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μου·" ποῖον ἦν ὁ λέγων, "Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι, ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ. Ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός;" Οὐ τοιοῦτος δὲ ὁ ἀγαπῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ αὐτόν. Φησὶ γὰρ, ὡς "Οὐκ ἔστιν μου ἄξιος." Τὸ οὖν ἀγαπῆσαι Χριστὸν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καὶ ψυχῆς, τὸ δοῦναί ἐστι περὶ ἁμαρτίας. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ ῥητὸν οὕτως ἐκθέμενοι· Ἐὰν θῇ περὶ πλημμελείας, ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ὄψεται σπέρμα μηκύνον, Ἡμέρα, ἐπήνεγκαν, ἡ μετὰ τὸ πάθος, παιδοποιία πνευματικὴ τῆς εἰς αἰῶνα ἐνούσης ἀδιηγήτου γενεᾶς, κατ' ἐπαγγελίαν τὴν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ θεϊκῇ δυνάμει πληρουμένην μετὰ τὴν λύσιν τῆς φθοροποιοῦ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τὴν ἄνοδον τοῦ λυτρωτοῦ. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, Καὶ βούλεται Κύριος ἀφελεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ πόνου τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, ὁ Σύμμαχος· Καὶ θέλημα Κυρίου, φησὶν, ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ εὐοδωθήσεται· ὅπερ ἐπὶ μόνου τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἁρμόττει. ∆ιαπαντὸς γὰρ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Πατέρος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ κατευοδοῦτο. Ἔδωκε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ φῶς εἰς τὸ φωτίζεσθαι τοὺς δι' αὐτοῦ δικαιουμένους, καὶ σύνεσιν. Ἐπανεπαύσατο γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτὸν πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως εἰς τὸ συνετοὺς ἀπεργάζεσθαι, καὶ δικαιοῦν τοὺς ἀξίους τοῦ δικαιοῦσθαι. Τινὲς δὲ οὕτω φασί· Βούλεται Κύριος τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ σταυρῷ λύπην μεταστῆσαι εἰς χαρὰν, διὰ τοῦ δεῖξαι αὐτῷ μεταποιηθέντας εἰς φῶς τούς ποτε σκότος καὶ πεπλανημένους, περὶ ὧν ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· "Οἱ ποτὲ σκότος, νυνὶ δὲ φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ." Καὶ πλαττομένους τῇ συνέσει· τοῦτ' ἔστι μεταμορφουμένους ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν. Πρὸς δὲ τὸν μὴ τοιοῦτον Ἱερεμίας φησίν· "Ἰδοὺ οὐκ εἰσὶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, οὐδὲ ἡ καρδία σου καλή." Ὁ δὲ ἐπιστεύων εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν, εἰς τὸ θεῖον αὐτοῦ μεταπλάττεται κάλλος, ὁποῖόν ἐστι τό· "Τεκνία, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω, μέχρι μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν. Οὓς γὰρ ἔγνω, φησὶ, καὶ προώρισεν συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὑτοῦ, τούτους καὶ ἐκάλεσεν." Κτίσαι δὲ λέγεται Θεὸς καὶ τοὺς δύο λαοὺς εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον, δηλαδὴ μεταπλάσας αὐτούς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κέρδος ἴδιον ὁ Μονογενὴς τὴν ἡμετέραν τίθεται σωτηρίαν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔπαθε σῶμα λαβὼν, ἀναγκαίως ὁ Πατὴρ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἴασιν, ἀφαίρεσιν πόνου φησὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ φῶς αὐτοῦ τὸν ἡμέτερον φωτισμὸν, ἀμειβομένων ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον ἡμῶν καὶ μεταπλαττομένων τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ συνέσει. Τούτοις ἐπάγει· ∆ικαιῶσαι δίκαιον εὖ δουλεύοντα πολλοῖς. Οὐ γὰρ ἦλθε Χριστὸς διακονηθῆναι, καθά φησιν αὐτὸς, διακονῆσαι δὲ μᾶλλον τὴν τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως οἰκονομίαν. Πάντα δὲ πράτ 2532 τοντος αὐτοῦ καθ' ὑπακοὴν πατρικὴν, ἀκόλουθον ἦν καὶ τὸ λεντίῳ ζωσάμενον, ὕδωρ εἰς τὸν νιπτῆρα βαλεῖν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς ἅπαντας