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He is the one. He says, I believe, Lord; and immediately he worshipped him. And he did not say, I am the one who healed you, the one who said to you, Go, wash in Siloam; but having kept silent about all those things, he says, Do you believe in the Son of God? Then, showing his great disposition, he immediately worshipped; which few of those who had been healed did, such as the lepers, and if there was any other; through this showing his divine power. For lest anyone should think that what was said was only a word, he added the deed also. And when he had worshipped, Christ says, For judgment I came into the world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind. This Paul also says: What then shall we say? That the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of the faith of Jesus; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. And by saying, For judgment I came into this world, he both worked him more ardently toward the faith, and stirred up those who followed him; for Pharisees were also following him. And by "For judgment," he meant for a greater punishment; showing that those who condemned him are themselves the ones who have been condemned; those who also condemned him as a sinner are themselves the ones who have been condemned. And here he speaks of two kinds of sight and two kinds of blindness, the physical and the spiritual. Some of those following him say to him, Are we also blind? Just as elsewhere they said, We have never been enslaved to anyone; We were not born of fornication; so now also they gape only at physical things, and are ashamed of this maiming. Then, showing that it is better for them to be blind than to see, he says, If you were blind, you would have no sin. Since they considered the matter, the calamity, to be a source of shame, he turned it back on their own head, saying that this would have brought you a more tolerable punishment, everywhere cutting off human ways of thinking, and leading them to a great and wonderful understanding. But now you also say, We see. Just as he says there, The one whom you said was your God, so indeed here also; But now you say that you see; for you do not see. Here what they considered to be a great commendation, this he shows brings punishment to them. And for the former maiming, he also comforted the one who was blind from birth; then he discourses about their blindness. For lest they should say, It is not on account of our maiming that we do not come, but as fleeing from a deceiver we turn away, for this reason he makes his whole discourse. 2. The Evangelist did not simply mention that those who were with him from among the Pharisees heard these things and said, Are we also blind? but so that he might remind you that these were those who had previously departed, and then stoned him. For there were some who followed superficially, and were easily changed to the opposite. From what then does he establish that he is not a deceiver, but a shepherd? By setting forth the characteristics of each, both of the shepherd, and of the deceiver and destroyer, and from these allowing them to examine the truth of the matters. And first he shows who the deceiver and the thief is, calling him so from the Scriptures and saying: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. See the signs of the robber: first, that he does not enter with boldness; second, that it is not according to 59.324 the Scriptures; for this is what is meant by "not by the door." And here he alludes both to those before him and to those who will be after him; both the Antichrist and the false Christs; both Judas and Theudas, and if any other such have arisen. And he fittingly called the Scriptures the door. For these lead us to God, and open up the knowledge of God; these make us sheep, these guard them, and do not allow the wolves to enter in. For just as a secure door, so does it close the entrance to heretics, placing us in safety concerning all things that we may wish, and not allowing us to be led astray. And if we do not break it down, we will not be

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ἐκεῖνός ἐστι. Λέγει· Πιστεύω, Κύριε· καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ εὐθέως. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ τεθεραπευκώς σε, ὁ εἰπών σοι, Ὕπαγε, νίψαι εἰς τὸν Σιλωάμ· ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐκεῖνα σιγήσας, φησί· Πιστεύεις εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Εἶτα τὴν πολλὴν διάθεσιν ἐμφαίνων προσεκύνησεν εὐθέως· ὅπερ ὀλίγοι τῶν τεθεραπευμένων ἐποίησαν, οἷον οἱ λεπροὶ, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος· διὰ τούτου ἐμφαίνων αὐτοῦ τὴν θείαν δύναμιν. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις νομίσῃ ῥῆμα μόνον εἶναι τὸ λεχθὲν, καὶ τὸ ἔργον προσέθηκε. Προσκυνήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, φησὶν ὁ Χριστός· Εἰς κρῖμα ἐγὼ ἦλθον εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα οἱ μὴ βλέποντες βλέπωσι, καὶ οἱ βλέποντες τυφλοὶ γένωνται. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλός φησι· Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; Ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην, κατέλαβε δικαιοσύνην, δικαιοσύνην δὲ τὴν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης, εἰς νόμον δικαιοσύνης οὐκ ἔφθασεν. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Εἰς κρῖμα ἐγὼ ἦλθον εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον, κἀκεῖνον σφοδρότερον περὶ τὴν πίστιν εἰργάσατο, καὶ διανέστησε τοὺς ἀκολουθοῦντας αὐτῷ· καὶ γὰρ ἠκολούθουν αὐτῷ Φαρισαῖοι. Τὸ δὲ, Εἰς κρῖμα, εἰς μείζονα κόλασιν ἔλεγε· δεικνὺς ὅτι οἱ καταδικάσαντες αὐτὸν, αὐτοί εἰσιν οἱ καταδεδικασμένοι· οἱ καὶ ὡς ἁμαρτωλὸν κατακρίναντες, αὐτοί εἰσιν οἱ κατακεκριμένοι. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ δύο λέγει ἀναβλέψεις καὶ δύο τυφλότητας, τήν τε αἰσθητὴν, τήν τε νοητήν. Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν ἀκολουθούντων αὐτῷ· Μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τυφλοί ἐσμεν; Ὥσπερ ἀλλαχοῦ ἔλεγον· Οὐδενὶ δεδουλεύκαμεν πώποτε· Ἐκ πορνείας οὐ γεγεννήμεθα· οὕτω καὶ νῦν πρὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ κεχήνασι μόνον, καὶ ταύτην ἐπαισχύνονται τὴν πήρωσιν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὅτι βέλτιον τυφλοὺς αὐτοὺς εἶναι ἢ βλέποντας, φησίν· Εἰ τυφλοὶ ἦτε, οὐκ ἂν εἴχετε ἁμαρτίαν. Ἐπειδὴ αἰσχύνης τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνόμιζον εἶναι, τὴν συμφορὰν, περιέτρεψεν αὐτὸ εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν κεφαλὴν, εἰπὼν, ὅτι Τοῦτο ἀνεκτοτέραν ὑμῖν ἔφερε τὴν κόλασιν, πανταχοῦ περικόπτων τὰ ἀνθρώπινα φρονήματα, καὶ εἰς ἔννοιαν ἄγων μεγάλην καὶ θαυμαστήν. Νῦν δὲ καὶ λέγετε, ὅτι Βλέπομεν. Ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ φησιν, Ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐλέγετε, ὅτι Θεὸς ὑμῶν ἦν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα· Νῦν δὲ λέγετε ὅτι βλέπετε· οὐ γὰρ βλέπετε. Ἐνταῦθα ὅπερ ἐνόμιζον ἐγκώμιον εἶναι μέγα, τοῦτο δείκνυσιν αὐτοῖς κόλασιν φέρον. Καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς προτέρας δὲ πηρώσεως παρεμυθήσατο τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλόν· εἶτα περὶ τῆς τυφλότητος αὐτῶν διαλέγεται. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσιν, Οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν πήρωσιν οὐ προσερχόμεθα, ἀλλ' ὡς πλάνον φεύγοντες ἀποστρεφόμεθα, ὑπὲρ τούτου πάντα ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον. βʹ. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐμνημόνευσεν, ὅτι ἤκουσαν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων ταῦτα οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ ὄντες, καὶ εἶπαν· Μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τυφλοί ἐσμεν; ἀλλ' ἵνα σε ἀναμνήσῃ, ὅτι οὗτοι ἐκεῖνοι ἦσαν οἱ πρότερον ἀποστάντες, εἶτα λιθάσαντες. Ἦσαν γάρ τινες ἐπιπολαίως ἀκολουθοῦντες, καὶ ῥᾳδίως εἰς τοὐναντίον μεταβαλλόμενοι. Πόθεν οὖν κατασκευάζει, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι πλάνος, ἀλλὰ ποιμήν; Θεὶς τὰ γνωρίσματα ἑκατέρου, καὶ τοῦ ποιμένος, καὶ τοῦ πλάνου καὶ λυμεῶνος, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν παρέχων αὐτοῖς ἐξετάζειν τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθειαν. Καὶ πρότερον τίς ὁ πλάνος καὶ ὁ κλέπτης δείκνυσιν, ἀπὸ Γραφῶν αὐτὸν οὕτω καλῶν καὶ λέγων· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ μὴ εἰσερχόμενος διὰ τῆς θύρας εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τῶν προβάτων, ἀλλὰ ἀναβαίνων ἀλλαχόθεν, ἐκεῖνος κλέπτης ἐστὶ καὶ λῃστής. Ὅρα τὰ δείγματα τοῦ λῃστοῦ· πρῶτον, ὅτι οὐ παῤῥησίᾳ εἰσέρχεται· δεύτερον, ὅτι οὐ κατὰ 59.324 τὰς Γραφάς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Μὴ διὰ τῆς θύρας. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ αἰνίττεται, καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτὸν ἐσομένους· τόν τε Ἀντίχριστον καὶ τοὺς ψευδοχρίστους· τόν τε Ἰούδαν καὶ Θευδᾶν, καὶ εἴ τινες ἕτεροι τοιοῦτοι γεγόνασιν. Εἰκότως δὲ θύραν τὰς Γραφὰς ἐκάλεσεν. Αὗται γὰρ ἡμᾶς προσάγουσι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τὴν θεογνωσίαν ἀνοίγουσιν· αὗται πρόβατα ποιοῦσιν, αὗται φυλάττουσι, καὶ τοὺς λύκους οὐκ ἀφιᾶσιν ἐπεισελθεῖν. Καθάπερ γάρ τις θύρα ἀσφαλὴς, οὕτως ἀποκλείει τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς τὴν εἴσοδον, ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καθιστῶσα ἡμᾶς περὶ ὧν ἂν βουλώμεθα πάντων, καὶ οὐκ ἐῶσα πλανᾶσθαι. Κἂν μὴ παραλύσωμεν αὐτὴν, οὐκ ἐσόμεθα