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to foretell things which were about to be confirmed by deeds, teaching us everywhere not to be vainglorious, and that one ought not to make promises lightly. But if He did this in the case of the centurion when asked (for He said, "I will come and heal him"), He said this in order to show that man's faith. But if someone should say, "From what did the disciples suppose it was sleep, and did not understand from this that it was death," I mean from his saying, "I go that I may awaken him"? (for it would have been foolish if they expected Him to travel fifteen stadia in order to awaken him;) we might say this, that they thought it was a riddle, of which sort He spoke many. All, then, feared the attack of the Jews, but Thomas more than the others; wherefore he also said, "Let us go, that we also may die with him." And some indeed say that he himself desired to die; but it is not so; for the saying is rather one of cowardice. But he was not rebuked. For He still bore with his weakness; afterwards, however, he became stronger than all and unconquerable. Indeed, this is the wonderful thing, that we see him who was so weak before the cross, after the cross and after believing in the resurrection, become more fervent than all; so great is the power of Christ. For he who did not dare to go with Christ to Bethany, this same man, not seeing Christ, ran through almost the whole world, and moved among peoples who were murderous and wished to destroy him. But if Bethany was fifteen stadia away, which is two miles, how was Lazarus dead for four days? He remained for two, and before the two, someone came announcing on which day he had died; then on the fourth day itself He arrived. For this reason also He waited to be called, and did not come of His own accord, so that no one might suspect what had happened. And not even the beloved women themselves came, but others were sent. Now Bethany was about fifteen stadia away. From this it is clear that it was likely that many were present from Jerusalem. At any rate, he immediately added that there were many of the Jews comforting them. How did they comfort tho 59.345 se who were beloved by Christ? And yet they had agreed that if anyone confessed Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue? Either because of the necessity of the misfortune, or out of respect for them as being of nobler birth, or those who were not wicked, these were present; at any rate, many of them also believed. But the evangelist says these things, confirming that Lazarus was dead. Why then does she not take her sister along when she comes to meet Christ? She wishes to meet with Him privately, and to report what had happened. But when He had brought her to good hopes, she then goes away and calls Mary, and she met Him, while her grief was still at its height. Do you see how fervent their affection was? This is she of whom He said, "But Mary has chosen the good part." How then, he says, did this one appear more fervent? This one was not more fervent; for that one had not heard; since this one was weaker. For she who had heard so much, this one says again, "He already stinks; for he has been dead four days." But that one, although she had heard nothing, uttered nothing of the sort, but immediately believing says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 3. Do you see how great the philosophy of the women is, even if their understanding is weak? For upon seeing Christ, they do not immediately fall into lamentations, nor into wailing, nor shrieking; which is what we suffer when we see some acquaintances coming to us in our grief; but they immediately marvel at the teacher. Both, therefore, believed in Christ, but not as they ought. For they did not yet know precisely, neither that He was God, nor that He did these things by His own power and authority; both of which He taught them. And that they did not know is clear both from their saying, "If you had been here, our brother would not have died;" and from adding, "Whatever you ask of God, He will give it to you," as though speaking about some virtuous and approved man. But see also what Christ says: "Your brother will rise again." For the time being, He overturns that, "Whatever you ask." For He did not say, "I ask;" but what? "Your brother will rise again." So then, to say, "O woman, are you still looking down? I do not need the help of another, I do all things from myself," would have been very burdensome, and would have offended the woman; but now, by saying, "He will rise again," a middle

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προλέγειν, ἃ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἔμελλε βεβαιοῦσθαι, τὸ ἀκενόδοξον πανταχοῦ διδάσκων ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἁπλῶς ὑπισχνεῖσθαι. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου τοῦτο ἐποίησε παρακληθεὶς (εἶπε γὰρ, Ἐγὼ ἐλθὼν θεραπεύσω αὐτὸν), ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ἐκείνου πίστιν, τοῦτο εἶπεν. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις, Πόθεν ὕπνον ὑπέλαβον οἱ μαθηταὶ, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τούτου συνέγνωσαν θάνατον εἶναι, λέγω δὲ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, Πορεύομαι ἵνα ἐξυπνίσω αὐτόν; (καὶ γὰρ ἀνοίας ἦν εἴ γε προσεδόκων στάδια πέντε καὶ δέκα αὐτὸν πορεύεσθαι, ὥστε ἐξυπνίσαι·) ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμεν, ὅτι ἐνόμιζον τοῦτο αἴνιγμα εἶναι, οἷα πολλὰ διελέγετο. Πάντες μὲν οὖν ἐδεδοίκεισαν τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔφοδον, ὑπὲρ δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους ὁ Θωμᾶς· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἄγωμεν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀποθάνωμεν μετ' αὐτοῦ. Καί τινες μέν φασιν, ὅτι ἐπεθύμει καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποθανεῖν· οὐκ ἔστι δέ· δειλίας γὰρ μᾶλλον τὸ ῥῆμα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπετιμήθη. ∆ιεβάσταζε γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ἔτι· ὕστερον μέντοι πάντων ἰσχυρότερος γέγονε καὶ ἄληπτος. Τὸ γοῦν θαυμαστὸν τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι τὸν οὕτως ἀσθενῆ πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὸ πιστεῦσαι τῇ ἀναστάσει θερμότερον πάντων αὐτὸν ὁρῶμεν· τοσαύτη ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμις. Ὁ γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς Βηθανίαν μὴ τολμῶν ἀπελθεῖν, οὗτος τὸν Χριστὸν οὐχ ὁρῶν, σχεδὸν τὴν οἰκουμένην διέδραμε, καὶ ἐν μέσοις δήμοις ἐστρέφετο φονῶσι καὶ βουλομένοις αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν. Εἰ δὲ ἀπὸ δεκαπέντε σταδίων ἦν ἡ Βηθανία, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μίλια δύο, πῶς τεταρταῖος ὁ Λάζαρος; Ἔμεινε δύο, καὶ πρὸ τῶν δύο ἦλθέ τις ἀπαγγέλλων καθ' ἣν καὶ ἐτελεύτησεν· εἶτα κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν τετάρτην ἡμέραν παρεγένετο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ κληθῆναι ἀνέμεινε, καὶ οὐχὶ αὐτεπάγγελτος ἦλθεν, ἵνα μή τις ὑποπτεύσῃ τὸ γεγονός. Καὶ οὐδὲ αὐταὶ παρεγένοντο αἱ φιλούμεναι, ἀλλὰ ἄλλοι πέμπονται. Ἦν δὲ ἡ Βηθανία ὡς ἀπὸ σταδίων δεκαπέντε. Ἐντεῦθεν δηλοῦται ὅτι πολλοὺς ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων εἰκὸς παρεῖναι. Εὐθέως γοῦν ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Ἰουδαίων ἦσαν πολλοὶ παραμυθούμενοι. Πόθεν παρεμυθοῦντο αὐ 59.345 τὰς φιλουμένας ὑπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; καίτοι συνέθεντο, ἐάν τις ὁμολογήσῃ Χριστὸν, ἵνα ἀποσυνάγωγος γένηται; Ἢ διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην τῆς συμφορᾶς, ἢ ὡς εὐγενεστέρας αἰδούμενοι, ἢ οἱ μὴ πονηροὶ, οὗτοι παρῆσαν· πολλοὶ γοῦν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπίστευσαν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, πιστούμενος ὅτι τέθνηκε Λάζαρος. Τί δήποτε δὲ οὐ παραλαμβάνει τὴν ἀδελφὴν εἰς ἀπάντησιν ἐρχομένη τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Βούλεται κατ' ἰδίαν αὐτῷ συντυχεῖν, καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς ἀπαγγεῖλαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτὴν εἰς ἐλπίδας χρηστὰς ἤγαγε, τότε ἄπεισι καὶ καλεῖ τὴν Μαρίαν, καὶ ἀπήντησεν αὐτῷ, τοῦ πένθους ἀκμάζοντος ἔτι. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ζέον τὸ φίλτρον ἦν; Αὕτη ἐστὶ περὶ ἧς ἔλεγε· Μαρία δὲ τὴν ἀγαθὴν μερίδα ἐξελέξατο. Πῶς οὖν αὕτη θερμοτέρα ἐφαίνετο, φησίν; Οὐ θερμοτέρα αὕτη· οὐ γὰρ ἤκουσεν ἐκείνη· ἐπεὶ αὕτη ἀσθενεστέρα ἦν. Ἡ γὰρ ἀκούσασα τοσαῦτα, αὕτη φησὶ πάλιν, Ἤδη ὄζει· τεταρταῖος γάρ ἐστιν. Ἐκείνη δὲ, καίτοι μηδὲν ἀκούσασα, τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ἐφθέγξατο, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς πιστεύσασα λέγει· Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε, ὁ ἀδελφός μου οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανεν. γʹ. Ὁρᾶτε ὅση φιλοσοφία γυναικῶν, εἰ καὶ ἀσθενὴς αὐτῶν ἡ γνώμη; Ἰδοῦσαι γὰρ τὸν Χριστὸν, οὐκ εὐθέως εἰς θρήνους, οὐδὲ εἰς κωκυτοὺς, οὐδὲ ὀλολυγμοὺς ἐκπίπτουσιν· ὅπερ πάσχομεν ἡμεῖς, ἐπειδάν τινας γνωρίμους ἐπεισιόντας ἴδωμεν τῷ πένθει· ἀλλ' εὐθέως τὸν διδάσκαλον θαυμάζουσιν. Ἐπίστευον μὲν οὖν καὶ ἀμφότεραι εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς προσῆκεν. Οὔπω γὰρ ἀκριβῶς ἠπίσταντο, οὔτε ὅτι Θεὸς ἦν, οὔτε ὅτι οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει καὶ αὐθεντίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖ· ἅπερ ἀμφότερα αὐτὰς ἐδίδαξεν. Ὅτι δὲ οὐκ ᾔδεσαν, δῆλον καὶ ἐκ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, Εἰ ἦς ὧδε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν· καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπαγαγεῖν, Ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσῃ τὸν Θεὸν, δώσει σοι, ὡς περὶ ἐναρέτου τινὸς καὶ εὐδοκίμου διαλεγόμεναι. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ τί φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Ἀναστήσεται ὁ ἀδελφός σου. Ἐκεῖνο τέως ἀνατρέπει τὸ, Ὅσα ἂν αἰτήσῃ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Αἰτῶ· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἀναστήσεται ὁ ἀδελφός σου. Τὸ μὲν οὖν εἰπεῖν, Ὦ γύναι, ἔτι κάτω βλέπεις; οὐ δέομαι βοηθείας ἑτέρας, ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ πάντα ποιῶ, σφόδρα ἦν φορτικὰ, καὶ προσέστη ἂν τῇ γυναικί· νῦν δὲ εἰπὼν, Ἀναστήσεται, μέσον