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let us receive unfading crowns; which may it be for all of us to obtain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

57.439 HOMILY 40. And when he had departed from there, he went into their synagogue; and, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered.

a. Again he heals on the sabbath, in defense of what had been done by the disciples

making a defense. And the other evangelists indeed say that he set the man in the midst, and asked them, if it is lawful to do good on the sabbath. Behold the compassion of the Master. He set him in the midst, that by the sight He might bend them; that being broken by the sight they might cast out their wickedness, and having reverence for the man, they might cease from their ferocity. But the unruly and man-hating ones choose rather to harm the glory of Christ, than to see this man saved, showing their wickedness in both ways, both in warring against Christ, and in doing so with such contentiousness as even to be spiteful at the good deeds of others. The other evangelists then say that He asked; but this one, that He was asked. And they asked him, it says, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. It is likely that both things happened. For being polluted, and knowing that he would certainly come to the healing, they hastened to anticipate him with their question, expecting thereby to hinder him. Therefore they also asked, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? not that they might learn, but that they might accuse. And yet the deed would have sufficed, if indeed they wished to accuse; but they also wanted to find a handle by his words, preparing for themselves an abundance of pretexts. But the loving one does this also, and answers, teaching his own gentleness, and turning the whole matter back on them, and shows their inhumanity. And he sets the man in the midst; not fearing them, but hastening to benefit him, and to cast them into pity. But when he did not bend them even so, then he was grieved, it says, and was angry with them for the hardness of their heart, and says: What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath days, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. For so that they would not be able to be shameless, nor to charge transgression again, he reasons with them through this example. But consider, I pray you, how variously and fittingly everywhere he introduces the defenses concerning the breaking of the sabbath. For in the case of the blind man he does not even make a defense to them, when he made the clay; and yet they were accusing him then too, but the manner of the creation was sufficient to show the Lord of the law. But in the case of the paralytic, when he carried his bed, and they were accusing him, he makes his defense now as God, now as man; as man, when he says, If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law be not broken (and he did not say, that a man might be benefited), are you angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole? but as God, when he says, My Father works hitherto, and I work. And when being accused for his disciples, he said, Have you not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him? how he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, 57.440 And he brings forward the priests. And here again, that, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil? What man among you shall have one sheep? For he knew their love of money, that they were this more than lovers of men. And yet the other Evangelist says that he also looked round about when asking these things, so as to draw them to himself even with his gaze; but not even so did they become better. And yet here he only speaks, but in many other places also hands

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ἀμαράντους λάβωμεν στεφάνους· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.439 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Μʹ. Καὶ μεταβὰς ἐκεῖθεν, ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν συναγω γὴν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος τὴν χεῖρα ἔχων ξηράν.

αʹ. Πάλιν ἐν σαββάτῳ θεραπεύει, ὑπὲρ τῶν παρὰ τῶν μαθητῶν γεγενημένων

ἀπολογούμενος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι εὐαγγελισταί φασιν, ὅτι ἔστησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον μέσον, καὶ ἠρώτησεν αὐτοὺς, εἰ ἔξεστι τοῖς σάββασιν ἀγαθοποιῆσαι. Θέα τὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου. Ἔστησεν αὐτὸν μέσον, ἵνα τῇ ὄψει αὐτοὺς ἐπικάμψῃ· ἵνα κατακλασθέντες τῇ θέᾳ τὴν πονηρίαν ἐκβάλωσι, καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον αἰδεσθέντες, παύσωνται τῆς θηριωδίας. Ἀλλ' οἱ ἀτίθασσοι καὶ μισάνθρωποι μᾶλλον αἱροῦνται τοῦ Χριστοῦ βλάψαι τὴν δόξαν, ἢ τοῦτον ἰδεῖν σωζόμενον, ἑκατέρωθεν ἐνδεικνύμενοι τὴν πονηρίαν, καὶ τῷ πολεμεῖν τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ τῷ μετὰ φιλονεικίας τοσαύτης, ὡς καὶ ταῖς ἑτέρων εὐεργεσίαις ἐπηρεάζειν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι εὐαγγελισταί φασιν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠρώτησεν· οὗτος δὲ, ὅτι ἠρωτήθη. Καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν, φησὶ, λέγοντες, εἰ ἔξεστι τοῖς σάββασι θεραπεύειν, ἵνα κατηγορήσωσιν αὐτοῦ. Εἰκὸς δὲ ἀμφότερα γεγενῆσθαι. Μιαροὶ γὰρ ὄντες, καὶ εἰδότες ὅτι ἥξει πάντως ἐπὶ τὴν ἰατρείαν, τῇ πεύσει προκαταλαβεῖν αὐτὸν ἔσπευδον, προσδοκῶντες ταύτῃ κωλύειν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἠρώτων, Εἰ ἔξεστι τοῖς σάββασι θεραπεῦσαι· οὐχ ἵνα μάθωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα κατηγορήσωσι. Καίτοιγε ἤρκει τὸ ἔργον, εἴ γε ἐβούλοντο κατηγορεῖν· ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ ῥημάτων ἤθελον λαβὴν εὑρεῖν, ἀφθονίαν ἑαυτοῖς λημμάτων προπαρασκευάζοντες. Ὁ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ ἀποκρίνεται, παιδεύων τὴν οἰκείαν ἡμερότητα, καὶ εἰς αὐτοὺς περιτρέπων τὸ πᾶν, καὶ δείκνυσιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν. Καὶ ἵστησι τὸν ἄνθρωπον μέσον· οὐχὶ δεδοικὼς αὐτοὺς, ἀλλ' ὠφελῆσαι σπεύδων, καὶ εἰς ἔλεον ἐμβαλεῖν. Ὡς δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐπέκαμψε, τότε ἐλυπήθη, φησὶ, καὶ ὠργίσθη αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν πώρωσιν τῆς καρδῖας αὐτῶν, καί φησι· Τίς ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἕξει πρόβατον ἓν, καὶ ἐμπέσῃ τοῦτο τοῖς σάββασιν εἰς βόθυνον, οὐχὶ κρατήσει αὐτὸ καὶ ἐγερεῖ; Πόσῳ οὖν διαφέρει ἄνθρωπος προβάτου; Ὥστε ἔξεστι τοῖς σάββασι καλῶς ποιεῖν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ἔχωσιν ἀναισχυντεῖν, μηδὲ παράβασιν πάλιν ἐγκαλεῖν, συλλογίζεται αὐτοὺς διὰ τοῦ παραδείγματος τούτου. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει, πῶς ποικίλως καὶ καταλλήλως πανταχοῦ τὰς ἀπολογίας ἐπάγει τὰς περὶ τῆς λύσεως τοῦ σαββάτου. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ τυφλοῦ οὐδὲ ἀπολογεῖται αὐτοῖς, ὅτε τὸν πηλὸν ἐποίησε· καίτοι καὶ τότε ἐνεκάλουν, ἀλλ' ἤρκει τῆς δημιουργίας ὁ τρόπος δεῖξαι τοῦ νόμου τὸν ∆εσπότην. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ παραλύτου, ἡνίκα τὴν κλίνην ἐβάστασε, καὶ ἐνεκάλουν, νῦν μὲν ὡς Θεὸς, νῦν δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀπολογεῖται· ὡς ἄνθρωπος μὲν, ὅταν λέγῃ, Εἰ περιτομὴν λαμβάνει ἄνθρωπος ἐν σαββάτῳ, ἵνα μὴ λυθῇ ὁ νόμος (καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἵνα ὠφεληθῇ ἄνθρωπος), ἐμοὶ χολᾶτε, ὅτι ὅλον ἄνθρωπον ὑγιῆ ἐποίησα; ὡς δὲ Θεὸς, ὅταν λέγῃ· Ὁ Πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι. Ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν μαθητῶν ἐγκαλούμενος ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησε ∆αυῒδ, ὅτε ἐπείνασεν, αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ; πῶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως 57.440 ἔφαγε; Καὶ τοὺς ἱερεῖς εἰς μέσον παράγει. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν, ὅτι Ἔξεστιν ἐν σαββάτῳ ἀγαθοποιῆσαι, ἢ κακοποιῆσαι; Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἕξει πρόβατον ἕν; Ἤδει γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸ φιλοχρήματον, ὅτι τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἦσαν ἢ φιλάνθρωποι. Καίτοι ὁ ἄλλος Εὐαγγελιστής φησιν, ὅτι καὶ περιεβλέψατο ταῦτα ἐρωτῶν, ὥστε καὶ τῷ ὄμματι αὐτοὺς ἐπισπάσασθαι· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐγένοντο βελτίους. Καίτοι ἐνταῦθα φθέγγεται μόνον, ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ πολλαχοῦ καὶ χεῖρας