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said; or shows that she ran in such a way as to meet him coming. But she comes not alone, but dragging along also the Jews who were in the house. For this reason her sister very prudently called her secretly, so as not to disturb those who had assembled; and she did not even state the reason; for many would have even departed. But now they all followed her as she was going away to weep; and perhaps also by these things it is again confirmed that Lazarus was dead. And she fell at his feet. She was more fervent than her sister. She was not ashamed of the crowd, nor of the suspicion they had about him; (for there were many even of his enemies, who were even saying: “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?”) but she cast out all human considerations in the presence of the Master, and was concerned with one thing only, the honor of the Master. And what does she say? “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But what of Christ? For the time being he says nothing to her, nor does he say these things, which he also said to her sister (for a great crowd was present, and it was not the time for those words); but he only moderates and condescends, and confirming human nature, he weeps quietly, and defers the sign for the present. For since the miracle was great, and such as he had rarely performed, and many were about to believe through it, so that performing it without them should not offend the crowds, and they should gain nothing because of its greatness, he draws many witnesses by his condescension, so that 59.350 he might not lose the prey, and shows what was of human nature; for he weeps and is troubled. For he knows that emotion fans grief. Then, having rebuked the emotion (for that is what “He was deeply moved in the spirit” means), he restrained his agitation, and so he asks, “Where have you laid him?” so that the question would not be made with lamentation. But why does he ask? Not wishing to impose himself, but to learn everything from them and to do it when asked, so as to free the sign from all suspicion. They say to him, “Come and see.” Jesus wept. Do you see that he had not yet shown any sign of the resurrection, nor does he go away as one who will raise, but as one who will weep? For that he seemed to be going away to mourn, and not to raise him, the Jews make clear, who indeed said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not this man, who made the eyes of the blind to be opened, have caused that even this man should not have died?” Not even in their misfortunes did they desist from their wickedness. And yet what he is about to do is much more wonderful. For to drive away death after it has come and taken hold is much greater than to stop it from approaching. Therefore, from those things for which they ought to have marveled at his power, from these they slander him. Meanwhile, they confess that he opened the eyes of the blind man; and though they should marvel for that, from this they slander that too, as if it had not even happened. Not from this alone are they all shown to be corrupt, but also from the fact that before he had even come or shown himself, they anticipated him with accusations, not waiting for the outcome of the matter. Did you see how corrupt their judgment was? 2. He comes, therefore, to the tomb, and again rebukes the emotion. But why does the evangelist carefully say again and again that he wept, and that he was deeply moved? So that you may learn that he truly put on our nature. For since this one is clearly saying great things about him, more than the others, here he also speaks much more humbly in bodily matters. For he said nothing of this sort concerning death, as the others did, that he became very sorrowful, that he was in agony; but quite the contrary, that he even cast them on their backs. Therefore, what was omitted there he supplied here through grief. For when speaking of death, he says, “I have authority to lay down my life;” and he utters nothing lowly there. For this reason, they also attribute much that is human to him in his passion, showing from this that the things of the economy are true. And Matthew indeed from the agony and the distress and from the sweat; but this one is confirmed from grief. But he would not have, unless
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εἶπεν· ἢ δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὕτως ἔδραμεν, ὡς προφθάσαι αὐτὸν ἐρχόμενον. Ἔρχεται δὲ οὐ μόνη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐπισυρομένη Ἰουδαίους. Σφόδρα συνετῶς διὰ τοῦτο καὶ λάθρα ἐφώνησεν αὐτὴν ἡ ἀδελφὴ, ὥστε μὴ διαταράξαι τοὺς συνελθόντας· καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν αἰτίαν εἶπεν· ἦ γὰρ ἂν πολλοὶ καὶ ἀνεχώρησαν. Νῦν δὲ ὡς κλαῦσαι ἀπερχομένῃ πάντες ἠκολούθουν· τάχα δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων πάλιν, ὅτι τέθνηκε Λάζαρος πιστοῦται. Καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. Θερμοτέρα αὕτη τῆς ἀδελφῆς. Οὐ τὸν ὄχλον ᾐδέσθη, οὐ τὴν ὑποψίαν ἣν εἶχον περὶ αὐτοῦ· (ἦσαν γὰρ πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οἵ γε καὶ ἔλεγον· Οὐκ ἠδύνατο οὗτος, ὁ ἀνοίξας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ τυφλοῦ, ποιῆσαι ἵνα καὶ οὗτος μὴ ἀποθάνῃ;) ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐξέβαλε τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, παρόντος τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου, καὶ ἑνὸς ἐγένετο μόνου, τῆς εἰς τὸν ∆ιδάσκαλον τιμῆς. Καὶ τί φησι; Κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἀδελφός μου. Τί δὲ ὁ Χριστός; Οὐδὲν αὐτῇ διαλέγεται τέως, οὐδὲ λέγει ταῦτα, ἃ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῆς (ὄχλος γὰρ παρῆν πολὺς, καὶ οὐκ ἦν τῶν ῥημάτων καιρὸς ἐκείνων)· ἀλλὰ μόνον μετριάζει τε καὶ συγκαταβαίνει, καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν πιστούμενος δακρύει ἠρέμα, καὶ τὸ σημεῖον πρὸς τὸ παρὸν ἀναβάλλεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ θαῦμα μέγα ἦν, καὶ τοσοῦτον οἷον ὀλιγάκις ἐποίησε, καὶ ἔμελλον πολλοὶ πιστεύειν δι' αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ἄνευ αὐτῶν ποιῆσαι προστῇ τοῖς ὄχλοις, καὶ μηδὲν κερδάνωσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγέθους, πολλοὺς ἐπισπᾶται μάρτυρας τῇ συγκαταβάσει, ἵνα 59.350 μὴ τὴν θήραν ἀπολέσῃ, καὶ δείκνυσιν ὅπερ ἦν ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως· δακρύει γὰρ καὶ συγχεῖται. Οἶδε γὰρ πάθος ἀναῤῥιπίζειν πένθος. Εἶτα ἐπιτιμήσας τῷ πάθει (τὸ γὰρ, Ἐνεβριμήσατο τῷ πνεύματι, τοῦτό ἐστιν) ἐπέσχε τὴν σύγχυσιν, καὶ οὕτως ἐρωτᾷ, Ποῦ τεθείκατε αὐτόν; ὥστε μὴ μετὰ ὀλοφυρμοῦ γενέσθαι τὴν ἐρώτησιν. Τί δήποτε δὲ ἐρωτᾷ; Οὐ βουλόμενος ἑαυτὸν ἐπιῤῥίπτειν, ἀλλὰ πάντα παρ' ἐκείνων μανθάνειν καὶ παρακαλούμενος ποιεῖν, ὥστε πάσης ὑποψίας ἀπαλλάξαι τὸ σημεῖον. Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Ἔρχου καὶ ἴδε. Ἐδάκρυσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Ὁρᾷς ὅτοὐδὲν οὔπω ἀναστάσεως σημεῖον ἐπεδέδεικτο, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἄπεισιν ὡς ἀναστήσων, ἀλλ' ὡς δακρύσων; Ὅτι γὰρ οὕτως ἀπιέναι ἐδόκει, ὡς θρηνήσων, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἀναστήσων, δηλοῦσιν Ἰουδαῖοι, οἳ δὴ καὶ ἔλεγον· Ἴδε πῶς ἐφίλει αὐτόν. Τινὲς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν εἶπον· Οὐκ ἠδύνατο οὗτος ὁ ποιήσας ἀνοιγῆναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ τυφλοῦ, ποιῆσαι ἵνα καὶ οὗτος μὴ ἀποθάνῃ; Οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς συμφοραῖς τῆς πονηρίας καθυφίεσαν. Καίτοι ὃ μέλλει ποιεῖν, πολὺ θαυμαστότερον. Τοῦ γὰρ στῆσαι τὸν θάνατον ἐπιόντα, παραγενόμενον καὶ κρατήσαντα ἀπελάσαι, πολλῷ μεῖζόν ἐστιν. Ἐξ ὧν οὖν ἔδει θαυμάζειν αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, ἐκ τούτων αὐτὸν διαβάλλουσι. Τέως ὁμολογοῦσιν ὅτι ἀνέῳξε τοῦ τυφλοῦ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς· καὶ δέον ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου θαυμάζειν, ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ ἐκεῖνο ἐνδιαβάλλουσιν ὡς οὐδὲ γεγονός. Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μόνον δείκνυνται πάντες διεφθαρμένοι· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μήπω ἐλθόντος, μηδὲ ἐπιδειξαμένου, προλαμβάνειν αὐτοὺς ταῖς κατηγορίαις, οὐκ ἀναμείναντας τοῦ πράγματος τὸ τέλος. Εἶδες πῶς διεφθαρμένη αὐτῶν ἡ κρίσις ἦν; βʹ. Ἔρχεται τοίνυν εἰς τὸ μνῆμα, καὶ πάλιν ἐπιτιμᾷ τῷ πάθει. Τί δήποτε δὲ περισπουδάστως ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἄνω καὶ κάτω φησὶν, ὅτι ἐδάκρυσε, καὶ ὅτι ἐνεβρίμησεν; Ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἀληθῶς τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν περιεβάλετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μεγάλα περὶ αὐτοῦ δῆλός ἐστι λέγων τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον οὗτος, καὶ ἐν τοῖς σωματικοῖς πολὺ ταπεινότερον ἐνταῦθα φθέγγεται. Οὐδὲν γοῦν περὶ τοῦ θανάτου τοιοῦτον εἶπεν, οἷον οἱ λοιποὶ, ὅτι περίλυπος γέγονεν, ὅτι ἐναγώνιος· ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον, ὅτι καὶ ὑπτίους ἔῤῥιψε. Τὸ γοῦν ἐλλειφθὲν ἐκεῖ ἀνεπλήρωσεν ἐνταῦθα διὰ τοῦ πένθους. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ θανάτου διαλεγόμενος, λέγει· Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν μου· καὶ οὐδὲν ταπεινὸν ἐκεῖ φθέγγεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ πάθει πολὺ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον αὐτῷ προσάπτουσιν, ἀπὸ τούτου δηλοῦντες ὅτι ἀλήθεια τὰ τῆς οἰκονομίας. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγωνίας καὶ τοῦ θορύβου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱδρῶτος· οὗτος δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ πένθους πιστοῦται. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ, εἰ μὴ