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they abandon him; and they are scandalized again, when he says he has come down from heaven. If then they did not bear these things spoken infrequently, scarcely then would they, if his discourse was lofty throughout and thus woven, have paid attention to him. When, for example, he says, As the Father commanded me, so I speak; and, that I have not come of myself, then they believe. And that it was then, is clear from the evangelist noting this and saying, that As he spoke these things, many believed in him. If, therefore, speaking humble things drew them to faith, but lofty things drove them away, how is it not of the utmost folly not to reckon the entire reason for the humble things is that they were said for the sake of the hearers? Since elsewhere too, wishing to say something great, he was silent, adding this reason and saying: But lest we scandalize them, cast a 59.355 hook into the sea; which indeed he also does here. For after saying: I knew that you always hear me, he added: But because of the crowd standing by I said it, that they may believe. Are the sayings ours? Is it human conjecture? When, therefore, someone does not endure to be persuaded by what is written, that they were scandalized at the lofty things, hearing Christ say that for this reason he utters humble things, so that they might not be scandalized, how then will he suspect the lowly sayings to be of his nature, and not of condescension? So also elsewhere, when a voice came from above, he said: This voice has not come for my sake, but for yours. And yet it is permitted for the lofty one to say many humble things about himself; but it is not right for the humble one to utter anything great and lofty about himself. For the former happens from condescension, and has for its cause the weakness of those being taught; or rather, it looks to leading them to humility, and his being clothed in flesh, and teaching the hearers to say nothing great about themselves, and being thought an adversary of God, and not being believed to have come from God, and being suspected of breaking the law, and the hearers being envious, and disposed with hostility toward him; because he said he was equal to God; but for someone who is humble to say something lofty about himself, has no cause, neither reasonable nor unreasonable; but would be only madness and shamelessness, and an unforgivable audacity. For what reason, then, does he utter humble things, being of that ineffable and great substance? For the reasons stated, and so that he might not be thought unbegotten. For Paul also seems to have feared something of this kind. Therefore he said: Except for him who put all things under him. For this is impious even to consider. If indeed, being less than the one who begot him and of another substance, he was thought to be equal, would he not then have done everything, so as not to be thought this? But now he himself does the opposite, saying: If I do not do the works of him who sent me, do not believe me. And his saying, that I am in the Father and the Father in me, hints at equality for us. But he should have refuted it with much vehemence, if indeed he were inferior, and never at all have said, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, or, that We are one, or, that He who has seen me has seen the Father. For when his discourse was about power, he said: I and the Father are one. And when the discourse was about authority, again he said: For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will; which it was not possible for one of another substance to do. But even if it were possible, he ought not to have said this, lest they should suspect that they are one and the same substance. For if, lest they suspect that he is an adversary of God, he often utters things not befitting him, much more ought he to have done so then. But now his saying, That they may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father; and his saying, The works that he does, I also do in like manner; and his saying that he himself is the resurrection and the life, and the light of the world, is to make himself equal to the one who begot him, and to establish the suspicion which they had. Do you see how, that he does not break the law, he says so many things 59.356 and defends himself; but the opinion of his equality with the Father not only does he not refute, but he even establishes it? So also when they said, You blaspheme, because you make yourself God, from the equality of the works

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ἐγκαταλιμπάνουσιν αὐτόν· καὶ σκανδαλίζονται πάλιν, ὅταν λέγῃ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκέναι. Εἰ γοῦν ταῦτα οὐκ ἔφερον σπανιάκις λεγόμενα, σχολῇ γ' ἂν, εἰ διὰ πάντων ὑψηλὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος καὶ οὕτως ὑφαίνετο, προσέσχον ἂν αὐτῷ. Ὅταν γοῦν λέγῃ, Καθὼς ἐνετείλατό μοι ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτω λαλῶ· καὶ, ὅτι Ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλήλυθα, τότε πιστεύουσι. Καὶ ὅτι τότε, δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν τοῦτο ἐπισημήνασθαι καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ μὲν ταπεινὰ φθέγγεσθαι πρὸς πίστιν ἐφεῖλκε, τὸ δὲ ὑψηλὰ, ἀπεσόβει, πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας μὴ λογίζεσθαι τῶν ταπεινῶν τὴν αἰτίαν πᾶσαν ὅτι διὰ τοὺς ἀκροατὰς εἴρηται; Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ μέγα τι εἰπεῖν βουληθεὶς, ἐσίγησε, τὴν αἰτίαν ταύτην προσθεὶς καὶ εἰπών· Ἵνα δὲ μὴ σκανδαλίσωμεν αὐτοὺς, βάλε 59.355 ἄγκιστρον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν· ὃ δὴ ποιεῖ καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εἰπεῖν· Ἐγὼ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον [τὸν] περιεστῶτα εἶπον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσι. Μὴ ἡμέτερα τὰ ῥήματα; μὴ στοχασμὸς ἀνθρώπινος; Ὅταν οὖν τις ἀπὸ τῶν γεγραμμένων μὴ ἀνέχηται πείθεσθαι, ὅτι ἐσκανδαλίζοντο ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, ἀκούων τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος διὰ τοῦτο ταπεινὰ φθέγγεσθαι, ἵνα μὴ σκανδαλισθῶσι, πῶς λοιπὸν τῆς φύσεως εἶναι τὰ εὐτελῆ ὑποπτεύσει ῥήματα, ἀλλὰ μὴ συγκαταβάσεως; Οὕτω καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ, φωνῆς ἐνεχθείσης ἄνωθεν, ἔλεγεν· Οὐ δι' ἐμὲ ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ δι' ὑμᾶς. Καίτοι τῷ μὲν ὑψηλῷ ἔξεστι πολλὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγειν ταπεινά· τῷ δὲ ταπεινῷ οὐ θέμις περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μέγα τι καὶ ὑψηλὸν φθέγξασθαι. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ συγκαταβάσεως γίνεται, καὶ τὴν τῶν διδασκομένων ἀσθένειαν αἰτίαν ἔχει· μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ ἐνάγειν εἰς ταπεινοφροσύνην ὁρᾷν, καὶ τὸ σάρκα περικεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸ παιδεύειν τοὺς ἀκούοντας μηδὲν περὶ ἑαυτῶν μέγα λαλεῖν, καὶ τὸ νομίζεσθαι ἀντίθεον, καὶ τὸ ἀπιστεῖσθαι ἥκειν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ ὑποπτεύεσθαι λύειν τὸν νόμον, καὶ τὸ βασκαίνειν τοὺς ἀκούοντας, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεχθῶς διακεῖσθαι· διότι ἔλεγεν ἑαυτὸν ἴσον τῷ Θεῷ· τὸ δὲ ταπεινὸν ὄντα τινὰ, ὑψηλόν τι περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγειν, οὐδεμίαν ἔχει αἰτίαν οὔτε εὔλογον οὔτε ἄλογον· ἀλλ' ἢ ἀπόνοια ἂν εἴη μόνον καὶ ἀναίδεια, καὶ τόλμα ἀσύγγνωστος. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ταπεινὰ φθέγγεται, τῆς ἀποῤῥήτου καὶ μεγάλης οὐσίας ἐκείνης ὤν; Τῶν τε εἰρημένων ἕνεκεν, καὶ ὥστε μὴ νομισθῆναι ἀγέννητος. Καὶ γὰρ Παῦλος τοιοῦτόν τι φαίνεται φοβηθείς. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Χωρὶς τοῦ ὑποτάξαντος αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα. Ἀσεβὲς γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ λογίσασθαι. Εἴ γε ἐλάττων τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ὢν καὶ ἑτέρας οὐσίας, ἴσος ἐνομίζετο, οὐκ ἂν οὖν πάντα ἐποίησεν, ὥστε μὴ νομισθῆναι τοῦτο; Νῦν δὲ αὐτὸς τοὐναντίον ποιεῖ, λέγων· Εἰ μὴ ποιῶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πέμψαντός με, μὴ πιστεύετέ μοι. Καὶ τὸ λέγειν δὲ, ὅτι Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοὶ, τὴν ἰσότητα ἡμῖν αἰνίττεται. Ἐχρῆν δὲ μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸ σφοδρότητος καθελεῖν, εἴ γε καταδεέστερος ἦν, καὶ μηδαμοῦ ὅλως εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοὶ, ἢ, ὅτι Ἕν ἐσμεν, ἢ, ὅτι Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. Καὶ γὰρ περὶ δυνάμεως ὅτε λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ, ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. Καὶ περὶ ἐξουσίας ὅτε λόγος ἦν, πάλιν ἔλεγεν· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ· ὅπερ οὐ δυνατὸν ἦν ἑτέρας ὄντα οὐσίας ποιεῖν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ δυνατὸν ἦν, οὐκ ἐχρῆν τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ὑποπτεύσωσι μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν οὐσίαν εἶναι. Εἰ γὰρ ἵνα μὴ ὑποπτεύσωσι ὅτι ἀντίθεός ἐστι, καὶ τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα αὐτῷ φθέγγεται πολλάκις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔδει τότε. Νῦν δὲ τὸ λέγειν, Ἵνα τιμῶσι τὸν Υἱὸν, καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν Πατέρα· καὶ τὸ λέγειν, Τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐκεῖνος ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ὁμοίως ποιῶ· καὶ τὸ λέγειν ἑαυτὸν ἀνάστασιν εἶναι καὶ ζωὴν, καὶ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, ἐξισοῦντός ἐστι τῷ γεγεννηκότι ἑαυτὸν, καὶ τὴν ὑποψίαν ἱστῶντος, ἣν εἶχον ἐκεῖνοι. Εἶδες πῶς ὅτι μὲν τὸν νόμον οὐ λύει, τοσαῦτα λέγει 59.356 καὶ ἀπολογεῖται· τὴν δὲ δόξαν τῆς ἰσότητος τῆς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα οὐ μόνον οὐ καθαιρεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἵστησιν; Οὕτω καὶ εἰπόντων, ὅτι Βλασφημεῖς, ὅτι ποιεῖς σεαυτὸν Θεὸν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἔργων ἰσότητος