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He established it. B. And why do I say that the Son did this, when even the Father, who did not take on flesh, does this same thing. For He also endured that many humble things be said about Him for the salvation of the hearers. For, "Adam, where are you?"; and, "That I may know whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it;" and, "Now I know that you fear God;" and, "If perhaps they will hear;" and, "If perhaps they will understand;" and, "Who will give this people such a heart?"; and the saying, "There is none like you among the gods, O Lord;" and many other such things in the Old Testament, if one were to select them, one would find to be unworthy of the dignity of God. And concerning Ahab it is said, "Who will deceive Ahab for me?" And to always put Himself forward in comparison with the Greek gods, all unworthy of God; but in another way they become worthy. For He is so philanthropic as to overlook, for our salvation, even the words that are fitting for His dignity. For indeed, to become man itself, unworthy, and to take the form of a servant, and to utter humble words, and to be clothed humbly, is unworthy, if one were to look at that dignity; but worthy, if one were to consider the ineffable riches of His philanthropy. There is also another reason for the humility of the words. What is it? That they both knew and confessed the Father, but they did not know Him. For this reason He continually takes refuge in Him as one confessed, since He Himself was not yet trustworthy. Not because of His own lowliness, but because of the folly and weakness of the hearers. For this reason He also prays and says, "Father, I thank you, that you have heard me." For if He gives life to whom He wills, and as the Father, so He gives life, for what reason does He beseech? But it is time now to enter upon the passage itself. So they took away the stone where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank you, that you have heard me. And I knew that you always hear me: but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me." Let us then ask the heretic: Did He receive an impulse from the prayer, and raise the dead man? How then did He do the other things without prayer, saying, "I say to you, you demon, come out of him"? and, "I will, be clean"? and, "Take up your bed"? and, "Your sins are forgiven you"? and to the sea, "Peace, be still"? What then does He have more than the apostles at all, if He too acts by prayer? Rather, neither did they do all things with prayer, but also often without prayer, calling on the name of Jesus. But if His name had such power, how could He Himself have needed prayer? And if He needed prayer, His name would not have had power. But when He made man in the first place, what prayer did He need? is there not much equality of honor there? For, He says, "Let us make man." And what is weaker, if He needed prayer? But let us see what the prayer is. "Father, I thank you, that you have heard me." Who then ever prayed thus? 59.357 For before saying anything, He says, "I thank you," showing that He does not need prayer. "But I knew that you always hear me." He said this, not as though He were unable, but as there being one will. And for what reason did He assume the form of a prayer? Listen not to me, but to Him saying, "Because of the crowd standing by, that they may believe that you have sent me." He did not say, "That they may believe that I am lesser; that I have need of an impulse from above; that I can do nothing without prayer;" but, "That you have sent me." For a prayer indicates all these things, if we take it simply. He did not say, "You sent me, the weak one, the one who has acknowledged servitude, the one who does nothing of himself;" but leaving all these things aside, lest you should suspect any of them, He gives the true cause of the prayer, "that they may not think me opposed to God; that they may not say, 'He is not from God;' that I may show the work is done according to your will;" almost saying, that "If I were opposed to God, what was happening would not have proceeded." But, "You have heard me," is said also of friends, and of those with equal honor. "But I knew that you always hear me;" that is, "To accomplish my will I do not need prayer, but so as to persuade that for you and for me there is one will." Why then do you pray? "For the sake of the weak."

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αὐτὸ ἔστησε. βʹ. Καὶ τί λέγω ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ὅπου γε καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ μὴ σάρκα λαβὼν τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἠνέσχετο πολλὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ταπεινὰ λεχθῆναι διὰ τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν ἀκουόντων. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἀδὰμ, ποῦ εἶ; καὶ τὸ, Ἵνα γνῶ, εἰ ἄρακατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν συντελοῦνται· καὶ τὸ, Νῦν ἔγνων ὅτι φοβῇ τὸν Θεὸν σύ· καὶ τὸ, Ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσωσι· καὶ τὸ, Ἐὰν ἄρα συνῶσι· καὶ, Τίς δώσει τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου οὕτως εἶναι; καὶ τὸ λέγεσθαι, Οὐκ ἔστιν ὅμοιός σοι ἐν θεοῖς, Κύριε· καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ εἴ τις ἐκλέγοι, ἀνάξια τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀξίας ὄντα εὑρήσει. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ δὲ εἴρηται· Τίς ἀπατήσει μοι τὸν Ἀχαάβ; Καὶ τὸ ἀεὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν θεῶν κατὰ σύγκρισιν ἑαυτὸν προτιθέναι, πάντα ἀνάξια τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλ' ἑτέρως ἄξια γίνεται. Καὶ γὰρ οὕτω φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν, ὡς διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν καὶ τῶν τῇ ἀξίᾳ αὐτοῦ πρεπόντων ῥημάτων ὑπεριδεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ἄνθρωπον γενέσθαι, ἀνάξιον, καὶ τὸ δούλου μορφὴν λαβεῖν, καὶ ταπεινὰ φθέγγεσθαι ῥήματα, καὶ ταπεινὰ περιβεβλῆσθαι, ἀνάξιον μὲν, εἴ τις πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν ἐκείνην ἴδοι· ἄξιον δὲ, εἴ τις τὸν ἄφατον τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας πλοῦτον λογίσαιτο. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα τῆς ταπεινότητος τῶν ῥημάτων αἰτία. Ποία αὕτη; Ὅτι τὸν μὲν Πατέρα καὶ ᾔδεσαν καὶ ὡμολόγουν, αὐτὸν δὲ οὐκ ᾔδεσαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἐπ' αὐτὸν καταφεύγει ὡς ὡμολογημένον, ἅτε αὐτὸς οὐκ ὢν οὐδέπω ἀξιόπιστος. Οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν εὐτέλειαν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἄνοιαν τῶν ἀκουόντων καὶ τὴν ἀσθένειαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εὔχεται καὶ λέγει· Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου. Εἰ γὰρ οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ, καὶ καθὼς ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτω ζωοποιεῖ, τίνος ἕνεκεν παρακαλεῖ; Ἀλλ' ὥρα λοιπὸν εἰς αὐτὸ ἐμβῆναι τὸ χωρίον. Ἦραν οὖν τὸν λίθον, οὗ ἦν ὁ τεθνηκὼς κείμενος. Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἦρε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἄνω, καὶ εἶπε· Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου. Ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον τὸν περιεστῶτα εἶπον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας. Ἐρωτήσωμεν οὖν τὸν μὲν αἱρετικόν· Ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς ῥοπὴν ἔλαβε, καὶ τὸν νεκρὸν ἀνέστησε; πῶς οὖν τὰ ἄλλα χωρὶς εὐχῆς ἐποίει λέγων· Σοὶ λέγω, τὸ δαιμόνιον, ἔξελθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ; καὶ, Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι; καὶ, Ἆρον τὸν κράββατόν σου; καὶ, Ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου; καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ, Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο; τί δὲ ὅλως ἔχει τῶν ἀποστόλων πλέον, εἴ γε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ εὐχῆς ποιεῖ; Μᾶλλον δὲ οὔτε ἐκεῖνοι μετὰ εὐχῆς πάντα ἐποίουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χωρὶς εὐχῆς πολλάκις τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καλοῦντες. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ τοσαύτην εἶχεν ἰσχὺν, πῶς ἂν αὐτὸς εὐχῆς ἐδεήθη; Εἰ δὲ εὐχῆς ἐδεῖτο, οὐκ ἂν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἴσχυσεν. Ὅτε δὲ ὅλως ἐποίει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ποίας εὐχῆς ἐδεήθη; οὐχὶ ὁμοτιμία ἐκεῖ πολλή; Ποιήσωμεν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄνθρωπον. Τί δὲ ἀσθενέστερον, εἰ εὐχῆς ἐδεῖτο; Ἴδωμεν δὲ καὶ τίς ἡ εὐχή. Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου. Τίς τοίνυν οὕτως ηὔξατό ποτε; 59.357 Πρὶν ἢ γάρ τι εἰπεῖν, Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, λέγει, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ δεῖται εὐχῆς· Ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις. Τοῦτο εἶπεν, οὐχ ὡς αὐτοῦ ἀδυνατοῦντος, ἀλλ' ὡς μιᾶς γνώμης οὔσης. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ εὐχῆς σχῆμα ἀνέλαβε; Μὴ ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ ἄκουσον λέγοντος· ∆ιὰ τὸν περιεστῶτα ὄχλον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι ἐλάττων εἰμί· ὅτι χρείαν ἔχω ῥοπῆς τῆς ἄνωθεν· ὅτι χωρὶς εὐχῆς οὐ δύναμαι ποιῆσαι· ἀλλ', Ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα εὐχὴ δηλοῖ, ἂν ἁπλῶς αὐτὴν ἐκλάβωμεν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἀπέστειλάς με τὸν ἀσθενοῦντα, τὸν τὴν δουλείαν ἐπεγνωκότα, τὸν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲν ποιοῦντα· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἀφεὶς, ἵνα μηδὲν τούτων ὑποπτεύσῃς, τίθησι τὴν ἀληθῆ τῆς εὐχῆς αἰτίαν, ἵνα μὴ ἀντίθεόν με νομίσωσιν· ἵνα μὴ λέγωσιν, Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἵνα δείξω κατὰ γνώμην σὴν τὸ ἔργον γινόμενον· μονονουχὶ λέγων, ὅτι Εἰ ἤμην ἀντίθεος, οὐκ ἂν προεχώρησε τὸ γινόμενον. Τὸ δὲ, Ἤκουσάς μου, καὶ ἐπὶ φίλων λέγεται, καὶ ἐπὶ ὁμοτίμων. Ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις· τουτέστι, Πρὸς τὸ γενέσθαι μου τὸ θέλημα οὐ δέομαι εὐχῆς, ἀλλ' ὥστε πεῖσαι ὅτι σοὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ μία βούλησις. Τί οὖν εὔχῃ; ∆ιὰ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς