269

and duller. And having said these things, He cried out with a loud voice. For why did He not say, "In the name of My Father, come forth"? why did He not say, "Raise him up, Father?" but leaving all these things aside and taking up the form of one praying, does He show His authority through His deeds? Because this too is of His wisdom, to show condescension through His words, but power through His works. For since they had nothing else to charge Him with, but that He was not from God, and thus they deceived the many; for this reason He shows this very thing with excess through what He says, and in a way that their weakness required. For it was possible to show His agreement in another way, with His own proper dignity; but the crowd could not ascend so high. And He says, "Lazarus, come forth." This is what He was saying: "The hour is coming when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." For that you might not think that He received the power from another, He taught you this from the beginning, and showed it by His works. And He did not say, "Arise"; but, "Come forth," as though conversing with the deceased as one living. 3. What could be equal to this authority? But if He does not do this by His own power, what advantage will He have over the apostles who said, "Why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk?" For if He, not acting by His own power, did not add this, which the apostles said concerning themselves, they will in some way be more philosophical by rejecting the glory. And elsewhere: "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like nature with you." Then the apostles, since they did nothing of themselves, said these things to persuade them of this; but He, having such a reputation about Himself, would He not have removed the suspicion, if indeed He was not acting by His own authority? and who would say this? And yet Christ does the opposite, saying, "Because of the crowd standing by I said it, that they may believe." So that if they had believed, there would have been no need 59.358 of the prayer. But if it were not unworthy of Him to pray, why does He assign the cause to them? and why did He not say, "that they may believe that I am not equal to You"? for because of the suspicion He should have come to this. But when He was suspected of breaking the law, He set forth the very word, though they had said nothing: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law"; but here He establishes the suspicion. But in general, what need was there of so much circumlocution and riddles? For it would have been enough to say, "I am not equal," and to be rid of it, What then? Did He not say, he says, that "I do not do My own will"? But this too was said obscurely and with a view to their weakness, and for the same reason that the prayer was made. And what is it, that "You have heard me"? That is, that there is nothing opposed between Me and You. Just as, therefore, the "You have heard me," is not to show that He Himself was not able; (for if this were so, it would not only be weakness, but also ignorance, if indeed before praying He did not know that God was about to grant it; and if He did not know, how did He say, "I go that I may awaken him," and did not say, "I go that I may pray to the Father, that He may awaken him?") just as, therefore, this is not of weakness, but of unanimity; so also the, "You always hear me." So it is possible to say either this, or that it was said with a view to their suspicion. But if He neither was ignorant nor was weak, it is evident that for this reason He utters humble words, that even from the excess you may be persuaded and compelled to confess that it is not of His dignity, but of His condescension. What then say the enemies of the truth? He did not say, he says, the "You have heard me" with a view to the weakness of the hearers, but to show superiority. And yet this was not to show superiority, but to greatly humble Himself, and to declare that He had nothing more than a man. For to pray is not befitting God, nor one enthroned with Him. Do you see that He came to this from no other cause, but because of their unbelief? See, at least, the work also testifying to His authority. He called, and the dead man came forth bound. Then, that the thing might not seem to be a phantom (for to come forth bound seemed no less paradoxical than to rise), He commanded them to loose him, that by touching him and coming near, they might see that it was really

269

καὶ παχυτέρους. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, ἔκραξε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ. ∆ιατί γὰρ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Πατρός μου δεῦρο ἔξω; διατί μὴ εἶπεν, Ἀνάστησον αὐτὸν, Πάτερ; ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἀφεὶς καὶ εὐχομένου σχῆμα ἀναλαβὼν, διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν αὐθεντίαν ἐνδείκνυται; Ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο τῆς αὐτοῦ σοφίας, διὰ μὲν ῥημάτων συγκατάβασιν, διὰ δὲ τῶν ἔργων ἐξουσίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἄλλο εἶχον ἐγκαλεῖν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὕτω τοὺς πολλοὺς ἠπάτων· τούτου ἕνεκεν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς δείκνυσι τοῦτό τε αὐτὸ δι' ὧν φησι, καὶ καθ' ὃν τρόπον ἡ ἀσθένεια ἐκείνων ἀπῄτει. Ἐνῆν μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἄλλως δεῖξαι τὴν συμφωνίαν μετὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἀξίας· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐδύνατο ἀναβῆναι τοσοῦτον ὁ ὄχλος. Καί φησι· Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω. Τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ ἔλεγεν· Ἔρχεται ὥρα ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ἀκούσουσι τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ζήσονται. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι παρ' ἑτέρου ἔλαβε τὴν ἐνέργειαν, ἄνωθέν σε τοῦτο ἐδίδαξε, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐπέδειξε. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἀνάστηθι· ἀλλὰ, ∆εῦρο ἔξω, ὡς ζῶντι διαλεγόμενος τῷ τετελευτηκότι. γʹ. Τί ταύτης τῆς ἐξουσίας γένοιτ' ἂν ἴσον; Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει τοῦτο ποιεῖ, τί πλέον ἕξει τῶν ἀποστόλων τῶν λεγόντων Τί ἡμῖν προσέχετε, ὡς ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ εὐσεβείᾳ πεποιηκόσι τοῦ περιπατεῖν αὐτόν; Εἰ γὰρ οὐ ποιῶν ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει, οὐ προσετίθει τοῦτο, ὅπερ οἱ ἀπόστολοι περὶ ἑαυτῶν ἔλεγον, ἔσονταί πως ἐκεῖνοι μᾶλλον φιλοσοφοῦντες, τῷ διακρούεσθαι τὴν δόξαν. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἄνδρες, τί ταῦτα ποιεῖτε; Καὶ ἡμεῖς ὁμοιοπαθεῖς ἐσμεν ὑμῖν ἄνθρωποι. Εἶτα οἱ μὲν ἀπόστολοι, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν οἴκοθεν ἔπραττον, ταῦτα ἔλεγον ὥστε πεῖσαι τοῦτο· αὐτὸς δὲ τοιαύτην περὶ ἑαυτοῦ δόξαν ἔχων, οὐκ ἂν τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἀνεῖλεν, εἴ γε μὴ οἰκείᾳ αὐθεντείᾳ ἐποίει; καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι; Καὶ μὴν τὸ ἐναντίον ποιεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς, λέγων· ∆ιὰ τὸν περιεστῶτα ὄχλον εἶπον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν. Ὥστε εἰ ἐπίστευον, οὐκ ἦν χρεία 59.358 τῆς εὐχῆς. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἦν ἀνάξιον αὐτοῦ τὸ εὔχεσθαι, διατί ἐκείνοις τὴν αἰτίαν λογίζεται; διατί δὲ μὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι οὐκ εἰμί σου ἴσος; ἐχρῆν γὰρ διὰ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν πρὸς τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν. Ἀλλ' ὅτε μὲν ὑπωπτεύετο λύειν τὸν νόμον, τὴν λέξιν αὐτὴν τέθεικε, μηδὲ εἰρηκότων τι ἐκείνων· Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον λῦσαι τὸν νόμον· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἵστησι τὴν ὑπόνοιαν. Ὅλως δὲ, τί ἔδει περιόδου τοσαύτης καὶ αἰνιγμάτων; Ἤρκει γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἴσος, καὶ ἀπαλλαγῆναι, Τί οὖν; Οὐκ εἶπεν, φησὶν, ὅτι Οὐ ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμόν; Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο συνεσκιασμένως καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσθένειαν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ γέγονεν. Τί δέ ἐστιν, ὅτι Ἤκουσάς μου; Τουτέστιν, ὅτι Οὐδὲν ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ πρὸς σέ. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ, ὅτι Ἤκουσάς μου, οὐ τοῦτό ἐστι δηλοῦντος, ὅτι αὐτὸς οὐκ ἴσχυσεν· (εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐκ ἀδυναμία μόνον ἔσται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγνοια, εἴ γε πρὸ τοῦ εὔξασθαι οὐκ ᾔδει, ὅτι μέλλει ἐπινεύειν ὁ Θεός· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ᾔδει, πῶς ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Πορεύομαι ἵνα ἐξυπνίσω αὐτόν· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Πορεύομαι ἵνα εὔξωμαι τῷ Πατρὶ, ἵνα ἐξυπνίσῃ αὐτόν;) ὥσπερ οὖν τοῦτο οὐκ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλ' ὁμογνωμοσύνης· οὕτω καὶ τὸ, Πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις. Ἢ τοῦτο οὖν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἢ ὅτι πρὸς τὴν ὑπόνοιαν τὴν ἐκείνων εἴρηται. Εἰ δὲ οὔτε ἠγνόει, οὔτε ἠσθένει, εὔδηλον ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο τὰ ταπεινὰ φθέγγεται ῥήματα, ἵνα κἂν ἐκ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς πεισθῇς καὶ ἀναγκασθῇς ὁμολογῆσαι, ὅτι οὐ τῆς ἀξίας αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς συγκαταβάσεως. Τί οὖν οἱ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθροί; Οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν ἀκουόντων εἴρηκε, φησὶ, τὸ Ἤκουσάς μου, ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ὑπεροχήν. Καὶ μὴν τοῦτο οὐκ ἦν δεῖξαι τὴν ὑπεροχὴν, ἀλλὰ σφόδρα ταπεινῶσαι ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ἀποφῆναι οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπου πλέον ἔχοντα. Τὸ γὰρ εὔχεσθαι, οὐ κατὰ Θεὸν, οὐδὲ κατὰ σύνθρονον. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐδαμόθεν ἑτέρωθεν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἦλθεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἐκείνων; Ὅρα γοῦν καὶ τὸ ἔργον μαρτυροῦν αὐτῷ τὴν αὐθεντίαν. Ἐκάλεσε, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ τεθνηκὼς συνειλημμένος. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ φαντασία εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα (τοῦ γὰρ ἀναστῆναι τὸ ἐξελθεῖν δεδεμένον οὐκ ἔλαττον ἐδόκει εἶναι παράδοξον), Ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν λῦσαι, ἵνα καὶ ἁψάμενοι, καὶ πλησίον γενόμενοι, ἴδωσιν ὅτι ὄντως