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before. Why then did He hide Himself? Searching their hearts, He knew their rage was growing savage, even if they uttered nothing; He knew it was boiling and murderous, and did not wait for it to break out into action, but hides Himself, soothing their envy. See, at least, how the Evangelist hinted at this. For he immediately added: But though He had done so many signs, they did not believe in Him. What so many? Those which the Evangelist omitted. And this is clear from what follows. For after withdrawing and giving way, and returning again, He speaks to them in a more subdued manner, saying thus: He that believes in Me, believes not in Me, but in Him that sent Me. For see what He does: He begins with humble and reserved words, and takes refuge in the Father; then again He elevates His discourse. And when He sees them growing savage, He withdraws, and again appears, and again prefaces with humble words. And where did He do this? For where did He not do it? See, for instance, what He says in the beginning: As I hear, I judge; then more loftily, For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will; again, I do not judge you, there is another who judges. Then He withdraws again; then appearing in Galilee, He says, Labor not for the food which perishes. And after saying great things about Himself, that He has come down from heaven, that He gives eternal life, He withdraws again. And appearing again at the Feast of Tabernacles, He does this same thing. 2. And one may see Him continually varying His teaching in this way, by His presence, by His absence, by humble words, by lofty words. Which He has also done here. But though He had done so many signs, he says, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah which he spoke might be fulfilled: Lord, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? And again, They could not, he says, believe, because Isaiah said: Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand. These things he said, when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Behold again the "Because," and "He said," are not of cause, but of outcome. For it was not because Isaiah said it that they did not believe; but because they were not going to believe, for this reason Isaiah said it. Why then does the Evangelist not say it thus, but says that the unbelief is from the prophecy, not the prophecy from the unbelief; and going on, he states this very thing more forcefully, saying thus: Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said? From this he wishes to show through many things the truthfulness of the Scripture; and that what it prophesied did not turn out otherwise, but as it said. For lest someone should say, "And why did Christ come? Did He not know that they were not going to attend to Him?" he brings in the prophets who knew this. But He came, that they might have no excuse for their sin. For what the prophet foretold, he foretold as things that would certainly come to pass. For if it was not certainly going to happen, he would not have foretold it; but it was certainly going to happen, because they were in an incurable state. But if it says, They could not, it is put instead of, They would not 59.376. And do not be surprised. For elsewhere also it says, He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Thus in many places it knows to call choice power. And again: The world cannot hate you; but it hates me. And one may see this observed in common usage too; as when someone says, "I cannot love so-and-so"; speaking of the vehemence of the will as power. And again: So-and-so cannot become good. And what does the prophet say? If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, and the leopard his spots, then this people also shall be able to do good, having learned evil. He does not say this, that the working of virtue is impossible for them; but that because they are not willing, for this reason they are not able. And what the Evangelist says, means this, that it was impossible for the prophet to be wrong. However, it was not for this reason impossible for them to believe. For it was possible, even if they had believed, for him to remain truthful. For he would not have foretold these things, if they were going to believe. Why then, he says, did he not say so, That Scripture has certain such idioms, and we must yield to its rules. These things he said, when he saw His glory. Whose? The Father's. How then does John speak of the Son, but Paul of the Spirit? Not as

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ἔμπροσθεν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐκρύβη; Τὰς καρδίας ἐμβατεύων ᾔδει τὸν θυμὸν αὐτοῖς ἀγριαίνοντα, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἐφθέγγοντο· ᾔδει ζέοντα καὶ φονῶντα, καὶ οὐ περιέμενεν ὥστε εἰς ἔργον ἐξελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ κρύπτεται, παραμυθούμενος αὐτῶν τὸν φθόνον. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς αὐτὸν ᾐνίξατο ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Εὐθέως γοῦν ἐπήγαγε· Τοσαῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ σημεῖα πεποιηκότος, οὐκ ἐπίστευον εἰς αὐτόν. Ποῖα τοσαῦτα; Ὅσα παρέλιπεν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Καὶ ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ τοῦτο δῆλον. Καὶ γὰρ ὑποχωρήσας καὶ ἐνδοὺς, καὶ ἐπανελθὼν πάλιν ὑφειμένως αὐτοῖς διαλέγεται, οὕτω λέγων· Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, οὐ πιστεύει εἰς ἐμὲ, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν πέμψαντά με. Ὅρα γὰρ τί ποιεῖ· Ἄρχεται ἀπὸ ταπεινῶν καὶ συνεσταλμένων, καὶ καταφεύγει εἰς τὸν Πατέρα· εἶτα πάλιν ἀνάγει τὸν λόγον. Καὶ ὅταν ἴδῃ ἐκθηριουμένους, ὑποχωρεῖ, καὶ πάλιν ἐφίσταται, καὶ ἀπὸ ταπεινῶν προοιμιάζεται πάλιν. Καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο ἐποίησε; Ποῦ γὰρ οὐκ ἐποίησεν; Ὅρα γοῦν ἐν ἀρχῇ τί φησι· Καθὼς ἀκούω, κρίνω· εἶτα ὑψηλότερον, Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ· πάλιν, Ἐγὼ οὐ κρίνω ὑμᾶς, ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ κρίνων. Εἶτα ἀναχωρεῖ πάλιν· εἶτα ἐπιστὰς τῇ Γαλιλαία, Ἐργάζεσθε, φησὶ, μὴ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην. Καὶ εἰπὼν περὶ αὐτοῦ μεγάλα, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκεν, ὅτι ζωὴν αἰώνιον δίδωσι, πάλιν ἀναχωρεῖ. Καὶ τῇ Σκηνοπηγίᾳ πάλιν ἐπιστὰς, τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖ. βʹ. Καὶ διηνεκῶς ἴδοι τις ἂν οὕτω ποικίλλοντα τὴν διδασκαλίαν, παρουσίᾳ, ἀπουσίᾳ, ταπεινοῖς, ὑψηλοῖς λόγοις. Ὃ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πεποίηκε. Τοσαῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ σημεῖα πεποιηκότος, οὐκ ἐπίστευον εἰς αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγος Ἡσαΐου ὃν εἶπε· Κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσε τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν; καὶ ὁ βραχίων Κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη; Καὶ πάλιν, Οὐκ ἠδύναντο, φησὶ, πιστεύειν, ὅτι εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε. Ταῦτα δὲ εἶπεν, ὅτε εἶδε τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησε περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἰδοὺ πάλιν τὸ, Ὅτι, καὶ Εἶπεν, οὐχὶ αἰτιολογίας, ἀλλ' ἐκβάσεως. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας, οὐκ ἐπίστευον· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔμελλον πιστεύειν, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας. Τί οὖν οὐχ οὕτως ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν ἀπὸ τῆς προφητείας, οὐ τὴν προφητείαν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀπιστίας εἶναί φησι· καὶ προϊὼν, σφοδρότερον τοῦτο αὐτὸ τίθησιν, οὕτω λέγων· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἠδύναντο πιστεύειν, ὅτι εἶπεν Ἡσαΐας; Ἐντεῦθεν παραστῆσαι διὰ πολλῶν βούλεται τὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ἀψευδές· καὶ ὅτι ἅπερ προεφήτευσεν, οὐχ ἑτέρως ἐξέβη, ἀλλ' ὡς εἶπεν. Ἵνα γὰρ μή τις λέγῃ. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἦλθεν ὁ Χριστός; οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι οὐκ ἔμελλον αὐτῷ προσέχειν; καὶ τοὺς προφήτας εἰσάγει τοῦτο εἰδότας. Ἦλθε δὲ, ἵνα πρόφασιν μὴ ἔχωσι περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν. Ἃ γὰρ προεῖπεν ὁ προφήτης, ὡς πάντως ἐσόμενα προεῖπεν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ πάντως ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, οὐκ ἂν προεῖπε· πάντως δὲ ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, ἐπειδὴ ἀνιάτως εἶχον ἐκεῖνοι. Εἰ δὲ κεῖται τὸ, Οὐκ ἠδύναντο, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Οὐκ ἤθε 59.376 λον, κεῖται. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν. Ὁ δυνάμενος χωρεῖν, χωρείτω. Οὕτως οἶδε πολλαχοῦ δύναμιν τὴν προαίρεσιν λέγειν. Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ δύναται ὁ κόσμος μισεῖν ὑμᾶς· ἐμὲ δὲ μισεῖ. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ κοινῇ συνηθείᾳ φυλαττόμενον ἴδοι τις ἄν· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ τις· Οὐ δύναμαι ἀγαπῆσαι τὸν δεῖνα· τὸ σφοδρὸν τῆς βουλήσεως, δύναμιν λέγων. Καὶ πάλιν· Οὐ δύναται ὁ δεῖνα γενέσθαι χρηστός. Καὶ ὁ προφήτης δὲ τί φησιν; Εἰ ἀλλάξεται Αἰθίοψ τὸ δέρμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάρδαλις τὰ ποικίλματα αὐτῆς, καὶ ὁ λαὸς οὗτος δυνήσεται εὖ ποιῆσαι μεμαθηκὼς κακά. Οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι ἀδύνατος αὐτοῖς ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐργασία· ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐ βούλονται, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ δύνανται. Καὶ ὃ λέγει ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι ἀδύνατον ἦν ψεύσασθαι τὸν προφήτην. Οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο ἀδύνατον ἦν αὐτοὺς πιστεῦσαι. Ἐνῆν γὰρ, καὶ πιστευσάντων αὐτῶν, ἀψευδῆ μένειν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ταῦτα προεῖπεν, εἰ πιστεύειν ἔμελλον. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, οὐχ οὕτως εἶπεν, Ὅτι ἰδιώματά τινα ἡ Γραφὴ τοιαῦτα ἔχει, καὶ δεῖ τοῖς νόμοις αὐτῆς παραχωρεῖν. Ταῦτα δὲ εἶπεν, ὅτε εἶδε τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. Τίνος; Τοῦ Πατρός. Πῶς οὖν ὁ Ἰωάννης περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λέγει, ὁ δὲ Παῦλος περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος; Οὐχ ὡς