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they said that He is not of God, thus He said: showing that they will not be able to say these things then, but, The words which I have spoken now will stand in the place of an accuser, convicting them and cutting off all defense. And the word which I have spoken. What wo 59.379 rd? That I have not come of myself, that the Father who sent me, He has given me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak; and all other such things. So these things were said thus for their sake, so that they might have no excuse for a defense. For if this were not so, what advantage would He have over Isaiah? For he also says this very thing: The Lord gives me the tongue of the learned, that I should know when it is right to speak a word. And what of Jeremiah? for he also, when he was sent, was inspired. And what of Ezekiel? for he too, having eaten the roll, thus spoke. Otherwise, those who were to hear what He said will be found to be the cause of His knowledge. For if when He was sent, He then received a commandment what He should say, you will then say that even before He was sent He did not know. And what is more impious than these words, if one were to receive them thus, and not understand the reason for their humility? But Paul says that both he himself and his disciples know, What is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God; but the Son did not know until He received a commandment? and how could this be reasonable? Do you see that for this reason He brings what is said to an extreme of humility, so that He might both draw them on, and stop the mouths of those after them? For this reason, then, He utters human words, that He might even so compel them to flee from the lowliness of what was said, being conscious that the things said are not of His nature, but of the weakness of His hearers. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I speak therefore, even as my Father has commanded me, so I speak. Do you see the humility of the things spoken? For he who has received a commandment is not his own master. And yet He himself says: For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. Then does He have authority to raise whom He will, but does not have authority to say what He wishes? What, then, He wishes to say by what was spoken, is this: that it is not in the nature of the matter for Him to say one thing, and for me to utter another. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. To those who called him a deceiver, and said that he had come for their ruin, he said this. But when He says, I do not judge, He shows that He himself is not the cause of the destruction of such people. For by these things He all but testifies, being about to depart from them and no longer be with them, that I have spoken nothing to you as from myself, but all things as from the Father. And for this reason He concluded his discourse to them with humble things, so that He might say that, Until the end, I have uttered this last word to them. What word then is this? As the Father has said to me, so I speak. But if I were opposed to God, I would have said the opposite: that I say nothing of the things that seem good to God, so as to draw the glory to myself. But now I have referred all things to him so much, as to say nothing is my own. For what reason, then, do you not believe me when I say that I received a commandment, and thus so vehemently do away with your wicked suspicion of opposition? For just as it is impossible for those who receive a commandment to do or say anything other than what those who sent them wish, so long as they fulfill the commandment and do not pervert it; so also it is not possible for me to do or say anything else, but what the Father wishes. For what I do, He does, because He is with me, and the Father has not left me alone. Do you see how everywhere He shows himself joined to the one who begot him, and that there is nothing 59.380 in between? For when He says, I have not come of myself, He does not say it taking away his authority, but doing away with what is alien and contrary. For if men are lords of themselves, much more the only-begotten Son. And that this is true, hear what Paul says: He emptied Himself, and gave Himself for us. But as I said, vainglory is a terrible thing, a terrible thing. For this has caused them not to believe, and others to believe wrongly, and to take what was said for their sakes out of loving-kindness for impiety. 3.

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ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὕτως εἶπε· δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐ τότε δυνήσονται ταῦτα λέγειν, ἀλλὰ, Τὰ ῥήματα, ἃ ἐλάλησα νῦν, ἐν τάξει στήσεται κατηγόρου, ἐλέγχοντα αὐτοὺς καὶ πᾶσαν διακόπτοντα ἀπολογίαν. Καὶ ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησα. Ποῖος λό 59.379 γος; Ὅτι ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλήλυθα, ὅτι ὁ πέμψας με Πατὴρ, ἐκεῖνός μοι ἔδωκεν ἐντολὴν, τί εἴπω καὶ τί λαλήσω· καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα ἕτερα. Ἄρα ταῦτα δι' αὐτοὺς οὕτως ἐλέγετο, ἵνα μηδεμίαν ἔχωσιν ἀπολογίας πρόφασιν. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, τι Ἡσαΐου πλέον ἕξει; Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτό φησι· Κύριος δίδωσί μοι γλῶσσαν παιδείας, τοῦ γνῶναι ἡνίκα δεῖ εἰπεῖν λόγον. Τί δὲ Ἱερεμίου; καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὅτε ἐπέμπετο ἐνεπνεῖτο. Τί δὲ Ἰεζεκιήλ; καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὗτος τὴν κεφαλίδα καταφαγὼν, οὕτως ἐφθέγγετο. Ἄλλως δὲ, εὑρεθήσονται οἱ μέλλοντες ἀκούειν ὅπερ ἔλεγεν, αἴτιοι τῆς γνώσεως ὄντες αὐτῷ. Εἰ γὰρ ὅτε ἐπέμπετο, ἐντολὴν τότε ἔλαβε, τί εἴπῃ, λοιπὸν ἐρεῖς, ὅτι καὶ πρὶν ἢ πεμφθῆναι οὐκ ᾔδει. Καὶ τί τούτων ἀσεβέστερον τῶν ῥημάτων, εἰ οὕτως αὐτά τις δέχοιτο, καὶ μὴ καταμανθάνοι τῆς ταπεινότητος αὐτῶν τὴν αἰτίαν; Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Παῦλός φησι καὶ αὐτὸς εἰδέναι καὶ τοὺς μαθητευομένους, Τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ εὐάρεστον καὶ τέλειον· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς οὐκ ἠπίστατο ἕως ἐντολὴν ἔλαβε; καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον τοῦτο; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο εἰς ὑπερβολὴν ταπεινότητος τὰ λεγόμενα ἄγει, ἵνα κἀκείνους ἐπισπάσηται, καὶ τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιστομίσῃ; ∆ιὰ γοῦν τοῦτο ἀνθρώπινα φθέγγεται ῥήματα, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἀναγκάσῃ φυγεῖν τὸ εὐτελὲς τῶν λεχθέντων, συνειδότας ὅτι οὐ τῆς φύσεώς ἐστι τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀσθενείας. Καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιός ἐστιν. Ἃ οὖν λαλῶ, καθὼς ἐνετείλατό μοι ὁ Πατήρ μου, οὕτω λαλῶ. Ὁρᾷς τὸ ταπεινὸν τῶν εἰρημένων; Ὁ γὰρ ἐντολὴν λαβὼν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἑαυτοῦ κύριος. Καίτοι γε αὐτός φησιν· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ. Εἶτα ἐγεῖραι μὲν οὓς θέλει ἐξουσίαν ἔχει, εἰπεῖν δὲ ὃ βούλεται οὐκ ἔχει; Ὃ οὖν θέλει εἰπεῖν διὰ τοῦ εἰρημένου, τοῦτό ἐστιν· ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει φύσιν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἕτερα μὲν ἐκεῖνον λέγειν, ἕτερα δὲ ἐμὲ φθέγγεσθαι. Καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ἡ ἐντολὴ αὐτοῦ ζωὴ αἰώνιός ἐστι. Πρὸς ἐκείνους τοὺς πλάνον αὐτὸν λέγοντας, καὶ ἐπὶ λύμῃ παραγεγονέναι, τοῦτο εἶπεν. Ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ, Ἐγὼ οὐ κρίνω, μὴ εἶναι τῆς ἀπωλείας τῶν τοιούτων ἑαυτὸν δείκνυσιν αἴτιον. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τούτων μονονουχὶ διαμαρτύρεται, μέλλων ἀφίστασθαι αὐτῶν καὶ μηκέτι συγγίνεσθαι, ὅτι Οὐδὲν ἐγὼ ὡς ἴδιον φθεγγόμενος διελέχθην ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰς τὰ ταπεινὰ τὸν λόγον πρὸς αὐτοὺς κατέκλεισεν, ἵνα εἴπῃ, ὅτι Ἕως τέλους ταύτην πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὑστέραν ἀφῆκα φωνήν. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Καθὼς εἴρηκέ μοι ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτω λαλῶ. Εἰ δὲ ἀντίθεος ἤμην, τοὐναντίον ἂν εἶπον· ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν τῷ Θεῷ δοκούντων λέγω, ὥστε εἰς ἐμαυτὸν περιστῆσαι τὴν δόξαν. Νυνὶ δὲ τοσοῦτον εἰς αὐτὸν πάντα ἀνήγαγον, ὡς μηδὲν ἐμὸν φῆσαι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐ πιστεύετέ μοι λέγοντι, ὅτι ἐντολὴν ἔλαβον, καὶ οὕτω σφοδρῶς ἀναιροῦντι τὴν πονηρὰν ὑμῶν ὑπόνοιαν τὴν τῆς ἀντιστάσεως; Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοὺς ἐντολὴν δεχομένους ἀδύνατον ἄλλο τι ποιεῖν ἢ λέγειν, ἢ ὅσα οἱ πέμψαντες βούλονται, ἕως ἂν ἐντολὴν πληρῶσι καὶ μὴ παραχαράττωσιν· οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐμὲ ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι ἢ εἰπεῖν δυνατὸν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἅπερ ὁ Πατὴρ βούλεται. Ἃ γὰρ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, ἐκεῖνος ποιεῖ, ὅτι μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκέ με μόνον ὁ Πατήρ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πανταχοῦ δείκνυσι συνημμένον τῷ γεγεννηκότι, καὶ οὐδὲν 59.380 μέσον ὄν; Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ, Ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλήλυθα, οὐ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἀφαιρούμενος λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀλλότριον καὶ ἐναντίον ἀναιρῶν. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι κύριοι ἑαυτῶν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱός. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Ἐκένωσεν ἑαυτὸν, καὶ παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔφην, δεινὸν ἡ κενοδοξία, δεινόν. Αὕτη γὰρ καὶ ἐκείνους μὴ πιστεύειν, καὶ ἑτέρους κακῶς πιστεύειν παρεσκεύασε, καὶ ἃ δι' ἐκείνους ἐλέγετο φιλανθρωπίας ἕνεκεν, ταῦτα εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐκλαβεῖν. γʹ.