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but it is not given. 1. It is worth admiring the disciples, how even when desiring to learn, they know when they ought to ask. For they do not do this in all cases; and Matthew showed this when he said, And having come to him. And that what was said is not a conjecture, Mark presented it more clearly, saying that they came to him privately. This is indeed what his brothers and mother should have done, and not called him outside and made a show. But consider also their affection, how they show great concern for others, and seek their interests first, and then their own. For "Why," he says, "do you speak to them in parables?" They did not say, "Why do you speak to us in parables?" For indeed in many other places they appear to be affectionately disposed toward all, as when they say, "Send the crowds away," and, "Do you know that they were offended?" What then does Christ say? "To you," he says, "it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; but to them it has not been given." But he said this, not introducing necessity, nor some predestination made simply and at random, but showing that they themselves are the cause of all their evils, and wishing to establish that the matter is a gift, and a grace given from above. However, because it is a gift, free will is not for that reason taken away; and this is clear from what follows. See, then, how, so that neither those might despair, nor these might become slothful, upon hearing "it has been given," he shows that the beginning is with us. For whoever has, to him it will be given, and he will have more abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him. And what was said is full of much obscurity, but it shows unspeakable justice. For what he says is this: When one has eagerness and zeal, all things from God will also be given to him; but when one is void of these, and does not contribute what is from himself, the things from God are not given either. For, "what he seems to have," he says, "will be taken from him;" 58.472 not because God takes it, but because he does not deem him worthy of His things. We do this too; when we see someone listening slothfully, and though we urge them many times to pay attention we do not persuade them, we are silent thereafter. For if we are to persist, his slothfulness is intensified. But we draw in the one who is zealous to learn and pour in much. And he rightly said, "And what he seems to have." For he does not even have this. Then he also made what he said clearer, showing what is meant by, "To him who has it will be given, but from him who does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." "Therefore," he says, "I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see." "Then," one says, "it was necessary to open their eyes, if they do not see." But if the blindness were of nature, it would have been necessary to open them; but since the blindness is voluntary and of their own choice, for this reason he did not say simply, "They do not see," but, "Seeing they do not see;" so that the blindness is of their own wickedness. For they saw demons going out, and they said, "By Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, he casts out the demons." They heard him bringing them to God, and showing great concord with him, and they say, "This man is not from God." Since therefore they declared things contrary both to what they saw and what they heard, "For this reason," he says, "I also take away hearing from them." For they gain nothing from this, but even greater judgment. For not only did they disbelieve, but they also rebuked, and accused, and plotted against him. But he does not say this; for he does not want to be burdensome in his accusations. Therefore, from the beginning he did not converse with them in this way, but with great clarity; but since they perverted themselves, he henceforth speaks in parables. Then, lest anyone should think that what was said is a mere accusation, or that they should say, "Being our enemy he alleges and slanders us with these things," he brings in the prophet voting for the same things as he does. "For in them," he says, "is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: 'By hearing you will hear, and will not understand, and seeing you will see, and will not perceive.'" Did you see the prophet also accusing with this precision? For not even he 58.473 said, "You do not see," but, "You will see, and will not perceive;" nor, "You will not hear," but, "You will hear, and will not understand." So that they deprived themselves

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δὲ οὐ δέδοται. αʹ. Ἄξιον θαυμάσαι τοὺς μαθητὰς, πῶς καὶ ἐπιθυμοῦντες μαθεῖν, ἴσασι πότε ἐρωτῆσαι ἐχρῆν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ πάντων τοῦτο ποιοῦσι· καὶ τοῦτο ἐδήλωσεν ὁ Ματθαῖος εἰπὼν, Καὶ προσελθόντες. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ στοχασμὸς τὸ εἰρημένον, ὁ Μάρκος αὐτὸ σαφέστερον παρέστησεν, εἰπὼν ὅτι κατ' ἰδίαν προσῆλθον αὐτῷ. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὴν μητέρα ποιῆσαι ἐχρῆν, καὶ οὐχὶ καλέσαι ἔξω καὶ ἐπιδείξασθαι. Σκόπει δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν φιλοστοργίαν, πῶς πολὺν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄλλων ποιοῦνται λόγον, καὶ πρότερον τὰ ἐκείνων ζητοῦσι, καὶ τότε τὰ ἑαυτῶν. ∆ιατί γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖς αὐτοῖς; Οὐκ εἶπον, ∆ιατί ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖς ἡμῖν; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πολλαχῶς φαίνονται φιλοστόργως πρὸς ἅπαντας διακείμενοι, ὡς ὅταν λέγωσιν, Ἀπόλυσον τοὺς ὄχλους, καὶ ὅτι Οἶδας ὅτι ἐσκανδαλίσθησαν; Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ὅτι ὑμῖν δέδοται, φησὶ, γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· ἐκείνοις δὲ οὐ δέδοται. Τοῦτο δὲ εἶπεν, οὐκ ἀνάγκην εἰσάγων, οὐδὲ ἀποκλήρωσίν τινα ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε γινομένην· ἀλλὰ δεικνὺς αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων αἰτίους ὄντας τῶν κακῶν, καὶ παραστῆσαι θέλων, ὅτι δωρεὰ τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι, καὶ χάρις ἄνωθεν δεδομένη. Οὐ μὴν ἐπειδὴ δωρεὰ, διὰ τοῦτο τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἀνῄρηται· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς δῆλον. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς, ἵνα μήτε ἐκεῖνοι ἀπογνῶσι, μήτε οὗτοι ῥᾳθυμήσωσιν, ἀκούσαντες ὅτι δέδοται, δείκνυσι παρ' ἡμῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν οὖσαν. Ὅστις γὰρ ἔχει, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ, καὶ περισσευθήσεται· ὅστις δὲ οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ ὃ δοκεῖ ἔχειν ἀρθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πολλῆς μὲν ἀσαφείας γέμει τὸ εἰρημένον, ἄφατον δὲ δικαιοσύνην ἐνδείκνυται. Ὃ γὰρ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὅταν τις προθυμίαν ἔχῃ καὶ σπουδὴν, δοθήσεται αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἅπαντα· ὅταν δὲ τούτων κενὸς ᾖ, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ μὴ εἰσφέρῃ, οὐδὲ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δίδοται. Καὶ γὰρ Ὃ δοκεῖ ἔχειν, φησὶν, ἀρθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· 58.472 οὐ τοῦ Θεοῦ αἴροντος, ἀλλὰ μὴ καταξιοῦντος αὐτὸν τῶν αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν· ὅταν ἴδωμέν τινα ἀκούοντα ῥᾳθύμως, καὶ πολλὰ παρακαλοῦντες προσέχειν μὴ πείθωμεν, σιγῶμεν λοιπόν. Εἰ γὰρ μέλλομεν ἐπιμένειν, ἐπιτείνεται αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας. Τὸν δὲ σπουδάζοντα μαθεῖν ἐπισπώμεθα καὶ πολλὰ ἐγχέομεν. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπε, Καὶ ὃ δοκεῖ ἔχειν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἔχει. Εἶτα καὶ σαφέστερον ὅπερ εἶπεν ἐποίησε, δεικνὺς τί ἐστι τὸ, Τῷ ἔχοντι δοθήσεται, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ μὴ ἔχοντος, καὶ ὃ δοκεῖ ἔχειν ἀρθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλῶ αὐτοῖς, ὅτι βλέποντες οὐ βλέπουσιν. Οὐκοῦν ἀνοῖξαι ἔδει, φησὶ, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, εἰ μὴ βλέπουσιν. Ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν φύσεως ἡ πήρωσις ἦν, ἀνοῖξαι ἔδει· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἑκουσία καὶ αὐθαίρετος ἡ πήρωσις, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Οὐ βλέπουσιν· ἀλλὰ, Βλέποντες οὐ βλέπουσιν· ὥστε τῆς αὐτῶν πονηρίας ἡ πήρωσις. Εἶδον γὰρ καὶ δαίμονας ἐξελθόντας, καὶ ἔλεγον· Ἐν τῷ Βεελζεβοὺλ ἄρχοντι τῶν δαιμονίων ἐκβάλλει τὰ δαιμόνια. Ἤκουσαν τῷ Θεῷ προσάγοντος αὐτοὺς, καὶ πολλὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιδεικνυμένου τὴν ὁμόνοιαν, καὶ λέγουσιν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν οὗτος ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τἀναντία καὶ ὧν ἔβλεπον καὶ ὧν ἤκουον ἀπεφαίνοντο, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶ, καὶ τὸ ἀκούειν ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἀφαιρῶ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐντεῦθεν πλέον γίνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ κρίμα πλέον. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἠπίστουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπετίμων, καὶ κατηγόρουν, καὶ ἐπεβούλευον. Ἀλλ' οὐ λέγει τοῦτο· οὐ γὰρ βούλεται εἶναι φορτικὸς κατηγορῶν. Οὐκοῦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὐχ οὕτως αὐτοῖς διελέχθη, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σαφηνείας· ἐπειδὴ δὲ διέστρεφον ἑαυτοὺς, ἐν παραβολαῖς λοιπὸν φθέγγεται. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃ τις κατηγορίαν εἶναι ψιλὴν τὰ εἰρημένα, μηδὲ λέγωσιν, ὅτι Ἐχθρὸς ἡμῶν ὢν ταῦτα αἰτιᾶται καὶ διαβάλλει, καὶ τὸν προφήτην εἰσάγει τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτῷ ψηφιζόμενον. Πληροῦται γὰρ αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἡ προφητεία Ἡσαΐου ἡ λέγουσα· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε. Εἶδες καὶ τὸν προφήτην μετὰ ταύτης τῆς ἀκριβείας κατηγοροῦντα; Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς 58.473 εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐ βλέπετε· ἀλλὰ, Βλέψετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε· οὐδ' ὅτι Οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε· ἀλλ' ὅτι Ἀκούσετε, καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε. Ὥστε αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀφείλοντο