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But nevertheless, what was not even expected came to pass. I will lay down my life for you. For when he heard, that greater love has no one than this, he immediately leaped up, being insatiable and wanting to reach the very heights. But Christ, showing that it is His alone to promise these things with authority, says: Before the cock crows; that is, now. For the interval was not long; for He was speaking in the dead of night, and the first and second watch had passed. Let not your heart be troubled. He says this, since it was likely they would be troubled on hearing this. For if the chief of them, and one so fiery, heard that he would deny Him three times before the cock crowed, it was likely that they would expect to endure some great trial, sufficient to overturn even souls of adamant. Since, then, it was likely they would be beside themselves when reasoning on these things, see how He comforts them, saying, Let not your heart be troubled; by this first demonstrating the power of His divinity, that He knows what they had in their souls and brings it forth into the open. Believe in God, and believe in me; that is, all terrible things shall pass away. For faith in Me and in Him who begot Me is more powerful than the things coming upon you, and it will allow none of the difficulties to prevail. Then He adds: In my Father’s house are many mansions. Just as He comforts the grieving Peter, saying, But you will follow afterwards; so also to these He suggests this hope. For lest they might think the promise was given to him alone, He says: In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you; that is, that that place will receive you as well as Peter. 59.397 For there is a great abundance of lodgings there, and one cannot say that it needs preparation. For since He said, You cannot follow me now, so that they might not think they were cut off for good, He added: That where I am, there you may be also. I have made such great haste for this matter, that I would have already done this, if it had not long ago been prepared for you. showing that they must be very courageous and confident. 2. Then, so that He might not seem to be speaking as if to comfort them, but that they might believe that it is so, He adds: And where I am going you know, and the way you know. Do you see how He gives them a proof that these things were not said simply? He says this, since He perceived that their soul was now seeking to learn this. For Peter did not say what he said in order to learn, but in order to follow. But when he was rebuked, and what previously seemed impossible, He Himself declared possible, but it appearing impossible, led him into a desire to know it with precision; for this reason He says to them: And the way you know. For just as when He said, You will deny me, when no one had said anything, and searching the things in their heart, He said, Do not be troubled; so also here, by saying, You know, He indicated the desire in their thought, and He Himself gives them a pretext for asking. But the phrase, Where are you going? Peter says out of much affection, but Thomas out of cowardice. Lord, we do not know where you are going. We do not know the place, he says; and how shall we know the way that leads there? And see with what great reservation. For he did not say, Tell us the place; but, We do not know where you are going. For they all were long in pain to learn this. For if the Jews were perplexed on hearing it, though wanting to be rid of Him, how much more did those who never wanted to be separated from Him wish to learn. They were afraid, then, to ask Him, but they ask nonetheless, both from their great longing and their anguish. What then says Christ? I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father, except through me. Why then, when asked directly by Peter, Where are you going? did He not say, I am going to the Father; but you cannot come now; but introduced such a circuit of words, putting together questions and answers, For He reasonably did not say this to the Jews; but why not to these? He did say both to these and to the Jews that He came from God, and goes to God; and now He says it more clearly than before. And otherwise,

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ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐγίνετο τὸ μηδὲ προσδοκηθέν. Τὴν ψυχήν μου ὑπὲρ σοῦ θήσω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤκουσεν, ὅτι μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἐπεπήδησεν εὐθέως, ἀκόρεστος ὢν καὶ τῶν ἄκρων ἐφικνεῖσθαι βουλόμενος. Ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς, δεικνὺς ὅτι αὐτοῦ μόνου ἐστὶ ταῦτα μετὰ αὐθεντίας ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι, φησί· Πρὶν ἀλέκτορα φωνῆσαι· τουτέστι, νῦν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν πολὺ τὸ διάστημα· ἀωρὶ γὰρ τῶν νυκτῶν διελέγετο, καὶ πρώτη καὶ δευτέρα ἦν φυλακὴ διελθοῦσα. Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία. Τοῦτο λέγει, ἐπειδὴ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς ἀκούσαντας ταράττεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ κορυφαῖος καὶ οὕτω διάπυρος πρὸ φωνῆς ἀλέκτορος τρὶς ἀπαρνήσεσθαι ἤκουσε· μεγάλην τινὰ προσδοκᾷν αὐτοὺς περίστασιν ὑποστήσεσθαι εἰκὸς ἦν, ἱκανὴν καὶ τὰς ἀδαμαντίνους περιτρέψαι ψυχάς. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ταῦτα λογιζομένους εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐκστῆναι, ὅρα πῶς αὐτοὺς παραμυθεῖται, Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία, λέγων· τούτῳ πρώτῳ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὅτι ἃ κατὰ ψυχὴν εἶχον, ταῦτα οἶδε καὶ εἰς μέσον ἄγει. Πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύετε· τουτέστι, πάντα παρελεύσεται τὰ δεινά. Ἡ γὰρ εἰς ἐμὲ πίστις καὶ τὸν γεγεννηκότα δυνατωτέρα τῶν ἐπιόντων ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐάσει κρατῆσαι τῶν δυσχερῶν. Εἶτα ἐπάγει· Ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν. Ὥσπερ τὸν Πέτρον ἀλύοντα παραμυθεῖται λέγων· Ἀκολουθήσεις δὲ ὕστερον· οὕτω καὶ τούτοις ταύτην τὴν ἐλπίδα ὑποφαίνει. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσωσιν ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν δεδόσθαι, φησίν· Ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, εἶπον ἂν ὑμῖν, Πορεύομαι ἑτοιμάσαι τόπον ὑμῖν· τουτέστιν, ὅτι καὶ ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖνος ὁ χῶρος δέξεται ὁ καὶ τὸν Πέτρον. 59.397 Ἀφθονία γὰρ ἐκεῖ πολλὴ καταγωγίων, καὶ οὐκ ἔνι εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἑτοιμασίας δεῖται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, Οὐ δύνασθέ μοι νῦν ἀκολουθῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν εἰς τέλος ἐκκεκόφθαι, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἵνα, ὅπου ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐκεῖ ἦτε. Τοσαύτην ὑπὲρ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου πεποίημαι τὴν σπουδὴν, ὅτι ἤδη ἂν τούτου ἐγενόμην, εἰ μὴ πάλαι ὑμῖν παρεσκεύαστο. δεικνὺς ὅτι σφόδρα αὐτοὺς χρὴ θαῤῥεῖν καὶ πεποιθέναι. βʹ. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ ὥσπερ ψυχαγωγῶν αὐτοὺς λέγειν, ἀλλὰ πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι οὕτως ἐστὶν, ἐπάγει· Καὶ ὅπου ὑπάγω οἴδατε, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν οἴδατε. Ὁρᾷς πῶς δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ μὴ ἁπλῶς ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι; Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, ἐπεὶ συνεῖδεν αὐτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦτο λοιπὸν ζητοῦσαν μαθεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Πέτρος οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μαθεῖν, ἀλλ' ὥστε ἀκολουθῆσαι, ἔλεγεν ὅπερ ἔλεγεν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐπετιμήθη ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ὃ τέως ἀδύνατον ἐδόκει εἶναι, δυνατὸν αὐτὸς ἀπεφήνατο, ἀδύνατον δὲ φανὲν, εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτὸν ἤγαγε τοῦ γνῶναι μετὰ ἀκριβείας αὐτό· διὰ τοῦτο τούτοις φησί· Καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν οἴδατε. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰπὼν, Ἀπαρνήσῃ με, μηδενὸς μηδὲν προφθεγξαμένου, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐρευνῶν ἔλεγε, Μὴ ταράττεσθε· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα εἰπὼν, ὅτι Οἴδατε, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐδήλου τὴν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς αὐτοῖς δίδωσι πρόφασιν τοῦ ἐρωτῆσαι. Τὸ δὲ, Ποῦ ὑπάγεις; Πέτρος μὲν ἀπὸ φιλοστοργίας πολλῆς, Θωμᾶς δὲ ἀπὸ δειλίας λέγει. Κύριε, οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποῦ ὑπάγεις. Τὸν τόπον οὐκ ἴσμεν, φησί· καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ φέρουσαν ὁδὸν πῶς εἰσόμεθα; Καὶ ὅρα μεθ' ὅσης ὑποστολῆς. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν τὸν τόπον· ἀλλ', Οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποῦ ὑπάγεις. Τοῦτο γὰρ πάλαι πάντες μαθεῖν ὤδινον. Εἰ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖοι διηπόρουν ἀκούοντες, καίτοι γε ἀπαλλαγῆναι αὐτοῦ βουλόμενοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ μηδέποτε αὐτοῦ χωρισθῆναι βουλόμενοι μαθεῖν ἤθελον. Ἐδεδοίκεισαν μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν ἐρωτῆσαι, ἐρωτῶσι δὲ ὅμως, ἀπό τε τοῦ πολλοῦ πόθου καὶ τῆς ἀγωνίας. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή. Οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, εἰ μὴ δι' ἐμοῦ. Τί οὖν οὐκ εὐθέως ἐρωτηθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ Πέτρου, Ποῦ ὑπάγεις; εἶπεν, Ἐγὼ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα πορεύομαι· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθεῖν νῦν· ἀλλὰ τοσούτων ἐνέβαλεν λόγων περίοδον, ἐρωτήσεις καὶ ἀποκρίσεις συντιθείς, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν γὰρ εἰκότως τοῦτο οὐκ ἔλεγε· τούτοις δὲ διατί; Εἶπε μὲν καὶ τούτοις καὶ Ἰουδαίοις, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξῆλθε, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπάγει· καὶ νῦν δὲ αὐτὸ λέγει σαφέστερον ἢ πρότερον. Ἄλλως δὲ,