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for it is from without, and often comes for evil and is profitless, and has not benefited those who have it; but I give such a peace, that you may be at peace with one another, which makes you stronger. But since He said again, 'I leave,' which was the word of one departing, and was enough to confound them, for this reason He says again; Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Do you see that they were suffering, partly from affection, partly from cowardice? You have heard that I said to you, that 'I go to the Father, and I am coming to you.' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And what joy was this to bring them? What consolation? 4. What then is the meaning of what was said? They did not yet know about the resurrection, nor did they have the opinion they ought to have had concerning Him; 59.408 (for how could they, who did not even know that He would rise again?) but they considered the Father to be great. He says, therefore, that 'Even if you fear for me, as though I am not sufficient to protect myself, nor are you confident that after the cross I shall see you again; but having heard that I am going away to the Father, you ought now to rejoice, because I am going away to the greater one, who is able to resolve all terrible things.' You have heard that I said to you. Why has He added this? Because, He says, I am so very confident about what is happening, as even to foretell it; so little do I fear. At least He also says after this, 'I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am he;' as if He said, 'Would you have known, if I had not said it? But I would not have said it, if I were not confident.' Do you see that the discourse is one of condescension? For when He says, 'Do you think that I cannot ask my Father, and He will at once send me twelve legions of angels?' He speaks to the supposition of his hearers. For not even a very madman would say that He was not able to help Himself, but needed angels; but since they had an opinion of Him as a man, for this reason He says, 'Twelve legions of angels.' And yet He simply questioned them, and cast them backward. But if one should say the Father is greater inasmuch as He is the cause of the Son, we will not contradict this. But this does not make the Son to be of another substance. But what He says is this: As long as I am here, it is likely that you think we are in danger; but if I depart there, be confident that we are in safety; for no one will be able to overcome Him. But all these things were said with respect to the weakness of the disciples. For I myself am confident, and I do not care about death. For this is why He said, 'These things I have told you before it comes to pass.' But since, He says, you are not yet able to receive the word concerning these things, I also introduce the consolation from the Father, whom you name as being great. Having comforted them, therefore, He again says sorrowful things: I will no longer speak with you. Why? For the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. And by ruler of the world He means the devil, also calling wicked men thus. For he does not rule heaven and earth, since then he would have overturned and cast down all things; but he rules those who give themselves over to him. For this reason He also calls him the ruler of the darkness of this age, here again calling wicked deeds darkness. What then? Does the devil destroy you? By no means; for he has nothing in Me. How then do they destroy you? Because I wish it, and 'that the world may know that I love the Father.' For not being subject to death, He says, nor owing anything to it, but for the love of the Father I endure it. And He says this, that He might again raise up their soul, and that they might learn that He comes to this not unwillingly, but willingly, and that He despises the devil. For it was not enough to say, 'I am with you a little while,' but He continually turns this sorrowful saying, reasonably, until He makes it acceptable to them, weaving good things into it. For this reason He sometimes says, 'I go away and I come;' and, that 'Where I am, there you may be also;' and, 'You cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later;' and, 'I am going to the Father;' and, 'The Father is greater than I;' and, 'I have told you before it happens;' and, that 'I do not suffer these things from necessity, but for the love of the Father;' so that they might understand that the matter was not destructive nor harmful, if indeed

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γὰρ ἔξωθεν, καὶ ἐπὶ κακῷ γίνεται πολλάκις καὶ ἀνόνητος, καὶ τοὺς ἔχοντας οὐδὲν ὠφέλησεν· ἐγὼ δὲ δίδωμι τοιαύτην, ὥστε μετ' ἀλλήλων εἰρηνεύειν, ὅπερ ὑμᾶς ἰσχυροτέρους ποιεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάλιν εἶπεν, Ἀφίημι, ὅπερ ἦν ἀναχωροῦντος, καὶ ἱκανὸν ἦν αὐτοὺς συγχεῖν, διὰ τοῦτο πάλιν φησί· Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία, μηδὲ δειλιάτω. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ φιλοστοργίας, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ δειλίας ἔπασχον; Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὅτι Ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἔρχομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Εἰ ἠγαπᾶτέ με, ἐχάρητε ἂν ὅτι πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, ὅτι ὁ Πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστιν. Καὶ ποίαν τοῦτο αὐτοῖς χαρὰν φέρειν ἔμελλεν; ποίαν παραμυθίαν; δʹ. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; Οὐδέπω ᾔδεσαν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, οὐδὲ οἵαν ἐχρῆν περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξαν εἶχον· 59.408 (πῶς γὰρ, οἱ μηδὲ ὅτι ἀναστήσεται εἰδότες;) τὸν δὲ Πατέρα μέγαν εἶναι ἐνόμιζον. Λέγει οὖν, ὅτι Εἰ καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ δεδοίκατε ὡς οὐκ ἀρκοῦντος ἐμαυτοῦ προστῆναι, οὐδὲ θαῤῥεῖτε ὅτι μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν πάλιν ὑμᾶς ὄψομαι· ἀλλὰ ἀκούσαντες ὅτι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἀπέρχομαι, ἔδει χαίρειν λοιπὸν, ὅτι πρὸς τὸν μείζονα ἄπειμι, καὶ δυνατὸν πάντα λῦσαι τὰ δεινά. Ὑμεῖς ἠκούσατε, ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν. ∆ιατί τοῦτο τέθεικεν; Ὅτι οὕτω σφόδρα θαῤῥῶ, φησὶ, τοῖς γινομένοις, ὡς καὶ προειπεῖν· οὕτως οὐ δέδοικα. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Εἶπον ὑμῖν πρὶν γενέσθαι, ἵν', ὅταν γένηται, πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγε, Μὴ ᾔδειτε, εἰ μὴ ἐγὼ εἶπον; οὐκ ἂν δὲ εἶπον, εἰ μὴ ἐθάῤῥουν. Εἶδες συγκαταβάσεως τὸν λόγον ὄντα; Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ, ∆οκεῖτε ὅτι οὐ δύναμαι παρακαλέσαι τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ παραστήσει μοι δώδεκα λεγεῶνας ἀγγέλων; πρὸς τὴν ὑπόνοιαν τῶν ἀκουόντων φθέγγεται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνο εἴποι τις ἂν, κἂν σφόδρα ᾖ μεμηνὼς ὅτι οὐκ ἐδύνατο ἑαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἀγγέλων ἐδεῖτο· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀνθρώπου δόξαν εἶχον, διὰ τοῦτό φησι, ∆ώδεκα λεγεῶνας ἀγγέλων. Καίτοι γε ἁπλῶς αὐτοὺς ἠρώτησε, καὶ ἔῤῥιψεν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις μείζονα εἶναι τὸν Πατέρα καθ' ὃ αἴτιος τοῦ Υἱοῦ, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀντεροῦμεν. Ἀλλ' οὐ μὴν τοῦτο ἑτέρας εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν οὐσίας ποιεῖ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἕως μὲν ἂν ἐνταῦθα ὦ, εἰκὸς νομίζειν ὑμᾶς ὅτι κινδυνεύομεν· ἐὰν δὲ ἐκεῖ ἀπέλθω, θαῤῥεῖτε ὅτι ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ἐσμέν· ἐκείνου γὰρ οὐδεὶς περιγενέσθαι δυνήσεται. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν μαθητῶν ἐλέγετο. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ θαῤῥῶ, καὶ οὐ φροντίζω τοῦ θανάτου. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο εἶπε, Ταῦτα εἶπον ὑμῖν πρὶν γενέσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ, φησὶ, ὑμεῖς οὐδέπω δύνασθε τὸν περὶ τούτων δέξασθαι λόγον, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὃν ὀνομάζετε μέγαν εἶναι, εἰσάγω τὴν παράκλησιν. Παραμυθησάμενος τοίνυν αὐτοὺς, πάλιν λέγει τὰ λυπηρά· Οὐκέτι λαλήσω μεθ' ὑμῶν. ∆ιατί; Ἔρχεται γὰρ ὁ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἄρχων, καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔχει οὐδέν. Κόσμου δὲ ἄρχοντα τὸν διάβολόν φησι, καὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀνθρώπους οὕτω καλῶν. Οὐ γὰρ οὐρανοῦ ἄρχει καὶ γῆς, ἐπεὶ ἂν ἐνέτρεψε πάντα καὶ κατέβαλε· ἄρχει δὲ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς παραδιδόντων αὐτῷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἄρχοντα τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καλεῖ, σκότος ἐνταῦθα πάλιν τὰς πονηρὰς πράξεις καλῶν. Τί οὖν; ὁ διάβολός σε ἀναιρεῖ; Οὐδαμῶς· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐδέν. Πῶς οὖν σε ἀναιροῦσιν; Ἐπειδὴ βούλομαι, καὶ ἵνα γνῷ ὁ κόσμος, ὅτι ἀγαπῶ τὸν Πατέρα. Οὐ γὰρ ὑπεύθυνος ὢν θανάτῳ, φησὶν, οὐδὲ ὀφείλων αὐτῷ, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν εἰς τὸν Πατέρα ὑπομένω. Τοῦτο δέ φησιν, ἵνα πάλιν αὐτῶν ἀναστήσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ μάθωσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἄκων, ἀλλ' ἑκὼν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἔρχεται, καὶ ὅτι καταφρονῶν τοῦ διαβόλου. Οὐ γὰρ ἤρκει τὸ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Μικρὸν χρόνον μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς αὐτὸ στρέφει τοῦτο τὸ λυπηρὸν, εἰκότως, ἕως ἂν αὐτὸ παρ' αὐτοῖς εὐπαράδεκτον ποιήσῃ, παρυφαίνων αὐτῷ τὰ χρηστά. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ποτὲ μὲν λέγει, Ὑπάγω καὶ ἔρχομαι· καὶ, ὅτι Ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἦτε; καὶ, Οὐ δύνασθέ μοι νῦν ἀκολουθῆσαι, ἀκολουθήσετε δὲ ὕστερον· καὶ, Πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα πορεύομαι· καὶ, Ὁ Πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστι· καὶ, Πρὶν γενέσθαι εἴρηκα ὑμῖν· καὶ, ὅτι Οὐκ ἀπὸ ἀνάγκης ταῦτα πάσχω, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀγάπην τοῦ Πατρός· ὥστε ἐννοῆσαι αὐτοὺς, ὅτι οὐκ ὀλέθριον τὸ πρᾶγμα οὐδὲ βλάβην ἔχον, εἴ γε