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And it is possible to say this, that there indeed He spoke of what they were about to suffer from the Gentiles, but here He added also the things from the Jews with greater intensity, and taught that it is at the doors. But now I go to Him that sent me, and no one of you says, 'Where are you going?' But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. This too is no small comfort, for them to learn that He knew the excess of their despondency. For from the anguish due to His abandonment of them, and of their awaiting the terrible things to come (for they did not even know if they would be able to bear it bravely), they were beside themselves. For what reason then did He not say these things to them afterwards, when they had been deemed worthy of the Spirit? So that you may learn that they were exceedingly virtuous. For if, when not yet deemed worthy of the Spirit, they did not leap away, though overwhelmed by sorrow, consider what they would become after enjoying the grace. For if they had heard and borne it then, we would have attributed the whole thing to the Spirit; but now the fruit is entirely of their own mind, and a clear proof of their longing for Christ, testing their mind while it was still bare. But I tell you the truth. See how He comforts them again. 'For I do not speak to please,' He says, 'but, even if you are grieved ten thousand times, you must hear what is expedient.' For according to your wish is for me to be present; but what is expedient is another thing. For it is the part of one who cares, not to indulge his acquaintances in matters of their own advantage and lead them away from what is profitable for them. 'For if I do not go away,' He says, 'the Comforter will not come.' What do those who do not have the proper opinion concerning the Spirit say here? is it expedient for the Master to depart, and a servant to arrive? Do you see how great is the dignity of the Spirit? But if I go away, I will send Him to you. And what is the gain? When He has come, He will convict the world; that is, they will not do these things with impunity, if He comes. For indeed the things that have already happened are sufficient to silence them; but when these things also happen through Him, both more perfect teachings and greater signs, they will be condemned much more, seeing so many things happening in my name; 59.422 which makes the proof of the resurrection clearer. For now they can say that He is the carpenter's son, whose father and mother we know; but when they see death being loosed, wickedness being cast out, natural lameness being corrected, demons being driven out, an unspeakable supply of the Spirit, and all these things happening when My name is called, what will they say? For the Father has also testified of Me; and the Spirit will also testify. And yet He testified even from the beginning; but He will do this now also. 2. But the phrase, 'He will convict concerning sin,' means this: He will cut off all their defense, and will show that they have sinned unpardonably. And concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you see me no more; that is, that I have lived a blameless life. And of this, the proof is my going to the Father. For since they always accused Him of this, that He is not from God, and for this reason called Him a sinner and a lawbreaker, He says that He will also do away with this pretext. For if my being thought not to be from God shows me to be a lawbreaker, when the Spirit shows that I have gone there, and not for a time but remaining there (for the phrase, 'You see Me no more,' indicates this), what will they say then? See how by these two things the wicked suspicion is done away with. For neither is the working of signs the mark of a sinner (for a sinner cannot work signs), nor is being with God continually the mark of a sinner. So you can no longer say that 'This man is a sinner,' because He is not from God. And concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. Here again He brings up the argument concerning righteousness, that He wrestled down the adversary. But being a sinner, He would not have wrestled him down; which not even any righteous man was strong enough to do. For that he has been condemned through Me, they who trample on him hereafter will know, clearly knowing my resurrection, which is the act of one who condemns. For he was not strong enough to hold Me. Since therefore they were saying that a demon

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κἀκεῖνο ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἐκεῖ μὲν ἃ παρὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἔμελλον πάσχειν εἶπεν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ προσέθηκε μετὰ πλείονος τῆς ὑπερβολῆς, καὶ ὅτι ἐπὶ θύραις ἐστὶν ἐδίδαξε. Νῦν δὲ ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντά με, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν λέγει· Ποῦ ὑπάγεις; Ἀλλ' ὅτι ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν, ἡ λύπη πεπλήρωκεν ὑμῶν τὴν καρδίαν. Οὐ μικρὰ καὶ αὕτη παραμυθία τὸ μαθεῖν αὐτοὺς, ὅτι ᾔδει τῆς ἀθυμίας τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἀγωνίας τῆς διὰ τὴν ἐρημίαν τὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ τὰ μέλλοντα ἐκδέχεσθαι αὐτοὺς δεινὰ (οὐδὲ γὰρ ᾔδεσαν εἰ δυνήσονται ἀνδρείως ἐνεγκεῖν) ἐξέστησαν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐ μετὰ ταῦτα εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ὅτε τοῦ Πνεύματος κατηξιώθησαν; Ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι σφόδρα ἦσαν ἐνάρετοι. Εἰ γὰρ μηδέπω Πνεύματος καταξιωθέντες οὐκ ἀπεπήδησαν, τῇ λύπῃ καταχωσθέντες, ἐννόησον τίνες ἔμελλον ἔσεσθαι τῆς χάριτος ἀπολαύσαντες. Εἰ γὰρ τότε ἀκούσαντες ἤνεγκαν, τῷ Πνεύματι ἂν τὸ πᾶν ἐλογισάμεθα· νῦν δὲ ὁλόκληρος τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὁ καρπὸς, καὶ σαφὴς τοῦ πόθου τοῦ περὶ τὸν Χριστὸν ἀπόδειξις, γυμνὴν ἔτι τὴν διάνοιαν βασανίζοντος. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λέγω. Ὅρα πῶς παραμυθεῖται αὐτοὺς πάλιν. Οὐ γὰρ τὰ πρὸς χάριν λέγω, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ, κἂν μυριάκις λυπῆσθε, τὸ συμφέρον ἀκοῦσαι δεῖ. Ὑμῖν μὲν γὰρ κατὰ γνώμην ἐστὶν ἐμὲ παρεῖναι· τὸ δὲ συμφέρον ἕτερον. Κηδομένου δέ ἐστι, τὸ μὴ ἐπὶ τοῖς συμφέρουσι τῶν γνωρίμων φείδεσθαι καὶ ἀπάγειν τοῦ λυσιτελοῦντος αὐτούς. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἐγὼ μὴ ἀπέλθω, φησὶν, ὁ Παράκλητος οὐ μὴ ἔλθῃ. Τί λέγουσιν ἐνταῦθα οἱ τὴν προσήκουσαν περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὐκ ἔχοντες δόξαν; συμφέρει ∆εσπότην ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ δοῦλον παραγενέσθαι; Ὁρᾷς πῶς πολλὴ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ ἀξία; Ἐὰν δὲ ἀπέλθω, πέμψω αὐτὸν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Καὶ τί τὸ κέρδος; Ἐκεῖνος ἐλθὼν, ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον· τουτέστιν, Οὐκ ἀτιμωρητὶ ταῦτα πράξουσιν, ἂν ἐκεῖνος ἔλθῃ. Ἱκανὰ μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἤδη γεγενημένα ἐπιστομίσαι αὐτούς· ὅταν δὲ καὶ δι' ἐκείνου ταῦτα γίνηται, καὶ διδάγματα τελειότερα καὶ σημεῖα μείζονα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον κατακριθήσονται, ὁρῶντες τοσαῦτα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου γινόμενα· 59.422 ὅπερ σαφεστέραν ποιεῖ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ δύνανται λέγειν, ὅτι ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱὸς, οὗ ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα· ὅταν δὲ ἴδωσι θάνατον λυόμενον κακίαν ἐκβαλλομένην, χωλείαν φύσεως διορθουμένην, δαίμονας ἐλαυνομένους, Πνεύματος χορηγίαν ἄφατον, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἐμοῦ καλουμένου γινόμενα, τί ἐροῦσιν; Ἐμαρτύρησε γὰρ περὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ ὁ Πατήρ· μαρτυρήσει δὲ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Καίτοι καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐμαρτύρησεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν τοῦτο ποιήσει. βʹ. Τὸ δὲ, Ἐλέγξει περὶ ἁμαρτίας, τοῦτ' ἔστι, Πᾶσαν ἀπολογίαν αὐτῶν ἐκκόψει, καὶ δείξει πεπλημμεληκότας ἀσύγγνωστα. Καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι ἐγὼ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα πορεύομαι, καὶ οὐκέτι θεωρεῖτέ με· τουτέστιν, Ὅτι ἄληπτον παρεσχόμην βίον. Καὶ τοῦτο τεκμήριον, τὸ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα πορεύεσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτῷ ἀεὶ τοῦτο ἐνεκάλουν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἁμαρτωλὸν αὐτὸν ἔλεγον καὶ παράνομον, φησὶν, ὅτι καὶ ταύτην ἀναιρήσει τὴν πρόφασιν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ νομίζεσθαι ἐμὲ μὴ εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο παράνομον δείκνυσιν· ὅταν δείξῃ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐκεῖ με ἀπελθόντα, καὶ οὐ πρὸς ὥραν, ἀλλὰ μένοντα ἐκεῖ (τὸ γὰρ, Οὐκ ἔτι θεωρεῖτέ με, τοῦτό ἐστι δηλοῦντος)· τί ἐροῦσι λοιπόν; Ὅρα διὰ δύο τούτων ἀναιρουμένην τὴν πονηρὰν ὑποψίαν. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸ σημεῖα ποιεῖν ἁμαρτωλοῦ (οὐ γὰρ δύναται ἁμαρτωλὸς σημεῖα ποιεῖν), οὔτε τὸ παρὰ Θεῷ εἶναι διαπαντὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ. Ὥστε οὐκ ἔτι δύνασθε λέγειν, ὅτι Οὗτος ἁμαρτωλός ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Περὶ δὲ κρίσεως, ὅτι ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου κέκριται. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὸν περὶ δικαιοσύνης ἀνακινεῖ λόγον, ὅτι κατεπάλαισε τὸν ἀντίδικον. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὢν κατεπάλαισεν· ὅπερ οὐδὲ δίκαιός τις ἀνθρώπων ποιῆσαι ἴσχυσεν. Ὅτι γὰρ κατακέκριται δι' ἐμὲ, εἴσονται οἱ καταπατοῦντες αὐτὸν ὕστερον, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασίν μου σαφῶς εἰδότες, ὅπερ κατακρίνοντός ἐστιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἴσχυσέ με κατασχεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔλεγον, ὅτι δαιμόνιον