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he answered what was lying at anchor in their thought? And You have no need that any should ask You: that is, Before You hear, You know the things that cause us to stumble, and You gave us rest, because You said, The Father loves you, because you have loved Me. After so many and so great things, then they say, Now we know. Do you see how imperfect they were? Then, since they say, as if granting Him some favor, Now we know, He says; You need many other things to come to perfection; nothing has yet been accomplished by you. Now, therefore, you will betray me to my enemies, and so great a fear will overcome you, that you will not even be able to depart with one another. But I will suffer nothing terrible from these things. Do you see how again the 59.429 word is condescending? This, at least, He even reproaches them for, that they continually need condescension. For since they said, Behold, now You speak plainly, and speak no proverb, and for this reason we believe You; He shows that now, when they believe, they do not yet believe, nor does He accept their words. He says these things, referring them to another time. But the saying, The Father is with me, He has set down again for their sakes; for He wished them to learn this above all. Then showing that in saying these things He was not delivering to them perfect knowledge, but so that their reasoning might not be in turmoil (for it was likely that they would reason about certain human things, and that they would enjoy no help from him), He says: These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace; that is, that you might not cast me out of your thought, but receive me. Let no one, therefore, draw what is said into a dogma; for it is spoken for our comfort and love. For not even up to this point, He says, do they suffer such things; the terrible things will cease for you; but as long as you are in the world, you will have tribulation, not now when I am betrayed, but also after these things. But rise up in your reasoning; for you will suffer nothing terrible. For when the Teacher has overcome His enemies, the disciples ought not to grieve. And how have You overcome, tell me, the world? I have already said that I have cast down its ruler; and you will know later, when all things yield and give way to you. 3. It is possible for us also to conquer, if we are willing, looking to the author of our faith, and walking in this path, which He Himself cut for us; Thus not even death will overcome us. What then? Shall we not die, he says? For from this it is clear that it will not overcome. And indeed then the competitor will be glorious, not when he does not grapple with the enemy, but when, having grappled, he is not held fast. We are therefore not mortal because of the struggle, but immortal because of the victory. For then we would have been mortal, if we had remained with it continually. As therefore I would not call the longest-lived of animals immortal, although they remain for a long time outside of death; so neither would I call mortal, because of being dissolved by death, one who is to rise again after death. For tell me, if someone were to blush for a short time, should we call him perpetually red? By no means; for the matter is not a permanent state. If someone should become pale, shall we call him jaundiced? By no means; for the condition is temporary. Therefore you will not even call mortal one who for a short time has been in death; since we would also speak thus of those who are sleeping; for they are dead, so to speak, and are inactive. But it corrupts our bodies? And what of that? For it is not so that it may remain in corruption, but that it may become better. Let us therefore conquer the world, let us run toward immortality, let us follow the king, let us set up a trophy for Him, let us despise its pleasures. And there is no need of toils; let us transfer our soul to heaven, and the whole world is conquered. If you do not desire it, it is conquered; if you laugh at it, it is defeated. We are strangers and sojourners; let us therefore not be grieved by any of the painful things. For if, being from a splendid fatherland and of illustrious ancestors, you had gone away to some far country, being known to no one, having neither children nor wealth, and then someone insulted you, you would not have grieved as if you had suffered these things at home. For to know clearly that you are in a foreign and strange land would persuade you to bear all things eas- 59.430 ily, both to be despised and to be hungry and thirsty, and to suffer anything whatever. Consider this also now, that you are a stranger and a sojourner, and let nothing of the things in this foreign land disturb you. And
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πρὸς τὸ ὑφορμοῦν τῇ διανοίᾳ ἀπεκρίνατο; Καὶ οὐ χρείαν ἔχεις ἵνα τίς σε ἐρωτᾷ· τουτέστι, Πρὶν ἢ ἀκοῦσαι οἶδας τὰ σκανδαλίζοντα ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἀνέπαυσας, ἐπειδὴ εἶπες, Ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμᾶς φιλεῖ, ὅτι ἐμὲ πεφιλήκατε. Μετὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα, τότε λέγουσι, Νῦν οἴδαμεν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἀτελῶς εἶχον; Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ὥσπερ τινὰ χάριν αὐτῷ παρέχοντες λέγουσι, Νῦν οἴδαμεν, λέγει· Πολλῶν δεῖσθε ἑτέρων, ὥστε ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον ἐλθεῖν· οὐδὲν οὐδέπω ὑμῖν κατώρθωται. Νῦν οὖν προδώσετέ με τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καὶ τοσοῦτος ὑμῶν κρατήσει φόβος, ὥστε μηδὲ μετ' ἀλλήλων δυνηθῆναι ἀναχωρῆσαι. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τούτων πείσομαι δεινόν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πάλιν συγκαταβατικὸς ὁ 59.429 λόγος; Τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐγκαλεῖ, ὅτι συγκαταβάσεως δέονται διηνεκῶς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγον, Ἴδε νῦν παῤῥησίᾳ λαλεῖς, καὶ παροιμίαν οὐδεμίαν λέγεις, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πιστεύομέν σοι· δείκνυσιν ὅτι νῦν, ὅτε πιστεύουσιν, οὔπω πιστεύουσιν, οὐδὲ προσίεται αὐτῶν τὰ ῥήματα. Ταῦτα λέγει, εἰς ἕτερον αὐτοὺς παραπέμπων καιρόν. Τὸ δὲ, Ὁ Πατὴρ μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐστι, δι' αὐτοὺς πάλιν τέθεικε· τοῦτο γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω ἐβούλετο μαθεῖν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐ τὴν τελείαν γνῶσιν παρεδίδου αὐτοῖς ταῦτα λέγων, ἀλλ' ὥστε τὸν λογισμὸν αὐτοῖς μὴ στασιάζειν (εἰκὸς γὰρ αὐτοὺς λογίζεσθαι ἀνθρώπινά τινα, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεμιᾶς ἀπολαύσουσι παρ' αὐτοῦ βοηθείας), φησί· Ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν, ἵνα ἐν ἐμοὶ εἰρήνην ἔχητε· τουτέστιν, Ἵνα μὴ ἐκβάλητέ με τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ παραδέξησθε. Μὴ τοίνυν εἰς δόγμα τις ἑλκέτω τὰ λεγόμενα· εἰς γὰρ ἡμετέραν εἴρηται παράκλησιν καὶ ἀγάπην. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μέχρι τούτου, φησὶ, τοιαῦτα πάσχουσι· στήσεται ὑμῖν τὰ τῶν δεινῶν· ἀλλ' ἕως ἂν ἦτε ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, θλίψιν ἕξετε, οὐ νῦν ὅτε παραδίδομαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα. Ἀλλὰ ἀνάστητε τῷ λογισμῷ· οὐδὲν γὰρ πείσεσθε δεινόν. Τοῦ γὰρ ∆ιδασκάλου περιγενομένου τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὐ χρὴ τοὺς μαθητὰς ἀλύειν. Καὶ πῶς νενίκηκας, εἰπέ μοι, τὸν κόσμον; Εἶπον μὲν ἤδη ὅτι τὸν ἄρχοντα αὐτοῦ κατέβαλον κάτω· εἴσεσθε δὲ καὶ ὕστερον, πάντων εἰκόντων ὑμῖν καὶ παραχωρούντων. γʹ. Ἔξεστι δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν νικᾷν, ἐὰν βουλώμεθα, εἰς τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν ἀφορῶντας, καὶ ταύτην βαδίζοντας τὴν ὁδὸν, ἣν αὐτὸς ἡμῖν ἔτεμεν· Οὕτως οὐδὲ θάνατος ἡμῶν περιέσται. Τί οὖν; οὐ τεθνήξομεν, φησίν; ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτου δῆλον ὅτι οὐ περιέσται. Καὶ μὴν τότε ὁ ἀνταγωνιστὴς ἔσται λαμπρὸς, οὐχ ὅταν μὴ συμπλακῇ τῷ ἐχθρῷ, ἀλλ' ὅταν συμπλακεὶς μὴ κατέχηται. Οὐ τοίνυν διὰ τὴν συμπλοκὴν θνητοὶ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν νίκην ἀθάνατοι. Τότε γὰρ ἂν ἦμεν θνητοὶ, εἰ ἐμένομεν παρ' αὐτῷ διηνεκῶς. Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι τὰ μακροβιώτατα τῶν ζώων ἀθάνατα, καίτοι γε πολὺν μένοντα χρόνον ἔξω θανάτου· οὕτως οὐδὲ θνητὸν, διὰ τὸ λύεσθαι θανάτῳ, τὸν μέλλοντα μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἀνίστασθαι. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἴ τις πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐρυθριάσειε, τοῦτον οὕτω καλέσωμεν διηνεκῶς ἐρυθρόν; Οὐδαμῶς· οὐ γάρ ἐστι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἕξις. Εἴ τις ὠχρὸς γένοιτο, τοῦτον ἰκτεριῶντα προσεροῦμεν; Οὐδαμῶς· πρόσκαιρον γὰρ τὸ πάθος. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ θνητὸν καλέσεις τὸν ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ γενόμενον ἐν θανάτῳ· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς καθεύδοντας οὕτως ἐροῦμεν· τεθνήκασι γὰρ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, καὶ εἰσὶν ἀνενέργητοι. Ἀλλὰ φθείρει τὰ σώματα; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; οὐ γὰρ ἵνα ἐν φθορᾷ μείνῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα βελτίω γένηται. Νικήσωμεν τοίνυν τὸν κόσμον, πρὸς ἀθανασίαν δράμωμεν, ἀκολουθήσωμεν τῷ βασιλεῖ, στήσωμεν αὐτῷ τρόπαιον, καταφρονήσωμεν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἡδονῶν. Καὶ οὐ δεῖ πόνων· μεταθῶμεν τὴν ψυχὴν πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ νενίκηται ὁ κόσμος ἅπας. Ἂν μὴ ἐπιθυμήσῃς αὐτοῦ, νενίκηται· ἂν καταγελάσῃς αὐτὸν, ἥττηται. Ξένοι ἐσμὲν καὶ παρεπίδημοι· μηδενὶ τοίνυν τῶν λυπηρῶν ἀλγῶμεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, εἰ πατρίδος γενόμενος λαμπρᾶς καὶ προγόνων περιφανῶν, εἰς μακράν τινα γῆν ἀπῆλθες, μηδενὶ γνώριμος ὢν, μηδὲ παῖδας ἔχων, μηδὲ πλοῦτον, εἶτά τις ὕβρισεν, ἤλγησας ἂν ὡς οἴκοι ταῦτα παθών. Τὸ γὰρ εἰδέναι σαφῶς, ὅτι ἐν ξένῃ καὶ ἀλλοτρίᾳ εἶ, πάντα φέρειν εὐκό 59.430 λως ἔπειθε, καὶ τὸ καταφρονεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ πεινῇν καὶ διψῇν, καὶ τὸ ὁτιοῦν παθεῖν. Τοῦτο λόγισαι καὶ νῦν, ὅτι ξένος εἶ καὶ παρεπίδημος, καὶ μηδέν σε τῶν ἐν τῇ ξένῃ ταύτῃ θορυβείτω. Καὶ