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the Son of Man ascending to where He was before. Then, when they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets;’ and brought their mistaken opinion into the open; then He added, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ calling them forth by the second question to imagine something greater about Him, and showing them that the former opinion is very far short of His worth. Therefore He seeks another from them, and puts a second question, so that they might not fall in with the many, who, because they saw signs greater than what a man could do, thought Him to be a man, but one who had appeared from the resurrection, just as Herod also said. But He, leading them away from this suspicion, says, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ that is, you who are always with me and see me working wonders, and have yourselves performed many mighty works through me. What then says Peter, the mouth of the apostles, the ever-fervent one, the leader of the choir of the apostles? When all were asked, he himself answers. And when He asked the opinion of the people, they all answered what was asked; but when He asked their own, Peter leaps forward and anticipates, and says, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ What then says Christ? ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.’ And yet if he had not confessed Him as genuinely born of the Father Himself, this would not have been the work of a revelation; if he thought Him to be one of the many, what was said would not have been worthy of blessing. Since before this, those in the boat after the storm they saw said, ‘Truly He is the Son of God,’ and they were not called blessed, even though they spoke truly. For they did not confess such a sonship as Peter did; but they thought Him to be truly a son, one of the many, exceptional beyond the many, but not of the very substance. 2. And Nathanael also said, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel;’ and not only is he not called blessed, but he is even reproved by Him as having said something far short of the truth. For He added, ‘Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ Why then is this one called blessed? Because he confessed Him as the genuine Son. For this reason He said nothing of the sort in their case; 58.534 but in this one's case He also shows who revealed it. For lest it should seem to the many, since he was a vehement lover of Christ, that his words were of friendship and flattery, and of a disposition gratifying Him, He brings into the open the one who had instructed his soul; so that you may learn that Peter spoke, but the Father prompted; and you may believe that what was said is no longer a human opinion, but a divine doctrine. And why does He not declare it Himself, nor say, ‘I am the Christ;’ but brings this about through the question, leading them to confess it? Because this was both more fitting and necessary for Him at that time, and it drew them more to faith in what was being said. Have you seen how the Father reveals the Son? How the Son reveals the Father? For no one knows the Father, He says, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Therefore it is not possible to learn of the Son from another than the Father; nor to learn of the Father from another than the Son. So that from this also their equality in honor and being of the same substance is clear. What then says Christ? ‘You are Simon the son of Jonah; you shall be called Cephas.’ For since you have proclaimed my Father, He says, I also name the one who begot you; all but saying that just as you are the child of Jonah, so am I of my Father. Since it would have been superfluous to say, ‘You are the son of Jonah;’ but since he said ‘Son of God,’ in order to show that He is thus the Son of God as that one was the son of Jonah, of the same substance as his begetter, for this reason He added this. And I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; that is, on the faith of the confession. From this He shows that many are about to believe, and He raises up his spirit, and makes him a shepherd. And the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. And if they will not prevail against it, much more will they not prevail against me. So that not

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τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα, ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ εἶπον, Οἱ μὲν Ἰωάννην τὸν Βαπτιστὴν, οἱ δὲ Ἠλίαν, οἱ δὲ Ἱερεμίαν, οἱ δὲ ἔνα τῶν προφητῶν· καὶ τὴν πεπλανημένην αὐτῶν δόξαν εἰς μέσον ἤγαγον· τότε ἐπήγαγεν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι; ἐκκαλούμενος αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς δευτέρας ἐρωτήσεως εἰς τὸ μεῖζόν τι φαντασθῆναι περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνδεικνύμενος αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ἡ προτέρα ψῆφος σφόδρα ἐστὶν ἀποδέουσα αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀξίας. ∆ιὸ παρ' αὐτῶν ἑτέραν ἐπιζητεῖ, καὶ δευτέραν ἐπάγει πεῦσιν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ συμπεσεῖν τοῖς πολλοῖς, οἳ ἐπειδὴ μείζονα εἶδον τὰ σημεῖα ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, ἄνθρωπον μὲν ἐνόμιζον εἶναι, ἐξ ἀναστάσεως δὲ φανέντα, καθάπερ καὶ Ἡρώδης ἔλεγεν. Ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ταύτης αὐτοὺς ἀπάγων τῆς ὑπονοίας, φησίν· Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι; τουτέστιν, Οἱ συνόντες ἀεὶ καὶ θαυματουργοῦντα βλέποντες, καὶ πολλὰς δυνάμεις δι' ἐμοῦ πεποιηκότες αὐτοί. Τί οὖν τὸ στόμα τῶν ἀποστόλων ὁ Πέτρος, ὁ πανταχοῦ θερμὸς, ὁ τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀποστόλων κορυφαῖος; Πάντων ἐρωτηθέντων, αὐτὸς ἀποκρίνεται. Καὶ ὅτε μὲν τὴν τοῦ δήμου γνώμην ἠρώτα, πάντες εἶπον τὸ ἐρωτηθέν· ὅτε δὲ τὴν αὐτῶν, Πέτρος προπηδᾷ καὶ προλαμβάνει, καί φησι· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Μακάριος εἶ, Σίμων Βὰρ Ἰωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ σοι. Καὶ μὴν εἰ μὴ γνησίως αὐτὸν ὡμολόγησε, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Πατρὸς γεγεννημένον, οὐκ ἦν ἀποκαλύψεως τοῦτο ἔργον· εἰ τῶν πολλῶν αὐτὸν εἶναι ἕνα ἐνόμιζεν, οὐ μακαρισμοῦ ἄξιον ἦν τὸ λεχθέν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὸ τούτου εἶπον, Ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ Υἱός ἐστιν, οἱ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ μετὰ τὸν σάλον ὃν εἶδον, καὶ οὐκ ἐμακαρίσθησαν, καίτοιγε ἀληθῶς εἰπόντες. Οὐ γὰρ τοιαύτην ὡμολόγησαν υἱότητα, οἵαν ὁ Πέτρος· ἀλλ' ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν ἀληθῶς υἱὸν ἐνόμιζον εἶναι, ἐξαίρετον μὲν παρὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς, οὐ μὴν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς. βʹ. Καὶ ὁ Ναθαναὴλ δὲ ἔλεγε, Ῥαββὶ, σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐ μακαρίζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ἐνδεέστερον πολλῷ τῆς ἀληθείας εἰρηκὼς ἐλέγχεται παρ' αὐτοῦ. Ἐπήγαγε γοῦν· Ὅτι εἶπόν σοι, ὅτι Εἶδόν σε ὑποκάτω τῆς συκῆς, πιστεύεις; μείζονα τούτων ὄψει. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὗτος μακαρίζεται; Ὅτι γνήσιον αὐτὸν ὡμολόγησεν Υἱόν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο ἐπ' ἐκείνων μὲν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον 58.534 εἴρηκεν· ἐπὶ δὲ τούτου καὶ τὸν ἀποκαλύψαντα δείκνυσιν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δόξῃ τοῖς πολλοῖς, ἐπειδὴ σφοδρὸς ἦν ἐραστὴς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, φιλίας καὶ κολακείας εἶναι τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ διαθέσεως αὐτῷ χαριζομένης, ἄγει εἰς μέσον τὸν ἐνηχήσαντα αὐτοῦ τῇ ψυχῇ· ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι Πέτρος μὲν ἐφθέγξατο, ὁ Πατὴρ δὲ ὑπηγόρευσε· καὶ μηκέτι δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἀλλὰ δόγμα εἶναι θεῖον τὰ εἰρημένα πιστεύσῃς. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ αὐτὸς ἀποφαίνεται, οὐδὲ λέγει· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστός· ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως τοῦτο κατασκευάζει, αὐτοὺς εἰσάγων ὁμολογοῦντας; Ὅτι οὕτω καὶ αὐτῷ τότε πρεπωδέστερον ἦν καὶ ἀναγκαῖον, καὶ ἐκείνους μᾶλλον ἐφείλκετο πρὸς τὴν πίστιν τῶν λεγομένων. Εἶδες πῶς Υἱὸν ἀποκαλύπτει Πατήρ; πῶς Πατέρα Υἱός; Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν Πατέρα τις ἐπιγινώσκει, φησὶν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ ᾧ ἂν βούληται ὁ Υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι. Οὐκ ἄρα ἔνι παρ' ἑτέρου μαθεῖν τὸν Υἱὸν, ἢ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός· οὐδὲ παρ' ἑτέρου μαθεῖν τὸν Πατέρα, ἢ παρὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ. Ὥστε καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τὸ ὁμότιμόν τε καὶ ὁμοούσιον δῆλον. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωνᾶ· σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκήρυξάς μου τὸν Πατέρα, φησὶ, καὶ ἐγὼ τὸν γεγεννηκότα σε ὀνομάζω· μόνον οὐχὶ λέγων, ὅτι Ὥσπερ σὺ τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ παῖς, οὕτω κἀγὼ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦ ἐμοῦ. Ἐπεὶ καὶ παρέλκον ἦν εἰπεῖν· Σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωνᾶ· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν Υἱὸν Θεοῦ, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι οὕτως ἐστὶν Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος υἱὸς Ἰωνᾶ, τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας τῷ γεγεννηκότι, διὰ τοῦτο τοῦτο προσέθηκε. Καὶ ἐγώ σοι λέγω, σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν· τουτέστι, τῇ πίστει τῆς ὁμολογίας. Ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυσι πολλοὺς μέλλοντας ἤδη πιστεύειν, καὶ ἀνίστησιν αὐτοῦ τὸ φρόνημα, καὶ ποιμένα ποιεῖ. Καὶ πύλαι ᾄδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Εἰ δὲ ἐκείνης οὐ κατισχύσουσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐμοῦ. Ὥστε μὴ