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speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him. For when He threatens, He shows a dark cloud, as at Sinai. For Moses, it says, entered into the cloud and into the darkness, and the smoke went up like vapor; and the Prophet says, speaking of His threat: Dark water in clouds of the air. But here, since He wished not to frighten but to teach, a bright cloud. And Peter was saying, Let us make three tabernacles; but He showed a tabernacle not made with hands. For this reason, there there was smoke and the vapor of a furnace; but here, ineffable light and a voice. Then, so that it might be shown that it was not said simply about one of the three, but about Christ alone, when the voice was brought forth, those men were gone. For not even if it were said simply about one of them, would this one have remained alone, the two having been separated. Why then did the cloud not take Christ alone, but all of them? If it had taken Christ alone, it would have been thought that He Himself sent forth the voice. For this reason the evangelist, securing this very point, says that the voice was from the cloud, that is, from God. And what does the voice say? This is my beloved Son. If He is beloved, do not be afraid, Peter. For you ought to have known His power already, and to have been fully assured concerning the resurrection; but since you are ignorant, at least take courage from the voice of the Father. For if God is powerful, as indeed He is powerful, it is evident that the Son is likewise. Therefore, do not fear the terrible things. But if you do not yet accept this, at least consider that He is both a Son and is loved. For this, He says, is my beloved Son. If He is loved, do not be afraid. For no one abandons him whom he loves. Therefore, do not be troubled; even if you love Him ten thousand times, you do not love Him as much as the One who begot Him. In whom I am well pleased. For He loves not only because He begot Him, but because He is also equal to Him in all things and of one mind. So the love is twofold, or rather even threefold: because He is Son, because He is beloved, because in Him He was well pleased. And what is, In whom I am well pleased? As if He had said, In whom I rest, with whom I am pleased; because He is in all things perfectly equal to Him, 58.554 and there is one will in Him and the Father, and while remaining Son He is in all things one with the One who begot Him. Hear him. So that even if He wishes to be crucified, do not resist. And when they heard it, they fell on their face, and were greatly afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and do not be afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus only. 4. How were they astonished when they heard these things? And yet before this such a voice was brought forth at the Jordan, and a crowd was present, and no one suffered anything like this; and after this again, when they said it was thunder; but not even then did they experience anything like this. How then did they fall on the mountain? Because there was both solitude and height and great stillness, and a transfiguration full of terror, and unmixed light, and a cloud stretched out; all of which cast them into great agony. And from every side the astonishment gathered, and they fell down both being afraid and worshipping. But lest the fear remaining for long should cast out their memory, He immediately released their agony, and He is seen alone, and He commands them to tell this to no one until He should rise from the dead. For as they came down from the mountain, He charged them to tell the vision to no one, until He should rise from the dead. For the greater the things that were said about Him, the more difficult they were for the many to accept at that time; and the scandal of the cross was rather increased from this. For this reason He commands them to be silent, and not simply, but again reminding them of the passion, and all but stating the reason for which He commanded them to be silent. For He did not command them to tell no one forever, but until He should rise from the dead. And being silent on the difficult part, He shows only the good. What then? were they not going to be scandalized after these things? Not at all. For the time in question was the time before the cross. For after these things, also of the Spirit

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λαλοῦντος, ἰδοὺ νεφέλη φωτεινὴ ἐπεσκίασεν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα· αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ἀπειλῇ, σκοτεινὴν δείκνυσιν, ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ Σινᾶ· Εἰσῆλθε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὴν νεφέλην καὶ εἰς τὸν γνόφον ὁ Μωϋσῆς, καὶ ὡς ἀτμὶς, οὕτως ἐφέρετο ὁ καπνός· καὶ ὁ Προφήτης φησὶ περὶ τῆς ἀπειλῆς αὐτοῦ διαλεγόμενος· Σκοτεινὸν ὕδωρ ἐν νεφέλαις ἀέρων· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐπειδὴ οὐ φοβῆσαι ἐβούλετο, ἀλλὰ διδάξαι, νεφέλη φωτεινή. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Πέτρος ἔλεγε, Ποιήσωμεν τρεῖς σκηνάς· αὐτὸς δὲ ἀχειροποίητον ἔδειξε σκηνήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖ μὲν καπνὸς καὶ ἀτμὶς καμίνου· ἐνταῦθα δὲ φῶς ἄφατον καὶ φωνή. Εἶτα ἵνα δειχθῇ, ὅτι οὐ περὶ ἑνὸς ἁπλῶς τῶν τριῶν ἐλέχθη ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μόνον, ὅτε ἡ φωνὴ ἠνέχθη, ἐκποδὼν ἐγένοντο ἐκεῖνοι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν εἰ περί τινος αὐτῶν ἐλέγετο ἁπλῶς, οὗτος ἔμεινεν ἂν μόνος, ἀποσχισθέντων τῶν δύο. Τί οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ ἡ νεφέλη τὸν Χριστὸν μόνον ἀπέλαβεν, ἀλλὰ ἅπαντας; Εἰ τὸν Χριστὸν μόνον ἀπέλαβεν, ἐνομίσθη ἂν αὐτὸς ἀφεῖναι τὴν φωνήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἀσφαλιζόμενος, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης ἦν ἡ φωνὴ, τουτέστιν, ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τί φησιν ἡ φωνή; Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός. Εἰ δὲ ἀγαπητὸς, μὴ φοβοῦ, Πέτρε. Ἔδει μὲν γάρ σε καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἤδη εἰδέναι, καὶ πεπληροφορῆσθαι περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀγνοεῖς, κἂν ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς θάῤῥησον. Εἰ γὰρ δυνατὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ δυνατὸς, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοίως. Μὴ τοίνυν δέδιθι τὰ δεινά. Εἰ δὲ οὐδέπω τοῦτο καταδέχῃ, κἂν ἐκεῖνο λογίζου, ὅτι καὶ Υἱὸς, καὶ φιλεῖται. Οὗτος γάρ ἐστι, φησὶν, ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός. Εἰ δὲ φιλεῖται, μὴ φοβοῦ. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ, ὃν ἀγαπᾷ, προΐεται. Μὴ τοίνυν θορυβοῦ· κἂν μυριάκις αὐτὸν φιλῇς, οὐ φιλεῖς αὐτὸν τοῦ γεγεννηκότος ἴσον. Ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ ἐγέννησε μόνον, φιλεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἴσος αὐτῷ κατὰ πάντα καὶ ὁμογνώμων ἐστίν. Ὥστε διπλοῦν τὸ φίλτρον, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τριπλοῦν· ἐπειδὴ Υἱὸς, ἐπειδὴ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐπειδὴ ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησε. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα; Ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν, Ἐν ᾧ ἀναπαύομαι, ᾧ ἀρέσκομαι· διὰ τὸ κατὰ πάντα ἐξισῶσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν μετὰ ἀκριβείας, 58.554 καὶ βούλημα ἓν ἐν αὐτῷ εἶναι καὶ τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ μένοντα Υἱὸν κατὰ πάντα ἓν εἶναι πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα. Αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε. Ὥστε κἂν σταυρωθῆναι βουληθῇ, μὴ ἀντιπέσῃς. Καὶ ἀκούσαντες ἔπεσον ἐπὶ πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα. Καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἥψατο αὐτῶν, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἐγέρθητε, καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Ἐπάραντες δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, οὐδένα εἶδον, εἰ μὴ τὸν Ἰησοῦν μόνον. δʹ. Πῶς ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες κατεπλάγησαν; Καίτοι καὶ πρὸ τούτου ἠνέχθη φωνὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου τοιαύτη, καὶ ὄχλος παρῆν, καὶ οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔπαθε· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν, ὅτε καὶ βροντὴν ἔλεγον γεγονέναι· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τότε τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ὑπέμειναν. Πῶς οὖν ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἔπεσον; Ὅτι καὶ ἐρημία καὶ ὕψος καὶ ἡσυχία ἦν πολλὴ, καὶ μεταμόρφωσις φρίκης γέμουσα, καὶ φῶς ἄκρατον, καὶ νεφέλη ἐκτεταμένη· ἅπερ ἅπαντα εἰς πολλὴν ἀγωνίαν αὐτοὺς ἐνέβαλε. Καὶ πανταχόθεν ἡ ἔκπληξις συνήγετο, καὶ ἔπεσον φοβηθέντες τε ὁμοῦ καὶ προσκυνοῦντες. Ὥστε δὲ μὴ ἐπιπολὺ τὸ δέος μεῖναν ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτῶν τὴν μνήμην, εὐθέως ἔλυσεν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀγωνίαν, καὶ ὁρᾶται αὐτὸς μόνος, καὶ ἐντέλλεται αὐτοῖς μηδενὶ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ἕως ἂν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ. Καταβαινόντων γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους, ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς μηδενὶ εἰπεῖν τὸ ὅραμα, ἕως ἂν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ. Ὅσῳ γὰρ μείζονα ἐλέγετο περὶ αὐτοῦ, τοσούτῳ δυσπαραδεκτότερα ἦν τοῖς πολλοῖς τότε· καὶ τὸ σκάνδαλον δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐπετείνετο μᾶλλον ἐντεῦθεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κελεύει σιγᾷν, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ πάλιν τοῦ πάθους ἀναμιμνήσκων, καὶ μόνον οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν λέγων, δι' ἣν καὶ σιγᾷν ἐκέλευσεν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ διαπαντὸς ἐκέλευσε μηδενὶ εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἕως ἂν ἀναστῇ ἐκ νεκρῶν. Καὶ τὸ δυσχερὲς σιγήσας, τὸ χρηστὸν ἐμφαίνει μόνον. Τί οὖν; μετὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἔμελλον σκανδαλίζεσθαι; Οὐδαμῶς. Τὸ γὰρ ζητούμενον ὁ πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ καιρὸς ἦν. Μετὰ γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ Πνεύματος