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of subjects; much more ought I to be exempt from this demand, being the Son and king, not of an earthly king, but of the King of the heavens. Do you see how he distinguished the sons from those who are not sons? But if he were not a Son, he also brought forward the example of the kings in vain. Yes, one says, a Son, but not a genuine one. Therefore not a Son; and if not a Son, not genuine, nor His own, but a stranger. And if a stranger, the example does not have its proper force. For he is not speaking simply of sons, but of genuine and their own sons, and of those who share the kingdom with their fathers. Therefore he also set up a contrast with strangers, calling strangers those not born of them; but their own, those whom they have begotten of themselves. But consider for me this too, how from this he also confirms the knowledge revealed to Peter. And he did not stop here, but also through his condescension he makes this same thing clear, which was a mark of great wisdom. For after saying these things, he says; But lest we offend them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and you will find a stater in it; take that and give it to them for me and for you. See how he neither refuses the tax, nor simply commands it to be given, but first shows that he is not liable, and then gives it; the one, that they might not be offended; the other, that these might not. For he does not give it as if he owes it, but as correcting their weakness. 2. Elsewhere, however, he disregards the offense, when he was speaking about foods; teaching us to know the seasons in which one must be concerned about those who are offended, and in which one must disregard them. And by the very manner of the giving he shows himself again. For why does he not command to give from what was stored up? In order that, as I was saying, he might show in this also that he himself is God of all things, and that he has dominion even over the sea. For he had already shown it, both by rebuking it, and by commanding this same Peter to walk upon the waves; and he shows this same thing now again, in a different manner, but in this providing great astonishment. For it was no small thing to foretell from those depths that the fish paying the tax would be the first to be caught, and for His command, as if He cast a net into that abyss, to bring up the one carrying the stater; but it was a mark of divine and ineffable power 58.568 to make the sea thus bear gifts, and to display its subjection on every side, both when it was silenced while raging, and when it received his fellow-servant while growing wild, and now again, when it pays on his behalf to those who demand it. And give it to them, He says, for me and for you. Do you see the exceeding honor? See also the philosophical mind of Peter. For Mark, his disciple, does not seem to have written this passage, because it showed great honor toward him; but he wrote his denial, while he was silent about the things that made him illustrious, perhaps because his Teacher requested him not to say great things about him. For me and for you, he said, because he too was a first-born. And just as you were astonished at the power of Christ, so also admire the faith of the disciple, that he obeyed in such an impossible matter. For according to nature it was exceedingly impossible. Therefore, also, rewarding him for his faith, he joined him with himself in the paying of the tax. At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? The disciples experienced a human feeling; for which reason the evangelist also makes the point, saying, At that hour, when He had preferred him above all. For one of James and John was also a firstborn, but he did nothing of the sort for them. Then, being ashamed to confess the feeling they had experienced, they do not say openly, For what reason have you preferred Peter to us? and, Is this man greater than we are? For they were ashamed. But they ask indefinitely, Who then is greater? For when they saw the three preferred, they felt nothing of this sort; but when the honor came around to the one, then they were pained. And not only this, but also many other things

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ἀρχομένων· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐμὲ ἀπηλλάχθαι δεῖ τῆς ἀπαιτήσεως ταύτης, οὐκ ἐπιγείου βασιλέως, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τῶν οὐρανῶν ὄντα με Υἱὸν, καὶ βασιλέα. Ὁρᾷς πῶς διέστειλε τοὺς υἱοὺς, καὶ τοὺς οὐχ υἱούς; Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἦν Υἱὸς, εἰκῆ καὶ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα παρήγαγε τῶν βασιλέων. Ναὶ, φησὶν, Υἱὸς, ἀλλ' οὐ γνήσιος. Οὐκοῦν οὐχ Υἱός· εἰ δὲ οὐχ Υἱὸς, οὐδὲ γνήσιος, οὐδὲ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἀλλότριος. Εἰ δὲ ἀλλότριος, οὐδὲ τὸ παράδειγμα ἔχει τὴν οἰκείαν ἰσχύν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ οὐ περὶ τῶν υἱῶν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν γνησίων διαλέγεται, καὶ ἰδίων, καὶ τῶν κοινωνούντων τοῖς γεγεννηκόσι τῆς βασιλείας. ∆ιὸ καὶ πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν ἔθηκε τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους, ἀλλοτρίους καλῶν τοὺς οὐκ ἐξ αὐτῶν γεννηθέντας· τοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν, οὓς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν γεγεννήκασι. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει κἀκεῖνο, πῶς τὴν ἀποκαλυφθεῖσαν τῷ Πέτρῳ γνῶσιν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν βεβαιοῖ. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῆς συγκαταβάσεως τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὅπερ πολλῆς ἦν σοφίας. Καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, φησίν· Ἵνα δὲ μὴ σκανδαλίσωμεν αὐτοὺς, πορευθεὶς βάλε ἄγκιστρον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ τὸν ἀναβάντα πρῶτον ἰχθὺν ἆρον, καὶ εὑρήσεις ἐν αὐτῷ στατῆρα· ἐκεῖνον λαβὼν, δὸς αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ. Ὅρα πῶς οὔτε παραιτεῖται τὸν φόρον, οὔτε ἁπλῶς κελεύει δοῦναι, ἀλλὰ πρότερον δείξας οὐκ ὄντα ὑπεύθυνον, τότε δίδωσι· τὸ μὲν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖνοι σκανδαλισθῶσι· τὸ δὲ, ἵνα μὴ οὗτοι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὡς ὀφείλων δίδωσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀσθένειαν διορθούμενος. βʹ. Ἀλλαχοῦ μέντοι καταφρονεῖ τοῦ σκανδάλου, ὅτε περὶ βρωμάτων διελέγετο· διδάσκων ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι καιροὺς καθ' οὓς δεῖ φροντίζειν τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων, καὶ καθ' οὓς δεῖ καταφρονεῖν. Καὶ αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ τῆς δόσεως τρόπῳ δείκνυσιν ἑαυτὸν πάλιν. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐξ ἀποκειμένων κελεύει δοῦναι; Ἵν', ὅπερ ἔφην, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ δείξῃ Θεὸν ἑαυτὸν ὄντα τῶν ὅλων, καὶ ὅτι καὶ τῆς θαλάττης κρατεῖ. Ἔδειξε μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἤδη ἐπιτιμήσας, καὶ τὸν Πέτρον τοῦτον αὐτὸν κελεύσας ἐπιβῆναι τῶν κυμάτων· δείκνυσι δὲ καὶ νῦν τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ἑτέρῳ μὲν τρόπῳ, πολλὴν δὲ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ παρέχων τὴν ἔκπληξιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μικρὸν ἦν ἀπὸ τῶν βυθῶν ἐκείνων προειπεῖν, ὅτι καὶ πρῶτος ἐμπεσεῖται ὁ τὸν φόρον τελῶν ἰχθὺς, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀμφίβληστρον εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον ἐκείνην ἀφέντα αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσταγμα, ἀγαγεῖν τὸν κομίζοντα τὸν στατῆρα· ἀλλὰ θείας δυνάμεως καὶ ἀποῤῥήτου 58.568 τὸ καὶ τὴν θάλατταν οὕτω ποιῆσαι δωροφορεῖν, καὶ πάντοθεν τὴν ὑποταγὴν αὐτῆς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, καὶ ἡνίκα μαινομένη ἐσίγα, καὶ ὅτε τὸν σύνδουλον ἐδέχετο ἀγριαίνουσα, καὶ νῦν πάλιν, ὅτε πρὸς τοὺς ἀπαιτοῦντας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ διαλύεται. Καὶ δὸς αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ. Εἶδες τὸ ὑπερβάλλον τῆς τιμῆς; Ἴδε καὶ τὸ φιλόσοφον τῆς Πέτρου γνώμης. Τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ φαίνεται Μάρκος, ὁ τούτου φοιτητὴς, γεγραφηκὼς τὸ κεφάλαιον, ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν ἐδείκνυ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν τιμήν· ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ἄρνησιν καὶ αὐτὸς ἔγραψε, τὰ δὲ ποιοῦντα αὐτὸν λαμπρὸν ἀπεσίγησεν, ἴσως τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου παραιτουμένου τὸ μεγάλα περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγειν. Ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ δὲ καὶ σοῦ, εἶπεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς πρωτότοκος ἦν. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐξεπλάγης τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, οὕτω θαύμασον καὶ τοῦ μαθητοῦ τὴν πίστιν, ὅτι πράγματι ἀπόρῳ οὕτως ὑπήκουσε. Καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ἄπορον ἦν κατὰ τὴν φύσιν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τῆς πίστεως αὐτὸν ἀμειβόμενος, συνῆψεν ἑαυτῷ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ φόρου δόσιν. Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ, προσῆλθον τῷ Ἰησοῦ οἱ μαθηταὶ λέγοντες· Τίς ἄρα μείζων ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν; Ἔπαθόν τι ἀνθρώπινον οἱ μαθηταί· διὸ καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἐπισημαίνεται λέγων, ὅτι Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ· ὅτε πάντων αὐτὸν προετίμησε. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωάννου θάτερος πρωτότοκος ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐποίησεν. Εἶτα αἰσχυνόμενοι τὸ πάθος ὁμολογῆσαι, ὅπερ ἔπαθον, φανερῶς μὲν οὐ λέγουσι, Τίνος ἕνεκεν τὸν Πέτρον ἡμῶν προετίμησας; καὶ, Εἰ μείζων ἡμῶν οὗτός ἐστιν; ᾐσχύνοντο γάρ· ἀδιορίστως δὲ ἐρωτῶσι· Τίς ἄρα μείζων ἐστίν; Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ τοὺς τρεῖς εἶδον προτιμωμένους, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔπαθον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰς τὸν ἕνα περιέστη τὸ τῆς τιμῆς, τότε ἤλγησαν. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ