367

and a third time He commands the same things, showing how much He values the care of His own sheep, and that this is especially a sign of love for Him. And having spoken to him about love for Him, He also foretells to him the martyrdom which he was to endure, indicating that He did not say what He said because He distrusted him, but because He trusted him very much, and wishing to show the proof of his love for Him, and to teach us in what way we ought especially to love Him; wherefore He says, When you were younger, you girded yourself, and walked where you would; but when you are old, others shall gird you, and carry you where you would not. And yet this he willed and desired; for which reason He also made this clear to him. For since he had said again and again, I will lay down my life for you; and, Though I must die with you, yet will I not deny you, He granted him his desire. What then is, Where you would not? He speaks of the sympathy of nature, and the necessity of the flesh, and that the soul is unwillingly torn from the body. So that, even if his will was firm, yet even so nature was put to the test. For no one lays aside the body without pain, God having profitably ordained this, as I have said before, so that violent deaths might not be many. For if, this being the case, the devil has prevailed to work this, and has led countless people to cliffs and pits; if there were not such a strong desire of the soul for the body; many would have quickly rushed to this from any chance despondency. Therefore, Where you would not, signifies natural sympathy. But how, having said, When you were younger, does He say again, But when you are old? For this shows that he was not then young; for indeed he was not; nor yet old, but a mature man. Why then did He remind him of his former life? To show that such are His ways. For in the things of this life the young man is useful, but the old man useless; but in My things, He says, it is not so, but when old age comes on, then is excellence more brilliant, then is manliness more conspicuous, being hindered in nothing by age. And He said these things, not to dismay him, but to rouse him; for He knew his desire, and that he had long been in travail with this good thing; and at the same time He indicates the manner of his death. For since Peter always wished to be in dangers for His sake, Be of good cheer, He says; for I will so fulfill your desire, that what you did not suffer when young, you must suffer when you are old. Then the Evangelist, rousing the hearer, added: But this He said, signifying by what death he should glorify God. He did not say, He will die, but, He will glorify God, that you may learn that to suffer for Christ is glory and honor for the one who suffers. And having said these things, 59.480 he says, He says, Follow Me. Here again He hints at His care, and his being very intimately disposed towards him. But if anyone should say, how then did James receive the throne of Jerusalem? I would say this, that He ordained this man not to a throne, but as a teacher of the world. Then Peter, turning around, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at supper; and says, Lord, and what about this man? 2. For what reason did he remind us of that reclining? Not simply, nor by chance, but to show how much boldness Peter had after the denial. For he who then did not dare to ask, but entrusted these things to another, this man was entrusted with the leadership of the brethren. And not only does he not entrust his own affairs to another, but he himself now brings a question to the Teacher on behalf of another; and John is silent, but he speaks. And here he also shows the love which he had for him; for Peter loved John very much; and this is also clear from what follows; and throughout the whole Gospel the bond between them is shown, and in the Acts. Since, then, He had foretold great things for him, and had entrusted the world to him, and had foreannounced his martyrdom, and had testified to a greater love than the others, wishing to have this man also as a partner, he says, And what about this man? will he not come the same way with us, And just as he himself then not

367

καὶ τρίτον ἐπιτάττει τὰ αὐτὰ, δεικνὺς ὅσου τιμᾶται τὴν προστασίαν τῶν οἰκείων προβάτων, καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστα τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης σημεῖον. Εἰπὼν δὲ αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης, προαγορεύει αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ μαρτύριον ὅπερ ἔμελλεν ὑπομένειν, ἐμφαίνων, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπιστῶν αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν ἅπερ ἔλεγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα πιστεύων τῆς δὲ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης τὸ δεῖγμα δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, καὶ παιδεῦσαι ἡμᾶς, ποίῳ δεῖ τρόπῳ μάλιστα αὐτὸν ἀγαπᾷν· διό φησιν· Ὅτε ἦς νεώτερος, ἐζώννυες σεαυτὸν, καὶ περιεπάτεις ὅπου ἤθελες· ὅταν δὲ γηράσῃς, ἄλλοι σε ζώσουσι καὶ οἴσουσιν, ὅπου οὐ θέλεις. Καὶ μὴν τοῦτο ἤθελε καὶ ἐπεθύμει· δι' ὃ καὶ δῆλον αὐτῷ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω ἔλεγε, Τὴν ψυχήν μου ὑπὲρ σοῦ θήσω· καὶ, Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθανεῖν, οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσομαι, ἀπέδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ, Ὅπου οὐ θέλεις; Τῆς φύσεως λέγει τὸ συμπαθὲς, καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν ἀνάγκην, καὶ ὅτι ἄκουσα ἀποῤῥήγνυται τοῦ σώματος ἡ ψυχή. Ὥστε, εἰ καὶ τὰ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἔῤῥωτο, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ οὕτως ἡ φύσις ἠλέγχετο. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀπαθῶς τὸ σῶμα ἀποτίθεται, τοῦτο τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἔφην, συμφερόντως οἰκονομήσαντος, ὥστε μὴ πολλοὺς γίνεσθαι τοὺς βιαίους θανάτους. Εἰ γὰρ τούτων ὄντων ἴσχυσεν ὁ διάβολος τοῦτο ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ μυρίους ἐπὶ κρημνοὺς ἤγαγε καὶ βόθρους· εἰ μὴ τοσαύτη ἦν ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ σώματος· κἂν ἀπὸ τῆς τυχούσης ἀθυμίας ταχέως ἂν οἱ πολλοὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ὥρμησαν. Τὸ οὖν, Ὅπου οὐ θέλεις, τὴν φυσικὴν δηλοῦντός ἐστι συμπάθειαν. Πῶς δὲ εἰπὼν, Ὅτε ἦς νεώτερος, πάλιν λέγει· Ὅταν δὲ γηράσῃς; Τοῦτο γὰρ δεικνύντος ἐστὶν οὐκ ὄντα τότε νέον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ γεγηρακὼς, ἀλλ' ἀνὴρ τέλειος. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἀνέμνησεν αὐτὸν τοῦ προτέρου βίου; ∆ηλῶν, ὅτι τοιαῦτα τὰ αὐτοῦ. Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς βιωτικοῖς ὁ μὲν νέος χρήσιμος, ὁ δὲ γεγηρακὼς ἄχρηστος· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐμοῖς, φησὶν, οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ τὸ γῆρας, τότε ἡ ἀριστεία λαμπροτέρα, τότε ἡ ἀνδραγαθία περιφανεστέρα, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας κωλυομένη. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐ καταπληττόμενος αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ διεγείρων· ᾔδει γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν πόθον, καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο πάλαι ὤδινε τὸ καλόν· ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸν τρόπον δηλοῖ τοῦ θανάτου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Πέτρος διὰ παντὸς ἐβούλετο εἶναι ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ κινδύνοις, Θάῤῥει, φησίν· οὕτω γὰρ ἐμπλήσω σου τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ὥστε ἅπερ οὐκ ἔπαθες νέος ὢν, ταῦτά σε δεῖ παθεῖν γεγηρακότα. Εἶτα ἐγείρων τὸν ἀκροατὴν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ἐπήγαγε· Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε, σημαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ δοξάσει τὸν Θεόν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἀποθανεῖται· ἀλλὰ, ∆οξάσει τὸν Θεὸν, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τὸ παθεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δόξα τοῦ πάσχοντος καὶ τιμή. Καὶ ταῦτα 59.480 εἰπὼν, φησὶ, λέγει· Ἀκολούθει μοι. Ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν τὸ κηδεμονικὸν αἰνίττεται, καὶ τὸ σφόδρα Πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκείως διακεῖσθαι. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις, πῶς οὖν ὁ Ἰάκωβος τὸν θρόνον ἔλαβε τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων; ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι, ὅτι τοῦτον οὐ τοῦ θρόνου, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐχειροτόνησε διδάσκαλον. Στραφεὶς οὖν ὁ Πέτρος βλέπει τὸν μαθητὴν, ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀκολουθοῦντα, ὃς καὶ ἀνέπεσεν ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ· καὶ λέγει· Κύριε, οὗτος δὲ τί; βʹ. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀνέμνησεν ἡμᾶς τῆς ἀνακλίσεως ἐκείνης; Οὐχ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ δεικνὺς ὅσην ὁ Πέτρος τὴν παῤῥησίαν ἔσχε μετὰ τὴν ἄρνησιν. Ὁ γὰρ τότε μὴ τολμῶν ἐρωτῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἑτέρῳ ταῦτα ἐπιτρέπων, οὗτος καὶ τὴν προστασίαν ἐνεπιστεύθη τῶν ἀδελφῶν. Καὶ οὐ μόνον ἑτέρῳ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ἑτέρου προσάγει τῷ διδασκάλῳ πεῦσιν λοιπόν· καὶ Ἰωάννης μὲν σιγᾷ, ἐκεῖνος δὲ διαλέγεται. ∆είκνυσι δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀγάπην, ἣν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶχε· καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ἐφίλει τὸν Ἰωάννην ὁ Πέτρος· καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα δῆλον· καὶ διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου δὲ παντὸς δείκνυται τούτων ὁ σύνδεσμος, καὶ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν μεγάλα αὐτῷ προεῖπε, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐνεχείρισε, καὶ τὸ μαρτύριον προανεφώνησε, καὶ ἀγάπην ἐμαρτύρησε πλείονα τῶν ἄλλων, βουλόμενος καὶ τοῦτον λαβεῖν κοινωνὸν, φησίν· Οὗτος δὲ τί; οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν ἥξει, Καὶ καθάπερ τότε αὐτὸς μὴ