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able to ask, he puts him forward; so also now, giving him his reward, and thinking that he wished to ask about his own matters, but did not dare, he himself undertook the question. What then says Christ? "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" Since he spoke out of great concern, and not wanting to be separated from him, Christ, showing that however much he might love, he does not reach His love, says: "If I will that he tarry, what is that to thee?" by these words teaching us not to be vexed, nor to be over-curious about anything beyond what seems good to Him. For since Peter was always fervent and forward in such questions, checking his ardor again, and teaching him not to be overly curious further, He says this: "Then went this saying abroad among the brethren," that is, the disciples, "that that disciple should not die." "Yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" For do not suppose, He says, that I manage your affairs in one way. And He did this on account of their untimely sympathy for one another. For since they were about to undertake the charge of the world, they ought not henceforth to be entangled with one another; for this would have been a great loss to the world. Therefore He says to him: "A work has been entrusted to you, look to it, and accomplish it, and strive, and contend." "For what if I wish him to remain here? Look to your own affairs and be concerned for them." But consider for me here also the humility of the Evangelist. For having stated the opinion of the disciples, he corrects it, as they had not understood what He said. For Jesus did not say, he says, that he would not die, but that, "If I will that he tarry." "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true." Why, when none of the others does this, does this one alone say these things, and a second time does this, bearing witness to himself? and does it seem to be offensive to the hearers? What then is the 59.481 reason? He is said to have come to writing later, God having moved and stirred him to this; for this reason he continually shows His love, hinting at the cause from which he was moved to write. For this reason he also continually makes mention, making his account worthy of belief, and showing that having been moved from there, he came to this. And "I know," he says, "that what he says is true;" but if many do not believe, it is possible for them to believe from this. From what? From what is said next: "For there are," he says, "also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." From which it is clear that I would not have been gratifying. For he who, when there were so many things, did not even say as much as the rest, but omitting the greater part of these, set forth the plots of the Jews, the stonings, the hatred, the insults, the revilings, and showed how they called Him both a demoniac and a deceiver, it is quite clear that he would not have been gratifying. For one who gratifies ought to have done the opposite, to conceal the reproachful things, and to set forth the glorious ones. Since, therefore, he wrote what he wrote from much assurance, he does not decline to bring forward his own testimony, challenging each one to examine and test what has happened. For it is our custom, when we think we are speaking very truly, never to refuse our own testimony. And if we do this, much more he who writes by the Spirit; which indeed the other apostles also said when they preached: "We are witnesses," it says, "of what we say, and the Spirit which He gave to those who obey Him." And he was present for all things, and did not desert Him even when He was being crucified, and was entrusted with His mother; all of which are signs of his love for Him, and of his knowing all things with exactness. And if he said that so many signs had occurred, do not be amazed; but considering the ineffable power of the one who performed them, accept what has been said with faith. For just as it is easy for us to speak, so for Him, or rather much more easily, He does whatever He willed. For it was sufficient only to will, and all things followed. 3. Let us therefore attend carefully to what has been said, and let us not cease to unfold

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δυνάμενος ἐρωτῆσαι, τοῦτον προβάλλεται· οὕτω καὶ νῦν ἀποδιδοὺς αὐτῷ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, καὶ νομίσας αὐτὸν βούλεσθαι ἐρωτᾷν τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν, εἶτα μὴ θαῤῥεῖν, αὐτὸς ἀνεδέξατο τὴν ἐρώτησιν. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ; Ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα κηδόμενος ἔλεγε, καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος αὐτοῦ διασπασθῆναι, δεικνὺς ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτι ὅσον ἂν ἀγαπήσῃ, τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν αὐτοῦ οὐ φθάνει, φησίν· Ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν, τί πρὸς σέ; διὰ τούτων παιδεύων ἡμᾶς μὴ ἀσχάλλειν, μηδὲ πολυπραγμονεῖν μηδὲν πέρα τῶν δοκούντων αὐτῷ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀεὶ ὁ Πέτρος εἰς τὰς τοιαύτας ἐρωτήσεις θερμὸς ἦν καὶ προεπήδα, ἐκκόπτων αὐτοῦ πάλιν τὴν θερμότητα, καὶ παιδεύων περαιτέρω μὴ περιεργάζεσθαι, τοῦτό φησιν· Ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ λόγος οὗτος εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς, ἤγουν τοὺς μαθητὰς, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει. Οὐκ εἶπε δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι Οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει, ἀλλ', Ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν ἕως ἔρχομαι, τί πρὸς σέ; Μὴ γὰρ δὴ νομίσῃς, φησὶν, ἑνὶ τρόπῳ με τὰ καθ' ὑμᾶς διοικεῖν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίει τῆς ἀκαίρου συμπαθείας τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἕνεκεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλον τῆς οἰκουμένης τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν ἀναδέξασθαι, οὐκ ἔδει συμπεπλέχθαι λοιπὸν ἀλλήλοις· ἦ γὰρ ἂν μεγάλη τοῦτο τῇ οἰκουμένῃ γέγονε ζημία. ∆ιόπερ αὐτῷ φησιν· Ἔργον ἐνεχειρίσθης, αὐτὸ σκόπει, καὶ ἄνυε, καὶ ἄθλει, καὶ ἀγωνίζου. Τί γὰρ εἰ καὶ βούλομαι αὐτὸν μένειν ἐνταῦθα; σὺ τὰ σεαυτοῦ σκόπει καὶ μερίμνα. Σὺ δέ μοι κἀνταῦθα τὸ ἄτυφον ἐννόησον τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ. Εἰπὼν γὰρ τὴν δόξαν τῶν μαθητῶν, διορθοῦται αὐτὴν, ὡς οὐ συνεωρακότων αὐτῶν ὅπερ εἶπεν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, φησὶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὅτι οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται, ἀλλ' ὅτι Ἐὰν αὐτὸν θέλω μένειν. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μαθητὴς, ὁ μαρτυρῶν περὶ τούτων καὶ γράψας ταῦτα· καὶ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία αὐτοῦ. Τί δήποτε, τῶν ἄλλων οὐδενὸς τοῦτο ποιοῦντος, οὗτος μόνος ταῦτά φησι, καὶ δεύτερον τοῦτο ποιεῖ μαρτυρῶν ἑαυτῷ· δοκεῖ δὲ προσίστασθαι τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις; τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ 59.481 αἴτιον; Λέγεται ὕστερος πρὸς τὸ γράφειν ἐλθεῖν, τοῦ Θεοῦ κινήσαντος αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῦτο καὶ διεγείραντος· διὰ τοῦτο δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀγάπην συνεχῶς, αἰνιττόμενος τὴν αἰτίαν, ἀφ' ἧς ἐπὶ τὸ γράφειν ὥρμησε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ συνεχῶς μέμνηται, ἀξιόπιστον ποιῶν τὸν λόγον, καὶ δηλῶν ὅτι κινηθεὶς ἐκεῖθεν, ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τοῦτο. Καὶ οἶδα, φησὶν, ὅτι ἀληθῆ ἐστιν ἃ λέγει· εἰ δὲ μὴ πιστεύουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, ἔξεστιν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τούτου πιστεῦσαι. Ποίου; Τοῦ ἑξῆς εἰρημένου· Ἔστι γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ ἃ ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἅτινα ἐὰν γράφηται καθ' ἓν, οὐδὲ αὐτὸν οἶμαι τὸν κόσμον χωρῆσαι τὰ γραφόμενα βιβλία. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐχαρισάμην. Ὁ γὰρ, τοσούτων ὄντων, οὐδὲ τοσαῦτα εἰπὼν, ὅσα οἱ λοιποὶ, ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν τὰ πλείονα παραλιπὼν, τὰς δὲ ἐπιβουλὰς τὰς Ἰουδαϊκὰς, τὰς καταλεύσεις, τὸ μῖσος, τὰς ὕβρεις, τὰς λοιδορίας εἰς μέσον προθεὶς, καὶ δηλώσας, πῶς καὶ δαιμονῶντα καὶ πλάνον ἐκάλουν, εὔδηλον ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐχαρισάμην. Τὸν γὰρ χαριζόμενον τοὐναντίον ἔδει ποιεῖν, τὰ μὲν ἐπονείδιστα ἀποκρύπτεσθαι, τὰ λαμπρὰ προτιθέναι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀπὸ πολλῆς πληροφορίας ἔγραψεν ἅπερ ἔγραψεν, οὐ παραιτεῖται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μαρτυρίαν εἰς μέσον φέρειν, προκαλούμενος καθ' ἕκαστον ἐξετάζειν καὶ βασανίζειν τὰ γεγενημένα. Ἔθος γὰρ ἡμῖν, ὅταν σφόδρα ἀληθεύειν δοκῶμεν, μήποτε τὴν ἑαυτῶν μαρτυρίαν ἀρνεῖσθαι. Εἰ δὲ ἡμεῖς τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνος ὁ Πνεύματι γράφων· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι κηρύττοντες ἔλεγον· Ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν μάρτυρες, φησὶν, ὧν λέγομεν, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ὃ ἔδωκε τοῖς πειθαρχοῦσιν αὐτῷ. Καὶ πᾶσι δὲ παρῆν, καὶ οὐδὲ σταυρουμένου ἀπελιμπάνετο, καὶ τὴν μητέρα ἐνεχειρίσθη· ἅπερ πάντα σημεῖα τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης, καὶ τοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβείας εἰδέναι πάντα. Εἰ δὲ τοσαῦτα ἔφησε γεγενῆσθαι τὰ σημεῖα, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· ἀλλ' ἐννοήσας τὴν ἄφατον τοῦ ποιοῦντος δύναμιν, δέξαι μετὰ πίστεως τὸ εἰρημένον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡμῖν εὔκολον φθέγγεσθαι· οὕτως ἐκείνῳ, μᾶλλον δὲ πολλῷ ῥᾷον, ποιεῖ ἅπερ ἤθελεν. Ἤρκει γὰρ θελῆσαι μόνον, καὶ πάντα εἵπετο. γʹ. Προσέχωμεν τοίνυν ἀκριβῶς τοῖς εἰρημένοις, καὶ μὴ διαλίπωμεν ἀναπτύσσοντες