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the disciples pass over in one word, not reporting the name of each of those who were healed. For they did not say, that So-and-so and So-and-so; but that Many, teaching what is unboastful. And Christ healed, both benefiting them, and through them many others. For the correction of their weakness became for others a foundation for the knowledge of God. But not for the Pharisees, but rather because of this very thing they are the more brutalized; and they come to him, tempting him. For since they could not 58.596 find fault with what was happening, they put forth problems to him. For coming to him and tempting him, they said: Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause? O the folly! They thought to silence him through their questions, although they had already received from him proof of this power. When indeed they had disputed much about the sabbath, when they said that he blasphemes, when they said that he has a demon, when they rebuked the disciples for walking through the grain fields, when they disputed about unwashed hands, having everywhere sewn up their mouths, and stopped their shameless tongue, he so sent them away. But still they do not even so desist. For such is wickedness, such is envy, shameless and reckless; even if it be silenced ten thousand times, ten thousand times it stands up again. But consider, I pray you, also the malice in the manner of their question. For they did not even say to him: You commanded not to put away a wife; for he had already discoursed about this law; but still they did not remember those words, but starting from there, and thinking to make the snare greater, and wishing to force him into a conflict of laws, they do not say, Why did you legislate this or that? but as if nothing had been said, they ask, Is it lawful, expecting that he has forgotten what he said; and being ready, if he should say, that it is lawful to put away, to oppose to him what he himself had said, and to say: How then have you said the opposite? but if the same things again as 58.597 before, to oppose the law of Moses. What then does he do? He did not say, Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? although he says this after these things; but here he does not say this. Why is that? So that with his power he might also display his gentleness. For he is neither always silent, lest they think they are unobserved; nor does he always rebuke, that he might teach us to bear all things gently. How then does he answer them? Have you not read, that he who made them from the beginning, made them male and female? and said: For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. See the wisdom of the teacher. For being asked, Is it lawful, he did not immediately say, It is not lawful, so that they might not be disturbed and thrown into confusion; but before his decision he made this clear through his argument, showing that this command is also from his Father, and that he did not enjoin these things in opposition to Moses, but in strong agreement. And consider how he argues not only from creation, but also from his command. For he did not say that he made only one man and one woman; but that he also commanded this, that the one be joined to the one. For if he had wanted this one to be put away, and another brought in, having made one man, he would have formed many women. But now, both by the manner of creation and by the manner of legislation, he has shown that one man must dwell with one woman always, and never be torn asunder. And see how he says: He who made them from the beginning, made them male and female; that is, From one root they came to be; and into one body they came together; For the two shall become one flesh. Then making it a fearful thing to speak against this legislation, and establishing the law, he did not say, Therefore do not tear asunder, nor separate; but that What God has joined together, let not man separate. But if you bring forward Moses, I tell you of the Lord of Moses, and with this I also argue from time. For God from the beginning made them male and female; and this law is older, even if it now seems to be from me

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παρατρέχουσιν ἑνὶ ῥήματι οἱ μαθηταὶ, οὐ κατὰ ὄνομα ἕκαστον ἀπαγγέλλοντες τῶν θεραπευομένων. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπον, ὅτι Ὁ δεῖνα καὶ ὁ δεῖνα· ἀλλ' ὅτι Πολλοὶ, τὸ ἀκόμπαστον παιδεύοντες. Ἐθεράπευε δὲ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐκείνους τε εὐεργετῶν, καὶ δι' ἐκείνων πολλοὺς ἑτέρους. Ἡ γὰρ τῆς τούτων ἀσθενείας διόρθωσις ἑτέροις ὑπόθεσις θεογνωσίας ἐγίνετο. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ τοῖς Φαρισαίοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἐκθηριοῦνται· καὶ προσέρχονται αὐτῷ πειράζοντες. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν γινομένων ἐπιλαβέσθαι οὐκ 58.596 εἶχον, προβλήματα αὐτῷ προβάλλουσι. Προσελθόντες γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ πειράζοντες ἔλεγον· Εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀνθρώπῳ ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἰτίαν; Ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας! Ὤοντο ἐπιστομίζειν αὐτὸν διὰ τῶν ζητημάτων, καίτοιγε ἤδη λαβόντες αὐτοῦ τεκμήριον τῆς δυνάμεως ταύτης. Ὅτε γοῦν περὶ τοῦ σαββάτου πολλὰ διελέχθησαν, ὅτε εἶπον, ὅτι Βλασφημεῖ, ὅτε εἶπον, ὅτι ∆αιμόνιον ἔχει, ὅτε τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπετίμησαν διὰ τῶν σπορίμων βαδίζουσιν, ὅτε περὶ ἀνίπτων διελέχθησαν χειρῶν, πανταχοῦ ἀποῤῥάψας αὐτῶν τὰ στόματα, καὶ τὴν ἀναίσχυντον ἐμφράξας γλῶτταν, οὕτω παρέπεμψεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀφίσταται. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ πονηρία, τοιοῦτον ἡ βασκανία, ἀναίσχυντον καὶ ἰταμόν· κἂν μυριάκις ἐπιστομισθῇ, μυριάκις ἐφίσταται πάλιν. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς ἐρωτήσεως κακουργίαν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπον αὐτῷ· Ἐκέλευσας μὴ ἀφιέναι γυναῖκα· καὶ γὰρ ἤδη ἦν περὶ τοῦ νόμου τούτου διαλεχθείς· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσαν ἐκείνων τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀλλ' ὡρμήθησαν μὲν ἐκεῖθεν, οἰόμενοι δὲ μείζονα ποιεῖν τὴν ἐνέδραν, καὶ βουλόμενοι εἰς ἀντινομίας ἀνάγκην αὐτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν, οὐ λέγουσι, ∆ιατί ἐνομοθέτησας τὸ καὶ τό; ἀλλ' ὡς οὐδενὸς εἰρημένου, ἐρωτῶσιν, Εἰ ἔξεστι, προσδοκῶντες ὅτι ἐπιλέλησται εἰρηκώς· καὶ ὄντες ἕτοιμοι, εἰ μὲν εἴποι, ὅτι ἔξεστιν ἀφεῖναι, ἀντιθεῖναι αὐτῷ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰρημένα, καὶ εἰπεῖν· Πῶς οὖν εἴρηκας τὰ ἐναντία; εἰ δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν ἅπερ 58.597 καὶ ἔμπροσθεν, ἀντιθεῖναι τὸ Μωϋσέως. Τί οὖν αὐτός; Οὐκ εἶπε, Τί με πειράζετε, ὑποκριταί; καίτοιγε μετὰ ταῦτα λέγει· ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα οὔ φησι τοῦτο. Τί δήποτε; Ἵνα μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἡμερότητα ἐπιδείξηται. Οὔτε γὰρ ἀεὶ σιγᾷ, ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσι λανθάνειν· οὔτε ἀεὶ ἐλέγχει, ἵνα παιδεύσῃ ἡμᾶς ἡμέρως πάντα φέρειν. Πῶς οὖν αὐτοῖς ἀποκρίνεται; Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε, ὅτι ὁ ποιήσας ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς; καὶ εἶπεν· Ἕνεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. Ὥστε οὐκέτι εἰσὶ δύο, ἀλλὰ σὰρξ μία. Ὃ οὖν ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω. Ὅρα σοφίαν διδασκάλου. Ἐρωτηθεὶς γὰρ, Εἰ ἔξεστιν, οὐκ εὐθέως εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἔξεστιν, ἵνα μὴ θορυβηθῶσι καὶ ταραχθῶσιν· ἀλλὰ πρὸ τῆς ἀποφάσεως διὰ τῆς κατασκευῆς κατέστησε δῆλον τοῦτο, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐστι τὸ πρόσταγμα, καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἐναντιούμενος Μωϋσεῖ ταῦτα ἐπέταξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα συμβαίνων. Σκόπει δὲ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς δημιουργίας ἰσχυριζόμενον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προστάγματος αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐποίησεν ἕνα ἄνδρα καὶ μίαν γυναῖκα μόνον· ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσεν, ὥστε τὸν ἕνα τῇ μιᾷ συνάπτεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ ἐβούλετο ταύτην μὲν ἀφιέναι, ἑτέραν δὲ ἐπεισάγειν, ἕνα ἄνδρα ποιήσας, πολλὰς ἂν ἔπλασε γυναῖκας. Νῦν δὲ καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς δημιουργίας καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἔδειξεν, ὅτι ἕνα δεῖ μιᾷ συνοικεῖν διαπαντὸς, καὶ μηδέποτε διαῤῥήγνυσθαι. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς φησιν· Ὁ ποιήσας ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησε· τουτέστιν, Ἐκ μιᾶς ῥίζης ἐγένοντο· καὶ εἰς ἓν σῶμα συνῆλθον· Ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν. Εἶτα φοβερὸν ποιῶν τὸ ταύτης κατηγορεῖν τῆς νομοθεσίας, καὶ πηγνὺς τὸν νόμον, οὐκ εἶπε, Μὴ διασπᾶτε τοίνυν, μηδὲ χωρίζετε· ἀλλ' ὅτι Ὃ ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω. Εἰ δὲ Μωϋσέα προβάλλῃ, ἐγώ σοι λέγω τὸν Μωϋσέως δεσπότην, καὶ μετὰ τούτου καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ ἰσχυρίζομαι. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς· καὶ πρεσβύτερος οὗτος ὁ νόμος, εἰ καὶ δοκεῖ παρ' ἐμοῦ νῦν