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again, Yet a little while I am with you, and you shall seek Me, and shall not find Me. But to the disciples not so, but just as He said the other things more clearly, so He also said this. And for what reason, if the many did not understand the power of the things being said, were they said? So that they might learn afterwards that He went to His passion with foreknowledge and willingly, not in ignorance, nor under compulsion. But He foretold it to the disciples not for this reason alone, but, as I said, so that having been trained by the expectation, they might bear the passion more easily, and it might not, coming upon them unprepared, greatly disturb them. For this reason, indeed, at first He spoke of the death only; but when they had meditated and been trained in it, He adds the other things also; for instance, that they will deliver Him to the Gentiles; that they will mock and scourge Him; both for this reason, and so that when they saw the sad things come to pass, they might from that expect the resurrection also. For He who did not hide the painful things, and the things that seemed to be shameful, would reasonably be believed concerning the good things also. But consider, I pray you, how wisely He manages the matter also from the timing of it. 58.618 For He neither told them from the beginning, lest He should utterly disturb them; nor at the very time, lest He should throw them into confusion from that as well; but when they had had sufficient proof of His power, when He had given great promises concerning eternal life, then He introduces the discourse about these things, both once and twice and many times, weaving it into His miracles and His teachings. And another evangelist says, that He also brought forward the prophets as witnesses; but another says, that they themselves did not understand the things that were said, but the saying was hidden from them, and that they were amazed as they followed Him. Therefore, he says, the benefit of the prediction is taken away. For if they did not know what they heard, they could not expect it; and not expecting it, they could not be trained by the hopes. But I say there is another point more difficult than this, that if they did not know, how were they grieved? For another says that they were grieved. If then they did not know, how were they grieved? How did Peter say, Be it far from Thee, this shall not be unto Thee? What then is to be said? That He would die, they knew, even if they did not clearly understand the mystery of the dispensation; and they neither understood the resurrection clearly, nor what things it was to accomplish; and this was what was hidden from them. For this reason they also grieved. For they had seen others raised by others; but they had never seen anyone raise himself, and so raise himself as to die no more. This, then, though often said, they did not understand; but neither did they clearly understand what this death itself was, and how it would come upon Him. Therefore they were also amazed as they followed Him; and not for this reason only, but it seems to me also that He astonished them by speaking about the passion. 2. But yet none of these things made them confident, and this though they were continually hearing about the resurrection. For besides the death, this too especially troubled them, to hear that they will mock and scourge Him, and all such things. For when they considered the miracles, the demoniacs whom He set free, the dead whom He raised, all the other things which He miraculously worked, and then heard these things, they were astonished, if He who does these things will suffer these things. For this reason they also fell into perplexity, and now they believed, and now they disbelieved, and could not comprehend the things that were said. So little, at least, did they clearly understand what was said, that the sons of Zebedee came to Him immediately, and spoke with Him about the chief seats. We desire, he says, that one may sit on Your right hand, and one on Your left. How then does this evangelist say that the mother came forward? It is likely that both happened. For they took their mother with them, so as to make their supplication more effective, and through her to prevail upon Christ. For that what I have said is true, and that the request was theirs rather, and that being ashamed they put forward their mother, consider how Christ directs His discourse to them. But rather let us learn what they ask first, and from what state of mind, and from where they came to this. From where then did they come to this? They saw themselves honored above the others, and expected from this to obtain also 58.619

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πάλιν, Ἔτι μικρὸν χρόνον μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι, καὶ ζητήσετέ με, καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσετε. Τοῖς δὲ μαθηταῖς οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὰ ἄλλα σαφέστερον ἔλεγεν, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο εἶπε. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰ μὴ συνίεσαν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν λεγομένων τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ ἐλέγετο; Ἵνα μάθωσι μετὰ ταῦτα, ὅτι προειδὼς ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ᾔει καὶ ἑκὼν, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, οὐδὲ ἀναγκαζόμενος. Τοῖς μαθηταῖς δὲ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο μόνον προὔλεγεν, ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφην, ἵνα ἐγγυμνασθέντες τῇ προσδοκίᾳ, ῥᾴδιον ἐνέγκωσι τὸ πάθος, καὶ μὴ ἀμελέτητον ἐπελθὸν ταράξῃ σφόδρα αὐτούς. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὲν τὸν θάνατον ἔλεγε μόνον· ὅτε δὲ ἐμελέτησαν καὶ ἐνεγυμνάσαντο, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα προστίθησιν· οἶον, ὅτι παραδώσουσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ὅτι ἐμπαίξουσι καὶ μαστιγώσουσι· τούτου τε ἕνεκεν, καὶ ἵνα ὅταν τὰ σκυθρωπὰ ἐξελθόντα ἴδωσι, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἐντεῦθεν προσδοκήσωσιν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ λυποῦντα οὐκ ἀποκρυψάμενος, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι ἐπονείδιστα, εἰκότως ἔμελλε καὶ περὶ τῶν χρηστῶν πιστεύεσθαι. Σκόπει δέ μοι, πῶς καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ σοφῶς τὸ πρᾶγμα οἰκονομεῖ. 58.618 Οὔτε γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς εἶπεν, ἵνα μὴ διαταράξῃ· οὔτε πρὸς αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ, ἵνα μὴ κἀντεῦθεν θορυβήσῃ· ἀλλ' ὅτε πεῖραν αὐτοῦ τῆς δυνάμεως ἔλαβον ἀρκοῦσαν, ὅτε μεγάλας ἔδωκε τὰς ἐπαγγελίας περὶ τῆς ζωῆς τῆς αἰωνίου, τότε καὶ τὸν περὶ τούτων ἐμβάλλει λόγον, καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ πολλάκις, ἐνυφαίνων αὐτὸν τοῖς θαύμασι καὶ ταῖς διδασκαλίαις. Ἕτερος δὲ εὐαγγελιστής φησιν, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς προφήτας παρῆγε μάρτυρας· ἄλλος δέ φησιν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐ συνίεσαν τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλ' ἦν κεκρυμμένον τὸ ῥῆμα ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ὅτι ἐθαμβοῦντο ἀκολουθοῦντες αὐτῷ. Οὐκοῦν ἀνῄρηται, φησὶ, τῆς προῤῥήσεως τὸ κέρδος. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ᾔδεσαν ἅπερ ἤκουσαν, οὐδὲ προσδοκᾷν εἶχον· μὴ προσδοκῶντες δὲ, οὐδὲ γυμνάζεσθαι ταῖς ἐλπίσιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἕτερον τούτου ἀπορώτερόν φημι, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ᾔδεσαν πῶς ἐλυποῦντο· Καὶ γὰρ ἕτερός φησιν, ὅτι ἐλυποῦντο. Εἰ τοίνυν μὴ ᾔδεσαν, πῶς ἐλυποῦντο; πῶς Πέτρος ἔλεγεν· Ἵλεώς σοι, οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο; Τί οὖν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν; Ὅτι μὲν ἀποθανεῖται, ᾔδεσαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ σαφῶς τῆς οἰκονομίας ἠπίσταντο τὸ μυστήριον· οὔτε δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν σαφῶς ἠπίσταντο, οὔτε ἅπερ ἔμελλε κατορθοῦν· καὶ τοῦτο ἦν κεκρυμμένον ἀπ' αὐτῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἤλγουν. Ἑτέρους μὲν γὰρ ὑφ' ἑτέρων ἀναστάντας εἶδον· αὐτὸν δέ τινα ἀναστήσαντα ἑαυτὸν, καὶ οὕτως ἀναστήσαντα ὡς μηκέτι λοιπὸν ἀποθανεῖν, οὐδέποτε εἶδον. Τοῦτο οὖν οὐ συνίεσαν πολλάκις λεγόμενον· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ θάνατος τί ποτέ ἐστι, καὶ πῶς ἐπελεύσεται, σαφῶς ἠπίσταντο. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐθαμβοῦντο ἀκολουθοῦντες αὐτῷ· οὑ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ καὶ ἐκπλήττειν αὐτοὺς περὶ τοῦ πάθους διαλεγόμενος. βʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν τούτων ἐποίει θαῤῥεῖν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ταῦτα συνεχῶς περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀκούοντας. Καὶ γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἐθορύβει, τὸ ἀκούειν ὅτι ἐμπαίξουσι καὶ μαστιγώσουσι, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Ὅτε γὰρ ἐνενόησαν τὰ θαύματα, τοὺς δαιμονῶντας οὓς ἠλευθέρωσε, τοὺς νεκροὺς οὓς ἤγειρε, τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἅπερ ἐθαυματούργει, εἶτα ἤκουσαν τούτων, ἐξεπλήττοντο, εἰ ὁ ταῦτα ποιῶν ταῦτα πείσεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐνέπιπτον, καὶ νῦν μὲν ἐπίστευον, νῦν δὲ ἠπίστουν, καὶ νοῆσαι οὐκ εἶχον τὰ λεγόμενα. Οὕτω γοῦν οὐ συνῆκαν σαφῶς τὸ λεγόμενον, ὡς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ζεβεδαίου παραυτὰ προσελθεῖν, καὶ περὶ προεδρίας αὐτῷ διαλεχθῆναι. Θέλομεν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἵνα εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου καθίσῃ, καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων. Πῶς οὖν οὗτος ὁ εὐαγγελιστής φησιν, ὅτι ἡ μήτηρ προσῆλθεν; Ἀμφότερα γενέσθαι εἰκός. Τὴν γὰρ μητέρα παρέλαβον, ὡς μείζονα τὴν ἱκετηρίαν ἐργασόμενοι, καὶ ταύτῃ τὸν Χριστὸν δυσωπήσοντες. Ὅτι γὰρ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς ὅπερ ἔφην, καὶ αὐτῶν μᾶλλον ἡ αἴτησις ἦν, καὶ αἰσχυνόμενοι προβάλλονται τὴν τεκοῦσαν, σκόπει πῶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀποτείνει τὸν λόγον ὁ Χριστός. Μᾶλλον δὲ μάθωμεν τί πρότερον αἰτοῦσι, καὶ ἀπὸ ποίας γνώμης, καὶ πόθεν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἦλθον. Πόθεν οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἦλθον; Ἑώρων ἑαυτοὺς τιμωμένους παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους, καὶ προσεδόκησαν ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιτεύξασθαι καὶ 58.619