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Nevertheless, not even so did He pass her by, but even after the healing He makes her conspicuous. So anxious was He everywhere to proclaim the good deeds of those who came to Him, and to show them to be much greater than they were; which indeed He also does here. Then, when they said what they wished, being moved with compassion, He touched them. For this alone is the cause of the healing, for which He also came into the world. But nevertheless, although it was mercy and grace, He seeks out the worthy. And that they were worthy is clear, both from what they cried out, and from the fact that after they received they did not leap away, which many do, being ungrateful after benefits. But they were not such; but both before the gift they were patient, and after the gift grateful; for they followed Him. And when 58.627 He drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, saying: Go into the village opposite you, and you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say that the Lord has need of them; and immediately he will send them. Now this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Zechariah: Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king comes to you, meek, and sitting on an ass, and a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. And yet He had often entered Jerusalem before, but never with such great display. What then is the reason? It was then the prelude of the economy; and neither was He Himself very well known, nor was the time of His Passion near; therefore He mingled with them more indifferently, and rather hiding Himself. For He would not have been admired appearing so, and He would have led them into greater anger. But when He had also given sufficient proof of His power, and the cross was at the doors, He then shines forth more greatly, and does all things with greater display, which were about to inflame them. For it was possible for this to have happened even from the beginning; but it was not useful nor advantageous so. But consider for me how many miracles take place, and how many prophecies are fulfilled. He said that you will find an ass; He foretold that no one would hinder, but that upon hearing they would be silent. And this is no small condemnation of the Jews, if He persuades those who had never been known to Him, nor seen Him, to give up their own property and to say nothing against it, and that through His disciples; while these, being present while He worked miracles, were not persuaded. 2. Do not think that what happened was a small thing. For who persuaded them, when their own property was being taken away, and they being perhaps poor men and farmers, not to speak against it? why do I say not to speak against it? not to ask, or even having asked, to be silent and to yield? For both were equally wonderful: both if they said nothing as the beasts of burden were being led away, and if having spoken and heard that the Lord has need of them, they yielded and did not resist, and this without seeing Him, but His disciples. From these things He teaches them, that He was also able to completely hinder the Jews who were about to come against Him, even against their will, and to render them speechless, but He was not willing. And He also teaches the disciples another thing along with these, to give whatever He might ask; even if He should command them to give up their very soul, to offer this too, and not to speak against it. For if those unknown to Him yielded, much more ought they to give up all things. And in addition to what has been said, He was again fulfilling another, twofold prophecy; the one through works, the other through words. And the one through works was that through the sitting on the ass; but the one through words, that of the prophet Zechariah; for he said that the king will sit on an ass. And having Himself sat down and fulfilled it, He again gave the beginning of another prophecy, through the things which He did, prefiguring the things to come. How and in what manner? He was proclaiming beforehand the calling of the unclean Gentiles, and that He would rest upon them, and they would yield to Him and follow; and prophecy succeeded prophecy. But it seems to me that He did not sit on the ass for this reason alone, but also providing us with a measure 58.628 of philosophy. For He did not only fulfill prophecies, nor did He plant the doctrines of the truth, but He also corrected our life through them

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ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὴν παρέδραμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἰατρείαν κατάδηλον αὐτὴν ποιεῖ. Οὕτως αὐτῷ πανταχοῦ περισπούδαστον ἦν ἀνακηρύττειν τῶν προσιόντων αὐτῷ τὰ κατορθώματα, καὶ πολλῷ μείζονα ἀποφαίνειν τῶν ὄντων· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ εἶπον ὅπερ ἐβούλοντο, σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἥψατο αὐτῶν. Αὕτη γὰρ μόνον ἡ αἰτία τῆς ἰατρείας, δι' ἣν καὶ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἦλθεν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰ καὶ ἔλεος ἦν καὶ χάρις, τοὺς ἀξίους ἐπιζητεῖ. Ὅτι δὲ ἄξιοι, δῆλον καὶ ἐξ ὧν ἐβόησαν, καὶ ἐξ ὧν λαβόντες οὐκ ἀπεπήδησαν, ὃ πολλοὶ ποιοῦσι, μετὰ τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἀγνωμονοῦντες. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι τοιοῦτοι· ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς δόσεως καρτερικοὶ, καὶ μετὰ τὴν δόσιν εὐγνώμονες· καὶ γὰρ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ. Καὶ ὅτε 58.627 ἤγγισεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Βηθφαγῆ πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν, ἀπέστειλε δύο τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, λέγων· Πορεύεσθε εἰς τὴν κώμην τὴν κατέναντι ὑμῶν, καὶ εὑρήσετε ὄνον δεδεμένην, καὶ πῶλον μετ' αὐτῆς· λύσαντες ἀγάγετέ μοι. Καὶ ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ τι, ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι Ὁ Κύριος αὐτῶν χρείαν ἔχει· καὶ εὐθέως ἀποστέλλει αὐτούς. Τοῦτο δὲ γέγονεν, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ζαχαρίου· Εἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιὼν, Ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι πρᾶος, καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὄνον καὶ πῶλον υἱὸν ὑποζυγίου. Καίτοι πολλάκις ἐπέβη τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων πρότερον, ἀλλ' οὐδέποτε μετὰ τοσαύτης περιφανείας. Τί οὖν τὸ αἴτιον; Προοίμια ἦν τότε τῆς οἰκονομίας· καὶ οὔτε αὐτὸς σφόδρα κατάδηλος ἦν, οὔτε ὁ καιρὸς τοῦ παθεῖν ἐγγύς· διόπερ ἀδιαφορώτερον αὐτοῖς ἀνεμίγνυτο, καὶ μᾶλλον κρύπτων ἑαυτόν. Οὔτε γὰρ ἂν ἐθαυμάσθη φαινόμενος οὕτω, καὶ εἰς μείζονα ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐξήγαγεν ὀργήν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως πεῖραν ἔδωκεν ἱκανὴν, καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς ἐπὶ θύραις ἦν, μειζόνως ἐκλάμπει λοιπὸν, καὶ μετὰ πλείονος ἅπαντα πράττει περιφανείας τὰ μέλλοντα αὐτοὺς ἐκκαίειν. ∆υνατὸν μὲν γὰρ ἦν καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦτο γενέσθαι· ἀλλ' οὐ χρήσιμον, οὐδὲ λυσιτελὲς οὕτω. Σὺ δέ μοι θέα ὅσα θαύματα γίνεται, καὶ ὅσαι πληροῦνται προφητεῖαι. Εἶπεν, ὅτι Εὑρήσετε ὄνον· προεῖπεν ὅτι οὐδεὶς κωλύσει, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀκούσαντες σιγήσουσι. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ μικρὸν κρῖμα Ἰουδαίων, εἰ τοὺς οὐδέποτε γνωρίμους αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ φανέντας, πείθει τὰ αὐτῶν προέσθαι καὶ μηδὲν ἀντειπεῖν, καὶ διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν· οὗτοι δὲ αὐτῷ θαυματουργοῦντι παρόντες οὐκ ἐπείσθησαν. βʹ. Μηδὲ μικρὸν εἶναι νομίσῃς τὸ γεγενημένον. Τίς γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἔπεισε, τῶν ἰδίων ἀφαιρουμένων, καὶ ταῦτα πένητας ὄντας ἴσως καὶ γεωργοὺς, μὴ ἀντειπεῖν; τί λέγω μὴ ἀντειπεῖν; μὴ ἐρέσθαι, ἢ καὶ ἐρομένους σιγῆσαι καὶ παραχωρῆσαι; Καὶ γὰρ ἀμφότερα ὁμοίως θαυμαστὰ ἦν. καὶ εἰ μηδὲν εἶπον, ἑλκομένων τῶν ὑποζυγίων, καὶ εἰ εἰπόντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες, ὅτι ὁ Κύριος αὐτῶν χρείαν ἔχει, παρεχώρησαν καὶ οὐκ ἀντέστησαν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ αὐτὸν ὁρῶντες, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μαθητάς. Ἀπὸ τούτων αὐτοὺς παιδεύει, ὅτι καὶ Ἰουδαίους ἐδύνατο καὶ ἄκοντας κωλῦσαι διόλου μέλλοντας αὐτῷ ἐπιέναι, καὶ ἀφώνους καταστῆσαι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠθέλησε. Καὶ ἕτερον δὲ μετὰ τούτων διδάσκει τοὺς μαθητὰς, ὅπερ ἂν αἰτήσῃ διδόναι· κἂν αὐτὴν κελεύσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν προέσθαι. καὶ ταύτην παρέχειν, καὶ μὴ ἀντιλέγειν. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ ἄγνωστοι αὐτῷ παρεχώρησαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων ἐξίστασθαι δεῖ. Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ ἑτέραν πάλιν προφητείαν ἐπλήρου διπλῆν· τὴν μὲν δι' ἔργων, τὴν δὲ διὰ ῥημάτων. Καὶ ἡ μὲν διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἦν, ἡ διὰ τῆς καθέδρας τοῦ ὄνου· ἡ δὲ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, ἡ τοῦ προφήτου Ζαχαρίου· καὶ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι καθεδεῖται ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ ὄνου. Καὶ καθίσας αὐτὸς καὶ πληρώσας αὐτὴν, ἑτέραν πάλιν ἐδίδου προφητείας ἀρχὴν, δι' ὧν ἐποίει τὰ μέλλοντα προδιατυπῶν. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἐθνῶν τὴν κλῆσιν προανεφώνει, καὶ ὅτι αὐτοῖς ἐπαναπαύσεται, καὶ εἴξουσιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἕψονται· καὶ προφητεία διεδέχετο προφητείαν. Ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δοκεῖ μόνον ἐπὶ τὸν ὄνον καθίσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέ 58.628 τρον ἡμῖν φιλοσοφίας παρέχων Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον προφητείας ἐπλήρου, οὐδὲ δόγματα ἐφύτευε τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν βίον ἡμῖν διώρθου δι' αὐτῶν