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let us proceed. But what is it, Perhaps they will reverence him? Not of one who is ignorant, far from it; but of one who wants to show the sin to be great, and deprived of all defense. Since He Himself, knowing that they would kill him, sent him. But He says, They will reverence him, declaring what ought to have happened; that they ought to have reverenced him. Since also elsewhere He says, If perhaps they will hear; not there either being ignorant; but that none of the ungrateful might say that His prediction was a cause of their disobedience, for this reason He so frames His words, saying, If perhaps, and, Perhaps. For even if they were ungrateful toward the servants, they ought to have respected the dignity of the son. What then did these men do? When they ought to have run to him, ought 58.641 to have asked forgiveness for their offenses, they even add to their former sins, they strip for their pollutions, ever concealing their former sins with their latter; which He Himself also declaring said; Fill up the measure of your fathers. For from the beginning the prophets brought these charges against them, saying; Your hands are full of blood; and, They mingle blood with blood; and, Who build up Zion with blood. But they were not brought to their senses; although they had received this as their first commandment, You shall not murder, and had been commanded to abstain from countless other things for this reason, and by many and various means were led to the keeping of this commandment. But nevertheless they did not put away that wicked custom; but what do they say when they see him? Come, let us kill him. For what reason, and why? what charge having to bring, either small or great? That He honored you, and being God, became man for your sake, and worked those ten thousand miracles? but that He was forgiving sins? but that He was calling you to a kingdom? But see, along with their impiety, their great folly also, and the reason for the slaughter teeming with much madness. For, Let us kill him, it says, and the inheritance will be ours. And where do they plan to kill him? Outside the vineyard. 2. Did you see how he prophesies even the place where he was about to be slain? And having cast him out, they killed him. And Luke says, that He Himself declared what these men should suffer, and they said, God forbid; and he brought forward the testimony. For looking at them he said, What then is this that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; and whoever falls on it will be broken to pieces? But Matthew, that they themselves passed the sentence. But this is not a contradiction. For both happened; both they themselves passed sentence against themselves, and again, perceiving what had been said, they said, God forbid; and he brought the prophet against them, persuading them that this would surely happen. But yet not even so did he clearly reveal the Gentiles, so as to give them no handle, but he hinted at it, saying, He will give the vineyard to others. For this reason, indeed, he also spoke by a parable, that they themselves might pass the sentence; which also happened in the case of David, when he judged the parable of Nathan. But consider from this how just the sentence is, when those who are about to be punished condemn themselves. Then, that they might learn that not only the nature of justice demanded these things, but also from the beginning the grace of the Spirit foretold these things, and God so decreed, He both brought forward a prophecy, and rebukes them with a view to repentance, saying; Did you never read, that The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes; showing by all means that those who disbelieved were about to be cast out, and the Gentiles to be brought in. This he hinted at both through the Canaanite woman, and through the donkey, and through the centurion, and through many other parables; this also now. Therefore he also added; This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes; making it plain beforehand, that the believing Gentiles, and as many of the Jews as should themselves also believe, shall be one, although so great a separation existed before. Then, that 58.642 they might learn that nothing of what was happening was contrary to God, but that what was occurring was also exceedingly acceptable, and paradoxical, and of the

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ἑξῆς ἴωμεν. Τί δέ ἐστι τὸ, Ἴσως ἐντραπήσονται; Οὐχὶ ἀγνοοῦντος, ἄπαγε· ἀλλὰ θέλοντος δεῖξαι τὸ ἁμάρτημα μέγα, καὶ ἀπολογίας πάσης ἐστερημένον. Ἐπεὶ αὐτὸς εἰδὼς, ὅτι ἀναιρήσουσιν, ἔπεμψε. Λέγει δὲ, Ἐντραπήσονται, τὸ γενέσθαι ὀφεῖλον ἀπαγγέλλων· ὅτι ἔδει αὐτοὺς ἐντραπῆναι. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν, Ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσωσιν· οὐδὲ ἐκεῖ ἀγνοῶν· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ λέγωσί τινες τῶν ἀγνωμόνων, ὅτι ἡ πρόῤῥησις αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἀναγκαστικὴ τῆς παρακοῆς, διὰ τοῦτο οὕτω σχηματίζει τὰς λέξεις, Ἐὰν ἄρα, λέγων, καὶ, Ἴσως. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ περὶ τοὺς δούλους ἀγνώμονες ἐγένοντο, τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀξίωμα αἰδεσθῆναι ἐχρῆν. Τί οὖν οὗτοι; ∆έον προσδραμεῖν, δέον 58.641 αἰτῆσαι συγγνώμην ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπλημμελημένοις, καὶ ἐπαγωνίζονται τοῖς προτέροις, ἐπαποδύονται τοῖς μιάσμασιν, ἀεὶ τὰ πρότερα τοῖς δευτέροις ἀποκρύπτοντες· ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς δηλῶν ἔλεγε· Πληρώσατε τὸ μέτρον τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν. Ἄνωθεν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ταῦτα ἐνεκάλουν οἱ προφῆται λέγοντες· Αἱ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις· καὶ, Αἵματα ἐφ' αἵμασι μίσγουσι· καὶ, Οἰκοδομοῦντες Σιὼν ἐν αἵμασιν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐσωφρονίζοντο· καίτοι ταύτην λαβόντες πρώτην τὴν ἐντολὴν, τὸ, Οὐ φονεύσεις, καὶ μυρίων ἑτέρων κελευσθέντες ἀπέχεσθαι διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ διὰ πολλῶν καὶ παντοδαπῶν εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν τῆς ἐντολῆς ταύτης ἐναγόμενοι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὴν πονηρὰν ἐκείνην οὐκ ἀπέθεντο συνήθειαν· ἀλλὰ τί λέγουσιν ἰδόντες αὐτόν; ∆εῦτε, ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτόν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, καὶ διατί; τί ποτε ἔχοντες ἐγκαλεῖν, ἢ μικρὸν, ἢ μέγα; Ὅτι ἐτίμησεν ὑμᾶς, καὶ Θεὸς ὢν, ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο δι' ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὰ μυρία ἐκεῖνα εἰργάσατο θαύματα; ἀλλ' ὅτι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα συνεχώρει; ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐπὶ βασιλείαν ἐκάλει; Ὅρα δὲ μετὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας καὶ τὴν ἄνοιαν πολλὴν οὖσαν, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς σφαγῆς πολλῆς γέμουσαν παραπληξίας. Ἀποκτείνωμεν γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶ, καὶ ἡμῶν ἔσται ἡ κληρονομία. Καὶ ποῦ ἀποκτεῖναι βουλεύονται; Ἔξω τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος. βʹ. Εἶδες πῶς προφητεύει καὶ τὸν τόπον, ἔνθα ἔμελλε σφάττεσθαι; Καὶ ἐκβαλόντες ἀπέκτειναν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Λουκᾶς φησιν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἀπεφήνατο ὃ παθεῖν ἔδει τούτους, κἀκεῖνοι εἶπον, Μὴ γένοιτο· καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐπήγαγεν. Ἐμβλέψας γὰρ αὐτοῖς εἶπε· Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ γεγραμμένον, Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας· καὶ πᾶς ὁ πεσὼν ἐπ' αὐτὸν συνθλασθήσεται; Ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκαν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο ἐναντιολογίας. Καὶ γὰρ ἀμφότερα γέγονε· καὶ τὴν ψῆφον αὐτοὶ ἐξήνεγκαν καθ' ἑαυτῶν, καὶ πάλιν αἰσθόμενοι τῶν εἰρημένων εἶπον, Μὴ γένοιτο· καὶ τὸν προφήτην αὐτοῖς ἐπετείχισε, πείθων αὐτοὺς, ὅτι πάντως ἔσται τοῦτο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτω τὰ ἔθνη σαφῶς ἀπεκάλυψεν, ὥστε μηδεμίαν αὐτοῖς παρασχεῖν λαβὴν, ἀλλ' ᾐνίξατο εἰπὼν, ∆ώσει τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἄλλοις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὴ καὶ διὰ παραβολῆς εἴρηκεν, ἵνα αὐτοὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενέγκωσιν· ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ γέγονεν, ὅτε ἔκρινε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ Νάθαν. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει κἀντεῦθεν πῶς δικαία ἡ ψῆφος, ὅταν αὐτοὶ οἱ μέλλοντες κολάζεσθαι ἑαυτοὺς καταδικάζωσιν. Εἶτα ἵνα μάθωσιν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἡ τοῦ δικαίου φύσις ταῦτα ἀπῄτει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνωθεν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις προὔλεγε ταῦτα, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς οὕτως ἐψηφίζετο, καὶ προφητείαν ἐπήγαγε, καὶ ἐντρεπτικῶς αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιμᾷ λέγων· Οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε, ὅτι Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας; παρὰ Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὕτη, καὶ ἔστι θαυμαστὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν· διὰ πάντων δεικνὺς, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἐκβάλλεσθαι ἔμελλον ἀπιστοῦντες, τὰ δὲ ἔθνη εἰσάγεσθαι. Τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τῆς Χαναναίας, τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τοῦ ὄνου, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου, καὶ δι' ἄλλων πολλῶν παραβολῶν ᾐνίξατο· τοῦτο καὶ νῦν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· Παρὰ Κυρίου ἐγένετο αὕτη, καὶ ἔστι θαυμαστὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν· προδηλῶν, ὅτι τὰ ἔθνη πιστεύοντα, καὶ Ἰουδαίων ὅσοι ἂν καὶ αὐτοὶ πιστεύσωσιν, ἔσονται ἓν, καίτοι τοσούτου τοῦ μέσου ὄντος ἔμπροσθεν. Εἶτα, ἵνα 58.642 μάθωσιν ὅτι οὐδὲν τῷ Θεῷ ἐναντίον τῶν γινομένων ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα εὐαπόδεκτον τὸ συμβαῖνον, καὶ παράδοξον, καὶ τῶν