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unexpectedly, they chose even to abandon the Passover, in order to gratify their murderous desire. Therefore they all assembled, and it was a council of plagues, and they question someone, wishing to cast a form of a court over this plot. For the testimonies were not consistent, it says; so fabricated was the court, and all was of uproar and confusion. But false witnesses came forward and said, that This man said, 'I will destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it.' And yet He had said, "In three," but He did not say, "I will destroy," but, "Destroy"; and not concerning that temple, but concerning His own body. What then does the high priest do? Wishing to bring Him to a defense, that from it he might catch Him, he says: "Do you not hear what these men testify against you?" But He was silent. For the things of a defense were useless, as no one was listening. For this was only the appearance of a court; but the reality was an assault of robbers, as if they had simply attacked in a cave and on a road. Therefore He was silent; but he persisted, saying: "I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And He said, "You have said it. But I say to you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds." Then the high priest tore his garments, saying, "He has blasphemed." And he did this, making the accusation more vehement, and exaggerating what was said by the act. For since what was said cast the hearers into fear, just as they did in the case of Stephen, stopping their ears, this is what he also did here. 3. And yet what blasphemy is this? For He had said before, when they were gathered: "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand," and He interpreted what was said; and they dared say nothing, but were silent, and from then on they no longer contradicted. How then did they now call what was said blasphemy? And for what reason did Christ answer thus? To take away all their 58.755 defense, because up to the last day He was teaching that He was the Christ, and that He sits at the right hand of the Father, and that He will come again to judge the world, which was to show the great harmony with Him. Tearing his garments, therefore, he says: "What do you think?" He does not bring the vote from himself, but calls it out from them as if on confessed sins and manifest blasphemy. For since they knew that if the matter should come to an examination and an accurate judgment, it would acquit Him of all blame, they condemn Him among themselves, and they forestall the hearers, saying, "You have heard the blasphemy," all but compelling and forcing them to cast their vote. What then do they say? "He is guilty of death;" so that having taken Him as one condemned, they might thus prepare Pilate to make his decision. Which indeed they, being conscious of it, say, "He is guilty of death;" they themselves accusing, they themselves judging, they themselves voting, they themselves being everything at that time. And why did they not bring up the Sabbaths? Because He had often silenced them; and besides, they wanted to catch and condemn Him from the things being said then. And having anticipated, and having brought the vote from them, and having drawn everyone's attention by tearing his tunic, having then led Him away as condemned to Pilate, thus he did everything. Before him, at least, they say no such thing; but what? "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you;" attempting to destroy him on public charges. And why did they not kill Him secretly? They wished also to slander His reputation. For since many had already heard Him, and were marveling at Him and were astonished, for this reason they were eager for Him to be slain publicly and in the presence of all. But Christ did not prevent it, but He used their wickedness for the establishment of the truth, so that His death might become manifest. And the opposite came to pass from what they wished. For they wished to make a public spectacle of Him, as if to put Him to shame in this way; but He shone forth all the more even through these very things. And just as they said, Let us destroy him, lest the Romans come,

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ἀπροσδοκήτως, εἵλοντο καὶ τὸ πάσχα ἀφεῖναι, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν φονικὴν αὐτῶν ἐμπλῆσαι ἐπιθυμίαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ συνήχθησαν ἅπαντες, καὶ συνέδριον ἦν λοιμῶν, καὶ ἐρωτῶσί τινα, βουλόμενοι σχῆμα περιθεῖναι τῇ ἐπιβουλῇ ταύτῃ δικαστηρίου. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦσαν ἴσαι αἱ μαρτυρίαι, φησίν· οὕτω πεπλασμένον τὸ δικαστήριον ἦν, καὶ θορύβου πάντα καὶ ταραχῆς. Ἐλθόντες δὲ ψευδομάρτυρες ἔλεγον, ὅτι Οὗτος εἶπεν, ὅτι Λύσω τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν. Καὶ μὴν εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐν τρισὶν, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶπε, Λύω, ἀλλὰ, Λύσατε· καὶ οὐδὲ περὶ ἐκείνου, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ἰδίου. Τί οὖν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς; Βουλόμενος αὐτὸν εἰς ἀπολογίαν καταστῆσαι, ἵνα ἐξ αὐτῆς αὐτὸν ἕλῃ, φησίν· Οὐκ ἀκούεις, τί οὗτοί σου καταμαρτυροῦσιν; Ὁ δὲ ἐσίγα. Ἀνόνητα γὰρ ἦν τὰ τῆς ἀπολογίας, οὐδενὸς ἀκούοντος. Καὶ γὰρ σχῆμα τοῦτο δικαστηρίου ἦν μόνον· τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς, λῃστῶν ἔφοδος, ὡς ἐν σπηλαίῳ καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ ἁπλῶς ἐπελθόντων. ∆ιὸ ἐσίγα· ὁ δὲ ἐπέμενε λέγων· Ἐξορκίζω σε κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ἵνα ἡμῖν εἴπῃς, εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. Ὁ δὲ εἶπε, Σὺ εἶπας. Πλὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπάρτι ὄψεσθε τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καθήμενον ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν. Τότε ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς διέῤῥηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ λέγων, Ἐβλασφήμησε. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίησε, σφοδροτέραν τὴν κατηγορίαν ποιῶν, καὶ τὸ λεχθὲν ἐπαίρων διὰ τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰς φόβον ἐνέβαλε τοὺς ἀκροατὰς τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅπερ ἐπὶ Στεφάνου πεποιήκασι, τὰ ὦτα συσχόντες, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὗτος. γʹ. Καίτοι ποία βλασφημία αὕτη; Καὶ γὰρ ἔμπροσθεν ἦν εἰρηκὼς, συνηγμένων αὐτῶν· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, καὶ ἡρμήνευσε τὸ εἰρημένον· καὶ οὐδὲν ἐτόλμησαν εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐσίγησαν, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου οὐκέτι λοιπὸν ἀντεῖπον. Πῶς οὖν νῦν βλασφημίαν τὸ εἰρημένον ἐκάλουν; Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὕτως ἀπεκρίνατο; Πᾶσαν αὐτῶν ἀναιρῶν 58.755 ἀπολογίαν, ὅτι μέχρις ἐσχάτης ἡμέρας ἐδίδασκεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν κάθηται τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ὅτι ἥξει πάλιν κρίνων τὴν οἰκουμένην, ὃ πολλὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν συμφωνίαν δηλοῦντος ἦν. ∆ιαῤῥήξας τοίνυν αὐτοῦ τὰ ἱμάτιά φησι· Τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ; Οὐ φέρει τὴν ψῆφον οἴκοθεν, ἀλλὰ παρ' ἐκείνων αὐτὴν ὡς ἐπὶ ὡμολογημένων ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ βλασφημίας δήλης ἐκκαλεῖται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ᾔδεσαν, ὅτι εἰ τὸ πρᾶγμα εἰς ἐξέτασιν ἔλθοι καὶ διάγνωσιν ἀκριβῆ, ἀπαλλάττει πάσης αὐτὸν αἰτίας, παρ' ἑαυτοῖς αὐτὸν καταδικάζουσι, καὶ προκαταλαμβάνουσι τοὺς ἀκροατὰς λέγοντες, Ὑμεῖς ἠκούσατε τῆς βλασφημίας, μόνον οὐχὶ καταναγκάζοντες καὶ βιαζόμενοι τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενεγκεῖν. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνοι; Ἔνοχός ἐστι θανάτου· ἵν' ὡς κατάδικον λαβόντες, οὕτω τὸν Πιλάτον λοιπὸν ἀποφήνασθαι παρασκευάσωσιν. Ὃ δὴ κἀκεῖνοι συνειδότες φασὶν, Ἔνοχος θανάτου ἐστίν· αὐτοὶ κατηγοροῦντες, αὐτοὶ δικάζοντες, αὐτοὶ ψηφιζόμενοι, πάντα αὐτοὶ γινόμενοι τότε. Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἤνεγκαν τὰ σάββατα εἰς μέσον; Ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτοὺς ἐπεστόμισεν· ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν τότε λεγομένων ἐβούλοντο αὐτὸν ἑλεῖν καὶ καταδικάσαι. Καὶ προλαβὼν, καὶ τὴν ψῆφον παρ' αὐτῶν ἐνεγκὼν, καὶ πάντας ἐπισπασάμενος διὰ τοῦ ῥῆξαι τὸν χιτωνίσκον, ὡς κατάδικον λοιπὸν ἀπαγαγὼν πρὸς τὸν Πιλάτον, οὕτως ἅπαντα ἔπραττεν. Ἐπ' ἐκείνου γοῦν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτόν φασιν· ἀλλὰ τί; Εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος κακοποιὸς, οὐκ ἄν σοι παρεδώκαμεν αὐτόν· ἀπὸ δημοσίων ἐγκλημάτων ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπιχειροῦντες. Καὶ διατί μὴ λάθρα αὐτὸν ἀνεῖλον; Ἠβούλοντο καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ διαβαλεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ ἦσαν ἤδη ἀκηκοότες αὐτοῦ, καὶ θαυμάζοντες αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκπληττόμενοι, διὰ τοῦτο ἐσπούδασαν δημοσίᾳ καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων σφαγῆναι. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐκείνων πονηρίᾳ εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας σύστασιν ἀπεχρήσατο, ὥστε κατάδηλον αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι τὸν θάνατον. Καὶ τοὐναντίον ἐξέβαινεν, ἤπερ ἐβούλοντο. Αὐτοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἐκπομπεύειν ἤθελον, ὡς ταύτῃ καταισχύνοντες· αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τούτων μᾶλλον ἐξέλαμπε. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἔλεγον, Ἀνέλωμεν αὐτὸν, μήποτε ἔλθωσιν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι,