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from all sides their defense was taken away. For they cried out the more, that is, they cried out more loudly, Let him be crucified. For they not only wished to kill him, but also on a wicked charge, and while the judge spoke against it, they persisted, shouting the same things. Do you see how many things Christ did, so as to win them back? For just as He often tried to check Judas, so also He was holding these men back, both throughout the whole gospel, and at the very time of the judgment. For when they saw the ruler and judge washing his hands and saying, I am innocent of this blood, they ought to have felt compunction both because of the words and because of the deeds; and when they saw Judas hang himself, and when he was exhorting them to take another in His place. 58.766 For when the accuser and betrayer condemns himself, and the one who casts the vote repudiates the charges, and such a vision appears in that very night, and he asks for his release as a condemned man, what defense will they have? For if they did not wish him to be innocent. but they ought not to have also preferred a robber to him, the one who was a confessed and exceedingly notorious criminal. What then did they do? When they saw the judge washing his hands and saying, I am innocent, they cried out, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then indeed, at last, when they brought forth the verdict against themselves, He allowed all things to happen. But behold here also their great madness. For such is impulse, and wicked desire; it does not permit one to see anything that is needful. For let it be so, you curse yourselves; why do you also draw the curse upon your children? But nevertheless the Lover of mankind, though they used such great madness, both against themselves and against their children, not only did not ratify the verdict upon their children, but not even upon themselves, but He received from both them and from those children the ones who repented, and deemed them worthy of countless good things. For indeed Paul was from them, and the myriads of those who believed in Jerusalem, (for "You see, brother," he says, "how many thousands there are of Jews who have believed") were from these. But if some remained, let them reckon the punishment to themselves. Then he released Barabbas to them, but having scourged Jesus, he delivered Him over to be crucified. And why did he scourge Him? Either as a condemned man, or wishing to give a form to the judgment, or to gratify them. And yet he ought to have stood firm. For indeed even before this he said, You take Him, and judge Him according to your law. And there were many things able to restrain both him and them: both the signs and the wonders, and the great long-suffering of Him who was suffering these things, and especially His unspeakable silence. For since both by the things with which He defended Himself and by the things for which He prayed He showed His human nature, again He displays His high and magnanimous nature both by His silence and by despising the things being said, by all these things leading them to their proper wonder. But they yielded to none of these things. 3. For when once the thoughts are seized, as if by some strange drunkenness or madness, it is difficult for the falling soul to recover, if it is not exceedingly noble. For it is a terrible thing, a terrible thing to give place to these wicked passions; wherefore one must in every way beat back and thrust out their entrance. For when they take hold of the soul, and get mastery, just like fire falling upon fuel, so they kindle a brilliant flame. Therefore I exhort you to do everything, so as to wall up the entrance against them; nor, comforting yourselves with this cold reasoning, bring in all wickedness, saying, What is the harm in this, or what in that? for countless evils are born from this. For the devil, being abominable, uses much [malice and vigor and] condescension for the destruction of men, and he attacks from the smaller things. But consider. He wished to cast Saul into the nonsense of a ventriloquist. But if he had advised this from the beginning, that man would not have paid attention; for how could he, who was even driving them out? For this reason 58.767 gently and little by little he leads him in. For since he disobeyed Samuel, and when he did not come, prepared for the burnt offering to be brought up, being accused, he says, The necessity from the enemies became greater; and

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πανταχόθεν αὐτῶν ἡ ἀπολογία ἀνῄρητο. Καὶ γὰρ Περισσῶς ἔκραζον, τουτέστι, μᾶλλον ἔκραζον, Σταυρωθήτω. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνελεῖν μόνον ἤθελον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πονηρᾷ αἰτίᾳ, καὶ τοῦ δικάζοντος ἀντιλέγοντος ἐπέμενον τὰ αὐτὰ βοῶντες. Εἶδες πόσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἀνακτήσασθαι; Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸν Ἰούδαν ἀνεκρούετο πολλάκις, οὕτω καὶ τούτους ἀνέστελλε, διά τε παντὸς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, καὶ παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν τῆς κρίσεως. Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε εἶδον τὸν ἄρχοντα καὶ δικάζοντα ἀπονιψάμενον καὶ λέγοντα, Ἀθῶός εἰμι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος τούτου, ἔδει κατανυγῆναι καὶ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων· καὶ ὅτε τὸν Ἰούδαν ἀπαγξάμενον, καὶ ὅτε αὐτὸν παρακαλοῦντα, ἕτερον ἀντ' αὐτοῦ λα 58.766 βεῖν. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ κατήγορος καὶ προδότης ἑαυτὸν καταδικάζῃ, καὶ ὁ ψηφιζόμενος ἀποδύηται τὰ ἐγκλήματα, καὶ ὄψις τοιαύτη κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν νύκτα φαίνηται, καὶ ὡς κατάδικον αὐτὸν ἐξαιτῆται, ποίαν ἕξουσιν ἀπολογίαν; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐβούλοντο ἀθῶον εἶναι. ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ λῃστὴν αὐτοῦ προτιμῆσαι ἔδει, τὸν ὡμολογημένον καὶ σφόδρα ἐπίσημον ὄντα. Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνοι; Ἐπειδὴ τὸν δικαστὴν εἶδον νιπτόμενον τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ λέγοντα, Ἀθῶός εἰμι, ἔκραζον· Τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐπὶ τί τέκνα ἡμῶν. Τότε δὴ λοιπὸν, ὅτε καθ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκαν, συνεχώρησε πάντα γενέσθαι. Θέα δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν πολλὴν παραπληξίαν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ ὁρμὴ, καὶ ἡ πονηρὰ ἐπιθυμία· οὐκ ἀφίησί τι τῶν δεόντων ἰδεῖν. Ἔστω γὰρ, ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπαρᾶσθε· τί καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα τὴν ἀρὰν ἕλκετε; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, τοσαύτῃ μανίᾳ χρησαμένων, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτῶν καὶ κατὰ τῶν παίδων, οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῶν παίδων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τὴν ψῆφον ἐκύρωσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνων ἐδέξατο τοὺς μετανοήσαντας, καὶ μυρίων ἠξίωσεν ἀγαθῶν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Παῦλος ἐξ αὐτῶν ἦν, καὶ αἱ μυριάδες τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, (Θεωρεῖς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀδελφὲ, πόσαι μυριάδες εἰσὶν Ἰουδαίων τῶν πεπιστευκότων·) ἐκ τούτων ἦσαν. Εἰ δέ τινες ἐναπέμειναν, ἑαυτοῖς λογιζέσθωσαν τὴν τιμωρίαν. Τότε ἀπέλυσεν αὐτοῖς τὸν Βαραββᾶν, τὸν δὲ Ἰησοῦν φραγελλώσας παρέδωκεν, ἵνα σταυρωθῇ. Καὶ διὰ τί ἐφραγέλλωσεν; Ἢ ὡς κατάδικον, ἢ σχῆμα περιθεῖναι τῇ κρίσει βουλόμενος, ἢ ἐκείνοις χαρίσασθαι. Καίτοιγε ἐνστῆναι ἐχρῆν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ πρὸ τούτου εἶπε· Λάβετε αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὑμῶν κρίνατε αὐτόν. Καὶ πολλὰ ἦν τὰ δυνάμενα αὐτὸν κἀκείνους ἀναχαιτίσαι, καὶ τὰ σημεῖα, καὶ τὰ θαύματα, καὶ ἡ πολλὴ τοῦ ταῦτα πάσχοντος ἀνεξικακία, καὶ ἡ σιγὴ μάλιστα ἡ ἄφατος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ δι' ὧν ἀπελογήσατο καὶ δι' ὧν ηὔξατο τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἔδειξε, πάλιν τὸ ὑψηλὸν καὶ μεγαλοφυὲς καὶ διὰ τῆς σιγῆς καὶ διὰ τοῦ καταφρονεῖν τῶν λεγομένων ἐπιδείκνυται, διὰ πάντων αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἐνάγων θαῦμα. Ἀλλ' οὐδενὶ τούτων εἶξαν. γʹ. Ὅταν γὰρ ἅπαξ, καθάπερ ὑπὸ μέθης ἢ μανίας τινὸς ἀτόπου κατασχεθῶσιν οἱ λογισμοὶ, δύσκολον ἀνενεγκεῖν μὴ σφόδρα γενναίαν οὖσαν τὴν καταπίπτουσαν ψυχήν. ∆εινὸν γὰρ, δεινὸν τοῖς πονηροῖς πάθεσι τούτοις δοῦναι χώραν· διὸ χρὴ παντὶ τρόπῳ διακρούεσθαι καὶ ἐξωθεῖν αὐτῶν τὴν εἴσοδον. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐπιλάβωνται τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ κρατήσωσι, καθάπερ πῦρ εἰς ὕλην ἐμπεσὸν, οὕτω λαμπρὰν τὴν φλόγα ἀνάπτουσι. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ πάντα ποιεῖν, ὥστε ἀποτειχίζειν αὐτοῖς τὴν εἴσοδον· μηδὲ τούτῳ τῷ λογισμῷ τῷ ψυχρῷ παραμυθουμένους ἑαυτοὺς, πᾶσαν ἐπεισάγειν πονηρίαν, λέγοντας· Τί παρὰ τοῦτο, καὶ τί παρ' ἐκεῖνο; τὰ γὰρ μυρία κακὰ ἐντεῦθεν τίκτεται. Ὁ γὰρ διάβολος μιαρὸς ὢν, πολλῇ κέχρηται τῇ [κακουργίᾳ καὶ εὐτονίᾳ καὶ] συγκαταβάσει πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπώλειαν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μικροτέρων προσβάλλει. Σκόπει δέ. Ἠβούλετο τὸν Σαοὺλ εἰς ἐγγαστριμύθου ληρωδίαν ἐμβαλεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο εἰ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν συνεβούλευσεν, οὐκ ἂν προσέσχεν ἐκεῖνος· πῶς γὰρ, ὁ καὶ ἐλαύνων αὐτάς; ∆ιὰ 58.767 τοῦτο ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν αὐτὸν εἰσάγει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παρήκουσε τοῦ Σαμουὴλ, καὶ παρεσκεύασε μὴ παραγενομένου ἀνενεχθῆναι τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν, ἐγκαλούμενός φησιν, Ἡ ἀνάγκη τῶν πολεμίων ἐγένετο μείζων· καὶ