John Chrysostom, In illud Pater meus usque modo operatur

ἱερῷ τὸ σάββατον βεβηλοῦσι, καὶ ἀναίτιοί εἰσιν; Ὁρᾷς πῶς, ὅτε μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν δούλων ποιεῖται τὸν λό63.516 γον, τοὺς δούλους εἰς μέσον φέρει, τὸν ∆αυῒδ καὶ τοὺς ἱερέας· ὅτε δὲ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν Πατέρα; Εἰ δέ που καὶ ἑτέραις κέχρηται ἀπολογίαις, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Εἰ περιτομὴν λαμβάνει ἄνθρωπος, ἐμοὶ χολᾶτε, ὅτι ὅλον ἄνθρωπον ὑγιῆ ἐποιησάμην ἐν σαββάτῳ; καὶ πάλιν· Τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐστιν, ὃς οὐ λύει τὸ πρόβατον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν βοῦν; οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· οὐ γὰρ πάντα ὡς Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος διαλέγεται, ἐπειδὴ καὶ Θεὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἦν. Ἐνταῦθα μέντοι πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φθέγγεται λέγων· Ὁ Πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, Ἐδίωκον αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐ μόνον ὅτι ἔλυε τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ Πατέρα ἴδιον ἔλεγε τὸν Θεὸν, ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐγὼ δὲ κἀκεῖνο ἡδέως ἂν ἐροίμην τὸν αἱρετικόν· Πατέρα ἴδιον ἔλεγε τὸν Θεὸν, ἢ οὐκ ἔλεγε; τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ὑπονοίας τοῦτο ἦν, ἢ τῆς ἀποφάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ; κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις ἀναισχυντῇ, παρὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλέγχεται. Ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ὁ Πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι· ἔλυε τὸ σάββατον ἢ οὐκ ἔλυεν; Εὔδηλον ὅτι ἔλυεν· Ἐργάζομαι. φησὶ, κἀκεῖνος ἐργάζεται.

Οὐκοῦν οὐδέτερον τούτων τῆς ὑπονοίας ἦν τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατασκευῆς τε καὶ ἀποφάσεως, καὶ τὸ λύειν τὸ σάββατον, καὶ τὸ Πατέρα ἴδιον λέγειν τὸν Θεόν. Πῶς οὖν, ταῦτα λέγων τῆς ἀποφάσεως εἶναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐκεῖνο τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὑπονοίας λέγεις, ἐφεξῆς κείμενον καὶ συνημμένον τούτῳ, καὶ ὁμοίως ἀπηγγελμένον παρὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ; Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ἀπαγγελία τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ ἐστιν, ἑρμηνεύοντος τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰρημένα. ∆ιὸ καὶ Ἰουδαίων ἐγκαλούντων ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ἐδίωκον αὐτὸν, οὐ μόνον ὅτι ἔλυε τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ Πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ ἔλεγε τὸν Θεὸν, ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν κατὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἔλεγχος ἀρκοῦν ἔχει τὸ τέλος· εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε καὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν μαθεῖν τίς ποτέ ἐστιν ἣν ὁ Πατὴρ ἐργάζεται, καὶ ἣν ὁ Υἱὸς, τὴν πρόνοιαν εἴποιμι ἂν τῶν ὄντων, τὴν διακράτησιν, τὴν κηδεμονίαν. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ φαινόμενα πάντα ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις γέγονε· Καὶ κατέπαυσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ· ἡ δὲ πρόνοια αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐπαύσατο. Ταύτην τοίνυν τὴν πρόνοιαν ἐργασίαν καλεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς, λέγων· Ὁ Πατήρ μου ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι, προνοῶν, κηδόμενος, διακρατῶν, φησὶ, συνέχων, οὐδὲν ἀφιεὶς διαῤῥυῆναι. ∆εξάμενοι τοιγαροῦν τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων τὴν ἀπόδειξιν καὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων, ἀκριβῆ πολιτείαν καὶ συμβαίνουσαν τοῖς δόγμασι προσθῶμεν· ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἡμῖν μόνη ἡ τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων γνῶσις, ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ πολιτείας ἀρίστης, ἵνα διὰ πάντων δόξαν ἀναπέμψαντες τῷ Θεῷ ἐπιτύχωμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.