Barabbas preferred. Pilate and Lysias compared. 1129

XXVII.

was a question? For, if in the case of acknowledged Matt. offenders it was fit there should be liberation, much more 22-24. in those of whom there was a doubt. For surely this Man did not seem to them worse than acknowledged murderers. For on this account, it is not merely said they had a robber; but one noted, that is, who was infamous in wickedness, who had perpetrated countless murders. But nevertheless even him did they prefer to the Saviour of the world, and neither did they reverence the season because it was holy, nor the laws of humanity, nor any other thing of the kind, but envy had once for all blinded them. And besides their own wickedness, they corrupt the people also, that for deceiving them too they might suffer the most extreme punishment.

Since therefore they ask for the other, He saith, What v. 22. shall I do then with the Christ, in this way desiring to put them to the blush, by giving them the power to choose, that at least out of shame they might ask for Him, and the whole should be of their bountifulness. For though to say, He had not done wrong, made them more contentious, yet to require that He should be saved out of humanity, carries with it persuasion and entreaty that cannot be gainsaid.

But even then they said, Crucify Him. But he said, Why, v.22.24. what evil hath He done? but they cried out exceedingly, Let Him be crucified. But he, when he saw that he profited nothing, washed his hands, saying, I am innocent. Why then didst thou deliver Him up? Why didst thou not rescue Him, as the centurion did Paul. For that man too was Acts 21. aware that he would please the Jews; and a sedition had. taken place on his account, and a tumult, nevertheless he stood firm against all. But not so this man, but he was extremely unmanly and weak, and all were corrupt together. For neither did this man stand firm against the multitude, nor the multitude against the Jews; and in every way their excuse was taken away. For they cried out exceedingly, that is, cried out the more, Let Him be crucified. For they desired not only to put Him to death, but also that it should

bi. e. the Jewish rulers; Mr. Field has observed in his note on this passage,

that of 'lovdarot is thus used, especially
in St. John's Gospel.

LX XXVI.

1130 The Jews' imprecation. All who repent escape it.

HOMIL. be on a charge of wickedness, and though the judge was contradicting them, they continued to cry out the same thing.

Seest thou how many things Christ did in order to recover them? For like as He oftentimes checked Judas, so likewise did He restrain these men too, both throughout all His Gospel, and at the very time of His condemnation. For surely when they saw the ruler and the judge washing his hands of it, and saying, I am innocent of This Blood, they should have been moved to compunction both by what was said, and by what was done, as well when they saw Judas had hanged himself, as when they saw Pilate himself entreating them to take another in the place of Him. For when the accuser and traitor condemns himself, and he who gives sentence puts off from himself the guilt, and such a vision appears the very night, and even as condemned he begs Him off, what kind of plea will they have? For if they were not willing that He should be innocent, yet they should not have preferred to him even a robber, one that was acknowledged to be such, and very notorious.

What then did they? When they saw the judge washing v. 25. his hands, and saying, I am innocent, they cried out, His Blood be on us, and on our children. Then at length when they had given sentence against themselves, he yielded that all should be done.

See here too their great madness. For passion and wicked desire are like this. They suffer not men to see any thing of what is right. For be it that ye curse yourselves; why do you draw down the curse upon your children also?

Nevertheless, the Lover of man, though they acted with so much madness, both against themselves, and against their children, so far from confirming their sentence upon their children, confirmed it not even on them, but from the one and from the other received those that repented, and counts them worthy of good things beyond number. For indeed even Paul was of them, and the thousands that believed in Acts Jerusalem; For thou seest', it is said, brother, how many 21, 20. thousands of Jews there are which believe. And if some continued [in their sin], to themselves let them impute their punishment.

Many warnings given in vain to obstinate sinners. 1131

Then released he Barabbas unto them, but Jesus, when MATT. he had scourged Him, he delivered to be crucified.

1

XXVII. 26.

And wherefore did he scourge Him. Either as one condemned, or willing to invest the judgment with due form, or v. 26. to please them. And yet he ought to have resisted them. For indeed even before this he had said, 1 Take ye Him, and John 18, 31. judge Him according to your law. And there were many things that might have held back him and those men, the signs and the miracles, and the great patience of Him, Who was suffering these things, and above all His untold silence. For since both by His defence of Himself, and by His prayers, He had shewn His humanity, again He sheweth His exaltedness and the greatness of His nature, both by His silence, and by His contemning what is said; by all leading them on to marvel at Himself. But to none of these things did they give way. For when once the reason- [3.] ing powers are overwhelmed as it were by intoxication or some wild insanity, it would be hard for the sinking soul to rise again, if it be not very noble.

For it is fearful, it is fearful to give place to these wicked passions, wherefore it were fit in every way to ward off and repel their entering in. For when they have laid hold of the soul, and got the dominion over it, like as fire lighting upon a wood, so do they kindle the flame to a blaze.

Wherefore I entreat you to do all things so as to fence off their entrance; and not by comforting yourselves with this heartless reasoning to bring in upon yourselves all wickedness, saying, What of this? What of that? For countless ills have their birth from hence. For the devil, being depraved, makes use of much craft, and exertion, and selfabasement for the ruin of men, and begins his attack on them with things of a more trifling nature.

And mark it, he desired to bring Saul into the superstition of witchcraft. But if he had counselled this at the beginning, the other would not have given heed; for how should he, who was even driving them out? Therefore gently and by little and little he leads him on to it. For when he had disobeyed Samuel, and had caused the burnt-offering to be offered, when he was not present, being blamed for it, πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον θαῦμα.

с

1132

Satan leads us through little sins to greater,

HOMIL. he says, The' compulsion from the enemy was too great, and LXXXVI. when he ought to have bewailed, he felt as though he had done nothing.

1 cf.

1 Sam. 13, 12. and 28,

15.

Again God gave him the commands about the Amalekites, but he transgressed these too. Thence he proceeded to his crimes about David, and thus slipping easily and by little and little he stayed not, until he came unto the very pit of destruction, and cast himself in. So likewise in the case of Cain, he did not at once urge him to slay his brother, since he would not have persuaded him, but first wrought upon him to offer things more or less vile, saying, “ This is no sin:" in the second place he kindled envy and jealousy, saying, Neither is there any thing in this; thirdly, he persuaded him to slay and to deny his murder; and did not leave him before he had put on him the crowning act of evil.

Wherefore it is necessary for us to resist the beginnings. For at any rate, even if the first sins stopped at themselves, not even so were it right to despise the first sins; but now they go on also to what is greater, when the mind is careless. Wherefore we ought to do all things to remove the beginnings of them.

For look not now at the nature of the sin, that it is little, but that it becomes a root of great sin, when neglected. For, if one may say something marvellous, great sins need not so much earnestness, as such as are little, and of small account. For the former the very nature of the sin causes ns to abhor, but the little sins by this very thing cast us into remissness; and allow us not to rouse ourselves heartily for their removal. Wherefore also they quickly become great, while we sleep. This one may see happening in bodies also.

So likewise in the instance of Judas, that great wickedness had its birth. For if it had not seemed to him a little thing to steal the money of the poor, he would not have been led on to this treachery. Unless it had seemed to the Jews a little thing to be taken captive by vainglory, they would not have run on the rock of becoming Christ's murderers. And indeed all evils we may see arise from this.

For no one quickly and at once rusheth out into vices. For the soul hath, yea it hath a shame implanted in us, and a reverence for right things; and it would not at once become

and so to despair. He uses pretexts of devotion. 1133

XXVII.

26.

so shameless as in one act to cast away every thing, but MATT. slowly, and by little and little doth it perish, when it is careless. Thus also did idolatry enter in, men being honoured beyond measure, both the living and the departed; thus also were idols worshipped; thus too did whoredom prevail, and the other evils.

And see. One man laughed unseasonably; another blamed him; a third took away the fear, by saying, Nothing comes of this. "For what is laughing? What can come of it?" Of this is bred foolish jesting; from that filthy talking; then filthy doings.

Again, another being blamed for slandering his neighbours, and reviling, and calumniating, despised it, saying, "evilspeaking is nothing. By this he begets hatred unspeakable, revilings without end; by the revilings blows, and by the blows oftentimes murder.

[4.] From these little things then that wicked spirit thus brings in the great sins; and from the great despair; having invented this other wile not less mischievous than the former. For to sin destroys not so much as to despair. For he that hath offended, if he be vigilant, speedily by repentance amends what hath been done; but he that hath learnt to despond, and doth not repent, by reason thereof fails of this amendment by not applying the remedies from repentance.

1

7,

And he hath a third grievous snare; as when he invests the sin with show of devotion. And where hath the devil so far prevailed as to deceive to this degree? Hear, and beware of his devices. Christ by Paul commanded that a11 Cor. woman depart not from her husband, and not to defraud 10. one another, except by consent; but some from a love of continence forsooth, having withdrawn from their own husbands, as though they were doing something devout, have driven them to adultery. Consider now what an evil it is that they, undergoing so much toil, should be blamed as having committed the greatest injustice, and should suffer extreme punishment, and drive their husbands into the pit of destruction.

Others again, abstaining from meats by a rule of fasting, have by degrees gone so far as to abhor them; which even of itself brings a very great punishment.