Letter 221: Advice given seems like a warning.

To Titianos. What it signifies that Peter cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. The one who associates with Jesus and has his mind following Jesus defends the Teacher when he is blasphemed, as Peter did. Since the Jews were sick with disobedience, not attending to the law that commanded them to hear and obey in all things whatsoever Christ would speak as teacher, Peter cut off the ear of the servant who belonged to the high priest, showing that the servant of disobedience had lost the capacity to hear the word of truth. But the Lord, healing what Peter had severed, demonstrated that even those who have lost the ability to hear through their own obstinacy can be restored by divine grace. Peter's violence, though born of zeal, was corrected by the Lord's gentleness, teaching us that the cause of truth is not advanced by the sword but by the healing power of love and mercy. The servant's restored ear became itself a sermon, proclaiming that Christ came not to destroy but to save, and that his kingdom would be built not upon coercion but upon the willing reception of his word.

ΣΚΑ΄. – ΤΙΤΙΑΝΩ. Τι σημαίνει τὸ, ἀποκόψαι Πέτρον τοῦ δούλου τοῦ ἀρχιερέως τὸ ὠτίον. Ὁ μετὰ Ἰησοῦ ἀναστρεφόμενος, καὶ ἀκολουθοῦσαν ἔχων τῷ Ἰησοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, ἀμύνει βλασφημου- μένῳ τῷ Διδασκάλῳ, ὡς Πέτρος, [ὅς] ἐπειδὴ ἀν- ηκοΐαν ἐνόσουν Ἰουδαῖοι, οὐδὲ τῷ νόμῳ προσέχοντες ἀκούειν κατὰ πάντα ὅσα Χριστὸς λαλήσει διδάσκοντι, τὸ οὖς τοῦ οἰκέτου ἀπέτεμε, τοῦ τῷ ἱερεῖ διαφέρον- τος, δοῦλον εἶναι τῆς ἀπειθείας τοῦ νόμου τὸν ἱερέα δηλῶν, καὶ χρήζοντα μαχαίρας εἰς ἀποτομὴν τῆς ἀντιλογίας. ΣΖ΄. – ΠΑΥΛΟ. Ἐκεῖνος, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι, δικαιότατός ἐστι τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων κριτὴς, ὁ μὴ τὰ μέγιστα ἀξιώ- ματα έκπληττόμενος, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις τὸ ἐνδέον ἐξ εΰνυμίας χορηγῶν, καὶ νέμων ἐν ταῖς τι- μαῖς ἑκάστῳ τὸ πρὸς ἀξίαν, ἐν ταῖς διαγνώσεσι φυλάττει τὸ ἔσον ἅπασι, τῷ δικαίῳ πανταχοῦ μέτρῳ D χρώμενος. ΣΙΒ΄. – ΘΕΟΓΝΩΣΤΩ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Περὶ τῶν τριῶν ἡμερονυκτίων τῆς ταφῆς τοῦ Κυρίου. Λίαν θαυμάζω καὶ ἐκπλήττομαι τὴν ἄνοιαν τῶν ζητούντων, δι' ἣν αἰτίαν ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸ τῶν τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἀνέστη (10). Εἰ μὲν γάρ φασιν αὐτὸν μηδ' ὅλως ἐγηγέρθαι, τίνος ἕνεκεν περὶ χρόνου ἀκριβο- λογοῦνται; Εἰ δ᾽ ἐγηγέρθαι μὲν, θᾶττον δὲ ἢ ἐπηγ- γείλατο, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐγηγέρθαι, καὶ τὸ πάντως ἠληθευ- κέναι αὐτὸν συναποδεδείχθαι νομιζέτωσαν. Τὸ γὰρ ἀδύνατον καὶ ὃν καὶ δοκοῦν, ὅσον πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀν- θρώπων ἀσθένειαν, φημὶ, κατορθώσας, οὐκ ἂν περὶ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐξησθένησεν, εἰ καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα τὸ μὲν· βραδέως ἀναστῆναι, ἀσθενείας, τὸ δὲ ταχέως, δυνά- μεως μεγίστης τεκμήριον καθέστηκεν. Ἐχρῆν μὲν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τοὺς μυρίους τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν θεῶν καταλόγους ἀφανίσαι, τὰ τε εἰδωλεῖα πάντα καταστρέ ψαι, καὶ τοὺς ἀνοσίους βωμοὺς τοὺς ὑπ' ἀνθρωπίνων αἱμάτων φοινισσομένους σβέσαι, καὶ τὸν μὲν διάβο λον ἐκνευρίσαι, τοὺς δὲ δαίμονας φυγαδεῦσαι, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀνήμερα φύλα τιθασσεῦσαι, τοὺς δὲ Ἰουδαίους μεγίσταις συμφοραῖς περιβαλεῖν, καὶ τοὺς πιστεύ- σαντας αὐτῷ ὑπὲρ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναγαγεῖν, προσκυ- νῆσαι τὴν θείαν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀήττητον δύναμιν, καὶ μὴ περὶ ὡρῶν διαφέρεσθαι. Τὰ γὰρ μέγιστα καὶ κρείτ· τονα· λόγου οὐκ ἂν ὑπὸ μικρῶν ἀνατραπείη. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ περιουσία πολλὴ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ χωρῆσαι τὸ πρᾶγμα πειράσομαι. ᾿Ακροβολι- σμοῦ τοίνυν ἕνεκεν εἰρήσεται πρὸς αὐτοὺς· ᾿Αρα εἰ χρεώστην τινὰ ἐπαγγειλάμενον τῷ οἰκείῳ δανειστῇ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας πληρώσειν τὸ χρέος, πρὸ τῆς προθεσμίας πληρώσαντα θεασοίμεθα, ὡς ψευσάμενον κρινοῦμεν, ἢ ὡς πλέον ἀληθεύσαντα θαυμασόμεθα; ΣΙΘ. – ΟΥΡΣΕΝΟΥΦΙΟ ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΤΗ. Β' Βασιλειών. Περὶ ᾿Αβεσαλώμ, καὶ τοῦ τελευτή- σαντος πλήθους ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ τοῦ λοιμοῦ (62), D ὀπηνίκα Δαβὶδ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἐξηρίθμησεν. Ὁ μὲν ᾿Αβεσαλώμ δίκην παρὰ τῆς θείας ἀπητήθη ΣΚΑ ΤΟ ΑΥΤΟ Ἴσθι, ὦ ἀγαθὲ, ὅτι εἰ οἰστὰ καὶ φορητὰ καὶ εὐΐατα πταίσοιμεν, καὶ πάθοιμέν τι ἐνταῦθα δεινὸν, ἀποτριβόμεθα τὰ πταίσματα· εἰ δὲ ἀπάνθρωπα καὶ δεινὰ, κἀκεῖσε τιμωρηθησόμεθα, κουφότερον μὲν, εἰ κἀνταῦθα τι πάθοιμεν, βαρύτερον δὲ, εἰ ἀπαθεῖς. ἁπέλθοιμεν· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ λέγειν ἔχοις ὡς αὕτη ἀπό φασίς έστι καὶ οὐκ ἀπόδειξις, διὰ μαρτυριῶν ἀξιω η χρέων βαδιεῖται ὁ λόγος. Περὶ οὖν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἀπη τριβομένων τὰ πταίσματα, μάρτυς παραγραφέν μὴ ἐπιδεχόμενος ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, λέγων περὶ τῶν ἀναξίως τῶν μυστηρίων μετειληφότων· « Διὰ τοῦτο ἐν ὑμῖν πολλοὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ἄῤῥωστοι, καὶ κοιμῶντα: ἱκανοί· εἰ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς διεκρίνομεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα· κρινόμενοι δὲ, ὑπὸ Κυρίου παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶ μεν. » Καὶ τὸ εἰρημένον δὲ πρὸς τὸν ᾿Αποτηγανιζό. μενον πλούσιον, ταύτης ἐστὶ τῆς ἐννοίας, ὅτι « ᾿Απ- έλαβες τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ του, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ