12. The Lord an example of timely flight.

Wherefore also the Word Himself, being made man for our sakes, condescended to hide Himself when He was sought after, as we do: and also when He was persecuted, to flee and avoid the designs of His enemies. For it became Him, as by hunger and thirst and suffering, so also by hiding Himself and fleeing, to shew that He had taken our flesh, and was made man. Thus at the very first, as soon as He became man, when He was a little child, He Himself by His Angel commanded Joseph, ‘Arise, and take the young Child and His Mother, and flee into Egypt; for Herod will seek the young Child’s life48    Matt. ii. 13..’ And when Herod was dead, we find Him withdrawing to Nazareth by reason of Archelaus his son. And when afterwards He was shewing Himself to be God, and made whole the withered hand, the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him; but when Jesus knew it, He withdrew Himself from thence49    Matt. xii. 15.. So also when He raised Lazarus from the dead, ‘from that day forth,’ says the Scripture, ‘they took counsel for to put Him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence into the country near to the wilderness50    John xi. 53, 54..’ Again, when our Saviour said, ‘Before Abraham was, I am,’ ‘the Jews took up stones to cast at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple51    John viii. 58, 59..’ And ‘going through the midst of them, He went His way,’ and ‘so passed by52    Luke iv. 30..’

12 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Λόγος δι' ἡμᾶς γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος κατηξίωσε ζητούμενος ὡς ἡμεῖς κρυβῆναι· καὶ πάλιν διωκόμενος, φεύγειν καὶ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐκκλῖναι. Ἔπρεπε γὰρ αὐτόν, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ πεινῆν καὶ διψῆν καὶ τοῦ παθεῖν, οὕτως καὶ ἐκ τούτου δεικνύειν ἑαυτὸν φοροῦντα σάρκα καὶ γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον. Ἐξ ἀρχῆς μὲν γὰρ ἅμα τῷ γενέσθαι ἄνθρωπος, ὅτε παιδίον ἦν, αὐτὸς διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἐνετείλατο τῷ Ἰωσήφ· «ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον· μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρώδης ζητεῖν τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παιδίου». Καὶ ἀποθανόντος δὲ Ἡρώδου φαίνεται δι' Ἀρχέλαον τὸνυἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἀναχωρῶν εἰς τὴν Ναζαρέτ. Ὅτε δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ Θεὸν ἑαυτὸν ἐδείκνυε, καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν χεῖρα πεποίηκεν ὑγιῆ, «οἱ μὲν Φαρισαῖοι ἐξελθόντες συμβούλιον ἔλαβον κατ' αὐτοῦ ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀπολέσωσιν, ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς γνοὺς ἀνεχώρησεν ἐκεῖθεν». Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὅτε τὸν Λάζαρον ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, «ἀπ' ἐκείνης, φησί, τῆς ἡμέρας ἐβουλεύσαντο, ἵνα ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτόν. Ὁ οὖν Ἰησοῦς οὐκέτι παρρησίᾳ περιεπάτει ἐν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ἀλλ' ἀπῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐρήμου». Εἶτα λέγοντος τοῦ Σωτῆρος· «πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγώ εἰμι», οἱ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι ἦραν λίθους ἵνα βάλωσιν ἐπ' αὐτόν, ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἐκρύβη καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, καὶ διελθὼν διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως.