The Master Defends Himself Against Insulters

The discourse of Asterius, Bishop of Amaseia, concerning the blind man from the womb. We have recently heard the son of thunder, John, but rather the Holy Spirit working through the fisherman and craftsman, writer and scribe, of truly divine and lofty themes. For he explained to us a great and long discourse of the Lord, through which he instructed the disobedient people and the hard-of-hearing in the knowledge of God, drawing their thoughts away from the monarchical concept of the Hebrews, opening for them the door of grace from the legal tradition, and leading them quietly from the old toward the New Covenant, just as from the desert previously to the rich and fruitful land.

But nevertheless, while he was demonstrating in various ways his own existence, as he exists pre-eternally and is always co-inherent with the Father, and shouting loudly to the deaf: 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58). Not having learned the power of the Word, nor having examined through any expert opposition that which was not accepted, they were throwing stones instead of words, and from a distance from the cross, they were exercising their murderous hands toward murder. But he who judges everywhere, having long-suffering toward the insulting and blasphemous people, diverted their anger and the noise, not by returning it humbly, but divinely; who, standing in the midst and feeling about, did not see, and being rubbed against by those burning, did not perceive, but they stood near, killing in their will, because of which they would not find the anger to be fulfilled; like inexperienced hunters, who, when they stir up the hunt before the time, and a certain spear of the deer comes running and disappears, they wander aimlessly through the thicket carrying redundant nets and uselessly pulling the dogs.

As for me, even if I am a lowly servant in all other things, I do not depart from this thought, because I am a slave and it is fitting for me on behalf of the...

A master stands up against those who insult him. Therefore I have cried out to the Hebrews who are present today and acting out of madness: 'You wicked ones, are you throwing stones at the benefactor? For who made you out of stone? You throw stones at the one who made your life like flat stones. You throw at the chosen and precious stone which Isaiah foretold to you (Isaiah 28:16). You throw at the intellectual stone, torn from the unhewn rock without human hands, as the divinely inspired Daniel taught you (Daniel 2:34). You throw at the cornerstone which joins the two walls of the new and the old Testament.'

For even if you do not believe, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham, that is, to gather to Christ a remnant people from among the nations and the uncircumcised, upon which Abraham received the promise when God said to him, 'All the nations will be blessed in you' (Genesis 12:3). By secret foreknowledge, seeing the future, God completed the leader of the faith so that all those destined to believe later would be appointed as children in order.

For He was seeing then the stance of the Hebrews and the stones, and He was counting the pseudo-named sons among the outcasts. And since, announcing the truth to them by word, they did not believe in being pious, He stood forth and appeared not to be seen, so that from such a wonder of His He might draw them to an agreement that He indeed was God and was older than Abraham.

'Listen then,' He says, 'O truly blind and senseless ones: Who is this, who is also present with you and is not seen? Or perhaps He is the one who also speaks to Moses and does not appear? For He saw then both fire and the bush, both being silent (Exodus 3). But nonetheless, a voice was heard and a word was instructing and safely foretelling what is to come.' And those having understanding must know the person from the connection of the things.

Thus, irrationally and senseless of the