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Fragments on the First Book of Kingdoms 1 Since the divine scripture was about to foretell the destruction of the sons of Eli, and that the ark of God would be taken by the foreigners, it first prepares the hearing, lest anyone should think God to be harsh. For this reason, as I said, it relates how the wickedness and the sin of the sons of Eli was not diminished by the threat and the prophecy against them, but rather increased. 2 Eli was pious in himself; for he was not primarily anxious about the salvation of his children but for the ark, lest it should fall into the hands of the foreigners; which indeed also happened. 3 So that the foreigners might know that neither was God defeated through the Israelites nor had they conquered him by their own power, but the sins and impieties of the Jews had brought about the defeat. And Dagon fell before the ark, not in order to worship, for he was not worthy, but in order to be shattered; which indeed also happened. 4 Just as <in the case of> humans on the one hand hand and foot and eye and ear and whatever such thing is named are indicative of the members of our body, but in the case of God hand is the creative power, eye the overseeing power, and ear the hearing power, and foot the power of presence whenever he effects something; so also the "wrath" of God is said to be the discipline against those who stumble, not a passion of God, and "repentance" is the transfer of the divine economy from one matter to another. For what we do when we repent, that is, we flee those things for which we repented, and pursue other, better things, this is called the "repentance" of God. Why? Because the prophets had to speak more bodily about God to those most dull in understanding, so that it might be comprehended; for those who considered as gods the idols which they carved and cast, and even irrational creatures, how could they have comprehended the things said about God through spiritual concepts and words? And again: If God foreknows all things, He is not angered or does not repent because of what He knows, therefore "wrath" or "repentance" is not a passion of God, but the work of "wrath" is punishment, and likewise that of "repentance" is a turning away from the former matter, and a transfer to the other economy. So also it is said of a sword: "sharpen the sword and slay," so also "hand" has been called "of iron" († Solomon: "that he may deliver you from the hand of iron") and "of a sword" (as David says: "into the hands of a sword"). so also the wrath of God is said to be angry, and sin to have a face, according to David, and the wrath of God a face, as in the thirty-seventh Psalm, and the rivers to clap with their hands. But neither do rivers have hands nor do sins have a face. Let us not then, because of the things said bodily about God, as the ancients could comprehend, think that God is a body or that he is filled with passions. {The fickleness of human opinion must not be attributed to God; for we ourselves bring about the changes of the divine economy which justly happen to us, showing ourselves unworthy through our actions of the honor bestowed by God. Therefore, having condemned Saul and wishing to hand over the rule to David and to keep the kingdom for his seed on account of the one to be born from him according to the flesh, the king of all creation, he used human words when speaking to humans, and said: "I repent that I anointed Saul to be king," instead of "I wish to give the rule of the kingdom to another, and to make this one cease from his power." The "I repent concerning Saul" means this: he made himself so unworthy of the kingdom, that if I had a nature that repents, I would have repented concerning him. Why then was he anointed? Because at that time he was worthy. But having turned, he again became unworthy.} 5 From these things is shown what I said before, that the "repentance" of God is said to be the transfer of the divine economy from one matter to another. {The argument shows, that even if the one praying for others is a prophet and a righteous man, he is not otherwise heard, unless that one shows repentance by deed. For thus the prayer of the righteous avails, being made effective through the

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Fragmenta in librum primum Regnorum 1 Ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλεν ἡ θεία γραφὴ τὴν ἀπώλειαν τῶν υἱῶν Ἠλὶ προλέγειν, ὅτι τε ἡ κιβωτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ληφθήσεται ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλο φύλων, προλαβοῦσα θεραπεύει τὴν ἀκοήν, μήποτέ τις οἰηθῇ σκληρὸν εἶναι τὸν θεόν. διὰ τοῦτο, ὡς ἔφην, ἱστορεῖ ὡς οὐκ ἠλαττώθη τῶν υἱῶν Ἠλὶ ἡ κακία καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς καὶ τῆς κατ' αὐ τῶν προρρήσεως, ἀλλ' ηὐξήθη μᾶλλον. 2 Εὐσεβὴς ὁ Ἠλὶ καθ' ἑαυτόν· οὐ γὰρ περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν τέκνων ἠγωνία προηγουμένως ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῆς κιβωτοῦ , μήποτε γένοιτο ὑπὸ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις· ὃ δὴ καὶ συνέβη. 3 Ἵνα γνῶσιν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ὅτι οὔτε ὁ θεὸς ἡττήθη διὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν οὔτε αὐτὸν νενικήκασι τῇ οἰκείᾳ δυνάμει, ἀλλὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων αἱ ἁμαρτίαι καὶ ἀσέβειαι τὴν ἧτταν πεποιήκασιν. πέπτωκε δὲ πρὸ τῆς κιβωτοῦ ὁ ∆αγών , οὐχ ἵνα προσκυνήσῃ, οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἄξιος, ἀλλ' ἵνα συντριβῇ· ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. 4 Ὥσπερ <ἐπ'> ἀνθρώπων μὲν χεὶρ καὶ ποὺς καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ οὖς καὶ εἴ τι τοιοῦτον ὀνομάζεται σημαντικὰ τῶν μελῶν τοῦ ἡμε τέρου σώματός ἐστιν, ἐπὶ δὲ θεοῦ χεὶρ μὲν τὸ δημιουργικόν, ὀφθαλ μὸς δὲ τὸ ἐποπτικόν, καὶ οὖς μὲν τὸ ἀκουστικόν, ποὺς δὲ τὸ τῆς παρουσίας ὅταν ἐνεργῇ τι· οὕτω καὶ θυμὸς μὲν θεοῦ λέγεται παι δεία ἡ κατὰ τῶν πταιόντων, οὐ πάθος θεοῦ, μεταμέλεια δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ πράγματος εἰς πρᾶγμα μετάθεσις τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκονομίας. ὃ γὰρ ἡμεῖς μεταμελούμενοι ποιοῦμεν, τουτέστιν ἐκεῖνα μὲν φεύγομεν ἐφ' οἷς μετεμελήθημεν, ἕτερα δὲ διώκομεν τὰ κρείττω, τοῦτο μεταμέλεια θεοῦ λέγεται. διατί; ἐπειδὴ σωματικώτερον τοῖς βαρυτάτοις τὴν διάνοιαν ἔδει περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τοὺς προφήτας ὁμιλεῖν, ἵνα χωρηθῇ· οἱ γὰρ ἀγάλματα ἅπερ ἔγλυφον καὶ ἐχώνευον θεοὺς νομίζοντες, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἄλογα, πῶς ἂν ἐχώρησαν διὰ πνευματικῶν νοημάτων τε καὶ ῥημάτων τὰ περὶ θεοῦ λεγόμενα; Καὶ πάλιν· Εἰ πάντα πρόοιδεν ὁ θεός, οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν δὲ οἶδε θυμοῦται ἢ μετα μελεῖται, οὐ πάθος ἄρα θεοῦ θυμὸς ἢ μεταμέλεια, ἀλλὰ τοῦ θυ μοῦ ἔργον ἡ κόλασις καὶ τὸ τῆς μεταμελείας ὁμοίως ἀπόστασις μὲν τοῦ προτέρου πράγματος, μετάθεσις δὲ εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν οἰκονομίαν. οὕτω καὶ περὶ ῥομφαίας λέγεται· «ῥομφαία ὀξύνου καὶ σφάζε», οὕτω καὶ χεὶρ ὠνόμασται σιδήρου († ὁ Σολομών· «ἵνα ῥύσηταί σε ἐκ χειρὸς σιδήρου») καὶ ῥομφαίας (ὡς ὁ ∆αβίδ φησιν· «εἰς χεῖρας ῥομφαίας»). οὕτω καὶ ὁ θυμὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὀργίζεσθαι λέγεται καὶ πρόσωπον ἔχειν ἁμαρτία κατὰ τὸν ∆αβίδ, καὶ πρόσωπον ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ θυμός, ὡς ἐν τῷ τριακοστῷ ἑβδόμῳ Ψαλμῷ, καὶ χερσὶν οἱ ποταμοὶ κροτεῖν. οὔτε δὲ ποταμοῖς χεῖρές εἰσιν οὔτε πρόσωπον ἁμαρτίαις. μὴ τοίνυν διὰ τὰ σωματικῶς περὶ θεοῦ λεγόμενα, ὡς ἐχώρουν οἱ παλαιοί, σῶμα τὸν θεὸν νομίζωμεν ἢ παθῶν αὐτὸν πεπληρῶσθαι. {Οὐ τὸ εὐπερίστρεπτον τῆς ἀνθρώπου γνώμης τῷ θεῷ προσα πτέον· ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν τὰς τροπὰς τῆς θείας οἰκονομίας τὰς ἐφ' ἡμῶν δικαίως συμβαινούσας ἀπεργαζόμεθα, ἀναξίους ἑαυτοὺς δει κνύντες διὰ τῶν πράξεων τῆς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δωρηθείσης τιμῆς. καταγνοὺς οὖν τοῦ Σαοὺλ καὶ βουλόμενος τῷ ∆αβὶδ παραδοῦναι τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ φυλάξαι τὴν βασιλείαν διὰ τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τεχθησόμενον κατὰ σάρκα βασιλέα τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης, ἀνθρωπίνοις ἐχρήσατο ῥήμασιν ἀνθρώποις διαλεγόμενος, καὶ εἶπεν· μεταμεμέλημαι ὅτι ἔχρισα τὸν Σαοὺλ εἰς βασιλέα , ἀντὶ τοῦ ἑτέρῳ βούλομαι δοῦναι τῆς βασιλείας τὴν ἀρχήν, τοῦτον δὲ παῦσαι τῆς δυναστείας. Τὸ μεταμεμέλημαι διὰ τὸν Σαοὺλ τουτέστιν οὕτω ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἐποίησεν, ὥστε εἴ γε φύσιν εἶχον μετανοοῦσαν, μετέγνων ἂν ἐπ' αὐτῷ. διὰ τί οὖν ἐχρίσθη; ὅτι τότε ἄξιος ἦν. τραπεὶς δὲ πάλιν ἀνάξιος γέγονεν.} 5 Ἐκ τούτων δείκνυται ὃ προεῖπον, ὅτι μεταμέλεια θεοῦ λέγεται τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ οἰκονομίας ἀπὸ πράγματος εἰς πρᾶγμα μετάθεσις. {∆είκνυσιν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι κἂν προφήτης καὶ δίκαιος ἄνθρωπος ὁ ὑπὲρ ἄλλων δεόμενος, οὐκ ἄλλως ἀκούεται, εἰ μὴ ἐκεῖνος ἔργῳ δείξῃ τὴν μετάνοιαν. οὕτω γὰρ ἡ δέησις ἰσχύει τοῦ δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη διὰ τοῦ