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God, having composed a defense against many others, sent this book to us; for God does not refuse to defend himself to men, but cries out through the prophet, saying: Come, and let us reason together, says the Lord. He not only defends himself and enters into judgment, but he also teaches how we may escape condemnation. For he did not simply say, Come, and let us reason together; but after first teaching what to say and what to do, he thus drew us to the court. Listen, then, from the beginning to the prophetic word. Wash yourselves, be clean; take away the evil from your souls; learn to do good, judge the orphan, and justify the widow; and then, he says: Come, and let us reason together, says the Lord. I do not wish, he says, to take you naked and destitute of righteous deeds, but having armed you with defenses, so I call you to the accounting; for I wish to enter into judgment with you, not that I may condemn, but that I may spare. Thus he also says elsewhere: You, tell your iniquities first, that you may be justified. You have a bitter and savage accuser; preemptively seize his role, stop up his shameless mouth.

2. In the beginning, then, God spoke to men by himself, in a way that men could hear. Thus he came to Adam; thus he rebuked Cain; thus he conversed with Noah; thus he was a guest to Abraham. But when our nature inclined toward evil, and as it were placed itself in some distant exile, then at last, as to those standing in a long sojourn abroad, he sends letters, as if by some epistle renewing his ancient friendship with us. And God sent these letters, and Moses delivered them. What then do the letters say? In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. For what reason does he not speak to us about the angels, nor about the archangels? For if the creator is seen from his creatures, much more is he seen from them. The heaven is beautiful, but not so beautiful as an angel; the sun is bright, but not so bright as an archangel. For what reason, then, having left the higher way, does he guide us by the more lowly one? Because he is speaking to Jews, to those more irrationally disposed, to those captivated by sensible things, to those now returning from Egypt, where men worshiped crocodiles and dogs and apes; and it was not possible to lead them by the hand to the creator through the higher way. For that way is higher, but it is rougher, and steep, and rather precipitous for the weaker ones. For this reason he leads them by the easier way, through heaven and earth and sea, and all the visible creation. For that this is the reason, listen to how, when they had made a little progress, 54.583 the Prophet also speaks to them about those powers above. Praise the Lord, he says, from the heavens, praise him in the highest; praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts; for he spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created. And what wonder is it, if this is the manner of teaching in the Old Testament, when even in the New, when it was the time for higher doctrines, Paul, speaking to the Athenians, took this way, which Moses took when instructing the Jews? For neither did he speak to them about angels and archangels, but about heaven and earth and sea, addressing them thus: The God who made the world and all things in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. But not so, when he was speaking to the Philippians, did he lead them by this way; but he leads them up to the higher discourse, speaking thus: For in him all things were created that are in the heavens and on earth, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created through him, and for him. Thus also John, since he had more perfect

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πλειόνων ἑτέρων ἀπολογίαν συνθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔπεμψεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπολογεῖσθαι παραιτεῖται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ βοᾷ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγων· ∆εῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν, λέγει Κύριος. Οὐκ ἀπολογεῖται δὲ μόνον καὶ δικάζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅπως διαφύγωμεν τὴν καταδίκην διδάσκει· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς εἶπε, ∆εῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν· ἀλλὰ πρότερον διδάξας τί μὲν εἰπεῖν, τί δὲ ποιῆσαι χρὴ, οὕτω πρὸς τὸ δικαστήριον εἵλκυσεν. Ἄκουσον οὖν ἄνωθεν τοῦ προφητικοῦ ῥήματος. Λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γίνεσθε, ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν· μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν, κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ, καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν· καὶ τότε φησί· ∆εῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν, λέγει Κύριος. Οὐ βούλομαι γυμνοὺς, φησὶ, καὶ ἐρήμους τῶν δικαιωμάτων λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ καθοπλίσας ὑμᾶς ταῖς ἀπολογίαις, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς εὐθύνας καλῶ· καὶ γὰρ δικάζεσθαι βούλομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, οὐχ ἵνα κατακρίνω, ἀλλ' ἵνα φείσωμαι. Οὕτω καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Λέγε σὺ πρῶτον τὰς ἀνομίας σου, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Ἔχεις κατήγορον πικρὸν καὶ ἀνήμερον, προλαβὼν ἅρπασον ἐκείνου τὴν τάξιν, ἔμφραξον τὸ ἀναίσχυντον στόμα.

βʹ. Παρὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν δι' ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁ Θεὸς ὡμίλει, ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἀκοῦσαι δυνατόν. Οὕτω πρὸς τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἦλθεν· οὕτως ἐπετίμησε τῷ Κάϊν· οὕτω διελέχθη τῷ Νῶε· οὕτως ἐπεξενώθη τῷ Ἀβραάμ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς κακίαν ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν ἀπέκλινε, καὶ καθάπερ εἰς ὑπερορίαν τινὰ μακρὰν ἑαυτὴν διέστησε, τηνικαῦτα λοιπὸν, καθάπερ ἐν μακρᾷ καθεστῶσιν ἀποδημίᾳ, γράμματα πέμπει, ὥσπερ διά τινος ἐπιστολῆς τὴν παλαιὰν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀνανεούμενος φιλίαν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν γράμματα ταῦτα ἔπεμψεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐκόμισε δὲ ὁ Μωϋσῆς. Τί οὖν λέγει τὰ γράμματα; Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ περὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡμῖν διαλέγεται, οὐ περὶ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων; Εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν κτισμάτων ὁ δημιουργὸς θεωρεῖται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀπ' ἐκείνων φαίνεται. Καλὸς ὁ οὐρανὸς, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω καλὸς, ὡς ἄγγελος· φαιδρὸς ὁ ἥλιος, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω φαιδρὸς, ὡς ὁ ἀρχάγγελος. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν ἀφεὶς ὁδὸν, διὰ τῆς ταπεινοτέρας ἡμᾶς ὁδηγεῖ; Ὅτι Ἰουδαίοις διαλέγεται, τοῖς ἀλογώτερον διακειμένοις, τοῖς πρὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ ἐπτοημένοις, τοῖς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου νῦν ἐπανιοῦσιν, ἔνθα κροκοδείλους καὶ κύνας καὶ πιθήκους ἐθεράπευον οἱ ἄνθρωποι· καὶ οὐκ ἐνῆν διὰ τῆς ὑψηλοτέρας αὐτοὺς ὁδοῦ χειραγωγῆσαι πρὸς τὸν δημιουργόν. Ὑψηλοτέρα μὲν γὰρ ὁδός ἐστιν ἐκείνη, ἀλλὰ τραχυτέρα, καὶ προσάντης, καὶ μᾶλλον ὄρθιος τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς εὐκολωτέρας ἄγει, δι' οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης, καὶ τῆς ὁρωμένης κτίσεως ἁπάσης. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ αἴτιον, ὅτε μικρὸν ἐπέδωκαν, 54.583 ἄκουσον πῶς αὐτοῖς ὁ Προφήτης καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων διαλέγεται τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων. Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, φησὶν, ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις· αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν, πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν, πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ· ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπε, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν· αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο, καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ οὗτος ὁ τρόπος τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐστὶν, ὅπουγε καὶ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ, ὅτε τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων διδαγμάτων καιρὸς ἦν, Ἀθηναίοις διαλεγόμενος ὁ Παῦλος ταύτην ἦλθε τὴν ὁδὸν, ἥνπερ ἦλθε Μωϋσῆς Ἰουδαίους παιδεύων; Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὗτος περὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ περὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης, οὕτω πως δημηγορῶν· Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν κόσμον καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, οὗτος οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ὑπάρχων Κύριος, οὐκ ἐν χειροποιήτοις κατοικεῖ ναοῖς. Ἀλλ' οὐχ, ὅτε Φιλιππησίοις διελέγετο, διὰ ταύτης ἤγαγεν αὐτοὺς τῆς ὁδοῦ· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν αὐτοὺς ἀνάγει δημηγορίαν, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἴτε θρόνοι, εἴτε κυριότητες, εἴτε ἀρχαὶ, εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται. Οὕτω καὶ Ἰωάννης, ἐπειδὴ τελειοτέρους εἶχε τοὺς