Pharaoh, being a son of perdition, as you say, was hardened by God, so that he would not send the people away? For if he had not been hardened, he would have sent them away. Let them answer indeed concerning this, saying, what would Pharaoh have done if he had not been hardened? For if he had let them go without being hardened, he was not of a nature that was perishing; but if he would not let them go, the hardening of his heart was superfluous, for he would likewise not let them go even without being hardened. And what did God do concerning his ruling faculty to harden him? and how does He blame him, saying, “Because you disobey me, behold, I will kill your firstborn, and for all the Egyptians will know, he says, that I am the Lord;” as if for this reason the things considered harsh were brought upon them, so that they might know God. But in Maccabees something of this sort is said: “I beseech those who read this book, not to be discouraged by the calamities, but to consider that the things that happen are not for destruction, but for the chastening of our race; for it is a sign of great beneficence not to allow the impious to continue for a long time, but to fall immediately under punishments; for the Lord does not wait with long-suffering as with other nations, as if leaving their sins to the end, to punish them later; so also he has judged concerning us, and while chastening with calamity, he does not abandon his own people.” For if to fall under punishments for sins is a sign of great beneficence, Pharaoh too being punished after his heart was hardened, and being chastised along with his people, see if he has not been punished in vain, nor for his own harm. And David, becoming as it were an imitator of God according to what the times required, commands 12.269 Solomon concerning Joab to punish him for the sins against Abner, son of Ner, and to kill him for his offenses, then he adds: “And you will bring down his gray hair in peace to Hades.” And it is clear that, as the Hebrew also reported to us, that through being punished he would sleep in peace, no longer owing punishment and torment, because he has already received it from here, after his departure from here. Thus we also accept every threat, both from the holy Scriptures, and from the operation according to the magnitude and order of the created things of God who created the things seen, and the things not seen, the things temporal, and the things eternal, as being of one and the same who is in all things good, and just, and wise with the Father of our Lord and Savior, and we strive to bring the Scriptures to that end, of showing that all things are of a God who is good, and wise, and just, not even by chance suspecting that we would fall away in the opinion of those who have understanding; but according to whether what is said fits, or not, with his goodness, and justice, and wisdom, praying for a saving God. Such things, therefore, we also suppose concerning this: “The Lord God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” The word of God is a physician of the soul, using most varied and suitable and timely ways of healing for those who are sick; and of the ways of healing, some cause more, and others less, pains and torments to those being brought to a cure; and again, aids sometimes are given obscurely, and sometimes it is not so, and again more quickly or more slowly; both after one is sated with sin, or after, so to speak, only touching it. And all the divinely inspired Scripture is full of testimonies for each point, of harsher aids to a greater or lesser degree recorded as having happened to the people, and having befallen them for their conversion and correction; in greater or lesser wars, and in more long-lasting or shorter famines. But obscurely in this: “I will not visit your daughters when they commit fornication, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery.” For perhaps he abandons souls that are more given over to things corporeal and what they consider pleasant; until, having been sated, they turn away from what they desire, as if wishing to vomit them up, and would not again quickly to the same things,

Φαραὼ, ἀπωλείας, ὥς φατε, υἱὸν τυγχάνοντα, σκληρύνεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἀποστείλῃ τὸν λαόν; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐσκληρύνετο, ἀπέστειλεν ἄν. Ἀπο κρινέσθωσαν δὴ περὶ τούτου λέγοντες, τί ἂν ἐποίησε Φαραὼ εἰ μὴ ἐσκληρύνθη; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀπέλυε μὴ σκληρυνθεὶς, οὐχὶ φύσεως ἀπολλυμένης ἦν· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀπέλυε, περισσὸν τὸ σκληρύνεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν καρ δίαν, ὁμοίως γὰρ οὐκ ἀπέλυε καὶ μὴ σκληρυνθείς. Τί δὲ ἐνεργῶν ὁ Θεὸς περὶ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν αὐτοῦ ἐσκλή ρυνεν αὐτόν; καὶ πῶς αὐτὸν αἰτιᾶται λέγων, «Ἀνθ' ὧν ἀπειθεῖς μοι, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ τὰ πρωτότοκά σου, καὶ γνώσονται γὰρ, φησὶ, πάντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ὅτι ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι Κύριος·» ὡς διὰ τοῦτο τῶν νομιζο μένων χαλεπῶν ἐπαγομένων αὐτοῖς, ἵνα γνῶσι τὸν Θεόν. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς Μακκαβαϊκοῖς τοιοῦτόν τι λέγεται· «Παρακαλῶ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας τῇδε τῇ βίβλῳ, μὴ συστέλλεσθαι διὰ τὰς συμφορὰς, νομίζειν δὲ τὰ γινό μενα μὴ πρὸς ὄλεθρον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς παιδείαν τοῦ γέ νους ἡμῶν εἶναι· καὶ γὰρ τὸ μὴ πολὺν χρόνον ἐᾶσθαι δυσσεβοῦντας, ἀλλ' εὐθέως περιπίπτειν ἐπιτιμίοις, μεγάλης εὐεργεσίας ἐστὶ σημεῖον· οὐ γὰρ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἀναμένει μακροθυμῶν ὁ ∆εσπό της, ὡς εἰς τέλος ἀφειμένων αὐτῶν τῶν ἁμαρ τημάτων, ὕστερον αὐτοὺς ἐκδικῇ· οὕτω καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἔκρινε, παιδεύων δὲ μετὰ συμφορᾶς, οὐκ ἐγκαταλείπει τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λαόν.» Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἐπιπίπτειν ἐπιτιμίοις διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, μεγάλης εὐεργεσίας ἐστὶ ση μεῖον, ἐπιτιμώμενος καὶ ὁ Φαραὼ μετὰ τὸ ἐσκληρύν θαι αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ κολαζόμενος ἅμα τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, ὅρα εἰ μὴ οὐ μάτην ἐπιτετίμηται, μηδὲ ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ κακῷ. Οἱονεὶ δὲ Θεοῦ μιμητὴς γινόμενος κατὰ τὸ ἐπιβάλλον τοῖς καιροῖς ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἐντέλλεται 12.269 περὶ τοῦ Ἰωὰβ τῷ Σολομῶντι κολάσαι αὐτὸν διὰ τὰ ἡμαρτημένα εἰς Ἀβενὴρ, υἱὸν Νὴρ, καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι διὰ τὰ ἐπταισμένα, εἶτα ἐπιφέρει· «Καὶ κατάξεις αὐτοῦ τὴν πολιὰν ἐν εἰρήνῃ εἰς ᾅδου.» ∆ῆλον δὲ ὅτι, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος ἡμῖν ἀπήγγειλε, τὸ διὰ τοῦ κολα σθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν εἰρήνῃ κοιμηθήσεσθαι, οὐκ ἔτι ὀφει λομένης αὐτῷ κολάσεως καὶ βασάνου, διὰ τὸ ἐντεῦ θεν ἤδη ἀπειληφέναι αὐτὸν, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλ λαγήν. Οὕτω δ' ἡμεῖς καὶ πᾶσαν ἀπειλὴν, ἀπό τε τῶν ἱερῶν Γραφῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐνεργείας τῆς κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ τάξεως τῶν δημιουργημάτων παραδεχό μεθα Θεοῦ τοῦ κτίσαντος τὰ βλεπόμενα, καὶ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα, τὰ πρόσκαιρα, καὶ τὰ αἰώνια, ὡς ἑνὸς ὄντος καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ κατὰ πάντα τῷ Πατρὶ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀγαθῷ, καὶ δικαίῳ, καὶ σοφῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν σκοπὸν ἐκεῖνον τὰς Γραφὰς ἄγειν ἀγωνιζό μεθα, τοῦ μὲν δεικνύναι πάντα ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ σο φοῦ, καὶ δικαίου, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸ τυχὸν ὑπονοηθέντες ἂν τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσιν ἀποπίπτειν· κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἐφαρ μόζειν, ἢ μὴ, τῇ ἀγαθότητι αὐτοῦ, καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, καὶ σοφίᾳ τὰ λεγόμενα, Θεοῦ σωτῆρος δεόμενοι. Τοιαῦτα τοίνυν καὶ περὶ τοῦ· «Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ,» ὑπονοοῦμεν. Ἰατρός ἐστι ψυχῆς ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁδοῖς θεραπείας χρώμενος ποικιλωτάταις καὶ ἁρμοδίαις πρὸς τοὺς κακῶς ἔχον τας καὶ ἐπικαιριωτάταις· τῶν δὲ τῆς θεραπείας ὁδῶν, αἱ μέν εἰσιν ἐπὶ πλεῖον, αἱ δὲ ἐπ' ἔλαττον πό νους καὶ βασάνους ἐμποιοῦσαι τοῖς εἰς ἴασιν ἀγομέ νοις· πάλιν τ' αὖ βοηθήματα, ὁτὲ μὲν ἀπεμφαινόντως γίνεται, ὁτὲ δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, καὶ πάλιν τάχιον ἢ βράδιον· καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἐμφορηθῆναι τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἢ μετὰ τὸ, ὥσπερ εἰπεῖν, μόνον ἅψασθαι αὐτῆς. Μαρ τυριῶν δὲ τῶν εἰς ἕκαστον πλήρης πᾶσα ἡ θεόπνευστος Γραφὴ, σκυθρωποτέρων βοηθημάτων ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἢ ἔλαττον ἀναγεγραμμένων γεγονέναι τῷ λαῷ, καὶ συμ βεβηκέναι αὐτῷ ὑπὲρ ἐπιστροφῆς καὶ διορθώσεως· ἐν πολέμοις μείζοσιν ἢ ἐλάττοσι, καὶ λιμοῖς πολυχρο νιωτέροις, ἢ ὀλιγοχρονιωτέροις. Ἀπεμφαινόντως δὲ ἐν τῷ· «Οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν ὅταν πορνεύωσι, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς νύμφας ὑμῶν ὅταν μοι χεύωσι.» Τάχα γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἀφιεμένας ψυ χὰς τῶν σωματικῶν καὶ ἡδέων εἶναι νομιζομένων παρ' ἑαυτοῖς ἐγκαταλείπει· ἕως κορεσθεῖσαι ἀποστρα φῶσι τῶν ὧν ὀρέγονται, οἱονεὶ καὶ ἐμέσαι αὐτὰ βου λόμεναι, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔτι ταχέως τοῖς αὐτοῖς,