Philocalia or Selections from the works of Origen made by Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus (ch. 23, 25-27)

 of those concerning the stars, so that what is said by them may not be an unproven declaration, let them try to bring us more compellingly, by present

 to her a sign, saying: This is the sign which the Lord spoke, saying: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the fat that is upon it shall be poured out

 of certain observations, or also from the teaching of angels who had transgressed their own order and, for the ruin of our race, taught certain things

 to be mistaken, but it is possible concerning things that are contingent to happen and not to happen to think that they happen and that they do not ha

 these past events are not in our power, it being possible on the basis of the same past events to do other things than what we do. But if anyone seeks

 It is fated for you to have children or not to have children in vain then you have relations with a woman. For just as in this case, since it is impo

 they will reasonably agree that nothing concerning human affairs comes from the stars, but, as we have said before, if anything, they are signified A

 argument, that humans are able to comprehend the heavenly configurations and the signs and what they are signs of, let us now examine if this is true.

 of human nature, not in a human way but in a divine way they are taught the secrets just as Paul, saying: I heard unspeakable words, which it is not

 they read the book of God and thus they do what is incumbent upon them. But as we said before, what we do, or what the opposing energies accomplish i

 they do away with sayings, also using the one: “The sinners were estranged from the womb,” spoken in the psalms. Now to this it is easy to reply, by a

 troubling our argument since Paul says: “But we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called accordin

 the deeds foreknown beforehand but happening later, each from the apostolic preparation and choice. But now to apply this to the saying from the psalm

 Health, of course, and bodily strength are a good. The text reads thus: ‘If you will not hearken to do all the words of this law that are written in t

 it is necessary to raise a further question to those who suppose, whether the prophets, whose sins are not spoken against, have kept the law for exam

 of whom the prophet also finds fault with those who are in such states, saying: 'From the feet to the head, there is neither wound, nor bruise, nor fe

 who was once the morning star, rising in the morning, but later was shattered upon the earth. For not only among the sons of men, if one is perfect, i

 that the sound account concerning this Scripture is also among the hidden things. But those who claim there is another god besides the creator wish hi

 they suppose concerning God, nor to what they dogmatize concerning natures, does the argument from the reading now under examination contribute, as th

 leading him into the open and perhaps exhausting him through the action, so that having brought to completion all the outbursts of his indwelling wick

 chasten me” the one praying these things is asking not to need the reproof that comes through the wrath of God and the chastisement that comes throug

 Good masters, being long-suffering toward their sinning servants, are accustomed to say: I have ruined you and: I have made you wicked showing with

 the heart of Pharaoh” whether they believe that these things are said truly by God through the inspired Moses or falsely. For if falsely, then accord

of those concerning the stars, so that what is said by them may not be an unproven declaration, let them try to bring us more compellingly, by presenting the difference between a certain mind subject to genesis and fate, and another free from these things; for it is clear to those who know such men, that when asked to give an account, they will be utterly unable to give it. In addition to what has been said, prayers also are superfluous, being undertaken in vain; for if certain things are compelled to happen, and the stars cause them, and nothing can happen apart from their conjunction with one another, we irrationally ask God to grant us certain things. And why is it necessary to prolong the argument further, presenting the impiety of the topic of fate, rashly accepted without examination by the many? For what has been said is sufficient for a sketch. 23.3 But let us remind ourselves from what point, examining the phrase, "Let the lights be for signs," we have come to these things. Those who learn the truth about certain things, either, having become eyewitnesses of the events, correctly declare certain things, having observed the suffering and the action of those who have suffered or acted, or they come to know certain things by hearing from those who are in no way the cause of what has happened. But let the ability of those who have acted or suffered, by recounting what they have done or suffered, to bring one who was not present to a knowledge of the deeds, be excluded now from the discussion. If therefore the one who is taught by someone who is in no way the cause of the events that certain things have happened or will happen to certain people does not distinguish that the one teaching about something as having happened or as going to happen is not in every case the cause of the event being of such a kind, he will think that the one who has presented that certain things have happened or that certain things will be has caused or will cause the things about which he teaches; and he will clearly think this erroneously. As if someone, having come upon a prophetic book which foretells the things concerning Judas the traitor, might think, having learned what was to be and seeing it fulfilled, that the book is the cause of this certain thing having happened later, since it was from the book that he learned what would be done by Judas; or again he might suppose not the book to be the cause, but the one who first wrote it, or the one who inspired it, let us say God. But just as in the case of the things prophesied concerning Judas, the words themselves, when examined, show that God was not the author of Judas's betrayal, but only revealed, having foreknown the things that would be done from his wickedness apart from his own causality; so if one were to delve deeply into the doctrine that God foreknows all things and into those things in which, as it were, he has impressed the accounts of his own foreknowledge, one would understand that neither is the one who foreknows in every case the cause of the things foreknown, nor are the things which have received the impressions of the accounts of the foreknowledge of the one who foreknew. 23.4 Therefore, that God knows long beforehand that each of the things that will be will come to pass, is, indeed apart from scripture, self-evident from the conception of God to one who understands the worthy power of the mind of God. But if it is necessary to show this also from the scriptures, the prophecies are indeed full of such examples; and in the story of Susanna also, of God knowing all things before their beginning, she says thus: "O eternal God, knower of secrets, who knows all things before they come to be, you know that these men have borne false witness against me." And most clearly in the third book of Kings, both the name of one who would be king and his deeds were recorded many years before they happened, being prophesied thus: "And Jeroboam made a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month like the feast that was in the land of Judah, and he went up to the altar that was in Bethel which he had made for the calves which he had made." Then after a little: "And behold, a man of God from Judah came by the word of the Lord to Bethel, and Jeroboam was standing by his altar to burn incense. And he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said: O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: Behold, a son is born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he will sacrifice upon you the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and he will burn men's bones upon you. And he gave on that day

τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἵνα μὴ ἀπόφασις ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀναπόδεικτος, πειραθήτωσαν ἡμᾶς προσάγειν ἀναγκαστικώτερον, διαφορὰν παριστάντες νοῦ τινος ὑποκειμένου γενέσει καὶ εἱμαρμένῃ, καὶ ἑτέρου ἀπὸ τούτων ἐλευθέρου· δῆλον γάρ ἐστι τοῖς εἰδόσι τοὺς τοιούτους, ὅτι λόγον ἀπαιτηθέντες διδόναι αὐτὸν οὐδαμῶς δυνήσονται. Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ εὐχαὶ παρέλκουσι μάτην παραλαμβανόμεναι· εἰ γὰρ κατηνάγκασται τάδε τινὰ γενέσθαι, καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες ποιοῦσιν, οὐδὲν δὲ παρὰ τὴν τούτων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπιπλοκὴν δύναται γενέσθαι, θεὸν ἀλογίστως ἀξιοῦμεν τάδε τινὰ ἡμῖν δωρεῖσθαι. Καὶ τί ἐπὶ πλεῖον μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον δεῖ, παριστάντα τὸ ἀσεβὲς τοῦ κατημαξευμένου ἀβασανίστως παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς περὶ εἱμαρμένης τόπου; αὐτάρκη γὰρ εἰς ὑπογραφὴν καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα. 23.3 Πόθεν δὲ ἐξετάζοντες τό· «Ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα οἱ φωστῆρες»· ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἐληλύθαμεν, ἑαυτοὺς ὑπομνήσωμεν. Οἱ μανθάνοντες περί τινων ἀληθῆ, ἤτοι αὐτόπται τῶν πραγμάτων γενόμενοι ἀποφαίνονται τάδε τινὰ ὑγιῶς, τὸ πάθος καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῶν πεπονθότων ἢ ἐνεργηκότων θεασάμενοι, ἢ ἀπαγγελλόντων τῶν οὐδαμῶς αἰτίων τοῖς γεγενημένοις ἀκούσαντες τάδε τινὰ γινώσκουσιν. Ὑπεξῃ ρήσθω δὲ νῦν τοῦ λόγου τὸ δύνασθαι τοὺς δεδρακότας ἢ πεπονθότας, διηγουμένους ἃ δεδράκασιν ἢ πεπόνθασιν, ἐνάγειν εἰς γνῶσιν τῶν πεπραγμένων τὸν μὴ παρατετευχότα. Ἐὰν οὖν ὁ διδασκόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ μηδαμῶς αἰτίου τῶν γινομένων τὸ τάδε τινὰ τοῖσδε γεγονέναι ἢ συμβήσεσθαι μὴ διακρίνῃ, ὅτι οὐ πάντως ὁ διδάσκων περί τινος ὡς γενομένου ἢ ἐσομένου αἴτιός ἐστι τοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα τοιόνδε τι τυγχάνειν, οἰήσεται τὸν παραστήσαντα περὶ τοῦ τάδε τινὰ γεγονέναι ἢ τάδε τινὰ ἔσεσθαι πεποιηκέναι ἢ ποιήσειν τὰ περὶ ὧν διδάσκει· οἰήσεται δὲ δηλονότι ἐσφαλμένως. Ὡς εἴ τις ἐντυχὼν προφητικῇ βίβλῳ προδηλούσῃ τὰ περὶ Ἰούδαν τὸν προδότην νομίσαι μαθὼν τὸ ἐσόμενον, ὁρῶν αὐτὸ ἀποτελούμενον, τὴν βίβλον αἰτίαν εἶναι τοῦ τόδε τι γεγονέναι ὕστερον, ἐπεὶ ἀπὸ τῆς βίβλου μεμάθηκε τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα πραχθησόμενον· ἢ πάλιν μὴ τὴν βίβλον ὑπολάβοι εἶναι αἰτίαν, ἀλλὰ τὸν πρῶτον γράψαντα αὐτήν, ἢ τὸν ἐνεργήσαντα φέρε εἰπεῖν τὸν θεόν. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα προφητευομένων αὐταὶ αἱ λέξεις ἐξεταζόμεναι ἐμφαίνουσι τὸν θεὸν ποιητὴν μὴ γεγονέναι τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα προδοσίας, ἀλλὰ μόνον δεδηλω κέναι προεγνωκότα τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τούτου κακίας πραχθησόμενα παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ αἰτίαν· οὕτως εἴ τις ἐμβαθύναι τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ προειδέναι τὰ πάντα τὸν θεὸν καὶ τοῖς ἐν οἷς οἷον ἐνετύπωσε τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προγνώσεως τοὺς λόγους, κατανοήσαι ἂν ὅτι οὔτε ὁ προγνοὺς πάντως αἴτιος τῶν προεγνωσμένων, οὔτε τὰ τοὺς τύπους τῶν λόγων τῆς προγνώσεως τοῦ προεγνωκότος δεξάμενα. 23.4 Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἕκαστον τῶν ἐσομένων πρὸ πολλοῦ οἶδεν ὁ θεὸς γενησόμενον, καὶ χωρὶς μὲν γραφῆς αὐτόθεν ἐκ τῆς ἐννοίας τῆς περὶ θεοῦ δῆλον τῷ συνιέντι ἀξίωμα δυνά μεως νοῦ θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν τοῦτο παραστῆσαι, πλήρεις μέν εἰσιν αἱ προφητεῖαι τοιούτων παραδειγμάτων· καὶ κατὰ τὴν Σωσάνναν δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ γινώσκοντος τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, οὕτω λέγουσαν· «Ὁ θεὸς ὁ αἰώνιος ὁ τῶν κρυπτῶν γνώστης, ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, σὺ ἐπίστασαι ὅτι ψευδῆ μου κατεμαρτύρησαν οὗτοι.» Σαφέστατα δὲ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν βασιλειῶν καὶ ὄνομα βασιλεύσοντος καὶ πράξεις ἀνεγράφησαν πρὸ πλειόνων ἐτῶν τοῦ γενέσθαι προφητευόμενα οὕτως· «Καὶ ἐποίησεν Ἱεροβοὰμ ἑορτὴν ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ὀγδόῳ ἐν τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ μηνὸς κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τὴν ἐν γῇ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἐν Βαιθὴλ ὃ ἐποίησεν ταῖς δαμάλεσιν αἷς ἐποίησεν.» Εἶτα μετ' ὀλίγα· «Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξ Ἰούδα παρεγένετο ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου εἰς Βαιθήλ, καὶ Ἱεροβοὰμ εἱστήκει ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον αὐτοῦ ἐπιθῦσαι. Καὶ ἐπεκάλεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου, καὶ εἶπεν· Θυσιαστήριον, θυσιαστήριον, τάδε λέγει κύριος· Ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τίκτεται τῷ οἴκῳ ∆αϋίδ, Ἰωσίας ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ θύσει ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ἱερεῖς τῶν ὑψηλῶν τῶν ἐπιθυόντων ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ ὀστᾶ ἀνθρώπων καύσει ἐπὶ σέ. Καὶ ἔδωκεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ