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us always, but we are the cause everywhere of the punishments and the chastisements, having cast ourselves out through indolence from the good things given to us. Therefore, just as a loving father at the beginning allows his own son to spend his time at home, and to enjoy all his patrimony; but when he sees that he has become worthless in the honor given him, he leads him away from the table and sets him far from his own sight, and often even casts him out of his father's house, so that he, having been cast out and having become better by these insults and dishonors, might show himself worthy of returning again, and might inherit his father's estate; so also did God do. He gave paradise to man; when he appeared unworthy, He cast him out, so that by his stay outside and his dishonor, becoming better and more temperate, he might appear worthy of returning again. Since, therefore, after these things he became better, He brings him back again, and says: Today you will be with me in paradise. Do you see that not only giving paradise, but also casting out of paradise, was an act of the greatest care? For if he had not been cast out of 49.250 paradise, he would not have appeared worthy of paradise again. 4. Let us, therefore, always keep this principle, and let us, if you wish, apply it to the subject before us. He gave a common language to all; this was of His loving-kindness. They did not use the gift for a good purpose, but turned aside to extreme folly; He took away again what had been given. For if, when they had one language, they fell into such great folly as to want to build a tower up to heaven, if they had not been immediately punished, would they not have desired to take hold of the very summit of heaven? For what? Even if it was impossible for them, nevertheless from their intention their impiety was made complete. Foreseeing all these things, God, since they did not use their harmony for a good purpose, for a good purpose divides them by disharmony. And consider for me His loving-kindness. Behold, He says, one language for all, and this they began to do. For what reason did He not immediately proceed to divide the language, but first makes a defense, as if He were about to be judged in a court? And yet no one will say to Him, What have you done? but He is Lord to do all that He wishes. But nevertheless, as if about to be held accountable, He thus offers defenses, teaching us to be gentle and humane. For if the Master makes a defense to His slaves, and that when they have done wrong, much more ought we to make defenses to one another, even if we have been greatly wronged. See, at any rate, how He makes a defense: Behold, one lip and one language for all, He says, and this they began to do. As if He were saying: Let no one blame me, seeing the language divided on this account, let no one think that this disharmony was implanted in men from the beginning. Behold, one lip and one language for all; but they did not use the gift for a good purpose. And that you may learn that He does not so much punish what is happening as He pre-corrects what is to come, hear what follows: And now nothing will be withheld from them, which they have imagined to do. And what He says is this: If they are not punished now, and checked from the very root of their sins, they will not stop their wickedness anywhere; for this is, Nothing will be withheld from them, which they have imagined to do; as if He were saying: And they will add other, greater absurdities. For such is wickedness; when it has taken a beginning and is not hindered, just as a fire taking hold of wood, so it sends up an unspeakable height. Do you see that even taking away their harmony was an act of great loving-kindness? For He cast them into disharmony, so that they might not fall into greater wickedness. Preserve this principle for me, and let it be ever fixed and unshaken with you, that God is good and loving not only when bestowing benefits, but also when punishing; for His punishments and His chastisements are a very great part of His beneficence, a very great form of His providence. When, therefore, you see

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ἡμᾶς ἀεὶ, ἡμεῖς δὲ αἴτιοι πανταχοῦ τῶν κολάσεων καὶ τῶν τιμωριῶν, ἐκβαλόντες ἑαυτοὺς διὰ ῥᾳθυμίας τῶν δεδομένων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν. Καθάπερ οὖν πατὴρ φιλόστοργος παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφίησιν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας τὸν παῖδα τὸν ἑαυτοῦ διατρίβειν, καὶ τῶν πατρῴων ἀπολαύειν ἁπάντων· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἴδῃ φαῦλον τῇ τιμῇ γεγενημένον, ἀπάγει τῆς τραπέζης καὶ πόῤῥωθεν τῆς οἰκείας ὄψεως καθίστησι, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ αὐτῆς ἐκβάλλει τῆς πατρῴας οἰκίας, ἵνα ἐκπεσὼν ἐκεῖνος καὶ βελτίων γενόμενος ταῖς ὕβρεσι ταύταις καὶ ταῖς ἀτιμίαις, ἄξιον ἑαυτὸν ἀποφήνῃ τῆς ἐπανόδου πάλιν, καὶ τὸν πατρῷον διαδέξηται κλῆρον· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν. Ἔδωκε τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸν παράδεισον· ἀνάξιον φανέντα ἐξέβαλεν, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἔξω διατριβῆς καὶ τῆς ἀτιμίας βελτίων γενόμενος καὶ σωφρονέστερος, ἄξιος φανῇ τῆς ἐπανόδου πάλιν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν μετὰ ταῦτα βελτίων ἐγένετο, ἐπανάγει πάλιν αὐτὸν, καί φησι· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ τὸ δοῦναι τὸν παράδεισον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐκβαλεῖν τοῦ παραδείσου, τῆς μεγίστης κηδεμονίας ἦν; εἰ μὴ γὰρ ἐξέπεσε τοῦ 49.250 παραδείσου, οὐκ ἂν ἐφάνη τοῦ παραδείσου πάλιν ἄξιος. δʹ. Τοῦτον τοίνυν διαπαντὸς τηρῶμεν τὸν λόγον, τοῦτον καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς προκειμένης, εἰ βούλεσθε, γυμνάσωμεν ὑποθέσεως. Ἔδωκε φωνὴν κοινὴν ἅπασι· τοῦτο τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας. Οὐκ ἐχρήσαντο εἰς δέον ἐκεῖνοι τῷ δώρῳ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἄνοιαν ἐξέκλιναν ἐσχάτην· ἀφείλετο τὸ δοθὲν πάλιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ γλῶσσαν εἶχον μίαν, εἰς τοσαύτην ἐξέπεσον ἄνοιαν, ὡς βουληθῆναι πύργον ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι, εἰ μὴ παραχρῆμα ἐκολάσθησαν, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἐπεθύμησαν καὶ αὐτῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῆς κορυφῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι; Τί γάρ; Εἰ καὶ ἀδύνατον ἦν ἐκείνοις, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκ τῆς προθέσεως τὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτοῖς ἀπηρτίζετο. Ἅπερ ἅπαντα προορῶν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπειδὴ εἰς δέον οὐκ ἐχρήσαντο τῇ ὁμοφωνίᾳ, εἰς δέον αὐτοὺς διαιρεῖ τῇ διαφωνίᾳ. Καὶ σκόπει μοι τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτοῦ. Ἰδοὺ, φησὶ, φωνὴ μία πᾶσι, καὶ τοῦτο ἤρξαντο ποιῆσαι. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ εὐθέως ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸ διατεμεῖν τὴν γλῶτταν, ἀλλὰ πρότερον ἀπολογεῖται, καθάπερ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ κρίνεσθαι μέλλων; καίτοι γε οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ ἐρεῖ· Τί ἐποίησας; ἀλλὰ κύριός ἐστι πάντα ποιεῖν ὅσα βούλεται. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καθάπερ μέλλων εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν, οὕτως ἀπολογίας τίθησιν, ἡμᾶς διδάσκων ἡμέρους εἶναι καὶ φιλανθρώπους. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης τοῖς δούλοις ἀπολογεῖται, καὶ ταῦτα ἠδικηκόσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις ἀπολογεῖσθαι χρὴ, κἂν τὰ μέγιστα ὦμεν ἠδικημένοι. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς ἀπολογεῖται· Ἰδοὺ χεῖλος ἓν καὶ φωνὴ μία πᾶσι, φησὶ, καὶ τοῦτο ἤρξαντο ποιῆσαι. Ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγε· Μηδεὶς ἐγκαλείτω μοι ταῦτα τὴν γλῶτταν διατεμνομένην ὁρῶν, μηδεὶς ἐξ ἀρχῆς νομιζέτω τὴν διαφωνίαν ταύτην τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συγκαταβεβλῆσθαι. Ἰδοὺ χεῖλος ἓν καὶ μία φωνὴ πᾶσιν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐχρήσαντο εἰς δέον τῇ δωρεᾷ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ τὸ γινόμενον κολάζει τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τὸ μέλλον προδιορθοῦται, ἄκουσον τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς· Καὶ νῦν οὐ μὴ ἐκλείψῃ ἐξ αὐτῶν πάντα, ὅσα ἂν ἐπιθῶνται ποιῆσαι. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐὰν μὴ δῶσι δίκην νῦν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ῥίζης αὐτῆς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀναχαιτισθῶσιν, οὐ στήσονται τῆς πονηρίας οὐδαμοῦ· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, Οὐ μὴ ἐκλείψῃ ἐξ αὐτῶν πάντα, ὅσα ἂν ἐπιθῶνται ποιῆσαι· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἕτερα προσθήσουσι μείζονα ἀτοπήματα. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ πονηρία· ὅταν ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα μὴ κωλυθῇ, καθάπερ πῦρ ὕλης ἐπιλαβόμενον, οὕτω πρὸς ὕψος ἀνίησιν ἄφατον. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἀφελέσθαι τὴν ὁμοφωνίαν φιλανθρωπίας ἐγένετο πολλῆς; Ἐνέβαλε γὰρ αὐτοὺς εἰς διαφωνίαν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκπέσωσιν εἰς πονηρίαν μείζονα. Τοῦτον δή μοι διατηρεῖτε τὸν λόγον, καὶ πεπηγὼς ἀεὶ παρ' ὑμῖν ἔστω καὶ ἀκίνητος, ὅτι οὐκ εὐεργετῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κολάζων ἀγαθός ἐστι καὶ φιλάνθρωπος ὁ Θεός· καὶ γὰρ αἱ κολάσεις αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τιμωρίαι μέγιστον εὐεργεσίας μέρος, μέγιστον προνοίας εἶδός εἰσιν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς