of the Greeks, thinking that events are necessitated, and that what is in our power is by no means preserved, if God foreknows the future, have dared to accept an impious dogma rather than to admit that which, as they say, is glorious concerning God, but which abolishes what is in our power, and for this reason praise, and blame, and the acceptable quality of virtues, and the blameworthy quality of evils; and they say: If from eternity God knew that a certain person would do wrong, and would commit these injustices, and the knowledge of God is unerring, and he will in every way be unjust, committing these injustices, having been foreseen to be such, it is also impossible for him not to do wrong. But if it is impossible for him not to do wrong, he has been compelled to do wrong, 12.64 and it is impossible for him to do anything other than what God knew. But if it is impossible for him to do anything else, and no one is blameworthy for not doing the impossible, we blame the unjust in vain. And from the unjust man and his injustices they proceed to the other sins; then from the opposite, also to what are considered right actions; and they say it follows from God's foreknowledge of the future that what is in our power cannot be preserved. To whom it must be said that, when God applies Himself to the beginning of the world's creation, with nothing happening without a cause, He traverses in His mind each of the things that will be, seeing that, since this has happened, this follows; and if this that follows happens, this follows, and when this has occurred, this will be; and so having traversed to the end of things, He knows what will be, not being in every case the cause for each of the known things that it should happen. For just as if someone, seeing a person who is rash on account of ignorance, and on account of his rashness irrationally sets out on a slippery road, and should perceive that he will fall by slipping, is not the cause of the slip for that person; so it must be understood that God, having foreseen what sort of person each one will be, also perceives the causes of his being such, and that he will sin in these things, or act rightly in these things; and if one must say so, foreknowledge is not the cause of what happens (for God does not touch 12.65 the foreknown sinner when he sins); but, though it is more paradoxical, we will say what is true, that what is to be is the cause of its foreknowledge being of such a kind. For it does not happen because it is known, but it is known because it was going to happen. But a distinction is needed. For if anyone interprets the phrase, "it will in every way be," to mean that there is a necessity for the foreknown event to happen, we do not grant this to him; for we will not say, since it was foreknown that Judas would become a traitor, that there was every necessity for Judas to become a traitor. At any rate, in the prophecies concerning Judas, censures and accusations of Judas are recorded, showing to everyone his blameworthiness. But blame would not have attached to him if he were a traitor by necessity, and it were not possible for him to become like the other apostles. But see if these things are not declared through the sayings which we shall set forth, which are as follows: "Let there be no one to pity his orphans, because he did not remember to show mercy, but persecuted a poor and needy man, and one broken in heart, to put him to death. And he loved a curse, and it will come to him, and he did not desire a blessing, and it will be far from him." But if someone explains the phrase, "it will in every way be," according to its meaning, saying that these certain things will indeed be, but it was possible for them to happen otherwise, this we concede as true. For it is not possible for God to lie; but it is possible concerning things that may or may not happen to think that they will happen and that they will not happen. But we will say this more clearly thus: If it is possible for Judas to be an apostle like Peter, it is possible for God to think concerning Judas, that he will remain an apostle like Peter. If it is possible for Judas to become a traitor, it is possible for God to think concerning him, that he will be a traitor. But if Judas is to be a traitor, God, in His foreknowledge of the two aforementioned possibilities, it being possible for either of them to be, foreknowing the truth, will foreknow that Judas will become a traitor; but the thing about which the knowledge is, it is possible for it to happen otherwise. And the knowledge of God might say that it is possible for this person to do this, but also the

Ἑλλήνων, οἰόμενοι κατηναγκάσθαι τὰ πράγματα, καὶ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν μηδαμῶς σώζεσθαι, εἰ ὁ Θεὸς προ γινώσκει τὰ μέλλοντα, ἀσεβὲς δόγμα ἐτόλμησαν ἀνα δέξασθαι μᾶλλον ἢ προσέσθαι τὸ, ὥς φασιν ἐκεῖ νοι, ἔνδοξον μὲν περὶ Θεοῦ, ἀναιροῦν δὲ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔπαινον, καὶ ψόγον, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀποδεκτὸν, τῶν τε κακιῶν ψεκτόν· καί φασιν· Εἰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἔγνω ὁ Θεὸς τόνδε τινὰ ἀδικήσειν, καὶ τάδε ποιήσειν ἀδικήματα, ἀψευδὴς δὲ ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πάντως ἔσται ἄδικος, ποιήσων τάδε τὰ ἀδικήματα, ὁ τοιοῦτος εἶναι προεωραμένος, καὶ ἀμή χανον μὴ ἀδικήσειν αὐτόν. Εἰ δὲ ἀμήχανον μὴ ἀδική σειν αὐτὸν, κατηνάγκασται τὸ ἀδικήσειν αὐτὸν, 12.64 καὶ ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι αὐτὸν ἣ ὅπερ ὁ Θεὸς ἔγνω. Εἰ δὲ ἀδύνατον ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι αὐτὸν, οὐδεὶς δὲ ἀδύνατα μὴ ποιήσας ψεκτός ἐστι, μάτην αἰτιώμεθα τοὺς ἀδίκους. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἀδίκου καὶ τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐπέρχονται καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἁμαρτήματα· εἶτα ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα κατορθώματα· καί φασιν ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ τὸν Θεὸν τὰ μέλλοντα προεγνω κέναι τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν σώζεσθαι. Πρὸς οὓς λεκτέον, ὅτι, ἐπιβάλλων ὁ Θεὸς τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς κοσμοποιίας, οὐδενὸς ἀναιτίως γινομέ νου, ἐπιπορεύεται τῷ νῷ ἕκαστον τῶν ἐσομένων, ὁρῶν, ὅτι, ἐπεὶ τόδε γέγονε, τόδε ἕπεται· ἐὰν δὲ γέ νηται τόδε τὸ ἑπόμενον, τόδε ἀκολουθεῖ, οὗ ὑποστάν τος, τόδε ἔσται· καὶ οὕτω μέχρι τέλους τῶν πρα γμάτων ἐπιπορευθεὶς, οἶδεν ἃ ἔσται, οὐ πάντως ἑκά στῳ τῶν γινωσκομένων αἴτιος τοῦ αὐτὸ συμβῆναι τυγχάνων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ὁρῶν τινα διὰ μὲν ἀμα θίαν προπετῆ, διὰ δὲ τὴν προπέτειαν ἀλογίστως ἐπιβαίνοντα ὁδοῦ ὀλισθηρᾶς, καὶ καταλάβοι πεσεῖσθαι ὀλισθήσαντα, οὐχὶ αἴτιος τοῦ ὀλίσθου ἐκείνῳ γί νεται· οὕτω νοητέον τὸν Θεὸν προεωρακότα, ὁποῖος ἔσται ἕκαστος, καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τοῦ τοιοῦτον αὐ τὸν ἔσεσθαι καθορᾷν, καὶ ὅτι ἁμαρτήσεται τάδε, ἢ κατορθώσει τάδε· καὶ εἰ χρὴ λέγειν, οὐ τὴν πρόγνωσιν αἰτίαν γινομένων, (οὐ γὰρ ἐφάπτεται τοῦ προεγνωσμένου ἁμαρτησομένου ὁ 12.65 Θεὸς, ὅταν ἁμαρτάνῃ·) ἀλλὰ παραδοξότερον μὲν, ἀληθὲς δὲ ἐροῦμεν, τὸ ἐσόμενον αἴτιον τοῦ τοιάνδε εἶναι τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ πρόγνωσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπεὶ ἔγνω σται, γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ γίνεσθαι ἔμελλεν, ἔγνωσται. ∆ιαστολῆς δὲ δεῖται. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ, πάντως ἔσται. οὕτω τις ἑρμηνεύει, ὡς ἀνάγκην εἶναι γενέσθαι τὸ προεγνωσμένον, οὐ διδόαμεν αὐτῷ· οὐ γὰρ ἐροῦ μεν, ἐπεὶ προέγνωσται Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέ σθαι, ὅτι πᾶσα ἀνάγκη ἦν Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι. Ἐν γοῦν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα προφητείαις μέμψεις καὶ κατηγορίαι τοῦ Ἰούδα ἀναγεγραμμέναι εἰσὶ, παντί τῳ παριστᾶσαι τὸ ψεκτὸν αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ ψό γος αὐτῷ προσήπτετο, εἰ ἐπάναγκες προδότης ἦν, καὶ μὴ ἐνεδέχετο αὐτὸν ὅμοιον τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀπο στόλοις γενέσθαι. Ὅρα δὲ εἰ μὴ ταῦτα δηλοῦται, δι' ὧν παραθησόμεθα ῥητῶν οὕτως ἐχόντων· «Μηδὲ γε νηθήτω οἰκτίρμων τοῖς ὀρφανοῖς αὐτοῦ, ἀνθ' ὧν οὐκ ἐμνήσθη ποιῆσαι ἔλεος, καὶ κατεδίωξεν ἄνθρωπον πένητα καὶ πτωχὸν, καὶ κατανενυγμένον τῇ καρ δίᾳ τοῦ θανατῶσαι. Καὶ ἠγάπησε κατάραν, καὶ ἥξει αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν εὐλογίαν, καὶ μακρυνθήσε ται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ.» Εἰ δέ τις διηγήσεται τὸ, πάντως ἔσται, κατὰ τὸ σημαίνειν αὐτὸ, λέγων, ὅτι ἔσται μὲν τάδε τινὰ, ἐνε δέχετο δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως γενέσθαι, τοῦτο ὡς ἀληθὲς συγ χωροῦμεν. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ Θεὸν οὐκ ἐνδέχεται ψεύσασθαι· ἐνδέχεται δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐνδεχομένων γε νέσθαι, καὶ μὴ γενέσθαι φρονῆσαι τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι. Σαφέστερον δὲ τοῦτο ἐροῦμεν οὕτως· Εἰ ἐνδέχεται Ἰούδαν εἶναι ἀπόστολον ὁμοίως Πέτρῳ, ἐνδέχεται τὸν Θεὸν νοῆσαι περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα, ὅτι μενεῖ ἀπόστολος ὁμοίως Πέτρῳ. Εἰ ἐνδέχεται Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι, ἐνδέχεται τὸ Θεὸν φρο νῆσαι περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι προδότης ἔσται. Εἰ δὲ προδότης ἔσται Ἰούδας, ὁ Θεὸς τῇ προγνώσει αὐτοῦ τῶν προει ρημένων δύο, ἐνδεχομένου τοῦ εἶναι ἑνὶ αὐτῶν, τὸ ἀληθὲς προγινώσκων, προγνώσεται τὸν Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι· τὸ δὲ περὶ οὗ ἡ γνῶσις, ἐνδέχεται καὶ ἑτέρως γενέσθαι. Καὶ λέγοι ἂν ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι Ἐνδέχεται μὲν τόνδε τόδε ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ