to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. It is not surprising, then, if the things concerning Pharaoh, who was hardened and at the end encompassed by such punishments, are administered by the goodness of God. Let these things be said by us for the present, as they occurred to us, concerning, "The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart." But if anyone, maintaining piety toward God, should find better things, in no way touching upon impiety, with testimonies from the divine Scriptures, those should rather be used. And in other places concerning the same thing. Furthermore, I reflect in this place, lest 12.277 just as physicians of those bitten by rabid dogs, drawing the venom to the surface so that it does not, feeding within, destroy the person, they cause more severe conditions and inflammations; so God, by His own medical art, draws out to the exterior the evil hidden and lurking in the depths of the soul, so that it might become manifest and clearer, in order that after this He might apply the subsequent therapy. Such, I think, are also the sayings in Deuteronomy, which have this manner: "And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God led you this fortieth year in the wilderness, that he might afflict you, and test you, and that the things in your heart might be known, whether you will keep his commandments, or not. And he afflicted you and made you hunger; and he fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might declare to you that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live." Observe in these things that God afflicts and tests, so that the things in each one's heart may be known, as existing indeed, but laid up in the depth, and coming to light through the afflictions. Such also is that which in Job is announced by the Lord through a whirlwind and clouds to Job, thus: "Do you think that I have dealt with you otherwise, than that you might be shown to be righteous;" for He did not say, that you might *become* righteous, but, that you might be *shown* to be, being such even before the trials, but shown to be so in what has happened. And again in another volume in the same notes on Exodus. But one of our own, explaining the matter from common usage, said that often good masters, being long-suffering toward their sinning servants, are accustomed to say, "I have ruined you," and, "I have made you wicked," indicating by their manner that their goodness and long-suffering seem to have become an occasion for greater wickedness. Just as, then, when these things are said, someone might slanderously say that the master confessed to have made the servant wicked; so the things from the goodness of God which became an occasion for Pharaoh's hardness are written as having hardened Pharaoh's heart. And he will explain what he has meant to say from apostolic sayings: "Or do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation and of the righteousness of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds." The same Apostle, at least, in his epistle to the Romans 12.280 says: "But if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction;" as if his long-suffering had borne the vessels of wrath, and, as it were, had begotten them. For if, because of His long-suffering, not punishing sinners but showing mercy, wickedness increased in its outpouring, He Himself in a way bore by His own long-suffering the vessels of wrath, and, so to speak, He Himself made all things vessels of wrath, and according to this, He Himself hardened their heart. For when, after so many signs and wonders have occurred, Pharaoh is not persuaded, but after such great things resists, how is he not proven harder and more unbelieving? the hardness and unbelief seeming to have been able to arise from the wondrous works. Similar also is that in the Gospel: "For judgment

τῷ Σατανᾶ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου. Οὐ θαυμαστὸν οὖν εἰ καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν Φαραὼ τὸν σκληρυνόμενον, καὶ ἐπὶ τέλει τοιαύταις κολάσεσι περιβαλλόμενον ἀπὸ ἀγαθότητος οἰκονομεῖται Θεοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος, ὡς ὑπέπεσεν, εἰρήσθω περὶ τοῦ, «Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ.» Ἐὰν δέ τις τὸ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εὐσεβὲς τηρῶν, κρείττονα, καὶ μηδαμῶς ἀσεβείας ἐφαπτόμενα εὑρίσκῃ, μετὰ μαρτυριῶν τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ἐκείνοις μᾶλλον χρηστέον. Καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἔτι δὲ ἐφίστημι ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τόπον, μήποτε 12.277 ὥσπερ οἱ ἰατροὶ τῶν λυσσοδήκτων τὸν ἰὸν ἐπισπώ μενοι ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, ἵνα μὴ ἔνδον νεμόμενος διαφθείρῃ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, χαλεπωτέρας ἐμποιοῦσι διαθέσεις καὶ φλεγμονάς· οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἐγκρυ πτομένην καὶ ἐμφωλεύουσαν τοῖς βάθεσι τῆς ψυχῆς κακίαν, διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἰατρικῆς ἐπισπᾶται εἰς τὰ ἔξω, ὥστε φανερὰν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐναργεστέραν γενέσθαι, ἵνα μετὰ τοῦτο τὴν ἑξῆς ἐπάγῃ θεραπείαν. Τοιαῦτα δὲ ἡγοῦμαι καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ ῥητὰ, τοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸν τρόπον· «Καὶ μνησθήσῃ πᾶσαν τὴν ὁδὸν ἢν διηγαγέ σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου τοῦτο τεσσαρακοστὸν ἔτος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ὅπως κακώσῃ σε, καὶ πειράσῃ σε, καὶ διαγνωσθῇ τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου, εἰ φυ λάξῃ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἢ οὔ. Καὶ ἐκάκωσέ σε καὶ ἐλιμαγχόνισέ σε· καὶ ἐψώμισέ σε τὸ μάννα, ὃ οὐκ ᾔδεις σὺ, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οἱ πατέρες σου· ἵνα ἀναγγείλῃ σοι ὅτι οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄν θρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος.» Τήρει δὲ ἐν τούτοις ὅτι κακοῖ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πειράζει, ἵνα διαγνω σθῇ τὰ ἐν τῇ ἑκάστου καρδίᾳ, ὡς ὄντα μὲν, ἐναπο κείμενα δὲ τῷ βάθει, καὶ εἰς φανερὸν διὰ τῶν κα κώσεων ἐρχόμενα. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ λαίλαπος καὶ νεφῶν ἀπαγγελλό μενον πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ, οὕτως· «Οἴει με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι, ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος·» οὔτε γὰρ εἶπε, γένῃ δίκαιος, ἀλλ', ἵνα ἀναφανῇς, τοιοῦτος ὢν καὶ πρὸ τῶν πειρασμῶν, ἀναφανῇς δὲ ἐν τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν. Καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἄλλῳ τόμῳ ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς εἰς τὴν Ἔξοδον σημειώσεσιν. Ἔλεγε δέ τις τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας τὸ ζητούμενον παραμυθούμενος, ὅτι πολλάκις οἱ χρηστοὶ κύριοι μακροθυμοῦντες ἐπὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας τῶν οἰκετῶν, λέγειν εἰώθασι τὸ, «Ἐγώ σε ἀπώλεσα,» καὶ, «Ἐγώ σε πονηρὸν ἐποίησα,» μετὰ τοῦ ἤθους ἐμφαίνοντες, ὅτι ἡ χρηστότης αὐτῶν καὶ μακροθυμία πρόφασις δοκεῖ γεγονέναι τῆς ἐπὶ πλεῖον πονηρίας. Ὥσπερ οὖν τούτων λεγομένων δύναταί τις λέγειν συκοφαντῶν, ὅτι ὡμολόγησεν ὁ δεσπότης πονηρὸν πεποιηκέναι τὸν οἰκέτην· οὕτω τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγαθότη τος τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόφασις γενόμενα τῆς σκληρότητος τοῦ Φαραὼ, ἐσκληρυκέναι ἀναγέγραπται τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ. Παραμυθήσεται δὲ οὗτος ἐξ ἀποστολι κῶν ῥητῶν, ὃ νενόηκεν εἰπεῖν· «Ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς μακρο θυμίας καταφρονεῖς, ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς μετάνοιάν σε ἄγει; διὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητά σου, καὶ ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς, καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως, καὶ δικαιοσύνης τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.» Ὁ αὐτὸς γοῦν Ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπι 12.280 στολῇ φησιν· «Εἰ δὲ θέλων ὁ Θεὸς ἐνδείξασθαι τὴν ὀργὴν, καὶ γνωρίσαι τὸ δυνατὸν αὐτοῦ, ἤνεγκεν ἐν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ σκεύη ὀργῆς κατηρτισμένα εἰς ἀπώλειαν·» ὡς τῆς μακροθυμίας αὐτοῦ ἐνηνοχυίας τὰ σκεύη τῆς ὀργῆς, καὶ οἱονεὶ γεγεννηκυίας. Εἰ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ μακροθυμεῖν αὐτὸν οὐ κολάζοντα τοὺς ἁμαρ τάνοντας, ἀλλ' ἐλεοῦντα, ἐπλεόνασε τῇ χύσει, αὐτός πως ἤνεγκε τῇ ἑαυτοῦ μακροθυμίᾳ τὰ σκεύη τῆς ὀρ γῆς, καὶ ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, αὐτὸς τὰ πάντα πεποίηκε σκεύη ὀργῆς, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο, αὐτὸς ἐσκλήρυνε τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν. Ὅτε γὰρ σημείων τοσούτων καὶ τε ράτων γενομένων οὐ πείθεται ὁ Φαραὼ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τηλικαῦτα ἀνθίσταται, πῶς οὐ σκληρότερος καὶ ἀπιστότερος ἐλέγχεται; τῆς σκληρότητος καὶ ἀπιστίας δοκούσης ἐκ τῶν τεραστίων δυναμένης γεγονέναι. Ὅμοιον δὲ καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Εἰς κρίμα