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with free will. For He willed him to be good, choosing the good voluntarily. For no created being can be good unwillingly; but all who are good are such voluntarily. It was necessary, therefore, for the one who was to be good by his own choice to have a power equal to his aptitude for receiving the good. And it followed that what is receptive of good is also receptive of evil; so the rational being, having been fashioned to have the power for virtue and vice, was given a commandment that he should have virtue in actuality, but vice only in potentiality. For the law of the Creator exhorts, and anoints, and works together toward virtue, turning nature away from vice. Therefore, even if the power for vice exists in the rational being, it is not vile because of this power. For the powers and choices are of both, I mean virtue and vice. For we choose to have the power for virtue, so that we may be able to receive it in actuality; we also choose to have the power for vice. For we have it then, when we have virtue in actuality. And this is not our opinion alone, but that of all who have philosophized correctly about rational creatures. Therefore, even if God made the substance called devil, He did not create it as a devil, but as receptive of virtue, so that it might have this; and receptive of vice, so that it might abstain from this. For since virtue cannot be seized by vice, and virtue is dear to God, He instilled the powers for both in the rational being for this reason: that we might receive the one into actuality, and abstain from the end of the other power, which is actuality. So that every rational being was made to be good, and not vile. If, therefore, any of the rational beings has run the opposite course to the one who made and provides, the cause is not of the one who made and legislated, but of those who resist the given and provident laws. For we see this always happening even among ourselves, when we educate children, wishing to raise them according to knowledge, so that they may practice this; but they do not always act as they were taught; but sometimes it happens that many sons, raised by physician fathers, do not use medicine properly, offering what is disease-causing instead of what is healthy to the sick; and surely medicine, or the one who taught it, 39.1104 is not the cause.

For he did not teach so that he might act thus. For he does not act as he learned to do. Again, we teach some laws, so that they may stand with justice, and shun injustice. But some of them, approaching the laws with malice, do the opposite. And we blame neither the law, nor the lawgiver. For if they themselves were the cause of injustice, they would not punish the unjust. For this too is part of their will, that the unjust must be punished; and God punishes satan, and those who transgress the laws laid down by God. For He says to certain wicked ones: Depart into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Let those who contradict these things know, therefore, that they are saying things that conflict with themselves. For if the devil was evil in substance, and alien to the good God, being able to be of equal strength to him; neither would He have prepared a punishment for him, nor would He have been able to cast him into the punishment; but it says fire was prepared for the devil. And this must also be said: If the good God is immutable, as indeed He is, and always has the same power, so as not to be strong in one way at one time, and in another way at another; and He was going to deliver satan to eternal fire after much harm and much destruction, why did He not do this from the beginning, when he rose up against Him, and took part of Him? For it would have been more just then to have decreed punishment against him, as against one who had committed a greater offense. For now he harms men; then, according to them, he harmed the divinity itself,

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αὐτεξούσιον. Ἀγαθὸν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο εἶναι, ἑκουσίως αἱρούμενον τὸ ἀγαθόν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ γενητῶν ἄκων ἀγαθὸς εἶναι δύναται· ἀλλὰ πάντες οἱ ὄντες ἀγαθοὶ ἑκουσίως εἰσὶν τοιοῦτοι. Ἔδει τοίνυν τὸν προαιρέσει τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγαθὸν ἐσόμενον, δύναμιν ἔχειν τὴν αὐτὴν τῇ ἐπιτηδειότητι πρὸς ἀνάληψιν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. Εἵπετο δὲ τὸ δεκτικὸν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ δεκτικὸν εἶναι· οὕτω κατεσκευασμένῳ τῷ λογικῷ, πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ κακίαν δύναμιν ἔχειν, ἐντολὴ δέδοται ὅπως τὴν μὲν ἀρετὴν κατ' ἐνέργειαν, τὴν δὲ κακίαν κατ' ἐπιτηδειότητα μόνην ἔχει. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος νόμος προτρέπει, καὶ ἀλείφει, καὶ συνεργεῖ πρὸς ἀρετὴν, ἀποτρέπων τὴν φύσιν τῆς κακίας. Κἂν τοίνυν ἐνυπάρχῃ δύναμις κακίας ἐν τῷ λογικῷ, οὐ διὰ τὴν δύναμιν φαῦλον τοῦτο. Ἀμφοτέρων γὰρ, ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας λέγω, αἱ δυνάμεις καὶ προαιρέσεις. Αἱρούμεθα γὰρ ἀρετῆς ἔχειν δύναμιν, ἵνα καὶ ἀναλαβεῖν κατ' ἐνέργειαν δυνώμεθα· αἱρούμεθα καὶ κακίας ἔχειν δύναμιν. Τότε γὰρ αὐτὴν ἔχομεν, ὅταν ἐν ἐνεργείᾳ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἔχωμεν. Καὶ οὐχ ἡμῶν μόνων ἡ δόξα αὕτη, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων ὀρθῶς περὶ τῶν λογικῶν ζώων φιλοσοφησάντων. Κἂν τοίνυν τὴν οὐσίαν τὴν καλουμένην διάβολον ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, οὐχὶ διάβολον αὐτὴν ἐδημιούργησεν, ἀλλὰ δεκτικὴν ἀρετῆς, ἵνα ταύτην ἔχῃ· καὶ δεκτικὴν κακίας, ἵνα ταύτης ἀπέχηται. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἀσυνάρπακτος ἡ ἀρετὴ τῇ κακίᾳ, φίλη δὲ τῷ Θεῷ ἡ ἀρετὴ, ἀμφοτέρων τὰς δυνάμεις ἐνιεὶς τῷ λογικῷ διὰ τοῦτο ἐνῆκεν αὐτὰς, ἵνα τὴν μὲν εἰς ἐνέργειαν μεταλάβωμεν, τῆς δὲ ἑτέρας δυνάμεως τοῦ τέλους, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἡ ἐνέργεια, ἀπεχώμεθα. Ὥστε γέγονεν πᾶν λογικὸν ἐπὶ τῷ σπουδαῖον εἶναι, καὶ μὴ φαῦλον. Εἴ τινα οὖν τῶν λογικῶν τὴν ἐναντίαν δεδράμηκεν τῷ πεποιηκότι καὶ προνοουμένῳ, οὐ τοῦ ποιήσαντος καὶ νομοθετήσαντος ἡ αἰτία, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀντιτεινάντων πρὸς τοὺς δοθέντας καὶ πρὸς τοὺς προνοουμένους νόμους. Ὁρῶμεν γοῦν καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς, ἀεὶ ταῦτα γινόμενα, ἃ παιδεύομεν τὰ τέκνα, κατ' ἐπιστήμην αὐτὰ ἀνάγειν βουλόμενοι, ἵνα καὶ ταύτην ἐνεργῶσιν· οὐ πάντως δὲ οὕτως ἐνεργοῦσιν, ὡς ἐδιδάχθησαν· ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅτε ἐναντίως πολλοὶ υἱοὶ παρὰ πατέρων ἰατροὶ ἀνατραφέντες, οὐ δεόντως χρῶνται τῇ ἰατρικῇ, τὰ νοσοποιὰ ἀντὶ τῶν ὑγιεινῶν τοῖς κακουμένοις προσάγοντες· καὶ οὐ δήπου ἡ ἰατρικὴ, ἢ ὁ ταύτην παι 39.1104 δεύσας, αἴτιος.

Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἐδίδαξεν, ἵν' οὕτως ποιῇ. Πράττει γὰρ οὐχ ὡς ἔμαθεν ποιεῖν. Πάλιν νόμους παιδεύομέν τινας, ἵνα συνιστῶνται τῷ δικαίῳ, καὶ τὴν ἀδικίαν παραιτῶνται. Ἀλλὰ κακοήθως ἔνιοι αὐτῶν τοῖς νόμοις προσιόντων, τὸ ἀνάπαλιν ποιοῦσιν. Καὶ οὔτε τὸν νόμον, οὔτε τὸν νομοθέτην αἰτιώμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ αὐτοὶ τῆς ἀδικίας αἴτιοι ἦσαν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκόλαζον τοὺς ἀδίκους. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ βουλήματος αὐτῶν ὑπάρχει, Τὸ κολαστέον τὸν ἄδικον εἶναι· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς κολάζει τὸν σατανᾶν, καὶ τοὺς παραβάντας τοὺς ἀπὸ Θεοῦ τεθέντας νόμους. Τισὶν γὰρ φαύλοις λέγει· Ὑπάγετε εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. Ἴστωσαν τοίνυν οἱ τούτοις ἀντιλέγοντες, μαχόμενα ἑαυτοῖς λέγοντες. Εἰ γὰρ κατ' οὐσίαν κακὸς ἦν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἀλλότριος τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ, δυνάμενος αὐτῷ ἰσοσθενὴς εἶναι· οὐδὲ κόλασιν ἡτοίμαζεν αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ βάλλειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν κόλασιν ἠδύνατο· λέγει δὲ ἡτοιμάσθαι πῦρ τῷ διαβόλῳ. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ ῥητέον· Εἰ ἄτρεπτος ὁ ἀγαθὸς Θεός ἐστιν, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστιν, καὶ ἀεὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει δύναμιν, ὡς μὴ ἄλλοτε ἄλλως ἰσχύειν, καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλως· ἔμελλε δὲ μετὰ πολλὴν βλάβην καὶ ἀπώλειαν πολλὴν, πυρὶ αἰωνίῳ παραδιδόναι τὸν σατανᾶν, διὰ τί μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦτο ἐποίει, ὅτε ἐπανῆλθεν αὐτῷ, καὶ μέρος ἔλαβεν αὐτοῦ; ∆ικαιότερον γὰρ τότε μᾶλλον τιμωρίαν ὥριζεν κατ' αὐτοῦ, ὡς κατὰ μείζονος πλημμεληθέντος. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώπους βλάπτει· τότε, κατ' αὐτοὺς, αὐτὴν ἔβλαψεν τὴν θεότητα,