I came into this world;» for the Savior did not intend to come for judgment, but it followed upon His coming that He came for judgment, because of those who did not believe in Him after the wonders; but He has also come for a fall. And after other things, thus. The wonders that were performed were mercy to those who received and believed, as to the mixed multitude of Egyptians who had come with the people; but to the disobedient they bring hardness to their hearts. And from the Gospel, besides what has been said, similar things can be adduced concerning the Savior seeming to have become a cause of evils for some: «Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, for if in Tyre and Sidon the signs had been done that were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you,» and so on; for the Savior, being a foreknower of the unbelief of those in Chorazin, and of those in Bethsaida, and of those in Capernaum, and that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for them, why did He perform the wonders in Chorazin and in Bethsaida, seeing that because of these things it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the Tyrians and Sidonians than for these? And after other things. «But you shall say to Pharaoh: Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son. And I said to you, Send out my people, that they may serve me. But if you are not willing to send him out, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.» It must be said, therefore, to those who assert that these things are of a just God, and who suppose according to the plain sense of the text that the heart of Pharaoh the king was hardened so that he would not send out his people, how is He just who both hardened the heart and threatened, if he would not release him, to kill his firstborn son? For, being pressed, they will confess him to be evil. Then again they will be refuted by other things, and will be led up to not being slaves to the plain text, which according to them cannot save the justice of the Creator. But if they are now forced to examine these things 12.281 constrainedly, they will ascend to no longer accusing the Creator, but asserting that He is good. It must be asked, therefore, of those who think they have understood this: «The Lord God hardened the heart of Pharaoh,» whether they believe these things are truly said by God, through an inspired Moses, or falsely; for if falsely, then according to them God is no longer just, nor true, and as far as these things go, not even God; but if truly, let them consider whether He does not accuse him as having free will, saying: «But if you are not willing to send him out;» and elsewhere: «How long are you not willing to be ashamed before me?» For, «How long are you not willing to be ashamed before me?» is said reproachfully to Pharaoh who is not ashamed, not because of inability, but because of unwillingness. And what is said by Moses to Pharaoh, «So that you may know that the earth is the Lord's, and you, and your servants, I know that you have never feared the Lord,» declares that they will fear; which is fitting with regard to the heterodox, concerning both the goodness of God, and concerning the non-existence of a nature that is to be destroyed.

ἐγὼ εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἦλθον·» οὐ γὰρ προέθετο ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰς κρίμα ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλ' ἠκολούθησε τῷ ἐληλυθέναι αὐτὸν, τὸ εἰς κρίμα αὐτὸν ἐληλυθέναι τῶν μετὰ τὰ τεράστια οὐ πεπιστευκότων αὐτῷ· ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς πτῶσιν ἐλήλυθε. Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα οὕτως. Τὰ τεράστια γινόμενα, τοῖς μὲν δεχομένοις καὶ πιστεύουσιν, ὡς παρὰ τοῖς ἐπιμίκτοις Αἰγυπτίοις τοῖς συνεληλυθόσι τῷ λαῷ, ἔλεος ἦν· τοῖς δ' ἀπειθοῦσι σκληρότητα ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν ἐπιφέρει. Καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου δὲ ἔτι παρὰ τὰ εἰρημένα ἔστι τὰ ὅμοια παραθέσθαι περὶ τοῦ καὶ τὸν Σωτῆρα κακῶν αἴτιον δοκεῖν γεγονέναι τισίν· «Οὐαί σοι χώρα Ζὶν, οὐαί σοι Βηθσαϊδὰ, ὅτι εἰ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἐγένετο τὰ σημεῖα τὰ γενόμενα ἐν ὑμῖν, πάλαι ἂν ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ καθήμενοι μετενόησαν. Πλὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται ἢ ὑμῖν,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· προγνώστης γὰρ ὁ Σωτὴρ ὢν τῆς ἀπιστίας τῶν ἐν χώρᾳ Ζὶν, καὶ τῶν ἐν Βηθσαϊδὰ, καὶ τῶν ἐν Καπερναοὺμ, καὶ ὅτι ἀνεκτότερον γίνεται γῇ Σοδόμων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ἢ ἐκείνοις, διὰ τί τὰ τεράστια ἐπετέλει ἐν χώρᾳ Ζὶν, καὶ ἐν Βηθσαϊδὰ, ὁρῶν ὅτι διὰ ταῦτα ἀνεκτότερον γίνεται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως Τυρίοις, καὶ Σιδωνίοις, ἢ τούτοις; Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα. «Σὺ δὲ ἐρεῖς τῷ Φαραώ· Τάδε λέγει Κύριος· Υἱὸς πρωτότοκός μου Ἰσραήλ. Εἶπα δέ σοι, Ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου, ἵνα μοι λατρεύσωσιν. Εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλει ἐξαποστεῖλαι αὐτὸν, ὅρα γοῦν, ἐγὼ ἀποκτενῶ τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν πρωτότοκον.» Λεκτέον οὖν τοῖς φάσκουσι δικαίου ταῦτα εἶναι Θεοῦ, καὶ ὑπολαμβάνουσι κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον τῆς λέξεως ἐσκληρύνθαι τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ βασιλέως, ἵνα μὴ ἐξαποστείλῃ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, πῶς δίκαιος ὁ σκληρύνας τε τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ ἀπειλῶν, εἰ μὴ ἀπολύσει, ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν πρωτότοκον αὐτοῦ υἱόν; Θλιβόμενοι γὰρ πονηρὸν αὐτὸν ὁμολογήσουσιν. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀπὸ ἑτέρων ἀνατραπήσονται, καὶ ἀναχθήσονται εἰς τὸ μὴ τῇ προχείρῳ λέξει δου-λεύειν, οὐ δυναμένῃ κατ' αὐτοὺς σῶσαι τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ. Ἅπαξ δὲ ἐὰν νῦν ἀναγκασθῶσι βε- 12.281 βιασμένως ταῦτα ἐξετάζειν, ἀναβήσονται ἐπὶ τὸ μηκέτι κατηγορεῖν τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ, ἀλλὰ φάσκειν αὐτὸν ἀγαθὸν εἶναι. Πευστέον οὖν τῶν οἰομένων νενοηκέναι τό· «Ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ,» πότερον ἀληθῶς πιστεύουσι λέγεσθαι ταῦτα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐνθουσιῶντος, ἢ ψευδῶς· εἰ μὲν γὰρ ψευδῶς, οὔτε δίκαιος ἔτι κατ' αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, οὔτε ἀληθὴς, καὶ ὅσον ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐδὲ Θεός· εἰ δ' ἀληθῶς, κατανοείτωσαν εἰ μὴ ὡς αὐτεξούσιον αἰ- τιᾶται λέγων· «Εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλει ἐξαποστεῖλαι αὐτόν·» καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «Ἕως τίνος οὐ βούλει ἐντραπῆναί με;» Τὸ γὰρ, «Ἕως τίνος οὐ βούλει ἐντραπῆναί με;» δυσ- ωπητικῶς λέγεται πρὸς τὸν Φαραὼ οὐκ ἐντρεπόμενον, οὐ παρὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι. Καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον δὲ παρὰ Μωϋσέως πρὸς τὸν Φαραὼ, «Ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ, καὶ σὺ, καὶ οἱ θεράποντές σου, ἐπίσταμαι ὅτι οὐδέποτε πεφόβησθε τὸν Κύριον,» δηλοῖ ὅτι φοβηθήσονται· ὅπερ ἁρμόζει πρὸς τοὺς ἑτεροδόξους, περί τε ἀγαθότητος Θεοῦ, καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἀπολλυμένην φύσιν.