De principiis

 To one who has received instruction and has practiced the ticklings and irritations occur, but reason, having been greatly strengthened and nourished

 He speaks to us as having free will and being the cause of our own destruction or salvation for he says, or do you despise the riches of his goodnes

 Since it was possible for him to be persuaded, and he certainly would have been persuaded, not being of an earthly nature, when constrained by the won

 In the underlying matter, from the one heat the wax is melted, but the clay is dried so the one energy working through moses on the one hand exposed

 In proportion to the unspeakable beneficence, to the greatest possible degree of blessedness they have attained. 3.1.13 therefore, he who is abandoned

 Stony hearts” and places in them “fleshy ones,” so that “his ordinances may be kept” and the commandments observed, it is not in our power to put away

 From the old [testament], being accused of such things. but if they seek a defense concerning the gospel, it must be said to them, unless they act rep

 Such things, by which having been seen and heard, the sin of those who after such great and numerous things have not believed is proven to be heavier

 Therefore, that which is from god is manifoldly and exceedingly more for salvation than that which is in our power. therefore, i think the saying mean

 Of the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad” is it sound, when those who have done evil things have come to this course of a

 To advance to better things, while others fall from better things to worse, and some are preserved in good things or ascend from good things to better

 Nor when the teachers were many, to be preached everywhere in the world, so that greeks and barbarians, wise and foolish were added to the worship

 “grace is poured out on his lips”? for a proof of the “grace poured out on his lips” is that after a short time of his teaching (for he taught for abo

 In the sun and moon and stars and is not so manifest in the events of human life, as in the souls and the bodies of animals, since the “for what purp

 They thought, since the creator was imperfect and not good, that the savior had come announcing a more perfect god, whom they say is not the creator,

 You did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.” 4.2.4 the way, therefore, that appears to us for how one ought to approach the scripture

 Character. but a spiritual interpretation for the one who is able to show of what “heavenly things the pattern and shadow” the jews “according to the

 Is so great upon the earth, and if not only upon the earth, but also elsewhere, it is necessary for us to learn. 4.2.8 these things, and others like t

 Like a farmer, that god 'planted a paradise in eden toward the east,' and made in it a 'tree of life,' visible and perceptible, so that by tasting of

 But also the saying “to be struck on the right jaw” is most improbable, since everyone who strikes, unless he happens to have some unnatural condition

 Every part has the spiritual, but not every part the corporeal for in many places the corporeal is shown to be impossible. therefore, much attention

 Of us.” and in another epistle: “but you have come to mount zion and to the city of the living god, the heavenly jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

 Of israel or of those being far off, and the “descent into egypt of the seventy souls”, that there they might become “as the stars of heaven in number

stony hearts” and places in them “fleshy ones,” so that “his ordinances may be kept” and the commandments observed, it is not in our power to put away wickedness. For “the removal of the stony hearts” is nothing else than for wickedness, by which one is hardened, to be taken away from whomever God wills; and for a “fleshy” heart to be engendered, so that one “may walk” in God’s “ordinances” and “keep” his commandments, what else is this than to become yielding and not resistant to the truth and a practitioner of the virtues? But if God promises to do these things, and before he takes away “the stony hearts” we do not put them away, it is clear that it is not in our power to put away wickedness; and if we do nothing for the “fleshy heart” to be engendered in us, but it is the work of God, then living according to virtue will not be our work, but entirely divine grace. This is what the one who denies what is in our power, arguing from the bare words, will say. But we will answer by saying that one must hear these things in this way: just as one who is in ignorance and without instruction, perceiving his own evils either from the encouragement of a teacher or otherwise from himself, gives himself over to one whom he believes can guide him to instruction and virtue; and as he gives himself over, the instructor promises to remove the lack of instruction and instill instruction, not as if there is nothing on the part of the one who has brought himself to be healed to be instructed and to flee from the lack of instruction, but as one promising to improve the one who is willing; so the divine Word promises to remove the wickedness of those who approach, which he called “the stony heart,” not of those who are unwilling, but of those who have presented themselves to the physician of the sick; just as in the Gospels the sick are found approaching the Savior and asking to receive healing and being healed. And one might say that the work of “the blind receiving their sight” belongs, on the one hand, to those who have suffered, in that they asked, believing that they could be healed, and on the other hand, to our Savior, in the restoration of their sight. So, therefore, the Word of God promises to produce knowledge in those who approach, by “taking out the stony” and hard “heart,” which is wickedness, in order that someone might “walk” in the divine commandments and “keep” the divine “ordinances.” 3.1.16 After this was the passage from the Gospel, when the Savior said that “for this reason he spoke to those outside in parables, that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand; lest they should turn, and it should be forgiven them.” And the objector will say: if by all means after hearing clearer things certain people turn, and turn in such a way as to become worthy of the forgiveness of sins, but it is not in their power to hear the clearer words, but in the power of the teacher, and for this reason he does not announce it to them more clearly, “lest they should see and understand,” it is not in their power to be saved; and if this is so, we are not possessed of free will concerning salvation and perdition. A plausible defense, therefore, against these points would have been, if the phrase “lest they should turn, and it should be forgiven them” had not been added, that the Savior did not want those who were not going to be good and noble to understand the more mystical things and for this reason “spoke to them in parables.” But now, with the phrase “lest they should turn, and it should be forgiven them” present, the defense is more difficult. First, then, the passage must be noted against the heretics, who hunt for such texts from the Old Testament, where, as they themselves dare to say, the cruelty of the Creator appears, or a defensive and retributive disposition toward the worse choices, or whatever they wish to call such a thing, only so that they may say there is no goodness in the one who creates; but who do not read the New in a like or fair-minded manner, but pass over passages similar to those they consider blameworthy from the Old. For clearly, even according to the Gospel, the Savior is shown, as they themselves assert in the former cases, for this reason not speaking clearly, so that men might not turn, and having turned become worthy of the forgiveness of sins; which in itself is no less than those

λιθίνας καρδίας» καὶ ἐντίθησι «σαρκίνας», ὥστε «τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ φυλάττεσθαι» καὶ τηρεῖσθαι τὰς ἐντολάς, οὐκ ἔστι τὴν κακίαν ἀποθέσθαι ἐφ' ἡμῖν. τὸ γὰρ «ἐξαι ρεθῆναι τὰς λιθίνας καρδίας» οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ τὴν κακίαν, καθ' ἣν σκληρύνεταί τις, περιαιρεθῆναι ἀφ' οὗ ὁ θεὸς βούλεται· καὶ τὸ ἐγγενέσθαι καρδίαν «σαρκίνην», ἵνα ἐν τοῖς «προστάγμασί» τις «πορεύη ται» τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ «φυλάσσῃ» αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐντολάς, τί ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ εἰκτικὸν γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀντίτυπον πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ πρακτι κὸν τῶν ἀρετῶν; εἰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπαγγέλλεται ὁ θεὸς ποιεῖν, καὶ πρὶν ἀφελεῖν αὐτὸν «τὰς λιθίνας καρδίας» οὐκ ἀποτιθέμεθα αὐτάς, δῆλον ὅτι οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἀποθέσθαι τὴν κακίαν· καὶ εἰ οὐχ ἡμεῖς τι πράττομεν, ἵνα ἐγγένηται ἡμῖν ἡ «σαρκίνη καρδία», ἀλλὰ θεοῦ ἐστιν ἔργον, οὐχ ἡμέτερον ἔργον ἔσται τὸ κατ' ἀρετὴν βιοῦν, ἀλλὰ πάντη θεία χάρις. Ταῦτα μὲν ἐρεῖ ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν ψιλῶν ῥητῶν τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀναιρῶν. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀποκρινούμεθα τούτων οὕτως ἀκούειν δεῖν λέγοντες ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ ἐν ἀμαθίᾳ καὶ ἀπαιδευσίᾳ τυγχάνων, αἰσθανόμενος τῶν ἰδίων κακῶν ἤτοι ἐκ προτροπῆς τοῦ διδάσκοντος ἢ ἄλλως ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, ἐπι δίδωσιν ἑαυτὸν ᾧ νομίζει δύνασθαι αὐτὸν χειραγωγήσειν ἐπὶ παί δευσιν καὶ ἀρετήν, ἐπιδιδόντος δὲ τούτου ὁ παιδεύων ἐπαγγέλλεται ἐξελεῖν τὴν ἀπαιδευσίαν καὶ ἐνθήσειν παιδείαν, οὐχ ὡς οὐδενὸς ὄντος εἰς τὸ παιδευθῆναι καὶ φυγεῖν τὴν ἀπαιδευσίαν ἐπὶ τῷ ἑαυτὸν προσ αγηοχότι θεραπευθησόμενον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπαγγελλόμενος βελτιώσειν τὸν βουλόμενον· οὕτως ὁ θεῖος λόγος ἐπαγγέλλεται τῶν προσιόντων τὴν κακίαν ἐξαιρεῖν, ἣν ὠνόμασε «λιθίνην καρδίαν», οὐχὶ ἐκείνων οὐ βουλομένων, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοὺς τῷ ἰατρῷ τῶν καμνόντων παρεσχηκότων· ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις εὑρίσκονται οἱ κάμνοντες προσερχόμενοι τῷ σωτῆρι καὶ ἀξιοῦντες ἰάσεως τυχεῖν καὶ θεραπευόμενοι. καὶ ἔστι φέρ' εἰπεῖν τὸ «τοὺς τυφλοὺς ἀναβλέψαι» ἔργον κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἠξιω κέναι πιστεύσαντας δύνασθαι θεραπεύεσθαι τῶν πεπονθότων, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀποκατάστασιν τῆς ὁράσεως τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. οὕτως οὖν ἐπαγγέλλεται ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐμποιήσειν ἐπιστήμην τοῖς προσιοῦ σιν, «ἐξελὼν τὴν λιθίνην» καὶ σκληρὰν «καρδίαν», ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὴν κα κίαν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τινα «πορεύεσθαι» ἐν ταῖς θείαις ἐντολαῖς καὶ «φυλάσ σειν» τὰ θεῖα «προστάγματα». 3.1.16 Ἦν μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, ὅτε ὁ σωτὴρ ἔφασκε «διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ἔξω ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖν, ἵνα βλέποντες μὴ βλέπωσι, καὶ ἀκούοντες μὴ συνιῶσι· μήποτε ἐπιστρέψωσι, καὶ ἀφεθῇ αὐτοῖς». καὶ ἐρεῖ ὁ ἐξ ἐναντίας· εἰ πάντως τῶν σαφεστέρων ἀκούσαντες οἵδε τινὲς ἐπιστρέφουσι, καὶ οὕτως ἐπιστρέφουσιν, ὥστε ἀξίους αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων, οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἐπ' αὐ τοῖς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι τῶν σαφεστέρων λόγων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ διδάσκοντι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀπαγγέλλει αὐτοῖς σαφέστερον, «μήποτε ἴδωσι καὶ συνῶσιν», οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὸ σωθῆναι· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὔκ ἐσμεν αὐτεξούσιοι περὶ σωτηρίας καὶ ἀπωλείας. πιθανὴ μὲν οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα ἀπολογία ἦν, εἰ μὴ προσέκειτο τὸ «μήποτε ἐπιστρέψωσι, καὶ ἀφεθῇ αὐτοῖς», τὸ ὅτι οὐκ ἐβούλετο τοὺς μὴ ἐσομένους καλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς συνιέναι τῶν μυστικωτέρων ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο «ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς». νῦν δέ, κειμένου τοῦ «μήποτε ἐπιστρέψωσι, καὶ ἀφεθῇ αὐτοῖς», ἡ ἀπολογία ἐστὶ χαλεπωτέρα. Πρῶτον τοίνυν σημειωτέον ἐστὶ τὸν τόπον πρὸς τοὺς ἑτεροδό ξους, λεξιθηροῦντας μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης τοιαῦτα, ἔνθα ἐμφαίνεται, ὡς αὐτοὶ τολμῶντες λέγουσιν, ὠμότης τοῦ δημιουργοῦ ἢ ἀμυντικὴ καὶ ἀνταποδοτικὴ τῶν χειρόνων προαίρεσις, ἢ ὅ τι ποτὲ θέλουσι τὸ τοιοῦτον ὀνομάζειν, μόνον ἵνα λέγωσιν οὐκ ἀγαθότητα εἶναι ἐν τῷ κτίσαντι· οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ οὐδὲ εὐγνωμόνως ἐντυγχάνοντας τῇ καινῇ, ἀλλὰ παραπεμπομένους τὰ παραπλήσια οἷς νομίζουσιν εἶναι ἐπιλήπτοις ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς. φανερῶς γὰρ καὶ κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὁ σωτὴρ δείκνυται, ὡς αὐτοὶ φάσκουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων, διὰ τοῦτο σαφῶς μὴ φθεγγόμενος, ἵνα μὴ ἐπιστρέψωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ἐπι στρέψαντες ἀφέσεως ἁμαρτημάτων ἄξιοι γένωνται· ὅπερ καθ' αὑτὸ οὐδενὸς ἔλαττόν ἐστι τῶν