so that not even the incidental and what is considered least escapes His 12.84 divinity, it contains the idea that He has thus comprehended within Himself things as it were infinite in number, not indeed a clear proof, but one accepted by faith, as befitting the unbegotten mind that is beyond all nature. Therefore, in order that this might be comprehended by experience by those who are greater than human, and by the holy souls who have been freed from the present bond, God made in heaven, as it were, letters and characters through the revolution of the heavenly bodies for those who have been taught and will be taught to read the signs of God. It is not surprising that God should do certain things for the purpose of a demonstration to the blessed, since Scripture says to Pharaoh: «For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.» For if Pharaoh was preserved for a demonstration of God's power, and for the proclamation of His name in all the earth, consider how great a demonstration of God's power the heavenly signs contain, with all things from eternity until the consummation being inscribed in that worthy book of God, the heaven. Secondly, I conjecture that the signs are set for the powers that administer human affairs, so that they may know some things only, but may effect others; just as in our books some things are written for us to know, such as the things concerning the creation of the world and other mysteries; and others so that knowing them we may do them, as with the things concerning the commandments and ordinances of God. It is possible then that the heavenly letters, which angels and divine powers can read well, contain some things to be read by the angels and ministers of God, that they may rejoice in knowing them; and other things that they may do, receiving them as commandments. And we shall not err in saying that the heaven and the stars have an analogy to the things in the Law; but if worse and different activities of man bring about some of the things foreknown and signified in heaven, it is not necessary that they too, being reminded by the letters of God, do what they effect; but just as men who do wrong, not learning that God has foreknown that a certain person will be wronged by them, effect the wrongdoing from their own wickedness; so the powers opposed to God, having foreknown the wickedness of men who wish for evil things, accomplish them by their own most base choice. The holy angels, however, the ministering spirits, sent forth to minister, it is likely that receiving the commands as if written from the law of God, they do the better things in an orderly manner, and when it is necessary, and as it is necessary, and as much as is necessary; for it would be absurd for them, being divine, to come randomly and not in a determined manner to, let us say, reveal something to Abraham, and do something for Isaac, and rescue Jacob from danger, or to come upon the spirit of this or that prophet. Therefore, in order that they may not do this randomly or by chance, they read the book of God; and thus they do what is incumbent upon them. But as we said before, what we do, or what the opposing powers accomplish against us, we do by our own choice 12.85; in a disordered way, when we sin, but in an instructed way, not without angels, nor divine letters, nor holy ministers, when we do things pleasing to God. And Clement of Rome, a disciple of the apostle Peter, speaking in harmony with these things on the present problem to his father in Laodicea in the Circuits, says something most necessary at the end of such arguments concerning things that seem to have come to pass from one's nativity, in the fourteenth book: «And the father: Forgive me, O child; for your words of yesterday, being true, persuaded me to agree with you; but my conscience, a small thing, like the remnant of a fever, briefly torments me toward unbelief; for I am conscious in myself that all the things of my nativity have been fulfilled for me. And I answered: Consider with me, O father, what kind of nature the teaching has, from which I give counsel. Having met with an astrologer, first say to him that, 'These evil things happened to me at this time; from what, then, for me'

ὥστε μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν καὶ νομιζόμενον ἐλάχιστον λανθάνειν τὴν θειότητα 12.84 αὐτοῦ, δόξαν μὲν περιέχει τοῦ οἱονεὶ ἄπειρα ἀριθμῷ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐμπεριειληφέναι ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὐ μὴν ἐναρ γῆ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, ἀλλὰ πεπιστευμένην, ὡς ἁρμόζου σαν τῷ ἀγεννήτῳ νῷ καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν φύσιν τυγχά νοντι. Ἵν' οὖν τῇ πείρᾳ τοῦτο καταλαμβάνηται ὑπὸ τῶν μειζόνων ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ψυ χῶν τοῦ ἐνεστηκότος δεσμοῦ ἀπηλλαγμένων, ὡσπερεὶ γράμματα καὶ χαρακτῆρας καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν οὐρα νίων περιφορᾶς ἐποίησεν ἐν οὐρανῷ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς δεδι δαγμένους καὶ διδαχθησομένους ἀναγινώσκειν τὰ ση μεῖα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐ θαυμαστὸν δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐνδείξεως τῆς πρὸς τοὺς μακαρίους ποιεῖν τινα τὸν Θεὸν, τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης τῷ Φαραώ· «Εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐξή γειρά σε, ὅπως ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν δύναμίν μου, καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ.» Εἰ γὰρ διετηρήθη Φαραὼ ὑπὲρ ἐνδείξεως δυνάμεως Θεοῦ, καὶ διαγγελίας τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, ἐννόει πόσην ἔνδειξιν δυνάμεως Θεοῦ περιέχει τὰ οὐράνια σημεῖα, πάντων τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἕως συντε λείας ἐντετυπωμένων τῇ ἀξίᾳ βίβλῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ οὐ ρανῷ. ∆εύτερον δὲ στοχάζομαι ταῖς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα οἰκονομούσαις δυνάμεσιν ἐγκεῖσθαι τὰ σημεῖα, ἵνα τινὰ μὲν γινώσκωσι μόνον, τινὰ δὲ ἐνεργῶσι· καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς παρ' ἡμῖν βίβλοις ἃ μὲν γέγραπται ἵνα γινώ σκωμεν, οἷον τὰ περὶ κοσμοποιίας καὶ ἄλλα μυστή ρια· ἃ δὲ ἵνα γινώσκοντες ποιῶμεν, ὥσπερ τὰ περὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐνδέχε ται δὴ τὰ οὐράνια γράμματα, ἃ ἄγγελοι καὶ δυνάμεις θεῖαι ἀναγινώσκειν καλῶς δύνανται, περιέχειν τινὰ μὲν ἀναγνωσθησόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ λειτουρ γῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα εὐφραίνωνται γινώσκοντες· τινὰ δὲ ὡσπερεὶ ἐντολὰς λαμβάνοντες ποιῶσι. Καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτησόμεθα τὸ ἀνάλογον τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λέγοντες ἔχειν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας· ἐὰν δὲ χείρονες καὶ ἕτεραι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐνέργειαι ποιῶσί τινα τῶν προεγνωσμένων καὶ σημαινομένων ἐν οὐρανῷ, οὐκ ἀνάγκη καὶ αὐτὰς ἀπὸ τῶν Θεοῦ γραμμάτων ὑπο μιμνησκομένας ποιεῖν ἂ ἐνεργοῦσιν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἄν θρωποι ἀδικοῦντες, οὐ μανθάνοντες προεγνωκέναι τὸν Θεὸν τὸ τόνδε τινὰ ἀδικήσεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν, ἐνεργοῦσι τὸ ἀδικεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν πονηρίας· οὕτως αἱ ἀντικεί μεναι δυνάμεις τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν κακίαν τῶν τὰ μοχθη ρὰ βουλομένων ἀνθρώπων προεγνωκότες, τῇ ἰδίᾳ αἰσχίστῃ ἐπιτελοῦσι προαιρέσει. Οἱ μέντοι ἱεροὶ ἄγ γελοι, τὰ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα, τὰ εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα, εἰκὸς ὅτι ὡς ἀπὸ νόμου Θεοῦ γε γραμμένα τὰ προστάγματα λαμβάνοντες, τεταγμέ νως, καὶ ὅτε δεῖ, καὶ ὡς δεῖ, καὶ ὅσον δεῖ ποιοῦσι τὰ κρείττονα· ἄτοπον γὰρ αὐτοὺς θείους ὄντας ἀποκλη ρωτικῶς καὶ οὐχ ὡρισμένως ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ, φέρ' εἰπεῖν, χρηματίσαι τι τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ποιῆσαί τι τῷ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ῥύσασθαι ἐκ κινδύνου τὸν Ἰακὼβ, ἢ ἐπιστῆναι τῷ πνεύματι τοῦδε τοῦ προφήτου. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἀποκληρωτικῶς μηδὲ κατὰ συντυχίαν τοῦτο πράττωσιν, ἀναγινώσκουσι τὴν βίβλον τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ οὕτως ποιοῦσι τὰ αὐτοῖς ἐπιβάλλοντα. Ὡς προείπο μεν δὲ, ἡμεῖς ἂ ποιοῦμεν, ἢ αἱ ἀντικείμεναι ἐνέρ γειαι, ἃ ἐπιτελοῦσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἰδίᾳ προαιρέσει 12.85 ποιοῦμεν· ἀτάκτῳ μὲν, ὅτε ἁμαρτάνομεν, πεπαιδευμένῃ δὲ, οὐκ ἄτερ ἀγγέλων, οὐδὲ θείων γραμμάτων, οὐδὲ ὑπηρετῶν ἁγίων, ὅτε Θεῷ εὐάρεστα πράττομεν. Καὶ Κλήμης δὲ ὁ Ῥωμαῖος, Πέτρου ἀποστόλου μαθητὴς, συνῳδὰ τούτοις ἐν τῷ παρόντι προ βλήματι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ εἰπὼν ἐν ταῖς Περιόδοις, ἀναγκαιότατόν τι ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν τοιούτων λόγων φησὶ περὶ τῶν τῆς γενέσεως δοκούντων ἐκβεβηκέναι λόγῳ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκά τῳ· «Καὶ ὁ πατήρ· Σύγγνωθί μοι, ὦ τέκνον· οἱ μὲν γὰρ χθές σου λόγοι ἀληθεῖς ὄντες συνελογίσαντό μοι συνθέσθαι σοι· ἡ δὲ ἐμὴ συνείδησις μικρά με, ὥσπερ πυρετοῦ ἔλλειμμα, πρὸς ἀπιστίαν βραχέα βασανίζει· σύνοιδα γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ τὰ τῆς γενέσεως πάντα μοι ἀποτελεσθέντα. Κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· Συννόησόν μοι, ὦ πάτερ, οἵαν φύσιν ἔχει τὸ μάθημα, ἐξ ὧν ἐγὼ συμβουλεύω. Μαθηματικῷ συμβαλὼν εἰπὲ πρῶτον αὐτῷ, ὅτι, Τάδε μοι φαῦλα ἐν τῷδε τῷ χρόνῳ γέγο νεν· ἐκ τίνος ἄρα μοι