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you may heal the sufferings of the body. And these again he has set before you in variety and suited for opposite needs. For some relax taut nerves; others tighten and tone the relaxed; and some fight against phlegm, others against black bile; and others dry up sores. Such great usefulness has the caretaker set before you even in the hot waters; but nothing persuades you not to blaspheme, but you remain ungrateful, and reviling, and sick with the disease of Manichaeus, who, while enjoying foods and drinks, reviles those who supply them, and curses both reapers and bakers, and those who cut the bread in two, himself not enduring to cut, but eating what is cut. Thus you also, enjoying countless good things, which the Creator offers you each day through creation, are ungrateful to the one who offers them, and you revile, and you blaspheme, saying that he does not provide for what he has made. But see how great an injustice you vote against him, slandering him with such things. For why indeed did he even make them, if he did not want to take care of them? And for what reason does he not care? Is it that he is able, but not willing? Or is he willing, but not able? But that he is able, the things that have come to be testify. For how could he have made the magnitudes of the things we see, their beauties, their harmony, without having power sufficient for his will? And how could he who is not able to provide have brought together into fellowship and relation things that are separate, water and fire, day and night, and have wrought one harmony and symphony from them all? For it is a far greater thing by measure to bring things into being from non-being, than to provide for things that exist. But that he is able, creation is a witness; and that he is willing, it again testifies. For he did not come to the work of creation because someone else compelled him, nor indeed did he bring creation into being as if in need; but being good, and having a goodness 83.584 greater than any measure, he wished to grant being even to non-beings. But he who used such goodness concerning things that did not exist, how could he neglect them once they had come into being? For it is not possible to say that he envied those who had come into being; for his nature is without envy, and free from all passion. And so that from great abundance we may lay bare the weakness of this impiety, let us ask them a small question. For why indeed, tell me, did he envy the creation that received its being from him? Because of its size? But he himself is uncreated and boundless, having neither a beginning, nor ever having received an end, containing all things, but being circumscribed by none; for in his hand are the ends of the earth, and he himself measured the water in the palm of his hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth with a handful. But because of its beauty? But it has come into being through him. And no one, not even the most envious of men, having built a seemly and splendid house, has ever envied it, but he takes pride, and boasts, and he both rejoices, and points it out to those who do not know it. And how far the beauty of creation is from the intelligible light of the one who made it, what word could measure? You see, therefore, to what lengths impiety has gone. For to say that the fount of goodness, which by nature cannot be troubled by any passion, is struck by envy—when even the wickedest of men not only do not envy the houses built by them, but are even exceedingly glorified in them—what excess of impiety does this leave? If therefore he is both able to hold the rudders of creation, and wishes it to enjoy all good things, it is clear that he also cares for it, and presides over it, and having taken hold of the reins, he steers all created nature, and leaves nothing uncared for. And that these things are so, turn again to the sea, and see its hollows, its magnitudes, its division into seas, its shores, its harbors, the islands in its midst, the genera of fish, their species, their shapes, their variety, their friendship towards the land, the leapings of the waves, the providence set over them

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ματος θεραπεύσῃς παθήματα. Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ πάλιν ποικίλα σοι προὔθηκεν καὶ εἰς ἐναντίας χρείας ἁρμόζοντα. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ χαυνοῖ τὰ τεταμένα τῶν νεύρων· τὰ δὲ σφίγγει καὶ τονοῖ τὰ λελυμένα· καὶ τὰ μὲν φλέγματι πολεμεῖ, τὰ δὲ μελαίνῃ χολῇ· τὰ δὲ ἕλκη ξηραίνει. Τοσαύτην καὶ ἐν τοῖς θερμοῖς ὕδασι χρείαν ὁ κηδεμών σοι προτέθεικε· σὲ δὲ οὐδὲν πείθει μὴ βλασφημεῖν, ἀλλὰ μένεις ἀχαριστῶν, καὶ λοιδορούμενος, καὶ τὰ Μανιχαίου νοσῶν, ὃς σιτίων καὶ ποτῶν ἀπολαύων, λοιδορεῖται τοῖς χορ ηγοῦσι, καὶ θερισταῖς ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀρτοποιοῖς, καὶ τοῖς τὸν ἄρτον διχῆ τέμνουσιν ἐπαρᾶται, αὐτὸς τέ μνειν μὲν οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος, ἐσθίων δὲ τὸ τεμνόμενον. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ, μυρίων ὅσων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύων, ὧν ὁ ∆ημιουργός σοι προσφέρει καθεκάστην ἡμέραν διὰ τῆς κτίσεως, ἀχαριστεῖς τῷ προσφέροντι, καὶ λοι δορῇ, καὶ βλασφημεῖς, λέγων αὐτὸν μὴ προνοεῖν ὧν πεποίηκεν. Ὅρα δὲ πόσην ἀδικίαν αὐτοῦ κατα ψηφίζῃ, τοιαῦτα συκοφαντῶν. Τί δήποτε γὰρ καὶ πεποίηκε, τούτων ἐπιμελεῖσθαι μὴ θέλων; Τίνος δὲ χάριν οὐ κήδεται; ὡς δυνάμενος μὲν, οὐ βουλόμενος δέ; ἢ βούλεται μὲν, οὐ δύναται δέ; Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν δύναται, μαρτυρεῖ τὰ γεγονότα. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἐποίησε τῶν ὁρωμένων τὰ μεγέθη, τὰ κάλλη, τὴν ἁρ μονίαν, δύναμιν οὐκ ἔχων ἀρκοῦσαν τῇ γνώμῃ; Πῶς δ' ἂν εἰς κοινωνίαν καὶ σχέσιν τὰ διεστῶτα συνήγαγεν, ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ, ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα, καὶ μίαν ἐκ πάντων ἁρμονίαν καὶ συμφωνίαν εἰργά σατο, ὁ προνοεῖν οὐ δυνάμενος; Μεῖζον γὰρ πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ, τὸ ἐκ μὴ ὄντων εἰς τὸ εἶναι παραγαγεῖν, τοῦ τῶν ὄντων προνοεῖν. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν δύναται, μάρτυς ἡ κτίσις· ὅτι δὲ καὶ βούλεται, πάλιν αὐτὴ μαρτυρεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλλου τινὸς ἀναγκάζοντος ἐπὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν ἐλήλυθεν, οὔτε μὴν ὡς δεόμενος τὴν κτίσιν παρήγαγεν· ἀλλὰ ἀγαθὸς ὢν, καὶ ἀγαθότητα 83.584 ἔχων μέτρου παντὸς μείζονα, ἠθέλησε καὶ τοῖς μὴ οὖσι τὸ εἶναι δωρήσασθαι. Ὁ δὲ τοσαύτῃ περὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα χρησάμενος ἀγαθότητι, πῶς ἂν γεγονότων ἀμελήσειεν; Οὔτε γὰρ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἐφθόνησε γεγονόσιν· ἄφθονον γὰρ ἔχει τὴν φύσιν, καὶ πάθους παντὸς ἐλευθέραν. Ἵνα δὲ ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος γυμνώσωμεν τὴν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἀσθένειαν, σμι κρόν τι αὐτοὺς προσερωτήσωμεν. Τί δήποτε γὰρ, εἴπατε, τῇ τὸ εἶναι παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβούσῃ ἐφθόνησε κτίσει; ∆ιὰ τὸ μέγεθος; Ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἄκτιστός ἐστι καὶ ἀόριστος, οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκὼς, οὔτε τέλος δεξάμενος πώποτε, πάντα περιέχων, ὑπ' οὐδενὸς δὲ περιγραφόμενος· ἐν τῇ χειρὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐμέτρησε τῇ χειρὶ αὑτοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν δρακί. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ κάλλος; Ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγένηται. Οὐδεὶς δὲ, οὐδὲ τῶν ἄγαν φθονερωτάτων ἀνθρώπων, οἰκίαν εὐπρεπῆ καὶ λαμπρὰν δειμάμενος, ἐφθόνησε ταύτῃ πώποτε, ἀλλ' ἐναβρύνεται, καὶ σεμνύνεται, καὶ οὗτός τε γάν νυται, καὶ τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν ὑποδείκνυσιν. Ὅσον δὲ τὸ τῆς κτίσεως κάλλος τοῦ νοεροῦ φωτὸς τοῦ πεποιηκό τος ἀφέστηκε, τίς ἂν μετρήσειε λόγος; Ὁρᾶτε τοι γαροῦν ποῦ τὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας κεχώρηκε. Τῶν γὰρ πονηροτάτων ἀνθρώπων, οὐ μόνον οὐ φθονούντων ταῖς ὑπ' αὐτῶν οἰκοδομουμέναις οἰκίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ἐπ' αὐταῖς λαμπρυνομένων, τὴν τῆς ἀγαθότη τος πηγὴν, καὶ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς πάθους θολοῦσθαι πεφυ κυῖαν, φθόνῳ βάλλεσθαι λέγειν, ποίας ἀσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν καταλείπει; Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ δύναται κατ έχειν τοὺς τῆς κτίσεως οἴακας, καὶ βούλεται αὐτὴν πάντων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύειν, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ κήδεται, καὶ ἐφέστηκε, καὶ τῶν ἡνιῶν ἐπειλημμένος, τὴν γενητὴν ἅπασαν φύσιν ἡνιοχεῖ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀτημέλη τον καταλείπει. Καὶ ὅτι ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχει, μετάβηθι πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλατταν, καὶ βλέπε ταύτης τὰ κύτη, τὰ μεγέθη, τὴν εἰς πελάγη διαίρεσιν, τὰς ἀκτὰς, τοὺς ὅρμους, τὰς ἐν μέσῳ νήσους, τῶν ἰχθύων τὰ γένη, τὰ εἴδη, τὰ σχήματα, τὴν ποικιλίαν, τὴν πρὸς τὴν χέρσον φιλίαν, τὰ τῶν κυμάτων σκιρτήματα, τὸν ἐπικείμενον αὐτοῖς τῆς προνοίας