12

him who uses it with accuracy and the proper disposition. Many say, "Who will show us good things?" The light of your countenance, O Lord, has been signed upon us. Having completed the exhortation concerning morals, and having led to the knowledge of God, and having moved every way able to rouse the mind of those who have been led astray, and especially having shown His care from His own attributes and His providence towards them, he sets forth and introduces a certain objection from the weaker and grosser sort and says: Many say, "Who will show us good things?" Not the few, the genuine and tested and those who know how to philosophize, say these things, but the dissolute multitude, the indiscriminate, the 55.54 one nailed to folly. But what is it that he says? "Who will show us good things?" There are some who say, some slandering the providence of God, others being lovers of pleasure, of ease and wealth, of glory and power, who, loving these things, say such things as: Where are the good things of God? I am in poverty, and sickness, and hardship, and in the worst calamities, and insults, and slanders; but another is in prosperity, and luxury, and power, and glory, and wealth. And some seek only these good things, passing by the things that are truly good, I mean virtue and philosophy; while others, as I said before, also slander the providence of God from this, saying: Where is the providence of God, when so much confusion occurs in life, and the majority are in poverty and want and the worst evils? what proof is there of his care? For those who say these things do the same thing as if someone at fixed and clear midday should seek to see the sun, and doubt concerning the light. Which the Prophet, showing this and bringing on the quickest solution, said: The light of your countenance, O Lord, has been signed upon us. He did not say, it appeared; he did not say, it shone, but, It has been signed, declaring that just as what is marked on the forehead is manifest to all, and it is not possible for it to escape anyone's notice, nor can anyone be ignorant of a face full of light and sending forth rays; so, he says, neither is your providence. For just as a light that is signed, that is, imprinted and engraved on a face, is manifest to all; so also is the providence of your love for humanity. For here by light he means perception, care, alliance, providence. Then having declared this, he adds a proof. What proof is this? You have given gladness into my heart. Having slandered the irrational multitude, he makes the proof of God's providence from those who have understanding and are sound, and says, You have given gladness into my heart; that is, You have taught me to philosophize, to look down upon the affairs of this life, to know the things that are true and abiding; you have raised me on high with good hopes, you have led me by the hand to the future life; before the enjoyment of good things, you have given me wings with the expectation of good things. He spoke well thus. 10. For if someone is about to inherit money, or even to enter into a very great office, not only at the time of enjoyment, but even before the experience he is set upright by the expectation, delighting all the time in the hope; consider what it is likely to be for one who expects the living and immortal kingdom, and those good things, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man. For this reason he says: You have given gladness into my heart. Which was of the greatest providence, to prepare and make ready those things then. But if the grosser sort, being flesh and nailed to the earth, do not pay attention to these things, the confusion and turmoil arise not from the one who promised, but from their ungratefulness. And he did not simply say, You have given gladness, but, Into my heart, 55.55 showing that not in external things is the

12

τὸν αὐτῇ μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ τῆς προσηκούσης διαθέσεως χρώμενον. Πολλοὶ λέγουσι, Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά; Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε. Ἀπαρτίσας τὴν περὶ τῶν ἠθῶν παραίνεσιν, καὶ τῇ θεογνωσίᾳ προσαγαγὼν, καὶ πάντα κινήσας τρόπον τὸν δυνάμενον διαναστῆσαι τῶν πεπλανημένων τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ μάλιστα ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνακειμένων αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς προνοίας δείξας αὐτοῦ τὴν κηδεμονίαν, ἀντίθεσίν τινα παρὰ τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων καὶ παχυτέρων εἰσαγομένην τίθησι καὶ λέγει· Πολλοὶ λέγουσι, Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά; Οὐχ οἱ ὀλίγοι, οἱ γνήσιοι καὶ δόκιμοι καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν εἰδότες ταῦτα λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ κεχυμένον πλῆθος, τὸ ἀδιάκριτον, τὸ 55.54 ἀνοίᾳ προσηλωμένον. Τί δέ ἐστιν ὅ φησι; Τίς δείξει ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθά; Εἰσί τινες οἱ λέγοντες, οἱ μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ διαβάλλοντες τὴν πρόνοιαν, οἱ δὲ ἡδονῆς ὄντες ἐρασταὶ, ἀνέσεως καὶ πλούτου, δόξης καὶ δυναστείας, οἳ καὶ ἐρῶντες αὐτῶν τοιαῦτά φασι· Ποῦ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἐγὼ ἐν πτωχείᾳ, καὶ νόσῳ, καὶ ταλαιπωρίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις δεινοῖς, καὶ ἐπηρείαις, καὶ συκοφαντίαις· ἕτερος δὲ ἐν εὐημερίᾳ, καὶ τρυφῇ, καὶ δυναστείᾳ, καὶ δόξῃ, καὶ πλούτῳ. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ταῦτα μόνον ζητοῦσι τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τὰ ὄντως ἀγαθὰ παρατρέχοντες, ἀρετὴν λέγω καὶ φιλοσοφίαν· οἱ δὲ, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν ἐντεῦθεν διαβάλλουσι, λέγοντες· Ποῦ ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοια, τοσαύτης συγχύσεως ἐν τῷ βίῳ γινομένης, καὶ τῶν πλειόνων ἐν πτωχείᾳ καὶ πενίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ὄντων κακοῖς; τί τεκμήριον αὐτοῦ τῆς κηδεμονίας; Ταὐτὸν γὰρ ποιοῦσιν οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἐν σταθερᾷ μεσημβρίᾳ καὶ καθαρᾷ τὸν ἥλιον ἰδεῖν ἐπιζητοίη, καὶ ἀμφιβάλλοι περὶ τοῦ φωτός. Ὅπερ δεικνὺς ὁ Προφήτης, καὶ ταχίστην ἐπάγων τὴν λύσιν, ἔλεγεν· Ἐσημειώθη ἐφ' ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριε. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐφάνη· οὐκ εἶπεν, ἔλαμψεν, ἀλλ', Ἐσημειώθη, δηλῶν ὅτι ὥσπερ τὸ ἐν μετώπῳ σεσημειωμένον πᾶσι κατάδηλόν ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδένα αὐτὸ λαθεῖν, οὐδὲ ὄψιν φωτὸς γέμουσαν καὶ ἀφιεῖσαν ἀκτῖνας δύναταί τις ἀγνοῆσαι· οὕτω, φησὶν, οὐδὲ τὴν πρόνοιαν τὴν σήν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ φῶς σεσημειωμένον, τουτέστιν, ἐντετυπωμένον καὶ ἐγκεχαραγμένον ἐν προσώπῳ, πᾶσίν ἐστι κατάδηλον· οὕτω καὶ ἡ πρόνοια τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τῆς σῆς. Φῶς γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀντίληψίν φησι, τὴν κηδεμονίαν, τὴν συμμαχίαν, τὴν πρόνοιαν. Εἶτα ἀποφηνάμενος τοῦτο, καὶ ἀπόδειξιν ἐπάγει. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου. ∆ιαβαλὼν τὸ ἀλόγιστον πλῆθος, ἀπὸ τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων καὶ ὑγιαινόντων τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ποιεῖται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, καί φησιν, Ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου· τουτέστι, Φιλοσοφεῖν με ἐπαίδευσας, ὑπερορᾷν τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων, εἰδέναι τὰ ἀληθῆ καὶ μένοντα· χρησταῖς ἐμετεώρησας ἐλπίσι, πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν ἐχειραγώγησας· πρὸ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως τῶν ἀγαθῶν τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνεπτέρωσας. Καλῶς οὕτως εἶπεν. ιʹ. Εἰ γὰρ κληρονομεῖν τις μέλλων χρήματα, ἢ καὶ εἰς ἀρχὴν ἰέναι μεγίστην, οὐ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἀπολαύσεως μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς πείρας ὀρθοῦται τῇ προσδοκίᾳ, πάντα τὸν χρόνον τρυφῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος· ἐννόησον οἷον εἰκὸς εἶναι τὸν τὴν βασιλείαν προσδοκῶντα ζῶσαν καὶ ἀθάνατον, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐκεῖνα, ἃ οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν, οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνην εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου. Ὅπερ μεγίστης προνοίας ἦν, τότε ἑτοιμάσαι ἐκεῖνα καὶ εὐτρεπίσαι. Εἰ δὲ οἱ παχύτεροι, καὶ σὰρξ ὄντες, καὶ τῇ γῇ προσηλωμένοι, τούτοις οὐ προσέχουσιν, οὐ παρὰ τὸν ὑποσχόμενον, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀγνωμοσύνην ἡ ταραχὴ καὶ ὁ θόρυβος γίνεται. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Ἔδωκας εὐφροσύνην, ἀλλ', Εἰς τὴν καρδίαν μου, 55.55 δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἡ