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has preserved for the irrational animals their proper sound, but I alone have been deprived of my proper voice? Both the wild and the tame, both the domesticated and the untamable animals have each remained having the voice allotted to them from the beginning; but I, their ruler, am dishonored? and for them, their honors are steadfast, but I have fallen from the gifts of God? And what great sin have I committed? Were not the former punishments enough? He gave me paradise, and cast me out of paradise; I was living a life without hardship and free from toils, He condemned me to sweat and labor; the earth provided all things for me unsown and unplowed, He commanded it to bring forth thorns and thistles, and to it He returned me again; He punished me with death; He punished the female race by subjecting it to birth pangs and toils. Were these things not enough for punishment, but He also cast me out from my voice, and deprived me of this honor, so that I might turn away from those of my own race and kin as if they were beasts, with my voice walling me off from communion. For this reason I have amplified the objection, so that when I bring forward the solution, the victory might become more brilliant. If He wished, he says, to cast me out from all these things, for what reason did He give them to me in the beginning? Do you wish that I bring forward the solution from this very thing, from the bare objection itself? For so great is the abundance of the justifications on behalf of God, that the objection of the gainsayer itself, receiving nothing from us, is sufficient for the resolution of the charges. If He wished to cast me out from all these things, for what reason did He give them to me in 56.180 the beginning? For I too say the same thing: if He wished to cast you out from all these things, for what reason did He give them? So since He did not wish to cast you out, for this reason He gave you these things in the beginning. What then happened? God did not cast you out, but you lost what was given. Marvel at His love for mankind, because He bestowed the grace; blame yourself for your indolence, because you did not guard the gift. So it is clear that not the one who made the deposit is at fault, but the one who betrayed the deposit is liable for the charges. For He showed that He loved, and was philanthropic, and wished to bestow grace, with no one compelling, nor applying force, not admiring your achievements, not having a reward for toils to repay you; but immediately upon forming you, He immediately transferred you to this rule, so that He might show that the gift was not a repayment of a reward, but was bare grace. But if you did not guard what was given, blame yourself, not the one who gave the gift. Therefore, is this the only thing we can say on behalf of the Master? Indeed, this defense is sufficient; but His infinite goodness and His ineffable love for mankind provides us with another abundance of justifications. For it is not only possible to say this, that He gave, but you lost; for even so the giver is acquitted of the charges, but rather is also worthy of the greatest wonder, because even foreknowing that you would lose it, He did not deprive you of the gift; nevertheless I have also another thing much greater than these to say. And what is this? That even after you lost it out of your own indolence, He has given back to you the things that were lost; or rather, not only the things that were lost, but also things much greater than these. For you lost paradise, but He gave you heaven. Do you see how the gain is greater than the loss, how the wealth is more abundant? He gave you heaven, so that He might both display His own love for mankind, and might vex the devil, showing that even if he should plot ten thousand things against the human race, he will gain nothing, since God always leads us up to a greater honor. You lost paradise, therefore, and God opened heaven to you; you were condemned to temporary toil, and you were honored with eternal life; He commanded the earth to bring forth thorns and thistles, and your soul has brought forth for you the fruit of the Spirit. 4. And consider for me the love of God for mankind, to what lengths He descended. Among those who lose some of their own possessions, even if they should receive greater and more valuable ones, those things that were lost

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ἀλόγων τὸν οἰκεῖον φθόγγον διετήρησεν, ἐγὼ δὲ μόνος τῆς οἰκείας ἀπεστέρημαι φωνῆς; Καὶ τὰ ἄγρια καὶ τὰ ἥμερα, καὶ τὰ χειροήθη καὶ τὰ ἀτιθάσσευτα ζῶα ἔμεινεν ἕκαστον ἔχοντα τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς συγκληρωθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς φωνήν· ἐγὼ δὲ ὁ ἄρχων αὐτῶν ἠτίμωμαι; κἀκείνοις μὲν ἀκίνητοι αἱ τιμαὶ, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐξέπεσον τῶν δωρεῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Καὶ τί τοσοῦτον ἡμάρτηταί μοι; οὐκ ἤρκουν αἱ πρότεραι τιμωρίαι; Ἔδωκέ μοι τὸν παράδεισον, καὶ ἐξέβαλέ με τοῦ παραδείσου· ἔζων βίον ἀταλαίπωρον καὶ πόνων ἀπηλλαγμένον, κατεδίκασέ με ἱδρῶτι καὶ μόχθῳ· ἄσπαρτα καὶ ἀνήροτα πάντα μοι παρεῖχεν ἡ γῆ, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτῇ ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνενεγκεῖν, καὶ εἰς αὐτήν με πάλιν ἀπέστρεψε· θανάτῳ με ἐκόλασε· τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν γένος ἐκόλασεν ὑποβαλὼν ὠδῖσι καὶ πόνοις. Οὐκ ἤρκει ταῦτα εἰς τιμωρίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς φωνῆς με ἐξέβαλε, καὶ ταύτης ἀπεστέρησε τῆς τιμῆς, ἵνα τοὺς ὁμοφύλους καὶ ὁμογενεῖς καθάπερ θηριώδεις ἀποστρέφωμαι, τῆς φωνῆς διατειχιζούσης μοι τὴν συνουσίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ηὔξησα τὴν ἀντίθεσιν, ἵν' ὅταν ἐπαγάγω τὴν λύσιν, λαμπροτέρα γένηται ἡ νίκη. Εἰ ἐβούλετό με, φησὶν, ἐκβαλεῖν τούτων ἁπάντων, τίνος ἕνεκέν μοι αὐτὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐδίδου; Βούλεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τούτου ἐπαγάγω τὴν λύσιν, ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀντιῤῥήσεως τῆς ψιλῆς; Τοσαύτη γὰρ τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων ἡ περιουσία, ὡς αὐτὴν τοῦ ἀντιλέγοντος τὴν ἀντίῤῥησιν, μηδὲν παρ' ἡμῶν προσλαμβάνουσαν, ἀρκέσαι πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐγκλημάτων λύσιν. Εἰ ἐβούλετό με ἐκβαλεῖν πάντων τούτων, τίνος ἕνεκεν αὐτά μοι παρὰ 56.180 τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐδίδου; Καὶ γὰρ κἀγὼ τὸ αὐτὸ λέγω· εἰ ἐβούλετό σε ἐκβαλεῖν πάντων τούτων, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐδίδου; Ὥστε ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐβούλετό σε ἐκβαλεῖν, διὰ τοῦτο ἔδωκέ σοι ταῦτα παρὰ τὴν ἀρχήν. Τί οὖν ἐγένετο; Οὐχ ὁ Θεός σε ἐξέβαλεν, ἀλλὰ σὺ ἀπώλεσας τὰ δοθέντα. Ἐκεῖνον θαύμαζε τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ὅτι ἐχαρίσατο· σαυτῷ μέμφου τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας, ὅτι τὸ δῶρον οὐκ ἐφύλαξας. Ὥστε δῆλον, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ παρακαταθέμενος αἴτιος, ἀλλ' ὁ τὴν παρακαταθήκην προδοὺς ἐγκλημάτων ὑπεύθυνος. Ὅτι γὰρ ἐφίλει, καὶ φιλάνθρωπος ἦν, καὶ ἐβούλετο χαρίσασθαι, ἔδειξεν, οὐδενὸς δὲ ἀναγκάζοντος, οὐδὲ βίαν ἐπιτιθέντος, οὐ τὰ κατορθώματά σου θαυμάσας, οὐκ ἔχων σοι πόνων ἀμοιβὴν ἀποδοῦναι· ἀλλ' εὐθέως πλάσας, εὐθέως εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν μετήγαγε ταύτην, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἀντίδοσις ἀμοιβῆς ἡ δωρεὰ, ἀλλὰ γυμνὴ ἡ χάρις ἦν. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐφύλαξας τὰ δοθέντα, σαυτὸν αἰτιῶ, μὴ τὸν δεδωκότα τὴν δωρεάν. Ἆρ' οὖν τοῦτο μόνον ἔχομεν εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆εσπότου; Ἱκανὴ μὲν οὖν καὶ αὕτη ἡ ἀπολογία· ἀλλ' ἡ ἄπειρος αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότης καὶ ἡ ἄῤῥητος φιλανθρωπία καὶ ἑτέραν ἡμῖν περιουσίαν δικαιωμάτων παρέχει. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο μόνον ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν ἔδωκε, σὺ δὲ ἀπώλεσας· ἀπήλλακται μὲν γὰρ καὶ οὕτω τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ὁ δοὺς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ μεγίστου θαύματός ἐστιν ἄξιος, ὅτι καὶ προειδὼς ὅτι ἀπολεῖς, οὐκ ἀπεστέρησέ σε τῆς δωρεᾶς· πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον πολλῷ μεῖζον ἔχω τούτων εἰπεῖν. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ὅτι καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἀπολέσαι ἐξ οἰκείας ῥᾳθυμίας, πάλιν ἀποδέδωκέ σοι τὰ ἀπολωλότα· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τὰ ἀπολωλότα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μείζονα τούτων. Ἀπώλεσας μὲν γὰρ παράδεισον, ἔδωκε δέ σοι τὸν οὐρανόν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς μείζων ἡ ἐμπορία τῆς ζημίας, πῶς πλείων ὁ πλοῦτος; Ἔδωκέ σοι τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἵνα καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπιδείξηται, καὶ τὸν διάβολον δάκῃ, δεικνὺς ὅτι κἂν μυρία τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλεύσῃ γένει, οὐδὲν ἔσται πλέον αὐτῷ, τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς μείζονα ἀεὶ τιμὴν ἡμᾶς ἀνάγοντος. Ἀπώλεσας τοίνυν παράδεισον, καὶ ἀνέῳξέ σοι ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανόν· κατεδικάσθης πόνῳ προσκαίρῳ, καὶ ἐτιμήθης ζωῇ αἰωνίῳ· ἐκέλευσε τῇ γῇ ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἐνεγκεῖν, καὶ ἐβλάστησέ σοι καρπὸν Πνεύματος ἡ ψυχή. δʹ. Καὶ σκόπει μοι τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, μέχρι πόσου κατέβη. Ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλύουσί τινα τῶν οἰκείων κτημάτων, κἂν μείζονα λάβωσι καὶ πολυτελέστερα, ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀπολωλότα