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the remnants of God's wrath still remaining, and the traces of the disaster appearing, and the fear of what had happened still keen, he acted insolently toward his father. For this reason a certain wise man also advises, saying: Do not glory in the dishonor of your father; for a father’s dishonor is no glory to you. But he did not know this either; but he sinned a sin greater than all pardon and defense. For this reason he gave slavery as the punishment for his sin, and he became a servant to his brothers, and he betrayed the preeminence from 54.596 nature to the evil of his will. Behold a second kind of slavery. Do you wish to learn a third? This one is more burdensome than the two previous ones, and much more frightening. For since he was not made wise by those, God tightened our bonds. What then is this? That of rulers, that of authorities; not such as that of the woman, nor such as that of slaves, but much more frightening. For it is possible to see sharpened swords everywhere, executioners, punishments, instruments of torture, penalties, the authority over life and death. And that this kind of rule also became necessary because of sin, hear again Paul himself philosophizing about this. But if you wish not to fear the authority, do what is good, he says, and you will have praise from it. If you do what is evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain. Do you see that both ruler and sword are because of those who do evil? Hear this again more clearly. For he is an avenger, he says, to the one who does evil. And he did not say, For he is not a ruler in vain; but what? For he does not bear the sword in vain. He has set the judge over you armed. For just as a loving father hands over children who are negligent toward him, and who despise him because of his fatherly love and goodness, to fearsome tutors and teachers; so also God handed over our nature, which despises Him because of his goodness, as if to teachers and tutors, to the rulers, so that they might correct their negligence. But, if you wish, let us see this very thing also from the Old Testament, that because of our wickedness the need for this rule also came to be. One of the prophets, being provoked by the unjust, says something like this: Will you be silent when the wicked swallows up the righteous, and will you make men like the fish of the sea, and like reptiles that have no leader? Therefore there is a leader for this reason, so that we may not be like reptiles; for this reason there is a ruler, so that we may not swallow one another like the fish. For just as medicines are for diseases, so punishments are for sins. Since he who lives with virtue does not need supervision from there, hear what Paul says: But if you wish not to fear the authority, do what is good, and you will have praise from it. The judge, he says, is your spectator. If you live rightly, he is not only a spectator, but also one who praises. And why do I speak of the need for rulers, when those who pursue philosophy are superior to other greater things? For the laws are rulers of rulers. But nevertheless, he who lives with equity does not even need laws; hear this too from Paul when he says, The law is not laid down for the righteous. But if a law is not laid down, much more is a ruler not set over him. Behold a third kind of rule, and this one having its origin from sin and wickedness. 3. How then does Paul say, There is no authority except from God? Because He himself established it for our benefit. For sin introduced the need for it; but God has used it for our advantage. And just as the need for medicines comes from wounds, but the application of medicines comes from the wisdom of physicians; so also the need for slavery has come from sin; but to regulate it for a proper end, comes from the wisdom of God. But arise, and put away your negligence. For what reason do I say this? We are discoursing to you about the Scriptures, but you the

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λείψανα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μένοντα ὀργῆς, καὶ τῆς συμφορᾶς τὰ ἴχνη φαινόμενα, καὶ τὸν τῶν γεγενημένων ἀκμάζοντα φόβον, ἐξύβρισεν εἰς τὸν γεγεννηκότα ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καί τις σοφὸς παραινεῖ λέγων· Μὴ δοξάζου ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ πατρός σου· οὐ γάρ ἐστί σοι δόξα πατρὸς ἀτιμία. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔγνω ἐκεῖνος· ἀλλ' ἥμαρτεν ἁμαρτίαν πάσης συγγνώμης καὶ ἀπολογίας μείζονα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τιμωρίαν ἔδωκε τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν δουλείαν, καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν οἰκέτης ἐγένετο, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς 54.596 φύσεως προεδρίαν τῇ τῆς γνώμης κακίᾳ προέδωκεν. Ἰδοὺ καὶ δεύτερος δουλείας τρόπος. Βούλει καὶ τρίτον μαθεῖν; Φορτικώτερος δὲ οὗτος τῶν δύο τῶν προτέρων ἐστὶ, καὶ πολὺ φοβερώτερος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκείνοις οὐκ ἐσωφρονίσθη, ἐπέτεινεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ δεσμά. Τίς οὖν οὗτός ἐστιν; Ὁ τῶν ἀρχόντων, ὁ τῶν ἐξουσιῶν· οὐ τοιοῦτος, οἷος ὁ τῆς γυναικὸς, οὐδὲ τοιοῦτος, οἷος ὁ τῶν δούλων, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ φοβερώτερος. Ξίφη γὰρ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἠκονημένα πανταχοῦ, δημίους, κολάσεις, βασανιστήρια, τιμωρίας, τὴν μέχρι θανάτου καὶ ζωῆς ἐξουσίαν. Καὶ ὅτι καὶ οὗτος τῆς ἀρχῆς ὁ τρόπος ἀναγκαῖος διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐγένετο, ἄκουσον πάλιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Παύλου περὶ τούτου φιλοσοφοῦντος. Εἰ δὲ θέλεις μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποίει, φησὶ, καὶ ἕξεις ἔπαινον ἐξ αὐτῆς. Ἐὰν τὸ κακὸν ποιῇς, φοβοῦ· οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ τὴν μάχαιραν φορεῖ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι διὰ τοὺς τὸ κακὸν πράττοντας καὶ ἄρχων καὶ μάχαιρα; Ἄκουσον γοῦν σαφέστερον τοῦτο πάλιν. Ἔκδικος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔστι τῷ τὸ κακὸν πράσσοντι. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ ἄρχων ἐστίν· ἀλλὰ τί; Οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ τὴν μάχαιραν φορεῖ. Ὡπλισμένον σοι τὸν δικαστὴν ἐπέστησε. Καθάπερ γὰρ φιλόστοργος πατὴρ παῖδας εἰς αὐτὸν ῥᾳθυμοῦντας, καὶ διὰ τὴν πατρικὴν φιλοστοργίαν καταφρονοῦντας αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὴν ἀγαθότητα παιδαγωγοῖς καὶ διδασκάλοις ἐκδίδωσι φοβεροῖς· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν καταφρονοῦσαν αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὴν ἀγαθότητα, καθάπερ διδασκάλοις καὶ παιδαγωγοῖς, τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἐξέδωκεν, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἐπιστρέψαι αὐτῶν τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν. Ἀλλ', εἰ βούλεσθε, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἴδωμεν, ὅτι διὰ τὴν πονηρίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐγένετο χρεία ταύτης. Τῶν προφητῶν τις παροξυνόμενος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδίκοις, οὕτω πώς φησι· Παρασιωπήσεις ἐν τῷ καταπίνειν τὸν ἀσεβῆ τὸν δίκαιον, καὶ ποιήσεις τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς τοὺς ἰχθύας τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ ἑρπετὰ οὐκ ἔχοντα ἡγούμενον; Οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο ἡγούμενος, ἵνα μὴ ὡς ἑρπετὰ ὦμεν· διὰ τοῦτο ἄρχων· ἵνα μὴ ὡς οἱ ἰχθύες καταπίνωμεν ἀλλήλους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ διὰ τὰ νοσήματα τὰ φάρμακα, οὕτω διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αἱ κολάσεις. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε ὁ συζῶν ἀρετῇ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπιστασίας οὐ δεῖται, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Εἰ δὲ θέλεις μὴ φοβεῖσθαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποίει, καὶ ἕξεις ἔπαινον ἐξ αὐτῆς. Θεατής σου, φησὶν, ὁ δικαστής ἐστιν. Ἐὰν ὀρθῶς ζῇς, οὐ θεατὴς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαινέτης. Καὶ τί λέγω τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων χρείαν, ὅπουγε καὶ ἑτέρων μειζόνων ἀνώτεροι οἱ φιλοσοφίαν διώκοντές εἰσιν; Ἄρχοντες γὰρ ἀρχόντων εἰσὶν οἱ νόμοι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ νόμων δεῖται ὁ μετ' ἐπιεικείας ζῶν· καὶ τοῦτο ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος, ∆ικαίῳ νόμος οὐ κεῖται. Εἰ δὲ νόμος οὐ κεῖται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἄρχων οὐκ ἐφέστηκεν. Ἰδοὺ τρίτος ἀρχῆς τρόπος, καὶ οὗτος ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ πονηρίας ἔχων τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. γʹ. Πῶς οὖν ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐξουσία, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ; Ὅτι αὐτὸς αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελὲς ἡμῖν κατέστησεν. Εἰσήγαγε μὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς τὴν χρείαν ἡ ἁμαρτία· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἡμῖν ἀπεχρήσατο. Καὶ καθάπερ ἡ χρεία τῶν φαρμάκων ἀπὸ τῶν τραυμάτων γίνεται, ἡ δὲ ἐπαγωγὴ τῶν φαρμάκων ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἰατρῶν σοφίας· οὕτω καὶ ἡ χρεία τῆς δουλείας ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας γέγονε· τὸ δὲ εἰς δέον αὐτὴν ῥυθμίσαι, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ διανάστητε, καὶ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἀπόθεσθε. Τίνος ἕνεκα τοῦτο λέγω; Περὶ Γραφῶν ὑμῖν διηγούμεθα, ὑμεῖς δὲ τοὺς