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and blessedness; but He brought us forth out of philanthropy alone and made all these things for our sake and even many more things than these.

8.t Chapter 8. That a proof of providence is also the giving of a law both

natural and written, and the preparing of noble men to become teachers through the migration to the nations who would receive them, and after this, the granting of the sum of all good things, the coming of the Only-begotten.

8.1 For this reason He also wrote and gave a law for our sake and sent prophets and

worked miracles and before all these things, when He had formed man, He placed in him the innate law as a teacher, just as a pilot for a ship and a charioteer for a horse, setting it over our thoughts. Thus indeed did Abel know him, when there were no letters, no prophets, no apostles, no written law resounding, but having the innate law. 8.2 Thus did Cain; for both knew him and recognized his lordship, but both did not walk the same path; but one that of wickedness, the other that of virtue. And yet He did not abandon him even so, but also set him upright when he had fallen and been tripped up and made him enjoy His care; and first by exhorting and advising, but later by fear, by trembling admonishing, training, teaching. 8.3 But when many men had betrayed so great a gift, I mean the benefit from natural teaching, not even then did He leave them, nor did He give them over to utter destruction, but He remained training them through deeds, through benefactions, through punishments, admonishing them, through the creation itself working day by day and fulfilling its customary service, through the paradoxical things that happened contrary to custom, through the righteous men at the beginning. 8.4 For He also moved wondrous men, full of wisdom, from place to place. For instance, He prepared Abraham to go now to Palestine, now to Egypt, and Jacob to Syria; Moses again to Egypt and the three youths to Babylon and Daniel and Ezekiel; and Jeremiah to Egypt. And He gave a law and sent prophets and struck and released and gave over to captivity and deemed worthy of freedom and did not cease from the beginning until the end doing and managing all things for our race. 8.5 For He was not content with the teaching from creation that leads only to the knowledge of God, but since many, because of their own ingratitude, gained nothing from it, He also cut other paths of teaching, and finally He worked the sum of all good things and sent His own Son. 8.6 And He, being of the same nature with Him, becomes what I am and, walking on the earth, associated with men through the wonders He worked, through the things He promised, through the things He gave. For some things He has already provided from here, but others He has stored up for the future, which He has made clear that He will give both by the wonders He worked while still present on earth and by the outcome after these things of all that He foretold; "Who shall declare the mighty acts of the Lord, or make all his praises to be heard?" Who would not be astonished, who would not shudder at His ineffable care, considering how for ungrateful servants He gave over His only-begotten Son to death, a cursed death, a reproachful death, the death of the condemned? 8.7 And He was crucified on a high scaffold and 8.7 was spat upon and was struck with a rod and was beaten on the head and was mocked and was buried as a matter of grace and seals were placed upon His tomb; and all these things He endured for you and for your care, so that the tyranny of sin might be destroyed, so that the citadel of the devil might be thrown down, so that the sinews of death might be cut, so that the gates of heaven might be opened to us, so that the

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καὶ τὴν μακαριότητα· διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν δὲ μόνην ἡμᾶς παρήγαγε καὶ ἅπαντα ταῦτα ἐποίησε δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἔτι πολλῷ πλείονα τούτων.

8.t Κεφ. ηʹ. Ὅτι προνοίας ἀπόδειξις καὶ τὸ νόμον δοῦναι καὶ

φυσικὸν καὶ γραπτὸν καὶ γενναίους ἄνδρας παρασκεύασαι διδασκάλους γενέσθαι διὰ μετοικεσίας τῶν ἀποδεχομένων ἐθνῶν καὶ τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν χαρίσασθαι τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τὴν παρουσίαν

8.1 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ νόμον γράψας ἔδωκε δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ προφήτας ἀπέστειλε καὶ

θαύματα εἰργάσατο καὶ πρὸ τούτων ἁπάντων ὁμοῦ πλάσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, διδάσκαλον αὐτῷ τὸν ἔμφυτον ἐναπέθετο νόμον, ὥσπερ πλοίῳ κυβερνήτην καὶ ἡνίοχον ἵππῳ, τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡμῶν ἐπιστήσας αὐτόν. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ Ἄβελ αὐτὸν ἔγνω, οὐ γραμμάτων ὄντων, οὐ προφητῶν, οὐκ ἀποστόλων, οὐ νόμου γραπτοῦ τινος ἐνηχοῦντος, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἔμφυτον ἔχων νόμον. 8.2 Οὕτως ὁ Κάϊν· ἀμφότεροι γὰρ αὐτὸν ᾔδεσαν καὶ τὴν δεσποτείαν ἐπεγίνωσκον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀμφότεροι τὴν αὐτὴν ἦλθον ὁδόν· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τὴν τῆς κακίας, ὁ δὲ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς. Καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐγκατέλιπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεσόντα καὶ ὑποσκελισθέντα ἐπηνώρθου καὶ ἐπιμελείας ἀπολαύειν ἐποίει· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν παραινῶν καὶ συμβουλεύων, ὕστερον δὲ τῷ φόβῳ, τῷ τρόμῳ νουθετῶν, παιδεύων, διδάσκων. 8.3 Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοσοῦτον προὔδωκαν δῶρον οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς φυσικῆς διδασκαλίας λέγω ὠφέλειαν, οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτοὺς κατέλιπεν, οὐδὲ πανωλεθρίᾳ παρέδωκεν, ἀλλ' ἔμεινε διὰ πραγμάτων, δι' εὐεργεσιῶν, διὰ κολάσεων παιδεύων, νουθετῶν, διὰ τῆς κτίσεως αὐτῆς καθ' ἡμέραν ἐργαζομένης καὶ τὴν διακονίαν πληρούσης τὴν εἰωθυῖαν, διὰ τῶν παραδόξως παρὰ τὰ εἰωθότα γινομένων, διὰ τῶν ἐν ἀρχῇ δικαίων. 8.4 Καὶ γὰρ ἄνδρας θαυμαστοὺς καὶ φιλοσοφίας γέμοντας ἀπὸ τόπων εἰς τόπους μετήγαγε. Οἷον τὸν Ἀβραὰμ νῦν μὲν εἰς Παλαιστίνην, νῦν δὲ εἰς Αἴγυπτον παρεσκεύασεν ἀπελθεῖν καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ εἰς Συρίαν· Μωυσέα πάλιν εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ τοὺς τρεῖς παῖδας εἰς Βαβυλῶνα καὶ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ καὶ τὸν Ἰεζεκιήλ; τὸν δὲ Ἱερεμίαν εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Καὶ νόμον ἔδωκε καὶ προφήτας ἀπέστειλε καὶ ἔπληξε καὶ ἀνῆκε καὶ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ παρέδωκε καὶ ἐλευθερίας ἠξίωσε καὶ οὐ διέλιπεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἕως τέλους πάντα ποιῶν καὶ πραγματευόμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ γένους τοῦ ἡμετέρου. 8.5 Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠρκέσθη τῇ ἀπὸ τῆς κτίσεως διδασκαλίᾳ πρὸς θεογνωσίαν φερούσῃ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀγνωμοσύνην οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπώναντο καὶ ἑτέρας ἔτεμεν ὁδοὺς διδασκαλίας καὶ τέλος τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰργάσατο καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ. 8.6 Καὶ ὁ τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεως ὢν αὐτῷ, γίνεται ὅπερ ἐγὼ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς βαδίζων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστρέφετο δι' ὧν ἐθαυματούργει, δι' ὧν ἐπηγγέλλετο, δι' ὧν ἐδίδου. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ μὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη παρέσχε, τὰ δὲ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐταμιεύσατο, ἃ καὶ ὅτι δώσει καὶ δι' ὧν ἔτι περιὼν ἐπὶ γῆς θαυμάτων εἰργάσατο, δῆλον ἐποίησε καὶ διὰ τῆς μετὰ ταῦτα ὧν προεῖπε πάντων ἐκβάσεως· «Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ;» Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκσταίη, τίς οὐκ ἂν φρίξειε τὴν ἄφατον αὐτοῦ κηδεμονίαν, ἐννοῶν πῶς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀγνωμόνων οἰκετῶν τὸν μονογενῆ Υἱὸν εἰς θάνατον ἐκδέδωκε, θάνατον τὸν ἐπάρατον, τὸν ἐπονείδιστον, θάνατον τὸν τῶν καταδίκων; 8.7 Καὶ ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ τοῦ ἰκρίου ἀνεσκολοπίζετο καὶ 8.7 ἐνεπτύετο καὶ ἐρραπίζετο καὶ ἐπὶ κόρρης ἐτύπτετο καὶ ἐκωμῳδεῖτο καὶ ἐν μέρει χάριτος ἐθάπτετο καὶ σήμαντρα αὐτοῦ τῷ μνήματι ἐπετίθετο· καὶ ταῦτα ἅπαντα ὑφίστατο διὰ σὲ καὶ τὴν κηδεμονίαν τὴν σήν, ἵνα τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἡ τυραννὶς ἀναιρεθῇ, ἵνα καθαιρεθῇ τοῦ διαβόλου ἡ ἀκρόπολις, ἵνα τμηθῇ τοῦ θανάτου τὰ νεῦρα, ἵνα ἀνοιγῶσιν ἡμῖν αἱ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πύλαι, ἵνα ἀφανισθῇ ἡ