De principiis

 To one who has received instruction and has practiced the ticklings and irritations occur, but reason, having been greatly strengthened and nourished

 He speaks to us as having free will and being the cause of our own destruction or salvation for he says, or do you despise the riches of his goodnes

 Since it was possible for him to be persuaded, and he certainly would have been persuaded, not being of an earthly nature, when constrained by the won

 In the underlying matter, from the one heat the wax is melted, but the clay is dried so the one energy working through moses on the one hand exposed

 In proportion to the unspeakable beneficence, to the greatest possible degree of blessedness they have attained. 3.1.13 therefore, he who is abandoned

 Stony hearts” and places in them “fleshy ones,” so that “his ordinances may be kept” and the commandments observed, it is not in our power to put away

 From the old [testament], being accused of such things. but if they seek a defense concerning the gospel, it must be said to them, unless they act rep

 Such things, by which having been seen and heard, the sin of those who after such great and numerous things have not believed is proven to be heavier

 Therefore, that which is from god is manifoldly and exceedingly more for salvation than that which is in our power. therefore, i think the saying mean

 Of the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad” is it sound, when those who have done evil things have come to this course of a

 To advance to better things, while others fall from better things to worse, and some are preserved in good things or ascend from good things to better

 Nor when the teachers were many, to be preached everywhere in the world, so that greeks and barbarians, wise and foolish were added to the worship

 “grace is poured out on his lips”? for a proof of the “grace poured out on his lips” is that after a short time of his teaching (for he taught for abo

 In the sun and moon and stars and is not so manifest in the events of human life, as in the souls and the bodies of animals, since the “for what purp

 They thought, since the creator was imperfect and not good, that the savior had come announcing a more perfect god, whom they say is not the creator,

 You did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.” 4.2.4 the way, therefore, that appears to us for how one ought to approach the scripture

 Character. but a spiritual interpretation for the one who is able to show of what “heavenly things the pattern and shadow” the jews “according to the

 Is so great upon the earth, and if not only upon the earth, but also elsewhere, it is necessary for us to learn. 4.2.8 these things, and others like t

 Like a farmer, that god 'planted a paradise in eden toward the east,' and made in it a 'tree of life,' visible and perceptible, so that by tasting of

 But also the saying “to be struck on the right jaw” is most improbable, since everyone who strikes, unless he happens to have some unnatural condition

 Every part has the spiritual, but not every part the corporeal for in many places the corporeal is shown to be impossible. therefore, much attention

 Of us.” and in another epistle: “but you have come to mount zion and to the city of the living god, the heavenly jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

 Of israel or of those being far off, and the “descent into egypt of the seventy souls”, that there they might become “as the stars of heaven in number

“grace is poured out on his lips”? For a proof of the “grace poured out on his lips” is that after a short time of his teaching (for he taught for about a year and a few months) the world has been filled with his teaching and the godliness through him. For “in his days righteousness and abundance of peace has sprung up,” remaining until the end, which is called “the taking away of the moon”; “and he abides, ruling from sea to sea and from the rivers to the ends of the world.” And “a sign has been given to the house of David”; for “the virgin” [bore and] “conceived in her womb and bore a son, and his name is Emmanuel,” which is “God with us.” It has been fulfilled, as the same prophet says: “God is with us; know, O nations, and be vanquished, you mighty ones be vanquished.” For we from the nations have been vanquished and conquered, having been captured by the grace of his word. But also the place of his birth was foretold in Micah: for he says, “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a ruler, who will shepherd my people Israel.” And the seventy weeks were fulfilled up to Christ the ruler according to Daniel. And according to Job came “the one who subdued the great sea monster” and who “gave authority” to his genuine disciples “to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, being in no way harmed by them.” And let someone pay attention to the coming of the apostles everywhere, who were sent by Jesus to announce the gospel, and he will see both that the undertaking was not according to man and the achievement divine. And if we examine how men, hearing new teachings and strange words, received the men, being overcome in their desire to plot against them by some divine power watching over them, we will not disbelieve that they also performed wonders, “God also bearing witness to their words both by signs and wonders and various powers.” 4.1.6 And in demonstrating summarily concerning the divinity of Jesus 4.1.6 and using the prophetic words concerning him, we demonstrate at the same time that the scriptures prophesying about him are divinely inspired, and that the writings announcing his coming and teaching, spoken with all power and authority, have for this reason prevailed among the elect from the nations. And it must be said that the divine quality of the prophetic words and the spiritual nature of the law of Moses shone forth when Jesus came. For before the coming of Christ it was not at all possible to present clear examples that the ancient scriptures are divinely inspired; but the coming of Jesus brought into the open for those able to suspect that the law and the prophets were not divine that they were written with heavenly grace. But the one who reads the prophetic words with care and attention, experiencing from the very reading a trace of inspiration, by what he experiences he will be persuaded that the writings we believe to be the words of God are not the compositions of men. And the light existing in the law of Moses, hidden away by a “veil,” shone forth with the coming of Jesus when “the veil was taken away” and “the good things” little by little came to be known, of which the letter “had a shadow.” 4.1.7 It would be a great task now to recount the most ancient prophecies about each of the future events, so that through them the one who doubts, being struck as by divine inspiration, setting aside all doubt and distraction, might give himself with his whole soul to the words of God. But if the superhuman quality of the thoughts does not seem to strike the unlearned in each of the writings, it is not at all surprising; for even in the works of providence which pertain to the whole world, some things appear very clearly to be works of providence, while others are so hidden as to seem to provide room for disbelief concerning the God who governs all things with ineffable art and power. For the technical account of the one who provides is not so clear in things on earth, as in

«ἐξεχύθη χάρις ἐν χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ»; τεκμήριον γὰρ τῆς «ἐκχυθείσης χάριτος ἐν χείλεσιν αὐτοῦ» τὸ ὀλίγου διαγεγενημένου χρόνου τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ (ἐνιαυτὸν γάρ που καὶ μῆνας ὀλίγους ἐδίδαξε) πεπληρῶσθαι τὴν οἰκουμένην τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς δι' αὐτοῦ θεοσεβείας. «ἀνατέταλκε» γὰρ «ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης» παραμένον ἕως συντελείας, ὃ «ἀνταναίρεσις» ὠνόμασται «σελήνης»· «καὶ μένει κατακυριεύων ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ἀπὸ ποταμῶν ἕως περάτων τῆς οἰκου μένης». καὶ «δέδοται σημεῖον τῷ οἴκῳ ∆αυείδ»· «ἡ παρθένος» γὰρ [ἔτεκε καὶ] «ἐν γαστρὶ ἔσχε καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ», ὅπερ ἐστὶ «μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός». πεπλήρωται, ὡς ὁ αὐτὸς προφήτης φησί· «μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ θεός· γνῶτε, ἔθνη, καὶ ἡττᾶσθε, ἰσχυκότες ἡτ τᾶσθε». ἡττήμεθα γὰρ καὶ νενικήμεθα οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἑαλω κότες ὑπὸ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ προείρηται τόπος γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ Μιχαίᾳ· «καὶ σὺ» γάρ φησι «Βηθλεέμ, γῆ Ἰούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα· ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος, ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ». καὶ αἱ ἑβδο μήκοντα ἑβδομάδες ἐπληρώθησαν ἕως Χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου κατὰ τὸν ∆ανιήλ. ἦλθέ τε κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ «ὁ τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειρωσάμενος» καὶ «δεδωκὼς ἐξουσίαν» τοῖς γνησίοις αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς «πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, οὐδὲν ὑπ' αὐ τῶν ἀδικουμένοις». Ἐπιστησάτω δέ τις καὶ τῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων πανταχόσε ἐπιδημίᾳ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ καταγγεῖλαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πεμφθέντων, καὶ ὄψεται καὶ τὸ τόλμημα οὐ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον καὶ τὸ ἐπίτευγμα θεῖον. καὶ ἐὰν ἐξετάσωμεν πῶς ἄνθρωποι καινῶν μαθημάτων ἀκούοντες καὶ ξένων λόγων προσήκαντο τοὺς ἄνδρας, νικηθέντες ἐν τῷ θέλειν αὐτοῖς ἐπιβουλεύειν ὑπό τινος θείας δυνάμεως ἐπισκοπούσης αὐτούς, οὐκ ἀπιστήσομεν εἰ καὶ τεράστια πεποιήκασιν, «ἐπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ σημείων καὶ τεράτων καὶ ποικίλων δυνάμεων». 4.1.6 Ἀποδεικνύντες δὲ ὡς ἐν ἐπιτομῇ περὶ τῆς θεότητος Ἰησοῦ 4.1.6 καὶ χρώμενοι τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγοις προφητικοῖς, συναποδείκνυμεν θεοπνεύστους εἶναι τὰς προφητευούσας περὶ αὐτοῦ γραφάς, καὶ τὰ καταγγέλλοντα τὴν ἐπιδημίαν αὐτοῦ γράμματα καὶ διδασκαλίαν μετὰ πάσης δυνάμεως καὶ ἐξουσίας εἰρημένα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκλογῆς κεκρατηκότα. λεκτέον δὲ ὅτι τὸ τῶν προφητικῶν λόγων ἔνθεον καὶ τὸ πνευματικὸν τοῦ Μωσέως νόμου ἔλαμψεν ἐπι δημήσαντος Ἰησοῦ. ἐναργῆ γὰρ παραδείγματα περὶ τοῦ θεοπνεύστους εἶναι τὰς παλαιὰς γραφὰς πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ παραστῆσαι οὐ πάνυ δυνατὸν ἦν· ἀλλ' ἡ Ἰησοῦ ἐπιδημία δυναμένους ὑποπτεύ εσθαι τὸν νόμον καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ὡς οὐ θεῖα εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἤγαγεν ὡς οὐρανίῳ χάριτι ἀναγεγραμμένα. ὁ δὲ μετ' ἐπιμελείας καὶ προσο χῆς ἐντυγχάνων τοῖς προφητικοῖς λόγοις, παθὼν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνα γινώσκειν ἴχνος ἐνθουσιασμοῦ, δι' ὧν πάσχει πεισθήσεται οὐκ ἀνθρώ πων εἶναι συγγράμματα τοὺς πεπιστευμένους ἡμῖν εἶναι θεοῦ λόγους. καὶ τὸ ἐνυπάρχον δὲ φῶς τῷ Μωσέως νόμῳ, «καλύμματι» ἐναποκε κρυμμένον, συνέλαμψε τῇ Ἰησοῦ ἐπιδημίᾳ «περιαιρεθέντος τοῦ καλύμ ματος» καὶ «τῶν ἀγαθῶν» κατὰ βραχὺ εἰς γνῶσιν ἐρχομένων, ὧν «σκιὰν εἶχε» τὸ γράμμα. 4.1.7 Πολὺ δ' ἂν εἴη νῦν ἀναλέγεσθαι τὰς περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν μελ λόντων ἀρχαιοτάτας προφητείας, ἵνα δι' αὐτῶν ὁ ἀμφιβάλλων πληχθεὶς ὡς ἐνθέων, διψυχίαν πᾶσαν καὶ περισπασμὸν ἀποθέμενος, ὅλῃ ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδῷ τῇ ψυχῇ τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ θεοῦ. εἰ δὲ μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν γραμμάτων τοῖς ἀνεπιστήμοσι προσπίπτειν δοκεῖ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον τῶν νοημάτων, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τῆς ἁπτομένης τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου προνοίας ἔργων, τινὰ μὲν ἐναρ γέστατα φαίνεται, ᾗ προνοίας ἐστὶν ἔργα, ἕτερα δὲ οὕτως ἀποκέ κρυπται, ὡς ἀπιστίας χώραν παρέχειν δοκεῖν τῆς περὶ τοῦ τέχνῃ ἀφάτῳ καὶ δυνάμει διοικοῦντος τὰ ὅλα θεοῦ. οὐχ οὕτω γὰρ σαφὴς ὁ περὶ τοῦ προνοοῦντος τεχνικὸς λόγος ἐν τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς, ὡς ἐν