Theodore of Heraclea, Fragments on the Epistle to the Romans

when we abstain from improper actions, unless our remaining in them also caused them grief. Thus indeed having this opinion about us, as being a creature kindred and related to them, when Adam, having been created, received the command of God, having heard at the same time that if he transgressed he would die, they were considering what sort of outcome things concerning him would have; and when, having transgressed, he became mortal through the decree, and the soul was separated from the body as was likely, and the bond of creation contrived through man was being dissolved, in this way the intelligible natures grew gloomy at what was happening, and they were not kindly disposed towards us, as having been the cause of such evils; and as time went on, successive men, progressing more greatly for the worse, tightened upon themselves the sentence of death, they despaired of all our affairs, and they undertook a greater hatred against us; whence they were no longer willing to do anything on our behalf, on the one hand turning away from us as alien to themselves, and on the other hand abhorring us as enemies of God. What then happened in response to these things? The Lord said to them that he would make our correction, having raised us up and made us immortal, so that they no longer feared any change again and dissolution of the common bond of creation. Having received this promise, they were cheered, learning that divine grace would make the correction for our failings, and with generosity would restore to us all the things of which we deprived ourselves through wickedness of character, and the universal bond will remain, admitting no dissolution in the future, and the friendship of creation to itself will remain unbroken; from this point they did not hesitate to do all things for us, although we were tried in the worst things, being held fast by the hope of things to come through the promise of God. Therefore he says this, that creation, having often despaired of our affairs as far as it depended on us, eagerly awaits this correction of all things, the expectation of things to come, that we all will be raised up to be immortal; for he calls the resurrection the revelation of the sons of God, calling immortality adoption as sons in general, since he considers being immortal to be a characteristic of the sons of God; whence David also says: I said, you are gods and all sons of the Most High, but you die like men, as if it were not reasonable for those who were called sons of God to die 139. Ro+m 8, Truly, he says, the angels, no longer enduring to do anything for us, through this promise chose to do all things, although we are occupied with vain things, eagerly awaiting this according to the promise of God, that all things be delivered from corruption and changes and turning, whenever we too, having been deemed worthy of the resurrection, become immortal by the power of God. Ro+m 8,21 For they are delivered then, he says, even they themselves from serving corruptible things, whenever we become immortal and all things are delivered from changing, since there is no longer that which compels them toward serving their motion. Ro+m 8,22 He well did not say "groans and is in travail," but "groans together and is in travail together," since he also added here "the whole creation," having said only "creation" above. But he wishes to say that the whole creation shows this in harmony, so that the fact that the same thing happens on the part of all might likewise teach them to choose fellowship with all through the patient endurance of grievous things. How then did he say the whole creation endures this? The invisible ones, as is likely, since they are rational and have perception of what is happening, but the visible ones through the fellowship of the matter. Ro+m 8,24 He calls salvation the complete deliverance from evils, which was to come to them in the future age; these things therefore, he says, we have received in the present life to hope for firmly, that they will be ours. Ro+m 8,25 For if we were already enjoying the things we expect, he says, they would certainly lie before our sight, and we would in no way need to hope for things that are seen; but since we hope

ἀφισταμένων τῆς τῶν ἀτόπων πράξεως, εἰ μὴ καὶ λύπην αὐταῖς ἐκίνει τὸ μένειν ἡμᾶς ἐπ' ἐκείνων. οὕτω δὴ γνώμης ἔχουσαι περὶ ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἅτε δὴ οἰκεῖον καὶ συγγενὲς ζῶον αὐταῖς, ἡνίκα γεγονὼς ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἐδέξατο τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ἐπίταγμα, ὁμοῦ κἀκεῖνο ἀκούσας ὡς παραβὰς ἀποθανεῖται, ἐσκό πουν, ἥντινα ἄρα τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν τὴν ἔκβασιν λήψεται· καὶ ἐπειδὴ παραβὰς θνητὸς ἐγένετο διὰ τῆς ἀποφάσεως, ἐχωρίζετό τε ὡς εἰκὸς ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ὁ μηχανηθεὶς διὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σύνδεσμος τῆς κτίσεως διελύετο, τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ ἐσκυθρώπαζον αἱ νοηταὶ φύσεις ἐπὶ τοῖς γιγνομένοις, περὶ ἡμᾶς τε οὐκ εἶχον οἰκείως ὡς ἂν τοιούτων γεγονότας αἰτίους κακῶν· ὡς δὲ καὶ τοῦ χρόνου προϊόντος οἱ καθ' ἑξῆς ἄνθρωποι μειζόνως ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον προβαίνοντες ἐπέσφιγγον ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ θανάτου τὴν ἀπόφασιν, πάντα μὲν τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀπεγίνωσκον, μεῖζον δὲ καθ' ἡμῶν ἀνεδέχοντο τὸ μῖσος· ὅθεν οὐδὲ πράττειν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐβούλοντό τι λοιπόν, τοῦτο μὲν ὡς ἀλλοτρίους ἑαυτῶν ἀποστρεφόμενοι, τοῦτο δὲ ὡς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ θεοῦ μυσαττόμενοι. τί οὖν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐγένετο; ἔφησεν αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος ὡς ποιήσει τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς διόρθωσιν, ἀναστήσας τε ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀθανάτους ἐργασάμενος, ὡς μηκέτι μηδεμίαν δεδοικέναι πάλιν μετα βολὴν καὶ διάλυσιν τοῦ κοινοῦ συνδέσμου τῆς κτίσεως. ταύτην δεξάμενοι τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ηὐθύμουν, μαθόντες ὡς ἡ θεία χάρις τῶν ἡμῖν ἐπταισμέ νων ποιήσεται τὴν διόρθωσιν, καὶ φιλοτιμίᾳ πάντα ἡμῖν ἀποδώσει ὧν ἡμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς διὰ μοχθηρίαν ἀπεστερήσαμεν τρόπου, καὶ μενεῖ μὲν ὁ καθόλου σύνδεσμος διάλυσιν οὐδεμίαν ἐπιδεχόμενος τοῦ λοιποῦ, μενεῖ δὲ ἄρρηκτος καὶ τῇ κτίσει πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἡ φιλία· ἐντεῦθεν καὶ πράττειν ἅπαντα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ὤκνουν, καίτοιγε ἐν τοῖς χείροσιν ἐξεταζομένων, τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδι διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίαν κρατούμενοι. τοῦτο οὖν λέγει ὅτι ἡ κτίσις τόγε ἐφ' ἡμῖν πολλάκις τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀπελπίσασα, ταύτην ἀπεκδέχεται τῶν ἁπάντων διόρθωσιν, τὴν προσδο κίαν τῶν μελλόντων, ὅτι ἀναστησόμεθα πάντες εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἀθάνατοι· τὴν γὰρ ἀποκάλυψιν τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ θεοῦ λέγει τὴν ἀνάστασιν, καθόλου υἱοθεσίαν τὴν ἀθανασίαν καλῶν, ἐπειδὴ υἱῶν εἶναι νομίζει θεοῦ τὸ ἀθανάτους εἶναι· ὅθεν καὶ ὁ ∆αυὶδ λέγει· ἐγὼ εἶπα θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ὑψίστου πάντες, ὑμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε, ὡς ἂν οὐκ ἔχοντος λόγου τοῦ ἀποθνήσκειν τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ χρηματίσαντας 139. Ro+m 8, Ἀμέλει, φησίν, οὐδὲν ἔτι ποιεῖν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οἱ ἄγγελοι ἀνεχόμενοι, διὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ταύτην εἵλαντο πάντα ποιεῖν, καίτοιγε περὶ τὰ μάταια ἡμῶν ἀσχολουμένων, τοῦτο κατὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίαν ἀπεκδεχό μενοι τὸ πάντα ἀπαλλαγῆναι φθορᾶς καὶ μεταβολῶν καὶ τροπῆς, ἐπειδὰν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀξιωθέντες τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀθάνατοι τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμει γενώμεθα. Ro+m 8,21 Ἀπαλλάττονται γάρ, φησί, τότε καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῦ ὑπηρετεῖσθαι φθορι μαίοις πράγμασιν, ἐπειδὰν ἡμεῖς ἀθάνατοι γενώμεθα καὶ τὰ πάντα ἀπαλλαγῇ τοῦ τρέπεσθαι, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἔστι τοῦ λοιποῦ τὸ συναναγκάζον αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν τούτων ὑπηρετεῖσθαι κίνησιν. Ro+m 8,22 Καλῶς οὐκ εἶπε στενάζει καὶ ὠδίνει, ἀλλὰ συστενάζει καὶ συνωδίνει, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις ἐνταῦθα προσέθηκεν, ἄνω ἡ κτίσις εἰρηκὼς μόνον. βούλεται δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι συμφώνως ἐπιδείκνυται τοῦτο πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις, ἵνα καὶ τὸ παρὰ πάσης τὸ αὐτὸ γίνεσθαι ὁμοίως παιδεύσῃ τούτους τὴν πρὸς ἅπαντας κοινωνίαν αἱρεῖσθαι τῇ τῶν λυπηρῶν καρτερίᾳ. πῶς δὲ πᾶσαν ἔφη τοῦτο ὑπο μένειν τὴν κτίσιν; τὰς μὲν ἀοράτους ὡς εἰκὸς ἅτε δὴ λογικὰς καὶ τῶν γιγνομένων ἐχούσας τὴν αἴσθησιν, τὰς δὲ ὁρατὰς τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τοῦ πράγματος. Ro+m 8,24 Σωτηρίαν καλεῖ τὴν παντελῆ τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγήν, ἥτις αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος προσγίνεσθαι ἔμελλεν· ταῦτα τοίνυν, φησί, βεβαίως ἐλπίζειν ὅτι πρόσεσται ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος εἰλήφαμεν βίου. Ro+m 8,25 Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀπελαύομεν ἤδη τῶν προσδοκωμένων, φησίν, ὑπ' ὄψιν ἔκειτο πάντως τὴν ἡμετέραν, περὶ δὲ τῶν φαινομένων ἐλπίζειν οὐδαμῶς ἐδεόμεθα· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐλπίζομεν