17

has given itself to that one, and all serve him willingly and by choice. And while Christ promises countless good things, no one pays attention; but to that one, who promises nothing of the sort, but rather sends them to Gehenna, all obey. And his rule is in this age, and he has more subjects than God, and those who yield to him more than to God, except for a few, because of our own indolence. According to 62.32 the power, he says, of the air, of the spirit. This again he says, that he has the place under heaven, and the bodiless powers are aerial spirits of him who is at work. That his rule is also eternal, that is, it is destroyed together with the present age, hear what he says at the end of the Epistle: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age. For so that when you hear 'world-rulers,' you do not say he is uncreated, he adds, 'Of the darkness of this age.' And elsewhere he calls the perverse time an evil age, not speaking about created things. For it seems to me that having become a ruler under heaven, he did not fall from his rule, even after the transgression. Of the one who is now at work, he says, in the sons of disobedience. Do you see that it is not by force nor by tyranny, but by persuasion that he leads? For he said 'disobedience,' as one might say, 'By deceit and persuasion he draws all men to himself.' And not only does he comfort them with this, by giving them a partner, but also by ranking himself with them. Among whom, he says, we all also once lived. All; for it is not possible to say that anyone was exempt. in the desires of our flesh, carrying out the wishes of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like all the rest; that is, thinking nothing spiritual. But lest he be suspected of saying these things for the slander of the flesh, nor lest someone think the offense to be great, see how he secures his point: Carrying out the wishes of our flesh, he says, and of our minds, that is, the passions of pleasure. We provoked, he says, God, and we angered him; that is, we were wrath, and nothing else. For just as one who is a child of a man is by nature a man, so also were we children of wrath, like the rest; that is, no one was free, but we all did things worthy of wrath. But God, being rich in mercy. Not simply, 'Merciful,' but 'Rich,' just as he also says in another place: 'In the multitude of your mercy;' and again, 'Have mercy on me according to your great mercy.' because of his great love with which he loved us. He shows from what state he loved us. For these things are not worthy of love, but of wrath and the utmost punishment. And so therefore from much mercy. Even when we were dead in our trespasses, he made us alive together in Christ. Again Christ is in the midst, and the matter is trustworthy. For if the firstfruits lives, so do we; he made him alive, and us. 2. Do you see that everything has been said concerning that which is according to the flesh? Did you see the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe? The dead, the sons of wrath, these he made alive. Did you see the hope of the calling? He raised up together and seated together. Did you see the glory of his inheritance? Yes, he says, but while 'He raised up together' is clear, how does 'He seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus' stand? As with 'He raised up together'; for no one has yet been raised, except that when the head was raised, we also were raised, just as there when Jacob worshipped, the wife also worshipped Joseph. Therefore, in this way He also seated us together, for when the head is seated, the body is seated with it. For this reason he added, In Christ Je 62.33 sus. Or if not this, but he raised us up together through the washing, how then did he seat us together? For if we endure, he says, we will also reign with him; if we have died, we will also live with him. Truly there is need of the Spirit and of revelation, so as to understand the depth of these mysteries. Then, so that you may not disbelieve, see what he adds: so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For since he spoke the things concerning Christ, but these were nothing to us

17

ἐκείνῳ δέδωκεν ἑαυτὴν, καὶ πάντες αὐτῷ δουλεύουσιν ἑκόντες καὶ προαιρούμενοι. Καὶ τῷ μὲν Χριστῷ μυρία ἐπαγγελλομένῳ ἀγαθὰ οὐδὲ προσέχει τις· ἐκείνῳ δὲ οὐδὲν ὑπισχνουμένῳ τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' εἰς γέενναν παραπέμποντι, πάντες ὑπείκουσι. Καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, καὶ πλείους οὗτος ἔχει τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῷ εἴκοντας ἢ τῷ Θεῷ, πλὴν ὀλίγων, διὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν. Κατὰ 62.32 τὴν ἐξουσίαν, φησὶ, τοῦ ἀέρος τοῦ πνεύματος. Τοῦτο πάλιν φησὶν, ὅτι τὸν ὑπουράνιον ἔχει τόπον, καὶ πνεύματα ἀέρια αἱ ἀσώματοι δυνάμεις εἰσὶν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος. Ὅτι καὶ αἰώνιος αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀρχὴ, τουτέστι, τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι συγκαταλυομένη, ἄκουσον ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς λέγοντος αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ κοσμοκράτορας ἀκούσας, καὶ ἄκτιστον αὐτὸν εἶναι φῇς, Τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος, προστίθησι. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ αἰῶνα πονηρὸν καλεῖ τὸν καιρὸν τὸν διεστραμμένον, οὐ περὶ τῶν κτισμάτων λέγων. Ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ γενόμενος ἄρχων ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν μὴ μεταπεπτωκέναι τῆς ἀρχῆς, καὶ μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν. Τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ βίᾳ οὐδὲ τυραννίδι, ἀλλὰ πειθοῖ προσάγεται; Ἀπείθειαν γὰρ εἶπεν, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, Ἀπάτῃ καὶ πειθοῖ τοὺς πάντας ἐφέλκεται. Καὶ οὐ τούτῳ δὲ μόνον αὐτοὺς παραμυθεῖται, τῷ δοῦναι κοινωνὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἑαυτὸν τάξαι μετ' ἐκείνων. Ἐν οἷς, φησὶ, καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε. Πάντες· οὐκ ἔνι γὰρ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἐξῆρτό τις. Ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, καὶ ἦμεν τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες· τουτέστιν, οὐδὲν πνευματικὸν φρονοῦντες. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ταῦτα λέγειν ὑποπτευθῇ ἐπὶ διαβολῇ τῆς σαρκὸς, μηδὲ μέγα νομίσῃ τις εἶναι τὸ πλημμέλημα, ὅρα πῶς ἀσφαλίζεται· Τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, φησὶ, καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν ποιοῦντες, τουτέστι, τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς πάθη. Παρωξύναμεν, φησὶ, τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ παρωργίσαμεν· τουτέστιν, Ὀργὴ ἦμεν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἀνθρώπου ὢν τέκνον, φύσει ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀργῆς τέκνα ἦμεν, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί· τουτέστιν, Οὐδεὶς ἦν ἐλεύθερος, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐπράττομεν ἄξια ὀργῆς. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς, Ἐλεήμων, ἀλλὰ Πλούσιος, καθάπερ καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ φησίν· Ἐν τῷ πλήθει τοῦ ἐλέους σου· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐλέησόν με κατὰ τὸ μέγα ἔλεός σου. ∆ιὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὑτοῦ, ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς. ∆είκνυσι πόθεν ἡμᾶς ἠγάπησε. Ταῦτα γὰρ οὐκ ἀγάπης ἄξια, ἀλλ' ὀργῆς καὶ τιμωρίας τῆς ἐσχάτης. Καὶ οὕτω οὖν ἀπὸ πολλοῦ ἐλέους. Καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι, συνεζωοποίησεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ. Πάλιν ὁ Χριστὸς μέσος, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀξιόπιστον. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀπαρχὴ ζῇ, καὶ ἡμεῖς· ἐζωοποίησε κἀκεῖνον, καὶ ἡμᾶς. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι περὶ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα πάντα εἴρηται; Εἶδες τὸ ὑπερβάλλον μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πιστεύοντας; τοὺς νεκροὺς, τοὺς υἱοὺς ὀργῆς, τούτους ἐζωοποίησεν. Εἶδες τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς κλήσεως; Συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισεν. Εἶδες τὴν δόξαν τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ; Ναὶ, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν, Συνήγειρε, δῆλον· τὸ δὲ, Συνεκάθισεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, πῶς ἕστηκεν; Ὡς τὸ, Συνήγειρεν· οὐδέπω γὰρ οὐδείς ἐστιν ἐγηγερμένος, εἰ μὴ ὅτι τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀναστάσης, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἠγέρθημεν, ὡς καὶ ἐκεῖ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ προσκυνήσαντος, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ προσεκύνησε τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Οὐκοῦν οὕτω καὶ συνεκάθισε τῆς γὰρ κεφαλῆς καθεζομένης καὶ τὸ σῶμα συγκάθηται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰη 62.33 σοῦ. Ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ συνήγειρε διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ, πῶς οὖν συνεκάθισεν; Εἰ γὰρ ὑπομένομεν, φησὶ, καὶ συμβασιλεύσομεν· εἰ ἀπεθάνομεν, καὶ συζήσομεν. Ὄντως Πνεύματος χρεία καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως, ὥστε τὸ βάθος νοῆσαι τῶν μυστηρίων τούτων. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ ἀπιστήσῃς, ὅρα τί ἐπάγει· Ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσι τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὑτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ταῦτα δὲ οὐδὲν ἦν πρὸς ἡμᾶς