18

Elsewhere he has put recompense in place of punishment, and here he calls punishment a reward. If it is a righteous thing, he says, with God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to you who are afflicted, rest. That is, justice has not been corrupted, but God has come forth, and has turned the penalty upon those who have sinned; although not all of the sins become manifest, unless the things ordained were transgressed. How then shall we, 63.33 he says, escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? Through this he showed that that salvation was not very great. And he also well added the, "So great." For not from wars, he says, will he now save us, nor will he provide the earth and the good things in the earth, but there will be an abolition of death, but a destruction of the devil, but a kingdom of heaven, but eternal life. For all these things he indicated in brief by saying, "if we neglect so great a salvation." Then he also adds what makes it trustworthy; "Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord;" that is, it had its beginning from the very source; not a man ferried it to the earth, not a created power, but the Only-Begotten himself. "was confirmed to us by those who heard." What is, "Was confirmed"? It was believed, or it came to pass; for we have the pledge, he says; that is, it was not extinguished, it did not cease, but it prevails and endures. And the cause is, the divine power is at work. What is, "By those who heard"? That is, those who heard from the Lord themselves confirmed it to us. This is great and trustworthy. Just as Luke also says in the beginning of the Gospel; "Just as they delivered them to us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word." How then was it confirmed? what then, if those who heard fabricated it, he says? Refuting this, therefore, and showing the grace is not human, he added, "God also bearing witness with them." For if they had fabricated it, God would not have borne witness to them. They indeed bear witness, and God also bears witness. How does he bear witness? Not by word, nor by voice; for this too would have been trustworthy; but how? "With signs and wonders and with various miracles." He well placed, "With various miracles," indicating the abundance of the gifts; which did not happen in the case of the former things, nor so many signs, and so diverse. That is, we did not simply believe them, but because of signs and wonders. So that we do not believe them, but God himself. "And by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will." What then, that magicians also perform signs, and the Jews said that he cast out demons by Beelzebul? But they do not perform such signs; for this reason he said, "With various miracles." For those things are not power, but weakness and illusion and empty things. For this reason he said, "By gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will." 5. Here it seems to me he also hints at something else; for it is likely that there were not many there having gifts, and that these had ceased, since they had become more sluggish. In order, therefore, to console them in this also, and not let them fall into despondency, he ascribed the whole thing to the counsel of God; He himself knows what is profitable for each, he says, and so he distributes the grace; which he also does in the epistle to the Corinthians, saying: "God has set each one of us, as he willed;" and again, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each for the common good," "according to his own will." He shows that the gift is according to the will of the Father. And often also because of an impure and sluggish life many did not receive a gift; and sometimes even though having a good and pure life they did not receive one; for what reason? So that they might not become arrogant, so that they might not be puffed up, so that they might not become 63.34 more negligent, so that they might not be unduly exalted. For if even without a gift the very consciousness of a pure life is sufficient to exalt, how much more, when the grace is also present. So that it was rather given to the humble and to the simple; and especially to the simple; For "in simplicity," he says, "and gladness of heart." For in this way also he rather exhorted them; and if they were more negligent, he pricked them. For the humble person and one who does not imagine great things about himself, becomes more earnest, when he receives a gift, as having received it beyond his desert, and not worthy

18

ἀλλαχοῦ τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν τέθεικεν ἀντὶ κολάσεως, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὴν κόλασιν μισθὸν καλεῖ. Εἰ δίκαιον, φησὶ, παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἀνταποδοῦναι τοῖς θλίβουσιν ὑμᾶς θλῖψιν, καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς θλιβομένοις ἄνεσιν. Τουτέστιν, οὐ παρεφθάρη τὸ δίκαιον, ἀλλ' ἐπεξῆλθεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὴν δίκην περιέτρεψεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας· καίτοι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων οὐ πάντων εἰς φανερὸν γινομένων, εἰ μὴ παραβαθείη τὰ διατεταγμένα. Πῶς οὖν ἡμεῖς, 63.33 φησὶν, ἐκφευξόμεθα, τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας; ∆ιὰ τούτου ἐδήλωσεν, ὅτι οὐ πολλή τις ἦν ἐκείνη ἡ σωτηρία. Καλῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ, Τηλικαύτης, προσέθηκεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐκ πολέμων, φησὶν, ἡμᾶς διασώσει νῦν, οὐδὲ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἀγαθὰ παρέξει, ἀλλὰ θανάτου κατάλυσις ἔσται, ἀλλὰ διαβόλου ἀπώλεια, ἀλλ' οὐρανῶν βασιλεία, ἀλλὰ ζωὴ αἰώνιος. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ἐν συντόμῳ ἐνέφηνεν εἰπὼν, Τηλικαύτης ἀμελήσαντες σωτηρίας. Εἶτα καὶ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον ἐπάγει· Ἥτις ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσα λαλεῖσθαι διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου· τουτέστι, παρ' αὐτῆς τῆς πηγῆς ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχήν· οὐκ ἄνθρωπος αὐτὴν διεπόρθμευσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν, οὐ κτιστὴ δύναμις, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Μονογενής. Ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐβεβαιώθη; Ἐπιστεύθη, ἢ ἐξέβη· τὸν γὰρ ἀῤῥαβῶνα, φησὶν, ἔχομεν· τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐσβέσθη, οὐκ ἔληξεν, ἀλλὰ κρατεῖ καὶ περιγίνεται. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ἡ θεία δύναμις ἐνεργεῖ. Τί ἐστιν, Ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων; Τουτέστιν, οἱ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀκούσαντες αὐτοὶ ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαίωσαν. Μέγα τοῦτο καὶ ἀξιόπιστον. Ὅπερ καὶ Λουκᾶς φησιν ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· Καθὼς παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν οἱ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπηρέται γενόμενοι τοῦ λόγου. Πῶς οὖν ἐβεβαιώθη; τί οὖν, εἰ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ἔπλασαν, φησί; Τοῦτο τοίνυν ἀναιρῶν, καὶ δεικνὺς οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνην τὴν χάριν, ἐπήγαγε, Συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐκ ἂν γὰρ, εἰ ἔπλασαν, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῖς ἐμαρτύρησε. Μαρτυροῦσι μὲν κἀκεῖνοι, μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ ὁ Θεός. Πῶς μαρτυρεῖ; Οὐ λόγῳ, οὐδὲ φωνῇ· ἦν μὲν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο πιστόν· ἀλλὰ πῶς; Σημείοις καὶ τέρασι καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσι. Καλῶς τὸ, Ποικίλαις δυνάμεσι, τέθεικε, τὴν ἀφθονίαν τῶν χαρισμάτων δηλῶν· ὅπερ οὐ γεγένηται ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων, οὐδὲ τοσαῦτα σημεῖα, καὶ οὕτω διάφορα. Τουτέστιν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπιστεύσαμεν ἐκείνοις, ἀλλὰ διὰ σημείων καὶ τεράτων. Ὥστε οὐκ ἐκείνοις πιστεύομεν, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς, κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν. Τί οὖν, ὅτι καὶ γόητες σημεῖα ποιοῦσι, καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Βεελζεβοὺλ ἔλεγον αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλειν τὰ δαιμόνια; Ἀλλ' οὐ τοιαῦτα ποιοῦσι σημεῖα· διὰ τοῦτο εἶπε, Ποικίλαις δυνάμεσιν. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ οὐ δύναμις, ἀλλ' ἀσθένεια καὶ φαντασία καὶ διάκενα πράγματα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπε, Πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν. εʹ. Ἐνταῦθα καί τι ἄλλο αἰνίττεσθαί μοι δοκεῖ· εἰκὸς γὰρ μὴ εἶναι πολλοὺς ἐκεῖ χαρίσματα ἔχοντας, ἐκλελοιπέναι δὲ ταῦτα, ἅτε νωθροτέρων αὐτῶν γενομένων. Ἵν' οὖν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐν τούτῳ παραμυθήσηται, καὶ μὴ ἀφῇ καταπεσεῖν, τὸ πᾶν ἀνέθηκε τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῇ· αὐτὸς οἶδε τίνι τί συμφέρει, φησὶ, καὶ οὕτω καταμερίζει τὴν χάριν· ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους ποιεῖ λέγων· Ὁ Θεὸς ἔθετο ἕνα ἕκαστον ἡμῶν, καθὼς ἠθέλησε· καὶ πάλιν, Ἑκάστῳ δὲ ἡ φανέρωσις τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδοται πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον, κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέλησιν. ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι τὸ χάρισμα κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Πατρός ἐστι θέλησιν. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ δι' ἀκάθαρτον βίον καὶ νωθῆ οὐκ ἔλαβον πολλοὶ χάρισμα· ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ καλὸν βίον ἔχοντες καὶ καθαρὸν οὐκ ἔλαβον· τί δήποτε; Ὥστε μὴ ἐκτραχηλισθῆναι, ὥστε μὴ φυσιωθῆναι, ὥστε μὴ ῥᾳ 63.34 θυμοτέρους γενέσθαι, ὥστε μὴ πλέον ἐπαρθῆναι. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ χωρὶς χαρίσματος αὐτὴ τοῦ καθαροῦ βίου ἡ συνείδησις ἱκανὴ ἐπᾶραι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ὅταν καὶ ἡ χάρις προσῇ. Ὥστε τοῖς ταπεινοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀφελέσι μᾶλλον ἐδίδοτο· καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς ἀφελέσιν· Ἐν ἀφελότητι γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει καρδίας. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταύτῃ προέτρεψεν αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον· καὶ εἰ ῥᾳθυμότεροι ἦσαν, κατένυξεν. Ὁ γὰρ ταπεινὸς καὶ μὴ μεγάλα περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φανταζόμενος, σπουδαιότερος γίνεται, ὅταν λάβῃ χάρισμα, ἅτε παρ' ἀξίαν εἰληφὼς, καὶ οὐκ ἄξιον