Theodore of Heraclea, Fragments on the Epistle to the Romans

declaring to the younger, knowing indeed what sort of men they would be, not waiting for them to be distinguished by their own ways, but dividing them from afar, so that through all things the grace of the election might become manifest, which is also more honorable than nature and all things. Most opportunely, therefore, for the present matters, also the "for though they were not yet born"; for thus it is not possible, he says, for God to be proven false, promising one thing and doing another, because even before birth, knowing the way of each, He chooses those whom He may consider to be worthy. What error, then, could occur in such a matter, 144 so as to think this is according to the principle of ideas? And showing that events also followed the election according to grace, he adds: "As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'" Through all things, however, he has clearly shown that God does not know to be a slave to the succession of nature, but by grace and generosity He chooses those whom He may consider to be worthy of the election, who, having first been deemed worthy of grace from Him, are then able to contribute their own part, showing their own choice in proportion to the grace. Ro+m 9,14-21 What shall we say then? he says. Is there injustice with God? May it never be. But these things were said by me, he says, wishing to show that God does not follow the succession of nature, but by grace and generosity chooses those whom He may consider to be worthy of His election. But let no one suppose that we say God's election is unjust, as if He were zealous to benefit some and harm others randomly and without judgment; for may it never appear that this is said by us. Then, also positing more elaborately the opposing views: For to Moses He says: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion"; and after the testimony he reasons from their perspective: "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy"; and having put forward another scriptural voice: "For the scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'" He reasons again: "Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens." All these things, therefore, he said as from the perspective of others, having spoken the scriptural testimonies in such a way as those who were accustomed to put them forward for the establishment of their own argument, and having brought in the reasonings consequently from their perspective. But there are two things being considered in what has been said: whether God makes those He wishes to be good and evil in their disposition, or whether the authority for this choice is with us? And whether He Himself both punishes whom He wills and again does good according to what seems best to Him, or whether the cause of experiencing these things and those is with us? And the second follows from the first. For if it is agreed that the authority for choosing both good and bad things is with us, it was also co-refuted that the things happening to us occur from our own cause. But if the authority to do whatever we might wish is not in us, neither would the things happening to us happen otherwise, but it would appear that they happen according to what seems best to God who does them. 145 And indeed the blessed Paul most excellently divides the response. And just as the whole matter turns on the first point, he tries to resolve that first with a strong proof, and after that, as a consequence, he adds the resolution of the second. He then brings in again after what was put forward from their perspective what was consistent with what was said: "You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault? For who has resisted his will?'" That is to say: taking courage from the scriptural testimonies as if they taught us things consistent with what you yourself say, you will say that you are worthy neither of blame nor of any punishment, doing nothing by your own will, but yielding by necessity to what seems best to Him and not even being able to choose other things besides those. And briefly refuting the absurdity of what was said: "On the contrary, O man, who are you to answer back to God?"

ἀποφηνάμενος τῷ ἐλάττονι, εἰδὼς μὲν αὐτοὺς ὁποῖοί τινες ἔσονται, οὐκ ἀναμείνας δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων διαγνωσθῆναι τρόπων, ἀλλὰ πόρρωθεν αὐτοὺς διελών, ὥστε διὰ πάντων φανερὰν γενέσθαι τῆς ἐκλογῆς τὴν χάριν, ἣ καὶ φύσεως καὶ πάντων ἐστὶ προτιμοτέρα. εὐκαιρότατα μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὰ παρόντα καὶ τὸ μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων· οὕτω γὰρ διαψεύσασθαι, φησίν, οὐχ οἷόν τε θεόν, ἕτερα μὲν ὑπισχνούμενον, ἕτερα δὲ ποιοῦντα, ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τῆς γεννήσεως τὸν ἑκάστου τρόπον εἰδὼς ἐκλέγεται οὓς ἂν ἀξίους εἶναι νομίσῃ. τίς ἂν οὖν γένοιτο ἐπὶ τοῦ τοιούτου διαμαρτία, 144 ὥστε τοῦτο κατὰ τὸν τῶν ἰδεῶν νομίζειν λόγον; δεικνὺς δὲ ὅτι ἠκολού θησε τῇ κατὰ χάριν ἐκλογῇ καὶ τὰ πράγματα, ἐπάγει· καθὼς γέγραπται· τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἠσαῦ ἐμίσησα. διὰ πάντων μέντοι σαφῶς ἀπέφηνεν ὅτι μὴ φύσεως ἀκολουθίᾳ δουλεύειν οἶδε θεός, χάριτι δὲ καὶ φιλοτιμίᾳ τούτους ἐκλέγεται οὓς ἂν ἀξίους εἶναι τῆς ἐκλογῆς νομίσῃ, οἵτινες τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ πρότερον ἀξιω θέντες χάριτος, τότε τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν συνεισφέρειν δύνανται, ἀνάλογον τῇ χάριτι τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιδεικνύντες προαίρεσιν. Ro+m 9,14-21 Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; φησί· μὴ ἀδικία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ; μὴ γένοιτο. ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ μὲν εἴρηται ταῦτα, φησί, βουλομένῳ δεῖξαι τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἀκολουθίᾳ φύσεως ἑπόμενον, χάριτι δὲ καὶ φιλοτιμίᾳ ἐκλεγόμενον οὓς ἂν ἀξίους εἶναι τῆς ἐκλογῆς νομίζῃ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ. οἰέσθω δὲ μηδεὶς ἄδικον εἶναι λέγειν ἡμᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἐκλογὴν εἰκῇ καὶ ἄνευ κρίσεως τοὺς μὲν ὠφελεῖν τοὺς δὲ βλάττειν ἐσπουδακότος· μὴ γὰρ γένοιτο τοῦτό ποτε παρ' ἡμῶν φανῆναι λεγόμενον. εἶτα καὶ ἐξεργαστικώτερον τῶν ἐναντίων τιθείς· τῷ γὰρ Μωϋσεῖ λέγει· ἐλεήσω ὃν ἂν ἐλεῶ , καὶ οἰκτειρήσω ὃν ἂν οἰκτείρω· καὶ μετὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐπισυλλογίζεται ἐκ τοῦ ἐκείνων προσώπου· ἄρα οὖν οὐ τοῦ θέλοντος οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντος θεοῦ· καὶ γραφικὴν ἑτέραν φωνὴν τεθεικώς· λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ τῷ Φαραὼ ὅτι εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐξήγειρά σε, ὅπως ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν δύναμίν μου, καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. συλλογίζεται πάλιν· ἄρα οὖν ὃν θέλει ἐλεεῖ, ὃν δὲ θέλει σκληρύνει. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἅπαντα ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρων ἔφη προσώπου, τάς τε γραφικὰς μαρτυρίας οὕτως εἰπὼν ὡς ἂν ἐκείνων αὐτὰς εἰς σύστασιν τοῦ οἰκείου λόγου προβάλλεσθαι εἰωθότων, καὶ τοὺς συλλογισμοὺς ἀκολούθως ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκείνων ἐπαγαγὼν προσώπου. δύο δέ ἐστι τὰ ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις στρεφόμενα· εἰ θεὸς ἀγαθούς τε εἶναι ποιεῖ καὶ κακοὺς τὴν γνώμην οὓς βούλεται, ἢ παρ' ἡμῖν ἡ τῆς αἱρέσεως ταύτης ἐξουσία; καὶ πότερον αὐτὸς κολάζει τε οὓς θέλει καὶ πάλιν εὐεργετεῖ κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ, ἢ παρ' ἡμῖν τοῦ πειρᾶσθαι τούτων τε κἀκείνων ἐστὶν ἡ αἰτία; ἔχεται δὲ τοῦ πρώτου τὸ δεύτερον. ὁμολογου μένου μὲν γὰρ τοῦ παρ' ἡμῖν εἶναι τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῆς τε τῶν καλῶν καὶ τῶν χειρόνων αἱρέσεως , συναπηλέγχετο καὶ τὸ τὰ περὶ ἡμᾶς γινόμενα ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας συμβαίνειν αἰτίας. τῆς δέ γε τοῦ ποιεῖν ἐξουσίας ἅπερ ἂν βουλώμεθα ἐν ἡμῖν οὐκ οὔσης, οὐδὲ τὰ περὶ ἡμᾶς γινόμενα ἑτέρως γινόμενα, ἐφαίνετο ἀλλ' ἢ κατὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τῷ ποιοῦντι θεῷ. 145 κάλλιστα δὴ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος διαιρεῖ μὲν τὴν ἀπόκρισιν. ὥσπερ δὲ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τοῦ παντὸς στρεφομένου, ἐκεῖνο πρότερον μετ' ἰσχυρᾶς τῆς ἀποδείξεως λύειν πειρᾶται, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνο ὡς ἂν ἀκόλουθον ἐπισυνάπτει τοῦ δευτέρου τὴν λύσιν. ἐπάγει δὴ πάλιν μετὰ τὰ προτεθέντα ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκείνων προσώπου ὅπερ ἀκόλουθον ἦν τοῖς εἰρημένοις· ἐρεῖς οὖν μοι· τί ἔτι μέμφεται; τῷ γὰρ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκεν; ἀντὶ τοῦ θαρρήσας δὲ ταῖς γραφικαῖς μαρτυρίαις ὡς ἂν σύμφωνα οἷς λέγεις αὐτὸς διδασκούσαις ἡμᾶς, ἐρεῖς ὡς οὔτε μέμ ψεως οὔτε τιμωρίας ἄξιος εἶ τινος, γνώμῃ μὲν οἰκείᾳ πράττων οὐδέν, ἀνάγκῃ δὲ εἴκων τοῖς δοκοῦσιν αὐτῷ καὶ οὐδὲ αἱρεῖσθαι παρ' ἐκεῖνα δυνάμενος ἕτερα. καὶ συντόμως τοῦ εἰρημένου τὴν ἀτοπίαν ἐλέγχων· μενοῦνγε, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ ἀνταποκρινάμενος τῷ θεῷ