leading him into the open and perhaps exhausting him through the action, so that having brought to completion all the outbursts of his indwelling wickedness, he might afterwards have the tree that bears evils enfeebled, perhaps even withered at the end, when he is drowned, not as one might suppose for the purpose of being utterly destroyed, but for the purpose of being lightened by casting away his sins, and perhaps descending to Hades in peace or not in such great war of the soul. 27.6 But it is likely that those who read this will be disinclined to believe, supposing what is said to be forced, that it was profitable for Pharaoh that his heart was hardened, and that all the things that are written, up to and including his drowning, happened for his benefit. But see if from this we can remove the disbelief and produce conviction concerning what has been said. “Many are the scourges,” says David, “of sinners”; but his son teaches that “God scourges every son whom he receives.” Further, David himself, prophesying the promise concerning Christ and those who believe in him, says: “If his sons forsake my law, and do not walk in my judgments; if they profane my statutes, and do not keep my commandments; I will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with scourges; but my mercy I will not take away from them.” Therefore, it is a grace of the Lord for the lawless one to be visited with a rod and the sinner with scourges. And inasmuch as the one who sins is not scourged, he is not yet subject to discipline and correction. Therefore God also threatens, if the sins of those who inhabit Judea become great, that he will no longer visit their daughters when they commit fornication, nor their daughters-in-law when they commit adultery. And elsewhere he says: Because I purified you, and you were not purified, I will no longer be angry with you, nor will I be jealous of you any more. Therefore, with those with whom he is not angry when they sin, he is, so to speak, not angry out of wrath. 27.7 And it must be observed also in the prophetic threats against the many, that this is added: “They will know that I am the Lord”; and in threats not only against the Israelites, but also against the Egyptians and Assyrians and other enemies of the people. This, at the end of many supposed threats, is also written in Exodus: “For all the Egyptians,” he says, “shall know that I am the Lord”; as if the supposed hardships were brought upon them for this reason, that they might know the Lord. And in the Maccabees something of this sort is said: “Now I beseech those that read this book, not to be discouraged for these calamities, but to judge those things that are done to be not for destruction, but for the chastening of our nation. For it is a token of great goodness when the ungodly are not suffered to continue long, but forthwith fall into punishments. For not as with other nations does the Lord wait with longsuffering, until he may punish them later when their sins have come to the full, so also has he judged concerning us; but in disciplining with calamity he does not forsake his own people.” For if falling under punishments because of sins is a sign of great goodness, see if Pharaoh also, being punished after his heart was hardened, and being chastised along with his people, was not punished in vain nor for his own harm. And David, becoming as it were an imitator of God as was fitting for the times, commands Solomon concerning Joab to punish him for his sins against Abner, the son of Ner, and to kill him for his offenses; then he adds: “And you shall bring down his gray hairs to Hades in peace.” And it is clear that, as the Hebrew also reported to us, it is through being punished that he will sleep in peace, with torment and punishment no longer being owed to him, because he has already received it here, after his departure from here. So also we understand every threat and toil and punishment that is brought from God to happen never against those who suffer, but always for their benefit. And at least the names considered most harsh to be attributed to God, anger and wrath, are said to reprove and chasten in the passage: “O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor in your wrath

τοὐμφανὲς αὐτὸν ἄγοντι καὶ τάχα διὰ τοῦ πράττειν ἐκλύοντι, ἵνα πάντα τὰ τῆς ἐνυπαρχούσης κακίας ἐκβράσματα ἐπιτελέσας ἄτονον ὕστερον ἔχῃ τὸ τῶν κακῶν οἰστικὸν δένδρον, τάχα καὶ ξηραινόμενον ἐπὶ τέλει, ὅτε καταποντοῦται, οὐχ ὡς οἰηθείη ἄν τις ἐπὶ τῷ παντελῶς ἀπολέσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ ἀποβαλλόντα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα κουφισθῆναι, καὶ τάχα ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἢ μὴ ἐν τοσούτῳ πολέμῳ τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς ᾅδου καταβῆναι. 27.6 Ἀλλ' εἰκὸς δυσπειθῶς ἕξειν τοὺς ἐντευξομένους, βίαιον ὑπολαμβάνοντας εἶναι τὸ λεγόμενον, ὡς ἄρα συμφέρον γεγόνοι τῷ Φαραὼ τὸ ἐσκληρύνθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ ἀναγεγραμμένα γεγονέναι μέχρι καὶ τῆς καταποντώσεως. Ὅρα δὲ εἰ δυνάμεθα ἐντεῦθεν τὸ δυσπειθὲς περιελόντες πειθὼ ἐνεργάσασθαι περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων. «Πολλαὶ αἱ μάστιγες, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυείδ, τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν»· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ διδάσκει ὅτι «Μαστιγοῖ ὁ θεὸς πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται.» Ἔτι δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆αυεὶδ ἐπαγγελίαν προφητεύων τὴν περὶ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πιστευόντων φησίν· «Ἐὰν ἐγκαταλείπωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νόμον μου, καὶ τοῖς κρίμασί μου μὴ πορευ θῶσιν· ἐὰν τὰ δικαιώματά μου βεβηλώσωσι, καὶ τὰς ἐντολάς μου μὴ φυλάξωσιν· ἐπισκέψομαι ἐν ῥάβδῳ τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐν μάστιξιν τὰς ἀδικίας αὐτῶν· τὸ δὲ ἔλεός μου οὐ μὴ διασκεδάσω ἀπ' αὐτῶν.» Οὐκοῦν χάρις κυρίου ἐστὶ τὸν ἄνομον ἐπισκεφθῆναι ἐν ῥάβδῳ καὶ τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν μάστιξι. Καὶ ὅσον γε οὐ μαστιγοῦται ὁ ἁμαρ τάνων, παιδεύσει καὶ διορθώσει οὐδέπω ὑπάγεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀπειλεῖ ὁ θεός, ἐὰν μεγάλα γένηται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν τὴν Ἰουδαίαν οἰκούντων, μηκέτι ἐπισκέψασθαι ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας αὐτῶν ὅταν πορνεύσωσιν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς νύμφας αὐτῶν ὅταν μοιχεύσωσιν. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησίν· Ἀνθ' ὧν ἐκαθάρισά σε, καὶ οὐκ ἐκαθαρίσθης, οὐ θυμωθήσομαι ἐπὶ σοὶ ἔτι, οὐδὲ ζηλώσω ἐπὶ σοὶ ἔτι. Οὐκοῦν οἷς οὐ θυμοῦται ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, χολούμενος οὐ θυμοῦται. 27.7 Παρατηρητέον δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς προφητικαῖς ἀπειλαῖς ἐπὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς, ὅτι ἐπιλέγεται τό· «Γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος»· καὶ ἀπειλαῖς οὐ μόνον Ἰσραηλιτικαῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ Ἀσσυρίοις καὶ ἑτέρων ἐχθρῶν τοῦ λαοῦ. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἐπὶ τέλει πολλῶν νομιζομένων ἀπειλῶν καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ ἀναγέγραπται· «Καὶ γνώσονται γάρ, φησί, πάντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος»· ὡς διὰ τοῦτο τῶν νομιζομένων χαλεπῶν ἐπαγομένων αὐτοῖς, ἵνα γνῶσι τὸν κύριον. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς Μακκαβαϊκοῖς τοιοῦτόν τι λέγεται· «Παρακαλῶ δὲ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας τῇδε τῇ βίβλῳ μὴ συστέλλεσθαι διὰ τὰς συμφοράς, νομίζειν δὲ τὰ γινόμενα μὴ πρὸς ὄλεθρον ἀλλὰ πρὸς παιδείαν τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν εἶναι· καὶ γὰρ τὸ μὴ πολὺν χρόνον ἐᾶσθαι δυσσεβοῦντας, ἀλλ' εὐθέως περιπίπτειν ἐπιτιμίοις, μεγάλης εὐεργεσίας σημεῖόν ἐστι· οὐ γὰρ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἀναμένει μακροθυμῶν ὁ δεσπότης, ἕως εἰς τέλος ἀφιεμένων αὐτῶν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὕστερον αὐτοὺς ἐκδικῇ, οὕτως καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἔκρινεν· παιδεύων δὲ μετὰ συμφορᾶς οὐκ ἐγκατα λείπει τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λαόν.» Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ὑποπίπτειν ἐπιτιμίοις διὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα μεγάλης εὐεργεσίας ἐστὶ σημεῖον, ἐπιτιμώμενος καὶ ὁ Φαραὼ μετὰ τὸ ἐσκληρύνθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ κολαζόμενος ἅμα τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, ὅρα εἰ μὴ οὐ μάτην ἐπιτετίμηται μηδὲ ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ κακῷ. Οἱονεὶ δὲ μιμητὴς θεοῦ γινόμενος κατὰ τὸ ἐπιβάλλον τοῖς καιροῖς ὁ ∆αυεὶδ ἐντέλλεται περὶ τοῦ Ἰωὰβ τῷ Σολομῶντι κολάσαι αὐτὸν διὰ τὰ ἡμαρτημένα εἰς Ἀβεννήρ, υἱὸν Νήρ, καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι διὰ τὰ ἐπταισμένα· εἶτα ἐπιφέρει· «Καὶ κατάξεις αὐτοῦ τὴν πολιὰν ἐν εἰρήνῃ εἰς ᾅδου.» ∆ῆλον δὲ ὅτι, ὡς καὶ ὁ Ἑβραῖος ἡμῖν ἀπήγγειλε, τὸ διὰ τοῦ κολασθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν εἰρήνῃ κοιμηθήσεσθαι, οὐκ ἔτι ὀφειλομένης αὐτῷ βασάνου καὶ κολάσεως, διὰ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη ἀπειληφέναι αὐτόν, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγήν. Οὕτω δ' ἡμεῖς καὶ πᾶσαν ἀπειλὴν καὶ πόνον καὶ κόλασιν τὰ προσαγόμενα ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ νοοῦμεν γίνεσθαι οὐδέποτε κατὰ τῶν πασχόντων, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. Καὶ τὰ χαλεπώ τατα γοῦν νομιζόμενα θεῷ προσάπτεσθαι τῶν ὀνομάτων, θυμὸς καὶ ὀργή, ἐλέγχειν καὶ παιδεύειν λέγεται ἐν τῷ· «Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με, μηδὲ τῇ ὀργῇ σου