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we use them, so that we may not henceforth also test some other higher argument, that for the sake of men these things also have come to be.

Therefore God knows the causes of what has come to be and knows why He has hidden them. On the whole he says this only: "Do not say: For what is this? Or for what is this? For all things will be sought out in their season." And: "Do not say: For what is this? Or for what is this? For all things were created for their need." Behold the works of God. Pay attention to the works of God—for this is what "behold" means—, pay attention both to their existence and to the reason according to which they are, and, if it is possible, also to the cause. "for who will be able to set in order?" There are many things that contribute to perfect knowledge, and not all can belong to all; for example, let us say, I say that God exists or that the world exists. It is sufficient for me in addition to "that it is" to know only also what the name assigned to it signifies. But to know "how" is not for everyone, nor is it 211 possible for everyone who knows "how" to say it. He is able for whom there is reason and knowledge. For ... of things being contemplated ... the one who knows why it is and that it is and how it is. And in these things, not everyone who knows that it is also knows how it is and why. "Behold" therefore "the works of God," pay attention to them, know what each of them is and that it is and what is the name assigned to it and how they came to be and why. For you will not yet have sufficient knowledge of the works of God, if you stumble at them, not being wise. Pay attention then to the works of God; the things that have caused a stumbling block for others, will give to you the knowledge both of the one who makes and of the things that have been made. for who will be able to set in order. I remembered that they bring accusations against the world. And the one who makes this accusation considers it admissible; against this it is possible to say: Why do you accuse certain parts of the world? ... these are the world ... so that the world might not have accusations ... especially these things are drawn to matters of providence. For not only are creatures the works of God, but also the things according to his judgment in providence ... we were saying that ... just ... seems to the creator of the world who provides for it that to be just born ... to die ... but ... is ... and again died. And the multitude finds fault with these things. We say to him: "How should it have been? Set in order what you think to be perverse." Therefore no one is able to say this. And it is at least possible for all to refute in this way, not stating the constructions. But refutation is after construction, even if man, being by reason, does not state the construction of the re-ordering. But at any rate nature is thus. whomever God makes crooked. In Leviticus a law is set down concerning lepers. And this is the beginning of the law: if ever anyone perceived that his body had become leprous, he would come to the priest, and from observation he would declare him either to be leprous or not truly leprous, but suspected. And it says that after observing and finding that it is leprosy, the priest "shall pronounce him unclean," not that he 212 himself effects the "pronouncing unclean," but that he declared him to be such. But if it does not fall under suspicion, he thus shuts him up for some days. And after those he comes up; if it remains persistent, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. And at least a physician observes a disease in someone, if the body shows signs. And what he says, makes it incurable, he proves it incurable. Therefore, "to make" does not always signify "to effect," but sometimes "to declare." You have at least also in the Gospel the statement made by the Jews, that "You, being a man, make yourself God."

For they do not say this: you are constructing yourself to be God, being a man," but "from what you announce and promise to do, you show yourself to be God." Thus also one must understand "making himself equal to God," since "he calls God his own Father." But offspring are equal to the one who begets them, and by truly saying that you have this one as your own Father, you show yourself to be God. Similarly it must be understood when it says: "God makes crooked." For he makes crooked not by effecting it thus, but by declaring

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αὐτ̣ο̣ι῀̣ς̣ χρώμεθα, ἵνα μὴ λοιπὸν καὶ ἄλλον τινὰ ὑψηλότερον λόγον βασανίσωμεν, ὅτι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕνεκα καὶ ταῦτα γεγένηται.

οἶδεν οὖν ὁ θεὸς τὰς αἰτίας τῶν γεγενημένων καὶ οἶδεν διὰ τί ἀπέκρυψεν αὐτά. καθ όλου τοῦτο μόνον λέγει· "μὴ εἴπῃς· εἰς τί τοῦτο; ἢ εἰς τί τοῦτο; πάντα γὰρ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν ζητηθήσεται". καὶ· "μὴ εἴπῃς· εἰς τί τοῦτο; ἢ εἰς τί τοῦτο; πάντα γὰρ εἰς χρείαν αὐτῶν ἐκτίσθη". ἰδὲ τὰ ποιήματα τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐπίστησον τοῖς ποιήμασιν τοῦ θεοῦ-τὸ "ἰδὲ" γὰρ τοῦτο λέγει-, ἐπίστησον καὶ τῇ ὑπάρξει αὐτῶν καὶ τῷ λόγῳ, καθ' ὅν εἰσιν, καί, εἰ οἷ όν τέ ἐστιν, καὶ τῇν αἰτίᾳν. "ὅτι τίς δυνήσεται τοῦ ἐπικοσμῆσαι". πολλά ἐστιν τὰ συντελοῦντα πρὸς τελείαν γνῶσιν, καὶ οὐ πάντα πᾶσιν δύ ναται ὑπάρχειν· οἷον φέρε εἰπεῖν, λέγω εἶναι θεὸν ἢ εἶναι κόσμον. ἀπαρ κεῖ μοι πρὸς τῷ "ὅτι ἔστιν" γνῶναι μόνον καὶ τί σημαίνει τὸ ὄνομα τὸ κείμενον κατ' αὐτοῦ. τὸ "πῶς" δέ ἐστιν οὐ παντὸς εἰδέναι, ἀλλ' οὐ 211 δὲ τοῦ παντὸς ἐπισταμένου τὸ "πῶς̣" ε᾿̣στιν δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν. τ̣ὸ δ̣υ´̣ν̣αται ᾧ λ̣όγος καὶ γνῶσις ἐστιν. κ̣αὶ γ̣α`̣ρ̣ τὸν γ̣··ων θεωρουμένων ·η̣· κ̣α̣ι`̣ ε̣····δ̣·····ν ὁ μὲν εἰδὼς̣ δι̣α`̣ τ̣ι´̣ ἐστιν̣ καὶ ὅτι ἐστιν καὶ πῶς ἐστιν. καὶ ἐν τούτοις οὐ πᾶς ὁ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἔστιν οἶδεν καὶ πῶς ε᾿̣στιν καὶ διὰ τί. "ἰδὲ" οὖν "τ̣α`̣ πο̣ιη´̣ματα τοῦ θεοῦ", ἐπίστησον αὐτοῖς, γνῶθι τί ἕκα̣στο̣ν αὐτῶν ἐστιν καὶ ὅτι ἐ´̣σ̣τ̣ι̣ν̣ καὶ τί τὸ ὄνομα κ̣ε̣ι´̣μενον κατὰ τούτ̣ου καὶ πῶς̣ πα̣ρέστησαν καὶ διὰ τί. οὔπ̣ω̣ γὰρ ι῾̣κανὴν γνῶσιν ἕξεις τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ποιημάτων, εἰ προσκόψεις αὐτ̣ο̣ῖς οὐ συ̣νφρονῶν. ἐπίστησον μὲν τοῖς ποιη´̣μασ̣ι̣ν̣ τ̣ο̣υ῀̣ θεοῦ· ἃ ἄλλο̣ις προσκοπὴν εἰργάσα το, δώσει σο̣ι`̣ τ̣η`̣ν γνῶσιν καὶ τοῦ ποιοῦντος καὶ τω῀̣ν πεποιη̣μ̣ε´ν̣̣ων. ὅτι τίς δυνήσε̣τ̣αι̣ τ̣ου῀̣ κ̣ο̣σ̣μῆσαι. τὸν κόσμον ἐμνήσθ̣ην̣ ὅτι ἐνκαλοῦσιν. καὶ ὁ αἰτιώμενος τοῦτο ἐν δεχόμενον ἡγεῖται· κατὰ τούτου δύνατον εἰπεῖν ὅτι· τί ἐνκαλεῖς τισιν μέρεσιν τοῦ κο´̣σμου; ····· ···· ·α̣ι α̣ὐτά ἐστιν ο῾̣ κόσμ̣ος ἀνυπ̣··· νοση ἵν' ὁ κόσμος μὴ ἔχῃ ἐνκλ̣ήματα ····μάλιστα ταῦτα εἰς τ̣ὰ κα̣τα`̣ τὴν πρό νοιαν ἕλκεται. οὐ μόνα γ̣α`̣ρ̣ τ̣ὰ κ̣τίσματα ποιήματα τοῦ θεο̣ῦ ἐστιν̣, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κατὰ κρίσιν αὐτοῦ ἐν προνοίᾳ ····· ·····μ̣ε̣·· ἐλέγομεν ὅτι τ·ον ἄρτι δ̣ι̣κ̣··· φαίνεται τῷ δημιούργῳ τοῦ κόσμου τ̣ῷ προνο̣ο̣υ̣μ̣ένῳ τὸ ἀρτι τ̣ο̣κῆσαι δ̣ι̣·ο̣ν̣ ἀποθνῄσκε̣ι̣ν̣ ·μ̣· ε̣λ̣ι̣χ̣·······εν, ἀλλὰ ·· ε᾿̣σ̣τ̣ι̣ν̣ ··ε̣κ̣· η̣···· καὶ πάλιν ἀπέθανεν. καὶ μέμφεται ὁ πολὺς αὐτά. λ̣ε´̣γομεν αὐτῷ ὅτι· "πῶς ἂν ἔδει γενέσθαι, ἐπικόσμησον, ὃ νομίζεις διεστραμμένον εἶναι". οὐδεὶς οὖν ἔχει τοῦτο εἰπεῖν. καὶ πᾶσιν γοῦν ἐστιν οὕτως ἀνασκευάζειν οὐ λέγοντα τὰς κατασκευάς. μετὰ κατασκευὴν δὲ ἡ ἀνασκευή ἐστιν, κἂν μ̣ὴ τῷ λόγῳ ὁ ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος τὴν κατασκευὴν λέγῃ τῆς ἀνακοσμήσεως. ἀλλ' οὖν γε ἡ φύσις οὕτως ἔχει. ὃν ἂν ὁ θεὸς διαστρέψῃ. ἐν τῷ Λευιτικῷ νόμος περὶ λεπρῶν τέθειται. καὶ ἀρχὴ τοῦ νόμου αὕτη ἐστίν· εἴ ποτέ τις αἴσθησιν ἔλαβεν λεπρωθέντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος, προσήρχετο πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα, καὶ ἐκ σημειώσεως ἐκεῖνος ἀπεδείκνυεν αὐτὸν ἢ λεπρὸν ὄντα ἢ μὴ ἀληθῶς λεπρόν, ὑπονοούμενον δέ. καὶ λέγει ὅτι σημει ωσάμενος ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ εὑρὼν ὅτι λέπρα ἐστίν, "μιανεῖ αὐτόν," οὐχ ὅτι αὐ 212 τὸς ἐνεργεῖ τὸ "μιᾶναι" ἀλ̣λ' ὅτ̣ι ἀπέδειξεν αυ᾿̣τὸν τοιου῀̣τον. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ὑποπίπτῃ, ὣς ἀφορίζει αὐτόν τινας ἡμέρα̣ς. καὶ μετ' ἐκείνας ἀνέρ χ̣ε̣ται· ε᾿̣α`̣ν ἔνμονος μείνῃ, μιανεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ ἱερεύς. καὶ ἰατρὸς γοῦν ἐνορᾷ ἔν τ̣ινι πάθος, ε̣ἰ τὸ σῶμα σημειοῦται. κα̣ὶ ὃ λ̣ε´̣γει, ποιεῖ αὐτὸ ἀθεράπευτον, ἀνίατον ἀποδείκνυσιν. οὐ πάντως οὖν τὸ ποι̣ῆσαι τὸ ἐνεργῆσα̣ι δηλοῖ, ἀλλ' ἐν̣ίοτε τὸ ἀποδεῖξαι. ἔχεις γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων λεγόμενο̣ν, ὅτι "σὺ ἄνθρωπος ὢν ποιεῖς̣ σεαυτὸν θεόν".

μὴ γὰρ του῀̣τ̣ο λέγουσιν· κα̣ τ̣ασκευάζεις σεαυτὸν θεὸν ὢν ἄνθρωπος", ἀλλὰ "ε᾿̣ξ ὧν ἀπαγγέλλεις καὶ ἐπαγγέλλῃ π̣ο̣ι̣εῖν, ἀποδεικνύε̣ις σεαυτὸν θεὸν ε̣ἶναι". οὕτω̣ς̣ α᾿̣κ̣ου στέον καὶ τοῦ "ἴσον ἑαυτὸν π̣οιῶν τῷ θεῷ", ἐπεὶ "πατέρα ἴδιον λέ γει τὸν θεόν". ἴσ̣α δε´̣ ἐστιν τὰ γεννη´̣μα̣τα τ̣ῷ γεννήσαντι̣ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κατ' ἀλήθ̣ειαν λε´̣γ̣ε̣ιν τοῦτον̣ πατέρα ἔχειν ἴδιον̣ σεαυτὸν ἀπ̣ο δεικνύεις θεόν. ὁμοίως λημπτέον, ὅταν̣ λέγῃ· "ο῾̣ θ̣ε̣ο`̣ς̣ διαστρέφει". διαστρέφει γὰρ μ̣ὴ οὕτως ἐν̣εργῶν, ἀλλὰ ἀπο̣δείκνυσιν