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to succeed to the economy, lest you should be disposed as though forsaken; for He Himself is the one who suffered, He Himself is the one who intercedes; or he says this, that 'He allowed me, the greatest persecutor of all, to persecute for this reason, that I might be trustworthy when I preach'; or he speaks of an economy, that He did not seek works nor deeds nor right actions, but faith and baptism. For you would not have otherwise received the word. Among you, he says, to fulfill the word of God. He speaks concerning the Gentiles, showing them to be still shaken by saying, 'To fulfill.' For that the rejected Gentiles were able to receive such a height of doctrines, was not of Paul, but of the economy of God; 'Since I would not have had the strength,' he says. Having shown the greater thing, that his own sufferings were Christ's, he then adds more clearly, that this also is of God, 62.328 to fulfill the word among you. And here he shows, though not openly, that this also is of an economy, that it should be said now, that you are able to hear, but not of neglect, but so that you might become receptive. For God does not do all things at once, but uses condescension because of His great love for mankind. And this is the reason for Christ having come now, and not long ago. Thus also He shows in the Gospel that for this reason He sent the servants first, that they might not proceed to the murder of the son. For if they did not even respect the son when he came after the servants, much more would they have not before this; if they did not listen to the lesser commands, how would they have listened to the greater ones? What then does he say? Are there not Jews even now, and Greeks who are less perfectly disposed? This, then, is an excess of indolence. For to remain imperfect after so much time, after so many teachings, is a sign of great sluggishness. 3. When therefore the Greeks say, 'Why did Christ come now?' let us not let them say this, but let us ask, if He did not succeed. For just as if He had come in the beginning and had not succeeded, the timing would not have been a sufficient defense for us; so, since He has succeeded, we would not be right to be held accountable for the timing. For no one demands an accounting of the treatment from a physician who has cured the disease and brought one to health, nor does anyone question a victorious general, as to why at this particular time, and why in this particular place. For these are things one might ask if he had not succeeded; but since he has succeeded, one must accept it. For who, tell me, is more trustworthy? Your reasoning and slander, or the perfection of the deed? Did He conquer, or did He not conquer? Show this. Did He prevail, or did He not prevail? Did He bring to fulfillment what He said, or not? These are the points of accountability. Tell me now, you surely confess that God exists, even if not Christ? I ask you then: is God without beginning? Surely you will say so. Tell me then, why did he not make human beings myriad years ago? For they would have lived for a longer time. For if it is good to exist, it is much better to exist for longer. But now, have they suffered loss for the time they did not exist? But they did not suffer loss; as to how, He who made them knows. Again I ask you, why did He not make all at once, but the soul of so-and-so, the first one made, has existed for so many years, while another that has not yet been made is diminished? Why did He cause one to be brought into this world first, and another later? And such things are truly worthy of inquiry, but not of meddlesome curiosity; for this is not even a matter for inquiry. But I will state the reason I have mentioned; for suppose for me that human nature is like a single age, and that in the first ages our race held the rank of a boy, and in those after that, of a young man, and in these ages near to old age, of an old man. Therefore, when the soul is at its peak, with the members of the body relaxed, and the war ended, then we were led to philosophy. And yet, he says, it is the contrary: we teach youths, but not the great doctrines, but rhetoric, and skill in argument; these things, then, when they become mature. See also God doing these things in the case of the Jews.

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διαδέξασθαι τὴν οἰκονομίαν, ἵνα μὴ ὡς ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι διακέησθε· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ παθὼν, αὐτὸς ὁ πρεσβεύων· ἢ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι Ἐμὲ τὸν μάλιστα πάντων διώκτην διὰ τοῦτο εἴασε διῶξαι, ἵνα ἀξιόπιστος ὦ κηρύσσων· ἢ οἰκονομίαν φησὶν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔργα ἐζήτησεν οὐδὲ πράξεις οὐδὲ κατορθώματα, ἀλλὰ πίστιν καὶ βάπτισμα. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἑτέρως ἐδέξασθε τὸν λόγον. Εἰς ὑμᾶς, φησὶ, πληρῶσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν λέγει, δεικνὺς αὐτοὺς ἔτι σαλευομένους τῷ εἰπεῖν, Πληρῶσαι. Τὸ γὰρ ἔθνη ἀπεῤῥιμμένα δυνηθῆναι τοσοῦτον ὕψος δογμάτων δέξασθαι, οὐχὶ Παύλου ἦν, ἀλλ' οἰκονομίας τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ· Ἐπεὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἂν ἴσχυσα, φησί. ∆είξας δὴ τὸ μεῖζον, τὰ αὐτοῦ παθήματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄντα, τότε τὸ σαφέστερον ἐπάγει, ὅτι Καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ Θεοῦ 62.328 ἐστι, τὸ πληρῶσαι τὸν λόγον εἰς ὑμᾶς. Καὶ δείκνυσιν ἐνταῦθα [οὐ] φανερῶς, ὅτι Καὶ τοῦτο οἰκονομίας, τὸ νῦν λεχθῆναι, ὅτι δύνασθε ἀκούειν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀμελείας, ἀλλ' ὥστε δεκτικοὺς γενέσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀθρόως πάντα ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ κέχρηται συγκαταβάσει διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Καὶ τοῦτο αἴτιον τοῦ νῦν παραγενέσθαι τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ μὴ πάλαι. Οὕτω καὶ δείκνυσιν ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς δούλους ἀπέστειλε πρώτους, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ τὸν φόνον ἔλθωσι τοῦ υἱοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ οὐδὲ μετὰ τοὺς δούλους ἐλθόντα τὸν υἱὸν ᾐδέσθησαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον πρὸ τούτου· εἰ τῶν ἐλαττόνων οὐκ ἤκουον προσταγμάτων, πῶς τῶν μειζόνων ἤκουσαν ἄν; Τί οὖν φησιν; Οὐκ εἰσὶν Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ νῦν, καὶ Ἕλληνες ἀτελέστερον διακείμενοι; Τοῦτο λοιπὸν ὑπερβολὴ ῥᾳθυμίας. Τὸ γὰρ μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον, μετὰ τοσαῦτα διδάγματα ἔτι μένειν ἀτελεῖς, πολλῆς νωθείας ἐστίν. γʹ. Ὅταν οὖν λέγωσιν Ἕλληνες, ∆ιὰ τί νῦν ἦλθεν ὁ Χριστός; μὴ τοῦτο ἀφῶμεν λέγειν αὐτοὺς, ἀλλ', εἰ μὴ κατώρθωσεν, ἐρωτῶμεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰ καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἦλθε καὶ μὴ κατώρθωσεν, οὐκ ἤρκει ἡμῖν πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ὁ καιρός· οὕτως, ἐπειδὴ κατώρθωσεν, οὐκ ἂν εἴημεν δίκαιοι τοῦ καιροῦ τὰς εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἰατρόν τις τὴν νόσον λύσαντα καὶ ἐπὶ ὑγείαν ἀγαγόντα ἀπαιτεῖ τῆς ἰατρείας τὰς εὐθύνας, οὐδὲ στρατηγὸν νενικηκότα τις ἐξετάζει, διὰ τί τῷδε τῷ καιρῷ, καὶ διὰ τί ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ. Ταῦτα γὰρ, μὴ κατορθώσαντος, ἦν ἐρωτᾷν· κατορθώσαντος δὲ, καὶ ἀποδέχεσθαι. Τίς γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, ἀξιοπιστότερος; ὁ σὸς λογισμὸς καὶ ἡ συκοφαντία, ἢ ἡ τοῦ πράγματος τελειότης; ἐνίκησεν, ἢ οὐκ ἐνίκησε; τοῦτο δεῖξον· ἐκράτησεν, ἢ οὐκ ἐκράτησεν; ἐξήγαγεν εἰς τέλος ἅπερ εἶπεν, ἢ οὔ; Αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ εὐθῦναι. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, Θεὸν πάντως ὁμολογεῖς εἶναι, εἰ καὶ μὴ Χριστόν; ἐρωτῶ δή σε· ἄναρχος ὁ Θεός; Πάντως ἐρεῖς. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, διὰ τί μὴ πρὸ μυρίων ἐτῶν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐποίησε; πλείονα γὰρ ἔμελλον ζήσεσθαι χρόνον. Εἰ γὰρ καλὸν τὸ εἶναι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ ἐπιπλεῖον εἶναι. Νῦν δὲ ἐζημιώθησαν ὃν οὐκ ἐγένοντο χρόνον; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐζημιώθησαν· τὸ δὲ πῶς, αὐτὸς οἶδεν ὁ πεποιηκώς. Πάλιν σε ἐρωτῶ, διὰ τί μὴ πάντας ἀθρόον ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν τοῦ δεῖνος ψυχὴ τοῦ πρώτου γενομένου τοσαῦτα ἔτη ἔχει οὖσα, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα ἠλάττωται ἡ μηδέπω γενομένη; διὰ τί τὸν μὲν πρῶτον, τὸν δὲ ὕστερον ἐποίησεν εἰς τόνδε παραχθῆναι τὸν κόσμον; καὶ τοιαῦτα ὄντως ζητήσεως ἄξια, ἀλλ' οὐ πολυπραγμοσύνης· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐδὲ ζητήσεως. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐρῶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἥνπερ εἶπον· ὑπόθου γάρ μοι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν ὥσπερ μίαν τινὰ ἡλικίαν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν πρώτους χρόνους μειρακίου τάξιν ἔχειν τὸ γένος τὸ ἡμέτερον, τοὺς δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνο νεανίσκου, τούτους δὲ τοὺς ἐγγὺς τοῦ γήρως πρεσβύτου. Λοιπὸν ὅταν ἡ ψυχὴ ἀκμάζῃ, τῶν τοῦ σώματος μελῶν χαλασθέντων, καὶ τοῦ πολέμου λυθέντος, τότε ἤχθημεν ἐπὶ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν. Καὶ μὴν τοὐναντίον, φησί· μειράκια ὄντα διδάσκομεν, ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ μεγάλα δόγματα, ἀλλὰ ῥητορείαν, ἀλλὰ δεινότητα λόγων· ταῦτα μὲν οὖν, ὅταν ἀκμάζοντα γένηται. Ὅρα καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτα ποιοῦντα ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων.