Philocalia or Selections from the works of Origen made by Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus (ch. 23, 25-27)

 of those concerning the stars, so that what is said by them may not be an unproven declaration, let them try to bring us more compellingly, by present

 to her a sign, saying: This is the sign which the Lord spoke, saying: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the fat that is upon it shall be poured out

 of certain observations, or also from the teaching of angels who had transgressed their own order and, for the ruin of our race, taught certain things

 to be mistaken, but it is possible concerning things that are contingent to happen and not to happen to think that they happen and that they do not ha

 these past events are not in our power, it being possible on the basis of the same past events to do other things than what we do. But if anyone seeks

 It is fated for you to have children or not to have children in vain then you have relations with a woman. For just as in this case, since it is impo

 they will reasonably agree that nothing concerning human affairs comes from the stars, but, as we have said before, if anything, they are signified A

 argument, that humans are able to comprehend the heavenly configurations and the signs and what they are signs of, let us now examine if this is true.

 of human nature, not in a human way but in a divine way they are taught the secrets just as Paul, saying: I heard unspeakable words, which it is not

 they read the book of God and thus they do what is incumbent upon them. But as we said before, what we do, or what the opposing energies accomplish i

 they do away with sayings, also using the one: “The sinners were estranged from the womb,” spoken in the psalms. Now to this it is easy to reply, by a

 troubling our argument since Paul says: “But we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called accordin

 the deeds foreknown beforehand but happening later, each from the apostolic preparation and choice. But now to apply this to the saying from the psalm

 Health, of course, and bodily strength are a good. The text reads thus: ‘If you will not hearken to do all the words of this law that are written in t

 it is necessary to raise a further question to those who suppose, whether the prophets, whose sins are not spoken against, have kept the law for exam

 of whom the prophet also finds fault with those who are in such states, saying: 'From the feet to the head, there is neither wound, nor bruise, nor fe

 who was once the morning star, rising in the morning, but later was shattered upon the earth. For not only among the sons of men, if one is perfect, i

 that the sound account concerning this Scripture is also among the hidden things. But those who claim there is another god besides the creator wish hi

 they suppose concerning God, nor to what they dogmatize concerning natures, does the argument from the reading now under examination contribute, as th

 leading him into the open and perhaps exhausting him through the action, so that having brought to completion all the outbursts of his indwelling wick

 chasten me” the one praying these things is asking not to need the reproof that comes through the wrath of God and the chastisement that comes throug

 Good masters, being long-suffering toward their sinning servants, are accustomed to say: I have ruined you and: I have made you wicked showing with

 the heart of Pharaoh” whether they believe that these things are said truly by God through the inspired Moses or falsely. For if falsely, then accord

the heart of Pharaoh”; whether they believe that these things are said truly by God through the inspired Moses or falsely. For if falsely, then according to them God is no longer either just or true, and as far as they are concerned, not even God; but if truly, let them consider if He does not accuse him as one having free will, saying: “But if you are not willing to send him away”; and elsewhere: “How long are you not willing to be ashamed before me?” For the phrase, “How long are you not willing to be ashamed before me?” is said reproachfully to Pharaoh, as to one who is not ashamed not because of an inability, but because of an unwillingness. And what was said above by Moses to Pharaoh: “That you may know that the earth is the Lord’s; and I know that you and your servants have not yet feared the Lord”; indicates that they will fear; which is fitting for the heterodox concerning both the goodness of God and that nature is not one that is to be destroyed. 27.13n And again from the second book of the commentaries on the Song. But pay attention also to these things in this passage, that the sun, being white and brilliant, seems to have the cause of blackening, not from itself, but from that which, as we have shown, is blackened. So perhaps also the Lord hardens the heart of Pharaoh, the cause of this being in him <the one> who oppresses the life of the Hebrews with harsh labors, with the clay and the brickmaking, and with all the labors, not those in mountains and hills, but those in the plains. For being someone material from his own evil, and living according to the flesh in all things, being a friend to clay he wishes to make the Hebrews clay-workers too, having his ruling principle not pure of clay; which, as clay is hardened by the sun, so was hardened by the rays of God watching over Israel. That such things are in the passage, and that it is not the servant's purpose to record a bare history, will be clear to the one who understands that, when the sons of Israel groaned, they did not groan because of the brickmaking nor because of the clay nor because of the straw, but because of the labors; “and their cry went up to God” not from clay, but again “from the labors”. Therefore God also heard their groans; not hearing the groan of those who cry to him not from labors, but from clay and earthly deeds.

καρδίαν Φαραώ»· πότερον ἀληθῶς ταῦτα λέγεσθαι πιστεύουσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ Μωσέως ἐνθου σιῶντος ἢ ψευδῶς. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ψευδῶς, οὔτε δίκαιος ἔτι κατ' αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς οὔτε ἀληθής, καὶ ὅσον ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐδὲ θεός· εἰ δ' ἀληθῶς, κατανοείτωσαν εἰ μὴ ὡς αὐτε ξούσιον αἰτιᾶται λέγων· «Εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλει ἐξαποστεῖλαι αὐτόν»· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «Ἕως τίνος οὐ βούλει ἐντραπῆναί με;» Τὸ γάρ· «Ἕως τίνος οὐ βούλει ἐντραπῆναί με;» δυσωπητικῶς λέγεται πρὸς τὸν Φαραώ, ὡς οὐκ ἐντρεπόμενον οὐ παρὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι. Καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον δὲ ἀνωτέρω παρὰ Μωσέως πρὸς Φαραώ· «Ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι τοῦ κυρίου ἡ γῆ· καὶ σὺ καὶ οἱ θεράποντές σου ἐπίσταμαι ὅτι οὐδέπω πεφόβησθε τὸν κύριον»· δηλοῖ ὅτι φοβηθήσονται· ὅπερ ἁρμόζει πρὸς τοὺς ἑτερο δόξους περί τε ἀγαθότητος θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ μὴ εἶναι ἀπολλυμένην φύσιν. 27.13n Καὶ πάλιν ἐκ τοῦ δευτέρου τόμου τῶν εἰς τὸ Ἆισμα. Πρόσχες δὲ καὶ τούτοις εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὅτι ὁ ἥλιος λευκὸς καὶ λαμπρὸς ὢν δοκεῖ τὴν αἰτίαν ἔχειν τοῦ μελανοῦν, οὐ παρ' ἑαυτόν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸν ὡς ἀποδεδώκαμεν μελα νούμενον. Οὕτω δὲ μήποτε καὶ σκληρύνει κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ, τῆς αἰτίας τούτου οὔσης περὶ αὐτὸν <τὸν> κατοδυνῶντα τὴν τῶν Ἑβραίων ζωὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς σκληροῖς, τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τῇ πλινθείᾳ, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις, οὐχὶ τοῖς ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ βουνοῖς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις. Ὑλικὸς γάρ τις ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κακίας γεγενημένος, καὶ κατὰ σάρκα κατὰ πάντα ζῶν, πηλῷ φίλος τυγχάνων βούλεται καὶ τοὺς Ἑβραίους πηλοποιεῖν, τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἔχων οὐ καθαρὸν πηλοῦ· ὅπερ, ὡς πηλὸς ὑπὸ ἡλίου σκληρύνεται, οὕτως ὑπὸ τῶν αὐγῶν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπισκοπουσῶν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐσκληρύνθη. Ὅτι δὲ τοιαῦτά ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὸν τόπον, καὶ οὐχ ἱστορίαν ψιλὴν πρόκειται ἀναγράφειν τῷ θεράποντι, δῆλον ἔσται τῷ συνορῶντι ὅτι, ἡνίκα κατεστέ- ναξαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῆς πλινθείας οὔτε ἀπὸ τοῦ πηλοῦ οὔτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀχύρων κατεστέναξαν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων· «καὶ ἀνέβη αὐτῶν ἡ βοὴ πρὸς θεὸν» οὐκ ἀπὸ πηλοῦ, ἀλλὰ πάλιν «ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων». ∆ιὸ καί εἰσήκουσεν ὁ θεὸς τῶν στεναγμῶν αὐτῶν· οὐκ εἰσακούων στεναγμοῦ τῶν οὐκ ἀπὸ ἔργων βοώντων πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ πηλοῦ καὶ τῶν γηΐνων πράξεων.