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he continually refuses, this also happened then. d. Why have these things been said to us? Because we are no different from children. Do you want to hear their doctrines too, how they are for children? An eye for an eye, he says, and a tooth for a tooth. Naturally; for nothing is so bent on revenge as a child's mind. For since the passion is one of irrationality, and there is much irrationality, and a great lack of reason at that age, the child is naturally tyrannized by anger; and so great is the tyranny of anger, that often when they have stumbled and gotten up, they either strike their knee in indignation, or overturn the footstool, and so they relieve their pain and extinguish their rage. Something of this sort God also did, granting an eye to be plucked out for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, and slaying the Egyptians and Amalekites who had grieved them. And he promises such things, just as one might say: 'Father, so-and-so hit me;' then the father will say: 'So-and-so is a bad man, and let us hate him.' So also God says, I will be an enemy to those who are enemies to you, and I will hate those who hate you. And again, when Balaam prayed, the condescension shown to them was childish. For just as with children, when they see something that is not frightening, such as wool, or some other such thing, they are suddenly frightened; so that the fear does not remain in them, we bring it under their hands, and have the nurses show them; so also God did; for since the soothsayer was fearsome, He turned their fear into courage. And just as weaned children have everything in little baskets; so to them also He gave everything, and supplied much delicacy. But the child seeks the nipple; so also these people sought Egypt, and the meats there. So that one would not be wrong in calling Moses a teacher and a nurse and a tutor; for great was the man's wisdom. For it is not the same thing to lead men already able to be wise, and to rule irrational children. And, if you want to hear something else, just as the nurse says to the child: 'When you relieve yourself, lift up your clothes, and only so far, when you sit down;' so also Moses did. And just as all the passions tyrannize children (for it does not yet have a charioteer), vainglory, desire, irrationality, anger, envy; so also among the Jews all these things prevailed; they spat upon, they struck Moses. And just as a child takes a stone, and we all shout: 'Oh, don't throw it!'; so also they took stones against their father, and he fled. And just as if a father has some ornament, the child, being fond of adornment, asks for it from him; so indeed Dathan and Abiram did, rising up against the priesthood. And they were especially envious of all, and 62.331 fainthearted, and in every way imperfect. Was it necessary then for Christ to appear, tell me? To give these philosophical decrees then, when they were raging with desire, when they were horses mad for females, when they were slaves of money, when of the belly? But he would have poured out the teachings of philosophy while speaking to foolish people; and they would have learned neither these things nor those. And just as one who teaches to read before the elements will never teach even the elements, so indeed it was then. But not now; but by the grace of God much gentleness, much virtue has been planted everywhere. Let us therefore give thanks for all things, and not be meddlesome. For we do not know the time, but the maker of time, and the creator of the ages. Let us therefore yield to Him in all things; for this is 62.332 to glorify God, not to demand from Him an account of what He does. Thus also Abraham gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. He did not even ask about the future; but we examine the reason even of things past. See how great is the folly, how great the ingratitude. But let us cease then; for nothing from this

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παραιτεῖται συνεχῶς, τοῦτο καὶ τότε ἐγίνετο. δʹ. Τί δὴ ταῦτα ἡμῖν εἴρηται; Ὅτι παίδων οὐδὲν διαφέρομεν. Βούλει ἀκοῦσαι καὶ τὰ δόγματα αὐτῶν, πῶς παίδων ἐστί; Ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ, φησὶ, καὶ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος. Εἰκότως· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω πρὸς ἄμυναν ὥρμηται, ὡς παιδικὴ διάνοια. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀλογίας ἐστὶ τὸ πάθος, πολλὴ δὲ ἡ ἀλογία, καὶ πολλὴ τοῦ λογισμοῦ ἡ ἐρημία ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, εἰκότως τυραννεῖται ὑπὸ θυμοῦ τὸ παιδίον· καὶ τοσαύτη ἡ τυραννὶς τοῦ θυμοῦ, ὥστε πολλάκις προσπταίσαντα καὶ διαναστάντα, ἢ γόνυ τύπτειν ἀγανακτοῦντα, ἢ τὸ ὑποπόδιον ἀναστρέφειν, καὶ οὕτως ἀναπαύειν αὐτῶν τὴν ὀδύνην καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν σβεννύναι. Τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ δοὺς ἐκκόπτειν, καὶ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος, καὶ Αἰγυπτίους ἀναιρῶν καὶ Ἀμαληκίτας τοὺς λελυπηκότας αὐτούς. Καὶ τοιαῦτα ἐπαγγέλλεται, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴποι τις· Πάτερ, ὁ δεῖνά με ἐτύπτησεν· εἶτ' ἐρεῖ ὁ πατήρ· Κακὸς ἄνθρωπος ὁ δεῖνα, καὶ μισήσωμεν αὐτόν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, Τοῖς ἐχθραίνουσί σοι, φησὶν, ἐχθρεύσω, καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε μισήσω. Καὶ πάλιν, ὅτε ὁ Βαλαὰμ ηὔχετο, παιδικὴ ἦν ἡ συγκατάβασις ἡ γεγονυῖα αὐτοῖς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν παιδίων, ὅταν τι τῶν οὐ φοβερῶν ἴδωσιν, οἷον ἢ ἔριον, ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον, ἐξαίφνης φοβοῦνται· ὥστε δὲ μὴ ἐναπομεῖναι αὐτοῖς τὸν φόβον, ἄγομεν ὑπὸ τὰς ἐκείνων χεῖρας αὐτὸ, καὶ τίτθας ποιοῦμεν ὑποδεικνύειν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ φοβερὸς ἦν ὁ μάντις, ἔτρεψεν αὐτοῖς τὸν φόβον εἰς θάρσος. Καὶ καθάπερ τὰ ἀπογαλακτιζόμενα τῶν παιδίων ἐν καλαθίσκοις πάντα ἔχουσιν· οὕτω κἀκείνοις πάντα ἐδίδου, καὶ πολλὴν τὴν τρυφὴν ἐχορήγει. Ἀλλὰ τὸ παιδίον τὴν θηλὴν ἐπιζητεῖ· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι τὴν Αἴγυπτον, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ κρέα. Ὥστε καὶ διδάσκαλον καὶ τροφέα καὶ παιδαγωγὸν οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι τὸν Μωϋσέα προσειπών· πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ σοφία τοῦ ἀνδρός. Οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἴσον ἀνδρῶν ἤδη φιλοσοφεῖν δυναμένων ἡγεῖσθαι, καὶ παίδων ἀλογίστων ἄρχειν. Καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε καὶ ἕτερόν τι ἀκοῦσαι, καθάπερ ἡ τροφὸς τῷ παιδίῳ λέγει· Ὅταν ἀποπατῇς, ἀνάστειλόν σου τὰ ἱμάτια, καὶ μέχρι τοσούτου, ὅταν καθιζάνῃς· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐποίει. Καὶ ὥσπερ πάντα τὰ πάθη τυραννεῖ ἐν τοῖς παισὶ (οὐδέπω γὰρ ἔχει τὸν ἡνίοχον), κενοδοξία, ἐπιθυμία, ἀλογία, θυμὸς, βασκανία· οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις πάντα ταῦτα ἐκράτει· ἐνέπτυον, ἔτυπτον τὸν Μωϋσέα. Καὶ καθάπερ παιδίον λαμβάνει λίθον, καὶ πάντες βοῶμεν· Ὢ μὴ ῥίψῃς· οὕτω κἀκεῖνοι λίθους ἐλάμβανον κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς, ὁ δὲ ἔφευγε. Καὶ καθάπερ εἰ κόσμον τινὰ ἔχοι ὁ πατὴρ, τοῦτον τὸ παιδίον αἰτεῖ παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλόκοσμον ὄν· οὕτω δὴ οἱ περὶ ∆αθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν πεποιήκασι τῇ ἱερωσύνῃ ἐπαναστάντες. Καὶ βάσκανοι δὲ μάλιστα πάντων ἦσαν, καὶ 62.331 μικρόψυχοι, καὶ κατὰ πάντα ἀτελεῖς. Τότε οὖν ἔδει φανῆναι τὸν Χριστὸν, εἰπέ μοι; τότε τὰ διατάγματα ταῦτα δοῦναι τὰ φιλόσοφα, ὅτε ἐμαίνοντο ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, ὅτε ἵπποι ἦσαν θηλυμανεῖς, ὅτε χρημάτων δοῦλοι, ὅτε γαστρός; Ἀλλ' ἐξέχεεν ἂν τὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας διδάγματα ἀνοήτοις οὖσι διαλεγόμενος· καὶ οὔτε ταῦτα, οὔτε ἐκεῖνα ἔμαθον ἄν. Καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ πρὸ τῶν στοιχείων ἀναγινώσκειν διδάσκων, οὐδέποτε οὐδὲ τὰ στοιχεῖα διδάξει, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τότε. Ἀλλ' οὐ νῦν· ἀλλὰ τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλὴ ἡ ἐπιείκεια, πολλὴ ἡ ἀρετὴ πανταχοῦ καταπεφύτευται. Εὐχαριστῶμεν οὖν ὑπὲρ πάντων, καὶ μὴ πολυπραγμονῶμεν. Τὸν γὰρ καιρὸν οὐχ ἡμεῖς ἴσμεν, ἀλλ' ὁ τοῦ καιροῦ ποιητὴς, καὶ τῶν αἰώνων δημιουργός. Πάντων τοίνυν αὐτῷ παραχωρῶμεν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι 62.332 δοξάζειν τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ μὴ ἀπαιτεῖν αὐτὸν εὐθύνας ὧν ποιεῖ. Οὕτω καὶ Ἀβραὰμ δόξαν ἔδωκε τῷ Θεῷ, Πληροφορηθεὶς ὅτι ὃ ἐπήγγελται, δυνατός ἐστι καὶ ποιῆσαι. Ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲ τὸ μέλλον ἠρώτησεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ τῶν παρελθόντων ἐξετάζομεν τὸν λόγον. Ὅρα πόση ἡ ἄνοια, πόση ἡ ἀγνωμοσύνη. Ἀλλὰ παυσώμεθα λοιπόν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τούτου