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a hope of salvation to be left, even if they should ever wish to look to what is better? May it not be so; for on the contrary I remember having said that even if it happened that the majority of them were cast off on account of their unbelief, yet still those of them who have believed, although being very few in number, became agents of salvation for all those from the nations, since all these received the starting-points of the lesson of piety from there, so that it is possible also for the Jews who are now unbelieving to imitate those of them who have already believed, and with good zeal to desire an inclination toward what is better; for he who not only received those who believed, but also appointed them teachers of the world, it is clear that he will not consider these either, should they wish to believe in him, as disapproved; For "to provoke them to jealousy," he does not mean those from the nations, as some thought, but those from their own number, having said this as a proof that it is possible for these also 156 to be received, if indeed they should wish to believe. However, "to provoke them to jealousy" he does not say in a causal sense, but what follows in his usual manner instead of: if those, having wished to believe, were received and became teachers to those from the nations, it is very clear that it is possible for these also, in imitation of them, to attain entrance into the faith. Then, making their conversion desirable, he adds and says. Ro+m 11,12 For if, he says, in a few, and very small number, it came to pass for the people throughout the world to attain so great an abundance of good things, what then must one think will be, if it should happen that all of them in accord receive the Christ? Ro+m 11,15 For what reason the apostle considers that the resurrection of all will follow the restoration of all, it is necessary to say. For irrational beings, all things are present by nature, and it is not possible for them, distinguishing evil from good, to choose what seems best by the power of judgment, but there is every necessity to remain within the limits of nature; for this reason every law is superfluous for them, being able neither to learn nor not to understand any such thing; but for rational beings, it is quite the opposite; for they are able to distinguish good from evil, and by the power of judgment what seems best is chosen, and the setting forth of laws is very suitable for them, since they are able from them to be taught what is good. Such then God made our race, having given us a nature suitable for learning and having shown what is better by the setting forth of most varied laws; for it was not possible for us, having become rational by nature, to attain virtue without instruction, since this is a clear distinction between rational and irrational beings, in that the latter have by nature the knowledge of everything they need, being able to learn nothing further, while the former, as time goes on, learn more of what they did not know before. For this reason He made us mortal in this present life, but gave laws sufficient to bring us to a remembrance of the correction of what is good, so that we might in this way obtain a complete learning of virtue. From this, even if it happens that we have a certain great inclination toward what is worse, yet still we have a firm knowledge of the good in our soul, and there is no man who does not entirely know what is better in life. Thus, then, he provides for us a safe and firm instruction of virtue in the present life. But since we are not able to do the good as easily as we know it, 157 as long as we remain in mortality, the creator has gifted to us a certain second, future life through the resurrection, one much better than the present, both immortal and impassible and delivered from all sin. That life, therefore, is not only a renewal and correction of present things, but indeed also a perfection; for what we learn here but do not have the strength to do, these things will then be ours without toils, with much ease, that is, I say, to have been delivered from the practice of worse things and to have an irresistible love for good things in the soul. the wise one of the ... having deemed it not to be good to place us straightaway in those things

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ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας περιλειφθῆναι, κἂν εἰ βούλοιντό ποτε πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἰδεῖν; μὴ γένοιτο· τοὐναντίον γὰρ μέμνημαι εἰρηκώς, ὅτι κἂν εἰς τοὺς πλείστους αὐτῶν διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν ἀποβληθῆναι συνέβη, ἀλλ' οὖν γε οἱ πεπιστευκότες ἐξ αὐτῶν καίτοιγε ἄγαν ὄντες εὐαρίθμητοι, πᾶσι τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν σωτηρίας ἐγένοντο πρόξενοι , ἐπείπερ ἅπαντες οὗτοι τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας μαθήματος τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἐδέξαντο , ὥστε ἔξεστι καὶ τοῖς νῦν ἀπιστοῦσι τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν πεπιστευκότας ἤδη μιμήσασθαι, ζήλῳ τε ἀγαθῷ τῆς πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἐπιθυμῆσαι ῥοπῆς· ὁ γὰρ ἐκείνους πεπιστευκότας οὐκ εἰσδεξάμενος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διδασκάλους ἀποφήνας τῆς οἰκουμένης, δῆλον ὡς οὐδὲ τούτους πιστεῦσαι βουληθέντας εἰς αὐτὸν ἀδοκίμους ἡγήσεται· τὸ γὰρ εἰς τὸ παρα ζηλῶσαι αὐτοὺς οὐ τοὺς ἐξ ἐθνῶν, ὥς τινες ᾠήθησαν, λέγει ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν, εἰς ἀπόδειξιν αὐτὸ εἰρηκὼς τοῦ ἐξεῖναι εἰσδεχθῆναι καὶ 156 τούτους, εἰ δὴ πιστεῦσαι βούλοιντο. τὸ μέντοι εἰς τὸ παραζηλῶσαι αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐπ' αἰτίας λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἑπόμενον ἑαυτῷ συνήθως ἀντὶ τοῦ· εἰ ἐκεῖνοι πιστεῦσαι βουληθέντες εἰσεδέχθησαν καὶ διδάσκαλοι τοῖς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐγένοντο, πρόδηλον ὡς ἔξεστι καὶ τούτοις κατὰ μίμησιν ἐκείνων τῆς εἰς τὴν πίστιν εἰσόδου τυχεῖν. εἶτα καὶ ποθεινὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν ἐργαζόμενος ἐπάγει καί φησιν. Ro+m 11,12 Εἰ γὰρ ἐν ὀλίγοις, φησί, καὶ ἄγαν εὐαριθμήτοις τοσαύτης ἐνεγένετο τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀνθρώποις τυχεῖν ἀφθονίας ἀγαθῶν, τί ποτ' ἄρα δεῖ νομίζειν ἔσεσθαι, εἰ πάντας αὐτοὺς συμφώνως ὑποδέξασθαι τὸν Χριστὸν συνέβη; Ro+m 11,15 Τίνος ἕνεκεν τῇ πάντων διορθώσει τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἡγεῖται ὁ ἀπόστο λος ἕψεσθαι πάντων, ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. τοῖς μὲν ἀλόγοις φυσικῶς ἅπαντα πρόσεστι, καὶ οὐχ οἶά τέ ἐστι τὸ κακὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ καλοῦ διακρίνοντα ἐξουσίᾳ γνώμης τὸ δοκοῦν ἑλέσθαι, ἀνάγκη δὲ πᾶσα τοῖς ὅροις ἐμμένειν τῆς φύσεως, διά τοι τοῦτο περιττὸς ἅπας ἐστὶ νόμος ἐκείνοις οὔτε μαθεῖν οὔτε μὴ συνιέναι τι τοιοῦτο δυναμένοις· τοῖς δὲ λογικοῖς πᾶν τοὐναντίον· καὶ γὰρ διακρίνειν τὸ καλὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ δύνανται, καὶ ἐξουσίᾳ γνώμης τὸ δοκοῦν αἱροῦται, ἥ τε τῶν νόμων ἔχθεσις ἄγαν ἐπιτηδεία τούτοις ἐστὶν ἅτε δυναμένοις ἐκεῖθεν τὸ καλὸν παιδεύεσθαι. τοιοῦτο δὴ τὸ ἡμέτερον γένος ὁ θεὸς ἀπειργάσατο, τήν τε φύσιν ἡμῖν ἐπιτηδείαν πρὸς μάθησιν δεδωκὼς καὶ νόμων ἐκθέσει ποικιλωτάτων τὸ κρεῖττον ὑποδείξας· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀδίδακτον ἔχειν ἡμᾶς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐνεδέχετο τὴν ἥξιν λογικοὺς γεγονότας τὴν φύσιν, ἐπείπερ αὕτη σαφὴς λογικῶν τε καὶ ἀλόγων διάκρισις, τῷ τὰ μὲν ἐν τῇ φύσει παντὸς οὗτινος οὖν ἔχειν τὴν εἴδησιν περαιτέρω δυνάμενα μανθάνειν οὐδέν, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ χρόνου προϊόντος τὰ πλείονα μανθάνειν ὧν οὐκ ἠπίσταντο πρότερον. τούτου ἕνεκεν θνητοὺς μὲν ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὸν παρόντα τουτονὶ πεποίηκε βίον, νόμους δὲ ἔδωκεν ἱκανοὺς εἰς ὑπόμνησιν ἡμᾶς ἄγειν τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ διορθώσεως, ὡς ἂν ἐντελῆ τῆς ἀρετῆς οὕτως τὴν μάθησιν κομισαίμεθα. ἐντεῦθεν κἂν πολλήν τινα πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ἔχειν ἡμᾶς τὴν ῥοπὴν συμβαί νει, ἀλλ' οὖν γε βεβαίαν ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ καλοῦ τὴν εἴδησιν ἔχομεν, καὶ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπων οὐδεὶς ὃς οὐχὶ πάντως ἐπίσταται τὸ κρεῖττον τί ποτέ ἐστιν ἐν βίῳ. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἀσφαλῆ τε καὶ βεβαίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος βίου τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἡμῖν παρέχεται. ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐχ ὥσπερ ἴσμεν τὸ καλόν, οὕτω καὶ ποιεῖν αὐτὸ ῥᾳδίως δυνάμεθα, 157 ἄχρις ἂν ἐπὶ τῆς θνητότητος διαμένωμεν, δεύτερόν τινα βίον τὸν μέλλοντα ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὁ ποιητὴς δεδώρηται, κατὰ πολὺ τοῦ παρόντος ἀμείνω, ἀθάνατόν τε καὶ ἀπαθῆ καὶ πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἀπηλλαγ μένον. ἔστι τοίνυν οὐκ ἀνακαινισμὸς καὶ διόρθωσις μόνον τῶν παρόν των ἐκεῖνα, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τελείωσις· ἃ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα μαθόντες ποιεῖν οὐχ ἰσχύομεν, ταῦτα τότε ἡμῖν πόνων ἐκτὸς μετὰ πολλῆς προσέσται τῆς εὐμαρείας, τό τε ἀπηλλάχθαι, λέγω, τῆς τῶν χειρόνων πράξεως καὶ τὸ ἄσχετόν τινα τῶν καλῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἔχειν τὸν ἔρωτα. εὐθὺ μὲν ἡμᾶς ἐν ἐκείνοις καταστῆσαι οὐ καλῶς ἔχειν ἡγησαμένου τοῦ σοφοῦ τῶν