CHAP. XXIII. ----Of Fate, and how though God foreknows the conduct of every one, human responsibility remains the same. Further, how the stars 535 are not productive of human affairs, but merely indicate them; further, that men cannot attain to an accurate knowledge of these things, but that the signs are set by Divine powers; what is the cause of the signs. Astrology seems to have some elements of truth. From Book III. of the Commentaries on Genesis, "And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years."

1. As regards the lights of heaven having been created for signs, to speak precisely, the sun, moon, and stars, this is a subject which we are bound to discuss; for not only do many nations, strangers to the Faith of Christ, err in the matter of fate, inasmuch as they think that all things happen, both earthly events in general and the incidents of every human life, and perhaps what befalls the irrational creatures, through the relation of the planets to the constellations of the Zodiac; but beside this, many who are supposed to have embraced the Faith are distracted at the thought that human affairs may be governed by necessity, and cannot possibly be otherwise than is ruled by the stars in their different groupings. And a consequence of this opinion is the complete destruction of Free Will; and a further result is that praise and blame are unmeaning, and the distinction between acceptable conduct and conduct deserving of blame is lost. And if this be so, there is an end of that Divine judgment which we preach; an end also of God's threats of punishment awaiting sinners; an end, too, of a blessed future for those who have devoted themselves to the higher life: for there will no longer be any basis of reason for them. And if any one wishes to see the other consequences of holding these views, our faith will be vain, the advent of Christ of no avail, and the whole dispensation of the Law and the Prophets, and the labours of Apostles to establish the churches of God through Christ, of no avail; unless, forsooth, as these bold thinkers would have us believe, Christ also, inasmuch as His nativity was necessitated by the movement of the stars, did and suffered everything, not because the God and Father of All gave Him those marvellous powers, but because the stars bestowed them. Another result of their godless and unholy principles is, that believers are said to believe in God because they are compelled by the stars to believe. But we would ask our opponents to tell us what God meant by so making the world, that some men are effeminate creatures and lead lascivious lives through no fault of their own; while others, who are in the condition of wild beasts through the revolution of the whole heavens, because God so ordered the universe, abandon themselves to the most savage and inhuman practices, murders, and piratical outrages. And why need I speak of the incidents of human life, and the sins of men, in their countless variety? The champions of these noble principles may free their fellow-men from all guilt, but they make God the cause of all that is bad and blameworthy.

2. And if some of them, that they may seem to defend God's character, shall say that there is a different God, the good God,536 Who has no control of these things, and attribute all such evils to the Creator;537 not even so will they succeed in showing, as they desire, that the Creator is just; for how could the Author of so many evils, as according to them He is, be reasonably thought just? In the second place, let us inquire what they will say about themselves. Are they subject to the revolution of the stars, or are they free men, and all their lives no way influenced thereby? If they shall admit that they are subject to the stars, it is clear that the stars gave them this impression, and the Creator will have suggested through the general movement of the stars the doctrine of the higher God they have imagined; but that they would deny. If they reply that they are not influenced by the Creator's laws connected with the stars, that their statements may not be more than unverified assertion, let them endeavour to win our assent by some more forcible plea; let them show how to distinguish between the two kinds of mind, the one controlled by nativity and fate, the other free from their control. Any one who knows such men will be aware that if they are asked for a reason they will be quite unable to give it. In addition to what has been said, even the prayers we offer are superfluous; for if certain events must happen, and the stars create the necessity, and nothing contrary to their combination with one another can happen, it is unreasonable to expect God to give us this or that. Why need we further pursue the impiety involved in the doctrine of fate, a subject treated by many with too little consideration as a commonplace? Enough has been said to give some idea of it.

3. Here let us remind ourselves that we were examining the words, "Let the lights be for signs" 538 when we came upon this discussion. They who learn the truth about things, have either been eye-witnesses and therefore give a good account of what takes place because they have beheld the suffering and the doing of those who do or suffer, or they get to know the circumstances by hearsay from informants not at all responsible for what has occurred. For we will agree on the present occasion to exclude the possibility that the doers or sufferers may themselves relate what they have done and suffered, and may acquaint any one who did not happen to be present with the facts. If, then, any one who gets the information from a person no way responsible for the events, on hearing that certain things have befallen or will befall certain individuals, does not bear in mind that his informant as to the past or future is no way answerable for any given occurrence, he will suppose that the informant has brought about or will bring about what he relates, but he will obviously be wrong in so doing; it is as though a man were to read a prophetic book in which the conduct of Judas the traitor is foretold, and having learnt what was to happen, were, on seeing it accomplished, to think that the book was the cause of what afterwards occurred, because the book showed him the future conduct of Judas; or, again, should imagine that not the book was the cause, but he who first wrote it, or He Who had the book written, God Himself, if we may so speak. Just as in the case of the prophecies concerning Judas, the passages themselves on investigation show that God did not produce the treachery of Judas, but that, foreknowing what would result from the wickedness of the traitor through his own fault, He only made it known: so also, if any one would go deep into the discussion of God's universal foreknowledge, and into those things whereon, as it were, God stamps the proofs of His own foreknowledge, he would understand that neither is He Who foreknows at all the cause of what is foreknown, nor are those things which were stamped with the proofs of the foreknowledge of Him Who did foreknow.

4. That God knows long before every detail of the future, is, apart from Scripture, from the very conception of God clear to him who understands the power and excellence of the Divine understanding. If, however, we must prove this from the Scriptures, the prophecies are full of suitable illustrations; and, according to Susanna, God knows all things before they be: for she thus speaks, "O everlasting God, that knowest the secrets, and knowest all things before they be, Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me." 539 And in the third Book of the Kings even the name of a future king, and his acts, were thus prophetically described many years before the events took place. "And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar which is in Bethel, which he made for the calves which he made." 540 Then, a little farther on, "And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar! thus saith the Lord, Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall they burn upon thee. And he gave a sign the same clay, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the fat that is upon it shall be poured out." 541 And, a little farther on, it is shown that "the altar also was rent, and the fat poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the Word of the Lord."542

5. And in Isaiah, who lived long before the Babylonish Captivity, there is this prophecy concerning Cyrus by name, Cyrus king of the Persians, who lived some time after the Captivity, and assisted in the building of the Temple in the days of Esdras. There is this prophecy concerning Cyrus by name, "Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue 543 nations before him, and I will loose the loins 544 of kings; I will open the doors before him, and the gates of cities shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make mountains plain: I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, hidden riches of secret places will I lay bare to thee, that thou mayest know that I am the Lord, which call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I will call thee by thy name and will receive thee." 545 This clearly shows, that for the sake of the people to whom Cyrus was a benefactor, God gave him, though he was unacquainted with the Hebrew religion, the rule over many nations; and we may also learn this from Greek historians who wrote the history of Cyrus, the subject of the prophecy. And again in Daniel also, at a time when Babylonian kings were on the throne, the kingdoms which should be after him are shown to Nebuchadnezzar. And they are shown by means of the image: the Babylonian kingdom being called gold, the Persian silver, the Macedonian brass, the Roman iron.546 And again, in the same prophet the affairs of Darius and Alexander, and the four successors of Alexander king of Macedonia, and Ptolemy, the ruler of Egypt, surnamed Lagos, are thus foretold: "And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth; and the goat had a horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had the horns, whom I saw standing before the stream Ulai,547 and ran upon him in the face of his power. And I saw him close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him: but he cast him down to the ground, and trampled upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. And the he-goat magnified himself exceedingly: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and instead of it there came up four other horns toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a mighty horn, and waxed exceedingly great towards the south and towards the west." 548 Why need I mention the prophecies concerning Christ, as for example that Bethlehem should be the place of His birth, and Nazareth the place of His bringing up, and the marvellous works He did, and the manner of His betrayal by Judas who was called to be an Apostle? For all these are signs of the foreknowledge of God. But the Saviour Himself also says, "When ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then ye shall know that her desolation is at hand";549 for He spake beforehand what afterwards came to pass, the final destruction of Jerusalem. 

6. Well, then, now that we have, not unseasonably, demonstrated the foreknowledge of God, if we are to explain how the stars are for signs, we must understand that the stars have their movements so regulated, those we call planets revolving the contrary way to the fixed stars, that observers may take and know the signs from the grouping of all those stars which have a special or general influence. And when I say "observers," I do not mean men (for ability to really learn from the movements of the stars what will befall every individual soul with all its possibilities of doing or suffering, far transcends human capacity), but I refer to the Powers, which must for many reasons have this knowledge, as, so far as we can, we shall show in the sequel. But men being deceived by certain observations, or even by the teaching of Angels who have lost their proper rank, and, to the injury of our race, give some instruction about these things, supposed that they from whom they thought they received the signs were the original causes of the events which the Word says the signs indicate. We shall proceed at once to briefly discuss somewhat carefully as well as we can both the events and the supposed authors. These, then, are the problems which confront us----(α) How, if God knows from all eternity what we regard as done by the individual, Free Will is to be maintained; (β) in what way the stars are not productive of human affairs, but only indicate them;  (γ) that men cannot have an accurate knowledge of these things, but the signs are shown to Powers superior to men; (δ) why it is that God has made the signs for the Powers to know, shall be the fourth point of investigation.

7. Well, then, let us look at the first. Many of the Greeks, handling the matter with caution, and supposing events to be ruled by necessity, and that man's Free Will cannot be at all maintained if God foreknows the future, ventured to hold an impious doctrine, rather than admit, as they allow it to be, a glorious attribute of God, but one destructive of Free Will, and which therefore does away with the distinction between praise and blame, the acceptability of virtue and the censure of vice. They tell us that if God from everlasting knows that a certain person will be unjust, and will do certain unjust deeds, and if the knowledge of God be infallible, and if he that is foreseen to have such a character will certainly be unjust and will do these unjust deeds, his injustice is necessitated, and it will be impossible for his conduct to be other than what God knew it would be. But if his conduct could not be different, and no one is to be blamed for not doing impossibilities, it is no use for us to accuse the unjust. And from the unjust man and his unjust deeds they pass on to the other sins a man may commit, and, on the contrary, to what is considered upright conduct; and they say that consistently with God's foreknowledge our Free Will cannot possibly be maintained.

8. Our reply will be as follows: When God planned the creation of the world, inasmuch as there is nothing without a cause, His thoughts traversed the whole course of the future, and He saw that when a certain thing takes place another follows, and if this occurs it will have its fitting result, and this supposed, something is its consequence; and going on thus to the end of all things He knows what will be, but is not at all the cause of the occurrence of any particular event. For as when we see a man reckless through ignorance, and in his recklessness foolishly venturing on a slippery path, we are not the causes of the man's finding the path slippery, because we realise that the man will slip and fall: just so, we must understand that God having foreseen what every one will be like, also perceives the causes of his being what he is, and that he will commit these sins, or do these righteous deeds. And if we are bound to admit that the foreknowledge is not the cause of the occurrences (for though God knows before that a man will sin, He does not put a finger on him when he does sin), we shall make a still stronger statement, nevertheless true, that the future event is the cause of God's peculiar knowledge concerning it. For it does not happen because it is known, but it is known because it will happen; and we must herein carefully distinguish. For if any one interprets the words certainly will be in the sense that what is foreknown will of necessity be, we do not agree with him; for we shall not say that, because it was foreknown that Judas would be a traitor, there was any necessity for Judas to be a traitor. At any rate, in the prophecies concerning Judas reproaches and accusations of Judas are recorded, which prove his guilt to every reader. Now no blame would have attached to him if he had of necessity been a traitor, and if it had not been possible for him to be like the other Apostles. And consider whether this is not shown by the following words which we shall quote: "Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children. Because that he remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, and the broken in heart, to slay them. Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; and he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him." 550 If any one will explain the "certainly will be" as only meaning that some particular events will occur, but that things might have turned out differently, we assent to this as true; for God cannot possibly lie; and when things may possibly happen or not happen, we may contemplate either contingency.

9. We will put the case more clearly this way: If it  is possible for Judas to be an Apostle like Peter, it is possible for God to think of Judas continuing an Apostle as Peter did. If it is possible for Judas to be a traitor, it is possible for God to contemplate his becoming a traitor. And if Judas proves to be a traitor, God by His foreknowledge of the two aforesaid possibilities (one only of Which can be realised), inasmuch as His foreknowledge is true, will know before that Judas is going to be a traitor; but though God knows this, it might have been otherwise; and the knowledge of God would say, "It is possible for Judas to do this, but also possible for him to do the opposite; but of the two things possible I know that he will do this one." If God were to say, "It is not possible for this man to fly," and, predicting the future 551 of another man, were to say, for instance, "It is not possible for him to be temperate," the cases would not be parallel. For the man is not in the least qualified to fly, but he is qualified to lead either a temperate or a licentious life. Now, though there be this ability both ways, if a man does not give heed to admonition and instruction, he gives himself up to the worse; but he who seeks the truth and is resolved to live accordingly, gives himself up to the better. And one man does not seek the truth because he inclines to pleasure, while another man investigates it, being brought thereto, partly by common sense,552 partly by exhortation. The former, again, chooses pleasure, not because he is unable to resist it, but because he will not strive against it; and the latter despises it, because he sees the disgrace which often attaches to it.

10. To prove our point, that the foreknowledge of God really does not necessitate the things which it apprehends, we will further observe that in many parts of Scripture God commands the Prophets to preach repentance, not professing to know before whether the hearers will turn or abide in their sins. Thus in Jeremiah God says, "It may be they will hearken and repent." 553 If God thus speaks, it is not because He does not know whether they will hearken or not; but by this form of speech He shows, as it were, that they have equal ability to do one or the other; so that He may not, by announcing beforehand what He knows, make the hearers despond because of a seeming necessity, as if they had no power to turn, and His foreknowledge thus become, as it were, the cause of their sins. Or again, let us take the case of those who, because they do not know their goodness foreknown to God, may by striving .and struggling against wickedness succeed in living a virtuous life. God will not have His foreknowledge become a cause of their slackness, inasmuch as, relying on the certain accomplishment of what has been foretold, they no longer stand firm against sin: for so the foreknowledge of their future goodness might prove a hindrance. Thus it is that God Who ordereth all things for the best, with good reason hides the future from our eyes. For the knowledge of the future makes us relax in the struggle against wickedness, and the apparent certainty of wickedness enervates us, and the result is that because we do not wrestle against sin we soon become subject to it. And at the same time it would be an obstacle in the way of a man's becoming good and upright, if the knowledge that he will certainly some day be good reached him beforehand. For in addition to what we have, there is need of great earnestness and vigorous application if a man is to become good and upright; but the knowledge beforehand that a man will certainly be good and upright, weakens his habits of discipline. Wherefore it is expedient that we know not whether we shall be good, or whether we shall be bad.

11. And since we have said that God blinds our eyes with regard to the future, consider whether we can thus explain the question in Exodus, "Who maketh a man dumb and deaf, seeing and blind?" 554 If we are to understand that God has made the same man blind and seeing, the man must see things present and be blind as regards things future; for we are not now concerned with the interpretation of the dumbness and deafness. That, however, many things for which we are responsible are caused by a multitude of things for which we are not responsible, even we will allow; if they had not occurred, the things I mean for which we are not responsible, certain things for which we are responsible would not have been done; but they have been done in consequence of precedent events for which we are not responsible, though it was possible for us on the basis of the past to have acted otherwise than we did. If any one would have our Free Will detached from everything else, so as to make our voluntary choice independent of the changes and chances of life, he has forgotten that he is a part of the world, and subject to limitations as a member of society and a participant in the general environment. I think it has been shown with tolerable clearness, if briefly, that the foreknowledge of God does not necessitate what is certainly foreknown.

The same subject is further discussed in Book II. of the treatise against Celsus as follows:----

12. Celsus thinks that if a prediction comes to pass it is because the event was predicted. We do not grant this; we say that the Prophet is not the cause of the future event because he foretells its occurrence, but that the future event, which would happen even if it were not predicted, is the cause of his foretelling it, who has the foreknowledge. And the whole thing is in the foreknowledge of the Prophet; a given event may or may not come to pass; he knows which of the two it will be. Further, we do not say that he who foreknows destroys the possible alternative, and as it were declares, "This shall certainly be, and it is impossible that the event can be otherwise." And something like what we have urged is applicable to the whole question of the foreknowledge of what is in our power, whether we look at the Divine Scriptures or at the narratives of the Greeks. And what the dialecticians call an "idle argument," by which they mean a sophism, will be, if we are to believe Celsus, no sophism, though according to sound reason it is a sophism. That our point may be understood, I will use the prophecies of the Scriptures concerning Judas, or our Saviour's foreknowledge of his being a traitor: and from the narratives of the Greeks, I will take the oracle addressed to Laius, for the present assuming it to be true, for that does not affect the argument. Well, then, at the beginning of the 108th Psalm, speaking in the person of Christ, the Psalmist says, "Hold not thy peace, O God, at my praise; for the mouth of the wicked and the deceitful man is opened upon me." 555 And if you carefully note what is said in the psalm you will find that as Judas is foreknown to be the betrayer of the Saviour, so he is also represented as being the cause of the betrayal, and worthy of the curses pronounced against him for his wickedness----let him suffer such and such things----"Because that he remembered not to do mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man." 556 He might then have remembered to do mercy, and he might have refrained from persecuting Him whom he did persecute, but though he might he did not, but betrayed the Saviour; so that he deserves the curses in the prophecy against him. And as regards the Greeks, we will similarly make use of what was said by the oracle to Laius, either in the precise words of the tragic poet, or in equivalent terms. This is what the oracle with its knowledge of the future told him:----

"Beget not children in defiance of the gods; 

For if thou shalt beget a son, thy son shall slay thee, 

And all thy house shall wade through blood." 557

Here it is clearly shown that it was possible for Laius not to beget children, for the oracle would not have commanded him to do what was impossible; but the begetting was possible, and neither alternative was compulsory. And the consequence of his not guarding against begetting children, was that through begetting he suffered what is related in the tragedy concerning Oedipus and Jocasta and their sons.  

13. By way of illustrating the "idle argument," that is to say, the sophistical form of reasoning, we may suppose the following argument to be addressed to an invalid in order to dissuade him from calling in the doctor: "If you are fated to recover from your sickness, whether you call in the doctor, or do not call him in, you "will recover; but if you are fated not to recover from your sickness, whether you call in the doctor, or do not call him in, you will not recover; now either you are fated to recover from your sickness, or you are fated not to recover; it is therefore no good for you to call in the doctor." Now a parallel to this reasoning is neatly drawn after this fashion: "If you are fated to beget children, whether you go with a woman, or whether you do not, you will beget children; but if you are fated not to beget children, whether you go with a woman, or do not go, you will not beget children: now either you are fated to beget children or not to beget them; it is useless therefore for you to go with a woman." In this case, forasmuch as it is an utter impossibility to beget children without going with a woman, to go with a woman is not a useless procedure; and similarly, if there is but one road to recovery from sickness, and that is via the doctor's skill, the doctor must be summoned; and it is false to say, "It is no good for you to call in the doctor." Now I have gone into all these details on account of what our paragon of wisdom, Celsus, said: "Being God He foretold, and what was foretold must certainly have come to pass"; for if Celsus by "certainly" means "necessarily," we shall not agree with him, for the event might not have happened. But if by "certainly" he means "will be,"----and there is nothing to prevent this being true, though the event might possibly not have happened,----my argument is as sound as ever; it does not follow that because Jesus truly foretold the traitor's treachery, or Peter's denial, He was Himself the cause of their impiety and unholy conduct. For, as we hold, He knew what was in man;558 and seeing the traitor's detestable character, and also what through avarice and through want of a right and steadfast regard for the Master he would dare to do, after much besides, Jesus said,"He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me." 559

From Book III. of the Commentary on Genesis:----

14. Now let us grapple with the question whether it is a fact that the stars are not in the least productive of human affairs, but only indicate them. It is quite plain that if the stars in a given position are thought to produce certain events in a human life----let us make that the precise point of the present inquiry----their position to-day, for instance, which concerns that one man, could not be understood to have produced the past of some other person or persons; for whatever produces precedes the thing produced. But, according to the teaching of the professors of the art, things that happened before this grouping of the stars are generally thought to be declared. For they profess, once they have ascertained somehow or other the particular 560 hour of any given man, to be able to find the elevation of each planet, or in what minutest part of the sign it appeared, and what sort of a star of the Zodiac happened to be on the eastern horizon, and what on the west, and which star was on the meridian, and which on the opposite meridian. And when they have placed the stars, whose position they think they have determined for themselves, and which are thus grouped according to the season of the nativity of the person, from the time of the birth of him concerning whom they are inquiring, they investigate not only the future, but also the past, and things before the birth and begetting of the person we are speaking of; what manner of man his father was, rich or poor, sound in body or maimed, of good or bad character, with much wealth or little, of this or that condition; and, similarly, respecting the man's mother, and his elder brethren, if there happen to be any.

15. For the present let us allow, though we shall afterwards show that it is not so, that they do ascertain the true meaning of the position and relations of the stars; nevertheless, let us ask those who suppose that human affairs are necessitated by the stars, how such and such a position to-day can have produced previous events. For if this is impossible, even supposing that they discover the truth concerning those previous events, it is clear that the stars with their present movements in the heavens have not produced things past and gone before they took that position. And if any one, noting what is said about the future, should allow that they are correct, he will say that they are right, not because the stars cause the events, but only because they indicate them. And if any one alleges that the stars do not now cause past events, but that there were other groupings which were the causes of the nativity of the persons I have mentioned, but that the present grouping has only indicated them, and that future events are nevertheless shown by the present grouping at the nativity of such an one, let him show how we are to distinguish between our ability to prove the truth of certain things if the stars are causative,561 and of others if they are indicative only. If they cannot explain the difference, they will frankly concede that nothing human is caused by the stars, but, as we said before, some way or other indicated; as if one did not receive the knowledge of the past and future from the stars at all, but from the mind of God through some prophetic utterance. For, as we have already shown that the fact of God's knowing the future conduct of every person does not disturb the argument respecting our Free Will, so neither do the signs, which God appointed to be indicative, interfere with our Free Will; but, like a volume of prophecy, the heavens as a whole, being as it were one of God's books, may contain the future. And thus what is said by Jacob in the prayer for Joseph may be understood: "For I read in the pages of the sky what shall befall thee and thy sons." 562 Perhaps also the passage, "The heavens shall be rolled together as a book," 563 shows that the declarations therein indicative of the future shall be brought to completion, and, so to speak, fulfilled, as the prophecies are said to be fulfilled by the event. And thus the existing stars will be for signs, according as it is said, "Let them be for signs." 564 And Jeremiah, in order that he may bring us back to ourselves, and remove our dread of what is thought to be indicated by the stars, and perhaps supposed to come from them, says, "Be not dismayed at the signs of heaven." 565

16. Now let us look at our second undertaking, and try to show how it is that the stars cannot be causative, though they may possibly be indicative. In the vast multitude of nativities we may possibly get at the incidents of one man's life; but this is only an assumption; we concede the point that it is possible for men to gain a knowledge of them. For instance, our opponents say we may learn both from a man's own nativity, and from the nativity of each of his brothers, if he has more than one, that he will suffer in a certain way, and will die a violent death through meeting with robbers. For they suppose that the nativity of each one includes the death of a brother at the hand of robbers, and likewise the nativity of the father and mother and wife and sons and domestics and dearest friends, and perhaps the nativity of the murderers themselves. How can a man then, whose future is involved in so many nativities, to make them this concession, be influenced by the position and relation of the stars at one nativity more than by those at the others? The statement that the position of the stars at a man's own nativity has caused certain events, while their position at the nativities of the rest has not caused but only indicated them, is incredible; and it is as silly to say that the nativity of each one of them, severally, included a cause of the violent death of this one in particular, so that in fifty nativities, suppose, is included the death of this one person. I do not know how they will maintain that the position of the stars at the nativity of nearly everybody in Judea was such that they received circumcision on the eighth day, being mutilated in their parts, and ulcerated, and subject to inflammation and sores, and no sooner born than needing a doctor; while the position at the nativity of certain Israelites down in Arabia was such that they were all circumcised at the age of thirteen years, for this is what we are told about them; and again the position at the nativity of certain people in Etheopia such that they had their knee-pans taken away, while the Amazons had one of their breasts removed. How do the stars cause these effects in various nations? I suppose that if we give close attention to the subject, we shall not be able to state a single true and reliable fact 566 about these things. And when we hear of so many ways of knowing the future, I am at a loss to understand how men can be so inconsistent as to deny the existence of an active cause in augury, and in sacrificial inspection, maintaining that they are only indicative, but will not allow that astrology also, and nativity casting, are only indicative. For if because a future event is known,----granting that it is known,----the source of the event is the same as the source of the knowledge, why shall events any more be caused by stars than by birds, and by birds, or by entrails of victims, more than by ruling stars? 567 This will suffice for the present to upset the notion that the stars are causes of human affairs.

17. We conceded the point, for it does not interfere with the reasoning, that men can understand the positions of the stars in the heavens, the signs, and the things of which they are signs; now let us see if it is true. Well, then, the masters of this art say that any one who is going to accurately cast a nativity must know not only in which twelfth part of the Zodiac the star in question is, but also in what part of the twelfth part, and in which of its sixty parts; and the more careful calculators add, in which sixtieth of that sixtieth. And the observer, they say, ought to do this in the case of each one of the planets, investigating its relation to the fixed stars. He must, moreover, scanning the eastern horizon, observe not only which sign 568 of the Zodiac is there, but also the part of the sign, and the sixtieth part of this part, whether the first or second sixtieth. How, then, since an hour, roughly speaking, is equivalent to half the twelfth part, can any one ascertain the sixtieth part, unless he has a corresponding scale for the division of the hours? For example, who could know that such an one was born at the fourth hour, plus half an hour, plus a quarter, plus an eighth, plus a sixteenth, plus a thirty-second of an hour? For they say it makes a great difference in the things indicated if there is an error, not of a whole hour, but even of a fraction of an hour. Anyway, in the birth of twins there is frequently only a momentary interval; and yet, according to them, the twins differ widely in their fortunes and performances, because they who were thought to have observed the hour were not quite correct as to the relation of the stars, and the part of the sign on the horizon. For no one can say to the thirtieth of an hour what the interval" between the two births is. But let us allow that they are able to determine the hour. 

18. There is a well-known theorem which proves that the Zodiac, like the planets, moves from west to east at the rate of one part in a hundred years, and that this movement in the lapse of so long a time changes the local relation of the signs; so that, on the one hand, there is the invisible 569 sign, and on the other, as it were, the visible figure of it; and events, they say, are discovered not from the figure, but from the invisible sign; though it cannot possibly be apprehended. But let us grant that the invisible sign can be apprehended, or admit the possibility of getting at the truth through the visible sign; still even they will admit their inability to preserve in due proportion what they call the "blending" 570 of the signs in these positions, for it often happens that the influence of a malignant star which appears is more or less weakened by the aspect of a more benign one; and again, that the weakening of the influence of the malignant star by the aspect of the benign one is hindered, because of some particular position and relation of the other, though it is indicative of evil. And I think that any one who studies the passages must despair of understanding such matters, inasmuch as the knowledge is not disclosed to men, but at the most only goes as far as the indication 571 of events. And any one who has had actual experience will know that speakers and writers more frequently fail than succeed in their guesses at the truth. Wherefore Isaiah, believing that these things cannot be discovered by men, says to the daughter of the Chaldeans, who above all others were professors of the art, "Let now the astrologers, the star-gazers, stand up and save thee; let them tell thee what shall come upon thee." 572 We are thus taught that the most learned in these matters cannot show beforehand what the Lord intends to bring upon every nation.

19. We have already given instances of the literal fulfilment of prophecy. And if Jacob speaks of reading in the pages of the sky what should befall his sons, and if any one on the strength of this should meet us with the objection that the contrary to what we say is proved by Scripture,----for we said that men cannot comprehend the signs, and Jacob says that he read in the pages of the sky,573 ----our defence will be that our wise men, guided by a marvellous superhuman spirit, are not taught the mysteries by human skill but by the power of God; as Paul says, "I heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." 574 For they know the alterations of the turning of the sun, and the change of seasons: the events of years, and the position of stars," 575 not from men nor through men, but because the Spirit reveals them, and reveals them clearly, as God wills, announcing the Divine purposes. And another way also Jacob was more than human, for he supplanted his brother, and confessed in the same book from which we quoted the words, "I read in the pages of the sky," that he was commander-in-chief of the host of the Lord and had long ago gained the name Israel; all of which he acknowledges when ministering in bodily form, when the Archangel Uriel 576 reminds him of it.

20. It now remains to inquire and show those who believe that the lights of heaven are set for signs, but have been misled by fanciful interpretations of the passages, why it is that God has made these signs in the sky. And we must first observe that if we believe the mind of God to be great enough to embrace the perfect knowledge of every individual existence, so that not the least ordinary occurrence escapes His Divinity, this belief involves the tenet, not demonstrably certain, but held as being consistent with the eternity of God's understanding, which transcends all nature, that His knowledge is, as it were, infinite. In order, then, that superhuman beings, and also the holy souls which have escaped from the of this present state, may by experience grasp this truth, God created in the heavens beings who have been taught and shall be taught, as well by the revolution of the heavens as by other means, to read the signs which God gives as if they were written and stamped on the face of the sky. And it is not surprising that God should create some one for the sake of a manifestation to the blessed, for the Scripture saith to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth." 577 For if Pharaoh was preserved for the sake of showing the power of God and publishing abroad His name in all the earth,578 consider what a marvellous manifestation of the power of God there is in the heavenly signs, for all of them have been from everlasting to everlasting engraved in the book of the heavens, a book worthy of God. And, secondly, I conjecture that the signs are exposed to the Powers which administer human affairs, in order that they may only know some things, and effect others; just as in our books some things are written that we may know them, as, for example, the story of the Creation, or any other mystery, and others that we may know and do them, as, for instance, the commandments and ordinances of God. It is indeed possible that the writings of the heavens, which Angels and Divine powers can read well, contain some things to be read by the Angels and ministers of God in order that they may rejoice in their knowledge; and other things in order that they may receive them as commandments and do them.

21. And we shall not err if we maintain the analogy between the things in the Law and that which is written in the heavens and the stars. Even supposing that inferior energies, different from human kind, do bring about some of the events foreknown and indicated in the heavens, there is no necessity for supposing that they effect the results because they are reminded by the writings of God (in the heavens). Just as men when they act unjustly, effect the injustice through their own wickedness, not because they have learnt that God foreknows that some one will be unjustly treated by them; so the opposing Powers, though God foreknows the wickedness of the men and Powers who devise the detestable results, bring things to pass of their own shameful free choice. As regards the holy Angels, however, the ministering spirits sent forth to do service,579 it is probable that inasmuch as they follow 580 the commands of God's written law, they produce the better results in an orderly way, having regard to time, manner, and degree; for it is absurd to suppose that being Divine, they at random, and not deliberately, approach some transaction, for instance, with Abraham, and do something for Isaac, and deliver Jacob from danger, or impress the spirit of some prophet. In order, therefore, that they may not thus act at random or haphazard, they read God's book; and thus they do the things belonging to them. And, as we said before, we, as regards our own conduct, or the working of the opposing Powers against us, act of our own free choice; when we sin, the choice is disorderly; when we do such things as are pleasing to God, the choice is disciplined; not however that we can dispense with Angels, the Divine Scriptures, or assisting saints.

And Clement of Rome 581 in his argument with his father at Laodicea has some comments on the question before us----the passage occurs in The Travels,582----which agree with the foregoing. Towards the end he speaks with great force on the seeming results of "Nativity," Book X.

22. The Father.----Pardon me, my son, what you said yesterday was so true that I had no choice but to agree with you; but my conscience, like the weakness left by a fever, torments me with a lingering doubt, for I feel that everything in my nativity has come to pass.

I answered, consider with me, father, what the nature of Astrology 583 is, and upon what grounds I give you my advice. If you meet with an astrologer, and begin by telling him that at a certain time you had poor luck, and ask him to be good enough to inform you what star was the cause of it, he will, say that a malignant Mars or Saturn ruled the times, or that one of them was periodic,584 or that one of them regarded the particular year from the point of quadrature, or diametrically,585 or in conjunction, or centrally,586 or was retrograding,587 and no end of things besides. He will tell you that either an auspicious planet was not counteracting 588 a malignant one, or it was not observable, or was in figure,589 or was retrograding, or in eclipse, or in detriment,590 or was among the dim stars. And because there are many ostensible causes, he is still able to adapt his proofs to what he has been told by you. Now, if you afterwards go to another astrologer and tell him the opposite, viz. that at that same time you had a piece of good fortune, and ask him from what star of your nativity it has arisen, though you have deceived him, he is able, as I said before, out of many figures to find one, or two, or three, or more, which he will make out to be the true cause of your good fortune. For it is impossible that at any man's nativity, at any hour, some of the stars should not be favourably placed, others unfavourably; for the circle 591 admits of equal divisions, is diversified in contents, and admits of unlimited shuffling, so that any astrologer can say what he likes. We can sometimes make nothing of ambiguous dreams, but the event enables us to give them the most fitting interpretation. So it is with Astrology. Before the events it can tell us nothing certain, but when the facts are related the result clearly shows the cause. This is why in predicting the future they frequently err, and after the event blame themselves, and say, "It was this or that caused it, and we did not know." As I said yesterday, the reason why the very learned astrologers err is that they do not know what is certainly the cause of a man's nativity, and what is not certainly so, and what things we certainly long to do, and are not certain to do. The cause is clear to us who have learnt the secret, viz. that being free to exercise our faculties of reason we sometimes yield to concupiscence and suffer defeat, sometimes resolve to check it, and succeed. But astrologers, through not being acquainted with this very secret, though they have expatiated on the whole subject of man's Free Will from the first, have fallen into the error of devising climacterics; for they regard our power of choice as a most obscure subject, as we pointed out yesterday. Now it is your turn. If you have anything to say in reply, please say it.

And the father answered with an oath, Nothing can be truer than your words.

[1] Περὶ εἱμαρμένης, καὶ πῶς προγνώστου ὄντος τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὑφ' ἑκάστου πραττομένων τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν σώζεται. καὶ τίνα τρόπον οἱ ἀστέρες οὐκ εἰσὶ ποιητικοὶ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, σημαντικοὶ δὲ μόνον: καὶ ὅτι ἄνθρωποι τὴν περὶ τούτων γνῶσιν ἀκριβῶς ἔχειν οὐ δύνανται, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεσι θείαις τὰ σημεῖα ἔκκειται: καὶ τίς ἡ τούτων αἰτία. τόμου τρίτου τῶν εἰς τὴν Γένεσιν. “Καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα καὶ εἰς καιροὺς καὶ εἰς ἡμέρας καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτούς.” Περὶ τοῦ εἰς σημεῖα γεγονέναι τοὺς φωστῆρας, οὐκ ἄλλους ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων τυγχάνοντας, τῶν σφόδρα ἀναγκαιοτάτων ἐστὶ διαλαβεῖν: οὐ μόνον πολλῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν τῆς Χριστοῦ πίστεως ἀλλοτρίων σφαλλομένων εἰς τὸν περὶ τῆς εἱμαρμένης τόπον, τῇ τῶν πλανωμένων ἀστέρων ἐπιπλοκῇ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῷ ζωδιακῷ πάντων αὐτοῖς νομιζομένων συμβαίνειν τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ τῶν περὶ ἕκαστον ἄνθρωπον, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀλόγων ζώων: ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πολλῶν τῶν πεπιστευκέναι ὑπολαμβανομένων περισπωμένων μὴ ἄρα ἠνάγκασται τὰ ἀνθρώπων πράγματα, καὶ ἀμήχανον ἄλλως γενέσθαι ἢ ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες κατὰ τοὺς διαφόρους σχηματισμοὺς ἐπιτελοῦσιν. ἕπεται δὲ τοῖς ταῦτα δογματίζουσιν ἐξ ὅλων τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀναιρεῖν: διόπερ καὶ ἔπαινον καὶ ψόγον καὶ πράξεις ἀποδεκτὰς πάλιν τε αὖ ψεκτάς. ἅπερ εἰ οὕτως ἔχει, τὰ τῆς κεκηρυγμένης τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσεως οἴχεται, καὶ ἀπειλαὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας ὡς κολασθησομένους, τιμαί τε αὖ πρὸς τοὺς τοῖς κρείττοσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδεδωκότας καὶ μακαριότητες: οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔτι τούτων εὐλόγως ἔσται γινόμενον. καὶ εἰ τὰ ἀκόλουθά τις ἑαυτῷ ἐφ' οἷς δογματίζει βλέποι, καὶ ἡ πίστις ἔσται μάταιος, ἥ τε Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημία οὐδὲν ἀνύουσα, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ διὰ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν οἰκονομία, κάματοί τε ἀποστόλων ὑπὲρ τοῦ συστῆσαι τὰς τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίας: εἰ μὴ ἄρα κατὰ τοὺς οὕτω τολμῶντας καὶ Χριστὸς, ὑπὸ τὴν ἀνάγκην τῆς τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεως τῷ γένεσιν ἀνειληφέναι γενόμενος, πάντα πεποιήκοι τε καὶ πάθοι, οὐ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων αὐτῷ τὰς παραδόξους δυνάμεις δωρησαμένου, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀστέρων. οἷς ἀθέοις καὶ ἀσεβέσι τυγχάνουσι λόγοις ἀκολουθεῖ καὶ τὸ τοὺς πιστεύοντας ὑπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων ἀγομένους πιστεύειν εἰς θεὸν λέγεσθαι. πυθοίμεθα δ' ἂν αὐτῶν, τί ὁ θεὸς βουλόμενος τοιοῦτον ἐποίει κόσμον, ἵν' οἱ μὲν ἐν αὐτῷ ἄνδρες ὄντες τὰ γυναικῶν πάσχωσιν, οὐδαμῶς ἑαυτοῖς αἴτιοι τῆς ἀσελγείας γεγενημένοι, ἕτεροι δὲ ἀγρίων ζώων κατάστασιν ἀνειληφότες, τῷ τὴν φορὰν τοῦ παντὸς τοιούτους αὐτοὺς πεποιηκέναι, διὰ τὸ τὸν θεὸν οὕτω κεκοσμηκέναι τὸ πᾶν, ἐπιδιδόασιν ἑαυτοὺς ὠμοτάτοις καὶ σφόδρα ἀπανθρώποις πράγμασιν καὶ ἀνδροφονίαις καὶ πειρατείαις; καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν ἡμᾶς περὶ τῶν συμβαινόντων ἐν ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἁμαρτανομένων ὑπ' αὐτῶν, μυρίων ὅσων τυγχανόντων, οὕστινας οἱ τῶν γενναίων προϊστάμενοι τούτων λόγων ἀπολύοντες παντὸς ἐγκλήματος, τῷ θεῷ προσγράφουσι πάντων τῶν κακῶς καὶ ψεκτῶς πραττομένων τὰς αἰτίας;
[2] Ἐὰν δέ τινες αὐτῶν, ὡς ἀπολογούμενοι περὶ θεοῦ, ἕτερον μὲν εἶναι λέγωσι τὸν ἀγαθὸν, οὐδενὸς τούτων ἔχοντα τὴν ἀρχὴν, τῷ δὲ δημιουργῷ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα προσάπτωσι: πρῶτον μὲν οὐδ' ὣς ὃ βούλονται δυνήσονται ἀποδεικνύναι, ὅτι ἐστὶ δίκαιος: πῶς γὰρ ὁ τοσούτων κακῶν κατ' αὐτοὺς πατὴρ εὐλόγως δογματίζοιτο δίκαιος; δεύτερον δὲ, περὶ ἑαυτῶν τί φήσουσιν, ἐξεταστέον: πότερον ὑπόκεινται τῇ φορᾷ τῶν ἀστέρων, ἢ ἠλευθέρωνται καὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τυγχάνοντες οὐδὲν ἐνεργούμενον εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἔχουσιν ἐκεῖθεν; εἰ μὲν γὰρ φήσουσιν ὑποκεῖσθαι τοῖς ἄστροις, δῆλον ὅτι τὰ ἄστρα τὸ νοηθῆναι αὐτοῖς τοῦτο ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ ὁ δημιουργὸς ὑποβεβληκὼς ἔσται διὰ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς κινήσεως τὸν λόγον τὸν περὶ τοῦ ἀνωτέρω ἀναπεπλασμένου θεοῦ, ὅπερ οὐ βούλονται. εἰ δὲ ἀποκρινοῦνται ὅτι ἔξω τυγχάνουσι τῶν νόμων τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἵνα μὴ ἀπόφασις ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀναπόδεικτος, πειραθήτωσαν ἡμᾶς προσάγειν ἀναγκαστικώτερον, διαφορὰν παριστάντες νοῦ τινος ὑποκειμένου γενέσει καὶ εἱμαρμένῃ, καὶ ἑτέρου ἀπὸ τούτων ἐλευθέρου: δῆλον γάρ ἐστι τοῖς εἰδόσι τοὺς τοιούτους, ὅτι λόγον ἀπαιτηθέντες διδόναι αὐτὸν οὐδαμῶς δυνήσονται. πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ εὐχαὶ παρέλκουσι μάτην παραλαμβανόμεναι: εἰ γὰρ κατηνάγκασται τάδε τινὰ γενέσθαι, καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες ποιοῦσιν, οὐδὲν δὲ παρὰ τὴν τούτων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπιπλοκὴν δύναται γενέσθαι, θεὸν ἀλογίστως ἀξιοῦμεν τάδε τινὰ ἡμῖν δωρεῖσθαι. καὶ τί ἐπὶ πλεῖον μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον δεῖ, παριστάντα τὸ ἀσεβὲς τοῦ κατημαξευμένου ἀβασανίστως παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς περὶ εἱμαρμένης τόπου; αὐτάρκη γὰρ εἰς ὑπογραφὴν καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα.
[3] Πόθεν δὲ ἐξετάζοντες τό: Ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα οἱ φωστῆρες: ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἐληλύθαμεν, ἑαυτοὺς ὑπομνήσωμεν. οἱ μανθάνοντες περί τινων ἀληθῆ, ἤτοι αὐτόπται τῶν πραγμάτων γενόμενοι ἀποφαίνονται τάδε τινὰ ὑγιῶς, τὸ πάθος καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῶν πεπονθότων ἢ ἐνεργηκότων θεασάμενοι, ἢ ἀπαγγελλόντων τῶν οὐδαμῶς αἰτίων τοῖς γεγενημένοις ἀκούσαντες τάδε τινὰ γινώσκουσιν. ὑπεξῃρήσθω δὲ νῦν τοῦ λόγου τὸ δύνασθαι τοὺς δεδρακότας ἢ πεπονθότας, διηγουμένους ἃ δεδράκασιν ἢ πεπόνθασιν, ἐνάγειν εἰς γνῶσιν τῶν πεπραγμένων τὸν μὴ παρατετευχότα. ἐὰν οὖν ὁ διδασκόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ μηδαμῶς αἰτίου τῶν γινομένων τὸ τάδε τινὰ τοῖσδε γεγονέναι ἢ συμβήσεσθαι μὴ διακρίνῃ, ὅτι οὐ πάντως ὁ διδάσκων περί τινος ὡς γενομένου ἢ ἐσομένου αἴτιός ἐστι τοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα τοιόνδε τι τυγχάνειν, οἰήσεται τὸν παραστήσαντα περὶ τοῦ τάδε τινὰ γεγονέναι ἢ τάδε τινὰ ἔσεσθαι πεποιηκέναι ἢ ποιήσειν τὰ περὶ ὧν διδάσκει: οἰήσεται δὲ δηλονότι ἐσφαλμένως: ὡς εἴ τις ἐντυχὼν προφητικῇ βίβλῳ προδηλούσῃ τὰ περὶ Ἰούδαν τὸν προδότην νομίσαι μαθὼν τὸ ἐσόμενον, ὁρῶν αὐτὸ ἀποτελούμενον, τὴν βίβλον αἰτίαν εἶναι τοῦ τόδε τι γεγονέναι ὕστερον, ἐπεὶ ἀπὸ τῆς βίβλου μεμάθηκε τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰούδα πραχθησόμενον: ἢ πάλιν μὴ τὴν βίβλον ὑπολάβοι εἶναι αἰτίαν, ἀλλὰ τὸν πρῶτον γράψαντα αὐτὴν, ἢ τὸν ἐνεργήσαντα φέρε εἰπεῖν τὸν θεόν. ὥσπερ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα προφητευομένων αὐταὶ αἱ λέξεις ἐξεταζόμεναι ἐμφαίνουσι τὸν θεὸν ποιητὴν μὴ γεγονέναι τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα προδοσίας, ἀλλὰ μόνον δεδηλωκέναι προεγνωκότα τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς τούτου κακίας πραχθησόμενα παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ αἰτίαν: οὕτως εἴ τις ἐμβαθύναι τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ προειδέναι τὰ πάντα τὸν θεὸν καὶ τοῖς ἐν οἷς οἷον ἐνετύπωσε τῆς ἑαυτοῦ προγνώσεως τοὺς λόγους, κατανοήσαι ἂν ὅτι οὔτε ὁ προγνοὺς πάντως αἴτιος τῶν προεγνωσμένων, οὔτε τὰ τοὺς τύπους τῶν λόγων τῆς προγνώσεως τοῦ προεγνωκότος δεξάμενα.
[4] Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἕκαστον τῶν ἐσομένων πρὸ πολλοῦ οἶδεν ὁ θεὸς γενησόμενον, καὶ χωρὶς μὲν γραφῆς αὐτόθεν ἐκ τῆς ἐννοίας τῆς περὶ θεοῦ δῆλον τῷ συνιέντι ἀξίωμα δυνάμεως νοῦ θεοῦ. εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν τοῦτο παραστῆσαι, πλήρεις μέν εἰσιν αἱ προφητεῖαι τοιούτων παραδειγμάτων: καὶ κατὰ τὴν Σωσάνναν δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ γινώσκοντος τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, οὕτω λέγουσαν: Ὁ θεὸς ὁ αἰώνιος ὁ τῶν κρυπτῶν γνώστης, ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν, σὺ ἐπίστασαι ὅτι ψευδῆ μου κατεμαρτύρησαν οὗτοι. σαφέστατα δὲ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ τῶν βασιλειῶν καὶ ὄνομα βασιλεύσοντος καὶ πράξεις ἀνεγράφησαν πρὸ πλειόνων ἐτῶν τοῦ γενέσθαι προφητευόμενα οὕτως: Καὶ ἐποίησεν Ἱεροβοὰμ ἑορτὴν ἐν τῷ μηνὶ τῷ ὀγδόῳ ἐν τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ μηνὸς κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τὴν ἐν γῇ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ἐν Βαιθὴλ ὃ ἐποίησεν ταῖς δαμάλεσιν αἷς ἐποίησεν. εἶτα μετ' ὀλίγα: Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξ Ἰούδα παρεγένετο ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου εἰς Βαιθὴλ, καὶ Ἱεροβοὰμ εἱστήκει ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον αὐτοῦ ἐπιθῦσαι. καὶ ἐπεκάλεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου, καὶ εἶπεν Θυσιαστήριον, θυσιαστήριον, τάδε λέγει κύριος Ἰδοὺ υἱὸς τίκτεται τῷ οἴκῳ Δαϋὶδ, Ἰωσίας ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ θύσει ἐπὶ σὲ τοὺς ἱερεῖς τῶν ὑψηλῶν τῶν ἐπιθυόντων ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ὀστᾶ ἀνθρώπων καύσει ἐπὶ σέ. καὶ ἔδωκεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τέρας, λέγων Τοῦτο τὸ τέρας ὃ ἐλάλησε κύριος λέγων Ἰδοὺ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ῥήγνυται, καὶ ἐκχυθήσεται ἡ πιότης ἡ ἐπ' αὐτῷ. καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα δηλοῦται, ὅτι καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἐρράγη, καὶ ἐξεχύθη ἡ πιότης ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κατὰ τὸ τέρας, ὃ ἔδωκεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου.
[5] Καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ γενομένῳ πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, μεθ' ἣν αἰχμαλωσίαν ὕστερόν ποτε γίνεται Κῦρος ὁ Περσῶν βασιλεὺς συνεργήσας τῇ οἰκοδομῇ τοῦ ναοῦ γενομένῃ κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους Ἔσδρα, ταῦτα περὶ Κύρου ὀνομαστὶ προφητεύεται: Οὕτω λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ ἐπακοῦσαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ ἰσχὺν βασιλέων διαρρήξω, ἀνοίξω ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ θύρας, καὶ πόλεις οὐ συγκλεισθήσονται: Ἐγὼ ἔμπροσθέν σου πορεύσομαι καὶ ὄρη ὁμαλιῶ, θύρας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συνθλάσω: καὶ δώσω σοι θησαυροὺς σκοτεινοὺς, ἀποκρύφους, ἀοράτους ἀνοίξω σοι, ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ καλῶν τὸ ὄνομά σου θεὸς Ἰσραήλ. ἕνεκεν τοῦ παιδός μου Ἰακὼβ καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ ἐκλεκτοῦ μου, ἐγὼ καλέσω σε τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ προσδέξομαί σε. σαφῶς γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τούτων δεδήλωται, ὅτι διὰ τὸν λαὸν, ὃν εὐεργέτησεν ὁ Κῦρος, ὁ θεὸς μὴ γινώσκοντι αὐτῷ τὴν καθ' Ἑβραίους θεοσέβειαν ἐδωρήσατο ἐθνῶν πλειόνων ἄρξαι: καὶ ἔστι ταῦτα μαθεῖν καὶ ἀπὸ Ἑλλήνων τῶν ἀναγραψάντων τὰ περὶ τὸν προφητευθέντα Κῦρον. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν τῷ Δανιὴλ, Βαβυλωνίων βασιλευόντων τότε, τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ δείκνυνται αἱ ἐσόμεναι βασιλεῖαι μετ' αὐτόν. δείκνυνται δὲ διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος: χρυσίου μὲν τῆς Βαβυλωνίων ἀρχῆς ὀνομαζομένης, ἀργυρίου δὲ τῆς Περσῶν, χαλκοῦ δὲ τῆς Μακεδόνων, σιδήρου δὲ τῆς Ῥωμαίων. καὶ πάλιν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ προφήτῃ τὰ περὶ Δαρεῖον καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον, καὶ τοὺς τέσσαρας διαδόχους Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνων βασιλέως, καὶ Πτολεμαῖον τὸν τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἄρξαντα τὸν ἐπικαλούμενον Λαγὼν, οὕτω προφητεύεται: Καὶ ἰδοὺ τράγος αἰγῶν ἤρχετο ἀπὸ λιβὸς ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς: καὶ τῷ τράγῳ κέρας ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν. καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως τοῦ κριοῦ τοῦ τὰ κέρατα ἔχοντος, οὗ εἶδον ἑστῶτος ἐνώπιον τοῦ Οὐβὰλ, καὶ ἔδραμε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐνώπιον τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἶδον αὐτὸν φθάνοντα ἕως τοῦ κριοῦ, καὶ ἐξηγριώθη πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔπαισε τὸν κριὸν καὶ συνέτριψεν ἀμφότερα τὰ κέρατα αὐτοῦ: καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἰσχὺς τῷ κριῷ στῆναι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ: καὶ ἔρριψεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ συνεπάτησεν αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐξαιρούμενος τὸν κριὸν ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτοῦ. καὶ ὁ τράγος τῶν αἰγῶν ἐμεγαλύνθη ἕως σφόδρα: καὶ ἐν τῷ ἰσχῦσαι αὐτὸν συνετρίβη τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ τὸ μέγα, καὶ ἀνέβη ἕτερα κέρατα τέσσαρα ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἐξῆλθε κέρας ἓν ἰσχυρὸν, καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθη περισσῶς πρὸς τὸν νότον καὶ τὴν δύσιν. τί δὲ δεῖ λέγειν τὰς περὶ Χριστοῦ προφητείας, οἷον τόπον γενέσεως αὐτοῦ Βηθλεὲμ, καὶ τόπον ἀνατροφῆς αὐτοῦ Ναζαρὰ, καὶ τὴν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀναχώρησιν, καὶ τεράστια ἃ ἐποίησε, καὶ τίνα τρόπον ὑπὸ Ἰούδα τοῦ εἰς ἀποστολὴν κεκλημένου προεδόθη; πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα σημεῖά ἐστι τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προγνώσεως. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ, Ὅταν, φησὶν, ἴδητε κυκλουμένην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, τότε γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῆς. προεῖπε γὰρ τὸ ὕστερον συμβεβηκὸς τέλος τῆς κατασκαφῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ.
[6] Ἀποδεδειγμένου τοίνυν ἡμῖν περὶ τοῦ προγνώστην εἶναι τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἀκαίρως, ἵνα διηγησώμεθα πῶς οἱ ἀστέρες γίνονται εἰς σημεῖα, νοητέον τοὺς ἀστέρας οὕτω τετάχθαι κινεῖσθαι, ἐναντιοφορούντων τῶν καλουμένων πλανωμένων τοῖς ἀπλανέσιν, ἵνα σημεῖα ἀπὸ τοῦ σχηματισμοῦ τῶν ἀστέρων πάντων τῶν περὶ ἕκαστον γινομένων καὶ τῶν καθόλου λαμβάνοντες γινώσκωσιν, οὐχὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, (πολλῷ γὰρ μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον τὸ δύνασθαι κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἐκλαμβάνειν ἀπὸ τῆς κινήσεως τῶν ἀστέρων τὰ περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ὅ τί ποτε ἐνεργούντων ἢ πασχόντων), ἀλλ' αἱ δυνάμεις, ἃς ἀναγκαῖον διὰ πολλὰ ταῦτα γινώσκειν, ὡς κατὰ δύναμιν ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς δείξομεν. σανθέντες δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἔκ τινων τηρήσεων, ἢ καὶ ἐκ διδασκαλίας ἀγγέλων τὴν ἰδίαν τάξιν παραβεβηκότων καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν ἐπιτριβῇ διδαξάντων περὶ τούτων τινὰ, ᾠήθησαν τοὺς ἀφ' ὧν τὰ σημεῖα οἴονται λαμβάνειν αἰτίους ὑπάρχειν τούτων, ἃ σημαίνειν ὁ λόγος φησί: περὶ ὧν καὶ αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν ἐπιτομῇ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐπιμελέστερον εὐθέως διαληψόμεθα. προκείσεται τοίνυν ταῦτα τὰ προβλήματα: (αʹ) πῶς, προγνώστου ὄντος ἐξ αἰῶνος τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ τῶν ὑφ' ἑκάστου πράττεσθαι νομιζομένων, τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν σώζεται: (βʹ) καὶ τίνα τρόπον οἱ ἀστέρες οὐκ εἰσὶ ποιητικοὶ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, σημαντικοὶ δὲ μόνον: (γʹ) καὶ ὅτι ἄνθρωποι τὴν περὶ τούτων γνῶσιν ἀκριβῶς ἔχειν οὐ δύνανται, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεσιν ἀνθρώπων κρείττοσι τὰ σημεῖα ἔκκειται: (δʹ) τίς γὰρ ἡ αἰτία τοῦ τὰ σημεῖα τὸν θεὸν πεποιηκέναι εἰς γνῶσιν τῶν δυνάμεων, τέταρτον ἐξετασθήσεται.
[7] Καὶ τοίνυν ἴδωμεν τὸ πρῶτον, ὅπερ εὐλαβηθέντες πολλοί τινες τῶν Ἑλλήνων, οἰόμενοι κατηναγκάσθαι τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν μηδαμῶς σώζεσθαι εἰ ὁ θεὸς προγινώσκει τὰ μέλλοντα, ἀσεβὲς δόγμα ἐτόλμησαν ἀναδέξασθαι μᾶλλον ἢ προσέσθαι τὸ, ὥς φασιν ἐκεῖνοι, ἔνδοξον μὲν περὶ θεοῦ, ἀναιροῦν δὲ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔπαινον καὶ ψόγον καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀπόδεκτον τῶν τε κακιῶν ψεκτόν. καί φασιν, εἰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἔγνω ὁ θεὸς τόνδε τινὰ ἀδικήσειν καὶ τάδε ποιήσειν τὰ ἀδικήματα, ἀψευδὴς δὲ ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πάντως ἔσται ἄδικος ποιήσων τάδε τὰ ἀδικήματα ὁ τοιοῦτος εἶναι προεωραμένος καὶ ἀμήχανον μὴ ἀδικήσειν αὐτὸν, κατηνάγκασται τὸ ἀδικήσειν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀδύνατον ἔσται ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι αὐτὸν ἢ ὅπερ ἔγνω ὁ θεός: εἰ δὲ ἀδύνατον ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι αὐτὸν, οὐδεὶς δὲ ἀδύνατα μὴ ποιήσας ψεκτός ἐστι, μάτην αἰτιώμεθα τοὺς ἀδίκους. ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἀδίκου καὶ τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐπέρχονται καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἁμαρτήματα, εἶτα ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα κατορθώματα: καί φασιν ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ τὸν θεὸν τὰ μέλλοντα προεγνωκέναι τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν σώζεσθαι.
[8] Πρὸς οὓς λεκτέον ὅτι ἐπιβάλλων ὁ θεὸς τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς κοσμοποιΐας, οὐδενὸς ἀναιτίως γινομένου, ἐπιπορεύεται τῷ νῷ ἕκαστον τῶν ἐσομένων, ὁρῶν ὅτι ἐπεὶ τόδε γέγονε τόδε ἕπεται, ἐὰν δὲ γένηται τόδε τὸ ἑπόμενον τόδε ἀκολουθεῖ, οὗ ὑποστάντος τόδε ἔσται: καὶ οὕτω μέχρι τέλους τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιπορευθεὶς οἶδεν ἃ ἔσται, οὐ πάντως ἑκάστῳ τῶν γινωσκομένων αἴτιος τοῦ αὐτὸ συμβῆναι τυγχάνων. ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ὁρῶν τινὰ διὰ ἀμαθίαν προπετῆ, διὰ δὲ τὴν προπετείαν ἀλογίστως ἐπιβαίνοντα ὁδοῦ ὀλισθηρᾶς, εἰ καταλάβοι πεσεῖσθαι ὀλισθήσαντα, οὐχὶ αἴτιος τοῦ ὀλίσθου ἐκείνῳ γίνεται: οὕτω νοητέον τὸν θεὸν προεωρακότα ὁποῖος ἔσται ἕκαστος καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τοῦ τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν ἔσεσθαι καθορᾷν, καὶ ὅτι ἁμαρτήσεται τάδε ἢ κατορθώσει τάδε. καὶ εἰ χρὴ λέγειν οὐ τὴν πρόγνωσιν αἰτίαν τῶν γινομένων, (οὐ γὰρ ἐφάπτεται τοῦ προεγνωσμένου ἁμαρτησομένου ὁ θεὸς, ὅταν ἁμαρτάνῃ), ἀλλὰ παραδοξότερον μὲν ἀληθὲς δὲ ἐροῦμεν, τὸ ἐσόμενον αἴτιον τοῦ τοιάνδε εἶναι τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ πρόγνωσιν. οὐ γὰρ ἐπεὶ ἔγνωσται γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἔμελλεν γίνεσθαι ἔγνωσται: διαστολῆς δὲ δεῖται. εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ‘πάντως ἔσται’ οὕτω τις ἑρμηνεύει, ὡς ἀνάγκην εἶναι γενέσθαι τὸ προεγνωσμένον, οὐ διδόαμεν αὐτῷ: οὐ γὰρ ἐροῦμεν, ἐπεὶ προέγνωσται Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι, ὅτι πᾶσα ἀνάγκη ἦν Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι. ἐν γοῦν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα προφητείαις μέμψεις καὶ κατηγορίαι τοῦ Ἰούδα ἀναγεγραμμέναι εἰσὶ παντί τῳ παριστᾶσαι τὸ ψεκτὸν αὐτοῦ. οὐκ ἂν δὲ ψόγος αὐτῷ προσήπτετο, εἰ ἐπαναγκὲς προδότης ἦν, καὶ μὴ ἐνεδέχετο αὐτὸν ὅμοιον τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀποστόλοις γενέσθαι. ὅρα δὲ εἰ μὴ ταῦτα δηλοῦται δι' ὧν παραθησόμεθα ῥητῶν οὕτως ἐχόντων: Μηδὲ γενηθήτω οἰκτίρμων τοῖς ὀρφανοῖς αὐτοῦ: ἀνθ' ὧν οὐκ ἐμνήσθη ποιῆσαι ἔλεος, καὶ κατεδίωξεν ἄνθρωπον πένητα καὶ πτωχὸν καὶ κατανενυγμένον τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ θανατῶσαι. καὶ ἠγάπησεν κατάραν, καὶ ἥξει αὐτῷ: καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν εὐλογίαν, καὶ μακρυνθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. εἰ δέ τις διηγήσεται τὸ ‘πάντως ἔσται,’ καὶ τοῦτο σημαίνειν αὐτὸ λέγων, ὅτι ἔσται μὲν τάδε τινὰ ἐνεδέχετο δὲ καὶ ἑτέρως γενέσθαι, τοῦτο ὡς ἀληθὲς συγχωροῦμεν: τὸν μὲν γὰρ θεὸν οὐκ ἐνδέχεται ψεύσασθαι, ἐνδέχεται δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐνδεχομένων γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ γενέσθαι φρονῆσαι τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι.
[9] Σαφέστερον δὲ τοῦτο οὕτως ἐροῦμεν. εἰ ἐνδέχεται Ἰούδαν εἶναι ἀπόστολον ὁμοίως Πέτρῳ, ἐνδέχεται τὸν θεὸν νοῆσαι περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα ὅτι μενεῖ ἀπόστολος ὁμοίως Πέτρῳ. εἰ ἐνδέχεται Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι, ἐνδέχεται τὸν θεὸν φρονῆσαι περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι προδότης ἔσται. εἰ δὲ προδότης ἔσται Ἰούδας, ὁ θεὸς τῇ προγνώσει αὐτοῦ τῶν προειρημένων ἐνδεχομένων δύο, ἐνδεχομένου τοῦ εἶναι ἑνὶ αὐτῶν, τὸ ἀληθὲς προγινώσκων, προγνώσεται τὸν Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι: τὸ δὲ περὶ οὗ ἡ γνῶσις ἐνδέχεται καὶ ἑτέρως γενέσθαι: καὶ λέγοι ἂν ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι ἐνδέχεται μὲν τόνδε τόδε ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον: ἐνδεχομένων δὲ ἀμφοτέρων, οἶδα ὅτι τόδε ποιήσει: οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ὁ θεὸς εἴποι ἂν, οὐκ ἐνδέχεται τόνδε τινὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον πτῆναι, οὕτω χρησμὸν φέρε εἰπεῖν περί τινος διδοὺς ἐρεῖ ὅτι οὐκ ἐνδέχεται τόνδε σωφρονῆσαι. δύναμις μὲν γὰρ πάντη οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ πτῆναι οὐδαμῶς ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, δύναμις δὲ ἔστι τοῦ σωφρονῆσαι καὶ τοῦ ἀκολαστῆσαι. ὧν ἀμφοτέρων δυνάμεων ὑπαρχουσῶν, ὁ μὴ προσέχων λόγοις ἐπιστρεπτικοῖς καὶ παιδευτικοῖς ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδίδωσι τῇ χείρονι: τῇ κρείττονι δὲ ὁ ζητήσας τὸ ἀληθὲς καὶ βιῶσαι βεβουλημένος κατ' αὐτό. οὐ ζητεῖ δὲ ὅδε μὲν τἀληθῆ, ἐπεὶ ἐπιρρέπει ἐπὶ τὴν ἡδονήν: ὅδε δὲ ἐξετάζει περὶ αὐτῶν, αἱρεθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν κοινῶν ἐννοιῶν καὶ λόγου προτρεπτικοῦ. πάλιν τε αὖ ὅδε μὲν αἱρεῖται τὴν ἡδονὴν, οὐχὶ οὐ δυνάμενος ἀντιβλέπειν αὐτῇ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγωνιζόμενος: ὅδε δὲ καταφρονεῖ αὐτῆς, τὸ ἄσχημον ὁρῶν τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ πολλάκις τυγχάνον.
[10] Ὅτι μέντοι γε ἡ πρόγνωσις τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἀνάγκην ἐπιτίθησι τοῖς περὶ ὧν κατείληφε, πρὸς τοῖς προειρημένοις καὶ τοῦτο λελέξεται, ὅτι πολλαχοῦ τῶν γραφῶν ὁ θεὸς κελεύει τοὺς προφήτας κηρύσσειν μετάνοιαν, οὐ προσποιησάμενος τὸ προεγνωκέναι πότερον οἱ ἀκούσαντες ἐπιστρέψουσιν ἢ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἑαυτῶν ἐμμενοῦσιν: ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ λέγεται: Ἴσως ἀκούσονται καὶ μετανοήσουσιν. οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοῶν ὁ θεὸς πότερον ἀκούσουσιν ἢ οὒ φησίν: Ἴσως ἀκούσονται καὶ μετανοήσουσιν: ἀλλ' οἱονεὶ τὸ ἰσοστάσιον τῶν δυνάμεων γενέσθαι δεικνὺς ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων: ἵνα μὴ προκατηγγελμένη ἡ πρόγνωσις αὐτοῦ προκαταπεσεῖν ποιήσῃ τοὺς ἀκούοντας, δόξαν ἀνάγκης παριστᾶσα, ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι, καὶ οἱονεὶ καὶ αὐτὴ αἰτία γένηται τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων: ἢ πάλιν τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ ἀγνοεῖν τὸ προεγνωσμένον καλὸν δυναμένοις ἐν τῷ ἀγωνίσασθαι καὶ ἀντιτείνειν πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ἐν ἀρετῇ βιῶσαι, αἰτία γένηται ἡ πρόγνωσις ἐκλύσεως, οὐκ ἔτι εὐτόνως ἱσταμένοις κατὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὡς πάντως ἐσομένου τοῦ προειρημένου: καὶ οὕτω γὰρ οἷον ἐμπόδιον γένοιτ' ἂν ἡ πρόγνωσις τοῦ ἐσομένου καλοῦ. πάντα γοῦν χρησίμως ὁ θεὸς τὰ κατὰ τὸν κόσμον οἰκονομῶν εὐλόγως ἡμᾶς καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ἐτύφλωσεν. ἡ γὰρ γνῶσις αὐτῶν ἀνῆκε μὲν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀθλεῖν κατὰ τῆς κακίας, ἐπέτριψε δ' ἂν δόξασα κατειλῆφθαι, πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀντιπαλαίσαντας ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ τάχιον αὐτῇ ὑποχειρίους γενέσθαι. ἅμα δὲ καὶ μαχόμενον ἐγίνετο τῷ καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν γενέσθαι τινὰ, τὸ τὴν πρόγνωσιν ἐληλυθέναι εἰς τόνδε τινὰ ὅτι πάντως ἔσται ἀγαθός. πρὸς οἷς ἔχομεν γὰρ καὶ σφοδρότητος καὶ τάσεως πλείονος χρεία πρὸς τὸ καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν γενέσθαι: προκαταληφθεῖσα δὲ ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ πάντως καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἔσεσθαι ὑπεκλύει τὴν ἄσκησιν. διόπερ συμφερόντως οὐκ ἴσμεν οὔτε εἰ ἀγαθοὶ οὔτε εἰ πονηροὶ ἐσόμεθα.
[11] Ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰρήκαμεν ὅτι ἀπετύφλωσεν ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ὁ θεὸς, ζητούμενόν τι ῥητὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐξόδου ὅρα εἰ δυνάμεθα οὕτω σαφηνίσαι: Τίς ἐποίησεν δύσκωφον καὶ κωφὸν, βλέποντα καὶ τυφλόν; οὐκ ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός; ἵνα τὸν αὐτὸν τυφλὸν καὶ βλέποντα πεποιηκὼς ᾖ, βλέποντα μὲν τὰ ἐνεστηκότα τυφλὸν δὲ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα: τὸ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ δυσκώφου καὶ κωφοῦ οὐ τοῦ παρόντος καιροῦ διηγήσασθαι. ὅτι μέντοι γε πολλῶν τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν αἴτια πλεῖστα τῶν οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστὶ, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὁμολογήσομεν: ὧν μὴ γενομένων, λέγω δὲ τῶν οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, οὐκ ἂν τάδε τινὰ τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐπράττετο: πράττεται δὲ τάδε τινὰ τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀκόλουθα τοῖσδε τοῖς προγενομένοις οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, ἐνδεχομένου τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς προγενομένοις καὶ ἕτερα πρᾶξαι παρ' ἃ πράττομεν. εἰ δέ τις ζητεῖ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἀπολελυμένον εἶναι τοῦ παντὸς, ὥστε μὴ διὰ τάδε τινὰ συμβεβηκότα ἡμῖν ἡμᾶς αἱρεῖσθαι τάδε, ἐπιλέλησται κόσμου μέρος ὢν καὶ ἐμπεριεχόμενος ἀνθρώπων κοινωνίᾳ καὶ τοῦ περιέχοντος. μετρίως μὲν οὖν ὡς ἐν ἐπιτομῇ οἶμαι ἀποδεδεῖχθαι τὸ τὴν πρόγνωσιν τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ εἶναι καταναγκαστικὴν τῶν προεγνωσμένων πάντως.
[12] Ἔτι περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ βʹ τόμῳ τῶν κατὰ Κέλσου ἐν τούτοις. Ὁ μὲν Κέλσος οἴεται διὰ τοῦτο γίνεσθαι τὸ ὑπό τινος προγνώσεως θεσπισθὲν, ἐπεὶ ἐθεσπίσθη: ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦτο οὐ διδόντες φαμὲν οὐχὶ τὸν θεσπίσαντα αἴτιον εἶναι τοῦ ἐσομένου, ἐπεὶ προεῖπεν αὐτὸ γενησόμενον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐσόμενον, ἐσόμενον ἂν καὶ μὴ θεσπισθὲν, τὴν αἰτίαν τῷ προγινώσκοντι παρεσχηκέναι τοῦ αὐτὸ προειπεῖν. καὶ ὅλον γε τοῦτο ἐν τῇ προγνώσει τοῦ θεσπίζοντος αὐτὸ τυγχάνει: δυνατοῦ δὲ ὄντος τοῦδέ τινος γενέσθαι, δυνατοῦ δὲ καὶ μὴ γενέσθαι, ἔσται τὸ ἕτερον αὐτῶν τόδε τι. καὶ οὔ φαμεν ὅτι ὁ προγινώσκων, ὑφελὼν τὸ δυνατὸν εἶναι γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ γενέσθαι, οἱονεὶ τοιοῦτόν τι λέγει: τόδε πάντως ἔσται, καὶ ἀδύνατον ἑτέρως γενέσθαι. καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτο φθάνει ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν τινὸς πρόγνωσιν, εἴτε κατὰ τὰς θείας γραφὰς εἴτε κατὰ τὰς Ἑλλήνων ἱστορίας. καὶ ὁ καλούμενός γε παρὰ τοῖς διαλεκτικοῖς ἀργὸς λόγος, σόφισμα τυγχάνων, οὐκ ἔσται μὲν σόφισμα, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῷ Κέλσῳ, κατὰ δὲ τὸν ὑγιῆ λόγον σόφισμά ἐστιν. ἵνα δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτο νοηθῇ, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς γραφῆς χρήσομαι ταῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα προφητείαις, ἢ τῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς προδώσοντος προγνώσει: ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ἱστοριῶν τῷ πρὸς τὸν Λάϊον χρησμῷ, συγχωρῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος εἶναι αὐτὸν ἀληθῆ, ἐπεὶ μὴ λυπεῖ τὸν λόγον. περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα τοίνυν ἐν ἑκατοστῷ καὶ ὀγδόῳ λέγεται ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ σωτῆρος ψαλμῷ, οὗ ἡ ἀρχή: Ὁ θεὸς, τὴν αἴνεσίν μου μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς: ὅτι στόμα ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ στόμα δολίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἠνοίχθη. καὶ τηρήσας γε τὰ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ εἰρημένα εὑρήσεις ὅτι, ὡς προέγνωσται προδώσων τὸν σωτῆρα, οὕτω καὶ αἴτιος ὢν τῆς προδοσίας καὶ ἄξιος τῶν ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ λεγομένων διὰ τὴν κακίαν αὐτοῦ ἀρῶν. τάδε γὰρ παθέτω, Ἀνθ' ὧν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐμνήσθη τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἔλεος, καὶ κατεδίωξεν ἄνθρωπον πένητα καὶ πτωχόν. οὐκοῦν ἐδύνατο μνησθῆναι τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἔλεος καὶ μὴ καταδιῶξαι ὃν κατεδίωξε: δυνάμενος δὲ οὐ πεποίηκεν, ἀλλὰ προέδωκεν: ὥστε ἄξιος εἶναι τῶν ἐν τῇ προφητείᾳ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀρῶν. καὶ πρὸς Ἕλληνας δὲ χρησόμεθα τῷ εἰρημένῳ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον πρὸς τὸν Λάϊον, εἴτε αὐταῖς λέξεσιν εἴτε τὸ ἰσοδυναμοῦν αὐταῖς ἀναγράψαντος τοῦ τραγικοῦ. λέγεται τοίνυν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ προεγνωκότος δὴ τὰ ἐσόμενα: Μὴ σπεῖρε παίδων ἄλοκα δαιμόνων βίᾳ: Εἰ γὰρ τεκνώσεις παῖδ', ἀποκτενεῖ ς' ὁ φὺς, Καὶ πᾶς σὸς οἶκος βήσεται δι' αἵματος. καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τοίνυν σαφῶς δηλοῦται ὅτι δυνατὸν μὲν ἦν τῷ Λαΐῳ μὴ σπείρειν παίδων ἄλοκα: οὐκ ἂν γὰρ τὸ μὴ δυνατὸν προσέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ χρησμός: δυνατὸν δὲ ἦν καὶ τὸ σπείρειν, καὶ οὐδέτερον αὐτῶν κατηνάγκαστο. ἠκολούθησε δὲ τῷ μὴ φυλαξαμένῳ σπεῖραι παίδων ἄλοκα παθεῖν ἐκ τοῦ ἐσπαρκέναι τὰ τῆς κατὰ Οἰδίποδα καὶ Ἰοκάστην καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τραγῳδίας.
[13] Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἀργὸς καλούμενος λόγος, σόφισμα ὢν, τοιοῦτός ἐστι λεγόμενος ἐπὶ ὑποθέσεως πρὸς τὸν νοσοῦντα καὶ ὡς σόφισμα ἀποτρέπων αὐτὸν χρῆσθαι τῷ ἰατρῷ πρὸς ὑγίειαν, καὶ ἔχει γε οὕτως ὁ λόγος: Εἰ εἵμαρταί σοι ἀναστῆναι ἐκ τῆς νόσου, ἐάν τε εἰσαγάγῃς τὸν ἰατρὸν ἐάν τε μὴ εἰσαγάγῃς, ἀναστήσῃ: ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ εἵμαρταί σοι μὴ ἀναστῆναι ἐκ τῆς νόσου, ἐάν τε εἰσαγάγῃς τὸν ἰατρὸν ἐάν τε μὴ εἰσαγάγῃς, οὐκ ἀναστήσῃ: ἤτοι δὲ εἵμαρταί σοι ἀναστῆναι ἐκ τῆς νόσου, ἢ εἵμαρταί σοι μὴ ἀναστῆναι: μάτην ἄρα εἰσάγεις τὸν ἰατρόν. ἀλλὰ χαριέντως τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ τοιοῦτόν τι ἀντιπαραβάλλεται: Εἰ εἵμαρταί σοι τεκνοποιῆσαι, ἐάν τε συνέλθῃς γυναικὶ ἐάν τε μὴ συνέλθῃς, τεκνοποιήσεις: ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ εἵμαρταί σοι μὴ τεκνοποιῆσαι, ἐάν τε συνέλθῃς γυναικὶ ἢ μὴ συνέλθῃς, οὐ τεκνοποιήσεις: ἤτοι δὲ εἵμαρταί σοι τεκνοποιῆσαι ἢ μὴ τεκνοποιῆσαι: μάτην ἄρα συνέρχῃ γυναικί. ὡς γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτου, ἐπεὶ ἀμήχανον καὶ ἀδύνατον τεκνοποιῆσαι τὸν μὴ συνελθόντα γυναικὶ, οὐ μάτην παραλαμβάνεται τὸ συνελθεῖν γυναικί: οὕτως, εἰ τὸ ἀναστῆναι ἐκ τῆς νόσου ὁδῷ τῇ ἀπὸ ἰατρικῆς γίνεται, ἀναγκαίως παραλαμβάνεται ὁ ἰατρός: καὶ ψεῦδος τό: Μάτην εἰσάγεις τὸν ἰατρόν. ὅλα δὲ ταῦτα παρειλήφαμεν, δι' ἃ παρέθετο ὁ σοφώτατος Κέλσος εἰπών: ‘Θεὸς ὢν προεῖπε, καὶ πάντως ἐχρῆν γενέσθαι τὸ προειρημένον.’ εἰ γὰρ τοῦ πάντως ἀκούει ἀντὶ τοῦ κατηναγκασμένως, οὐ δώσομεν αὐτῷ: δυνατὸν γὰρ ἦν καὶ μὴ γενέσθαι. εἰ δὲ τὸ πάντως λέγει ἀντὶ τοῦ ἔσται, ὅπερ οὐ κωλύεται εἶναι ἀληθὲς, κἂν δυνατὸν ᾖ τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι, οὐδὲν λυπεῖ τὸν λόγον: οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠκολούθει τῷ προειρηκέναι τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀληθῶς τὰ περὶ τοῦ προδότου, ἢ τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἀρνησαμένου Πέτρου, τὸ αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς αἴτιον γενέσθαι ἀσεβείας καὶ ἀνοσίου πράξεως. ὁρῶν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ μοχθηρὸν ἦθος ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς γιγνώσκων τί ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, καὶ ὁρῶν ἃ τολμήσει ἔκ τε τοῦ φιλάργυρος εἶναι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ βεβαίως περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου φρονεῖν ἃ ἐχρῆν, εἶπε μετὰ πολλῶν καὶ τό: Ὁ ἐμβάψας μετ' ἐμοῦ τὴν χεῖρα εἰς τὸ τρυβλίον, ἐκεῖνός με παραδώσει.
[14] [Τόμου τρίτου τῶν εἰς τὴν Γένεσιν] Φέρε δὲ ἀγωνισώμεθα καὶ περὶ τοῦ τοὺς ἀστέρας μηδαμῶς εἶναι ποιητικοὺς τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, σημαντικοὺς δὲ μόνον. σαφὲς δὴ ὅτι εἰ ὅδε τις ὁ σχηματισμὸς τῶν ἀστέρων ποιητικὸς νομίζοιτο τῶνδέ τινων τῶν γινομένων περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον: ἔστω γὰρ περὶ τούτου νῦν ζητεῖσθαι τὸν λόγον: οὐκ ἂν ὁ σήμερον φέρε εἰπεῖν γενόμενος σχηματισμὸς περὶ τόνδε δύναιτο νοεῖσθαι πεποιηκέναι τὰ παρεληλυθότα περὶ ἕτερον ἢ καὶ περὶ ἑτέρους: πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ποιοῦν πρεσβύτερον τοῦ πεποιημένου. ὅσον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς μαθήμασι τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπαγγελλομένων, πρεσβύτερα τοῦ σχηματισμοῦ προλέγεσθαι νομίζεται περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. ἐπαγγέλλονται γὰρ τόνδε τινὰ τόπον τὴν ὥραν λαβόντες τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καταλαμβάνειν πῶς ἕκαστος τῶν πλανωμένων κατὰ κάθετον, ἢ τῆσδε τῆς μοίρας τοῦ ζωδίου ἢ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ λεπτῶν, καὶ ποῖος ἀστὴρ τοῦ ζωδιακοῦ κατὰ τοῦ ἀνατολικοῦ ἐτύγχανεν ὁρίζοντος, ποῖός τε κατὰ τοῦ δυτικοῦ, καὶ τίς κατὰ τοῦ μεσουρανήματος, καὶ τίς κατὰ τοῦ ἀντιμεσουρανήματος. καὶ ἐπὰν θῶσι τοὺς ἀστέρας, οὓς νομίζουσιν ἑαυτοῖς ἐσχηματικέναι, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς τοῦ δεῖνος γενέσεως ἐσχηματισμένους οὑτωσὶ, τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς ἀποτέξεως τοῦ περὶ οὗ σκοποῦσιν, οὐ μόνον τὰ μέλλοντα ἐξετάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ παρεληλυθότα, καὶ τὰ πρὸ τῆς γενέσεως καὶ τῆς σπορᾶς τοῦ περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος γεγενημένα: περὶ πατρὸς, ποταπὸς ὢν τυγχάνει, πλούσιος ἢ πένης, ὁλόκληρος τὸ σῶμα ἢ σεσινωμένος, τὸ ἦθος βελτίων ἢ χείρων, ἀκτήμων ἢ πολυκτήμων, τήνδε τὴν πρᾶξιν ἢ τήνδε ἔχων: τὰ δ' αὐτὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς μητρὸς, καὶ περὶ πρεσβυτέρων ἀδελφῶν, ἐὰν τύχωσιν ὄντες.
[15] Ἔστω δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος προσίεσθαι αὐτοὺς καταλαμβάνειν τὰ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ἀληθῆ, περὶ οὗ καὶ αὐτοῦ ὕστερον δείξομεν ὅτι οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει: πευσώμεθα τοίνυν τῶν ὑπολαμβανόντων κατηναγκάσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἄστρων τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγματα, τίνα τρόπον ὁ σήμερον σχηματισμὸς ὁ τοιόσδε δύναται πεποιηκέναι τὰ πρεσβύτερα. εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἀμήχανον, καθ' ὃ δὴ ὅτι εὑρίσκεται τὸ περὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ χρόνου ἀληθὲς, σαφὲς τὸ μὴ πεποιηκέναι τοὺς ἀστέρας οὑτωσὶ κινουμένους ἐν οὐρανῷ τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ γενόμενα πρὸ τοῦ οὕτως ἔχειν αὐτούς. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, τάχα ὁ προσιέμενος ἀληθεύειν αὐτοὺς, ἐπιστήσας τοῖς περὶ τῶν μελλόντων λεγομένοις, ἐρεῖ ἀληθεύειν αὐτοὺς οὐ τῷ ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀστέρας ἀλλὰ τῷ σημαίνειν μόνον. ἐὰν δέ τις φάσκῃ τὰ μὲν παρεληλυθότα μὴ ποιεῖν τοὺς ἀστέρας, ἀλλὰ ἄλλους μὲν σχηματισμοὺς τοὺς τῆς ἐκείνων γενέσεως αἰτίους γεγονέναι, τὸν δὲ νῦν σχηματισμὸν σεσημαγκέναι μόνον, τὰ μέντοι μέλλοντα δηλοῦσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνεστηκότος σχηματισμοῦ τῆς τοῦ δεῖνος γενέσεως: παραστησάτω τὴν διαφορὰν τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων δύνασθαι δεῖξαι ὅτι τάδε μὲν νενόηται ἀληθῆ ὡς ἀπὸ ποιούντων, τάδε δὲ ὡς ἀπὸ σημαινόντων μόνον. μὴ ἔχοντες δὲ δοῦναι τὴν διαφορὰν εὐγνωμόνως συγκαταθήσονται τῷ μηδὲν τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων γίνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὡς προειρήκαμεν, εἰ ἄρα, σημαίνεσθαι: ὡς εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων τις ἐλάμβανε τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ νοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ διά τινος λόγου προφητικοῦ. ὥσπερ γὰρ προαπεδείξαμεν ὅτι οὐδὲν λυπεῖ τὸν περὶ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν λόγον τὸ τὸν θεὸν εἰδέναι τὰ πραχθησόμενα ἑκάστῳ, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὰ σημεῖα, ἃ ἔταξεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸ σημαίνειν, ἐμποδίζει τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν: ἀλλὰ παραπλησίως βιβλίῳ περιέχοντι τὰ μέλλοντα προφητικῶς ὁ πᾶς οὐρανὸς δύναται, οἱονεὶ βίβλος ὢν θεοῦ, περιέχειν τὰ μέλλοντα. διόπερ ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ δύναται οὕτω νοεῖσθαι τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰακώβ: Ἀνέγνων γὰρ ἐν ταῖς πλαξὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὅσα συμβήσεται ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς ὑμῶν. τάχα δὲ καὶ τό: Εἱλιγήσεται ὁ οὐρανὸς ὡς βιβλίον: τοὺς λόγους τοὺς περιεχομένους σημαντικοὺς τῶν ἐσομένων δηλοῖ ἀπαρτισθησομένους καὶ, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, πληρωθησομένους, ὥσπερ λέγονται καὶ αἱ προφητεῖαι πεπληρῶσθαι τῷ ἐκβεβηκέναι. καὶ οὕτως ἔσται εἰς σημεῖα τὰ ἄστρα γεγονότα, κατὰ τὴν λέγουσαν φωνήν: Ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα. ὁ δὲ Ἱερεμίας ἐπιστρέφων ἡμᾶς πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ περιαιρῶν φόβον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς νομιζομένοις σημαίνεσθαι, τάχα δὲ καὶ ὑπολαμβανομένοις ἐκεῖθεν ἔρχεσθαι, φησίν: Ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθε.
[16] Ἴδωμεν καὶ δεύτερον ἐπιχείρημα, πῶς οὐ δύνανται οἱ ἀστέρες εἶναι ποιητικοὶ ἀλλ', εἰ ἄρα, σημαντικοί. ἀπὸ πλείστων γὰρ ὅσων γενέσεων ἔστι λαβεῖν τὰ περὶ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου: τοῦτο δὲ καθ' ὑπόθεσιν λέγομεν, συγχωροῦντες τὸ ἐπιστήμην αὐτῶν ἀναλαμβάνεσθαι ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων δύνασθαι. φέρε γὰρ εἰπεῖν, περὶ τοῦ τόνδε πείσεσθαι τόδε καὶ τεθνήξεσθαι περιπεσόντα λῃσταῖς καὶ ἀναιρεθέντα φασὶ δύνασθαι λαμβάνειν ἀπό τε τῆς ἰδίας αὐτοῦ γενέσεως, κἂν τύχῃ ἔχων ἀδελφοὺς πλείονας, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑκάστου αὐτῶν. περιέχειν γὰρ οἴονται τὴν ἑκάστου γένεσιν ἀδελφὸν ὑπὸ λῃστῶν τεθνηξόμενον, ὁμοίως καὶ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τὴν τῆς μητρὸς καὶ τὴν τῆς γαμετῆς καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν καὶ τῶν φιλτάτων, τάχα δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀναιρούντων. πῶς οὖν δυνατὸν τὸν τοσαύταις γενέσεσιν, ἵνα αὐτοῖς τοῦτο συγχωρηθῇ, ἐμπεριεχόμενον γίνεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ σχηματισμοῦ τῶν ἀστέρων τῆσδε μᾶλλον τῆς γενέσεως ἢ τῶνδε; ἀπίθανον γὰρ καὶ τὸ φάσκειν τὸν σχηματισμὸν τὸν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ τοῦδέ τινος γενέσει ταῦτα πεποιηκέναι, τὸν δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶνδε γενέσει μὴ πεποιηκέναι ἀλλὰ σεσημαγκέναι μόνον: ἠλίθιον γὰρ τὸ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἡ πάντων γένεσις περιεῖχε καθ' ἕκαστον ποιητικὸν τοῦ τόνδε ἀναιρεθῆναι, ὥστε ἐν γενέσεσιν, καθ' ὑπόθεσιν λέγω, πεντήκοντα περιέχεσθαι τὸ τόνδε τινὰ ἀναιρεθῆναι. οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως δυνήσονται σῶσαι τὸ τῶν μὲν ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ σχεδὸν πάντων τοιόνδε εἶναι τὸν σχηματισμὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γενέσεως, ὡς ὀκταήμερον αὐτοὺς λαμβάνειν περιτομὴν, ἀκρωτηριαζομένους τὰ μόρια καὶ ἑλκουμένους καὶ φλεγμονῇ περιπεσουμένους καὶ τραύμασι, καὶ ἅμα τῇ εἰς τὸν βίον εἰσόδῳ ἰατρῶν δεομένους: τῶν δὲ ἐν Ἰσμαηλίταις τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἀραβίαν τοιόνδε, ὡς πάντας περιτέμνεσθαι τρισκαιδεκαετεῖς: τοῦτο γὰρ ἱστόρηται περὶ αὐτῶν: καὶ πάλιν τῶνδέ τινων τῶν ἐν Αἰθίοψι τοῖσδε τὰς κόγχας τῶν γονάτων περιαιρεῖσθαι, καὶ τῶν Ἀμαζόνων τοὺς ἑτέρους τῶν μαστῶν. πῶς γὰρ ταῦτα ποιοῦσιν οἱ ἀστέρες τοῖσδε τοῖς ἔθνεσιν; οἶμαι ὅτι εἰ ἐπιστήσαιμεν οὐδὲ μέχρι τοῦ στῆσαι δυνησόμεθά τι ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτῶν. τοσούτων δὲ φερομένων ὁδῶν προγνωστικῶν, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως ἐξώκειλαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐπὶ τὸ τὴν μὲν οἰωνιστικὴν καὶ τὴν θυτικὴν μὴ λέγειν περιέχειν τὸ ποιοῦν αἴτιον, ἀλλὰ σημαίνειν μόνον, καὶ τὴν ἀστεροσκοπικὴν, οὐκ ἔτι δὲ τὴν γενεθλιαλογικήν. εἰ γὰρ ἐπεὶ γινώσκεται, ἵνα καὶ χαρισώμεθα τὸ γινώσκεσθαι, γίνεται ἐκεῖθεν ὅθεν ἡ γνῶσις λαμβάνεται, τί μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τῶν ἀστέρων ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰωνῶν ἔσται τὰ γινόμενα, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀπὸ τῶν οἰωνῶν ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν σπλάγχνων τῶν θυομένων ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν διαταττόντων ἀστέρων; ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀρκέσει εἰς ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ ποιητικοὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἀστέρας τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων.
[17] Ὅπερ δὲ συγκεχωρήκαμεν, οὐ γὰρ ἐλύπει τὸν λόγον, ὡς τῶν ἀνθρώπων δυναμένων καταλαμβάνειν τοὺς οὐρανίους σχηματισμοὺς καὶ τὰ σημεῖα καὶ ὧν ἐστὶ σημεῖα, τοῦτο φέρε νῦν ἐξετάσωμεν εἰ ἀληθές ἐστι. φασὶ τοίνυν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα δεινοὶ τὸν μέλλοντα τὰ κατὰ τὴν γενεθλιαλογίαν ἀκριβῶς καταλαμβάνειν [δεῖν] εἰδέναι οὐ μόνον τὸ κατὰ πόστου δωδεκατημορίου ἐστὶν ὁ καλούμενος ἀστὴρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ ποίας μοίρας τοῦ δωδεκατημορίου καὶ κατὰ ποίου ἑξηκοστοῦ: οἱ δὲ ἀκριβέστεροι καὶ κατὰ ποίου ἑξηκοστοῦ τοῦ ἑξηκοστοῦ. καὶ τοῦτό φασι δεῖν ποιεῖν ἐφ' ἑκάστου τῶν πλανωμένων, ἐξετάζοντα τὴν σχέσιν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀπλανεῖς. πάλιν αὖ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνατολικοῦ ὁρίζοντος δεήσει, φασὶν, ἰδεῖν οὐ μόνον τὸ δωδεκατημόριον ποῖον ἦν ἐπ' αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν μοῖραν καὶ τὸ ἑξηκοστὸν τῆς μοίρας, τὸ πρῶτον ἢ τὸ δεύτερον ἑξηκοστόν. πῶς τοίνυν τῆς ὥρας πλατεῖ λόγῳ ἥμισυ δωδεκατημορίου περιεχούσης δύναταί τις λαβεῖν τὸ ἑξηκοστὸν, μὴ ἔχων τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς διαιρέσεως τῶν ὡρῶν, ὥστε φέρε εἰπεῖν εἰδέναι ὅτι γεγέννηται ὁ δεῖνα ὥρᾳ τετάρτῃ, καὶ ἡμίσει ὥρας, καὶ τετάρτῳ, ὀγδόῳ, καὶ ἑκκαιδεκάτῳ, καὶ δυοτριακοστῷ; παραπολὺ γάρ φασι παραλλάττειν τὰ σημαινόμενα παρὰ τὴν ἀγνωσίαν οὐ τῆς ὅλης ὥρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποστημορίου αὐτῆς. ἐν γοῦν τοῖς διδύμοις γεννωμένοις πολλάκις τὸ μεταξὺ ἀκαριαῖον ὥρας ἐστὶ, καὶ πολλαὶ παραλλαγαὶ τῶν συμβαινόντων καὶ τῶν πραττομένων ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἀπαντῶσιν, ὥς φασιν ἐκεῖνοι, παρὰ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς σχέσεως τῶν ἀστέρων, καὶ τὸ μόριον τοῦ δωδεκατημορίου τὸ παρὰ τὸν ὁρίζοντα, οὐ καταλαμβανόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν νομιζομένων τὴν ὥραν τετηρηκέναι. οὐδεὶς γὰρ δύναται λέγειν ὅτι μεταξὺ τῆς τοῦδε γενέσεως πρὸς τὴν τοῦδε ἐστὶν ὥρας τριακοστόν. ἀλλ' ἔστω συγκεχωρημένα αὐτοῖς τὰ κατὰ τὸ ἐκλαμβάνειν τὴν ὥραν.
[18] Φέρεται δὴ θεώρημα ἀποδεικνύον τὸν ζωδιακὸν κύκλον ὁμοίως τοῖς πλανωμένοις φέρεσθαι ἀπὸ δυσμῶν ἐπὶ ἀνατολὰς δι' ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν μοῖραν μίαν, καὶ τοῦτο τῷ πολλῷ χρόνῳ ἐναλλάττειν τὴν θέσιν τῶν δωδεκατημορίων: ἑτέρου μὲν τυγχάνοντος τοῦ νοητοῦ δωδεκατημορίου, ἑτέρου δὲ τοῦ ὡσανεὶ μορφώματος: τὰ δὲ ἀποτελέσματά φασιν εὑρίσκεσθαι οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ μορφώματος, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ νοητοῦ ζωδίου: ὅπερ οὐ πάνυ τι δυνατὸν καταλαμβάνεσθαι. ἔστω δὴ καὶ τοῦτο συγκεχωρημένον, τὸ καταλαμβάνεσθαι τὸ νοητὸν δωδεκατημόριον, ἢ δύνασθαι ἐκ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ δωδεκατημορίου λαμβάνεσθαι τὸ ἀληθὲς, ἀλλὰ τήν γε σύγκρασιν παρ' αὐτοῖς καλουμένην τῶν ἐν τοῖσδε τοῖς σχηματισμοῖς τυγχανόντων καὶ αὐτοὶ ὁμολογήσουσιν οὐχ οἷοί τε σῶσαι κατ' ἀξίαν, ἀμαυρουμένου τοῦ δηλουμένου φέρε εἰπεῖν χείρονος ἀπὸ τοῦδε, διὰ τὸ ἐπιβλέπεσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ κρείττονος, καὶ ἐπὶ τοσόνδε ἢ τοσόνδε ἀμαυρουμένου: πολλάκις πάλιν τῆς ἀμαυρώσεως τῆς τοῦ χείρονος ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιβλέψεως τῆς τοῦ κρείττονος ἐμποδιζομένης, ἐκ τοῦ ἕτερον οὑτωσὶ ἐσχηματίσθαι, χειρόνων ὄντα σημαντικόν. καὶ οἶμαι ἐπιστήσαντά τινα τοῖς τόποις ἀπογνῶναι τὴν περὶ τούτων κατάληψιν, οὐδαμῶς ἀνθρώποις ἐκκειμένην, ἀλλ', εἰ ἄρα, μέχρι τοῦ σημανθῆναι μόνον φθάνουσαν. εἰ δέ τις ἐν πείρᾳ γεγένηται τῶν πραγμάτων, μᾶλλον εἴσεται τὸ ἐν τῷ στοχάζεσθαι ἀποπτωτικὸν τῶν λεγόντων καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν συγγραψαμένων, ἤπερ νομιζόμενον ἐπιτευκτικόν. καὶ Ἠσαΐας γοῦν, ὡς οὐ δυναμένων τούτων εὑρίσκεσθαι ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων, φησὶ πρὸς τὴν θυγατέρα τῶν Χαλδαίων τῶν ταῦτα μάλιστα παρὰ πάντας ἐπαγγελλομένων: Στήτωσαν καὶ σωσάτωσάν σε οἱ ἀστρολόγοι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἀναγγειλάτωσάν σοι τί μέλλει ἐπὶ σὲ ἔρχεσθαι. διὰ γὰρ τούτων διδασκόμεθα μὴ δύνασθαι τοὺς πάνυ περὶ ταῦτα φιλομαθεῖς προδηλοῦν, ἃ βεβούληται κύριος ἑκάστῳ ἔθνει ἐπαγαγεῖν.
[19] Νῦν γὰρ, ὡς πρὸς τὴν λέξιν, τὸ προφητικὸν ἐξειλήφαμεν. εἰ δέ φησιν ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἀνεγνωκέναι ἐν ταῖς πλαξὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὰ συμβησόμενα τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅσον ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀντιλέγοι τις ἂν ἡμῖν ὅτι ἐναντία οἷς εἰρήκαμεν δηλοῦται διὰ τῆς γραφῆς: ἐλέγομεν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον ἀκαταλήπτως ἔχειν τῶν σημείων, ὁ δὲ Ἰακώβ φησιν ἀνεγνωκέναι ἐν ταῖς πλαξὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ: ἀπολογησόμεθα ὅτι οἱ καθ' ἡμᾶς σοφοὶ, πνεύματι περισσοτέρῳ χρησάμενοι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνως θείως δὲ διδάσκονται τὰ ἀπόρρητα: ὥσπερ ὁ Παῦλος, λέγων: Ἤκουσα ἄρρητα ῥήματα ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι. ἴσασι γὰρ τροπῶν ἀλλαγὰς καὶ μεταβολὰς καιρῶν, ἐνιαυτῶν κύκλους καὶ ἀστέρων θέσεις, οὐκ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ δι' ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀποκαλύπτοντος αὐτοῖς καὶ καθαρῶς, ὡς θέλει ὁ θεὸς, τὰ θεῖα ἀπαγγέλλοντος. καὶ ἄλλως δὲ ὁ Ἰακὼβ μείζων ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον ἦν, πτερνίζων τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁμολογῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ταύτῃ τῇ βίβλῳ ἀφ' ἧς παρεθέμεθα τό: Ἀνέγνων ἐν ταῖς πλαξὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ: εἶναι ἀρχιχιλίαρχος δυνάμεως κυρίου, καὶ ὄνομα πάλαι κεκτημένος Ἰσραήλ: ὅπερ ἐν σώματι λειτουργῶν ἀναγνωρίζει, ὑπομιμνήσκοντος αὐτὸν τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου Οὐριήλ.
[20] Μετὰ ταῦτα λείπεται ἐξετάσαι καὶ παραστῆσαι τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ὅτι εἰς σημεῖα κεῖνται οἱ φωστῆρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, σανθεῖσι δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὑπὸ τῶν περιεργοτέρων φερομένων εἰς τοὺς τόπους, τίς ἡ αἰτία τοῦ ταῦτα τὰ σημεῖα τὸν θεὸν πεποιηκέναι ἐν οὐρανῷ. καὶ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι πιστευόμενα τὰ τῆς μεγαλειότητος τοῦ νοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶσαν γνῶσιν τὴν περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἐμπεριειληφότος, ὥστε μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν καὶ νομιζόμενον ἐλάχιστον λανθάνειν τὴν θειότητα αὐτοῦ, δόξαν μὲν περιέχει τοῦ οἱονεὶ ἄπειρα ἀριθμῷ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐμπεριειληφέναι ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὐ μὴν ἐναργῆ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, ἀλλὰ πεπιστευμένην ὡς ἁρμόζουσαν τῷ ἀγενήτῳ νῷ καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν φύσιν τυγχάνοντι. ἵν' οὖν τῇ πείρᾳ τοῦτο καταλαμβάνηται ὑπὸ τῶν μειζόνων ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ψυχῶν τοῦ ἐνεστηκότος δεσμοῦ ἀπηλλαγμένων, ὡσπερεὶ γράμματα καὶ χαρακτῆρας καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν οὐρανίων περιφορᾶς ἐποίησεν ἐν οὐρανῷ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς δεδιδαγμένους καὶ διδαχθησομένους ἀναγινώσκειν τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐ θαυμαστὸν δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐνδείξεως τῆς πρὸς τοὺς μακαρίους ποιεῖν τινὰ τὸν θεὸν, τῆς γραφῆς λεγούσης τῷ Φαραώ: Εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐξήγειρά σε, ὅπως ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν δύναμίν μου, καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ. εἰ γὰρ διετηρήθη Φαραὼ ὑπὲρ ἐνδείξεως δυνάμεως θεοῦ καὶ διαγγελίας τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, ἐννόει πόσην ἔνδειξιν δυνάμεως θεοῦ περιέχει τὰ οὐράνια σημεῖα, πάντων τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἕως συντελείας ἐντετυπωμένων τῇ ἀξίᾳ βίβλῳ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ οὐρανῷ. δεύτερον δὲ στοχάζομαι ταῖς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα οἰκονομούσαις δυνάμεσιν ἐκκεῖσθαι τὰ σημεῖα, ἵνα τινὰ μὲν γινώσκωσι μόνον, τινὰ δὲ ἐνεργῶσι: καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς παρ' ἡμῖν βίβλοις ἃ μὲν γέγραπται ἵνα γινώσκωμεν, οἷον τὰ περὶ κοσμοποιΐας καὶ εἴτινα ἄλλα μυστήρια: ἃ δὲ ἵνα γινώσκοντες ποιῶμεν, ὥσπερ τὰ περὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ τὰ προστάγματα τοῦ θεοῦ. ἐνδέχεται δὴ τὰ οὐράνια γράμματα, ἃ ἄγγελοι καὶ δυνάμεις θεῖαι ἀναγινώσκειν καλῶς δύνανται, περιέχειν τινὰ μὲν ἀναγνωσθησόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ λειτουργῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα εὐφραίνωνται γινώσκοντες: τινὰ δὲ ὡσπερεὶ ἐντολὰς λαμβάνοντες ποιῶσι.
[21] Καὶ οὐχ ἁμαρτησόμεθα τὸ ἀνάλογον τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λέγοντες ἔχειν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας: ἐὰν δὲ χείρονες καὶ ἕτεραι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐνέργειαι ποιῶσί τινα τῶν προεγνωσμένων καὶ σημαινομένων ἐν οὐρανῷ, οὐκ ἀνάγκη καὶ αὐτὰς ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ γραμμάτων ὑπομιμνησκομένας ποιεῖν ἃ ἐνεργοῦσιν: ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἄνθρωποι ἀδικοῦντες, οὐ μανθάνοντες προεγνωκέναι τὸν θεὸν τὸ τόνδε τινὰ ἀδικηθήσεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν, ἐνεργοῦσι τὸ ἀδικεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν πονηρίας: οὕτως αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν κακίαν τῶν τὰ μοχθηρὰ βουλομένων ἀνθρώπων καὶ δυναμέων προεγνωκότος, τῇ ἰδίᾳ αἰσχίστῃ ἐπιτελοῦσι προαιρέσει. οἱ μέντοι ἱεροὶ ἄγγελοι, τὰ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα τὰ εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα, εἰκὸς ὅτι, ὡς ἀπὸ νόμου θεοῦ γεγραμμένων τὰ προστάγματα λαμβάνοντες, τεταγμένως καὶ ὅτε δεῖ καὶ ὡς δεῖ καὶ ὅσον δεῖ ποιοῦσι τὰ κρείττονα: ἄτοπον γὰρ αὐτοὺς θείους ὄντας ἀποκληρωτικῶς καὶ [οὐχ] ὡρισμένως ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ φέρ' εἰπεῖν χρηματίσαι τι τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ποιῆσαί τι τῷ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ῥύσασθαι ἐκ κινδύνου τὸν Ἰακὼβ, ἢ ἐπιστῆναι τῷ πνεύματι τοῦδε τοῦ προφήτου. ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἀποκληρωτικῶς μηδὲ κατὰ συντυχίαν τοῦτο πράττωσιν, ἀναγινώσκουσι τὴν βίβλον τοῦ θεοῦ: καὶ οὕτως ποιοῦσι τὰ αὐτοῖς ἐπιβάλλοντα. ὡς προείπομεν δὲ, ἡμεῖς ἃ ποιοῦμεν, ἢ αἱ ἀντικείμεναι ἐνέργειαι ἃ ἐπιτελοῦσιν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἰδίᾳ προαιρέσει ποιοῦμεν: ἀτάκτῳ μὲν, ὅτε ἁμαρτάνομεν: πεπαιδευμένῃ δὲ, οὐκ ἄτερ ἀγγέλων οὐδὲ θείων γραμμάτων οὐδὲ ὑπηρετῶν ἁγίων, ὅτε θεῷ εὐάρεστα πράττομεν.
[22] Καὶ Κλήμης δὲ ὁ Ῥωμαῖος, Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστόλου μαθητὴς, συνῳδὰ τούτοις ἐν τῷ παρόντι προβλήματι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ εἰπὼν ἐν ταῖς Περιόδοις, ἀναγκαιότατόν τι ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν περὶ τούτου λόγων φησὶν περὶ τῶν τῆς γενέσεως δοκούντων ἐκβεβηκέναι, λόγῳ ιδʹ. Καὶ ὁ πατήρ: Σύγγνωθί μοι, τέκνον: οἱ μὲν γὰρ χθές σου λόγοι ἀληθεῖς ὄντες συνελογίσαντό με συνθέσθαι σοι: ἡ δὲ ἐμὴ συνείδησις μικρά με ὥσπερ πυρετοῦ ἔλλειμμα πρὸς ἀπιστίαν βραχέα βασανίζει: σύνοιδα γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ τὰ τῆς γενέσεως πάντα μοι ἀποτελεσθέντα. Κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην: Συννόησόν μοι, πάτερ, οἵαν φύσιν ἔχει τὸ μάθημα, ἐξ ὧν ἐγώ σοι συμβουλεύω. μαθηματικῷ συμβαλὼν, εἰπὲ πρῶτον αὐτῷ ὅτι Τάδε μοι φαῦλα ἐν τῷδε τῷ χρόνῳ γέγονεν: ἐκ τίνος ἄρα μοι τῶν ἀστέρων γέγονε μαθεῖν ἤθελον. καὶ ἐρεῖ σοι ὅτι τοὺς χρόνους κακοποιὸς διεδέξατο Ἄρης ἢ Κρόνος, ἢ τούτων τις ἀποκαταστατικὸς ἐγένετο, ἢ τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦτόν τις ἐπεθεώρησεν ἐκ τετραγώνου ἢ διαμέτρου ἢ συνὼν ἢ κεκεντρωμένος ἢ παρὰ αἵρεσιν. ὅμως καὶ ἄλλα μυρία εἰπεῖν ἔχει. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ ἢ ἀγαθοποιὸς κακῷ ἀσύνδετος ἦν ἢ ἀνεπιθεώρητος ἢ ἐν σχήματι ἢ παρὰ αἵρεσιν ἢ ἐν ἐκλείψει ἢ ἀνεπισύναφος ἢ ἐν ἀμαυροῖς ἄστροις. καὶ ὅμως πολλῶν προφάσεων οὐσῶν πρὸς ἃ ἤκουσε τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρασχεῖν ἔχει. μετὰ τοῦτον οὖν τὸν μαθηματικὸν ἑτέρῳ προσελθὼν τὰ ἐναντία εἰπέ: ὅτι Τόδε μοι ἀγαθὸν ἐν τῷδε τῷ χρόνῳ γέγονε: σὺ δὲ τὸν χρόνον τὸν αὐτὸν λέγε: ἀπαίτει δὲ ἐκ τίνος ἄρα τῆς γενέσεως τοῦτο γέγονε. καὶ ὅμως ὡς προεῖπον ἔχει, σοῦ καταψευσαμένου, αὐτὸς ἐκ πολλῶν σχημάτων ἕν τι εὑρεῖν σχῆμα καὶ δεύτερον καὶ τρίτον καὶ πλείονα, ὡς αὐτὸ τὸ ἐνεργῆσαν ὅθεν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐρεῖ γεγενῆσθαι. ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἐν πάσῃ γενέσει ἀνθρώπων μὴ ἐν πάσῃ ὥρᾳ τῶν ἀστέρων τοὺς μὲν καλῶς κεῖσθαι τοὺς δὲ κακῶς: κύκλος γὰρ ἔστιν ἰσομερὴς, ποικίλος, ἀπείρους ἔχων τὰς προφάσεις: πρὸς ἃς ἕκαστος εἰπεῖν ἔχει ὃ θέλει. ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον ἐπὶ τῶν λοξῶν ὀνείρων ἐνίοτε οὐδὲν νοοῦμεν, ἀποβάντων δὲ οἰκειοτάτην προσφέρομεν ἐπίλυσιν: οὕτως καὶ τὸ μάθημα πρὸ τοῦ τι ἀποτελεσθῆναι οὐδὲν σαφὲς ἡμῖν μηνῦσαι δύναται, μετὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ γενομένου ἱστορίαν τότε πρόδηλος ἡ τῆς ἐκβάσεως αἰτία φαίνεται. πολλάκις μὲν οὖν οἱ προλέγοντες πταίουσι, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἔκβασιν ἑαυτοὺς μέμφονται λέγοντες ὅτι Τόδε ἦν τὸ ποιῆσαν, καὶ οὐκ εἴδομεν. τὸ μὲν οὖν καὶ τοὺς πάνυ ἐπιστήμονας πταίειν γίνεται διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι, ὡς χθὲς ἔφην, ποῖα πάντως τῆς γενέσεως αἴτια γίνεται, ποῖα δὲ οὐ πάντως, καὶ ποῖα πάντως ποιῆσαι ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, οὐ πάντως δὲ ποιοῦμεν. ὅτι ἥδε ἡ αἰτία ἡμῖν τοῖς τὸ μυστήριον μεμαθηκόσι σαφής ἐστιν: ὅτι, ἐλεύθερον ἔχοντες λογισμὸν [ἐνίοτε συγχωρήσαντες τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἡττήμεθα,] ἐνίοτε ἐπέχειν ταύτην βουλευσάμενοι νενικήκαμεν. οἱ δὲ ἀστρολόγοι, τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὸ μυστήριον οὐκ εἰδότες, περὶ πάσης προαιρέσεως ἀποφηνάμενοι ἐξ ἀρχῆς, πταίσαντες τοὺς κλιμακτῆρας ἐπενόησαν, εἰς ἀδηλότητα ποιούμενοι τὴν προαίρεσιν, ὡς χθὲς ἐπεδείξαμεν. σὺ δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ πρὸς ταῦτα εἴ τι ἔχεις εἰπεῖν, λέγε. Καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὀμόσας ἀπεκρίνατο, μηδὲν τούτων ἀληθέστερον εἶναι, ὧν εἶπες.