30

they were abominable in their practices; there is none who does good. Of the atheists, some thought that God did not exist at all, but was an empty name; others fashioned non-existent gods, having pushed aside the one who is; and others said that He exists, but does not provide for things on earth. All these, thinking thus, were turned to atheism; even if they did not dare to say it because of the natural notions about God which all possess; for this reason they said it in their heart, but not with their mouth; for in this way they also seemed to speak of many gods. But they were refuted by what they did; for the tree is known by its fruit. For sparing no licentiousness, and corrupting their life in every way, even if they confessed countless gods, they were clearly thinking nothing sound about God. Truly foolish, therefore, was life before the coming of the Savior. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then wisdom is opposed to not fearing and to rejecting him. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is none who does good, no, not one. But it seems to me that the preceding words also contain a hidden accusation against the nation of the Jews itself. For if the Lord, looking down 23.145 from heaven and surveying all upon the earth, found them having turned aside and become worthless, so that no one at all was found among men, not even one, who was not worthless, nor had turned aside; it follows that among all are included both the nation of the Jews, and he that is called Israel. However, the preceding oracles have clearly declared that all have turned aside, together they have become worthless, so that there is none who does good, not even one. For it was necessary to show the magnitude of the disease that had arisen among men before the presence of the Savior, so that his arrival might appear necessary to all. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace. And Isaiah conveys this same thought in harmony when he says, addressing the synagogue of the Jews: Behold, for your sins you were sold, and for your iniquities I sent your mother away, because I came, and there was no man; I called, and there was no one who would listen. For the phrase, "because I came," would be similar to, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the sons of men"; and, "And there was no man, and there was no one who would listen," is similar to, "All have turned aside and have become worthless." Shall not all who work iniquity know, they who eat up my people as they eat bread? And it seems to me to prophesy that there will be a change for the nations from a beastly life, and from ignorance of God, to a gentle and god-fearing manner; which it is possible for one having received it with his own eyes to witness as truth to the prophecy. You will therefore read the preceding interrogatively, with the word asking and saying: Even if all turned aside before the presence of Christ and became worthless, shall not therefore all who work iniquity know in the time hereafter? with us supplying, "The Lord," and again taking the following in a common sense. For shall not those themselves who of old ate the people of God as bread, and never called upon the Lord, shall they not know him? And Isaiah also agrees, prophesying about the same things and saying: They to whom it was not proclaimed concerning him shall see; and they who have not heard shall understand. There they were in great fear, where no fear was. For God is in the righteous generation. And who but those who work iniquity, and those who formerly did not call upon the Lord? for there will be a time, when they will recognize him, at which they will also receive the fear of God and a good dread. That to receive the fear of the Lord is good, is clear from what is said: The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Those who are indicated, therefore, will fear there with a fear; that is, then. And whom will they fear 23.148 but the Lord? and there, where but in the generation that is to be established? for which reason it adds: For God is in the righteous generation. You have shamed the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his hope. Just as in

30

ἐβδελύχθησαν ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν· οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα. Τῶν δὲ ἀθέων οἱ μὲν μὴ εἶναι Θεὸν παντελῶς ἔδοξαν, ἀλλ' εἶναι διὰ κενὸν ὄνομα· οἱ δὲ μὴ ὄντας ἀνέπλασαν, τὸν ὄντα παρωσάμενοι· οἱ δὲ εἶναι μὲν ἔφασαν, μὴ προνοεῖν δὲ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. Οἱ δὴ πάντες εἰς ἀθεΐαν περιετράπησαν φρονοῦντες οὕτως· εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐτόλμων εἰπεῖν δι' ἃς ἔχουσι πάντες φυσικὰς ἐννοίας περὶ Θεοῦ· διὸ καρδίᾳ ἔλεγον, ἀλλ' οὐ στόματι· ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ πολλοὺς λέγειν ἐδόκουν θεούς. Ἠλέγχοντο δὲ ἀφ' ὧν ἔδρων· ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δένδρον γινώσκεται. Μηδεμιᾶς γὰρ ἀσελγείας φειδόμενοι, παντὶ δὲ τρόπῳ τὸν βίον διαφθειρόμενοι, εἰ καὶ μυρίους ὡμολόγουν θεοὺς, δῆλοι ἦσαν οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονοῦντες περὶ Θεοῦ. Ἄφρων οὖν ὄντως ὁ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιδημίας βίος. Εἴπερ ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, οὐκοῦν τῷ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι καὶ ἀθετεῖν ἀντίκειται ἡ σοφία. Πάντες ἐξέκλιναν ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν· οὐκ ἔστι ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι τὰ προκείμενα καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους λεληθυῖαν κατηγορίαν περιέχειν. Εἰ γὰρ, διακύψας 23.145 ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ Κύριος καὶ ἐπισκοπήσας τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς πάντας εὗρεν ἐκκλίναντας καὶ ἀχρειωθέντας, ὡς μηδένα μηδαμῶς εὑρίσκεσθαι ἐν ἀνθρώποις, μηδὲ μέχρις ἑνὸς, τὸν μηδὲ ἠχρειωμένον, μηδὲ ἐκκλίναντα· ἀκόλουθόν ἐστι τοῖς πᾶσι συμπεριλαμβάνεσθαι, καὶ τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν καλούμενον Ἰσραήλ. Τὰ μέντοι προκείμενα λόγια σαφῶς ἀπεφήνατο, ὅτι πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρειώθησαν, ὡς μηδὲ εἶναι ποιοῦντα χρηστότητα, μηδὲ ἕως ἑνός. Ἔδει γὰρ τὸ μέγεθος παραστῆναι τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐγγενομένης νόσου πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος παρουσίας· ὡς ἂν ἡ ἄφιξις αὐτοῦ φανείη τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀναγκαία. Πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι. Ταύτην δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας συμφώνως ἀποδίδωσι τὴν διάνοιαν ἐν οἷς φησι πρὸς τὴν Ἰουδαίων συναγωγὴν ἀποτεινόμενος· Ἰδοὺ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν ἐπράθητε, καὶ ταῖς ἀνομίαις ὑμῶν ἐξαπέστειλα τὴν μητέρα ὑμῶν, διότι ἦλθον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος· ἐκάλεσα, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων. Τὸ γὰρ, διότι ἦλθον, ὅμοιον ἂν εἴη τῷ, Κύριος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων· τὸ δέ· Καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ὑπακούων, ὅμοιον τῷ· Πάντες ἐξέκλιναν καὶ ἠχρειώθησαν. Οὐχὶ γνώσονται πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, οἱ ἐσθίοντες τὸν λαόν μου βρώσει ἄρτου; Καί μοι δοκεῖ προφητεύειν μεταβολὴν ἔσεσθαι τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐκ θηριώδους βίου, καὶ ἐξ ἀγνωσίας Θεοῦ, ἐπὶ ἥμερον καὶ θεοσεβῆ τρόπον· ὃ καὶ ἔστιν ὀφθαλμοῖς παραλαβόντα μαρτυρῆσαι ἀλήθειαν τῇ προφητείᾳ. Ἀναγνώσῃ τοίνυν τὰ προκείμενα ἐρωτηματικῶς, πυνθανομένου τοῦ λόγου καὶ φάσκοντος· Εἰ καὶ πάντες ἐξέκλιναν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας καὶ ἠχρειώθησαν· μὴ τοίνυν οὐχὶ γνώσονται ἐν τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνῳ πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν; προσυπακουόντων ἡμῶν· Τὸν Κύριον, καὶ κατὰ κοινοῦ πάλιν λαμβανόντων τὰ ἑξῆς. Καὶ αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἱ πάλαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡσεὶ ἄρτον ἐσθίοντες, καὶ τὸν Κύριον μηδεπώποτε ἐπικαλεσάμενοι, μὴ οὐχὶ γνώσονται αὐτόν; Καὶ Ἡσαΐας δὲ συνᾴδει περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν θεσπίζων καὶ λέγων· Οἷς οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη περὶ αὐτοῦ ὄψονται· καὶ οἳ οὐκ ἀκηκόασι συνήσουσιν. Ἐκεῖ ἐδειλίασαν φόβῳ, οὗ οὐκ ἦν φόβος. Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν γενεᾷ δικαίᾳ. Τίνες δὲ ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, καὶ οἱ πρότερον μὴ ἐπικαλούμενοι τὸν Κύριον; ἔσται γάρ ποτε καιρὸς, ὅτε ἐπιγνώσονται αὐτὸν, καθ' ὃν καὶ φόβον ἀναλήψονται τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ δειλίαν ἀγαθήν. Ὅτι δὲ τὸν φόβον ἀναλαβεῖν Κυρίου ἀγαθόν ἐστι, δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ λέγεσθαι· Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου. Οἱ δηλούμενοι τοίνυν φοβηθήσονται ἐκεῖ φόβῳ· τουτέστι τότε. Τίνα δὲ φοβηθή 23.148 σονται ἢ τὸν Κύριον; ἐκεῖ δὲ, ποῦ ἢ ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ συστήσεσθαι γενεᾷ; διὸ ἐπιλέγει· Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν γενεᾷ δικαίᾳ. Βουλὴν πτωχοῦ κατῃσχύνατε, ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. Ὥσπερ ἐν