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I have come to live; and simply, it proclaims the whole way and harmony of the body's constitution, both through the things before these, and the things set forth.

CHAPTER 11

“For do not say, ‘I am clean in my works, and blameless before him.’” And yet he himself said, “In truth I know that a mortal is not clean before the Lord.” You see how they bring contrary accusations.

CHAPTER 12

“But ask the quadrupeds, if they will tell you; and the birds of the air, if they will declare to you; speak to the earth, if it will tell you, and the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who then did not know in all these things, that the hand of the Lord has made these things? unless in his hand is the soul of all living things, and the spirit of every man. For the ear discerns words, and the throat tastes foods.” Of Chrysostom and Olympiodorus. Since they were high-minded, as if possessing the knowledge of God, for this reason he declares that all creation knows the creator, and this is evident not only to men, but also to irrational animals, and to the senseless earth itself. Why then, as if you have said something great and wonderful, are you so disposed? For the wicked man must surely perish, and no one is ignorant of this. But for the greater shaming of Zophar, he said hyperbolically, Ask the irrational and inanimate things, which themselves also declare the glory of God, by appearing to speak thus, even if they do not talk; they at least are aware of the power of God, and if they were to receive a voice, they would say that God is the creator of all things, and unattainable in wisdom, and the punisher of the wicked, and that all things are under his hand, both the life of living things, and death, and he is ready to do whatever he may decide concerning each one, and he holds together and controls all things, both the soul of irrational animals, and the spirit of man. If then the irrational creatures, if they could speak, would have thus reported about God, how much more so man, who possesses 64.609 reason by nature, just as surely the throat is discerning of tastes, and the ear of sounds. But some of the copies, instead of 'ear,' have 'mind'; he says therefore, that just as we all have a throat for the discerning of foods, and it is common to men to partake of nourishment; so also we have received a mind for the knowledge of God, able to know the things concerning his wisdom and power; for the mind discerns intelligible things, while sensation discerns sensible things; and it is common to us to know also the creator, the God of all things. “In much time is wisdom, and in a long life, knowledge.” Of Chrysostom and Olympiodorus. It seems to me that he is attacking them. For do not think, he says, that you have found the whole thing; for even if we have a discerning mind, yet we still need much time in order to find; for the prudent man growing old stumbles upon wisdom. And perhaps he means to say this, that 'I both know what I hear, and I have taken time for knowledge.' But Aquila and Symmachus, the one, 'In the aged is wisdom'; the other, 'in those who have lived long,' rendered it, which among men is achieved with toil, and comes into being with time, but with God, by will. “If he tears down, who will build? if he shuts up against men, who will open?” Gently, the just man teaches the argument concerning Providence to those who contradict him; for even if they assumed Providence, yet they fell into contradictions. And he says, 'Who has stood against his counsel?' it is possible, then, to find one man impoverished, another in distress, another afflicted with disease, and in general, in various misfortunes

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ζῇν κέκτημαι· καὶ ἁπλῶς, ὅλην τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ ἁρμονίαν τῆς συστάσεως τοῦ σώματος ἀπαγγέλλει, διά τε τῶν πρὸ τούτων, καὶ αὐτῶν προκειμένων.

ΚΕΦ. ΙΑʹ

«Μὴ γὰρ λέγε, ὅτι Καθαρός εἰμι τοῖς ἔργοις, καὶ ἄμεμπτος ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ μὴν αὐτὸς εἶπεν, Ἐπ' ἀληθείας οἶδα, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι βροτὸς καθαρὸς ἔναντι Κυρίου. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐναντία ἐγκαλοῦσιν.

ΚΕΦ. ΙΒʹ

«Ἀλλὰ δὴ ἐρώτησον τετράποδα, ἐάν σοι εἴπωσι· πετεινὰ δὲ οὐρανοῦ, ἐάν σοι ἀπαγγείλωσιν· ἐκδιήγησαι γῇ, ἐάν σοι φράσῃ, καὶ ἐξηγήσονταί σοι οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης. Τίς οὖν οὐκ ἔγνω ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις, ὅτι χεὶρ Κυρίου ἐποίησε ταῦτα; εἰ μὴ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ψυχὴ πάντων ζώντων, καὶ πνεῦμα παντὸς ἀνθρώπου. Οὖς μὲν γὰρ ῥήματα διακρίνει, λάρυγξ δὲ σῖτα γεύεται.» Χρυσοστόμου καὶ Ὀλυμπιοδώρου. Ἐπειδὴ μέγα ἐκεῖνοι ἐφρόνουν, ὡς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔχοντες γνῶσιν, τούτου χάριν ἀποφαίνεται, ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις οἶδε τὸν δημιουργὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο δῆλον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλόγοις, καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ἀναισθήτῳ γῇ. Τί τοίνυν ὡς μέγα τι καὶ θαυμαστὸν εἰρηκότες, οὕτω διάκεισθε; ∆εῖ γὰρ πάντως τὸν πονηρὸν ἀπολέσθαι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀγνοεῖ. Πρὸς πλείονα δὲ ἐντροπὴν τοῦ Σωφὰρ, ὑπερβολικῶς εἶπεν, Ἐπερώτησον τὰ ἄλογα καὶ ἄψυχα, ἃ καὶ αὐτὰ διηγεῖται δόξαν Θεοῦ, τῷ φαίνεσθαι οὕτω φθέγγεσθαι, κἂν μὴ λαλῶσι· τῆς γοῦν τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως ἐπαισθάνονται, κἂν φωνὴν λάβωσιν, ἐροῦσιν, ὅτι δημιουργός ἐστι τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, καὶ τὴν σοφίαν ἀνέφικτος, καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν τιμωρὸς, καὶ ὅτι ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐστὶ, καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τῶν ζώντων, καὶ ὁ θάνατος, καὶ ἑτοίμως ἔχει ποιεῖν, ὃ ἂν περὶ ἑκάστου βουλεύσηται, καὶ πάντα συνέχει καὶ διακρατεῖ, τήν τε ψυχὴν τῶν ἀλόγων, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Εἰ τοίνυν τὰ ἄλογα, εἰ ἐφθέγξατο, οὕτως ἂν ἀπήγγειλε περὶ Θεοῦ, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὁ ἔμφυτον 64.609 ἔχων τὸ λογικὸν, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ λάρυγξ διακριτικός ἐστι τῶν γευστῶν, καὶ τὸ οὖς τῶν φωνῶν. Τινὰ δὲ τῶν ἀντιγράφων, ἀντὶ τοῦ, οὖς, νοῦν, ἔχουσι· λέγει οὖν, ὅτι ὥσπερ λάρυγγα ἐπὶ διακρίσει βρωμάτων ἅπαντες ἔχομεν, καὶ κοινὸν ἀνθρώπων, τὸ τῆς τροφῆς μεταλαμβάνειν· οὕτω καὶ νοῦν εἰς γνῶσιν Θεοῦ εἰλήφαμεν, δυνάμενον εἰδέναι τὰ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ σοφίας καὶ δυνάμεως· νοῦς μὲν γὰρ νοητὰ, αἴσθησις δὲ τὰ αἰσθητὰ διακρίνει· καὶ κοινὸν ἡμῖν τὸ καὶ δημιουργὸν εἰδέναι τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν. «Ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ σοφία, ἐν δὲ πολλῷ βίῳ ἐπιστήμη.» Χρυσοστόμου καὶ Ὀλυμπιοδώρου. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ καθάπτεσθαι αὐτῶν. Μὴ γὰρ νομίζητε, φησὶ, τὸ πᾶν εὑρηκέναι· εἰ γὰρ καὶ νοῦν ἔχομεν διακρίνοντα, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ χρόνου δεόμεθα πολλοῦ ὥστε εὑρεῖν· ὁ γὰρ φρόνιμος παλαιούμενος προσκόπτει τῇ σοφίᾳ. Καὶ τάχα τοῦτο θέλει εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Καὶ οἶδα ἃ ἀκούω, καὶ χρόνον εἰς ἐπιστήμην προσέλαβον. Ἀκύλας δὲ καὶ Σύμμαχος, ὁ μὲν, Ἐν παλαιοῖς σοφία· ὁ δὲ, ἐν μακροχρονήσασιν, ἐξέδωκε, παρὰ ἀνθρώποις πόνῳ ἀνυομένη, καὶ χρόνῳ ἐγγινομένη, παρὰ δὲ Θεῷ, θελήσει. «Ἐὰν καταβάλῃ, τίς οἰκοδομήσει; ἐὰν κλείσῃ κατ' ἀνθρώπων, τίς ἀνοίξει;» Ἠρέμα δὲ ὁ δίκαιος τὸν περὶ Προνοίας λόγον διδάσκει τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας αὐτῷ· εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐτίθεντο Πρόνοιαν, ἀλλάγε ἐναντιώμασι περιέπιπτον. Λέγει δὲ, ὅτι τῷ βουλεύματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκεν; ἔστι γοῦν τὸν μὲν εὑρεῖν πενόμενον, τὸν δὲ ἐν περιστάσει, τὸν δὲ νόσῳ πεπιεσμένον, καὶ ὅλως, ἐν διαφόροις συμπτώμασι