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a sinner will perish, but this man says: "I know that I suffer these things because of sins"—do you see his philosophy, how he is not arrogant?—"and I understand that the distance between me and God is great." 9,3a For if he wishes to be judged with him, 3b he will not obey him, 3c lest he speak against one of his words out of a thousand. Do you see how great an abundance of righteousness? If God should speak a thousand words condemning us, we are not able to stand against one, but by a thousand justifications he prevails over us. 9,4a For he is wise in thought, and mighty and great. And justly so; for being wise he bestows countless benefits. But if you disbelieve, O man, let us examine the argument: when he says a thousand words, we cannot speak against one. See the words of philosophy. For since this one said: "the righteous will be in good things," he says, "what righteous man? For where will any righteous man be found before God?" against one of his words out of a thousand. Just as the prophet also said: no one living will be justified in your sight. 93 And again: If you should mark iniquities, Lord, Lord, who will stand? And see how he is confident in his argument: "Bring forth," he says, "whatever man you wish, whether from the old or from the new, if you wish, Paul, whose equal could not be found, the ultimate part of virtue, he made this one who was not, he gave a law to him when he had come into being, for his sake he made heaven." But rather let us exercise this on the general case: He made human nature. For what reason? For goodness alone. And the other things, the rest: the world for his sake, all other things for his sake. He gave a commandment, he disobeyed; again he gave a law, again he disobeyed; again he sent the son, again he disobeyed; again he gave repentance, again he disobeyed; again he threatened Gehenna, again he disobeyed. And still he wished to save him. Do you wish that we examine Paul himself? Hear him saying: but I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. Then he testified, after this, after being called, how much diligence and providence he enjoys. But rather, why do we say these things? For it is not possible to speak. Then, lest he should go through what has been said part by part, he confirms it from the universal and says: 9,4b Who has been hard against him and endured? So mighty is he. Then from experience he confirms the argument: "God is great," he says, "man is nothing." And see how loftily: 9,5a Who makes the mountains old, he says, and they do not know. "He makes the mountains old imperceptibly," he says, just as David said: who touches the mountains and they smoke. Here he discusses his power, that he is able to do all things, concerning his avenging power. He testified to his righteousness, he also testifies to his power: 94 9,5b who overturns them, he says, in wrath, 9,6a who shakes the world under heaven from its foundations, 6b and its pillars are shaken. 9,7a who speaks, he says, to the sun not to rise and it does not rise, 7b and he seals up the stars. Do you see how much power and providence he testifies to for him? Not as if the sun hears, but showing the greatness of his authority, that is, he also does the same for the stars. And the same thing shows the creator again: 9,8a who alone stretched out the heaven. Which Isaiah says. 9,8b and walking on the sea as on dry land. Here there is also a certain prophecy. 9,9 who makes the Pleiades and Hesperus and the chambers of the south, 9,10a who does great and unsearchable things, 10b both glorious and marvelous, of which there is no number. which we do not know. Is it not clear that no one will be able to stand against such a one, who is so wise and just? See, nowhere does he speak of his essence, but of his works. Then his invisibility: 9,11a if he should pass over me, I shall not see, 11b and if he should pass by me, I have not known it at all. 9,12a if he should remove, who shall turn it back? 12b or who shall say to him: what have you done? 9,13a For he himself has turned away wrath. And he is powerful and has no one like him. 9,13b and by him the sea-monsters under heaven were bent. So that they do not transgress, he says, their own places, so that they are not upright † as one seeing the sea being in the midst †. It is fitting that he mentions the sea-monsters and from these he recounts his power. 95 9,4b Who has been hard, he says, against him and endured? That is: to stand against him and

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ἁμαρτωλὸς ἀπολεῖται, οὗτος δέ φησιν· «οἶδα, ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτίας ταῦτα πάσχω» - ὁρᾷς φιλοσοφίαν, πῶς οὐκ ἔστι γαῦρος;-»καί, ὅτι πολὺ τὸ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπίσταμαι.» 9,3a ἐὰν γὰρ βούληται κριθῆναι μετ' αὐτοῦ, 3b οὐ μὴ ὑπακούσῃ αὐτῷ, 3c ἵνα μὴ ἀντείπῃ πρὸς ἕνα λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐκ χιλίων. ὁρᾷς, πόση περιουσία δικαιοσύνης; χιλίους ἐὰν εἴπῃ λόγους ὁ θεὸς καταδικάζων ἡμᾶς, πρὸς ἕνα ἀντιστῆναι οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἀλλὰ χιλίοις δικαιώμασιν ἡμῶν κρατεῖ. 9,4a σοφὸς γάρ ἐστι διανοίᾳ, κραταιός τε καὶ μέγας. καὶ δικαίως· σοφὸς γὰρ ὢν μυρία εὐεργετεῖ. εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, φέρε ἐπεξέλθωμεν τῷ λόγῳ· χιλίους λέγοντος λόγους ἕνα ἀντειπεῖν οὐ δυνάμεθα. ὅρα φιλοσοφίας ῥήματα. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγεν οὗτος· «ὁ δίκαιος ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἔσται», «ποῖος δίκαιος;» φησίν· «ποῦ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν δίκαιός τις εὑρεθήσεται;» πρὸς ἕνα λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐκ χιλίων. ὅπερ καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν· οὐ δικαιωθήσεται ἐνώπιόν σου πᾶς ζῶν. 93 καὶ πάλιν· ἁμαρτίας ἐὰν παρατηρήσῃ, κύριε, κύριε, τίς ὑποστήσεται; καὶ ὅρα, πῶς θαρρεῖ τῷ λόγῳ· ὃν βούλει, φησίν, ἄνθρωπον εἰς μέσον ἄγε, εἴτε ἐκ τῆς παλαιᾶς εἴτε ἐκ τῆς καινῆς, βούλει Παῦλον, οὗ ἴσον οὐδὲν ἂν γένοιτο, τὸ ἔσχατον τῆς ἀρετῆς μέρος, τοῦτον οὐκ ὄντα ἐποίησεν, γενομένῳ νόμον ἔδωκεν, δι' αὐτὸν οὐρανὸν ἐποίησεν. μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ αὐτὸ γυμνάσωμεν· ἐποίησε τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν. τίνος ἕνεκεν; δι' ἀγαθότητα μόνην. καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, τὰ λοιπά· τὸν κόσμον δι' αὐτόν, τὰ ἄλλα ἅπαντα δι' αὐτόν. ἐντολὴν ἔδωκεν, παρήκουσεν· πάλιν ἔδωκεν νόμον, πάλιν παρήκουσεν· πάλιν τὸν υἱὸν ἔπεμψεν, πάλιν παρήκουσεν· πάλιν μετάνοιαν ἔδωκεν, πάλιν παρήκουσεν· πάλιν γέενναν ἠπείλησεν, πάλιν παρήκουσεν. καὶ ἔτι ἐβούλετο σῶσαι αὐτόν. βούλει Παῦλον αὐτὸν ἐξετάσωμεν; ἄκουε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· ἀλλ' ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ. εἶτα ἐμαρτύρησεν, μετὰ τοῦτο, μετὰ τὸ κληθῆναι, ὅσης ἀπολαύει σπουδῆς καὶ προνοίας. μᾶλλον δέ, τί λέγομεν ταῦτα; οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν. εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ κατὰ μέρος ἐπεξίῃ τῷ εἰρημένῳ, ἀπὸ τοῦ καθόλου αὐτὸ πιστοῦται καί φησιν· 9,4b τίς σκληρὸς γενόμενος ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὑπέμεινεν; οὕτως ἐστὶ κραταιός. εἶτα ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας πιστοῦται τὸν λόγον· «μέγας ἐστὶν ὁ θεός», φησίν, «οὐδέν ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος.» καὶ ὅρα, πῶς ὑψηλῶς· 9,5a ὁ παλαιῶν, φησίν, ὄρη καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν. «παλαιοῖ τὰ ὄρη ἀνεπαισθήτως», φησίν, ὥσπερ ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἔλεγεν· ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῶν ὀρέων καὶ καπνίζονται. ἐνταῦθα περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ διαλέγεται, ὅτι πάντα δύναται, περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ τῆς τιμωρητικῆς. ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτῷ δικαιοσύνην, μαρτυρεῖ αὐτῷ καὶ δύναμιν· 94 9,5b ὁ καταστρέφων αὐτὰ, φησίν, ἐν ὀργῇ, 9,6a ὁ σείων τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανὸν ἐκ θεμελίων, 6b οἱ δὲ στῦλοι αὐτῆς σαλεύονται. 9,7a ὁ λέγων, φησίν, τῷ ἡλίῳ μὴ ἀνατέλλειν καὶ οὐκ ἀνατέλλει, 7b κατὰ δὲ ἄστρων κατασφραγίζει. ὁρᾷς, πόσην αὐτῷ μαρτυρεῖ δύναμιν καὶ πρόνοιαν; οὐχ ὡς ἀκούοντος τοῦ ἡλίου, ἀλλὰ τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς ἐξουσίας ἐμφαίνων, τουτέστι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄστρων τὸ αὐτὸ ποιεῖ. καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δείκνυσι τὸν δημιουργὸν πάλιν· 9,8a ὁ τανύσας τὸν οὐρανὸν μόνος. ὅπερ φησὶν ὁ Ἠσαΐας. 9,8b καὶ περιπατῶν ἐπὶ θαλάσσης ὡς ἐπὶ ἐδάφους. ἐνταῦθα καὶ προφητεία τίς ἐστιν. 9,9 ὁ ποιῶν Πλειάδα καὶ Εσπερον καὶ ταμιεῖα νότου, 9,10a ὁ ποιῶν μεγάλα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα, 10b ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. ἃ οὐκ ἴσμεν ἡμεῖς. οὐκ εὔδηλον, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἀντιστῆναι δυνήσεται τῷ τοιούτῳ, τῷ οὕτω σοφῷ καὶ δικαίῳ; ὅρα, οὐδαμοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἐνεργείας αὐτοῦ λέγει. εἶτα τὸ ἀόρατον αὐτοῦ· 9,11a ἐὰν ὑπερβῇ με, οὐ μὴ ἴδω, 11b καὶ ἐὰν παρέλθῃ με, οὐδ' ὅλως ἔγνων. 9,12a ἐὰν ἀπαλλάξῃ, τίς ἀποστρέψει; 12b ἢ τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· τί ἐποίησας; 9,13a αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀπέστραπται ὀργήν. καὶ δυνατός ἐστι καὶ οὐδένα τὸν ὅμοιον ἔχων. 9,13b ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δὲ ἐκάμφθη κήτη τὰ ὑπ' οὐρανόν. ὥστε μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν, φησίν, τοὺς ἰδίους τόπους, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι ὄρθια † ἅτε θάλασσαν βλέπων ἐν μέσῳ ὤν †. εἰκότως τῶν κητῶν μέμνηται καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ διηγεῖται. 95 9,4b τίς σκληρός, φησίν, γενόμενος ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὑπέμεινεν; τουτέστιν· ἀντιστῆναι αὐτῷ καὶ