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For since man is a creature of quick turns, easily changing with the times and circumstances, it is altogether necessary that divine providence, being one and the same, also changes with our dispositions, finding a way through means suitably adapted to the evils that spring up in our nature. And just as in medicine, the diseases subject to it are many, and it is necessary for the skilled physician, 14Α_180 as the subject body falls into many and various ailments, to move himself from lesser to better methods, so also in the case of God, the transition of providence from one such mode to another is customarily called in Scripture the repentance of God.

QUESTION 121 What does the saying from the 104th psalm, “he turned their heart

to hate his people” signify? RESPONSE God not only knows existing things before the ages, as being in him in very

truth, even if all things, both those that are and those that will be, did not receive their own existence at the same time as they were known, but each at its proper time for it is not possible for the infinite and the finite to exist simultaneously , but also the end of each one’s disposition according to its movement; for there is no time or age that interrupts this between God; for nothing in him is recent, but future things are as present; and times and ages are indicative of things existing in God not for God, but for us. For let us not think that when we see God doing something, he has then also begun to have knowledge of it.

If this is true, as indeed it is, he surely knew as present not only the future wickedness of the Egyptians and their disobedient will toward every good work and their disposition suitable for the avenging of the evils done to the Israelites by the custom in Egypt, 14Α_182 but also that of the Israelites who were going to obediently adhere to the word of piety through faith. Since, therefore, he allowed such hidden dispositions, previously restrained by him, to come into activity, for this reason he is said to have turned; for just as if someone should happen to turn a secured sluice-gate holding back a violent rush of water, the water immediately releases its hidden rush, so also both the evil and the good dispositions are brought into the open through intermediate events when providence allows.

QUESTION 122 Of what were Moses and Pharaoh types in the Exodus, and what is Egypt and how were the plagues for some, but not for others? And who is the destroyer and what is the death of the firstborn, and why does Scripture in one place say to lead up out of Egypt, and in another to lead out?

RESPONSE Moses is a type of the pious and of their end, while Pharaoh is of the impious and of their end; for inasmuch as Moses was obedient and soft for the impression of the divine commands, to that extent was Pharaoh disposed to the opposite. Egypt, according to one of the interpretations concerning it, is translated as 'darkness,' and is taken to mean this age. Geographers say that Egypt is lower than all the earth; for this reason Scripture says not only 'led out' but also 'led up,' with 'leading out' signifying those coming from the passion of the flesh to the spirit, and 'leading up' those being brought up from material things to intelligible things.

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Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀγχίστροφον ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος, εὐχερῶς τοῖς καιροῖς καὶ τοῖς πράγμασιν συμμεταβαλλόμενον, ἀνάγκη πάντως καὶ τὴν θείαν πρόνοιαν, μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν οὖσαν, συμμεταβάλλεσθαι ταῖς ἡμῶν διαθέσεσιν, διὰ τῶν προσφυῶς ἁρμοζόντων ταῖς ἐν τῇ φύσει ἀναφυομέναις κακίαις τρόπον ἐφευρίσκουσαν. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς ἰατρικῆς πολλαὶ αἱ ταύτης ὑποκείμεναι νόσοι, καὶ ἀνάγκη τὸν ἐπιστήμονα ἰατρόν, 14Α_180 τοῦ ὑποκειμένου σώματος εἰς πολλὰ καὶ διάφορα πάθη μεταπίπτοντος, καὶ αὐτὸν εἰς κρείττονας τρόπους ἀπὸ τῶν ἡττόνων μεταβαίνειν, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀπὸ τοιοῦδε τρόπου ἐπὶ ἕτερον τρόπον τῆς προνοίας μετάβασις μεταμέλεια τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ Γραφῇ σύνηθες ὀνομάζεσθαι.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 121 Τί δηλοῖ τὸ τοῦ ρδ' (104) ψαλμοῦ ῥησίδιον τὸ «μετέστρεψεν τὴν καρδίαν

αὐτοῦ τοῦ μισῆσαι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ»; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὁ Θεὸς οὐ μόνον γινώσκει τὰ ὄντα πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ ὄντα αὐτῇ

τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, κἂν εἰ αὐτὰ τὰ πάντα, τά τε ὄντα καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα, οὐχ ἅμα τῷ γνωσθῆναι καὶ τὸ καθ᾽ αὑτὰ εἶναι ἔλαβον, ἀλλ᾽ ἕκαστα τῷ ἐπιτηδείῳ καιρῷ οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε τῶν ἅμα εἶναι τὸ ἄπειρον καὶ τὰ πεπερασμένα , ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τέλος τῆς ἑκάστου κατὰ τὴν κίνησιν διαθέσεως· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν χρόνος ἢ αἰὼν ὁ ταύτην μεταξὺ Θεοῦ διακόπτων· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ πρόσφατον, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα ὡς παρόντα εἰσίν· οἱ δὲ χρόνοι καὶ οἱ αἰῶνες οὐ τῷ Θεῷ ἀλλ᾽ ἡμῖν εἰσιν δεικτικοὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ὄντων. Μὴ δὲ γὰρ ὅτε τι ὁρῶμεν τὸν Θεὸν ποιοῦντα, τότε καὶ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸ γνώσεως ἦρχθαι νομίσωμεν.

Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἔστιν, ᾔδει πάντως ὡς παροῦσαν τὴν μέλλουσαν οὐ μόνον ἔσεσθαι τῶν Αἰγυπτίων πονηρίαν καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀγαθῶν ἐργασίαν ἀπειθῆ προαίρεσιν καὶ ἐπιτήδειον πρὸς ἐκδίκησιν τῶν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον συνηθείας πεπραγμένων τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις κακῶν διάθεσιν, 14Α_182 ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν εὐπειθῶς προσχωρεῖν μέλλουσαν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς εὐσεβείας διὰ τῆς πίστεως. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν τὰς τοιαύτας κεκρυμμένας διαθέσεις καὶ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὸ πρὶν κατησχημένας συνεχώρησεν εἰς ἐνέργειαν ἐλθεῖν, κατὰ τοῦτο λέγεται μεταστρέψαι· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπιτόνιν ἠσφαλισμένον καὶ βίᾳ ὁρμὴν ὕδατος κατέχον, εἰ τύχοι τινὰ στρέψαι τοῦτο, εὐθὺς τὴν κεκρυμμένην ὁρμὴν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκδίδωσιν, οὕτω καὶ αἱ πονηραὶ καὶ αἱ ἀγαθαὶ διαθέσεις συγχωρούσης τῆς προνοίας διὰ τῶν μέσων πραγμάτων εἰς τὸ ἐμφανὲς ἄγονται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 122 Τίνων τύποι ἦσαν ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ ὅ τε Μωυσῆς καὶ ὁ Φαραὼ καὶ τίς ἡ Αἴγυπτος

καὶ πῶς αἱ πληγαὶ τοῖς μὲν ἦσαν, τοῖς δὲ οὐκ ἦσαν; Καὶ τίς ὁ ὀλοθρευτὴς καὶ τίς ὁ τῶν πρωτοτόκων θάνατος καὶ διατί ἡ Γραφὴ πῇ μὲν λέγει ἀναγαγεῖν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, πῇ δὲ ἐξαγαγεῖν;

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὁ Μωυσῆς τύπος ἐστὶν τῶν εὐσεβῶν καὶ τοῦ κατ᾽ αὐτῶν τέλους, ὁ δὲ Φαραὼ

τῶν ἀσεβῶν καὶ τοῦ κατ᾽ αὐτῶν τέλους· καθ᾽ ὅσον γὰρ ἦν ὁ Μωυσῆς ὑπήκοος καὶ ἁπαλὸς πρὸς ἐκτύπωσιν τῶν θείων παραγγελμάτων, κατὰ τοσοῦτον ἦν ὁ Φαραὼ πρὸς τὰ ἐναντία διακείμενος. Αἴγυπτος δὲ κατὰ μίαν τῶν περὶ αὐτῆς ἐπιβολῶν 'σκοτασμὸς' ἑρμηνεύεται, λαμβάνεται δὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον. Φασὶν δὲ τὴν Αἴγυπτον οἱ γηογραφεῖς πάσης τῆς γῆς χθαμαλωτέραν εἶναι· διὰ τοῦτο ἡ Γραφὴ οὐ μόνον ἐξήγαγεν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνήγαγεν λέγει, ἐξαγωγὴν δηλούσης τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς προσπαθείας τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐρχομένων, ἀναγωγὴν δὲ τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ὑλικῶν ἐπὶ τὰ νοητὰ ἀναφερομένων.