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to hold to wickedness, that we may enjoy good things. But Paul did not say so; for correcting it, he says: What then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? By no means. For I have spoken concerning past times, he says, not that we should make this a practice. Therefore, drawing them away from this suspicion, he said that it was henceforth impossible. For we who, he says, have died to sin, how shall we still live in it? 2. He easily condemned the Greeks, then; for their life was utterly corrupt; but as for the Jews, even if their life seemed to be neglected, yet there were great pretexts for these things: the Law and circumcision, and that God had spoken to them, and that they were of all and were treated well. But if this is so, that absurd notion will be found, one bandied about by many, that good things come from bad things, and that bad things are the causes of good things; and one of two things is necessary: either for Him to appear unjust when punishing, or, by not punishing, for Him to have the victory from our evil deeds; both of which are exceedingly absurd. Which he himself also shows, introducing the Greeks as the fathers of such doctrines, thinking it sufficient for the accusation of what was said, to show the character of the persons who said these things. For then, mocking us, they would say, 'Let us do evil, that good may come'; which is why he has also set it down clearly, saying thus: Except as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say, 'Let us do evil, that good may come'; whose condemnation is just. For since Paul said, 'Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound,' mocking him and twisting what was said with another meaning, they would say that one must hold to wickedness, that we may enjoy good things. But Paul did not say so; for correcting it, he says: What then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? By no means. For I have spoken concerning past times, he says, not that we should make this a practice. Therefore, drawing them away from this suspicion, he said that it was henceforth impossible. For we who, he says, have died to sin, how shall we still live in it? 2. He easily condemned the Greeks, then; for their life was utterly corrupt; but as for the Jews, even if their life seemed to be neglected, yet there were great pretexts for these things: the Law and circumcision, and that God had spoken to them, and that they were teachers of all. For this reason he stripped them of these things also, and showed them the more to be punished on account of these things, on which point he also concluded his argument here. For if they are not punished, he says, for doing such things, it is necessary that that blasphemous saying be bandied about, namely, 'Let us do evil, that good may come.' But if this is impious, and those who say it will pay the penalty (for he indicated this by saying, 'Whose condemnation is just'), it is very clear that they are punished. For if those who say it are worthy of punishment, much more so are those who do it; and if they are worthy of punishment, they are worthy as having sinned. For it is not a man who punishes, that anyone might suspect the sentence, but God who does all things justly. But if they are punished justly, they were wrong to say those things which those who mocked us said; for God has done and 60.440 does all things, so that our way of life may shine forth and be set right on every side. Let us not, therefore, be slothful; for thus we shall be able to draw the Greeks away from their error. But when we philosophize in words, but in deeds act disgracefully, with what eyes shall we look upon them? with what mouths shall we discourse concerning doctrines? For he will say to each of us: You who have not managed the lesser thing, how do you presume to teach concerning the greater? you who have not yet learned that greed is an evil thing, how do you philosophize about the things in the heavens? But you know that it is evil? Therefore the charge is greater, that you transgress even knowingly. And why do I speak of the Greek? For not even our own laws permit us to enjoy this boldness of speech, when our life is corrupt. For to the sinner, it says, God has said: Why do you declare my statutes? Once the Jewish captives were carried away, and when the Persians pressed them and demanded that they sing for them the divine songs

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κακίας ἔχεσθαι, ἵνα ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν. Ὁ δὲ Παῦλος οὐχ οὕτως ἔλεγε· διορθούμενος γοῦν αὐτὸ, φησί· Τί οὖν; ἐπιμενοῦμεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσῃ; Μὴ γένοιτο. Ὑπὲρ γὰρ τῶν παρελθόντων, φησὶ, εἴρηκα χρόνων, οὐχ ἵνα μελέτην τοῦτο ποιώμεθα. Ταύτης γοῦν ἀπάγων τῆς ὑπονοίας, ἔφησεν αὐτὸ καὶ ἀδύνατον εἶναι λοιπόν. Οἵτινες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπεθάνομεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, πῶς ἔτι ζήσομεν ἐν αὐτῇ; ʹ. Τῶν μὲν οὖν Ἑλλήνων εὐκόλως κατέδραμεν· ὁ γὰρ βίος αὐτῶν σφόδρα διέφθαρτο· τῶν δὲ Ἰουδαίων εἰ καὶ ὁ βίος ἐδόκει παρημελῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἦν προκαλύμματα τούτων μεγάλα, νόμος καὶ περιτομὴ, καὶ τὸ τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῖς ὡμιληκέναι, καὶ τὸ πάντων εἶναι καὶ εὐεργετεῖσθαι. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, εὑρεθήσεται τὸ ἄτοπον ἐκεῖνο, καὶ παρὰ πολλῶν περιφερόμενον, τὸ ἐκ τῶν κακῶν εἶναι τὰ καλὰ, καὶ αἴτια τῶν καλῶν τὰ κακά· καὶ ἀνάγκη δὲ δυοῖν θάτερον, ἢ κολάζοντα ἄδικον φαίνεσθαι, ἢ μὴ κολάζοντα ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν ἔχειν τὰ νικητήρια· ἅπερ ἀμφότερα μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἄτοπα. Ὅπερ δεικνὺς καὶ αὐτὸς, τοὺς πατέρας τῶν τοιούτων ἐπεισήγαγε δογμάτων Ἕλληνας, ἀρκεῖν ἡγούμενος εἰς κατηγορίαν τῶν εἰρημένων, τὴν ποιότητα τῶν προσώπων τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων. Τότε γὰρ ἡμᾶς κωμῳδοῦντες ἔλεγον, ὅτι Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακὰ, ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά· διὸ καὶ τέθεικεν αὐτὸ σαφῶς οὕτω λέγων· Εἰ μὴ καθὼς βλασφημούμεθα, καὶ καθώς φασί τινες ἡμᾶς λέγειν, ὅτι Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακὰ, ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά· ὧν τὸ κρῖμα ἔνδικόν ἐστιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγεν ὁ Παῦλος, Ὅπου ἐπλεόνασεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις, κωμῳδοῦντες αὐτὸν καὶ ἑτέρᾳ γνώμῃ διαστρέφοντες τὸ εἰρημένον ἔλεγον, ὅτι ∆εῖ κακίας ἔχεσθαι, ἵνα ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν. Ὁ δὲ Παῦλος οὐχ οὕτως ἔλεγε· διορθούμενος γοῦν αὐτὸ, φησί· Τί οὖν; ἐπιμενοῦμεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσῃ; Μὴ γένοιτο. Ὑπὲρ γὰρ τῶν παρελθόντων, φησὶ, εἴρηκα χρόνων, οὐχ ἵνα μελέτην τοῦτο ποιώμεθα. Ταύτης γοῦν ἀπάγων τῆς ὑπονοίας, ἔφησεν αὐτὸ καὶ ἀδύνατον εἶναι λοιπόν. Οἵτινες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπεθάνομεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, πῶς ἔτι ζήσομεν ἐν αὐτῇ; ʹ. Τῶν μὲν οὖν Ἑλλήνων εὐκόλως κατέδραμεν· ὁ γὰρ βίος αὐτῶν σφόδρα διέφθαρτο· τῶν δὲ Ἰουδαίων εἰ καὶ ὁ βίος ἐδόκει παρημελῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἦν προκαλύμματα τούτων μεγάλα, νόμος καὶ περιτομὴ, καὶ τὸ τὸν Θεὸν αὐτοῖς ὡμιληκέναι, καὶ τὸ πάντων εἶναι διδασκάλους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τούτων αὐτοὺς ἐγύμνωσε, καὶ μᾶλλον ἔδειξεν ἐκ τούτων κολαζομένους, εἰς ὃ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸν λόγον συνέκλεισεν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ κολάζονται, φησὶ, τοιαῦτα ποιοῦντες, ἀνάγκη τὸν βλάσφημον ἐκεῖνον περιφέρεσθαι λόγον, τὸ, Ποιήσωμεν τὰ κακὰ, ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀσεβὲς, καὶ οἱ λέγοντες αὐτὸ δίκην δώσουσι (τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰπὼν, Ὧν τὸ κρῖμα ἔνδικόν ἐστιν), εὔδηλον ὅτι κολάζονται. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ λέγοντες, τιμωρίας ἄξιοι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ πράσσοντες· εἰ δὲ ἄξιοι τιμωρίας, ὡς ἡμαρτηκότες ἄξιοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ κολάζων, ἵνα καί τις ὑποπτεύσῃ τὴν ψῆφον, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς ὁ δικαίως πάντα ποιῶν. Εἰ δὲ δικαίως τιμωροῦνται, ἀδίκως ἐκεῖνα ἔλεγον, ἅπερ ἔλεγον οἱ κωμῳδοῦντες ἡμᾶς· πάντα γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἔπραξε καὶ 60.440 πράττει, ὥστε τὴν πολιτείαν ἡμῶν διαλάμπειν καὶ ὀρθοῦσθαι πάντοθεν. Μὴ τοίνυν ῥᾳθυμῶμεν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἀποστῆσαι δυνησόμεθα τῆς πλάνης. Ὅταν δὲ ἐν μὲν ῥήμασι φιλοσοφῶμεν, ἐν δὲ ἔργοις ἀσχημονῶμεν, ποίοις ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοὺς ὀψόμεθα; ποίοις στόμασι διαλεξόμεθα περὶ δογμάτων; Ἐρεῖ γὰρ πρὸς ἕκαστον ἡμῶν· Ὁ τὸ ἔλαττον μὴ κατορθωκὼς, πῶς ἀξιοῖς περὶ τοῦ μείζονος διδάσκειν; ὁ μηδέπω μαθὼν, ὅτι πλεονεξία κακὸν, πῶς περὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς πραγμάτων φιλοσοφεῖς; Ἀλλ' οἶδας, ὅτι κακόν; Οὐκοῦν μεῖζον τὸ ἔγκλημα, ὅτι καὶ εἰδὼς πλημμελεῖς. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν Ἕλληνα; Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ παρ' ἡμῖν νόμοι συγχωροῦσιν ἡμῖν ταύτης ἀπολαύειν τῆς παῤῥησίας, ὅταν ὁ βίος ἡμῶν διεφθαρμένος ᾖ. Τῷ γὰρ ἁμαρτωλῷ, φησὶν, εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐκδιηγῇ τὰ δικαιώματά μου; Ἀπηνέχθησάν ποτε αἰχμάλωτοι Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ τῶν Περσῶν ἐπικειμένων καὶ ἀξιούντων ᾄδειν αὐτοῖς τὰς θείας ᾠδὰς