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in every way become authors of benefit. It is necessary to know that God antecedently wills all to be saved and to attain to His kingdom; for He did not form us for the purpose of punishing, but to share in His goodness, as He is good. But He wills that sinners be justly punished. The first, therefore, is called antecedent will and good pleasure, being from Him, but the second is consequent will and permission, from our own cause. And this is twofold: the one is economic and disciplinary for salvation, the other is despairing for complete punishment, as we have said. These things are for what is not in our power. But of the things in our power, He wills and approves the good antecedently, but the wicked and truly evil things He wills neither antecedently nor consequently. But He permits it to free will; for what happens by force is not rational nor is it virtue. But God has providence for all creation, and through all creation He bestows benefits and discipline, and often through the demons themselves, as in the case of Job and the swine. 44 Concerning foreknowledge and predestination It is necessary to know that God foreknows all things, but He does not predestine all things; for He foreknows also the things in our power, but He does not predestine them; for He does not will evil to happen, nor does He compel virtue. So predestination is the work of the divine foreknowing command. But He predestines the things not in our power according to His foreknowledge; for already according to His foreknowledge God has predetermined all things according to His goodness and His justice. It is necessary to know that virtue was given from God in nature, and He Himself is the beginning and cause of all good, and without His cooperation and help it is impossible for us to will or to do good. But it is in our power either to remain in virtue and to follow God who calls to it, or to depart from virtue, which is to be in evil and to follow the devil who calls to it without compulsion; for evil is nothing other than the departure of the good, just as darkness is the departure of light. Remaining, therefore, in what is according to nature, we are in virtue, but turning aside from what is according to nature, we come to what is contrary to nature and are in evil. Repentance is a return from what is contrary to nature to what is according to nature, and from the devil to God, through discipline and labors. This man, therefore, the creator made male, having imparted to him His own divine grace and having made him in communion with Himself through it; whence also he prophetically gave names to the animals as to slaves given to him, in a masterly way. For having been made in the image of God, both rational and intelligent and with free will, he was reasonably entrusted with dominion over earthly things by the common creator and master of all. But God the foreknower, knowing that he would fall into transgression and be subject to corruption, made from him the female, "a helper for him according to him," a helper for the continuation of the race through generation by succession after the transgression. For the first formation is called creation and not generation; for creation is the first formation from God, but generation is the succession from one another out of the condemnation of death on account of the transgression. He placed him in paradise, both the intelligible and the sensible; for in the sensible on earth he lived bodily, while spiritually he associated with the angels, cultivating divine thoughts and being nourished by them, naked in his simplicity and artless life, being led to the creator alone through creation and delighting and rejoicing in the contemplation of Him. Since, therefore, He had naturally adorned him with free will, He gives him a law not to taste of the tree of knowledge. Concerning which tree we have spoken sufficiently in the chapter on paradise, at least according to our ability. He gives him this commandment, having promised that, if he should keep the dignity of his soul, giving victory to reason, acknowledging the creator and keeping His command, he would partake of eternal blessedness and would live forever, having become superior to death. But if he should subject his soul to his body and prefer the things of the body

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πάντως ὠφελείας γίνονται πρόξενοι. Χρὴ εἰδέναι, ὡς ὁ θεὸς προηγουμένως θέλει πάντας σωθῆναι καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τυχεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸ κολάσαι ἔπλασεν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ μετασχεῖν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀγαθός. Ἁμαρτάνοντας δὲ θέλει κολάζεσθαι δικαίως. Λέγεται οὖν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον προηγούμενον θέλημα καὶ εὐδοκία ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὄν, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἑπόμενον θέλημα καὶ παραχώρησις ἐξ ἡμετέρας αἰτίας. Καὶ αὕτη διττή· ἡ μὲν οἰκονομικὴ καὶ παιδευτικὴ πρὸς σωτηρίαν, ἡ δὲ ἀπογνωστικὴ πρὸς τελείαν κόλασιν, ὡς εἰρήκαμεν. Ταῦτα δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν. Τῶν δὲ ἐφ' ἡμῖν τὰ μὲν ἀγαθὰ προηγουμένως θέλει καὶ εὐδοκεῖ, τὰ δὲ πονηρὰ καὶ ὄντως κακὰ οὔτε προηγουμένως οὔτε ἑπομένως θέλει. Παραχωρεῖ δὲ τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ· τὸ γὰρ κατὰ βίαν γινόμενον οὐ λογικὸν οὐδὲ ἀρετή. Προνοεῖ δὲ ὁ θεὸς πάσης τῆς κτίσεως καὶ διὰ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως εὐεργετῶν καὶ παιδεύων καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πολλάκις τῶν δαιμόνων ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ καὶ τῶν χοίρων. 44 Περὶ προγνώσεως καὶ προορισμοῦ Χρὴ γινώσκειν, ὡς πάντα μὲν προγινώσκει ὁ θεός, οὐ πάντα δὲ προορίζει· προγινώσκει γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἐφ' ἡμῖν, οὐ προορίζει δὲ αὐτά· οὐ γὰρ θέλει τὴν κακίαν γενέσθαι οὐδὲ βιάζεται τὴν ἀρετήν. Ὥστε τῆς θείας προγνωστικῆς κελεύσεως ἔργον ἐστὶν ὁ προορισμός. Προορίζει δὲ τὰ οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν κατὰ τὴν πρόγνωσιν αὐτοῦ· ἤδη γὰρ κατὰ τὴν πρόγνωσιν αὐτοῦ προέκρινε πάντα ὁ θεὸς κατὰ τὴν ἀγαθότητα καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ. Χρὴ δὲ γινώσκειν, ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἀρετὴ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐδόθη ἐν τῇ φύσει καὶ αὐτός ἐστι παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ ἀρχὴ καὶ αἰτία καὶ ἐκτὸς τῆς αὐτοῦ συνεργίας καὶ βοηθείας ἀδύνατον ἀγαθὸν θελῆσαι ἢ πρᾶξαι ἡμᾶς. Ἐφ' ἡμῖν δέ ἐστιν ἢ ἐμμεῖναι τῇ ἀρετῇ καὶ ἀκολουθῆσαι τῷ θεῷ πρὸς ταύτην καλοῦντι ἢ ἀποφοιτῆσαι τῆς ἀρετῆς, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ κακίᾳ γενέσθαι καὶ ἀκολουθῆσαι τῷ διαβόλῳ πρὸς ταύτην καλοῦντι ἀβιάστως· ἡ γὰρ κακία οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν εἰ μὴ ἀναχώρησις τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ σκότος τοῦ φωτός ἐστιν ἀναχώρησις. Μένοντες οὖν ἐν τῷ κατὰ φύσιν ἐν τῇ ἀρετῇ ἐσμεν, ἐκκλίνοντες δὲ ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν παρὰ φύσιν ἐρχόμεθα καὶ ἐν τῇ κακίᾳ γινόμεθα. Μετάνοιά ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ παρὰ φύσιν εἰς τὸ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐπάνοδος δι' ἀσκήσεως καὶ πόνων. Τοῦτον τοίνυν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ δημιουργὸς ἄρρενα κατεσκεύασε μεταδοὺς αὐτῷ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θείας χάριτος καὶ ἐν κοινωνίᾳ ἑαυτοῦ διὰ ταύτης αὐτὸν ποιησάμενος· ὅθεν καὶ τὴν τῶν ζῴων ὀνομασίαν προφητικῶς ὡς δούλων αὐτῷ δοθέντων δεσποτικῶς ἐποιήσατο. Κατ' εἰκόνα γὰρ θεοῦ λογικός τε καὶ νοερὸς καὶ αὐτεξούσιος γενόμενος εἰκότως τὴν τῶν ἐπιγείων ἀρχὴν ἐνεχειρίζετο ὑπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργοῦ τε καὶ δεσπότου. Εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ προγνώστης θεός, ὡς ἐν παραβάσει γενήσεται καὶ τῇ φθορᾷ ὑποπεσεῖται, ἐποίησεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ θῆλυ, «βοηθὸν αὐτῷ κατ' αὐτόν», βοηθὸν δὲ πρὸς τὴν διὰ γεννήσεως μετὰ τὴν παράβασιν τοῦ γένους ἐκ διαδοχῆς σύστασιν. Ἡ γὰρ πρώτη πλάσις γένεσις λέγεται καὶ οὐ γέννησις· γένεσις μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκ θεοῦ πρώτη πλάσις, γέννησις δὲ ἡ ἐκ καταδίκης τοῦ θανάτου διὰ τὴν παράβασιν ἐξ ἀλλήλων διαδοχή. Τοῦτον ἔθετο ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῷ τε νοητῷ καὶ τῷ αἰσθητῷ· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ αἰσθητῷ ἐπὶ γῆς σωματικῶς διαιτώμενος ψυχικῶς τοῖς ἀγγέλοις συνανεστρέφετο θείας γεωργῶν ἐννοίας καὶ ταύταις τρεφόμενος, γυμνὸς τῇ ἁπλότητι καὶ ἀτέχνῳ ζωῇ πρὸς μόνον τὸν δημιουργὸν διὰ τῶν κτισμάτων ἐναγόμενος καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ θεωρίᾳ ἐνηδυνόμενός τε καὶ εὐφραινόμενος. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν αὐτὸν αὐτεξουσίῳ θελήματι φυσικῶς κατεκόσμησε, δίδωσι νόμον αὐτῷ μὴ γεύσασθαι τοῦ ξύλου τῆς γνώσεως. Περὶ οὗ ξύλου αὐταρκῶς ἐν τῷ περὶ παραδείσου κεφαλαίῳ κατά γε τὴν ἡμετέραν εἰρήκαμεν δύναμιν. Ταύτην τὴν ἐντολὴν αὐτῷ δίδωσιν ἐπαγγειλάμενος, ὡς, εἰ μὲν φυλάξοι τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀξίωμα τῷ λόγῳ τὴν νίκην διδούς, ἐπιγινώσκων τὸν κτίσαντα καὶ τούτου φυλάττων τὸ πρόσταγμα, τῆς ἀιδίου μεθέξει μακαριότητος καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κρείττων θανάτου γενόμενος. Εἰ δέ γε τὴν ψυχὴν ὑποτάξει τῷ σώματι καὶ τὰ τοῦ σώματος προτιμήσει