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8.13.1 13. FROM PHILO, CONCERNING GOD AND CONCERNING THE CREATED NATURE OF THE

COSMOS «For some, admiring the cosmos more than the creator of the cosmos, have declared it to be uncreated and eternal, wickedly lying against God about his great inactivity, when they ought, on the contrary, to have been amazed at his powers as creator and father, 8.13.2 and not to dignify it beyond measure. But Moses, having reached the very pinnacle of philosophy and having been taught by oracles the many and most essential things of nature, knew that among existing things it is most necessary for there to be the active cause, and the passive; and that the active cause is the mind of the universe, most pure and unmixed, better than knowledge and better than the good itself and the beautiful itself; while the passive is without soul and motionless of itself, but being moved and shaped and ensouled by the mind, it was changed into the most perfect work, this cosmos; those who say that it is uncreated are unaware that they are cutting away the most beneficial and necessary element of piety, 8.13.3 providence. For reason determines that the father and maker cares for what has been made. For a father aims at the preservation of his offspring, and a craftsman of his handiwork, and whatever is harmful, he repels by every means, but whatever is beneficial and profitable, he desires to provide in every way; 8.13.4 but towards that which has not been made, there is no affinity for him who did not make it. And it is a contested and unprofitable doctrine to establish anarchy, as in a city, in this cosmos, which has no overseer or umpire or judge, by whom it is right for all things to be administered and governed. 8.13.5 But the great Moses, thinking the uncreated to be most alien to the visible world (for everything perceptible is in a state of becoming and change, and is never in the same state), assigned eternity to the invisible and intelligible, as something kindred and related, but to the perceptible he applied its proper name. 8.13.6 Since, therefore, this cosmos is visible and perceptible, it must necessarily also be created, wherefore he also recorded its creation not without purpose, discoursing on theology very reverently.» 8.13.7 These things, then, are concerning the created nature of the cosmos. And the same man, in his work *On Providence*, discusses most vigorously that the universe is governed by providence, first setting forth the objections of the atheists and then answering them in order. And from these, although they may seem rather long, I will set forth the most essential parts in summary, as they are necessary. He constructs the argument in this way:

8.14.1 14. CONCERNING THE COSMOS BEING GOVERNED BY THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

«Do you say there is providence in such great disorder and confusion of affairs? For what in human life is well-ordered? What, then, is not full of disorder and ruin? Or are you alone ignorant that good things come in abundance to the worst and most wicked men, wealth, good repute, honors among the masses; further, leadership, health, keen senses, beauty, strength, the unhindered enjoyment of pleasures both through a superabundance of resources and through a most peaceful good condition of body? But the lovers and practitioners of prudence and of all virtue are all, I might almost say, poor, destitute, obscure, inglorious, and lowly?» 8.14.2 Having said these things for the sake of refutation and countless other things more than these, he then resolves the objections with these words: «God is not a tyrant, practicing cruelty and violence and all the works of a master of a savage rule, but a king who has taken up a gentle and lawful

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8.13.1 ιγʹ. ΦΙΛΩΝΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΘΕΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΓΕΝΗΤΟΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΟΝ

ΚΟΣΜΟΝ «Τινὲς γὰρ τὸν κόσμον μᾶλλον ἢ τὸν κοσμοποιὸν θαυμάσαντες τὸν μὲν ἀγένητόν τε καὶ ἀΐδιον ἀπεφήναντο, τοῦ θεοῦ πολλὴν ἀπραξίαν ἀνάγνως καταψευσάμενοι, δέον ἔμπαλιν τούτου τὰς δυνάμεις ὡς ποιητοῦ καὶ πατρὸς κατα8.13.2 πλαγῆναι, τὸν δὲ μὴ πλέον ἀποσεμνῦναι τοῦ μετρίου. Μωσῆς δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἐπ' αὐτὴν φθάσας ἀκρότητα καὶ χρησμοῖς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ συνεκτικώτατα τῶν τῆς φύσεως ἀναδιδαχθεὶς ἔγνω διότι ἀναγκαιότατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι τὸ μὲν εἶναι δραστήριον αἴτιον, τὸ δὲ παθητόν· καὶ ὅτι τὸ μὲν δραστήριον ὁ τῶν ὅλων νοῦς ἐστιν εἰλικρινέστατος καὶ ἀκραιφνέστατος, κρείττων ἢ ἐπιστήμη καὶ κρείττων ἢ αὐτὸ τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ καλόν· τὸ δὲ παθητικὸν ἄψυχον καὶ ἀκίνητον ἐξ αὑτοῦ, κινηθὲν δὲ καὶ σχηματισθὲν καὶ ψυχωθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ νοῦ μετέβαλεν εἰς τὸ τελειότατον ἔργον τόνδε τὸν κόσμον· ὃν οἱ φάσκοντες ὡς ἔστιν ἀγένητος, λελήθασι τὸ ὠφελιμώτατον καὶ ἀναγκαιότατον τῶν εἰς εὐσέβειαν ὑπο8.13.3 τεμνόμενοι, τὴν πρόνοιαν. τοῦ μὲν γὰρ γεγονότος ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τὸν πατέρα καὶ ποιητὴν αἱρεῖ λόγος. καὶ γὰρ πατὴρ ἐκγόνων καὶ δημιουργὸς τῶν δημιουργηθέντων στοχάζεται τῆς διαμονῆς, καὶ ὅσα μὲν ἐπιζήμια, μηχανῇ πάσῃ διωθεῖται, ὅσα δὲ ὠφέλιμα καὶ λυσιτελῆ, πάντα τρόπον ἐκπορίζειν ἐπι8.13.4 ποθεῖ· πρὸς δὲ τὸ μὴ γεγονὸς οἰκείωσις οὐδεμία τῷ μὴ πεποιηκότι. περιμάχητον δὲ δόγμα καὶ ἀνωφελὲς ἀναρχίαν ὡς ἐν πόλει κατασκευάζειν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ τὸν ἔφορον ἢ βραβευτὴν ἢ δικαστὴν οὐκ ἔχοντι, ὑφ' οὗ πάντ' οἰκονο8.13.5 μεῖσθαι καὶ πρυτανεύεσθαι θέμις. ἀλλ' ὅ γε μέγας Μωσῆς ἀλλοτριώτατον τοῦ ὁρατοῦ νομίσας εἶναι τὸ ἀγένητον πᾶν γὰρ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἐν γενέσει καὶ μεταβολαῖς οὐδέ ποτε κατὰ ταὐτὰ ὄν, τῷ μὲν ἀοράτῳ καὶ νοητῷ προσένειμεν ὡς ἀδελφὸν καὶ συγγενῆ ἀϊδιότητα, τῷ δ' αἰσθητῷ οἰκεῖον ὄνομα ἐπεφήμισεν. 8.13.6 ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁρατός τε καὶ αἰσθητὸς ὅδε ὁ κόσμος, ἀναγκαίως ἂν εἴη καὶ γενητός, ὅθεν οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ καὶ τὴν γένεσιν ἀνέγραψεν αὐτοῦ, μάλα σεμνῶς θεολογήσας.» 8.13.7 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ γενητὸν εἶναι τὸν κόσμον. ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ περὶ τοῦ προνοίᾳ διοικεῖσθαι τὸ πᾶν ἐν τῷ Περὶ προνοίας νεανικώτατα διέξεισι, τὰς τῶν ἀθέων ἀντιθέσεις προτάξας καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἑξῆς ἀποκρινάμενος. καὶ τούτων δέ, εἰ καὶ μακρότερα δόξειεν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀναγκαῖα τὰ πλεῖστα συντεμὼν ἐκθήσομαι. κατασκευάζει δὲ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον·

8.14.1 ιδʹ. ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΝΟΙΑΙ ΘΕΟΥ ∆ΙΟΙΚΕΙΣΘΑΙ ΤΟΝ ΚΟΣΜΟΝ

«Πρόνοιαν εἶναι λέγεις ἐν τοσαύτῃ τῶν πραγμάτων ταραχῇ καὶ συγχύσει; τί γὰρ τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον διατέτακται; τί μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἀταξίας γέμει καὶ φθορᾶς; ἢ μόνος ἀγνοεῖς ὅτι τοῖς μὲν κακίστοις καὶ πονηροτάτοις ἄφθονα ἐπεισκωμάζει τὰ ἀγαθά, πλοῦτος, εὐδοξία, τιμαὶ παρὰ τοῖς πλήθεσιν· ἡγεμονία πάλιν, ὑγεία, εὐαισθησία, κάλλος, ἰσχύς, ἀπόλαυσις ἡδονῶν ἀκώλυτος διά τε παρασκευῶν περιουσίαν καὶ διὰ τὴν εἰρηνικωτάτην σώματος εὐμοιρίαν; οἱ δὲ φρονήσεως καὶ ἀρετῆς ἁπάσης ἐρασταί τε καὶ ἀσκηταὶ πάντες εἰσίν, ὀλίγου δέω φάναι, πένητες, ἄποροι, ἀφανεῖς, ἄδοξοι, ταπεινοί;» 8.14.2 Ταῦτα εἰς ἀνασκευὴν καὶ μυρία ἄλλα πλείω τούτων εἰπὼν ἑξῆς ἐπιλύεται τὰς ἀντιθέσεις διὰ τούτων· «Οὐ τύραννος ὁ θεός, ὠμότητα καὶ βίαν καὶ ὅσα δεσπότης ἀνημέρου ἀρχῆς ἔργα ἐπιτετηδευκώς, ἀλλὰ βασιλεὺς ἥμερον καὶ νόμιμον ἀνημμένος