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confidence. For if some received some comfort on account of their fathers, much more do fathers on account of their children. For in the former case there was only the claim of nature, but in the latter there is also that of upbringing, which is much greater than nature. And I will confirm both of these for you from the divine Scriptures. For God said that he saved Hezekiah—who was virtuous and pious, but did not have such great confidence from his achievements as to stand against so great a danger—on account of his father's virtue. For I will defend, he says, this city to save it for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake. And Paul, writing to Timothy concerning parents, said that They will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control. And just as Scripture praised Job for his other qualities, for instance that he was just and true and God-fearing, so too it praised him for his care for his children. And this was not to gather gold for them, nor to make them famous and brilliant, but what? Listen to the Scripture saying: When the days of their feasting were completed, Job would send and sanctify them, and rising early in the morning he would offer a sacrifice for them according to their number, and one calf for a sin offering for their souls; for Job said in his heart, "Perhaps my sons have thought evil in their minds against God." Will there then be any defense left for us who dare such things? For if he who was before grace, before the law, who enjoyed no teaching, took such great care for his children as to tremble even for their hidden sins, who will then deliver us who are in grace, who have had so many teachers, who have such examples and so many exhortations, not only not fearing for the hidden sins, but even despising the manifest ones, and not only despising them, but even persecuting those who wish to correct them? And Abraham, as I said before, besides his other achievements, this also made him illustrious. 21. Therefore, having so many examples, let us prepare for God ministers and approved servants. For if someone who raises athletes for cities, or trains soldiers for kings, will be honored with great honor, what a great gift are we likely to receive, who raise such noble and great men, or rather angels, for God? Let us therefore do all things 47.385, so as to leave to them the wealth of piety, which abides, and travels with them, and is able to benefit them most greatly not only here, but there also. For worldly wealth will neither be transferred with them, and will be lost beforehand even here, and often destroys its possessors along with it; but this wealth will be secure both here and there, and will preserve those who possess it with great safety. For it is so: he who prefers the things on earth to the spiritual, will fall away from both those and these; but he who desires the heavenly things, will surely also obtain the things on earth. This saying is not mine, but His who is about to provide these things, the Lord's. For seek, he says, the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. What could be equal to this honor? Take care, he says, for spiritual things, and leave all your affairs to me. Just as if some loving father were to handle the care of the house and the command of the servants and all other things, advising his child to devote himself only to philosophy; so indeed does God. Let us obey, therefore, and seek the kingdom of God, and thus everywhere we shall see our children approved, and we ourselves will be glorious with them, and we will enjoy present things, if only we love the things to come and heavenly. To you who obey these things, it will bring a great reward, but to those who contradict and disobey, a more severe punishment. For it is not possible to take refuge in an excuse, nor to say that there was no one teaching these things. Indeed, even before our words, this excuse was taken away, since nature has an accurate criterion of things that are good and things that are not, and since this philosophy is set forth everywhere, and since the evils in life are sufficient even to

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παῤῥησίας. Εἰ γάρ τινες διὰ πατέρας παραμυθίας ἔτυχόν τινος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον διὰ παῖδας πατέρες. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ τὸ τῆς φύσεως μόνον δικαίωμα ἦν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀνατροφῆς, πολλῷ τῆς φύσεως μεῖζον ὄν. Καὶ ταῦτα ὑμῖν ἀμφότερα ἀπὸ τῶν θείων πιστώσομαι Γραφῶν. Τὸν γὰρ Ἐζεκίαν ἐνάρετον μὲν ὄντα καὶ εὐσεβῆ, οὐκ ἔχοντα δὲ τοσαύτην παῤῥησίαν ἀπὸ τῶν κατορθωμάτων, ὥστε καὶ πρὸς τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον στῆναι, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἔφησε σώζειν ἀρετῆς ὁ Θεός. Ὑπερασπιῶ γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς πόλεως ταύτης τοῦ σῶσαι αὐτὴν δι' ἐμὲ, καὶ διὰ ∆αυῒδ τὸν παῖδά μου. Καὶ Τιμοθέῳ δὲ περὶ γονέων ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγεν ὁ Παῦλος, ὅτι Σωθήσονται διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας, ἐὰν μείνωσιν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ μετὰ σωφροσύνης. Καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ δὲ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπῄνεσεν ἡ Γραφὴ, οἷον ὅτι δίκαιος καὶ ἀληθινὸς καὶ θεοσεβὴς ἦν, οὕτω καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς περὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἐπιμελείας. Αὕτη δὲ ἦν οὐ χρυσὸν συνάγειν αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲ ἐπιδόξους ποιεῖν καὶ λαμπροὺς, ἀλλὰ τί; Ἄκουσον τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης· Ὅταν συνετελέσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ πότου αὐτῶν, ἀπέστελλεν Ἰὼβ, καὶ ἐκαθάριζεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀνιστάμενος τῷ πρωῒ προσέφερε περὶ αὐτῶν θυσίαν κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῶν, καὶ μόσχον ἕνα περὶ ἁμαρτίας ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν· ἔλεγε γὰρ Ἰὼβ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, Μή ποτε οἱ υἱοί μου ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ αὐτῶν κακὰ ἐνενόησαν πρὸς Θεόν. Ἆρα ἔσται τις ἡμῖν ἀπολογία λοιπὸν τοιαῦτα τολμῶσιν; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ πρὸ τῆς χάριτος, ὁ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου, ὁ μηδεμιᾶς ἀπολαύσας διδασκαλίας, τοσαύτην τῶν παίδων ἐποιεῖτο πρόνοιαν, ὡς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδήλων τρέμειν ἁμαρτημάτων, τίς ἡμᾶς ἐξαιρήσεται λοιπὸν τοὺς ἐν τῇ χάριτι, τοὺς καὶ τοσούτων διδασκάλων τετυχηκότας, τοὺς τοιαῦτα ὑποδείγματα ἔχοντας καὶ τοσαύτας παραινέσεις, οὐ μόνον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδήλων οὐ δεδοικότας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν δήλων καταφρονοῦντας, καὶ οὐ καταφρονοῦντας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς βουλομένους αὐτὰ διορθοῦν ἐλαύνοντας; Καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ δὲ, καθάπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων κατορθωμάτων καὶ τοῦτο λαμπρὸν ἐποίει. καʹ. Τοσαῦτα οὖν ἔχοντες ὑποδείγματα, κατασκευάζωμεν τῷ Θεῷ διακόνους, καὶ λειτουργοὺς δοκίμους. Εἰ γὰρ ἀθλητάς τις πόλεσι τρέφων, ἢ στρατιώτας βασιλεῦσιν ἀσκῶν, μεγάλῃ τιμηθήσεται τιμῇ, πόσην ἡμᾶς εἰκὸς λαβεῖν δωρεὰν, οὕτω γενναίους καὶ μεγάλους ἄνδρας, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀγγέλους τῷ Θεῷ τρέφοντας; Πάντα οὖν 47.385 πράττωμεν, ὥστε αὐτοῖς ἀφεῖναι τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας πλοῦτον, τὸν μένοντα, καὶ συναποδημοῦντα, καὶ οὐκ ἐνταῦθα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖ μέγιστα ὀνῆσαι δυνάμενον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ βιωτικὸς οὔτε συμμεταστήσεται, καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ προαπολεῖται, καὶ τοὺς ἔχοντας πολλάκις προσαπολεῖ· οὗτος δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα κἀκεῖ βέβαιος ἔσται, καὶ διατηρήσει μετὰ πολλῆς ἀσφαλείας τοὺς κεκτημένους αὐτόν. Καὶ γὰρ οὕτως ἔχει· ὁ μὲν τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ προτιμῶν τῶν πνευματικῶν, κἀκείνων ἐκπεσεῖται καὶ τούτων· ὁ δὲ τῶν οὐρανίων ἐπιθυμῶν, καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς τεύξεται πάντως. Οὐκ ἐμὸς οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ταῦτα παρασχεῖν μέλλοντος Κυρίου. Ζητεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Τί ταύτης ἴσον γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς τιμῆς; Φρόντιζε, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ τῶν πνευματικῶν, ἐμοὶ δὲ ἄφες πάντα τὰ σά. Ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις πατὴρ φιλόστοργος οἰκίας ἐπιμέλειαν καὶ οἰκετῶν προστασίαν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων μεταχειρίζοιτο, τῷ παιδὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ μόνῃ σχολάζειν παραινοίη· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Θεός. Πειθώμεθα τοίνυν, καὶ ζητῶμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὕτω πανταχοῦ τούς τε παῖδας δοκίμους ὀψόμεθα, καὶ αὐτοὶ μετ' ἐκείνων ἐσόμεθα λαμπροὶ, καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀπολαυσόμεθα, ἂν τῶν μελλόντων καὶ οὐρανίων ἐρῶμεν μόνον. Ταῦτα πειθομένοις μὲν ὑμῖν μέγαν οἴσει τὸν μισθὸν, ἀντιλέγουσι δὲ καὶ ἀπειθοῦσι χαλεπωτέραν τὴν τιμωρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔνι καταφυγεῖν εἰς ἀπολογίαν, οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ὁ ταῦτα διδάσκων οὐδεὶς ἦν. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων ἡ ἀπολογία αὕτη ἀνῄρητο, τῆς τε φύσεως ἐχούσης ἀκριβὲς τὸ κριτήριον τῶν καλῶν, καὶ τῶν οὐ τοιούτων, τῆς τε φιλοσοφίας ταύτης πανταχοῦ προκειμένης, τῶν τε ἐν τῷ βίῳ κακῶν ἱκανῶν ὄντων καὶ τοὺς