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constructing a magnanimity. For what does it say? Before God in whom he believed; and what it says is this: Just as God is not a partial God, but the Father of all, so too is he. And again, just as God is Father not according to natural kinship, but according to the adoption of faith, so too is he; for obedience makes him the father of us all. For since they considered this kinship to be nothing, holding to that grosser one, he shows this one to be more authoritative, tracing the argument back to God. And along with these things, he also points out this, that he received this as a reward for his faith; so that if this is not the case, even if he were father of all who dwell on the earth, the phrase, 'Before,' has no place, but the gift of God is mutilated; for 'before' means 'in like manner'. For where is the wonder, tell me, in being a father of those who came from him? For every man possesses this. For the paradox is this, to receive by the gift of God those whom he did not have by nature. 5. So if you wish to believe that the patriarch was honored, believe that he is the father of all. But having said, Before God in whom he believed, he did not stop there, but also added; Who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not as though they are; already laying the groundwork for the discourse on the resurrection. And it was also useful for his present purpose. For if it is possible for Him to give life to the dead, and to bring things that are not into being as though they are, it is also possible for Him to make those not born of him his children. For this reason he did not say, 'And bringing things that are not into being as though they are,' but, 'Calling,' indicating the greater ease. For just as it is easy for us to call things that are, so for Him it is easy, and much easier, to bring into existence things that are not. And having spoken of God's gift as great and ineffable, and having discoursed about His power, he also shows Abraham's faith to be worthy of the gift, so that you may not think he was honored in vain. And having roused the hearer, so that the Jew may not be troubled or doubt and say, 'And how is it possible for those who are not children to become children?' he shifts the discourse to the patriarch, and says: Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken: So shall your seed be. 60.461 How did he believe against hope in hope? Against human hope, in the hope of God. For he shows both the greatness of the matter, and does not allow what is said to be disbelieved; which things are contrary to one another, but faith blended them together. But if he were speaking about those from Israel, this discourse would be superfluous; for they were born not according to faith, but according to nature. But he also brings Isaac into the midst; for he did not believe concerning those nations, but concerning the one who was to be born from the barren woman. If, therefore, becoming the father of many nations is the reward, it is clearly of those nations concerning whom he believed. For that you may learn that he is speaking of these, hear what follows: And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. Do you see how he sets out both the hindrances, and the lofty mind of the righteous man, transcending everything? Against hope, he says, was what was promised. This is the first hindrance; for Abraham himself had not seen another person receive a child in this way. For those after him looked to him; but he looked to no one, but to God alone; wherefore also he said, 'Against hope.' Then, the body being dead; this is a second; and the deadness of Sarah's womb; this is both a third and a fourth. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. For God gave no demonstration, nor performed a sign, but there were only bare words, promising things which nature did not promise. But nevertheless, He staggered not, it says. He did not say, 'He did not disbelieve,' but, 'He staggered not;' that is, he did not hesitate, nor did he doubt, even though there were so many hindrances. From these things we learn that even if God promises ten thousand impossible things, and the hearer does not accept them, the weakness is not in the nature of the things, but in the folly of the one who does not receive them. But

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μεγαλονοίας κατασκευάζων. Τί γάρ φησι; Κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσε Θεοῦ· ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὥσπερ ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἔστι μερικὸς Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ πάντων πατὴρ, οὕτω καὶ αὐτός. Καὶ πάλιν, Ὥσπερ ὁ Θεὸς πατήρ ἐστιν οὐ κατὰ τὴν φυσικὴν συγγένειαν, ἀλλὰ κατ' οἰκείωσιν πίστεως, οὕτω καὶ αὐτός· ἡ γὰρ ὑπακοὴ ποιεῖ πατέρα πάντων ἡμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐνόμιζον εἶναι ταύτην τὴν συγγένειαν, τὴν παχυτέραν ἐκείνην κατασχόντες, δείκνυσι ταύτην κυριωτέραν, ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τὸν λόγον ἀναγαγών. Καὶ μετὰ τούτων κἀκεῖνο ἐμφαίνει, ὅτι καὶ ἀμοιβὴν τῆς πίστεως ταύτην ἔλαβεν· ὥστε ἂν μὴ τοῦτο ᾖ, κἂν πάντων ᾖ πατὴρ τῶν τὴν γῆν οἰκούντων, τὸ, Κατέναντι, οὐκ ἔχει χώραν, ἀλλ' ἠκρωτηρίασται ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεά· τὸ γὰρ κατέναντι, ὁμοίως ἐστί. Ποῦ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πατέρα εἶναι; τοῦτο γὰρ ἕκαστος κέκτηται τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τὸ γὰρ παράδοξον ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν, οὓς οὐκ εἶχεν ἐκ φύσεως, τούτους ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεᾶς λαβεῖν. εʹ. Ὥστε εἰ βούλει πιστεῦσαι, ὅτι ἐτιμήθη ὁ πατριάρχης, πίστευσον, ὅτι πάντων ἐστὶ πατήρ. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσε Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἔστη μέχρι τούτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· Τοῦ ζωοποιοῦντος τοὺς νεκροὺς, καὶ καλοῦντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα· ἤδη τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως προκαταβαλλόμενος λόγον. Καὶ εἰς τὸ προκείμενον δὲ αὐτῷ χρήσιμος ἦν. Εἰ γὰρ δυνατὸν αὐτῷ νεκροὺς ζωοποιῆσαι, καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα παραγαγεῖν, δυνατὸν αὐτῷ καὶ τοὺς μὴ τεχθέντας ἐξ αὐτοῦ ποιῆσαι παῖδας αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ εἶπε, Καὶ παράγοντος τὰ οὐκ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα, ἀλλὰ, Καλοῦντος, τὴν πλείονα εὐκολίαν δηλῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡμῖν εὔκολον τὰ ὄντα καλέσαι, οὕτως αὐτῷ ῥᾴδιον, καὶ πολλῷ ῥᾷον, τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὑποστήσασθαι. Εἰπὼν δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δωρεὰν μεγάλην οὖσαν καὶ ἄφατον, καὶ περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ διαλεχθεὶς, δείκνυσι καὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν πίστιν ἀξίαν οὖσαν τῆς δωρεᾶς, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς αὐτὸν εἰκῆ τετιμῆσθαι. Καὶ τὸν ἀκροατὴν δὲ ἀναστήσας, ἵνα μὴ θορυβῆται, μηδὲ ἀμφιβάλλῃ ὁ Ἰουδαῖος καὶ λέγῃ, Καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας παῖδας γενέσθαι παῖδας; μετάγει τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὸν πατριάρχην, καί φησιν· Ὃς παρ' ἐλπίδα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ἐπίστευσεν εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸν πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· Οὕτως ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου. 60.461 Πῶς παρ' ἐλπίδα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι ἐπίστευσε; Παρ' ἐλπίδα τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἐπ' ἐλπίδι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆είκνυσι γὰρ καὶ τὸ μεγαλεῖον τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἀπιστηθῆναι τὸ λεγόμενον· ἅπερ ἐναντία ἀλλήλοις ἐστὶν, ἀλλ' ἡ πίστις αὐτὰ συνεκέρασεν. Εἰ δὲ περὶ ἐκείνων ἔλεγε τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, περιττὸς οὗτος ὁ λόγος· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ οὐ κατὰ πίστιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ φύσιν ἐτέχθησαν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ εἰς μέσον ἄγει· οὐ γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ἐπίστευσε τῶν ἐθνῶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς στείρας γυναικὸς ἐσομένου. Εἰ τοίνυν μισθός ἐστι τὸ πατέρα πολλῶν ἐθνῶν γενέσθαι, ἐκείνων τῶν ἐθνῶν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐπίστευσε δῆλον ὅτι. Ἵνα γὰρ μάθῃς, ὅτι περὶ τούτων φησὶν, ἄκουσον τῶν ἑξῆς· Καὶ μὴ ἀσθενήσας τῇ πίστει, οὐ κατενόησε τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα νενεκρωμένον, ἑκατονταέτης που ὑπάρχων, καὶ τὴν νέκρωσιν τῆς μήτρας τῆς Σάῤῥας. Εἶδες πῶς τίθησι καὶ τὰ κωλύματα, καὶ τὴν ὑψηλὴν τοῦ δικαίου γνώμην πάντα ὑπερβαίνουσαν; Παρ' ἐλπίδα, φησὶ, τὸ ἐπαγγελθέν. Τοῦτο κώλυμα πρῶτον· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχεν αὐτὸς ἕτερον Ἀβραὰμ οὕτω λαβόντα παῖδα ἰδεῖν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ μετ' αὐτὸν, εἰς αὐτὸν ἔβλεπον· ἐκεῖνος δὲ εἰς οὐδένα, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν Θεὸν μόνον· διὸ καὶ, Παρ' ἐλπίδα, ἔλεγεν. Εἶτα τὸ σῶμα νενεκρωμένον· δεύτερον τοῦτο· καὶ ἡ νέκρωσις τῆς μήτρας Σάῤῥας· τοῦτο καὶ τρίτον καὶ τέταρτον. Εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ διεκρίθη τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπόδειξιν ἔδωκεν, οὔτε σημεῖον ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ ῥήματα ἦν ψιλὰ μόνον, ἐπαγγελλόμενα ἅπερ οὐχ ὑπισχνεῖτο ἡ φύσις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως Οὐ διεκρίθη, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἠπίστησεν, ἀλλ', Οὐ διεκρίθη· τουτέστιν, οὐδὲ ἐνεδοίασεν, οὐδὲ ἀμφέβαλε, καὶ τοσούτων ὄντων τῶν κωλυμάτων. Ἀπὸ τούτων μανθάνομεν, ὅτι κἂν μυρία ὁ Θεὸς ἀδύνατα ἐπαγγέλληται, μὴ καταδέξηται δὲ ὁ ἀκούων, οὐ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων φύσεώς ἐστιν ἡ ἀσθένεια, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀνοίας τῆς τοῦ μὴ δεχομένου. Ἀλλ'