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weeping through hardship, but resting in the bosom of Abraham; but the rich man, laughing through pleasure, wept in torment, being bitterly tormented for his aforementioned laughter. pre229 ferred, deifying it in a certain way, just as others do their belly, of whom it is said: "whose god is their belly." Indeed it is also said concerning laughter: "altars of laughter will be raised, the sins of Israel." For the devotions concerning passions and pleasures are altars of laughter, offering up as incense their own passions ../ 241 who does great and unsearchable things, both glorious and wonderful, of which there is no number. The great one necessarily does great things; but it is not necessary for one who does great things to be great. For it is not reversible. For the disciples, doing great things, had them from the great God. So that I may also use a human example, I say that the grammarian writes grammatically; but not everyone who writes correctly has it from grammar, but also from chance and habit. Therefore, he shows according to greatness, that only he who does great things, who is great, does them; and accordingly, according to our ability, from the greatness of created things we behold God and we receive a conception of God himself. And he said this, so that his friends, who believe there is one cause for suffering, might understand that he who does great and fearful things has also deep and unsearchable judgments, which are also glorious, so as to say, filled with glory. Paul writes something similar to this, saying: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord?" And in the Psalms there is something similar: "your judgments are a great abyss." For who, having observed the sky, sun, moon, stars, and their movements, will not marvel at the creator? And if you should go through each thing down to the smallest of his creations, as this242 teaches: "Go to the ant, O sluggard" and what follows, you will be exceedingly amazed at the wisdom of God. If he passes over me, I shall not see, and if he passes by me, not even then have I known_6_ν6. The incomprehensibility of God's judgments he also signifies here; for it is impossible for a human, or rather for a created nature, to comprehend these things by its own effort. This but ... to him ... this the holy ... ... to the understanding, so that from the inability to comprehend God's judgments they might also think about him and about the things that happened to him as incomprehensible and so that they might refrain from considering one cause for the things that happened. Whether therefore or whether therefore, he says, the Lord passes over me or passes by me, even so that he is near me, I am not able to know by my mind what is happening to men. For someone wishing to escape notice of another, and passing over him and passing by, will not escape notice sufficiently. And it is possible also to say, that if the things above the earth should become near to me, I am able to know by our effort; for how the economy of heaven and the things in it comes to be, is unknown to me; and if again I come to earthly things, with God passing by me and in a certain way exercising me in them, not even so am I sufficient 243 to know. If he should remove, who will turn it back? Or who will say to him: What have you done? For he himself has turned away in wrath. It is possible to take "to remove" with respect to every matter which God brings to completion; for if he should wish to dissolve human life, who can turn back his will? And if he should bring on grievous things or stop them, in general none of the things done by him can suffer hindrance, with no one having the strength to say to him: "What have you done?" according to the apostolic word: "Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it: Why have you made me thus?" ... let those who blasphemously say to him: "What have you done?" ... For not ... the saying, but ... his ... worthy of ... "What have you done?" For those who out of carelessness reckon bitter things, not understanding their purpose, blasphemously say: "What have you done?" according to the fool saying in his heart: "There is no

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μὲν κλαίων διὰ τῆς κακοπαθείας, ἐν δὲ τοῖς κόλποις Ἀβραὰμ ἀναπαυόμενος· ὁ δὲ πλούσιος γελῶν δι' ἡδονῆς ἔκλαυσεν ἐν κολάσει βασανιζόμενος πικρῶς ἐπὶ τῷ εἰρημένῳ γέλωτι. προε229 τίμησεν θεοποιῶν αὐτὸν τρόπον τινά, καθὰ καὶ ἕτεροι τὴν κοιλίαν, περὶ ὧν λέγεται· "ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία." εἴρηται γοῦν καὶ περὶ τοῦ γέλωτος· "ἀρθήσον ται βωμοὶ τοῦ γέλωτος, ἁμαρτήματα τοῦ Ἰσδραήλ." αἱ γὰρ περὶ τὰ πάθη καὶ τὰς ἡδονὰς σπουδαὶ τοῦ γέλωτός εἰσι βωμοί· ἀναθυμμιῶντες αὐτὰ τὰ πάθη ἑαυτῶν ··/ 241 ὁ ποιῶν μεγάλα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. ὁ μέγας μεγάλα ποιεῖ ἀναγκ̣αίως· οὐκ ἀνάγκη δ̣ὲ το`̣ν π̣οιοῦντα μ̣ε̣γάλα μὲν μέγαν εἶναι. οὐ γὰρ ἀντιστρέφει. μεγάλα γοῦν ποιοῦντες οἱ μαθηταὶ παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ αὐτὰ εἶχον. ἵνα καὶ ἀνθρωπι´̣ν̣ῳ̣ χρήσωμαι παραδείγματι, λέγω, ὁ´̣τ̣ι̣ ο῾̣ γραμματικὸς γραμματικῶς γράφει· οὐ πάντως δὲ πᾶς ὁ γράφων ὀρθ̣ῶς ἀπὸ τῆς γραμματικῆς αὐτὸ ἔχει, ἀλλὰ καὶ α᾿̣π̣ο`̣ τύχης καὶ συνηθείας. ἐμφαίνει̣ οὖν̣ κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος, ὅτι μόνος̣, ἁ`̣ π̣ο̣ιε̣ι῀̣, μ̣εγάλα ποιεῖ, ὃς μέγας ἐστίν· ἀναλόγ̣ως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν δύναμιν ἐκ μεγέθους τῶν κτισμάτων θεωροῦμεν θεὸν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἔννοιαν δεχόμεθα. ἔλεγεν δὲ τοῦτο, ἵνα οἱ φίλοι οἱ μίαν αἰτίαν πόνων νομίζοντες ἐννοήσωσιν, ὅτι ὁ ποιῶν μεγάλα καὶ φ̣οβερὰ καὶ βαθέα κρίματα ἔχει καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἅπερ καὶ ἔνδοξά ἐστιν, ὡς λέγειν δόξης πεπληρωμένα. τούτῳ ὅμοιον καὶ Παῦλος γράφει λέγων· "ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως θεοῦ· ὡς ἀνεξεραύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ· τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου̣;" κ̣αὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς δέ ἐστιν τὸ παραπλησίον· "τὰ κρίματά σου ἄβυσσος πολλή." τίς γὰρ ἐπιστήσας οὐρανῷ, ἡλίῳ, σελήνῃ, ἀστράσιν καὶ ταῖς τούτων κινή σεσιν οὐ θαυμάσει τὸν δημιουργόν; εἰ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸ καθ' ἕκαστον διέλθοις ἄχρι τῶν μικροτάτων α̣ὐτο̣ῦ, ὡς̣ τοῦ242 τ̣ο διδάσκει τό· "ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρέ" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ὑπερθαυμάσεις τὴν̣ τ̣ο̣υ῀̣ θεοῦ σοφίαν. ἐὰν ὑπερβῇ με, οὐ μὴ ἴδω, καὶ ἐὰν παρέλθῃ με, οὐδ' ὧς ἔγνω_6_ν6. τὸ ἀκατάλημπτον τῶν θεοῦ κριμάτων καὶ ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει· καὶ γὰρ ἀνθρώπῳ, μᾶλλον δὲ γεννητῇ φύσει, ταῦτα καταλαβεῖν ἀμήχανον ἰδίᾳ ἐπιβολῇ. τοῦτο δὲ ····· · αὐτῷ ····ω τοῦτο ὁ ἅγιος ····· ·ε̣λ̣θον····ι̣ς̣ τὴν νόησιν, ὅπως ἐκ τ̣οῦ μὴ δ̣υ´̣νασθαι τὰ θεοῦ κρίματα καταλαμβάνειν καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμηθῶσιν καὶ τῶν συμβάντων αὐτω῀̣ι ὡς οὐκ ἐκλημπτῶν καὶ ὅπως̣ ἀπόσχωνται τοῦ μίαν αἰτίαν περὶ τὰ συμβάντα λογίζεσθαι. εἴτε οὖν εἴτε οὖν, φησίν, ὑπερβαίνοι με εἴτε παρέλθοι με ὁ κύριος οὕτως ὥστε καὶ πλησίον μου αὐτὸν εἶναι, οὐ δύναμαι γνῶναι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐμοῦ νο̣ῦ τοῦ γινομένου ἀνθρώποις. λαθεῖν γάρ τι»ς» θέλων τινὰ καὶ ὑπερβαίνων αὐτὸν καὶ παρερχόμενος οὐχ ἱκανῶς λήσεται. δυνατὸν δ̣ὲ καὶ λέγειν, ὅτι εἴ τε συ τὰ ὑπὲρ γη῀̣ς̣ ἐμοὶ πλησίον γένοιτο, γνῶναι δύναμαι καθ' ἡμετέραν ἐπιβολήν· πῶς γὰρ ἡ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ γίνεται οἰκονομία, ἐμοὶ ἄγνωστον· εἴ τε εἰς τὰ γήϊνα πάλιν ἔλθω θεοῦ με παρερχομένου καὶ τρόπον τινὰ ἐνγυμνάζοντός με ἐν αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲ οὕτως αὐτάρκης ἐγὼ 243 εἰς τὸ γνῶναι. ἐὰν ἀπαλλάξῃ, τίς ἀποστρέψει; ἢ τίς ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ· τί ἐποίησας; αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀπέστραπται ὀργῇ. τὸ ἀπαλλάξαι ἐπὶ παντὸς λα̣βεῖν πράγματος δυνατόν, οὗ τελεσιουργεῖ θεός· εἴ τε γὰρ διαλῦσαι τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ζῆν ἐθέλοι, τίς ἀποστρέψαι δύναται αὐτοῦ τὸ θέλημα; εἴ τε ἀνιαρὰ ἐπαγαγεῖν ἢ παῦσαι ταῦτα, καθόλως οὐδὲν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ γινομένων δύναται κώλυμ̣α ὑποσχεῖν οὐδενὸς σθένοντος εἰπεῖν αὐτῷ· "τί ἐποίησας;" κατὰ τὸν ἀποστολικὸν λόγον· "μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως;" ····· σθωσαν οἱ βλασφήμως λέγοντες αὐτῷ· "τί ἐποίησας;" οὐ γὰρ ····· ·· σιν τὸ λόγιον, ἀλλ' ἐπιδ····· ·· ξιν αὐτοῦ ἀξίαν τοῦ α̣···· "τί ἐποίησας;" οἱ γὰρ ἐξ ὀλιγωρίας τὰ πικρὰ λογιζόμενοι μὴ ἐπιστάμενοι αὐτῶν τὸν σκοπὸν βλασφήμως λέγουσιν· "τί ἐποίησας;" κατὰ τὸν ἄφρονα ἐν καρδίᾳ ἑαυτοῦ λέγοντα· "οὐκ ἔστιν