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he was strengthened in faith. See Paul’s philosophy. For since the argument was about those who work and those who believe, he shows that the one who believes works more than the other, and needs greater power and much strength, and endures no ordinary labor. For they were belittling faith as having no labor. Standing against this, therefore, he shows that not only the one who achieves self-control or something else of that kind, but also the one who shows forth faith, needs greater power. For just as that one has need of strength, in order to beat back the thoughts of licentiousness; so also this one has need of a powerful soul, in order to thrust out the notions of unbelief. How then did he become strong? By faith, he says, not entrusting the matter to reasonings; since then he would have fallen. But how did he achieve faith itself? By giving glory to God, he says, and being fully convinced that what He has promised, He is able also to perform. Therefore, not to be overly curious is to glorify God, just as to be overly curious is to transgress. But if by being overly curious and searching into the things below we do not glorify, much more by meddling with the generation of the Master, we will suffer the worst things as insolent ones. For if one must not search into the type of the resurrection, much more those ineffable and dreadful things. And he did not say simply "believing," but, "Being fully convinced." For such is faith, clearer than proof from reasonings, and it persuades more; for it is not possible for another reasoning, having come upon 60.462 it, to shake it thereafter. For the one who is persuaded by words can also be persuaded otherwise; but the one who is confirmed by faith has henceforth walled off his hearing to words that would corrupt it. Having said, therefore, that he was justified by faith, he shows that he also glorified God by faith; which is most characteristic of a life. For let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Behold, this was shown to be of faith. Again, just as works need power, so also does faith. For here often the body also shares in the sweat; but there it is the achievement of the bare soul. So the labor is greater, when it does not even have one sharing the struggles with it. 2. Have you seen how he showed that all things which belonged to works, belong to faith with greater abundance, such as boasting before God, needing power and labor, and again, glorifying God? And by saying, "That what He has promised, He is able also to perform," it seems to me he is also proclaiming beforehand concerning the things to come; for He did not promise only present things, but also future things; for these are a type of those. Therefore, not to believe is of a weak mind, and a small and wretched one. So whenever some charge us with faith, let us charge them in turn with unbelief, as being wretched and small-souled and foolish and weak and in no better state than donkeys. For just as to believe is of a lofty and high-minded soul, so to disbelieve is of a most irrational and base one, and one that has descended to the senselessness of beasts. Therefore, leaving them, let us emulate the patriarch, and let us glorify God, just as he gave Him glory. But what is, "He gave Him glory?" He considered His righteousness, His infinite power; and having received the fitting conception of Him, he was thus fully convinced concerning the promises. Let us therefore glorify Him, both we and through faith and through works, so that we may also receive as a reward to be glorified by Him; For "Those who glorify me, I will glorify," He says. And yet, even if no reward were appointed, this itself was a glory, to be deemed worthy to glorify God. For if men, speaking praises to kings, are adorned by this very thing alone, even if there is nothing else to reap; consider how great a glory it would be for our Master to be glorified through us, just as it is also a punishment to cause Him to be blasphemed through us; and yet this very thing, to be glorified, He wishes to happen through us; for He Himself does not need the thing. For how great do you think the distance is between God and men? Is it as great as that between men and worms?

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ἐνεδυναμώθη τῇ πίστει. Ὅρα Παύλου φιλοσοφίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ τῶν ἐργαζομένων καὶ τῶν πιστευόντων ἦν ὁ λόγος, δείκνυσι τὸν πιστεύοντα ἐργαζόμενον μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκεῖνον, καὶ πλείονος δεόμενον δυνάμεως καὶ πολλῆς τῆς ἰσχύος, καὶ οὐ τὸν τυχόντα ὑπομένοντα πόνον. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξευτέλιζον τὴν πίστιν ὡς οὐκ ἔχουσαν πόνον. Πρὸς τοῦτο τοίνυν ἱστάμενος δείκνυσιν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ὁ σωφροσύνην κατορθῶν ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πίστιν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, δυνάμεως δεῖται πλείονος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος χρείαν ἔχει ἰσχύος, ἵνα τοὺς τῆς ἀκολασίας διακρούσηται λογισμούς· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος χρείαν ἔχει δυνατῆς ψυχῆς, ἵνα τὰς τῆς ἀπιστίας ἐξωθήσηται ἐννοίας. Πῶς οὖν ἐγένετο ἰσχυρός; Τῇ πίστει, φησὶν, οὐ λογισμοῖς τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐπιτρέψας· ἐπεὶ ἂν κατέπεσε. Πῶς δὲ αὐτὴν τὴν πίστιν κατώρθωσε; ∆οὺς δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶ, καὶ πληροφορηθεὶς, ὅτι ὃ ἐπήγγελται, δυνατός ἐστι καὶ ποιῆσαι. Ἄρα τὸ μὴ περιεργάζεσθαι, δοξάζειν ἐστὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ περιεργάζεσθαι, πλημμελεῖν. Εἰ δὲ τὰ κάτω περιεργαζόμενοι καὶ ζητοῦντες οὐ δοξάζομεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου γέννησιν πολυπραγμονοῦντες, ὡς ὑβρίζοντες τὰ ἔσχατα πεισόμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν τύπον τῆς ἀναστάσεως οὐ χρὴ ζητεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἐκεῖνα καὶ φρικτά. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε πιστεύσας ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ, Πληροφορηθείς. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ πίστις, τῆς ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ἀποδείξεως, σαφεστέρα, καὶ μᾶλλον πείθει· οὐ γὰρ ἔστι λογισμὸν ἕτερον ἐπ 60.462 εισελθόντα αὐτῇ διασαλεῦσαι λοιπόν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ λόγοις πειθόμενος καὶ μεταπεισθῆναι δύναται· ὁ δὲ τῇ πίστει βεβαιούμενος ἀπετείχισε λοιπὸν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀκοὴν τοῖς λυμαινομένοις αὐτὴν λόγοις. Εἰπὼν τοίνυν, ὅτι ἀπὸ πίστεως ἐδικαιώθη, δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ ἐδόξασε τὸν Θεὸν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως· ὃ βίου μάλιστά ἐστιν ἴδιον. Λαμψάτω γὰρ ὑμῶν τὸ φῶς ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἰδοὺ τοῦτο τῆς πίστεως ὂν ἐφάνη. Πάλιν δὲ ὥσπερ τὰ ἔργα δεῖται δυνάμεως, οὕτω καὶ ἡ πίστις. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ πολλάκις καὶ τὸ σῶμα μερίζεται τὸν ἱδρῶτα· ἐκεῖ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς γυμνῆς ἐστι τὸ κατόρθωμα. Ὥστε μείζων ὁ πόνος, ὅταν μηδὲ τὸν διανεμόμενον πρὸς αὐτὴν ἔχῃ τοὺς ἀγῶνας. ʹ. Εἶδες πῶς πάντα, ἅπερ ἦν ἔργων, ἔδειξε μετὰ πλείονος περιουσίας τῇ πίστει προσόντα, οἷον τὸ καυχᾶσθαι πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, τὸ δυνάμεως δεῖσθαι καὶ πόνου, τὸ δοξάζειν πάλιν τὸν Θεόν; Εἰπὼν δὲ, Ὅτι ὃ ἐπήγγελται, δυνατός ἐστι καὶ ποιῆσαι, δοκεῖ μοι καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων προαναφωνεῖν· οὐ γὰρ τὰ παρόντα ἐπηγγείλατο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα· ταῦτα γὰρ τύπος ἐκείνων. Ἄρα ἀσθενοῦς διανοίας τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν, καὶ μικρᾶς καὶ ταλαιπώρου. Ὥστε ὅταν ἡμῖν ἐγκαλῶσι τὴν πίστιν τινὲς, ἀντεγκαλῶμεν ἡμεῖς τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ταλαιπώροις καὶ μικροψύχοις καὶ ἀνοήτοις καὶ ἀσθενέσιν καὶ ὄνων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακειμένοις. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ πιστεύειν ὑψηλῆς καὶ μεγαλοφυοῦς ψυχῆς· οὕτω τὸ ἀπιστεῖν ἀλογωτάτης καὶ εὐτελοῦς καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν κτηνῶν ἄνοιαν κατενηνεγμένης. ∆ιόπερ ἐκείνους ἀφέντες, τὸν πατριάρχην ζηλώσωμεν, καὶ δοξάσωμεν τὸν Θεὸν, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δόξαν. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δόξαν; Ἐνενόησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, τὴν ἄπειρον δύναμιν· καὶ τὴν προσήκουσαν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἔννοιαν λαβὼν, οὕτως ἐπληροφορήθη περὶ τῶν ὑποσχέσεων. ∆οξάσωμεν τοίνυν αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ διὰ πίστεως καὶ διὰ ἔργων, ἵνα καὶ μισθὸν λάβωμεν τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ δοξασθῆναι· Τοὺς δοξάζοντας γάρ με δοξάσω, φησί. Καίτοι εἰ καὶ μηδεὶς ἔκειτο μισθὸς, αὐτὸ τοῦτο δόξα ἦν τὸ καταξιωθῆναι δοξάσαι Θεόν. Εἰ γὰρ εἰς βασιλέας εὐφημίας λέγοντες ἄνθρωποι, αὐτῷ τούτῳ καλλωπίζονται μόνῳ, κἂν μηδὲν ᾖ καρπώσασθαι ἕτερον· ἐννόησον πόσης ἂν εἴη δόξης τὸ δι' ἡμᾶς τὸν ∆εσπότην δοξάζεσθαι τὸν ἡμέτερον, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ κολάσεως τὸ ποιεῖν αὐτὸν βλασφημεῖσθαι δι' ἡμᾶς· καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὸ δοξάζεσθαι, δι' ἡμᾶς βούλεται γίνεσθαι· αὐτὸς γὰρ οὐ δεῖται τοῦ πράγματος. Πόσον γὰρ οἴει τὸ μέσον εἶναι Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων; ἆρα ὅσον ἀνθρώπων καὶ σκωλήκων;