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to punish the lawless through these, not praising them, but rather greatly hating their choice of life, yet tolerating their service on account of necessity, so the ruler of the world permits tyrants to become like certain executioners, so that through them he may exact punishment from the impious and the lawless; but later he delivers these very ones over to complete punishment, since they have done those 6.31 terrible things not as serving God, but as slaves to their own wickedness. Thus He delivered Israel, having sinned, to the cruelty of the Assyrians; but when they did not discern the purpose of the punishment, then, having overthrown their dynasty, He compelled them to serve others. And Isaiah and Ezekiel and all the prophets expressly teach these things; from whom, I think, Plato, having stolen the first principles, said that those who are incurably 6.32 disposed are disciplined for the benefit of others. And in the *Philebus* again he strengthened the argument concerning providence; "For all the wise," he says, "truly dignifying themselves, agree that mind is for us king of heaven and earth. And perhaps they speak well; but if you wish, let us make our investigation of this kind of thing through smaller steps." Then, having used a great many syllogisms, he added this: "And do you wish that we too should agree with what has been previously acknowledged, that these things are so, and not only think that we ought to state others' opinions without risk, but also share the risk and partake of the blame, whenever a clever man 6.33 says that these things are not so, but are in a state of disorder?" And having used many other arguments, he added this as well: "Therefore, if not this, by following that argument we would speak better, as we have often said, that in the universe there is much of the infinite, and sufficient limit, and over them some cause that is not trivial, ordering and composing years and months and seasons, called wisdom and mind." And he has these things, having drawn them from the Hebrew streams. For they teach clearly that "God by wisdom founded the earth, and prepared the heavens by understanding," and the other things that follow from these. 6.34 And in the *Laws* this same philosopher both divides the nature of goods and shows some to be human, and others divine; and he speaks thus: "There are two kinds of goods, the one human, the other divine; and the one is dependent on the divine, and if one receives the greater, one also acquires the lesser, but if not, one is deprived of both. Of the lesser goods, health is first, second beauty, and third strength, both in running and in all other movements of the body, and fourth is wealth, not blind, but keen-sighted, if it follows with prudence. But the first and leading of the divine goods is prudence; second is a temperate state of the soul with reason; and from these, when mixed with courage, third would be justice; and fourth is courage. And all these are by nature ranked before those others, and indeed must be so ranked by the lawgiver. After this, he must enjoin upon the citizens that the other ordinances should have regard to these, and of these, the human should look to the divine, and all the divine to the ruling mind. 6.35" Then he teaches at greater length that by nature virtue alone is good, and the other things are called so equivocally, partaking of the name alone. "For what are called goods by the many," he says, "are not rightly so called. For it is said that the best thing is to be healthy, second is beauty, third is wealth; and countless other things are called goods. For instance, to see and hear keenly and to have all the senses in a good state, and furthermore to be a tyrant and do whatever one desires, and the height of all blessedness is to possess all these things and become immortal as quickly as possible. But you and I somehow say this, that all these things are the best of possessions for just and holy men, but for the unjust they are all the worst, beginning with health. And indeed to see and to hear and to perceive and to live at all is a very great evil, being immortal for all time and possessing all the so-called goods except

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παρανομοῦντας διὰ τούτων κολάζειν, οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσαι μὲν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν μισοῦσαι τὴν τοῦ βίου προαίρεσιν, ἀνεχόμεναι δὲ τῆς τούτων ὑπηρεσίας διὰ τὴν χρείαν, οὕτως ὁ τοῦ κόσμου πρύτανις, οἷα δημίους τινὰς γίνεσθαι ξυγχωρεῖ τοὺς τυράννους, ὥστε διὰ τούτων ποινὴν τοὺς ἀσεβοῦντας καὶ παρανομοῦντας εἰσπράττειν· ὕστερον δὲ καὶ τούτους αὐτοὺς παντελεῖ παραδίδωσι τιμωρίᾳ, ἐπειδήπερ οὐχ ὡς Θεῷ διακονοῦντες, ἀλλ' οἰκείᾳ πονηρίᾳ δουλεύοντες τὰ 6.31 δεινὰ ἐκεῖνα δεδράκασιν. Οὕτως ἡμαρτηκότα τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τῇ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὠμότητι παραδέδωκεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὗτοι τῆς τιμωρίας οὐ διέγνωσαν τὸν σκοπόν, τηνικαῦτα καὶ τούτων καταλύσας τὴν δυναστείαν, ἑτέροις δουλεύειν ἠνάγκασεν. Καὶ ταῦτα Ἡσαΐας καὶ Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ πάντες οἱ προφῆται διαρρήδην διδάσκουσι· παρ' ὧν, οἶμαι, ὁ Πλάτων τὰς ἀφορμὰς κεκλοφώς, ἔφη τοὺς ἀνιάτως 6.32 διακειμένους εἰς ὠφέλειαν ἑτέρων παιδεύεσθαι. Κἀν τῷ Φιλήβῳ δὲ πάλιν τὸν περὶ τῆς προνοίας ἐκράτυνε λόγον· "Πάντες γάρ" φησι "ξυμφωνοῦσιν οἱ σοφοί, ὄντως ἑαυτοὺς σεμνύνοντες, ὡς νοῦς ἐστι βασιλεὺς ἡμῖν οὐρανοῦ τε καὶ γῆς· καὶ ἴσως εὖ λέγου σιν· διὰ σμικροτέρων δέ, εἰ βούλει, τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν αὐτοῦ τοῦ γέ νους ποιησώμεθα." Εἶτα ξυλλογισμοῖς παμπόλλοις χρησάμενος, ἐπήγαγε ταῦτα· "Βούλει δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῖς πρόσθεν ὡμολογη μένοις ξυμφωνήσωμεν, ὡς ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, καὶ μὴ μόνον οἰώμεθα δεῖν τὰ ἀλλότρια ἄνευ κινδύνου λέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξυγκινδυνεύσωμεν καὶ μετασχῶμεν τοῦ ψόγου, ὅταν ἀνὴρ δεινὸς 6.33 φῇ ταῦτα μὴ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἀτάκτως ἔχειν;" Καὶ ἑτέροις δὲ πλείστοις λόγοις χρησάμενος, καὶ ταῦτα προστέθεικεν· "Οὐκοῦν εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, μετ' ἐκείνου τοῦ λόγου ἂν ἑπόμενοι βέλτιον λέγοι μεν ὡς ἔστιν, ὃ πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, ἄπειρόν τε ἐν τῷ παντὶ πολύ, καὶ πέρας ἱκανόν, καί τις ἐπ' αὐτοῖς αἰτία οὐ φαύλη, κο σμοῦσά τε καὶ ξυνάπτουσα ἐνιαυτούς τε καὶ μῆνας καὶ ὥρας, σοφία καὶ νοῦς λεγομένη." Καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ἐκ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν ναμάτων ἀρυσάμενος ἔχει. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ διδάσκει σαφῶς, ὡς "ὁ Θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἐν φρονήσει", καὶ τἄλλα τὰ τούτων ἀκόλουθα. 6.34 Ἐν δέ γε τοῖς Νόμοις οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ φιλόσοφος καὶ διαιρεῖ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν φύσιν καὶ δείκνυσι τὰ μὲν ἀνθρώπινα, τὰ δὲ θεῖα· λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "∆ιττὰ δὲ ἀγαθά ἐστι, τὰ μὲν ἀνθρώπινα, τὰ δὲ θεῖα· ἤρτηται δὲ ἐκ τῶν θείων θάτερα, κἂν μὲν δέξηταί τις τὰ μείζονα, κτᾶται καὶ τὰ ἐλάττονα, εἰ δὲ μή, στέρεται ἀμφοῖν. Ἔστι δὲ τὰ μὲν ἐλάττονα ὧν ἡγεῖται ὑγεία, κάλλος δὲ δεύτερον, τὸ δὲ τρίτον ἰσχὺς εἴς τε δρόμον εἴς τε τὰς ἄλλας πάσας κι νήσεις τῷ σώματι, τέταρτον δὲ πλοῦτος, οὐ τυφλός, ἀλλ' ὀξὺ βλέπων, ἄν περ ἕπηται φρονήσει· ὃ δὲ πρῶτον τῶν θείων ἡγε μονοῦν ἐστιν ἀγαθῶν, ἡ φρόνησις, δεύτερον δὲ μετὰ νοῦ σώφρων ψυχῆς ἕξις, ἐκ δὲ τούτων μετ' ἀνδρείας κραθέντων τρίτον ἂν εἴη δικαιοσύνη, τέταρτον δὲ ἀνδρεία. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἐκείνων ἔμπροσθεν τέτακται φύσει, καὶ δὴ τῷ νομοθέτῃ τακτέον οὕτως. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὰς ἄλλας προστάξεις τοῖς πολίταις εἰς ταῦτα βλεπούσας αὐτοῖς εἶναι διακελευστέον, τούτων δὲ τὰ μὲν ἀνθρώ πινα εἰς τὰ θεῖα, τὰ δὲ θεῖα εἰς τὸν ἡγεμόνα νοῦν ξύμπαντα 6.35 βλέπει." Εἶτα διδάσκει διὰ πλειόνων, ὡς φύσει μὲν ἀγαθὸν ἀρετὴ μόνη, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ὁμωνύμως καλεῖται, ὀνόματος μόνου μετέχοντα. "Τὰ γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν" φησι "λεγόμενα ἀγαθὰ οὐκ ὀρθῶς λέγεται. Λέγεται γάρ, ὡς ἄριστον μὲν ὑγιαίνειν, δεύτερον δὲ κάλλος, τρίτον δὲ πλοῦτος· καὶ ἕτερα δὲ μυρία ἀγαθὰ λέγεται· καὶ γὰρ ὀξὺ ὁρᾶν καὶ ἀκούειν καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἔχεται τῶν αἰσθήσεων εὐαισθήτως ἔχειν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ ποιεῖν τυραννοῦντα ὅ τι ἂν ἐπιθυμῇ, καὶ τὸ μὲν τέλος πάσης μακαριότητος εἰς τὸ πάντα ταῦτα κεκτημένον ἀθάνατον εἶναι γενόμενον ὅτι τάχιστα. Ὑμεῖς δὲ καὶ ἐγώ πῃ τάδε λέγομεν, ὡς ταῦτά ἐστι ξύμπαντα δικαίοις μὲν καὶ ὁσίοις ἀνδράσιν ἄριστα κτήματα, ἀδίκοις δὲ κάκιστα ξύμπαντα, ἀρξάμενα ἀπὸ τῆς ὑγιείας· καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ ὁρᾶν καὶ τὸ ἀκούειν καὶ τὸ αἰσθάνεσθαι καὶ τὸ παράπαν ζῆν μέγιστον μὲν κα κὸν τὸν ξύμπαντα χρόνον ἀθάνατον ὄντα, κεκτημένον πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα ἀγαθὰ πλὴν