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2.189 Since, therefore, such a heart has not been given by God to anyone, but those who have it have acquired it for themselves, on account of its hardness and resistance, and is called a heart of stone, just as we have acquired for ourselves such a ruling faculty, so let us approach by choice Him who takes away hearts of stone, that in their place He may put in hearts of flesh, compliant and docile, so that we may be able to keep His commandments and ordinances, obeying the spiritual law, our heart having been changed from disobeying and not obeying the divine law to doing with persuasion all that must be accomplished according to the law and the words sent in the Spirit of the Lord Almighty, and this is holy, as was recently stated. 2.190 In harmony with this is also what was said elsewhere, which goes like this: 'What things I command in my Spirit to my servants the prophets.' Explaining who are the words that were sent and how and where they are given, it says they are given 'in the hands of the prophets'. And what the meaning of this phrase happens to be has been clarified a little earlier. Therefore, so that we may not repeat ourselves about the same things, considering the same things many times, being content with what has been said, let us set forth the next passage of the prophet. 2.191Zach. VII, 12-14: And there was great wrath from the Lord Almighty. And it shall be that in the way He spoke and they did not listen to Him, so they shall cry out and I will not listen to them, says the Lord Almighty. And I will cast them out into all the nations which they have not known, and the land will be laid waste behind them, so that none pass through or return; and they have made a choice land a desolation. 2.192 The Lord, who gives to each of men according to his deed, is greatly angry with those who sin much and grievously, doing this gently with those who stumble in small and few things. For it has been said by Him concerning the vessels of wrath who happen to be punishers: 'I for my part was a little angry, but they joined in for evil.' And those who accuse themselves for what they did in transgression cry out to the merciful and compassionate master: 'Be not exceedingly angry with us.' For in the way that 'being a just judge, strong and long-suffering, He does not bring on wrath every day,' so He is gently angry with those being judged, not watching all their iniquities. 2.193 These things being understood thus, if it should be said that a great wrath has come from the Lord Almighty, we do not say it is altogether great; 'for He will not forget to be merciful anymore, nor will He restrain His compassions in His wrath.' For of these things He is the father and source, but He brings on wrath with threats up to the point of admonition; but if the sinners should despise the threat, they would also suffer punishment by the experience itself. 2.194 Those who have this pious mind cry out to the benefactor: 'Be not angry with us forever, or will you extend your wrath from generation to generation?' and again: 'O God, you will turn and give us life, and turn away your anger from us.' 2.195 Since the scriptures say these things about God, let us not fall into such impiety and foolishness as to attribute human passions to the one who says: 'I am not changed', to whom the theologians say, one: 'But you are the same,' and another about Him: 'With whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.' For if He is the same, not being changed, not being altered, having no variation or shadow of turning, how could He desire punishment? For wrath is nothing other than the desire for punishment. 2.196 But God is not angry in this way, being impassible, but He brings on afflictions for the sake of improvement upon those who need them, in the manner of help, for the sake of ceasing from sin and from it the diseases and wounds. For one can hear Him 'who wants to save all and to come to the knowledge of the truth': 'When the anger of my wrath occurs, I will heal again', so that the one who has experienced healing through the painful discipline says with thanksgiving: 'I will praise you, O Lord, because you were angry with me;

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2.189 Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν οὐδενὶ καρδία τοιαύτη ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ὑπῆρκται, τῶν αὐτὴν ἐχόντων παρ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐσχηκότων αὐτήν, διὰ τὸ σκληρὸν καὶ ἀντίτυπον, καὶ λιθίνην ὀνομαζομένην, ὣς παρ' ἑαυτοὺς τοιοῦτο ἡγεμονικὸν ἐσχήκαμεν, οὕτω προσέλθωμεν προαιρέσει τῷ ἐξαιρουμένῳ τὰς λιθίνας καρδίας, ἵν' ἀντ' αὐτῶν σαρκίνας ἐνθῇ, εὐείκτους καὶ εὐαγώγους, ἵνα δυνηθῶμεν τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ καὶ δικαιώματα φυλάττειν, ὑπακούοντες τῷ πνευματικῷ νόμῳ, μεταβαλούσης τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἀπειθεῖν καὶ μὴ ὑπακούειν τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ εἰς τὸ σὺν πειθοῖ πάντα ποιεῖν ἃ δεῖ ἐπιτελεῖν κατὰ νόμον καὶ τοὺς ἀποσταλέντας λόγους ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι Κυρίου τοῦ παντοκράτορος, τὸ ἅγιον δ' ὑπάρχει τοῦτο, ὡς ὑπόγυον ἐλέχθη. 2.190 Συνᾴδει τούτῳ καὶ τὸ ἀλλαχόθι λεχθὲν ὧδε ἔχον· «Ἃ ἐντέλλομαι ἐν Πνεύματί μου τοῖς δούλοις μου τοῖς προφήταις.» Ἑρμηνεύων τίνες οἱ ἀποσταλέντες λόγοι καὶ πῶς δέδονται καὶ ποῦ, «ἐν ταῖς χερσίν» φησιν αὐτοὺς «τῶν προφητῶν» δεδόσθαι. Ποία δ' ἡ νόησις τῆς λέξεως ταύτης τυγχάνει, ἐν τοῖς μικρῷ πρότερον σεσαφήνισται. ∆ιό, ἵνα μὴ παλιλλογῶμεν περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν, πολλάκις τὰ αὐτὰ θεωροῦντες, ἀρκεσθέντες τοῖς εἰρημένοις, τὴν ἑξῆς τοῦ προφήτου λέξιν ἐκθώμεθα. 2.191Zach. VII, 12-14: Καὶ ἐγένετο ὀργὴ μεγάλη παρὰ Κυρίου παντοκράτορος. Καὶ ἔσται ὃν τρόπον εἶπεν καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσαν αὐτοῦ, οὕτως κεκράξονται καὶ οὐ μὴ εἰσακούσω αὐτῶν, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ. Καὶ ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἃ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἀφανισθήσεται κατόπισθεν αὐτῶν ἐκ διοδεύοντος καὶ ἐξ ἀναστρέφοντος· καὶ ἔταξαν γῆν ἐκλεκτὴν εἰς ἀφανισμόν. 2.192 Ὁ διδοὺς Κύριος ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ, τοῖς πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα ἁμαρτάνουσιν μεγάλως ὀργίζεται, ἠρέμα τοῦτο ποιῶν τοῖς βραχέα καὶ ὀλίγα πταίουσιν. Εἴρηται γοῦν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ περὶ τῶν σκευῶν τῆς ὀργῆς κολαστῶν τυγχανόντων· «Ἐγὼ μὲν ὠργίσθην ὀλίγα, αὐτοὶ δὲ συνεπέθεντο εἰς κακά.» Καὶ οἱ κατηγοροῦντες ἑαυτῶν ἐφ' οἷς παρανομοῦντες ἔπραξαν πρὸς τὸν ἵλεω καὶ ἐλεήμονα δεσπότην βοῶσιν· «Μὴ ὀργίζου ἡμῖν σφόδρα.» Ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον «δίκαιος ὢν κριτής, ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος, οὐκ ἐπάγει ὀργὴν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν», οὕτως ἠρέμα ὀργίζεται τοῖς κρινομένοις, οὐ παρατηρούμενος πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν. 2.193 Τούτων οὕτω νοουμένων, εἰ λέγοιτο ὀργὴ μεγάλη παρὰ Κυρίου παντοκράτορος γεγονέναι, οὐ καθάπαξ μεγάλην αὐτὴν λέγομεν· «οὐ γὰρ ἐπιλήσεται τοῦ οἰκτειρῆσαι ἔτι, οὐδὲ συνέξει ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ τοῦς οἰκτιρμοὺς αὐτοῦ.» Τούτων μὲν γὰρ πατὴρ καὶ πηγὴ ὑπάρχει, τὴν δὲ ὀργὴν μέχρι τοῦ νουθετῆσαι ἀπειλῶν ἐπάγει· εἰ δ' οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες καταφρονοῖεν τῆς ἀπειλῆς, καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ πείρᾳ κολάσεως ἀπολαύσοιεν. 2.194 Ταύτην τὴν εὐσεβῆ φρόνησιν οἱ ἔχοντες πρὸς τὸν εὐεργέτην βοῶσιν· «Μὴ εἰς τέλος ὀργισθῇς ἡμῖν, ἢ διατενεῖς τὴν ὀργήν σου ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεάν;» καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ Θεός, σὺ ἐπιστρέψας ζωώσεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἀπόστρεψον τὸν θυμόν σου ἀφ' ἡμῶν.» 2.195 Ταῦτα περὶ Θεοῦ τῶν γραφῶν λεγουσῶν, μὴ εἰς τοσαύτην ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἠλιθιότητα πέσοιμεν ὡς ἀνθρώπινα πάθη προσάψαι τῷ λέγοντι· «Οὐκ ἠλλοίωμαι», πρὸς ὃν οἱ θεολόγοι φασίν, ὃ μέν· «Σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ», ὃ δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Παρ' ᾧ οὐκ ἔνι παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα.» Εἰ γὰρ ὁ αὐτός ἐστιν, οὐ μεταβαλλόμενος, οὐκ ἀλλοιούμενος, τροπῆς παραλλαγὴν ἢ ἀποσκίασμα μὴ ἔχων, πῶς ἂν ὀρέξοιτο τιμωρίας; Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἡ ὀργὴ ἢ τιμωρίας ὄρεξις. 2.196 Οὐχ οὕτω δὲ Θεὸς ὀργίζεται, ἀπαθὴς ὑπάρχων, ἀλλ' ἐπάγων τὰ κακωτικὰ ὑπὲρ βελτιώσεως τοῖς τούτων δεομένοις βοηθήματος δίκην, ὑπὲρ τοῦ παύσασθαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης νοσήματά τε καὶ τραύματα. Αὐτοῦ γοῦν ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι «τοῦ πάντας σῶσαι θέλοντος καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν»· «Ὅταν ὀργὴ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου γένηται, πάλιν ἰάσομαι», ὡς τὸν ἰάσεως πειραθέντα διὰ τῆς ἐπιπόνου ἀγωγῆς χαριστηρίως λέγειν· «Εὐλογήσω σε, Κύριε, ὅτι ὠργίσθης μοι·