61

to reap ears of corn or to plant and harvest grapes and press out the fruit of wine and olives? But since equality does not allow one to serve another, how could each person have been sufficient, being at the same time a cowherd and a goatherd and a shepherd and a swineherd, and indeed also a weaver and a shoemaker, and a house-builder and a coppersmith, and a baker and a cook, and a farmer and a planter, and a shipwright and a sailor and a helmsman? For each is in need of all these things and of many times more others. 6.55 Why then do you not praise the best distribution, but you are especially angry, you who enjoy very many female servants and household servants, and indeed farmers too? For the farmer is content with the station he has been allotted and the servant likewise and indeed the artisan loves his craft and the labors assigned to him by lot, but you, living in luxury and being pampered and enjoying all kinds of extravagance through the service of others, assail the provider of these things with blasphemous 6.56 words; and you labor to bring forth these words, choosing to be slaves to intemperance, but thinking you find a pretext for your defense, first, that the rudders of the universe are not moved by divine providence, and second, in believing that not only the body and its concerns are subject 6.57 to the necessity of fate, but even the soul's own choice. But Plato teaches the contrary, that "virtue is without a master; as a man honors or dishonors her, he will have more or less of her." And again: "The fault is with the one who chooses; god is blameless; for god is never the cause of evil things." And Plato shows Socrates philosophizing even in the midst of harsh dangers, both about providence and about not fearing death; for he has placed these things in the Apology: "But you also, O men of the jury, must be of good hope in the face of death, and hold this one thing true, that for a good man there is nothing evil, neither in life nor in death, nor are his affairs neglected by the gods." 6.58 Therefore, poverty and sickness and slavery and death are not in reality evils, but they are called evils by the foolish, and they become goods for those who use them well and nobly. And that not believing that the universe is governed by providence increases the wickedness of men, Atticus the Platonist cries out: "So that despair of providence is a thing ready for injustice. 6.59" And Plotinus also—and he too is renowned in philosophical writings—inserted this preface to his treatises on providence: "To attribute the cause and constitution of this universe to spontaneity and chance, as something irrational and belonging to a man possessing neither mind nor sense, is surely clear even before the task, and many sufficient arguments demonstrating this have been put forth before." Then, after unrolling many such arguments, he added: "Thus, from one mind and from the Word from it, this 6.60 universe arose and was set in order." And he too plundered these things from the sacred oracles. For he surely heard the theology taught by the divine gospels, that "through the Word all things were made, and without him was not anything made." For he was younger than the apostles by very many years. For they began the saving proclamations in the time of Tiberius Caesar, and Gaius succeeded Tiberius, and Claudius him, then Nero and Vespasian and Titus and Domitian and Nerva and Trajan and Hadrian and Antoninus the first and Verus and Commodus; and in his time Ammonius, surnamed Saccas, leaving the sacks with which he used to carry wheat, embraced the life of a philosopher. They say our Origen was a student of his, and this Plotinus also; and Porphyry was a student of Plotinus' 6.61 teaching. I have noted the time not as idly chattering, but to show that this man, like Plato, having been taught not only the things of the Hebrews, but also the things of the fishermen and the shoemaker, learned from them that from the mind and from the Word from it all things were both constituted and ordered and have attained their fitting harmony. 6.62 Then he refutes the folly of those who try to slander certain parts of creation, saying thus: "For he made a certain whole, all-beautiful and self-sufficient and friendly

61

ἀστάχυας ἀμῆσαι ἢ φυτεῦσαι καὶ τρυγῆσαι καὶ ἀποθλίψαι οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίας καρπόν; Ἄλλῳ δὲ διακονεῖν ἄλλον τῆς ὁμοτι μίας οὐ ξυγχωρούσης, πῶς ἂν ἤρκεσεν ἕκαστος, βουκόλος ὁμοῦ καὶ αἰπόλος καὶ προβατεὺς καὶ συβώτης γινόμενος, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ὑφάντης καὶ σκυτοτόμος, καὶ οἰκοδόμος καὶ χαλκοτύπος, καὶ ἀρτοποιὸς καὶ ὀψοποιός, καὶ γεωργὸς καὶ φυτουργός, καὶ ναυπη γὸς καὶ ναύτης καὶ κυβερνήτης; τούτων γὰρ ἁπάντων καὶ ἑτέρων γε πολλαπλασιόνων ἕκαστος ἐνδεής. 6.55 Τί δήποτε τοίνυν οὐχ ὑμνεῖτε τὴν ἀρίστην διανομήν, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς μάλιστα χαλεπαίνετε, οἱ θεραπαινῶν καὶ οἰκετῶν, καὶ μέν τοι καὶ γεωργῶν ἀπολαύοντες ὅτι μάλιστα πλείστων; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ γεωργὸς στέργει τὴν τάξιν ἣν ἔλαχε καὶ ὁ οἰκέτης ὡσαύτως καὶ μέντοι καὶ ὁ χειροτέχνης ἀγαπᾷ τὴν τέχνην καὶ τοὺς πόνους οἷς ξυγκεκλήρωται, ὑμεῖς δὲ τρυφῶντες καὶ ὑπερμαζῶντες καὶ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρων διακονίας παντοδαπῆς χλιδῆς ἀπολαύοντες, λόγοις 6.56 βλασφήμοις τὸν τούτων κατατοξεύετε χορηγόν· τούτους δὲ τοὺς λόγους ὠδίνετε, ἀκρασίᾳ μὲν δουλεύειν αἱρούμενοι, πρόφασιν δὲ ἀπολογίας εὑρίσκειν ἡγούμενοι, πρῶτον μὲν τὸ μὴ τῇ θείᾳ προ νοίᾳ κινεῖσθαι τῶν ὅλων τοὺς οἴακας, ἔπειτα δὲ τὸ νομίζειν ὑπὸ τὴν τῆς εἱμαρμένης ἀνάγκην οὐ μόνον τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰ περὶ 6.57 τοῦτο τελεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν αἵρεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἀλλ' ὁ Πλάτων τἀναντία διδάσκει, ὡς "ἀρετὴ ἀδέσποτον, ἣν τιμῶν τις καὶ ἀτιμάζων πλέον ἢ ἔλαττον ἕξει". Καὶ πάλιν· "Αἰτία ἑλομέ νου, θεὸς ἀναίτιος· κακῶν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς οὔποτε αἴτιος." Καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς χαλεποῖς κινδύνοις τὸν Σωκράτην δείκνυσιν ὁ Πλάτων φιλοσοφοῦντα καὶ προνοίας πέρι καὶ τοῦ μὴ δεδιέναι θάνατον· καὶ ταῦτα γὰρ ἐν τῇ Ἀπολογίᾳ τέθεικεν· "Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμᾶς χρή, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εὐέλπιδας εἶναι πρὸς θάνατον καὶ ἕν τι τοῦτο διανοεῖσθαι ἀληθές, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνδρὶ ἀγαθῷ κακὸν οὐδέν, οὔτε ζῶντι οὔτε τελευτήσαντι, οὐδὲ ἀμελεῖται ὑπὸ θεῶν τὰ τούτου πράγματα." 6.58 Οὔκουν τῷ ὄντι κακὰ πενία καὶ νόσος καὶ δουλεία καὶ θάνατος, ἀλλὰ καλεῖται μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνοήτων κακά, ἀγαθὰ δὲ γίνεται τοῖς εὖ καὶ καλῶς κεχρημένοις. Ὅτι δὲ αὔξει τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν πονηρίαν τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν ἰθύνεσθαι προνοίᾳ τὰ ξύμπαντα, Ἀττι κὸς ὁ Πλατωνικὸς βοᾷ· "Ὥστε ἕτοιμόν τι χρῆμα πρὸς ἀδικίαν 6.59 ἡ τῆς προνοίας ἀπόγνωσις." Καὶ Πλωτῖνος δέ-περιφανὴς δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐν φιλοσόφοις ξυγγράμμασι-τόδε τὸ προοίμιον τοῖς περὶ προνοίας ἐντέθεικε λόγοις· "Τὸ μὲν τῷ αὐτομάτῳ καὶ τύχῃ διδόναι τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ ξύστασιν ὡς ἄλογον καὶ ἀνδρὸς οὔτε νοῦν οὔτε αἴσθησιν κεκτημένου, δῆλόν που καὶ πρὸ ἔργου καὶ πολλοὶ καὶ ἱκανοὶ πρὸ τούτου καταβέβληνται δεικνύντες λόγοι." Εἶτα πολλοὺς τοιούτους ἀνελίξας λόγους ἐπήγαγεν· "Οὕτω δὴ ἐξ ἑνὸς νοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λόγου ἀνέστη τόδε τὸ 6.60 πᾶν καὶ διέστη." Ταῦτα δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν λογίων σεσύ ληκεν. Ἤκουσε γὰρ πάντως τῆς τῶν θείων εὐαγγελίων διδασκού σης θεολογίας, ὡς "διὰ τοῦ λόγου πάντα ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν." Παμπόλλοις γὰρ ἔτεσιν οὗτός γε τῶν ἀποστόλων νεώτερος. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ Τιβερίου Καίσαρος τῶν σωτηρίων ἥψαντο κηρυγμάτων, Τιβέριον δὲ διεδέξατο Γάϊος, ἐκεῖνον δὲ Κλαύδιος, εἶτα Νέρων καὶ Οὐεσπασιανὸς καὶ Τίτος καὶ ∆ομετιανὸς καὶ Νερούας καὶ Τραϊανὸς καὶ Ἀδριανὸς καὶ Ἀντωνῖνος ὁ πρῶτος καὶ Οὔηρος καὶ Κόμοδος· ἐπὶ τούτου δὲ Ἀμμώνιος ὁ ἐπίκλην Σακκᾶς, τοὺς σάκκους καταλιπών, οἷς με τέφερε τοὺς πυρούς, τὸν φιλόσοφον ἠσπάσατο βίον. Τούτῳ φοιτῆσαί φασιν Ὠριγένην τὸν ἡμέτερον, τῷ δὲ Πλωτῖνον τουτονί· τῆς δὲ 6.61 Πλωτίνου διδασκαλίας τετύχηκεν ὁ Πορφύριος. Τὸν δὲ χρόνον οὐ τηνάλλως ἀδολεσχῶν ἐπεσημηνάμην, ἀλλὰ δεικνύς, ὡς οὐ μόνον τὰ τῶν Ἑβραίων οὗτος, καθάπερ ὁ Πλάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν ἁλιέων καὶ τὰ τοῦ σκυτοτόμου παιδευθείς, μεμάθηκεν ἐκεῖθεν, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λόγου τὰ πάντα καὶ ξυνέστη καὶ διέστη καὶ τῆς προσηκούσης τετύχηκεν ἁρμονίας. 6.62 Εἶτα τῶν διαβάλλειν τινὰ τῆς κτίσεως μόρια πειρωμένων διε λέγχει τὴν ἄνοιαν, λέγων ὡδί· "Ὅλον γάρ τι ἐποίησε πάγκαλον καὶ αὔταρκες καὶ φίλον