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they said: "And we were in their sight as locusts". Thus it testifies that they were large of body. And if it is aptly said that demons used passionate men as instruments, one might say that to reprove their most corporeal state, such men were born to them, who were also called "renowned" "from of old", with the phrase "from of old" indicating that the account of them as large of body was long-standing. But if you should also call them giants on account of the wickedness of their state, what is said would not be without reason, who in wickedness begat those under them, anointing them for greatness of depravity. But if the phrase "after that" in the present context, in addition to time, also indicates that after their spirit had been separated, about which God said: "My spirit shall not] abide in these men [because] they are flesh", consider this too: for then, being alienated from partaking of him, whether men or others, they had offspring rising up against the will of God, not only thoughts but also men. 8, 5-7. And the Lord God, seeing that the wickednesses of men were multiplied upon the earth, and that everyone in his heart intently devises evil all his days, then God considered that he had made man on the earth, and he reflected and God said: I will wipe out the man whom I have made from the face of the earth, from man to beast, and from creeping things to the birds of the air, because I was angered that I made them. Consequently, even if the irrational animals 158 did nothing of their own choice, they perish together with man, for whom they also came into being to fulfill his needs, a spark of life being left with Noah and from them. Consequently men also are destroyed, wickedness having abounded upon the earth, because they sinned by evil devising, not incidentally but making use of sins "intently". Let us examine intently what was said, beginning from above: "Seeing," it says, "the Lord God that the wickednesses of men were multiplied upon [the earth]." Did he not then see their wickednesses before? But it is clear that he now has beheld them for vengeance. For when he does not wish to send punishment upon sinners, he is said not to see them, and sometimes to be asleep, and at others to be awake. It is said by someone, "He has watched over my impieties", and having experienced God's long-suffering for many impieties, when the painful things had passed, he says: "He has watched over my impieties". And another holy man said: "The Lord was roused as one who sleeps, as a mighty man who has become drunk with wine"; for having been very long-suffering, he brings punishments exceedingly and suddenly upon those who so need them, which on account of its suddenness and abundance is called an awakening and drunkenness from wine. For it is the part of a good physician to make timely use of passions, which is indicated by "And the Lord God seeing". But if it is added that "everyone devises in his heart evil" although Noah was not so, one must not be surprised; for it is said in this way with respect to what is for the most part, just as "every brother will supplant with the heel and every friend will walk deceitfully"; 159 but it is possible, since Noah was not a man in the universal sense—for he had ascended beyond the condition of men—that this was said as if he were not subject to the universal category of men, being a god, as it is said: "He called them gods to whom the word of God came". Similar to this is also "I said in my ecstasy: every man is a liar"; for he was a god, as we have shown, who said these things. For if it were not so, and he was a liar as a man, the statement "every man is a liar" is no longer true; but he speaks the truth and he himself is not a man, who through virtue has transcended the name of man

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ἔλεγον· "6Κα[ὶ ἦμ]εν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ ἀκρίδες"6. Οὕτ̣ω̣ς μεγαλοσώμ[ατ]α αὐτοὺς εἶναι μαρτυρεῖ. Καὶ εἰμ̣ε`̣ν̣ ε᾿̣πι<τε>τευγμένως ε[ἴρη]ται ὡς ὀργάνοις δαίμονες ἐχρῶντ̣ο̣ [ἀ]νθρώποις ἐμπαθέσι[ν, λέ]γοι ἄν τις ὅτι πρὸς ἔλεγχον αὐτῶν τῆ[ς] σωματικωτάτη[ς ἕξ]εως τηλικοῦτοι ἀπεγεννήθησαν αὐτοῖς, οἳ καὶ "6ὀνο[μαστο]ὶ"6 ἐκαλοῦντο "6ἀπ' αἰῶνος"6, δηλοῦντος τοῦ "6ἀπ' αἰῶνος"6 τ[ὸ πολ]υχρονίως τὸν περὶ αὐτῶν ὡς μεγαλοσωμάτων λόγ[ον ἐκφ]έρεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ καὶ γίγαντας λέγοις <αὐ>τοὺς διὰ τὸ τῆ[ς ἕξεως] φαῦλον καλεῖσθαι, οὐκ ἂν ἔξω λόγου εἴη τὸ λεγόμ[ενον, οἵτ]ινες κατὰ κακίαν τοὺς ὑφ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐγέννων, ἐπ[ὶ μέγεθ]ος φαυλότητος ἀλείφοντες. Εἰ δὲ τὸ "6μετ' ἐκεῖνο"6 ὑ[πάρχ]ον ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ πρὸς τῷ χρόνῳ δηλοῖ καὶ τ[ὸ μετ]ὰ τὸ κεχωρίσθαι αὐτῶν τὸ πνεῦμα περὶ ο̣ὑ῀̣ εἶπεν ὁ [Θεός· "6Οὐ] μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐντοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις [διὰ τὸ] εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας"6, συνεπισκ[έ]ψαι· τότε γὰρ ἀλ[λοτρι]ω- θέντες τῆς μετουσίας αὐτοῦ, εἴτ' ἄνθρωποι εἴτε κα[ὶ ἄλλο]ι, γεννήματα εἶχον ἐπαιρόμενα κατὰ τῆς γνώ[μης] τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ μόνον νοήματα ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνθρώπους. ῃι, 5-7. Ἰδὼν δὲ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι ἐπλ[ηθ]ύνθησαν αἱ κακία<ι> τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ πᾶς τις δ[ιανο]- εῖται ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐπιμελ̣ω῀̣ς̣ ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ [πάσ]ας τὰς ἡμέρας, καὶ ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι ἐποίησεν τὸ[ν ἄνθρωπ]ον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ διενοήθη καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Ἀπαλείψ[ω τὸ]ν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἐποίησα ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕω[ς κτ]ήνους καὶ ἀπὸ ἑρπετῶν ἕως τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανο[ῦ, ὅτι] ἐθυμώθην ὅτι ἐποίησα αὐτούς. Ἀκολούθως, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρ[οαι]ρετικόν τι τὰ ἄλογα 158 ἔπραττον, μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου συ[ν]απόλλυνται, δι[' ὃν κ]αὶ γεγόνασιν πρὸς τ̣ο`̣ αὐτοῦ χρείας ἐκτ̣ε̣λεῖν, ζωπύρου κ[ατα]λιμπανομένου μ[ε]τ̣α`̣ τοῦ Ν]ῶε καὶ ἀπ̣' α̣ὐτῶν. Ἀκολούθω[ς δὲ] καὶ διαφθείροντ̣α̣ι̣ ἄ[νθρωπο]ι, κακίας πλ̣ε̣ο̣νασάσης ἐπὶ γῆ[ς, ὅτι] μετὰ τοῦ κακοῦ [τ]ῷ δια- νοεῖσθαι ἡμάρτανον, οὐ παρέ[ργως] ἀλλ' "6ἐπιμελῶ[ς"6 τ]α̣ι῀̣ς̣ ἁμαρτίαις χρω´̣μενοι. Ἐπιμελῶς [ἐξ]ετάσωμεν τὸ ε[ἰρη]θὲν ἄνωθεν ἀρ̣ξ̣α´̣μενοι· "6Ἰδών"6 φ[ησιν] "6Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι ἐπλ[η]θ̣υ´̣ν̣θησαν αἱ κακίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ [τῆς γῆ]ς."6 Ἄρα γὰρ πρότερ̣ο̣ν̣ οὐχ ἑώρα αὐτῶν τὰς κακίας; Ἀλ[λὰ δῆλο]ν ὅτι νῦν ἐπὶ ἐκ̣δ̣ι̣κ̣η´̣σει τεθέαται. Ὅτε γὰρ οὐ βούλ[εται κόλ]ασιν ἐπιπέμψαι τ̣ο̣ι῀̣ς̣ ἁμαρτάνουσιν, λέγεται μὴ ὁρ[ᾶν αὐτού]ς, ἔστιν δ' ὅτε κο̣ι̣μᾶσθαι, ἄλλοις δὲ γρηγορένα[ι. Λέγεται] γοῦν ὑπό τι̣ν̣ος· "6᾿Ε̣γ̣ρ̣η̣γορήθη ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσεβήματά μο[υ"6, ἐπὶ δὲ π]ο̣λλὰ ἀσεβήμ̣ατ̣α̣ τ̣α`̣ς̣ μακροθυμίας Θεοῦ πειραθείς, [παρελθόν]των τῶν ἐπιπο´̣[νω]ν φησίν· "6Ἐγρηγορήθη ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσεβή[ματά] μου"6. Καὶ ἄλλος δέ τις εἶπεν ἅγιος· "6Ἐξηγέρθη ὡς ὁ ὑπνῶ[ν Κύριος], ὡς δυνατὸς κεκραιπαληκὼς ἐξ οἴνου"6· πολὺ γὰρ μ[ακρο- θ]υμήσας ἐπάγει ὑπερ̣βαλλόντως καὶ ἀθρόως τὰς κο[λάσει]ς τοῖς οὕτω δεομένοις, ὅπερ διὰ τὸ ἀθρόον καὶ πλῆθ[ος ἐξ]έγερσις καὶ κραιπάλη̣ ἐξ οἴνου λέγεται. Ἰατροῦ γὰρ ἀγαθο[ῦ τυγ]χάνει τὸ καιρίως̣ κεχρῆσθαι τοῖς πάθεσιν, ὅπερ διὰ τ[οῦ "6Ἰδ]ὼν δὲ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς"6 δ[η]λοῦται. Εἰ δὲ πρόσκειται τὸ "6πᾶς τις [διανο]εῖται ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρά"6 καίτοι τοῦ Νῶε [οὐχ ο]ὕτως ἔχοντος, οὐ δεῖ ξενίζεσθαι· πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ὡς ἐπὶ [τὸ π]λεῖστον οὕτως εἴρηται, καθὰ καὶ τὸ "6πᾶς ἀδελφὸς πτέρ[νῃ π]τερνιεῖ καὶ πᾶς φίλος δολίως πορεύσεται"6· 159 δυνατὸν δὲ δ[ή, ἐ]πεὶ ὁ Νῶε οὐ κα̣θόλου̣ ἀ´̣ν̣θ̣ρ̣ω̣π̣ο̣[ς ἦν - ἀ]ναβεβήκει γὰρ [τὴν] ἀνθρώπων κατάστασιν-, τοῦτο εἰρῆσ̣[θαι ὡς] μὴ ὑποκειμέν[ου αὐ]τοῦ τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καθόλου, θεοῦ [τυγχ]άνοντος καθὸ [εἴρητ]αι· "6Ἐκείνους θεοὺς εἶπεν πρὸς οὓς [ὁ λόγο]ς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγέ[νετο]"6. Τούτῳ ὅμοιον καὶ τὸ "6ἐγὼ εἶπα [ἐν] τῇ ἐκστάσει μ[ου· π]ᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης"6· θεὸς γὰρ ἦν, ὡς ἀ[ποδ]εδώκαμεν, ὁ τ[αῦτα] λέγων. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ οὕτως εἶχεν και`̣ [ἄνθρωπο]ς ψεύστης ἦν [·· οὐ]κέτι ἀληθὲς τὸ "6πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψ[εύστη]ς"6· ἀλλ' ἀληθεύ[ει μὲ]ν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτὸς ἄνθρωπος ο῾̣ ὑ[περ]βὰς δι' ἀρετὴν [ἀνθρώπου] ὀνομασίαν