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of proofs. For through such sayings the foolish-minded are carried down like brushwood in the current of a mighty river. 108.1 But they say that the god of the law is good, who, not knowing where Adam was, asked saying, “Adam, where are you?” and says to Cain, “where is Abel your brother?” and to Abraham, “where is Sarah your wife?” 108.2 and many other such things. But those who say such things believe in God the Savior with their mouth and not in truth, who is God and has foreknowledge, yet asks the same things as in the Old [Testament]: “where have you laid Lazarus?” and “who touched me?” and “do you have loaves with 108.3 yourselves?” and “whom do you want?” or “whom do you seek?”. The refutation against them is therefore easy and simple. For just as the Son asks, having foreknowledge, so also the Father himself also asks in the law, 108.4 being always the same and unchanging. For if he says, “where have you laid Lazarus?” * he is ignorant of neither the gospel nor the old testament. For he says, “where have you laid him?” wishing to expose those who had not even brought forth faith equal to the Shunammite woman, although she had it toward a man, that is, Elisha the holy 108.5 prophet, while those with Martha had it toward God. And if he says, “who touched me?” he does not say it out of ignorance, but in order to persuade the woman to confess of her own accord, so that the Son of God might not testify about himself, 108.6 but might be glorified by others. And when he says, “do you have loaves with yourselves?” he says it for this reason, so that the small number of the loaves might be made known to all and the greatness of his miracle might be marveled at, since so great a crowd was fed with so few 108.7 loaves. And when he says, “whom do you seek?” he shows that the seekers are deceived and are “seeking Jesus,” who is interpreted as healer and savior, so that when they kill him, they might cease from his salvation. 109.1 Just as, therefore, we have shown that the things concerning the economy of our Lord are said in a human way, but are not without foreknowledge—for no one of sound mind would say that he did not know where they had laid Lazarus, being near the place, even if he asked for the reason we have stated, when he had formerly been far away in Galilee and had shown of his own accord that Lazarus had died—so also do we sensibly ana109.2lyze these things concerning the Old Testament. For God to say, “Adam, where are you?” was not the act of one who is ignorant, but of one showing from what a height to what a depth of shame Adam 109.3 had fallen. and “where is Abel your brother?” means that he whom you should have always carried in your arms and always been with, this one has been cast to the ground by you. 109.4 For he shows from what follows that he did not ask for the sake of ignorance, but in order to expose, by saying that: “cursed is the ground in your works and cursed are you from the earth, which opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand;” 109.5 “for behold,” he says, “his voice cries out to me.” And “where is Sarah your wife?” he said not out of ignorance. For how could he not know, he who knew that she was laughing inside the house? Therefore he did not ask out of ignorance, but so that he might present to her daughters who “profess godliness” the opportunity to learn her conduct, whenever they try to serve 109.6 holy men from their own labors. For she, being engaged in so great a service, herself making the unleavened cakes and the cakes baked in ashes, and having prepared so great a service together with her own servants, did not see the face of those being served, leaving behind an example of fitting modesty for our generations. And these things will suffice as a demonstration against the contradictions of the foolish.

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ἀποδείξεων. διὰ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων ῥημάτων οἱ ματαιόφρονες ὥσπερ φρύγανα ἐν ῥεύματι πλουσίου ποταμοῦ καταφέρονται. 108.1 Εἴπασι δὲ ὅτι καλὸς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ νόμου, ὃς τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀγνοῶν ποῦ ἐστιν ἠρώτα λέγων «Ἀδὰμ ποῦ εἶ;» καὶ τῷ Κάϊν λέγει «ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου;» καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραάμ «ποῦ Σάρρα ἡ γυνή σου;» 108.2 καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ τοιαῦτα. αὐτοὶ δὲ οἱ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες πιστεύουσι τῷ σωτῆρι θεῷ στόματι καὶ οὐκ ἀληθείᾳ, θεῷ ὄντι καὶ πρόγνωσιν ἔχοντι, τὰ δὲ αὐτὰ τῇ παλαιᾷ ὁμοίως ἐπερωτῶντι «ποῦ τεθείκατε τὸν Λάζαρον;» καί «τίς μου ἥψατο;» καὶ ὅτι «ἔχετε ἄρτους μεθ' 108.3 ἑαυτῶν;» καί «τίνα θέλετε;» ἤ «τίνα ζητεῖτε;». εὐχερὴς λοιπὸν καὶ ῥᾴδιος ὁ πρὸς τούτους ἔλεγχος. ὡς γὰρ ἐπερωτᾷ ὁ υἱὸς πρόγνωσιν ἔχων, οὕτως καὶ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἐπερωτᾷ, ὁ 108.4 αὐτὸς ὢν ἀεὶ καὶ μὴ μεταλλασσόμενος. ἐὰν γὰρ εἴπῃ «ποῦ τεθείκατε τὸν Λάζαρον;» * οὔτε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἀγνοεῖ οὔτε τὴν παλαιὰν διαθήκην. «ποῦ τεθείκατε» γάρ «αὐτόν;» λέγει, ἐξελέγξαι θέλων τὰς μηδὲ τὴν ἴσην πίστιν ἐξενηνοχυίας πρὸς τὴν Σουμανῖτιν, καίτοι γε ἐκείνης πρὸς ἄνθρωπον ἐχούσης, τουτέστιν Ἐλισσαῖον τὸν ἅγιον 108.5 προφήτην, τῶν δὲ περὶ Μάρθαν ἐχουσῶν πρὸς τὸν θεόν. καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃ «τίς μου ἥψατο;» οὐκ ἀγνοῶν λέγει, ἀλλ' ἵνα πείσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς ὁμολογῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μαρτυρῇ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, 108.6 ἀλλ' ὑπὸ ἄλλων δοξάζηται. καὶ ὅταν εἴπῃ «ἔχετε ἄρτους μεθ' ἑαυτῶν;» ἐπὶ τούτῳ λέγει, ἵνα τὸ βραχὺ τῶν ἄρτων πᾶσι σημανθῇ καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς αὐτοῦ θαυματουργίας θαυμασθῇ, διὰ τοσούτων 108.7 ἄρτων τοσούτου τραφέντος ὄχλου. καὶ ὅταν εἴπῃ «τίνα ζητεῖτε;» τοὺς ζητοῦντας δείκνυσιν ἠπατημένους ὄντας καὶ «Ἰησοῦν ζητοῦντας», τὸν ἰατρὸν ἑρμηνευόμενον καὶ σωτῆρα, ἵν' ὅταν ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτόν, τῆς τούτου σωτηρίας λήξωσιν. 109.1 Ὥσπερ οὖν τὰ περὶ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν οἰκονομίας ἐδείξαμεν λεγόμενα μὲν ἀνθρωπίνως, οὐκ ἄμοιρα δὲ προγνώσεως οὐδὲ γάρ τις τῶν εὖ φρονούντων εἴπῃ ἀγνοεῖν αὐτὸν ποῦ τεθείκασι Λάζαρον, ἐγγὺς ὄντα τοῦ τόπου, εἰ καὶ δι' ὃν εἴπομεν τρόπον ἠρώτα, πόρρω ἐπὶ Γαλιλαίας πρώην ὄντα καὶ δείξαντα ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ὅτι τέθνηκε Λάζαρος, οὕτω καὶ περὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης ταῦτα εὐφρόνως ἀνα109.2 λύομεν. τὸ εἰπεῖν τὸν θεόν «Ἀδὰμ ποῦ εἶ;» οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντος ἦν, ἀλλὰ δεικνύοντος ἀπὸ οἵου ὕψους πρὸς ποῖον βάθος αἴσχους ὁ Ἀδὰμ 109.3 ἐκπεπτώκει. καί «ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου;» ὅτι ὅν σε ἔδει φέρειν ἀεὶ ἐν ἀγκάλαις καὶ ἀεὶ συνεῖναι αὐτῷ, οὗτος ἐπὶ γῆν παρὰ σοῦ 109.4 ἔρριπται. δείκνυσι γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἐπαγομένου ὅτι οὐκ ἀγνοίας χάριν ἠρώτα, ἀλλὰ διελέγχων ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν ὅτι «ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου καὶ ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἥτις ἔχανε τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου»· 109.5 «ἰδού, γάρ φησιν, ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ βοᾷ πρός με». καί «ποῦ Σάρρα ἡ γυνή σου;» οὐκ ἀγνοῶν εἶπεν. ἐπεὶ πῶς ἠγνόει ὁ γελῶσαν ἔνδον τῆς οἰκίας εἰδὼς αὐτήν; οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τοίνυν ἠρώτα, ἀλλ' ἵνα παραστήσῃ ταῖς θυγατράσιν αὐτῆς ταῖς «ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν» μαθεῖν τὴν ἐκείνης ἀγωγήν, ὅταν ἁγίοις ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων καμάτων ὑπηρετεῖν 109.6 πειρῶνται. ἐκείνη γὰρ ἐν τοσαύτῃ ὑπηρεσίᾳ ὑπάρχουσα, αὐτὴ τοὺς ἀζύμους καὶ τοὺς ἐγκρυφίους ἐργαζομένη καὶ τὴν τοσαύτην ὑπηρεσίαν ἐξαρτύσασα ἅμα τοῖς ἰδίοις αὐτῆς οἰκέταις, πρόσωπον τῶν ὑπηρετουμένων οὐχ ἑώρα, σωφροσύνης ἐπιεικοῦς ὑπογραμμὸν ταῖς ἡμετέραις γενεαῖς ὑπολιμπάνουσα. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἀρκέσει εἰς παράστασιν ταῖς τῶν ματαίων ἀντιλογίαις.