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as it is said: "F[or wh]ere there is strife and jeal[ousy, are you not] men, as you also w[al]k?6" For [wickedness] was not p[racticed] by them as it [happened], but "diligent[ly" and deliber]ately; for this is w[hat "i]n the heart" indic[ates]. [Likewise] the phrase "from youth" migh[t be under]stood in two ways, either being traine[d] in wickedness from a y[oung] age, or that no one [of those] corresponding to the man described i[s an ol]d man, even if he is so b[y natu]re, preferring [inno]vations and superfici[al thi]ngs; "For honor[able] old age is [not] that which is long-lived, [nor] is it measured by the number of years; fo[r gray hair] is wis[dom f]or men, and old age is a spotless life". [It is not] inappropriate [that you also] interpret "the s]ins of youth and my [ignoran]ces, do not remembe[r"] by saying: whatever I did with a [wicke]d character, [do not] remember. With these things thus st[ate]d, it is worth conside[ring what i]s indicated by "[God] was grieved th]at he made [man] upon the earth, and he pondered" and "I was a[nge]red that I made t[hem]", which is equivalent to "I re[pente]d that I anointed [Sau]l as king". It must be said, [however, tha]t this is spoken of God anthropo- 160 pa[thically] and not as the words and the meaning hold [it]. [F]or if it is sp[ok]en metaphorically in scripture of han[ds] and feet and eyes and [ear]s, one must not think that God is form[ed] in a hu[ma]n way, but it is clear that we will [take] His hands as His active pow[er]s and His eyes as that which is inesca[pabl]e, and th[us] each thing as concerning a power of God ... ... . although also according to another thought, [the discernin]g ones [in t]he church are his eyes and the pra[ctical] ones his hands, and the r[es]t likewise. For indeed in the case [of] perceptible things, ea[ch of the] things named, such as wood, signifi[es] only something, but in the case [of] God, many names being spo[ken], reason propo[ses] that the various things concerning him are to be understood; [thu]s for God is called both sp[irit and foun]tain and again is report[ed to have] hand[s and] feet; but in no way, if they h[appen]ed to be something perceptible, would hi[s] names be so many; for neither light nor [spirit nor the] fountain ha[ve] hands. And in the case of "he pondered" and "he re[pented]" we shall [under]stand it as concerning one who is immutable. For in the same way that even m[en], wishing to con[vey] emphasis to those t[aught] by them of a si[n, that] they have greatly erred and [are] unworth[y] of lessons, s[ay]: I repented that I handed down such gre[at things to you], lead[ing] him to a [knowled]ge of his fault, in the same way [also] God is said to rep[ent], not enduring passion, b[ut for] emphasis of the magnitude of the s[i]n. For neither was H[e ignora]nt that they would be such, but in goodness H[e was consi]dering if somehow from t[he la]ws inscri[bed] upon the mind. We shall use an image to show that the passion is not o[f God] himself b]ut of those who are chan[gin]g, such as this. Let there be some wise man ... again ... placing, if it should happen that some ... and on account of this disinherited, he him[self] did not change his mind concerning the 161 cha[nged ones], the] property coming to the righteous alone; for from the beginning he had this purpose. And well said is "I will wipe out the man whom I made from the face of the earth"; for he does not bring him into non-existence, nor does he wipe him out according to the soul, but from the earth. And this is not the only work of God, when wickedness prevails, to destroy men, but also through a symbol He destroys the one dwelling on the earth who is wicked; for the wicked man is a dweller of the earth, while the holy man happens to be not a dweller but a sojourner. Thus, at any rate, it is also said in Jeremiah: "Evils shall be kindled upon the dwellers upon the earth", those who have taken root on the earth, which the holy one, not having suffered, says in thanksgiving: "They almost ma[de an en]d of me on the earth", and in the Apocalypse it is also said: "Woe upon those dwelling on the earth", not those sojourning; but God's purpose is to draw man away from earthly things, even if man himself clings to earthly things.

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καθὸ εἴρηται· "6῞Ο̣π̣[ου γὰ]ρ ἔρις καὶ ζῆλ[ος, οὐχὶ ἄ]νθρωποί ἐστε, ὡς καὶ οὗτοι περι[πατεῖ]τε;"6 Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἔ[τυχεν ἐπ]ράττετο παρὰ αὐτῶν η῾̣ κ̣[ακία] ἀλλ' "6ἐπιμελῶ[ς"6 καὶ βεβο]υλευμένως· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλ[οῖ τὸ "6ἐ]ν τῇ καρδίᾳ"6. [Ὡσαύτως] τὸ "6ἐκ νεότητος"6 διττῶς ἂ[ν νοη]θείη, ἤτοι ἐκ μ[ικρᾶς] ἡλικίας εἰς κακίαν ἀλειφόμ̣[ενοι], ἢ ὅτι οὐδεὶς τ[ῶν κατὰ] τὸν διαγραφέντα ἄνθρωπον π[ρεσβύ]της ἐστί, κἂν τὴ[ν φύσι]ν οὕτως ὑπάρχῃ, τὰ νεω[τεροπο]ιὰ καὶ ἐπιπόλαι[α προ]ταττόμενος· "6Γῆρας γὰρ τίμ[ιον οὐ] τὸ πολυχρόνιον [οὐδὲ ἀ]ριθμῷ ἐτῶν μεμέτρηται· π̣[ολιὰ] γάρ ἐστιν φρόν[ησις ἀ]νθρώ- ποις καὶ γῆρας βίος ἀκηλίδωτ̣[ος"6. Οὐ]κ ἀνοικείως δὲ [καὶ τὸ "6ἁ]μαρτίας νεότητος καὶ τὰς [ἀγνοία]ς μου μὴ μνησθ[ῇς"6 ἑρ]μηνεύσεις λέγων ὅτι ὅσα [πονηρ]ῷ ἤθει ἔπραξα [μὴ μ]νησθῇς. Τούτων οὕτως εἰ[ρημέν]ων ἄξιον θεωρῆσ[αι τί δ]ηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ "6ἐνεθυμήθη [ὁ Θεὸς ὅ]τι ἐποίησεν τὸν [ἄνθρωπον] ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ διενοήθη"6 καὶ "6ἐ[θυμώθ]η̣ν ὅτι ἐποίησα α[ὐτούς]"6, ὅπερ ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῷ "6μετε[μελήθ]ην ὅτι ἔχρισα τὸ[ν Σαο]ὺλ εἰς βασιλέα"6. Λεκτέον [δὲ ὅτ]ι̣ ἀνθρωπο- 160 πα[θῶς πε]ρὶ Θεοῦ λέγεται καὶ οὐχ οὕτως ὡς αἱ λέξεις καὶ ἡ νόησις ἔχε[ι. Ἐ]ὰν γὰρ περὶ χειρω̣[ν] καὶ ποδῶν καὶ ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ [ὤτω]ν ἐν τῇ γραφῇ μ[ετα]φέρηται, οὐ δεῖ οἴεσθαι ἀνθρ[ωπ]ίνως ἐσχημα[τῖσθαι] τὸν Θεόν, ἀλλὰ δῆλον ὡς δυν[άμε]ις αὐτοῦ δραστι̣κ̣α`̣ς̣ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τὸ ἀναπόδρασ[τον ὀ]φθαλμοὺς καὶ οὑ´̣τ̣ω̣ς̣ ἕκαστον ὡς περὶ δυνάμεως [ἐκλη]μψόμεθα Θεοῦ ··· ··· · εἰ καὶ καθ' ἑτέραν διάνοιαν το[ὺς ἐν τ]ῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ διο[ρατικοὺς] ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς πρα[κτικοὺ]ς χεῖρας καὶ τα`̣ λ̣ο̣ι̣π̣α`̣ ὁμοίως. Καὶ γὰρ τῷ ὄντι ἐπὶ μ[ὲν τῶν] αἰσθητῶν ἕκασ[τον τῶν] ὀνομαζομένων οἷον ξύλον μ[όνον] τι σημαίνει, ἐπὶ δ[ὲ τοῦ] Θεοῦ πλειόνων ὀνομάτων λεγο[μένων], ἃ νοεῖσθαι προίσ[τησι] λόγῳ τὰ διάφορα περὶ αὐτοῦ· [οὕτω]ς γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πν[εῦμα καὶ πη]γὴ καλεῖται καὶ πάλιν χεῖρα[ς καὶ] πόδας ἀνάγετ[αι ἔχειν]· οὐδήπου δέ, εἴπερ αἰσθητόν τ[ι ἔτυ]χον, τοσαῦτα ἦσ̣[αν αὐτοῦ] τὰ ὀνόματα· οὐ γὰρ τὸ φῶς ἢ τὸ [πνεῦμα ἢ ἡ] πηγὴ χεῖρας ἔχο̣[υσιν]. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ διενοήθη καὶ μετε[μελήθη] ὡς περὶ ἀτρέπτου [νοή]σομεν. Ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον καὶ ἄ[νθρωποι τὴν] ἔμφασιν παρασ[τῆσαι] βουλόμενοι τοῖς ὑφ' ἑαυτῶν διδ[ασκομέ]νοις ἁμαρτη´̣μ̣α̣τ̣[ος ὅτι] μεγάλως ἐσφάλησαν καὶ ἀνάξι[οί εἰσι] μαθημάτων λέ[γουσι]· Μετεμελήθην ὅτι τὰ τηλικαῦ[τα σοι π]αραδέδωκα, εἰς ἐ[πίγνω]σιν τοῦ πταίσματος αὐτὸν ἀγαγ[όντες, τ]ὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον [καὶ ὁ] Θεὸς οὐ πάθος ὑπομένων μετα[μέλεσ]θαι λέγεται, ἀλ[λὰ δι'] ἔμφασιν τοῦ μεγέθους τοῦ ἁμ[αρτή- μ]ατος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἠγ̣[νόει ὅ]τι τοιοῦτοι ἔσονται, ἀγαθότητι δ[ὲ ἐθε]ώρει εἴ πως ἐκ τῶ[ν νό]μων τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐπιγρα[φέντων]. Εἰκόνι δὲ χρησο´̣[μεθα] πρὸς τὸ μὴ αὐτοῦ εἶναι πάθος το[ῦ Θεοῦ ἀ]λλὰ τῶν μεταβαλ[λομέ]νων τοιαύτῃ. Ἔστω τις σοφὸς ε[····]·ιοις πάλιν ·····[····] τιθέμενος, εἰ συμβαίη τινὰς τ[·····]ιδων ········· [····] καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀποκλήρους, οὐκ αὐτ[ὸς ἐπὶ] τῶν 161 μετ̣αβληθ[έντων] τ]ῇ γνώμῃ μετέβαλεν, εἰς τοὺς δικαίους μόνους ἐλθούσης τῆς] περιουσίας· τοῦτον γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶχεν τὸν σκοπόν. Εὖ δὲ τὸ "6ἀπαλείψω τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν ἐποίησα ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς"6· οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἀνυπαρξίαν αὐτὸν περιάγει, οὐδὲ κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀπαλείφει, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ γῆς. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἔργον ἐστὶ Θεοῦ τό, ἐπιπολασάσης κακίας, ἀναιρεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ συμβόλου ἀπόλλυσιν τὸν ἐν τῇ γῇ κατοικοῦντα φαῦλον ὄντα· κάτοικος γὰρ γῆς ὁ φαῦλος, τοῦ ἁγίου οὐ κατοίκου ἀλλὰ παροίκου τυγχάνοντος. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐν Ἰερεμίᾳ λέγεται· "6Ἐκκαυ-θήσεται τὰ κακὰ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς"6, τοὺς ῥιζώσαντας ἐπὶ γῆς, ὅπερ οὐ παθὼν ὁ ἅγιός φησιν εὐχαριστῶν· "6Παρὰ βραχὺ συνετε´̣[λε]σάν με ἐν τῇ γῇ"6, καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει δὲ λέγεται· "6Οὐαὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν"6, οὐ τοὺς παροικοῦντας· σκοπὸς δὲ Θεοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν γηΐνων τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποσπᾶσαι, κἂν αὐτὸς τῶν γηΐνων ἀντέχηται.