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ῃι, 8. But Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord God. It is a great and heavenly thing to find grace in the sight of God, and this is accomplished by pleasing him, which is followed also by pleasing men, though he who pleases men does not in every case please God. For see what the blessed Paul says: "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ", and the psalmist: "The Lord has scattered the bones of men-pleasers"; but those who have grace from God say: "who has graced us with the beloved one", and at the same time Mary hears from the angel: "Hail, you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you". For this is grace, to have the Lord with oneself; and he has the Lord with him who through virtue and virtuous deeds says: "If you seek proof of Christ speaking in me". For he himself gives grace and peace; for this 162 the holy one prays, saying: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ". And God gives this gift, when we provide the occasion to receive it. For indeed it is said in Proverbs: "Grace and friendship set free, which keep for yourself, that you may not become a reproach"; for it is in the power of the will †·τιη† to keep them and accomplish them. Thus, then, Noah also from his own preparation found grace in the sight of the Lord God, having graced himself through the works of virtue and from this receiving grace from God; for God, the God of all, cooperates with those things that are accomplished and achieved by us, adding to them, adorning them, and bringing them to a greatness of good. Knowing this very thing, the disciples of the Savior, having already accomplished through themselves faith in him, said to him, knowing that faith is also a gift from God: "Increase our faith". For as the word of wisdom is given through the Spirit and the word of knowledge according to the Spirit, so also faith in the same Spirit. For it is impossible to receive the faith given by God through grace without having that which is constituted by what is in our power. For this very thing is indicated by "increase our faith"; but also Isaiah, speaking in the person of the Lord's man, and let it also be from his own, says: "He has given me an ear to hear, and the instruction of the Lord opens my ears"; for the hearing and instruction given by God opens even these ears so that the mind may hear more divinely. Thus also we shall understand "grace for grace", understanding that which comes from God is added to that which is in our power. And well is "he found" said, so that it might be shown that having sought properly, he found, while those who do not seek in the way they ought do not find; for it says, "Evil men will seek me but will not find me". And from this it is known that he sought well, from God's judgment and gift, when He Himself, as if sealing it, gives the grace; for "it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God 163 who shows mercy", and "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it have labored in vain". ῃι, 9. And these are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation; Noah was well-pleasing to God. The genealogy of the just man is not so much from men as from virtues; for these are his preceding offspring. This indeed the spirit of scripture teaches; for when it was proposed to tell the generations of Noah, it added: "Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation; he was well-pleasing to God". But what is indicated by "perfect in his generation," let us see. And according to a first interpretation, one might say that, since the people of his time had given themselves over to measureless evil, in comparison with them he was perfect, which is no great thing, if he were compared to the desperate, though it could perhaps be said that he was called perfect because he was different from those who entered the ark with him; for it is likely that they were such from their association with the holy man. But it might also be said thus: the generation of the just man is the

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ῃι, 8. Νῶε δὲ εὗρεν χάριν ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μέγα καὶ οὐράνιόν ἐστιν τὸ εὑρεῖν χάριν ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο δὲ κατορθοῦται ἐκ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀρεσκείας, ᾧ ἕπεται καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσ̣κ̣ει̣ν, τοῦ ἀρέσκοντος ἀνθρώποις οὐ πάντως Θεῷ ἀρέσκοντος. Ὅρα γὰρ τί ὁ μακάριος Παῦλός φησιν· "6Εἰ ἀνθρώποις ἤρεσκον, Χριστοῦ δοῦλος οὐκ ἂν ἤμην"6, καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδός· "6Κύριος διεσκόρπισεν ὀστᾶ ἀνθρωπαρέσκων"6· οἱ δὲ ἐκ Θεοῦ τὴν χάριν ἔχοντές φασιν· "6Ὃς ἐχαρίτωσεν ἡμᾶς σὺν τ[ῷ] ἠγαπημένῳ"6, ἅμα καὶ Μαρία ἀκούει πρὸς τοῦ ἀγγέλου· "6Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ"6. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ χάρις τὸ ἐ´̣χειν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Κύριον· ἔχει δὲ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν Κύριον ὁ δι' ἀρε[τὴ]ν καὶ πράξεις ἐναρέ- τους λέγων· "6Εἰ δοκιμὴν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ [λα]λοῦντος Χριστοῦ"6. Αὐτὸς γὰρ δίδωσιν χάριν καὶ εἰρήνην· τοῦτο 162 γὰρ [ἐ]πεύχεται ὁ ἅγιος λέγων· "6Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ"6. ∆ίδωσιν δὲ Θεὸς τὸ δῶρον τοῦτο, ἡμῶν τὴν ἀφορμὴν τοῦ λαβεῖν αὐτὸ παρεχόντων. Εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν Παροιμίαις· "6Χάρις καὶ φιλία ἐλευθεροῖ, ἃς τήρησον σεαυτῷ, ἵνα μὴ ἐπονείδιστος γένῃ"6· ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῆς προαιρέσεώς ἐστιν ἐξουσίᾳ †·τιη† τηρῆσαι αὐτὰς καὶ κατορθῶσαι. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ Νῶε ἐκ τῆς̣ οἰκείας προπαρασκευῆς εὗρεν χάριν ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτὸς διὰ τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔργων χαριτώσας ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἐκ τούτου δεξάμενος παρὰ Θεοῦ χάριν· τοῖς γὰρ ἀφ' ἡμῶν κατορθουμένοις καὶ ἀνυομένοις συνέργων ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς προστιθεὶς ἐπι- κοσμεῖ καὶ εἰς̣ μέγεθος ἀγαθοῦ ἄγει. Τοῦτ' αὐτὸ εἰδότες οἱ τοῦ Σωτῆρος μαθηταὶ ἤδη δι' ἑαυτῶν προκατορθώσαντες τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πί[σ]τιν ἔλεγον αὐτῷ εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ θεοδώρητος πίστις ἐστίν· "6Πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίσ̣τι̣ν̣"6. Ὡς γὰρ λόγος σοφίας δίδοται διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ λόγος γνώσε̣ως κατὰ τὸ πνεῦμα, οὕτω καὶ πίστις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύματι. Ἀδύνατον γάρ ἐστιν δέξασθαι τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ κατὰ χάριν διδομένην πίστιν μὴ ἔχοντα τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν συνισταμένην. Τοῦτ' αὐτὸ γὰρ δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ "6πρόσθες ἡμῖν πίστιν"6· ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ Ἠσαΐας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ κυριακοῦ, ἔστω δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου, φησίν· "6Προσέθηκέν μοι ὠτίον τοῦ ἀκούειν καὶ ἡ παιδεία Κυρίου διανοίγει μου τὰ ὦτα"6· ἡ γὰρ πρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ διδομένη ἀκοὴ καὶ παιδεία δ[ι]ανοίγει καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὦτα πρὸς τὸ τὴν διάνοιαν θειότερον ἀκούειν. Οὕτω καὶ τὸ "6χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος"6 νοήσομεν, τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐφ' ἡμῖν προσγινομένην νοοῦντες. Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ "6εὗρεν"6 εἴρητα[ι, ἵ]να δειχθῇ ὅτι ζητήσας δεόντως εὗρεν, τῶν μὴ ὃν δεῖ τρόπο[ν] ζητούντων οὐχ εὑρισκόντων· "6Ζητήσουσίν με"6 γάρ φησιν "6κακοὶ καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσουσιν"6. Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ γνωρίζεται ὅτι καλῶς ἐζήτησεν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπικρίσεως καὶ δωρείας, ὅταν ὥσπερ ἐπισφραγίζων αὐτὸς τὴν χα´̣ριν δῷ· "6Οὐ"6 γὰρ "6τοῦ θέλοντος οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντ̣ο̣ς 163 Θεοῦ"6, καὶ "6Ἐὰν μὴ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασαν̣ οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες αὐτόν"6. ῃι, 9. Αὗτ̣αι δὲ αἱ γενέσεις Νῶε. Νῶε ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος, τέλειος ὢν ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ τῷ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησεν Νῶε. Τοῦ δικαίου ἡ γενεαλογία οὐκ ἔστιν τοσοῦτον ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὅσον ἐξ ἀρετῶν· αὗται γὰρ αὐτοῦ προηγούμενα γεννήματα. Τοῦτό τοι διδάσκει τὸ συγγραφικὸν πνεῦμα· προκειμένου γὰρ ὄντος τοῦ τὰς γενέσεις τοῦ Νῶε εἰπεῖν, ἐπήνεγκεν· "6Νῶε ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος, τέλειος ὢν ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ τῷ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησεν"6. Τί δὲ δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ "6τέλειος ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ"6, ἴδωμεν. Καὶ κατὰ μὲν πρώτην ἀπόδοσιν λέγοι ἂν ὅτι, τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν αὐτοῦ καιρὸν εἰς ἄμετρον κακίαν ἐπιδεδωκότων, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς συγκρίσεως τέλειος ἦν, ὅπερ οὐ μέγα τυγχάνει, εἰ πρὸς ἀπεγνωσμένους συγκρίνοιτο, τάχα δυναμένου λεχθῆναι ὅτι τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν κιβωτὸν εἰσελθόντων διαφέρων τέλειος ἐλέγετο· καὶ γὰρ εἰκὸς αὐτοὺς εἶναι τοιούτους ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἅγιον συνηθείας. Λεχθείη δὲ καὶ οὕτως· γενεὰ τοῦ δικαίου ἐστὶν ἡ