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God to Noah: The time of every man has come before me, for the earth is filled with injustice from them. Much of what is written has a more beneficial history for the many. For these, living by sense and opinion, do not attain to what is truly great and beneficial. And let what is said serve as an example. Jesus healed one blind from birth and brought out Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days, by command alone, and again he raised the one who had remained in much paralysis for 38 years. But these, besides being fulfilled in a sensory way, were also symbolic, with the one blind from birth signifying the recovery of sight of a soul that had never seen because it had been brought up from its tender years in sin and ignorance, and again he who was already stinking and whose hope was despaired of, having fallen from the blessed life, was shown symbolically coming to it through Jesus, and the one seized by paralysis, then saved, signified the conversion of a soul that had fallen into insensibility. These things are more wondrous and greater than the healing of bodies, inasmuch as the substance of the soul is more precious than the body, but this the many do not know. Therefore, the one who recounts these paradoxes to them in this way does a more benefi- cial thing, and in what has now been set forth, the parts of the 169 history have a great and more easily surveyed benefit for the many. For what does it say? "The time of every man has come upon the earth", and Peter also says that the flood was brought on by the long-suffering of God, so that repentance might be given. For it has been previously shown that the construction of the ark took place over a hundred years, so that men, seeing it and inquiring about the reason, might have time for repentance. But here one must not think of "time" (kairos) as what is called a horoscope by some; for neither does fate rule over affairs, but all things happen by the decree of God. Therefore, one must consider that "The time of every man has come upon the earth" signifies, as it were, the filling up of the sins of men, according to which the bringing on of vengeance ought to be applied, as it is said: "For the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up until now" instead of: they have not yet sinned so much that their repentance should be despaired of. For God does not bring on wrath each day, although sins are committed, and He does this by providing a place for repentance and giving time for sinners to condemn themselves; but when their affairs are so concluded that they no longer have time to repent, the time has come for them to suffer. And once the reminder of sins being filled up has been made, this must be noted, that it is not the same thing for one man to be filled with sins and for a whole people; for among the many it is possible for all sins to be found, so that one, for example, is prodigal, another stingy, and one bold, another cowardly, and again one licentious, another 170 foolish; but for one man to have these contrary vices, which are excesses and deficiencies, is imposs- ible. For it is possible for all the virtues to be in a man, for they follow one another, but it is not possible for the vices, for the reasons previously stated. And these things as a digression, but let us return to the beginning: "The time of every man has come". No one has such sins as to be forgiven; and just as an excellent physician sets the time for the sick person to receive food, even if it is at night, according to the particular state of the disease, so also is what is now said. For since men were in such a state as to have reached the extreme of sin, for which the flood is brought on, this happens to those who act inexcusably. But one must not think it is a falsehood that the time of every man has come, even if eight were saved in the ark; for here the universal is taken instead of the "for the most part." But if it says "of every man" according to the passage "For where there is strife and jealousy among you, are you not men?", Noah is not subject to this, transcending the human condition; and thus it is true of every

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Θεὸς πρὸς Νῶε· Καιρὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἥκει ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, ὅτι ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ἀδικίας ἀπ' αὐτῶν. Πολλὰ τῶν γεγραμμένων ὠφελιμωτέραν ἔχει τὴν ἱστορίαν τοῖς πολλοῖς. Οὗτοι γὰρ αἰσθήσει καὶ δόξῃ ζῶντες οὐκ ἐφικνοῦνται τῶν ἀληθῶς μεγάλων καὶ ἐπωφελῶν. Καὶ ἔστω ἐπὶ παραδείγματος τὸ λεγόμενον. Τυφλὸν ἀπὸ γενετῆς Ἰησοῦς ἰάσατο καὶ Λάζαρον τέσσαρας ἡμέρας ἐν τῷ μνημείῳ ἔχοντα ἐξήγαγεν προστάξει μόνῃ, καὶ πάλιν τὸν ἐν ˉλˉη ἔτεσιν ἐν πολλῇ παρέσει μένοντα ἤγειρεν. Ταῦτα δὲ πρὸς τῷ αἰσθητῶς πληροῦσθαι καὶ συμβολικὰ ἦσαν, τοῦ μὲν ἀπὸ γενετῆς τυφλοῦ δηλοῦντος ἀνάβλεψιν ψυχῆς μηδέποτε βλεψάσης διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἁπαλῶν ὀνύχων ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ καὶ ἀγνοίᾳ ἀνατετρᾶφθαι, καὶ πάλιν ὁ ἤδη ὀδωδὼς καὶ ἀπεγνωσμένην ἔχων τὴν ἐλπίδα, ἐκπεσών τε τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς, ἐπ' αὐτὴν διὰ Ἰησοῦ συμβολικῶς ἐλθὼν ἐδείκνυτο, καὶ ὁ παρέσει δὲ κατειλημμένος εἶτα σωθεὶς ἐμήνυεν ψυχῆς εἰς ἀναισθησίαν πεσούσης ἐπι- στροφήν. Θαυμασιώτερα δὲ ταῦτα καὶ μείζονα τῆς σωμάτων ἰάσεως, ὅσῳ καὶ ἡ ψυχῆς οὐσία τιμιωτέρα σώματος, ἀλλ' ὅπερ οἱ πολλοὶ ἀγνοοῦσιν. Ὁ οὖν τὰ παράδοξα οὕτως αὐτοῖς διηγούμενος ὠφελι- μώτερον ποιεῖ, καὶ ἐν τοῖς νῦν συνεκτεθεῖσιν τὰ τῆς 169 ἱστορίας πολλὴν καὶ εὐσυνοπτοτέραν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἔχει τὴν ὠφελίαν. Τί γάρ φησιν; "6Καιρὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἥκει ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς"6, λέγει δὲ καὶ ὁ Πέτρος μακροθυμίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπῆχθαι τὸν κατακλυσμόν, ἵνα μετάνοια δοθῇ. Προδεδήλωται γὰρ ὅτι ἐν ἑκατὸν ἔτεσιν ἐγίνετο τὸ τῆς κιβωτοῦ κατασκεύασμα, ἵνα ὁρῶντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ πυνθανόμενοι τὴν αἰτίαν λάβωσιν καιρὸν μετανοίας. Καιρὸν δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐ δεῖ νομίζειν τὸν παρά τισιν ὡροσκόπον καλούμενον· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἱμαρμένη κρατεῖ τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλὰ ψήφῳ Θεοῦ πάντα γίνεται. ∆ιόπερ ἡγητέον τὸ "6Καιρὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἥκει ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς"6 σημαίνειν τὴν ὡσανεὶ συμπλήρωσιν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ἀνθρώποις, καθ' ἣν ἡ τῆς ἐκδικίας ἐπαγωγὴ προσάγεσθαι ὀφείλει, καθὸ λέγεται· "6Οὔπω γὰρ ἀναπεπληρῶνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Ἀμαρραίων ἕως τοῦ νῦν"6 ἀντὶ τοῦ οὔπω τοσαῦτα ἥμαρτον ὡς ἀπογνωσθῆναι αὐτῶν τὴν μετάνοιαν. Καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ὀργὴν ἐπάγει ὁ Θεὸς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καίτοι ἁμαρτημάτων γινομένων, τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖ τόπον μετανοίας παρέχων καὶ διδοὺς καιρὸν τοῦ καταγνῶναι ἑαυτῶν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας· ὅταν δὲ οὕτω συνετελεσθῇ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ὡς μηκέτι ἔχειν καιρὸν τοῦ μεταγνῶναι, καιρὸς ἦλθεν τοῦ παθεῖν αὐτούς. Ἅπαξ δὲ ὑπομνήσεως γεγενημένης τοῦ ἀναπληροῦσθαι ἁμαρτίας, τοῦτο σημειωτέον, ὅτι οὐ ταὐτὸν ἕνα πληροῦσθαι ἄνθρωπον ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ὅλον λαόν· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς πολλοῖς πάσας ἐγχωρεῖ τὰς ἁμαρτίας εὑρίσκεσθαι, ὡς τὸν μὲν φέρε ἄσωτον εἶναι, τὸν δὲ φειδωλόν, καὶ τὸν μὲν θρασύν, τὸν δὲ δειλόν, καὶ πάλιν τὸν μὲν ἀκόλαστον, τὸν 170 δὲ ἠλίθιον· περὶ ἕνα δὲ ἄνθρωπον τὰς ἐναντίας ταύτας κακίας, ὑπερβολὰς οὔσας καὶ ἐλλείψεις, εὑρίσκεσθαι ἀδύνα- τον. Πάσας μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ τὰς ἀρετὰς εἶναι δυνατόν, ἀλλήλαις γὰρ ἀντακολουθοῦσιν, τὰς δὲ κακίας οὐχ οἷόν τε διὰ τὰ προειρημένα. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὡς παρεκβάσει, ἐπανελθῶμεν δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς· "6Καιρὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἥκει"6. Οὐδεὶς τοιαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα ἔχει ὡς συγχωρηθῆναι αὐτῷ· καὶ ὥσπερ ἄριστος ἰατρὸς καιρὸν τοῦ τροφὴν δέξασθαι τὸν κάμνοντα, κἂν ἐν νυκτὶ γίνηται, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ νοσήματος τοιάνδε κατάστασιν τίθεται, οὕτω καὶ τὸ νῦν λεγόμενον. Τοιῶσδε γὰρ ἐχόντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὡς εἰς ἔσχατον ἁμαρτίας ἥκειν, δι' ἃς ὁ κατακλυσμὸς ἐπάγεται, γίνεται τοῦτο ἀσυγγνώστατα πράττουσιν. Οὐ δεῖ δὲ οἴεσθαι ψεῦδος εἶναι τὸ καιρὸν παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἥκειν, εἰ καὶ ὀκτὼ ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ διεσώθησαν· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ τὸ καθόλου ἀντὶ τοῦ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον εἴληπται. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὸ "6Ὅπου γὰρ ἔρις καὶ ζῆλος ἐν ὑμῖν, οὐχὶ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε"6 λέγει τὸ "6παντὸς ἀνθρώπου"6, οὐχ ὑπόκειται ὁ Νῶε τούτῳ ὑπερβαίνων τὴν ἀνθρώπου κατάστασιν· καὶ οὕτως ἀληθὲς τὸ παντὸς