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is of sin, if they should contribute to his life. Here one must not understand wrath as a passion, but as painful treatment, just as Moses also says to God: "you sent forth wrath and it consumed them like stubble," ...some indeed because of sin; but here he shows through "but you brought trials upon me," that it was not because of sins; for those who are punished in this way are not said to have undergone trials. Thus one must understand that the trials were brought, not that he might fall under them. This also happens, which the disciples were taught to say in the prayer should not happen: "lead us not into temptation." Why then did you bring me out of the womb, and I did not die? and an eye did not see me, and I became as though I had not been. Someone might suppose this to be from faintheartedness, but it is overturned by what was said by God: "Do you think I have spoken to you for any other reason than that you might be shown to be righteous?" Therefore, he does not say this in contradiction, who a little before said: "for if I am wicked, woe is me," but wanting to declare the bitterness of life, which a wicked man would not do; 287 for he takes pleasure in this life. And besides, he wants the reason to be shown clearly also to his friends, for which he did not die at the same time as he came out of the womb; and it is clear that it was because he was to be a mark of courage. And otherwise the conduct in the flesh is also shown, about which Paul writes: "If in this life only we have hoped, we are of all men most miserable." And he perceives both the sweet and the bitter things of life. For no one released from the flesh takes pleasure in wealth, in licentiousness, nor is he grieved by afflictions. Having been tried, then, by this life and the pleasant things in it—for he had become blessed with children and many children and rich and had health of body—when his circumstances changed to the opposite of these things and having had experience of these and having known their vanity by the deeds themselves, he also teaches us not to have a desire for them by saying: "Why then did you bring me out of the womb and I did not die," with an eye not having seen me, so that I might become as one who was not. The vanity of the things fought over in this life, such as wealth, is shown from: "Fear not, when a man grows rich or when the glory of his house 288 is increased, for when he dies he will not take everything"—for these things do not follow him who is departing—"for the glory of his house will not descend with him." For in this life alone such men have put their trust. And if the saints, like the blessed Paul, "having a desire to depart and be with Christ," wish to be released from life, yet they await the judgment from God. And the saints fittingly have a desire to be outside the body. For not only the saints, but also those outside the preaching of the truth, conceive of the soul of man as immortal. And such a thing is clear from what happens to it; for it partakes of the holy spirit, it receives knowledge of the trinity; for it is made like to God according to what is possible, which things happen to it being simple in essence, from which its immortality is confirmed. And it is clear that being better than the body, when it is unmixed with it, it has a purer and more sincere activity. And let this be a ready example for a demonstration of the better things being diminished when mixed with the lesser, as honey mixed with wormwood is diminished and wine with water. But it was yoked together not according to Manichaeus, but following 289 ... ... in other ... ... ... And the creator joined it ... ...ly to the body formed for union with it, ... the constitution of life ... ... ... . He wanted ... ... ...these causes of the ... ... ...; But he wanted not to ... ... be tempted, but as ... to be ...; for the miscarried child is good ... above both; for it would not have been called good, if not above ... . But also concerning Judas it is said: "it were good for him if he had not been born." For if for him ... ... to be born ... ... he would not have been called. For why not from the womb to the grave

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ἁμαρτίας ἐστιν, εἰ συμβάλοιεν αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον. ὀργὴν δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐ πάθος ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπίπονον ἀγωγήν, καθὰ καὶ Μωσῆς πρὸς θεόν φησιν· "ἐξαπέστειλας τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτοὺς ὡς καλάμην," ε····οι μὲν δι' ἁμαρτίας· ἐνφαίνει δὲ ἐνταῦθα διὰ τοῦσ "ἐπήγαγες δὲ ἐπ' ἐμὲ πειρατήρια", ὅτι οὐ δι' ἁμαρτ̣ι´̣α̣ς̣· ο̣ἱ γὰρ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ κολαζόμενοι οὐ πειρατήρια ὑφεστάναι λέγονται. οὕτω δὲ νοητέον τὸ ἐπῆχθαι τὰ πειρατήρια, οὐχ ὡς ὑποπέσῃ αὐτοῖς. γείνεται δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὅπερ μὴ γενέσθαι ἐδιδάσκοντο ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ λέγειν οἱ μαθηταί· "μὴ ε»ἰ»σενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν." ἵνα τί οὖν ἐκ κοιλίας με ἐξήγαγες, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέθανον; ὀφθαλμὸς δέ με οὐκ εἶδεν, καὶ ὥσπερ οὐκ ὢν ἐγενόμην. τοῦτο οἰηθείη τις εἶναι ἐξ ἀποκακήσεως, ἀλλὰ ἀνατρέπεται ἐκ τοῦ εἰρημένου πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ· "ο»ἴ»ει δέ με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος;" οὐκ ἀντιδοξῶν οὖν τοῦτο λέγει ὁ πρὸ βραχέος εἰπών· "ἐάν τε γὰρ ἀσεβὴς ὦ, οἴμμοι", ἀλλὰ τὸ πικρὸν τοῦ βίου δηλῶσαι βουλόμενος, ὅπερ οὐκ ἂν ποιήσειεν φαῦλος· ἥδεται 287 γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ ζῆν τούτῳ. ἄλλως τε καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δ»ε»ιχθῆναι βούλεται φανερῶς καὶ τοῖς φίλοις, δι' ἣν οὐκ ἀπέθανεν ἅμα τῷ ἐκ κοιλίας ἐξελθεῖν· δῆλον δέ, ὅτι διὰ τὸ μέλλειν εἶναι σκοπὸς ἀνδρ»ε»ίας. ὑποδείκνυται δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ἡ μετὰ σαρκὸς ἀγωγη´̣σ̣, περὶ ἧς γράφει Παῦλος· "εἰ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ζωῇ ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν μόνον, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν." καὶ τὰ ἡδέα τοῦ βίου καὶ τὰ π̣ικρὰ αἰσθάνεται. οὐδ̣εὶς γὰρ ἀπολ̣υ̣όμενος σαρκὸς ἥδεται ἐπὶ πλούτῳ, ἐπὶ ἀκολασίᾳ, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς κακωτικοῖς ἀνιᾶται. πε»ι»ραθεὶ»ς» οὖν τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ ἡδέων-εὐ´̣παι̣ς γὰρ καὶ πολύπαις καὶ πλούσιος γεγένηται ὑγίειάν τε σώματος ἔσχεν-μεταπεσόντων τῶν πραγμάτων εἰς τὰ τούτων ἐναντία καὶ τούτων ἐν πείρᾳ γενα´̣μενος καὶ αὐτοῖς ἔργοις τὸ ματαῖον αὐτῶν ἐγνωκώς, παιδεύει καὶ ἡμᾶς μὴ πόθον ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτὰ διὰ τοῦ λέγειν· "ἵνα τί οὖν ἐκ κοιλίας με ἐξήγαγες καὶ οὐκ ἀπέθανον", ὀφθαλμοῦ με μὴ θεασαμένου, ἵν' ὡς μὴ ὢν γένωμαι. δ»ε»ίκνυται τὸ ματαῖον τῶν ἐν τῶι βίῳ τούτῳ περιμαχήτων οἷον πλούτου ἐκ τοῦ· "μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος ἢ ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου 288 αὐτοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀποθνήσκειν αὐτὸν λήμψεται τὰ πάντα"-οὐ γὰρ ἕπεται τῷ ἀπαλλαττομένῳ ταῦτα-"οὐ γὰρ συνκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ." ἐν γὰρ τούτῳ τῷ ζῆν οἱ τοιοῦτοι μόνον πεποίθασιν. εἰ δὲ καὶ θέλουσιν οἱ ἅγιοι ὡς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος "ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχων εἰς τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι" ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ βίου, ἀλλ' οὖν̣ ἐκδέχονται τὸ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κρίμα. ἔχουσι δὲ πόθον τοῦ ἔξω̣ εἶναι σώματος οἱ ἅγιοι προσφο´̣ρως. οὐ γὰρ ἅγιοι̣ μόνοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἔξω τοῦ κηρύγματος τῆς ἀληθείας περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἀθανάτου ἐκ̣λαμβάνουσιν. καὶ δῆλόν γε τ̣ὸ τοιοῦτον ἐκ τῶν συμβαινόντων αὐτῇ· μετέχει γὰρ ἁγίου πνεύματος, γνῶσιν δέχεται τῆς τριάδος· ὁμοιοῦται γὰρ τῷ θεῷ κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν, ἅπερ αὐτῇ συμβαίνει ἁπλῇ κατ' οὐσίαν ὑπαρχούσῃ, ἐξ ὧν τὸ ἀθάνατον αὐτῆς κυροῦται. δῆλον δέ, ὅτι κρ»ε»ίττων τυγχάνουσα τοῦ σώματος, ὅτε ἀμίγως ἔχει πρὸς αὐτό, καθαρωτέραν καὶ εἰλικρινεστέραν ἔχει τὴν ἐνέργειαν. καὶ ἔστω παράδ»ε»ιγμα τούτου πρόχειρον εἰς παράστασιν τοῦ τὰ κρ»ε»ίττονα μειγνύμενα τοῖς ἐλάττοσιν ἐλαττοῦσθαι, οἷον τὸ μέλι μιγὲν ἀψινθίῳ ἐλαττοῦται καὶ οἶνος ὕδατι. συνεζεύχθη δὲ οὐ κατὰ Μανιχαῖον, ἀλλ' ἀκολου289 θήσασα ····· ·····α ἐν ἑτέροις λο······ ····· ·· συνῆψεν δὲ αὐτὴν ····· ····ως ὁ δημιουργὸς τῷ σώματι εἰς ἕνωσιν πρὸς αυ᾿̣τὴν πλασθέντι, ·· η῾̣ σύστασις τῆς ζ̣ω̣ῆς ····· ····· ·ηται. ἐβούλετο ····· ····· ··τα αἴτια τοῦ ······· ····· ··ι· ἐβούλετο δὲ μὴ ····· ··· πειραθῆναι, ἀλλ' ὡς ε̣····· ·····ῆναι· ἀγαθὸν γὰρ ι̣·· ὑπὲρ ἀμφοτέρους τὸ ἔκτρωμα· ου᾿̣ γὰρ ἂν ἀγαθὸν ἐλέγετο, εἰ μὴ ὑπὲρ ······. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα λέγετ̣αι· "καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ, εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη." εἰ μὴ γὰρ αὐτῷ ········ ···· γεννηθῆναι ····· · οὐκ ἂν ἐκέκλ̣ητο. διὰ τί γὰρ ἐκ γαστρὸς εἰς μνῆμα οὐκ