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pressing. 145 TO THE SOLDIERS. The nature of all men is one, but the choices of life are many and various. For some choose a seafaring life, others a military life; and some an athletic one, others an agricultural one; and some practice this art, and others that. And, to omit the other differences, some men are zealous and diligent concerning divine things, and are instructed in the precision of the apostolic dogmas; others serve their belly, and consider the enjoyment of shameful pleasures to be prosperity; yet others are midway between these and those, and neither emulate the praiseworthy zeal, nor embrace the licentious life, but honor the simplicity of the faith. I believe, therefore, that those who have assailed that argument, which says that some things are utterly impossible for God, are not among the zealous and those educated in divine things, but are either of those who do not know the precision of the apostolic dogmas, or of those who, enslaved to sensual pleasures, change with the times, and now hold these beliefs, and now those. But since you have asked us to write about these things, though I had resolved to be silent for the present, I am compelled to say a few things, obeying the Lord's command: "For," he says, "give to everyone who asks of you." We, therefore, say that the God of all can do all things; but that by the word "all things" only what is noble and good is included. For He who is by nature wise and good accepts nothing of the contrary, but only what is fitting to His nature. But if any contradict this argument, ask them if the God of all, the lawgiver of truth, can lie; and if they should say that lying is possible for God, drive them out of your company as impious and blasphemous. But if they too agree that this is not possible for the God of all, ask again if it is possible for the one who is the fount of righteousness to become unjust. And if they should concede that this also is impossible for the God of all, it is necessary to ask again, if it is possible for the abyss of wisdom to become unwise, and for God not to be God, and likewise for the Lord not to be Lord, and the Creator not the Creator, and the good not good, but evil, and the true light not to be light, but the opposite. And if they should agree that all these things, and things similar to them, are impossible for the God of all, it is necessary to say to them: therefore many things are impossible for God; and that these impossibilities are not indicative of inability, but significant of the greatest power. For not even when speaking about our soul, saying that it is impossible for it to die, do we accuse it of weakness, but we proclaim the power of its immortality. Thus, therefore, confessing God's immutability, impassibility, and immortality, we cannot attach either change, or passion, or death to that nature. But if they should say: "Whatever God wills, He is able to do," it is necessary to say to them that He wills to do nothing that is not in His nature; and His nature is good, therefore He does not will anything evil; His nature is just, therefore He does not will anything unjust; His nature is true, therefore He abhors falsehood; His nature is immutable, therefore He does not admit of change; and if He does not admit of change, He is always in the same state and condition. For He Himself says this through the Prophet: "I am, I am, and I have not been changed." And the blessed David: "But you are the same, and your years will not fail." And if He is the same, He has not received change. And if He is superior to change and alteration, He has not become mortal from immortal, nor passible from impassible. For if it were possible for this to happen, He would not have taken on our nature. But since He has an immortal nature, He took a body capable of suffering, and with the

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ἐπειγόμενον. 145 ΤΟΙΣ ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΑΙΣ. Μία μὲν πάντων ἀνθρώπων φύσις, αἱ δὲ τῶν βίων προαι ρέσεις πολλαὶ καὶ διάφοροι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ναυτικόν, οἱ δὲ πολε μικὸν αἱροῦνται βίον· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀθλητικόν, οἱ δὲ γεωργικόν· καὶ οἱ μὲν τήνδε, οἱ δὲ τήνδε τὴν τέχνην μεταχειρίζουσι. Καὶ ἵνα τὰς ἄλλας παραλίπω διαφοράς, οἱ μέν εἰσι τῶν ἀνθρώ πων σπουδαῖοι καὶ ἐμμελεῖς περὶ τὰ θεῖα, καὶ τῶν ἀποστολι κῶν δογμάτων ἐκπαιδεύονται τὴν ἀκρίβειαν· οἱ δὲ γαστρὶ δου λεύουσι, καὶ τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἡδονῶν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν εὐημερίαν ὑπολαμβάνουσιν· ἄλλοι δέ γε μέσοι τούτων κἀκείνων εἰσί, καὶ οὔτε τὴν ἐπαινουμένην ζηλοῦσι σπουδήν, οὔτε τὸν ἀκόλαστον ἀσπάζονται βίον, τὴν δὲ ἁπλότητα τιμῶσι τῆς πίστεως. Ἡγοῦμαι τοίνυν τοὺς ἐπισκήψαντας ἐκείνῳ τῷ λόγῳ, ὅς φησιν εἶναί τινα παντελῶς ἀδύνατα τῷ Θεῷ, οὐ τῶν σπουδαίων εἶναι, καὶ τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένων, ἀλλ' ἢ τούτων, οἳ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δογμάτων οὐκ ἴσασιν, ἢ ἐκείνων, οἳ ταῖς ἡδυπαθείαις, δεδουλωμένοι πρὸς τοὺς καιροὺς μετα βάλλονται, καὶ νῦν μὲν ταῦτα, νῦν δὲ ἐκεῖνα πρεσβεύουσιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ γράψαι περὶ τούτων ἡμᾶς ᾐτήσατε, σιγᾶν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος βεβουλευμένος, βραχέα εἰπεῖν ἀναγκάζομαι, τῇ ∆εσποτικῇ πειθόμενος ἐντολῇ· Παντὶ γάρ, φησί, τῷ αἰ τοῦντί σε δίδου. Ἡμεῖς τοίνυν πάντα μὲν δύνασθαί φαμεν τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεόν· τῇ δὲ πάντα φωνῇ μόνα τὰ καλὰ καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ συμ περιλαμβάνεσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ φύσει σοφός τε καὶ ἀγαθὸς οὐδὲν τῶν ἐναντίων προσίεται, ἀλλὰ μόνα τὰ τῇ φύσει πρέποντα. Εἰ δέ τινες ἀντιλέγουσι τῷδε τῷ λόγῳ, ἔρεσθε αὐτούς, εἰ δύναται ψεύσασθαι ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ νομοθέ της· κἂν μὲν εἴποιεν δυνατὸν τῷ Θεῷ τὸ ψεῦδος, ὡς δυσσεβεῖς καὶ βλασφήμους τῆς ὑμετέρας συμμορίας ἐξελάσατε. Εἰ δὲ σύνθοιντο καὶ αὐτοί, μὴ δυνατὸν εἶναι τοῦτο τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, πάλιν προσερωτήσατε, εἰ δυνατὸν ἄδικον γενέσθαι τὸν τὴν δικαιοσύνην πηγάζοντα. Εἰ δὲ συνομολογήσαιεν καὶ τοῦτο ἀδύνατον εἶναι τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, πυθέσθαι χρὴ πάλιν, εἰ δυνατὸν ἄσοφον γενέσθαι τῆς σοφίας τὴν ἄβυσσον, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν μὴ εἶναι Θεόν, καὶ τὸν Κύριον ὡσαύτως μὴ εἶναι Κύριον, καὶ τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν οὐ ∆ημιουργόν, καὶ τὸν ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἀγα θόν, ἀλλὰ κακόν, καὶ τὸ ἀληθινὸν φῶς μὴ εἶναι φῶς, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον. Εἰ δὲ συμφήσαιεν ταῦτα πάντα, καὶ τὰ τούτοις προσόμοια, ἀδύνατα εἶναι τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ, εἰπεῖν χρὴ πρὸς αὐτούς· οὐκοῦν πολλὰ ἀδύνατα τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα τὰ ἀδύνατα οὐκ ἀδυναμίας δηλωτικά, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεως μεγίστης σημαντικά. Οὐδὲ γὰρ περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ἡμετέρας λέγοντες, ὡς ἀδύνατον αὐτὴν ἀποθανεῖν, ἀσθένειαν αὐτῆς κατηγοροῦ μεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀθανασίας αὐτῆς τὸ δυνατὸν κηρύττομεν. Οὕτω τοίνυν ὁμολογοῦντες τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἄτρεπτον, τὸ ἀπαθές, τὸ ἀθάνατον, οὔτε τροπήν, οὔτε πάθος, οὔτε θάνατον ἐκείνῃ προσάψαι τῇ φύσει δυνάμεθα. Εἰ δὲ εἴποιεν· Ἅπερ ἂν ἐθε λήσῃ δύναται ὁ Θεός , χρὴ πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν ὅτι οὐδὲν βούλεται ποιεῖν ὧν μὴ πέφυκεν· πέφυκε δὲ ἀγαθός, οὐκοῦν οὐ βούλεταί τι κακόν· πέφυκε δίκαιος, οὐκοῦν οὐ βούλεταί τι ἄδικον· πέφυκεν ἀληθής, οὐκοῦν τὸ ψεῦδος βδελύττεται· πέφυκεν ἄτρεπτος, οὐκοῦν τροπὴν οὐ προσίεται· εἰ δὲ τροπὴν οὐ προσίεται, ἀεὶ κατὰ ταὐτὰ καὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχει. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου φησίν· Ἐγώ εἰμι, ἐγώ εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἠλλοίωμαι . Καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αβίδ· Σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐ τὸς εἶ , καὶ τὰ ἔτη σου οὐκ ἐκλείψουσιν · Εἰ δὲ ὁ αὐτός ἐστι, μεταβολὴν οὐκ ἐδέξατο. Εἰ δὲ κρείττων ὑπάρχει μεταβο λῆς καὶ τροπῆς, οὐ γέγονεν ἐξ ἀθανάτου θνητός, οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀπαθοῦς παθητός. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο γενέσθαι οἷόν τε ἦν, οὐκ ἂν τὴν ἡμετέραν προσέλαβε φύσιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀθάνατον ἔχει φύ σιν, ἔλαβε τὸ παθεῖν δυνάμενον σῶμα, καὶ σὺν τῷ