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79

"the living and the dead," he will separate the righteous from the sinners, so that he might lead those who partake of righteousness and holiness into the kingdom to inherit it, but the unjust and wicked, who did not love their neighbor as themselves, he will send away into punishment, saying: "Depart, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 2.359 In the manner of knowing intellectually, "the knower of secrets" and "he who understands the mind of all" says to some: "I knew that your sins are many." Likewise also in the Gospel: "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination before God." 2.360 According to this theory, one must also take what is continuously written in the Gospel: "But Jesus, knowing their thoughts," that is, their being wicked; for being disposed craftily and maliciously, they thought to escape the notice of "him who understands the mind of all." 2.361 As, therefore, it is possible to know in the sense of understanding, to which not knowing is opposed, so also it is possible to know and not to know through experience. For if Paul writes concerning the Savior that "he knew no sin," we take what is written to be equal to: the one who was not tempted by sin in practice or in thought. Understanding what power it has and by what choice it is accomplished, he has come, at any rate, to take it away from the world. 2.362 This distinction also extends to men; it is said, at any rate, in Ecclesiastes: "He who keeps the commandment will not know an evil thing," that is, he will not be disposed according to an evil thing, since the evil thing is known by way of knowledge to the one who keeps the divine commandment, which is the word of God; for since there is one knowledge of opposites, he who knows the good thing also understands its opposite. 2.363 The scripture reports the twofold meaning of knowing also concerning Adam, on the one hand saying that he understood what the essence of the woman was, -for when the creator gave her to him after she was formed, Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman"; - later knowing her in the manner of experience; for it is written: "Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain." And this is said of every man living with a woman, both in common speech and in divine instruction. 2.364 For instance, it is also written concerning the father of the prophet Samuel: "And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and she conceived, and bore Samuel." According to this meaning, it is said of Rebecca: "She was a virgin, and no man had known her." And the unwed virgin Mary, having heard about the conception of a child from the great angel Gabriel, said: "And how shall this be to me, since I know not a man?" 2.365 We do not think we have digressed unprofitably from the prophetic text before us; for this was undertaken for the sake of clarifying what was obscurely said thus: "I will go down therefore and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, that I may know." For it was necessary to show in what sense the words "That I may know" were spoken by God. 2.366 Having shown for which of those who provoked him God, intending to do harm and declare them cursed, did not repent, abiding by his decree against them, it is time to see for whom he did repent with innate goodness. 2.367 Since he purposed to bless Judah and Israel, he did not change his mind, as they remained in the virtue which they had undertaken at the exhortation of God and of his law; for it is said in one of the Psalms: "The lawgiver will give blessings," that is, to those who keep his divine law. Equivalently it is also found in another Psalm, beginning from here: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who did not take in vain the

79

«ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς», ἀφορίσει τοὺς δικαίους ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἵνα τοὺς μετέχοντας δικαιοσύνης καὶ ὁσιότητος εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσαγάγῃ ἐπὶ τῷ κληρονομῆσαι αὐτήν, τοὺς δ' ἀδίκους καὶ πονηρούς, μὴ ἀγαπήσαντας τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτούς, ἀποπέμψῃ εἰς κόλασιν, λέγων· «Πορεύεσθε, οἱ κεκατηραμένοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ.» 2.359 Κατὰ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ ἐπίστασθαι, λέγει πρός τινας «ὁ τῶν κρυπτῶν γνώστης» καὶ «πάντων τὸν νοῦν ἐπιστάμενος»· «Ἔγνων ὅτι πολλαὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν.» Ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλόν, βδέλυγμα παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἐστιν.» 2.360 Κατὰ τὴν θεωρίαν ταύτην, ἐκλημπτέον καὶ τὸ συνεχῶς κείμενον ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ· «Γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν», φαυλῶν δηλαδὴ τυγχανόντων· πανούργως γὰρ καὶ κακοήθως διακείμενοι, ᾤοντο λανθάνειν «τὸν πάντων τὸν νοῦν ἐπιστάμενον». 2.361 Ὡς οὖν ἔστιν γινώσκεσθαι κατὰ τὸ ἐπίστασθαι ᾧ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν ἀντίκειται, οὕτω καὶ διὰ πείρας ἔστιν εἰδέναι καὶ μὴ εἰδέναι. Ἐὰν γὰρ γράφῃ Παῦλος περὶ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ὡς «οὐκ ἔγνω ἁμαρτίαν», ἐκλαμβάνομεν τὸ γεγραμμένον ἴσον τῷ· τὸν μὴ πειραθέντα πρακτικῶς ἢ διανοητικῶς ἁμαρτίας. Ἐπιστάμενος αὐτὴν οἵας δυνάμεώς ἐστιν καὶ ποίᾳ προαιρέσει τελουμένη, ἆραι γοῦν αὐτὴν ἐλήλυθεν τοῦ κόσμου. 2.362 Παρατείνει δὲ ἡ διαφορὰ αὕτη καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν Ἐκκλησιαστῇ· «Ὁ φυλάσσων ἐντολὴν οὐ γνώσεται ῥῆμα πονηρόν», τοῦτ' ἔστιν οὐ διατεθήσεται κατὰ ῥῆμα πονηρόν, γινωσκομένου τοῦ πονηροῦ ῥήματος κατ' ἐπιστήμην τῷ φυλάττοντι τὴν θείαν ἐντολήν, οὖσ̣αν Θεοῦ ῥῆμα· ἐπιστήμης γὰρ μιᾶς οὔσης τῶν ἐναντίων, ὁ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ῥῆμα γινώσκων καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον αὐτῷ ἐπίστ̣α̣ται. 2.363 Τὸ διττὸν τοῦ γινώσκειν καὶ περὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἀπαγγέλλει ἡ γραφή, ὅπου μὲν λέγουσα ἐπίστασθαι αὐτὸν τίς ἡ οὐσία τῆς γυναικός, -ἀποδόντος γὰρ αὐτὴν μετὰ τὴν πλάσιν τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος, ὁ Ἀδὰμ εἶπεν· «Τοῦτο νῦν ὀστοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὀστῶν μου καὶ σὰρξ ἐκ τῆς σαρκός μου· αὕτη κληθήσεται γυνή»· - ὕστερον γνοὺς αὐτὴν κατὰ τὸν τῆς πείρας τρόπον· γέγραπται γάρ· «Ἔγνω Ἀδὰμ Εὕαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τὸν Κάϊν.» Καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστου δὲ συμβιοῦντος ἀνδρὸς τοῦτο φέρεται, καὶ ἐν τῇ συνήθει ὁμιλίᾳ καὶ τῇ θείᾳ παιδεύσει. 2.364 Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ προφήτου Σαμουὴλ γέγραπται· «Ἔγνω δὲ Ἑλκανὰ Ἄνναν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνέλαβεν, καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν Σαμουήλ.» Κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον εἴρηται περὶ τῆς Ῥεβέκκας· «Παρθένος ἦν, ἀνὴρ οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτήν.» Καὶ ἡ ἀπειρόγαμος δὲ παρθένος Μαριάμ, περὶ συλλήμψεως τέκνου ἀκούσασα πρὸς τοῦ μεγάλου ἀγγέλου Γαβριήλ, ἔφη· «Καὶ πόθεν μοι τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;» 2.365 Οὐκ ἀχρήστως παρεκβεβηκέναι τοῦ προκειμένου προφητικοῦ ἡγούμεθα· ὑπῆρκται γὰρ τοῦτο σαφηνείας ἕνεκα τοῦ ἀσαφῶς εἰρημένου οὕτως· «Καταβὰς οὖν ὄψομαι εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην συντελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μή, ἵνα γνῶ.» Ἔδει γὰρ φανερῶσαι κατὰ ποῖον σημαινόμενον εἴρηται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ τό· «Ἵνα γνῶ». 2.366 ∆είξαντες ἐπὶ τίσιν τῶν παροργισάντων διανοηθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς κακῶσαι καὶ ἐπαράτους ἀναδεῖξαι οὐ μετενόησεν, ἐμμείνας τῇ κατ' αὐτῶν ψήφῳ, ἐκ τίνων δὲ μετενόησεν ἐμφύτῳ ἀγαθότητι καιρὸς ἰδεῖν. 2.367 Ὡς προθέμενος εὐλογῆσαι τὸν Ἰούδα καὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐμετέγνω, ἐμμεινάντων αὐτῶν τῇ ἀρετῇ ᾗ ἀνέλαβον ἐκ προτροπῆς Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ νόμου αὐτοῦ· εἴρηται γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ τῶν Ψαλμῶν· «∆ώσει εὐλογίας ὁ νομοθετῶν», δηλαδὴ τοῖς φυλάττουσιν τὸν θεῖον αὐτοῦ νόμον. Ἰσοδυναμούντως καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ Ψαλμῷ φέρεται, ἔνθεν ἀρχόμενον· «Τίς ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τίς στήσεται ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ; ἀθῷος χερσὶν καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὃς οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ ματαίῳ τὴν