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can he? He shut off escape for Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and there was no one to open. And in general you will find many such things. For he shuts for a useful purpose, not permitting them to have enjoyment of human things, but to be in want; and to what end? to the end of being saved by bringing on hardships. And he shuts in another way against men, when he does not permit them to prosper in evil things, and this being done fittingly by God, not as the Pharisees did; for it was said to them: "you shut the kingdom of heaven; you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." But the kingdom of heaven is shut, 323 when those who seem to be teachers, through the evil things they practice, make certain people imitators of themselves, so that neither they themselves nor those who imitate them enter into the kingdom. If, therefore, God also shuts to the one who has shut it for himself on account of his conduct, who will open for him? So also withholding the water and what is perceptible, according to what is said, "one part will be rained upon, and the part on which I will not rain will be dried up," by withholding it, he dries up the land; and of this you have the example in the Books of Kings; for he is the one "who brings up clouds from the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain." and according to his own authority it is sent upon the earth both for watering and for destruction of the things in it, as in the flood of Noah's time. And if you consider these things with understanding, you will find also the benefit from the#6m. With him is dominion and strength, #6with him is knowledge and understanding. The reasonableness of the proof that no 324 other could do each of the things done by God himself, he teaches through these things, saying: "With him is dominion and strength." And lest anyone should insecurely reason that God acts by power and strength alone, he adds: "with him is knowledge and understanding." For if anyone is displeased with what happens, saying, "Why is this fertile and very rich land watered again, while the one in need remains without rain?", let him hear "with him is knowledge and understanding." For he who "arranged all things by weight and measure" supplies to each what he wills according to the principles of his own providence; for the production or administration of beings does not have its constitution by chance, but both the variety of created things and their administration are fixed and established by divine understanding. It must be noted that it is not as if God were a composite being that "strength is with him and dominion" and "with him is knowledge and understanding" is said; for all these things are the Son, #6being simple and uncompounded. He leads counselors away captive, and judges of the earth he has drive#6n mad. And these are the works of providence 325; for by his will and judgment both counselors are led away captive and judges are removed. And if by counselors he means those who are puffed up in the state, it is possible to find many of these led away into captivity; which is clear from the captivity of Israel, concerning which Jeremiah, lamenting over their city, said in a dirge: "How the city sits solitary, that was full of people! She has become like a widow, who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces has become a tributary!" But if the name of counsel should signify those who give advice, so also God leads away captive those who do this for evil; and an example of this is Ahithophel, whose counsel and life were perverted. For from this too it is possible to understand the work of providence, that even the most prudent of counselors who follow the purpose of giving counsel fail in their outcomes, not as having counseled badly, but as providence 326 decrees otherwise. So also pilots, having done all in their power, fail; for the outcome belongs to God. by his own power he also "drove the judges mad." And if "drove mad" signifies madness, this also happens to those who do not use judgment of matters in the way they ought; and God drives such people mad, showing them to be foolish. But it is also possible for "drove mad" to signify their removal; of him

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δύναται; συνέκλεισεν τῷ Φαραὼ καὶ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις τὴν ἀποφυγὴν καὶ ἀνοίγων οὐχ εὑρίσκετο. καὶ ὅλως πολλὰ τοιαῦτα εὑρήσεις. κλείει γὰρ πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον μὴ ἐῶν ἔχειν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἀπόλαυσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐνδείᾳ εἶναι· πρὸς δὲ τίνα; πρὸς τὸν σωτήριον εἶναι ἐπάγων τὰ ἐπίπονα. κλείει δὲ καὶ ἄλλως κατὰ ἀνθρώπων, ὅτε οὐκ ἐᾷ εὐοδοῦσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐν κακοῖς καὶ τούτου δεόντως γινομένου πρὸς θεοῦ, οὐ καθὼς Φαρισαῖοι ἐποίουν· εἴρηται γὰρ πρὸς αὐτούς· "κλείετε τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσέρχεσθε οὐδὲ τοὺς εἰσερχομένους ἀφίετε εἰσελθεῖν." κλείεται δ' ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, 323 ὅταν οἱ δοκοῦντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι δι' ὧν ἐνεργοῦσιν φαύλων μιμητὰς ἑαυτῶν ποιῶσίν τινας, ὡς μήτε αὐτοὶ μήτε οἱ μιμούμενοι αὐτοὺς εἰσιέναι εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν. ἐὰν οὖν τῷ ἑαυτῷ κλείσαντι καὶ θεὸς κλείσῃ διὰ τὴν πολιτείαν αὐτοῦ, τίς τούτῳ ἀνοίξει; οὕτω καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ κατὰ αἰσθητὸν κωλύων κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον "μερὶς μία βραχήσεται καὶ μερίς, ἐφ' ἣν οὐ βρέξω, ξηρανθήσεται" κωλύων ξηραίνει τὴν γῆν· καὶ τούτου ἔχεις ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις τὸ παράδειγμα· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν "ὁ ἀνάγων νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, ἀστραπὰς εἰς ὑετὸν ποιῶν." καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐξουσίαν ἐπαφίεται τῇ γῇ καὶ εἰς ἀρδείαν καὶ εἰς φθορὰν τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡς ἐν τῷ κατὰ Νῶε κατακλυσμῷ. ταῦτα δὲ εἰ μετὰ συνέσεως ἀνάγοις, εὑρήσεις καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τού#6των ὄφελος. παρ' αὐτῶι κράτος καὶ ἰσχύς, #6αὐτῷ ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις. τὸ εὔλογον τῆς ἀποδείξεως τοῦ ἕκαστα τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ γιγνομένων μὴ ἂν 324 ἄλλον δύνασθαι ποιεῖν ἢ αὐτὸν διὰ τούτων διδάσκει φάσκων· "παρ' αὐτῷ κράτος καὶ ἰσχύς." καὶ ἵνα μή τις ἀβέβαιος λογίσηται, ὅτι δυνάμει καὶ ἰσχύι μόναις θεὸς ποιεῖ, ἐπάγει· "αὐτῶι ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις." κἂν γὰρ δυσαρεστῇ τις τοῖς γιγνομένοις λέγων ὅτι «διὰ τί μὲν ἥδε ἡ χώρα ἡ εὔφορος καὶ πολύπλουτος πάλιν ἄρδεται, ἡ δὲ δεομένη ἄβροχος διατελεῖ;», ἀκουέτω τὸ "αὐτῷ ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις." αὐτὸς γὰρ "σταθμῶι καὶ μέτρῳ πάντα τα διαταξάμενος" ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τοὺς λόγους τῆς προνοίας ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιχορηγεῖ ἃ βούλεται· οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἡ τῶν ὄντων παραγωγὴ ἢ διοίκησις ἔχει τὴν σύστασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῶν δημιουργημάτων διάφορον καὶ τὸ τῆς διοικήσεως συνέσει θείᾳ πέπηγέν τε καὶ ἕστηκεν. ἐπιστατέον ὅτι οὐχ ὡς συνθέτου ὄντος τοῦ θεοῦ "ἰσχὺς παρ' αὐτῷ καὶ κράτος" καὶ "αὐτῷ ἐπιστήμη καὶ σύνεσις" εἴρηται· πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα ὁ υἱός ἐστιν #6ἁπλοῦς καὶ ἀσύνθετος ὑπάρχων. διάγων βουλευτὰς αἰχμαλώτους, κριτὰς δὲ γῆς ἐξέστη#6σεν. καὶ ταῦτα τῆς προνοίας 325 ἔργα· καὶ γὰρ τῷ θελήματι καὶ τῇ κρίσει καὶ βουλευταὶ αἰχμάλωτοι διάγονται καὶ κριταὶ μεθίστανται. καὶ εἰ μὲν βουλευτὰς λέγοι τοὺς ἐν πολιτεία μεγάλα φυσῶντας, ἔστιν καὶ τούτων πολλοὺς εὑρεῖν ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ διαχθέντας· ὅπερ δῆλον ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἰσδραὴλ αἰχμαλωσίας, περὶ οὗ θρῆνον ὁ Ἰερημίας θρηνῶν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν ἔλεγεν· "πῶς ἐκάθισεν μόνη ἡ πόλις ἡ πεπληθυμμένη λαῶν, ἐγενήθη ὡς χήρα πεπληθυμμένη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἄρχουσα ἐν χώραις ἐγενήθη εἰς φόρον." εἰ δὲ τοὺς συμβουλεύοντας σημαίνοι τὸ τῆς βουλῆς ὄνομα, καὶ οὕτως τοὺς ἐπὶ κακῷ τοῦτο ποιοῦντας αἰχμαλώτους διάγει θεός· καὶ τούτου παράδειγμα Ἀχιτόφελ, οὗκ ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ἡ ζωὴ διεστράφη. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τούτου κατανοῆσαί ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τῆς προνοίας, ὅτι καὶ οἱ συνετώτατοι τῶν συμβουλευόντων καὶ σκοπῷ τοῦ συμβουλεύειν ἑπόμενοι ἀποτυγχάνουσιν πρὸς τὰς ἐκβάσεις οὐχ ὡς κακῶς συμβουλεύσαντες, ἀλλ' ὡς τῆς προνοίας ἑτέρως 326 δοκιμαζούσης. οὕτω καὶ κυβερνῆται πάντα τ̣ὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς πεποιηκότες ἀποτυγχάνουσιν· θεοῦ γάρ ἐστιν τὸ τέλος. τῆι ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει καὶ τοὺς "κριτὰς ἐξέστησεν". καὶ εἰ μὲν τὸ "ἐξέστησεν" σημαίνει τὴν παραφροσύνην, καὶ τοῦτο γίγνεται τοῖς μὴ ὃν δεῖ τρόπον τῇ κρίσει τῶν πραγμάτων χρωμένοις· ἐξιστᾷ δὲ θεὸς τοὺς τοιούτους ἀποδεικνύων αὐτοὺς ἄφρονας. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ τὴν μετάστασιν αὐτῶν σημαίνειν τὸ "ἐξέστησεν"· αὐτοῦ