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sown moisture, being parched, quickly perishes; and the remaining elements need others, air needs the sun, just as the sun needs air; but lest we make the discourse longer, we will be content with having given from what has been said sufficient starting points for those who wish. For if the sun, more wonderful than all creation, was shown to be so weak and needy, much more so the remaining parts of the world; therefore, what I said, having given those things for the industrious to consider, I myself will discourse to you again from the Scriptures, showing that not only the sun, but this whole world is corruptible. For when the elements are destructive of one another, and excessive coldness coming on checks the sun's power, and heat prevailing in turn consumes this, and the elements produce and suffer contrary qualities and conditions in one another, it is clear that these things are proof of great corruption, and that all visible things are bodies. But since this discourse is too lofty for our simplicity, come, let us lead you to the sweet spring of the Scriptures and give your hearing rest. For we will not speak to you about heaven and earth in part, but we will show you the Apostle himself declaring this very thing about all creation together, and saying clearly thus, that all creation is now enslaved to corruption, and why it is enslaved, and when it will be delivered from it, and into what end it will pass. For after saying, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, he added; For the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected it in hope. What he says is this: Creation, he says, became corruptible; for this is what is meant by, "was made subject to vanity"; and it became corruptible because God 49.118 so commanded. And God so commanded on account of our race; for since it was to nourish corruptible man, it was necessary that it too should be of such a kind; for corruptible bodies were not going to dwell in an incorruptible creation. But yet it does not remain such, he says, but "Creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption"; then, showing when this will be and for whose sake, he added, "Into the glorious liberty of the children of God." For when we rise again, he says, and receive incorruptible bodies, then the body of heaven and of earth and of all creation will also be incorruptible and unblemished. When, therefore, you see the sun rising, marvel at the Creator; when you see it setting and disappearing, understand the weakness of its nature, and do not worship it as God. For this reason God not only placed in the nature of the elements a proof of their weakness, but also commanded his servants, who were men, to command them, so that even if from sight you did not recognize their servitude, you might learn from those who command them that all these things are your fellow-servants. At least Jesus the son of Nun says: "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." And again the prophet Isaiah caused it to go backward in the time of king Hezekiah, and Moses commanded the air and the sea and the earth and the rocks; Elisha changed the nature of waters, the three young men overcame fire. Do you see how God has provided for us on both sides, leading us to the knowledge of himself through the beauty of the elements, and through their weakness not allowing us to fall into their worship?

6. For all these things, then, let us glorify him our guardian, not only through words, but also through deeds, and let us show forth a most excellent way of life, both in other respects and I mean in self-control concerning oaths. For not every sin brings the same punishment, but those that are easy to set right bring on us a greater penalty; which Solomon also hinting at said: "It is not a wonder if one is caught stealing; for he steals to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;" "but the adulterer, through lack of understanding, brings ruin to his own soul." What he says is this: It is a terrible thing

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ἐνσπειρομένη νοτὶς, καταφρυγεῖσα ταχέως ἀπόλλυται· καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ στοιχεῖα ἄλλων δεῖται, καὶ ἀὴρ ἡλίου, ὥσπερ ἥλιος ἀέρος· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ μακρότερον ποιῶμεν τὸν λόγον, ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἱκανὰς τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀφορμὰς δόντες ἀρκεσθησόμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως θαυμαστότερος ἥλιος οὕτως ἀσθενὴς ὢν καὶ ἐνδεὴς ὤφθη, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ λοιπὰ τοῦ κόσμου μέρη· ὅπερ οὖν εἶπον τοῖς φιλοπόνοις ἐκεῖνα δοὺς ἀναλέγεσθαι, αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν ὑμῖν διαλέξομαι πάλιν, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐχ ὁ ἥλιος μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅπας φθαρτός ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ κόσμος. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀλλήλων ἀναλωτικὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα ᾖ, καὶ κολάζῃ μὲν τοῦ ἡλίου τὴν δύναμιν ψυχρότης ἐπιγινομένη πλέον, ἀναλίσκῃ δὲ ταύτην τὸ θερμὸν πάλιν ἐπικρατῆσαν, καὶ τὰς ἐναντίας ποιότητάς τε καὶ διαθέσεις ἐν ἀλλήλοις ποιῇ καὶ πάσχῃ τὰ στοιχεῖα, εὔδηλον ὅτι μεγάλης φθορᾶς ταῦτα ἀπόδειξις, καὶ τοῦ σῶμα εἶναι πάντα τὰ ὁρώμενα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῆς ἀφελείας τῆς ἡμετέρας ὑψηλότερος ὁ λόγος οὗτος, φέρε ἐπὶ τὴν γλυκεῖαν ὑμᾶς τῶν Γραφῶν ἀγαγόντες πηγὴν, τὴν ἀκοὴν ὑμῶν ἀναπαύσωμεν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ περὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς κατὰ μέρος ὑμῖν ἐροῦμεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ πάσης ὁμοῦ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὸν Ἀπόστολον ἡμῖν ἀποφαινόμενον δείξομεν, καὶ λέγοντα σαφῶς οὕτως, ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις φθορᾷ δουλεύει νῦν, καὶ διὰ τί δουλεύει, καὶ πότε αὐτῆς ἀπαλλαγήσεται, καὶ εἰς ποίαν μεταβήσεται λῆξιν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, ὅτι Οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν κμιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἡ γὰρ ἀποκαραδοκία τῆς κτίσεως τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπεκδέχεται. Τῇ γὰρ ματαιότητι ἡ κτίσις ὑπετάγη οὐχ ἑκοῦσα, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὑποτάξαντα ἐπ' ἐλπίδι. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Φθαρτὴ, φησὶν, ἡ κτίσις ἐγένετο· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Τῇ ματαιότητι ὑπετάγη· φθαρτὴ δὲ ἐγένετο τοῦ Θεοῦ κελεύ 49.118 σαντος οὕτως. Ἐκέλευσε δὲ ὁ Θεὸς οὕτω διὰ τὸ γένος τὸ ἡμέτερον· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ φθαρτὸν ἤμελλε τρέφειν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ αὐτὴν τοιαύτην εἶναι ἐχρῆν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ φθαρτὰ σώματα ἤμελλεν ἀφθάρτῳ ἐνδιαιτᾶσθαι κτίσει. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ μένει τοιαύτη, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ Καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἑλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς· εἶτα δηλῶν πότε τοῦτο ἔσται καὶ διὰ τίνας, ἐπήγαγεν· Εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀναστῶμεν, φησὶ, καὶ ἄφθαρτα λάβωμεν σώματα, τότε καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης ἄφθαρτον ἔσται καὶ ἀκήρατον. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα, θαύμασον τὸν ∆ημιουργόν· ὅταν ἴδῃς αὐτὸν κρυπτόμενον καὶ ἀφανιζόμενον, κατάμαθε τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἀσθένειαν, καὶ μὴ προσκυνήσῃς αὐτὸν ὡς Θεόν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐ μόνον τῇ φύσει τῶν στοιχείων δεῖγμα τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτῶν ἐγκατέθετο ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ δούλοις ἀνθρώποις οὖσιν ἐπιτάξαι αὐτοῖς ἐκέλευσεν, ἵνα κἂν ἀπὸ τῆς ὄψεως μὴ γνωρίσῃς αὐτῶν τὴν δουλείαν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιταττόντων μάθῃς, ὅτι σύνδουλά σοί ἐστι ταῦτα ἅπαντα. Ὁ γοῦν Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ φησι· Στήτω ὁ ἥλιος κατὰ Γαβαὼν, καὶ ἡ σελήνη κατὰ φάραγγα Αἰλών. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας ἀναποδίσαι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἐζεκίου πεποίηκε, καὶ Μωσῆς ἀέρι καὶ θαλάττῃ καὶ γῇ καὶ πέτραις ἐπέταξεν· Ἑλισσαῖος ὑδάτων φύσιν μετέβαλεν, οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες πυρὸς περιεγένοντο. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἑκατέρωθεν ἡμῶν προενόησεν ὁ Θεὸς, διὰ μὲν τοῦ κάλλους τῶν στοιχείων εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ θεογνωσίαν ἡμᾶς ἄγων, διὰ δὲ τῆς ἀσθενείας οὐκ ἀφιεὶς εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων καταπεσεῖν λατρείαν;

ςʹ. Ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων ἁπάντων δοξάσωμεν αὐτὸν τὸν κηδεμόνα ἡμῶν, μὴ διὰ ῥημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων, καὶ πολιτείαν ἀρίστην ἐπιδειξώμεθα, τήν τ' ἄλλην καὶ τὴν περὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἐγκράτειαν λέγω. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ πᾶν ἁμάρτημα τὴν αὐτὴν φέρει κόλασιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ εὐκατόρθωτα μείζονα ἡμῖν ἐπάγει τὴν τιμωρίαν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Σολομὼν αἰνιττόμενος ἔλεγεν· Οὐ θαυμαστὸν, ἐὰν ἁλῷ τις κλέπτων· κλέπτει γὰρ ἵνα τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐμπλήσῃ πεινῶσαν· ὁ δὲ μοιχὸς δι' ἔνδειαν φρενῶν ἀπώλειαν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ περιποιεῖται. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· ∆εινὸν