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enslavements and the harshest of all: "The sojourner," it says, "who is among you, shall mount up above you higher and higher; and you shall come down lower and lower." By these things he alludes to the piety of the Gentiles, and he foretold to them their own disbelief, and the siege brought about by the Assyrians and Babylonians and Macedonians and finally by the Romans, and the calamities of the siege. "For," he said, "you shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters, which the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you," and all the other things which the prophet Jeremiah said after the experience, when he wrote the Lamentations. He threatened not only these things, but also to bring upon them many times more punishments, for transgressing the divine commandments. He also threatened them with the Egyptian slavery of which they had experience and retained a vivid memory. For those who enslave you, he says, they will sell you. XXXV These curses and blessings he had not given to their fathers. Therefore, this book has a certain new teaching beyond the others. 254 The prophet also pointed this out. For having completed the discourse concerning the curses and the blessings, he added: "These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which he made with them in Horeb." For since he was about to bring them into the land which he had promised, he necessarily both exhorts them with promises of good things, and frightens them with threats of punishments, and employs every means for the healing of their souls. XXXVI Why are the curses more numerous than the blessings? Evil servants are not so much benefited by the promises of freedom as by the threats of the whip. XXXVII How is this to be understood, "The Lord God has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day"? As this, "He gave them over to a reprobate mind," and, "He gave them up to dishonorable passions," and, "The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart." For God is the cause of good things, but not the cause of evil things. For he shows what must be done, and turns one away from the contrary, but he does not force the will of men, but allows for free will. But since he allows the contrary to happen, 255 though being able to prevent it, and does not endure to prevent it, so that what is done may not be by force and necessity—for the voluntary aspect of virtue is praiseworthy—he called the permission a cause. Similar to this is what is said in the divine Gospels: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart." And yet he has employed every means, so that they might enjoy salvation: working wonders, healing maimed limbs, feeding them in the desert, commanding the elements; therefore he himself is not the cause of their unbelief. Why then did the evangelist set down the prophetic testimony? So that he might show that the Lord God was ignorant of none of these things, but foretold them from afar. "For," he says, "hearing you will hear and shall not understand; and seeing you will see and not perceive." Thus also is to be understood the text placed here: "The Lord has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day." But if he himself did not give the ability to see and to hear and to reason, why then does he both curse and punish those who transgressed unwillingly? But I think it superfluous to elaborate on this. For it is clear even to the extremely foolish, that he who offered so much teaching does not take away sight but guides and enlightens and shows the straight path. The following also teaches this: "For," he says, "not with you only do I make this covenant and this curse, but also with those who journey with you today before the Lord your God, and with those who are not here with you today." But he who provides even for those who are to be in the future, how would he have neglected those 256 present and receiving the law? Why then did he also legislate for those who were unable to understand? But this too must be known, that the prophets often use human expressions, as

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ἀνδραποδισμοὺς καὶ τὸ πάντων χαλεπώτατον· "ὁ προσήλυ τος, φησίν, ὅστις ἔστι σοι, ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ σὲ ἄνω, σὺ δὲ καταβήσῃ κάτω". αἰνίττεται δὲ διὰ τούτων τῶν ἐθνῶν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν ἀπιστίαν προεῖπεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὴν ὑπ' ἀσσυρίων καὶ βαβυλωνίων καὶ μακεδόνων καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον τὴν ὑπὸ ῥωμαίων γεγενημένην πολιορκίαν καὶ τῆς πολιορκίας τὰς συμφοράς. " φάγῃ, γὰρ ἔφη, τὰ ἔγγονα τῆς κοιλίας σου, κρέα υἱῶν σου καὶ θυγατέρων σου, ὅσα ἔδωκέ σοι Κύ ριος ὁ Θεός σου, ἐν τῇ στενοχωρίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν τῇ θλίψει σου ᾗ θλίψει σε ὁ ἐχθρός σου ", καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας ἔφη τοὺς θρήνους συγγράφων. ἠπείλησε δὲ οὐ μόνον ταύτας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρας πολλαπλασίας ἐποίσειν αὐτοῖς τιμωρίας, τὰς θείας παραβαίνουσιν ἐντολάς. ἠπείλησεν αὐτοῖς καὶ τὴν αἰγυπτίων δουλείαν ἧς πεῖραν λαβόντες ἔναυλον εἶχον τὴν μνή μην. οἱ γὰρ ἐξανδραποδίζοντές σε, φησίν, ἐκεῖνοί σε ἀποδώσον ται. XXXV Ταύτας τὰς ἀρὰς καὶ τὰς εὐλογίας τοῖς τούτων οὐκ ἐδεδώκει πατράσιν. ἔχει τοίνυν ἡ βίβλος αὕτη καινήν τινα παρὰ τὰς ἄλλας διδασκαλίαν. 254 Ἐπεσημήνατο τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης. πεπληρωκὼς γὰρ τὸν περὶ τῶν ἀρῶν καὶ τῶν εὐλογιῶν λόγον, ἐπήγαγεν· " οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι τῆς διαθήκης, ὅσα ἐνετείλατο Κύριος τῷ Μωϋσῇ στῆ σαι τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ἐν γῇ Μωάβ, πλὴν τῆς διαθήκης ἧς διέθετο αὐτοῖς ἐν Χωρήβ ". ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν αὐτοὺς εἰσάξειν εἰς ἣν ἐπηγγείλατο γῆν, ἀναγκαίως καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαγγελίαις προτρέπει, καὶ ταῖς τῶν τιμωριῶν ἀπειλαῖς κατα πλήττει, καὶ πάντα κινεῖ πόρον εἰς τὴν τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν ἰατρείαν. XXXVI Τί δήποτε πλείους τῶν εὐλογιῶν αἱ ἀραί; Τοὺς πονηροὺς οἰκέτας οὐ τοσοῦτον ὠφελοῦσιν αἱ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐπαγ γελίαι, ὅσον τῶν μαστίγων αἱ ἀπειλαί. XXXVII Πῶς νοητέον τό, " οὐκ ἔδωκε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῖν καρ δίαν εἰδέναι καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς βλέπειν καὶ ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης "; Ὡς τό, " παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν ", καί, " παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας ", καί, " ἐσκλήρυνε Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ ". ἀγαθῶν γὰρ αἴτιος ὁ Θεός, κακῶν δὲ ἀναίτιος. ἐπιδείκνυσι γὰρ τὸ πρακτέον, ἀπο τρέπει δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων, οὐ βιάζεται δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν γνώμην, ἀλλὰ τῷ αὐτεξουσίῳ παραχωρεῖ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ συγχωρεῖ γενέσθαι τἀναντία 255 κωλῦσαι δυνάμενος, οὐκ ἀνέχεται δὲ κωλύειν, ἵνα μὴ βίᾳ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ γέ νηται τὸ πραττόμενον-τὸ γὰρ ἐθελούσιον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀξιέπαινον-τὴν συγχώρησιν αἰτίαν ἐκάλεσε. τούτῳ ἔοικε τὸ ἐν τοῖς θείοις εἰρημένον εὐαγ γελίοις· " τετύφλωκεν αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ πεπώρωκεν αὐτῶν τὴν καρδίαν ". καὶ μὴν πάντα πόρον κεκίνηκεν, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς σωτηρίας· θαυματουργῶν τὰ πεπηρωμένα μέλη θεραπεύων, ἐν ἐρήμῳ τρέφων, τοῖς στοιχείοις κελεύων, οὐ τοίνυν αὐτὸς τῆς ἐκείνων αἴτιος ἀπιστίας. τί δήποτε τοίνυν ὁ εὐαγ γελιστὴς τὴν προφητικὴν τέθεικε μαρτυρίαν; ἵνα δείξῃ ὡς οὐδὲν τούτων ἠγνόησεν ὁ δεσπότης Θεός, ἀλλὰ πόρρωθεν αὐτὰ προηγόρευσεν. " ἀκοῇ, γάρ φησιν, ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέπον τες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε ". οὕτω νοητέον καὶ τὸ ἐν ταῦθα κείμενον· " οὐκ ἔδωκε Κύριος ὑμῖν καρδίαν εἰδέ ναι. καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς βλέπειν καὶ ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ". εἰ δὲ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔδωκε τὸ βλέπειν καὶ τὸ ἀκούειν καὶ τὸ λογίζεσθαι, τί δήποτε καὶ ἐπαρᾶται καὶ τιμωρεῖται τοὺς οὐχ ἑκόντας παρανομήσαντας; ἀλλὰ περιττὸν οἶμαι περὶ τούτου μηκύ νειν. δῆλον γὰρ καὶ τοῖς ἄγαν ἀνοήτοις, ὡς ὁ τοσαύτην διδασκαλίαν προσενεγκών, οὐκ ἀφαιρεῖται τὸ βλέπειν ἀλλὰ ποδηγεῖ καὶ φωτίζει καὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν ἐπιδείκνυσι. διδάσκει δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· " οὐχ ὑμῖν, γάρ φησιν, μόνοις ἐγὼ διατίθεμαι τὴν διαθή κην ταύτην καὶ τὴν ἀρὰν ταύτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὁδεύουσι μεθ' ὑμῶν σήμερον ἔναντι Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν, καὶ τοῖς μὴ οὖσιν μεθ' ὑμῶν ὧδε σή μερον ". ὁ δὲ καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἔσεσθαι προμηθούμενος, πῶς ἂν τῶν 256 παρόντων καὶ δεχομένων τὸν νόμον ἠμέλησε; τί δήποτε δὲ καὶ ἐνομο θέτει τοῖς συνιέναι μὴ δυναμένοις; ἰστέον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρω πίνοις πολλάκις οἱ προφῆται κέχρηνται λόγοις, ὡς