108

the preaching increased, but the plotters were destroyed. And those who threw the three youths into the Babylonian furnace were in turn captured by it; which indeed also happened in the case of Daniel. But in the case of Daniel this happened reasonably, for they themselves threw him in; but in the case of the three youths, why ever, when the king had sinned, were those standing before the furnace punished? Because these who were burned up were the ones who had served the tyrant's command and had worshiped the golden image. In a trap which they hid. See how he showed their accusation to be unspeakable. For since what was happening was full of shame, for this reason they hide it and try to be unnoticed. The Lord is known by executing judgments. Another, He was known by executing judgment; that is, punishing, avenging, prosecuting. Did you see another form of beneficence from punishment? For not only, 55.133 he says, does it make those who are punished more zealous, but it also causes the word of his knowledge of God to shine forth; and one might see him converting people more from this. When, for example, he allowed the herd of swine to be carried down the cliffs and to be drowned in the sea, then they were especially astonished. And in the Old Testament the Jews, "When he slew them, then they sought him," as the Prophet says. And why ever does he not rather do this continually? Because he does not want the things of virtue to be achieved more violently, but rather by choice, and more by being benefited than by being punished. And how much better, he says, is it to be good by necessity than evil by choice? It is not good to be so by necessity. For he who becomes good by constraint will not always be good, but having been freed from the necessity, he will return to wickedness; but he who is guided to become good by choice, having become so, remains steadfast. In the works of his own hands the sinner was caught. He did not say of the hands of God, but of the hands of the sinner. 8. Did you see how he varies the account, bringing both the punishment from above and inflicting the penalty that comes from wickedness? How the punishment from above? "The Lord is known," he says, "by executing judgments." How the penalty from wickedness? "The nations are sunk down in the destruction which they made." And again, that from wickedness: "In the works of his own hands the sinner was caught." For he speaks neither of the punishment from God alone, since it often is delayed and tarries; nor of that from wickedness alone, since many also delight in it; but he secures the account from both sides. Therefore he says, "In the works of his own hands he was caught." Another, Of his own soles. Do not, therefore, think that you are preparing contrivances for another when you plot; for you are weaving the nets for yourself. A song. A Diapsalm. Another, An eternal sound. Another, An eternal melody. But the Hebrew, Higgaion Selah. Let the sinners be turned into Hades, all the nations that forget God. Another, They will return. Again he insists on the same things, showing that wickedness has punishment allotted to it, and impiety begets death, and sin dangers. Because the poor shall not be forgotten forever, the patience of the needy shall not perish forever. Another interpreter says: For the expectation of the meek shall not be forgotten forever. He said well, "Forever," showing that one does not always seek rest. For where will the things of patience be shown, if there is always to be rest? But what he says is this: The wicked will pay the penalty and will suffer the worst. For God will not endure forever for the wronged to be in plots. From this he both comforts these and frightens those, and shows the philanthropy of God, because even the delay makes some more approved, and draws others to repentance. See again the poor

108

κήρυγμα ηὐξάνετο, οἱ δὲ ἐπιβουλεύοντες κατελύοντο. Καὶ οἱ τοὺς τρεῖς παῖδας ἐμβαλόντες εἰς τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν κάμινον, ὑπ' αὐτῆς πάλιν ἑάλωσαν· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ γέγονεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ τοῦτο εἰκότως γέγονεν, αὐτοὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐνέβαλον· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τριῶν παίδων τί δήποτε, τοῦ βασιλέως ἁμαρτόντος, οἱ πρὸ τῆς καμίνου ἑστῶτες οὗτοι κολάζονται; Ὅτι καὶ οἱ καταφλεχθέντες οὗτοι ἦσαν τῷ ἐπιτάγματι τοῦ τυράννου ὑπηρετήσαντες, καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ προσκυνήσαντες. Ἐν παγίδι, ᾗ ἔκρυψαν. Ὅρα πῶς ἔδειξεν ἄφατον οὖσαν αὐτῶν τὴν κατηγορίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αἰσχύνης γέμον ἦν τὸ γινόμενον, διὰ τοῦτο κρύπτουσι, καὶ λανθάνειν πειρῶνται. Γινώσκεται Κύριος κρίματα ποιῶν. Ἄλλος, Ἐγνώσθη κρῖμα ποιήσας· τουτέστι, κολάζων, ἐκδικῶν, ἐπεξιών. Εἶδες ἕτερον εἶδος εὐεργεσίας ἀπὸ κολάσεως; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον, 55.133 φησὶ, τοὺς κολαζομένους σπουδαιοτέρους ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ θεογνωσίας ἐκλάμπειν παρασκευάζει τὸν λόγον· καὶ ἴδοι τις ἂν μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιστρέφοντα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Ὅτε γοῦν κατὰ τῶν κρημνῶν εἴασεν ἐνεχθῆναι τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοίρων, καὶ καταποντισθῆναι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, τότε μάλιστα ἐξεπλάγησαν. Καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Ὅτε ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοὺς, τότε ἐξεζήτουν αὐτὸν, καθώς φησιν ὁ Προφήτης. Καὶ τί δήποτε τοῦτο οὐ συνεχῶς ποιεῖ μᾶλλον; Ὅτι οὐ βούλεται βιαιότερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ προαιρετικώτερον τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς κατορθοῦσθαι, καὶ μᾶλλον εὐεργετουμένους ἢ κολαζομένους. Καὶ πόσῳ, φησὶ, βέλτιον ἀνάγκῃ εἶναι ἀγαθὸν ἢ προαιρέσει κακόν; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν εἶναι ἀνάγκῃ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῷ δεσμῷ γινόμενος καλὸς, οὐκ ἔσται ἀεί ποτε καλὸς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἀπαλλαγεὶς, ἐπανήξει πρὸς τὴν κακίαν· ὁ δὲ παιδαγωγούμενος ὥστε προαιρέσει γενέσθαι καλὸς, γενόμενος, πάγιος μένει. Ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ συνελήφθη ὁ ἁμαρτωλός. Οὐ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. ηʹ. Εἶδες πῶς ποικίλλει τὸν λόγον, καὶ τὴν ἄνωθεν φέρων τιμωρίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας ἐπάγων δίκην; Πῶς τὴν ἄνωθεν τιμωρίαν; Γινώσκεται Κύριος, φησὶ, κρίματα ποιῶν. Πῶς τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας δίκην; Ἐνεπάγησαν ἔθνη ἐν διαφθορᾷ, ᾗ ἐποίησαν. Καὶ πάλιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πονηρίας· Ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ συνελήφθη ὁ ἁμαρτωλός. Οὔτε γὰρ μόνην τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγει τιμωρίαν, ἐπειδὴ μέλλει πολλάκις καὶ βραδύνει· οὔτε μόνην τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ ταύτῃ καὶ ἐμφιλοχωροῦσιν· ἀλλ' ἑκατέρωθεν ἀσφαλίζεται τὸν λόγον. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ συνελήφθη. Ἄλλος, Ταρσῶν αὐτοῦ. Μὴ τοίνυν νόμιζε ἑτέρῳ κατασκευάζειν τὰ μηχανήματα, ὅταν ἐπιβουλεύῃς· σεαυτῷ γὰρ πλέκεις τὰ δίκτυα. Ὠδὴ διάψαλμα. Ἄλλος, Φθογγὴ ἀεί. Ἄλλος, Μελῴδημα ἀεί. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖος, Ἐγγαὼν σέλ. Ἀπστραφήτωσαν οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐπιλανθανόμενα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἄλλος, Ἀναστρέψουσι. Πάλιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμένει, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἡ κακία τὴν κόλασιν ἔχει συγκεκληρωμένην, καὶ ἡ ἀσέβεια θάνατον τίκτει, καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία κινδύνους. Ὅτι οὐκ εἰς τέλος ἐπιλησθήσεται ὁ πτωχὸς, ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῶν πενήτων οὐκ ἀπολεῖται εἰς τέλος. Ἄλλος ἑρμηνευτής φησιν· Οὐ γὰρ εἰς τέλος ἡ προσδοκία τῶν πράων ἐπιλησθήσεται. Καλῶς εἶπεν, Εἰς τέλος, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἀεὶ ἄνεσίν τις ἐπιζητεῖ. Ποῦ γὰρ δειχθήσεται τὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς, εἰ ἀεὶ ἄνεσις μέλλοι εἶναι; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· ∆ίκην δώσουσιν οἱ πονηροὶ, καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα πείσονται. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνέξεται ὁ Θεὸς διὰ παντὸς τοὺς ἀδικουμένους ἐν ἐπιβουλαῖς εἶναι. Ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τούτους παραμυθεῖται, κἀκείνους φοβεῖ, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ δείκνυσι τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, ὅτι καὶ ἡ μέλλησις τοὺς μὲν δοκιμωτέρους ἐργάζεται, τοὺς δὲ εἰς μετάνοιαν ἕλκει. Ὅρα πάλιν τοὺς πένητας