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he discusses its bondage, and shows for what reason it has become so, and makes us the cause. What then? Has it been wronged by suffering these things for another? Not at all; for it came to be through me. How then could that which came to be through me be wronged, by suffering these things for my correction? Besides, one should not even raise the question of justice and injustice in the case of inanimate and insensible things. But Paul, since he has personified it, uses none of these arguments I have mentioned, but another kind of reasoning, being eager to comfort the hearer abundantly. What is that? What do you say? he says. Did it suffer ill for your sake and become corruptible? But it has not been wronged at all; for it will be incorruptible again for your sake; for this is what is meant by, In hope. And when he says, "it was not subjected willingly," he does not say this to show that it has a will of its own, but so that you might learn that the whole thing was of Christ's care, not its own achievement. Tell me then, in what hope? That the creation itself also shall be delivered. What is, "itself also"? Not you alone, but also that which is lower than you, and which has no share in reason or sensation, even this will share with you in the good things. For it shall be delivered, he says, from the bondage of corruption; that is, it will no longer be corruptible, but will follow the beauty of your body. For just as when it became corruptible, this too became corruptible; so when it has become incorruptible, this too will follow and attend it again; which he showed by adding: Into the liberty of the glory of the children of God; that is, on account of the liberty. For just as a nurse who rears a royal child, when he comes into his paternal inheritance, also enjoys the good things with him, so too does creation, he says. Do you see how man everywhere takes the lead, and how all things happen for his sake? Have you seen how he comforts the one who struggles, and shows the unspeakable love of God for mankind? For why do you grieve, he says, over temptations? You suffer for your own sake, creation for yours. But he not only comforts, but also shows what is said to be credible. 60.531 For if creation hopes, being made entirely for your sake, how much more should you, for whose sake creation is to enjoy all those good things. So also men, when a son is about to appear in high office, clothe the slaves in a more splendid robe for the glory of the child; just so God also clothes creation with incorruptibility for the liberty of the glory of the children. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 2. Have you seen how he shames the hearer, as if to say: Do not become worse than creation, and delight in the present things? For not only should you not cling to them, but you should also groan at the delay of your departure from here. For if creation does this, it is much more right for you, who have been honored with reason, to show this. But this is not yet a great cause for shame; wherefore he added: And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves; that is, having already tasted the things to come. For even if one is exceedingly stony, the things already given are sufficient to rouse him, and to lead him away from the present things, and to give him double wings for the things to come, both because the things given are great, and because so many and so great things are a first-fruit. For if the first-fruit is so great, that through it we are freed from sins, and obtain righteousness and holiness, and those then cast out demons and raised the dead through a shadow and garments; consider how great the whole is. And if creation, which is deprived of mind and reason, groans knowing none of these things; how much more should we. Then, lest he should give a handle to the heretics, and seem to be slandering the present things, We groan, he says, not accusing the present things, but desiring greater things; for he showed this by saying: Waiting for the adoption. What do you say, tell me? You were constantly turning up and down, and shouting, saying that we have already become sons, and now you place this good in hope, writing that one must wait for it? Correcting this therefore by what he adds, he says: The redemption of the

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περὶ τῆς δουλείας αὐτῆς διαλέγεται, καὶ δείκνυσι τίνος ἕνεκεν τοιαύτη γέγονε, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἡμᾶς τίθησι. Τί οὖν; ἐπηρέασται δι' ἕτερον ταῦτα παθοῦσα; Οὐδαμῶς· καὶ γὰρ δι' ἐμὲ γέγονεν. Ἡ τοίνυν δι' ἐμὲ γενομένη πῶς ἂν ἀδικοῖτο εἰς ἐμὴν διόρθωσιν ταῦτα πάσχουσα; Ἄλλως δὲ, τὸν τοῦ δικαίου καὶ ἀδίκου λόγον οὐδὲ κινεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀψύχων καὶ ἀναισθήτων δεῖ. Ἀλλ' ὁ Παῦλος, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὴν ἐπροσωποποίησεν, οὐδενὶ κέχρηται τούτων ὧν εἶπον, ἀλλ' ἑτέρῳ τινὶ λόγῳ, τὸν ἀκροατὴν ἐκ περιουσίας παραμυθήσασθαι σπεύδων. Ποίῳ δὴ τούτῳ; Τί λέγεις, φησί; κακῶς ἔπαθε διὰ σὲ καὶ φθαρτὴ γέγονεν; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἠδίκηται· καὶ γὰρ ἄφθαρτος ἔσται διὰ σὲ πάλιν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἐπ' ἐλπίδι. Ὅταν δὲ λέγῃ, Οὐχ ἑκοῦσα ὑπετάγη, οὐχ ἵνα κυρίαν γνώμης οὖσαν δείξῃ, τοῦτο λέγει, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κηδεμονίας τὸ πᾶν ἐγένετο, οὐκ ἐκείνης κατόρθωμα τοῦτο. Εἰπὲ δὴ, καὶ ποίᾳ ἐλπίδι; Ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται. Τί ἐστι, Καὶ αὐτή; Οὐχὶ σὺ μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅ σού ἐστι καταδεέστερον, καὶ ὃ οὐ μετέχει λογισμοῦ οὐδὲ αἰσθήσεως, καὶ τοῦτό σοι κοινωνήσει τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐλευθερωθήσεται γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς· τουτέστιν, οὐκέτι ἔσται φθαρτὴ, ἀλλὰ ἀκολουθήσει τῇ τοῦ σώματος εὐμορφίᾳ τοῦ σοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ γενομένου φθαρτοῦ, γέγονε φθαρτὴ καὶ αὕτη· οὕτως ἀφθάρτου καταστάντος, καὶ αὐτὴ ἀκολουθήσει καὶ ἕψεται πάλιν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ δεικνὺς ἐπήγαγεν· Εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ Θεοῦ· τουτέστι, διὰ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. Καθάπερ γὰρ τιθηνὸς παιδίον τρέφουσα βασιλικὸν, ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκείνου γενομένου τῆς πατρικῆς, καὶ αὐτὴ συναπολαύει τῶν ἀγαθῶν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ κτίσις, φησίν. Ὁρᾷς τὸν ἄνθρωπον πανταχοῦ προηγούμενον, καὶ δι' αὐτὸν ἅπαντα γινόμενα; Εἶδες πῶς παραμυθεῖται τὸν ἀγωνιζόμενον, καὶ δείκνυσι τὴν ἄφατον τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν; Τί γὰρ ἀλγεῖς, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τοῖς πειρασμοῖς; Σὺ διὰ σεαυτὸν πάσχεις, ἡ κτίσις διὰ σέ. Οὐ παραμυθεῖται δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀξιόπιστα, δείκνυσι 60.531 τὰ λεγόμενα. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ κτίσις ἐλπίζει διὰ σὲ πάντα γινομένη, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σὺ, δι' ὃν ἡ κτίσις ἀπολαύειν μέλλει τῶν ἀγαθῶν πάντων ἐκείνων. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τοῦ υἱοῦ μέλλοντος ἐπ' ἀξιώματος φαίνεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς δούλους λαμπροτέραν ἐνδύουσι στολὴν εἰς τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς δόξαν· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν κτίσιν ἀφθαρσίαν περιβάλλει εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων. Οἴδαμεν γὰρ, ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις συστενάζει καὶ συνωδίνει ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν. ʹ. Εἶδες πῶς ἐντρέπει τὸν ἀκροατὴν, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Μὴ γένῃ τῆς κτίσεως χείρων, καὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἐμφιλοχωρήσῃς; Οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτῶν ἀντέχεσθαι οὐ δεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ στενάζειν ἐπὶ τῇ μελήσει τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίας. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ κτίσις τοῦτο ποιεῖ, πολλῷ μᾶλλόν σε δίκαιον τοῦτο ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τὸν λόγῳ τετιμημένον. Ἀλλ' οὔπω τοῦτο μέγα εἰς ἐντροπήν· διόπερ ἐπήγαγεν· Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔχοντες, καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς στενάζομεν· τουτέστι, τῶν μελλόντων ἤδη γευσάμενοι. Κἂν γὰρ σφόδρα λίθινός τις ᾖ, ἱκανὰ τὰ δοθέντα ἤδη διαναστῆσαί τε αὐτὸν, καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀπαγαγεῖν, καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα πτερῶσαι διπλῇ, καὶ τῷ μεγάλα εἶναι τὰ διδόμενα, καὶ τῷ τὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα ἀπαρχὴν εἶναι. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀπαρχὴ τοσαύτη, ὡς δι' αὐτῆς καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπαλλαγῆναι, καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἐπιτυχεῖν καὶ ἁγιασμοῦ, τοὺς δὲ τότε καὶ δαίμονας ἐλαύνειν καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείρειν διὰ σκιᾶς καὶ ἱματίων· ἐννόησον τὸ ὅλον ἡλίκον. Καὶ εἰ ἡ κτίσις, ἡ νοῦ καὶ λόγων ἐστερημένη, οὐδὲν τούτων εἰδυῖα στενάζει· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ δῷ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς λαβὴν, καὶ δόξῃ τὰ παρόντα διαβάλλειν, Στενάζομεν, φησὶν, οὐ τῶν παρόντων κατηγοροῦντες, ἀλλὰ τῶν μειζόνων ἐφιέμενοι· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· Υἱοθεσίαν ἀπεκδεχόμενοι. Τί λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; Ἄνω καὶ κάτω συνεχῶς ἔστρεφες, καὶ ἐβόας λέγων, ὅτι Ἤδη γεγόναμεν υἱοὶ, καὶ νῦν ἐν ἐλπίσι τίθης τουτὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, γράφων ὅτι ἐκδέχεσθαι αὐτὴν δεῖ; Τοῦτο τοίνυν διορθούμενος τῇ ἐπαγωγῇ, λέγει· Τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν τοῦ