123

Since this seemed incredible to many, he confirms it from what has passed, saying thus: To those who are called according to His purpose. For consider at once from the calling what was said. For why did he not call all from the beginning, or not even Paul himself immediately with the others, whose delay seemed to be detrimental? But nevertheless it was shown through the events that it happened for a useful purpose. He says "purpose" here, so that he might not give everything to the calling; since in that case both Greeks and Jews would have contradicted. For if the calling alone were sufficient, for what reason were not all saved? For this reason he says, that not the calling alone, but also the purpose of those called, wrought salvation; for the calling was not made by force nor by compulsion. For all were called, but not all obeyed. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Do you see the magnitude of the honor? For what the Only-Begotten was by nature, this they also have become by grace. But nevertheless he was not content with saying, "conformed," but also added another thing; That He might be the firstborn. And not even here did he stop, but also after this he adds yet another, saying: Among many brethren; wishing to show the clear relationship through all things. But consider all these things to be said of the economy; for according to the Godhead He is Only-Begotten. 2. Do you see how many things he has bestowed on us? Do not, therefore, doubt concerning the things to come; for he also shows His care from another side, by saying that these things were prefigured from above. For men indeed form their opinions about them from events, but to God these things seemed good long ago, and He was disposed toward us from above; so he says: Whom He called, them He also justified. He justified through the regeneration of the laver. And whom He justified, them He also glorified. He glorified through grace, through adoption as sons. What then shall we say to these things? As if he might say: Do not, therefore, 60.542 tell me anymore about dangers, and the plot of all men. For even if some distrust the things to come, yet against the good things that have already happened they could have nothing to say; such as, the friendship of God towards you from above, the justification, the glory. For indeed He bestowed these things on you through what seemed to be grievous; and what you considered to be a shame, the cross, the scourges, the bonds, these are the things that have set the whole world aright. As therefore the things which He Himself suffered, although they seem to be sorrowful, He used these for the freedom and salvation of all nature; so also He is accustomed to do in the things which you yourself endure, using your sufferings for your glory and renown. If God be for us, who can be against us? For who is not against us? he says. For the world is against us, and tyrants and peoples and kinsmen and fellow-citizens; but nevertheless these who are against us are so far from harming us, that even unwillingly they become the cause of crowns for us, and procurers of countless good things, as the wisdom of God turns their plots to our salvation and glory. Do you see how no one is against us? For this made Job more illustrious, that the devil was armed against him. For the devil also moved friends against him, and a wife against him, and wounds and servants and countless other devices; and yet nothing was against him. And this was not yet a great thing for him, although it was very great, but what was much greater, that all things turned out for him. For since God was for him, even the things that seemed to be against him, all became for him. This also happened in the case of the apostles. For both the Jews and those from the nations and false brethren and rulers and peoples and famines and poverties and countless things were against them, and nothing was against them. For the things that most of all made them illustrious and renowned, and praiseworthy both with God and with men, are these. Consider then how great a saying Paul uttered concerning the faithful and precisely crucified, which not even he who wears the diadem could have. For against that one many barbarians arm themselves, and enemies attack, and bodyguards plot, and

123

ἐπειδὴ πολλοῖς καὶ ἄπιστον τοῦτο εἶναι ἐδόκει, ἀπὸ τῶν παρελθόντων αὐτὸ πιστοῦται, οὕτω λέγων· Τοῖς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοῖς οὖσι. Σκόπει γὰρ εὐθέως ἀπὸ τῆς κλήσεως τὸ εἰρημένον. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ μὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς πάντας ἐκάλεσε, ἢ μηδὲ αὐτὸν Παῦλον μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων εὐθέως, οὗ ἐδόκει ἡ ἀναβολὴ ἐπιζήμιος εἶναι; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐδείχθη διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, ὅτι χρησίμως γέγονε. Πρόθεσιν δὲ ἐνταῦθά φησιν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ πᾶν τῇ κλήσει δῷ· ἐπεὶ οὕτως ἔμελλον καὶ Ἕλληνες ἀντιλέγειν καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ κλῆσις ἤρκει μόνον, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐ πάντες ἐσώθησαν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι οὐχ ἡ κλῆσις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ πρόθεσις τῶν καλουμένων τὴν σωτηρίαν εἰργάσατο· οὐ γὰρ ἠναγκασμένη γέγονεν ἡ κλῆσις οὐδὲ βεβιασμένη. Πάντες γοῦν ἐκλήθησαν, ἀλλ' οὐ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν. Ὅτι οὓς προέγνω, καὶ προώρισε συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. Εἶδες τιμῆς ὄγκον; Ὅπερ γὰρ ὁ Μονογενὴς ἦν φύσει, τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὶ γεγόνασι κατὰ χάριν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τούτῳ τῷ εἰπεῖν, Συμμόρφους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον προσέθηκεν· Εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρωτότοκον. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τούτου πάλιν ἕτερον ἐπάγει, λέγων· Ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς· διὰ πάντων σαφῆ τὴν συγγένειαν ἐπιδεῖξαι βουλόμενος. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας εἰρῆσθαι νόμιζε· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν θεότητα Μονογενής. βʹ. Εἶδες πόσα ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο; Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμφίβαλλε περὶ τῶν μελλόντων· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν κηδεμονίαν, τῷ λέγειν ἄνωθεν αὐτὰ προτετυπῶσθαι οὕτως. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων τὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν γνώμας λαμβάνουσι, τῷ δὲ Θεῷ πάλαι ταῦτα ἔδοξε, καὶ ἄνωθεν πρὸς ἡμᾶς διέκειτο· φησὶν οὖν· Οὓς δὲ ἐκάλεσε, τούτους καὶ ἐδικαίωσεν. Ἐδικαίωσε διὰ τῆς τοῦ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας. Οὓς δὲ ἐδικαίωσε, τούτους καὶ ἐδόξασεν. Ἐδόξασε διὰ τῆς χάριτος, διὰ τῆς υἱοθεσίας. Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν πρὸς ταῦτα; Ὡς ἂν εἴποι· Μὴ τοίνυν 60.542 λέγε μοι λοιπὸν περὶ τῶν κινδύνων, καὶ τῆς παρὰ πάντων ἐπιβουλῆς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς μέλλουσί τινες διαπιστοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ ἤδη γεγενημένα ἀγαθὰ οὐδὲν ἂν ἔχοιεν εἰπεῖν· οἷον, τὴν ἄνωθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς σὲ φιλίαν, τὴν δικαίωσιν, τὴν δόξαν. Καὶ γὰρ ταῦτά σοι διὰ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι λυπηρῶν ἐχαρίσατο· καὶ ὅπερ ἐνόμιζες αἰσχύνην εἶναι, τὸν σταυρὸν, τὰς μάστιγας, τὰ δεσμὰ, ταῦτά ἐστιν ἃ τὴν οἰκουμένην κατώρθωσεν ἅπασαν. Ὥσπερ οὖν οἷς αὐτὸς ἔπαθε, καίτοι γε σκυθρωποῖς εἶναι δοκοῦσι, τούτοις εἰς ἐλευθερίαν καὶ σωτηρίαν τῆς φύσεως ἀπεχρήσατο πάσης· οὕτω καὶ ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς ὑπομένεις ποιεῖν εἴωθεν, εἰς δόξαν σου καὶ εὐδοκίμησιν τοῖς σοῖς ἀποχρώμενος πάθεσιν. Εἰ ὁ Θεὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τίς καθ' ἡμῶν; Τίς γὰρ οὐ καθ' ἡμῶν; φησί. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ οἰκουμένη καθ' ἡμῶν, καὶ τύραννοι καὶ δῆμοι καὶ συγγενεῖς καὶ πολῖται· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὗτοι οἱ καθ' ἡμῶν τοσοῦτον ἀπέχουσιν ἐπηρεάζειν ἡμῖν, ὅτι καὶ ἄκοντες στεφάνων ἡμῖν αἴτιοι γίνονται, καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν πρόξενοι, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν καὶ δόξαν τρεπούσης. Ὁρᾷς πῶς οὐδεὶς καθ' ἡμῶν; Καὶ γὰρ τὸν Ἰὼβ τοῦτο λαμπρότερον ἐποίησε, τὸ ὁπλισθῆναι κατ' αὐτοῦ τὸν διάβολον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ φίλους κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ γυναῖκα κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τραύματα καὶ οἰκέτας καὶ μυρία ἕτερα ὁ διάβολος ἐκίνησε μηχανήματα· καὶ οὐδὲν ὅμως κατ' αὐτοῦ γέγονε. Καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο αὐτῷ μέγα, καίτοι σφόδρα μέγα ὂν, ἀλλ' ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζον ἦν, ὅτι καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐξέβη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἦν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ δοκοῦντα εἶναι, ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐγένετο. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων συνέβη. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν καὶ οἱ ψευδάδελφοι καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες καὶ οἱ δῆμοι καὶ λιμοὶ καὶ πενίαι καὶ μυρία κατ' αὐτῶν ἦν, καὶ οὐδὲν κατ' αὐτῶν. Τὰ γὰρ μάλιστα ποιήσαντα αὐτοὺς λαμπροὺς καὶ περιφανεῖς, καὶ παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐπαινετοὺς, ταῦτά ἐστιν. Ἐννόησον οὖν ἡλίκον ἐφθέγξατο ῥῆμα ὁ Παῦλος περὶ τῶν πιστῶν καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἐσταυρωμένων, ὃ μηδ' ὁ τὸ διάδημα περικείμενος δύναιτ' ἂν ἔχειν. Κατὰ γὰρ ἐκείνου πολλοὶ καὶ βάρβαροι καθοπλιζόμενοι, καὶ πολέμιοι ἐπιόντες, καὶ σωματοφύλακες ἐπιβουλεύοντες, καὶ