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driven by God, so as not even reasonably to blame those who transgress, but either to think that these are not sins at all, or to declare that God is the maker of all 6.6.55 evils? For whether He Himself, being present to all and seeing all things and hearing all things, should compel them to do these things, or whether He Himself established the motion of the universe and such a movement of the stars as productive and compelling of these things, he who set up such an instrument and devised the trap for those being hunted would himself also be the cause of those who are 6.6.56 caught. Whether then He Himself by Himself, or again He Himself through some other necessity devised by Him, should involve the unwilling in these evils, He Himself would be, and no other, the maker of all evils, and man could no longer justly be called a sinner, but God, his 6.6.57 maker. And what argument could be more impious than this? He therefore who introduces fate openly thrusts out God and God's providence, just as he who sets God over all things would destroy the doctrine of fate. For either God and fate would be the same thing, or the one distinct from the other; therefore they could not be the 6.6.58 same. For if they say that fate is a certain chain of causes coming down from eternity unalterably and immovably from the motion of the heavenly stars, how would not the bodily elements, from which the heavenly bodies also are composed, be prior to fate, of which one might reasonably call fate a kind of accidental 6.6.59 consequence? And how could the accident of the elements be the same as the God who is over all, if indeed the elements are observed to be soulless and irrational according to their own nature, but God, apart from bodies, happens to be life itself and wisdom itself, bestowing the enjoyment of His own creation both to the individual elements and to the arrangement of the whole? Therefore God and fate are not the 6.6.60 same. But if they are different, which is superior? But nothing is more beautiful than God nor anything more powerful. Therefore He will rule over and be superior to the inferior; or by yielding to fate, which happens to be malevolent, He Himself would draw the blame upon Himself, who, being able to restrain the malevolent necessity, did not do so, but let it loose for the ruin and destruction of all things, or rather, He Himself wrought this, if indeed He were introduced as the maker and creator of all things, even of fate 6.6.61 itself. But if He has no regard for the ordering of the universe, the voice of atheists would again emerge, to which we must shut our ears, since the divine providence and power clearly reveals itself both from the all-wise and artful results in the universe and from those things within us that undoubtedly demonstrate the free 6.6.62 and self-determining power of the rational soul. In accordance with which, although countless external impediments by some accident befall both the nature of the body and the impulses of our will which are in our power, nevertheless the freedom of virtue in the soul holds out against all things, showing that our choice of noble things is invincible and 6.6.63 unconquerable. And this especially the present time of our Savior's teaching has shown by the deeds themselves. For that these are not noises and empty words, you can look upon the contest of the godly and perceive those who by their own free choice have undertaken the toils of the contests for piety, which countless multitudes of Greeks and barbarians have displayed throughout the whole inhabited world, having readily endured all tortures against the body, and having gone through every kind of torment with a cheerful countenance, and finally, in various forms, having gladly accepted the soul's release from the 6.6.64 body. And surely no argument here would permit us to blame fate. For where from eternity has the motion of the stars produced for you such athletes of piety? Or when, before the teaching of our Savior which was established for all men, did the life of men put forth such a contest throughout the whole inhabited 6.6.65 world of men? And where is there a school of such doctrines, which refutes superstitious error, and of the one who is over all

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ἐλαυνόμενον τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς μηδ' εὐλόγως ἐπιμέμφεσθαι τοῖς πλημμελοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἤτοι μηδὲ ἁμαρτήματα ταῦτ' εἶναι ἡγεῖσθαι, ἢ τῶν κακῶν ἁπάντων ποιητὴν 6.6.55 εἶναι τὸν θεὸν ἀποφαίνεσθαι; εἴτε γὰρ αὐτὸς τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐπιπαρὼν καὶ τὰ πάντα ὁρῶν καὶ πάντων ἀκούων ταῦτα πράττειν ἀναγκάζοι εἴτε τὴν τοῦ παντὸς φορὰν καὶ τὴν τοιάνδε τῶν ἄστρων κίνησιν αὐτὸς τούτων ποιητικὴν καὶ ἀναγκαστικὴν ὑπεστήσατο, ὁ τὸ τοιόνδε συστήσας ὄργανον καὶ τὴν τῶν θηρωμένων παγίδα μηχανησάμενος εἴη ἂν αὐτὸς ὁ καὶ τῶν ἁλισκομένων 6.6.56 αἴτιος. εἴτ' οὖν αὐτὸς καθ' ἑαυτὸν εἴτ' οὖν πάλιν αὐτὸς διά τινος ἄλλης πρὸς αὐτοῦ μεμηχανημένης ἀνάγκης τοὺς οὐκ ἐθέλοντας τοῖσδε τοῖς κακοῖς περιβάλλοι, αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλος, ὁ πάντων κακῶν ποιητικός, καὶ οὐκέτ' ἂν ἐν δίκῃ ἁμαρτητικὸς λέγοιτ' ἂν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ὁ τούτου ποιητὴς 6.6.57 θεός. καὶ τίς ἂν τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἕτερος λόγων ἀσεβέστατος; ὁ δὴ οὖν εἱμαρμένην εἰσάγων ἄντικρυς θεὸν καὶ θεοῦ πρόνοιαν ἐξωθεῖ, ὥσπερ ὁ τὸν θεὸν ἐφιστὰς τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀνέλοι ἂν τὸν περὶ εἱμαρμένης λόγον. ἢ γὰρ ταὐτὸν ἂν εἴη θεὸς καὶ εἱμαρμένη ἢ θάτερον διεστὼς ἑτέρου· ταὐτὸν μὲν οὖν 6.6.58 οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο. εἰ γὰρ τὴν εἱμαρμένην εἱρμόν τινα αἰτιῶν εἶναί φασιν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἀπαραβάτως καὶ ἀμετακινήτως ἐκ τῆς τῶν οὐρανίων ἄστρων φορᾶς καθήκοντα, πῶς οὐ πράτερα ἂν εἴη τῆς εἱμαρμένης τὰ σωματικὰ στοι χεῖα, ἐξ ὧν καὶ τὰ οὐράνια συνέστηκεν, ὧν τὴν εἱμαρμένην συμβεβηκός τι 6.6.59 σύμπτωμα λέγοι ἄν τις εἰκότως; καὶ πῶς ἂν ταὐτὸν εἴη τὸ συμβεβηκὸς τοῖς στοιχείοις τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων θεῷ, εἰ δὴ τὰ στοιχεῖα ἄψυχα καὶ ἄλογα κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπιθεωρεῖται φύσιν, ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἔξω σωμάτων αὐτοζωὴ καὶ σοφία τυγχάνει ὤν, τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ δημιουργίας τοῖς τε κατὰ μέρος στοιχείοις καὶ τῇ τῶν ὅλων διακοσμήσει τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν δωρούμενος; οὐ ταὐτὸν ἄρα θεὸς καὶ 6.6.60 εἱμαρμένη. εἰ δὲ δὴ ἕτερον, πότερον κρεῖττον; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοῦ θεοῦ κάλλιον οὐδέ τι δυναμικώτερον. οὐκοῦν κρατήσει καὶ περιέσται τοῦ χείρονος ἢ συγχωρῶν κακοποιῷ τυγχανούσῃ τῇ εἱμαρμένῃ αὐτὸς ἂν ἐφέλκοιτο τὴν αἰτίαν, ὃς δυνατὸς ἐπισχεῖν τὴν κακοποιὸν ἀνάγκην οὐκ ἐποίησε τοῦτο, ἀνῆκε δὲ ἄφετον ἐπὶ λύμῃ καὶ διαφθορᾷ τῶν ἁπάντων, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὸς τοῦτο εἰργάσατο, εἰ δὴ πάντων καὶ αὐτῆς εἱμαρμένης ποιητὴς καὶ δημιουργὸς εἰσά6.6.61 γοιτο. εἰ δ' οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ λόγος τῆς τοῦ παντὸς διατάξεως, ἀθέων αὖθις ἀνακύψειε φωνή, πρὸς ἣν τὰς ἀκοὰς ἀποκλειστέον, τῆς ἐνθέου προνοίας καὶ δυνάμεως ἐναργῶς ἀναφαινούσης ἑαυτὴν ἔκ τε τῶν καθόλου πανσόφων καὶ τεχνικῶν ἀποτελεσμάτων ἔκ τε τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀναμφιλόγως τὴν ἐλεύθερον 6.6.62 καὶ αὐτεξούσιον τῆς λογικῆς ψυχῆς δύναμιν παραδεικνυμένων. καθ' ἣν καίτοι μυρίων ἔξωθεν ἐμποδὼν τῇ τε τοῦ σώματος φύσει ταῖς τε κατὰ προαίρεσιν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ὁρμαῖς κατά τι συμβεβηκὸς προσπιπτόντων, ὅμως πρὸς ἅπαντα τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν ἀρετῆς τὸ ἐλεύθερον ἀντέχει, ἄμαχον καὶ ἀήττητον 6.6.63 ἐφ' ἡμῖν τῶν καλῶν τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐπιδεικνύμενον. τοῦτο δὲ μάλιστα καὶ ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν διδασκαλίας ἔργοις αὐτοῖς παρεστήσατο. ὅτι γὰρ ταῦτα μὴ ψόφοι καὶ κενὰ ῥήματα, πάρεστί σοι τὸν τῶν θεοσεβῶν ἀγῶνα ἐπιβλέψαι καὶ συνιδεῖν τοὺς προαιρέσει αὐθεκουσίῳ τοὺς πόνους τῶν ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἄθλων ἀναδεδεγμένους, οὓς καθ' ὅλης τῆς ἀνθρώπων οἰκουμένης μυρία πλήθη Ἑλλήνων τε καὶ βαρβάρων ἐνεδείξατο, πάσας μὲν προθύμως τὰς κατὰ τοῦ σώματος ὑπομείναντα αἰκίας, πᾶν δὲ βασάνων εἶδος φαιδρῷ τῷ προσώπῳ διελθόντα καὶ τέλος πολυτρόποις σχήμασι τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ 6.6.64 σώματος λύσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀσπαστῶς καταδεξάμενα. καὶ μὴν οὐδεὶς ἐνταῦθα λόγος ἐπιτρέψειε τὴν εἱμαρμένην αἰτιᾶσθαι. ποῦ γάρ σοι ἐξ αἰῶνος τοιούσδε ἀθλητὰς εὐσεβείας ἤνεγκεν ἡ τῶν ἄστρων φορά; ἢ πότε ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους καταβληθείσης διδασκαλίας τοιόνδε προβέβληται καθ' ὅλης τῆς ἀνθρώπων οἰκου6.6.65 μένης ἀγῶνα; ποῦ δὲ τοιωνδὶ λόγων διδασκάλιον, δεισιδαίμονος μὲν πλάνης ἀναιρετικόν, ἑνὸς δὲ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων