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The sin of the Israelites was a common one; for they all worshipped the calf. But nevertheless some were shown mercy, and others were not shown mercy; For I will have mercy, he says, on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. One might see this also in the case of those who are punished. For what would you say about Pharaoh, that he was punished and paid so great a penalty? That he was hard and disobedient. Was he then the only one, and not a single 60.556 other? How then was this man punished so severely? And why indeed in the case of the Jews did he call that which was not a people a people, and again, did not deem all worthy of the same honor? For though they be, he says, as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved. And for what reason only the remnant? Do you see how much perplexity the preceding statements have created? And very reasonably; for when it is possible to cast your opponent into perplexity, do not immediately introduce the solution. For if he himself should appear to be liable for the same ignorance, why do you yourself endure unnecessary dangers? Why do you make him bolder, by drawing the whole matter upon yourself? 2. For tell me, O Jew, being perplexed by so many things, and being able to solve none of them, how is it that you cause us trouble over the calling of the Gentiles? And yet I can even state a just reason why the Gentiles were justified, but you fell away. What then is the reason? That they are of faith, but you are as of the works of the law. And having contended for these things, you were betrayed from every side. For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. Therefore, the solution of the whole passage, to state the whole matter in summary, is thus brought forward by that blessed soul; but so that these things may become clearer, let us make an examination of each of the things said, knowing this, that the point of earnestness for the blessed Paul was this, to teach through all that was said that God alone knows the worthy, but no one among men, even if he seems to know very well, but in many places this judgment fails. For he who knows the secrets of the mind, he himself knows clearly, who are worthy of crowns, and who of punishment and retribution. For this very reason he also punished many who were thought by men to be good, having refuted them, and crowned those who were suspected to be wicked, having shown that they were not such; not casting his vote from the opinion of his servants, but from his own judgment which is accurate and impartial, and not waiting to see the worthless and the not-so from the outcome of their actions. But lest we again make the argument more obscure, let us go to the apostolic words themselves. Not only this, but also Rebecca, having conceived by one man. For I was able, he says, to speak also of those from Keturah, but I do not say it; but so as to win the victory from an abundance of proof, I bring into the midst those born of one father and one mother. For both were from Rebecca, and from Isaac the legitimate child, the approved one, who was preferred above all, concerning whom he said: In Isaac shall your seed be called, who became the father of us all. But if he was our father, those from him also ought to have been fathers; but they were not. Do you see how this happens not only in the case of Abraham, but also in the case of his son, and that everywhere it is faith and virtue that shine forth, and characterize true kinship? For from this we learn that not only by the manner of birth, but also because they are worthy of the virtue of the one who begot them, the children are called his children. For if it were only from the manner of birth, Esau ought also to have enjoyed the same things as Jacob; for he too was from a deadened womb, and his mother was barren. But this was not the only thing sought, but also the character, which contributes no small amount to our instruction for life. And he does not say, that because the one was good, and the other wicked, for 60.557 this reason he was preferred, lest this should immediately be objected to him: What then? Are those from the Gentiles better, or those from the circumcision? For even if the truth of the matter was so, he does not yet posit it; for it seemed to be rather burdensome; but upon the knowledge of God

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Ἰσραηλιτῶν κοινὸν τὸ ἁμάρτημα ἦν· πάντες γὰρ τὸν μόσχον προσεκύνησαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οἱ μὲν ἠλεήθησαν, οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἠλεήθησαν· Ἐλεήσω γὰρ, φησὶν, ὃν ἂν ἐλεῶ, καὶ οἰκτειρήσω ὃν ἂν οἰκτείρω. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κολαζομένων ἴδοι τις ἄν. Τί γὰρ ἂν εἴποις περὶ τοῦ Φαραὼ, ὅτι ἐκολάσθη καὶ τοσαύτην ἔδωκε δίκην; Ὅτι σκληρὸς ἦν καὶ ἀπειθής. Ἆρ' οὖν αὐτὸς μόνος, ἄλλος δὲ 60.556 οὐδὲ εἷς; πῶς οὖν οὗτος οὕτω σφοδρῶς ἐκολάζετο; τί δήποτε δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸν οὐ λαὸν ἐκάλεσε λαὸν, καὶ πάλιν, οὐ πάντας τῆς αὐτῆς ἠξίωσε τιμῆς; Ἐὰν γὰρ ὦσι, φησὶν, ὡσεὶ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης, τὸ κατάλειμμα σωθήσεται. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν τὸ κατάλειμμα μόνον; Ὁρᾷς ὅσης ἀπορίας ἐνέπλησε τὰ προκείμενα; Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· ὅταν γὰρ ἐξῇ τὸν ἀντίδικον εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐμβαλεῖν, μὴ εὐθέως τὴν λύσιν ἔπαγε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς φανείη τῆς αὐτῆς ἀγνοίας ὑπεύθυνος ὢν, τί κινδύνους αὐτὸς ἀνέχῃ περιττούς; τί θρασύτερον ποιεῖς ἐκεῖνον, τὸ πᾶν ἐπὶ σαυτὸν ἕλκων; ʹ. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, τοσαῦτα ἀπορῶν, καὶ λύειν οὐδὲν τούτων δυνάμενος, πῶς ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν κλήσεως ἡμῖν πράγματα παρέχεις; Καίτοι γε ἐγὼ ἔχω καὶ αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν δικαίαν, δι' ἣν τὰ ἔθνη ἐδικαιώθη, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐξεπέσετε. Τίς οὖν ἡ αἰτία; Ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἐκ πίστεως, ὑμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἐξ ἔργων νόμου. Καὶ ταῦτα φιλονεικήσαντες προεδόθητε πανταχόθεν. Ἀγνοοῦντες γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν δικαιοσύνην ζητοῦντες στῆσαι, τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ ὑπετάγησαν. Ἡ μὲν οὖν λύσις τοῦ χωρίου παντὸς, ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τὸ πᾶν εἰπεῖν, οὕτω προάγεται παρὰ τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης ψυχῆς· ἵνα δὲ καὶ σαφέστερα ταῦτα γένηται, καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν εἰρημένων ποιησώμεθα τὴν ἐξέτασιν, ἐκεῖνο εἰδότες, ὅτι τὸ σπουδαζόμενον τῷ μακαρίῳ Παύλῳ τοῦτο ἦν, διδάξαι διὰ πάντων τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅτι τοὺς ἀξίους ὁ Θεὸς οἶδε μόνος, ἀνθρώπων δὲ οὐδεὶς, κἂν σφόδρα εἰδέναι δοκῇ, ἀλλὰ πολλαχοῦ διαπίπτει τὰ τῆς ψήφου ταύτης. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα τῆς διανοίας ἐπιστάμενος, αὐτὸς οἶδε σαφῶς, τίνες μὲν στεφάνων ἄξιοι, τίνες δὲ κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ πολλοὺς παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νομιζομένους ἀγαθοὺς εἶναι ἐκόλασε διελέγξας, καὶ πονηροὺς ὑποπτευομένους ἐστεφάνωσε, δείξας οὐκ ὄντας τοιούτους· οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν δούλων γνώμης, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας κρίσεως τῆς ἀκριβοῦς καὶ ἀδεκάστου τὴν ψῆφον φέρων, καὶ οὐκ ἀναμένων ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν πράξεων ἐκβάσεως ἰδεῖν τὸν φαῦλον, καὶ τὸν οὐ τοιοῦτον. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ἀσαφέστερον τὸν λόγον ποιήσωμεν, ἐπ' αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα ἴωμεν τὰ ἀποστολικά. Οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥεβέκκα ἐξ ἑνὸς κοίτην ἔχουσα. Ἠδυνάμην μὲν γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰπεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Χεττούρας, ἀλλ' οὐ λέγω· ἀλλ' ὥστε ἐκ περιουσίας τὴν νίκην ἄρασθαι, τοὺς ἐξ ἑνὸς πατρὸς καὶ μιᾶς τεχθέντας μητρὸς, τούτους εἰς μέσον ἄγω. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥεβέκκας ἦσαν ἀμφότεροι, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ γνησίου παιδὸς, τοῦ δοκίμου, τοῦ πάντων προτιμηθέντος, περὶ οὗ ἔφησεν· Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα, τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν πάντων γενομένου. Εἰ δὲ πατὴρ ἡμῶν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνου πατέρας ἔδει εἶναι· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγένοντο. Εἶδες πῶς οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τοῦτο μόνον συμβαίνει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ παιδὸς, καὶ πανταχοῦ πίστις καὶ ἀρετή ἐστιν ἡ διαλάμπουσα, καὶ τὴν ἀκριβῆ συγγένειαν χαρακτηρίζουσα; Ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ μανθάνομεν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον τὸν τρόπον τῆς γεννήσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἄξιοι εἶναι τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ γεγεννηκότος, οἱ παῖδες καλοῦνται παῖδες ἐκείνου. Εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς γεννήσεως μόνον, ἔδει καὶ τὸν Ἡσαῦ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπολαῦσαι τῷ Ἰακώβ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὗτος ἀπὸ νενεκρωμένης μήτρας ἦν, καὶ στεῖρα ἦν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦτο ἦν τὸ ζητούμενον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τρόπος, ὅπερ οὐ τὸ τυχὸν καὶ εἰς βίου συμβάλλεται διδασκαλίαν ἡμῖν. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν ἀγαθὸς, ὁ δὲ πονηρὸς, διὰ 60.557 τοῦτο προετιμήθη, ἵνα μὴ εὐθέως ἀντιπέσῃ αὐτῷ τοῦτο· Τί οὖν; ἀγαθοὶ οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν μᾶλλον, ἢ οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ οὕτως εἶχεν ἡ τοῦ πράγματος ἀλήθεια, ἀλλ' οὔπω αὐτὸ τίθησι· καὶ γὰρ ἐδόκει φορτικώτερον εἶναι· ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν