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he cast the whole thing, with which no one would have dared to contend, not even if he were raving mad. For when they had not yet been born, he says, nor had done anything good, it was said to her, that The elder shall serve the younger; and he shows that nobility according to the flesh profits nothing, but one must seek virtue of soul, which God knows even before their works. For when they had not yet been born, he says, nor had done anything good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, it was said to her, that The elder shall serve the younger. For this is of foreknowledge, to choose even from the very pangs of birth; that the election of God, he says, which is according to purpose and foreknowledge, might be made manifest; for from the first day He both knew and proclaimed the good one, and the one who was not so. Do not then tell me, he says, that you have read the Law and the Prophets, and have served for so long a time. For He who knows how to try the soul, He also knows who is worthy to be saved. Yield therefore to the incomprehensibility of the election; for He alone knows how to crown with accuracy. How many, for instance, seemed to be better than Matthew according to the visible display of their works? But He who knows the secret things, and is able to test the fitness of the mind, knew the pearl even when it was lying in the mire, and passing by the others, and marvelling at this one's beauty, He chose him, and adding His own grace to the nobility of his choice, He declared him approved. For if in these perishable arts, and in all other matters, those who are skilled at judging do not choose the things set before them based on what the unskilled vote for, but based on what they themselves know clearly, and have often dishonored what was approved by the unskilled, but have approved what was dishonored; and horse-breakers have often done this with horses, and the judges of precious stones, and the craftsmen of the other arts; how much more will the man-loving God, infinite wisdom, He who alone knows all things clearly, not be subject to the opinion of men, but will cast his vote concerning all things from His own accurate and unerring wisdom. For this very reason He chose a tax collector and a robber and a prostitute; but He dishonored and cast out priests and elders and rulers. 7. One might see this happening also in the case of the martyrs. For many of those who were utterly cast off were crowned in the time of the contests; and on the contrary, some who were thought by many to be great were tripped up and fell. Do not, therefore, demand an accounting from the Creator, nor say: Why was this one crowned, but that one punished? For He knows how to do these things with accuracy; wherefore He also said: Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. For that it was justly, you indeed knew from the end, but He Himself knew clearly even before the end. For God seeks not only a display of works, but also nobility of choice and a sound mind. For such a person, even if he should ever sin because of some circumstance, will quickly raise himself up; and if he should happen to be living in wickedness, he will not be overlooked, but God who knows all things will quickly draw him up; just as the one who is corrupted in this way, even if he should seem to do something good, will perish by doing it with a wicked mind; since David too, though he had both murdered and committed adultery, because having been carried away by some circum 60.558 stance, and had not done these things from a practice of wickedness, quickly washed them away; the Pharisee, however, having dared none of these things, but even boasting in other good things, lost everything through his wicked choice. What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? May it never be. Therefore not in our case and that of the Jews either. Then he brings on another, more obscure than this one. And what is it? For to Moses He says: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. And again he increases the antithesis, interrupting it in the middle, and resolving it, and again making another difficulty. But that what is said may become clearer, it is necessary to interpret it. God said, he says, that The elder shall serve the younger before the birth pangs. What then? Is God unjust? By no means. Therefore listen to what follows; for there, either virtue or vice distinguished them; but here one sin

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τὸ πᾶν ἔῤῥιψεν, ᾗτινι μαχέσασθαι οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐτόλμησεν, οὐδὲ εἰ σφόδρα μαινόμενος ἦν. Μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων, φησὶ, μηδὲ πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν, ἐῤῥέθη αὐτῇ, ὅτι Ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι· καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι ἡ κατὰ σάρκα εὐγένεια οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς ἀρετὴν δεῖ ζητεῖν, ἣν καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἔργων ὁ Θεὸς οἶδε. Μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων, φησὶ, μηδὲ πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακὸν, ἵνα ἡ κατ' ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις τοῦ Θεοῦ μένῃ, ἐῤῥέθη αὐτῇ, ὅτι Ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι. Τοῦτο γὰρ προγνώσεως, τὸ καὶ ἐξ ὠδίνων αὐτῶν ἐκλέγεσθαι· ἵνα φανῇ, φησὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἐκλογὴ ἡ κατὰ πρόθεσιν καὶ πρόγνωσιν γενομένη· ἐκ πρώτης γὰρ ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν ἀγαθὸν, καὶ τὸν οὐ τοιοῦτον καὶ οἶδε καὶ ἐκήρυξε. Μὴ τοίνυν μοι λέγε, ὅτι νόμον, φησὶν, ἀνέγνως καὶ προφήτας, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐδούλευσας χρόνον. Ὁ γὰρ εἰδὼς ψυχὴν καὶ δοκιμάζειν, οὗτος οἶδε καὶ τίς ἄξιός ἐστι σωθῆναι. Παραχώρει τοίνυν τῷ ἀκαταλήπτῳ τῆς ἐκλογῆς· καὶ γὰρ μόνος αὐτὸς οἶδεν ἀκριβῶς στεφανοῦν. Πόσοι γοῦν τοῦ Ματθαίου βελτίους εἶναι ἐδόκουν κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἔργων ἐπίδειξιν τὴν φαινομένην; Ἀλλ' ὁ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα εἰδὼς, καὶ διανοίας ἐπιτηδειότητα δοκιμάσαι δυνάμενος, καὶ ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ τὸν μαργαρίτην κείμενον ἔγνω, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους παραδραμὼν, καὶ τούτου τὴν εὐμορφίαν θαυμάσας, αὐτὸν ἐξελέξατο, καὶ τῇ τῆς προαιρέσεως εὐγενείᾳ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ προσθεὶς χάριν, δόκιμον αὐτὸν ἀπέφηνεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τεχνῶν τούτων τῶν ἐπικήρων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων πραγμάτων, οἱ δεινοὶ κρίνειν οὐκ ἀφ' ὧν οἱ ἰδιῶται ψηφίζονται, ἀπὸ τούτων ἐκλέγονται τὰ προκείμενα, ἀλλ' ἀφ' ὧν ἴσασιν αὐτοὶ σαφῶς, καὶ τὸ μὲν παρὰ τοῖς ἰδιώταις δοκιμασθὲν πολλάκις ἠτίμασαν, τὸ δὲ ἀτιμασθὲν ἐνέκριναν· καὶ πωλοδάμναι πολλάκις ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων τοῦτο ἐποίησαν, καὶ οἱ τῶν τιμίων λίθων κριταὶ, καὶ οἱ τῶν ἄλλων δὲ τεχνῶν δημιουργοί· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς, ἡ ἄπειρος σοφία, ὁ μόνος πάντα εἰδὼς σαφῶς, οὐκ ἀνέξεται τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπονοίας, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας σοφίας τῆς ἀκριβοῦς καὶ ἀδιαπτώτου τὴν περὶ πάντων οἴσει ψῆφον. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ τελώνην ἐξελέξατο καὶ λῃστὴν καὶ πόρνην· ἱερέας δὲ καὶ πρεσβυτέρους καὶ ἄρχοντας ἠτίμησε καὶ ἐξέβαλε. ζʹ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν μαρτύρων συμβαῖνον ἴδοι τις ἄν. Πολλοὶ γοῦν τῶν σφόδρα ἀπεῤῥιμμένων ἐν καιρῷ τῶν ἀγώνων ἐστεφανώθησαν· καὶ τοὐναντίον, μεγάλοι παρὰ πολλοῖς νομισθέντες εἶναί τινες, ὑπεσκελίσθησαν καὶ κατέπεσον. Μὴ τοίνυν εὐθύνας ἀπαίτει τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν, μηδὲ λέγε· ∆ιὰ τί ὁ μὲν ἐστεφανώθη, ὁ δὲ ἐκολάσθη; Οἶδε γὰρ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ταῦτα ποιεῖν· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἡσαῦ ἐμίσησα. Ὅτι γὰρ δικαίως, σὺ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ τέλους ἔγνως, αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τέλους ᾔδει σαφῶς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔργων ἐπίδειξιν ζητεῖ μόνον ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ προαιρέσεως εὐγένειαν καὶ γνώμην εὐγνώμονα. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος, κἂν ὑπὸ περιστάσεώς τινός ποτε ἁμάρτῃ, ταχέως ἑαυτὸν ἀναστήσεται· κἂν ἐν κακίᾳ διατρίβων τύχῃ, οὐ περιοφθήσεται, ἀλλὰ ταχέως αὐτὸν ἀνιμήσεται ὁ πάντα εἰδὼς Θεός· ὥσπερ ὁ ταυτὶ διεφθαρμένος, κἂν ἀγαθόν τι δόξῃ ποιεῖν, ἀπολεῖται μετὰ πονηρᾶς τοῦτο ἐργαζόμενος γνώμης· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ φονεύσας, καὶ μοιχεύσας, ἐπειδὴ ἀπὸ περι 60.558 στάσεώς τινος συναρπαγεὶς, οὐκ ἀπὸ μελέτης τῆς κατὰ τὴν πονηρίαν ταῦτα εἰργάσατο, ταχέως αὐτὰ ἀπενίψατο· ὁ μέντοι Φαρισαῖος, οὐδὲν τούτων τολμήσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις κομῶν ἀγαθοῖς, τῇ πονηρᾷ προαιρέσει πάντα ἀπώλεσε. Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; μὴ ἀδικία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ; Μὴ γένοιτο. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ ἐφ' ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Εἶτα ἐπάγει ἕτερον τούτου ἀσαφέστερον. Καὶ ποῖον; Τῷ γὰρ Μωϋσῇ λέγει· Ἐλεήσω ὃν ἂν ἐλεῶ, καὶ οἰκτειρήσω ὃν ἂν οἰκτείρω. Καὶ πάλιν αὔξει τὴν ἀντίθεσιν διὰ μέσου διακόπτων αὐτὴν, καὶ λύων, καὶ ἑτέραν πάλιν ἀπορίαν ποιῶν. Ἵνα δὲ σαφέστερον γένηται τὸ λεγόμενον, ἑρμηνεῦσαι αὐτὸ ἀναγκαῖον. Εἶπε, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι Ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι πρὸ τῆς ὠδῖνος. Τί οὖν; μὴ ἄδικος ὁ Θεός; Οὐδαμῶς. Οὐκοῦν ἄκουε καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ κἂν ἡ ἀρετὴ, κἂν ἡ κακία διέκρινεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἓν τὸ ἁμάρτημα