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But at dawn, when Peter came forward to debate, Simon anticipated him and said: Yesterday, when I departed, I promised you that today I would return and, after discussion, show that the one who created the world is not the highest god, but another, who alone is good and until now is unknown. Now then, do you say that he is the creator himself and the lawgiver, or not? If, then, he is a lawgiver, he happens to be just; but being just, he is not good. But if he is not, Jesus proclaimed another when he said: “Do not call me good; for one is good, the Father who is in heaven.” and he does not agree with the lawgiver who is just and good. And Peter said: First tell us, by what sort of actions does the good man seem to you to be good, and by what sort is the just man just, so that we may direct our arguments to the point? And Simon: You first say what seems to you to be the good, or also the just? And Peter: So that I do not waste time arguing more contentiously, justly demanding that you make the responses to my propositions, I myself, as it seems good to you, will make the responses to what I have asked. I say that the good is the one who provides, as for instance I see the creator himself doing, providing the sun to the good and the evil and the rain to the just and the unjust. And Simon said: This is most unjust, that he provides the same things to the just and the unjust. And Peter: Then for the future you tell us, by doing what would he be good? And Simon: You ought to say. And Peter: I will speak. If, by providing the same things to the good and just, and also to the evil and unjust, he is not even just according to you, and if he provided good things to the good, and evil things to the evil, you would reasonably say he is just. What sort of action, then, would he use, if he does not use this way, providing to the evil the temporary things (in case they might change), and to the good the eternal things (if indeed they remain so)? And thus, by providing to all, but granting different things, his justice is good and long-suffering in this way especially, if he forgives the sins of sinners who repent, but assigns eternal life to those who have done well. But by judging in the end and assigning to each what is according to his worth, he is just. If, then, these things are so correctly, agree; but if it does not seem to you that they are correct, refute it. And Simon said: I said it once: Every lawgiver, looking to the just, is just. And Peter: If it is the part of a good being not to lay down a law, but of a just being to lay it down, thus also the creator is good and just: good, because from the time of Adam until Moses he does not appear to have laid down the law in writing—but from Moses to the present time, as it is written, he is also just. And Simon: From the words of your teacher show that it belongs to the same being to be good and just. For to me it seems impossible for the lawgiver, being good, to be the same one and just. And Peter: That the good is itself also just, listen. Our teacher himself, to the Pharisee who said: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” first said: “Do not call me good; for one is good, the Father who is in heaven”; immediately adding, he says: “If

[HOMILY XVIII.]

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Ὄρθρου δὲ προελθόντος τοῦ Πέτρου εἰς τὸ διαλεχθῆναι ὁ Σίμων προλαβὼν ἔφη· Ἐχθὲς ἀπαλλασσόμενος εἰς τὴν σήμερον ὑπεσχόμην σοι ἐπανελθὼν καὶ συζητήσας δεῖξαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ τὸν κόσμον δημιουργή- σας ἀνώτατος θεός, ἀλλ' ἕτερος, ὃς καὶ μόνος ἀγαθὸς ὢν καὶ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο ἄγνωστός ἐστιν. αὐτίκα γοῦν τὸν δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν καὶ νομοθέτην φὴς εἶναι ἢ οὔ; εἰ μὲν οὖν νομοθέτης ἐστίν, δίκαιος τυγχάνει, δίκαιος δὲ ὢν ἀγαθὸς οὐκ ἔστιν. εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν, ἕτερον ἐκήρυσσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ λέγειν· «Μή με λέγε ἀγαθόν· ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς εἷς ἐστιν, ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς». οὐ συμφωνεῖ δὲ τῷ νομοθέτῃ δικαίῳ ὄντι καὶ ἀγαθῷ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Πρῶτον ἡμῖν εἰπέ, ἐπὶ ποίαις πράξεσιν δοκεῖ σοι ὁ ἀγα- θὸς ἀγαθὸς εἶναι, ἐπὶ ποίαις δὲ καὶ ὁ δίκαιος δίκαιος, ἵνα οὕτως κατὰ σκοποῦ τοὺς λόγους πέμπωμεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Σὺ πρῶτον εἰπὲ τί σοι δοκεῖ τὸ ἀγαθόν; ἢ καὶ τὸ δίκαιον; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἵνα μὴ ἐριστικώ- τερον διαλεγόμενος δαπανῶ τοὺς χρόνους, ἀπαιτῶν δικαίως τῶν ἐμῶν προτάσεών σε τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ποιεῖσθαι, ὡς σοὶ δοκεῖ αὐτὸς ὧν ἐπυθόμην ποιήσομαι τὰς ἀποκρίσεις. ἐγώ φημι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὸν παρεκτικόν, οἷον ὡς αὐτὸν ὁρῶ ποιοῦντα τὸν δημιουργόν, παρέχοντα τὸν ἥλιον ἀγαθοῖς καὶ κακοῖς καὶ τὸν ὑετὸν δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Τοῦτο ἀδικώτατον ὅτι τὰ αὐτὰ δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις παρέχει. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Σὺ οὖν ἡμῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ λέγε πῶς ποιῶν ἀγαθὸς ἂν ἦν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Σὲ δεῖ λέγειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἐγὼ λέξω. εἰ μὲν τὰ αὐτὰ παρέχων ἀγαθοῖς καὶ δικαίοις, ἔτι τε κακοῖς καὶ ἀδίκοις, κατὰ σὲ οὐδὲ δίκαιός ἐστιν, καὶ εἰ ἀγαθοῖς ἀγαθὰ παρεῖχεν, κακοῖς τε κακά, δίκαιον ἂν αὐτὸν εὐλόγως ἔλεγες. ποίᾳ οὖν ἔτι πράξει χρώμενος ἂν ἦν, εἰ μὴ ταύτῃ χρῆται ὁδῷ, κακοῖς μὲν παρέχων τὰ πρόσκαιρα (ἐὰν ἄρα μεταβάλλωνται), ἀγαθοῖς δὲ αἰώνια (ἐάν γε ἐμμείνωσιν); καὶ οὕτως τῷ μὲν πᾶσιν παρέχειν, δια- φόροις δὲ χαρίζεσθαι τὸ δίκαιον αὐτοῦ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν καὶ μακρόθυμον ταύτῃ μᾶλλον, εἰ ἁμαρτωλοῖς μὲν μετανοοῦσιν χαρίζεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, εὖ πράξασιν δὲ καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον ὑπογράφει. κρίνων δὲ εἰς τέλος καὶ τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ δίκαιός ἐστιν. εἰ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ὀρθῶς οὕτως ἔχει, ὁμολόγησον· εἰ δὲ οὐ δοκεῖ σοι ὀρθῶς ἔχειν, διέλεγξον. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Ἅπαξ ἔφην· Πᾶς νομοθέτης, εἰς τὸ δίκαιον ἀφορῶν, δίκαιός ἐστιν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Eἰ ἀγαθοῦ ἐστιν μὴ θεῖναι νόμον, δικαίου δὲ τὸ θέσθαι, καὶ οὕτως ὁ δημιουργὸς ἀγαθός ἐστιν καὶ δίκαιος· ἀγα- θὸς μέν, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωυσέως ἐγγράφως οὐ φαί- νεται τεθεικὼς τὸν νόμον-ἀπὸ δὲ Μωυσέως εἰς τοὺς δεῦρο χρόνους ὡς γέγραπται καὶ δίκαιός ἐστιν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ διδασκάλου σου φωνῶν δεῖξον ὅτι τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἀγαθῷ εἶναι καὶ δικαίῳ. ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀδύνατον φαίνεται τὸν νομοθέτην ἀγαθὸν ὄντα τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ δί- καιον εἶναι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ὅτι τὸ ἀγαθὸν αὐτὸ καὶ δίκαιόν ἐστιν, ἐπά- κουσον. αὐτὸς ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν τῷ εἰπόντι Φαρισαίῳ· «Τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω;» πρῶτον ἔφη· «Μή με λέγε ἀγαθόν· ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς εἷς ἐστιν, ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς»· εὐθὺς ἐπάξας λέγει· «Eἰ

[OΜIΛIA IH.]