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in the fixed stars, so that by taking signs from the formation of the stars concerning all things that happen to each and concerning general things, they might know—not human beings, for the ability to grasp truthfully from the movement of the stars the things concerning each one who acts or suffers in any way whatever is much greater than what is humanly possible—but the powers, which of necessity must know these many things, 6.11.29 as we will show to the best of our ability in what follows. But human beings, having understood certain things from observations or also from the teaching of angels who had transgressed their own order and taught these things for the destruction of our race, supposed that those from whom they think they receive the signs are the causes of these things, which the Word says they signify; concerning which things we shall now immediately discuss more carefully, as in a summary, 6.11.30 to the best of our ability. The following problems, therefore, will be set forth: How, since God has foreknown from eternity the things believed to be done by each person, what is in our power is preserved; and in what way the stars are not the cause of things among humans, but only indicative; and that humans cannot have precise knowledge about these things, but the signs are set forth for powers superior to humans; for what the reason is that God has made the signs for the knowledge of the powers will be examined fourthly. 6.11.31 And so let us look at the first point, which many of the Greeks, being cautious, thinking that things are compelled by necessity and that what is in our power is by no means preserved if God foreknows the future, have dared to accept an impious doctrine rather than to admit what they say is glorious concerning God, but which does away with what is in our power and for this reason praise and blame and what is acceptable in virtues 6.11.32 and what is blameworthy in vices. And they say: if from eternity God knew that a certain person would do wrong and would commit these specific wrongdoings, and the knowledge of God is inerrant, then he who was foreseen to be such a person will certainly be unjust and will commit these wrongdoings, and it is impossible for him not to do wrong; he is compelled to do wrong, and it will be impossible for him to do anything other than what God knew. But if it is impossible for him to do anything else, and no one is blameworthy for not doing the impossible, in vain 6.11.33 do we blame the unjust. And from the unjust man and wrongdoings they proceed 6.11.33 also to other sins, and then from the opposite, to what are considered right actions; and they say that it follows from God having foreknown the future 6.11.34 that what is in our power cannot be preserved. To them it must be said that God, directing his attention to the beginning of the world's creation, since nothing happens without a cause, travels in his mind through each of the things that will be, seeing that since this has happened, this follows, and if this happens, this next thing follows, and when this has come to be, this will be; and thus having traveled through to the end of things, he knows what will be, without in every case being the cause for each of the 6.11.35 known things that it should happen. For just as if someone, seeing a person who is rash on account of ignorance, and on account of his rashness irrationally sets out on a slippery road, should comprehend that he will fall after slipping, he does not become the cause of the slip for that person, so one must understand that God, having foreseen what sort each person will be and discerning the causes of his being such, also foresees that he will commit 6.11.36 these sins or perform these right actions. And, if one must say it, foreknowledge is not the cause of things that happen—for God does not influence the one foreknown to be about to sin, when he sins—but, we will say something more paradoxical, but true: the future event 6.11.37 is the cause of its foreknowledge being of such a kind. For it does not happen because it is known, but it is known because it was going to happen. But a distinction is needed. For if someone interprets "it will certainly be" in such a way that there is a necessity for what is foreknown to happen, we do not grant this to him; for we will not say, since it was foreknown that Judas would become a traitor, that there was every necessity for Judas to become a traitor. 6.11.38 At any rate, in the prophecies concerning Judas, censures and accusations of Judas are recorded, showing to everyone what is blameworthy in him. But blame would not attach to him, if he were a traitor by necessity and it were not possible

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ἀπλανέσιν, ἵνα σημεῖα ἀπὸ τοῦ σχηματισμοῦ τῶν ἀστέρων πάντων τῶν περὶ ἕκαστον γινομένων καὶ τῶν καθόλου λαμβάνοντες γινώσκωσιν, οὐχὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι πολλῷ γὰρ μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον τὸ δύνασθαι κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἐκλαμβάνειν ἀπὸ τῆς κινήσεως τῶν ἀστέρων τὰ περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ὅ τί ποτε οὖν ἐνεργούντων ἢ πασχόντων, ἀλλ' αἱ δυνάμεις, ἃς ἀναγκαῖον διὰ 6.11.29 πολλὰ ταῦτα γινώσκειν, ὡς κατὰ δύναμιν ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς δείξομεν. συνέντες δὲ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἔκ τινων τηρήσεων ἢ καὶ ἐκ διδασκαλίας ἀγγέλων τὴν ἰδίαν τάξιν παραβεβηκότων καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν ἐπιτριβῇ διδαξάντων περὶ τούτων τινά, ᾠήθησαν τοὺς ἀφ' ὧν τὰ σημεῖα οἴονται λαμβάνειν αἰτίους ὑπάρχειν τούτων, ἃ σημαίνειν ὁ λόγος φησί· περὶ ὧν καὶ αὐτῶν ὡς ἐν ἐπι6.11.30 τομῇ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐπιμελέστερον εὐθέως διαληψόμεθα. προκείσεται τοίνυν ταῦτα τὰ προβλήματα· Πῶς, προγνώστου ὄντος ἐξ αἰῶνος τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ τῶν ὑφ' ἑκάστου πράττεσθαι νομιζομένων, τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν σῴζεται· καὶ τίνα τρόπον οἱ ἀστέρες οὐκ εἰσὶ ποιητικοὶ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, σημαντικοὶ δὲ μόνον· καὶ ὅτι ἄνθρωποι τὴν περὶ τούτων γνῶσιν ἀκριβῶς ἔχειν οὐ δύνανται, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεσιν ἀνθρώπων κρείττοσι τὰ σημεῖα ἔκκειται· τίς γὰρ ἡ αἰτία τοῦ τὰ σημεῖα τὸν θεὸν πεποιηκέναι εἰς γνῶσιν τῶν δυνάμεων, τέταρτον ἐξετασθήσεται. 6.11.31 καὶ τοίνυν ἴδωμεν τὸ πρῶτον, ὅπερ εὐλαβηθέντες πολλοί τινες τῶν Ἑλλήνων, οἰόμενοι κατηναγκάσθαι τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν μηδαμῶς σῴζεσθαι εἰ ὁ θεὸς προγινώσκει τὰ μέλλοντα, ἀσεβὲς δόγμα ἐτόλμησαν ἀναδέξασθαι μᾶλλον ἢ προσέσθαι τὸ ὥς φασιν ἐκεῖνοι ἔνδοξον μὲν περὶ θεοῦ, ἀναιροῦν δὲ τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔπαινον καὶ ψόγον καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀποδεκτὸν 6.11.32 τῶν τε κακιῶν ψεκτόν. καί φασιν· εἰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἔγνω ὁ θεὸς τόνδε τινὰ ἀδικήσειν καὶ τάδε ποιήσειν τὰ ἀδικήματα, ἀψευδὴς δὲ ἡ γνῶσις τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ πάντως ἔσται ἄδικος ποιήσων τάδε τὰ ἀδικήματα ὁ τοιοῦτος εἶναι προεωρα μένος καὶ ἀμήχανον μὴ ἀδικήσειν αὐτόν, κατηνάγκασται τὸ ἀδικήσειν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀδύνατον ἔσται ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι αὐτὸν ἢ ὅπερ ἔγνω ὁ θεός. εἰ δὲ ἀδύνατον ἄλλο τι πρᾶξαι αὐτόν, οὐδεὶς δὲ ἀδύνατον μὴ ποιήσας ψεκτός ἐστι, μάτην 6.11.33 αἰτιώμεθα τοὺς ἀδίκους. ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἀδίκου καὶ τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐπέρ6.11.33 χονται καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἁμαρτήματα, εἶτα ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου καὶ τὰ νομιζόμενα κατορθώματα· καί φασιν ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ τὸν θεὸν τὰ μέλλοντα προεγνωκέναι 6.11.34 τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν σῴζεσθαι. πρὸς οὓς λεκτέον ὅτι ἐπιβάλλων ὁ θεὸς τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς κοσμοποιίας, οὐδενὸς ἀναιτίως γινομένου, ἐπιπορεύεται τῷ νῷ ἕκαστον τῶν ἐσομένων ὁρῶν ὅτι ἐπεὶ τόδε γέγονε, τόδε ἕπεται, ἐὰν δὲ γένηται τόδε, τὸ ἑπόμενον τόδε ἀκολουθεῖ, οὗ ὑποστάντος τόδε ἔσται· καὶ οὕτως μέχρι τέλους τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιπορευθεὶς οἶδεν ἃ ἔσται, οὐ πάντως ἑκάστῳ τῶν 6.11.35 γινωσκομένων αἴτιος τοῦ αὐτὸ συμβῆναι τυγχάνων. ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ὁρῶν τινα διὰ μὲν ἀμαθίαν προπετῆ, διὰ δὲ τὴν προπέτειαν ἀλογίστως ἐπιβαίνοντα ὁδοῦ ὀλισθηρᾶς εἰ καταλάβοι πεσεῖσθαι ὀλισθήσαντα, οὐχὶ αἴτιος τοῦ ὀλίσθου ἐκείνῳ γίνεται, οὕτω νοητέον τὸν θεὸν προεωρακότα ὁποῖος ἔσται ἕκαστος καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τοῦ τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν ἔσεσθαι καθορᾶν καὶ ὅτι ἁμαρτήσεται 6.11.36 τάδε ἢ κατορθώσει τάδε. καὶ εἰ χρὴ λέγειν, οὐ τὴν πρόγνωσιν αἰτίαν τῶν γινομένων οὐ γὰρ ἐφάπτεται τοῦ προεγνωσμένου ἁμαρτησομένου ὁ θεός, ὅταν ἁμαρτάνῃ, ἀλλὰ παραδοξότερον μέν, ἀληθὲς δὲ ἐροῦμεν, τὸ ἐσό6.11.37 μενον αἴτιον τοῦ τοιάνδε εἶναι τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ πρόγνωσιν. οὐ γὰρ ἐπεὶ ἔγνωσται γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ γίνεσθαι ἔμελλεν ἔγνωσται. διαστολῆς δὲ δεῖται. εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὸ «πάντως ἔσται» οὕτως τις ἑρμηνεύει, ὡς ἀνάγκην εἶναι γενέσθαι τὸ προεγνωσμένον, οὐ διδόαμεν αὐτῷ· οὐ γὰρ ἐροῦμεν, ἐπεὶ προέγνωσται Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι, ὅτι πᾶσα ἀνάγκη ἦν Ἰούδαν προδότην γενέσθαι. 6.11.38 ἐν γοῦν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα προφητείαις μέμψεις καὶ κατηγορίαι τοῦ Ἰούδα ἀναγεγραμμέναι εἰσί, παντί τῳ παριστᾶσαι τὸ ψεκτὸν αὐτοῦ. οὐκ ἂν δὲ ψόγος αὐτῷ προσήπτετο, εἰ ἐπάναγκες προδότης ἦν καὶ μὴ ἐνεδέχετο