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and bringing them back to their own country, when he judges this should happen; for he says to those who contradict the universal providence and administration: Woe to him who contradicts his maker. For when there was need of discipline and repentance, I both shattered Jerusalem like a potsherd and delivered the people over to enemies and foes; but when it was necessary again after sufficient discipline to show acts of loving-kindness, then I made the temple at that time and the city better than before, changing and renewing like a potter's clay what had long been shattered. And in Jeremiah similar things are said in this way: "and I went down to the potter's house, and behold, he was working at the wheels; and the vessel which he was making in his hands was marred, and he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good in his sight to make it. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Cannot I do to you, O house of Israel, as this potter does?'"; and so concerning the present matter he says that now I have made better, like potter's clay, the people who were formerly shattered. But instead of: will the one who plows plow the earth, Theodotion rendered it thus: the one who plows those who plow the earth. For I myself, God, who, as if with the plow of my word, cultivate and plow the men who inhabit the earth, I myself have fashioned the people and the temple like a potter's clay, making a better work than the former. Can the clay, then, command the potter or contradict its maker or find fault with him and say: What are you doing, or why are you not working, nor have hands? But just as the clay would not say these things to the potter, so it is not right to find fault with the maker and creator of all things, God, in whose sight we are all reckoned as clay. Therefore, let every person who was taken "from the earth" and is clothed in an earthly body, and who is no different from clay in comparison to the one who created him, be disciplined not to dare to contradict God's administrations nor to find fault with the words of providence; for woe to him who contradicts his maker. Especially let the people dedicated to God and who call him father beware of uttering anything rashly; for woe to him who says to his father, 'What will you beget?' and to his mother, 'With what will you travail?' But according to Symmachus: 'What have you begotten?' and to the woman, 'With what do you travail?' For there are many who are fond of complaining, accustomed to finding fault, saying: and what need was there to come into life in the first place? Why do these things happen thus? And what need was there of such things? It should have happened this way, but for these is reserved the: woe. Next the same Lord, the Holy One of Israel, adds: Ask me about my sons and command me concerning the works of my hands, as if you were counseling me either about my sons or about the works of my hands, the intellectual and rational substance being signified by the sons, and the parts of the world being represented by the works of his hands. Concerning which, if anyone should have something to say for correction, he says, let him bring it forward and say it; but if anyone has nothing to teach, let him ask if he wishes, and inquiring let him ask of me a reason concerning my sons and concerning the works of my hands, and let him learn in what manner I manage and administer, providing for and caring for all things on earth, and especially for those deemed worthy to be called my sons on account of the rational substance in them, and for the works of my hands, for which I do not cease to exercise providence. Concerning which, if you are ignorant of anything, learn from me by asking through my prophets. Having said these things, he next brings forward a pious teaching representative of his providence, saying: I made the earth and man upon it, I with my hand established the heaven, I commanded all the stars. What fault, then, can these things have? And what beauty do they not surpass, or what magnitude do they not cover? And what will these things not contribute both to the present

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καὶ εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ χώραν ἐπανάγοντα, ὅτε τοῦτο γενέσθαι κρίνει· ὡς γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας τῇ καθ' ὅλου προνοίᾳ τε καὶ διοικήσει φησίν· Οὐαὶ ὁ ἀντιλέγων τῷ πλάσαντι αὐτόν. ὅτε μὲν γὰρ παιδείας καὶ ἐπιστροφῆς χρεία ἦν, καὶ συνέτριψα τὴν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὡς ὄστρακον καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐχθροῖς καὶ πολεμίοις παραδέδωκα· ὅτε δὲ πάλιν χρὴ μετὰ τὴν αὐτάρκη παιδείαν τὰ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐνδείξασθαι, τότε βελτίονα τοῦ προτέρου κατεσκεύασα τὸν τότε νεὼν καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως μεταβαλὼν καὶ ἀνανεωσάμενος τὰ πάλαι συντετριμμένα. καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἰερεμίᾳ δὲ τὰ ὅμοια ὧδέ πως λέλεκται· «καὶ κατέβην εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ κεραμέως, καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἐποίει ἔργον ἐπὶ τῶν λίθων· καὶ διέρριψε τὸ ἀγγεῖον, ὃ αὐτὸς ἐποίει ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν ἐποίησεν αὐτὸ ἀγγεῖον ἕτερον, καθὼς ἤρεσεν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ τοῦ ποιῆσαι. καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων Εἰ καθὼς ὁ κεραμεὺς οὗτος οὐ δυνήσομαι τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὑμᾶς, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ»; καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος τοίνυν φησίν, ὅτι νῦν βέλτιον κατεσκεύασα ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως τὸν πάλαι συντριβέντα λαόν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· μὴ ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριάσει τὴν γῆν, ὁ Θεοδοτίων οὕτως ἐξέδωκεν· ὁ ἀροτριῶν τοὺς ἀροτριῶντας τὴν γῆν. αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐγὼ ὁ θεός, ὁ ὥσπερ δι' ἀρότρου τοῦ ἐμοῦ λόγου τοὺς τὴν γῆν οἰκοῦντας ἀνθρώπους γεωργῶν καὶ ἀροτριῶν αὐτὸς κατεσκεύασα ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως τὸν λαὸν καὶ τὸν νεὼν βέλτιον ἔργον ἀπεργασάμενος τοῦ προτέρου. μήτι οὖν δύναται ὁ πηλὸς διατάττειν τῷ κεραμεῖ ἢ ἀντιλέγειν τῷ πλάστῃ αὐτοῦ ἢ καταμέμφεσθαι αὐτῷ καὶ λέγειν· Τί ποιεῖς ἢ τί οὐκ ἐργάζῃ οὐδὲ ἔχεις χεῖρας; ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οὐκ ἂν εἴποι ταῦτα τῷ κεραμεῖ ὁ πηλός, οὕτως οὐ θέμις τῷ πάντων ποιητῇ καὶ δημιουργῷ θεῷ, παρ' ᾧ πάντες πηλὸς λελογίσμεθα, καταμέμφεσθαι. παιδευέσθω τοιγαροῦν πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὁ «ἀπὸ γῆς» ληφθεὶς καὶ σῶμα γεῶδες περικείμενος, πηλοῦ τε μηδὲν διαφέρων παραθέσει τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν, μὴ τολμᾶν ταῖς τοῦ θεοῦ διοικήσεσιν ἀντιλέγειν μηδὲ καταμέμφεσθαι τῆς προνοίας τοὺς λόγους· οὐαὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀντιλέγων τῷ πλάσαντι αὐτόν. Ἐξαιρέτως δὲ ὁ τῷ θεῷ ἀνακείμενος λαὸς καὶ πατέρα αὐτὸν ἐπιγραφόμενος φυλαττέσθω τι φθέγγεσθαι προπετῶς· οὐαὶ γὰρ ὁ λέγων τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ Τί γεννήσεις; καὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ Τί ὠδίνεις; κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον· Τί ἐγέννησας καὶ τῇ γυναικί Τί ὠδίνεις; πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσιν οἱ φιλεγκλήμονες αἰτιᾶσθαι εἰωθότες· καὶ τί γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον ἦν τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰς τὸν βίον παρελθεῖν λέγοντες· ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως γίνεται; Τίς δὲ τῶν τοιούτων ἦν χρεία; ἔδει δὲ οὕτως γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ τούτοις μὲν ἀπόκειται τό· οὐαί. Ἐπιλέγει δὲ ἑξῆς ὁ αὐτὸς κύριος ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ Ἐρωτήσατέ με περὶ τῶν υἱῶν μου καὶ περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν μου ἐντείλασθέ μοι, ὡς ἂν συμβουλεύοντές μοι ἤτοι περὶ τῶν ἐμῶν υἱῶν ἢ περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν μου, τῆς μὲν νοερᾶς καὶ λογικῆς οὐσίας διὰ τῶν υἱῶν δηλουμένης, τῶν δὲ τοῦ κόσμου μερῶν διὰ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ παρισταμένων. περὶ ὧν εἴ τις ἂν ἔχοι φησὶ πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν λέγειν τι, φερέτω εἰς μέσον καὶ λεγέτω· εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἔχοι τις διδάσκειν, ἐρωτησάτω εἰ βούλοιτο καὶ πυνθανόμενος λόγον αἰτησάτω παρ' ἐμοῦ περὶ τῶν υἱῶν μου καὶ περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν μου, μανθανέτω δέ τίνα τρόπον διέπω καὶ διοικῶ προνοῶν καὶ κηδόμενος τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἁπάντων, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τῶν διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς λογικὴν οὐσίαν υἱῶν μου χρηματίσαι ἠξιωμένων τῶν τε ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν μου, ὧν οὐ διαλείπω πρόνοιαν ποιούμενος. περὶ ὧν εἴ τινα ἀγνοεῖτε, μάθετε παρ' ἐμοῦ διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προφητῶν ἐρωτήσαντες. Ταῦτ' εἰπὼν ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει διδασκαλίαν εὐσεβῆ τῆς αὐτοῦ παραστατικῆς προνοίας λέγων· ἐγὼ ἐποίησα γῆν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' αὐτῆς, ἐγὼ τῇ χειρί μου ἐστερέωσα τὸν οὐρανόν, ἐγὼ πᾶσι τοῖς ἄστροις ἐνετειλάμην. τίνα οὖν ἔχοιεν ταῦτα μέμψιν; ποῖον δὲ οὐχ ὑπεραίρει κάλλος ἢ ποῖον οὐ καλύπτει μέγεθος; τί δ' οὐχὶ συμβαλεῖται ταῦτα πρός τε τὴν τοῦ παρόντος