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of her. Consider the birds, and you will receive philosophy from them. For this very reason Christ also said: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, and your heavenly Father feeds them. For if the irrational creatures are not anxious about food, what excuse will you have for not showing even as much disdain for present things as the birds do? And if you wish to despise adornment, the flowers of the field will teach you not to be a lover of finery. And Christ, declaring this very thing, said: Consider the lilies of the field, for they neither spin nor toil. Truly I say to you, not even Solomon was clothed like one of these. Therefore, when you wish to be zealous about the beauty of garments, consider that however much you may strive, the prize for victory belongs to the grass, and you will not be able to compete with it; and put an end to this irrational madness. And it is possible to philosophize about many other things, from the irrational creatures, and from the flowers, and from the seeds. Confession and magnificence is His work. That is, each one of His works; for he is not saying these things about one work. But another interpreter said: Praise and dignity is His work; but this one, Confession, that is, thanksgiving and glory. For each of the things seen is able to lead the beholder to thanksgiving, to a hymn, to praise, to doxology. It is not possible to say: Why this? For what purpose this? But also the darkness and the day, and famine and plenty, and the desert and the uninhabited place, and the fertile and the deep-soiled land, and life and death, and all things that are seen are sufficient and able to stir up to thanksgiving those who learn about them with exactness. At least God, making this plain through a certain prophet, said, setting punishments in place of benefits: I overthrew them, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah; I struck them with blasting and with mildew. And again through another: I brought them up from the land of Egypt, and from the house of bondage I redeemed them; transforming punishments into benefits. So also are these things; for these things too are for benefiting, correcting, chastening, training, cutting out wickedness. For men indeed do some things to benefit, but others out of hatred and aversion; but God does all things out of love, such as when as a benefactor He placed him in paradise, and as a benefactor again cast him out of paradise; as a benefactor He worked the flood, and as a benefactor 55.284 brought down that fire of Sodom. And whatever one might say of the things that have happened, He does each one as a benefit. As a benefactor He also threatened Gehenna; and just as fathers are fathers not only when caring for their children, but also when striking them, and no less so when striking than when caring for them; so indeed is God. Therefore Paul also said: For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? And Solomon: For whom the Lord loves, He disciplines; and He scourges every son whom He receives. His righteousness endures for ever and ever. 4. It seems to me that he says this here for those who are scandalized by the difficult things that befall some contrary to expectation, all but exhorting them and saying: Do not be troubled seeing men falsely accused, treated insolently, suffering ill beyond their desert; for an incorruptible tribunal remains, a pure verdict remains, rendering to each according to his worth. But if you should seek it now, see to it that you do not pronounce the verdict first against yourself. For if God were to inflict punishment for each of the sins, and to bring the just verdict upon each of the transgressors, the race of men would long ago have been snatched away. And why do I say this one and that one? For by bringing into the midst the chief of all men, I will try to show this, that Paul, the preacher of the world, who was caught up to the third heaven, who to

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αὐτῆς. Ἐννόησόν μοι τοὺς ὄρνιθας, καὶ δέξῃ ἐκεῖθεν φιλοσοφίαν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι οὐ σπείρουσιν, οὐδὲ θερίζουσι, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ ἄλογα οὐ μεριμνῶσι περὶ τροφῆς, ποίαν ἕξεις ἀπολογίαν μηδὲ τοσαύτην ἐπιδεικνύμενος ὑπεροψίαν τῶν παρόντων, ὅσην οἱ ὄρνιθες; Εἰ δὲ καὶ καλλωπισμοῦ βούλει καταφρονῆσαι, παιδεύσει σε τὰ ἄνθη τοῦ ἀγροῦ, μὴ εἶναί σε φιλόκοσμον. Ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ δηλῶν ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ, ὅτι οὐ νήθουσιν, οὐδὲ κοπιῶσιν. Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐδὲ Σολομὼν περιεβάλετο ὡς ἓν τούτων. Ὅταν τοίνυν ἐθέλῃς σπουδάζειν περὶ κάλλη ἱματίων, ἐννόησον ὅτι ὅσα ἂν φιλονεικήσῃς, παρὰ τῷ χόρτῳ τὰ νικητήρια, καὶ οὐ δυνήσῃ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἁμιλληθῆναι· καὶ κατάλυσον τὴν ἄλογον ταύτην μανίαν. Καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλόγων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σπερμάτων ἔστι φιλοσοφεῖν. Ἐξομολόγησις καὶ μεγαλοπρέπεια τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ. Τουτέστιν, ἕκαστον τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ δὴ περὶ ἑνὸς ἔργου ταῦτά φησιν. Ἕτερος δὲ ἑρμηνευτὴς εἶπεν· Ἔπαινος καὶ ἀξίωμα ἡ ἐργασία αὐτοῦ· οὗτος δὲ, Ἐξομολόγησις, τουτέστιν, εὐχαριστία καὶ δόξα. Ἕκαστον γὰρ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἱκανὸν εἰς εὐχαριστίαν τὸν θεατὴν παραπέμψαι, εἰς ὕμνον, εἰς εὐφημίαν, εἰς δοξολογίαν. Οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· ∆ιὰ τί τοῦτο; εἰς τί τοῦτο; ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σκότος καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα, καὶ ὁ λιμὸς καὶ ἡ εὐθηνία, καὶ ἡ ἔρημος καὶ ἡ ἀοίκητος, καὶ ἡ λιπαρὰ καὶ ἡ βαθύγειος, καὶ ζωὴ καὶ θάνατος, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὁρώμενα τοῖς μετὰ ἀκριβείας αὐτὰ καταμανθάνουσιν ἱκανὰ καὶ δυνατὰ πρὸς εὐχαριστίαν διεγεῖραι. Τοῦτο γοῦν δηλῶν διά τινος προφήτου ὁ Θεὸς ἔλεγεν, ἀντ' εὐεργεσίας τὰς τιμωρίας τιθείς· Κατέστρεψα αὐτοὺς, ὡς κατέστρεψεν ὁ Θεὸς Σόδομα καὶ Γόμοῤῥα· ἐπάταξα αὐτοὺς ἐν πυρώσει καὶ ἐν ἰκτέρῳ. Καὶ πάλιν δι' ἄλλου· Ἀνήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας ἐλυτρωσάμην αὐτούς· εἰς εὐεργεσίας τὰς τιμωρίας μεταλαμβάνων. Οὕτω καὶ ταῦτα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα εὐεργετοῦντα, διορθοῦντα, παιδεύοντα, παιδαγωγοῦντα, ἐκκόπτοντα τὴν κακίαν ἐστίν. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ τὰ μὲν εὐεργετοῦντες ποιοῦσι, τὰ δὲ μισοῦντες καὶ ἀποστρεφόμενοι· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς φιλῶν ποιεῖ πάντα, οἷον εὐεργετῶν ἔθετο ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, καὶ εὐεργετῶν πάλιν ἐξέβαλε τοῦ παραδείσου· εὐεργετῶν τὸν κατακλυσμὸν εἰργάσατο, καὶ εὐεργετῶν 55.284 τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο τὸ τῶν Σοδόμων κατήνεγκε. Καὶ ὅπερ ἂν εἴποι τις τῶν γενομένων, ἕκαστον εἰς εὐεργεσίαν ποιεῖ. Εὐεργετῶν καὶ τὴν γέενναν ἠπείλησε· καὶ καθάπερ οἱ πατέρες οὐ θεραπεύοντες μόνον τὰ παιδία, ἀλλὰ καὶ τύπτοντες πατέρες εἰσὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἔλαττον τύπτοντες, ἢ θεραπεύοντες· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Θεός. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τίς γάρ ἐστιν υἱὸς, ὃν οὐ παιδεύει πατήρ; Καὶ ὁ Σολομών· Ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, παιδεύει· μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν, ὃν παραδέχεται. Ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. δʹ. Τοῦτο δοκεῖ μοι ἐνταῦθα εἰπεῖν διὰ τοὺς σκανδαλιζομένους πρὸς τὰ συμπίπτοντα δυσχερῆ τισι παρ' ἐλπίδας, μονονουχὶ παραινῶν αὐτοῖς καὶ λέγων· Μὴ θορυβοῦ συκοφαντουμένους ἀνθρώπους ὁρῶν, ἐπηρεαζομένους, παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν κακῶς πάσχοντας· μένει γὰρ δικαστήριον ἀδέκαστον, μένει ψῆφος καθαρὰ, τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ παρέχουσα. Εἰ δὲ νῦν αὐτὴν ἐπιζητοίης, ὅρα μὴ κατὰ σαυτοῦ πρώτου τὴν ψῆφον ἐξενέγκῃς. Εἰ γὰρ ἔμελλε καθ' ἕκαστον τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὁ Θεὸς ἐπάγειν τιμωρίαν, καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστου τῶν πλημμελούντων τὴν δικαίαν ἐπιφέρειν ψῆφον, πάλαι ἂν προανηρπάσθη τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος. Καὶ τί λέγω τὸν δεῖνα καὶ τὸν δεῖνα; Τὸν γὰρ κορυφαῖον τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἁπάντων εἰς μέσον ἀγαγὼν, τοῦτο δεῖξαι πειράσομαι, Παῦλον ἐκεῖνον τὸν κήρυκα τῆς οἰκουμένης, τὸν εἰς τρίτον ἁρπαγέντα οὐρανὸν, τὸν εἰς