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but he himself said: A man's enemies are the members of his own household. But when he speaks of necessity, he does not say these things by doing away with the self-determination of our power, nor the freedom of our choice, nor by subjecting life to some necessity of things; but he foretells what will certainly be; this is what Luke presented in another phrase, saying thus: It is impossible that scandals should not come. What then is, The scandals? The hindrances of the right way. Thus also on the stage they call those who are clever at these things, those who contort their bodies. Therefore his foretelling does not bring on the scandals; far from it; nor is it because he foretold it that it happens; but because it was certainly going to be, for this reason he foretold it; since if those who bring them did not wish to be wicked, they would not have come; and if they were not going to come, it would not have been foretold. But since those men acted wickedly, and were incurably sick, they came; and 58.575 he foretells what is going to be. And if those men were corrected, he says, and there was no one bringing the scandals, was this word not going to be convicted of falsehood? By no means; for it would not have been said. For if all were going to be corrected, he would not have said, It is necessary that they come; but since he foreknew that they would be incorrigible of themselves, for this reason he said, that they will certainly come. And for what reason did he not do away with them? he says. For what reason should they have been done away with? Because of those who are harmed? But those who are harmed are not destroyed from that source, but from their own laziness. And the virtuous show, not only being in no way wronged from this, but also gaining the greatest things; such was Job, such was Joseph, such were all the righteous and the apostles. But if many are destroyed, it is from their own slumber. And if it were not so, but destruction came from scandals, all would have to be destroyed. But if there are those who escape, let him who does not escape reckon it to himself. For scandals, as I said, both rouse, and make sharper, and whet, not only the one who is on his guard, but also the one who has fallen and quickly risen again; for it makes him safer, and renders him harder to capture. So that if we are sober, we reap no small gain from this, to be continually watchful. For if when enemies exist and so many temptations press upon us, we sleep, what would we be if we lived in security? And if you wish, consider the first man. For if, after living for a short time, perhaps not even a whole day in paradise, and enjoying luxury, he was driven to such a point of wickedness, as even to imagine equality with God, and to consider the deceiver a benefactor, and not to keep a single commandment; if he had also lived his subsequent life without hardship, what would he not have done? 2. But when we say these things, they raise other objections again, asking: And why did God make him such? God did not make him such; far from it; since He would not even have punished him. For if we, in things for which we are responsible, do not blame our servants, much more would the God of all not do so. But whence did this come to be? he says. From himself and his own laziness. What is, from himself? Ask yourself. For if the wicked are not wicked from themselves, do not punish your servant, nor rebuke your wife in whatever she may sin, nor beat your son, nor blame your friend, nor hate the enemy who insults you; for all these are worthy to be pitied, not to be punished, if they do not transgress from themselves. But I am not able to philosophize, he says. And yet when you understand that the cause is not theirs, but of another necessity, you are able to philosophize. At any rate, when a servant, possessed by a sickness, does not do what was commanded, not only do you not blame him, but you also forgive him. Thus you are a witness, that one thing is his, but another is not his. So also in this case, if you knew that he was wicked because he was created such, not only would you not have blamed him, but you would have even given him pardon. For surely you do not forgive because of sickness, but would not forgive because of God's creation, if indeed he was created such from the beginning. And from another direction it is easy to silence such people; for the abundance of truth is great. For why have you never blamed a servant because he is not handsome in appearance, because he is not tall in body, because he is not 58.576 winged? Because these things are of nature.

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αὐτὸς δὲ ἔλεγεν· Ἐχθροὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οἱ οἰκειακοὶ αὐτοῦ. Ὅταν δὲ ἀνάγκην εἴπῃ, οὐ τὸ αὐθαίρετον τῆς ἐξουσίας ἀναιρῶν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς προαιρέσεως, οὐδὲ ἀνάγκῃ τινὶ πραγμάτων ὑποβάλλων τὸν βίον, φησὶ ταῦτα· ἀλλὰ τὸ πάντως ἐσόμενον προλέγει· ὅπερ ὁ Λουκᾶς ἑτέρᾳ λέξει παρέστησεν, εἰπὼν οὕτως· Ἀνένδεκτόν ἐστι τοῦ μὴ ἐλθεῖν τὰ σκάνδαλα. Τί δέ ἐστι, Τὰ σκάνδαλα; Τὰ κωλύματα τῆς ὀρθῆς ὁδοῦ. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τοὺς περὶ ταῦτα δεινοὺς καλοῦσι, τοὺς τὰ σώματα διαστρέφοντας. Οὐ τοίνυν ἡ πρόῤῥησις αὐτοῦ τὰ σκάνδαλα ἄγει· ἄπαγε· οὐδὲ ἐπειδὴ προεῖπε, διὰ τοῦτο γίνεται· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάντως ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο προεῖπεν· ὡς εἴγε μὴ ἐβούλοντο οἱ φέροντες αὐτὰ πονηρεύεσθαι, οὐδ' ἂν ἦλθον· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔμελλον ἔρχεσθαι, οὐδ' ἂν προεῤῥήθη. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκακούργησαν ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ ἀνίατα ἐνόσησαν, ἦλθον· καὶ 58.575 προλέγει τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι. Καὶ εἰ διωρθώθησαν ἐκεῖνοι, φησὶ, καὶ μηδεὶς ἦν ὁ τὰ σκάνδαλα κομίζων, οὐκ ἔμελλεν ὁ λόγος οὗτος ψεύδους ἁλίσκεσθαι; Οὐδαμῶς· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἐλέχθη. Εἰ γὰρ ἔμελλον διορθοῦσθαι πάντες, οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἀνάγκη ἐλθεῖν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ προῄδει ἀδιορθώτους ἐσομένους οἴκοθεν, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν, ὅτι πάντως ἥξουσι. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἀνεῖλε; φησί. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἀναιρεθῆναι ἔδει; διὰ τοὺς βλαπτομένους; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖθεν οἱ βλαπτόμενοι ἀπόλλυνται, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ῥᾳθυμίας. Καὶ δηλοῦσιν οἱ ἐνάρετοι, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ἀδικούμενοι ἐντεῦθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα κερδαίνοντες· οἷος ἦν ὁ Ἰὼβ, οἷος ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, οἷοι πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι. Εἰ δὲ ἀπόλλυνται πολλοὶ, παρὰ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ὕπνον. Εἰ δὲ μὴ οὕτως εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὰ σκάνδαλα ἡ ἀπώλεια, πάντας ἀπολέσθαι ἔδει Εἰ δὲ εἰσὶν οἱ διαφεύγοντες, ὁ μὴ διαφεύγων ἑαυτῷ λογιζέσθω. Τὰ γὰρ σκάνδαλα, ὅπερ ἔφην, καὶ διεγείρει, καὶ ὀξυτέρους ποιεῖ, καὶ ἀκονᾷ, οὐ μόνον τὸν φυλαττόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν περιπεσόντα ταχέως ἀναστάντα· ἀσφαλέστερον γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐργάζεται, καὶ δυσάλωτον μᾶλλον ποιεῖ. Ὥστε ἂν νήφωμεν, οὐ μικρὸν ἐντεῦθεν καρπούμεθα κέρδος, τὸ διηνεκῶς ἐγρηγορέναι. Εἰ γὰρ πολεμίων ὄντων καὶ τοσούτων πειρασμῶν ἐπικειμένων καθεύδομεν, τίνες ἂν εἴημεν ἐν ἀδείᾳ ζῶντες; Καὶ εἰ βούλει, τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον σκόπει. Εἰ γὰρ ὀλίγον χρόνον, τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ ἡμέραν ὅλην ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ζήσας, καὶ τρυφῆς ἀπολαύσας, εἰς τοσοῦτον ἤλασε κακίας, ὡς καὶ ἰσοθεΐαν φαντασθῆναι, καὶ τὸν ἀπατεῶνα εὐεργέτην νομίσαι, καὶ μιᾶς μὴ κατασχεῖν ἐντολῆς· εἰ καὶ τὸν ἐφεξῆς βίον ἀταλαίπωρον ἔζη, τί οὐκ ἂν εἰργάσατο; βʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅταν ταῦτα εἴπωμεν, πάλιν ἕτερα ἀντιλέγουσιν, ἐρωτῶντες· Καὶ διατί αὐτὸν τοιοῦτον ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεός; Οὐχὶ ὁ Θεὸς τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν ἐποίησεν· ἄπαγε· ἐπεὶ οὐδ' ἂν ἐκόλασεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἡμεῖς, ἐν οἷς ἂν ὦμεν αἴτιοι, οὐκ ἐγκαλοῦμεν τοῖς οἰκέταις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός. Ἀλλὰ πόθεν τοῦτο ἐγένετο; φησί. Παρ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ῥᾳθυμίας. Τί ἐστι, παρ' ἑαυτοῦ; Ἐρώτησον σεαυτόν. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσι κακοὶ οἱ κακοὶ, μὴ κόλαζε τὸν οἰκέτην, μηδὲ ἐπιτίμα τῇ γυναικὶ ἐν οἷς ἂν ἁμαρτάνῃ, μηδὲ τύπτε τὸν υἱὸν, μηδὲ ἐγκάλει τῷ φίλῳ, μηδὲ μίσει τὸν ἐπηρεάζοντά σε ἐχθρόν· πάντες γὰρ οὗτοι ἐλεεῖσθαι, οὐ κολάζεσθαι ἄξιοι, εἰ μὴ οἴκοθεν πλημμελοῦσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐ δύναμαι φιλοσοφεῖν, φησί. Καίτοιγε ὅταν συνίδῃς οὐκ ἐκείνων τὴν αἰτίαν οὖσαν, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκης ἑτέρας, δύνασαι φιλοσοφεῖν. Ὅταν γοῦν ὑπὸ νόσου κατεχόμενος οἰκέτης μὴ ποιήσῃ τὰ ἐπιταχθέντα, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ συγγινώσκεις. Οὕτω σὺ μάρτυς, ὅτι τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ οὐκ αὐτοῦ. Ὥστε κἀνταῦθα, εἰ ᾔδεις ὅτι παρὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τοιοῦτος πονηρὸς ἦν, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἂν ἐνεκάλεσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ συγγνώμην ἔδωκας ἄν. Οὐ γὰρ δήπου διὰ μὲν τὴν νόσον συγγινώσκεις, διὰ Θεοῦ δὲ δημιουργίαν οὐκ ἂν συνέγνως, εἴγε τοιοῦτος ἐξ ἀρχῆς γέγονε. Καὶ ἑτέρωθεν δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους ἐπιστομίσαι ῥᾴδιον· πολλὴ γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ περιουσία. ∆ιατί γὰρ μηδέποτε ἐνεκάλεσας οἰκέτῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι καλὸς τὴν ὄψιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν εὐμήκης τὸ σῶμα, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι 58.576 πτηνός; Ὅτι τῆς φύσεως ταῦτα.