Athanasius of Alexandria, Syntagma to a Certain Politician

A treatise for a certain statesman

It becomes bestial, and it darkens the reasoning, and does not allow one to look up to the truth. he who has acquired a higher mindset than these thin

Being illuminated without end with the holy angels. disposition of the passions. of the passions, some are of the body, and some of the soul. and we c

Of that in the holy trinity. we ought to believe as we were baptized and we were baptized into the name of the father, and of the son, 28.1404 and of

Of the ever-virgin mary, in his own hypostasis he fixed for himself an ensouled and rational flesh, and this formed from her in the nine-month period

Bringing forth. glory is also good, when it teaches us humility, and a desire for the glory to come but it is bad, when it persuades us to servility,

being illuminated without end with the holy angels. Disposition of the passions. Of the passions, some are of the body, and some of the soul. And we call bodily passions gluttony, fornication, drunkenness, licentiousness; but of the soul, hatred towards one's neighbor, envy, strife, vainglory, pride. These are active in our soul, in the absence of love and self-control; but in the presence of love and self-control, all these disappear, some by spiritual love, and others by fasting and self-control. For then the mind both receives its own light and sees God without hindrance. Concerning the providence of God. All things are from God, both the good, and the painful and the unworthy; but some are by good pleasure, others by economy, and others by concession. And those by good pleasure are when we live according to virtue; for God wills us to live without sin, and to live with piety and virtue. But by economy, when we stumble and sin, we are disciplined. But by concession, when being disciplined we do not turn back; 28.1401 for God was well pleased for man to be saved, as also the angels cried out, saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Again, He disciplines us sinners economically, "that we should not be condemned with the world," as the Apostle says: "but when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord. There is no evil in a city, which the Lord has not done;" that is, plagues, famines, diseases, and the slaughters of wars. For all these things are destructive of sin. And by concession He also completely abandons those who are unwilling either to live without sin, or being disciplined do not turn back, but still persist in wickedness, as it is written, that "God has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart;" and: "He gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;" that is, He allowed it because of their free will; and "I will harden Pharaoh's heart;" that is, I will concede that it be hardened on account of his insensibility. Concerning our free will. God formed man with free will, honored with reason and wisdom, setting before his eyes life and death; so that, if he should will with his free will to choose life, he might live forever; but if from an evil choice he should choose the way of death, he might be punished eternally. For the unchangeable things of nature are worthy neither of punishments nor of honor. For no one was ever accused for being white, or black, or for being tall, or short; for these are not of our choice. For both punishments and honors belong to choice. Therefore, there is need of both, both of our counsel and will, and of God's cooperation and assistance; for if one is lacking, the other is also inactive. For God foreknew, and predestined, and called, but those who are called according to purpose, as the Apostle says, that is, according to will and counsel; for those who were unwilling, He allowed to go according to their own will. For He does not compel, nor does He corrupt our free will; for we received free will for the inclination to both, I mean to virtue and to vice. Nothing of the things given to us by God for use is evil; for all things that are from God are good, and very good; only the misuse is evil; for this belongs to our free will. Therefore, foods are not evil, but gluttony; nor childbearing, but fornication; nor the partaking of wine, but drunkenness; nor money, but avarice; nor glory, but vainglory. Therefore, one must do everything so as to flee misuse, and to use the things given by God justly; for in doing so, we shall both become superior to vice, and be found within virtue. A clear and brief exposition, and a discernment of our faith

ἀπεράντους μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων καταλαμπόμενος. ∆ιάθεσις τῶν παθῶν. Τῶν παθῶν τὰ μὲν ἔστι σωματικὰ, τὰ δὲ ψυχικά. Καὶ σωματικὰ μὲν λέγομεν γαστριμαργίαν, πορνείαν, μέθην, ἀσέλγειαν· ψυχικὰ δὲ μῖσος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον, φθόνος, ἔρις, κενοδοξία, ὑπερηφανία. Ταῦτα δὲ ἐνερ γοῦσιν εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν ψυχὴν, ἀπούσης ἀγάπης καὶ ἐγκρατείας· παρούσης δὲ ἀγάπης καὶ ἐγκρατείας, ταῦτα πάντα ἐξαφανίζονται, τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ ἀγάπης πνευματικῆς, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ νηστείας καὶ ἐγκρατείας. Τότε γὰρ ὁ νοῦς καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον φῶς ἀπολαμβάνει καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἀπαρεμποδίστως ὁρᾷ. Περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας. Πάντα ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ καὶ τὰ ἀνάξια· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν εὐδοκίᾳ, τὰ δὲ οἰκονομίᾳ, τὰ δὲ παραχωρήσει. Καὶ τὰ κατ' εὐδοκίαν, ὅτε κατ' ἀρετὴν πολιτευώμεθα· βούλεται γὰρ ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς ἀναμαρτήτους διάγειν, καὶ μετὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας, καὶ ἀρετῆς πολιτεύεσθαι. Κατ' οἰκονομίαν δὲ, ὅταν σφαλλόμενοι καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντες παιδευώμεθα. Κατὰ παραχώρησιν δὲ, ὅταν παιδευόμενοι μὴ ἐπιστρέφωμεν· 28.1401 εὐδόκησε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον σωθῆναι, καθὼς καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐβόων λέγοντες· «∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ εἰρήνη ἐπὶ γῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας.» Οἰκονομικῶς δὲ πάλιν παιδεύει ἡμᾶς ἁμαρτάνοντας, «ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν,» ὥς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· «Κρινόμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου παιδευό μεθα. Οὐκ ἔστι κακία ἐν πόλει, ἣν ὁ Κύριος οὐκ ἐποίησε·» τουτέστι λοιμοὺς, λιμοὺς, νόσους, καὶ σφαγὰς πολέμων. Ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐστὶν ἀναιρετικά. Παραχωρεῖ δὲ καὶ τελείως ἐγκα ταλιμπάνει τοὺς μὴ θέλοντας ἢ ἀναμαρτήτως δι άγειν, ἢ παιδευομένους μὴ ἐπιστρέφειν, ἀλλ' ἔτι τῇ κακίᾳ ἐμμένειν, καθὼς γέγραπται, ὅτι «Τετύφλωκεν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ πεπώρωκεν αὐτῶν τὴν καρδίαν·» καί· «Παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα·» τουτέστιν, εἴασε διὰ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον· καί «Σκληρύνων σκληρυνῶ τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ·» τουτέστι, παραχωρήσω σκληρυνθῆναι διὰ τὴν ἀπάθειαν αὐτοῦ. Περὶ τῆς αὐτεξουσιότητος ἡμῶν. Ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον αὐτεξούσιον ἔπλασε, λόγῳ καὶ σοφίᾳ τιμηθέντα, πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ θεὶς τὴν ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον· ἵνα, εἰ μὲν θελήσει τῇ αὐτεξουσιότητι τῆς ζωῆς παραθήσῃ, ζήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· εἰ δὲ ἀπὸ κακῆς προαιρέσεως παραθήσει τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θανάτου, αἰωνίως κολάζηται. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ἀμετάβλητα οὔτε τιμωριῶν οὔτε τιμῆς ἄξια. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐνεκλήθη ποτὲ τὸ εἶναι λευκὸς, ἢ μέλας, ἢ τὸ εἶναι μακρὸς, ἢ μικρός· οὐ γὰρ τῆς ἡμετέρας εἰσὶ προαιρέσεως. Τῶν γὰρ τῆς προαιρέσεως καὶ αἱ κολάσεις εἰσὶ καὶ αἱ τιμαί. Ἀμφοτέρων οὖν χρεία, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας βουλῆς καὶ θελήσεως, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ συνεργείας καὶ ἀντιλήψεως· ἑτέρου γὰρ λείποντος, ἀργεῖ καὶ τὸ ἕτερον. Προέγνω γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ προώρισε, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοὺς ὄντας, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, τουτέστι κατὰ θέλησιν καὶ βούλησιν· τοὺς γὰρ μὴ βουληθέντας εἴασε τῷ αὐτῶν πορεύεσθαι θελήματι. Οὐ γὰρ βιάζεται, οὐδὲ λυμαίνεται τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἡμῶν· τῆς γὰρ ἐπ' ἄμφω ῥοπῆς, πρὸς ἀρετήν φημι καὶ κακίαν, τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἐλάβομεν. Οὐδὲν τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθέντων ἡμῖν εἰς χρῆσιν, κακόν· πάντα γὰρ ὅσα ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ καλὰ, καὶ λίαν καλά· ἡ παρά χρησις μόνον κακόν· τοῦ γὰρ ἡμετέρου ἐστὶν αὐτεξουσίου. ∆ιὸ οὐ τὰ βρώματα κακὸν, ἀλλ' ἡ γαστριμαργία· οὐδὲ παιδοποιία, ἀλλ' ἡ πορνεία· οὐδὲ μετάληψις τοῦ οἴνου, ἀλλ' ἡ μέθη· οὐδὲ τὰ χρήματα, ἀλλ' ἡ φιλαργυρία· οὐδὲ ἡ δόξα, ἀλλὰ ἡ κενοδοξία. Χρὴ οὖν πάντα ποιεῖν, ὥστε τὴν παράχρησιν φεύγειν, καὶ χρήσασθαι τοῖς παρὰ Θεοῦ δοθεῖσι δικαίως· οὕτω γὰρ ποιοῦντες, καὶ τῆς κακίας ἀνώτεροι γενησόμεθα, καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐντὸς εὑρεθῶμεν. Συνήθεια σαφὴς καὶ σύντομος, καὶ διάγνωσις τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν