On Providence (ten orations) 8.9–9.3
Greek text: PG 83.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 8
8.9PG 83
ἐποιήσαντο. Προσκυνοῦσι τοιγαροῦν αὐτὸν ἀληθῶς οἱ τῶν ὀνείρων φθονήσαντες, καὶ οἱ τὴν ἐν ὀνείρῳ προσκύνησιν οὐ δεξάμενοι, τὴν ἀληθῇ προσχύνηδιν ἐποιήσαντο. Ὁ ὃὲ τὴν μὲν προσκύνησιν δέχεται, ἑοῖς δε ἴσοις τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς οὐκ ἀμςείδεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρέφει, καὶ θεραπεύει, καὶ προῖκα τὸν σῖτον δωρεῖται. Καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον, τὸν ὁμογάστορα μενος ἀδελφὸν, καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα τῆς ἐπιδουλῆῇς ὡς εἶδεν αὐτοὺς ὑπερμαχοῦντας τοῦ νέου, καὶ τὴν τοῦ πρεσδύτου πατρὸς θεραπείαν τῆς σφῶν αὐτῶν προτιμῶντας ἐλευθερίας, τὸ προσωπεῖον τῆς ἀπειλῆς ἀφελόμενος, χἀὶ πάντας ἔξω γενέσθαι τοῦ δικαστηρίου κελεύσας " « Ἐγὼ, φησὶν, εἰμὶ Ἰωσὴφ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν, ὃν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπέδοσθε. ») Καὶ ἵνα μὴ παράυτίκα τῷ δέει καταπλαγέντες, τὸν τῆς λέγων " « Καὶ νῦν μὴ φοδεῖσθε, μηδὲ σκληρὸν ὑμῖν φανήτω᾽ εἰς γὰρ ξωὴν ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ Θεὸς ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν.» Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἤδει πάσης αὐτοὺς ἀπολογίας γεγυμνωμένους, καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν αὑτῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμαρτίας πεπεδημένην, αὐτὸς ὁ τὰ μυρία ἐκεῖνα πεπονθὼς δεινὰ, τὴν μὲν κατηγορίαν ἐᾷ, τὴν δὲ ἀπολογίαν εἰσφέρει. « Εἰς γὰρ ζωὴν ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ θεὸς ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν ἵνα διατραφῇ λαὸς πολύς. » Οὐκ ὑμῶν, φησὶ, τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μὴ δυσχεραίνετέ μου τὴν δουλείαν, θείαν οὖσαν οἰκονομίαν. ᾿Απόθεσθε τὸ δέος “ οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν γεγένῆται χαλεπόν. Πάσης τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὴν ἡγεμονίαν δι ἐδεξάμην διὰ δουλείας" διὰ ταύτης ἔχω βασιλείας τὰ δεύτερα, καὶ τὰς ἡνίας κατέχειν ἔϑνους τοσούτον πετίστευμαι. Τοιοῦτος οὗτος, καὶ δουλεύων, καὶ βασιλεύων ᾿ τοιοῦτος ἐν εὐχληρέχ καὶ δυσχληρίᾳ " τοιοῦτος χαχοπραγῶν καὶ λίαν εὐημερῶν «Οὐκοῦν οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐδὲ δεσποτεία, οὐ πενία, οὐδὲ δουλεία τὴν κακίαν γεννῶσιν, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ κρατεῖ τὸ τῆς γνώμης αὐθαΐρετον Ὅτι δὲ οἰκετῶν ἀρετὴν δεσποτῶν οὐ λυμαίνεται πονηρία, καὶ ἀφ᾽ ἑτέρων παραδειγμάτων καταμαθεῖν εὐπετές. Τίς ἀγνοεῖ τῶν τὰ θεῖα πεπαιδευμένων, τοῦ ᾿Αχαὰδ τὴν πονηρίαν, καὶ τῆς Ἰεζάδελ τὴν δυσσέὄειαν, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λύτταν; ᾿Αλλ᾽ ὅμως τούτοις ᾿Αὐδιοὺ δουλεύων, καὶ παρὰ τούτων οἶκονομίαν τινὰ πεπιστευμένος, οὐ μόνον τοῖς δεσποτιχοῖς οὐκ ἠκολούθησεν ἴχνεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν ἐκείνοις ὁδεύων διετέλεσεν. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τῶν τοῦ παραδιδόναι σφαγῇ, καὶ τρυφὴν ἡγοῦντο τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπευτῶν τὴν ἀναίρεσιν, παντελῶς κοῦντες. Ὁ δὲ, ταῖς τῶν δεσποτῶν ἀντηγωνίζετο, καὶ τῆς εὐσεθείας τὸν πυρσὸν σῶον φυλάττειν ἐσπούδαζε, καὶ προφήτας ἑκατὸν ἐν δύο σπηλαίοις κατακρύψας ἔτρεφε, λιμοῦ χαλεποῦ τηνικαῦτα τὴν οἰκουμένην κατέχοντος, ὃν ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας ἐπεστράτευσε τοῖς ἀνθ ρώποις, δίκας τῆς ἀσεθείας εἰσπραττόμενος. Καὶ οὔτε τῶν δεσποτῶν αὑτὸν ἡ θηριώδης ἐφόδησεν γνώμη, οὔτε τῶν εὐσεδῶν ἐξεδειμάτωσεν ἡ σφαγὴ, οὔτε ἡ τοῦ λιμοῦ τυραννὶς, καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἡ σπάνις, μικρολόγον αὑτὸν περὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγίων προφητῶν θεραπείαν ἀπἐἔφηνεν" ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνους μὲν τῆς ὠμότητος ἐδδελύττετο, τούτοις δὲ τὴν αὐτάρκη προσέφερε χρείαν, τῆς οἱκείας ἀσφαλείας τὴν ἐχείνων προαιρούμενος σωτηρίαν, καὶ θάνάτον ἡγούμενος τὴν ἄνευ ἐχείνων ζωήν.
epoiēsanto. Proskynousi toigaroun auton alēthōs hoi tōn oneirōn phthonēsantes, kai hoi tēn en oneirǭ proskynēsin ou dexamenoi, tēn alēthę̄ proschynēdin epoiēsanto. Ho hoe tēn men proskynēsin dechetai, heois de isois tous adelphous ouk amseidetai, alla kai trephei, kai therapeuei, kai proika ton siton dōreitai. Kai to teleutaion, ton homogastora menos adelphon, kai to drama tēs epidoulēę̄s hōs eiden autous hypermachountas tou neou, kai tēn tou presdytou patros therapeian tēs sphōn autōn protimōntas eleutherias, to prosōpeion tēs apeilēs aphelomenos, chai pantas exō genesthai tou dikastēriou keleusas " « Egō, phēsin, eimi Iōsēph ho adelphos hymōn, hon eis Aigypton apedosthe. ») Kai hina mē parautika tǭ deei kataplagentes, ton tēs legōn " « Kai nyn mē phodeisthe, mēde sklēron hymin phanētō᾽ eis gar xōēn apestalke me ho Theos emprosthen hymōn.» Epeidē gar ēdei pasēs autous apologias gegymnōmenous, kai tēn glōttan hautōn hypo tēs amartias pepedēmenēn, autos ho ta myria ekeina peponthōs deina, tēn men katēgorian eą, tēn de apologian eispherei. « Eis gar zōēn apestalke me ho theos emprosthen hymōn hina diatraphę̄ laos polys. » Ouk hymōn, phēsi, to ergon, alla tou Theou. Mē dyscherainete mou tēn douleian, theian ousan oikonomian. ᾿Apothesthe to deos “ ouden enteuthen gegenētai chalepon. Pasēs tēs Aigyptou tēn hēgemonian di edexamēn dia douleias" dia tautēs echō basileias ta deutera, kai tas hēnias katechein eϑnous tosouton petisteumai. Toioutos houtos, kai douleuōn, kai basileuōn ᾿ toioutos en euchlērech kai dyschlērią " toioutos chachopragōn kai lian euēmerōn «Oukoun ou ploutos, oude despoteia, ou penia, oude douleia tēn kakian gennōsin, alla pantachou kratei to tēs gnōmēs authaïreton Hoti de oiketōn aretēn despotōn ou lymainetai ponēria, kai aph᾽ heterōn paradeigmatōn katamathein eupetes. Tis agnoei tōn ta theia pepaideumenōn, tou ᾿Achaad tēn ponērian, kai tēs Iezadel tēn dysseoeian, kai tēn kata tou Theou lyttan? ᾿All᾽ homōs toutois ᾿Audiou douleuōn, kai para toutōn oikonomian tina pepisteumenos, ou monon tois despotichois ouk ēkolouthēsen ichnesin, alla kai tēn enantian ekeinois hodeuōn dietelesen. Hoi men gar kata tōn tou paradidonai sphagę̄, kai tryphēn hēgounto tōn tou Theou therapeutōn tēn anairesin, pantelōs kountes. Ho de, tais tōn despotōn antēgōnizeto, kai tēs eusetheias ton pyrson sōon phylattein espoudaze, kai prophētas hekaton en dyo spēlaiois katakrypsas etrephe, limou chalepou tēnikauta tēn oikoumenēn katechontos, hon ho megas Ēlias epestrateuse tois anth rōpois, dikas tēs asetheias eisprattomenos. Kai oute tōn despotōn hauton hē thēriōdēs ephodēsen gnōmē, oute tōn eusedōn exedeimatōsen hē sphagē, oute hē tou limou tyrannis, kai tōn anankaiōn hē spanis, mikrologon hauton peri tēn tōn agiōn prophētōn therapeian apeephēnen" all᾽ ekeinous men tēs ōmotētos eddelytteto, toutois de tēn autarkē prosephere chreian, tēs hoikeias asphaleias tēn echeinōn proairoumenos sōtērian, kai thanaton hēgoumenos tēn aneu echeinōn zōēn.
their food. So those who envied the dreams truly bowed down to him, and those who did not accept the obeisance in a dream made the true obeisance. He accepts the obeisance but does not repay his brothers in kind; rather he feeds them, cares for them, and gives them the grain as a gift. And finally, … his brother by the same mother, and when he saw them fighting for the young man and preferring the care of their old father to their own freedom, he took off the mask of threat, ordered everyone out of the court, and said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt." And so that they might not at once be struck with fear … , saying: "And now do not be afraid, and let it not seem hard to you; for God has sent me before you for life." For since he knew that they were stripped of every defense and their tongue was fettered by sin, he who had suffered those countless evils lets the accusation go and brings in the defense himself: "For God has sent me before you for life, so that a great people might be fed." It is not your work, he says, but God's. Do not be distressed at my slavery; it was a divine dispensation. Lay aside your fear; nothing hard has come of it. Through slavery I received the rule of all Egypt; through it I have the second place in the kingdom and am entrusted with holding the reins of so great a nation. Such was this man both as slave and as ruler; such in good fortune and in bad; such in adversity and in great prosperity. So it is not wealth or mastery, nor poverty or slavery, that begets vice, but everywhere the free choice of the will prevails. That the wickedness of masters does not harm the virtue of servants is easy to learn from other examples too. Who among those taught in divine things does not know the wickedness of Ahab, the impiety of Jezebel, and her rage against God? Yet Obadiah, serving them and entrusted by them with a certain stewardship, not only did not follow in his masters' footsteps but went on travelling the opposite road. For they … against the … to hand over to slaughter, and counted the killing of God's servants a delight, … altogether. But he contended against his masters' …, was eager to keep the torch of piety safe, and hid a hundred prophets in two caves and fed them, when a grievous famine held the world, which the great Elijah brought upon people, exacting the penalty of their impiety. Neither his masters' beastly mind frightened him, nor the slaughter of the pious terrified him, nor did the tyranny of famine and the lack of necessities make him stingy in caring for the holy prophets; but he loathed the others for their cruelty and offered these what they needed, preferring their safety to his own, and counting life without them death.
Gen 42:25 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 45:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 45:4 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 45:5 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 45:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 45:8 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Kgs 18:3 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Kgs 18:4 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Kgs 18:13 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Kgs 17:1 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Joseph forgives and feeds his brothers, saying God sent him ahead to save life, which proves that vice comes from free choice; so too Obadiah, steward of wicked Ahab and Jezebel, hid and fed a hundred prophets.
- Gen 42:25; 43-44 (Benjamin); 45:1-7. Obadiah: 1 Kgs 18:3-4, 13. Theodoret's "his brother by the same mother" (Benjamin) stands in a damaged phrase.
- Words are lost in the OCR in the account of Benjamin, before Joseph's reassurance ("… , saying"), and in the description of Ahab and Jezebel's persecution; marked … and not supplied. Debris from Migne's Latin column and leaked footnotes are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (debris from Migne's Latin column and a leaked footnote; debris from Migne's Latin column read as Greek; leaked footnotes and debris from Migne's Latin column; stray marks and OCR misreading): ἢ. ἐπ Δ 18δ] οι δὶ. [δὲ ἰγαοἱ (ον ΕΠλῖθχ ἴῃ δι }8 γοπηθ τ γοβογνϑὶ : οἱ Βοὴ θαι υγ, γα γ }5 δι: → ; σῖτον (; ξωρεῖται → σῖτον δωρεῖται; ῥεῃ. σεν, ὅ, 4. “. ἰδ], δ. 4 νἀ. Ἰ, 8, σῖγα 1898: « Ερο, νἱ δῆ ἢ ἷ πὰ το ϑὶ( πιὸ (0555. ν Νοη νορίγυ τ, ἰπαυϊΐῖ, 56ἀ οι δος οραϑ Νος πρὰ ν θἷβ Ὁ (ἰς νοι. Ἢ ἐπ. Βαϊ. Ῥαγὶβ. ἵνα δή. → ; τη} ἃ Α ἀϊδοὶ πὶ, Υἱ θη, οἱ οἰϊοίυ παι φυοάάδηι 40 ἢὶ οἱ ἱπ ἰἰος ογαὶ υἱ δὲϊ, (απ ἰδ πἰπ]τἷα δου πὶ 54υ δὺνἱπι}εἰ αυἱ οἱ πὶ ὅδ) αὖτ. 1014. αὐτοῖς, → .
Topics: Ethics, Persecution
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 8.9 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-9
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
8.10PG 83
Καὶ ἐν οἷς μὲν οὐκ ἐπολεμεῖτο Θεὸς, οὐδαμῶς τὴν πρέπουσαν διακονίαν τοῖς δεσπόταις, προσέφερε" τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τοῦ πάντα πεποιηκότος τιθεμένους νόμους καταγελάστους ἡγούμενος, τοὺς μὲν τιθέντας ἐμίσει, τοὺς δὲ δρᾷν τὸ κελευόμενον ἀναγχαζομένους ἡλέει" ὀλεθρίαν δὲ τὴν τοιαύτην διακονίαν ἡγούμενος, τοὺς ἀναιρεῖσθαι χελευομένους σωτηρίας ἠξίον, τὴν μετ᾽ εὐσεδίας τελευτὴν τῆς σὺν ἀσεδείᾳ ζωῆς τιμιωτέραν ἡγούμενος. Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ξόλαψεν αὐτὸν ἡ τῶν δεσποτῶν βδελυρία, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπίσημον ἀπέφηνε καὶ περίὄλεπτον τῶν κυρίων ἡ πονηρία. Οὐδὲν γὰρ Ὑνώμης τερον ψυχῆς κακίᾳ δουλεύειν οὐ βουλομένης. ᾿Αλλὰ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδα τί πάθω, τῆς τῶν ἀρίστων ἀνδρῶν ἀρετῆς βιαζομένης τὸν λόγον, καὶ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου μηκύνειν ἀναγχαζούσης. Φέρε τοίγυν τοῦτον ἐλ- Ὁ χύσαντες, ἐφ᾽ ἕτερον μεταδῶμεν παράδειγμα. Σεδεκίας τις ἔσχατος ἐγένετο βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰονδαίων, πολλὴν καὶ αὐτὸς νοσήσας ἀσέδειαν, καὶ τῶν θείων χρησμῶν ἐπαΐειν οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος. Οὗτος τὸν θειότατον Ἱερεμίαν, τηνικαῦτα προφητεύοντα, καὶ διαπορθμεύοντα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ θεοσ- ὅτι λυπηρὰ λίαν καὶ ἀλγεινὰ προηγόρευσεν. ᾿Αὔδεμέλεχ δέ τις οἰκέτης Αἰθίοψ ἐχτομίας, οὐ τῆς βασιλείας τὸν ὄγκον εἰς νοῦν λαδὼν, οὐ τὴν κρατοῦσαν ἀσέθειαν, οὐ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ προφήτου μανίαν, οὐ τῆς δουλείας τὴν συμφορὰν, ἐλέγχει μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ἄδικον ψῆφον, κατηγορεῖ δὲ τῆς κατὰ τοῦ προφήτου τολμηθείσης παρανομίας, καὶ τὸν τῶν γινομένων ἔφορον ὑποδείκνυσι, καὶ τῇ δικαίᾳ τιμωρίᾳ τὸν βασιλέα δεδίττεται. Καὶ γίνεται σύμδουλος τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ οἰκέτης, τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὁ εἑνοῦ-.. χος, τοῦ ἡμεδαποῦ ὁ ὀθνεῖος, τοῦ Ἰσραηλίτου ὁ Αἰ- Οΐοψ, ὁ ἐκ τοῦ Χὰμ τοῦ ἐκ τοῦ Σὴμ τὸ γένος κατἁγοντος. Καὶ πείθει τοῖς εὐσεδέσι λόγοις τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ ἀνάγει τὸν προφήτην ἐκ τῆς πικρᾶς ἐκείνης καὶ ζοφώδους καὶ δυσώδους εἰρκτῆς, καὶ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν αὐτῷ χορηγεῖ τροφὴν πάντα τῆς πολιορκίας τὸν χρόνον. Καὶ λαμθδάνει παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μισθὸν τῆς εὐσεδείας, τὴν εὐλογίαν καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἁλούσης, καὶ τῶν οἰκούντων τὰ βασίλεια χατασφαγέντων, οὗτος ἀπολαύει τῆς σωτηρίας κατὰ τὴν θείαν ὑπόσχεσιν. Εὔδηλον τοίνυν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων, ὡς οὐ λυμαίνονται μόνον τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς οἰκέταις οἱ πονηροὶ δεσπόται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὴν ἐξ ἐχείνων ὠφέλειαν καρποῦνται. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν καὶ ἑτέρωθεν ἔστι καταμαθεῖν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀνάστατος ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη διὰ τὴν πολλὴν παρανομίαν ἐγένετο, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ὁ λιμὸς ἐδαπάνησε, πολλοὺς δὲ ὁ πόλεμο; θανάτῳ παρἔπεμψε, τοὺς δ᾽ ὑπολοίπους εἰς Βαδυλῶνα τους ὁ τῶν Χαλδαίων ἀπῆγαγε βασιλεύς εἶτα τοὺς ἐξ εὐγενῶν πεφυκότας, καὶ ὥρᾳ σώματος λάμποντας, καὶ ἡλικίας ἀκμῇ νεανιευομένους ἔνδον ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις διάγειν ἐκέλευσε, τὴν βασιλικὴν διακονίαν πληροῦντας. Πρότερον δὲ αὑτοὺς ἐκέλευσε τὴν ἐκ τῆς πολιορκίας καὶ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἀποδύσασθαι χαχουχίαν, διαίτῃ λαμπρᾷ, καὶ σι- «ἰοις καὶ ὄψοις ἐκ τῆς βασιλικῆς προσφερομένοις τραπέζης. Ἐνταῦθά μοι βλέπε τὴν τῶν θείων μειρακίων ἐχείνων εὐγένειαν οὔτε, γὰρ ἡ τῆς πόλεως ἅλωσις, οὐκ ὁ τοῦ θείου νεὼ ἐμπρησμὸς, οὐκ ἢ τῶν ἀδύτων καὶ ἀψαύστων ἐρημία, οὐ τὰ θεῖα σχεύη λάφυρα τῶν Βαρδάρων γεγενημένα, οὐκ ἡ τῶν βασιλέων ἀναίρεσις, οὐκ ἡ τῶν ἱερέων σφαγὴ, οὐκ ἡ πόῤῥωθεν τῶν ἁγίων οἴκησις, οὐκ ἡ ἐν τῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατριδὴ, οὐκ ἡ ἐρημία τῶν διδασκόντῶν, οὐκ ἣ τῶν κρατούντων ἀσέδεια, οὐκ ἡ τῆς δουλείας ἀνάγκη, οὐκ ὁ βαρὺς τοῦ βασιλέως ζυγὸς, οὐ τὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἄωρον, οὐ πόθος ζωῆς, οὐ φόδος τελευτῆς, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν ἀνέπεισε μικρόν τι παραφεῖναι καὶ παραδῆναι τῶν τοῦ νόμου γραμμάτων. ᾿Αλλὰ παρακαλοῦσι μὲν τὸν μόνα σφῶν γεγενημένον, τὴν ἀπὸ σπερμάτων αὐτοῖς χορηγῆσαι τροφὴν, τὴν βασιλικὴν βδελυττόέενοι θοίνην, καὶ τὴν ποικίλην ἐχείνην μυσαττόμενοι πανδαισίαν᾽ ἑώρων γὰρ αὐτὴν τῇ τῶν εἰδώλων μιαιδὰ
Kai en hois men ouk epolemeito Theos, oudamōs tēn prepousan diakonian tois despotais, prosephere" tous de kata tou panta pepoiēkotos tithemenous nomous katagelastous hēgoumenos, tous men tithentas emisei, tous de drąn to keleuomenon ananchazomenous hēleei" olethrian de tēn toiautēn diakonian hēgoumenos, tous anaireisthai cheleuomenous sōtērias ēxion, tēn met᾽ eusedias teleutēn tēs syn asedeią zōēs timiōteran hēgoumenos. Oukoun ouk xolapsen auton hē tōn despotōn bdelyria, all᾽ episēmon apephēne kai periolepton tōn kyriōn hē ponēria. Ouden gar Hynōmēs teron psychēs kakią douleuein ou boulomenēs. ᾿Alla gar ouk oida ti pathō, tēs tōn aristōn andrōn aretēs biazomenēs ton logon, kai pera tou metrou mēkynein ananchazousēs. Phere toigyn touton el- Ho chysantes, eph᾽ heteron metadōmen paradeigma. Sedekias tis eschatos egeneto basileus tōn Iondaiōn, pollēn kai autos nosēsas asedeian, kai tōn theiōn chrēsmōn epaïein ouk anechomenos. Houtos ton theiotaton Hieremian, tēnikauta prophēteuonta, kai diaporthmeuonta tois anthrōpois tou Theou ta theos- hoti lypēra lian kai algeina proēgoreusen. ᾿Audemelech de tis oiketēs Aithiops echtomias, ou tēs basileias ton onkon eis noun ladōn, ou tēn kratousan asetheian, ou tēn kata tou prophētou manian, ou tēs douleias tēn symphoran, elenchei men tou basileōs tēn adikon psēphon, katēgorei de tēs kata tou prophētou tolmētheisēs paranomias, kai ton tōn ginomenōn ephoron hypodeiknysi, kai tę̄ dikaią timōrią ton basilea dedittetai. Kai ginetai symdoulos tou basileōs ho oiketēs, tou andros ho heenou-.. chos, tou hēmedapou ho othneios, tou Israēlitou ho Ai- Oïops, ho ek tou Cham tou ek tou Sēm to genos katagontos. Kai peithei tois eusedesi logois ton basilea, kai anagei ton prophētēn ek tēs pikras ekeinēs kai zophōdous kai dysōdous eirktēs, kai tēn anankaian autǭ chorēgei trophēn panta tēs poliorkias ton chronon. Kai lamthdanei para tou Theou misthon tēs eusedeias, tēn eulogian kai tēs poleōs halousēs, kai tōn oikountōn ta basileia chatasphagentōn, houtos apolauei tēs sōtērias kata tēn theian hyposchesin. Eudēlon toinyn ek tōn eirēmenōn, hōs ou lymainontai monon tois agathois oiketais hoi ponēroi despotai, alla kai pollēn ex echeinōn ōpheleian karpountai. Kai touto palin kai heterōthen esti katamathein. Epeidē gar anastatos hē polis ekeinē dia tēn pollēn paranomian egeneto, kai pollous men ho limos edapanēse, pollous de ho polemo? thanatǭ parepempse, tous d᾽ hypoloipous eis Badylōna tous ho tōn Chaldaiōn apēgage basileus eita tous ex eugenōn pephykotas, kai hōrą sōmatos lampontas, kai hēlikias akmę̄ neanieuomenous endon en tois basileiois diagein ekeleuse, tēn basilikēn diakonian plērountas. Proteron de hautous ekeleuse tēn ek tēs poliorkias kai tēs hodoiporias apodysasthai chachouchian, diaitę̄ lamprą, kai si- «iois kai opsois ek tēs basilikēs prospheromenois trapezēs. Entautha moi blepe tēn tōn theiōn meirakiōn echeinōn eugeneian oute, gar hē tēs poleōs halōsis, ouk ho tou theiou neō emprēsmos, ouk ē tōn adytōn kai apsaustōn erēmia, ou ta theia scheuē laphyra tōn Bardarōn gegenēmena, ouk hē tōn basileōn anairesis, ouk hē tōn hiereōn sphagē, ouk hē porrhōthen tōn hagiōn oikēsis, ouk hē en tę̄ allotrią diatridē, ouk hē erēmia tōn didaskontōn, ouk hē tōn kratountōn asedeia, ouk hē tēs douleias anankē, ouk ho barys tou basileōs zygos, ou to tēs hēlikias aōron, ou pothos zōēs, ou phodos teleutēs, ouk allo tōn toioutōn ouden anepeise mikron ti parapheinai kai paradēnai tōn tou nomou grammatōn. ᾿Alla parakalousi men ton mona sphōn gegenēmenon, tēn apo spermatōn autois chorēgēsai trophēn, tēn basilikēn bdelyttoeenoi thoinēn, kai tēn poikilēn echeinēn mysattomenoi pandaisian᾽ heōrōn gar autēn tę̄ tōn eidōlōn miaida
And in matters where God was not being fought against, he did not fail to offer his masters fitting service; but considering the laws laid down against the Maker of all ridiculous, he hated those who laid them down and pitied those compelled to carry out the command; and considering such service deadly, he gave safety to those ordered to be killed, valuing death with piety above life with impiety. So his masters' loathsomeness did not harm him; rather the wickedness of his lords made him famous and admired. For nothing is … than the mind of a soul unwilling to serve vice. But I do not know what is happening to me, as the virtue of the best men forces my discourse and compels me to lengthen it beyond measure. Come, then, let us draw it away from this and pass on to another example. A certain Zedekiah became the last king of the Jews, himself sick with great impiety and unwilling to listen to the divine oracles. He … the most divine Jeremiah, then prophesying and carrying God's … to people, … because he foretold very painful and grievous things. But a certain Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch servant, taking no thought of the weight of royal power, the prevailing impiety, the frenzy against the prophet, or the misfortune of his slavery, rebuked the king's unjust sentence, accused the lawlessness dared against the prophet, pointed to the overseer of what happens, and frightened the king with just punishment. And the servant became the king's counsellor, the eunuch the man's, the foreigner the native's, the Ethiopian the Israelite's, one descended from Ham the counsellor of one descended from Shem. And he persuaded the king with pious words, brought the prophet up from that bitter, dark, and foul-smelling prison, and supplied him with necessary food all the time of the siege. And he received from God the blessing as the reward of his piety; and when the city was taken and those living in the palace were slaughtered, he enjoyed safety according to the divine promise. It is plain, then, from what has been said, that wicked masters not only do not harm good servants, but that these even reap much benefit from them. And this can be learned from elsewhere too. For when that city was laid waste because of its great lawlessness, and famine consumed many and war sent many to death, the king of the Chaldeans led the rest away to Babylon …; then he ordered those of noble birth, shining with bodily beauty and in the vigor of youth, to live within the palace, fulfilling the royal service. But first he ordered them to put off the hardship of the siege and the journey with a splendid diet, with food and dishes brought from the royal table. Here see the nobility of those divine youths: neither the capture of the city, nor the burning of the divine temple, nor the desolation of the inaccessible and untouchable sanctuary, nor the sacred vessels become spoils of the barbarians, nor the killing of the kings, nor the slaughter of the priests, nor living far from the holy places, nor living in a foreign land, nor the lack of teachers, nor the impiety of the rulers, nor the necessity of slavery, nor the heavy yoke of the king, nor their youthful age, nor love of life, nor fear of death, nor anything else of the kind persuaded them to neglect or transgress even a little of the letters of the law. But they entreat the one who had been made their … to supply them with food from seeds, loathing the royal feast and abhorring that varied banquet; for they saw it defiled by the pollution of idols …
Jer 37:15 (allusion, medium confidence) · Jer 38:6 (allusion, high confidence) · Jer 38:7 (allusion, high confidence) · Jer 38:13 (allusion, high confidence) · Jer 39:18 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 10:6 (echo, low confidence) · Dan 1:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 1:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 1:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 1:12 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Obadiah served wicked masters except where God was opposed; the Ethiopian eunuch Ebed-melech rescued Jeremiah and was saved; and the young captives in Babylon refused the king's food rather than break the law.
- Zedekiah and Jeremiah: Jer 37-38; Ebed-melech: Jer 38:7-13; 39:15-18. The young men in Babylon: Dan 1:3-12.
- "One descended from Ham … one descended from Shem": Theodoret traces the Ethiopians to Ham (Gen 10:6) and Israel to Shem.
- Words are lost in the OCR in several places ("nothing is … than", the account of Jeremiah's imprisonment, "to Babylon …", "made their …", and the end); marked … and not supplied.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (debris from Migne's Latin column; debris from Migne's Latin column read as Greek; leaked footnote and debris from Migne's Latin column; leaked footnote and debris; some Greek words are lost with it; stray marks): Ἢ ἐφ. ἰδ ά. ροβὶ γνώμη → ; ποὸ βοῦν τυ 18 το ρ 8 οἱ → ; μόνα ([ σφῶν → μόνα σφῶν; 4 Ὅλη. Ι, [λ- Εἰ δος αὐ οουβ᾽ ἃ 880 }8 ἢοὴ. τη γι 18. Πιὸυἱ νοὶ Ρϑα υ πὶ ἀδ] παυθγο, οἱ ἰορ 8 πιδηάδία δρ 6» Α → ; (ιν ἰϊ, εἱ νει. → .
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 8.10 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-10
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
8.11PG 83
νομένην προσηγορίᾳ. Τοσοῦτον δὲ εἶχον θάρσος, καὶ περὶ τὸν πατρῷον Θεὸν ἀγάπην καὶ πίστιν, ὡς ὑποσχέσθᾳι τῷ κηδεμόνι, τὴν ἀπὸ σπερμάτων τροφὴν λαμπροτέρους αὐτοὺς ἀποδείξειν τῶν βασιλικὰ σ!τουμένων σιτία. Καὶ οὐκ ἐψεύσθησαν τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἀλλὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐδρέψαντο τοὺς καρπούς, ᾿Δπεφάνθησαν γὰρ, ὡς ἐπηγγείλαντο, πάντων ὁμοῦ τῶν στεροι, καὶ ὥρᾳ πλείονι λάμποντες, καὶ ῥώμῃ κοσμούμενοι σώματος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ, ὁ χρόνος ὁδεύων, καὶ εἰς ἄνδρας τελεῖν αὐτοὺς παρεσκεύασε, καὶ πεῖρὰν τῆς σφετέρας ἀρετῆς δεδωκότες, ἄρχειν ἔλαχον τῶν ἐγχωρίων οἱ δορνάλωτοι, τηνικαῦτα πάλιν ἕτερον αὐτοῖς ἀνοίγεται στάδιον. Ὁ γὰρ ἀλαζὼν ἐχώνος, καὶ τῷ τύφῳ τῆς μανίας τὸν πατέρα μιμούμεγος, ἀνίστησι μὲν τὴν μεγίστην εἰκόνα ἐχείνην, τὴν ἐξ ὕλης καὶ χρυσοῦ κατεσκευασμένην, παρακελεύεται δὲ πάντας ὡς Θεὸν προσκυνεῖν τὴν εἰχόνα᾽ τοῖς δὲ προσκυνεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλουσι προύΐθηχε τιμωρίαν, τὴν κάμινον ἐχείνην, ἀπληστίᾳ τροφῆς ταύτην ἐπὶ πλεῖον αὐξήσας. Τότε τοίνυν πολλοὶ μὲν τῷ βασιλεῖ ζόμενοι, «τὸ χελευόμενογ ἐποίουν " πολλοὶ δὲ τὰ συνἤθη δρῶντες, ὡς ἑνὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰδώλων τὸ σέβας προσέφερον' ἦσαν δὲ, οἵ φόδῳ τῆς πυρᾶς προΐεντο τὰς ψυχὰς, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ συνειδότος χεντούμενοι, “ἢ θεῖον σέδας ἐπὶ τὴν εἰκόνα μετέφερον. Οἱ δὲ γεννάδαι ἐκεῖνοι, ᾿Ανανίας, ᾿Αζαρίας, καὶ Μισαὴλ, οἱ τον νόμοι, οἱ τῆς εὐσεδείας ἀθληταὶ, οἱ τῆς χάριτος πρόδρομοι, οἱ τῆς πίστεως πρόμαχοι, οἱ δοῦλοι τὰ σώματα, καὶ τὰ φρονήματα ἐλεύθεροι, οἱ αἰχμάλωτοι, καὶ βασιλέων τὰς ψυχὰς ὑψηλότεροι, οὐ μόνον ἑχόντες οὐ προσεχύνησαγ τῇ εἰκόνι, ἀλλὰ καὶ «χαττ ῃηγορηθέντες, ἅτε δὴ τὸ κελευσθὲν οὐ ποιήσαντες, ἀπολογίαν μὲν οὐδεμίαν προσφέρουσιν, ἄντικρυς δὲ ἀπανορεύουσι τὴν προσκύνησιν, καὶ μεγάλῃ βοῶσι φωνῇ᾽ « Ἔστι θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ᾧ ἡμεῖς λατρεύομεν, ὃς δύναται ῥύσασθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς χαμίγον τοῦ πυρὸς ςῆς καιομένης, καὶ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν φυν, ῥύσεται ἡμᾶς. Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ, γνωστὸν ἕστω σοι, ὧ βασιλεῦ, ὅτι τοῖς θεοῖς σον οὐ λατρεύομεν, καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ, ἧ ἔστησας, οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν. ν Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ μισθῷ τῷ πεπριηχότι δουλεύομεν, οὐδὲ τῇ εὖτὴν σωτηρίαν ὠνούμεθα, οὐδὲ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου ζωῆς τυχεῖν ἐφιέμεθα’ ἀλλὰ στέργομεν τοῦ Δεσπότον τὸ βούλημα’ κἂν ἀπαλλάξῃ τῶν δεινῶν, χάριν ὁμολογοῦν μεν" χᾶἂᾶν ττύτοις περιπεσεῖν συγχωρήσῃ, πρόσχυγοῦμεν. Ὅκι μὲν γὰρ δύναται χρεέττους ἡμᾶς ἀποφῆναι τῶν ἀπειλουμένων τιμωριῶν, ἴσμεν σαφῶς καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἀμφιδάλλομεν" εἰ δὲ καὶ βούλεται, ἀγνοοῦμεν, ᾿Ανέφιχτος γὰρ ὁ τῆς θείας Προμηθείας βυθός. Μὴ τοίνυν μέλλε, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ηὐτρεπισμέγαις παράπεμπε τιμωρίαις" ἡδίων μὲν γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ μετ᾽ εὐσεδείας θάνατος, τῆς σὺν ἀσεδείᾳ ζωῆς.
nomenēn prosēgorią. Tosouton de eichon tharsos, kai peri ton patrǭon Theon agapēn kai pistin, hōs hyposchesthąi tǭ kēdemoni, tēn apo spermatōn trophēn lamproterous autous apodeixein tōn basilika s!toumenōn sitia. Kai ouk epseusthēsan tēs elpidos, alla tēs pisteōs edrepsanto tous karpous, ᾿Dpephanthēsan gar, hōs epēngeilanto, pantōn homou tōn steroi, kai hōrą pleioni lampontes, kai rhōmę̄ kosmoumenoi sōmatos. Epeidē de, ho chronos hodeuōn, kai eis andras telein autous pareskeuase, kai peiran tēs spheteras aretēs dedōkotes, archein elachon tōn enchōriōn hoi dornalōtoi, tēnikauta palin heteron autois anoigetai stadion. Ho gar alazōn echōnos, kai tǭ typhǭ tēs manias ton patera mimoumegos, anistēsi men tēn megistēn eikona echeinēn, tēn ex hylēs kai chrysou kateskeuasmenēn, parakeleuetai de pantas hōs Theon proskynein tēn eichona᾽ tois de proskynein ouk ethelousi prouïthēche timōrian, tēn kaminon echeinēn, aplēstią trophēs tautēn epi pleion auxēsas. Tote toinyn polloi men tǭ basilei zomenoi, «to cheleuomenog epoioun " polloi de ta synēthē drōntes, hōs heni tōn allōn eidōlōn to sebas prosepheron' ēsan de, hoi phodǭ tēs pyras proïento tas psychas, kai hypo tou syneidotos chentoumenoi, “ē theion sedas epi tēn eikona metepheron. Hoi de gennadai ekeinoi, ᾿Ananias, ᾿Azarias, kai Misaēl, hoi ton nomoi, hoi tēs eusedeias athlētai, hoi tēs charitos prodromoi, hoi tēs pisteōs promachoi, hoi douloi ta sōmata, kai ta phronēmata eleutheroi, hoi aichmalōtoi, kai basileōn tas psychas hypsēloteroi, ou monon hechontes ou prosechynēsag tę̄ eikoni, alla kai «chatt ę̄ēgorēthentes, hate dē to keleusthen ou poiēsantes, apologian men oudemian prospherousin, antikrys de apanoreuousi tēn proskynēsin, kai megalę̄ boōsi phōnę̄᾽ « Esti theos en ouranǭ, hǭ hēmeis latreuomen, hos dynatai rhysasthai hēmas ek tēs chamigon tou pyros sēs kaiomenēs, kai ek tōn cheirōn phyn, rhysetai hēmas. Kai ean mē, gnōston hestō soi, hō basileu, hoti tois theois son ou latreuomen, kai tę̄ eikoni tę̄ chrysę̄, hē estēsas, ou proskynoumen. n Ou gar epi misthǭ tǭ pepriēchoti douleuomen, oude tę̄ eutēn sōtērian ōnoumetha, oude ek pantos tropou zōēs tychein ephiemetha’ alla stergomen tou Despoton to boulēma’ kan apallaxę̄ tōn deinōn, charin homologoun men" chaaan ttytois peripesein synchōrēsę̄, proschygoumen. Hoki men gar dynatai chreettous hēmas apophēnai tōn apeiloumenōn timōriōn, ismen saphōs kai oudamōs amphidallomen" ei de kai bouletai, agnooumen, ᾿Anephichtos gar ho tēs theias Promētheias bythos. Mē toinyn melle, alla tais ēutrepismegais parapempe timōriais" hēdiōn men gar hēmin ho met᾽ eusedeias thanatos, tēs syn asedeią zōēs.
… by the name. And they had such boldness, and such love and faith toward their ancestral God, that they promised the guardian that the food from seeds would make them more radiant than those who ate the royal food. And they were not deceived in their hope, but reaped the fruits of their faith. For they appeared, as they had promised, … than all … , shining with greater beauty and adorned with bodily strength. And when time, going on, had made them men, and having given proof of their virtue, the captives were allotted rule over the natives, another stadium was then opened to them. For that boastful man, imitating his father in the pride of his madness, set up that very great image made of wood and gold and ordered all to worship the image as a god; and for those unwilling to worship he set out a punishment, that furnace, which he had increased greatly with an insatiable supply of fuel. Then many, … the king, did what was commanded; many, doing what they were used to, offered the reverence as to one of the other idols; and there were some who out of fear of the fire betrayed their souls and, goaded by conscience, transferred the divine reverence to the image. But those noble men, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, … of the law, the athletes of piety, the forerunners of grace, the champions of faith, slaves in body but free in mind, captives yet loftier in soul than kings, not only did not willingly worship the image, but when they were accused of not doing what was commanded, offered no defense but flatly refused the worship and cried with a loud voice: "There is a God in heaven whom we serve, who is able to deliver us from the furnace of burning fire, and he will deliver us from your hands. And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods and do not worship the golden image you have set up." For we do not serve the one who bought us for a wage, nor … buy safety, nor do we desire to obtain life by every means; but we love the Master's will: if he frees us from the terrors, we will give thanks; if he allows us to fall into them, we will worship. That he can make us stronger than the punishments threatened, we know clearly and do not doubt at all; whether he also wills it, we do not know. For the depth of divine Providence is beyond reach. So do not delay, but send us to the punishments made ready; for death with piety is sweeter to us than life with impiety.
Dan 1:12 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 1:15 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:6 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:17 (quotation, high confidence) · Dan 3:18 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The young captives, strengthened by their simple diet, rise to office; when Nebuchadnezzar commands worship of the golden image, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael refuse, ready to die whether or not God delivers them.
- Dan 1:12-20; 3:1-18 (quoted from 3:17-18, LXX/Theodotion wording). "Imitating his father": Theodoret takes the king of Daniel 3 to be the son of the king in Daniel 1-2; the reason is not stated.
- Words are lost in the OCR at the beginning and in several later places ("… than all …", "many, … the king", "… of the law", "nor … buy safety"); marked … and not supplied. A leaked footnote is removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (debris from Migne's Latin column read as Greek; some Greek words are lost with it; leaked footnote and debris): γα ὶο δὰ δ αυρὰ β τ 8, ἢυ]}ροίαϑι [1τος γε, οἱ 58ὶ ἰῃ 11 → ; Εἰ ἃἱ ἀϊδίῳ- Ιλ ι, σι ου] 46 Ὅλη. τ, 17, 18. ( ὁὃ. → .
Topics: Martyrdom, Persecution
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 8.11 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-11
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
8.12PG 83
ΟΙ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ἔλεγον, ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλεν, Α ἀλλὰ τῇ καμίνῳ τοὺς νεανίας πεπεδημένους πκαρέπεμπε. Τὸ δὲ πὺρ ἕλυσε μὲν τὸν ἐκ σιδήρου δεσμὸν, τὴν εὐέμπρηστον δὲ τῶν τριχῶν ἐφύ- «λαξςε φύσιν’ ἅψασθαι δὲ τῆς δοθείσης οὐκ ἠνέσχετο τροφῆς, ἔφυγε δὲ, καὶ «ἃ νῶτα δέδωκε, καὶ κατὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἐχώρει προσχυνητῶν, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ θεράπονειας ἀχηράτους ἐφύλαττε. Καὶ καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον ἐγένετο θαῦμα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ «ἧς πυρᾶς ὄντες, καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἀνθράκων βαδίζοντες, πεῖραν τῆς φλογὸς οὐκ ἐλάμόανον᾽ οἱ δὲ περιεστῶ- «ες ἔξωθεν, καὶ τῇ καμίνῳ τὴν τροφὴν χορηγοῦντες, «ροφὴ τοῦ πυρὸς ἐγίνοντο. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀνῴμωζον ἐμπιπράμενοι, οἱ ὃὲ ἔνδον ὑμνοῦντες ἐχόρενον, καὶ τὴν κτίσιν ἅπασαν εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς ὑμνῳδίας ἐκάλουν, καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνοήτων προσχυνουμένοις στοιχείοις ὑμνεῖν τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐκέλευον. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἦν τῆς θαυματουργίας ἐκείνης ἣ δύναμις, ὡς αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον δραμεῖν παρ᾽ αὐτοὺς τὸν ἀλαζόνα καὶ μεμηνότα τύραννον, καὶ προσκυνῆσαι τοὺς τὴν τῆς εἰκόνος παραιτησαμένους προσκύνησιν, καὶ πᾶσιν ἑκιστεῖλαι τοῖς ὑπηκόοις, τὸν τούτων γεραίρειν θεόν. Οὕτως ὁ μέγας Δανιὴλ τὴν αὐτὴν τούτοις συμφορὰν ὑπομείνας, καὶ δορυάλωτος γεγονὼς, καὶ μετὰ βαρὀάρων βιοτεύειν ἠναγκασμένος, τὸν πατρῷον ἀχριδὼς διεφύλαττε νόμον, καὶ κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον κολιτευόμε γος, καθαρὰν καὶ ἀχίόδηλον ἐφύλαττε τὴν Ψυχὴν, καὶ τοσαύτην ἠφίει τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν αἴγλην, ὡς καὶ τὸν θηριώδη τύραννον ταῖς τοιαύταις ἀστραπαῖς καταπλῆξαι" καὶ πρῶτον μὲν δήλους τοὺς ἀγνοουμένους ὀνείρους καταστῆσαι, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὸ δέον εἰσηγήσασθαι, καὶ τὸ συνοίσειν μέλλον ὑποδεῖξαι καὶ παραινέσαι. Καὶ τί δεῖ πάντα λέγειν τὰ ὑπ᾽ ἐχείνου γεγενημέναλαμπρῶς; Ὅπως μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ προσεὐχεσθαι καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἰκετεύειν ἀπηγόρευσεν' ὅπως δὲ οὗτος πρότερον ἐννόμως εὐχόμενος, καὶ χρύδδην τοῦτο ποιῶν, ἐπειδὴ ὃὲ ὁ δυσσεδὴς νόμος ἐτέθη, προφανῶς τὸν Θεὸν ἀντιδολῶν διετέλει, τοῦ νόμου καταγελῶν, καὶ τοῦ νομοθέτον καταφρονῶν. "Ὅπως παρεδόθη τοῖς λέουσιν " ὅπως κἀκείνους χατέπληξε ταῖς τῆς εὐσεδείας ἀκτῖσι, καὶ οἷόν τισι χημοῖς τοῖς τῆς θείας εἰκόνος χαρακτῆρσιν ἐπέδησεν αὐτῶν τὰ μεμηνότα στόματα" ὅπως εἴλκυσεν εἰς θεωρίαν τοῦ θαύματος τὸν δυσσεδῇ βασιλέα" ὅπως αὑτὸν ἐδίδαξεν, ὡς ὁ τών Ἑθραίων Θεὸς πάντων ἐστὶ ποιητὴς καὶ Δεσπότης ὅπως τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων ἀπάτην διήλεγξε. Δυνατὸν γὰρ τούτων ἕχαστον ἐκ τῆς ἱστορίας καταμαθέϊν, καὶ γνῶναι σαφῶς, ὡς δυνατὸν πονηροῖς δεσπόταις δουλεύοντας μηδεμίαν ἐκεῖθεν ἐχμάξασθαι πονηρίαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄκραν τῆς ἀρετῆς χαταλαδεῖν κορυφὴν, καὶ τούτους τῆς πλάνης ἐλευθεροῦν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ποδηγεῖν, καὶ πολλοῖς ἑτέροις προκεῖσθαι σωτηρίας ἀρχέτυπον. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν μήτε τῆς δουλείας κατηγορείτω, μὴτε τὴν πονηρὰν δεσποτείαν νικᾷν τῶν δούλων τὴν ἀρετὴν νομιζέτω, ἀλλὰ πανταχόθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν προμήθειαν ὁράτω. ᾿Δλλὰ γὰρ τυχὸν εἴποι τις ἄν’ Τί δήποτε τοὺς παρανομίᾳ συνεζηκότας ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τῷ Βαδυλωνίων παραδέδωκε βασιλεῖ, καὶ τοὺς δικαίους εἴασε δορυαλώτους γενέσθαι; Ποίας τοῦτο προνοίας ἔργον; ποίας ψήφου δικαίας; ποία δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τούτοις ἀταξία καὶ ἀκοσμία καὶ σύγχυσις;
OI men oun tauta elegon, ho de ouk emellen, A alla tę̄ kaminǭ tous neanias pepedēmenous pkarepempe. To de pyr helyse men ton ek sidērou desmon, tēn euemprēston de tōn trichōn ephy- «laxse physin’ hapsasthai de tēs dotheisēs ouk ēnescheto trophēs, ephyge de, kai «ha nōta dedōke, kai kata tōn oikeiōn echōrei proschynētōn, tous de tou Theou theraponeias achēratous ephylatte. Kai kainon kai paradoxon egeneto thauma. Hoi men gar en mesǭ «hēs pyras ontes, kai ep᾽ anthrakōn badizontes, peiran tēs phlogos ouk elamoanon᾽ hoi de periestō- «es exōthen, kai tę̄ kaminǭ tēn trophēn chorēgountes, «rophē tou pyros eginonto. Kai hoi men anǭmōzon empipramenoi, hoi hoe endon hymnountes echorenon, kai tēn ktisin hapasan eis koinōnian tēs hymnǭdias ekaloun, kai tois hypo tōn anoētōn proschynoumenois stoicheiois hymnein ton euergetēn ekeleuon. Tosautē de ēn tēs thaumatourgias ekeinēs hē dynamis, hōs auton ekeinon dramein par᾽ autous ton alazona kai memēnota tyrannon, kai proskynēsai tous tēn tēs eikonos paraitēsamenous proskynēsin, kai pasin hekisteilai tois hypēkoois, ton toutōn gerairein theon. Houtōs ho megas Daniēl tēn autēn toutois symphoran hypomeinas, kai doryalōtos gegonōs, kai meta baroarōn bioteuein ēnankasmenos, ton patrǭon achridōs diephylatte nomon, kai kat᾽ ekeinon koliteuome gos, katharan kai achiodēlon ephylatte tēn Psychēn, kai tosautēn ēphiei tēs aretēs tēn aiglēn, hōs kai ton thēriōdē tyrannon tais toiautais astrapais kataplēxai" kai prōton men dēlous tous agnooumenous oneirous katastēsai, epeita de kai to deon eisēgēsasthai, kai to synoisein mellon hypodeixai kai parainesai. Kai ti dei panta legein ta hyp᾽ echeinou gegenēmenalamprōs? Hopōs men ho basileus to proseuchesthai kai ton Theon iketeuein apēgoreusen' hopōs de houtos proteron ennomōs euchomenos, kai chryddēn touto poiōn, epeidē hoe ho dyssedēs nomos etethē, prophanōs ton Theon antidolōn dietelei, tou nomou katagelōn, kai tou nomotheton kataphronōn. "Hopōs paredothē tois leousin " hopōs kakeinous chateplēxe tais tēs eusedeias aktisi, kai hoion tisi chēmois tois tēs theias eikonos charaktērsin epedēsen autōn ta memēnota stomata" hopōs eilkysen eis theōrian tou thaumatos ton dyssedę̄ basilea" hopōs hauton edidaxen, hōs ho tōn Hethraiōn Theos pantōn esti poiētēs kai Despotēs hopōs tēn tōn eidōlōn apatēn diēlenxe. Dynaton gar toutōn hechaston ek tēs historias katamatheïn, kai gnōnai saphōs, hōs dynaton ponērois despotais douleuontas mēdemian ekeithen echmaxasthai ponērian, alla tēn akran tēs aretēs chataladein koryphēn, kai toutous tēs planēs eleutheroun, kai pros tēn alētheian podēgein, kai pollois heterois prokeisthai sōtērias archetypon. Mēdeis toinyn mēte tēs douleias katēgoreitō, mēte tēn ponēran despoteian nikąn tōn doulōn tēn aretēn nomizetō, alla pantachothen tou Theou tēn promētheian horatō. ᾿Dlla gar tychon eipoi tis an’ Ti dēpote tous paranomią synezēkotas ho tōn holōn Theos tǭ Badylōniōn paradedōke basilei, kai tous dikaious eiase doryalōtous genesthai? Poias touto pronoias ergon? poias psēphou dikaias? poia de ouk estin en toutois ataxia kai akosmia kai synchysis?
They said this; and he did not delay, but sent the young men bound into the furnace. But the fire loosed the iron bonds while it preserved the easily burned nature of their hair; it would not touch the food given it, but fled, turned its back, went against its own worshippers, and kept God's servants unharmed. And a new and astonishing wonder happened. For those in the middle of the fire, walking on the coals, felt nothing of the flame, while those standing around outside and supplying fuel to the furnace became fuel for the fire. The ones wailed as they burned, while those inside danced as they sang, called all creation into fellowship in the hymn, and bade the elements worshipped by the foolish praise their benefactor. So great was the power of that miracle that the boastful and raving tyrant himself ran to them, did obeisance to those who had refused to worship the image, and wrote to all his subjects to honor their God. So too the great Daniel, who endured the same misfortune as they, became a captive and was compelled to live among barbarians, kept the ancestral law precisely, lived by it, kept his soul pure and unstained, and gave off such radiance of virtue as to strike even the beastly tyrant with such lightning; first making plain the dreams that were unknown, then also proposing what was needful and showing and advising what would be beneficial. And why need I tell all that he did so splendidly: how the king forbade praying and entreating God; how Daniel, who before had prayed according to the law and in secret, when the impious law was laid down, went on entreating God openly, laughing at the law and despising the lawgiver; how he was handed over to the lions; how he struck them with the rays of piety, and with the features of the divine image as with muzzles bound their raging mouths; how he drew the impious king to behold the miracle; how he taught him that the God of the Hebrews is the Maker and Master of all; how he refuted the deceit of idols? For each of these can be learned from the history, and one can know clearly that it is possible for those serving wicked masters to take no wickedness from them, but to reach the very summit of virtue, to free their masters from error and guide them to the truth, and to stand before many others as a model of salvation. So let no one accuse slavery, nor think that wicked mastery overcomes the virtue of slaves, but let him see God's forethought on every side. But perhaps someone might say: "Why did the God of all hand over to the king of the Babylonians those who lived in lawlessness, and allow the righteous to become captives? What providence's work is this? What just verdict? What disorder, unruliness, and confusion is there not in this?"
Dan 3:21 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:22 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:27 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:29 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 2:19 (allusion, medium confidence) · Dan 6:7 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 6:10 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 6:22 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 6:26 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The fire spares the three youths and burns their persecutors, and the king honors their God; Daniel likewise, though a captive, prays openly against the king's law, tames the lions, and teaches the king, showing that slaves of wicked masters can reach the summit of virtue.
- Dan 3:19-30 (the hymn of creation is in the Greek additions); Dan 2 (the dreams); Dan 6 (the decree against prayer and the lions' den).
- Debris from Migne's Latin column is removed in three places.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (column letter and debris from Migne's Latin column; debris from Migne's Latin column read as Greek): ἃ. δῖ ηο Δ πιοηοἱ υἱ οἱ πὺ ᾿}} 118 θυοἃς ἀϊτα 4 Πολύ ὕι → ; Ὁ Νδπιο ἰφίίυγ γε] δου ΐοπὶ δοσιβοῖ, γε] 8,30 πιἃ → ; απ) τ γ᾽ θη 5 ηΠυξ διιΐαπι ἴῃ ἢἷ8 θη 6ϑὶ ἱπογάϊηδίδ δὶ οοῃίυβἃ Γθ- Α → .
Extrabiblical texts: Pr Azar (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men [in RC, EO, ETH canons]; allusion)
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 8.12 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-12). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-12
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
8.13PG 83
᾿Αλλὰ ταῦτα λέγειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν οἱ τῆς θείας οἶκοκαὶ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων γευσάμενοι., ἴσασι τούτων τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ ῥίζαν. Κήδεται γὰρ τῶν πλημμελούντων, καὶ παιδεύει ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, καὶ ἀτημέλητον οὐδένα ἀνθρώπων ἐθέλει καταλιμπάνειν. Οὖ χάριν καὶ πέμπων αἰχμαλώτους τοὺς παρανόμους, συνἐπεμψεν αὐτοῖς οἷόν τινας παιδοτρίδας καὶ διδασκάλους τοὺς ἀρετῇ συζῶντας, ἵνα, καθάπερ τινὶ λύχνῳ φωταγωγούμενοι καὶ ποδηγούμενοι τῷ τούτων βίῳ καὶ λόγῳ, τὴν ἀπλανῇ τρίδον οὕτω πως ὁδεύωσιν, Ὅτι δὲ οὐ μόνον τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις σωτηρίας ἐγένετο πρόξενος ἣ τούτων αἰχμαλωσία, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ἐφώτισε τῷ τῆς θεογνωσίας φωτὶ, μάρτυς ἣ ἱστορία. Ἐὶ τοίνυν αὐτοὶ μὲν διὰ τῶν ἀγώνων διἔλαμψαν, καὶ περιφανεῖς ἐγένοντο, καὶ περίδλεπτοι, καὶ τοῖς ὀψιγόνοις ἀρχέτνπον ὠφελείας κατέλιπον, καὶ τοῖς συναιχμαλώτοις ὑπόθεσις σωτηρίας ἐγένοντο, καὶ τοὺς βαρθάρους ὥνησαν, ἀκραιφνῇ φυλάξαντες τὴν εὐσέδειαν, καὶ δι᾽ ἐκείνης μεγάλα θαυματουρήσαντες θαύματα, τί τῆς Προνοίας κατηγορεῖς τοιαῦτα προμηθουμένης; Τὶ δ᾽ οὐκὶ μᾶλλον ὑμνεῖς τὸν τῶν ψυχῶν Οἰκονόμον, καὶ τῆς κτίσεως Κυύερνήτην, οὕτω σοφῶς ἅπαντα καὶ συμφερόντως ἰθύναντα : Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῶν θείων ὑπέδειξα λογίων, ὡς δυνατὸν πονηρῷ δεσπότῃ δουλεύοντα, καὶ κακίαν φεύγειν, καὶ ἀρετὴν μετελθεῖν, καὶ τοῖς δεσπόταις πολλὰς προφάσεις παρασχεῖν ὠφελείας. Σὺ δὲ τοὺς νῦν συνδουλεύοντας καὶ ὄψει πολλοὺς ἀκολάστοις μὲν δευλεύοντας, ἀκολασίαν δὲ βδελυττομένους, καὶ σωφροσύνην τιμῶντας, ᾿καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἐκ τῶν δεσποτῶν κακίαν ἐχματτομένους, ἀλλ᾽ ὧν ἀρτίως διεξεληλύθαμεν ἀνδρῶν μιμουμένους τὸν βίον. Καὶ ἔχ τε τῶν εἰρημένων, ἔκ τε τῶν ὁρωμένων, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως τὸ αὐτεξούσιον διδαχθεὶς, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας τὴν σοφίαν καταμαθὼν, παλινῳδίαν σον, καὶ τὴν νῦν ἀναχρουομένην ὑπὸ σοῦ βλασφημίαν εἷς ὑμνῳδίαν μετάδαλε, καὶ τὰ κρούματα τῆς γλώσσης τὰ νῦν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱγνόμενα, ὑπὲρ Θεοῦ γιγνέσθω, καὶ τοῦ Ποιητοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν ἀδέτω, Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ᾿Αμήν.
᾿Alla tauta legein epicheirousin hoi tēs theias oikokai tōn theiōn mystēriōn geusamenoi., isasi toutōn tēn aitian kai rhizan. Kēdetai gar tōn plēmmelountōn, kai paideuei ho philanthrōpos, kai atēmelēton oudena anthrōpōn ethelei katalimpanein. Ou charin kai pempōn aichmalōtous tous paranomous, synepempsen autois hoion tinas paidotridas kai didaskalous tous aretę̄ syzōntas, hina, kathaper tini lychnǭ phōtagōgoumenoi kai podēgoumenoi tǭ toutōn biǭ kai logǭ, tēn aplanę̄ tridon houtō pōs hodeuōsin, Hoti de ou monon tois homophylois sōtērias egeneto proxenos hē toutōn aichmalōsia, alla kai tous allophylous ephōtise tǭ tēs theognōsias phōti, martys hē historia. Ei toinyn autoi men dia tōn agōnōn dielampsan, kai periphaneis egenonto, kai peridleptoi, kai tois opsigonois archetnpon ōpheleias katelipon, kai tois synaichmalōtois hypothesis sōtērias egenonto, kai tous bartharous hōnēsan, akraiphnę̄ phylaxantes tēn eusedeian, kai di᾽ ekeinēs megala thaumatourēsantes thaumata, ti tēs Pronoias katēgoreis toiauta promēthoumenēs? Ti d᾽ ouki mallon hymneis ton tōn psychōn Oikonomon, kai tēs ktiseōs Kyyernētēn, houtō sophōs hapanta kai sympherontōs ithynanta : Egō men oun ek tōn theiōn hypedeixa logiōn, hōs dynaton ponērǭ despotę̄ douleuonta, kai kakian pheugein, kai aretēn metelthein, kai tois despotais pollas prophaseis paraschein ōpheleias. Sy de tous nyn syndouleuontas kai opsei pollous akolastois men deuleuontas, akolasian de bdelyttomenous, kai sōphrosynēn timōntas, ᾿kai oudemian ek tōn despotōn kakian echmattomenous, all᾽ hōn artiōs diexelēlythamen andrōn mimoumenous ton bion. Kai ech te tōn eirēmenōn, ek te tōn horōmenōn, kai tēs hēmeteras physeōs to autexousion didachtheis, kai tēs tou Theou pronoias tēn sophian katamathōn, palinǭdian son, kai tēn nyn anachrouomenēn hypo sou blasphēmian heis hymnǭdian metadale, kai ta kroumata tēs glōssēs ta nyn kata tou Theou Huignomena, hyper Theou gignesthō, kai tou Poiētou tēn pronoian adetō, Christou tou Theou hēmōn autǭ hē doxa eis tous aiōnas. ᾿Amēn.
But those who … the divine dispensation try to say this; those who have tasted the divine mysteries know their cause and root. For the lover of humankind cares for those who offend and disciplines them, and wishes to leave no human being uncared for. For this reason, when he sent the lawless into captivity, he sent with them those who lived in virtue as trainers and teachers, so that, lit as by a lamp and guided by their life and word, they might somehow travel the path that does not stray. And that their captivity became a cause of salvation not only to those of their own race but also enlightened the foreigners with the light of the knowledge of God, the history is witness. If, then, they shone through their contests, became famous and admired, left to later generations a model of benefit, became an occasion of salvation for their fellow captives, and helped the barbarians, keeping their piety pure and through it working great wonders, why do you accuse Providence, which takes such forethought? Why do you not rather praise the steward of souls and the pilot of creation, who steers all things so wisely and beneficially? I have shown from the divine oracles that it is possible for one serving a wicked master to flee vice, pursue virtue, and give his masters many occasions of benefit. And you, looking at your fellow slaves now, will see many serving licentious masters, yet loathing licentiousness and honoring chastity, taking no vice from their masters, but imitating the life of the men we have just described. Taught, then, by what has been said and what is seen, and by the free will of our nature, and having learned the wisdom of God's providence, sing a palinode, change the blasphemy you now strike up into a hymn, and let the notes of your tongue, now struck against God, be struck for God and sing the providence of the Maker, Christ our God; to him be glory to the ages. Amen.
Ps 119:105 (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: God sent the righteous into captivity with the lawless as their teachers and as a light to the nations; so Theodoret ends the eighth discourse urging his hearer, taught that slaves can be virtuous under bad masters, to turn his blasphemy into praise.
- Words are lost in the OCR at the beginning of this part ("those who … the divine dispensation", probably "are uninitiated in"); marked …. A leaked footnote is removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (debris from Migne's Latin column and a leaked footnote): ἡ Εἰ τ 65, υἱ σοῦ ]ὰοἱ 4116-οἷδἴδ πὶ ὀχδοία ουϑίοαϊαηϊ, οἱ ροῦ ἢ πὶ οἱ γι! θεἱ πογε γα Γ, πὶ, 23. → .
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 8.13 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-13). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/8-13
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-theodoret-de-providentia-8-13) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 9
9.1PG 83
Εἰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐκείνης παραινέσεως ἅπαντες ἢθελον ἐπαΐειν, τῆς διαῤῥήδην βοώσης" ε Ἰσχυρότερά σου μὴ ζήτει, καὶ βαθύτερά σου μὴ ἐρεύνα, ἃ προσετάγη σοι ταῦτα διανοοῦ, » πολλῶν οὐκ ἂν ἐδεήθημεν λόγων, τὴν περὶ πάντα τοῦ Θεοῦ προμήθειαν δεικνύναι βουλόμενοι. ΔΛίαν γὰρ ἣν εὐπετὲς καὶ μάλα ῥάδιον, τῆς περιττῆς καὶ ματαίας πολυπραγμοσύνης ἀπηλλαγμένους, κατιδεῖν ταύτην τῶν τοῦ παντὸς οἰάκων ἐπειλημμένην, καὶ σοφῶς ἅπαντα χυδερνῶσαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἑχόντες ὁρᾷν οὐκ ἐθέλουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς μύουσι, καὶ τὰ ὦτα βύουσι, καὶ τῆς πανταχόθεν φερομένης φωνῇς ἐπαΐειν οὐκ ἐθέλουσι, καὶ τῶν εὖ καὶ καλῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ γιγνομένων ἕκαστον ἄττα συνείρουσι τὰς ψευδεῖς κατηγορίας ὑφαίνοντες, εἰκότως, οἶμαι, τὸν κατὰ τῆς κατηγορίας ἀνεδεξάμεθα λόγον, συκοφαντίαν οὖσαν, ἀλλὰ οὐκ αἰτίαν ὀρθὴν ἀποδεῖξαι βουλόμενοι" καὶ τὴν πολεμουμένην ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν προμήθειαν καλέσαντες σύμμαχον, καὶ τοῦ τῆς ἀπολογίας προστησάμενοι λόγον, ὀκτὼ μὲν ἤδη διεξἐληλύθαμεν λόγους, τὴν τῶν ἀχαρίστων διελέγχοντες βλασφημίαν. Καὶ τῆς ἀχαριστίας αὐτῶν κατηγόρους ὁμοῦ καὶ μάρτυρας παρηγάγομεν εἰς μέσον, οὐρανὸν, καὶ γῆν, καὶ θάλασσαν, καὶ ἀέρα, καὶ τὰ ἐν τούτοις ἅπαντα σώματα, ἔμψυχά τε καὶ ἄψυχᾳ, λογικά τε καὶ ἄλογα, πτηνὰ καὶ πεζὰ, καὶ νηκτὰ καὶ ἀμφίὅια. Καὶ πρὸς τούτοις, τὴν τῶν ἀνθρωπείων σωμάτῶν κατασκευὴν, τὴν ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν μορίων διαλάμπουσαν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ προμήθειαν. Τὸ θεόσδοτον τοῦ λόγου δῶρον, δι᾽ οὗ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ φύσις καὶ γεωργίαν εὗρε, καὶ ναυτιλίαν, ἰατρικήν τε καὶ γραμματικὴν ἐπιστήμην, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀπάσας τέχνας καὶ ἐπιστήμας, αἵ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν βίον ἡδίω κατασκευάζουσιν. ᾿Απεδείξαμεν δὲ, σὺν Θεῷ φάναι, καὶ τῶν ζώων ἡμέρων τε καὶ ἀγρίων τὴν χρείαν, καὶ πλούτου καὶ πενίας τὸ χρέσιμον, δουλείας καὶ δεσποτείας τὸ ἀναγκαῖον' εἶτα πρὸς τούτοις, ὡς μηδεμίαν πρὸς τῶν κακίᾳ συζώντων δεσποτῶν ἕλκουσι βλάδην, εἰ θέλουσι σωφρονεῖν, οἱ δουλεύοντες. Καὶ τούτων ἐκ μὲν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς τὰς ἀποδείξεις εἰς μέσον ἠγάγομεν᾽ τοῖς δὲ πικροῖς τῆς Προνοίας κατηγόροις, τοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος δουλευόντων τὴν ἐξἐτασιν παρελίπομεν. "Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ νῦν ἰδεῖν μυρίους «πονηροῖς μὲν δεσπόταις δουλεύοντας, οὐ μόνον δὲ τὴν δεσποτικὴν κακίαν οὐ μιμουμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ κομιδῇ μένους, καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν τοῖς δεσπόταις ὁδεύοντας. ᾿Αλλ ἴσως πάλιν ἑτέραν ἐντεῦθεν ἀφορμὴν κατηγορίας καϊτὰ τῆς θείας λήψονται Προμηθείας, καὶ τοὺς «ἧς ἀρετῆς τροφίμους μάταια πονεῖν φήσουσι, καὶ κατὰ πετρῶν σπείρειν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, καὶ χοσχίνῳ ὕδωρ ἀντλεῖν, καὶ τοιαῦτα ἅττα δρᾷν, καρπῶν ἀγαθῶν οὐδαμῶς ἀπολαύοντας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ, φασὶ, πολλῇ, τὸν βίον ὁδεύουσιν" οἱ δὲ, τὸν βαρὺν ἕλκουσι τῆς δουλείας ζυγὸν, καὶ διηνεχέσιν ὑπόκεινται πόνοις, καὶ τὸ τούτων πολλῷ χαλεπώτερον, πολλοὶ πονηρίαν, μυσαττόμενοι, πονηροῖς δουλεύειν δεσπόταις ἀνέχονται. Ποῖον οὖν ἔχουσι, φησὶν, οὗτοι μισθόν; ποίας τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰς ἀντιδόσεις; ποῖα τῶν πόνων τα ἐπίχειρα; τίς ὁ τῶν ἱδρώτων καρπός, τῶν ἀγώνων τὰ ἄθλα; Οὔτε γὰρ τοὺς δουλεύειν λαχόντας ἅπαντας ἐλευθερίας ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἀπολαύοντας, οὔτε τοῦς πενίᾳ μὲν συγχληρωθέντας, ἀρετῆς δὲ φροντιστὰς γεγενημένους, εἰς τὸν τῶν πλουσίων μεταδάντας ὁρῶμεν κατάλογον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ τοὺς πλείστους ταλαιπωρίᾳ διαμεμενηκότας. ᾿Αλλὰ ᾿σὺ μὲν, ὦ ταλαίπωρε καὶ χαμαίζηλε, τῇ γαστρὶ, καὶ τῇ γνάθῳ, καὶ ταῖς ὀφρύσι τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν μετρεῖς, καὶ ὄρον εὐπραξίας εἶναι νομίζεις ζεῦγος
Ei tēs agathēs ekeinēs paraineseōs hapantes ēthelon epaïein, tēs diarrhēdēn boōsēs" e Ischyrotera sou mē zētei, kai bathytera sou mē ereuna, ha prosetagē soi tauta dianoou, » pollōn ouk an edeēthēmen logōn, tēn peri panta tou Theou promētheian deiknynai boulomenoi. DLian gar hēn eupetes kai mala rhadion, tēs perittēs kai mataias polypragmosynēs apēllagmenous, katidein tautēn tōn tou pantos oiakōn epeilēmmenēn, kai sophōs hapanta chydernōsan. Epeidē de polloi tōn anthrōpōn hechontes horąn ouk ethelousin, alla kai tous ophthalmous myousi, kai ta ōta byousi, kai tēs pantachothen pheromenēs phōnę̄s epaïein ouk ethelousi, kai tōn eu kai kalōs hypo tou Theou gignomenōn hekaston atta syneirousi tas pseudeis katēgorias hyphainontes, eikotōs, oimai, ton kata tēs katēgorias anedexametha logon, sykophantian ousan, alla ouk aitian orthēn apodeixai boulomenoi" kai tēn polemoumenēn hyp᾽ autōn promētheian kalesantes symmachon, kai tou tēs apologias prostēsamenoi logon, oktō men ēdē diexelēlythamen logous, tēn tōn acharistōn dielenchontes blasphēmian. Kai tēs acharistias autōn katēgorous homou kai martyras parēgagomen eis meson, ouranon, kai gēn, kai thalassan, kai aera, kai ta en toutois hapanta sōmata, empsycha te kai apsychą, logika te kai aloga, ptēna kai peza, kai nēkta kai amphioia. Kai pros toutois, tēn tōn anthrōpeiōn sōmatōn kataskeuēn, tēn en hekastǭ tōn moriōn dialampousan tou Theou tēn sophian kai promētheian. To theosdoton tou logou dōron, di᾽ hou tōn anthrōpōn hē physis kai geōrgian heure, kai nautilian, iatrikēn te kai grammatikēn epistēmēn, kai tas allas apasas technas kai epistēmas, hai tōn anthrōpōn ton bion hēdiō kataskeuazousin. ᾿Apedeixamen de, syn Theǭ phanai, kai tōn zōōn hēmerōn te kai agriōn tēn chreian, kai ploutou kai penias to chresimon, douleias kai despoteias to anankaion' eita pros toutois, hōs mēdemian pros tōn kakią syzōntōn despotōn helkousi bladēn, ei thelousi sōphronein, hoi douleuontes. Kai toutōn ek men tēs theias Graphēs tas apodeixeis eis meson ēgagomen᾽ tois de pikrois tēs Pronoias katēgorois, tois epi tou parontos douleuontōn tēn exetasin parelipomen. "Esti gar kai nyn idein myrious «ponērois men despotais douleuontas, ou monon de tēn despotikēn kakian ou mimoumenous, alla kai komidę̄ menous, kai tēn enantian tois despotais hodeuontas. ᾿All isōs palin heteran enteuthen aphormēn katēgorias kaïta tēs theias lēpsontai Promētheias, kai tous «hēs aretēs trophimous mataia ponein phēsousi, kai kata petrōn speirein, to dē legomenon, kai choschinǭ hydōr antlein, kai toiauta hatta drąn, karpōn agathōn oudamōs apolauontas. Hoi men gar, phasi, pollę̄, ton bion hodeuousin" hoi de, ton baryn helkousi tēs douleias zygon, kai diēnechesin hypokeintai ponois, kai to toutōn pollǭ chalepōteron, polloi ponērian, mysattomenoi, ponērois douleuein despotais anechontai. Poion oun echousi, phēsin, houtoi misthon? poias tēs aretēs tas antidoseis? poia tōn ponōn ta epicheira? tis ho tōn hidrōtōn karpos, tōn agōnōn ta athla? Oute gar tous douleuein lachontas hapantas eleutherias estin idein apolauontas, oute tous penią men synchlērōthentas, aretēs de phrontistas gegenēmenous, eis ton tōn plousiōn metadantas horōmen katalogon, all᾽ en tę̄ proterą tous pleistous talaipōrią diamemenēkotas. ᾿Alla ᾿sy men, ō talaipōre kai chamaizēle, tę̄ gastri, kai tę̄ gnathǭ, kai tais ophrysi tēn eudaimonian metreis, kai oron eupraxias einai nomizeis zeugos
If all were willing to listen to that good exhortation which cries out expressly, "Do not seek what is too strong for you, nor search out what is too deep for you; think on what has been commanded you," we would not need many words in wishing to show God's forethought over all things. For it would be very easy and simple for those freed from superfluous and vain curiosity to see it holding the tillers of the universe and wisely steering all things. But since many people willingly refuse to see, close their eyes, stop their ears, refuse to hear the voice that comes from every side, and string together false accusations against each thing done well and rightly by God, we have reasonably, I think, undertaken the discourse against their accusation, wishing to show that it is slander and not a just charge; and calling as our ally the forethought they attack, and putting forward the discourse of defense, we have already gone through eight discourses refuting the blasphemy of the ungrateful. As accusers and witnesses of their ingratitude we brought forward heaven, earth, sea, and air, and all the bodies in them, living and lifeless, rational and irrational, winged and walking, swimming and amphibious; and besides these, the construction of human bodies, God's wisdom and forethought shining out in each of its parts; the God-given gift of reason, by which human nature discovered farming and seafaring, medicine and grammar, and all the other arts and sciences that make human life more pleasant. We have shown, God willing, the usefulness of animals both tame and wild, the benefit of wealth and poverty, the necessity of slavery and mastery; and besides these, that those who serve draw no harm from masters who live in vice, if they wish to be self-controlled. For these we brought forward proofs from the divine Scripture, and left to the bitter accusers of Providence the examination of those who are slaves at present. For even now one can see countless people serving wicked masters who not only do not imitate their masters' vice but are utterly … and travel the opposite road to their masters. But perhaps they will take from this again another occasion of accusation against divine Forethought, and will say that the nurslings of virtue labor in vain, sow on rocks, as the saying goes, draw water with a sieve, and do such things, enjoying no good fruits at all. "For the one sort," they say, "travel through life with much …; the others drag the heavy yoke of slavery and are subject to continual labors; and what is much harder than these, many who abhor wickedness consent to serve wicked masters. What reward, then," he says, "do these have? What recompense for virtue? What return for their labors? What fruit of their sweat, what prizes for their contests? For we do not see all those whose lot is slavery enjoying freedom, nor do we see those allotted poverty who have cared for virtue passing over into the list of the rich, but most of them remaining in their former hardship." But you, wretched and grovelling man, measure happiness by the belly, the jaw, and the eyebrows, and think the definition of prosperity is a lofty team of horses,
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Opening his ninth discourse, Theodoret reviews the eight preceding ones and takes up a new objection: that the virtuous, often poor or enslaved, receive no reward for their labors.
- "Do not seek what is too strong for you …": Sir 3:21-22. A leaked footnote gives the variant "do not examine what is too strong for you".
- Words are lost in the OCR in "utterly …" and in "with much …" (evidently luxury); marked … and not supplied. Debris from Migne's Latin column is removed throughout.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (debris from Migne's Latin column; debris from Migne's Latin column read as Greek; footnote marker; leaked footnote (variant reading); leaked footnote and debris inside the word πόνων): προσετάγη (6}) σοι → προσετάγη σοι; ἰσχυρότερά) ξοὺ μὴ ἐξέταζε. → ; Α Ῥγονϊἀεπίίαπι → ; τὴν (θὅ) σοφίαν → τὴν σοφίαν; ἀπάσας (θ4) τέχνας → ἀπάσας τέχνας; οὐ- Θὰ Εἰ πὶ ἀυ πὶ τη οἱ 40: ἰῃ- ἢ → ; ( Βοπὶϊ παῖυγα " γοροῦῖῖ. Ῥγϑίογοα, Πὸϊ Δυχὶ 9, 2}}}- → ; τὴ πολλ, Βαϊ... ῥτίον δάἀάθθαὶ γάρ, ρμυποῖίο δὰ Ἰῃ δ] 0 δαὶ ἀδβοὰ 1]οἱ, αἴ μά 6 οϑῖ, πὶ ἢ 4185 ἢ 418 χαλεπώτερον δια τοιοῦ. ων τῶοἘὁΠ]ρΔιοὔὩ- ς΄ ς ω.-.. Ὡς Ὁ Ὡς ἀγα μνὶ Α Κ → π; ἰη αν! πη ἢδ- Ῥογα, οἱ νϑϑίοπι βρη ἰδ), 6405 δὰ μη] τὶ αἀϊ- 6 ῃ 115 ἰδ Υἱνοῦ 88οι, ἐπ(ο!οὐτδίδπι οἱ πη ϊϑα γί πὶ ἃ βοὰ υἱ ᾿)48 τἰΐα αἰβρθηβϑᾶπάο, οἱ ἱρϑὶ ἀϊοἱ ἀΐποϊὰ → .
Extrabiblical texts: Sir 3:21-22 (Sirach [in RC, EO, ETH canons]; quotation)
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 9.1 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/9-1). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/9-1
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
9.2PG 83
ὑψηλὸν, καὶ δορυφόρους, καὶ ἐφεστρίδα λαμπρὰν, καὶ ἵππους ἠσχημένους εἰς κάλλος, καὶ προμετνους, καὶ κήρυκα βοῶντα, καὶ οἰχέαν εἰς ὕψος ἐγηκαλίας λίθοις διηνθισμένους, καὶ γραφιχῇ τέχνῃ πεποιχιλμένους, καὶ στιθάδας, καὶ κύκλους, καὶ ἕπιπλα, καὶ ἐκπώματα, καὶ οἵἴνους ἀνθοσμίας, καὶ πανδαισίαν Σιχελιχήν τε καὶ Συδαριτιχὴν, καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα οἱ τὸν ὑγρὸν, καὶ ἀνείμενον, καὶ ἁδροδίαιτον ἐπι- «ηδεύουσι βίον. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἔκαστος, οὗ μόνον οὐκ εὐδαιμονίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κακοδαιμονίαν ἐσχάτην, καὶ δυσπραξίαν εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο δέδωκε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸν πλοῦτὸν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Πρύτανις, ἵν᾽ εἰς ἀκολασίαν αὐτὸν δαπανήσωσι, καὶ πονηρίας ἐφόδιον γένηται" ἀλλ᾽ ὅπως αὐτὸν εὖ καὶ καλῶς οἰκονομήσαντες, καὶ αὐτοῖ τε ὧν δεῖ μεταλαδόντες, καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις τῶν περιττῶν μεταδιδόντες, σωφροσύνης αὐτὸν καὶ δι. Ο καιοσύνης ἀποφήνωσιν ὕλην. Οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὸς ὃ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς οὕτιυ ταῦτα διέταξε, καὶ οἱ θεῖοι ἄν. δρες, ἑπόμενοι τῷ Δεσπότῃ, τοὺς κειμένους στέργουσιν ὄρους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμεῖς, οἱ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀχαριστίαν νενοσηκότες, τῶν κακῶς οὕτω τῷ πλούτῳ χεχρημέ.» νων κατηγορεῖν εἰώθατε" μᾶλλον δὲ τούτους μὲν ἀξιοῦτε συγγνώμης, τὸν δὲ τῶν ὅλων Πρύτανιν βλασφημεῖτε, ὡς πονηροῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῦ πλούτου δεδωκότα τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς συνδοκεῖ, μὴ τὴν τοιαύτην χλιδὴν εὐπραξίαν ὀρίζεσθαει, ἀλλὰ τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σώφρονα βίον ἐπαίνων ἄξιον εἶναι, καὶ εὐφημίας τῆς ἀνωτάτω, κκαὶ εἴτ᾽ ἐν πενίᾳ, εἴτ᾽ ἐν περιουσίᾳ φανείη τῶν ἴσων στεφάνων ἀξιοῦν. ᾿Ηγοῦμαι δὲ, ὅτι τοὺς ἐν πενίᾳ τῆς ἀρεςῆς ἐπιμεστεφάνοις καὶ ὑμεῖς ταινιώσετε. ᾿Αλλ᾽ οὐ τοῦτον ἔχουσιν οἱ τὸν Θεὸν θεραπεύειν ἑσπουδαχότες μισθὸν, οὐδ᾽ εἰς ταύτην ὁρῶσι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν οἱ περὶ τοὺς θείους νόμους ἑσπουδαχότες. Εἶδε γὰρ πολλοὺς πολλάκις καὶ λωδᾶτθαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ ἕπαινος. Χαυνοῖ γὰρ τὴν προθυμίαν, καὶ τῷ δρόμῳ λυμαίνοται" καὶ ἡγούμενός τις αὐτὸ κατειληφέναι τοῦ δρόμου τὸ τέρμα, τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ ἔπαινος ὑπαινίττεται, παύεται τοῦ τρέχειν, καὶ τὴν νίκην ἀπόλλυσι. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου παραδηλῶν, ἔλεγε" « Λαός μου, οἱ μακαρίζοντες ὑμᾶς πλανῶσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὴν τρίθον τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐχταράττουσιν.» Διαλύουσι γὰρ τοῖς ἐπαίνοις τῆς προθυμίας τὸ σύντονον, καὶ χαταλαδεῖν οὐκ ἐῶσι τὴν νύσσαν. Οὕτως ὁ μακάριος ἔτρεχε Παῦλος, οὔτε τοῖς ἐπαινοῦσιν, οὔτε τοῖς βλασφημοῦσι προσέχων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὄπισθεν μὲν ἐπιλανθανόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος καὶ κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκων ἐπὶ τὸ βραθεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως. Οὐ τοίνυν μισθὸν ὁρίζονται τῶν πόνων τὸν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔπαινον τῶν θείων νόμων οἱ φύλακες, ἀλλὰ τὰς θείας ἀναμένουσιν ὑποσχέσεις, τὸν τῶν ἄθλων ἀγωνοθέτην τοῦ δικαίου χριτοῦ πὴν ψῆφον προσδέχονται, τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ἀνάστασιν, τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάδασιν, τὴν μετ᾽ ἀγγέλων χορείᾳν, καὶ πρὸ τούτων ἁπάντων, τὸ διηνεκῶς αὐτὸν ἀρᾷ) τὸν ἐρώμενον, δι᾽ ὃν τοῦ βίου τὸ πέλαγος διαπερῶντες, τῶν τῆς πονηρίας ὑπερέπλευσαν κυμάτων, καὶ μετὰ πολλῶν διανηχόμενοι πόνων, οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ὑποδρύχιοι γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν λιμένων τὴν ἀσθένειαν. Λιμένα δὲ ἔχουσιν οἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰς ἄκρον ἐληλαχότες, οὐ ζωὴν, οὐκ ἀνάστασιν, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀγαστῶν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸν τὸν ποθούμενον, δι᾿ ὃν «ρυφὴν ἡγοῦνται τὴν χαχουχίαν, καὶ ὕπνον ἥδιστον τὴν ἐπίπονον ἐργασίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐν ἐρήμοις διατριδὴν τῆς ἐν πόλεαι θυμηρεστέραν, καὶ τὴν ἐν πενίᾳ ζωὴν, τῆς μετὰ πλούτου λαμπροτέραν, καὶ τὴν πικρὰν δουλείαν, πάσης τυραννίδος ἡδίω. Τοῦτον οἱ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐργάται προσμένουσι τὸν μισθόν. « "Ἔστι γὰρ κληρονομία τοῖς θεραπεύουσι τὸν Κύριον, » ὡς ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαΐας βοᾷ. Μαρτυρεΐζ δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Δαβὶδ, εὐχαριστήριον ὕμνον ὑφαίνων τῷ δοτῆρι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ λέγων" ε ΓἼἜδωχας κληρονομίαν ταῖς φοδουμένοις τὸ ὄνομά που, Κύριε. » δὲ καὶ αὐτὸ; ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὺ- ͵ αγγελίοις τοιαῦτα διεξέρχεται" « Μακάριοι, λέγων, οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν᾽ μακάριοι οἱ πραεῖς, ὅτι αὐτοὶ χληρονομή“σουσι τὴν γῆν᾽ » καὶ τἄλλα τὰ τούτοις ἑπόμενα, ῥάδιον τῷ βουλομένῳ τὰς θείας ἀναπτύξαντι καταμαθεῖν. Εὐρήσει γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν τα-
hypsēlon, kai doryphorous, kai ephestrida lampran, kai hippous ēschēmenous eis kallos, kai prometnous, kai kēryka boōnta, kai oichean eis hypsos egēkalias lithois diēnthismenous, kai graphichę̄ technę̄ pepoichilmenous, kai stithadas, kai kyklous, kai hepipla, kai ekpōmata, kai hoiinous anthosmias, kai pandaisian Sichelichēn te kai Sydaritichēn, kai talla hosa hoi ton hygron, kai aneimenon, kai hadrodiaiton epi- «ēdeuousi bion. Tauta de panta tōn eu phronountōn ekastos, hou monon ouk eudaimonian, alla kai kakodaimonian eschatēn, kai dyspraxian eiōthen onomazein. Oude gar dia touto dedōke tois anthrōpois ton plouton ho tōn holōn Prytanis, hin᾽ eis akolasian auton dapanēsōsi, kai ponērias ephodion genētai" all᾽ hopōs auton eu kai kalōs oikonomēsantes, kai autoi te hōn dei metaladontes, kai tois deomenois tōn perittōn metadidontes, sōphrosynēs auton kai di. O kaiosynēs apophēnōsin hylēn. Ou monon de autos ho tōn holōn Theos houtiy tauta dietaxe, kai hoi theioi an. dres, hepomenoi tǭ Despotę̄, tous keimenous stergousin orous, alla kai hymeis, hoi tēn eschatēn acharistian nenosēkotes, tōn kakōs houtō tǭ ploutǭ chechrēme.» nōn katēgorein eiōthate" mallon de toutous men axioute syngnōmēs, ton de tōn holōn Prytanin blasphēmeite, hōs ponērois anthrōpois tou ploutou dedōkota tēn exousian. Oukoun kai hymin autois syndokei, mē tēn toiautēn chlidēn eupraxian orizesthaei, alla ton dikaion kai sōphrona bion epainōn axion einai, kai euphēmias tēs anōtatō, kkai eit᾽ en penią, eit᾽ en periousią phaneiē tōn isōn stephanōn axioun. ᾿Ēgoumai de, hoti tous en penią tēs aresēs epimestephanois kai hymeis tainiōsete. ᾿All᾽ ou touton echousin hoi ton Theon therapeuein hespoudachotes misthon, oud᾽ eis tautēn horōsi tēn antidosin hoi peri tous theious nomous hespoudachotes. Eide gar pollous pollakis kai lōdatthai tōn anthrōpōn ho hepainos. Chaunoi gar tēn prothymian, kai tǭ dromǭ lymainotai" kai hēgoumenos tis auto kateilēphenai tou dromou to terma, touto gar ho epainos hypainittetai, pauetai tou trechein, kai tēn nikēn apollysi. Touto kai ho tōn holōn Theos dia tou prophētou paradēlōn, elege" « Laos mou, hoi makarizontes hymas planōsin hymas, kai tēn trithon tōn podōn hymōn echtarattousin.» Dialyousi gar tois epainois tēs prothymias to syntonon, kai chataladein ouk eōsi tēn nyssan. Houtōs ho makarios etreche Paulos, oute tois epainousin, oute tois blasphēmousi prosechōn, alla tōn opisthen men epilanthanomenos, tois de emprosthen epekteinomenos kai kata skopon diōkōn epi to bratheion tēs anō klēseōs. Ou toinyn misthon horizontai tōn ponōn ton para tōn anthrōpōn epainon tōn theiōn nomōn hoi phylakes, alla tas theias anamenousin hyposcheseis, ton tōn athlōn agōnothetēn tou dikaiou chritou pēn psēphon prosdechontai, tēn tōn sōmatōn anastasin, tēn eis ouranous anadasin, tēn met᾽ angelōn choreiąn, kai pro toutōn hapantōn, to diēnekōs auton arą) ton erōmenon, di᾽ hon tou biou to pelagos diaperōntes, tōn tēs ponērias hyperepleusan kymatōn, kai meta pollōn dianēchomenoi ponōn, ouk ēthelēsan hypodrychioi genesthai, alla tēn tōn limenōn tēn astheneian. Limena de echousin hoi tēs aretēs eis akron elēlachotes, ou zōēn, ouk anastasin, ouk allo ti tōn agastōn, all᾽ auton ton pothoumenon, di᾿ hon «ryphēn hēgountai tēn chachouchian, kai hypnon hēdiston tēn epiponon ergasian, kai tēn en erēmois diatridēn tēs en poleai thymēresteran, kai tēn en penią zōēn, tēs meta ploutou lamproteran, kai tēn pikran douleian, pasēs tyrannidos hēdiō. Touton hoi tēs aretēs ergatai prosmenousi ton misthon. « "Esti gar klēronomia tois therapeuousi ton Kyrion, » hōs ho prophētēs Hēsaïas boą. Martyreïz de kai ho makarios Dabid, eucharistērion hymnon hyphainōn tǭ dotēri tōn agathōn, kai legōn" e GIEdōchas klēronomian tais phodoumenois to onoma pou, Kyrie. » de kai auto? ho Despotēs Christos en tois hierois Eu- ͵ angeliois toiauta diexerchetai" « Makarioi, legōn, hoi ptōchoi tǭ pneumati, hoti autōn estin hē basileia tōn ouranōn᾽ makarioi hoi praeis, hoti autoi chlēronomē“sousi tēn gēn᾽ » kai talla ta toutois hepomena, rhadion tǭ boulomenǭ tas theias anaptyxanti katamathein. Eurēsei gar tauta kai en tę̄ tōn ta-
bodyguards, a splendid cloak, horses trained for beauty, … , a herald crying out, a house raised on high, … adorned with stones and decorated with the painter's art, couches, round tables, furniture, drinking cups, fragrant wines, a Sicilian and Sybaritic banquet, and all the other things of those who practise a soft, slack, and luxurious life. But every right-minded person usually calls all these things not happiness but the utmost unhappiness and misfortune. For the ruler of all did not give wealth to human beings so that they might spend it on licentiousness and it might become provision for wickedness, but so that, managing it well and rightly, taking what they need themselves and sharing the surplus with those in need, they might make it material for self-control and justice. And not only did the God of all himself order these things so, and the divine men, following the Master, love the bounds laid down; but you too, sick with the utmost ingratitude, are accustomed to accuse those who use wealth so badly; or rather you think them worthy of pardon, and blaspheme the ruler of all for having given wicked men power over wealth. So you too agree that such luxury is not to be defined as prosperity, but that the just and self-controlled life is worthy of praise and of the highest acclaim, and should be counted worthy of equal crowns whether it appears in poverty or in abundance. And I think that you too will bind with crowns those in poverty who care for virtue. But this is not the reward those who are eager to serve God have, nor do those eager for the divine laws look to this recompense. For he has seen that human praise has often harmed many. For it slackens their eagerness and damages the race; and one who thinks he has reached the end of the course (for this is what praise hints) stops running and loses the victory. The God of all made this plain through the prophet, saying: "My people, those who call you blessed lead you astray and confuse the path of your feet." For by their praise they dissolve the intensity of eagerness and do not let one reach the turning post. So the blessed Paul ran, attending neither to those who praised nor to those who reviled, but "forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call." So the guardians of the divine laws do not define human praise as the reward of their labors, but await the divine promises; they expect the verdict of the just judge, the president of the contests: the resurrection of bodies, the ascent to heaven, the dance with the angels, and before all these, continually to see the one they love, for whose sake, crossing the sea of life, they sailed over the waves of wickedness, and swimming through with many labors were unwilling to sink, but … the weakness. Those who have gone to the summit of virtue have as their harbor not life, not resurrection, not any other of the admirable things, but the beloved himself, for whose sake they consider hardship luxury, laborious work the sweetest sleep, living in deserts more pleasant than living in cities, a life in poverty more splendid than one with wealth, and bitter slavery sweeter than any tyranny. This is the reward the workers of virtue await. "For there is an inheritance for those who serve the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah cries. And the blessed David bears witness, weaving a hymn of thanksgiving to the giver of good things and saying: "You have given an inheritance to those who fear your name, O Lord." And the Master Christ himself in the holy Gospels says such things: "Blessed," he says, "are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"; and what follows these, which anyone who wishes can learn by opening the divine Scriptures. For he will find these things in the distribution of the
Isa 3:12 (quotation, high confidence) · Phil 3:13 (quotation, high confidence) · Phil 3:14 (quotation, high confidence) · Isa 54:17 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 61:5 (60:6 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:3 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:5 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: True prosperity is not luxury; wealth is given to be shared, and the virtuous seek not human praise but the reward God promises: resurrection, the company of angels, and above all the sight of God himself, as Isaiah, the Psalms, and the Beatitudes teach.
- Quotations: Isa 3:12 LXX; Phil 3:13-14; Isa 54:17 LXX; Ps 61:5 (LXX 60:6); Matt 5:3, 5.
- "Sicilian and Sybaritic": proverbial for lavish banquets.
- Words are lost in the OCR in the list of luxuries and in "but … the weakness"; marked … and not supplied.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (column letter and debris inside the word σύντονον; debris from Migne's Latin column read as Greek): πιὶ, οἵ 561} } 181 οὐ → ; σύν- Α ργξῦδιηϑ, 864 δογῦμι 4188 ἃ τόνον → σύντονον.
Topics: Eschatology, Ethics
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 9.2 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/9-2). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/9-2
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
9.3PG 83
λάντων διανομῇ, καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν δέκα παρθένων παραβολῇ, καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀμνῶν καὶ τῶν ἐρίφων τροπιχῇ διαιρέσει, καὶ ἐν τῷ σπόρῳ τῷ τὰ ζιζάνια δεξαμένῳ, καὶ ἐν τῇ σαγήνῃ, ἦν χαθῆχαν μὲν οἱ χαλάσαντες εἰς τὸ πέλαγος, ἀορίστως δὲ τοὺς ἰχθύας θηρεύσαντες, οὕτω λοιπὸν ἀρίστην δὴ τὴν διαίρεσιν ἐποιήσατο. Μυρία δὲ. τοιαῦτα καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς διδάγμασιν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Ταῦτα τοίνυν τοῖς φιλομαθέσι καταλιπὼν ἐρευνᾷν, ὡς μῆκος ἄπειρὸν ἐμποιοῦντα τῷ λογῳ, ἐπὶ τὰ σὐυνεχῇ βαδιοῦμαι τοῦ λόγου. Ἄλλως τε δὲ περιττὸν, καὶ λίαν παρέλχον, τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀντιδόσεων ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς τὰς ἀποδείξεις ποιήσασθαι, Οἵ τε γὰρ πιστεύοντες προνοεῖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν τῶν ὅλων Θεὸν, τῶν ἡμετέρων οὐ προσδέονται λόγων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀρκοῦνται τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τῇ τῶν θεοπνεύστων λοδιδασχαλίᾳ" οἵ τε μηδέπω πεπιστευκότες, ἀλλὰ τῷ τῆς ἀπιστίας κατεχόμενοι ζόφῳ, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Πεποιηκότος ἀχαριστίαν νενοσηκότες, τῶν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς ἐπαΐειν οὐκ ἀνέχονται λογίων. Διὰ τοῦτο, τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ἀποδείξεις ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος καταλιπόντες τοῖς φυσιχοῖζς αὐτοὺς διελέγξωμεν συλλογισμοῖς. : οἱ Πυθώμεθα τοίνυν αὐτῶν, τὴν σωφροσύνην, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ τἄλλα τῆς ἀρετῆς μόρια, πότερον ἀγαθὰ νομίζουσιν εἶναι, καὶ ἀγαθῶν αἴτια, ἣ τῇ χαἢ κίᾳ συγχαταλέγουσιν : ᾿Αλλὰ τοῦτο οὐδ᾽ αὐτὸς εἰπεῖν ὁ τῆς κακίας πατὴρ ἀνάσχοιτ᾽ ἂν πώποτε. Πῶς γὰρ ὅ τε τοῖς τούτων ἐργάταις ὡς ἐναντίοις ὁσημέραι πολεμῶν, καὶ τὴν μὲν ἀκολασίαν τῇ σωφροσύνῃ, τῇ δὲ δικαιοσύνῃ τὴν ἀδικίαν ἀντιτάττων ἀεί; ᾿Ανάγχη τοίνυν αὐτοὺς συνομολογεῖν τῷ διδασκάλῳ, δὲ καὶ μὴ πειραθῆναι νικᾷν ἐν κακχίᾳ τὸν ταύτην γεγεννηκότα. Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ μαθητὴς ὑπὲρ τὸν διδάχατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνήν. Πάλιν τοίνυν αὑτοὺς προσερωτήσωμεν᾽ Εἰ τοίνυν χαλὰ ταῦτα, καὶ οἱ χαλῶν κάλλιστα, καὶ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἄριστα, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀντείποι ταῦθ᾽ οὕτως ἔχειν μὴ σφόδρα παραπαίων, καὶ τὸ φρονεῖν ἀφῃρημένος, προσῆκει δηλονότι τοὺς τούτων ἐραστὰς καλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ὀνομάζεσθαι, καὶ καρπὸν ἔχειν, οὗ τὶ " μόνον τῶν πόνων ἰσόῤῥοπον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλαπλάδιον. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, τὸν μὲν γηπόνον σπέρματα ἐπίχειρα, καὶ τὸν φυτουργὸν ὡσαύτως δένδρα φυτεύοντα, παραψυχὴν ἔχειν τῶν καρπῶν τὸς ὠδῖνας" θείου τούτον παραδείσου γιγνομένους, καὶ πολὺν μὲν ἱδρῶτα, πολὺν δὲ πόνον εἰς τὴν τῶν φυτῶν τούτων ἐπιμέλειαν, μόνους ἄκαρπον ἔχειν τὸν πόνον, καὶ ἀγέραστον τὸν ἱδρῶτα; Καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀπολαύειν, καὶ βραδεῖα λαμδάνειν, καὶ τοῖς παρὰ τῶν θεατῶν ταινιοῦσθαι κρότοις " τὴν δὲ ἀρετὴν φανῆναι " καὶ μήτε θεατὰς ἔχειν, μήτε ἀγωνοθέτην, μήτε γέρας, μῆτε βραδεῖον, μῆτε στέφανον, τὸν μέγιστον τοῦτον ἀγῶνα; Καὶ τραγῳδίας μὲν καὶ κωμῳδίας ὑποκριταὶ, οἱ (ηῆς ἔχουσιν εἰς ὃ βλέποντες τὴν τέχνην μετίασι, καὶ τῇ οὶ τῶν στεφάνων ἐλπίδι τῶν πόνων ἀνέχονται" καὶ καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν θεατῶν ἀναμένοντες εὐφημίαν προσδέχονται δὲ καὶ τὸν παρὰ τῶν
lantōn dianomę̄, kai en tę̄ tōn deka parthenōn parabolę̄, kai en tę̄ tōn amnōn kai tōn eriphōn tropichę̄ diairesei, kai en tǭ sporǭ tǭ ta zizania dexamenǭ, kai en tę̄ sagēnę̄, ēn chathēchan men hoi chalasantes eis to pelagos, aoristōs de tous ichthyas thēreusantes, houtō loipon aristēn dē tēn diairesin epoiēsato. Myria de. toiauta kai en tois apostolikois didagmasin estin heurein. Tauta toinyn tois philomathesi katalipōn ereunąn, hōs mēkos apeiron empoiounta tǭ logǭ, epi ta syynechę̄ badioumai tou logou. Allōs te de peritton, kai lian parelchon, tōn tēs aretēs antidoseōn apo tēs theias Graphēs tas apodeixeis poiēsasthai, Hoi te gar pisteuontes pronoein tōn anthrōpōn ton tōn holōn Theon, tōn hēmeterōn ou prosdeontai logōn, all᾽ arkountai tois tēs pisteōs ophthalmois, kai tę̄ tōn theopneustōn lodidaschalią" hoi te mēdepō pepisteukotes, alla tǭ tēs apistias katechomenoi zophǭ, kai tēn kata tou Pepoiēkotos acharistian nenosēkotes, tōn tēs theias Graphēs epaïein ouk anechontai logiōn. Dia touto, tas ekeithen apodeixeis epi tou parontos katalipontes tois physichoizs autous dielenxōmen syllogismois. : hoi Pythōmetha toinyn autōn, tēn sōphrosynēn, kai dikaiosynēn, kai talla tēs aretēs moria, poteron agatha nomizousin einai, kai agathōn aitia, hē tę̄ chaē kią synchatalegousin : ᾿Alla touto oud᾽ autos eipein ho tēs kakias patēr anaschoit᾽ an pōpote. Pōs gar ho te tois toutōn ergatais hōs enantiois hosēmerai polemōn, kai tēn men akolasian tę̄ sōphrosynę̄, tę̄ de dikaiosynę̄ tēn adikian antitattōn aei? ᾿Ananchē toinyn autous synomologein tǭ didaskalǭ, de kai mē peirathēnai nikąn en kakchią ton tautēn gegennēkota. Ouk esti gar mathētēs hyper ton didachata tēn tou Kyriou phōnēn. Palin toinyn hautous proserōtēsōmen᾽ Ei toinyn chala tauta, kai hoi chalōn kallista, kai agatha, kai agathōn arista, kai oudeis anteipoi tauth᾽ houtōs echein mē sphodra parapaiōn, kai to phronein aphę̄rēmenos, prosēkei dēlonoti tous toutōn erastas kalous kai agathous onomazesthai, kai karpon echein, hou ti " monon tōn ponōn isorrhopon, alla kai pollapladion. Pōs gar ouk atopon, ton men gēponon spermata epicheira, kai ton phytourgon hōsautōs dendra phyteuonta, parapsychēn echein tōn karpōn tos ōdinas" theiou touton paradeisou gignomenous, kai polyn men hidrōta, polyn de ponon eis tēn tōn phytōn toutōn epimeleian, monous akarpon echein ton ponon, kai ageraston ton hidrōta? Kai tous men apolauein, kai bradeia lamdanein, kai tois para tōn theatōn tainiousthai krotois " tēn de aretēn phanēnai " kai mēte theatas echein, mēte agōnothetēn, mēte geras, mēte bradeion, mēte stephanon, ton megiston touton agōna? Kai tragǭdias men kai kōmǭdias hypokritai, hoi (ēēs echousin eis ho blepontes tēn technēn metiasi, kai tę̄ oi tōn stephanōn elpidi tōn ponōn anechontai" kai kai tēn para tōn theatōn anamenontes euphēmian prosdechontai de kai ton para tōn
talents, in the parable of the ten virgins, in the figurative separation of the lambs and the kids, in the sowing that received the tares, and in the net, which those who let it down cast into the sea and caught fish without distinction, and then made the best separation. And countless such things can be found in the apostolic teachings too. Leaving these, then, for those who love learning to search out, since they would give endless length to the discourse, I will go on to what follows in the argument. Besides, it is superfluous and very unnecessary to make the proofs of the recompenses of virtue from the divine Scripture. For those who believe that the God of all provides for human beings do not need our words, but are content with the eyes of faith and the teaching of the God-inspired oracles; and those who have not yet believed, but are held by the darkness of unbelief and sick with ingratitude toward the one who made them, do not consent to hear the oracles of the divine Scripture. Therefore, leaving aside for the present the proofs from there, let us refute them with natural reasonings. Let us ask them, then, whether they think temperance, justice, and the other parts of virtue are goods and causes of goods, or whether they count them with vice. But not even the father of vice himself would ever consent to say this. For how could he, who daily fights the workers of these virtues as enemies, and always sets licentiousness against temperance and injustice against justice? So they must agree with their teacher, and … not try to outdo in vice the one who begot it. For "a disciple is not above his teacher," according to the Lord's word. Let us ask them again, then: if these things are fine, the finest of fine things, good, and the best of goods, and no one would deny that this is so unless he were quite deranged and deprived of his wits, it is fitting, plainly, that their lovers be called fine and good and have a fruit not only equal to their labors but many times greater. For is it not absurd that the farmer who sows seeds has … rewards, and the gardener likewise who plants trees has the fruits as consolation for his labor pains, while those who become … of this divine paradise and spend much sweat and much labor in tending these plants alone have labor without fruit and sweat without honor? And that … should enjoy …, receive prizes, and be crowned with the applause of the spectators, while virtue … and have neither spectators, nor president of the games, nor honor, nor prize, nor crown in this greatest contest? Actors of tragedy and comedy, who have something to look to as they pursue their art, endure their labors in the hope of crowns, and await the acclaim of the spectators and expect that of the …
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Matt 25:14 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 25:1 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 25:32 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 13:24 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 13:47 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 10:24 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The Gospel parables teach the rewards of virtue, but for unbelievers Theodoret argues from reason: since virtues are goods, their practitioners must receive a reward greater than their labors, as farmers, athletes, and actors do.
- The parables: the talents (Matt 25:14-30), the ten virgins (Matt 25:1-13), the sheep and goats (Matt 25:31-46), the tares (Matt 13:24-30), the net (Matt 13:47-50). "A disciple is not above his teacher": Matt 10:24 (Luke 6:40).
- Several lines are lost in the OCR in the comparison with farmers and athletes ("has … rewards", "those who become … of this divine paradise", "that … should enjoy …", "while virtue …") and at the end; marked … and not supplied. Long debris from Migne's Latin column and a leaked footnote are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (debris; debris from Migne's Latin column; debris from Migne's Latin column inside the word φυτεύοντα; debris from Migne's Latin column read as Greek; debris from Migne's Latin column; some Greek words are lost with it; debris inside the word σωφροσύνῃ; leaked footnote; leaked footnote and debris from Migne's Latin column): ὀπίσω. διώκω. 2 ὅν. μά. οὗ. ὦ τυ δι 18 βου οἱ [υ]κὸοἱ 1400- Πυ δι, νἱ Δ η)- 486 ἰῃ ἐδὲ εἱ ἀΐδἰῃἴ", εἰ ἴῃ οἱ 80 β8οῦ 5 Γἰιιοτὶς ἀοημοηβίγατο. αἱ δπἷπὶ Ποῦηι οἢ)- Α → ; βαδιοῦμαι τοτ- τοῦ → βαδιοῦμαι τοῦ; βυηϊ, δἱ ογδουϊογι πὶ ἃ 60 ἰπϑρίγδίογτυπι ἀοοίτίηα. → ; πῆ 6168 τϑροὸ οἱ ἱπογοάυ δια το πο υγΒ Οὐβϑοϑδὶ, → ; ἱηρται υἀ] η8 τοῦθ ἱπ Οτοαίογοπι ἸΔθογδηῖθθ, → ; ὁοηΓ[υδη118. → ; φαΐ αγπι → ; σωφροἰάθη) σύνῃ → σωφροσύνῃ; ΟΌΠῚ 5110 πηαρίϑιγο σοΟηΠιΘΑπίυγ, πος πΊΔ} ἴα 6]88 → ; οὐ] οτο 5. Ποποϑῖοβϑ οἱ θΟη05 ποι πᾶτα ΘΟ θηἶ, ϑὰ → ; [εὐγα, 5᾽ Ὰ Π τ οἱ → ; φυ- 4] νἱγῖαϊ! ναοδηΐ, εἴ ἀν᾽ ηἱ 118 ραγα 8] σ} ογθ8 τεύοντα → φυτεύοντα; οἱ Βυθθογοῃ 880 → ; Γοαϊ πη τὶ : νἰγία θη "ὙΘΡῸ Δ }] 6.108. δ ρυρί!υπι τί → ; ἱπποσ, 34, τὴν --- σωφροσ. δά. τῇ μὲν ἀκολασίᾳ τὴν μόν. 101]ἀ. μόνον. → .
Topics: Eschatology, Ethics
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 9.3 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/9-3). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/9-3
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.