A Strong Heart

Καὶ κατίσχυσεν ἡ καρδία Φαραὼ, καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν, καθάπερ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς Κύριος. Εἶπε δὲ Κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· Βεβάρυται ἡ καρδία Φαραὼ, τοῦ μὴ ἐξαποστεῖλαι τὸν λαόν. Τὸ, Βεβάρυται ἡ καρδία Φαραὼ, λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου, μετὰ τὴν μεταβαλοῦσαν εἰς δράκοντα ῥάβδον τοῦ Ἀαρὼν, καὶ καταπιοῦσαν τὰς τῶν Μάγων ῥάβδους, ἄξιον ἰδεῖν, εἰ ἕτερόν ἐστι τοῦ, ἐσκληρύνθαι τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ, λεγομένου πολλάκις, καὶ τοῦ, κατισχυσεν ἡ καρδία Φαραὼ, καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῶν καθὼς ἐλάλησε Κύριος. Δοκεῖ δέ μοι ἡ μὲν ἐνδιδοῦσα καρδία πρὸς τὰ θεῖα, ἀπαλύνεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἰσχύειν ἀνθίστασθαι τῇ θειότητι, καὶ μὴ βαρύνεσθαι, μηδὲ ἔλκεσθαι κάτω εἰς γῆ καὶ ὕλην, ἡ δὲ ἀντιτείνουσα καὶ ἐναντιουμένη τῷ θείῳ βουλήματι, σκληρύεσθαι καὶ ἀντιτυπεῖν δίκην λίθου, καὶ ἀποκρούεσθαι τὸν λόγον, καὶ κατ' ἀπόνοιαν ἀνθίστασθι μετά τινος ψευδωνύμου ἰσχύος. Ἀνάγκη δὲ τὴν τοιαύτην καρδίαν καθελκομένον ὑπὸ τῆς κακίας οὔσης κατωφεροῦς, βαρύνεσθαι. Οὐ μὴν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν διάνοιαν ταῦτα τῇ καρδίᾳ συμβαίνει, εἰ καὶ μιᾷ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ συμβέβηκε φαύλῃ οὔσῃ τὸ κατισχύειν καὶ τὸ βαρύνεσθαι. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ, ὡς εἴρηταί που, λιθίνη γίνεται ἡ καρδία καὶ σκληρύνεται· ἡ δὲ οὐ παραχωρεῖ ὡς κρείττονι τῇ θείᾳ φύσει· ἀλλὰ θεομαχεῖν ἰσταμένη κατ' αὐτῆς καὶ ἰσχύειν λέγεται. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Την Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 12.281c-283a

And the heart of Pharaoh was strengthened and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had commanded. 1 And the Lord said to Moses: 'The heart of Pharaoh has grown heavy, he will not let the people go.' 2 And the Lord says this, 'The heart of Pharaoh has grown heavy' after the transformation of the rod of Aaron into a serpent which devoured the rods of the seers, whence it is worthy to see if there is something here, in this which is often said, that the heart of Pharaoh was made hard and grew strong. For it is also said: 'And the heart of Pharaoh grew strong against them and he would not hear them, as the Lord had said.' 3 It seems to me that a heart which yields, is not able to resist the Divine, nor to be heavy, nor to incline to the lower things of earth and matter, and that to be opposed and adverse to the Divine will is to be hardened and to resist, as befits a stone, and the refusal of the word is by a certain pride given the false name of strength because of its resistance. Necessary it is that a heart which by its wickedness is drawn down is called heavy. And it is not for the same reason that this happens to a heart, that there is one way by which it comes to wickedness which makes it strong and heavy. For as said elsewhere, in the way a heart is made stone and hardened, in that way it does not yield to the superior Divine nature, but standing and fighting against God is named strong. Origen, On Exodus, Fragment 1 Exod 7.13 2 Exod 7.14 3 Exod 7.22