The Fruits Of Choosing

Fiat manus tua ut salvum me faciat, quoniam mandata tua elegi. Aliis gloriam saeculi eligentibus, aliis venerationem elementorum ac daemonum capessentibus, aliss terrenas opes expetentibus, sanctus iste mandata Dei elegit. Elegit autem non naturali necessitate, sed voluntate pietatis: quia unicuique ad id quod volet via est proposita vivendi, et appetendi atque agendi permissa libertas. Et ob id uniuscujusqie aut poena aut praemiis afficetur electio. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXVIII Source: Migne PL 9.641a

May it be that your hand saves me, because I have chosen your commandments. 1 It is for others to choose the glory of the age, it is for others to take to the veneration of the elements of the world and demons, it is for others to seek worldly wealth, this holy man chooses the commandments of God. Yet he does not choose on account of some necessity of nature but by the will of piety, because each one chooses according to the purpose of his way of living, and freedom is given for that desiring and doing. And because of this the choice of each one shall bring about punishment or reward. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.173

Hate And Wickedness

Contempta autem saecularium opum cupiditate, omnem a se occasionem perversae et pravae voluntatis recidit. Diligens enim super aurum et topazion mandata Dei, dehinc ait, Propter hoc ad omnia mandata tua dirigebar, omnem viam iniquam odio habui. Non deflectitur, non detorquetur per terrenas cupiditates, sed ad omnia Dei mandata dirigitur: non occupant obvia. Vidit aurum, scivit hoc terrae limum esse: vidit gemmas, meminit esse aut montium aut maris calculos: vidit illicem ad lasciviam vultum, scit tamquam avibus coeli ex his sibi laqueis evadendum. Resistit ergo coalitis sibi naturae suae vitiis, et omnem viam iniquitatis odit. Ideo itaque et ad mandata omnia dirigitur, quia ea super terrena desideria diligit: et dirigitur, ne particeps eorum fiat quibus dicitur: Natio prava et perversa. Et omnem viam iniquitatis odit, ut sit in eo quia est via, Domino scilicet nostro, qui est benedictus in saecula saeculorum. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum CXVIII Source: Migne PL 9.613a-c

Contemptuous of the desire for worldly wealth, he withdraws himself from every occassion of perverse and depraved choice, for loving the commandments of God above gold and topaz, 1 so he says: 'On account of this I was directed to all your commandments, and for every wicked way I had hate.' 2 He is not turned aside or twisted about by worldly desires, but he is directed to every commandment of God, nor is he delayed on the way. He has looked on gold, and has known that it is but scrapings of the earth, he has seen jewels, and has remembered that they are but stones of the mountains or of the sea. He sees an attractive and alluring face and he knows that he must escape from it like the birds of heaven from traps that are laid for them. Therefore he resists because of his awareness of the nature of the vices, and for every wicked way he has hate. Thus he is directed to the commandments of God, because he loves with a desire beyond the things of the world, and he is directed lest he become one among those to whom it is said, 'a people depraved and perverse.' 3 Indeed for every wicked way he has hate, so that the way might be in him, that is, the way of our Lord, He who is blessed forever. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.127 2 Ps 118.128 3 Lk 9.41

Choosing Truth

Ὁδὸν ἀληθείας ᾑρετισάμεν, τὰ κρίματά σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Τὸν στίκον τοῦτον ἐρεῖ μόνος ὁ καταφρονῶν μὲν τῶν βλεπομένων ὡς προσκαίρων, σκοπῶν δε τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα ὡς αἰώνια, καὶ μόνα κυρίως ἀληθῆ, καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα σπεύδων. Οὐκ ἀληθείας γὰρ ὁδὸς, ἢν αἱρεῖται ὁ πραγματευόμενος τὸν κάτω πλοῦτον καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ γῆς δόξας. Ὁ οὖν ἐλόμενος ὁδεύειν, ὡς ἀποδεδώκαμεν, τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδὸν, οὗτος οὐκ ἐπυλανθανόμενος τῶν κριμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀνταποδόσεων αὐτοῦ τὸ τοιοῦτον πράττει. Ὁ φιλαλήθης καὶ μήποτε προφέρων ψευδῆ λόγον διὰ στόματος εἴποι ἄν· Ὁδὸν ἀληθείας ᾑρετισάμεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ διαπαντὸς πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τιθέμενος τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίματα καὶ ἐπὶ πάσῃ πράξει μεμνημένος αὐτῶν ἐρεῖ· Τὰ κρίματτα σου οὐκ ἐπελαθόμην. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμὸς ΡΙΗ´ Source: Migne PG 23.1369b-c

I chose the way of truth, I did not forget your judgements. 1 This verse is said only by the one who, scorning the things he sees as transient and looking to those things which are unseen as eternal, is eager only to contemplate things which are absolutely true. Certainly he does not choose the way of truth who pursues worldly wealth and mundane glory. He, therefore, as we have said, who chooses to travel on the way of truth and who is not forgetful of the judgements of God and His rewards, he does this. He who is a lover of truth and never bears the word of a lie in his mouth may say, 'I chose the way of truth.' And indeed he who always has the judgements of God before his eyes and is mindful of Him in every deed, he says 'I did not forget your judgements.' Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 118 1 Ps 118.30

Glory And Falls

Οὕτω  γὰρ καὶ Μωσέως ἧν δεδοξασμένον τὸ πρόσωπον· οὕτω και τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, οὕτω καὶ τῶν πάλαι τπῦ Θεοῦ προφητῶν, οὕτω  καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀληθῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ δούλων, ἀδοξως μενόντων καὶ πτωχῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον, τετιμημένων δὲ παρὰ τοῖς θεοσεβέσι διὰ τὴν ἐκ Θεοῦ  δεδομένην αὐτοῖς χάριν. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, φησὶ καὶ ἠθέλησα , και εἶπον· Θεοί ἐστε· βουληθεὶς ὑμᾶς ὁμοίμως ἐμοὶ τῷ μέσῳ ὑμῶν ἐστῶτι Θεῷ υἱοὺς γενέσθαι τοῦ Ὑψίστου· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὴν χάριν ἠθετήσατε. Ταῖς γοῦν ἀνθρωπίναις κακίαις καὶ ταῖς ὑμετέραις ἁμαρτίαις ἐναποθνήσκετε. Ψυχὴ γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὐτὴ ἀποθανεῖται. Διὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε, καὶ ὡς εἶς τῶν ἀρχόντων πίπτετε. Ὡς γὰρ ἦν ποτε ὁ διάβολος τιμῆς ἠξιωμένος παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀρχοντικῶν ἀγγέλων εἶς· εἶτα μοχθηρᾷ προαιρέσει χρησάμενος ἀποπέπτωκε τῆς αὐτοῦ χώρας, ὡς εἰρῆσθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ Πῶς ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὁ Ἑωσφόρος ὁ πρωὶ ἀνατέλλων; τοιοῦτοι τινες και ὑμεῖς γεγόνατε οὐκ ἐκ φύσεως ὄντες κακοὶ, χρησάμνοι δὲ οὐκ ἀγαθῇ τῇ προαιρέσει. Διὸ τὰ μὲν παρ' ἐμου εἰς Θεοῠ  τιμὴν ὑμᾶς ἐκάλει· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς πτώσεως μιμησάμενοι, ὡς εἶς , ὡς εἶς τῶν ἄρχοντα καὶ αὐτοὶ πίπτετε. Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΠΑ' Source: Migne PG 23.988c-989a

For as even the face of Moses was full of glory, so even the Apostles of our Saviour, so the prophets of old of God, and even every servant of God, that while they may have led an inglorious and poor life, they had honour for being holy men before God, given to them by grace. I certainly have wished and said, 'You are Gods' 1 I wished indeed you to be so, in the midst of you standing divine, to make sons of the High, but you had contempt for grace. In your human wickedness, then, and in your sin you perish. For the soul which has sinned, shall die.' 2 And so like men you die and like one of the princes you fall' 3 For as the Devil was once endowed with honour before God, and he was one of the great angels in heaven, by use of depraved counsel he fell from that place, concerning which it is said, ' How did Lucifer fall from heaven who in the morning rose'? 4 so also you were, not that you were evil by nature, but you did not choose good things. Truly these things which have gone out from me call you to honour before God. But you, imitating the prince who has fallen, like one of the princes have fallen. Eusebius of Caesarea, Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 81 1 Ps 81.6 2 Ezek 18.4 3 Ps 81.7 4 Isaiah 14.12

The Shadow Of Death And True Death

Ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ πορευθῶ ἐν μέσῳ σκιᾶς θανάτου...  Νοοῖτο δ' ἂν σκιὰ θανάτου καὶ ὁ φυσικὸς καὶ κοινὸς θάνατος, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τοῦ προαιρετικοῦ θανάτου, τοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς, φημὶ, ὂς οὐκ ἔστι σκιὰ θανάτου, ἀλλὰ θάνατος ἀληθής. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμός ΚΒ' Source: Migne PG 69.841b

'For if I walk in the shadow of death...' 1   One may think that the shadow of death is the physical and common death, to distinguish it from the death that is by choice, I mean, of the soul, which is not the shadow of death but true death. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 22 1 Ps 22.4

Man's Freedom

Illud autem, quod ait: Quoties volui colligere filios tuos et noluisti? veterem legem libertatis hominis manifestavit: quia liberum eum Deus fecit ab initio, habentem suam potestatem, sicut et suam animam ad utendum sententia Dei voluntarie, et non coactum a Deo. Vis enim a Deo non fit, sed bona sententia adest illi semper. Et propter hoc consilium quidem bonum dat omnibus. Posuit autem in homine potestatem electionis, quemadmodum et in angelis, etenim angeli rationabiles; uti hi quidem qui obedissent, juste bonum sint possidentes, datum quidem a Deo, servatum vero ab ipsis. Qui autem non obedierunt, juste non invenientur cum bono, et meritam poenam percipient: quoniam Deus quidem dedit benigne bonum, ipsi vero non custodierunt diligenter illud, neque pretiosum arbitrati sunt, sed supereminentiam bonitatis contempserunt. Abjicientes igitur bonum, et quasi respuentes, merito omnes justum judicium incident Dei quemadmodum et apostolus Paulus in ae epistola quae est ad Romanos, testificatus est dicens ita: An divitas bonitatis ejus, et patientiae, et longanimitatis contemnnis, ignorans quoniam bonitas Dei ad poenitentiam te adducit? Secundum autem durititiam tuam et cor impoenitens thesaurizas tibimetipsi iram in die irae, et revelationis justi judicii Dei. Gloria autem et honor, inquit, omni operanti bonum. Dedit ergo Deus bonum, quemadmodum et Apostolus testificatur in eadem epistola: et qui operantur quidem illud, gloriam et honorem percipient, quoniam operati sunt bonum, cum possint non operari illud; hi autem qui illud non operantur, judicium justum excipient Dei, quoniam non sunt operati bonum, cum possint operari illud. Si autem naturaliter quidam boni, quidam vero mali facti fuissent, neque hi laudabiles essent qui boni sunt, tales enim facti fuerant; sed neque illi vituperabiles, et ipsi enim tales fuerant instituti. Sed quoniam omnes ejusdem sunt naturae, et potentes retinere et operari bonum, et potentes rursum amittere id, et non facere, juste etiam apud homines sensatos, quanto magis apud Deum, alii quidem percipiunt testimonium electionis bonae et perserverantiae; alii vero accusantur, et dignum percipiunt damnum, eo quod justum et bonum reprobaverint. Et ideo prophetae quidem hortatur homines justitiam agere, bonumque operari, sicut per multa ostendimus: quia in nobis sit hoc, et propter multam negligentiam in oblivionem inciderimus, et consilio egeamus bono, propter quod bonus Deus praestavit bonum consilium per prophetas. Propter hoc autem et Dominus: Luceat lumen vestrum, dicebet, coram hominibus, ut videant bona facta vestra, et clarificent Patrem vestrum qui in coelis est. Et: Attendite vobis, ne forte graventur corda vestra in crapula, et ebrietate, et sollicitudinibus saecularibus. Et: Sint lumbi vestri praecincti, et lucernae ardentes, et bos similis hominibus exspectandibus dominum suum, quando revertatur a nuptiis, ut cum venerit et pulsaverit, aperiant ei. Beatus servus ille, quem, cum venerit dominus ejus, inverit ita facientem. Et iterum: Servus qui scit voluntatem domini sui, et non facit, vapulabit multas. Et: Quid mihi dicitis: Domine, Domine, et non facitis quae dico? Et iterum: Si autem dicat servus in corde suo: Tardat dominus meus: et incipiat caedere conservos, et manducare, et bibere, et inebriari; veniet dominus ejus in die qua non sperat, et dividet eum, et partem ejus cum hypocritis ponet. Et omnes talia, quae liberum et suae potestatis ostendunt hominem, et quia consilio instruat Deus, adhortans nos ad subjectionem sibi et avertens ab incredulitate, non tamen de violentia cogens. Sanctus Irenaeus Lugdunensis, Adversus Haereses, Liber IV, Caput XXXVII Source: Migne PG 7.1099b-1101c

That which the Lord said, 'How often would I have gathered your children together, and you would not,' 1 exhibited the ancient law of human liberty, because God made man free from the beginning, having his own power, even as he has his own soul, to obey the counsels of God voluntarily, and not by compulsion of God. For there is no coercion with God, but good counsel is present with Him continually. And on account of this He gives good counsel to all. And He has placed the power of choice in man, as well as in angels, for angels are rational beings, so that those who had been obedient might justly be possessors of what is good, given certainly by God, but preserved by themselves. But they who have not obeyed, who are not found to be in possession of the good, shall with justice receive worthy punishment: for God did kindly give them a good, but they  did not diligently guard it, nor judge it precious, but were contemptuous of His super-eminent goodness. Rejecting, therefore, the good, and as it were spitting it out, they shall all deservedly incur the just judgment of God, to which things the Apostle Paul also testifies to in his letter to the Romans, saying, 'But do you despise the riches of His goodness, and patience, and long-suffering, being ignorant that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? For according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you store for yourself wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God.'  2 'But glory and honour,' he then says, 'to every one that does good.' 3 God therefore has given that which is good, as the Apostle bears witness in this Epistle, and they who do it shall receive glory and honour, because they have done good when they were able not to do it; but those who do not do it, shall receive the just judgment of God, because they did not do good when they were able to do so. For if some had been made by nature good, and some wicked, neither would the former be deserving of praise for being good, for so were they created, nor would the latter be reprehensible, for so they were made. But since all men are of the same nature and able both to adhere to the good and to do it, and, again to cast it from them and not to do it, some justly receive praise even among civilised men, and much more from God, and obtain deserved testimony of their choice of good in general and of perseverance; but the others are blamed and receive a just condemnation because of their rejection of what is just and good. And therefore the Prophets used to exhort men to what was good, to act righteously and to do good, as we have amply demonstrated, because it is in him to do it, and because by excessive negligence we might fall into forgetfulness, and thus be in need of that good counsel which the good God has fulfilled by means of the Prophets. For this reason the Lord also said, 'Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.' 4 And, 'Have care for yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be weighed down with overindulgence, and drunkenness, and worldly cares.' 5 And, 'Let your loins be girded, and your lamps lit, and be like men who wait for their Lord, when He is to come from a wedding, that when He comes and knocks, they may open to Him. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when He comes, shall find so doing.' 6 And again, 'The servant who knows his Lord's will and does not do it, shall be beaten with many blows.' 7 And, 'Why say to me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not the things I say?' 8 And again, 'But if the servant say in his heart: The Lord delays, and he begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat, and drink, and to be drunken, his Lord will come on a day on which he does not expect, and He shall cut him off and appoint his portion with the hypocrites.' 9 All such passages exhibit that the will of man is of his own power, and that God gives counsel, exhorting us to submit ourselves to Him, and to turn us away from disbelief, without, however, by violence forcing us.   Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 37 1 Mt 23.37 2 Rom 2.4-5 3 Rom 2.7 4 Mt 5.16 5 Lk 21.34 6 Lk 12.35-36 7 Lk 12.47 8 Lk 6.46 9 Lk 12.45-46, Mt 24.48-51

Freedom And Repentance

Μετανόησον οὖν... Προαιρετικὴ τροπὴ, ἢ πίπτει εἰς μόνον τὸν δεκτικὸν ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας. Ὁ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς μύθους τῶν αἱρετικῶν φύσει κακὸς ὢν ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἔστι δεκτικὸς τῆς κατὰ βούλησιν μεταβολῆς. ὅθεν παρέκλει τὸ, Μετανόησον, λεγόμενον τῷ Σίμωνι, ἐκ κατασκευῆς ὄντι κακῷ, κατὰ τοὺς ἐκείνων μύθους. Ἀλλ' οὐ ματαίως εἴρηται τὸ, Μετανόησον οὖν. Αὐτεξούσιος ἄρα καὶ αὐτός. Τούτου δὲ μὴ ὅντος φύσει κακοῦ, ἢ ἐπιτεταλμένην κακίαν ἔχοντος, οὐδ' ἄλλος τις εὑρεθείη τοιοῦτος. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Ἐις Τάς Πράξεις Τῶν Ἀποστόλων, Ἐκλογή Source: Migne PG 39.1668d-69a

Repent then... 1 Here is scope for choice, which falls only to one who is capable of vice and virtue. Yet according to the fables of heretics, because they say man has a wicked nature, so he is not capable of changing freely. Thus it is superfluous when Peter says to Simon, 'Repent then,' for according to their tales, man is evil from creation. Yet it is not vainly said, 'Repent then,' for he does have free will and by nature he is not evil, nor bound to depravity, or in some other way found to be so. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles, Fragment 1 Acts 8.22

Choosing Company

Etenim si introierit in conventum vestrum vir, aureum annulum habens, in veste candida, introerit autem et pauper in sordido habitu, et intendatis in eum qui indutus est veste praeclara,et dixeritis ei: Tu sede hic bene, pauperi autem dicatis: Tu sta illic, aut sede sub scabello pedum meorum. In hujus expositione sententiae beati Augustini dictis utamur. Si hanc, inquit, distantiam sedendi et standi ad honores ecclesisaticos referamus, non est putandum leve esse peccatum in personarum acceptione habere fidem Domini nostri Jesu Christi gloriae. Quis enim ferat eligi divitem ad sedem honoris Ecclesiae, contempto paupere instructiore et sanctiore? Si autem de quotidianis consessibus loquitur, quis hic peccat, si tamen peccat, nisi cum apud semetipsum intus ita judicat, ut ei tanto melior quanto ditior ille videatur? Hoc enim videtur significasse subdendo. Nonne judicatis apud vosmetipsos, et facti estis judices cogitationum iniquarum.  Sequitur: Audite, fratres, mei dilectissimi. Diligentius, inquit,animadvertite, quia non qui ditiores existunt ad seculum, ii in divino examine sunt meliores. Nonne Deus elegit paupere in hoc mundo, divites in fide, et haeredes regni quod promisit diligentibus se? Pauperes vocat humiles, et qui per contemptam rerum visibilium, fide autem invisibilium divitiarum mundo huic despicabiles parent. Tales namque elegit Dominus noster Jesus Christus dicendo: Nolite timere, pusillus grex, quia complacuit Patri vestro dare vobis regnum. Tales elegit cum parentes sibi pauperes, quorum officio in mundum veniens nutriretur, creavit. Sed hos tamen futuri regni exspectatione praeclaros reddidit ac nobiles. Sanctus Beda, Super Divi Jacobi Epistolam, Caput II Source: Migne PL 93 18-19

If a man enter into your company, wearing a gold ring, in white vestments, and a poor man enter in vile habit, intent on him who has come in with shining garment, you say to him, 'You indeed sit here,' but to the poor man you say, 'Stand over there,' or 'Sit at the footstool of my feet.' 1 In explanation of this passage we shall quote the blessed Augustine: 'If this distinction in matters of sitting and standing refers to Ecclesiastical honours, it is not be thought to be a trivial fault to have respect of persons in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory. 2 For who can bear the choosing of the rich man for the seat of honour in the Church in contempt of the poor man who is more learned and holy? And if this speaks of daily gatherings, who does not err here, if indeed he does sin, unless within himself he judges that the richer a man appears so the better he is?' 3 And this seems to have been signified in the next line: Judging among yourselves, have you not made yourself judges with wicked thoughts? 4 It follows: Hear, my dear brothers. 4 More diligently attend, he says, because it is not those who are richer in the world who are better in the Divine judgement . Did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith and inheritors of the kingdom which he has promised to the lovers of Him? 5  The humble he calls the poor, who with contempt of visible of things, with faith in invisible wealth, despise this world. Such our Lord Jesus Christ chooses, saying, 'Do not fear, little flock, because it has pleased your Father to give to you the kingdom' 6 Such He chose when He made poor parents for Himself, that such nourish Him coming into the world. These whom, however, He made eminent and noble in the hope of the future kingdom. Saint Bede, from the Commentary on the Letter of Saint James, Chapter 2  1 Jam 2.2-3 2 Jam 2.1 3 Augustine, Letter 167.18 4 Jam 2.4 5 Jam 2.5 6 Lk 12.32

Choosing Suffering

Ὁ δὲ Ἰἠσοῦς εἶπειν αὐτῷ· Ἑταὶρε, ἐφ' ᾧ πάρει; Τότε προσελθόντει, ἐπέβαλον τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰησοῦν, καὶ ἐκράτησαν αὐτόν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα τὸ συμβὰν οὐχὶ πάντη τε καὶ πάντως θελητὸν ἧν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' οὖν τῆς πάντων ἕνεκα σωτηρίας καὶ ζωῆς, ἐκούσιον ἐποιήσατο τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ πάθος, Ἥδει τὰ ἐντεῦθεν ἐσόμενα κατορθώματα, καὶ ὅτι τὴν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν ἀνακαινεῖ, καὶ αἵματι τῷ οἰκείῳ κατακτήσεται τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐποιήσατο θελητὸν, καίτοι ἀβούλητον ὅν τὸ παθεῖν, τίς ἂν νοοῖτο λοιπὸν ἡ πρόφασις τοῦ προσεύχεσθαι καὶ λέγειν αὐτὸν, Πατερ, εὶ δυνατὸν, παρελθέτω ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο; Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα. Θέα δὲ πῶς ἀνεθέλητον μὲν τῷ Σωτῆρι τὸ πάθος· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πάντη τε καὶ πάντως ὑπομεῖναι ἐχρῆν διὰ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ παθεῖν ἀγαθὰ, θελητὸν ἐποιήσατο δι' ἡμᾶς. Οὐ γὰρ ἠπείλσε τῷ προδότῃ τὸ παντὸς ἐπέκεινα διελᾶσαι κακοῦ, καὶ ὅτι κρεῖττον ἧν αὐτῷ τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἂν ὅλωη κολάσεως ἄξιον ἡγήσατό ποτε τῶν ἰδίων θελημάτων τὸν ὑπουργὸν, εἴπερ ἧν αὐτῷ θελητὸν τὸ παθεῖν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον Εὐάγγελιον Migne PG 72. 456

And Jesus said, 'Friend, why do you come?' And then they drew near and put their hands on Him and held Him. 1 For even if it was not at all according to His will that these things come to be, yet on account of the salvation and life of all, He made the choice for the suffering of the cross. For certainly He knew that from that would come victory and it would bring about the renewal of the nature of man, his own blood given to God the Father. And yet if He had made the passion His choice, although averse, why was it that He prayed, saying, 'Father if possible, take this cup from me,' 2 and the rest after that? Observe how the passion was not wished for by the Saviour, but because He should suffer all that by suffering good come to all, so He made His choice for us. For after this decision He does not cry out against the traitor on account of him commiting the gravest crime, nor does He now say 'Better if this man had not been born,' 3 for he is not now to be censured with the threat of punishment when he acts according to the determination of His will, since He had chosen to suffer. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Fragment 1 Mt 26.50 2 Mt 26.42 3 Mt 26.24

The Wise Man And Adam

Οὗτός ἑστιν ὁ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ὁ γνωστικὸς, ὁ μιμούμενος τὸν Θεὸν καθόσον οἵόν τε, μηδὲν παραλιπὼν τῶν εἰς τὴν ἐνδεχομένην ὁμοίωσιν· ἐγκρατευόμενος, ὑπομένων, δικαίως βιοὺς, βασιλεύων τῶν παθῶν, μεταδιδοὺς ὦν ἔχει ὡς οἷός τε ἐστὶν εὐεργετῶν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ. Οὗτος μέγιστος, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ, ὃς ἂν ποιῇ καὶ διδάσκῃ, μιμούμενος τὸν Θεὸν τῷ παραπλήσια χαρίζεσθαι· κοινωφελεῖς γὰρ αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεαί. Ὅς δ' ἂν ἐγχειρῇ τι πράσσειν μεθ' ὑπερηφανίας, τὸν Θεὸν παροξύνει, φησίν· ἀλαζονεία γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐστι κακία· ἀφ' ἧς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κακιῶν μετανοεῖνκελεύει, ἁρμοζομένοις τὸν βίον ἐξ ἀναρμοστίας πρὸς τὴν ἀμείνω μεταβολὴν διὰ τῶν τριῶν τούτων, στόματος, καρδίας, χειρῶν, Σύμβολον δ' ἂν εἴη ταῦτα, πράξεως μὲν αἱ χεῖρες, βουλῆς δὲ ἡ καρδία, καὶ λόγου στόμα. Καλῶς οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν μετανοούντων εἴρηται τὸ λόγοιν ἐκεῖνο· Τὸν Θεὸν εἴλου σήμερον, εἰναί Θεόν· καὶ Κύριος εἴλετό σε σήμερον, γενέσθαι λαὸν αὐτῷ. Τὸν γὰρ σπεύδοντα θεραπεύειν τὸ ὄν οἰκέτην ὄντα, ἐξοικειοῦται ὁ Θεός· κἂν εἶς ᾗ τὸν ἀριθμὸν, ἐπίσης τῷ λαῷ τετίμηται· μέρος γὰρ ὦν τοῦ λαοῦ, συμπληρωτικὸς αὐτοῦ γίνεται, ἀποκατασταθεὶς, ἐξ οὖ ἧν· καλεῖται δὲ καὶ ἐκ μέρους τὸ πᾶν. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ εὐγένεια ἐν τῷ ἐλέσθαι καὶ συνασκῆσαι τὰ κάλλιστα διαδείκνυται· ἐπεὶ τί τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὠφέλησεν ἡ τοιαύτη αὐτοῦ εὐγένεια; πατὴρ Αὕτη δὲ ἡ εὐγένεια ἐν τῷ ἐλέσθαι καὶ συνασκῆσαι τὰ κάλλιστα διαδείκνυται· ἐπεὶ τί τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὠφέλησεν ἡ τοιαύτη αὐτοῦ εὐγένεια; πατὴρ δὲ αὐτοῦ θνητὸς οὐδείς· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἐν γενέσει πατήρ. Τὰ μὲν αἰσχρὰ οὗτος προθύμως εἴλετο, ἑπόμενος τῇ γυναικὶ, τῶν δὲ ἀληθῶν καὶ καλῶν ἠμέλησεν, ἐφ; οἷς θνητὸν ἀθανάτου βίον, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος, ἀνθυπηλλάξατο. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Δεύτερος, Κεφ ΙΘ' Migne PG 9 1040-1041

As he is according to the image and likeness of God, this is the wise man, one who imitates God as far as possible, lacking in none of the things which contribute to the likeness, in self control enduring, righteously living, reigning over the passions, giving of what he has as far as possible and doing good both by word and deed. 'He is the greatest,' it is said, 'in the kingdom who shall do and teach;' 1 imitating God in showing similar kindness, for the gifts of God are for the common good. 'Whoever performs an undertaking in an arrogant manner, provokes God,' 2 it is said. For boastfulness is an evil of the soul, of which, as with other evils, He calls us to repent, by setting  life in order from a state of discord to a change for the better in these three things: mouth, heart, hands. And these are signs, the hands of action, the heart of volition, the mouth of speech. Well, therefore, has that saying been spoken concerning penitents: 'You have chosen God today to be your God, and the Lord has chosen you today to be His people.' 3  For him who is eager to serve the One, being a servant of the house, God adopts, and though he be just one in number, he is honoured equally with the people. For being a part of the people, he becomes an essential component of it, being restored from what he was, and the whole is named from a part. But nobility is itself shown in choosing and doing what is best. For what benefit to Adam was such a nobility as he had? No mortal was his father; for he himself was father of men that are born. And what is base he readily chose, joining with the woman, neglecting the true and good, by which he exchanged immortality for mortal life, but not forever. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 2, Ch 19.  1 Mt 5.19 2 Num 15.30  3 Deut 26.17-18

Freedom And Goodness

Sine consilio autem tuo nihil colui facere: ut non quasi ex necessitate bonum tuum esset, sed voluntarium. Hoc quod a plerisque quaeritur, et saepissime retractatur: quare Deus hominem faciens, non eam bonum rectumque condiderit, de praesenti loco solvi potest. Si enim Deus voluntarie, et non ex necessitate bonus est, debuit hominem faciens, ad suam imaginem et similitudinem facere, hoc est, ut et ipse voluntarie, et non ex necessitate bonus esset. Qui autem asserunt ita eum debuisse fieri, ut malum recipere non posset, hoc dicunt: talis debuit fieri qui necessitate bonus esset, et non voluntate. Quod si talis fuisset effectus, qui bonum non voluntate, sed necessitate perficeret, non esset Deo similis: qui ideo bonus est, quia vult, non quia cogitur. Ex quo manifestum est, rem eos inter se postulare contrariam. Nam ex eo quod dicunt, debuit homo Deo similis fieri; illud petunt, ut liberi fieret arbitrii, sicut Deus ipse est. Ex eo autem quod inferunt, talis debuit fieri, qui malum recipere non posset; dum necessitatem ei boni important,* illud volunt, ut homo Deo similis non fieret. Potuit itaque et apostolus Paulus absque voluntate Philemonis, Onesimum sibi in ministerium retinere. Sed si hoc sine voluntate Philemonis fecisset: bonum quidem erat, sed non voluntarium. Quod autem non erat voluntarium, alio genere arguebatur non esse bonum. Nihil quippe bonum diei potest, nisi quod ultroneum est. Ex quo Apostoli consideranda prudentia est: qui idcirco fugitivum servum remittit ad dominum, ut prosit domino suo: qui prodesse non poterat, si domino teneretur absente. Superior ergo quaestio ita solvitur: Potuit Deus hominem sine voluntate ejus facere bonum. Porro si hoc fecisset, non erat bonum voluntarium, sed necessitatis. Quod autem necessitate bonum est, non est bonum, et alio genere malum arguitur. Igitur proporio arbitrio nos relinquens, magis ad suam imaginem et similitudinem fecit. Similem autem Deo esse absolute bonum est. Sanctus Hieronymus, Commentariorum In Epistolam Beati Pauli Ad Philemonem Source: Migne PL 26.612d-613b

Without your counsel I would do nothing, for not from necessity shall your good be, but from your free will. 1 This which by so many is sought and so often escapes them when they wonder why did God in making man not fashion him so that he was good and right, one is able to answer from the present passage. For if God by choice and not by necessity is good, he should have in making man, in His own image and likeness making him, 2 that he be by choice and not from necessity be good. They who assert that he should be so that he should not be able to undertake evil, by this say that man should be as one for whom the good is by necessity and not by choice. Which if such a thing were done, he would be one who accomplished good not freely but by necessity, and so not like God. Therefore  a man is good is because he wishes to be, not because he is forced to be. From which it is manifest that among themselves they ask for the contrary. For from what they say, a man should be similar to God, they seek that which makes the will free, like God Himself is. From which they infer such should be who are not able to do evil, but when the necessity of the good they impose upon man, this they wish for, that man should not be similar to God. Thus the Apostle Paul was able to retain Onesimus in his service without the will of Philemon. But if this were done without the will of Philemon, a good it was but not voluntary. Yet that which is not voluntary it was proved is another sort of thing and not a good. For nothing is able to be a good unless it is of one's own accord. This the Apostle considered with prudence, he therefore sent the slave back to his master that he be of benefit to his master; he would not be able to benefit him if he had kept him away from his master. The above question is thus solved. God was able to make man that he do good involuntarily. However, if He does this it is not a willed good but one of necessity. And that which is a good of necessity is not a good but another sort of evil. Therefore in giving us our own wills He makes us more according to his image and likeness. For to be like God is the absolute good. Saint Jerome, Commentary on the Epistle to Philemon 1 Philemon 14 2 Gen 1.26

Freedom and the Gospel

Λέγουσι γὰρ δύνασθαι τὸν Θεὸν, εἴπερ ἐβούλετο, καὶ τοὺς ἀντιτύπως ἔχοντας ἀναγκαστικῶς ἐφελκύσασθαι πρὸς τὴν παραδοχὴν τοῦ κηρύγματος. Ποῦ τοίνυν ἐν τούτοις τὸ αὐτεξούσιον; Ποῦ δὲ τῶν κατορθούντων ὁ ἔπαινος; Μόνων γὰρ τῶν ἀψύχων ἤ τῶν ἀλόγων ἐστὶ τῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ βουλήματι πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν περιάγεσθαι. Ἡ δὲ λογική τε καὶ νοερὰ φύσις, ἐὰν τὸ κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἀπόθηται, καὶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ νοεροῦ συναπώλεσεν. Εἰς τί γὰρ χρήσεται τῇ διανοίᾳ τῆς τοῦ προαιρεῖσθαί τι τῶν κατὰ γνώμην ἐξουσίας ἐφ' ἑτέρω κειμένης; Εἰ δὲ ἄπρακτος ἡ προαίρεσις μένοι, ἠφάνισται κατ' ἀνάγκην ἡ ἀρετὴ, τῇ ἀκινησίᾳ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἐμποδισθεῖσα· ἀρετῆς δὲ μὴ οὔσης, ὁ βίος ἠτίμωται, καὶ καθ' εἰμαρμένην χωρεῖ ὁ λόγος, ἀφῄρηται τῶν κατορθούντων ὁ ἔπαινος· ἀνίκητος ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἄκριτος ἡ κατὰ τὸν βίον διαφορά. Τίς γὰρ ἄν ἔτι κατὰ τὸ εὔλογον ἢ διαβάλλοι τὸν ἀκόλαστον, ἢ ἐπαινοίη τὸν σώφρονα; Ταύτης κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον οὔσης ἐκάστῳ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως, τὸ μηδὲν ἐφ' ἡμῖν τῶν κατὰ γνώμην εἶναι, δυναστείᾳ δὲ κρείττονι τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας προαιρέσεις πρὸς τὸ τῷ κρατοῦνται δοκοῦν περιάγεσθαι. Οὐκοῦν οὐ τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ ἔγκλημα, τὸ μὴ πᾶσιν ἐγγενέσθαι τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλὰ τῆς διαθέσεως τῶν δεχομένων τὸ κήρυγμα. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Λόγος Κατήχητικος Ὁ Μέγας, Κεφαλ. ΛΑ',

They say that God was able, if He had so wished, to forcibly draw those who resisted to the acceptance of the preaching. And where then would have been their free will? Where praise for improvement? Only things soulless or irrational may be directed according the purpose of another. But the rational and intelligent nature, if it sets aside its freedom, at the same time it loses the gift of intellect. For upon what does he employ his mind, if the freedom of choosing anything according to his inclination lies with another? But then, if choosing is inactive on account of necessity virtue vanishes, since it is shackled by the inertness of the will; and if virtue does not exist, life loses its value, reason moves in accordance with fate, the praise of the righteous is gone, sin is unconquerable, and the difference between lives impossible to judge. For who, then, could with good reason denounce intemperance or praise sobriety? Every one would have the ready answer that nothing of all the things we are inclined to is in our  power but that by some superior  influence human wills are led to the purpose of the one who has power over them. So it is not the goodness of God that is to be questioned when the Faith is not born in all, but rather the state of those who receive the preaching. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, Chap 31

Counsel And Understanding

βουλὴ καλὴ φυλάξει σε, ἔννοια δὲ ὁσία τηρήσει σε. Βουλὴν δὲ λέγει τὴν προαίρεσιν, καθ' ἤν αἱρούμεθα τὰ πρακτέα ποιεῖν, ἢ καὶ μὴ· ἔννοιαν δὲ τὴν περὶ τὰ θεωρητὰ, ὥστε καταλιμπάνειν αὐτὰ, καὶ Θεῷ προσοικειοῦσθαι, τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ὅση δύναμις φυλάττεσθαι. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Παροιμιας Source: Migne PG 39.1625b

Good counsel shall guard you, and holy understanding shall keep you. 1 Counsel concerns choice, according to which we choose which things to do and which things not to do, and understanding is concerning things visible, that to abandon such things is to draw near to God, guarding His commandments with holy virtue. Didymus the Blind, On Proverbs, Fragment 1 Prov 2.11

The Giving of Good and Evil

Ἤλθεν οὖν ἐκζητῆσαι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ σοφίᾳ τί γέγονεν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, τίς ἡ σύγχυσις τῶν τῇδε πραγμάτων, πῶς ἐδουλὼθη τὸ ὄν τῷ μὴ ὄντι· πῶς δυναστεύει κατὰ τοῦ ὄντος τὸ ἀνυπόστατον. Καὶ οἰδεν ὅτι περισπασμὸν πονηρὸν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων, τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ὡς ἄν τις ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου νοήσειε, εὐσεβές ἐστιν οἴεσθαι, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν πονηρὸν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις περισπασμόν· ἦ γὰρ ἄν εῑς ἐλεῖνον ἡ τῶν κακῶν αἰτία ἐπαναφέροιτο. Ὁ γὰρ τῇ φύσει ἀγαθὸς, καὶ ἀγαθῶν πάντως παρεκτικὸς γίνεται· διότι πᾰν δένδρον καλὸν καρποὺς καλοὺς ποιεῖ, καὶ οὔτε ἀπὸ ἀκανθῶν σταφυλὴ, οὔτε ἐξ ἀμπέλου ἄκανθα φύεται· ὅ οὖν τῇ φύσει ἀγαθὸν, οὐκ ἄν τι πονηρὸν ἐκ τῶν θησαυρῶν αὐτοῦ προχειρίσαιτο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίας κακὰ λαλεῖ, ἀλλὰ κατάλληλα τῇ ἑαυτοῦ φθέγγεται φύσει· πόσῳ οὖν μᾰλλον ἡ τῶν ἀγαθων πηγὴ οὐκ ἄν τι τῶν πονητῶν ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως προχέοι; Ἀλλὰ τουτο νοεῖν ὑποτίθεται ἡ εὑσεβεστέρα διάνοια, ὅτι τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ δόμα. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν, ἡ αὐτεξούσιος κίνησις ἢ τῇ διημαρτημένῃ τῶν ἀνθρώπων χρήσει ὄργανον εἰς ἁμαρτίαν ἐγένετο. Ἀγαθὸν γὰρ τῇ φύσει τὸ αὐτεξούσιον καὶ ἀδούλωτον, τὸ δὲ ὑπεζευγμένον ἀνάγκαις, οὐκ ἄν τις ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἀριθμήσειεν· ἀλλ' ἠ αὐτεξούσιος αὔτη τῆς διανοίας ὁρμὴ ἀπαιδαγωγήτως πρὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν τῆς κακίας ἀποῥῥυεῖσα, πειρασμὸς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐγένετο, ἀπὸ τῶν ὑψηλῶν τε καὶ τιμίων, πρὸς τὰς ἐμπαθεῖς τῆς φύσεως κινήσεις κατασπασθείσης. Τοῦτο ἐστιν ὅ σημαίνει τὸ ἔδωκεν, οὐχ ὅτι αὐτὸς τὸ κακὸν τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζωῇ ἐνποίησεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι τοῖς παρὰ Θεοῦ δοθεῖσιν ἀγαθοῖς ὁ ἀνθρωπος ὑπὸ ἀβουλίας κακῶν ὑπηρεσίαν ἐχρήσατο. Σύνηθες δέ ἐστι τῇ ἁγιᾳ Γραφῇ τὰ τοιαῦτα τῶν νοημάτων ταῖς τοιαύταις ἐξαγγέλλειν φωναῖς· ὡς τὸ, Παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς πὰθη ἀτιμίας· καὶ, Ἔδωκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, και Ἐσκλήρυνε τὴν καρδίαν Φαραὼ· καὶ τὸ, Τί ἐπλάνησας ἡμᾶς, Κύριε, ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ σου, ἐσκληρυνας τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν τοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθαι σε; καὶ Ἐπλάνησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀβάτῳ καὶ οὐχ ὁδῷ· καὶ Ἡπάτησας με καὶ ἠπατήθην· καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἑστὶν ὁμότροπα, ἐφ' ὦν ἡ ἀκριβὴς διάνοια οὐ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐγγενέσθαι τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ συνίστησι φύσει· ἀλλὰ κατηγορεῖ τῆς ἐξουσίας, ἥ ἀγαθον μέν ἐστι καὶ Θεοῦ δῶρον δεδομένον τῇ φύσει· γέγονε δὲ, διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον ῥοπῆς κακόν. Εἶδεν οὖν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστὴς σύμπαντα τὰ πεποιημένα ἐν τῷ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον βίῳ, ὅτι πάντα ματαιότης, Οὐκ ἧν γὰρ ἀσυνιῶν, οὐκ ἧν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν Θεόν· ἐπειδὴ πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἀμα ἠχρειώθησαν. Διὰ τοῠ το εἰπὼν, ὅτι Καὶ ἰδου τὰ πάντα ματαιότης  τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς τούτων αἴτιος, ἀλλὰ ἠ προαίρεσις τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ὁρμῆς, ἥν πνεῦμα ὠνόμασεν. Κατηγορεῖ δὲ τούτου τοῦ πνεύματος, οὐχ ὅτι τοιοῦτον ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἧν· ἧ γὰρ ἄν ἔξω κατηγορίας ἥν, εἰ τοιοῦτον ἐγένετο· ἀλλ' ὅτι διαστραφὲν ἐξηρμόσθη τοῦ κόσμου. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τον Ἐκκλησιασην, Ὁμιλια Β'

Ecclesiastes has come, then, to seek out by his own wisdom what is done under the sun, that confusion of deeds, why existence is subject to non existence and how that which is insubstantial has power over being. He knew that 'God has given to the sons of men an evil trouble to vex him' 1. And let this be thought as something not easily understood, that a pious man considers that God has given an evil to the sons of men in order to trouble them, for then one may choose to attribute the cause of evil to God. But He who is good by nature is indeed a giver of good things because every good tree bears good fruit and from thorns  grapes do not spring, nor do thorns grow from a vine; 2 therefore the One who is good by nature does not offer some evil from his storehouse. A good man does not speak evil from the abundance of his heart but utters words appropriate to his nature. How then is it that the fountain of good may not be a giver of evils? Let this be considered with a more reverent understanding, since the gifts of God are good. That is, the freedom of will given, man misused it as an instrument for sin, for free will is good in its nature and subject to no one, while anything yoked to necessity should not be accounted among things good, but in liberty, during a soul's testing, an impulse of the mind led to choice of evil, and from high state of honour it was drawn down to the passions. This is what  'He has given' means, not that He has given evil to the life of men, but that the goods God has given men have been used by them to commit mindless evil. Holy Scripture expresses such things as we have been considering, by proclaiming: 'God has handed them over to disgraceful of passions' 3, and 'He has given them over to a base mind.' 4 and 'He has hardened Pharaoh's heart'  5, and 'Why, Lord, have you caused us to wander from your way and why have you hardened our hearts not to fear you?' 6, and 'He make them wander in a desert and not in the way' 7, and 'You have deceived me, and I was deceived', 8 and other remarks similar to these, which being understood correctly does not mean that human nature has something inappropriate from God, but they censure free will which in itself is a good and a gift bestowed by God to our nature, but as a result of error, free will inclines to evil. So Ecclesiastes sees all things done in life under the sun, that they are vain. 'There is not one who understands or seeks after God' 9 since all have turned aside and have become useless. And thus he says 'Behold, all is vanity.'  10 He does not attribute the cause to God but to human choice which he names the wind. He censures this wind, for it is not as it was at the beginning. There it was free of censure and in no need of condemnation, but it turned aside by turning to the world.   Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On Ecclesiastes,  Homily 2 1 Eccl 1.13 2 Mt 7.17 3 Rom 1.26 4 Rom. 1.28 5 Ex 9.12 6 Is 63.17 7 Ps 106.40 8 Jer 20.7 9 Rom 3.11 10 Eccl 1.14

The Devil and Evil

Πόθεν ὁ διάβολος, εἰ μὴ παρὰ Θεοῦ τὰ κακὰ; Τί οὖν φαμεν; Ὅτι ὁ αὐτὸς ὑμῖν ἀρκέσει καὶ περὶ τοῦ ζητήματος τούτου λογος, ὁ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις μονηρίας ἀποδοθείς. Πόθεν γὰρ ποννρὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος; Ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας οὐτοῦ προαιρέσεως. Πόθεν κακὸς ὁ διάβολος; Ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς αἰτίας, αὐθαίρετον ἔχων καὶ αὐτός τὴν ζωὴν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ κειμένην τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἤ παραμένειν τῷ Θεῷ, ἢ ἀλλοτριωθῆναι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. Γαβριὴλ ἄγγελος, καὶ παρέστηκε τῷ Θεῷ διηνεκῶς. Ὁ Σατανᾶς ἄγγελος, καὶ ἐξέπεσε τῆς οἰκείας τάξεως παντελῶς. Κἆκεῖνον ἡ προαίρεσις διεφύλαξεν ἐν τοῖς ἄνω, καὶ τοῦτον κατέῥῥιψε τῆς γνώμης τὸ αὐτεξούσιον. Ἐδύνατο γὰρ κἀκεῖνος ἀποστατῆσαι, καὶ οὖτος μὴ ἐκπεσεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν διεσώσατο τῆς ἀγάπης τοῠ Θεοῦ τό ἀκόρεστον, τὸν δὲ ἀποβλητον ἔδειχεν ἡ ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀναχώρησις. Τούτο ἐστιν τὸ κακὸν, ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσις. Μικρὰ περιστροφὴ ὀφθαλμοῠ ἢ μετά ἡλίου ἡμᾶς εἶναι ποιεῖ, ἢ μετὰ τῆς σκιᾶς τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν. Κἀκεῖ μέν ἀναβλέψατι ἔτοιμον τό φωτισθῆναι, ἀπονεύσαντι δὲ πρὸς τὴν σκιὰν ἀναγκαία ἡ σκότωσις. Οὔτω πονηρίαν, οὐ φύσις ἀντικειμένη τῷ ἀγαθῷ. Πόθεν οὖν αὐτῷ ὅ πρὸς ἡμᾶς πόλεμος; Ὅτι, δοζεῖον ὤν πάσης κακίας, ἐδέξατο καὶ τοῦ φθόνου τὴν νόσον, καὶ ἐβάσκηνεν ἡμῖν τῆς τιμῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἤνεγκεν ἡμῶν τὴν ἅλυπον ζωὴν τὴν ἐν τῷ παραδέισῳ· δόλοις δὲ καὶ μηχαναῖς ἐξαπατήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῦ, ἥν ἔσχε πρὸς τό ὁμοιωθῆναι τῷ Θεῷ, ταύτῃ πρὸς τὴν ἀπάτην ἀποχρήσαμενος, ἔδειξε τὸ ξύλον καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο δια τῆς βρώσεως αὐτοῦ ὅμοιον τῷ Θεῷ καταστήσειν. Ἐὰν γὰρ φάγητε, φησὶν, ἒσεσθε ὡς θεοι, γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν. Οὐκ ἐχθρὸς τοίνυν ἡμῖν κατεσκευασθη, ἀλλ' ἐκ ζηλοντυπίας ἡμῖν εἰς ἔχθραν ἀντικατέστη. Ὁρων γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἐν τῶν ἀγγέλων καταῥῥιφέντα, οὐκ ἔφερε βλέπειν τὸν γήινον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀξίαν τῶν ἀγγέλων διὰ προκοπῆς ἀνυψούμενον. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ὁτι Οὐκ Ἐστιν Αἰτιος Των Κακων Ὁ Θεος.

Why is the devil sundered from God but by evil? What shall we say? The same reason that we gave for man's separation suffices for an answer to this question. Whence comes evil to man? From his own will. Whence comes evil to the devil? From the same cause. When he had freedom he could have either adhered to God in perseverance or separated himself from the good. Gabriel is an angel and stands with God.1 Satan was also an angel, and from that order cut himself off. One remained in heaven by free will the other by free will fell from there. For he was able to not do as he did and so not fall. But one delighted in the service of God and another made himself reprobate by withdrawing from God. This is evil: to withdraw from God. A little movement of the eye and one sees the sun, or one is in the shadow of one's body. Thus it may be seen with swift illumination that if one turns to shadows one will by necessity dwell in darkness. In this way the devil is evil, from freely choosing wickedness, not in nature being adversary to the good. Why then does he war against us? Because receptive of every evil he has received the infection of envy, and to plot against us is his glory. For he did not wound our life in paradise by a direct act, but with cunning and cleverness man was deceived, and that was his desire with the suggestion of becoming like God, and by use of lies, showing the tree, by promise of the future, that if one ate of it, one would become like God. 'For if , he said, you eat you shall be like gods knowing good and evil.'2 Thus he is not an enemy to us other that from envy he is made an enemy to us. For when he saw himself thrown from the angelic hosts and then that man, who was of earth, was to the dignity of angels able to be exalted by virtue, he was not able to endure it. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homily on God not Being a Cause of Evil. 1 cf Lk 1.19 2.Gen 3.5

Sin, Death, Freedom

Ἔξω μὲν εὐθὺς ἧν τοῦ παραδείσου, ἔξω δὲ τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης διαγωγῆς, οὐκ ἐξ ἀνάθκης κακός, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀβουλίας, γενόμενος. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἥμαρτε μὲν διὰ μοχθηρὰν, προαίρεσιν, ἀπέθανε δὲ διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· Τὰ γὰρ ὀψώνια τῆς ἁματρίας θάνατος· Ὅσον γὰρ ἀφίστατο τῆς ζωῆς, τοσοῦτον προσήγγιζε τῷ θανάτῳ. Ζωὴ γὰρ ὁ Θεός· στέρησις δὲ τῆς ζωῆς θάνατος. Ὥστε ἑαυτῷ τὸν θάνατον ὁ Ἀδὰμ διὰ τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ κατεσκεύασε, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ὅτι Ἰδοὺ οἱ μακρύνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἀπολοῦνται. Οὕτως οὐχὶ Θεὸς ἔκτισε θάνατον, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς ἑαυτοῖς ἐκ πονηρᾶς γνώμης ἐπεσπασάμεθα. Οὐ μὴν οὐδε ἐκώλυσε τὴν διάλυσιν διά τὰς προειρημένας αἰτίας, ἴνα μὴ ἀθὰνατον ἡμῖν τὴν ἀῥῥωστίαν διατηρήσῃ. Ὥωπερ ἂν εἴ τος σκεῦος πήλινον διαῥῥυὲν μὴ καταδέχοιτο παραδοῦναι πυρὶ, ἕως ἂν τὸ ἐνυπάρχον αὐτῷ πάθος διὰ τῆς ἀναπλάσεως ἐξιάσαιτο. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τί οὐκ ἐν τῇ κατασκευῇ τὸ ἀναμάρτητον ἔσχομεν, φησὶν, ὥστε μηδὲ βουλομένοις ἡμῖν ὑπάρχειν τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν; Ὅτι καὶ σὺ τοὺς οἰκέτας, οὐχ ὅταν δεσμίους ἔχῃς, εὔνους ὑπολαμβάνεις, ἀλλ' ὅταν ἐκουσίως ἴδῃς ἀποπληροῦντας σοι τὰ καθήκοντα. Καὶ Θεῳ τοίνυν οὐ τὸ ἠναγκασμένον φιλον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀρετῆς κατορθούμενον. Ἀρετὴ δὲ ἐκ προαιρέσεως, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἀνάγκης γίνεται. Προαίρεσις δὲ τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἤρτηταὶ. Τὸ δὲ ἐγ' ἡμῖν ἐστι τὸ αὐτεξούσιον. Ὁ τοίνυν μεμφόμενος τὸν ποιητὴν ὡς μὴ φυσικῶς κατασκευάσαντα ἡμᾶς ἀναμαρτήτους, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἤ τὴν ἄλογον φύσιν τῆς λογικῆς προτιμᾷ, καὶ τὴν ἀκίνητον καὶ ἀνόρμητον τῆς προαιρετικῆς καὶ ἐμπράκτου. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ὁτι Οὐκ Ἐστιν Αἰτιος Των Κακων Ὁ Θεος

Out from paradise and from that blessed state man immediately thrown, and this evil was not a matter of necessity but on account of thoughtlessness. He sinned because of wretchedness, by choice, dying on account of sin, 'For the reward of sin is death.' 1 As much as he drew close to death he withdrew from life. For God is life and death is the privation of life. So Adam established himself in death by withdrawing from God, according to what is written, 'Behold, those who distance themselves from you, they perish.' 2 Thus God did not create death but we draw ourselves into it by the wickedness of our minds. Nor does He prevent destruction on account of the cause mentioned, lest an eternal sickness be preserved in us. Just as an earthen vessel is unwilling to be melted by fire, yet the calamity of his defilement done consumes him. But, someone may say, 'Why were we not fashioned that we were sinless, that we did not even have the wish to sin?' Because you are not a slave in chains, which you would think benevolent, but rather free to fulfill the things which you should do. One who is bound by necessity cannot be pleasing to God, one can only please by the pursuit of virtue. And virtue is from choice and not from necessity. And the will which chooses is a thing which is ours. It is our freedom. Whence he who blames the Creator, because he did not establish sinlessness in us, does nothing by this but to prefer an irrational nature to an rational one and to desire an immobile mindlessness to the life of free will. Saint Basil of Caesarea, from a Homily on God not Being a Cause of Evils. 1 Rom 6.23 2 Ps 72.27

Choosing The Better Part

Ταῖς παντόλμοις καὶ θρασέσι γνώμαις κίνδυνοι καὶ φοβοι διηνεκεῖς ἀκολουθοῦσι, ταῖς δὲ πραέσι καὶ ἠμέροις ἔπαινοι καὶ τιμαὶ καὶ εὐτολμίαι. Εἰ τοίνυν μὴ τὴν ὀρθὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνοίᾳ ἐζημίωσαι κρίσιν, τῆς κρείττονος μοίρας γενοῦ, ἀφέμενος τῆς κακίστης. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΣΛΑ', Κερκυριῳ

It is mark of the all daring and reckless that continual dangers and fears follow them, but to the meek and gentle there is praise and honour and confidence. If then you would not be mindlessly deprived of right judgement, choose the better part and dismiss the worse. 1 Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 231, to Cercyrius 1 cf Lk 10.42

Evil and Free Will

Aug: Cum igitur eisdem rebus alius male, alius bene utatur; et is quidem qui male, amore his inhaereat atque implicetur, scilicet subditus eis rebus quas ei subditas esse oportebat, et ea bona sibi constituens, quibus ordinandis beneque tractandis ipse esse utique deberet bonum: ille autem qui recte his utitur, ostendat quidem bona esse, sed non sibi; non enim eum bonum melioremve faciunt, sed ab eo potius fiunt: et ideo non eis amore agglutinetur, neque velut membra sui animi faciat, quod fit amando, ne cum resecari coeperint, eum cruciatu ac tabe foedent; sed eis totus superferatur, et habere illa atque regere, cum opus est, paratus, et amittere ac non habere paratior: cum ergo haec ita sint, num aut argentum et aurum propter avaros accusandum putas, aut cibos propter voraces, aut vinum propter ebriosos, aut muliebres formas propter scortatores et adulteros, atque hoc modo caetera, cum praesertim videas et igne bene uti medicum, et pane scelerate veneficum?  Ev: Verissimum est, non res ipsas, sed homines qui eis male utuntur esse culpandos.  Aug: Recte: sed quoniam et quid valeat aeterna lex, ut opinor, videre iam coepimus, et quantum lex temporalis in vindicando progredi possit, inventum est; et rerum duo genera, aeternarum et temporalium, duoque rursus hominum, aliorum aeternas, aliorum temporales sequentium et diligentium, satis aperteque distincta sunt: quid autem quisque sectandum et amplectendum eligat, in voluntate esse positum constitit; nullaque re de arce dominandi, rectoque ordine mentem deponi, nisi voluntate: et est manifestum, non rem ullam, cum ea quisque male utitur, sed ipsum male utentem esse arguendum: referamus nos, si placet, ad quaestionem in exordio huius sermonis propositam, et videamus utrum soluta sit; nam quaerere institueramus quid sit male facere, et propter hoc omnia quae dicta sunt, diximus. Quocirca licet nunc animadvertere et considerare, utrum sit aliud male facere, quam neglectis rebus aeternis, quibus per seipsam mens fruitur, et per seipsam percipit, et quae amans amittere non potest, temporalia et quaeque per corpus hominis partem vilissimam sentiuntur, et nunquam esse certa possunt, quasi magna et miranda sectari. Nam hoc uno genere omnia malefacta, id est peccata, mihi videntur includi. Tibi autem quid videatur, exspecto cognoscere.  Ev: Est ita ut dicis, et assentior, omnia peccata hoc uno genere contineri, cum quisque avertitur a divinis vereque manentibus, et ad mutabilia atque incerta convertitur. Quae quamquam in ordine suo recte locata sint, et suam quamdam pulchritudinem peragant; perversi tamen animi est et inordinati, eis sequendis subici, quibus ad nutum suum ducendis potius divino ordine ac iure praelatus est. Et illud simul mihi videre iam videor absolutum atque compertum, quod post illam quaestionem, quid sit male facere, deinceps quaerere institueramus, unde male facimus. Nisi enim fallor, ut ratio tractata monstravit, id facimus ex libero voluntatis arbitrio.   Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, De Libero Arbitrio

Augustine: Thus the same things are used by one badly and by another well and the one who uses them badly cleaves to them and becomes ensnared by them, for he serves that which should serve him, attaching himself to those goods which he cannot use properly because he is not good. For those things do not make the user good or better, in truth, they become good by being used, and so someone who uses them well does not become attached to them, and they are not made, as it were, limbs of his soul, which happens in loving them, so that when they are cut off, he is not disfigured by pain or loss; but he is far above such things, ready to possess and make use of them as the need arises, and even readier for loss and to be without them. Since this is so, you should realise that we should not fault silver and gold because of the avaricious, or food because of gluttons, or wine because of drunkards, or female beauty because of fornicators and adulterers, and so on, especially since you know fire can be used to heal and bread to poison. Evodius: Clearly it is not the things themselves but the evil use that men make of them that is culpable. Augustine: Correct. But now we have begun to see what eternal law can do and we have found out how far temporal law can go in punishing evildoing, we have clearly and carefully distinguished between two sorts of things, eternal and temporal, and in turn between two sorts of human beings, those who pursue and love eternal things and those who pursue and love temporal things. We have determined that the choice to follow and embrace one or the other lies in the will and that only the will can depose the mind from its stronghold of power and deprive it of right order. And it has become clear that we should not blame a thing when someone uses it wrongly, we should blame the one who uses it wrongly. Given that, why don't we return to the question we posed at the beginning of this discussion and see whether it has been answered? We set out to discover what evildoing is. This whole discussion was aimed at answering that question, and we are now in a position to ask whether evildoing is anything other than neglecting eternal things, which the mind perceives and enjoys by means of itself and which it cannot lose if it loves them, and instead of pursuing temporal things as if they were great and marvelous things, things perceived by means of the body, that least valuable part of a human being, and which can never be certain, and so it seems to me that all evil deeds, that is, all sin, fall into this category. But I would know how it seems to you. Evodius: It is as you say and I agree; all sins are contained in one class, that is, when someone turns from Divine things which truly persist and turns toward changeable and uncertain things. These things do have their proper place and they have a certain beauty of their own but when a perverse and disordered soul pursues them it becomes enslaved to the very things that Divine law and order command it to rule over. And I think we have answered another question. After we asked what evildoing is, we set out to discover the source of our evildoing and, unless I err, our argument has showed that we do evil by the free choice of the will. Saint Augustine of Hippo, On Free Will

The Lesson Of The Cry

Inde est quod caput nostrum Dominus Jesus Christus omnia in se corporis sui membra transformans, quod olim in psalmo eructaverat, id in supplicio crucis sub redemptorum suorum voce clamabat: Deus, Deus meus, respice in me: quare me dereliquisti? Vox ista, dilectissimi, doctrina est, non querela. Nam cum in Christo Dei et hominis una persona sit, nec ab eo potuerit relinqui a quo non poterat separari, pro nobis trepidis et infirmis interrogat cur caro pati metuens exaudita non fuerit. Instante enim passione ad sanandum et corrigendum nostrae fragilitatis metum dixerat: Pater, si possibile est, transeat a me calix iste; verumtamen non sicut ego volo, sed sicut tu, et iterum: Pater, si non potest hic calix transire, nisi bibam illum, fiat voluntas tua. Qui ergo trepidatione carnis evicta, jam in paternam transierat voluntatem, et toto mortis terrore calcato, opus suae constitutionis implebat, cur in ipso tantae victoriae exaltatus triumpho, causam et rationem qua sit relictus, id est non exauditus, inquirit, nisi ut ostendat alium esse illum affectum, quem ad humanae formidinis excusationem recepit, alium illum quem ex aeterno placito Patris pro mundi reconciliatione praeelegit? Unde ipsa vox non exauditi, magni est expositio sacramenti, quod nihil humano generi conferret Redemptoris potestas, si quod petebat nostra obtineret infirmitas. Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo LXVII

Hence it is that the our head Lord Jesus Christ, in himself shaping all the members of His body in Himself, for those whom He was redeeming in the punishment of the cross, cried out that which He had once called out in the psalm, 'O God, My God, look upon Me, why have You forsaken Me?' That cry, dearly beloved, is a lesson, not a complaint. For since in Christ there is one person of God and man, and He could not have been forsaken by Him from Whom He could not be separated, it is for us, trembling and infirm, that He asks why the flesh fearing to suffer has not been heard. Indeed at the beginning of the Passion, to cure and correct our weak fear, He had said, 'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless not as I will but as You.' And again, 'Father, if this cup cannot pass except I drink it, Your will be done.' As therefore He had conquered the trembling of the flesh, and had conformed to the Father's will, trampling down all terror of death, fulfilling the work of His design, why in His triumph, with such a victory, does He ask for the cause and reason of why He is forsaken, that is, not heard, unless to show that the feeling which He received in excuse of His human fears is quite different from the deliberate choice which, in accordance with the Father's eternal decree, He had made for the reconciliation of the world? And thus the very cry unheard is the exposition of a great mystery, that the Redeemer's power would have conferred nothing on the human race if our infirmity had obtained what it sought. Pope Leo the Great, Sermon 67

Poverty And Choice

Οὖτος ὁ πτωχὸς ἐκέκραξε, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἀεὶ ἐπαινετὴ ἡ πτωχεία, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκ προαιρέσεως κατὰ τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν σκοπὸν κατορθουμένη. Πολλοὶ γὰρ πτωχοὶ μὲν τῇ περιουσίᾳ, πλεονεκτικώτατοι δὲ τῇ προαιρέσει τυγχάνουσιν· οὔς οὐχ ἡ ἔνδεια σώζει, ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις κατακρίνει. Οὐ τοίνυν ὁ ἐνδεὴς πάντως μακαριστὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ κρείττονα ἡγησάμενος τῶν τοῦ κόσμου θησαυρῶν τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τούτος καὶ ὁ Κύριος μακαρίζει λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι· οὐχ οἱ πένητες κατὰ τὴν περιουσίαν, ἀλλ' οἱ τὴν πτωχείαν ἐκ ψυχῆς προελόμενοι. Οὐδεν γὰρ τῶν ἀπροαιρέτων μακαριστόν. Διότι πᾶσα ἀρετὴ, μάλιστα δὲ αὔτη πρὸ πάντων, τῷ ἐκουσίῳ χαρακτηρίζεται. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΓ’ Source: Migne PG 29.361a-b

The poor man cried out and the Lord heard him. 1 Poverty is not always laudable unless it is a choice that is correct according to the evangelical counsel. For many who are poor wish to have a fortune and live in abundance and rank excess, which deprivation does not save, but rather the better choice  condemns it. It is not he who lacks who is blessed but he who chooses the superior command of Christ over the treasures of the world. These the Lord names blessed, saying, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit,' 2 meaning not those who desire an abundance but those who have chosen the poverty of the spirit. For nothing which is not chosen is blessed. Every virtue, and this one above all, is inscribed with freedom. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 33 1 Ps 33.7 2 Mt 5.3