On Divine Providence 1 part 8/11

Such was he, both when a slave and when reigning;

such in good fortune and in ill fortune;

such when faring ill and when prospering exceedingly.

Therefore it is not wealth, nor mastery, nor poverty, nor slavery that engender vice, but everywhere the free choice of the will prevails.

That the wickedness of masters does not corrupt the virtue of servants can easily be learned also from other examples.

Who among those instructed in divine things is ignorant of the wickedness of Ahab, the impiety of Jezebel, and their rage against God? Yet nevertheless Obadiah, though a slave to them and entrusted by them with a certain stewardship, not only did not follow in his masters' footsteps, but continued to walk the very opposite way from theirs.

For they, raging madly against the prophets of God, were eager to hand all of them over to slaughter, and considered the destruction of God's servants a delight, contending to extinguish utterly the spark of piety.

But he strove against the impious deeds of his masters, and was eager to keep the torch of piety unharmed; and having hidden a hundred prophets in two caves, he fed them, at a time when a grievous famine held the inhabited world in its grip—the famine which the great Elijah had marshaled against mankind like an army, exacting from them the penalty for their impiety.

And neither did the beastly disposition of his masters frighten him, nor did the slaughter of the pious terrify him, nor did the tyranny of the famine and the scarcity of necessities render him stingy in caring for the holy prophets;

but he abhorred the former for their cruelty, while to the latter he supplied sufficient provision, choosing their safety over his own security, and considering life without them to be death.

And in matters where God was not being warred against, he by no means failed to render fitting service to his masters;

but considering the laws enacted against the Maker of all things to be ridiculous, he hated those who enacted them, but pitied those who were compelled to do what was commanded;

and considering such service to be ruinous, he deemed those ordered to be put to death worthy of salvation, holding a death accompanied by piety to be more honorable than a life accompanied by impiety.

Therefore the abomination of his masters did him no harm; rather, the wickedness of his lords rendered him distinguished and conspicuous.

For nothing is stronger than a will that chooses piety, nor anything more powerful than a soul unwilling to be enslaved to vice.

But indeed, I do not know what has come over me, since the virtue of these excellent men compels my discourse and forces it to be prolonged beyond due measure.

Come then, having drawn this example to a close, let us pass on to another.

A certain Zedekiah became the last king of the Jews; he too was afflicted with great impiety, and could not bear to give heed to the divine oracles.

...containing foul-smelling mire, because he had foretold things exceedingly grievous and painful.

But a certain Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian eunuch servant, taking no account of the majesty of the kingship, nor of the prevailing impiety, nor of the madness against the prophet, nor of the misfortune of his own servitude, rebukes the king's unjust verdict, denounces the lawlessness dared against the prophet, points out the Overseer of what was happening, and terrifies the king with just punishment.

And the servant becomes counselor to the king—the eunuch to the free man, the foreigner to the native, the Ethiopian to the Israelite, he who descends from Ham to one who traces his lineage from Shem.

And he persuades the king with pious words, and brings the prophet up out of that bitter, dark, and foul-smelling prison, and supplies him with the necessary food for the whole time of the siege.

And he receives from God the wage of his piety, the blessing;

and when the city was captured, and those dwelling in the palace were slaughtered, this man alone enjoyed salvation according to the divine promise.

It is evident, then, from what has been said, that wicked masters not only do not corrupt good servants, but also reap much benefit from them.

And this again can also be learned from another instance.

For since that city was overthrown on account of its great lawlessness, and famine consumed many, while war sent many others to death, the king of the Chaldeans led the rest away captive to Babylon as spoils of war;

then, having selected those born of noble stock, shining in bodily beauty, and flourishing in the vigor of youth, he ordered them to live inside the palace, fulfilling royal service.

But first he ordered them to strip off the hardship arising from the siege and the journey, through a splendid regimen, with food and delicacies brought from the royal table.

Here observe for me the nobility of those divine young men;

for neither the capture of the city, nor the burning of the divine temple, nor the desolation of the sanctuaries and untouchable places, nor the sacred vessels having become spoils of the barbarians, nor the slaying of the kings, nor the slaughter of the priests, nor dwelling far from the holy places, nor sojourning in a foreign land, nor the absence of teachers, nor the impiety of their rulers, nor the necessity of servitude, nor the heavy yoke of the king, nor the immaturity of their age, nor longing for life, nor fear of death, nor anything else of this kind persuaded them to let slip and transgress even the smallest part of the letters of the law.

But they entreat the one who had become their guardian to supply them with food from pulse, abhorring the royal feast, and detesting that varied banquet;

for they saw it defiled by being named after idols.

And they had such confidence, and such love and faith concerning the God of their fathers, that they promised their guardian that the food of pulse would render them more radiant than those who fed on royal fare.

And they were not deceived in their hope, but reaped the fruits of their faith.

For, as they had promised, they were shown to be more thriving and better nourished than all who feasted sumptuously together, shining with greater beauty, and adorned with bodily strength.

But when time, running its course, had brought them to manhood, and, having given proof of their own virtue, these captives obtained the lot of ruling over the natives, then again another arena was opened to them.

For that arrogant man, imitating his father in the conceit of his madness, set up that colossal image, fashioned of material and gold, and commanded all to worship the image as God;

and for those unwilling to worship, he set forth punishment—that furnace—having made it burn still fiercer through an insatiable feeding of fuel.

And many, doing what was customary, offered worship to it as to one of the other idols;

but there were also those who, out of fear of the fire, gave up their souls, and, pricked by their conscience, transferred the worship due to God onto the image.

But those noble men—Ananias, Azariah, and Mishael, the nurslings of the law, the heirs of Abraham's faith, 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 even when accused, since indeed they had not done what was commanded, offered no defense whatsoever, but openly refused the worship and cried out with a loud voice:

"There is a God in heaven, whom we serve, who is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from your hands, O king."

"And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, and we do not worship the golden image that you have set up. For we do not serve our Maker for wages, nor do we purchase salvation with our piety, nor do we long to obtain life by every possible means;

even if he delivers us from the terrors, we give thanks;

and even if he allows us to fall into them, we worship him.

For that he is able to render us superior to the threatened punishments, we know clearly and in no way doubt;

but whether he also wills it, we do not know."

For the depth of divine providence is unattainable.

"Do not delay, then, but send us on to the punishments already prepared."

"For death with piety is sweeter to us than life with impiety."

They said these things; and he did not delay, but sent the youths, bound in fetters, to the furnace.

The fire loosed the bond of iron, yet preserved the readily-combustible nature of their hair;

it refused to touch the fuel given to it; instead it fled, turned its back, and rushed upon its own worshippers, while it kept the servants of God unharmed.

And a new and paradoxical wonder came to pass.

For those who were in the midst of the pyre, walking upon the coals, felt no experience of the flame;

while those standing around outside, supplying fuel to the furnace, themselves became fuel for the fire.

And some wailed as they were consumed by fire, while those within, singing hymns, danced, and called all creation to join in the hymn-singing, and bade the elements worshipped by the foolish to hymn the Benefactor.

So great was the power of that wonder-working 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, bidding them honor their God.

and first he made clear the unknown dreams that had been beyond understanding, and then also suggested what was needful, and pointed out and counseled what would be beneficial.

And what need is there to recount everything that was gloriously accomplished through him? How the king forbade praying and supplicating God;

how this man, who had formerly prayed lawfully and did so in secret, once the impious law was enacted, continued openly beseeching God, laughing the law to scorn and despising its lawgiver;

how he was thrown to the lions;

...their raging mouths;

how it drew the impious king to behold the wonder;

how he exposed the deceit of the idols.

Let no one, then, accuse slavery, nor suppose that the wicked mastery of masters overcomes the virtue of slaves, but let him see the providence of God on every side.

But perhaps someone might say:

"Why in the world did the God of all hand over those who lived together in lawlessness to the king of the Babylonians, yet allow the righteous to become captives of war? Of what providence is this a work? Of what just verdict? And what disorder, disarray, and confusion is there not in these things?" But it is those ignorant of the abyss of the divine dispensation who attempt to say such things.

But those who have been initiated, and have tasted the divine mysteries, know the cause and the root of these things.

For the lover of mankind cares for those who err, and disciplines them, and wills to leave no human being uncared for.

For this reason, when He sent the lawless into captivity, He sent along with them, as it were, trainers and teachers—men who lived in fellowship with virtue—so that, guided by light as by a lamp, and led by the hand through their life and word, they might in this way travel the unerring path.

That their captivity became the occasion of salvation not only for their own kinsmen, but also enlightened foreigners with the light of the knowledge of God, history bears witness.

If, then, they themselves shone forth through their struggles, and became renowned and admired, and left to later generations an archetype of benefit, and became for their fellow captives a foundation of salvation, and benefited the barbarians, having kept their piety unsullied, and through it wrought great wonders—why do you accuse Providence, which provides such things? Why do you not rather hymn the Steward of souls and the Pilot of creation, who has so wisely and so beneficially guided all things? I, then, have shown from the divine oracles that it is possible, even while serving an evil master, both to flee vice and to pursue virtue, and to afford one's masters many occasions of benefit.

But look around at those who are now fellow slaves, and you will see many who serve licentious masters, yet abhor licentiousness, honor self-control, and take on none of their masters' vice, but instead imitate the life of the men we have just recounted.

And having been taught, both from what has been said and from what is seen, the free will of our nature, and having come to understand the wisdom of God's providence, sing a recantation, and turn the blasphemy now struck up by you into hymnody, and let the strokes of your tongue that are now uttered against God be uttered on God's behalf instead, and let it sing the providence of the Maker, Christ our God—

to him be glory forever.

That the labor of righteousness is not fruitless, even if it does not appear so in the present life;

and concerning the resurrection, from arguments drawn from nature.

If all were willing to heed that good counsel, which cries out plainly:

"Seek not what is too strong for you, and search not what is deeper than you; ponder what has been commanded you"—we would not have needed many words, wishing to show the providence of God concerning all things;

for it is easy, indeed very simple, once one is freed from superfluous and vain meddlesomeness, to perceive it holding the helm of the universe, and wisely piloting all things.

But since many men, though able, are unwilling to see, but shut their eyes and stop their ears, and are unwilling to heed the voice that is borne from every side, and mock, blaspheme, and slander each of the things done well and rightly by God, and string together countless such things, weaving false accusations—reasonably, I think, have we taken up this discourse against the accusation, wishing to demonstrate that it is calumny, and not a correct cause;

and calling upon Providence, which they war against, as our ally, and having set the discourse of defense before us, we have already gone through eight orations, refuting the blasphemy of the ungrateful.

And as accusers and witnesses of their ingratitude alike, we brought forward heaven, and earth, and sea, and air, and all the bodies within them, both animate and inanimate, rational and irrational, winged and land-dwelling, swimming and amphibious.

And in addition to these, the structure of human bodies—the wisdom and providence of God shining forth in each of its parts;

the God-given gift of reason, by which human nature discovered agriculture and navigation, the sciences of medicine and letters, and all the other arts and sciences that render human life more pleasant;

we have also shown, to speak with God's help, the usefulness of tame and wild animals alike, the benefit of both wealth and poverty, and the necessity of both slavery and mastery;

then, in addition to these, that those who serve draw no harm at all from masters who live in vice, if they are willing to be prudent.

And of these things we brought forward proofs from the divine Scripture;

but for the bitter accusers of Providence we left, until now, the examination of those who are presently in servitude.

For even now one can see countless people serving wicked masters, and not only not imitating their master's vice, but utterly abhorring it, embracing nobility of character, and walking a path contrary to their masters.

But perhaps they will again take from this yet another occasion for accusation against divine Providence, and will say that the nurslings of virtue labor in vain, and, as the saying goes, sow upon rocks and draw water with a sieve, and do such things as these, enjoying no good fruits whatsoever.

"For some," they say, "live together with poverty, and, having been allotted much hardship, journey through life;

while others drag the heavy yoke of slavery, and are subjected to unceasing toils, and, what is far harder than these, many, though they abhor wickedness, endure serving wicked masters."

"What reward, then," he says, "do these have? What recompenses of virtue? What wages for their toils? What is the fruit of their sweat, what the prizes of their contests? For we cannot see all those allotted to servitude enjoying freedom, nor do we see those allotted to poverty who became devotees of virtue passing over into the ranks of the rich, but rather most of them remaining in their former hardship."

...a Sybaritic [life], and all the other things that those who pursue a soft, dissolute, and luxurious life practice.

But all of these things, every one of sound mind is accustomed to call not only not happiness, but rather the very extremity of misery and misfortune.

For the Ruler of all did not give wealth to men for this reason, that they might squander it upon licentiousness, and that it might become provision for wickedness;

but so that, managing it well and rightly, and themselves partaking of what is needful while sharing what is superfluous with those in need, they might render it material for temperance and justice.

But rather you deem these men worthy of pardon, while you blaspheme the Ruler of all, as though he had given wicked men the power of wealth.

Therefore it is agreed even by you yourselves, that such luxury is not to be defined as prosperity, but that the just and temperate life is worthy of praise and of the highest good repute, and, whether it appears in poverty or in abundance, is worthy of equal crowns.

And I think that even you yourselves will crown with double garlands those who cultivate virtue in poverty, as displaying greater endurance.

But this is not the reward that those who are zealous to serve God possess, nor is it to this recompense that those devoted to the divine laws look.

For praise has often been seen to corrupt many men.

For it slackens one's ardor, and does injury to the race;

and one who supposes he has already reached the finish line of the race—for this is what praise insinuates—ceases running, and loses the victory.

Signifying this also through the prophet, the God of all said:

Thus the blessed Paul ran, paying heed neither to those who praised him nor to those who reviled him, but forgetting what lay behind, and straining forward to what lay ahead, pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly calling.

The guardians of the divine laws, then, do not define human praise as the reward for their labors, but await the divine promises; awaiting the President of the contests, they await the incorruptible crowns, they eagerly anticipate the God-given prizes, they await the verdict of the righteous Judge, the resurrection of bodies, the ascent into the heavens, the dance with the angels, and, before all these, to behold continually him whom they love—for whose sake, crossing the sea of life, they sailed above the waves of wickedness, and, swimming through with many toils, refused to be submerged, but, yoking the desire for harbor to their labors, sustained their weakness.

Those who have driven on to the summit of virtue have as their harbor not life, not resurrection, not any other admirable thing, but the Beloved himself; for his sake they regard hardship as luxury, toilsome labor as sweetest sleep, their sojourn in deserts as more delightful than that in cities, life in poverty as more splendid than life with wealth, and bitter slavery as sweeter than any tyranny.

This is the reward that the workers of virtue await.

For there is an inheritance for those who serve the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah cries out:

"...is the kingdom of heaven";

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"; and the rest that follows these, it is easy for anyone willing to open the divine Books to learn well.

For he will find these things also in the distribution of the talents, in the parable of the ten virgins, in the figurative division of the lambs and the kids, in the sowing that received the tares, and in the dragnet—which those who let it down cast into the sea, catching fish indiscriminately, yet which in the end made the finest division.

And countless such things are also to be found in the apostolic teachings.

Leaving these things, then, for those who love learning to search out, since they would produce an endless length for our discourse, I will proceed to what follows in the discourse.

Besides, it is superfluous, and altogether excessive, to produce proofs from the divine Scripture concerning the recompenses of virtue.

For those who believe that the God of all things exercises providence over mankind have no need of our arguments, but are content with the eyes of faith, and with the teaching of the divinely-inspired oracles;

while those who have not yet believed, but are held fast by the gloom of unbelief, and are diseased with ingratitude toward their Maker, cannot bear to give ear to the oracles of divine Scripture.

Let us then ask them whether they consider temperance and justice and the other parts of virtue to be good things, and causes of good, or whether they reckon them among vices. But this not even the father of vice himself would ever endure to say.

For how could it be otherwise, when he wars daily against the workers of these virtues as against enemies, and ever arrays licentiousness against temperance, and injustice against justice? It is necessary, then, that they agree with their teacher, and not attempt to outdo in wickedness the one who begot it.

For the disciple is not above the teacher, according to the word of the Lord.

Let us, then, ask them again:

If, then, these things are noble, and the noblest of noble things, and good, and the best of good things—and no one would deny that this is so, unless he were utterly deranged and bereft of reason—it plainly follows that the lovers of these things ought to be called noble and good, and to receive fruit not merely equal to their labors, but many times over.

For how would it not be absurd, that the farmer, casting seed, should reap the wages of his labors many times over, and likewise the planter, planting trees, should have the fruits as consolation for his birth-pangs of labor;

yet those who take pride in virtue, and become gardeners of this divine paradise, and bring much sweat and much labor to the tending of these plants, should alone have fruitless labor and unrewarded sweat? And that those who train their bodies and their voices should enjoy crowns, and receive prizes, and be garlanded with the applause of the spectators;

while virtue should appear more dishonored than athletics and boxing;

and this greatest of contests should have neither spectators, nor a judge of the games, nor an honor, nor a prize, nor a crown? And the actors of tragedy and comedy have something to look to as they pursue their art, and endure their labors in hope of crowns;

and charioteers, too, dare dangers, looking forward to victory, and awaiting the acclaim of the spectators;

and they also look forward to the reward from those who breed the horses.

And the helmsman, keeping the harbors in view, dares the waves, and, drawn on by the desire for gain, endures the onslaughts of the storms.

But is it only virtue—whether one wishes to call it an art, or a science applied to contests and feats, or husbandry and planting—that has, as it seems, no beneficial end able to encourage the soul in the season of its labors? Do the temperate then practice temperance in vain, and contend in vain against their many and varied passions, striving to quench their flame? Do the workers of justice fight in vain against injustice, abstaining from what belongs to others while giving up their own? And is the possession of courage useless to those who pursue it—

for though they nobly bear the griefs that befall them, do they have no judge of the contest? But this is not so, it is not so.

For the possession of virtue is worthy of admiration and worthy to be acquired.

And this even you yourselves would admit, driven by the compulsion of conscience.

For this knowledge is innate in human beings, and none of those who have obtained the possession of it has need of arguments brought in from outside, whether conveyed from God or offered by men;

for the innate reason suffices for the teaching of these things.

And the workers of vice bear witness to this, both by pursuing it in secret, and, if they are caught, by contriving excuses for themselves.

For wall-breakers, and tomb-robbers, and clothes-stealers, and adulterers, and murderers, and those who dare to pursue kindred deeds, undertake to do these things using darkness as their accomplice.

But if anyone should attempt to do any of these things by day, he takes the absence of people as his ally.

Therefore, by the very means through which they try to escape notice, they reveal the judgment they hold concerning the deeds being done.

For they would not have hidden themselves, if they had supposed they were doing good things;

but by trying to escape notice, and fearing to be caught, they confess that what is being done is evil.

Therefore you too know, O most ungrateful ones, that the possession of virtue is good, and that it has very many labors joined with it.

It is fitting, then, that that which is praised by all—both by its own and by its adversaries—and which is won at the cost of many labors, should receive recompenses worthy of it.

But we see, in the present life, many choosing it, and enduring many labors on its behalf, yet not all enjoying any praise or honor because of it;

but some, as lovers of virtue, are carried about on the lips of all, and become famous, and after death possess an ever-memorable renown;

while others remain wholly unknown and hidden, resembling a pearl still concealed in the deep, and shut up within its shell.

Seeing these things, then, let us consider within ourselves why in the world, among those who hold divine things in high esteem, some are exceedingly renowned, while others are altogether unknown;

then let us reason that the Maker and Judge of all things, being just, will preside justly over the games for his own contestants, and the scale of justice will not permit the just to be corrupted.

Then again, seeing both these and those having died—some with great renown, others quite meanly, as some of the common sort—let us further reason that he has prepared some other life, in which he requites those who have lived well according to their worth,

and by not making all men illustrious and conspicuous in the present life, he discloses the life that is expected.

And so the honor given to some becomes a sign of God's justice;