Recognitions 8.46–9.7

“But we shall discuss these things more fully elsewhere. Now meanwhile, though the sun is a good minister for regulating the changes of the seasons, yet when, according to the will of God, correction is given to mortals, it glows more fiercely and burns the world with more violent flames. Similarly the course of the moon, and that change which seems disordered to the unskilled, is beneficial to the growth of crops and herds and all living things; for by its waxings and wanings, by a wonderful art of Providence, everything that is begotten is nourished and grows. We could pursue these things more fully and set out the reason of each, if the order of the proposed question did not call us back. Yet by these very same ministries by which all things are begotten, nourished, and increased, when for some just cause the tempering of the established order has been changed, corruption and intemperance arise, so that, as we said above, chastisement proceeds against men by the will of God.

“But perhaps you will say: ‘What of the fact that in this common chastisement the impious and the pious suffer alike?’ It is true; we too confess it. But for the pious, chastisement turns to their progress, so that, afflicted in the present life, they may come more purified to the future life, in which perpetual rest is prepared for them; and at the same time, so that the impious may profit a little from their chastisement, or else the sentence of the future judgment may be justly passed on them, when in the same chastisements the just have given thanks to God and the unjust have blasphemed. Since, then, opinion about things is divided into two parts—that some things happen in order and others against order—from the things that are according to order one ought to have believed that there is Providence; but of the things done against order one ought to seek the causes from those who have learned them through prophetic teaching. For those to whom the prophetic word has been able to become known know when and for what cause mildew, hail, pestilence, and the like have arisen in each generation, and for what sins these have been given as punishment; whence the cause of sadness came to the human race, whence groans and griefs, whence also the weakness of trembling came, and that this was from the beginning the punishment of fratricide.

“For from the origin of the world there was nothing of these things; but these evils took their beginning from the impiety of men, and from then on, as iniquities always increased, the number of evils also grew. But divine Providence has appointed a judgment for all because the present age was not such that each could be dealt with according to his merits. So we must not, from the evils that have befallen the world because of men's sins, judge those things which from the beginning, when no cause of evil existed, were well and orderly established. Indeed, as a sign of what was from the beginning, some nations are found free from evils of this kind. For the Seres, because they live chastely, are held to be exempt from all these things; for among them it is not lawful for a woman to be approached after conception, nor while she is being purified. No one there eats unclean flesh, no one knows sacrifices; all become judges of themselves according to justice. Therefore they are not chastised by those plagues we spoke of above, and, living a very long time, they end their life without sickness. But we wretched ones, living as it were with the worst serpents—with wicked men, I mean—necessarily endure with them the plagues of afflictions in this world, but we bear hope from the consolation of the good things to come.

“If,” said the old man, “the just too are tormented because of the iniquities of others, God, as a provider, ought to have commanded men not to do the things from which the just must needs be afflicted along with the unjust; or, if they did them, he ought to have applied some correction or purification to the world.” “God did command these things,” said Aquila, “and gave precepts through the prophets about how men ought to live. But they despised these too; indeed, if any wished to keep them, they afflicted them with various injuries, until they cast even them down from the observance they had purposed, and turned them likewise to the crowd of unbelief and made them like themselves.

“For this reason, indeed, when in the beginning the whole earth had been stained with sins, God brought a flood on the world—which you say happened under Deucalion—and then preserved one righteous man with his sons in an ark, and with him the kind of all seeds and all living things. Yet even those who were born of them, as time went on, again did the same things as those before; for what had happened was given over to forgetfulness, so that their descendants did not even believe that a flood had happened. Hence God decreed that in the present age there should be no more flood; otherwise, by the logic of those who would sin, it would have had to happen in every generation because of unbelief. Rather, he allowed certain angels who rejoice in evil to exercise rule over each nation; yet power was given them over each mortal only on this condition, that he had first made himself liable to them by sinning; until he should come who rejoices in the good, and the number of the righteous should be completed through him, and as the multitude of the pious grew throughout the world, impiety might be checked in some measure and it might become known to all that everything good is done by God.

“By freedom of choice each man, while he does not believe in what is to come, falls into evils through evil acts. And these are the things that seem to be done in the world against order, whose causes for existing unbelief has given. Wonderful, then, in every way is the dispensation of divine Providence, which gave to those who were in the beginning, as they walked the good way of life, to enjoy incorruptible goods. But when they sinned (evils took their origin, sin giving them birth), and to each good, as by a kind of marriage bond, evil was joined on the side of sin; since the earth was polluted with human blood and altars were kindled for demons, and they defiled the very air with the unholy smoke of sacrifices. And so at last the elements, first corrupted, passed on the vice of corruption to men, as roots to branches and fruits.

“See, then, in this, as I said, how justly divine Providence came to the aid of things that had been corrupted. Since evils that had taken their origin from sin had been joined to the good things of God, it set two princes over these two parts. To him who rejoices in good things it assigned the order of good things, that he might lead believers to faith in its providence; to him who rejoices in evils, the things done against order and uselessly, by which without doubt faith in providence also comes into doubt. And by this a just division was made by the just God. Hence it is that, while the ordered course of the stars makes one believe that the world was founded by a craftsman's hand, again the disturbance of the air, the pestilent breeze, the wandering fires of lightning, seem to refute the work of Providence. For, as we said, each good thing has evils contrary and joined to it: as hail is the enemy of fertile rains, as the corruption of mildew is joined to the gentle dew, as whirlwinds of storms are joined to gentle winds, unfruitful trees to fruitful, harmful herbs to useful, savage and destructive animals to gentle ones. All these things were set by God because the will of men's free choice departed from the purpose of good things and turned aside to evils.

“So in all the things of the world this division holds; and as there are pious, so there are impious; as there are prophets, so also false prophets. Among the Gentiles too there are philosophers, and there are also false philosophers. The Arab nations and very many others have imitated the circumcision of the Jews for the service of their impiety. So too the worship of demons is contrary to divine worship, baptism to baptism, laws to the law, false apostles to apostles, and false teachers to teachers. And this is why among philosophers some assert providence, others deny it; some defend one God, others many. Indeed the matter has come to this, that since demons are put to flight by the word of God, by which it is declared that there is Providence, the magic art, to confirm unbelief, has found how to imitate even this from the contrary side. So it was invented to soothe the venom of serpents by incantations, and to bring in cures contrary to the word and power of God. The magic art has also found ministries contrary to the angels of God, setting against them the raising of souls and the figments of demons. And not to drag out the discourse by listing many things: there is absolutely nothing that produces faith in Providence that does not have, on the contrary side, something else ready for unbelief. And so those who do not know this division of things do not think there is Providence, because of the things in the world that are at odds with themselves. But you, father, as a wise man, choose from this division the part that keeps order and produces faith in providence, and do not follow only that part which runs against order and takes away faith in Providence.”

To this the old man answered: “Give me a way, my son, by which I can confirm in my mind one of these two orders, of which one asserts and the other refutes Providence.” “For one who has right judgment,” said Aquila, “the distinction is easy. For this very thing you speak of, order and disorder, can be produced by a craftsman, but cannot be produced by insensible nature. For example, let us suppose that a stone broken off from a high rock is carried down headlong and, dashed on the ground, is shattered into many fragments; can it happen in any way that in that multitude of fragments there is found even one fragment in which some perfect shape and form is had in every respect?” The old man answered: “It cannot.” “But if,” said Aquila, “a maker of statues is present, he can form a stone cut from the mountain into whatever shape he wishes by a craftsman's hand and rational intelligence.” The old man said: “That is true.” “So,” said Aquila, “where there is no rational intelligence, no form can be wholly formed; but where there is a craftsman's intelligence, there can be both form and formlessness. For example, if a craftsman cuts from the mountain a stone to which he wishes to give a form, it must first fall shapeless and rough; then, gradually hewing it and carving it to the measure of his art, he expresses the form he has conceived in his mind. So from formlessness or deformity one comes to form by the craftsman's hand, and both proceed from the craftsman. In a similar way, then, the things done in the world are done by the providence of the craftsman, even if they seem less ordered. And therefore, since these two ways have become known to you and you have received their divisions, flee the way of unbelief, lest it lead you to that prince who rejoices in evils; follow the way of faith, so that you may reach that King who rejoices in good men.”

To this the old man answered: “But why was that prince who rejoices in evils made, and from where was he made, or was he not made?” Aquila said: “That treatise belongs to another time; but so that you may not go away without any answer to this, I will suggest a few things to you on it too. God, foreknowing all things before the foundation of the world, knowing that of future men some would turn aside to good and others to the contrary, joined those who would choose good to his own rule and care, and named them his own inheritance; but those who would turn aside to evil he permitted to be ruled by those angels who, not by substance but by choice, refused to remain with God, corrupted by the vice of envy and pride. So he made the worthy rulers of the worthy. Yet he so handed them over that they have no power to do what they wish to them unless they cross the boundary set for them from the beginning. And this is the boundary set: that unless someone has first done the will of the demons, the demons have no power over him.”

The old man said: “You have argued magnificently, my son. It remains now for you to say where the substance of evil comes from. For if it was made by God, the evil fruit shows a culpable root, for the nature itself seems evil; but if this substance was coeternal with God, how can what is equally unbegotten and coeternal be subject to the other?” “It did not always exist,” said Aquila. “But even if it was made from God, it does not at once follow that its founder should seem to be of the same kind as what was made by him. For God made the substances of all things; but if a rational mind made by God does not acquiesce in its founder's laws and exceeds the measure of the temperance set for it, what has this to do with the founder? Or if there is some reason higher than this, we do not know it. For we cannot know everything perfectly, especially about things for which we shall not be judged if we are ignorant of them. But the things for which we shall be judged are very easy to understand and are settled almost in one sentence. For almost the whole observance of our actions is summed up in this: that what we ourselves do not wish to suffer, we should not inflict on others. For as you do not wish to be killed yourself, you must take care not to kill another; and as you do not wish your marriage to be violated, do not you defile another's bed; you do not wish to suffer theft, do not commit it yourself. And within this rule each and every human action falls.”

Then the old man said: “Do not take it ill, my son, what I am about to say: your words, though they are strong, cannot bend me to believe that anything can happen outside birth-fate. For I know that everything has happened to me by the necessity of birth-fate; and so I cannot be persuaded that it is in our power to act either well or badly. And if we do not have our actions in our power, it cannot be believed that there will be a judgment through which punishment is given to the evil or rewards to the good. Since I see that you are trained in disciplines of this kind, I will bring forward a few things to you from the art itself.” “If,” said Aquila, “you wish to build something from that discipline, my brother Clement will answer you more carefully, since he has gained a fuller knowledge of astrology. I can assert by other ways that our actions are placed in our power; but the things I have not learned I ought not to presume.”

When Aquila had said this, I, Clement, said: “Tomorrow, father, you shall speak as you wish, and we will listen gladly; for I think you too will be pleased that you will be speaking with those who are not without experience of the discipline you have put forward.” So when it had been agreed between me and the old man that on the following day we would hold a discussion about the theory of birth-fate—whether everything happens by it, or whether there is something in us which not birth-fate but the judgment of the mind directs—Peter rose and began to speak in this way: “It is very surprising to me that men, by elaborate thoughts and words, make difficult things that can easily be found—and especially those who think themselves wise, who, wishing to comprehend the will of God, treat God as if he were a man, or even something less. For no one can know a man's counsel or thought unless he who thought it reveals it; nor can anyone learn an art unless he has been trained for a long time by a master. How much more can no one know either the mind or the work of the invisible and incomprehensible God, unless he himself sends a prophet to tell his counsel and set out the way of creation, as far as it is lawful for men to learn it. Hence I think it ridiculous when men judge the power of God by natural ways, and think this possible for him and that impossible, or this greater and that less—ignorant of everything—who, being unjust men, judge the just God; unskilled, the craftsman; corrupt, the incorruptible; the work, its maker.

“And I do not want you to think that in saying this I am destroying the ability to judge about things; rather, I give counsel that no one, walking by byways, should run into errors without end. And therefore I urge not only the wise but all men who have the desire to know what is profitable for them to seek the true Prophet, because he alone knows all things and knows what and how each one seeks. For he is within the mind of each one of us; but in those who have no desire for the knowledge of God and his righteousness he is idle, while in those who seek what is profitable for their soul he works and kindles the light of knowledge. Therefore seek him first of all; and if you do not find him, do not hope to learn anything from another. He is quickly found by those who search for him with love of truth, and whose soul is not preoccupied and held in wickedness. For he is present to those who desire him in the innocence of their spirit, who wait with patience and bring forth sighs from the depth of the heart out of love of truth; but he flees malevolent minds, because as a prophet he knows the thoughts of each. And so let no one think that he can find him by his own prudence, unless, as we said above, he has made his mind empty of all wickedness and has conceived a pure and faithful desire for knowledge of him. For when someone has prepared himself so, he, as a prophet, seeing the mind prepared, offers himself of his own accord to be known.

“If, then, someone wishes to learn all things, let him not do so by discussing each; for he will not be able, being mortal, to search out the counsel of God and explore his very immensity. But if he desires, as we said, to learn all things, let him seek the true Prophet. When he has found him, let him not deal with him by questions and disputations and arguments; but whatever he answers, whatever he declares, this cannot be doubted to be certain. And therefore let the true Prophet be sought before all things, and his words be held. In them each one need only examine this, so as to satisfy himself whether his words are truly prophetic: that is, whether they contain undoubted faith about things to come, whether they mark out fixed times, whether they keep the order of things, whether they have not narrated as last what is first and as first what was done last, whether they contain nothing crafty, nothing composed by magic art to deceive, or whether he has not transferred to himself, with lies mixed in, what was revealed to others. And when, all these things having been examined with right judgment, the words are established to be prophetic, then at last he ought to be believed in everything he has said and answered.

“For let us consider more carefully the work of divine Providence. Since the philosophers introduced certain subtle and difficult words, so that not even the very terms of their discourses could be known and intelligible to all, God showed those who thought themselves craftsmen of words to be in every way unskilled in the knowledge of the truth. For the knowledge of things which is handed down by the true Prophet is simple, plain, and brief; and they, walking by byways and the rough difficulties of words, have not known it at all. So for modest and simple minds, when they see happen what was foretold, it is enough and more than enough that they should take the most certain knowledge from the most certain foreknowledge, and thereafter rest, having taken up an evident knowledge of the truth. All other things are handled by conjecture, in which nothing can be firm. For what statement is there that does not admit contradiction? And what argument is there that cannot be overturned by another argument? And that is why men can reach no end of knowledge and understanding by disputation of this kind, and they find the end of life sooner than the end of their questions.

“And therefore, since in these things everything is held uncertain, one must come to the true Prophet. God the Father, wishing him to be loved by all, willed wholly to extinguish these things that men have introduced, in which nothing can be grasped, so that he might be sought all the more, and that he might open to men the way of truth which they had shut. For on his account God also made the world, and by him the world is filled; hence he is present everywhere to those who seek him, even if they are at the furthest ends of the earth. But if someone does not seek him purely, holily, and faithfully, he is indeed within him, since he is everywhere and is found within the minds of all; but, as we said above, he sleeps for the unbelieving and is held absent by those by whom he is not believed to exist.” When Peter had set out these and other such things about the true Prophet, he dismissed the crowds. When he had asked the old man earnestly to stay with us, he could not prevail; the old man also left, to return on another day as had been agreed. After this we went into the lodging with Peter and took food and rest as usual.

On the following day Peter hurried early with us to the place where the discussion had been held the day before; and there, seeing that very great crowds had already gathered to listen and the old man with them, he said to him: “Yesterday, old man, it was agreed with Clement that the discussion should take place today, and that either you should show that nothing happens outside birth-fate, or Clement should teach that there is no birth-fate (but that what we do is in us and in our power).” To this the old man answered: “I remember what was agreed, and I hold the words you spoke after the agreement, in which you taught that it is impossible for a man to know anything unless he has learned it from the true Prophet.” Peter said: “You do not know how I said it; but now I will remind you. I spoke of the will and counsel of God, which he had before the world was, and by what counsel he made the world, appointed times, gave the law, promised the age to come to the just as the reward of good things, and appointed punishments for the unjust by the sentence of judgment. This counsel and this will of God, I said, cannot be found out by men, because no man can gather the mind of God by conjectures and estimation unless a prophet sent by him announces it. I did not say, then, that any disciplines or studies whatever cannot be found or known without a prophet; for I know that arts and disciplines are known and practiced by men, which they have learned not from the true Prophet but from human teachers.”

“Since, then, you have professed to know the position of the constellations and the courses of the stars, by which you might convince Clement that all things are subject to birth-fate, or learn from him that all things are ruled by Providence and that there is something in us, it is fitting that you settle this.” To this the old man answered: “There would be no need now to raise questions of this kind, if it were possible for us to learn and hear from the true Prophet a definite pronouncement that there is something in us and placed in the freedom of choice. For your discourse yesterday, in which you discussed prophetic power, moved me greatly. Hence I agree and confirm your opinion, that nothing certain and undoubted can be known by a man, who has but a short span of life and a brief and slender breath by which he seems to be held in life. Yet since, before I heard anything about prophetic power, I seem to have promised Clement that I would show that all things are subject to birth-fate, or learn from him that there is something in us too, let him do me this favor: let him begin first and propose and resolve the objections that can be raised. For since I heard from you a little about the power of prophecy, considering the greatness of foreknowledge, I confess I have been astounded, and I think nothing at all should be accepted that is gathered by conjecture and estimation.”

When the old man had said this, I, Clement, began to speak thus: “God through his Son created the world like a double house, divided by the interposition of this firmament which is called heaven; and he gave the angelic powers to dwell in the upper part, and granted that a multitude of men be born in this visible world, from whom he might choose friends for his Son, with whom he might rejoice, and who might be prepared for him as a beloved bride for the bridegroom. But until the time of the wedding, which is the presence of the age to come, he appointed a certain power to choose and guard the better ones from among those born in this world, and to keep them set apart for his Son in a certain place of the world which is outside sin, in which there are already some who are being prepared there, as a bride adorned, as I said, for the bridegroom's presence. For the prince of this world and of the present time is like an adulterer, who corrupts and violates the minds of men, and, leading them away from desire for the true Bridegroom, entices them to alien desires.

“But someone will say: ‘What need was there, then, for this prince to come into being, to turn men's minds aside from the true prince?’ Because God, who, as I said, wished to prepare friends for his Son, did not want them to be such that by necessity of nature they could not be anything else, but such as would desire to be good by their own choice and will. For what is not desirable is not praiseworthy, and what is not sought by purpose is not judged good; for there is no praise in being what the necessity of nature does not allow you to change from. So the providence of God willed a multitude of men to be born in this world, so that from many those might be chosen who would love a just life. And since he foresaw that the present world could exist only by diversity and inequality, he gave each mind freedom of movement according to the diversities of present things, and set this prince, so that, while he stirs up things that seem contrary, the choice of the better might consist in the work of virtue.

“But so that what we say may become clearer, we will explain it point by point. Should all in this world, for example, be kings, or princes, or masters, or tutors, or lawyers, or geometers, or goldsmiths, or bakers, or smiths, or grammarians, or rich men, or farmers, or gardeners, or fishermen, or poor? It is certain that all could not be these. Yet the present life of men requires all these offices and many more, and cannot be carried on without them. Inequality, then, is necessary in this world. For there cannot be a king unless he has those whom he rules and commands, nor can there be a master unless he has someone to master, and so on.

“So the Founder, knowing that no one would come willingly to the contest while toil is shunned—that is, to practicing those arts we mentioned above, through which either the justice or the mercy of each can be shown—made for man a body that would feel hunger and thirst and cold, so that men, compelled for the sake of sustaining the body, might come down by the necessity of livelihood to all the arts we set out above. For we are taught to seek each art for the sake of food and drink and clothing. And here now the purpose of each mind is declared: whether it makes up the need of hunger and cold by thefts and murders and perjuries and other crimes of this kind, or, keeping justice, mercy, and self-control, fulfills the service of the pressing need by the study of an art and the labor of the hands. For if one gets through the body's need with justice, piety, and mercy, he departs, as victor in the contest set before him, a friend of the Son of God and chosen; but if through frauds, iniquities, and crimes he serves bodily desires, he becomes a friend of the prince of this world and of all the demons, by whom he is also taught to ascribe to the courses of the stars the errors of his evils, which he chose only by purpose and will. For the arts, as we said, are learned and practiced under the compulsion of the pleasure of food and drink; and this pleasure, when the knowledge of the truth comes to each one, is weakened as frugality takes its place. For how great an expense is there for those who use water and bread and hope for it from God?

“There is, then, as we said, a certain necessary inequality in the ordering of the world, since all men cannot know or carry out all crafts, yet almost all need the use and service of all; and for this reason it is necessary that one work and another pay the worker his wage, one serve and another be master, one be ruled and another rule. But this inequality, which has necessarily followed the life of mortals, divine Providence has turned into an occasion of justice, mercy, and kindness; so that while these things are carried on among men, each has cause to act justly with one to whom the wage for work must be paid, and to show mercy to one who, perhaps through weakness or poverty, cannot pay a debt; and also to act humanely with those who seem bound by their condition, to keep gentleness toward subordinates, and to do everything altogether according to the law of God. For he gave the law, helping human minds by it, so that they might more easily notice how they ought to act toward each person, by what way they might escape evil and by what way tend toward future goods, and so that, regenerated in water through good works, they might extinguish the fire of their old birth. For our first birth comes down through the fire of desire; and therefore by divine dispensation this second birth through water is introduced, to quench the nature of fire, so that the soul, enlightened by the heavenly Spirit, may cast off the fear of the first birth—provided that thereafter it so lives as to seek no pleasures of this world at all, but is as a stranger and sojourner and a citizen of another city.