On Providence (ten orations) 6.9
Greek text: PG 83.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 6
6.9PG 83
Εἰσὶ δὲ, οὗ μισθὸν παοέχειν οὐ δυνάμενοι, τὴν ἀγορὰν ἔχουσιν οἰκίαν, καὶ κλίνην οὐ ἔδαφος, καὶ στρωμνὴν τὸν φορυτόν᾽ καὶ οὔτε ἰατρὸς παρίσταται, οὔτε ὀψοποιὸς τοῖς τοῦ ἰατροῦ διακονῶν ἐπιςάγμαδιν, οὐκ οἰκέτης, οὗ θεράπαινα, τυχὸν ὃἃὲ οὐδὲ γυνὴ σύνευνος. ἔϊάντα δὲ αὐτῷ γίνεται ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ προἀμαυροῦσα δὲ τὰς ὀδύνας, οθεννῦσα δὲ φαρμάκου δίχα τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα, ἀπείργουσα δὲ τὴν βλάβην, τὴν ἀπὸ χρυμοῦ, τὴν ἀπὸ φλογμοῦ, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑποκειμένῃς νοτίδος. Οὐδεὲς ἐκεῖνον διδάσκει, «ίνα τῶν ἐδεσμάτων τρέφει τὴν νόσον, τίνα τῇ ὑγείᾳ συναγωνίζεται, ἀλλὰ ἀδιορίστω; καὶ ἀδιακρίτως τὸ τυχὸν ἐσθίει, καὶ τὸ βλαδερὸν ὠφέλιμον γίνεται, καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ πινόμενον φάρμακον ἀναφαίνεται, καὶ ὁ ξηρὸς ἄρτος τὴν φλόγα χατασθένννοιν, οὐ δεῖται τῶν ἄνωθεν μαλαττόντων, ὃ τῶν χάτωφύσις τὴν ἔνδειαν, καὶ τἣν ἀπὸ τῶν ἰατρῶν βοήθειαν αὕτη προσφέρει τῷ κάμνοντι. Καὶ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὸν ἐπὶ ἐδάφους ἐῤῥιμμένον ῥᾷον φέροντα τὴν νόσον, ἐχείνων τῶν (80- προειρημένης θεραπείας ἀπονων τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν κηδεμονίαν, μἣ πολυπραγμέόνει τῶν γινομένων ἕχαστον. ΕἾ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο θέλεις ποιεῖν, λάδε τῆς πολυπραγμοσύνης συνεργὸν τὴν εὑσέθειαν. Αὕτη σου τῆς πορείας ἡγείσθω, αὕτη σε πρὸς τὴν τῶν ζητουμένων ἔρευναν ποδηγείτῳ. Ταύτῃ πειθόμενος, λάδε πᾶσαν ἀφορμὴν εἰς ὑμνῳδίαν τοῦ Κτίσαντος " μίμησαι τοὺς τρεῖς ἐκείνους παῖδας, οἵ καμίνῳ παραδοθέντες, καὶ τὴν ἄψυχον κτίσιν εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς δοξολογιας ἐκάλεσαν, καὶ τὸν ὠμῶς τῇ καμίνῳ παραδεδωχότα τύραννον, εἰς θεωρίαν τοῦ θαύματος εἴλκυσαν, καὶ τὸν πολεμηθέντα Θεὸν προσκυνῇσαι τῇ θαυματουργίᾳ κατηνάγχασαν. Ἐκείνους μὲν οὖν οὔτε κάμινος εἰς βλασφημίαν κινῆσαι τὴν γλῶτταν ἠνάγκασεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοσαύτῃ παραδοθέντες φλογὶ, ὕμνοις τὸν εὐεργέτην α ἐγέραιρον. Σὲ δὲ οὔτε κάμινος, οὔτς λέοντες βλασφημεῖν ἀναγκάζουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς θεοσδότοις ἀγαθοῖς ἐντρυφῶν, οὐκ αἰσθάνῃ τῶν δωρεῶν. Εἰ δέ μοι μὲν κτίσιν ἐπαινέσεις, τὸν δὲ Κτίστην ὑμνήσεις, καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν αὑτοῦ πανταχοῦ προμήθειαν προσκυνήσεις, ὅτι αὐτῷ ἣ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν λαὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ᾿Αμήν.
Eisi de, hou misthon paoechein ou dynamenoi, tēn agoran echousin oikian, kai klinēn ou edaphos, kai strōmnēn ton phoryton᾽ kai oute iatros paristatai, oute opsopoios tois tou iatrou diakonōn episagmadin, ouk oiketēs, hou therapaina, tychon hoae oude gynē syneunos. eïanta de autǭ ginetai hē tou Theou proamaurousa de tas odynas, othennysa de pharmakou dicha tēn tou pyros phloga, apeirgousa de tēn blabēn, tēn apo chrymou, tēn apo phlogmou, tēn apo tēs hypokeimenę̄s notidos. Oudees ekeinon didaskei, «ina tōn edesmatōn trephei tēn noson, tina tę̄ hygeią synagōnizetai, alla adioristō? kai adiakritōs to tychon esthiei, kai to bladeron ōphelimon ginetai, kai to psychron hydōr pinomenon pharmakon anaphainetai, kai ho xēros artos tēn phloga chatasthennnoin, ou deitai tōn anōthen malattontōn, ho tōn chatōphysis tēn endeian, kai tēn apo tōn iatrōn boētheian hautē prospherei tǭ kamnonti. Kai estin idein ton epi edaphous errhimmenon rhąon pheronta tēn noson, echeinōn tōn (80- proeirēmenēs therapeias aponōn tou Theou tēn kēdemonian, mē polypragmeonei tōn ginomenōn hechaston. EI de kai touto theleis poiein, lade tēs polypragmosynēs synergon tēn heusetheian. Hautē sou tēs poreias hēgeisthō, hautē se pros tēn tōn zētoumenōn ereunan podēgeitǭ. Tautę̄ peithomenos, lade pasan aphormēn eis hymnǭdian tou Ktisantos " mimēsai tous treis ekeinous paidas, hoi kaminǭ paradothentes, kai tēn apsychon ktisin eis koinōnian tēs doxologias ekalesan, kai ton ōmōs tę̄ kaminǭ paradedōchota tyrannon, eis theōrian tou thaumatos eilkysan, kai ton polemēthenta Theon proskynę̄sai tę̄ thaumatourgią katēnanchasan. Ekeinous men oun oute kaminos eis blasphēmian kinēsai tēn glōttan ēnankasen, alla kai tosautę̄ paradothentes phlogi, hymnois ton euergetēn a egerairon. Se de oute kaminos, outs leontes blasphēmein anankazousin, alla tois theosdotois agathois entryphōn, ouk aisthanę̄ tōn dōreōn. Ei de moi men ktisin epaineseis, ton de Ktistēn hymnēseis, kai tēn parousan hautou pantachou promētheian proskynēseis, hoti autǭ hē doxa kai to kratos, nyn lai aei, kai eis tous aiōnas, ᾿Amēn.
There are some who, unable to pay rent, have the marketplace for a house, the ground for a bed, and refuse for bedding; no physician stands by, no cook serving the physician's orders, no slave, no maidservant, perhaps not even a wife sharing his bed. But God's providence becomes all things to him, dimming his pains, quenching the flame of fever without medicine, keeping off the harm from frost, from burning heat, and from the damp underneath. No one teaches him which foods feed the disease and which fight for health, but he eats whatever comes to hand without distinction or discrimination; the harmful becomes beneficial, cold water drunk becomes a medicine, and dry bread quenches the flame … he does not need things to soften him from above or … from below … nature … the want, and itself brings the sick man the help that comes from physicians. And one can see the man thrown on the ground bearing his disease more easily than those … the care described earlier … God's care, do not pry into each thing that happens. And if you wish to do this too, take piety as the helper of your inquisitiveness. Let it lead your journey; let it guide you to the search for what you seek. Obeying it, take every occasion to praise the Creator; imitate those three youths who, handed over to the furnace, called even lifeless creation into fellowship in glorifying God, drew the tyrant who had cruelly handed them over to the furnace to behold the miracle, and compelled him by the wonder to worship the God he had fought against. Neither did the furnace compel them to move their tongue to blasphemy, but handed over to so great a flame, they honored their benefactor with hymns. But no furnace and no lions compel you to blaspheme; yet while reveling in God-given good things, you do not perceive the gifts. But if you will praise creation with me and sing the Creator's praise, and worship his forethought present everywhere, … for to him be glory and might, now and always and to the ages. Amen.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Dan 3:20 (allusion, high confidence) · Dan 3:28 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: God's providence cares for the homeless poor in sickness without physicians; Theodoret ends the sixth discourse urging his hearer, like the three youths in the furnace, to praise the Creator rather than pry into his ways.
- The three youths: Dan 3; their hymn calling all creation to praise is the Greek addition to Daniel (Song of the Three Young Men, part of the additions with the Prayer of Azariah).
- Lines are lost in the OCR at the beginning of the account of the poor man ("God's providence" is supplied by sense from the broken προ-), in the account of his food ("quenches the flame … from below … nature …"), and between "than those …" and "God's care"; marked … and not supplied. The last sentence also appears to have lost a clause before the doxology.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (debris; debris from Migne's Latin column at the end of the oration; debris from Migne's Latin column inside the word βλάβην): φαρμάκου Υἱ]. δίχα → φαρμάκου δίχα; βλά- ἃ πορρυφυδί πος ἐρδηΐηᾷ δοπζαχ. Αἀ φιϑηὶδ ὅην → βλάβην; οἱ γι δαί σὰ ως θα δδά ιν μι δ θοηοίδο γὼ νθβὰς οἱ → .
Extrabiblical texts: Pr Azar (Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Young Men [in RC, EO, ETH canons]; allusion)
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Prov. 6.9 (PG 83; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/6-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-de-providentia/6-9
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from the Greek as printed in Migne PG 83 (archive.org OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.