The Possibility of God and the Nature of Sin
Having made me consisting of flesh and skin and bone and nerves, you clothed me, but also, 'you have practiced life and mercy toward me.' Through 'life' it signifies that the creation is placed in existence, but through 'mercy' the providential grace. For since it happens that one must also endure attacks against such a life, there is a need for mercy, as it is said: 'you have practiced life and mercy toward me.' For the Creator God does not act according to debt, but according to mercy and goodness; for it has come to be that he grants life to favorable matter rather by mercy than by any other way.
Furthermore, what follows declares more clearly the things concerning providence and its care: 'your oversight has preserved my spirit,' saying 'spirit' for the soul. For although 'spirit' signifies many things, here it signifies the soul; for if James says, 'just as the body without the spirit is dead' (James 2:26), and Stephen, encountering God and saying, 'Lord, receive my spirit' (Acts 7:59), he signifies the soul. Having these thoughts within yourself, I know that you are able to do all things; nothing is unable for you.
God does not possess from without those things which he is said to possess; for everything that is, being simple and existing without mixture, does not take in anything from without; for he is uncomposite. For the Creator, and the Good, and the Light, and the All—if he is rightly theologized—is these things according to his essence. And 'you are able to do all things' should be heard faithfully and prudently, so that we do not fall into the folly of the opinionated.
And what is said is clear when used by a division thus: of the powers, some are active and others are passive. The active ones are such as we perform, and the passive ones are such as we undergo, which are directed toward the activities. Therefore, if it is said that God is able to do all things, one must not attribute to him also the passive powers; for it is not possible to say that he becomes something else—for he does not possess powers according to contingency—nor is it to be said that he is able to lie, or change, or deny himself. Therefore, I say, those things are possible for God which are fitting for God. For some, including Porphyry and his like, reason in a way that if all things are possible for God, including lying, and if all things are possible for the faithful, then he is able to make a bed and to make a man. But this is not what is meant, but just as, if it is said all things are possible for the physician...
Regarding medicine, I say that all things are possible to the pilot, those things which suit his art; so if I say all things are possible to God or to the faithful, I say this: that what suits God is possible for God, and what suits the faithful is possible for the faithful. These are the things made right through faith.
For the Scripture also knows this, it says concerning God: 'If we deny, he remains faithful. For he cannot deny himself' (2 Tim 2:13). And again: 'In whom it is impossible to lie to God' (Heb 6:18). Likewise, with understanding, the 'it is not able for you' must be avoided, which can be understood by analogy with what was said in the Gospel: 'All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made' (John 1:3). Consider, then, whether it is appropriate to think so in this way: evil is a 'non-being'; indeed, those participating in it are called non-existent because of their neglect: 'For you will not deliver the scepter to those who are not.' It is also said: 'Calling things that are not as though they were,' 'that he might bring to nothing the things that are'—so that this is saying: the non-existent and evil 'is not able' for you; for it is possible to turn away from sinning.
For if I sin, 'keep me; from lawlessness you have not made me innocent' (Ps 119:117). He says this reasonably; for since I know him to be creator and provider of himself and of all things, he follows by teaching also concerning his patience. For he himself knows, according to the blessed David, that 'he does not bring wrath every day' (Ps 103:9). But God guards the one sinning, not desiring him to sin—'for he does not desire the death of the sinner as the desire for repentance' (Ezek 33:11)—but so that, giving the law which forbids sinning, he might cause the one practicing it to hate evil. He also rebukes the friends who suppose that he suffers through sin, teaching them that God does not give judgment at the same time as the sinning, so that they too might reckon this according to themselves. And he teaches the turnability of human nature through 'from lawlessness you have not made me innocent,' while also presenting a pattern of moderation and indicating the succession of Adam, showing sin to be common to men. We do not say this, that the saints are subject to transgression by choice, but by succession, as was said. For just as a child born of an idolater does not have...
Greek
κρέας καὶ δέρμα καὶ ὀστᾶ καὶ νεῦρα πεποιηκὼς ἐνέδυσάς με, ἀλλὰ καὶ "ζωὴν καὶ 68 ἔλεον ἔθου παρ' ἐμοῦ". καὶ διὰ μὲν τοῦ ζω279 ὴν τεθηκέναι τὸ τῆς δημιουργίας οἰκεῖον σημαίνει, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἐλέου τὴν προνοητικὴν χάριν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ συμβαίνει καὶ ἐπιβουλὴν ὑπομείνειν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν το̣ιαύτην, ἐλέου χρεία, δι' ὅπερ εἴρηται· "ζωὴν καὶ ἔλεον ἔθου παρ' ἐμοῦ." οὐ γὰρ κατὰ χρέος, ἀλλὰ κατ' ἔλεον καὶ ἀγαθότητα δημιουρ γεῖ θεός· τὸ γὰρ εὐπαθεῖ ὕλ̣ῃ̣ ζ̣ω̣ὴν δωρήσασθαι ἐλέῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ γέγονεν. ἔτι δὲ σ̣αφέστερον τὰ περὶ τῆς προνοίας καὶ κηδεμονίας αὐτῆς τὸ ἑξῆς δηλοῖ φάσκον· "ἡ δὲ ἐπισκοπή σου ἐφύλαξέν μου τὸ πνεῦμα", πνεῦμα λέγων τὴν ψυχήν. εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλὰ σημαίνει τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀλλὰ νῦν τὴν ψυχὴν δηλοῖ· ἐὰν γὰρ λέγῃ Ἰάκωβος· "ὥσπερ τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν", καὶ Στέφανος ἐντυγχάνων τῷ θεῷ καὶ λέγων· "κύριε, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου", τὴν ψυχὴν σημαίνει. ταῦτα ἔχων ἐν σεαυτῷ οἶδα ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι· ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐδέν. οὐκ ἔξωθεν ὁ θεὸς ἔχει, ἃ ἔχειν λέγεται· πᾶν γάρ, ὅ ἐστιν, ἁπλοῦς ὤν ἐστιν καὶ ἀσύνθεντος ὑπάρχων, οὐ προσλαμβάνων ἔξωθέν τι· ἀπροσδεὴς γάρ. καὶ γὰρ δημιουργὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ φῶς καὶ πᾶν, εἴ τι ὀρθῶς θεολογεῖται, κατ' οὐσίαν αὐτῷ πρόσ280 εστιν. πιστῶς δὲ καὶ φ̣ρονίμως ἀκουστέον τοῦ "πάντα δύνασαι", ἵνα μὴ ὑποπέσωμεν τῇ τῶν δοκητῶν ἀνοίᾳ. ἔστιν δὲ σαφὲς τὸ λεγόμενον διαιρέσει χρησαμένοις οὕτως· τῶν δυνάμεων αἱ μέν εἰσιν ἐνεργητικαί, αἱ δὲ παθητικαί. καὶ ἐνεργητικαὶ μέν εἰσιν, καθ' ἃς ποιοῦμεν, παθητικαὶ δέ, καθ' ἃς γινόμεθα, αἱ καὶ ·····λ̣ουσα̣ι πρὸς τὰς ἐνεργείας. ε᾿̣ὰν οὖν λέγηται ὁ θεὸς πάντα δύνασθαι, οὐ δεῖ προσάπτειν αὐτῷ καὶ τὰς παθητικὰς δυνάμεις· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν γενέσθαι ἄλλο τι–οὐ γὰρ ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτῶι αἱ κατ' ἐπιτηδειότητα δυνάμεις–οὐδὲ λεκτέον, ὅτι δύναται ψεύδεσθαι ἢ μεταβάλλεσθαι ἢ ἀρνήσασθαι ἑαυτόν. ἃ ἁρμόζει οὖν θεῷ, δυνατὰ αὐτῷ λέγω. σοφίζονται γάρ τινες, ὧν ἐστι καὶ Πορφύριος καὶ ὅμοιοι, ὅτι εἰ πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ τὸ ψεύσασθαι, καὶ εἰ πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστῷ, δύναται καὶ κλίνην ποιῆσαι καὶ ἄνθρωπον ποιῆσαι. οὐ τοῦτο δὲ σημαίνεται, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ, ἐὰν λέγηται πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ ἰατρῷ, περὶ ἰατρικῆς λέγω, καὶ πάντα δυνα τὰ τῷ κυβερνήτῃ, τὰ ἁρμόζοντα τῇ τέχνῃ αὐτοῦ φημι, οὕτως ἐὰν λέγω πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ ἢ 281 τῷ πιστῷ, τοῦτο λέγω, ὅτι ἃ ἁρμόζει θεῷ θεῷ δυνατά, καὶ ἃ ἁρμόζει πιστῷ δύναται πιστός. ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν τὰ διὰ πίστεως κατορθούμενα. ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἡ γραφὴ τοῦτο οἶδεν, φησὶν περὶ θεοῦ· "εἰ ἀρνησόμεθα, αὐτὸς πιστὸς μένει. ἀρνήσασθαι γὰρ ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται." καὶ πάλιν· "ἐν οἷς ἀδυνατὸν ψεύσασθαι τὸν θεόν." ὡσα̣υ´̣τως δὲ καὶ μετὰ συ̣νέσ̣εως τὸ "ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐδὲν" ἐκλημπτέον, ὅπερ ἐκ παραλλήλου οἷόν τε νοῆσαι τῷ φθάσαντι κατὰ τὸ λεχθὲν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ· "πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδέν." συνεπίσκεψαι δέ, εἰ καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸ νοῆσαι προσήκει· ἡ κακία «μὴ» ὄν ἐστιν ἀμέλει γοῦν οἱ μετέχοντες αὐτῆς μὴ ὄντες λέγονται· "μὴ παραδῷς γὰρ τὸ σκῆπτρόν σου τοῖς μὴ οὖσιν." εἴρηται καί· "ὁ καλῶν τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα", "ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ"–ἵν' ᾖ τοῦτο λέγων· τὸ μὴ ὂν καὶ ἡ κακία «ἀ»δυνατεῖ σοι· τρεπτοῦ γὰρ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν οἰκεῖον. ἐάν τε γὰρ ἁμάρτω, φυλάξεις με· ἀπὸ δὲ ἀνομίας οὐκ ἀθῷόν με πεποίηκας. εἰκότως τοῦτο λέγει· ἐπεὶ γὰρ δημιουργὸν καὶ προνοητὴν ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν ὅλων οἶδε_6_ν_ _α_ὐ6τόν, ἀκολούθως καὶ περὶ μακροθυμίας αὐτοῦ διδάσκει. ἐπίσταται γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ 282 τὸν μακάριον ∆αυίδ, ὅτι "οὐκ ὀργὴν ἐπάγει καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν." φυλάττει δὲ τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα θεὸς οὐ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἁμαρτάνειν–"οὐ βούλεται γὰρ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν"–ἀλλὰ ἵνα νόμον διδοὺς τὸν κωλύοντα ἁμαρτάνειν, ὅπως μισήσῃ κακίαν ὁ ἐνεργῶν αὐτήν. ἠρέμα δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχει τοὺς φίλους οἰομένους, ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτίας πάσχει, διδάσκων αὐτούς, ὅτι οὐχ ἅμα τῷ ἁμαρτῆσαι θεὸς ἀποδίδωσιν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς τοῦτο λογίσωνται. διδάσκει δὲ καὶ τὸ τρεπτὸν τῆς φύσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων διὰ τοῦ "ἀ πὸ δὲ 69 ἀνομίας οὐκ ἀθῷόν με πεποίηκας", ἅμα καὶ μετριότητος δ»ε»ῖγμα ἐκφέρων καὶ τὴν κατὰ διαδοχὴν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ὑποδ»ε»ικνὺς ἁμαρτίαν κοινὴν οὖσαν ἀνθρώπων. οὐ τοῦτο δέ φαμεν, ὅτι οἱ ἅγιοι ὑπόκεινται τῇ παραβάσει κατὰ προαίρεσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ διαδοχήν, ὡς ἐλέχθη. ὡς γὰρ ὁ γεγεννημένος παρ' εἰδωλολάτρῃ βρέφος ὢν οὐκ ἔχει
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Job.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.