True Children of Abraham and the Purpose of Punishment
For one desiring to be truly purified turns away from sins, and such a repentance bears fruit, performing works contrary to sin. But you have not done this, judging yourselves, claiming to have Abraham as a father. But it will not benefit you to merely know that you are children of Abraham, but to be his children through faith and flight from idols. Even if you have become children of Abraham at some point, this will not save you. For God is able to make those who are not currently his children into his children. Thus, the one who is a child of Abraham according to virtue is saved, not the one who became his child according to the flesh only; and if he does become a child, let him not think much of it, for such a thing is transitory.
Indeed, those who do not have it will also be able to acquire it. For Paul, whom he did not beget according to the flesh, says: 'For in Christ I have begotten you through the Gospel' (Gal 4:15). But do not despise these things, as if the wrath against sinners were slow. For through this, the foolish man already has the punishment for sinning, being a subject to punishment. You know by this the axe already approaching the roots of the trees. He does not speak of actual trees, but of men composed of wickedness. The root of these trees is a corrupt disposition, from which the fruit becomes not edible, but poisonous. Therefore, he did not speak of a good fruit. If then the axe signifies the punishment, and the bad tree signifies the sinning man, these are not opposing natures; for the punishment threatens to fell the trees. For he who threatens the sinners intends to change them through that very threat.
If then, through the threat of the axe, which is about to cut down the rotten trees, he persuades them to stop bearing bad fruit and instead bear good, the tree is not naturally bad, nor is the punishment naturally bad. But perhaps they will say: 'If the punishment changes the foolish, it is good; but if the punishment is good, and the promise is contrary to it, and opposites cannot both be good, then the promise is bad.' But the punishment is not a bad thing, since the promise is good. If the punishment is bad, it is not God, but Satan who brings it. But Satan brings punishment not to his own; for they are, as he is, evil, and it is necessary even him to fall under punishment; so he would do it to good. But this is impossible; therefore, it is not the evil one who brings it, but God.
And everything brought by God is brought usefully, happening to be either a maker of good or a preventer of evil. Therefore, God, desiring to prevent evil, brings this; and he would not attempt to prevent evil if it were not possible to prevent evil. But this prevention cannot be something natural and ungenerated. And the ignorant have stumbled even here, thinking the punishment to be contrary to the promise; for each is a retribution: the one bringing reward to the good, and the other punishment against those who have voluntarily transgressed the divine laws.
Greek
γὰρ ἀληθῶς καθαρθῆναι βουλόμενος ἀφίσταται ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης μετανοίας καρπὸν φέρει, τὰ τῆς ἐναντίας τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἕξεως ἔργα ποιῶν. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ὑμεῖς οὐ πεποιήκατε, ἑαυτοὺς κατακρίναντες, φάσκοντες πατέρα τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἔχειν. Ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦθ' ὑμᾶς ὠφελήσει, τὸ οἴεσθαι τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοῦ τέκνα, καὶ τῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ ἀπὸ εἰδώλων φυγῇ. Κἂν τοίνυν ποτὲ τέκνα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γεγόνατε, οὐ τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σώσει. Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς νῦν μὴ ὄντας αὐτοῦ τέκνα δύναται ὁ Θεὸς τέκνα αὐτοῦ ποιῆσαι. Ὥστε σώζεται ὁ ὢν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τέκνον κατὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν, οὐχ ὁ γενόμενος αὐτοῦ τέκνον κατὰ σάρκα μόνον, κἂν δὲ γένηται, μὴ μέγα φρονείτω· μετάπτωτον γὰρ τὸ τοιοῦτο. Ἀμέλει γοῦν καὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες αὐτὸ κτήσασθαι αὐτὸ δυνήσονται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Παῦλος, οὓς τῇ σαρκὶ οὐ γεγέννηκεν, λέγει· Ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτ' ἀκούοντες μὴ καταφρονεῖτε, ὡς βραδυνούσης τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ὀργῆς. Ἤδη γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ὁ φαῦλος παροῦσαν ἔχει τὴν κόλασιν, κολαστέος ὑπάρχων. ∆ι' ὃ ἴστε τὴν ἀξίνην ἤδη ταῖς ῥίζαις ἐγγίζουσαν τῶν δένδρων. ∆ένδρα δὲ οὐκ αἰσθητὰ λέγει, ἀλλ' ἀνθρώπους κατὰ κακίαν πεποιημένους. Ῥίζα δὲ τῶν δένδρων τούτων ἡ χειρίστη ἕξις, ἀφ' ἧς καρπὸς οὐκ ἐδώδιμος, ἀλλὰ δηλητήριος γίνεται. Αὐτὸν οὖν οὐ καλὸν καρπὸν εἶπεν. Κἂν τοίνυν ἡ ἀξίνη τὴν κόλασιν σημαίνει, τὸ δὲ κακὸν δένδρον τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα ἄνθρωπον, οὐ μαχόμεναι φύσεις αὗται· ἀπειλεῖται γὰρ ἡ κόλασις ἐπὶ τῷ μεταβαλεῖν τὰ δένδρα. Ὁ γὰρ ἀπειλῶν τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, δι' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀπειλῆς μεταποιῆσαι βούλεται. Εἰ τοίνυν διὰ τῆς ἀπειλῆς τῆς ἀξίνης, τῆς μελλούσης ἐκκόπτειν τὰ σαπρὰ δένδρα, πείθει αὐτοὺς παύσασθαι τοῦ μὴ κακὸν καρπὸν φέρειν, ἀλλὰ καλόν· οὐ φύσει κακὸν τὸ δένδρον, οὐδὲ φύσει κακὴ ἡ κόλασις. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐροῦσιν· Εἰ μεταποιεῖ φαύλους ἡ κόλασις, ἀγαθὸν αὐτὴν εἶναι· εἰ δὲ ἡ κόλασις ἀγαθὸν, ἐναντία δὲ ταύτῃ ἡ ἐπαγγελία, τὰ δὲ ἐναντία οὐ δύνανται ἅμα ἀγαθὰ εἶναι· ἡ ἄρα ἐπαγγελία κακόν. Μὴ κακοῦ δὲ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλ' ἀγαθοῦ οὔσης, ἡ κόλασίς ἐστι κακόν. Εἰ δὲ κακὸν ἡ κόλασις, οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ Σατανᾶς αὐτὴν ἐπιφέρει. Ἐπιφέρει δὲ ὁ Σατανᾶς τὴν κόλασιν οὐ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ· εἰσὶν γὰρ, ὡς αὐτὸς, πονηροὶ, καὶ ἀνάγκη καὶ αὐτὸν ὑποπίπτειν τῇ κολάσει· τῷ ἄρα ἀγαθῷ ἐποίσει αὐτήν. Ἀλλ' ἀδύνατον τοῦτο· οὐκ ἄρα ὁ πονηρὸς αὐτὴν ἐπιφέρει, ἀλλὰ Θεός. Πᾶν δὲ τὸ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ἐπιφερόμενον, χρησίμως 39.1109 ἐπιφέρεται, τυγχάνον ἢ ἀγαθοῦ ποιητικὸν, ἢ κωλυτικὸν κακοῦ. Ὁ ἄρα Θεὸς κωλύειν τὸ κακὸν βουλόμενος, ἐπιφέρει τοῦτο· οὐκ ἂν δ' ἐπεχείρει κωλύειν τὸ κακὸν, εἰ μὴ δυνατὸν ἦν κωλύεσθαι τὸ κακόν. Κωλυόμενον δὲ τοῦτο οὐ δύναται εἶναι φύσει καὶ ἀγένητον. Ἐσφάλησαν δὲ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς, νομίσαντες ἐναντίον εἶναι τὴν κόλασιν τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ· ἑκατέρα γὰρ ἀνταπόδοσίς ἐστιν, ἡ μὲν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς μισθὸν φέρουσα, ἡ δὲ τιμωρίαν κατὰ τῶν ἑκουσίως παραβεβηκότων τοὺς θείους νόμους. 8
About this text
Didymus argues against Manichaean dualism, exploring how opposites depend on shared truths and challenging views on divine wrath and human nature.
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.