But since those rational beings, created, according to what has been said above, were created in the beginning out of nothing, it is precisely because they did not exist before, and then began to exist, that they necessarily received a seducable and changeable being; for the virtue which entered into their substance was not inherent in them by nature, but was produced by the grace of the Creator. And their very being is not their own and not always, but given by God, because they have not always existed; all that is given can be taken away and ceased. The reason for this cessation will be that the movements of souls are not directed in accordance with law and truth. For the Creator has left voluntary and free movements to the minds He created, of course, so that the good may be their own good, if it is preserved by its own will. But laziness and disinclination to work in the matter of preserving the good, as well as disgust and disdain for the best, laid the foundation for the apostasy from the good. To depart from good means nothing else than to do evil: for it is known that evil is a lack of good. From this it follows that to the extent that someone fell away from good, to the same extent he gave himself up to evil. Consequently, every mind, despising the good to a greater or lesser degree, according to its movements, was drawn into the opposite of the good, which is undoubtedly evil. Hence it seems that the Creator of all (beings) received certain seeds and causes of difference and variety, so that He created the world different and diverse, according to the difference of minds, i.e., rational creatures, the difference which these creatures received, presumably, for the reason indicated above. And what exactly we call different and diverse, we will now indicate.

By peace we now call everything that is above the heavens, or in the heavens, or on earth, or in the so-called underworld, and in general all any place and all those who live in them – all this is called the world. In this world there are certain beings above heaven, that is, placed in the most blessed abodes and clothed in heavenly shining bodies; and even among these very beings there are many differences, as, for example, even the Apostle says when he says that "there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, and star differs from star in glory" (1 Cor. 15:41). And some beings are called terrestrial, and there is no small difference between them, that is, among men also: for some of them are barbarians, others Greeks, and some of the barbarians are fierce and cruel, while others are comparatively meek. And some people, as is known, use very laudable laws, others lower and more severe, and some use inhuman and cruel customs rather than laws. Some are humiliated and subjugated from their very birth, and are brought up in a slavish manner, being placed under the rule of masters, or princes, or tyrants; others are brought up more freely and intelligently; some have healthy bodies, while others have been sick since childhood; some have a lack of sight, others of hearing, and others of voice; some were born this way, others suffered damage to these feelings immediately after birth or suffered it already in adulthood. But why should I reveal and enumerate all the human calamities from which some are free and to which others are subject, when everyone can even examine and weigh them himself? There are also some invisible forces that are entrusted with the care of earthly beings. And, one must believe, there is also considerable diversity among these creatures, as it exists between people. The Apostle Paul also points out that there are still some creatures under the underworld, and in them, no doubt, in the same way a variety can be found. As for dumb animals and birds, as well as water animals, it seems superfluous to discuss, since it is known that they should not be considered primary, but already subsequent.

Everything that is created is created, as they say, through Christ and in Christ, as the Apostle Paul shows very clearly in the words: "By Him was created all things, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, principalities, or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him" (Col. 1:16-18). John shows the same thing in the Gospel when he says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, the Word was God. It was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:1-2). And in the psalm it is written: "Thou hast made all things wisely" (Psalm 103:24). But Christ is not only the Word and Wisdom, but also the Truth; hence it is certain that what was created by Wisdom and the Word was also created by Righteousness, which is Christ; In other words, in the created one should not see anything unjust, nothing accidental, but in it everything exists as required by the rule of impartial truth. But how so great a distinction and such a great variety of things can be regarded as perfectly just and impartial, this, I am sure, cannot be explained by human reason and human speech, unless we, prostrated and on our knees, beseech the Word itself, and Wisdom, and Truth, that is, the only-begotten Son of God, that He, pouring His grace into our hearts, may vouchsafe to illumine the dark, to open the closed and to explain the secret – of course, on the condition that it turns out that we are so worthily seeking, or asking, or knocking, that we deserve, asking – to receive, or seeking – to find, or knocking – to wait for the command to open (the doors). And so, not in the hope of our own understanding, but with the help of Wisdom, which created all things, and Truth, according to our faith, which is inherent in all things, we, although we cannot assert anything, yet, trusting in mercy (Wisdom and Truth), let us try to seek and investigate how this great difference and diversity of the world seems to exist in full accord with justice and has meaning. I mean here only the general meaning, for to seek the particular meaning of particular things is characteristic of the inexperienced, and to indicate it is characteristic of the insane.

When we say that there is diversity in the world, and that the world was created by God, and we call God good, and righteous, and impartial, then very many, especially those who came from the school of Marcion, Valentinus, and Basilides, and who have heard that the nature of souls is different, usually contradict us: how can we agree with the truth of God, who created the world, that He gives some a dwelling place in heaven? and not only gives them the best abode, but at the same time gives them some higher and most honorable degree: to some he gives authority, to others authority, to others he bestows dominion, to others he gives the most glorious thrones of heavenly judgments, and to others shine brilliantly and shine with starry brilliance; And to some of them is given the glory of the sun, to others the glory of the moon, to others the glory of the stars, and star differs from star in glory? In general terms and briefly, the objection may be expressed as follows: If God, the Creator, is not devoid of either the desire for a higher and good work, nor the ability to accomplish it, then the question arises, for what reason, in creating rational beings, i.e., those for whom He Himself becomes the cause of their existence, did He create some beings as superior, others as secondary or tertiary, and others as inferior and inferior in many degrees? Then, they also object to terrestrial beings; they point out that some have a happier lot of birth than others; for example, one is descended from Abraham and is born according to the promise, another also from Isaac and Rebekah, and while still in his mother's womb, he stumbles his brother, and God loves him even before he is born. Or, exactly the same thing is observed in the circumstance that one is born among the Jews, in whom he finds instruction in the divine law, and another is born among the Greeks, men of wisdom and no small learning, and another is born among the Ethiopians, who have the custom of eating human flesh, or among the Scythians, among whom parricide is performed as it were according to the law, or among the Taurians, who sacrifice foreigners. Therefore we are told: if such is the difference of things, if the conditions of birth are so different and diverse, and free will does not take place in this case (because no one chooses for himself where or to whom, or in what conditions he is born), then, they say, this proceeds from the difference of souls, so that the soul of the evil nature is assigned to a bad people, but a good soul is sent to good (people), or yet, they think, this happens by chance. Of course, if we accept this last assumption, then it is no longer possible to believe that the world was created by God and is governed by His providence, and, consequently, one should no longer wait for God's judgment on the deeds of everyone. However, what exactly is the truth in this matter is known only by the One Who examines everything, even the depths of God (1 Cor. 2:10).

As for us, people, we (in order not to give food to the arrogance of heretics by silence) will answer their objections to what can present itself to us to the best of our ability – we will answer in the following way. We have often argued, by such arguments as we could use from the divine Scriptures, that God, the Creator of the universe, is good, and just, and omnipotent. When He first created what He wanted to create, i.e., rational beings, He had no other cause for creation than Himself, that is, His goodness. Thus, He was the cause of the creatures' existence. But in Him there was no variety, no changeability, no powerlessness; therefore, all whom He created, He created equal and similar, because for Him there was no cause of diversity and difference. But since rational creatures, as we have often shown and will show in their place, are endowed with the faculty of freedom, the freedom of will of each either led to perfection through imitation of God, or led to a fall through negligence. And this, as we have said above, is the reason for the difference between rational creatures: this difference did not originate from the will or decision of the Creator, but from the determination of the creatures' own freedom. But God, who deems it just to govern His creation according to its merits, directed this difference of minds to the harmony of the one world; From various vessels, or souls, or minds, He created as it were one house, in which there should be vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, and some vessels for honorable use, and others for low use. These, I think, are the causes of the diversity of the world, and Divine Providence governs each being according to his movements or the disposition of his soul. In this understanding, the Creator is not unjust, since He treats everyone according to his merits, according to the preceding causes, the happiness or misfortune of the birth of each and all other conditions are not recognized as accidental, and, finally, the existence of different creators or the difference of souls by nature is not affirmed.

But it seems to me that the Holy Scriptures are also not completely silent about the meaning of this mystery. Thus, the Apostle Paul, speaking of Jacob and Esau, says: "For when they were not yet born, and had done nothing good or evil, that the purpose of God in election should proceed not from works, but from him who called, it was said to her, 'The greater shall be in bondage to the lesser, as it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated' (Romans 9:11-13). And after that he answers himself and says: "What shall we say? Is it not God's righteousness?" (Romans 9:14) And in order to give us occasions to investigate this (question) and to reason about how this is not without reason, he answers himself and says: "Let it not be. The same question that is asked about Jacob and Esau, it seems to me, can be put with regard to all creatures in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And as the Apostle says in that saying, "When they were not yet born, and did nothing good or evil," so it seems to me that it may be said of all others in the same way: "When they were not yet created, and did nothing good or evil, that the purpose of God might be by election (as some think), some beings were created in heaven, others are earthly, and others are underworld, not by works (as they think), but by Him who calls. So, what shall we say if this is so? Is it really unrighteousness with God? In no way." Thus, a careful examination of the words of Scripture concerning Jacob and Esau shows that there is no unrighteousness with God, if before they (Jacob and Esau) were born or did anything in this life, it was said that "the greater shall be enslaved to the lesser," it turns out that there is no unrighteousness in the fact that Jacob even in the womb kicked his brother: we understand that he was worthily loved by God, according to the merits of his previous life, and therefore deserved to be preferred to his brother. The same should be thought of the heavenly creatures. Diversity is not the original state of creation. But the Creator assigns to each being a different office of service on the basis of previous causes, according to the merit of merit, on the basis, of course, that every mind or rational spirit created by God, according to the movements of the mind and the feelings of the soul, has acquired for itself a greater or lesser merit and has become either pleasing or hateful to God. However, some of the beings who possess the best merits suffer together with the rest for the sake of adorning the state of the world and are appointed to serve the lower (creatures), as a result of which they themselves become partakers of God's longsuffering, as the Apostle says: "The creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own free will, but according to the will of Him who subjected it" (Romans 8:20). So, considering the saying that the Apostle expressed in discussing the birth of Esau and Jacob, namely: "What then shall we say? Is it really unrighteousness with God? In no way (let it be)," I find it fair that the same saying should be applicable to all creatures, because the Truth of the Creator, as we said above, must be manifested in everything. And this Truth, it seems to me, is most clearly revealed if we admit that each of the beings of heaven, earth, and hell has in itself the causes of diversity that precede bodily birth. All things were created by the Word of God and His Wisdom, and all things were distributed by His righteousness. By the grace of His mercy He provides for everyone and persuades everyone to be healed by the means they can, and calls them to salvation.

It is certain that in the day of judgment the good will be separated from the evil, and the righteous from the unrighteous, and by the judgment of God all will be distributed according to merit in such places as they deserve, as we shall show hereafter, if it pleases God. I think that something similar has happened before, because God, we must believe, always does and distributes everything justly. The Apostle also teaches, saying: "And in a great house there are vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; and some in honorable use, and others in low use" (2 Tim. 2:20), and adds: "Whosoever is therefore pure from these things shall be a vessel in honor, sanctified and useful to the Lord, fit for every good work" (2 Tim. 2:21). These words, without a doubt, show that whoever purifies himself while in this life will be prepared for every good work in the future (age), and whoever does not purify himself, according to the degree of his impurity, will be a vessel for low use, i.e. an unworthy vessel. In the same way, it may be thought that there were already intelligent vessels, either cleansed or less cleansed, i.e., either purifying themselves or not purifying themselves; and it is on the basis of this that each vessel, according to its purity or impurity, has received in this world a place, or a country, or a condition of birth, or some activity. But God, by the power of His Wisdom, foresees and discerns all these things, even to the smallest of them, and by the administration of His judgment, by means of the most just retribution, He disposes of everything, as far as everyone should be helped or cared for, according to (his) merit. In this (government), of course, the full measure of justice is revealed, because by the inequality of things the justice of retribution according to merit is preserved. The merits of each individual being are truly and quite clearly known only to God by the only-begotten Word, and by His Wisdom, and with the Holy Spirit.

Глава десятая

О воскресении и суде, об адском огне и наказаниях

Рассуждение напомнило нам о будущем суде, и воздаянии, и наказаниях грешников, соответственно тому, чем угрожает Священное Писание и что содержит церковное учение, а именно, что ко времени суда для грешников приготовлены вечный огонь и внешний мрак, темница и печь и прочее, подобное этому: итак, посмотрим, что нужно думать об этих наказаниях. Но чтобы подойти к этому вопросу надлежащим порядком, мне кажется, предварительно нужно сказать о воскресении, дабы нам знать, что именно получит наказание, или покой, или блаженство. Об этом предмете обстоятельно мы рассуждали в других книгах, написанных нами о воскресении; там мы высказали свой взгляд на этот предмет. Но и теперь, ради последовательности рассуждения, кажется, не излишне повторить кое-что из того сочинения, особенно ввиду того, что некоторые, преимущественно еретики, соблазняются церковною верою, думая, будто мы веруем в воскресение глупо и совершенно неразумно. Я думаю, что им должно ответить следующим образом. Если они сами исповедуют, что воскресение мертвых существует, то пусть ответят нам, что именно умерло? Не тело-ли? Значит, для тела будет и воскресение. Затем, пусть они скажут, нужно ли нам пользоваться телами или нет? Я думаю, они не могут отрицать, что тело воскреснет или что в воскресении мы будем пользоваться телами, так как апостол Павел говорит: «Сеется тело душевное, восстает тело духовное» (1Кор. 15.44). Итак, что же? Если верно, что нам должно пользоваться телами, и умершие тела, как проповедует церковное учение, воскреснут (ибо воскресает в собственном смысле, говорят, только то, что умерло), то, без сомнения, эти тела воскреснут для того, чтобы мы снова облеклись в них через воскресение. Одно связано с другим: если тела воскресают, то воскресают, без сомнения, для того, чтобы служить нам одеждою; и если нам необходимо быть в телах (а это, конечно, необходимо), то мы должны находиться не в иных телах, но именно в наших. Если же истинно, что тела воскресают и притом воскресают духовными, то, несомненно, они воскресают из мертвых, как говорится, оставив тление и отложив смертность; иначе, кажется, будет напрасным и излишним воскресать кому-нибудь из мертвых – затем, чтобы снова умереть. Особенно ясно можно понять это, если кто тщательно рассмотрит, каково то свойство душевного тела, которое, будучи посеяно в землю, подготавливает собою свойство тела духовного, потому что ведь самая сила и благодать воскресения из душевного тела производит тело духовное, изменяя его из (состояния) бесчестия в (состояние) славы.

Так как еретики считают себя ученейшими и мудрейшими людьми, то мы спросим их, всякое ли тело имеет некоторую схему, т. е. образуется ли оно по какой-нибудь определенной форме? И если они, конечно, скажут, что существует какое-нибудь тело, которое образуется без всякой формы, то они окажутся самыми несведущими и глупыми из всех людей. В самом деле, это учение будет отрицать разве только человек, совершенно чуждый всякого образования. Если они скажут – как это и следует (сказать),– что всякое тело образуется по некоторой определенной форме, то мы спросим их, могут ли они указать и описать нам форму духовного тела, а этого они, конечно, не будут в состоянии сделать никоим образом. Спросим их также и о различиях тех людей, которые воскресают. Как покажут они истинность слов апостола, что «иная плоть у скотов, иная у рыб, иная у птиц. Есть тела небесные и тела земные: но иная слава небесных, иная земных; иная слава солнцу, иная слава луны, иная звезд; и звезда от звезды разнится в славе. Так и при воскресении мертвых» (1Кор. 15.39-42). Итак, соответственно этому сопоставлению небесных тел с земными, пусть они покажут нам различия славы тех, которые воскресают; и если они каким-либо образом постараются придумать какое-нибудь основание для различия небесных тел, то мы потребуем от них, чтобы они определили различия в воскресении также и по сравнению с телами земными. Что касается нас, то мы понимаем это так. Апостол, желая описать, каково различие имеющих воскреснуть во славе, т. е. святых, употребил сравнение с небесными телами и сказал: «иная слава солнцу, иная слава луны, иная звезд»; желая же научить о различиях тех, которые явятся к воскресению, не очистившись в этой жизни, т. е. о различиях грешников, он берет в пример земные тела и говорит: «иная у рыб, иная у птиц», – и действительно со святыми достойным образом сравниваются тела небесные, а с грешниками – тела земные. Вот что нужно сказать против тех, которые отрицают воскресение мертвых, т. е. воскресение тел.