Do you see how the Lord created our nature free? Why, tell me, did they (Noah's contemporaries) seek wickedness and bring punishment upon themselves, and this (Noah), having chosen virtue and fleeing from the company with them, did not suffer punishment? Is it not evident that each one chooses wickedness or virtue of his own free will? If it were not so, if our nature did not possess authority, then we should not suffer punishment by it, nor receive the reward of virtue. But since everything, after the highest grace, depends on our will, therefore punishments are prepared for those who sinn, and recompense and reward for those who live virtuously. "Noah," says the Scripture, "was five hundred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth." Notice the accuracy of the Divine Scriptures. Having told us about the number of years of the righteous man, in order to show the greatness of the Lord's longsuffering, it also wants to explain to us both the increase in the Lord's condescension and the increase in human wickedness.

2. But let us listen to the very words of Moses, who, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, wants to teach us everything with exactness. "When men," he says, "began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them." Not without reason did he add: "And daughters were born to them," but in order to give us an idea of the great multiplication of people. Where there is such a great multitude of roots, there many branches are necessarily born. "Then the sons of God," he says, "saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful, and took [them] to be their wives, whichever they chose." Let us examine each of these words carefully, so that nothing hidden in the depths may be hidden from us. And it is necessary to carefully examine this passage and refute the empty talk of those who speak about everything thoughtlessly. And, in the first place, it is necessary to show that these people dare to speak, and, having discovered the absurdity of their words, then explain to your love the true meaning of the Scriptures, so that you do not innocently listen to those who utter blasphemous speeches and dare to speak on their own heads. They say that this is not said of men, but of angels; it is as if (the Scriptures) called them the sons of God. But first, let them show where the angels are called the sons of God: this they cannot show anywhere. People are called sons of God, but angels are never. Of angels (Scripture) it says: "Thou makest Thy angels spirits, Thy servants a blazing fire" (Psalm 103:4), and of men: "I said, Ye are gods" (Psalm 81:6); and again: "I have brought up and exalted sons" (Isaiah 1:2); and again: "Israel [is] My son, My firstborn" (Exodus 4:22); and the angel is nowhere called either the son or the son of God. But what do they say? Truly, they were angels, but since they came down (from heaven to earth) for a lawless deed, they lost their dignity. Another even greater idle talk! So what is it? Now they have lost (their dignity), and this was precisely the cause of their fall? But the Scriptures teach us otherwise, namely, that even before the creation of the first man they lost their dignity – both the devil and those (spirits) who together with him sought the highest dignity, as the all-wise one says: "Through the envy of the devil death entered into the world" (Wisdom 2:24). Indeed, tell me, if the devil had not fallen before the creation of man, how could he, while remaining in his dignity, envy man? What is the meaning of the angel's envy of a man, who was incorporeal and in such honor, clothed with a body? But since (the devil) had fallen from the highest glory into utter disgrace and had fallen while incorporeal, and yet saw that man was created and, being in the body, was vouchsafed, by the love of the Creator, such a great honor, he was inflamed with envy and by means of the deception committed by him through the serpent, subjected man to the punishment of death. Such is the quality of malice: it cannot indifferently endure the happiness of others. It is obvious to everyone that the devil and all his horde have already lost heavenly glory from time immemorial and have become dishonorable. And on the other hand, is it not insane to say that the angels descended to cohabitation with women, and the incorporeal nature was degraded to copulation with bodies? Do you not hear what Christ says about the angelic nature: "In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but abide as the angels of God in heaven" (Matt. 22:30)? And it is not characteristic of this incorporeal nature to have such (carnal) lust. And moreover, it must be considered that to accept such an opinion even from reason would be the greatest absurdity. If the holy men, who were vouchsafed the Holy Spirit, were not able to endure even the apparitions of angels, if even the man of desire, seeing the presence of the angel, was not the being itself (for how can one see a disembodied being?), but the image he perceived, lost his strength and almost life itself, if even such a great and lofty man fell almost breathless, then who, even the most reckless, Will he agree with this blasphemous and utterly insane opinion, that the incorporeal and spiritual nature had copulation with bodies?

3. But lest it should seem that we ourselves are wasting our time in saying much about this, for this purpose, having proved to your love by our very deed the impossibility of such an event, let us now reveal to you the true meaning of the words proposed, having read again what the divine Scriptures have said. "Then the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful, and took [them] for their wives, whichever one chose." We have already told you before that the Scriptures have the custom of calling people sons of God. Since they (meaning those who are called the sons of God) descended from Seth and from his son called Enos ("then," says the Scriptures, "they began to call upon the name of the Lord"), his further descendants are called sons of God in the divine Scriptures, because they had hitherto imitated the virtue of their ancestors; And the sons of men are those who were born before Seth, of Cain, and from him they descended. Then the sons of God (the descendants of Seth and Enos) saw the daughters of men (daughters born of those of whom [the Scripture] said that "daughters were born to them"), (and) that they were beautiful. See how by this expression the Scriptures have shown us all their unbridledness. They rushed to this work, not out of a desire for childbearing, but out of immoderate lust. "They saw," says the Scripture, "the daughters of men, that they were beautiful." The lust for beauty dragged them into this destruction; the beauty of the face was for them the cause of fornication and unbridledness. But the Scripture did not limit itself to this, but added: "And they took [them] for wives, whichever one chose." And this again points to their great unbridledness, that they, i.e. were overcome by beauty and did not want to curb disorderly lust, but, carried away by the sight (of women), sank (in impurity), and by this iniquity made themselves unworthy of the highest providence. And so that we may know that they did not do this according to the law of marriage and not for the sake of childbearing, for this (the Scripture) says: "They saw ... that they were beautiful, and took [them] for their wives, whomsoever they chose. What then? Who can blame the eyes for what they see? Not at all: it was not the eye that caused the destruction of these people, but their careless will and unbridled lust. The eye was created so that we, seeing God's creations with it, glorify their Creator. Therefore, the work of the eye is to see; and to see evil depends on the mind that governs it. The Lord arranged the members (of our body) so that they would be useful to us for doing good, and He left their control to an incorporeal being, that is, the soul. And so, when the soul gives itself over to negligence and weakens the reins, then just as the charioteer, who does not know how to restrain the disorderly impulses of the horses, lowers the reins, and endangers both the horses pulling the chariot and himself, so our will, when it does not know how to use the limbs properly, gives free rein to disorderly lusts, and destroys itself. For this reason our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing the weakness of our nature and carelessness of our will, gave a law forbidding and forbidding superfluous glances, in order to extinguish the flame that burns in us from afar, and said: "That whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). For this, he says, I forbid unbridled looking, in order to protect against lawless deed. Do not think that copulation alone constitutes sin; the very thought is subject to condemnation. In the same way, these people, seeing beauty, were captivated by their sight. "They saw...," says (the Scripture), "that they were beautiful, and took [them] to be their wives, whichever one chose." But let us see what goodness the Lord showed even after this lawless deed and their disorderly disposition. "And the Lord said," says the Scriptures, "My Spirit shall not be despised by men for ever; for they are flesh; let their days be a hundred and twenty years" (Gen. 6:3). In these few words one can see the abyss of philanthropy. "And the Lord said," it is said, "My Spirit shall not be despised by men for ever; for they are flesh." (The Lord) here called His providential power by the spirit, already predicting their destruction. And that you may know that this is what is being said, see what is added, "Because they are flesh," that is, because they gave themselves up entirely to the deeds of the flesh, and did not use the proper faculties of the soul, but led a life as if they were clothed only with flesh and had no soul. The Divine Scriptures always have the custom of calling carnal people flesh, and virtuous people bodiless, as Paul says: "You do not live according to the flesh" (Romans 8:9), not because they were not clothed with flesh, but because, being clothed with flesh, they were above carnal thoughts. And just as Paul said to these things because of their contempt for the things of the flesh, "You do not live according to the flesh," so he called them flesh because they were constantly engaged in the things of the flesh. "Because they are flesh," so I will no longer allow them to be defiled by sins.

Have you seen the greatness of the wrath (of God)? Did you see the excessive force of the threat? See how (God) dissolved the threat and anger with love for mankind. Such is our Lord: He often threatens not in order to fulfill the threat, but so that, having corrected people, He will no longer carry out the threat. For if He wanted (only) to punish, why did He foretell? But since He does not wish (only to punish), He always delays and delays, and predicts, instilling (through this) the guilty with an inducement to avoid impiety, to choose virtue, and to avoid punishment. Therefore, after He had uttered a threat to consign them to complete destruction (and this is the meaning of the words: "My Spirit shall not be despised by men for ever; for they are flesh" – that is, I will not allow them to live any more)

"Their days will be a hundred and twenty years. At that time there were giants on the earth, – says (the Scripture), – especially from the time when the sons of God began to come in to the daughters of men, and they began to bear children to them: these are mighty men, of old glorious men" (Gen. 6:3,4). Nephilim, I think, is here called by the Divine Scripture people who are strong in body. From them, he says, their race multiplied. This is also spoken of in another place: "I have called My mighty ones to do My wrath" (Isaiah 13:3). And the number: one hundred and twenty years is recognized by some as the limit of life; but this does not mean, but (the Scriptures) want to show the long-suffering that (the Lord) manifests to people even after so many of their sins. Therefore, so that we may know that people, even after (revealed by God) anger and threats, and after the long long-suffering that He gave them for repentance, not only did not reform, but continued to sin. The Scripture says, "From the time that the sons of God began to come in to the daughters of men, and they began to bear children to them: they are mighty men, glorious men of old." Do you see what excessive recklessness? What insensibility of the soul? Neither the fear of punishment nor the duration of (God's) long-suffering turned them away from evil deeds; once they had fallen into the abyss and lost their spiritual sight, they, seized with impure lust, as if by some kind of drunkenness, did not want to reform, as the Most Wise One says: "With the coming of the wicked comes contempt, and with disgrace reproach" (Proverbs 18:3). It is frightening, terrible, beloved, to be caught by the wiles of the devil. Then the soul becomes entangled, as it were, in a net, and just as an unclean animal, wallowing in the mud, delights in it, so it, having given itself over to a sinful habit, no longer feels the stench of sins. Therefore, we must be sober and watchful, so as not to give the evil demon any access (to us) from the very beginning, so that he, darkening our mind and blinding the eye of the soul, does not force us, who cannot look at the light of the sun of righteousness, like those who are deprived of sunlight, to strive into the abyss, which is what happened to these people. Listen also to the long-suffering of the good God. "And the Lord (God) saw," says the Scripture, "that the wickedness of men was great on the earth" (Gen. 6:5). What do the words "And I saw" mean? It is not that the Lord did not know; no: the divine Scripture tells about everything adapted to our weakness. In order to make us understand that these people, even after such great long-suffering of God, remained in the same sins or fell again into even greater ones, it says: "And he saw ... that great was the corruption of men on earth." From this evil deed [i.e., from the mingling of the sons of God with the daughters of men], as from the source, many other sins were born to them; That is why it is said: "The corruption of men." Where there is fornication, an intemperate and unclean life, there is naturally born drunkenness, and disorder, and great injustice, and covetousness, and a multitude of evil. "And the Lord (God) saw," it is said, "that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thoughts and thoughts of their hearts were evil all the time."

See how each word here points to a multitude of sins. Having said in general: "That great is the corruption of men on earth." The Scripture added: "and that all things." This word is meaningful. Not only the young man (sins), but also the elder does similar things to him; not only husband, but also wife; not only a slave, but also a freeman; Not only rich, but also poor. And the word "thoughts" is also meaningful. That is, they do it. Not in fits and starts, but pondering in their hearts, striving for it every hour and deliberately taking care of it, – not just once or twice, simply and accidentally, carried away by sin, they then abandon impiety, but diligently practice it and do evil; That is, they commit sin with great care, not in passing, not carelessly, and not in a short time, but all the days, throughout their entire lives. Have you seen the increase in wickedness? Did you see how they made it their occupation, diligently doing all kinds of evil, and how every age willingly strove to do evil? "All," says (the Scriptures); there was no immature age that had nothing to do with evil, but everyone immediately and from the very beginning competed in this evil feat, trying to surpass each other in lawless deeds. Now imagine the extraordinary wisdom of the righteous man, when, in the midst of such unanimity of evil people, he could have avoided infection and suffered no harm from them, but as if having a different nature, he retained firmness of spirit and, of his own free will, striving to do good, avoided sinful like-mindedness with them, and was delivered from the destruction that had befallen all. "And the Lord (God) repented," says the Scriptures, "that he had created man on the earth" (Gen. 6:6). Note here also the coarseness and adaptability of the expression. "And he repented," it is said, instead of "repented," not because God repents – let it not be – but the divine Scriptures speak to us in a human way, in order to teach us that the excessive multitude of human sins has brought the humane God into such great wrath. "And the Lord (God) repented that he had created man on the earth." Is it for this, says God, that I created him, so that, having fallen into such great wickedness, he should become the author of his own destruction? For this reason I have honored him from the very beginning, and have shown him so much care that he may choose virtue and be safe from destruction. But since he has abused My love for mankind, it is better to interrupt his evil undertakings. "And the Lord (God) said, I will destroy from off the face of the earth the men whom I have created, from man to beast, and I will destroy creeping things and birds of the air: for I have repented that I have created them." For my part, says God, I have done everything: I have brought (people) from non-existence into being, I have put into (their) nature the knowledge of what to do and what not to do, I have granted them free will, I have manifested the ineffable (to them)

"And the Lord (God) said, I will destroy from off the face of the earth the men whom I have created, from man to beast." But perhaps someone will say: why are animals subjected to the same punishment as him for a man's deviation to impiety? That's how it should be. Are animals created for themselves? They were created for man; Therefore, when he is destroyed, what need is there for them? Then they also share (with man) the punishment, so that you may know how strong is the wrath (of God against the sinner). Just as in the beginning the earth fell under the curse for the sin of the progenitor, so now, when death threatens man, the dumb also become partakers of the punishment. Just as in the godly life of man and creation participates in human well-being, according to the words of Paul: "And the creation itself shall be freed from slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21), so now, when man must be punished for the multitude of his sins and be subjected to final destruction, cattle, creeping things, and birds are subject to the flood with him, who has to cover the whole world. And as in a house, when the chief servant falls under the wrath of his master, all his concelebrants usually share in his sorrow, so here, when, as in a house, people perish, everything that is in the house and subject to them is necessarily subjected to the same punishment. "I repented," says the Scripture, "that I made them." How much condescension there is in this word! Did I want, says (God), to subject them to such punishment? They themselves, by their great iniquities, have brought Me into such great wrath. However, so that we do not think that the human race is being completely destroyed and our nature is being destroyed by the roots, on the contrary, we would know how great an evil sin is, and how great a good virtue is, and that "Better is one righteous man than a thousand sinners" (Sirach 17:3), the Scriptures say: "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8). If, he says, all the multitude (of people) fell into such great impiety, then this righteous man retained the spark of virtue, and at the same time preached to all these people during all this time and inspired them to abandon impiety, and kept himself free from their defilement. And just as by their evil deeds they provoked the wrath of the loving God, so this one, having loved virtue, "found grace in the eyes of the Lord. … God is no respecter of persons" (Gen. 6:8, Acts 10:34); if in such a multitude He finds at least one who does what is pleasing to Him, He does not leave him unattended, but vouchsafes His care, and the more He shows concern for him, the more zealously he himself walks the path of virtue in the presence of so many who lead Him to wickedness.

6. Knowing this, let us keep in mind one thing that is pleasing to Him (God) and that can attract His favor upon us; and neither out of pleasing friendship, nor out of obedience to any custom, let us despise virtue, but let us make proper use of God's long-suffering, and, while there is still time, putting aside all sloth, let us love virtue and hate vice. If we do not strive for virtue with love and eagerness, and if we do not harbor great hatred for vice, then we will not be able to avoid harm from it, nor to attain it. And that virtue deserves that we should desire it and burn with love for it – listen to what the prophet says: "The judgments of the Lord are true, all are righteous; they are more desirable than gold, and even a great quantity of pure gold" (Psalm 18:10,11). I said this not because this alone was the most desirable, but because we cannot find anything more precious than these objects. That is why he added: "sweeter than honey and drops of honeycomb." And here again he used this comparison because he could not find a substance sweeter than honey. And those who are possessed by an insane passion and love for the accumulation of wealth, exhaust all their strength for this, and are never satisfied, because the love of money is insatiable drunkenness; And just as drunkards, the more wine they pour into themselves, the more they are inflamed with thirst, so these (lovers of money) can never stop this indomitable passion, but the more they see the growth of their possessions, the more they are inflamed with covetousness, and do not abandon this evil passion until they fall into the very abyss of evil. If these people manifest with such intensity this pernicious passion, the author of all evil, then how much more should we always have the judgments of the Lord, which are higher than "gold and even the multitude of pure gold," in our thoughts and prefer nothing to virtue, and to eradicate these pernicious passions from our souls, and to know that this temporary pleasure usually gives rise to unceasing sorrow and endless torment. and not to deceive ourselves and not to think that our existence ends with the present life. True, the majority of people do not express this in words, on the contrary, they even say that they believe in the doctrine of the resurrection and the future retribution; But I pay attention not to the words, but to what is done every day. If you really expect resurrection and recompense, then why are you so anxious about worldly glory? Why, tell me, do you torture yourself every day, collecting more money than sand, buying villages, houses, and baths, often acquiring this even by robbery and covetousness, and fulfilling the prophetic word on yourself: "Woe to you who add house to house, who add field to field, so that there is no room for [others], as if you were alone on the earth" (Isaiah 5:8)? Isn't this what we see every day? One says: "The house of so-and-so takes away my light," and invents a thousand pretexts to take it away; and another, having taken a field from the poor, adds it to his own. And what is especially remarkable, extraordinary, strange, and unforgivable is that some people live in one place, often do not even have the opportunity, if they wanted to, to move to another place, either because of bodily weakness, or because of other circumstances, and yet they want to have monuments of their covetousness everywhere and in all, so to speak, cities, to erect everywhere the eternal pillars of their impiety. and he lays the sins with which all these things are collected on his own head, and bearing this heavy and unbearable burden, he does not feel it, but gives the enjoyment of the treasures he has gathered to others, not only after the transmigration from this life, but also before the departure from here. If he does not lose them against his will, they are all scattered and, so to speak, torn to pieces by his household, and he himself does not enjoy even an insignificant part of them. And what do I say, He does not enjoy? If he wanted to, how would he get him, when he had only one belly with so much wealth?

7. The cause of all evil is vanity and the desire to give one's name to fields, baths, houses. What does it profit you, O man, when, after a while, from the fever that has befallen you, your soul, suddenly flying away, leaves you without everything and naked, or, better, deprived of virtue, and clothed in unrighteousness, theft, covetousness, groans, sighs, tears of orphans, intrigues, deceits? How can you, having such a great burden of sins upon you, be able to pass through those narrow gates that cannot contain such a great burden? Of necessity you will remain outside (the kingdom) and, under the weight of this burden, you will repent in vain, seeing before your eyes the punishments prepared before your eyes, that terrible and never burning fire and the worm that does not die. But if we are in any way concerned about our salvation, then, while there is still time, let us depart from sin, turn to virtue, and renounce vanity. That is why it is called vain, because it is empty and has nothing solid and permanent in it; it is only a deception of the eyes, disappearing before it appears. Do we not see how often he who is preceded today by lictors, and who is surrounded by spearmen, tomorrow finds himself in prison, together with criminals? What is more deceptive than this vain and vain glory? And if such a change does not happen to him in the present life, death will surely overtake him and interrupt his well-being, and he who today spoke solemnly in the square, put (others) in prison, sat on an elevated place, behaved very proudly, and looked upon all people as shadows, tomorrow suddenly lies dead, breathless, full of stench, showered with a thousand reproaches both from those who have been offended by him and from those who have not been offended, but who sympathize with those who have been offended. What can be more unhappy than such a person? And all that he has gathered is often divided among his enemies and foes; and the sins accumulated in him from this, he takes with him, and is subjected to a very strict account for them. Therefore, I beseech you: fleeing from this vain glory, let us love true glory that endures forever, and let us not be deceived by the passion of riches, nor burned by the flame of lust, nor dried up by envy and hatred, nor inflamed by anger, but having quenched all these evil and pernicious passions with the dew of the spirit, let us despise the present, desire the future, think about the future day (judgment), and show great thoroughness in life. We did not come into this life only to eat and drink.

Life was not created for food and drink, but food and drink for life. So let us not pervert this order, and let us not so please the belly and the pleasures of the flesh, as if we were created for this; but, reflecting on the harm that occurs for us from this gratification, let us begin to tame the movements of the flesh, let us not be lazy and not allow it to rise up against the soul. If Paul, so great and exalted a man, as if on wings flew over the whole world, who rose above bodily needs and was vouchsafed to hear ineffable words, which no one else had heard before, said in his epistle: "I subdue and enslave my body, lest, preaching to others, I myself remain unworthy" (1 Corinthians 9:27), – then if he, who was vouchsafed such grace, after so many and lofty feats, had the need to subdue and enslave, to subdue under the power of the soul and to subject it to the dominion of the strong impulses of the flesh (which subdue that which rebels, and enslaves that which throws off the bridle), then what shall we, who have nothing good, burdened with grievous sins, and yet given over to great carelessness, say? Is there a truce in this battle? Is there a definite time for an attack? We must always be sober and awake, and never consider ourselves safe, because there is no appointed time when the enemy and adversary will attack us. Therefore, let us always think, always take care of our salvation, so that in this way we may be invincible and, having escaped the snares of the enemy, receive mercy from God, through the grace and mercies of His Only-begotten, with Whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

CONVERSATION 23

"And Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord. Here is the life of Noah: Noah was a righteous man and blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:8,9).

1. Have you seen from what has already been said, how great is the love of mankind and how exceedingly long-suffering is God's patience? Have you seen how the wickedness of the people of that time (contemporary with Noah) increased? They learned what was the virtue of the righteous among such a multitude (of the wicked), and how nothing harmed him,

Such is virtue: it is immortal and invincible, it is not subject to the vicissitudes of the present life, but raised above the snares of impiety, it looks at everything human as if from some high tower, and does not feel anything that is burdensome to others. On the contrary, just as he who stands on a high rock laughs at the waves when he sees that they strike the rock with a noise and immediately turn into foam, so he who strives in virtue, staying in a safe place, does not experience any discomfort from the excitement of life, but lives quietly, enjoying the silence of his thoughts and imagining that the affairs of the present life, which pass so quickly and quickly, do not differ in any way from river currents. As it happens with the waves of the sea, that they rise to an unspeakable height, then suddenly fall again, so we see that people who do not care about virtue and are given over to vice, now think highly, raise their eyebrows and succeed in the affairs of the present life, then suddenly become humiliated and come to extreme poverty. Pointing to them, the blessed prophet David also said: "Do not be afraid, when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house increases: for when he dies, he will take nothing" (Psalm 48:17,18). And he said well, "Don't be afraid." Do not be troubled, he says, by the excess of his wealth and the splendor of his glory. After a while, you will see him lying on the ground, motionless, dead corpse, having become the food of worms, deprived of all these things (wealth and glory) and unable to take anything with him, but leaving everything here. Do not be embarrassed when you look at the present, and do not please him who is soon to lose all this. Such is true happiness and such is the quality of wealth: it does not accompany those who depart from here; leaving all their wealth here, they depart naked and worthless, carrying with them only impiety and the burden of sins they have accumulated because of their riches. But in the matter of virtue there is nothing of the sort: even here it places (us) above our ill-wishers and makes us invincible, gives us unceasing pleasure and does not allow us to feel the vicissitudes of (worldly) affairs; accompanies us during the exodus from here, and then, especially when we need her help, on that terrible day He gives us great help, bowing down to the mercy of the Judge to us; and as here, in times of tribulation, He exalts them above calamities, so in the future (age) He delivers those who possess it from eternal torment. Not only that: it also gives us the pleasure of ineffable blessings. And in order to convince you that this is really so, and that we do not say this simply and in vain to carry you away, I will try to prove it to your love by the subject of this discourse. See how this wondrous one, I mean Noah, at a time when the whole human race had incurred the wrath of the loving Lord, by his virtue was able to escape the wrath (of God) and deserve great favor from Him. But, if you like, let us talk for the time being about the events of the present life, because some may not believe in the future and the invisible. Thus, from the events here, let us see what fate befell those who gave themselves over to impiety, and what was vouchsafed to him who loved virtue. For the good God determined to punish the human race for the increased wickedness with universal destruction, saying, I will destroy from off the face of the earth men whom I have created, and showing the power of his wrath, He pronounced this judgment not only on the human race, but also on all cattle, and creeping things, and birds (for when the people for whom these creatures were created were to perish in the flood, then it is natural for them to share the punishment with people)