Section XIII

But lest any suspect that these things are said too ambitiously, and that the amplitude of the divine φιλανθρωπία, benignity toward men, is not in fact judged by Chrysostom to be so great that it extends to all and each, let them first hear the same Chrysostom¹ speaking thus concerning the most ruined people of the Jews:

When Paul says², “whose are the adoption and the glory and the giving of the law and the worship and the promises,” οὐδὲν ἄλλο φησίν, ἢ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς μὲν αὐτοὺς ἐβούλετο σωθῆναι, he says nothing else than that God willed to save them, and that he declared this through those things which he had previously done, from the fact that Christ arose from them, and through those things which he promised to the fathers; αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐξ οἰκείας ἀγνωμοσύνης ἀπεκρούσαντο τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, but they, from their own ungrateful disposition, repelled the benefit. Therefore Paul recounts only those things which are proofs of the gifts of God, not encomia of them. For the adoption proceeded from his grace, as did also the glory, the promises, and the law; ἅπερ ἅπαντα ἐννοήσας, καὶ λογισάμενος, πόσην ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ τοῦ Παιδὸς ἐποιήσατο τὴν σπουδὴν σῶσαι αὐτούς, ἀνεβόησε μέγα, καὶ εἶπεν, ὃς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν, all of which Paul, embracing them in his mind and considering within himself how great a care God together with the Son had taken to save them, cried out with a loud voice and said: “Who is blessed forever, amen,” rendering thanks to the Only-begotten of God for all these things. “For what,” he says, “if others blaspheme? But we, who have seen his mysteries, his ineffable wisdom, καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν τὴν πολλήν, and his great providence, clearly understand that he is worthy not to be blasphemed, but to be glorified.”

Then let them hear the same Chrysostom³ discoursing thus concerning Pharaoh:

Pharaoh was a vessel of wrath, τουτέστιν, ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀνάπτων διὰ τῆς οἰκείας σκληρότητος, that is, a man who by his own hardness kindled the wrath of God. For, having experienced his long patience, οὐκ ἐγένετο βελτίων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀδιόρθωτος ἔμεινε, he did not become better⁴, but remained incorrigible. Therefore he called him not only σκεῦος ὀργῆς, a vessel of wrath, ἀλλὰ κατηρτισμένον εἰς ἀπώλειαν· τουτέστι, τὸν ἀπηρτισμένον, οἴκοθεν μέντοι καὶ παρ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ, but prepared for destruction, that is, made ready, namely, by himself and by his own works. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐνέλιπέ τι τῶν εἰς τὴν διόρθωσιν εἰκόντων τὴν ἐκείνου, οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐνέλιπέ τι τῶν ἀπολλύντων αὐτόν, καὶ πάσης ἀποστερούντων συγγνώμης, for neither did God omit anything of those things which would conduce to his amendment, nor did he omit anything of those things which would destroy him and deprive him of every pardon. Yet although God knew these things, ἤνεγκεν πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ, βουλόμενος αὐτὸν εἰς μετάνοιαν ἀγαγεῖν, he bore with him in much patience, desiring to bring him to repentance. For if he had not willed this⁵, he would not have employed such long patience. But because he was unwilling to use the divine patience for repentance, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπηρτίσεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς ὀργήν, ἐχρήσατο αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν ἑτέρων διόρθωσιν διὰ τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον κολάσεως ἑτέρους σπουδαιοτέρους ποιῶν, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ δεικνύς, but he prepared himself for wrath, God used him for the amendment of others, through his punishment rendering others more earnest and thus showing his power. For that God does not will οὕτως, in this manner and through inflicted punishments, to make his power known,

ἀλλ᾽ ἑτέρως δι᾽ ὧν εὐεργετεῖ, δι᾽ ὧν εὖ ποιεῖ, but in another manner, through benefits and through liberality, Paul has already declared above in every way. For if he himself wishes to be seen powerful οὐχ οὕτω, not in this way and through punishments: “For not that we may appear approved,” he says⁶, “but that you may do good”; πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεός, “much more God.” But because he was long-suffering in order to bring Pharaoh to repentance, and he did not repent, ἤνεγκεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον, ὁμοῦ μὲν τὴν αὐτοῦ χρηστότητα ἐπιδεικνύμενος, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, εἴ μὴ βουληθείη τι κερδᾶναι ἐκεῖνος ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς ταύτης μακροθυμίας· ὥσπερ οὖν τοῦτον ἀδιόρθωτον μείναντα κολάσας ἔδειξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν· οὕτω τοὺς πολλὰ ἁμαρτήσαντας καὶ μετανοήσαντας ἐλεήσας, ἐδήλωσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, he bore with him for a long time, showing at once his benignity and his power, if perchance he were willing to gain some profit from so great a patience. Similarly, when he punished him remaining hardened in his perversity, he showed his power; and in the same way, having mercy on those who had sinned much indeed but had repented, he disclosed his benignity toward men.

Then, if these things are not sufficient, let them hear what Chrysostom replies⁷ to one objecting: εἰ οὖν πάντες ἥμαρτον, πῶς οἱ μὲν ἐσώθηντο, οἱ δὲ ἀπώλοντο; “If, therefore, all sinned, why were some saved while others perished?” He replies, namely: ὅτι μὴ πάντες προσελθεῖν ἠβουλήθησαν· ὡς τό γε αὐτοῦ μέρος, διεσώθηντο ἅπαντες· καὶ γὰρ ἐκλήθησαν ἅπαντες, “Because not all willed to approach. For, as far as concerns him (God), all were saved, since all were called.”

Finally, let them hear what, according to Chrysostom, is the cause and origin of such profuse benignity. He had premised⁸ that God is not brought to the point of demonstrating his power by punishing before he has made it illustrious by showing mercy and by exhibiting all the offices of τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, benignity toward men. But, not content with these things, he immediately added⁹: ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ εἶπε τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν,

ἀλλὰ τὴν δόξαν, δεικνὺς ὅτι τοῦτο μάλιστα δόξα Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦτο πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἐσπούδακεν, “but Paul did not say¹⁰ benignity, but glory, in order to show that this,” namely, having mercy, “is especially the glory of God and is cared for by God above all other things.”

Whence he explained by this commentary the words of the Apostle¹¹, σκεύη ἐλέους, ἃ προητοίμασεν εἰς δόξαν, “vessels of mercy, which he prepared unto glory”: οὐ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ πᾶν εἶναί φησιν· ἐπεὶ εἰ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐδὲν ἐκώλυσεν ἅπαντας σώζεσθαι, “he says that the whole,” that is, what is signified by the attainment of glory, “is not God’s. For if this were so,” and God were not only the principal but also the sole cause of glory, “nothing would prevent all from being saved.”