Section LXXVIII

Nor indeed is this remarkable, since God is by his nature, as Paphnutius¹ speaks, περὶ πάντων εὔσπλαγχνος, most benign toward all, and, as Isidore of Pelusium² writes, altogether φιλάνθρωπος, a lover of men. For, on the authority of Synesius³, φύσις, ὡς εἰπεῖν, αὕτη θεοῦ, τὸ ἀγαθοποιεῖν· ὡς τοῦ πυρὸς τὸ θερμαίνειν, καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς τὸ φωτίζειν, this, so to speak, is the nature of God: to do good, just as it is the nature of fire to heat and of light to shine.

For, says Cyril⁴,

Since the Maker of all is good, πάντας ἐθέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, he wills all to be saved and to come unto the recognition of the truth. Hence, therefore, he frequently admonished through the holy Prophets the Israelites, but especially the inhabitants of Jerusalem who migrated to Samaria. But they turned without restraint to that which pleased them and, having abandoned him who is God by nature and in truth, worshiped demons and offered adoration to lifeless idols. But when they labored under such great ignorance that they refused to return to wisdom, λοιπὸν ἐκολάζετο θεός, at last God punished.

For he does not put his hand to the rod and to punishments unless compelled; whence, after reporting the words of the Jews in Isaiah,

“Where is the multitude of thy mercy and of thy compassions, for thou hast endured us? For thou art our Father, because Abraham knew us not, and Israel did not recognize us,” he explains these words more copiously thus⁵:

Therefore, endure us, even if we have offended many times. For thou art our Father… They do not deny the fathers, for this contributes little toward returning to wisdom; they were not cast out because of them. Ἀπονέμουσι δὲ μᾶλλον τῷ φιλαγάθῳ θεῷ πλεονεκτεῖν εἰς φιλοστοργίαν, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ σάρκα πατέρας, but they attribute rather to God, the lover of good, that in affection and indulgence he surpasses even carnal fathers. Πατὴρ γάρ ἐστι⁶ πατέρων, for he is the Father of fathers. We were indeed born, they say, of those men, but they did not see us. Σύ γε μὴν οὐ διαλέλοιπας τὴν πατρὶ τῷ φιλοπαίδι πρέπουσαν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀποσώζων καὶ φειδὼ καὶ ἀγάπην. But thou hast not ceased to preserve toward us the mercy and love worthy of a father and lover of children.

Cyril furnishes this no less excellent reason for the distinction, and one worthy of the Supreme Deity⁷:

Φύσει μὲν ἀγαθὸς ὢν, καὶ φιλοικτίρμων ὁ θεός, καὶ ἀνεθέλητον ἔχει τὸ πλήττειν ὅλως τινάς· καλεῖται δὲ καὶ ἀναγκαίως εἰς ἀγανάκτησιν ἐπιστρεπτικήν, ὅταν ἐστί τινων πέρα λόγου τε καὶ μέτρου τὰ ἐγκλήματα. God, being good and merciful by nature and alien from inflicting any blows, is nevertheless provoked and compelled to turn to correcting indignation when the crimes of certain men have been greater than can be expressed and beyond measure.