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beauty, in which she now rejoices in the festival of the heavenly ones. How beautiful is that eye which sees God. How sweet the mouth which is adorned with divine hymns.

For from the mouth, he says, of infants and nursing children you have perfected praise. How beautiful the hands which have never worked evil. How fair the feet which have not stepped on wickedness, nor set their track in the way of sinners. How beautiful is the entire appearance of that soul, not adorned with the gleam of stones, but shining with simplicity and innocence. But perhaps it grieves you 9.466 that she did not reach old age.

For what, tell me, do you see that is good in old age? Is it good for the eyes to be dimmed, for the cheek to be wrinkled, for the teeth to fall from the mouth and cause a lisp in the tongue, for the hand to tremble and to stoop to the earth, and to limp with the foot and lean on guides and for the heart to fail and for the voice to falter, such are the afflictions that necessarily happen to this age? And for this do we grieve, that she did not arrive at the experience of such things? And indeed it is fitting to rejoice with those whose life did not accept the experience of sorrows and neither felt grieving things here nor will know any of the sorrows there. For such a soul, having nothing for which to come into judgment, does not fear Gehenna, is not afraid of judgment, remains fearless and undaunted, since no evil conscience brings on the fear of judgment. But she ought, one says, to have come to the measure of age and to have been brightened in the bridal chamber. But to this the true bridegroom will say to you, that the heavenly bridal chamber is better, more honorable is that chamber, in which there is no fear of widowhood. Of what good things, then, tell me, has she been deprived, having put off this life of the flesh? Shall I tell you the good things of life? Sorrows and pleasures, angers and fears, hopes and desires. These and such are the things with which we are entangled in the present life. What evil then has she suffered, having been released from so many tyrants? For each passion, when it overcomes the soul, becomes our tyrant, having enslaved our reasonings. Or does it grieve us, that she was not worn out by birth pangs, that she was not crushed by the cares 9.467 of child-rearing, that she did not receive the same pains which her parents endured for her? But such things are worthy of blessings, not of lamentations. For to be in no evil is better than is according to human nature. Thus also the wise Solomon in his own writing blesses the departed before the living, and the great David says that the life in the flesh is worthy of mourning and wailing. And yet both, being glorious in their kingship, partaking with authority in all the pleasures of life, were not inclined toward the present enjoyment, but having a desire for the ineffable goods set forth in the bodiless life, they considered life in the flesh a misfortune. I have heard David in many places in the sacred psalms desiring to be outside of such necessity, in which he says at one time, that My soul longs, and faints for the courts of the Lord, and at another, that Bring my soul out of prison. Likewise also Jeremiah judges that day which began such a life for him worthy of a curse. And it is possible to find many such voices of the ancient saints recorded in the divine scripture, who through a desire for the true life were burdened by their time in the flesh.

Thus also the great Abraham once readily offered his beloved son to God through sacrifice, knowing that the transition would be for the child toward what is better and more divine. As many of you as are experienced in the story, surely you are not ignorant 9.468 of the narratives about him. For what does the scripture say? That while Abraham was young a promise concerning the child came from God, but when he had passed his prime and was already withered by time, when nature ceases to increase itself, no longer obeying the impulses of old age, then beyond human hopes, the

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κάλλος, ᾧ νῦν ἐν τῇ πανηγύρει τῶν οὐρανίων ἀγάλλεται. ὡς καλὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ὁ τὸν θεὸν βλέπων. ὡς ἡδὺ τὸ στόμα τὸ ταῖς θείαις ὑμνῳδίαις καλλωπιζόμενον.

Ἐκ στόματος γάρ, φησίν, νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον. ὡς καλαὶ αἱ χεῖρες αἱ μηδέποτε τὸ κακὸν ἐνεργήσασαι. ὡς ὡραῖοι οἱ πόδες οἱ μὴ ἐπιβάντες κακίας, μηδὲ τῇ ὁδῷ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν τὸ ἴχνος ἑαυτῶν ἐπιστήσαντες. ὡς καλὴ πᾶσα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκείνης ἡ ὄψις, οὐ λίθων αὐγαῖς κεκοσμημένη, ἀλλ' ἁπλότητι καὶ ἀκακίᾳ ἐκλάμπουσα. ἀλλὰ λυπεῖ σε τυχὸν 9.466 τὸ μὴ εἰς γῆρας ἐλθεῖν.

Τί γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, καλὸν ἐνορᾷς τῷ γήρᾳ; ἆρα καλὸν τὸ κνυζοῦσθαι τὰ ὄμματα, τὸ ῥυσοῦσθαι τὴν παρειάν, τὸ ἀπορρεῖν τοὺς ὀδόντας τοῦ στόματος καὶ ψελλισμὸν ἐμποιεῖν τῇ γλώσσῃ, τὸ ὑποτρέμειν τῇ χειρὶ καὶ εἰς γῆν κύπτειν, καὶ ὑποσκάζειν τῷ ποδὶ καὶ χειραγωγοῖς ἐπερείδεσθαι καὶ παρανοεῖν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ παραφθέγγεσθαι τῇ φωνῇ, οἷα τῇ ἡλικίᾳ ταύτῃ κατ' ἀνάγκην συμβαίνει πάθη; καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου ἀγανακτοῦμεν, ὅτι μὴ ἀφίκετο εἰς τὴν τῶν τοιούτων πεῖραν; καὶ μὴν συγχαίρειν προσήκει ἐκείνοις, ὧν ἡ ζωὴ τὴν τῶν σκυθρωπῶν πεῖραν οὐ παρεδέξατο καὶ οὔτε ἐνταῦθα τῶν λυπηρῶν ᾔσθετο οὔτε τι τῶν ἐκεῖ σκυθρωπῶν ἐπιγνώσεται. ἡ γὰρ τοιαύτη ψυχὴ ἡ οὐκ ἔχουσα ἐφ' ὅτῳ εἰς κρίσιν ἔλθῃ, γέενναν οὐ φοβεῖται, κρίσιν οὐ δέδοικεν, ἄφοβος διαμένει καὶ ἀκατάπληκτος, οὐδενὸς πονηροῦ συνειδότος τὸν τῆς κρίσεως φόβον ἐπάγοντος. ἀλλ' ἔδει, φησίν, αὐτὴν εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας ἐλθεῖν καὶ νυμφικῷ θαλάμῳ ἐμφαιδρυνθῆναι. ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ σοι πρὸς τοῦτο ὁ ἀληθινὸς νυμφίος, ὅτι κρείττων ἡ οὐρανία παστάς, προτιμότερος ἐκεῖνος ὁ θάλαμος, ἐν ᾧ χηρείας φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν. τίνος οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν καλῶν ἀπεστέρηται τὸν σάρκινον τοῦτον ἐκδυσαμένη βίον; εἴπω σοι τὰ τοῦ βίου καλά; λῦπαι καὶ ἡδοναί, θυμοὶ καὶ φόβοι, ἐλπίδες καὶ ἐπιθυμίαι. ταῦτά ἐστι καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἷς κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν συμπεπλέγμεθα. τί οὖν κακὸν πέπονθεν ἡ τοσούτων ἀπαλλαγεῖσα τυράννων; ἕκαστον γὰρ πάθος, ὅταν ἐπικρατῇ τῆς ψυχῆς, τύραννος ἡμῶν γίνεται τοὺς λογισμοὺς δουλωσάμενος. ἢ λυπεῖ ἡμᾶς, ὅτι μὴ κατεπονήθη διὰ ὠδίνων, ὅτι μὴ συνετρίβη διὰ φροντίδων 9.467 παιδοτροφίας, ὅτι μὴ τὰς ὁμοίας ἀλγηδόνας ἐδέξατο, ἃς ἐπ' αὐτῆς οἱ γεγεννηκότες ὑπέμειναν; ἀλλὰ τὰ τοιαῦτα μακαρισμῶν οὐκ ὀδυρμῶν ἐστιν ἄξια. τὸ γὰρ ἐν μηδενὶ γενέσθαι κακῷ κρεῖττον ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν ἐστίν. οὕτως καὶ ὁ σοφὸς Σολομὼν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ γραφῇ μακαρίζει πρὸ τοῦ περιόντος τὸν κατοιχόμενον καὶ ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ θρήνου καὶ οἰμωγῆς ἀξίαν τὴν ἐν σαρκὶ διαγωγὴν εἶναί φησιν. καίτοι γε ἀμφότεροι λαμπροὶ κατὰ τὴν βασιλείαν ὑπάρχοντες, πάντων κατ' ἐξουσίαν τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡδέων μετέχοντες, οὐδὲν πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν ἀπόλαυσιν ἐπεκλίθησαν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ ἀσωμάτῳ ζωῇ προκειμένων τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχοντες συμφορὰν ἐποιοῦντο τὴν ἐν σαρκὶ ζωήν. ἤκουσα πολλαχῇ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς ψαλμῳδίαις ἔξω γενέσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης ἀνάγκης ἐπιθυμοῦντος, ἐν οἷς φησι νῦν μέν, ὅτι Ἐπιποθεῖ καὶ ἐκλείπει ἡ ψυχή μου εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς τοῦ κυρίου, νῦν δέ, ὅτι Ἐξάγαγε ἐκ φυλακῆς τὴν ψυχήν μου. ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰερεμίας κατάρας ἀξίαν κρίνει τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην τὴν ἄρξασαν αὐτῷ τῆς τοιαύτης ζωῆς. καὶ πολλάς ἐστι τοιαύτας τῶν παλαιῶν ἁγίων φωνὰς ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ φερομένας εὑρεῖν, οἳ δι' ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ὄντως ζωῆς τὴν ἐν σαρκὶ διαγωγὴν ἐβαρύνοντο. Οὕτως καὶ ὁ μέγας ποτὲ Ἀβραὰμ προθύμως τῷ θεῷ διὰ θυσίας προσῆγε τὸν ἠγαπημένον υἱόν, εἰδὼς ὅτι πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττόν τε καὶ θειότερον γενήσεται τῷ παιδὶ ἡ μετάστασις. ὅσοι δὲ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐμπείρως ἔχετε, πάντως οὐκ ἀγνοεῖτε 9.468 τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ διηγήματα. τί γάρ φησιν ἡ γραφή; ὅτι νέῳ μὲν ὄντι τῷ Ἀβραὰμ θεόθεν περὶ τοῦ παιδὸς ἐπαγγελία γίνεται, παρεληλυθότι δὲ τὴν ἀκμὴν καὶ ἤδη καταμαρανθέντι ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου, ὅτε παύεται ἡ φύσις ἑαυτὴν αὔξουσα οὐκέτι τοῦ γήρως ταῖς ὁρμαῖς ὑπακούοντος, τότε παρὰ τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ἐλπίδας εἰς πέρας ἡ