3

From there he was cast out into this world for having disobeyed. For this reason also the presbyters, the disciples of the apostles, say that those who were translated were translated there— for paradise has been prepared for righteous men and spirit-bearers, in which also Paul the apostle, having been brought in, heard unspeakable words as far as we are concerned at the present time—and that those who have been translated remain there until the consummation, as a prelude to incorruption. But if anyone should suppose it impossible for men to endure for so long a time, and that Elijah was not taken up in the flesh, but that his flesh was consumed in the fiery chariot, let him consider that Jonah, having been cast into the deep, was again spat out safe on the land by the command of God, and Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, having been cast into a furnace of fire burning seven times hotter, were neither harmed at all nor was the smell of fire found upon them. The hand of God, therefore, which was with them and accomplished for them things paradoxical and impossible to the nature of men, what wonder is it if it also has worked a paradox in those who have been translated, ministering to the will of the Father? Therefore, neither the nature of any created things, nor indeed the weakness of the flesh, will prevail over the counsel of God. For God is not subject to created things, but created things are subject to God, and all things minister to His will. 7 Just as we also hear of many brethren in the church who have prophetic gifts, and speak in all kinds of tongues through the Spirit, and bring to light the secret things of men for their benefit, and declare the mysteries of God. 8 But those who are unbridled, he says, and are carried away to their own desires, having no desire for the divine Spirit, the Apostle rightly calls carnal. 9 Since we cannot be saved without the Spirit of God, the Apostle, exhorting us through faith and a pure manner of life to preserve the Spirit of God, so that we, not becoming devoid of the divine Spirit, should fail to attain the kingdom of heaven, cried out that flesh and blood by itself cannot inherit the kingdom of God. For if the truth must be spoken, the flesh does not inherit, but is inherited. As, therefore, the bride cannot marry, but can be married, when the bridegroom comes and takes her, so also the flesh by itself cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but it can be inherited into the kingdom of God. For the living inherits the things of the one who has died, and it is one thing to inherit, but another thing to be inherited; for the one is master and leads and disposes of the things inherited as he himself may wish, but the other is subject and obeys and is ruled by the one who inherits. What then is the living? The Spirit of God. And what are the possessions of the one who has died? The members of the man, which are also corrupted in this earth. And these are inherited by the Spirit, being transferred into the kingdom of heaven. 10 For as the flesh is capable of corruption, so also of incorruption; and as of death, so also of life. And both do not remain at the same time, but the one is thrust out by the other, and in the presence of the one the other is destroyed. If, therefore, death, having prevailed over man, drove out his life and showed him to be dead, much more does life, prevailing over man, thrust away death and will restore the man living to God. For if death made man dead, as Isaiah the prophet says: "Death, having been strong, has swallowed up," and again: "God has taken away every tear from every face." 11 The breath of life, which also makes man soulish, is one thing, and the life-giving Spirit, which also makes him spiritual, is another. And for this reason Isaiah says: "Thus says the Lord who made the heaven and established it, who fixed the earth and the things in it, and gives breath to the people on it and Spirit to those who walk on it," saying that the breath is given in common to all the people on the earth, but the Spirit particularly to those who tread down earthly desires. For this reason also the same Isaiah, distinguishing the things

3

ἐκεῖθεν ἐξεβλήθη εἰς τόνδε τὸν κόσμον παρακούσας. ∆ιὸ καὶ λέγουσιν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, τῶν ἀποστόλων μαθηταί, τοὺς μετατεθέντας ἐκεῖσε μετατεθῆναι- δικαίοις γὰρ ἀνθρώποις καὶ πνευματοφόροις ἡτοιμάσθη ὁ παράδεισος, ἐν ᾧ καὶ Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος εἰσκομισθεὶς ἤκουσε ῥήματα ἄρρητα ὡς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ παρόντι-κἀκεῖ μένειν τοὺς μετατεθέντας ἕως συντελείας, προοιμιαζομένους τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν. Εἰ δέ τις ἀδύνατον ὑπολάβοι χρόνοις τοσούτοις ὑπομένειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ τὸν Ἠλίαν μὴ ἔνσαρκον ἀνειλῆφθαι, δεδαπανῆσθαι δὲ τὴν σάρκα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ πυρίνῳ ἅρματι, ἐννοησάτω μὲν ὅτι Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῷ βυθῷ ῥιφείς, σῶος πάλιν ἐξεπτύσθη τῇ γῇ κελεύσει Θεοῦ, Ἀνανίας τε καὶ Ἀζαρίας καὶ Μισαὴλ εἰςκάμινον ἐμβληθέντες πυρὸς ἑπταπλασίως ἐκκαιομένην οὔτε ἐβλάβησάν τι οὔτε ὀσμὴ πυρὸς εὑρέθη ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἡ οὖν αὐτοῖς συμπαροῦσα χεὶρ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ παράδοξα καὶ ἀδύνατα τῇ φύσει τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐπιτελέσασα, τί θαυμαστὸν εἰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετατεθεῖσιν ἀπείργασται παράδοξον ὑπουργοῦσα τῷ θελήματι τοῦ Πατρός; Οὔτε οὖν φύσις τινὸς τῶν γεγονότων οὔτε μὴν ἀσθένεια σαρκὸς ὑπερισχύσει τῆς βουλῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς γεγονόσιν ἀλλὰ τὰ γεγονότα ὑποτέτακται τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐξυπηρετεῖ τῷ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ. 7 Καθὼς καὶ πολλῶν ἀκούομεν ἀδελφῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ προφητικὰ χαρίσματα ἐχόντων καὶ παντοδαπαῖς λαλούντων διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος γλώσσαις καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς φανερὸν ἀγόντων ἐπὶ τῷ συμφέροντι καὶ τὰ μυστήρια τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκδιηγουμένων. 8 Τοὺς δὲ ἀχαλιναγωγήτους, φησί, καὶ καταφερομένους εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐπιθυμίας, μηδεμίαν ἔχοντας ἐπιθυμίαν θείου Πνεύματος, δικαίως ὁ Ἀπόστολος σαρκικοὺς καλεῖ. 9 Ἐπεὶ ἄνευ Πνεύματος Θεοῦ σωθῆναι οὐ δυνάμεθα, προτρεπόμενος ἡμᾶς ὁ Ἀπόστολος διὰ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἁγνῆς ἀναστροφῆς συντηρεῖν τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἄμοιροι τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος γενόμενοι ἀποτύχωμεν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἐβόησε μὴ δύνασθαι τὴν σάρκα καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἐν τῷ αἵματι βασιλείαν κληρονομῆσαι Θεοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ δεῖ τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, οὐ κληρονομεῖ ἀλλὰ κληρονομεῖται ἡ σάρξ. Ὡς οὖν ἡ νύμφη γαμῆσαι μὲν οὐ δύναται, γαμηθῆναι δὲ δύναται, ὅταν ἔλθῃ καὶ παραλήψεται αὐτὴν ὁ νυμφίος, οὕτως καὶ ἡ σὰρξ καθ' ἑαυτὴν βασιλείαν Θεοῦ κληρονομῆσαι οὐ δύναται, κληρονομηθῆναι δὲ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναται. Κληρονομεῖ γὰρ ὁ ζῶν τὰ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος, καὶ ἕτερον μέν ἐστι τὸ κληρονομεῖν, ἕτερον δὲ τὸ κληρονομεῖσθαι· ὁ μὲν γὰρ κυριεύει καὶ ἀφηγεῖται καὶ διατίθησι τὰ κληρονομούμενα ᾗ ἂν αὐτὸς βουληθῇ, τὰ δὲ ὑποτέτακται καὶ ὑπακούει καὶ κυριεύεται ὑπὸ τοῦ κληρονομοῦντος. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ ζῶν; Τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τίνα δὲ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα τοῦ τετελευτηκότος; Τὰ μέλη τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὰ καὶ φθειρόμενα ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ. Ταῦτα δὲ κληρονομεῖται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος μεταφερόμενα εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. 10 Ὡς γὰρ φθορᾶς ἐπιδεκτικὴ ἡ σάρξ, οὕτως καὶ ἀφθαρσίας, καὶ ὡς θανάτου, οὕτως καὶ ζωῆς. Καὶ ἀμφότερα οὐ μένει κατὰ τὸ αὐτό, ἀλλ' ἐξωθεῖται τὸ ἕτερον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου, καὶ παρόντος τοῦ ἑτέρου ἀναιρεῖται τὸ ἕτερον. Εἰ οὖν ὁ θάνατος ἐπικρατήσας τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔξωσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωὴν καὶ νεκρὸν ἀπέδειξε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ ζωὴ ἐπικρατήσασα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀπωθεῖται τὸν θάνατον καὶ ζῶντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποκαταστήσει τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ θάνατος ἐνεκροποίησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καθὼς Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης φησίν· «Κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας», καὶ πάλιν· «Ἀφεῖλεν ὁ Θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου». 11 Ἕτερόν ἐστι πνοὴ ζωῆς ἡ καὶ ψυχικὸν ἀπεργαζομένη τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἕτερον Πνεῦμα ζωοποιοῦν τὸ καὶ πνευματικὸν αὐτὸν ἀποτελοῦν. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο Ἠσαΐας φησίν· «Οὕτω λέγει Κύριος ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ στερεώσας αὐτόν, ὁ πήξας τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ διδοὺς πνοὴν τῷ λαῷ τῷ ἐπ' αὐτῆς καὶ Πνεῦμα τοῖς πατοῦσιν αὐτήν», τὴν μὲν πνοὴν κοινῶς παντὶ τῷ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς λαῷ φήσας δεδόσθαι, τὸ δὲ Πνεῦμα ἰδίως τοῖς καταπατοῦσι τὰς γεώδεις ἐπιθυμίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς Ἠσαΐας διαστέλλων τὰ