3

to mourn. He who reached heaven, who laughed at the vanity of life, who saw the beauties of bodies as things in stones, who despised gold as clay and all luxury as mud, this one, suddenly seized by a fever of misplaced desire, has corrupted his health and his manliness and his whole bloom, and has become a slave of pleasures. Shall we not then weep for this one, tell me, and beat our breasts, until we raise him up again? And where are these things of a human soul? For it is not possible to find here the dissolution of the death of the body, and yet not even this keeps the mourners from their laments; but it is possible to destroy the death of the soul only here; "For in Hades," he says, "who will confess to you?" How then is it not of great folly for those who mourn the death of the body to do this so vehemently, and this when they know that they will not raise the one who lies there with their lamentations; but for us to show nothing of the sort, and this when we understand that there is often hope of restoring the lost soul to its former life? For many, both now and in the time of our ancestors, having turned aside from the right path and having been cast down from the narrow entrance, have thus risen again, so as to hide their former deeds by their latter ones, and to receive the prize and to bind on the crown, and to be proclaimed with the victors, and to be numbered in the choir of the saints. For as long as one stands in the furnace of pleasures, even if he has countless such examples, the thing seems to him to be impossible; but if he only makes a small beginning of the exit from there, as he goes forward he always leaves the more vehement part of the fire behind, and he will see the things before him and at his feet full of dew and great ease; only let us not despair, nor give up on the return; for he who has suffered this, even if he possesses countless strength and zeal, possesses it in vain. For having once closed the door of repentance to himself, and walled off the entrance to the stadium, how will he be able, while remaining outside, to accomplish a good thing, whether small or great? For this reason the evil one contrives all things, that he may plant this thought in us; for he will no longer need sweat and toils for our resistance; for how could he? With us lying down and fallen and not willing to rise up against him. For he who is able to break this bond will both recover his own strength, and will not cease wrestling with him to his last breath, and even if he should fall countless times, he will rise again, and will crush the enemy; but he who is bound by the thoughts of despair and has paralyzed his own strength, how will he be able to prevail and resist, having fled from the opposition?

4

And do not speak to me of those who have sinned a little, but let there be someone full of all wickedness, and let him do all the things that shut him out of the kingdom, and let this man be not one of the unbelievers from the beginning, but one of the faithful, and one who was pleasing to God before, but afterwards becomes a fornicator, an adulterer, effeminate, a homosexual, a thief, a drunkard, a reviler, and all the other things similar to these; for not even this man will I accept if he despairs of himself, even if he should reach extreme old age with his unspeakable and so great wickedness. For if the wrath of God were a passion, one might well have despaired as being no longer able to quench the flame which he kindled through so many evils; but since the Divine is without passion, even if he punishes, even if he chastises, he does not do this with wrath, but with love of mankind and much care, it is necessary to be very confident and to trust in the power of repentance, For he is not accustomed to proceed against those who have sinned against him for his own sake; for no harm passes into that nature; but looking to our advantage, and for the sake of our perversion not becoming worse, while we practice despising and disregarding him. For just as he who puts himself outside the light has harmed it not at all, but himself the most, being shut up in darkness, so also he who despises that all-powerful strength

3

πενθεῖν. Ὁ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν φθάσας, ὁ τῆς τοῦ βίου ματαιότητος καταγελῶν, ὁ τὰ κάλλη τῶν σωμάτον ὡς τὰ ἐν λίθοις ὁρῶν, ὁ χρυσοῦ μὲν ὡς πηλοῦ, τρυφῆς δὲ ἁπάσης ὡς βορβόρου καταφρονῶν, οὗτος ἡμῖν ἐξαίφνης πυρετῷ κατασχεθεὶς ἐπιθυμίας ἀτόπου, καὶ τὴν ὑγίειαν καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ὥραν ἅπασαν διέφθειρεν, καὶ δοῦλος γέγονεν τῶν ἡδονῶν. Τοῦτον οὖν οὐ δακρύσομεν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ κοψόμεθα, ἕως ἂν ἀναστήσωμεν πάλιν αὐτόν; Καὶ ποῦ ταῦτα ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς; Τῆς μὲν γὰρ τοῦ σώματος νεκρώσεως τὴν λύσιν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα εὑρεῖν, καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲ τοῦτο τοὺς πενθοῦντας τῶν θρήνων ἀφίστησιν· ψυχῆς δὲ νέκρωσιν ἐνταῦθα μόνον ἐστὶν ἀφανίσαι δυνατόν· «Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ᾅδῃ, φησίν, τίς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι;» Πῶς οὖν οὐ πολλῆς βλακείας ἐστὶν τοὺς μὲν τὸν τοῦ σώματος πενθοῦντας θάνατον οὕτως σφοδρῶς τοῦτο ποιεῖν, καὶ ταῦτα εἰδότας ὅτι οὐκ ἀναστήσουσι τὸν κείμενον τοῖς ὀδυρμοῖς· ἡμᾶς δὲ μηδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπισταμένους ὅτι πολλάκις ἐστὶν ἐλπὶς τὴν ἀπολωλυῖαν ψυχὴν εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἐπαναγαγεῖν ζωήν; Πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ νῦν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐκ τῆς ὀρθῆς παρατραπέντες ἀτραποῦ καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐστενοχωρημένης κατακρημνισθέντες εἰσόδου, οὕτω διανέστησαν πάλιν, ὡς ἀποκρύψαι τοῖς δευτέροις τὰ πρότερα, καὶ τὸ βραβεῖον λαβεῖν καὶ τὸν στέφανον ἀναδήσασθαι, καὶ μετὰ τῶν νικώντων ἀνακηρυχθῆναι, καὶ εἰς τὸν τῶν ἁγίων ἀριθμηθῆναι χορόν. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τις ἕστηκεν τῶν ἡδονῶν, κἂν μυρία τοιαῦτα ὑποδείγματα ἔχῃ, ἀδύνατον αὐτῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα εἶναι δοκεῖ· ἐὰν δὲ ἀρχὴν βραχεῖαν μόνον λάβῃ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἐξόδου, προϊὼν ἀεὶ τὸ μὲν σφοδρότερον τοῦ πυρὸς κατόπιν ἀφίησιν, τὰ δὲ ἔμπροσθεν καὶ πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν δρόσου καὶ πολλῆς γέμοντα τῆς εὐκολίας ὄψεται· μόνον μὴ ἀπογνῶμεν, μηδὲ ἀπαγορεύσωμεν τὴν ἐπάνοδον· ὁ γὰρ τοῦτο παθών, κἂν μυρίαν ἰσχὺν καὶ προθυμίαν κεκτημένος ᾖ, μάτην κέκτηται. Τὴν γὰρ θύραν ἅπαξ ἀποκλείσας ἑαυτῷ τῆς μετανοίας, καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ στάδιον εἴσοδον ἀποτειχίσας, πῶς δυνήσεται ἔξω μένων ἢ μικρὸν ἢ μέγα ἐργάσασθαι ἀγαθόν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάντα μηχανᾶται ὁ πονηρός, ἵνα τοῦτον ἐν ἡμῖν φυτεύσῃ τὸν λογισμόν· οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ αὐτῷ ἱδρώτων δεήσει καὶ πόνων πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀντίστασιν· πῶς γάρ; τῶν κειμένων καὶ πεπτωκότων καὶ ἀνταίρειν οὐκ ἐθελόντων αὐτῷ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τοῦτον δυνηθεὶς διαλῦσαι τὸν δεσμόν, καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἀνακτήσεται τὴν αὑτοῦ, καὶ εἰς ἐσχάτας οὐ παύσεται αὐτῷ παλαίων ἀναπνοάς, κἂν μυρία πέσῃ πτώματα, ἀναστήσεται πάλιν, καὶ συγκόψει τὸν ἐχθρόν· ὁ δὲ τοῖς τῆς ἀπογνώσεως δεθεὶς λογισμοῖς καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν παραλύσας τὴν αὑτοῦ, πῶς δυνήσεται περιγενέσθαι καὶ ἀντιστῆναι, ἐξ ἐναντίας φυγών;

4 Καὶ μή μοι τοὺς ὀλίγα ἡμαρτηκότας εἴπῃς, ἀλλ' ἔστω τις πάσης κακίας ἀνάμεστος, καὶ πάντα πραττέτω τὰ ἀποκλείοντα τῆς βασιλείας αὐτόν, καὶ οὗτος μὴ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀπίστων, ἀλλὰ τῶν πιστῶν, καὶ εὐηρεστηκότων θεῷ πρότερον ὤν, ὕστερον γενέσθω πόρνος, μοιχός, μαλακός, ἀρσενοκοίτης, κλέπτης, μέθυσος, λοίδορος, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτον ἐγὼ ἀποδέξομαι ἀπογινώσκοντα ἑαυτοῦ, κἂν εἰς ἔσχατον γῆρας ἐλάσῃ μετὰ τῆς ἀφάτου καὶ τηλικαύτης κακίας. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ πάθος ἦν ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ, καλῶς ἄν τις ἀπέγνω ὡς οὐ δυνάμενος λοιπὸν σβέσαι τὴν φλόγα ἣν διὰ τῶν τοσούτων ἀνῆψεν κακῶν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπαθὲς τὸ θεῖόν ἐστι, κἂν κολάζῃ, κἂν τιμωρῆται, οὐ μετ' ὀργῆς τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ κηδεμονίας πολλῆς, σφόδρα θαρρεῖν χρὴ καὶ πεποιθέναι τῇ τῆς μετανοίας δυνάμει, Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν ἡμαρτηκόσιν οὐ δι' ἑαυτὸν εἴωθεν ἐπεξέρχεσθαι· οὐδεμία γὰρ εἰς τὴν φύσιν ἐκείνην διαβαίνει βλάβη· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἡμῖν σκοπῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ χείρονα γενέσθαι τὴν διαστροφὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν, μελετώντων αὐτοῦ καταφρονεῖν καὶ ὑπερορᾶν. Καθάπερ γὰρ καὶ ὁ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκτὸς ποιῶν ἑαυτόν, ἐκεῖνο μὲν ἐζημίωσεν οὐδέν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ τὰ μέγιστα, ἐν σκότει κατακλεισθείς, οὕτω καὶ ὁ τῆς παναλκοῦς ἐκείνης δυνάμεως καταφρονεῖν