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it may attract those who see it; but, so that those who behold their beauty and 54.635 magnitude, abandoning the Creator, might not worship the things that are seen instead of Him, the weakness in them being able to correct such an error. And how all creation is perishable, and will be changed into a better form, and will enjoy greater glory, and when, and why, and for what reason it became perishable, all these things we philosophized with you then, and from this we showed the power of God, that in perishable bodies He wrought such great beauty, which God also allotted to them from the beginning, that of the stars, that of the heaven, that of the sun. For it is truly a thing to marvel at, how after so many years have passed, they have suffered nothing, like our bodies, nor have they become weaker with age, nor have they been weakened by any disease or infirmity, but they remain preserving their own prime and beauty, which, as I have already said, God allotted to them from the beginning, and neither has the sun's light been worn away, nor has the flower of the stars become dimmer, nor has the brightness of heaven faded, nor have the boundaries of the sea been moved, nor has the power of the earth concerning the bearing of annual fruits been extinguished. And that these things are perishable, we have shown both from reason and from the divine Scriptures; but that they are beautiful, and bright, and have preserved their flourishing bloom, the daily sight of those who see them bears witness, which indeed is most to be marveled at concerning God who made them so from the beginning. But since, when we were saying these things then, some objected, saying: Therefore man is less honored than all things that are seen, if indeed the body of heaven, and of earth, and of the sun, and of all the stars has lasted for so long a time, while he, after seventy years, is dissolved and perishes; first, we would say this, that the living being is not entirely dissolved, but its more principal and more necessary part, the soul, remains perpetually immortal, yielding to none of these afflictions, and the corruption happens to the lesser part; second, that by this very thing we are honored more greatly. For not simply, nor without some cause, but both justly and for a useful purpose, do we endure both old age and diseases; justly, because we fell into sin; usefully, so that we might correct the arrogance that arises in us from laziness through this want and these afflictions. Therefore, God did not allow this to happen out of dishonor for us. For if He dishonored us, He would not have left our soul to be immortal. Nor did He, being weak, make our body such. For if He were weak, He would not have had the strength to maintain the heaven, and the stars, and the body of the earth for so long a time; but in order to make us better and more prudent, and more obedient to Him, which is the foundation of all salvation. For these reasons He did not make the heaven subject to old age for the time being, nor to any other such infirmities. For that which is deprived of choice and soul can neither sin nor do right; whence it has no need of such correction. But for us who are honored with reason and a soul, the prudence and humility that come through these afflictions have necessarily come about, since also from the beginning, before all others, the first man who came into being leaped into arrogance. Moreover, if, just as our bodies, the heaven too was to be fashioned and grow old, many would have condemned the 54.636 Maker for great weakness, as not having strength to maintain one body for many periods of years; but now even this pretext has been taken away from them, since the works have remained for so long a time.

3. In addition to what has been said, our affairs will not stop at this point, but when we have been well disciplined in the present life, He will raise up our bodies with greater glory, and they will be more splendid than heaven, and sun, and all other things, and will be transferred to the lot above. One way, therefore, of the knowledge of God, is through all of creation; another, no less, is that of conscience, which also all of this then through

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τοὺς ὁρῶντας ἐφέλκηται· τὸ δὲ, ἵνα μὴ τὸν ποιήσαντα ἀφέντες οἱ θεωροῦντες αὐτῶν τὸ κάλλος καὶ τὸ 54.635 μέγεθος, ἀντ' ἐκείνου προσκυνήσωσι τὰ ὁρώμενα, τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀσθενείας δυναμένης τὴν τοιαύτην διορθῶσαι πλάνην. Καὶ πῶς φθαρτὴ πᾶσά ἐστιν ἡ κτίσις, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον μεταστήσεται σχῆμα, καὶ πλείονος ἀπολαύσεται δόξης, καὶ πότε, καὶ διὰ τί, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν φθαρτὴ γέγονε, καὶ ταῦτα ἅπαντα πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐφιλοσοφοῦμεν τότε, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν κἀντεῦθεν ἐδείκνυμεν, ὅτι ἐν φθαρτοῖς σώμασι τοσοῦτον εἰργάσατο κάλλος, ὅπερ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς συνεκλήρωσεν ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ τῶν ἄστρων, τὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, τὸ τοῦ ἡλίου. Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως ἔστι θαυμάσαι, πῶς ἐτῶν παρελθόντων τοσούτων, οὐδὲν ἔπαθον, οἷον τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα, οὐδὲ τῷ γήρᾳ ἀσθενέστερα γέγονεν, οὐδὲ νόσῳ καὶ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ τινὶ κατεμαλακίσθη, ἀλλὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀκμὴν καὶ τὸ κάλλος, ὅπερ, ὡς ἔφθην εἰπὼν, ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς συνεκλήρωσεν ὁ Θεὸς, μένει διατηροῦντα, καὶ οὔτε τὸ ἡλιακὸν ἐξετρίβη φῶς, οὔτε τὸ τῶν ἄστρων ἄνθος ἀμαυρότερον γέγονεν, οὐχ ἡ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ φαιδρότης ἐξεῤῥύη, οὐχ οἱ τῆς θαλάττης ἐκινήθησαν ὅροι, οὐχ ἡ τῆς γῆς ἐσβέσθη δύναμις ἡ περὶ τοὺς τόκους τῶν ἐτησίων καρπῶν. Καὶ ὅτι μὲν φθαρτὰ ταῦτά ἐστι, καὶ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν. καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀπεδείξαμεν· ὅτι δὲ καλὰ, καὶ φαιδρὰ, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἀκμάζον διετήρησεν, ἡ καθημερινὴ μαρτυρεῖ τῶν ὁρώντων ὄψις, ὃ δὴ μάλιστα ἔστι θαυμάσαι τοῦ ποιήσαντος οὕτως αὐτὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς Θεοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ταῦτα λεγόντων ἡμῶν τότε τινὲς ἀντέτεινον, λέγοντες· Οὐκοῦν πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων ἀτιμότερον ὁ ἄνθρωπος, εἴγε οὐρανοῦ μὲν σῶμα, καὶ γῆς, καὶ ἡλίου, καὶ τὸ τῶν ἄστρων ἁπάντων πρὸς τοσοῦτον διήρκεσε χρόνον, οὗτος δὲ μετὰ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη διαλύεται, καὶ ἀπόλλυται· πρῶτον μὲν ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμεν, ὅτι οὐχ ὁλόκληρον διαλύεται τὸ ζῶον, ἀλλὰ τὸ κυριώτερον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναγκαιότερον, ἡ ψυχὴ, μένει διηνεκῶς ἀθάνατος, οὐδενὶ τούτων εἴκουσα τῶν παθῶν, καὶ ἡ φθορὰ περὶ τὸ ἔλαττον γίνεται· δεύτερον ὅτι καὶ τούτῳ αὐτῷ τιμώμεθα μειζόνως. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ ἄνευ αἰτίας τινὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαίως, καὶ ἐπὶ χρησίμῳ, καὶ γῆρας καὶ νόσους ὑπομένομεν· δικαίως μὲν, ὅτι πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν κατεπέσομεν· χρησίμως δὲ, ἵνα τὴν ἐκ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἐγγινομένην ἡμῖν ἀπόνοιαν διὰ τῆς ἐνδείας ταύτης καὶ τῶν παθῶν διορθώσωμεν. Οὐ τοίνυν ἀτιμάζων ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο γενέσθαι εἴασεν. Εἰ γὰρ ἠτίμαζεν, οὐκ ἂν τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῖν ἀφῆκεν ἀθάνατον εἶναι. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀσθενῶν, τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἡμέτερον ἐποίησε τοιοῦτον. Εἰ γὰρ ἠσθένει, οὐκ ἂν τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας, καὶ τὸ σῶμα τῆς γῆς ἴσχυσε τοσοῦτον διακρατῆσαι χρόνον· ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ βελτίους ποιῆσαι καὶ σωφρονεστέρους, καὶ αὐτῷ μᾶλλον καταπειθεῖς, ὅπερ ἁπάσης ἐστὶ σωτηρίας ὑπόθεσις. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα οὐρανὸν μὲν οὐκ ἐποίησεν οὔτε γήρᾳ ἁλίσκεσθαι τέως, οὔτε ἄλλαις τισὶ τοιαύταις ἀῤῥωστίαις. Ὁ γὰρ προαιρέσεως καὶ ψυχῆς ἀπεστερημένος οὔτε ἁμαρτεῖν, οὔτε κατορθῶσαι δύναιτ' ἄν· ὅθεν οὐδὲ διορθώσεως αὐτῷ χρεία τοιαύτης. Ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς λόγῳ καὶ ψυχῇ τετιμημένοις ἀναγκαίως γέγονεν ἡ διὰ τῶν παθῶν τούτων ἐγγενομένη σωφροσύνη, καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνη, ἐπειδὴ καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἀπεσκίρτησεν ὁ πρῶτος γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος. Ἄλλως δὲ, εἰ καθάπερ τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα, οὕτω καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἔμελλε κατασκευάζεσθαι καὶ γηρᾷν, πολλὴν ἂν πολλοὶ τοῦ 54.636 ποιοῦντος κατέγνωσαν ἀσθένειαν, ὡς οὐκ ἰσχύοντος ἓν σῶμα διακρατῆσαι ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἐτῶν περιόδους· νῦν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ αὕτη ἡ πρόφασις ἀνῄρηται, τῶν ἔργων ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον χρόνον μενόντων.

γʹ. Πρὸς δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου στήσεται τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ σωφρονισθῶμεν καλῶς, μετὰ πλείονος ἀναστήσει δόξης τὰ σώματα, καὶ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἡλίου, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἔσται λαμπρότερα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄνω μεταστήσεται λῆξιν. Εἷς μὲν οὖν θεογνωσίας τρόπος, ὁ διὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης· ἕτερος δὲ οὐκ ἐλάττων, ὁ τοῦ συνειδότος, ὃν καὶ τοῦτον ἅπαντα τότε διὰ