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believing baptism travels with them as a provision for the journey; with incense and candles we accompany them, showing that having been released from this dark life, they have journeyed to the true light; we arrange the coffin to lie towards the east, signifying the resurrection for him through this arrangement. Therefore, let not us who believe in the resurrection grieve in this way, as do the rest who do not 60.726 have hope. For he who does not hope for the resurrection rightly considers the dead one as lost. But let the children of the Greeks play at these things, let the peoples of the Samaritans do these things; but let us hear Christ, and believe, "That the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live," and those in the tombs will be raised, and the earth will be renewed. Therefore, if the dead will be raised, as they certainly will be raised, let us not behave so unseemly over those who have fallen asleep, I beseech you; let not we who are faithful imitate the unfaithful; let us not rend our garments, but rather let us pierce our souls, because the same cup awaits us.

Let us not beat our arms, lest we imitate the Greeks; let us not call together the mourning women, lest we further stir the wrath of God; let us not tear the hair from our head, lest we shame our head, Christ; let us not mourn for many days, lest we disbelieve the resurrection; let us not speak anything blasphemous with our tongue, lest we harm both the one who has fallen asleep and ourselves. Have you given up a child? Give thanks, sing praise, worship the one who has taken what he entrusted to you; glorify the one who chose him whom he formed, and who has received the fruit of your womb incorruptible; glorify the one who saves the offspring of your loins; worship according to the magnanimous Job; give thanks, that you have brought to the Master a blameless sacrifice, a pure victim, a clean offering, a new Isaac, as Abraham once did. Christ has taken, let us worship; the one who formed has re-formed, let us not murmur; the creator sought his creation, let us not fight; for we are not able. Have you given up a brother? Worship Christ who has taken him, for on your account he once became mortal. Have you offered an infant?

Give thanks to him, for on your account he once became an infant in a manger. Has he taken a servant from you? Praise him, for on your account the maker of all things took the form of a servant. Have you buried an only-begotten son? Glorify, fall down, be reverent, remember, that for your sake God gave up his only-begotten Son in the flesh to death. Have you given up a secluded maiden? Give thanks, lest by being indignant you give up another. Have you sent forth a wife, a mother of children? Praise, be secure, do not offend the Master, lest you also depart. What are you doing, O man? For again we take up the same thing. You see a dead body lying there, and you dare to blaspheme? You stand by such a mystery, and you fight with the one who separated the soul? Give rest, you say to God, and you insult God? Why do you judge the judge? why do you offend the unconquerable? why are you disturbed with anger? why are you intoxicated with grief? do you not see what a great mystery this is? do you not see what a difficult passage awaits us too? And though it is difficult, through it we pass. Do you not see that the road is hard? But we all walk on it. Sober up, O man. The one lying there trembles, and you make sport? he is being examined, and you are putting on a show? he trembles, and you do not prepare yourself? he is astonished, all in turmoil, seeing what he has never seen, and hearing what he has never heard. And so he sweats, like those who reap in the field, and takes leave of us all, and greets everyone, as long as his tongue is able to speak. Farewell, he says, farewell, brothers, and pray for me. For I am going on a road which I have never traveled, and to a world of souls, from which no one has returned, and to fearsome abodes, where there is no one to accompany me, and to a fearful judgment, from which I do not know what will happen to me, and to strange matters, about which no one has related. Behold, I seek a helper,

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βαπτίσματος συμπορευόμενον αὐτοῖς εἰς ἐφόδιον πιστεύοντες· θυμιάμασι καὶ κηρίοις αὐτοὺς συνοδεύομεν, δεικνύντες ὅτι τοῦ σκοτεινοῦ βίου λυθέντες, πρὸς τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ἐπορεύθησαν· πρὸς ἀνατολὰς τὴν σορὸν κειμένην σχηματίζομεν, τὴν ἀνάστασιν αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ σχήματος προσημαίνοντες. Μὴ τοίνυν οἱ τὴν ἀνάστασιν πιστεύοντες, οὕτω λυπώμεθα, καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ 60.726 ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν ἀνάστασιν μὴ ἐλπίζων, δικαίως ὡς ἀπολωλότα τὸν τεθνεῶτα λογίζεται. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν παιζέτωσαν Ἑλλήνων παῖδες, ταῦτα ποιησάτωσαν Σαμαρειτῶν δῆμοι· ἡμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ ἀκούωμεν, καὶ πιστεύωμεν, Ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ἀκούσουσι τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ζήσονται, καὶ ἀναστήσονται οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις, καὶ ἀνακαινισθήσεται ἡ γῆ. Οὐκοῦν εἰ ἀναστήσονται οἱ νεκροὶ, ὥσπερ πάντως καὶ ἀναστήσονται, μὴ οὕτως ἀσχημονῶμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς κεκοιμημένοις, παρακαλῶ· μὴ οἱ πιστοὶ τοὺς ἀπίστους ζηλώσωμεν· μὴ τοὺς χιτῶνας ἡμῶν διαῤῥήξωμεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τὴν ψυχὴν κατανύξωμεν, ὅτι καὶ ἡμᾶς τὸ αὐτὸ ἀναμένει ποτήριον.

Μὴ τοὺς βραχίονας τύψωμεν, ἵνα μὴ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ζηλώσωμεν· μὴ τὰς θρηνούσας συγκαλέσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ πλέον τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ κινήσωμεν· μὴ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς γυμνώσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἡμῶν Χριστὸν καταισχύνωμεν· μὴ μακρὰς ἡμέρας θρηνήσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀπιστήσωμεν· μὴ τῇ γλώττῃ βλάσφημόν τι λαλήσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ τὸν κοιμηθέντα καὶ ἑαυτοὺς βλάψωμεν. ∆έδωκας παῖδα; Εὐχαρίστησον, ὕμνησον, προσκύνησον τὸν λαβόντα, ὅ σοι παρέθετο· δόξασον τὸν ἐκλεξάμενον ὃν ἔπλασε, καὶ προσδεξάμενον τὸν καρπὸν τῆς κοιλίας σου ἄφθορον· δόξασον τὸν σώζοντα τῶν σῶν σπλάγχνων τὸ ἔγγονον· προσκύνησον κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ τὸν μεγαλόψυχον· εὐχαρίστησον, ὅτι ὅλως προσήγαγες τῷ ∆εσπότῃ ἄμωμον θυσίαν, ἁγνὸν θῦμα, καθαρὰν προσφορὰν, νέον Ἰσαὰκ, ὥς ποτε Ἀβραάμ. Χριστὸς ἔλαβε, προσκυνήσωμεν· ὁ πλάσας ἀνέπλασε, μὴ γογγύζωμεν· ὁ κτίστης τὸ κτίσμα ἐζήτησε, μὴ μαχησώμεθα· οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνάμεθα. ∆έδωκας ἀδελφόν; Προσκύνησον τὸν λαβόντα Χριστὸν, ὅτι διὰ σὲ θνητὸς γέγονέ ποτε. Νήπιον παρέσχες;

Εὐχαρίστησον αὐτῷ, ὅτι ποτὲ διὰ σὲ νήπιος γέγονεν ἐν φάτνῃ. ∆οῦλον ἀπὸ σοῦ ἔλαβεν; Ὕμνησον αὐτὸν, ὅτι διὰ σὲ μορφὴν δούλου ἀνέλαβεν ὁ ποιητὴς τῶν ἁπάντων. Μονογενῆ υἱὸν ἔθαψας; ∆όξασον, πρόσπεσον, αἰδέσθητι, μνήσθητι, ὅτι διὰ σὲ ὁ Θεὸς τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν παρέδωκε σαρκὶ εἰς θάνατον. Θαλαμευομένην κόρην δέδωκας; Εὐχαρίστησον, μή πως ἀγανακτῶν καὶ ἑτέραν δώσῃς. Γαμετὴν προέπεμψας παίδων μητέρα; Ὕμνησον, ἀσφαλίσθητι, μὴ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ προσκρούσῃς, μή πως καὶ σὺ ἀπέλθῃς. Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; πάλιν γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ ἀναλαμβάνομεν. Νεκρὸν κείμενον ὁρᾷς, καὶ βλασφημῆσαι τολμᾷς; μυστηρίῳ τοιούτῳ παρίστασαι, καὶ τῷ χωρίσαντι τὴν ψυχὴν μάχεσαι; Ἀνάπαυσον, τῷ Θεῷ λέγεις, καὶ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν ὑβρίζεις; Τί δικάζῃ τῷ δικαστῇ; τί προσκρούεις τῷ ἀνικήτῳ; τί ταράττῃ τῷ θυμῷ; τί μεθύεις τῇ λύπῃ; οὐχ ὁρᾷς οἷον τοῦτο τὸ μέγα μυστήριον; οὐχ ὁρᾷς οἷον καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀναμένει πέραμα χαλεπόν; Κἂν δὲ χαλεπὸν, δι' αὐτοῦ παρερχόμεθα. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι βαρεῖα ἡ ὁδός; Ἀλλὰ πάντες δι' αὐτῆς βαδίζομεν. Ἀνάνηψον, ὦ ἄνθρωπε. Ὁ κείμενος τρέμει, καὶ σὺ παίζεις; ἐκεῖνος ἐξετάζεται, καὶ σὺ φαντάζῃ; ἐκεῖνος τρέμει, καὶ σὺ οὐκ εὐτρεπίζῃ; ἐκεῖνος ἐκθαμβεῖται, ὅλος θορυβεῖται, ὁρῶν ἅπερ οὐδέποτε εἶδε, καὶ ἀκούων ἅπερ οὐδέποτε ἤκουσε. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἱδροῖ, ὡς οἱ ἐν ἀγρῷ θερίζοντες, καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν συντάσσεται, καὶ πάντας ἀσπάζεται, ἕως οὗ ἡ γλῶττα φθέγγεσθαι δύναται. Ἔῤῥωσθε, φησὶν, ἔῤῥωσθε, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ εὔξασθε. Εἰς ὁδὸν γὰρ ὑπάγω, ἣν οὐδέποτε ὥδευσα, καὶ εἰς κόσμον ψυχῶν, ὅθεν οὐδεὶς ἐπανέλυσε, καὶ εἰς μονὰς φοβερὰς, ὅπου οὐδεὶς ὁ συνοδεύων μοι, καὶ εἰς κριτήριον φοβερὸν, ὅθεν οὐκ οἶδα τί συμβαίνει μοι, καὶ εἰς πράγματα ξένα, περὶ ὧν οὐδεὶς διηγήσατο. Ἰδοὺ ζητῶ βοηθὸν,