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they went about, being delivered to death daily. When, therefore, the things that were brought against them, then he raises the subject of the resurrection: For we believe, he says, that he who raised our Lord Jesus Christ will also raise us through Jesus and will present us with you. Therefore we do not lose heart, having the greatest comfort in our struggles, the hope of things to come. And he did not say to them, ‘Therefore do not lose heart’; but what? ‘Therefore we do not lose heart,’ showing that he himself was continually in the struggles. For in the Olympic games, the athlete competes within, 50.422 but the trainer, sitting far off, brings help by his words, contributing to the wrestler only so much as to shout and utter cries; but no law allows him to stand near and bring assistance with his hands. But in the contests of piety it is not so, but the same person is both trainer and athlete at once. For this reason, not sitting outside the wrestling-ground, but having cast himself into the very contests, he anoints those who are boxing with him, saying: ‘Therefore we do not lose heart.’ And he did not say, ‘Therefore I do not lose heart,’ but, ‘Therefore we do not lose heart,’ wishing to lift them up with praises. But though our outward man is decaying, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. See the apostolic understanding. He exhorted them from what they were suffering, that 'We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed'; he exhorted them from the resurrection of Jesus, saying, 'That He who raised Jesus will also raise us.' Then he also sets in motion another kind of comfort. For since many men, being somewhat fainthearted and weak and miserable, even if they are persuaded about the resurrection, lose heart at the length of time and grow dizzy and fall away, he gives them another reward and recompense before the resurrection. What reward is this? ‘Though our outward man is decaying, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day’; calling the body the outward man, and the soul the inward man. What he says is this: Even before rising again, and before enjoying the glory to come, you have already received from here no small reward for your labors, in that in the very act of being afflicted our soul is renewed, becoming wiser and more reverent, acquiring more patience, becoming more vigorous and stronger. For just as those who compete in bodily athletics, even before the crowns, and before the prizes, receive a great reward from the exercise itself and the wrestling, making their own bodies healthier and stronger through the training, and escaping all sickness; so indeed also in the contests of virtue, even before heaven is opened, and before the Son of God arrives, and before we receive our rewards, we reap a great reward from this, as our soul becomes more philosophical. For even those who have sailed much of the sea, and have endured countless waves, and have contended with many beasts, and have borne many winters, even before the merchandise itself, reap no small profit from this long journey abroad, by daring and venturing upon the deep, and making these voyages across the sea fearlessly and with pleasure; so indeed also in the present life, the one who has endured many afflictions for Christ's sake, who has suffered many terrible things, even before the kingdom of heaven has received a great reward, having already acquired confidence before God from this, 50.423 and having made his own soul loftier, so as to laugh at all terrible things from then on. But that what is said may become clearer, I wish to make it plain by an example. For this very Paul, having endured countless terrible things, received no small rewards even from this, mocking tyrants, rising up against

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περιῄεσαν εἰς θάνατον παραδιδόμενοι καθ' ἡμέραν. Ὅτε τοίνυν ἃ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπήγοντο, τότε τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως κινεῖ λόγον· Πιστεύομεν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι ὁ ἐγείρας τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, καὶ ἡμᾶς διὰ Ἰησοῦ ἐγερεῖ καὶ παραστήσει σὺν ὑμῖν. ∆ιὸ οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν, μεγίστην παράκλησιν ἔχοντες ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι, τὴν τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδα. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· ∆ιὸ μὴ ἐκκακεῖτε· ἀλλὰ τί; ∆ιὸ οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν, δεικνὺς καὶ αὑτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ὄντα διηνεκῶς. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν Ὀλυμπιακῶν ἀγώνων, ὁ μὲν ἀθλητὴς ἔνδον 50.422 ἀγωνίζεται, ὁ δὲ παιδοτρίβης πόῤῥω καθήμενος, τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων εἰσάγει βοήθειαν, τοσοῦτον συντελῶν τῷ παλαίοντι μόνον, ὅσον βοῆσαι καὶ φθέγξασθαι· παραστῆναι δὲ ἐγγὺς, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν συμμαχίαν εἰσενεγκεῖν οὐδεὶς ἐπιτρέπει νόμος αὐτῷ. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγώνων οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ καὶ παιδοτρίβης ἐστὶ καὶ ἀθλητὴς ὁ αὐτός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ σκάμματος καθήμενος, ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐμβεβληκὼς τοὺς ἀγῶνας, ἀλείφει τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ πυκτεύοντας, λέγων· ∆ιὸ οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, ∆ιὸ οὐκ ἐκκακῶ, ἀλλὰ, ∆ιὸ οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν, τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις αὐτοὺς ἀναστῆσαι βουλόμενος. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος ἡμῶν διαφθείρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ. Ὅρα σύνεσιν ἀποστολικήν. Προέτρεψεν αὐτοὺς ἀφ' ὧν ἔπασχον, ὅτι Ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι· προέτρεψεν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, εἰπὼν, Ὅτι ὁ ἐγείρας τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγερεῖ. Εἶτα καὶ ἕτερόν τινα κινεῖ παρακλήσεως τρόπον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μικρόψυχοί τινες ὄντες καὶ ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ταλαίπωροι, κἂν πεπεισμένοι περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὦσιν, ὀλιγωροῦσι πρὸς τὸ μῆκος τοῦ χρόνου καὶ ἰλιγγιῶσι καὶ ἀναπίπτουσι, καὶ ἕτερον αὐτοῖς πρὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως δίδωσι μισθὸν καὶ ἀμοιβήν. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Εἰ καὶ ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ· ἔξω ἄνθρωπον τὸ σῶμα καλῶν, ἔσω ἄνθρωπον τὴν ψυχὴν λέγων. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Καὶ πρὶν ἀναστῆναι, καὶ πρὶν ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς δόξης τῆς μελλούσης, ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τῶν πόνων οὐ μικρὰν ἀπείληφας τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ θλίβεσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῖν ἀνανεουμένης, σοφωτέρας γινομένης καὶ εὐλαβεστέρας, πλείονα κτωμένης ὑπομονὴν, εὐτονωτέρας καθισταμένης καὶ δυνατωτέρας. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ τὴν σωματικὴν ἀθλοῦντες ἄθλησιν, καὶ πρὸ τῶν στεφάνων, καὶ πρὸ τῶν βραβείων ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς γυμνασίας καὶ τοῦ παλαίειν μέγαν λαμβάνουσι τὸν μισθὸν, ὑγιεινότερα καὶ δυνατώτερα αὑτῶν τὰ σώματα διὰ τῆς γυμνασίας κατασκευάζοντες, καὶ πᾶσαν διαφεύγοντες ἀῤῥωστίαν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τῆς ἀρετῆς, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνοιγῆναι, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ παραγενέσθαι, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἡμᾶς ἀπολαβεῖν, μέγαν ἐντεῦθεν καρπούμεθα τὸν μισθὸν, τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῖν φιλοσοφωτέρας καθισταμένης. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ πολλὴν πλεύσαντες θάλασσαν, καὶ μυρίων ἀνασχόμενοι κυμάτων, καὶ πολλοῖς θηρίοις πυκτεύσαντες, καὶ πολλοὺς χειμῶνας ἐνεγκόντες, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐμπορίας αὐτῆς οὐ μικρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς μακρᾶς ἀποδημίας ταύτης καρποῦνται τὸ κέρδος τῷ θαῤῥεῖν καὶ κατατολμᾷν τοῦ πελάγους, καὶ ἀδεῶς καὶ μεθ' ἡδονῆς τὰς διαποντίους ταύτας ποιεῖσθαι ἀποδημίας· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος βίου, ὁ πολλὰς ἐνεγκὼν θλίψεις διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, ὁ πολλὰ δεινὰ παθὼν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν μεγάλην ἔλαβεν ἀμοιβὴν, παῤῥησίαν κτησάμενος πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐντεῦθεν 50.423 ἤδη, καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κατασκευάσας ψυχὴν, ὡς ἁπάντων λοιπὸν καταγελᾷν τῶν δεινῶν. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ σαφέστερον γένηται τὸ λεγόμενον, ἐπὶ παραδείγματος αὐτὸ βούλομαι ποιῆσαι φανερόν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ οὗτος ὁ Παῦλος μυρίων ἀνασχόμενος δεινῶν, οὐ μικρὰς καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἔλαβε τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, καταγελῶν τυράννων, κατεξανιστάμενος