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He made it contemptible to women. Elijah fled death, women fled to death; he leaped away from death, and they pursued death. Do you see how great the change suddenly became? Those around Abraham and Elijah agonized over their end, but women trampled death under their own feet as if it were mud. But let us not accuse those saints; the crime is not theirs; it was the weakness of nature, not an accusation against their will. God then willed death to be fearsome, so that the greatness of grace might be shown afterward; He willed it to be fearsome; for it was a condemnation; for this reason He did not wish the threat of the condemnation to be loosed, so that men might not become more slothful afterward. Let the sentence remain, he says, frightening them and making them sober-minded; for there will be, there will be a time, in which they will be delivered from this agony; which indeed also happened. For that He has delivered us from this agony, the martyrs show, and before the martyrs, Paul shows. Have you heard in the Old Testament Abraham saying, "They will spare you, but me they will kill"? Have you heard Jacob saying, "Deliver me, Lord, from the hand of Esau my brother, for I fear him"? Have you seen Elijah fleeing the threat of a woman because of death? Hear how Paul is disposed concerning this matter, whether he considers it fearsome as they did, whether he is grieved at its approach, and is afraid. On the contrary, then, he considers the thing to be desirable; for this reason he says, "To depart and be with Christ is far better." To them it was fearsome, to him better; to them unpleasant, to him pleasant; and very reasonably; for formerly death led down to Hades; but now death sends one to Christ. For this reason Jacob says, "You will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Hades;" but Paul said, "To depart and be with Christ is far better."

And he said these things not condemning the present life—may it not be; for let us beware lest we give ground to the grips of the heretics, nor as fleeing it as evil, but as desiring the better life to come. For he did not say it is simply good to depart and be with Christ, but better; and the better will be better than something good. For just as when he says, "He who gives in marriage does well, but he who does not give in marriage does better," he shows that marriage is good, but virginity is better; so also here: the present life is good, 50.634 he says, but the life to come is much better. Again elsewhere, philosophizing on these very same things, he said: "Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice." What are you saying? You are dying, Paul, and you call men to be partners in your pleasure? What has happened, tell me? I am not dying, he says, but I am ascending to a greater life. Just as, therefore, men who are beginning a magistracy call many to share in their joy, so also Paul, going to his death, called those who would rejoice with him. For death is a rest, and a release from toils, and a recompense for sweat, and a reward for struggles and a crown. For this reason, in the beginning, there were certain lamentations and dirges for the dead, but now psalms and hymns. For indeed the Jews wept for Jacob for forty days, and they wept for Moses for as many more, and they mourned, since death was then death; but now it is not so, but hymns and prayers and psalms, all making it clear that the matter holds pleasure; for psalms are a symbol of cheerfulness. "Is any cheerful among you?" he says, "let him sing psalms." Since, therefore, we are filled with cheerfulness, for this reason we sing psalms over the dead, encouraging them to be of good courage concerning their end. For "Return," he says, "O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you." Do you see that death is a benefit

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εὐκαταφρόνητον ἐποίησε γυναιξίν. Ὁ Ἠλίας ἔφυγε θάνατον, γυναῖκες κατέφυγον εἰς θάνατον· ἐκεῖνος ἀπεπήδησε τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ αὗται ἐδίωξαν θάνατον. Εἶδες πόση γέγονεν ἀθρόον ἡ μεταβολή; Οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τὸν Ἠλίαν ἀγωνιῶσι τὴν τελευτὴν, γυναῖκες δὲ καθάπερ πηλὸν τοῖς ποσὶν ἑαυτῶν κατεπάτησαν θάνατον. Ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἐκείνων τῶν ἁγίων κατηγορήσωμεν· οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῶν τὸ ἔγκλημα· τῆς φύσεως ἦν ἡ ἀσθένεια, οὐ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἡ κατηγορία. Ὁ Θεὸς τότε ἐβούλετο φοβερὸν εἶναι τὸν θάνατον, ἵνα δειχθῇ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς χάριτος τὸ μέγεθος· φοβερὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐβούλετο· καταδίκη γὰρ ἦν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἤθελε λυθῆναι τῆς καταδίκης τὴν ἀπειλὴν, ἵνα μὴ ῥᾳθυμότεροι μετὰ ταῦτα γένωνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Μενέτω, φησὶν, ἡ ἀπόφασις φοβοῦσα αὐτοὺς καὶ σωφρονίζουσα· ἔσται γὰρ, ἔσται καιρὸς, καθ' ὃν καὶ τῆς ἀγωνίας ἀπαλλαγήσονται ταύτης· ὃ δὴ καὶ συνέβη. Ὅτι γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀπήλλαξε τῆς ἀγωνίας ταύτης, δηλοῦσι μὲν οἱ μάρτυρες, δηλοῖ δὲ πρὸ τῶν μαρτύρων ὁ Παῦλος. Ἤκουσας ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ λέγοντος, ὅτι Σὲ μὲν περιποιήσονται, ἐμὲ δὲ ἀποκτενοῦσιν; ἤκουσας τοῦ Ἰακὼβ λέγοντος· Ἐξελοῦ με, Κύριε, ἐκ χειρὸς Ἡσαῦ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου, ὅτι φοβοῦμαι ἐγὼ αὐτόν; Εἶδες τὸν Ἠλίαν φεύγοντα γυναικὸς ἀπειλὴν διὰ τὸν θάνατον; Ἄκουσον πῶς ὁ Παῦλος περὶ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου διάκειται, εἰ φοβερὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι νομίζει καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι, εἰ λυπεῖται ἐπιόντος αὐτοῦ, καὶ δέδοικε. Τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν, καὶ ποθεινὸν εἶναι νομίζει τὸ πρᾶγμα· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Τὸ ἀναλῦσαί με καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον. Ἐκείνοις φοβερὸν, τούτῳ κρεῖσσον· ἐκείνοις ἀηδὲς, τούτῳ ἡδύ· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρότερον ὁ θάνατος εἰς τὸν ᾅδην κατῆγεν· νυνὶ δὲ ὁ θάνατος πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν παραπέμπει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ μὲν Ἰακώβ φησι· Κατάξετε τὸ γῆράς μου μετὰ λύπης εἰς ᾅδην· ὁ δὲ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναί με πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον.

Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν οὐ καταγινώσκων τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς μὴ γένοιτο· φυλαττώμεθα γὰρ μὴ δῶμεν χώραν ταῖς τῶν αἱρετικῶν λαβαῖς, οὐδὲ ὡς πονηρὰν φεύγων αὐτὴν, ἀλλ' ὡς κρείττονος τῆς μελλούσης ἐπιθυμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι καλὸν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ κρεῖσσον· τὸ δὲ κρεῖσσον καλοῦ τινος ἔσται κρεῖσσον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν λέγῃ ὅτι Ὁ ἐκγαμίζων καλῶς ποιεῖ, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐκγαμίζων κρεῖσσον ποιεῖ, καλὸν μὲν δείκνυσιν ὄντα τὸν γάμον, κρείσσω δὲ τὴν παρθενίαν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα· καλὴ 50.634 μὲν ἡ παροῦσα ζωὴ, φησὶ, πολὺ δὲ βελτίων ἡ μέλλουσα. Πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ τὰ αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα φιλοσοφῶν ἔλεγεν· Εἰ καὶ σπένδομαι ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ, καὶ λειτουργίᾳ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, χαίρω καὶ συγχαίρω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν· τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετε. Τί φῄς; ἀποθνήσκεις, Παῦλε, καὶ κοινωνοὺς καλεῖς τῆς ἡδονῆς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους; τί γέγονεν, εἰπέ μοι; Οὐκ ἀποθνήσκω, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν μείζονα ἀναβαίνω ζωήν. Καθάπερ οὖν ἄνθρωποι ἀρχὴν λαμβάνοντες πολλοὺς καλοῦσι τοὺς κοινωνήσοντας αὐτοῖς τῆς εὐφροσύνης, οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον ἰὼν, ἐκάλει τοὺς συνησθησομένους αὐτῷ. Ἀνάπαυσις γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος, καὶ πόνων ἀπαλλαγὴ, καὶ ἱδρώτων ἀντίδοσις, καὶ ἀμοιβὴ παλαισμάτων καὶ στέφανος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς νεκροῖς κοπετοί τινες ἐγίγνοντο καὶ θρῆνοι, νῦν δὲ ψαλμοὶ καὶ ὑμνῳδίαι. Ἔκλαυσαν γοῦν τὸν Ἰακὼβ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας, ἔκλαυσαν καὶ τὸν Μωϋσῆν ἑτέρας τοσαύτας οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ἐκόψαντο, ἐπειδὴ θάνατος τότε ὁ θάνατος ἦν· νυνὶ δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ ὑμνῳδίαι καὶ εὐχαὶ καὶ ψαλμοὶ, δηλούντων ἁπάντων, ὅτι ἡδονὴν ἔχει τὸ πρᾶγμα· οἱ γὰρ ψαλμοὶ εὐθυμίας σύμβολον· Εὐθυμεῖ γάρ τις, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν; ψαλλέτω. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εὐθυμίας ἐσμὲν πεπληρωμένοι, διὰ τοῦτο ψάλλομεν ἐπὶ τοῖς νεκροῖς ψαλμοὺς θαῤῥεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς τελευτῆς παρακελευομένους. Ἐπίστρεψον γὰρ, φησὶ, ψυχή μου, εἰς τὴν ἀνάπαυσίν σου, ὅτι Κύριος εὐηργέτησέ σε. Ὁρᾷς εὐεργεσίαν ὄντα τὸν θάνατον