spirit, and a resurrection of a great multitude was seen, which the divine scripture showed us in a prophetic vision as an image of the future universal resurrection that is to be.

SOLUTION. The great matters and because of the wonder concerning them

excessiveness are under suspicion of also being disbelieved by some, the prophets from time to time were not taught by proclamation alone, with the Holy Spirit illuminating for them the knowledge of each thing; but indeed they also saw them as actual events, so that they themselves, believing before others, might so dispose others also. Therefore, the God of all, having promised to bring back even those already dead among the Babylonians to Jerusalem, not at all, of course, the one on earth, but the one understood as above and in the heavens, showed the prophet clearly the resurrection, and in what manner it will be at the appointed times; which the divine David had already proclaimed, saying concerning us, that is, concerning every man: "When you turn away your face, they will be troubled, and to their 563 dust they will return. You will send forth your spirit and they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth." For having stumbled in Adam through the transgression, we have been in aversion from God. And for this reason we have returned to our own dust, having become accursed. For the creator said, "For you are earth and to earth you shall return." But in the last times of the age, in the power of the life-giving Spirit, in Christ, God the Father will raise all the dead. But that the resurrection of the dead has not yet happened, but will be at the appointed times, the all-wise Paul will confirm in writing, that Hymenaeus and Alexander made a shipwreck of their faith, saying that the resurrection had already happened. And if he who says this endures the shipwreck of the faith, it would then be clear that the blessed prophet Ezekiel usefully beheld the power of the resurrection as in a prophetic vision.

Against those who say, that a worthy recompense has been allotted to each; for the Savior did not say,

that a certain man was poor, but Lazarus, so that by the name he might show that this had happened in experience and in truth.

564 SOLUTION. That the judgment will be after the resurrection from the dead, the divine

scripture says everywhere. And there will be no resurrection, unless Christ comes again to us from heaven in the glory of the Father with the holy angels. So also the all-wise Paul says, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible." Therefore, since the Judge of all has not yet descended from heaven, neither has the resurrection of the dead happened. Then how is it not absurd to think that a recompense for either evil or good works has already happened for some? Therefore, the things said by Christ about the rich man and Lazarus are a form of parable elegantly composed. And the account holds, as the Hebrew tradition has it, that there was a certain Lazarus at that time in Jerusalem suffering from extreme poverty and sickness, whom the Lord also mentioned, taking him as an example for a clearer declaration of the word. Therefore, since Christ the Savior of all has not yet descended from heaven, neither has a resurrection happened, nor has a retribution for deeds followed for anyone, but as in an image, in the parable, a man is depicted as rich and luxurious and unmerciful, and a poor man in sickness; so that those who have wealth on 565 earth might know that if they should not wish to be good and generous and sociable, and should not choose to help in the needs of the poor, they will fall into a terrible and inescapable judgment.

πνεῦμα, καὶ ὤφθη ἀνάστασις πληθύος πολλῆς, ἢ εἰκόνα τῆς μελλούσης καθολικῆς ἀναστάσεως ἔσεσθαι ἔδειξεν ἡμῖν ἡ θεία γραφὴ ἐν ὀπτασίᾳ προφητικῇ.

ΕΠΙΛΥΣΙΣ. Τὰ μεγάλα τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ περὶ αὐτὰ θαύματος

ὑπερβολὴν ἐν ὑποψίαις ὄντα τοῦ καὶ ἀπιστηθῆναι πρὸς τινῶν, οὐ διὰ μόνης ἀπαγγελίας ἐδιδάσκοντο κατὰ καιροὺς οἱ προφῆται, τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐναστράπτοντος αὐτοῖς τὴν ἑκάστου γνῶσιν· ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοῖς ἑώρων πράγμασιν, ἵνα πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων αὐτοὶ πιστεύσαντες, διαθεῖεν οὕτως καὶ τοῖς ἑτέροις. ἐπαγγειλάμενος τοίνυν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς καὶ τοὺς ἤδη τεθνεῶτας ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίων ἀνακομίζειν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οὐχὶ δήπου πάντως τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄνω καὶ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς νοουμένην ἔδειξεν ἐναργῶς τῷ προφήτῃ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ τίνα τρόπον ἔσται κατὰ καιρούς· ἣν ἤδη καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος ∆αυεὶδ προανεφώνει λέγων περὶ ἡμῶν, ἤτοι περὶ ἀνθρώπου παντός "Ἀποστρέ"ψαντος δέ σου τὸ πρόσωπον ταραχθήσονται, καὶ εἰς τὸν 563 "χοῦν αὐτῶν ἐπιστρέψουσιν. ἐξαποστελεῖς τὸ πνεῦμά σου "καὶ κτισθήσονται, καὶ ἀνακαινιεῖς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς." προσκεκρουκότες μὲν γὰρ ἐν Ἀδὰμ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν, ἐν ἀποστροφῇ γεγόναμεν παρὰ Θεῷ. καὶ ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς αἰτίας εἰς τὸν ἑαυτῶν χοῦν ὑπεστρέψαμεν, ἐπάρατοι γεγονότες. ἔφη γὰρ ὁ δημιουργός "Ὅτι γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπε"λεύσῃ." ἀλλ' ἐν ἐσχάτοις τοῦ αἰῶνος καιροῖς, ἐν δυνάμει τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐν Χριστῷ πάντας ἐγερεῖ τοὺς νεκροὺς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατήρ. ὅτι δὲ οὔπω γέγονεν ἡ ἀνάστασις τῶν νεκρῶν, ἀλλ' ἔσται κατὰ καιροὺς, πιστώσεται γράφων ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλος, ὅτι Ὑμέναιος καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν, λέγοντες ἤδη τὴν ἀνάστασιν γεγονέναι. εἰ δὲ ὁ τοῦτο λέγων τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει ναυαγίαν ὑπομένει, δῆλον ἂν εἴη λοιπὸν ὅτι τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως δύναμιν ὡς ἐν θεωρίᾳ προφητικῇ τεθέαται χρησίμως ὁ μακάριος προφήτης Ἱεζεκιήλ.

Πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, ὅτι ἑκάστῳ ἀνταπόδοσις ἐκληρώθη ἀξία· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ

Σωτὴρ, ὅτι πτωχός τις ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ Λάζαρος, ἵνα τῇ προσηγορίᾳ δείξῃ πείρᾳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ ταύτην πεπράχθαι.

564 ΕΠΙΛΥΣΙΣ. Τὴν κρίσιν ἔσεσθαι μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν ἡ θεία

πανταχοῦ λέγει γραφή. ἀνάστασις δὲ οὐκ ἔσται, μὴ αὖθις ἡμῖν ἐπιφοιτήσαντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων. οὕτω καὶ ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλός φησιν "Οτι αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι ἐν φωνῇ "ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι Θεοῦ καταβήσεται ἀπ' οὐ"ρανοῦ. σαλπίσει γὰρ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἐγερθή"σονται ἄφθαρτοι." οὔπω τοίνυν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβεβηκότος τοῦ πάντων Κριτοῦ, οὐδὲ ἡ τῶν νεκρῶν γέγονεν ἀνάστασις. εἶτα πῶς οὐκ ἀπίθανον ἐννοεῖν, ὅτι γέγονεν ἤδη τισὶν ἀνταπόδοσις ἢ πονηρῶν ἔργων ἢ ἀγαθῶν; ἔστι τοίνυν παραβολῆς τρόπος ἐσχηματισμένος ἀστείως, τά τε ἐπὶ τῷ πλουσίῳ καὶ τῷ Λαζάρῳ εἰρημένα παρὰ Χριστοῦ. ἔχει δὲ ὁ λόγος, ὡς ἡ Ἑβραίων παράδοσις ἔχει, Λάζαρον εἶναί τινα κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐσχάτην νοσοῦντα πτωχείαν καὶ ἀῤῥωστίαν, οὗ καὶ μνημονεῦσαι τὸν Κύριον, ὡς εἰς παράδειγμα λαμβάνοντα καὶ αὐτὸν εἰς ἐμφανεστέραν τοῦ λόγου δήλωσιν. οὔπω τοίνυν ἐξ οὐρανῶν καταφοιτήσαντος τοῦ πάντων Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ, οὔτε ἀνάστασις γέγονεν, οὔτε πράξεως ἀντίδοσις ἠκολούθησέ τισιν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι, τῇ παραβολῇ γέγραπται πλούσιος καὶ τρυφῶν καὶ ἀφιλοικτίρμων, καὶ πένης ἐν ἀῤῥωστίᾳ· ἵν' εἰδεῖεν οἱ τὸν ἐπὶ 565 γῆς ἔχοντες πλοῦτον, ὡς εἰ μὴ βουληθεῖεν εἶναι χρηστοὶ καὶ εὐμετάδοτοι καὶ κοινωνικοὶ, καὶ ταῖς τῶν πενήτων ἀνάγκαις ἐπικουρεῖν ἕλοιντο, δεινῇ καὶ ἀφύκτῳ περιπεσοῦνται δίκῃ.