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the infinite height, to the unapproachable light, to the peoples of the angels, to the ranks of the archangels, to the other incorporeal powers; and again take hold of the image among us, having descended from above, and describe for me the things concerning the king on earth, for example, men wearing gold, and a pair of white mules adorned with gold, and a chariot inlaid with precious stones, and banners waving about it, and dragons fashioned on silk robes, and golden shields having eyes, and horses wearing gold, and golden bridles. But when we see the king, we no longer see any of these things; 56.287 for he alone attracts us, and the purple robes, and the diadem, and the throne, and the clasp, and the footwear, and the splendor of his appearance. Therefore, having gathered all these things accurately, from these transfer your thought again to the things above, and consider the fearful day, on which Christ arrives. For you will not see a pair of mules then, nor golden chariots, nor dragons and shields, but that which is full of much shuddering, and creates such ecstasy that even the heavenly powers themselves are amazed; For the powers of the heavens, he says, will be shaken. Then all heaven is opened, and the only-begotten Son of God descends, not with twenty, nor a hundred spearmen escorting him, but with thousands and myriads of angels and archangels, and all will be full of fear and trembling, the earth being rent asunder, and the people who have ever lived, from when Adam was until that day, rising from the earth, and being caught up, as he appears with so much glory, that the sun and the moon hide all their light, being outshone by that radiance. But, alas for our great insensibility, that, while such good things are expected, we still gape at the present things, and do not consider the malice of the devil, who through small things takes away great things from us, and gives clay, that he may snatch heaven, and shows a shadow, that he may cast out from the truth, and conjures up illusions in dreams—for this is present wealth—so that, when day has come, he may show us to be poorer than all. Having learned these things, beloved, let us flee his deceit, let us flee the condemnation with him, so that the judge may not also say to us: Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 7. But God is merciful; this will not be, he says. Is it then written in vain? No, he says, but only as a threat, so that we might be temperate. If, then, we are not temperate, but remain wicked, will he not bring on the punishment? tell me. Will he then not also give the rewards to the good? Yes, he says; for this is fitting for him, and to do good beyond their worth. So those things are true and will certainly be, but the things of punishments will not certainly be? Oh, the great evil artifice of the devil, oh, this inhuman philanthropy! For this reasoning is his, bestowing an unprofitable favor and making men slothful. For since he knows that the fear of punishment, like some bridle, restrains our soul, and checks it from evils, he does and contrives everything, so as to tear it out by the roots, that we may henceforth be carried down cliffs without fear. How then may we overcome him? Whatever we may say from the Scriptures, those who contradict will say that it is written for the sake of a threat. But concerning future things they might say this, even if very impiously; but concerning things that have come to pass, and have had an end, they no longer can. Let us ask them, therefore: Have you heard about the flood and that universal destruction? was that also said for the sake of a threat? did it not happen, and come to pass in deed? do not also the 56.288 mountains of Armenia bear witness, where the ark was established? are not also its remains there until now

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ὕψος τὸ ἄπειρον, εἰς τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀπρόσιτον, εἰς τοὺς δήμους τῶν ἀγγέλων, εἰς τὰς τάξεις τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων, εἰς τὰς ἄλλας δυνάμεις τὰς ἀσωμάτους· καὶ πάλιν ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς παρ' ἡμῖν εἰκόνος, καταβὰς ἄνωθεν, καὶ ὑπόγραψόν μοι τὰ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς, οἷον, ἄνδρας χρυσοφοροῦντας, καὶ ζεῦγος λευκῶν ἡμιόνων χρυσῷ καλλωπιζομένων καὶ ὄχημα λιθοκόλλητον, καὶ πέταλα τούτῳ περισειόμενα, καὶ δράκοντας ἐν ἱματίοις σχηματιζομένους σηρικοῖς, καὶ ἀσπίδας χρυσοῦς ἐχούσας ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ ἵππους χρυσοφοροῦντας, καὶ χαλινοὺς χρυσοῦς. Ἀλλ' ὅταν τὸν βασιλέα ἴδωμεν, οὐδὲν τούτων ὁρῶμεν λοιπόν· 56.287 ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐπιστρέφει μόνος, καὶ τὰ πορφυρᾶ μάτια, καὶ τὸ διάδημα, καὶ ἡ καθέδρα, καὶ ἡ περόνη, καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα, καὶ ἡ τῆς ὄψεως λαμπηδών. Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα συναγαγὼν ἀκριβῶς, ἀπὸ τούτων μετάθες πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω τὸν λογισμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐννόησον τὴν φοβερὰν, καθ' ἣν ὁ Χριστὸς παραγίνεται. Οὐ γὰρ ζεῦγος ἡμιόνων ὄψει τότε, οὐδὲ ὀχήματα χρυσᾶ, οὐδὲ δράκοντας καὶ ἀσπίδας, ἀλλ' ὃ πολλῆς γέμει φρίκης, καὶ τοσαύτην ἐμποιεῖ τὴν ἔκστασιν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰς ἐκπλαγῆναι τὰς οὐρανίους δυνάμεις· Αἱ γὰρ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν, φησὶ, σαλευθήσονται. Τότε ἀνοίγεται μὲν ἅπας ὁ οὐρανὸς, κάτεισι δὲ ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς, οὐκ εἴκοσι, οὐδὲ ἑκατὸν δορυφορούντων αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ χιλιάδων καὶ μυριάδων ἀγγέλων τε καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων, καὶ πάντα ἔσται φόβου καὶ τρόμου μεστὰ, τῆς γῆς ἀναῤῥηγνυμένης, καὶ τῶν πώποτε γενομένων ἀνθρώπων, ἐξ οὗ γέγονεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ἀπὸ γῆς ἀνισταμένων, καὶ ἁρπαζομένων, αὐτοῦ μετὰ τοσαύτης φαινομένου δόξης, ὥστε τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην ἅπαν κρύψαι τὸ φῶς, ὑπὸ τῆς αὐγῆς ἐκείνης ὑπερλαμπόμενον. Ἀλλ', οἴμοι τῆς πολλῆς ἀναισθησίας, ὅτι, τοιούτων προσδοκωμένων ἀγαθῶν, ἔτι πρὸς τὰ παρόντα κεχήναμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἐννοοῦμεν τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν κακουργίαν, ὃς διὰ τῶν μικρῶν τὰ μεγάλα ἡμᾶς ἀφαιρεῖται, καὶ δίδωσι πηλὸν, ἵνα ἁρπάσῃ οὐρανὸν, καὶ δείκνυσι σκιὰν, ἵνα ἐκβάλῃ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐν ὀνείροις φαντάζει τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ παρὼν πλοῦτος, ἵν', ἡμέρας γενομένης, δείξῃ πάντων πενεστέρους. Ἅπερ μαθόντες, ἀγαπητοὶ, φύγωμεν τὸν ἐκείνου δόλον, φύγωμεν τὴν μετ' ἐκείνου κατάκρισιν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ κριτὴς εἴπῃ· Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, οἱ κατηραμένοι, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. ζʹ. Ἀλλὰ φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός· οὐκ ἔσται τοῦτο, φησίν. Οὐκοῦν εἰκῆ γέγραπται; Οὐχὶ, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἀπειλὴν μόνον, ἵνα σωφρονῶμεν. Ἂν οὖν μὴ σωφρονῶμεν, ἀλλὰ μένωμεν κακοὶ, οὐκ ἐπάξει τὴν κόλασιν; εἰπέ μοι. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀποδώσει τὰς ἀμοιβάς; Ναὶ, φησί· τοῦτο γὰρ πρέπον αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν εὐεργετεῖν. Ὥστε ἐκεῖνα ἀληθῆ καὶ πάντως ἔσται, τὰ δὲ τῶν κολάσεων οὐ πάντως; Ὢ τῆς πολλῆς τοῦ διαβόλου κακοτεχνίας, ὢ τῆς ἀπανθρώπου ταύτης φιλανθρωπίας. Ἐκείνου γάρ ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ λογισμὸς χάριν ἀνόνητον χαριζόμενος καὶ ῥᾳθύμους ποιῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἶδεν, ὅτι τῆς κολάσεως ὁ φόβος, καθάπερ τις χαλινὸς, τὴν ἡμετέραν ἄγχει ψυχὴν, καὶ τῶν κακῶν ἀναστέλλει, πάντα ποιεῖ καὶ πραγματεύεται, ὥστε πρόῤῥιζον ἀνασπάσαι τοῦτον, ἵνα λοιπὸν ἀδεῶς κατὰ κρημνῶν φερώμεθα. Πῶς οὖν αὐτοῦ περιγενώμεθα; Ὅσα ἂν εἴπωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν, ἐροῦσιν οἱ ἀντιλέγοντες, ὅτι ἀπειλῆς ἕνεκεν γέγραπται. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τῶν μελλόντων ἔχοιεν ἂν τοῦτο λέγειν, εἰ καὶ λίαν ἀσεβῶς· περὶ δὲ τῶν ἐκβεβηκότων οὐκ ἔτι, καὶ τέλος ἐσχηκότων. Ἐρώμεθα τοίνυν αὐτούς· Ἠκούσατε περὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ καὶ τῆς πανωλεθρίας ἐκείνης; μὴ κἀκεῖνο ἀπειλῆς ἕνεκεν εἴρητο; οὐχὶ γέγονε, καὶ εἰς ἔργον ἐξέβη; οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ 56.288 ὄρη μαρτυρεῖ τῆς Ἀρμενίας, ἔνθα ἡ κιβωτὸς ἱδρύθη; οὐχὶ καὶ τὰ λείψανα αὐτῆς ἕως νῦν ἐκεῖ