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declines into weakness, and finally old age arrives, a complete disappearance of strength, and the body is bent and stoops towards the earth like the over-dried ears of corn, and the smooth part becomes wrinkled, and again he who was once a youth and a champion is an infant, lisping, acting foolishly, crawling on hands and feet alike as before. What do all these things seem to you? Are they not alterations? Not manifold changes? Not various novelties transforming the mortal creature even before death? And our sleep and our waking, how would they not become for the wise man a lesson of the thing sought? For the one is an image of death, and the other an imitation of the resurrection. Wherefore also some of the 9.263 wise men from without called sleep the brother of death on account of the similarity of the conditions occurring from each; for in both there is alike forgetfulness and ignorance of things past and future, and the body lies senseless, not knowing friend, not recognizing enemy, not seeing those standing around and watching, a relaxed corpse, lacking all activity, in no way different from those lying in tombs and coffins.

Thus you can rob the sleeping man as if a corpse, if you wish, you can empty his house, you can apply bonds, and no sensation of the things being done occurs. But a little later, when some cessation and relief of the condition occurs, as if just now brought to life the man arises, little by little coming to a consciousness of himself and of things, and slowly resuming his activities, and as it were animated by the rekindling of wakefulness. But if while the living creature still exists and survives, so many ecstasies, alterations, changes, forgettings, and remembrances by night and by day are fixed in its life, it is exceedingly foolish and contentious not to believe God who promises the final renewal, the one who also created the first formation. But that which especially obstructs those who speak against it and prepares them to disbelieve, is this above all, as I think: to believe that a complete annihilation of bodies takes place. But it is not so; for it is not completely annihilated, but it is dissolved into the things from which it was composed and it is in water and air and earth and fire. And while the original elements remain and the things from them after the dissolution have returned to them, the parts are also preserved in the wholes. But for God it is especially easy 9.264 to create from non-existing things (for in this way did all things receive their genesis in the beginning), but to create from existing principles is surely much easier and very simple. Let us not then destroy the good hope of men, the restoration of our weakness and the second birth, as one might say, the one free from death, nor by an excess of love for pleasure let us insult the good and philanthropic promise of God. for it seems to me that the men opposed to the present thesis are companions of vice and enemies of virtue, lustful and covetous and intemperate, admitting with their eyes and hearing and smell and all their senses the pleasure flowing upon them. But since the doctrine of the resurrection has the judgment set before it, and they hear the sacred books saying expressly, that our life is not without accountability (but when we have been renewed to the second life, we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, so that under him as judge we may receive the worthy recompenses for the things lived), being conscious to themselves of the most shameful deeds worthy of many punishments, out of hatred for the judgment they do away with the resurrection also, just like the wicked of the slaves who have spent their master’s substance, subscribing for themselves deaths of the master and destructions, and according to their own desire fashioning empty reasonings. But not one of those who are of sound mind will think so. for what is the benefit of justice and truth and goodness and of everything good, and for what do men toil and philosophize, enslaving the pleasure of the belly and loving self-control and partaking of sleep for a short time and setting themselves against winter and stifling heat, if

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ἀσθένειαν ἀποκλίνει καὶ παραγίνεται τελευταῖον τὸ γῆρας τέλειος ἀφανισμὸς τῆς ἰσχύος, κλίνεται δὲ τὸ σῶμα καὶ κυρτοῦται πρὸς γῆν ὡς οἱ ὑπερξηρανθέντες τῶν ἀσταχύων καὶ τὸ λεῖον ἀποτελεῖται ῥυσὸν καὶ πάλιν βρέφος ὅ ποτε νεανίσκος καὶ ἀριστεὺς ψελλιζόμενος, ἀνοηταίνων, ἐπὶ χειρῶν καὶ ποδῶν ὁμοίως ἕρπων ὡς πάλαι. ταῦτα πάντα τί σοι δοκεῖ; οὐκ ἀλλοιώσεις; οὐ μεταβολαὶ πολύτροποι; οὐ διάφοροι καινότητες τὸ θνητὸν ζῷον μεταμορφοῦσαι καὶ πρὸ θανάτου; ὁ δὲ ὕπνος ἡμῶν καὶ ἡ ἐγρήγορσις πῶς οὐκ ἂν τῷ σοφῷ γένοιτο διδασκάλιον τοῦ ζητουμένου; ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἰκών ἐστι τοῦ θανάτου, ἡ δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως μίμημα. διὸ καί τινες τῶν 9.263 ἔξωθεν σοφῶν ἀδελφὸν προσεῖπον τοῦ θανάτου τὸν ὕπνον διὰ τὴν ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἀφ' ἑκατέρου συμβαινόντων παθῶν· λήθη γὰρ ὁμοίως ἐπ' ἀμφοτέρων καὶ ἄγνοια τῶν παρελθόντων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων καὶ τὸ σῶμα κεῖται ἀναίσθητον φίλον οὐκ εἰδός, ἐχθρὸν οὐ γινῶσκον, τοὺς περιεστῶτας καὶ θεω ροῦντας μὴ βλέπον, παρειμένον νεκρόν, πάσης ἀμοιροῦν ἐνεργείας, οὐδὲν διαφέρον τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἐν τάφοις καὶ θήκαις.

Οὕτω τοι συλᾷς ὡς νεκρὸν εἰ θέλοις τὸν καθεύδοντα, κενοῖς τὴν οἰκίαν, δεσμὰ προσάγεις καὶ οὐδεμία τῶν πραττομένων αἴσθησις ἐπιγίνεται· ὀλίγον δὲ ὕστερον, ὅταν ἀνοχή τις καὶ λώφησις γένηται τοῦ πάθους, ὥσπερ ἄρτι ζωοποιηθεὶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος διανίσταται κατὰ μικρὸν εἰς συναίσθησιν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐρχόμενος καὶ σχολῇ τὰς ἐνεργείας ἀναλαμβάνων καὶ οἷον ψυχούμενος τῇ ζωπυρήσει τῆς ἐγρηγόρσεως. εἰ δὲ ὑφεστῶτος ἔτι τοῦ ζῴου καὶ περιόντος τοσαῦται νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ἐκστάσεις ἀλλοιώσεις μεταβολαὶ λῆθαι καὶ μνῆμαι τῷ βίῳ παραπεπή γασι, λίαν ἀνόητον καὶ φιλόνεικον θεῷ μὴ πιστεύειν τὸν ἔσχατον ἀνακαινισμὸν ἐπαγγελλομένῳ τῷ καὶ τὴν πρώτην πλάσιν δημιουργήσαντι. Ὃ δὲ μάλιστα φράττει τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας καὶ ἀπιστεῖν παρασκευάζει, τοῦτο πρὸ πάντων ὡς οἶμαι τὸ νομίζειν ἀφανισμὸν παντελῆ γίνεσθαι τῶν σωμάτων. ἔχει δὲ οὐχ οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ τέλεον ἀφανίζεται, ἀλλὰ διαλύεται εἰς τὰ ἐξ ὧν συνετέθη καὶ ἔστιν ἐν ὕδατι καὶ ἀέρι καὶ γῇ καὶ πυρί. τῶν δὲ πρωτοτύπων στοιχείων μενόντων καὶ τῶν ἀπ' ἐκείνων μετὰ τὴν διάλυσιν ἐκείνοις προσχωρησάντων ἐν τοῖς καθόλου σῴζεται καὶ τὰ μέρη. θεῷ δὲ μάλιστα μὲν εὔπορον 9.264 ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων δημιουργεῖν (καὶ γὰρ οὕτως ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἔλαβε τὰ πάντα τὴν γένεσιν), τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῶν τῶν οὐσῶν γενεσιουρ γεῖν πολλῷ δήπου ῥᾷστον καὶ εὐκολώτατον. μὴ τοίνυν τὴν καλὴν ἐλπίδα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀνέλωμεν τὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις γένεσιν τὴν ἐλευθέραν θανάτου μηδὲ φιληδονίας ὑπερβολῇ τὴν ἀγαθὴν καὶ φιλάνθρωπον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπόσχεσιν καθυβρίσωμεν· ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκοῦσιν οἱ τῆς προκειμένης ὑποθέσεως ἐναντίοι ἄνδρες εἶναι κακίας ἑταῖροι καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐχθροί, λάγνοι καὶ πλεονέκται καὶ ἀκρατεῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ ἀκοῇ καὶ ὀσφρήσει καὶ πάσαις ταῖς αἰσθήσεσι ῥέουσαν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τὴν ἡδονὴν εἰσδεχόμενοι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγος προκειμένην ἔχει τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν βίβλων ἀκούουσι λεγουσῶν διαρρήδην, ὡς οὐκ ἀνεύθυνος ἡμῶν ὁ βίος (ἀλλ' ὅταν πρὸς τὴν δευτέραν ἀνακαινισθῶμεν ζωήν, πάντες παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ κριτῇ τὰς πρὸς ἀξίαν ἀμοιβὰς τῶν βεβιωμένων κομίσασθαι), συνειδότες ἑαυτοῖς πράξεις αἰσχίστας πολλῶν ἀξίας τιμωριῶν μίσει τῆς κρίσεως ἀναιροῦσι καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ὥσπερ οἱ πονηροὶ τῶν δούλων οἱ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ κυρίου δαπανήσαντες, θανάτους δὲ τοῦ δεσπότου καὶ ἀπωλείας ἑαυτοῖς ὑπογράφοντες καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιθυμίαν διακένους λογισμοὺς ἀναπλάσσοντες. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ εἷς οὕτω φρονήσει τῶν σωφρονούντων· τί γὰρ ὄφελος δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ χρηστότητος καὶ παντὸς τοῦ καλοῦ, ὑπὲρ τίνος δὲ μοχθοῦσι καὶ φιλοσοφοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι γαστρὸς ἡδονὴν δουλαγωγοῦντες καὶ ἀγαπῶντες ἐγκράτειαν καὶ ὕπνου πρὸς ὀλίγον μεταλαγχάνοντες καὶ παραταττόμενοι πρὸς χειμῶνα καὶ πνῖγος, εἰ