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is preserved for our reminder? Many were saying such things then too, and while the ark was being built for a hundred years, and the timbers were being prepared, and the just man was crying out, there was no one who believed; but since they did not believe the threat made through words, they suddenly underwent the punishment through deeds. Then will not He who brought such a punishment upon them, bring one much more upon us? For the evils happening now are not less than those of that time. For then they were committing unlawful unions; For it says, the sons of God went in to the daughters of men; but now there is not a form of sin left unpracticed, which is being abandoned. But, if you please, let us lead our discourse to other kinds of punishment, so that from the things that have happened, the things to come may also be believed. Has any of you ever visited Palestine? I think so. Therefore, you bear witness to the truth of what is being said. For above Ascalon and Gaza, at the very end of the Jordan river, there was a land both large and fertile, and rivaling the paradise of God; For, it says, Lot saw all the surrounding country of the Jordan, and it was well-watered, like the paradise of God. But now it is more desolate than all deserts, For trees stand there and bear fruit, but the fruit is a reminder of the wrath of God. For pomegranates stand there, having a splendid appearance, and offering good hopes to those who do not know, but when taken into the hands and broken open, they show no fruit, but much dust and ash stored inside. Such is the land, such are the stones, such is the very air. All things have been burned, all things have been turned to ash, being reminders of the wrath that has already been, portents of the punishment to come. Are these too threats of words? Are these too sounds of words? If anyone disbelieves in Gehenna, let him consider Sodom, let him think of Gomorrah, the punishment that has already come to pass and remains until now. Which the divine Scripture, relating about wisdom, also says: She rescued a righteous man, when the ungodly were perishing, as he fled from the fire that descended on the Five Cities. She is also a land that still stands desolate, smoking as a testimony to their wickedness, and its plants bear fruit at imperfect seasons. But it is also necessary to state the reason why they suffered these things. Their offense was one, grievous indeed and accursed; nevertheless, one. They lusted madly after boys, and for this reason they were burned up by a rain of fire; but now ten thousand sins, both equal and more grievous, are committed, and such a conflagration does not happen. For what reason? Because another fire has been prepared, one that is never quenched. For how will He who brought so great a wrath for one sin, neither accepting the supplication of Abraham, nor being shamed by the inhabitant Lot, spare us when so many 56.289 evils are being done? This is not so, it is not so. 8. But let us not stop with these things; come, let us bring forth others who were punished, so that what is said may be confirmed by more proofs. You all hear of Pharaoh, the king of the Egyptians; therefore you also know the penalty he paid, how with chariots and horses, with his whole army, he was drowned in the Red Sea. But that you may also learn of the punishments of the Jews, hear Paul saying: Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day; neither let us murmur, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer; neither let us tempt the Lord, as some of them tempted, and were destroyed by serpents. And if they suffered such things for what they sinned, what will we not suffer? But now we suffer nothing terrible, and for this reason most of all we ought to fear. For we are being kept, not so that we may not pay the penalty, but so that we may pay a worse one, if we do not change. For they did not know of Gehenna, and were delivered over to punishments here; but as for us, whatever we may sin, even if nothing painful in the

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σώζεται πρὸς ἡμετέραν ὑπόμνησιν; Τοιαῦτα καὶ τότε πολλοὶ ἔλεγον, καὶ ἐν ἑκατὸν ἔτεσι τῆς κιβωτοῦ τεκταινομένης, καὶ τῶν ξύλων κατασκευαζομένων, καὶ τοῦ δικαίου βοῶντος, οὐδεὶς ὁ πιστεύων ἦν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων ἀπειλῇ, τὴν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑπέστησαν τιμωρίαν ἀθρόον. Εἶτα ὁ τοιαύτην κόλασιν ἐπαγαγὼν ἐκείνοις, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπάξει ἡμῖν; οὐ γὰρ ἐλάττονα τῶν τότε κακῶν τὰ νῦν γινόμενα. Τότε μὲν γὰρ ἐπιμιξίας ἐποίουν ἀθέσμους· Εἰσῆλθον γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων· νῦν δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν εἶδος ἁμαρτίας ἄπρακτον, ὃ καταλιμπάνεται. Ἀλλ', εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ ἐφ' ἕτερα κολάσεως εἴδη τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν, ἵνα ἐκ τῶν γενομένων καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα πιστευθῇ. Ἐπεδήμησέ τις ὑμῶν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ ποτέ; Ἔγωγε οἶμαι. Οὐκοῦν ὑμεῖς μαρτυρήσατε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τῶν λεγομένων. Ἀσκάλωνος γὰρ καὶ Γάζης ἀνώτερον εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ποταμοῦ τὸ τέλος ἦν τις χώρα πολλή τε καὶ εὔφορος, καὶ τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἁμιλλωμένη· Εἶδε γὰρ, φησὶ, Λὼτ πᾶσαν τὴν περίχωρον τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ ἦν ποτιζομένη ὡς ὁ παράδεισος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλὰ νῦν αὕτη πασῶν τῶν ἐρήμων ἐστὶν ἐρημοτέρα, Ἕστηκε μὲν γὰρ δένδρα, καὶ καρπὸν ἔχει, ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀργῆς ἐστιν ὑπόμνημα. Ἑστήκασι γὰρ ῥοιαὶ λαμπρὰν μὲν ἔχουσαι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν, καὶ χρηστὰς παρέχουσαι τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν ἐλπίδας, εἰς δὲ χεῖρας ληφθεῖσαι καὶ διακλασθεῖσαι, καρπὸν μὲν οὐδένα, κόνιν δὲ καὶ τέφραν ἐπιδείκνυνται πολλὴν ἔνδον ἀποκειμένην. Τοιαύτη ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ γῆ, τοιοῦτοι καὶ οἱ λίθοι, τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ αὐτός. Πάντα ἐμπέπρησται, πάντα τετέφρωται, τῆς προλαβούσης ὀργῆς ὑπομνήματα ὄντα, τῆς μελλούσης κολάσεως προμηνύματα. Μὴ καὶ ταῦτα ἀπειλαὶ ῥημάτων; μὴ καὶ ταῦτα ψόφοι ῥημάτων; Εἴ τις ἀπιστεῖ τῇ γεέννῃ, τὰ Σόδομα λογιζέσθω, τὰ Γόμοῤῥα ἐννοείτω, τὴν τιμωρίαν τὴν ἤδη γεγενημένην καὶ μέχρι νῦν μένουσαν. Ὅπερ καὶ ἡ θεία Γραφὴ διηγουμένη περὶ τῆς σοφίας φησίν· Αὕτη δίκαιον, ἐξαπολλυμένων ἀσεβῶν, ἐῤῥύσατο φυγόντα καταβάσιον πῦρ Πενταπόλεως. Αὕτη καὶ νῦν ἔτι εἰς Μαρτύριον τῆς πονηρίας καπνιζομένη καθέστηκε χέρσος, καὶ ἀτελέσιν ὥραις καρποφοροῦσα τὰ φυτά. Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν, δι' ἣν ταῦτα πεπόνθασιν. Ἓν ἦν τὸ πταῖσμα αὐτῶν, χαλεπὸν μὲν καὶ ἐπάρατον· πλὴν ἕν. Παισὶν ἐπεμαίνοντο, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πυρίνῳ κατεκαύθησαν ὑετῷ· νῦν δὲ μυρία καὶ ἴσα καὶ χαλεπώτερα γίνεται, καὶ τοιοῦτος ἐμπρησμὸς οὐ γίνεται. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ὅτι πῦρ ἕτερον ἡτοίμασται, μηδέποτε σβεννύμενον. Πῶς γὰρ ὁ ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς ἁμαρτήματος τοσαύτην ὀργὴν ἐπαγαγὼν, καὶ μήτε τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν δεξάμενος, μήτε τὸν ἔνοικον δυσωπηθεὶς Λὼτ, τοσού56.289 των κακῶν γινομένων φείσεται ἡμῶν; Οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστιν. ηʹ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ μέχρι τούτων στῶμεν· φέρε, ἑτέρους εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν κολασθέντας, ἵνα διὰ πλειόνων ἀποδείξεων πιστωθῇ τὰ λεγόμενα. Τὸν Φαραὼ πάντες ἀκούετε τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων· οὐκοῦν οἴδατε καὶ τὴν δίκην, ἣν ἔδωκεν, ὅπως σὺν ἅρμασι καὶ ἵπποις, μετὰ τοῦ στρατοπέδου παντὸς εἰς τὸ ἐρυθραῖον κατεποντίσθη πέλαγος. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ τὰς Ἰουδαίων μάθητε κολάσεις, ἄκουε Παύλου λέγοντος· Μηδὲ πορνεύωμεν καθώς τινες αὐτῶν ἐπόρνευσαν, καὶ ἔπεσον ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ εἴκοσι τρεῖς χιλιάδες· μηδὲ γογγύζωμεν, καθώς τινες αὐτῶν ἐγόγγυσαν, καὶ ἀπώλοντο ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀλοθρευτοῦ· μηδὲ πειράζωμεν τὸν Κύριον, καθώς τινες αὐτῶν ἐπείρασαν, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ὄφεων ἀπώλοντο. Εἰ δὲ κἀκεῖνοι τοιαῦτα πεπόνθασιν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἥμαρτον, τί οὐ πεισόμεθα ἡμεῖς; Ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐδὲν πασχόμεθα δεινὸν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα δεδοικέναι χρή. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ δοῦναι δίκην, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ χείρονα δοῦναι τηρούμεθα, εἰ μὴ μεταβαλοίμεθα. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν τὴν γέενναν, καὶ ταῖς ἐνταῦθα παρεδίδοντο τιμωρίαις· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὅσα ἂν ἁμάρτωμεν, κἂν μηδὲν ἀνιαρὸν ἐν τῷ