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but that they, for whom he offers the prayer. Concerning life, we spoke not of the common one, but that according to virtue. He who knew no sin, nor committed it, nor had deceit in his heart, did not have the deadness which is contrasted with the blessed life. Wherefore asking for life, he asked not for himself, but desires that it be given to them for whom he offers the petition; for he is "always living to make intercession for" those who are to have life from him. Therefore, "he asked life of you, and you gave it to him." Either the psalmist or the Holy Spirit within him says this to God. And it is a great testimony, when he who sends up a prayer receives his requests. You gave it to him, then, "length of days forever and ever." The saints do not at all wish to have a long common life in this world. Indeed, he says, it is "better to depart and be with Christ." And again: "Woe is me, that my 13 sojourning is prolonged." "I am a sojourner in the earth." He who is "a sojourner and a pilgrim" has the desire and purpose to depart from the sojourning, that he might dwell in the appropriate place. Therefore, just as the life indicated here is not the common life, which even impious men and irrational animals live, so also he does not say "length of days" is a long life, but "length of days," as he who honored his parents will be long-lived and long-dayed. And in Deuteronomy it is said: "this is your life and this is the length of your days," to "love me, the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul." Behold also the length of days is loving him with all the soul and all the strength and all the desire. Therefore, "length of days forever." It is possible to take these things concerning the blessed life in this way: for there is a life which is the same as the knowledge of God. When it was said: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent," this life is the knowledge concerning the Father and the Son. And again: "He who believes in me has eternal life." He who believes in the Savior does not have a common life. Often the impious are found to live longer than the virtuous. They desire this long life, since indeed they consider no other good than such a state. Therefore, just as there is now a praiseworthy and a future life, so also "length of days" into this age, so that one has great illumination, with each dogma of the truth being known and giving light. A praiseworthy day is also each practical virtue being accomplished. Since, therefore, just as here partial knowledge will be succeeded by perfect and complete knowledge, so also in practical virtue, those from here who have been shown to be just according to practical virtue will be zealous in another way—for again they have a present and a future righteousness—"length of days" in the age here, not this common one, but the one that can exist, about which they say: "This is the day which the Lord has made"; for they have spoken by pointing to it. And no one points to the future, but to what is already present and at hand. The future, when that time comes in which it arrives, is no longer future. Again, it too will fall under pointing. Thus, whether you take the king or the holy man or he himself who came forth from Mary, they do not pray for that life or length of perceptible days, but for the things already mentioned. They receive a long-aged life and send up a petition for it. But the long-aged life is not the life of one age. But take life appropriately for each age, sometimes as foundational and introductory, sometimes as intermediate, sometimes as perfect. Since. After all these spoken days? -we have called a day each dogma that enlightens the soul, being illuminated by the sun of righteousness. And after these illuminations in progress, there is a certain perfect state of light. That day is not

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ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐκεῖνοι, ὑπὲρ ὧν τὴν δέησιν ἀναφέρει. περὶ τῆς ζωῆς εἴπομεν οὐ τῆς κοινῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς κατὰ ἀρετήν. ὁ μὴ γνοὺς ἁμαρτίαν μηδὲ ποιήσας αὐτὴν μηδὲ δόλον σχὼν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὐκ εἶχεν νεκρότητα τὴν διαστελλομένην πρὸς τὴν μακαρίαν ζωήν. ὅθεν αἰτούμενος ζωὴν οὐχ ἑαυτῷ ᾐτήσατο, ἀλλ' ἐκείνην θέλει αὐτοῖς δοθῆναι ὑπὲρ ὧν τὴν ἀξίωσιν ἀναφέρει· "ζῶν" γάρ ἐστιν "πάντοτε εἰς τὸ ἐντυγχάνειν ὑπὲρ" τῶν μελλόντων παρ' αὐτοῦ ζωὴν ἔχειν. "ζωὴν" οὖν "ᾐτήσατό σε, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ". πρὸς τὸν θεὸν λέγει ἤτοι ὁ ὑμνῳδὸς ἢ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ ἅγιον πνεῦμα. μεγάλη δέ ἐστιν μαρτυρία, ὅταν ὁ εὐχὴν ἀναπέμψας λάβῃ τὰ αἰτήματα. ἔδωκας οὖν αὐτῷ αὐτήν, "μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος". οὐ θέλουσιν ὅλως πολυχρόνιον τὴν κοινὴν ζωὴν ἔχειν οἱ ἅγιοι ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ. ἀμέλει γοῦν "κάλλιον", φησίν, "ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι". καὶ ἔτι· "οἴμμοι, ὅτι ἡ 13 παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη". "πάροικος ἐγώ εἰμι ἐν τῇ γῇ". ὁ ὢν "πάροικος καὶ παρεπίδημος" πόθον καὶ σκοπὸν ἔχει ἀποστῆναι τῆς παροικίας, ἵνα κατοικήσῃ ἐν τῷ καταλλήλῳ χωρίῳ. ὥσπερ οὖν οὐ κοινή ἐστιν ζωὴ ἡ ἐνταῦθα δηλουμένη, ἣν καὶ οἱ ἀσεβεῖς ἄνθρωποι ζῶσιν καὶ τὰ ἄλογα ζῷα, οὕτω οὐδὲ "μακρότητα ἡμερῶν" πολυχρόνιον λέγει εἶναι ζωήν, ἀλλὰ "μακρότης ἡμερῶν", ὡς ὁ τιμήσας τοὺς γονέας πολυχρόνιος ἔσται καὶ μακροήμερος. καὶ ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ δὲ λέγεται· "αὕτη ἡ ζωή σου καὶ αὕτη ἡ μακρότης τῶν ἡμερῶν" τοῦ "ἀγαπᾶν με κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς". ἰδοὺ καὶ ἡ μακρότης τῶν ἡμερῶν ἡ ὅλῃ ψυχῇ καὶ ὅλῃ δυνάμει καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ πόθῳ ἀγαπῶσα αὐτόν. "μακρότητα" οὖν "ἡμερῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα". δυνατὸν λαβεῖν περὶ τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς ταῦτα τῷδε τῷ τρόπῳ· ἔστιν γὰρ ζωή, ἥτις ἡ αὐτή ἐστιν τῇ περὶ θεοῦ γνώσει. ὅτε ἐλέγετο τό· "αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γιγνώσκουσίν σε τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν", ἡ ζωὴ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ γνῶσις ἡ περὶ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ. καὶ ἔτι· "ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον". ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα οὐ κοινὴν ζωὴν ἔχει. πολυχρονιώτεροι οἱ ἀσεβεῖς πολλάκις εὑρίσκονται τῶν σπουδαίων. ἐκεῖνοι ποθοῦσιν τὴν μακροήμερον ζωὴν ταύτην, ἅτε δὴ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀγαθὸν ἢ τὴν τοιαύτην κατάστασιν ἡγοῦνται. ὥσπερ οὖν ἔστιν νῦν ζωὴ ἐπαινετὴ καὶ μέλλουσα, οὕτω καὶ "μακρότης ἡμερῶν" εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον, ἵνα τις ἔχει φωτισμὸν μέγαν ἕκαστον δόγμα τῆς ἀληθείας γιγνωσκόμενον καὶ φωτίζον. ἡμέρα ἐπαινετή ἐστιν καὶ ἑκάστη ἀρετὴ πρακτικὴ κατορθουμένη. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν, ὥσπερ τῆς γνώσεως ἐνταῦθα μερικῆς οὔσης διαδέξεται τελεία καὶ παντελὴς γνῶσις, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς ἑτέρως σπουδαῖοι ἔσονται οἱ ἀπεντεῦθεν κατὰ παρακτικὴν ἀρετὴν δίκαιοι ἀποδειχθέντες-πάλιν γὰρ ἔχουσιν δικαιοσύνην νῦν καὶ μέλλουσαν-, "μακρότητα ἡμερῶν" εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸν ὧδε, οὐ ταύτην τὴν κοινήν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑπαρχθῆναι δυναμένην, περὶ ἧς λέγουσιν· "αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος"· δεικνύντες γὰρ αὐτὴν εἰρήκασιν. οὐδεὶς δὲ δείκνυσιν τὸ μέλλον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἤδη παρὸν καὶ ἐνεστηκός. τὸ μέλλον, ὅταν ἔστιν ἐκεῖνος ὁ καιρὸς καθ' ὃν ἔρχεται, οὐκέτι μέλλον ἐστίν. πάλιν καὶ αὐτὸ ὑπὸ δεῖξιν πεσεῖται. οἵως οὖν ἐὰν λάβῃς τὸν βασιλέα κἂν τὸν ἅγιον ἄνδρα κἂν αὐτὸν τὸν ἐκ Μαρίας προεληλυθότα, οὐ περὶ ἐκείνης τῆς ζω14 ῆς ἢ μακρότητος αἰσθητῶν ἡμερῶν εὔχονται, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἤδη εἰρημένων. μακραίωνα ζωὴν λαμβάνουσιν καὶ περὶ ταύτης ἀξίωσιν ἀναπέμπουσιν. ἡ δὲ μακραίων ζωὴ οὐχ ἑνός ἐστιν αἰῶνος ζωή. καταλλήλως δὲ ἑκάστῳ αἰῶνι καὶ τὴν ζωὴν λάμβανε ὁτὲ μὲν ἀρχηγικὴν καὶ εἰσαγωγικήν, ὁτὲ δὲ μεσάζουσαν, ὁτὲ δὲ τελείαν. ἐπερ · μετὰ πάσας ταύτας τὰς λεχθείσας ἡμέρας; -ἕκαστον δόγμα φωτίζον τὴν ψυχήν, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης καταλαμπόμενον, ἡμέραν εἰρήκαμεν. μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ἐν προκοπαῖς φωτίσματα ἔστιν τις τελεία κατάστασις φωτός. ἐκείνη ἡ ἡμέρα οὐ