of the voice of death. I will try to present what is meant, not according to the Greeks, but what is meant according to the divine scripture. Perhaps someone wiser than I will present other meanings; I, however, for the present know three deaths. What are these three deaths? Someone "lives to God" and "has died to sin" according to the apostle. This death is blessed; someone dies to sin; this death my Lord died. "For the death he died, he died to sin." I also know another death by which someone dies to God, about which it is said: "The soul that sins, it shall die." I also know a third death by which we commonly consider those who have departed from the body to have died; for Adam "lived nine hundred and thirty years, and died." There being, then, three deaths, let us see whether the human soul is immortal with respect to the three deaths, or not with respect to the three deaths, but immortal with respect to some of them. With respect to the middle death we all men die; which we consider to be a dissolution. <This> death no human soul 26 dies; for if it died, it would not be punished after death. "Men will seek," he says, "death and will not find it." For the souls being punished will seek death, they will wish rather not to exist than to exist and be punished; for this reason "men will seek death and will by no means find it." According to this meaning every human soul is immortal. But according to the other meanings, according to one the soul is mortal, and blessed if it should die to sin. About this death Balaam prophesying said, praying in a divine spirit: "Let my soul die among the souls of the just." About this death Balaam prophesied paradoxically, and prayed for the best things for himself in the word of God; for he prayed to die to sin that he might live to God; and for this reason he said: "Let my soul die among the souls of the just, and may my seed be as their seed." There is another death, with respect to which we are not immortal, but we are able to guard ourselves from dying. And perhaps the mortal aspect of the soul is not always mortal; for insofar as it is capable of sinning such a sin as to become "the soul that sins, it shall die," the soul is mortal to the true death; but if it comes to be 27 in the confirmation of blessedness so as to be incapable of death, the one having eternal life is no longer mortal, but has become immortal also according to this meaning. -How is it said by the apostle "Who alone has immortality" concerning God? I seek that I may find that Christ Jesus "died for all apart from God." You have how God alone has immortality. Let us then take up eternal life; let us take it up from what is in our power. God does not give it to us, but sets it before us; "Behold, I have set life before your face." It is in our power to stretch out the hand, to do good deeds and to take life and to store it up in the soul. This life is Christ who said: "I am the life," this life which now is present to the just in a shadow, "but then face to face"; For "the Spirit before our face, Christ [the Lord], of whom we said: In his shadow we shall live among the nations." If the shadow of your life provides so many good things, such as Moses had when prophesying, such as Isaiah had when seeing "the Lord Sabaoth sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up," such as Jeremiah had when hearing "Before I formed you in the womb, I know you, and before I formed you in the womb, I know you, and before 28 you came forth from the womb, I consecrated you," such as Ezekiel had when seeing the Cherubim, seeing the wheels, the ineffable mysteries, how shall we live, when we no longer live under the shadow of life, but have come to be in life itself. For now our "life is hidden with Christ; but when Christ is revealed, our life, then" we also "with him" will be revealed "in glory." Let us hasten to this life, groaning, grieving that we are in

θανάτου φωνῆς. Παραστῆσαι πειράσομαι ὅσα σημαίνεται οὐ καθ' Ἕλληνας, ἀλλ' ὅσα σημαίνεται κατὰ τὴν θείαν γραφήν. Ἴσως μέν μου σοφώτερος καὶ ἄλλα σημαι νόμενα παραστήσει· ἐγὼ μέντοι γε ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος οἶδα τρεῖς θανάτους. Ποίους τούτους τρεῖς θανάτους; «Ζῇ» τις «τῷ Θεῷ» καὶ «ἀπέθανεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ» κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον. Οὗτος μακάριος ὁ θάνατος· ἀποθνῄσκει τις τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· τοῦτον τὸν θάνατον ὁ Κύριός μου ἀπέθανεν. «Ὃ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν, τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀπέθανεν.» Οἶδα καὶ ἄλλον θάνατον καθ' ὃν ἀποθνῄσκει τις τῷ Θεῷ, περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «Ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὐτὴ ἀποθανεῖται.» Οἶδα καὶ τρίτον θάνατον καθ' ὃν κοινῶς νομίζομεν τοὺς ἀπαλλαγέντας τοῦ σώματος ἀποτεθνά ναι· «ἔζησεν» γὰρ Ἀδὰμ «ἔτη τριάκοντα καὶ ἐνακόσια, καὶ ἀπέθανεν». Τριῶν τοίνυν ὄντων θανάτων, ἴδωμεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἀνθρωπίνη πότερόν ἐστιν κατὰ τοὺς τρεῖς θανάτους ἀθάνατος, ἢ οὐ κατὰ τοὺς τρεῖς θανάτους, ἀλλὰ κατά τινας τούτων ἀθάνατος. Κατὰ τὸν μέσον θάνατον πάντες ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνῄσκομεν· ὃν διάλυσιν νομίζομεν εἶναι. <Τοῦτον> τὸν θάνατον οὐδεμία ψυχὴ ἀνθρώπου ἀπο26 θνῄσκει· εἰ γὰρ ἀπέθνῃσκεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκολάζετο μετὰ τὸν θάνατον. «Ζητήσουσιν, φησίν, οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν θάνατον καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσουσιν αὐτόν.» Αἱ γὰρ κολαζόμεναι ψυχαὶ ζητήσουσιν τὸν θάνατον, θελήσουσιν μᾶλλον εἰ μὴ ἔσονται ἤπερ ἵνα ὦσιν μέν, κολάζωνται δέ· διὰ τοῦτο «ζητήσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν θάνατον καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρήσουσιν αὐτόν». Κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον πᾶσα ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ἀθάνατος. Κατὰ δὲ τὰ λοιπὰ τὰ σημαινόμενα, κατὰ μὲν τὸ ἕτερον θνητὴ ψυχή, καὶ μακαρία ἐὰν ἀποθάνῃ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Περὶ τούτου τοῦ θανάτου Βαλαὰμ προφητεύων ἔλεγεν εὐχόμενος ἐν πνεύματι θείῳ· «Ἀποθάνοι ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν ψυχαῖς δικαίων.» Περὶ τούτου τοῦ θανάτου παραδόξως ἐπροφήτευσεν ὁ Βαλαάμ, καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἐν λόγῳ Θεοῦ τὰ κάλλιστα ηὔχετο· ηὔχετο γὰρ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀποθανεῖν ἵνα ζήσῃ τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· «Ἀποθάνοι ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν ψυχαῖς δικαίων, καὶ γένοιτο τὸ σπέρμα μου ὡς τὸ σπέρμα τούτων.» Ἄλλος δὲ θάνατος ἔστιν, καθ' ὃν οὐκ ἐσμὲν μὲν ἀθάνατοι, δυνά-μεθα δὲ ἐκ τοῦ φυλάττεσθαι μὴ ἀποθανεῖν. Καὶ τάχα τὸ θνητὸν τῆς ψυχῆς οὐκ ἀεί ἐστιν θνητόν· ὅσον μὲν γὰρ ἐπιδέχεται τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν τοιαύτην ἁμαρτίαν ὥστε γενέσθαι «ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὐτὴ ἀποθανεῖται», θνητὴ τοῦ ὄντως θανάτου ἐστὶν ἡ ψυχή· ἐὰν δὲ γένηται 27 ἐν βεβαιώσει τῆς μακαριότητος ὥστε ἀνεπίδεκτος εἶναι τοῦ θανάτου, ἡ δὲ ἔχουσα τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν οὐκέτι ἐστὶν θνητή, ἀλλὰ γέγονεν καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ σημαινόμενον ἀθάνατος. -Πῶς εἴρηται παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ «Ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν» ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ζητῶ ἵν' εὕρω ὅτι Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς «ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν χωρὶς Θεοῦ». Ἔχεις ὅπως μόνος ὁ Θεὸς ἔχει τὴν ἀθανασίαν. Ἀναλαμβάνωμεν οὖν τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν· ἀναλαμβάνωμεν ἐκ τοῦ ἐφ' ἡμῖν. Οὐ δίδωσιν αὐτὴν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεός, ἀλλὰ παρατίθησιν· «Ἰδοὺ δέδωκα πρὸ προσώπου σου τὴν ζωήν.» Ἐφ' ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἐκτεῖναι τὴν χεῖρ[α, πρᾶξαι πράξεσιν ἀγαθαῖς καὶ λαβεῖν τὴν ζωὴν καὶ ἐναποθέσθαι τῇ ψυχῇ. Αὕτη ἡ ζωὴ Χριστός ἐστιν εἰπών· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή», αὕτη ἡ ζωὴ ἣ νῦν μὲν δικαίοις πάρεστιν ἐν σκιᾷ, «τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον»· «Πνεῦμα» γὰρ «πρὸ προσώπου ἡμῶν Χριστὸς [Κύριος] οὗ εἴπωμεν· Ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ ζησόμεθα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν». Εἰ τοσαῦτα ἀγαθὰ παρέχει ἡ σκιά σου τῆς ζωῆς, οἵαν εἶχεν Μωϋσῆς προφητεύων, ὁποίαν εἶχεν Ἡσαΐας βλέπων «τὸν Κύριον Σαβαὼθ καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου», ὁποίαν εἶχεν Ἱερεμίας ἀκούων «Πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ, ἐπίσταμαί σε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ με πλάσαι σε ἐν κοιλίᾳ, ἐπίσταμαί σε, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ 28 σε ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ μήτρας, ἡγίακά σε», ὁποίαν εἶχεν Ἰεζεκιὴλ βλέπων τὰ Χερουβίμ, βλέπων τοὺς τροχούς, τὰ ἀπόρρητα μυστήρια, πῶς ζησόμεθα, ὅταν μηκέτι ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν ζῶμεν τῆς ζωῆς, ἀλλὰ γενώμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ζωῇ. Νῦν γὰρ «ἡ ζωὴ» ἡμῶν «κέκρυπται σὺν τῷ Χριστῷ· ὅταν δὲ Χριστὸς φανερωθῇ, ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῶν, τότε καὶ» ἡμεῖς «σὺν αὐτῷ» φανερωθησόμεθα «ἐν δόξῃ». Ἐπὶ ταύτην τὴν ζωὴν σπεύσωμεν, στενάζοντες, λυπούμενοι ὅτι ἐσμὲν ἐν