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that dwelling, if it were possible; so also that blessed man, having contemplated the things in the heavens, despised the poverty here, and though associating with men because of the body's necessity, he turned his attention to none of the things here, but transferred his whole self to that city. And why do I speak of the painful things in the present life? So great was the desire for Christ that possessed him, that if it were proposed even to undergo those immortal punishments for Christ's sake, he would never have refused even this. For not as we, like hirelings, fearing hell and desiring the kingdom, did he serve Christ, but seized by some other desire, much better and more blessed than this, he both suffered and did all things for no other reason than to satisfy the love alone which he had for Christ; which so powerfully seized his mind, that even what was more precious to him than all things, I mean being with Christ, for whose sake he despised both hell and the kingdom of heaven, even from this he again willingly chose to be alienated for Christ's sake, embracing even that unspeakable fall as one of the most desirable things and choosing it with much eagerness.

8. And perhaps what has been said now seems unclear to many; but when I state it more clearly, then again it will seem unbelievable to those to whom it was formerly unclear. And it is no wonder; for indeed that blessed man, expecting to be disbelieved about these things, for this reason said beforehand: I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit. And yet, having added so much to his statement, and having called such witnesses to his conscience, he is still disbelieved even now. What then is this that he says? Listen. After discoursing about the terrible things in this world, and saying, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" and having gone through all things on earth, he ascends to heaven, and wishing to show that it is no great thing to despise the punishments here for Christ's sake, he added, "For neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." What he says is this: Not only will men not be able to tear me from this friendship, but not even angels, nor if all the heavenly powers came together for this, would they have the strength. What am I saying? Not even if it were necessary to fall from the kingdom, nor to fall into hell for Christ's sake, not even this is fearful to me. For "height" and "depth," and "life" and "death," signify nothing other than this. But he said these things, not as if angels would attempt to separate him from Christ, but he also proposes in his argument things that would never happen at all, so that he might be able to present and make manifest to all the great desire which he had. For such is the custom of those who love; they do not bear to contain their love in silence, but bring forth the flame to all their friends, giving rest to their own soul by continually recounting the excess of their desire. This, then, is what that blessed man did at that time; and having encompassed all things in his argument—things that are, things that will be, things that have happened, things that will never happen, things visible and invisible, and all punishment, and all rest—as if these were not sufficient for him for the presentation of his passion, he again posited in his argument and set forth as many other non-existent things (for the phrase, "any other creature," is of things that do not exist), thus he added, declaring that of all the things mentioned, "nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." And he indeed kindled his own desire to such a height; but we, who have been commanded to be imitators of him, do not even bear the tribulations here with ease, but are distressed and impatient no less than those who have a fever. For this long sickness, which has seized our

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ἐκείνην τὴν οἴκησιν, ἂν ἐξῆ· οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος κατοπτεύσας τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, κατεφρόνει τῆς ἐνθάδε πενίας, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις διὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀνάγκην συναναστρεφόμενος, πρὸς οὐδὲν τῶν ἐνθάδε ἐπεστρέφετο, ἀλλ' ὅλον ἑαυτὸν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἐκείνην μετέθηκε. Καὶ τί λέγω τὰ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ λυπηρά; τοσοῦτον ἐπένευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πόθος, ὡς εἴ γε προέκειτο καὶ τὰς ἀθανάτους κολάσεις ἐκείνας ὑπενεγκεῖν ἕνεκεν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μηδ' ἂν τοῦτο παραιτήσασθαί ποτε. Οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς οἱ μισθωτοὶ γέενναν δεδοικότες, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐφιέμενοι, οὕτω κἀκεῖνος ἐδούλευε τῷ Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' ἑτέρῳ τινὶ πολλῷ τούτου βελτίονι καὶ μακαρίῳ πόθῳ ληφθεὶς, ἔπασχέ τε καὶ ἔπραττεν ἅπαντα δι' ἕτερον μὲν οὐδὲν, ἵνα δὲ παραμυθήσηται τὸν ἔρωτα μόνον, ὃν εἶχεν εἰς τὸν Χριστόν· ὃς οὕτως αὐτοῦ κατὰ κράτος εἷλε τὸν λογισμὸν, ὡς καὶ ὃ πάντων αὐτῷ τιμιώτερον ἦν, τὸ συνεῖναι τῷ Χριστῷ λέγω, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ γεέννης κατεφρόνησε καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν, καὶ τούτου πάλιν ἀλλοτριωθῆναι ἑκὼν, ἑλόμενος διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ τὴν ἄφατον ἔκπτωσιν, ὡς ἕν τι τῶν εὐκταιοτάτων, ἀσπάζεσθαι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἑλέσθαι τῆς προθυμίας.

ηʹ. Καὶ τάχα νῦν μὲν ἀσαφὲς εἶναι δοκεῖ πολλοῖς τὸ λεχθέν· ὅταν δὲ αὐτὸ σαφέστερον εἴπω, τότε πάλιν ἄπιστον εἶναι δόξει τούτοις, οἷς πρότερον ἦν ἀσαφές. Καὶ οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος προσδοκήσας ἀπιστηθήσεσθαι περὶ τούτων, διὰ τοῦτο προλαβὼν ἔλεγεν· Ἀλήθειαν λέγω ἐν Χριστῷ, οὐ ψεύ 47.406 δομαι, συμμαρτυρούσης μοι τῆς συνειδήσεώς μου ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. Καὶ ὅμως τοσαῦτα τῷ λόγῳ προσθεὶς, καὶ μάρτυρας αὐτοῦ τῆς συνειδήσεως καλέσας τοιούτους, ἀπιστεῖται καὶ νῦν ἔτι. Τί τοίνυν τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ φησιν; Ἄκουε. ∆ιαλεχθεὶς περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ δεινῶν, καὶ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλῖψις, ἢ στενοχωρία, ἢ διωγμὸς, ἢ λιμὸς, ἢ γυμνότης, ἢ κίνδυνος, ἢ μάχαιρα; καὶ πάντα διελθὼν τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἄνεισιν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ὅτι οὐδὲν μέγα τῶν ἐνταῦθα κολαστηρίων καταφρονεῖν διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Οὔτε ἄγγελοι, οὔτε ἀρχαὶ, οὔτε δυνάμεις, οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα, οὔτε μέλλοντα, οὔτε ὕψωμα, οὔτε βάθος, οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Οὐ μόνον ἄνθρωποι οὐ δυνήσονται ταύτης διασπάσαι με τῆς φιλίας, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἄγγελοι, οὐδ' ἂν εἰ πᾶσα. τῶν οὐρανίων συνέλθοιεν εἰς ταυτὸ δυνάμεις, τοῦτο ἰσχύσουσι. Τί λέγω; οὐδ' ἂν βασιλείας ἐκπεσεῖν δέῃ, οὐδ' ἂν εἰς γέενναν ἐμπεσεῖν διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, οὐδὲ τοῦτό μοι φοβερόν. Τὸ γὰρ ὕψωμα καὶ βάθος, καὶ ζωὴ καὶ θάνατος, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τοῦτο ἐμφαίνει. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀγγέλων ἐπιχειρησόντων αὐτὸν διαστῆσαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μηδόλως ἐκβησόμενά ποτε ὑποτίθεται τῷ λόγῳ, ἵνα δυνηθῇ τὸν πολὺν πόθον, ὃν εἶχε, παραστῆσαι καὶ ποιῆσαι κατάδηλον ἅπασι. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ τῶν φιλούντων ἔθος ἐστίν· οὐ στέγουσι σιγῇ κατέχειν τὸν ἔρωτα, ἀλλ' εἰς τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους ἅπαντας τὴν φλόγα ἐκφέρουσι, τῷ συνεχῶς διηγεῖσθαι τοῦ πόθου τὴν ὑπερβολὴν διαναπαύοντες αὐτῶν τὴν ψυχήν. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος τότε ἐποίησε· καὶ πάντα τῷ λόγῳ περιλαβὼν, τὰ ὄντα, τὰ ἐσόμενα, τὰ συμβάντα, τὰ μηδέποτε συμβησόμενα, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, καὶ πᾶσαν κόλασιν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀνάπαυσιν, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἀρκούντων τούτων αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πάθους παράστασιν, ἕτερα τοσαῦτα πάλιν οὐχ ὑφεστῶτα ὑποστησάμενος τῷ λόγῳ καὶ θεὶς (τὸ γὰρ, Κτίσις ἑτέρα, τῶν οὐχ ὑφεστώτων ἐστὶν), οὕτως ἐπήγαγε, δηλῶν ὅτι πάντων τῶν εἰρημένων οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι δυνήσεται τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν πρὸς τοσοῦτον ὕψος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πόθον ἀνῆψεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ κελευσθέντες εἶναι αὐτοῦ μιμηταὶ, οὐδὲ τὰς ἐνθάδε θλίψεις φέρομεν εὐχερῶς, ἀλλὰ ἀλύομεν καὶ δυσανασχετοῦμεν τῶν πυρεττόντων οὐκ ἔλαττον. Ἡ γὰρ μακρὰ αὕτη νόσος, ἡ καταλαβοῦσα τὰς ἡμετέρας