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your, and your frequent infirmities, and not simply infirmities. Another, having been slandered by the many, acquired an evil reputation, and this itself pains the soul and consumes it continually; having entered and heard, "Blessed are you, when they reproach you, and lyingly say every evil thing against you; rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven," he will put away all despondency and receive all pleasure; For leap and be glad, he says, when they cast out your name as evil. And He comforts those who are spoken ill of in this way, but frightens those who speak ill in another way, saying, "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account for it, whether good or evil." Another has lost a little daughter or a son, or one of his relatives, and this one, having come here and heard Paul groaning over the present life and desiring to see the life to come, and being weighed down by his sojourn here, will himself take sufficient medicine and depart, hearing him say: "But concerning them which are asleep, I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope." He did not say, "Concerning those who are dying," 51.62 but, "Concerning them which are asleep," showing that death is a sleep. Therefore, just as when we see someone sleeping, we are not troubled, nor do we grieve, expecting that he will certainly rise up; so when we see someone who has died, let us not be troubled, nor fall down; for this too is a sleep, a longer one, but a sleep nonetheless. So by the name of "falling asleep" he comforted those who mourn, and he overturned the accusation of the unbelievers. If you mourn intolerably for the one who has departed, he says, you will be like that unbeliever who has no hope of resurrection. He rightly laments, since he is able to philosophize nothing about the things to come; but you, who have received so many proofs concerning the life after this, for what reason do you fall into the same weakness as he? For this reason he says, "But concerning them which are asleep, we would not have you to be ignorant, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope." But not only from the New, but also from the Old [Testament] it is possible to receive sufficient comfort. For when you hear of Job, after the loss of his possessions, after the loss of his herds, having lost not one and two and three, but a whole company of children in the very flower of their age, after such virtue of soul, even if you are weaker than all, you will be able to easily recover and restore yourself. For you, O man, both attended your sick child, and saw him lying on his bed, and heard his last words, and were present for his last breaths, and you lowered his eyes, and closed his mouth; but he was not even present as they gave up the ghost, he did not see them expire, but the house became one tomb for them all, and on the same table brains and blood were poured out alike, and wood, and tile, and dust, and torn flesh, and all things were mingled together. But yet after such and so many things he did not lament, he did not despair, but what does he say? "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass; blessed be the name of the Lord for ever." Let us also utter this phrase upon each of the things that befall us, whether a loss of money, and sickness of body, and insult, and slander, or whatever of human evils may happen, let us say these things: "The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so has it come to pass, blessed be the name of the Lord for ever." If we philosophize thus, we will never suffer any evil, even if we suffer a myriad of things; but the gain will be greater than the loss, the good things more than the evils, by these words making God gracious to yourself, repelling the tyranny. For as soon as the tongue uttered these words, the devil immediately leaped away; and with him having leaped away, the cloud of despondency is also driven away, and those who afflict us

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σου, καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀσθενείας. Ἕτερος συκοφαντηθεὶς παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς πονηρὰν ἐκτήσατο δόξαν, καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὴν ψυχὴν ὀδυνᾷ καὶ κατεσθίει διηνεκῶς· εἰσελθὼν καὶ ἀκούσας, ὅτι Μακάριοί ἐστε, ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ εἴπωσι καθ' ὑμῶν πᾶν πονηρὸν πρᾶγμα ψευδόμενοι· χαίρετε, καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἀποθήσεται πᾶσαν ἀθυμίαν καὶ δέξεται πᾶσαν ἡδονήν· Σκιρτᾶτε γὰρ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, φησὶν, ὅταν ἐκβάλλωσιν ὑμῖν ὄνομα πονηρόν. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν κακῶς ἀκούοντας τούτῳ παραμυθεῖται τῷ τρόπῳ, τοὺς δὲ κακῶς λέγοντας ἑτέρως φοβεῖ λέγων, ὅτι Πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν, ὃ ἐὰν λαλήσωσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, δώσουσι περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγον, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν, εἴτε κακόν. Ἄλλος τις θυγάτριον ἀπέβαλεν ἢ υἱὸν, ἤ τινα τῶν προσηκόντων, καὶ οὗτος ἐνταῦθα παραγενόμενος Παύλου στενάζοντος ἐπὶ τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπιθυμοῦντος ἰδεῖν, καὶ βαρυνομένου τῇ ἐνταῦθα διατριβῇ, καὶ αὐτὸς λαβὼν ἱκανὸν φάρμακον ἀπελεύσεται ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Περὶ δὲ τῶν κεκοιμημένων οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Οὐκ εἶπε, Περὶ τῶν ἀποθνησκόντων, 51.62 ἀλλὰ, Περὶ τῶν κεκοιμημένων, δεικνὺς ὅτι ὕπνος ἐστὶν ὁ θάνατος. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἂν ἴδωμέν τινα καθεύδοντα, οὐ θορυβούμεθα, οὐδὲ ἀλύομεν προσδοκῶντες αὐτὸν ἀναστήσεσθαι πάντως· οὕτως ὅταν ἴδωμέν τινα ἀποθανόντα, μὴ θορυβώμεθα, μηδὲ καταπίπτωμεν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ὕπνος μακρότερος μὲν, ὕπνος δὲ ὅμως. Τῷ μὲν οὖν ὀνόματι τῆς κοιμήσεως παρεμυθήσατο τοὺς πενθοῦντας, τὴν δὲ κατηγορίαν τῶν ἀπίστων ἀνέτρεψεν. Ἐὰν πενθῇς, φησὶ, τὸν ἀπελθόντα ἀφορήτως, κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἔσῃ τὸν ἄπιστον τὸν οὐκ ἔχοντα ἐλπίδα ἀναστάσεως. Ἐκεῖνος καλῶς θρηνεῖ, ἅτε περὶ τῶν μελλόντων μηδὲν δυνάμενος φιλοσοφεῖν· σὺ δὲ ὁ τοσαύτας λαβὼν ἀποδείξεις περὶ τῆς μετὰ ταῦτα ζωῆς, τίνος ἕνεκεν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἀσθένειαν ἐκείνῳ καταπίπτεις; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι, Περὶ δὲ τῶν κεκοιμημένων οὐ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς Καινῆς δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς ἱκανὴν ἔστι λαβεῖν παραμυθίαν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀκούσῃς τοῦ Ἰὼβ μετὰ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων ἀποβολὴν, μετὰ τὴν τῶν βουκολίων ἀπώλειαν, οὐχ ἕνα καὶ δύο καὶ τρεῖς, ἀλλ' ὁλόκληρον χορὸν ἀποβαλόντα παίδων ἐν αὐτῷ τῆς ἡλικίας τῷ ἄνθει, μετὰ τοσαύτην ψυχῆς ἀρετὴν, κἂν ἁπάντων ἀσθενέστερος ᾖς, δυνήσῃ ῥᾳδίως ἑαυτὸν ἀνακτήσασθαι καὶ ἀνενεγκεῖν. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ παρηκολούθησας ᾀῤῥωστοῦντι τῷ παιδὶ, καὶ κατακλινόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης εἶδες, καὶ ἔσχατα φθεγγόμενον ῥήματα ἤκουσας, καὶ τὰς τελευταίας ἀναπνέοντα παρέστης ἀναπνοὰς, καὶ καθεῖλες ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ συνέκλεισας στόμα· ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐδὲ παρέστη ψυχοῤῥαγοῦσι, οὐκ εἶδεν ἐκπνέοντας, ἀλλ' εἷς ἐγένετο τάφος πᾶσιν ἡ οἰκία, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς τραπέζης ἐγκέφαλος ὁμοίως καὶ αἷμα ἐκέχυτο, καὶ ξύλα, καὶ κέραμος, καὶ κόνις, καὶ σάρκες διατετμημέναι, καὶ πάντα ὁμοίως ἐφύρετο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα οὐκ ἐθρήνησεν, οὐκ ἀπεδυσπέτησεν, ἀλλὰ τί φησιν; Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο, ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο· εἴη τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ταύτην καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν συμβαινόντων ἡμῖν φθεγγώμεθα τὴν φωνὴν, κἂν ζημία χρημάτων, καὶ σωμάτων ἀῤῥωστία, καὶ ἐπήρεια, καὶ συκοφαντία, κἂν ὁτιοῦν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων συμβαίνῃ κακῶν, ταῦτα λέγωμεν· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο· ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο, εἴη τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου εὐλογημένον εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἂν οὕτω φιλοσοφήσωμεν, οὐδὲν οὐδέποτε πεισόμεθα κακὸν, κἂν μυρία πάσχωμεν· ἀλλ' ἔσται μεῖζον τῆς ζημίας τὸ κέρδος, πλείω τῶν κακῶν τὰ ἀγαθὰ, διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων ἵλεω τὸν Θεὸν σεαυτῷ ποιῶν, τὴν τυραννίδα ἀποκρουόμενος. Ὁμοῦ γὰρ ἐφθέγξατο ἡ γλῶσσα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, καὶ εὐθέως ἀπεπήδησεν ὁ διάβολος· ἐκείνου δὲ ἀποπηδήσαντος, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας νέφος ἀπελαύνεται, καὶ οἱ θλίβοντες ἡμᾶς