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of table and lifestyle, and if we should go through all their pastimes and characters and uses and the services which they provide to us, and their sizes and their shortness and their birth-pangs and their rearing, and the great and ineffable variety in these things, and if we should do this very same thing also for the fish, and from there should come also to the plants, that grow everywhere on earth, and if we should see the fruit of each of these, and its use and fragrance and appearance and position and leaves and color, and shape and size and smallness and benefit, and ways of cultivation, 7.32 and differences of barks and trunks and branches and meadows and gardens, then if we should move on to the various spices and curiously examine their diverse locations and the ways of their discovery and of their care and of their cultivation and that it contributes to our healing; and after these things again, if we should proceed further to the mountains with their metals, they being many also, and if we should investigate how many other things, much more numerous throughout creation, what discourse or what time will suffice us for the accurate understanding of these things? 7.33 And all these things, O man, are for your sake, and arts are for your sake and practices and cities and villages, and sleep is for your sake and death is for your sake and life is for your sake and growth and so many works of nature, and such is the world for your sake now, and again a better one for your sake. For that it will be better, and this for your sake, hear what Paul says: “That creation itself also will be set free from the slavery of corruption” that is, from being corruptible. And showing how it will enjoy so great an honor for your sake, he added, “Into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” 7.34 If I were not making the discourse very long and beyond measure, I would have philosophized much also about death and in this especially I would have shown the wisdom of God and his providence, and I would have said many things about corruption, about ichor, about worms, and about ashes, things which the many especially lament and bewail, that our bodies will be dissolved into ashes, into dust, into worms, and from there we would have shown his ineffable providence and care. 7.35 For from the same providence, from the same goodness from which he made us when we were not, from the same he also commanded us to die and to have such an end. For even if the things that happen are different, yet they are of one goodness; for the one who has departed is in no way harmed by this, and the one who is living will gain the greatest things from this, reaping his own benefit from another's body. 7.36 For when he sees the one who yesterday and the day before was walking with him, being dissolved into worms and into ichor and ash and dust, even if he has the recklessness of the devil himself, he cowers, he draws back, he becomes moderate, he is taught to be philosophical and establishes in his mind humility, the mother of goods. 7.37 And the one who has departed has not been harmed at all; for he will receive this body back pure and incorruptible; and he who is still in the contest, from things by which the other was not harmed at all, will gain the greatest things. No ordinary teacher of philosophy, death, was introduced into our life, training the mind and bridling the passions of the soul and calming the waves and making a calm. 7.38 Having learned, therefore, both from what has been said and from many other things the providence of God shining forth more clearly than this light, do not meddle in superfluous things, nor pursue unattainable things, by examining the causes of all things. For he has given us our very being out of goodness, having no need of our service. 7.39 And it is right to marvel at him and worship him, not only because he made us, nor because he bestowed an incorporeal and rational soul, nor because he made us better than all other things, nor because he entrusted the kingdom of things seen and permitted a scepter, but because he did so while needing nothing from us. For this indeed is the marvel of his goodness, that needing nothing of our service, he brought us into being. For even before we and the angels and the powers above came to be, he was possessing his own glory

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τραπέζης καὶ διαγωγῆς καὶ τὰς διατριβὰς καὶ τὰ ἤθη καὶ τὰς χρείας καὶ τὰς διακονίας ἃς παρέχουσιν ἡμῖν πάσας ἐπέλθοιμεν καὶ τὰ μεγέθη καὶ τὴν βραχύτητα καὶ τὰς ὠδῖνας καὶ τὴν ἀνατροφὴν καὶ τὴν πολλὴν ἐν τούτοις καὶ ἄφατον ποικιλίαν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ ἰχθύων ποιήσαιμεν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἔλθοιμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς βοτάνας, τὰς πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς φυομένας, ἑκάστου τε τούτων καὶ καρπὸν ἴδοιμεν καὶ χρείαν καὶ εὐωδίαν καὶ ὄψιν καὶ θέσιν καὶ φύλλα καὶ χρῶμα, καὶ σχῆμα καὶ μέγεθος καὶ μικρότητα καὶ ὠφέλειαν, καὶ ἐργασίας τρόπους, 7.32 καὶ φλοιῶν καὶ στελεχῶν καὶ κλάδων διαφορὰς καὶ λειμῶνας καὶ παραδείσους, εἶτα μετέλθοιμεν ἐπὶ τὰ ποικίλα ἀρώματα καὶ τοὺς παντοδαποὺς τόπους αὐτῶν περιεργασαίμεθα καὶ τοὺς τρόπους τῆς εὑρέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιμελείας καὶ τῆς γεωργίας καὶ ὅτι πρὸς ἰατρείαν ἡμῖν συντελεῖ· καὶ μετὰ τούτων πάλιν, εἰ ἐπὶ τὰ μεταλλικὰ ἔτι χωρήσαιμεν ὄρη, πολλὰ ὄντα κἀκεῖνα καὶ ὅσα ἕτερα πολλῷ πλείονα κατὰ τὴν κτίσιν διερευνήσαιμεν, ποῖος λόγος ἢ ποῖος ἡμῖν διαρκέσει χρόνος πρὸς τὴν τούτων ἀκριβῆ κατανόησιν; 7.33 Καὶ ταῦτα ἅπαντα, ἄνθρωπε, διὰ σὲ καὶ τέχναι διὰ σὲ καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα καὶ πόλεις καὶ κῶμαι καὶ ὕπνος διὰ σὲ καὶ θάνατος διὰ σὲ καὶ ζωὴ διὰ σὲ καὶ αὔξησις καὶ φύσεως ἔργα τοσαῦτα καὶ τοιοῦτος ὁ κόσμος διὰ σὲ νῦν καὶ πάλιν ἀμείνων διὰ σέ. Ὅτι γὰρ ἀμείνων ἔσται καὶ τοῦτο διὰ σέ, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ εἶναι φθαρτή. Καὶ πῶς καὶ τῆς τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσεται τιμῆς διὰ σὲ δηλῶν ἐπήγαγεν «Εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ Θεοῦ». 7.34 Εἰ δὲ μὴ μακρὸν σφόδρα καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον ἐποιούμην τὸν λόγον, πολλὰ ἂν καὶ περὶ θανάτου ἐφιλοσόφησα καὶ ἐν τούτῳ μάλιστα ἐδείκνυον τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ πολλὰ περὶ φθορᾶς, περὶ ἰχῶρος, περὶ σκωλήκων καὶ περὶ τέφρας εἶπον ἄν, ἅπερ μάλιστα θρηνοῦσιν οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ ἀποδύρονται, ὅτι εἰς τέφραν, ὅτι εἰς κόνιν, ὅτι εἰς σκώληκας διαλυθήσεται ἡμῶν τὰ σώματα, κἀντεῦθεν ἐδείξαμεν τὴν ἄφατον αὐτοῦ πρόνοιαν καὶ κηδεμονίαν. 7.35 Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς αὐτῆς προνοίας, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀγαθότητος ἀφ' ἧς οὐκ ὄντας ἐποίησεν, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς καὶ ἀποθνήσκειν ἐκέλευσε καὶ τοιοῦτον ἔχειν τὸ τέλος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διάφορα τὰ γινόμενα, ἀλλὰ μιᾶς εἰσιν ἀγαθότητος· ὅ τε γὰρ ἀπελθὼν οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν παραβλάπτεται, ὅ τε ζῶν τὰ μέγιστα ἐντεῦθεν κερδανεῖ, ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ σώματι οἰκείαν καρπούμενος ὠφέλειαν. 7.36 Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ τὸν χθὲς καὶ πρώην μετ' αὐτοῦ βαδίζοντα, τοῦτον εἰς σκώληκας διαλυόμενον καὶ εἰς ἰχῶρα καὶ τέφραν καὶ κόνιν, κἂν αὐτοῦ τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν ἀπόνοιαν ἔχῃ, καταπτήσσει, συστέλλεται, μετριάζει, φιλοσοφεῖν παιδεύεται καὶ τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην εἰς τὴν διάνοιαν εἰσοικίζει. 7.37 Καὶ οὔτε ὁ ἀπελθών τι παρεβλάβη· ἀπολήψεται γὰρ τοῦτο τὸ σῶμα ἀκήρατον καὶ ἄφθαρτον· ὅ τε ἔτι ἐν τῷ σκάμματι ὤν, ἀφ' ὧν οὐδὲν ἕτερος ἐβλάβη, τὰ μέγιστα κερδανεῖ. Οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν διδάσκαλος φιλοσοφίας ὁ θάνατος εἰσηνέχθη εἰς τὸν ἡμέτερον βίον, παιδαγωγῶν τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τὰ πάθη τῆς ψυχῆς χαλινῶν καὶ τὰ κύματα καταστέλλων καὶ γαλήνην ποιῶν. 7.38 Μαθὼν τοίνυν καὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων πλειόνων τοῦ φωτὸς τούτου φανερώτερον διαλάμπουσαν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν, μὴ περιεργάζου τὰ περιττά, μηδὲ ἀκίχητα δίωκε, τὰς αἰτίας πάντων ἐξετάζων. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τὸ εἶναι ἐξ ἀγαθότητος ἡμῖν παρέσχεν οὐ χρείαν ἔχων ἡμῶν τῆς διακονίας. 7.39 Καὶ χρὴ θαυμάζειν αὐτὸν καὶ προσκυνεῖν, οὐχ ὅτι ἐποίησε μόνον, οὐδ' ὅτι ψυχὴν ἐχαρίσατο ἀσώματον καὶ λογικήν, οὐδ' ὅτι τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων βελτίους εἰργάσατο, οὐδ' ὅτι τὴν βασιλείαν ἐνεχείρισε τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ σκῆπτρα ἐπέτρεψεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι μηδὲν δεόμενος ἡμῶν. Τὸ γὰρ δὴ θαυμαστὸν τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅτι οὐδὲν χρῄζων ἡμῶν τῆς διακονίας παρήγαγε. Καὶ γὰρ πρὶν γενέσθαι καὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀγγέλους καὶ τὰς ἄνω δυνάμεις, ἦν τὴν οἰκείαν δόξαν ἔχων