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But death is the beginning of punishments for those who do not believe that there is a judgment. And who came from there, he says, and uttered these things? If you say these things in jest, not even so is it good; for one must not jest in such matters; for we are not playing with trifles, but we are playing with danger; but if you are truly so disposed, and you do not think there is anything after this, how do you say you are a Christian? For I have no argument with those outside. Why do you receive baptism? Why do you enter the church? For do we not promise dignities? All our hope is in the things to come. Why then do you approach, if you do not believe the Scriptures, if you do not believe in Christ? I would not call such a one a Christian, may it never be, but even worse than the Greeks. In what way? In this, that thinking Christ to be God, you do not believe him as God. For that impiety has a certain consistency; for one who does not think Christ is God must necessarily not believe; but this impiety has no consistency, to confess God, and not to think him trustworthy concerning what he said. These are the words of drunkenness, of luxury, of extravagance; Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Not tomorrow, but when you say these things, you are already dead. Therefore, shall we differ in nothing from pigs or from donkeys, tell me? For if there is neither judgment, nor retribution, nor a tribunal, for what reason have we been honored with such a gift, with reason, and have all things subjected to us? why do we rule, while they are ruled? See how from every side the devil hastens to persuade us to be ignorant of the gift of God. He mixes slaves with masters; just as some kidnapper and ungrateful servant forces the free man down into the same baseness as the one who has offended. And he seems to do away with judgment, but he does away with the existence of God. For such is the devil always, he puts everything forward with subtlety, and not directly, so that we may be on our guard. If there is no judgment, God is not just; I speak in human terms; if God is not just, He is not even God; if there is no God, all things are simply borne along, there is no virtue, no vice. But he says none of these things openly. Do you see the thought of this satanic reasoning? how he wishes to make irrational beings out of men, or rather beasts, or rather demons? Let us not then be persuaded. For there is a judgment, you miserable and wretched man. 62.316 I know from where you come to these words; you have sinned much, you have offended, you have no boldness, you think that the nature of things also follows your words. For the time being, he says, I will not pain my soul with the expectation of hell; and even if there is a hell, I will persuade it that there is not; for the time being I will live luxuriously here. Why do you add sins to sins? If having sinned you believe there is a hell, you will depart having paid the penalty for only some of your sins; but if you also add this impiety, you will pay the final punishment both for the impiety and for this reasoning; and the cold comfort that came to you for a short time will be for you the basis of everlasting punishment. So be it, you have sinned; why do you also urge others to sin, saying there is no hell? why do you deceive the more simple? why have you paralyzed the hands of the people? For your part, all things have been overturned; neither will the zealous be more zealous, but slothful; nor will the evil stand aloof from evil. For if we corrupt others, do we have forgiveness of our sins? Do you not see how the devil attempted to bring down Adam? Was there forgiveness for him for this? Rather, it was an occasion for greater punishment. For he contrives everything, so that we may be punished not only for our own sins, but also for those of others. Let us not think, then, that bringing others down into the same destruction as ourselves makes the tribunal milder for us; rather, this will make it more severe. Why do we push ourselves, and destroy ourselves? This whole thing is satanic. Man, have you sinned? You have a benevolent Master; beseech, supplicate, weep, groan, and frighten others, and entreat them not to fall into the same things. If anyone in a house, being a slave of the

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ἀλλ' ἀρχὴ τιμωριῶν ὁ θάνατος ἀπιστούντων ὅτι ἐστὶ κρίσις. Καὶ τίς ἐκεῖθεν ἦλθε, φησὶ, καὶ ταῦτα ἐφθέγξατο; Εἰ μὲν παίζων ταῦτα λέγεις, οὐδὲ οὕτω καλῶς· οὐ γὰρ δεῖ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις παίζειν· οὐ γὰρ ἐν παικτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπικινδύνως παίζομεν· εἰ δὲ ὄντως οὕτως ἔχων, καὶ οὐκ οἴει εἶναί τι μετὰ ταῦτα, πῶς εἶναι φὴς Χριστιανός; οὐδεὶς γάρ μοι τῶν ἔξω λόγος. ∆ιὰ τί λουτρὸν λαμβάνεις; διὰ τί τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐπιβαίνεις; μὴ γὰρ ἀρχὰς ὑπισχνούμεθα; πᾶσα ἡμῶν ἐλπὶς ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσι. Τί τοίνυν προσέρχῃ, εἰ οὐ πιστεύεις ταῖς Γραφαῖς, εἰ μὴ πιστεύεις τῷ Χριστῷ; Οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι τὸν τοιοῦτον Χριστιανὸν, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἑλλήνων χείρω. Κατὰ τί; Κατὰ τοῦτο, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν νομίζων εἶναι Θεὸν, οὐ πιστεύεις ὡς Θεῷ. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ ἀκολουθίας ἔχεται ἡ ἀσέβεια· τὸν γὰρ μὴ νομίζοντα εἶναι Θεὸν τὸν Χριστὸν, ἀνάγκη μηδὲ πιστεύειν· αὕτη δὲ ἡ ἀσέβεια οὐδὲ ἀκολουθίαν ἔχει, Θεὸν ὁμολογεῖν, καὶ μὴ νομίζειν ἀξιόπιστον εἶναι ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔφη. Τῆς μέθης ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα, τῆς τρυφῆς, τῆς σπατάλης· Φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν· αὔριον γὰρ ἀποθνήσκομεν. Οὐκ αὔριον, ἀλλ' ὅταν ταῦτα λέγητε, ἤδη τεθνήκατε. Οὐδὲν οὖν τῶν χοίρων διοίσομεν οὐδὲ τῶν ὄνων, εἰπέ μοι; Εἰ γὰρ μήτε κρίσις ἐστὶ, μήτε ἀντίδοσις, μήτε δικαστήριον, τίνος ἕνεκεν τοιούτῳ τετιμήμεθα δώρῳ, τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ πάντα ἔχομεν ὑποτεταγμένα; διὰ τί ἡμεῖς μὲν ἄρχομεν, ἐκεῖνα δὲ ἄρχονται; Ὅρα πῶς πάντοθεν ὁ διάβολος ἐπείγεται ἡμᾶς πεῖσαι ἀγνοῆσαι τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοὺς δούλους ἀναμίγνυσι τοῖς δεσπόταις· καθάπερ τις ἀνδραποδιστὴς καὶ οἰκέτης ἀγνώμων, τὸν ἐλεύθερον εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν βιάζεται τῷ προσκεκρουκότι καταγαγεῖν εὐτέλειαν. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν τὴν κρίσιν ἀναιρεῖν, ἀναιρεῖ δὲ τὸ εἶναι Θεόν. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἀεὶ ὁ διάβολος, μεθοδείᾳ πάντα, καὶ οὐκ ἐξ εὐθείας προβάλλει, ἵνα φυλαττώμεθα. Εἰ κρίσις οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι δίκαιος ὁ Θεός· κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω· εἰ δίκαιος οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐδὲ Θεὸς ἔστιν· εἰ Θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, ἁπλῶς ἅπαντα φέρεται, οὐδὲν ἀρετὴ, οὐδὲν κακία. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων λέγει φανερῶς. Εἶδες τοῦ σατανικοῦ ἐνθυμήματος τὴν διάνοιαν; πῶς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἄλογα βούλεται ποιῆσαι, μᾶλλον δὲ θηρία, μᾶλλον δὲ δαίμονας; Μὴ τοίνυν πειθώμεθα. Ἔστι γὰρ κρίσις, ἄθλιε καὶ ταλαίπωρε. 62.316 Οἶδα πόθεν ἔρχῃ ἐπὶ τούτους τοὺς λόγους· πολλά σοι ἡμάρτηται, προσκέκρουκας, παῤῥησίαν οὐκ ἔχεις, οἴει τοῖς σοῖς λόγοις ἀκολουθεῖν καὶ τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων φύσιν. Τέως μὴ ὀδυνήσω, φησὶ, τὴν ψυχὴν τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῆς γεέννης· κἂν ᾖ γέεννα, πείσω αὐτὴν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι· τέως ἐνταῦθα τρυφήσω. ∆ιὰ τί προστιθεῖς ἁμαρτήματα ἁμαρτήμασιν; Ἂν ἁμαρτήσας πιστεύσῃς εἶναι γέενναν, ἀπελεύσῃ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μόνον τίνων δίκην· ἂν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο προσθῇς τὸ ἀσέβημα, καὶ τῆς ἀσεβείας καὶ τοῦ λογισμοῦ τούτου δώσεις τὴν ἐσχάτην κόλασιν· καὶ ἡ ἐν βραχεῖ γενομένη σοι παραμυθία ψυχρὰ ἔσται σοι διηνεκοῦς κολάσεως ὑπόθεσις. Ἔστω, ἥμαρτες· τί καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἁμαρτάνειν προτρέπεις, λέγων μὴ εἶναι γέενναν; τί ἀπατᾷς τοὺς ἀφελεστέρους; τί τὰς χεῖρας ἐξέλυες τοῦ λαοῦ; Τὸ σὸν μέρος, ἅπαντα ἀνατέτραπται· οὔτε οἱ σπουδαῖοι σπουδαιότεροι ἔσονται, ἀλλὰ ῥᾴθυμοι· οὔτε οἱ κακοὶ ἀποστήσονται τῆς κακίας. Μὴ γὰρ, ἂν ἑτέρους διαφθείρωμεν, συγγνώμην ἔχομεν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὸν διάβολον πῶς ἐπεχείρησε κατενεγκεῖν τὸν Ἀδάμ; ἆρα τούτῳ συγγνώμη γέγονε; Μείζονος μὲν οὖν κολάσεως ἀφορμή. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἁμαρτημάτων κολαζώμεθα, πάντα μηχανᾶται. Μὴ νομίζωμεν τοίνυν τὸ ἑτέρους καταφέρειν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμῖν ἀπώλειαν, ἡμερώτερον ἡμῖν τὸ δικαστήριον ἐργάζεσθαι· τοῦτο μὲν οὖν χαλεπώτερον αὐτὸ ποιήσει. Τί ὠθοῦμεν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ἀπόλλυμεν; Σατανικὸν τοῦτο ὅλον ἐστίν. Ἄνθρωπε, ἥμαρτες; Φιλάνθρωπον ἔχεις τὸν ∆εσπότην· παρακάλει, ἱκέτευε, δάκρυε, στέναζε, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους φόβει, καὶ ἀξίου μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσεῖν. Εἴ τις ἐν οἰκίᾳ δοῦλος ὢν τῶν