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let them learn not to be illumined, not to see you forever, O Savior, since you did not shine in their mind, 70 nor did you dwell in their defiled heart and they exult in vain in empty hopes thinking they will see your light after the end. For the pledge is from here, the seal is certainly here given by you, Savior, to the sheep on the right hand; 75 for if the death of each one happens to be the conclusion, after the end all things are equally without action for all and no one can do either evil or good, my Savior, certainly each one, as he is found, so he will be. This frightens me, Master, this makes me tremble, this melts away all my senses, that one who has died blind and has departed to that place (40) will no longer see this sun with his senses, even if, having risen again, he should receive the light of his eyes; so too he who has a blind mind, if he should die, will not see you, the spiritual sun, my God, but having gone out from darkness he will sojourn to darkness and for ages he will be separated from you. May no one of men, Master, of those who believe in you, may no one of those baptized in your name endure this great and terrible burden of separation from you, O compassionate one; for this is a terrible affliction, terrible, unbearable, the eternal sorrow. For what will be worse than separation from you, Savior? 95 What is more painful than to be disjoined from life and to live there as one dead, deprived of life, and to be deprived of all good things at once? For he who is separated from you is deprived of every good thing; for it will not be then as it is now on earth; for now those who do not know you delight corporeally here and exult, leaping about like irrational beasts, having what you have given for the enjoyment of life and seeing these things alone, they think things are so even after the departure of the soul and of life. But they judge wrongly, but they think wrongly, 105 those who say they are not with you, but in a place of repose, and preparing some place—O foolishness!— partaking neither of light and being without a share of darkness, outside the kingdom, but also of Gehenna, and far from the bridal chamber and from the fire of judgment, in which even the wretched pray to arrive and say they have no need of your eternal glory (41) or the kingdom of heaven, but to be in a place of repose. Alas for their darkening, alas for their ignorance, alas for their misery and their empty hopes!

115 Nowhere has this been written, for neither will this be, but in light will be the good who have done divine things,

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μή λάμπεσθαι, μή καθορᾶν ἀενάως σε, Σῶτερ, μάθωσιν, ὡς οὐκ ἔλαμψας αὐτῶν ἐν διανοίᾳ, 70 οὐδέ κατῴκησας αὐτῶν τήν ῥυπαράν καρδίαν καί μάτην ἐπαγάλλωνται ἐπί κεναῖς ἐλπίσιν οἰόμενοι θεάσασθαι τό φῶς σου μετά τέλος. Ὁ ἀραββών ἐντεῦθεν γάρ, ἡ σφραγίς πάντως ὧδε παρά σοῦ, Σῶτερ, δίδοται τοῖς δεξιοῖς προβάτοις˙ 75 εἰ γάρ ἑκάστου θάνατος ὁ συγκλεισμός τυγχάνει μετά τέλος ἄπρακτα πᾶσιν ἐπίσης ἔστι καί οὔτε φαῦλον ἤ καλόν δύναταί τις ποιῆσαι, Σωτήρ μου, πάντως ἕκαστος, ὡς εὑρεθῇ, καί ἔσται. Τοῦτο φοβεῖ με, ∆έσποτα, τοῦτο ποιεῖ με τρέμειν, τοῦτο ἐκτήκει ἅπαντα τά αἰσθητήριά μου, ὅτι τυφλός ἀποθανών καί μεταστάς ἐκεῖσε (40) οὐκέτι τοῦτον ἥλιον αἰσθητῶς θεωρήσει, εἰ καί τό φῶς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀναστάς πάλιν λάβοι˙ οὕτως οὐδ᾿ ὁ τόν νοῦν ἔχων τυφλόν, εἰ ἀποθάνοι, τόν νοητόν θεάσεται ἥλιόν σε, Θεέ μου, ἀλλά ἐκ σκότους ἐξελθών πρός σκότος ἐνδημήσει καί εἰς αἰῶνας ἔσεται ἐκ σοῦ κεχωρισμένος. Μηδείς ἀνθρώπων, ∆έσποτα, τῶν εἰς σέ πιστευόντων, μηδείς τῶν εἰς τό ὄνομα τό σόν βεβαπτισμένων τό μέγα τοῦτο καί φρικτόν ὑποστήσεται βάρος τοῦ χωρισμοῦ σου, εὔσπλαχνε˙ δεινή γάρ αὕτη θλῖψις, δεινή, ἀνυπομόνητος, αἰώνιος ἡ λύπη. Τί γάρ καί χεῖρον ἔσεται τοῦ χωρισμοῦ σου, Σῶτερ; 95 Τί δέ ὀδυνηρότερον ζωῆς διαζευχθῆναι καί ζῆν ἐκεῖθεν ὡς νεκρός ζωῆς ἐστερημένος, ἁπάντων τε τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὁμοῦ ἀποστερεῖσθαι; Σοῦ γάρ ὁ χωριζόμενος παντός καλοῦ στερεῖται˙ οὐ γάρ, ὡς ἔστιν ἐπί γῆς τά νῦν, ἔσται καί τότε˙ νῦν γάρ οἱ ἀγνοοῦντές σε σωματικῶς τρυφῶσιν ἐνταῦθα καί ἀγάλλονται ὡς ἄλογα σκιρτῶντες, ἅπερ δέδωκας ἔχοντες εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν βίου καί ταῦτα μόνα βλέποντες, οὕτως εἶναι δοκοῦσι καί τά μετά τήν ἔξοδον τῆς ψυχῆς καί τοῦ βίου. Ἀλλά κακῶς τεκμαίρονται, ἀλλά κακῶς φρονοῦσιν 105 οἱ λέγοντες μή μετά σοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν ἀνέσει εἶναι καί τόπον ἑτοιμάζοντες τινά ὤ ἀφροσύνης! - μήτε φωτός μετέχοντα καί σκότους ἀμοιροῦντα, τῆς βασιλείας ἔξωθεν, ἀλλά καί τῆς γεέννης, καί τοῦ νυμφῶνος πόρρωθεν καί τοῦ πυρός τῆς δίκης, ἐν ᾧ καί οἱ ταλαίπωροι εὔχονται καταντῆσαι καί λέγουσι μή χρῄζειν σου τήν αἰώνιον δόξαν (41) ἤ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν ἀνέσει εἶναι. Φεῦ τῆς αὐτῶν σκοτώσεως, φεῦ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀγνοίας, φεῦ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας τε καί τῶν κενῶν ἐλπίδων!

115 Οὐδαμοῦ τοῦτο γέγραπται, οὐδέ γάρ ἔσται τοῦτο, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν φωτί μέν ἀγαθῶν οἱ πεπραχότες θεῖα,