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of harmony upon the power of the one who made it, stirring up the faithful. It is necessary to know that the things seen happen to be symbols of certain intelligible things; so that according to the reason for which they have come into being, they happen to be unfailing. For whether something came into being from God primarily, or according to a secondary reason, it is not possible to add, and from them it is not possible to take away. Therefore, all the works of God are good, all perfect, and not superfluous. 93.520 “That which has been is now; and as for the things to be, they have already been; and God will seek the one who is persecuted.” If something, he says, has come into being before, it is now; a man has come into being, a man is; a plant has come into being, a plant is; but also the things that are to come into being have already come into being. Men are about to come into being after us, already before them others have come into being. But the phrase, ‘God will seek the one who is persecuted,’ he will seek the one who does no harm, and will save him. “And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, there is the impious one; and the place of the righteous one, there is the pious one. I said in my heart: God will judge both the righteous and the impious, because there is a time for every work.” Leading us from the perceptible to the intelligible, he teaches that with the eye of the mind he prophetically and clearly beheld the place of judgment of the impious one being under the sun, so as to say in Hades; but he also says that he has beheld the place of the righteous one. And he added to this, under the sun. If this is understood simply, it is clear that the righteous are to be in paradise and in the heavens. But if ‘under the sun’ is taken as common to both the righteous and the impious, he beheld those who have now passed from this life, not yet having received the kingdom of the heavens. It is fitting to inquire, where under the sun the pious happen to be. It is clear that it is in paradise, according to the Savior who said to the thief: Today you will be with me in paradise. And it is necessary to know that history teaches that paradise is on earth. But some have said that paradise is also in Hades. Wherefore he says, And the rich man saw Lazarus, but he, being somewhere below, beheld that one and Abraham somewhere above. However these things may be, we are taught both from the present saying and from all of Holy Scripture that the pious one is in a state of well-being, but the unjust one in fitting punishments. But to others it seemed that paradise is in heaven; but the simple Ecclesiastes will rather follow history. Then, examining further, he adds, he says, that “I said to myself: Is the righteous one not also condemned with the impious one?” having said this inquiringly, not declaratively. For he has already taught that the place of the righteous one is different, and that of the impious one is different; then he reminds us, leading us into fear, that God will bring all to judgment, and will examine all our deeds. For there is a time, he says, for every matter, and for every work. Instead of, There will also be a time for the universal judgment. But as for the meaning, you will understand it thus: I saw under the Sun of righteousness, our Lord Jesus Christ, that he is coming to judge the living and the dead, the place of the impious one, the station on the left; and the place of the righteous one, on the right; and I said in my heart, that God will bring all to judgment, rendering to each according to his worth, having appointed that time in which our every deed 93.521 and work will be examined with precision. “There I said in my heart, concerning the speech of the sons of man, that God will judge them.” Similar to that in the Gospel, that Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. But understand for me speech as also thought itself, since we are also required to give an account of our thoughts. “And to show that they themselves are beasts, and indeed the happenstance of the sons of man, and the happenstance of the beast; one happenstance is to them. As is the death of this one, so is the death of that one. And there is one spirit in all; and man has no preeminence over the beast.” For this reason, he says, I saw and was made wise by God concerning the principles of judgment, that I might show, that is, that I might teach men that they differ in nothing from beasts, clearly according to the principle of the body and of the life that loves the body. For the

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εὐαρμοσίας ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ποιήσαντος δύναμιν τοὺς πιστοὺς ἀνακινῶν. Χρὴ δὲ εἰδέναι ὡς τὰ ὁρώμενα νοητῶν τινων τυγχάνουσι σύμβολα· ὥστε κατὰ τὸν λόγον δι' ὃν γεγόνασιν, ἀνελλιπῆ τυγχάνουσι. Εἴτε γάρ τι προηγουμένως γέγονε ὑπὸ Θεοῦ. εἴτε κατὰ δεύτερον λόγον, οὐκ ἔστι προσθεῖναι, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν. Πάντα τοίνυν καλὰ, πάντα τέλεια, καὶ ἀπέριττα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ποιήματα. 93.520 "Τὸ γενόμενον, ἤδη ἐστί· καὶ ὅσα τοῦ γίνεσθαι. ἤδη γέγονε· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ζητήσει τὸν διωκόμενον." Εἰ τι, φησὶ, προγέγονε, νῦν ἐστί· ἄνθρωπος γέγονε, ἄνθρωπος ἐστί· φυτὸν γέγονε, φυτὸν ἐστί· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα γενέσθαι ἤδη γεγόνασιν. Ἄνθρωποι μέλλουσι γενέσθαι μεθ' ἡμῶν, ἤδη πρὸ αὐτῶν ἄλλοι γεγόνασιν. Τὸ δὲ, Ὁ Θεὸς ζητήσει τὸν διωκόμενον, καὶ βλάβην μὴ ἐνεργοῦντα ζητήσει, καὶ σώσει αὐτόν. "Καὶ ἔτι εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον τόπον κρίσεως, ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀσεβής· καὶ τόπον τοῦ δικαίου, ἐκεῖ ὁ εὐσεβής. Εἶπεν ἐγὼ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου· Σὺν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σὺν τὸν ἀσεβῆ κρινεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ ποιήματι." Ἐκ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐπὶ τὰ νοητὰ ἡμᾶς ἀνάγων διδάσκει, ὅτι προγνωστικῶς καὶ καθαρῶς διανοίας ὄμματι ἐθεώρησε τὸν τόπον τῆς κρίσεως τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὄντα, ἵνα εἴπῃ ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν τόπον τεθεωρηκέναι λέγει τοῦ δικαίου. Προσέθηκε δὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. Εἰ μὲν ἁπλῶς τοῦτο νοηθῇ, εὔδηλον ὅτι ἐν παραδείσῳ καὶ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς μέλλουσιν εἶναι οἱ δίκαιοι. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ κοινοῦ ἐκληφθῇ τὸ, ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἐπί τε τοῦ δικαίου καὶ ἀσεβοῦς, τοὺς νῦν τοῦ βίου μεταστάντας ἐθεώρησε, οὔπω τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπολαβόντας τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ζητῆσαι δὲ προσήκει, ποῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον τυγχάνουσιν οἱ εὐσεβεῖς. Εὔδηλον ὅτι ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, κατὰ τὸν εἰρηκότα Σωτῆρα τῷ λῃστῇ· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Καὶ δεῖ εἰδέναι ὅτι ἡ μὲν ἱστορία τὸν παράδεισον ἐπὶ γῆς εἶναι διδάσκει. Τινὲς δὲ ἔφησαν ὅτι καὶ ὁ παράδεισος ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ τυγχάνει. ∆ιό φησι, Καὶ ὁ πλούσιος εἶδε τὸν Λάζαρον, ἀλλ' αὐτός που κάτω τυγχάνων, ἐκεῖνον ἄνω που Ἀβραὰμ ἐθεώρησε. Ὅπως δ' ἂν ἔχῃ ταῦτα, διδασκόμεθα καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παρόντος ῥητοῦ, καὶ ἐκ πάσης τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, ἐν εὐπαθείαις εἶναι τὸν εὐσεβῇ, τὸν δὲ ἄδικον ἐν ταῖς καταλλήλοις κολάσεσιν. Ἑτέροις δὲ ἔδοξε τὸν παράδεισον ἐν οὐρανῷ εἶναι· ὁ δὲ ἀπλοῦς Ἐκκλησιαστὴς ἀκολουθήσει μᾶλλον τῇ ἱστορίᾳ. Εἶτα καὶ συνεξετάζων ἐπάγει, φησὶ, ὅτι "Εἶπον κατ' ἐμαυτόν· Ἆρα μὴ σὺν τῷ ἀσεβεῖ καὶ ὁ δίκαιος κατακρίνεται;" τοῦτο δὲ ἐξεταστικῶς, οὐκ ἀποφαντικῶς εἰπών. Ἅπαξ γὰρ ἐδίδαξε ἕτερον εἶναι τὸν τόπον τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ ἕτερον τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς· εἶτα ἡμᾶς ἐπαναμιμνήσκει ἐνάγων εἰς φόβον, ὅτι πάντας ἄξει εἰς κρίσιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πάντα ἡμῶν τὰ πράγματα κατεξετάσει. Καιρὸς γὰρ, φησὶ, τῷ παντὶ πράγματι, καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ ποιήματι. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἔσται καὶ τῆς καθόλου κρίσεως ὁ καιρός. Πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν οὕτω νοήσεις· Εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἥλιον τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ὅτι ἔρχεται κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκροὺς, τὸν τόπον τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς, τὴν ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς στάσιν· καὶ τοῦ δικαίου τὸν τόπον, τὴν ἐκ δεξιᾶς· καὶ εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, ὅτι πάντας ἄξει εἰς κρίσιν ὁ Θεὸς, τὸ κατ' ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ, ἐκεῖνον ὁρίσας τὸν καιρὸν, καθ' ὃν πᾶν πρᾶγμα 93.521 ἡμῶν καὶ ποίημα σὺν ἀκριβείᾳ ἐξετασθήσεται. "Ἐκεῖ εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, περὶ λαλιᾶς υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι διακρινεῖ αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεός." Ὅμοιον τῷ ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ, ὅτι Πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν ὃ λαλήσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, δώσουσι περὶ αὑτοῦ λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως. Νόει δέ μοι λαλιὰν καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ἔννοιαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἐννοιῶν ἀπαιτούμεθα δίκην. "Καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι αὐτοὶ κτήνη εἰσὶν, καί γε συναντήματα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ συνάντημα τοῦ κτήνους· συνάντημα ἓν αὐτοῖς. Ὡς ὁ θάνατος τούτου, οὕτως ὁ θάνατος τούτου. Καὶ πνεῦμα ἐν πᾶσι· καὶ οὐδὲν περιέσσευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος παρὰ τὸ κτῆνος." ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, εἶδον καὶ ἐσοφισάμην ὑπὸ Θεοῦ τοὺς τῆς κρίσεως λόγους, ἵνα ἐπιδείξω, τουτέστι ἵνα διδάξω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὅτι οὐδὲν κτηνῶν διαφέρουσι, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ σώματος δηλονότι καὶ τὸν τῆς φιλοσωμάτου ζωῆς· λόγον. Τὸν γὰρ