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for "under the sun" is added. For those who have ascended above this sun and have approached the sun of righteousness, so that it might be said of them that "they will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father," are able to announce "what will be after," what succeeds them. And what I said, I will now say also: we were saying that we have ignorance of the judgments of God, since they are "unsearchable. The judgments of God are a great abyss."

And the abyss is incomprehensible or hard to comprehend. And I was saying, that let there be some condemned by a most just king on an island, each according to his own sin, and we all know that they were condemned justly, but not this particular person for what reason. Thus also in this case we can say. 195 And conversely, many of the rulers were turned to private station. This same Ecclesiastes says: "I have seen slaves on horses and rulers walking," and we cannot say why this one has this. But we can say this in general, that human affairs fail. But if, transcending these things, we become on high, no longer considering the temporary and visible things, then we shall attach ourselves to God, being able at that time to know the things that follow after these. But each receives a reward according to his deed and according to his work. And this was said to God by the psalmist: "you will render to each according to his works." For even if the works are manifest, yet we do not know with what disposition they perform them. Since: "and he made them in shadow." The higher meaning? It says this: "those who shone like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" passed their time in the true days. Indeed, in the manner of a promise he said to someone concerning someone: "with length of days I will satisfy him." These long days, which are made by the true light, are not shadowy, they are archetypal. But shadowy are the days which we, still clothed in flesh, are able to undertake. Then one knows "in part," when "that which is perfect has not yet come," when one partakes in the "earnest of the spirit" and of the true light. Therefore one "made these days in shadow," but does not know what will be after him, whether he will transcend the shadow or fall beneath it. And that we may take the contemplation from another example: the Jews have been in a shadow, "in a shadow" of days, not in the days themselves. For Moses interprets the preceding and true days, saying: "this is your life and this is the length of your days, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul." But the love for God, which comes "from the whole soul and from the whole disposition," does not work an increase of these days. For many earnest and god-fearing men were quickly translated from this life, and others, most worthless, lived long days. Because who will tell a man what will be after him under the sun. 196 Since the saying is ambiguous, one must take it in two ways, so that it may be this: "what will be announced to him under the sun" and "who, being still under the sun, is able to announce." And both are true. Since: the higher meaning? This is the higher meaning: also to the man who is zealous to have the things truly pleasant to him, "who will announce to him what will be after him under the sun." Here can be mentioned the things that shine through, the things that lead up from the shadow, the things that guide by the hand from temporary things to eternal things. But it is also possible to take this concerning the "shadow" of righteousness, that "who will announce to him what will be of them under the sun," as he is still approaching righteousness. For he is no longer under the "sun of righteousness," this very one who has transcended the shadow and has come to be in truth itself, seeing it "face to face." 196 A good name is better than oil, and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It exhorts to take care for a good reputation. For it has been said: "a good report makes the bones fat." And we are accustomed to say that those who care for virtue possess a good name, and a bad one

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γὰρ προσκεῖται τὸ "ὑπο`̣ τ̣ὸν ἥλιον". οἱ γὰρ ὑπεραναβεβηκότες τὸν ἥλιον τοῦ τον καὶ τῷ ἡλίῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης προσπελάσαντες ὡς λεχθῆναι περὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι "ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν", ἀπαγγεῖλαι δύ νανται, "τί ἔσται ὀπίσω", τί διαδέχεται αὐτούς. καὶ ὅπερ εἶπον̣ καὶ νῦν ἐρῶ· ἐλέγομεν, ὅτι ἄγνοιαν ἔχο̣μ̣εν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κριμάτων, ἐπεὶ τυγχάνουσιν̣ "ἀνεξερεύνητα. τὰ κρίματα τοῦ θεοῦ ἄβ̣υσσός ἐστιν πολλή".

ἡ δὲ ἄβυσσος ἀκατάλημ̣πτός ἐστιν ἢ δυσκαταλημπτός. κ̣αὶ ἔλ̣ε γον, ὅτι ἔστωσάν τινες ὑπὸ βασιλε´̣ως δικαιοτάτου καταδ̣ικασθέντες̣ ἐν νή σῳ, ἕκαστος κατὰ τὸ ἁμάρτη̣μα ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ πάντες ἴσμεν, ὅτι κατεδικάσθη σαν δικαίως, οὐ μὴν ὅσδε διὰ τί. οὕτω καὶ ὧδε ἔχομεν εἰπεῖν. 195 καὶ ἔνπαλιν ἐξ ἀρχόντων πολλοὶ εἰς ἰδιωτισμὸν ἐτ̣ρ̣άπησαν. αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ ἐκκλησιαστὴς λέγει· "εἶδο̣ν δου´̣λους ἐπὶ ἵππους καὶ ἄρχοντας περιπα τοῦντας", καὶ οὐκ ἔχομε̣ν̣ εἰπεῖν, διὰ τ̣ί ὅσδε τόδε ἔχει. ἔχο̣μεν δὲ καθόλου τοῦτο εἰπεῖν, ὅτι διαπίπτει τ̣ὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ἐὰν δὲ ὑπερβαίνοντες ταῦτα ἄνω γενώμεθα μηκέτι σκοπο̣υ῀̣ντες τὰ πρόςκαιρα καὶ φαινόμενα, τότε̣ ἀναρ τήσομεν ἑαυτοὺς τῷ θεῷ, τὰ τηνικάδε δυνάμενοι γνῶναι, ἃ ἐπακολ̣ουθεῖ τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα. ἕκαστος δὲ πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν μισθὸν ἀπο λαμβάνει. εἴρηται δὲ τοῦτο πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ψαλμῳδοῦ· "σὺ α᾿̣π̣οδ̣ω´̣σεις ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ". κἂν γοῦν φανερὰ ὦσιν τὰ ἔργα, ἀλλά γ' ο̣υ᾿̣κ̣ ἐ π̣ι̣σ̣τάμεθα, ποίᾳ διαθέσει αὐτὰ ἐνεργοῦσιν. ἐπερ· "καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὰς ἐν σκιᾷ". ἡ ἀνα̣γ̣ω̣γ̣η´̣; λέγει τοῦτο· "οἱ ἐκλάμψαντες ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς ἑ- αυτῶν" ἐν ταῖς ἀληθιναῖς ἡμέραις διήγαγον. ἐπαγγελίας γοῦν τρόπῳ πρός τινα εἶπεν περί τινος· "μακρότητι ἡμερῶν ἐνπλήσω αὐτόν". α̣ι῾̣ μ̣ακραὶ αὗται ἡμέραι αἱ πρὸς τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ γινόμεναι οὐκ εἰσὶν σκιώ-δεις, πρωτότυποί εἰσιν· σκιώδεις δέ εἰσιν ἡμέραι, ἃς δυνάμεθα ἔτι σάρ-κα περικείμενοι ἀναδέξασθαι. τότε "ἐκ μέρους" τις γιγνώσκει, ὅτε οὔπω "τὸ τέλειον ἐλήλυθεν", ὅτε ἐν "ἀρραβῶνι πνεύματος" καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ τυγχάνει. "ἐποίησεν οὖν ταύτας τὰς ἡμέρας ἐν σκιᾷ" τις, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδεν, τί ο᾿̣πίσω̣ αὐτοῦ ἔσται, εἰ ὑπερβήσεται τὴν σκιὰν ἢ καταπεσεῖ-ται κατ' αὐτῆς. καὶ ἵνα ἐξ ἄλλου παραδείγματος τὴν θεωρίαν λάβωμεν· οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι γε- γένηνται ἐν σκιᾷ "ἐν σκιᾷ" ἡμερῶν, οὐκ ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις. ἑρ-μηνεύει γὰρ τὰς ἡμέρας τὰς προηγουμένας καὶ ἀληθινὰς Μωΰσης λέγων· "αὕτη ἡ ζωή σου καὶ αὕτη ἡ μακρότης τῶν ἡμερῶν σου, ἀγαπᾶν κύριον̣ τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας σ̣ου καὶ ὅλης ψυχῆς σου". ἡ ἀγάπη δὲ ἡ πρὸς θε-ὸν "ε᾿̣ξ ὅλης ψυχῆς καὶ ἐξ ὅλης διαθέσεως" γινομένη οὐκ αὔξησιν τῶν ἡμε̣ρ̣ῶν̣ τούτων ἐργάζεται. πολλοὶ γὰρ σπουδαῖοι καὶ θεοσεβεῖς ἄνθρω-ποι ταχέως μετετέθησαν τοῦ βίου, καὶ ἄλλοι ἐμακροημέρευσαν φαυλότατοι̣. ὅτι τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, τί ἔσται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. 196 ἀμφιβόλου οὔσης τῆς λέξεως ἑκατέρως αὐτὴν ἐκλαβεῖν δεῖ, ἵνα ἦ τοῦτο "τί ἀπαγγελήσεται αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον" καὶ "τίς̣ ἔτι ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον ὢν δύναται ἀπαγγεῖλαι". ἀμφότερα δέ ἐστιν ἀληθῆ. ἐπερ· ἡ ἀναγ̣ωγη´̣; ἡ ἀναγωγὴ αὕτη ἐστίν· καὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ σπουδάζοντι τὰ αὐτῷ ἀλη-θῶς ἡδέα ἔχειν "τίς ἀπαγγελεῖ αὐτῷ, τί ἔσται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλι-ον". δύναται ὧδε λέγεσθαι τὰ διαλάμποντα, τὰ ἀνάγοντα ἀπὸ τῆς σκιᾶς, τὰ χειραγω̣γοῦντα ἐκ τῶν̣ προσκαίρων ἐπὶ τὰ αἰώνια. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς "σκιᾶς" τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐκ̣λαβεῖν τοῦτο, ὅτι "τίς αὐτῷ ἀπαγγέλει, τί ἔσται αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον", ἔτι π̣λ̣ησιάζοντι τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. οὐκέτι γὰρ ὑπὸ τὸν "ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης" ἐστὶν αὐτὸς ο̣ὑ῀̣-τ̣ος ὁ ὑπερβὰς τὴν σκιὰν καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ γενόμενος "πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον" αὐτὴν ὁρῶν. 196 ἀγαθὸν ὄνομα ὑπὲρ ἔλαιον καὶ ἡμέρα τοῦ θανάτου ὑπὲρ ἡμέραν γενέσεως αὐτοῦ. προτρέπει ἐπιμέλεσθαι καλῆς φήμης. εἴρηται γα`̣ρ· "φήμη α᾿̣γαθὴ πιαίνει ὀστᾶ". καὶ εἰώθαμεν̣ λ̣έγειν καλὸν ὄνομα κεκτῆσθαι τοὺς ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελο μένους καὶ κακὸν