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beneficially ordained, death. But since other books have: there the impious have kindled a passion of wrath, you will understand it thus: those who are not disciplined here, he says, 45 but have remained in impiety, draw upon themselves the punishment from divine wrath. 3, 18 But the eternal have been at ease together; they have not heard the voice of the tax-collector. But also those who have died from of old, he says, are there, freed from the burdensome agents and exactors, so that he might say that: having become outside of the misfortunes of life. And in a figurative sense he calls the devil a tax-collector, who not only as a tax-collector, but also as a master, demands from those who have willingly become subject to him the doing of things pleasing to him, as if it were some tribute. And therefore, those who have departed this life are freed from this bitter tax-collector, being no longer able to do wicked things. 3, 19 The small and the great are there, and the servant fearing his lord. Therefore all are there, and another benefit of death is that there is no slave and master there. For those who formerly, he says, feared their own masters, do not fear there. But other books have: not fearing his lord. If therefore "not fearing," the meaning is obvious; but if "fearing," it is instead of: formerly fearing, but in Hades no longer. He who was decaying and swarming with worms and flowing with ichor philosophized these many things about death, and as if forgetting his pains, with a pure eye of the mind he has delivered to us the most beautiful of lessons, but we do not come to the thought of these things. If 46 for we kept the memory of death, we would become better and would easily disdain wealth and power and the seeming pleasures of life. 3, For why is light given to those in bitterness, and life to the souls in anguish? In many places Scripture uses "why" for supplication, not for despair, as in "Why, Lord, have you stood far off, do you overlook in times of opportunity, in affliction?" For he is not finding fault, but supplicating not to be forsaken in afflictions. And again: "Why, O God, have you cast us off forever? Your anger has smoked against the sheep of your pasture." For again he is not accusing, but entreating not to be cast off forever. Here, therefore, this blessed man supplicates, saying: since you are the giver of light and life, Lord, take away the pains, take away the bitterness of the soul. For death is more preferable than a painful life. Wherefore he also adds: 3, 21-22 Who long for death, and do not obtain it, digging for it as for treasures, and become exceeding glad if they should happen upon it. Just as, he says, those who mine for gold and seek for treasure, if they find it, rejoice, so also those in bitter pains, if they perceive death to be near, rejoice, hoping it to be a release from their evils. 47 3, 23 Death is a rest for a man, for God has shut him in. He says in both respects: death is a rest for a man. For it is the end of life here and shuts up the deeds of men here, so that we can no longer do anything wicked. But also the labors of virtue have an end; for there are no longer contests, but crowns, no longer sweats, but rest. Therefore, "God has shut him in" is instead of: death is both the end of the labors for virtue and the cessation of wickedness. But other books have this verse after "death is a rest for a man": whose way is hidden from him. And this is the meaning: the way of death is hidden from man; for man does not know when death approaches because of its suddenness. 3, 24 For my groaning comes before my food, and I weep, being seized with fear. He gives the reason for desiring death: for neither without groaning, he says, do I partake of food, but I also weep frequently, fearing lest I have perhaps suffered complete abandonment by God. But for the righteous, as we have said before, bodily death is ten thousand times more preferable than to suspect they have suffered abandonment by God. and

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χρησίμως οἰκονομηθέν, τὸν θάνατον. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἕτερα βιβλία ἔχουσιν· _ἐ_κ_ε_ῖ_ _ἀ_σ_ε_β_ε_ῖ_ς_ _ἐ_ξ_έ_κ_α_υ_σ_α_ν_ _θ_υ_μ_ὸ_ν_ ὀργῆς, οὕτω νοήσεις· οἱ μὴ ἐνταῦθα, φησίν, παιδευθέντες, 45 ἀλλ' ἐμμείναντες τῇ ἀσεβείᾳ τὴν ἐκ τῆς θείας ὀργῆς κόλασιν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπισπῶνται. 3, 18 ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ οἱ αἰώνιοι εὐθήνησαν· οὐκ ἤκουσαν φωνὴν φορολόγου. ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἐξ αἰῶνος, φησίν, τελευτήσαντες ἐκεῖ τυγχάνουσι τῶν πρακτόρων καὶ ἀπαιτητῶν τῆς ἐπαχθείας ἀπαλλαγέντες, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· τῶν τοῦ βίου συμφορῶν ἐκτὸς γενόμενοι. πρὸς δὲ διάνοιαν φορολόγον φησὶ τὸν διάβολον, ὃς οὐ μόνον ὡς φορολόγος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς δεσπότης τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτῷ προαιρετικῶς γεγονότας ὥσπερ τινὰ δασμὸν ἀπαιτεῖ τὸ πράττειν τὰ αὐτῷ καταθύμια. καὶ τούτου τοιγαροῦν τοῦ πικροῦ φορολόγου οἱ τὸν βίον ἐξελθόντες ἀπαλλάττονται οὐκέτι τὰ φαῦλα πράττειν δυνάμενοι. 3, 19 μικρὸς καὶ μέγας ἐκεῖ ἐστι καὶ θεράπων δεδοικὼς τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ. πάντες οὖν ἐκεῖ τυγχάνουσι, καὶ ἄλλο τοῦ θανάτου χρήσιμον τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἐκεῖ δοῦλον καὶ δεσπότην. καὶ γὰρ οἱ πάλαι, φησίν, δεδοικότες τοὺς ἑαυτῶν δεσπότας ἐκεῖ οὐ φοβοῦνται. ἄλλα δὲ βιβλία ἔχουσιν· οὐ δεδοικὼς τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐ δεδοικώς, πρόδηλος ἡ νόησις· εἰ δὲ δεδοικώς, ἀντὶ τοῦ· πάλαι μὲν δεδοικώς, ἐν ᾅδου δὲ οὐκέτι. ταῦτα περὶ τοῦ θανάτου διὰ πολλῶν ἐφιλοσόφησεν ὁ σηπόμενος καὶ σκώληκας βρύων καὶ τῷ ἰχῶρι περιρρεόμενος, καὶ ὥσπερ τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπιλαθόμενος καθαρῷ διανοίας ὄμματι τὰ κάλλιστα ἡμῖν τῶν μαθημάτων παραδέδωκεν, ἡμεῖς δὲ τούτων εἰς ἔννοιαν οὐκ ἐρχόμεθα. εἰ 46 γὰρ τοῦ θανάτου τὴν μνήμην εἴχομεν, βελτίους ἂν ἐγινόμεθα καὶ πλούτου καὶ δυναστείας καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ δοκούντων τερπνῶν ῥᾳδίως ἂν περιεφρονοῦμεν. 3, ἵνα τί γὰρ δέδοται τοῖς ἐν πικρίᾳ φῶς, ζωὴ δὲ ταῖς ἐν ὀδύναις ψυχαῖς; πολλαχοῦ ἡ γραφὴ τὸ ἵνα τί ἐπὶ παρακλήσεως τίθησιν, οὐκ ἐπὶ ἀποδυσπετήσεως, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵνα τί, κύριε, ἀφέστηκας μακρόθεν, ὑπερορᾷς ἐν εὐκαιρίαις, ἐν θλίψει; οὐ γὰρ μέμφεται, ἀλλ' ἱκετεύει μὴ ἐγκαταλειφθῆναι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν. καὶ πάλιν· ἵνα τί, ὁ θεός, ἀπώσω εἰς τέλος; ὠργίσθη ὁ θυμός σου ἐπὶ πρόβατα νομῆς σου. πάλιν γὰρ οὐκ αἰτιᾶται, ἀλλὰ μὴ εἰς τέλος ἀπωσθῆναι παρακαλεῖ. κἀνταῦθα τοίνυν ὁ μακάριος οὗτος ἀνὴρ ἱκετεύει λέγων· ἐπειδὴ φωτὸς καὶ ζωῆς εἶ χορηγός, κύριε, περίελε τὰς ὀδύνας, περίελε τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν πικρίαν. καὶ γὰρ αἱρετώτερος τοῦ ὀδυνηροῦ βίου ὁ θάνατος. διὸ καὶ ἐπιφέρει· 3, 2122 οἳ ὁμείρονται τοῦ θανάτου καὶ οὐ τυγχάνουσιν ἀνορύσσοντες ὥσπερ θησαυρούς, περιχαρεῖς δὲ ἐγένοντο, ἐὰν κατατύχωσιν. ὥσπερ, φησίν, οἱ χρυσὸν μεταλλεύοντες καὶ θησαυρὸν ζητοῦντες, ἐὰν εὕρωσιν, χαίρουσιν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἐν πικραῖς ὀδύναις, ἐὰν συναίσθωνται πλησίον ὄντα τὸν θάνατον, λύσιν αὐτὸν τῶν κακῶν ἐλπίζοντες εἶναι χαίρουσιν. 47 3, 23 θάνατος ἀνδρὶ ἀνάπαυσις, συνέκλεισεν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς κατ' αὐτοῦ. καθ' ἑκάτερά φησίν· θάνατος ἀνδρὶ ἀνάπαυσις. πέρας γάρ ἐστι τοῦ ἐνταῦθα βίου καὶ συγκλείει τὰς ἐνταῦθα τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράξεις, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἡμᾶς ἔτι φαῦλόν τι πράττειν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς πόνους τῆς ἀρετῆς πέρας ἔχει· ἐκεῖ γὰρ οὐκέτι οἱ ἀγῶνες, ἀλλ' οἱ στέφανοι, οὐκέτι οἱ ἱδρῶτες, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀνάπαυσις. τὸ οὖν συνέκλεισεν ὁ θεὸς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀντὶ τοῦ· καὶ τῶν πόνων τῶν περὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν πέρας ἔχει ὁ θάνατος καὶ τῆς κακίας ἐποχήν. ἕτερα δὲ βιβλία ἔχουσι καὶ τοῦτον τὸν στίχον μετὰ τὸ θάνατος ἀνδρὶ ἀνάπαυσις· _ο_ὗ_ _ἡ_ _ὁ_δ_ὸ_ς_ _ἀ_π_ε_κ_ρ_ύ_β_η_ _ἀ_π_'_ _α_ὐ_τ_ο_ῦ_. ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ὁδὸς ἀπεκρύβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· οὐ γὰρ οἶδεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, πότε ὁ θάνατος ἐφίσταται διὰ τὸ αἰφνίδιον. 3, 24 πρὸ γὰρ τῶν σιτίων μου στεναγμός μοι ἥκει, δακρύω δὲ ἐγὼ συνεχόμενος φόβῳ. αἰτίαν ἀποδίδωσι τοῦ ποθεῖν τὸν θάνατον· οὔτε γὰρ ἀστενακτί, φησίν, τροφῆς μεταλαμβάνω, ἀλλὰ καὶ πυκνὰ δακρύω δεδοικώς, μή τι ἄρα ἐγκατάλειψιν τελείαν ὑπὸ θεοῦ ὑπέμεινα. αἱρετώτερος δὲ τοῖς δικαίοις, ὡς φθάσαντες ἔφημεν, μυριάκις ὁ σωματικὸς θάνατος ἢ τὸ ὑποπτεύειν ἐγκατάλειψιν ὑπομεμενηκέναι παρὰ θεοῦ. καὶ