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here they also rejoice, leaping like irrational animals, having what you have given for the enjoyment of life and seeing these things alone, they think that the things after the departure of the soul and of life are also thus. But they conjecture badly, but they think badly 105 those who say to be not with you, but in repose, and preparing a certain place—O foolishness!—sharing in neither light nor darkness, outside the kingdom, but also of Gehenna, and far from the bridal chamber and the fire of judgment, a place to which the wretched ones pray to arrive and say they do not need your eternal glory (41) or the kingdom of heaven, but to be in repose. Alas for their darkening, alas for their ignorance, alas for their misery and empty hopes!

115 Nowhere is this written, nor indeed will this be, but those who have done divine things will be in the light of good things, and the workers of wicked things will be in the darkness of punishments, and a fearful chasm in the middle separating both, as you yourself taught, who prepared these things. 120 For to the person falling in the middle this will be beyond every fearful torment and punishment, wretchedly tumbling and being carried down into an abyss of torments, into a chaos of destruction, upon which it is difficult for those in torments to set foot, 125 in order that they might cross over into the land of the just, who prefer to be terribly incinerated in fire rather than to cast themselves into the dreadful chaos. Therefore, those praying to be there after their fate happen to be worthy of many tears and laments, 130 because like irrational beasts they are completely without perception and they pray against themselves and deceive themselves. You are the kingdom of heaven, you, Christ, are the land of the meek, you are the paradise of green pasture, you are the divine bridal chamber, you are the ineffable inner room, you are the table of all, 135 you are the bread of life, you are the newest drink, you are also the mixing-bowl of water, you are also the water of life, you are also an unquenchable lamp for each of the saints, you are also a tunic and a crown and the one who distributes crowns, you are also joy and repose, you are both delight and glory, 140 you are also exultation, you are also gladness, and your grace will shine like the sun, my God, (42)

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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, ἐν σκότει δ᾿ ἔσονται ποινῶν οἱ τῶν φαύλων ἐργάται, μέσον δέ χάσμα φοβερόν ἑκατέρους διεῖργον, ὡς αὐτός σύ ἐδίδαξας, ὁ ἑτοιμάσας ταῦτα. 120 Τῷ γάρ μέσον ἐμπίπτοντι ἀνθρώπῳ ὑπέρ πᾶσαν βάσανον ἔσται φοβεράν τοῦτο καί τιμωρίαν, εἰς ἄββυσον κολάσεων , εἰς χάος ἀπωλείας ἐγκυβιστῶντι δυστυχῶς καί καταφερομένῳ, οὗ ἐπιβῆναι δυσχερές τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν βασάνοις, 125 ἵνα διαπεράσωσιν ἐν τῇ γῇ τῶν δικαίων, οἵ προαιροῦνται ἐν πυρί δεινῶς ἀποτεφροῦσθαι ἤ γάρ εἰς χάος τό φρικτόν ἑαυτούς ἐπιρρῖψαι. Οἱ οὖν ἐκεῖ εὐχόμενοι γενέσθαι μετά πότμον πολλῶν δακρύων ἄξιοι τυγχάνουσι καί θρήνων, 130 ὅτι ὡς κτήνη ἄλογα ὅλως ἀναισθητοῦσι καί ἑαυτῶν κατεύχονται καί ἑαυτούς πλανῶσιν. Σύ βασιλεία οὐρανῶν, σύ γῆ, Χριστέ, πραέων, σύ χλόης ὁ παράδεισος, σύ ὁ νυμφών ὁ θεῖος, σύ ὁ παστός ὁ ἄρρητος, σύ ἡ τράπεζα πάντων, 135 σύ εἶς ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς, σύ καινότατον πόμα, σύ καί ὁ κρατήρ τοῦ ὕδατος, σύ καί ζωῆς τό ὕδωρ, σύ καί λαμπάς καθ᾿ ἕκαστον ἄσβεστος τοῖς ἁγίοις, σύ καί χιτών καί στέφανος καί διαιρῶν στεφάνους, σύ καί χαρά καί ἄνεσις, σύ τρυφή τε καί δόξα, 140 σύ καί ἡ ἀγαλλίασις, σύ καί ἡ εὐφροσύνη, καί λάμψει ὥσπερ ἥλιος ἡ χάρις σου, Θεέ μου, (42)