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illiberal and servile desires, when we allow every licentiousness to enter and dwell in the souls of the young. For such reasonings are more grievous than robbers, enslaving the freedom of our children, and they make them slaves of irrational passions, stabbing them from all sides, and filling their minds with many wounds. Therefore, let us look to these things every day, and using reason like a whip, let us drive all such passions from their soul, so that our children may be able to partake of the heavenly citizenship, and perform all the service there. Do you not see that those who are citizens in the cities often make their own children, as soon as they are weaned from the breast, branch-bearers, and providers of games, and gymnasiarchs and choregi? Let us also do this; from their earliest age let us introduce them to the citizenship that is in the heavens. For this earthly one is only costly, and has no profit. 54.659 5. For what profit could come from the acclamations of the people? Tell me. For when evening comes on, that applause and all the clamor immediately withers away, and when the festival is over, as if having luxuriated in a dream, they are thus left destitute of all cheerfulness, and seeking the gladness that came to them neither from the crown, nor from the splendid robe and all the other pageantry, they would not be able to find it, as all these things have run past them faster than any wind. But the heavenly citizenship is entirely the opposite; without expense it brings us great and lasting profit. For not drunken men, but the host of angels applaud continually the one who is a citizen there. And why do I speak of the host of angels? The Master of angels Himself will praise and approve him. But he who is praised by God parades, crowned, not for one, nor two, nor three days, but throughout all eternity, and you would never see the head of such a one bare of that glory; for the time of this festival is not circumscribed by appointed days, but it is extended to the immortality of the things to come. For this service, poverty would never be an obstacle, but it is possible even for the poor man to perform this service, and especially the poor man, since he is free from all worldly show; for it requires not the expenditure of money and wealth, but a pure soul and a sober mind. From this both the garments of that citizenship are woven for the soul, and the crown is plaited; so that unless it is adorned with the achievements of virtue, much gold is of no benefit to it; just as, therefore, there will be no harm from poverty, if it has the inner wealth laid up within. Let not only our male children, but also our daughters perform this service; for it is not as in the external citizenship where only men are ordered to perform these services, but that theater also accepts women, and old men, and young, and slaves, and free. For where the demonstration is of the soul, neither nature, nor age, nor worldly rank, nor anything else is wont to be an obstacle. For this reason, I beseech all of you, from their earliest age to give both sons and daughters to such services, and to lay up beforehand for them the wealth suitable to such a citizenship, not burying gold, nor collecting silver, but laying up in their soul gentleness, sobriety, modesty, and all other virtue. For that service requires this expense. If, therefore, we collect this abundance both for ourselves and for our children, we shall both enjoy much splendor in the present life, and in the life to come we shall hear that blessed voice, by which Christ proclaims all those who have confessed Him. For confession is not only that which is through faith, but also that which is through works, so that if this is not also present, we risk being punished with those who deny. For there is not one way of denial,

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ἀνελευθέρους καὶ ἀνδραποδώδεις ἐπιθυμίας, ὅταν ἀσέλγειαν πᾶσαν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ἐμφιλοχωρῆσαι ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν νέων ἐάσωμεν. Λῃστῶν γὰρ χαλεπώτεροι οἱ τοιοῦτοι λογισμοὶ, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῶν παίδων ἐξανδραποδίσαντες, καὶ δούλους τῶν ἀλόγων ποιοῦσι παθῶν, κατακεντοῦντες αὐτοὺς πάντοθεν, καὶ πολλῶν τραυμάτων πληροῦντες αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν. ∆ιὸ δὴ ταῦτα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν περισκοπῶμεν, καὶ καθάπερ μάστιγι τῷ λόγῳ χρώμενοι, πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα πάθη τῆς ἐκείνων ψυχῆς ἀπελαύνωμεν, ἵνα τῆς ἄνω πολιτείας μετασχεῖν δυνηθῶσιν ἡμῖν οἱ παῖδες, καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ λειτουργίαν ἐπιτελέσαι πᾶσαν. Οὐκ εἴδετε, ὅτι οἱ ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι πολιτευόμενοι, τῆς θηλῆς πολλάκις τοὺς ἑαυτῶν παῖδας εὐθὺς ἀποσπασθέντας, θαλλοφόρους, καὶ ἀγωνοθέτας, καὶ γυμνασιάρχους καὶ χορειάρχας ποιοῦσι; Τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐργασώμεθα· ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν πολιτείαν εἰσάγωμεν τὴν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ ἡ ἐπίγειος δαπανηρὰ μόνον ἐστὶ, καὶ κέρδος οὐδὲν ἔχει. 54.659 εʹ. Ποῖον γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο κέρδος ἐκ· τῆς τῶν δήμων εὐφημίας; εἰπέ μοι. Τῆς ἑσπέρας γὰρ καταλαβούσης εὐθέως ὁ κρότος ἐκεῖνος καὶ ὁ θόρυβος ἅπας μαραίνεται, καὶ παρελθούσης τῆς πανηγύρεως, ὥσπερ ὄναρ τρυφήσαντες, οὕτως ἔρημοι πάσης καθίστανται εὐφροσύνης, καὶ οὔτε τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ στεφάνου, οὔτε τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς στολῆς τῆς λαμπρᾶς καὶ τῆς ἄλλης φαντασίας ἁπάσης εὐθυμίαν ἐγγινομένην αὐτοῖς ζητοῦντες εὑρεῖν δύναιντ' ἂν, ἀνέμου παντὸς ταχύτερον παραδραμόντων αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων. Ἡ δὲ τῶν οὐρανῶν πολιτεία τοὐναντίον ἅπαν· χωρὶς δαπάνης πολὺ φέρει τὸ κέρδος ἡμῖν καὶ μόνιμον. Οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι μεθύοντες, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων ὁ δῆμος τὸν ἐκεῖ πολιτευόμενον κροτοῦσι διηνεκῶς. Καὶ τί λόγω τῶν ἀγγέλων τὸν δῆμον; Αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότης ἐπαινέσει καὶ ἀποδέξεται. Ὁ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαινούμενος, οὐ μίαν, οὐδὲ δύο, καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας, ἀλλὰ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος πομπεύει στεφανηφορῶν, καὶ γυμνὴν οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἴδοις τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης τὴν τοῦ τοιούτου κεφαλήν· οὐ γὰρ ὡρισμέναις ἡμέραις ὁ τῆς πανηγύρεως ταύτης περιγέγραπται χρόνος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀθανασίαν τῶν μελλόντων ἐκτείνεται. Ταύτης τῆς λειτουργίας οὐκ ἄν ποτε γένοιτο πενία κώλυμα, ἀλλὰ δυνατὸν καὶ τὸν πένητα λειτουργῆσαι ταύτην τὴν λειτουργίαν, καὶ μάλιστα τὸν πένητα, ἅτε πάσης ἀπηλλαγμένον φαντασίας βιωτικῆς· οὐ γὰρ δαπάνης χρημάτων καὶ περιουσίας, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς δεῖ καθαρᾶς καὶ σωφρονούσης διανοίας. Ἀπὸ ταύτης καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς πολιτείας ἐκείνης ὑφαίνεται τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ ὁ στέφανος πλέκεται· ὥστε ἂν μὴ τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς ᾖ κεκοσμημένη κατορθώμασιν, οὐδὲν ὄφελος αὐτῇ χρυσίου πολλοῦ· ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ βλάβος ἔσται πενίας, ἐὰν τὸν ἔνδοθεν ἔχῃ πλοῦτον ἐναποκείμενον. Ταύτην τὴν λειτουργίαν μὴ μόνον ἄῤῥενες παῖδες, ἀλλὰ καὶ θυγατέρες ἡμῖν λειτουργείτωσαν· οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν πολιτείας ἀνδράσι μόνον ταῦτα λειτουργεῖν ἐπιτέτακται, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκας ἐκεῖνο τὸ θέατρον δέχεται, καὶ γέροντας, καὶ νέους, καὶ δούλους, καὶ ἐλευθέρους. Ὅπου γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐστιν ἡ ἐπίδειξις, οὐ φύσις, οὐχ ἡλικία, οὐκ ἀξίωμα βιωτικὸν, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἐμποδίζειν πέφυκε. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο, παρακαλῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς, ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἐκδιδόναι καὶ υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας ταῖς τοιαύταις λειτουργίαις, καὶ τὸν τῇ τοιαύτῃ πολιτείᾳ ἁρμόζοντα προαποτίθεσθαι πλοῦτον αὐτοῖς, οὐ χρυσίον κατορύττοντας, οὐδὲ ἀργύριον συλλέγοντας, ἀλλ' ἐπιείκειαν, σωφροσύνην, σεμνότητα, τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν ἀρετὴν ἐναποτιθεμένους αὐτῶν τῇ ψυχῇ. Ταύτης γὰρ δεῖται τῆς δαπάνης ἐκείνη ἡ λειτουργία. Ἂν ταύτην οὖν καὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ τοῖς παιδίοις συλλέξωμεν τὴν εὐπορίαν, καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον πολλῆς ἀπολαυσόμεθα τῆς λαμπρότητος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν τῆς μακαρίας ἐκείνης ἀκουσόμεθα φωνῆς, δι' ἣν ἅπαντας τοὺς ὁμολογήσαντας αὐτὸν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀνακηρύττει. Ὁμολογία δὲ οὐχ ἡ διὰ τῆς πίστεως μόνον ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔργων, ὡς ἐὰν μὴ καὶ αὐτὴ παρῇ, κινδυνεύομεν μετὰ τῶν ἀρνουμένων κολάζεσθαι. Οὐ γὰρ εἷς ἀρνήσεώς ἐστι τρόπος,