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the rewards, how you have extended a long speech to us, enumerating temperateness of seasons, health of body, good children, many children, prosperity, abundance of fruits, herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, all the prosperity of life? What then might we say to this? That God then led the multitude and the weaker people in one way, and in another way the noble and those already pursuing the philosophy in the New Testament. For to the many, those creeping on the ground and able to see nothing great, nor to extend the soul's hope toward the enjoyment of future good things, He provided these present good things, consoling the weakness of their soul, and through these guiding them to the practice of virtue, and instilling in them a desire for good things; but Elijah and Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and simply all the prophets, and whoever has been of the chorus of the holy and great men, He called to the heavens and the good things prepared there for those who have been well-pleasing. Wherefore Paul also did not simply enumerate all, but those in sheepskins, in goatskins, those in the furnace, those in prison, those who were tortured, those who were stoned, those in famine, those in poverty, those in deserts, those in caves, those in the holes of the earth, those who suffered countless terrible things. And then he said that all had died in faith, and had not yet received the promises; not the Jewish multitude, but hinting to us of those like Elijah. But if someone should say: For what reason have these very men not yet even now received the crowns owed to them? let him learn this reason also from Paul. For having said, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises," he added, "God having foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." For the festival is common, he says, since the pleasure is also greater, when we are all crowned together. This also happens in the Olympic games; the one who has wrestled, the one who has boxed, the one who has competed in the pancratium endure their contests at different times, but in one moment of time all are proclaimed victors. So also it happens at banquets. For when some of the guests have arrived early and others are still on their way, the hosts, honoring those left behind, command those who have already arrived and are present to wait for those who are late. This God has also done; for since He has called to a common and spiritual feast those from the whole world who have been well-pleasing at different times, He commands those who have already arrived and departed beforehand to wait for those who are going to depart after them, so that thus with all being present together, both the honor and the pleasure may be one for all. 10. For consider how great a matter of honor it is, that Paul and all those with him, Abraham, and those with him, and again those before him who strove and were victorious so many years ago, are now sitting and waiting for our well-pleasing. For that Paul has not yet received the crown, nor has any other of those who were well-pleasing from the beginning, but neither will they receive it, until all who are to be crowned 51.299 up to the end arrive, hear Paul himself saying: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge will award to me." When? On that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. And again elsewhere showing that the enjoyment of good things is given to all in common, writing to the Thessalonians he said: "since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted along with us." And again: "For we who

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τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, πῶς ἡμῖν μακρὸν ἀπέτεινας λόγον, ἀπαριθμούμενος ὡρῶν εὐκρασίαν, σώματος ὑγίειαν, εὐπαιδίαν, πολυπαιδίαν, εὐετηρίαν, καρπῶν ἀφθονίαν, βουκόλια, ποίμνια, ἅπασαν τὴν βιωτικὴν εὐπραγίαν; Τί οὖν ἂν εἴποιμεν πρὸς τοῦτο; Ὅτι ἑτέρως μὲν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὸν ἀσθενέστερον δῆμον, ἑτέρως δὲ τοὺς γενναίους καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ Καινῇ φιλοσοφίαν ἤδη μετιόντας ἦγεν ὁ Θεὸς τότε. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ πολλοῖς καὶ χαμαὶ ἑρπομένοις καὶ οὐδὲν μέγα δυναμένοις ἰδεῖν, οὐδὲ ἐκτεῖναι τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐλπίδα πρὸς τὴν τῶν μελλόντων ἀπόλαυσιν ἀγαθῶν, ταῦτα τὰ παρόντα παρεῖχεν ἀγαθὰ, τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῶν παραμυθούμενος, καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτοὺς ὁδηγῶν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐργασίαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν τῶν καλῶν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμβάλλων· τὸν δὲ Ἡλίαν καὶ τὸν Ἐλισσαῖον, τὸν Ἱερεμίαν, τὸν Ἠσαΐαν, καὶ πάντας δὴ ἁπλῶς τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ ὅσοι τοῦ χοροῦ γεγένηνται τῶν ἁγίων καὶ μεγάλων ἀνδρῶν, ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἐκάλει καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ παρεσκευασμένα τοῖς εὐδοκιμηκόσιν ἀγαθά. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος οὐχ ἁπλῶς πάντας ἀπηριθμήσατο, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐν μηλωταῖς, ἐν αἰγείοις δέρμασι, τοὺς ἐν καμίνῳ, τοὺς ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ, τοὺς ἀποτυμπανισθέντας, τοὺς καταλευσθέντας, τοὺς ἐν λιμῷ, τοὺς ἐν πενίᾳ, τοὺς ἐν ἐρημίαις, τοὺς ἐν σπηλαίοις, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς, τοὺς τὰ μυρία παθόντας δεινά. Καὶ τότε εἶπε κατὰ πίστιν πάντας τετελευτηκέναι, καὶ μηδέπω κεκομίσθαι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας· οὐχὶ τὸ πλῆθος τὸ Ἰουδαϊκὸν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κατὰ τὸν Ἠλίαν ἡμῖν αἰνιττόμενος. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις· Αὐτοὶ δὲ οὗτοι τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐδέπω καὶ νῦν ἀπέλαβον τοὺς ὀφειλομένους αὐτοῖς στεφάνους; μανθανέτω καὶ ταύτην παρὰ Παύλου τὴν αἰτίαν. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐπήγαγε, Τοῦ Θεοῦ κρεῖττόν τι προβλεψαμένου περὶ ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσι. Κοινὴ γάρ ἐστι, φησὶν, ἡ πανήγυρις, ἐπειδὴ καὶ μείζων ἡδονὴ, ὅταν κοινῇ στεφανώμεθα πάντες. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς Ὀλυμπιακοῖς ἀγῶσι γίνεται· ὁ παλαίσας, ὁ πυκτεύσας, ὁ παγκρατιάσας ἐν διαφόροις μὲν καιροῖς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ὑπομένουσιν, ἐν μιᾷ δὲ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ πάντες ἀνακηρύττονται. Οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις γίνεται. Ὅταν γὰρ τῶν δαιτυμόνων οἱ μὲν φθάσωσι προαπαντήσαντες, οἱ δὲ ἔτι μέλλωσι, τιμῶντες τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας οἱ ἑστιάτορες, τοὺς φθάσαντας ἤδη καὶ παραγενομένους κελεύουσιν ἀναμένειν τοὺς ὑστερήσαντας. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Θεὸς πεποίηκεν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης κατὰ διαφόρους καιροὺς εὐδοκιμηκότας ἐπὶ κοινήν τε καὶ πνευματικὴν εὐωχίαν ἐκάλεσε, τοὺς ἤδη φθάσαντας καὶ προαπελθόντας κελεύει τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπιέναι μέλλοντας ἀναμένειν, ἵν' οὕτω κοινῇ παραγενομένων ἁπάντων, καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ ἡδονὴ μία ἅπασι γένηται. ιʹ. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ἡλίκον ἐστὶν εἰς τιμῆς λόγον, Παῦλον καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἅπαντας, τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνον, καὶ τοὺς πρὸ ἐκείνου πάλιν πρὸ τοσούτων ἐτῶν ἀθλήσαντας καὶ νικήσαντας καθῆσθαι νῦν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀναμένοντας εὐδοκίμησιν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδέπω τὸν στέφανον Παῦλος ἀπείληφεν, οὐδὲ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς εὐηρεστηκότων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀπολήψονται, ἕως ἂν ἅπαντες οἱ μέχρι τέλους στεφα 51.299 νοῦσθαι μέλλοντες ἀφίκωνται, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετήρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, ὃν ἀποδώσει μοι ὁ δίκαιος κριτής. Πότε; Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ· οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐμοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἠγαπηκόσι τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ δεικνὺς, ὅτι κοινῇ πᾶσιν ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπόλαυσις δίδοται, Θεσσαλονικεῦσι γράφων ἔλεγεν· Εἴπερ δίκαιον παρὰ Θεῷ ἀποδοῦναι τοῖς θλίβουσιν ὑμᾶς θλίψιν, καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς θλιβομένοις ἄνεσιν μεθ' ἡμῶν. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ