24
they died and did not suffice to present an image of the future true resurrection; but he alone 118 became the author of that resurrection, being the first to be raised to the immortal resurrection. These things those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word also proclaimed. For the blessed Paul says, whose calling was not from men, but from heaven: I make known to you, brothers, the Gospel which I preached to you; for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some say that there is no resurrection? For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, our faith is vain, you are still in your iniquities; if in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, having become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep; for since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead; for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. And a little after: For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality; but when this corruptible puts on incorruption and this mortal puts on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory; O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? For the power of death is then completely abolished and vanishes, no longer working at all, but henceforth immortality and incorruption are given to men for ever. 120 There will be, therefore, there will be without a doubt the resurrection of the dead, and this we believe without hesitation; but we also know there are rewards and reckonings for things done in life on the fearful day of Christ’s coming, by which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, as one of the divinely inspired says, But we look for new heavens and a new earth, according to his promise. For that there are rewards and reckonings for deeds there, and that nothing at all of the good or the evil will be overlooked, but that recompenses are laid up for deeds and words and thoughts, is clear; for the Lord says: Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, he shall by no means lose his reward. And again he says: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left; then the king will say to those on his right: Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. What does he mean by this? Appropriating to himself the good deeds done by us to those in need. And in another place he says: Everyone who confesses 122 in me before men, I also will confess in him before my Father who is in heaven. Behold, through all these and many other things he has shown the rewards for good works to be certain and secure; but he also foretold that reckonings are laid up for the opposite through wonderful and extraordinary parables, which the fount of wisdom all-wisely related; at one time introducing a certain rich man clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasting sumptuously every day, but being ungenerous and merciless toward those in need, so that even
24
ἀπέθανον καὶ οὐκ ἔφθασαν εἰκόνα τῆς μελλούσης ἀληθινῆς ἀναστάσεως παραστῆσαι· μόνος δὲ 118 αὐτὸς τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐκείνης ἀρχηγὸς ἐγένετο, πρῶτος τὴν ἀθάνατον ἐγερθεὶς ἀνάστασιν. ταῦτα καὶ οἱ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς αὐτόπται καὶ ὑπηρέται γενόμενοι τοῦ λόγου ἐκήρυξαν. φησὶ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, οὗ ἡ κλῆσις οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' οὐρανόθεν γέγονε· Γνωρίζω ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ὃ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν· παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν πρώτοις ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὰς Γραφάς· εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς κηρύσσεται, ὅτι ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγήγερται, πῶς λέγουσί τινες ὅτι ἀνάστασις οὐκ ἔστιν; εἰ γὰρ νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται, οὐδὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται· εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται, ματαία ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν, ἔτι ἐστὲ ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις ὑμῶν· εἰ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ ἠλπικότες ἐσμὲν ἐν Χριστῷ μόνον, ἐλεεινότεροι πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐσμέν. νυνὶ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων γενόμενος· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι' ἀνθρώπου ὁ θάνατος, καὶ δι' ἀνθρώπου ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνήσκουσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται. καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· ∆εῖ γὰρ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν· ὅταν δὲ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσηται ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσηται ἀθανασίαν, τότε πληρωθήσεται ὁ λόγος ὁ γεγραμμένος· Κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος· ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νῖκος; καταργεῖται γὰρ τέλεον ἡ τοῦ θανάτου δύναμις τότε καὶ ἀφανίζεται, μηκέτι ὅλως ἐνεργοῦσα, ἀλλ' ἀθανασία λοιπὸν καὶ ἀφθαρσία δίδοται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις αἰώνιος. 120 Ἔσται οὖν, ἔσται ἀναμφιλέκτως ἡ τῶν νεκρῶν ἀνάστασις, καὶ τοῦτο ἀνενδοιάστως πιστεύομεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀμοιβὰς καὶ εὐθύνας τῶν βεβιωμένων γινώσκομεν κατὰ τὴν φοβερὰν ἡμέραν τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, ∆ι' ἧς οὐρανοὶ πυρούμενοι λυθήσονται καὶ στοιχεῖα καυσούμενα τήκεται, ὥς φησί τις τῶν θεηγόρων, Καινοὺς δὲ οὐρανοὺς καὶ καινὴν γῆν, κατὰ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα αὐτοῦ προσδοκῶμεν. ὅτι γὰρ ἀμοιβαὶ καὶ εὔθυναι εἰσὶ τῶν ἔργων ἐκεῖ, καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἢ τῶν πονηρῶν παροφθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργων καὶ ῥημάτων καὶ ἐνθυμήσεων ἀνταποδόσεις ἀπόκεινται, δῆλον· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος· Ὃς ἐὰν ποτίσῃ ἕνα τῶν μικρῶν τούτων ποτήριον ψυχροῦν μόνον εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ, οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ. καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι μετ' αὐτοῦ, τότε συναχθήσονται ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη καὶ ἀφοριεῖ αὐτοὺς ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ὥσπερ ὁ ποιμὴν ἀφορίζει τὰ πρόβατα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρίφων, καὶ στήσει τὰ μὲν πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων· τότε ἐρεῖ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ· ∆εῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου· ἐπείνασα γὰρ καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, ἐδίψησα καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με, ξένος ἤμην καὶ συνηγάγετέ με, γυμνὸς καὶ περιεβάλετέ με, ἠσθένησα καὶ ἐπεσκέψασθέ με, ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην καὶ ἤλθετε πρός με. τί τοῦτο λέγων; τὰς γινομένας παρ' ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς δεομένους εὐποιΐας ἑαυτῷ οἰκειούμενος. καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει· Πᾶς ὅστις ὁμολογήσει 122 ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἰδοὺ διὰ πάντων τούτων καὶ ἄλλων πλειόνων ἐδήλωσε βεβαίας εἶναι καὶ ἀσφαλεῖς τὰς ἀμοιβὰς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων εὐθύνας ἀποκεῖσθαι προκατήγγειλε διὰ παραβολῶν θαυμασίων καὶ ἐξαισίων, ἃς ἡ πηγὴ τῆς σοφίας πανσόφως διηγήσατο· ποτὲ μὲν πλούσιόν τινα παρεισάγων πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον ἐνδεδυμένον, καὶ καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς εὐφραινόμενον, ἀμετάδοτον δὲ καὶ ἀνηλεῆ πρὸς τοὺς δεομένους ὑπάρχοντα, ὡς καὶ