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striving much, and laboring willingly, so as to bind on the diadem of the kingdom? Do you see how He lifted up their soul, and made them rise aloft? And He shows not only that death has ceased, but through it also that the truceless war ever waged against us has been taken away and exposed, I mean the devil being rendered powerless; for he who does not fear death, is outside the tyranny of the devil. For if skin for skin, and all things a man would give for his soul; when one resolves to despise even this, of whom will he be a slave then? He dreads no one, he fears no one, he is superior to all, and freer than all. For he who despises his own soul, much more despises other things. And when the devil finds such a soul, he will be able to work none of his own things in it. For what, tell me, will he threaten loss of money and dishonor and exile from one's country? But these are small things to one who does not even hold his own soul dear, according to the blessed Paul. Do you see that by casting out the tyranny of death, He also destroyed the strength of the devil? for he who knows how to philosophize countless things about the resurrection, how does he fear death? how does he shudder then? Therefore do not be distressed, saying, "Why have we suffered such and such things?" for so the victory becomes more glorious; and it would not have been glorious, if He had not undone death by death. And this is the wonderful thing, that He conquered him by the very means by which he was strong, showing His resourcefulness and ingenuity everywhere. Let us not then betray the gift given to us. For we have not received, he says, a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. Let us stand, therefore, nobly, laughing at death. 5. But it has come upon me to groan bitterly, considering to where Christ has led us up, and to where we have brought ourselves down. For when I see the beatings of the breast in the marketplace, the wailings which they make for those departing this life, the shrieks, the other indecencies, believe me, I am ashamed before both Greeks and Jews and heretics who see it, and simply all who on this account laugh at us; for whatever I may say henceforth, I will speak in vain, philosophizing about the resurrection. Why is that? Because the Greeks do not pay attention to the things said by me, but to the things done by you; for they will immediately say: "When will any of these be able to despise death, when he cannot even bear to see another dead?" Fine are the things said by Paul, fine, and worthy of the heavens, and of the love of God for man; for what does he say? "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." But you do not allow 63.43 these things to be believed, fighting against them by your deeds; and yet God has built many defenses for this purpose, so that He might take away this wicked custom. For tell me, what do the bright lamps mean? Do we not send them forth as athletes? And what of the hymns? Do we not glorify God, and give thanks that He has now crowned the one departed, that He has released him from his labors, that having cast out fear, He has him with Himself? Is it not for this reason there are hymns? Is it not for this reason there are psalms? All these are things of those who rejoice. For "Is any cheerful?" he says, "let him sing psalms." But the Greeks do not pay attention to these things. For do not tell me, he says, of one who philosophizes outside of the suffering, for this is nothing great or wonderful, but show me one who philosophizes in the midst of the suffering itself, and then I will believe in the resurrection. And for worldly women to do this is nothing wonderful; although even this is terrible; for from them too the same philosophy is required; wherefore Paul also says: "But I would not have you to be ignorant concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." He did not write these things to monks nor to perpetual virgins, but also to worldly women who have known marriage, and to worldly men. Still, this is not so terrible; but when someone, either a woman or a man, saying they are crucified to the world, the man tears his hair, the woman wails aloud, what is more unseemly than this? Believe me when I say: if things were done as they ought to be, such persons ought to be barred for a long time from the thresholds of the church. For those truly worthy of mourning are these, those who death

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ἀθλούντων πολλὰ, καὶ πονούντων ἑκοντὶ, ὥστε τὸ διάδημα τῆς βασιλείας ἀναδήσασθαι; Ὁρᾷς πῶς αὐτῶν ἦρε τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ μετεώρους εἰργάσατο; ∆είκνυσι δὲ οὐ τὸν θάνατον μόνον πεπαυμένον, ἀλλὰ διὰ τούτου κἀκεῖνον τὸν ἄσπονδον πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀεὶ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπανῃρημένον καὶ ἐπιδεικνύμενον, τὸν διάβολον λέγω καταργηθέντα· ὁ γὰρ θάνατον μὴ δεδοικὼς, ἔξω τῆς τυραννίδος ἐστὶ τοῦ διαβόλου. Εἰ γὰρ δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος, καὶ πάντα δοίη ἄν τις ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ· ὅταν καὶ ταύτης κρίνῃ τις καταφρονεῖν, τίνος ἔσται δοῦλος λοιπόν; Οὐδένα δέδοικεν, οὐδένα φοβεῖται, πάντων ἐστὶν ἀνώτερος, καὶ πάντων ἐλευθεριώτερος. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καταφρονῶν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων. Ὅταν δὲ εὕρῃ ψυχὴν τοιαύτην ὁ διάβολος, οὐδὲν ἐργάσασθαι δυνήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, χρημάτων ζημίαν ἀπειλήσει καὶ ἀτιμίαν καὶ πατρίδος ἔκπτωσιν; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μικρὰ τῷ μηδὲ τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν τιθεμένῳ, κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τοῦ θανάτου τὴν τυραννίδα ἐκβαλὼν, συγκατέλυσε καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν ἰσχύν; ὁ γὰρ περὶ ἀναστάσεως μυρία φιλοσοφεῖν εἰδὼς, πῶς δέδοικε θάνατον; πῶς φρίττει λοιπόν; Μὴ τοίνυν ἀσχάλλετε λέγοντες, ∆ιὰ τί τὰ καὶ τὰ πεπόνθαμεν; οὕτω γὰρ λαμπροτέρα ἡ νίκη γίνεται· οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἦν λαμπρὰ, εἰ μὴ θανάτῳ τὸν θάνατον ἔλυσε. Τὸ δὲ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι δι' αὐτῶν αὐτὸν ἐνίκησε, δι' ὧν ἴσχυσε, τὸ εὔπορον αὐτοῦ πανταχοῦ καὶ εὐμήχανον δεικνύς. Μὴ δὴ προδῶμεν τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν δωρεάν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐλάβομεν, φησὶ, πνεῦμα δειλίας, ἀλλὰ πνεῦμα δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ. Στῶμεν οὖν γενναίως καταγελῶντες τοῦ θανάτου. εʹ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐπῆλθέ μοι στενάξαι πικρὸν, ποῦ μὲν ὁ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἀνήγαγε, ποῦ δὲ ἑαυτοὺς κατηγάγομεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδω τοὺς κοπετοὺς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν, τὰς οἰμωγὰς, ἃς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐξερχομένοις ποιοῦνται τοῦ βίου, τὰς ὀλολυγὰς, τὰς ἀσχημοσύνας τὰς ἄλλας, πιστεύσατε, αἰσχύνομαι καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ Ἰουδαίους καὶ αἱρετικοὺς τοὺς ὁρῶντας, καὶ πάντας ἁπλῶς τοὺς διὰ τοῦτο καταγελῶντας ἡμῶν· ὅσα γὰρ ἂν εἴπω λοιπὸν, εἰκῇ ἐρῶ περὶ ἀναστάσεως φιλοσοφῶν. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι οὐ τοῖς λεγομένοις παρ' ἐμοῦ προσέχουσιν Ἕλληνες, ἀλλὰ τοῖς γινομένοις παρ' ὑμῶν· εὐθέως γὰρ ἐροῦσι· Πότε τούτων τις καταφρονῆσαι θανάτου δυνήσεται, μηδὲ ἕτερον τεθνεῶτα δυνάμενος ἰδεῖν; Καλὰ τὰ εἰρημένα ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου, καλὰ, καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἄξια, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας· τί γάρ φησι; Καὶ ἀπαλλάξει τούτους, ὅσοι φόβῳ θανάτου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῇν ἔνοχοι ἦσαν δουλείας. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀφίετε 63.43 ταῦτα πιστεύεσθαι ὑμεῖς, μαχόμενοι διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῖς· καίτοι πολλὰ ἐπιτειχίσαντος τοῦ Θεοῦ γίνεσθαι πρὸς τοῦτο, ἵνα ἀνέλῃ τὴν πονηρὰν ταύτην συνήθειαν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, τί βούλονται αἱ λαμπάδες αἱ φαιδραί; οὐχ ὡς ἀθλητὰς αὐτοὺς προπέμπομεν; τί δὲ οἱ ὕμνοι; οὐχὶ τὸν Θεὸν δοξάζομεν, καὶ εὐχαριστοῦμεν ὅτι λοιπὸν ἐστεφάνωσε τὸν ἀπελθόντα, ὅτι τῶν πόνων ἀπήλλαξεν, ὅτι τῆς δειλίας ἐκβαλὼν ἔχει παρ' ἑαυτῷ; οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ὕμνοι; οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ψαλμωδίαι; Ταῦτα πάντα χαιρόντων ἐστίν· Εὐθυμεῖ γὰρ, φησὶ, τίς; ψαλλέτω. Ἀλλ' οὐ τούτοις προσέχουσιν Ἕλληνες. Μὴ γάρ μοι, φησὶν, εἴπῃς τὸν ἐκτὸς τοῦ πάθους φιλοσοφοῦντα, τοῦτο γὰρ οὐδὲν μέγα οὐδὲ θαυμαστὸν, ἀλλὰ δεῖξόν μοι τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ πάθει φιλοσοφοῦντα, καὶ τότε πιστεύσω τῇ ἀναστάσει. Καὶ τὸ μὲν βιωτικὰς γυναῖκας τοῦτο ποιεῖν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· καίτοι γε καὶ αὐτὸ δεινόν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὗται τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπαιτοῦνται φιλοσοφίαν· διὸ καὶ Παῦλός φησι· Περὶ δὲ τῶν κεκοιμημένων οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε, καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Οὐχὶ μονάζουσιν ἔγραφε ταῦτα οὐδὲ ἀειπαρθένοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοσμικαῖς γάμῳ ὁμιλησάσαις, καὶ βιωτικοῖς. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω δεινὸν τοῦτο· ὅταν δέ τις, ἢ γυνὴ, ἢ ἀνὴρ ἐσταυρῶσθαι τῷ κόσμῳ λέγων, ὁ μὲν τρίχας τίλλῃ, ἡ δὲ κωκύῃ μεγάλα, τί τούτου ἀσχημονέστερον; Πιστεύσατέ μοι λέγοντι· εἴγε ὡς ἐχρῆν ἐγίνετο, πολὺν ἔδει χρόνον τοὺς τοιούτους εἴργεσθαι τῶν οὐδῶν τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. Οἱ γὰρ ὄντως ἄξιοι πένθους, οὗτοί εἰσιν, οἱ τὸν θάνατον