Only the catechumens are cast out from the sacred places. For this class is indeed wholly uninitiated in every sacred rite, and it is not lawful for it to behold anything, small or great, of the things sacredly performed, as not having partaken of the power of beholding sacred things through the light-giving, divine birth from the Source of light; but the other orders of those being purified have already been in initiation of the sacred tradition, but having foolishly slid back to worse things when they should have perfected their own uplifting towards what is ahead, they are reasonably separated from the visions and communions of the things of the Divine Principle, as in sacred symbols (for they will be harmed by partaking of them unholily and will come to a greater contempt for divine things and for themselves), but they are not unreasonably present at the rites now being performed, being clearly taught and seeing our fearlessness of death and the rewards of the saints celebrated by the true oracles and the endless woes threatened to be for the unholy like themselves. For it will perhaps be a benefit to them to see the one sacredly perfected being sacredly proclaimed by the liturgical announcement as being truly a partaker with the saints from the beginning of time. And perhaps they too will come to a similar desire and will be taught by the liturgical knowledge that perfection in Christ is truly blessed. <4> "Then the divine hierarch, approaching, makes a sacred prayer over the one who has fallen asleep, and after the prayer, the hierarch himself kisses him, and in order all those present"; the prayer, then, beseeches the goodness of the Divine Principle to forgive all the sins committed through human weakness by the one who has fallen asleep, and to assign him a place in the light and land of the living, in the bosoms of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in a place from which pain and sorrow and sighing have fled away. <5> These things, then, as I think, are clearly the most blessed rewards of the saints. For what could be equivalent to an entirely painless and illuminating immortality? Even if the promises, higher than every mind, being signified by means analogous to us, have names that fall short of their actual truth. For one must think the oracle to be true that "Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him." And the bosoms, as I think, of the blessed patriarchs and of all the other saints are the most divine and blessed resting-places which receive all the godlike into the ageless and most blessed perfection within them. <6> But perhaps you might say that these things have been rightly said by us, but be at a loss as to why the hierarch beseeches the goodness of the Divine Principle, asking forgiveness for the sins of the one who has fallen asleep and for the most radiant allotment in the same rank as the godlike. For if everyone will receive from the divine justice rewards for the good or other things he has done in the present life, and the one who has fallen asleep has completed his own activities in this life, by what hierarchic prayer will he be transferred to another resting-place beyond his worth and the recompense for the life here? But I, following the oracles, know well that each will have a corresponding allotment. For, it says, the Lord shut him out and "Each will receive the things done through the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." And that the prayers of the just, in this life, let alone after death, are effective only for those worthy of sacred prayers, the true traditions of the oracles teach us. Or what did he gain from Samuel? And how did the prophetic prayer benefit the people of the Hebrews? For just as if someone, while the sun bestows its own light on healthy eyes, asks to be in communion with the sun's light while destroying his own sight, so he who begs for the prayers of the saints and drives away their sacred actions which are according to nature by inattention to the divine gifts and by turning away from the most radiant and good-giving commandments, is attached to impossible and superfluous hopes. But I say, following the oracles, that the prayers of the saints in this life are altogether beneficial in this way: if anyone, desiring sacred gifts

μόνοι δὲ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκβάλλονται χώρων οἱ κατηχούμενοι. Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη μὲν ἀμύητός ἐστι καθόλου πάσης ἱερᾶς τελετῆς καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν οὐ μικρὸν οὐ μέγα τῶν ἱερῶς τελουμένων ἐποπτεύειν αὐτῇ θεμιτὸν ὡς οὐδὲ τῆς τῶν ἱερῶν ὀπτικῆς δυνάμεως μετασχούσῃ διὰ τῆς ἀρχιφώτου καὶ φωτοδότιδος θεογενεσίας· αἱ δὲ λοιπαὶ τῶν καθαιρομένων τάξεις ἐν μυήσει μὲν ἤδη γεγόνασιν ἱερᾶς παραδόσεως, ἀνοήτως δὲ πρὸς τὰ χείρω παλινδρομήσασαι δέον ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω τὴν οἰκείαν ἀναγωγὴν ἀποτελειῶσαι τῶν θεαρχικῶν μὲν ὡς ἐν συμβόλοις ἱεροῖς ἐποψιῶν καὶ κοινωνιῶν εὐλόγως ἀποδιαστέλλονται (βλαβήσονται γὰρ ἀνιέρως αὐτῶν μετέχουσαι καὶ πρὸς πλείονα τῶν θείων καὶ ἑαυτῶν ἐλεύσονται περιφρόνησιν), οὐκ ἀπεικότως δὲ πάρεισιν ἐπὶ τοῖς νῦν τελουμένοις ἐναργῶς ἐκδιδασκόμεναι καὶ ὁρῶσαι τὴν τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀδειλίαν θανάτου καὶ τὰ τῶν ἁγίων γέρα πρὸς τῶν ἀληθῶν λογίων ὑμνούμενα καὶ τὰς ἠπειλημένας ἔσεσθαι τοῖς κατ' αὐτὰς ἀνιέροις ἀτελευτήτους ἀνίας. Ἔσται γὰρ αὐταῖς ἴσως ὄφελος ὁρώσαις τὸν ἱερῶς τετελειωμένον ὑπὸ τῆς λειτουργικῆς ἀναρρήσεως ὡς κοινωνὸν ὄντως ὄντα τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἁγίων ἱερῶς ἀνακηρυττόμενον. Καὶ τάχα καὶ αὐταὶ πρὸς τὴν ὁμοίαν ἔφεσιν ἥξουσι καὶ πρὸς τῆς λειτουργικῆς ἐπιστήμης ἐκδιδαχθήσονται μακαρίαν ἀληθῶς εἶναι ἐν Χριστῷ τελείωσιν. <4> «Eἶτα προσελθὼν ὁ θεῖος ἱεράρχης εὐχὴν ἱερὰν ἐπὶ τῷ κεκοιμημένῳ ποιεῖται, καὶ μετὰ τὴν εὐχὴν αὐτός τε ὁ ἱεράρχης αὐτὸν ἀσπάζεται καὶ ἑξῆς οἱ παρόντες ἅπαντες»· ἡ μὲν οὖν εὐχὴ τῆς θεαρχικῆς ἀγαθότητος δεῖται πάντα μὲν ἀφεῖναι τὰ δι' ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν ἡμαρτημένα τῷ κεκοιμημένῳ, κατατάξαι δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν φωτὶ καὶ χώρᾳ ζώντων εἰς κόλπους Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἐν τόπῳ, οὗ ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη καὶ λύπη καὶ στεναγμός. <5> Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὡς οἶμαι δῆλα τὰ τῶν ἁγίων μακαριώτατα γέρα. Τὶ γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο τῆς παντελῶς ἀλύπου καὶ φωτιστικῆς ἀθανασίας ἰσόρροπον; Eἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ταῖς ἡμῶν ἀναλόγοις σημασίαις αἱ παντὸς ὑψηλότεραι νοὸς ἐπαγγελίαι σημαινόμεναι τῆς πραγματικῆς αὐτῶν ἀληθείας ἀποδεούσας ἔχουσι τὰς ὀνομασίας. Ἀληθὲς γὰρ εἶναι τὸ λόγιον οἰητέον ὅτι «Ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν». Κόλποι δέ εἰσιν ὡς οἶμαι τῶν μακαρίων πατριαρχῶν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁγίων ἁπάντων αἱ θειόταται καὶ μακαρισταὶ λήξεις αἱ τοὺς θεοειδεῖς ὑποδεχόμεναι πάντας εἰς τὴν ἐν αὐταῖς ἀγήρω καὶ μακαριωτάτην τελείωσιν. <6> Φαίης δ' ἂν ἴσως ταῦτα μὲν ὀρθῶς εἰρῆσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀπορεῖν δὲ ὅτου ἕνεκα τῆς θεαρχικῆς ἀγαθότητος ὁ ἱεράρχης δεῖται τῶν ἡμαρτημένων αἰτῶν τῷ κεκοιμημένῳ τὴν ἄφεσιν καὶ τὴν τοῖς θεοειδέσιν ὁμοταγῆ καὶ φανοτάτην ἀποκλήρωσιν. Eἰ γὰρ ἀμοιβὰς ἀπολήψεται πᾶς ὑπὸ τῆς θείας δικαιοσύνης ὧν ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ χρηστῶν ἢ ἑτέρων ἔδρασεν, ἐτέλεσε δὲ τὰς κατὰ τὸν τῇδε βίον οἰκείας ἐνεργείας ὁ κεκοιμημένος, πρὸς τίνος ἱεραρχικῆς εὐχῆς ἐφ' ἑτέραν λῆξιν μεταταχθήσεται παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐνθάδε ζωῆς ἀμοιβαίαν; Ἐγὼ δὲ, ὅτι μὲν ἀμοιβαίαν ἕξει τὴν ἀποκλήρωσιν ἕκαστος, εὖ οἶδα τοῖς λογίοις ἀκολουθῶν. Ἀπέκλεισε γάρ, φησίν, ὁ κύριος κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ «Κομίσεται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε κακόν». Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τῶν δικαίων αἱ προσευχαὶ κατὰ τὸν τῇδε βίον, μήτι γε μετὰ θάνατον, εἰς τοὺς ἀξίους ἱερῶν εὐχῶν ἐνεργοῦσι μόνον, αἱ τῶν λογίων ἡμᾶς ἐκδιδάσκουσιν ἀληθεῖς παραδόσεις. Ἢ τὶ πρὸς τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ἀπώνατο; τί δὲ τὸν τῶν Ἑβραίων λαὸν ὤνησεν ἡ προφητικὴ προσευχή; Καὶ γὰρ ὡς εἴ τις ἡλίου τὰ οἰκεῖα δωρουμένου φῶτα τοῖς ἀβλαβέσιν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐν μετουσίᾳ τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ φωτὸς αἰτεῖ γενέσθαι τὰς οἰκείας ὄψεις ἐξαφανίζων, οὕτω πρὸς ἀδυνάτους ἤρτηται καὶ περιττὰς ἐλπίδας ὁ τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἐξαιτῶν προσευχὰς καὶ τὰς κατὰ φύσιν αὐτῶν ἱερὰς ἐνεργείας ἐλαύνων ἀπροσεξίᾳ τῶν θείων δώρων καὶ τῶν φανοτάτων καὶ ἀγαθοδοτίδων ἐντολῶν ἀποφοιτήσει. Φημὶ δὲ τοῖς λογίοις ἑπόμενος, ὡς ὠφέλιμοι πάμπαν εἰσὶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ τῶν ἁγίων αἱ προσευχαὶ κατὰ τόνδε τὸν τρόπον· εἴ τις ἱερῶν ἐφιέμενος δώρων