29

the image indeed is related to the better of the things conceived in us; but those things which are sorrowful and wretched in life are far from the likeness to the Divine.

CHAPTER 21.

That the resurrection is hoped for, not so much from the proclamation of Scripture, as consequently from

the very necessity of things. But evil is not so strong as to overcome the good power; nor is the folly of our nature better and more lasting than the wisdom of God. For it is not possible for that which is turned and changed to be more prevailing and more lasting than that which is always the same and fixed in the good; but the divine counsel has in every way and altogether the unchangeable, while the changeable nature of ours does not remain fixed even in evil. For that which is always in some way moving, if it should have its progress towards the good, on account of the indefinite nature of the thing being traversed, will never cease its forward motion. For it will find no end of what is sought, by seizing which it will ever stop its movement. But if it should have its inclination towards the opposite, whenever it has finished the course of evil, and has arrived at the utmost measure of evil; then the ever-moving nature of its impulse, finding no natural stopping-point, when it has run through the interval in evil, of necessity turns its movement toward the good. For since evil does not proceed to the indefinite, but is contained by necessary limits, consequently the succession of the good awaits the end of evil. And so, as has been said, the ever-moving character of our nature runs back again at last to the good course, being chastened by the memory of its previous misfortunes so as not to be caught again in the same things. Therefore our course will be again in good things, because the nature of evil is defined by necessary limits. For just as those skilled in astronomy say that the whole cosmos is full of light, but that darkness is created by the shadow cast by the body of the earth (but that this, according to the shape of the spherical body, is enclosed conically behind the sun's ray, and that the sun, surpassing the earth by many times in size, enveloping it from all sides in a circle with its rays, joins the meeting points of the light at the end of the cone, so that hypothetically, if someone had the power to cross the measure to which the shadow extends, he would certainly be in light not interrupted by the darkness); so I think one must think also concerning us, that having passed through the limit of evil, when we are at the extremity of the 204 shadow of sin, we shall live again in light, as the nature of good things abounds infinitely more than the measure of evil. Again therefore paradise, again that tree, which is also the tree of life, again the grace of the image, and the dignity of rule. None of these things seems to me to be among those which are now supplied by God to men for the need of life; but the hope is of some other kingdom, the account of which remains among the ineffable things.

CHAPTER 22.

Against those who say, if the resurrection is something beautiful and good, why has it not happened already,

but is hoped for in certain periods of time. But let us hold to the sequence of what has been examined. For perhaps someone, his mind winged by the sweetness of hope, considers it a burden and a loss not to be sooner in those good things, which are beyond human perception and knowledge, and considers the intervening extension of time towards the desired thing to be terrible. But let him not be distressed, like someone

29

μὲν εἰκὼν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν νοουμένων ᾠκείωται· τὰ δὲ, ὅσα περὶ τὸν βίον λυπηρά τε καὶ ἄθλια, πόῤῥω τῆς πρὸς τὸ Θεῖόν ἐστιν ὁμοιώσεως.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΑʹ.

Ὅτι ἡ ἀνάστασις οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐκ τοῦ κηρύγμα τος τοῦ Γραφικοῦ, ὅσον ἐξ

αὐτῆς τῆς ἀνάγκης τῶν πραγμάτων ἀκολούθως ἐλπίζεται. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἰσχυρὸν ἡ κακία, ὡς τῆς ἀγαθῆς ὑπερισχύσαι δυνάμεως· οὐδὲ κρείττων καὶ μονιμωτέρα τῆς, Θεοῦ σοφίας ἡ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀβουλία. Οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν τὸ τρεπόμενόν τε καὶ ἀλλοιούμενον, τοῦ ἀεὶ ὡσαύτως ἔχοντος, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ πεπηγότος, ἐπικρατέστερόν τε καὶ μονιμώτε ρον εἶναι· ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν θεία βουλὴ πάντη τε καὶ πάν τως τὸ ἀμετάθετον ἔχει, τὸ δὲ τρεπτὸν τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ κακῷ πάγιον μένει. Τὸ γὰρ ἀεὶ πάντως κινούμενον, εἰ μὲν πρὸς τὸ καλὸν ἔχοι τὴν πρόοδον, διὰ τὸ ἀόριστον τοῦ διεξοδευομένου πράγμα τος οὐδέποτε λήξει τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω φορᾶς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εὑρήσει ζητουμένου πέρας οὐδὲν, οὗ δραξάμενον στήσεταί ποτε τῆς κινήσεως. Εἰ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον τὴν ῥοπὴν σχοίη. ἐπειδὰν διανύσῃ τῆς κακίας τὸν δρόμον, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκρότατον τοῦ κακοῦ μέτρον ἀφίκηται· τότε τὸ τῆς ὁρμῆς ἀεικίνητον οὐδεμίαν ἐκ φύσεως στάσιν εὑρίσκον, ἐπειδὰν διαδράμῃ τὸ ἐν κακίᾳ διάστημα, κατ' ἀνάγκην ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν τρέ πει τὴν κίνησιν. Μὴ γὰρ προϊούσης κακίας ἐπὶ τὸ ἀόριστον, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαίοις πέρασι κατειλημμένης, ἀκολούθως ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ διαδοχὴ τὸ πέρας τῆς κακίας ἐκδέχεται. Καὶ οὕτω, καθὼς εἴρηται, τὸ ἀεικίνητον ἡμῶν τῆς φύσεως πάλιν ὕστατον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἀνατρέχει πορείαν, τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν προδεδυστυχημέ νων πρὸς τὸ μὴ πάλιν ἐναλῶναι τοῖς ἴσοις σωφρονι ζόμενον. Οὐκοῦν ἔσται πάλιν ἐν καλοῖς ὁ δρόμος ἡμῖν, διὰ τὸ πέρασιν ἀναγκαίοις περιωρίσθαι τῆς κακίας τὴν φύσιν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ δεινοὶ τὰ μετέωρα, τοῦ μὲν φωτὸς πάντα λέγουσι τὸν κόσμον εἶναι κατά πλεων, τὸ δὲ σκότος τῇ ἀντιφράξει τοῦ κατὰ τὴν γῆν σώματος ἀποσκιαζόμενον γίνεσθαι (ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ σφαιροειδοῦς σώματος, κατὰ νώτου τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος κωνοειδῶς κατακλείεσθαι, τὸν δὲ ἥλιον πολλαπλασίονι τῷ μεγέθει τὴν γῆν ὑπερβάλλοντα, πανταχόθεν αὐτὴν ταῖς ἀκτῖσιν ἐν κύκλῳ περιπτυσσόμενον, συνάπτειν κατὰ τὸ πέρας τοῦ κώ νου τὰς τοῦ φωτὸς συμβολὰς, ὥστε καθ' ὑπόθεσιν, εἰ γένοιτό τινι δύναμις διαβῆναι τὸ μέτρον, εἰς ὅσον ἐκτείνεται ἡ σκιὰ, πάντως ἂν ἐν φωτὶ γενέσθαι μὴ διακοπτομένῳ ὑπὸ τοῦ σκότους)· οὕτως οἶμαι δεῖν καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν διανοεῖσθαι, ὅτι διεξελθόντες τὸν τῆς κακίας ὅρον, ἐπειδὰν ἐν τῷ ἄκρῳ γενώμεθα τῆς 204 κατὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν σκιᾶς, πάλιν ἐν φωτὶ βιοτεύσο μεν, ὡς κατὰ τὸ ἀπειροπλάσιον πρὸς τὸ τῆς κακίας μέτρον τῆς τῶν ἀγαθῶν φύσεως περιττευούσης. Πάλιν οὖν ὁ παράδεισος, πάλιν τὸ ξύλον ἐκεῖνο, ὁ δὴ καὶ ζωῆς ἐστι ξύλον, πάλιν τῆς εἰκόνος ἡ χάρις, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀξία. Οὔ μοι δοκεῖ τούτων οὐδὲν, ὅσα νῦν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου χρείαν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις ὑπέζευκται· ἀλλ' ἑτέρας τινὸς βασιλείας ἐστὶν ἡ ἐλπὶς, ἧς ὁ λόγος ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις μένει.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΒʹ.

Πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, εἰ καλόν τι καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἡ ἀνάστασις, τί οὐχὶ ἤδη

γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ χρόνων τισὶ περιόδοις ἐλπίζεται. Ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀκολουθίας τῶν ἐξητασμένων ἐχώμεθα. Ἴσως γάρ τις πρὸς τὸ γλυκὺ τῆς ἐλπίδος πτερωθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν, ἄχθος ἡγεῖται καὶ ζημίαν τὸ μὴ θᾶττον ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἐκείνοις γενέσθαι, ἂ ὑπὲρ αἴσθησίν τε καὶ γνῶσιν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐστὶ, καὶ δεινὴν ποιεῖται τὴν διὰ μέσου πρὸς τὸ ποθούμενον τοῦ χρόνου παρά τασιν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ στενοχωρείσθω, καθάπερ τις