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much more the souls according to the given definition and law of the aforementioned comparison.

Since, therefore, we become such in the resurrection, as the argument has shown, what further need is there for those who have become so spiritual and beyond all sensation here below, (71) for those who are like angels of God, even if not according to their worth, of a sensible earth and dwelling place at all. But the worth and station and desire of the angels of God is to be illumined by the first and divine light as secondary lights, to see the glory and radiance of that unapproachable and infinite light and to enjoy the ineffable and tri-hypostatic divinity. For the whole creation, as I have often said, being renewed, becoming entirely spiritual along with paradise itself, will be transformed into an immaterial and incorruptible, immutable and eternal and intelligible dwelling place. And heaven indeed will be incomparably more radiant, as it were a new one, different and more full of light than the one we see. And the earth will take on an ineffable and new beauty and a form of unfading greenery, that is, adorned with light-like flowers and spiritual variety, in which righteousness, according to the holy saying, dwells. And the sun of righteousness will shine seven times brighter, and the moon will gleam with twice the light of the sun that now shines; and the stars will be similar to this sun, if such things exist and are contemplated by those with lofty thoughts. But all things are beyond reason, as surpassing all thought, yet nevertheless being spiritual and divine, they are united with the intelligible things and become another intelligible paradise and a heavenly Jerusalem, made like and united to the heavenly things, and an inviolable inheritance of the sons of God, of which no one on earth was ever an heir, nor even dwelt in it, nor has become master of a footstep; for we all were, are, and will be sojourners in it, as all divine Scripture declares.

When, therefore, all earthly things are completely united with the heavenly things (72), then also the just will inherit this renewed earth, which the meek, who are called blessed by the Lord, inherit. For now some things have been united to the heavenly things, but others are yet to be; for the souls of the saints, as we have said before, through the gift and union of the Holy Spirit, while they are still in the body, cleave to God and being renewed are changed and rise from death and are restored in glory in unsetting light after their falling asleep; but their bodies no longer, but are left in tombs and corruption, themselves destined to become incorruptible in the common resurrection, when also, clearly, the whole earthly creation, this visible and sensible one, will be changed and will be united to the heavenly, that is, to the invisible and supra-sensible things.

This, therefore, must first be fulfilled and then will come with much glory and power our much-desired and most sweet king, Jesus Christ and God, to judge the world and to render to each according to his works. Then, just as in a great house or palace there are many resting places and dwellings and, in turn, a great difference among both these most divine mansions together, so in this new creation he will make the divisions, assigning to each his inheritance according to his worth and the brightness and splendor accruing to him from his virtues and works. And since they are spiritual and transparent and joined to those divine mansions and couches, the kingdom of heaven is, as it were, one single entire hearth, just as indeed it is, and this will be manifest to all the just, having only the King of all seen everywhere by them, present with each one, and each one with Him, and shining forth in each

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πολλῷ μᾶλλον αἱ ψυχαί κατά τόν ἀποδοθέντα ὅρον καί νόμον τῆς εἰρημένης συγκρίσεως.

Τοιούτων τοίνυν γινομένων ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει, ὡς ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξε, ποία τοῦ λοιποῦ χρεία τοῖς οὕτω πνευματικοῖς γενομένοις καί ὑπέρ πᾶσαν αἴσθησιν τήν ἐνταῦθα, (71) τοῖς ὡς ἀγγέλοις οὖσι Θεοῦ, εἰ καί μή κατά τήν ἀξίαν αὐτῶν, αἰσθητῆς ὅλως γαίας καί κατοικίας. Ἀξία δέ ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ καί στάσις καί ἔφεσις τό ἐλλάμπεσθαι ἀπό τοῦ πρώτου καί θείου φωτός ὡς φῶτα δεύτερα, τό βλέπειν τήν δόξαν καί λαμπρότητα αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀπροσίτου καί ἀπείρου φωτός καί ἀπολαύειν τῆς ἀφράστου καί τρισυποστάτου θεότητος. Ἡ γάρ ἅπασα κτίσις, ὡς εἴρηταί μοι πολλάκις, ἀνακαινισθεῖσα, σύν αὐτῷ παραδείσῳ ὅλη γενομένη πνευματική, εἰς ἄϋλον καί ἄφθαρτον, ἄτρεπτόν τε καί ἀΐδιον καί νοερόν μετασκευασθήσεται οἰκητήριον. Καί οὐρανός μέν ἀσυγκρίτως λαμπρότερος ἔσται, οἷα δή καινός ἄλλος καί τοῦ ὁρωμένου φωτοειδέστερος. Γῆ δέ ἄφραστον καί καινόν ἀναλήψεται κάλλος καί χλόης εἶδος ἀμάραντον, ἄνθεσι δηλαδή φωτοειδέσι καί ποικιλίᾳ πνευματικῇ ὡραϊζομένη, ἐν οἷς δικαιοσύνη, κατά τό ὅσιον λόγιον, κατοικεῖ. Λάμψει δέ ἑπταπλασίως ὁ ἥλιος τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἡ δέ σελήνη τοῦ νυνί λάμποντος ἡλίου διπλότερον ἐξαστράψει· τά δέ γε ἄστρα ἔσονται τῷ ἡλίῳ τούτῳ παρόμοια, εἴ τινα ταῦτά ἐστι καί οἷστισιν ἀναθεωροῦνται τοῖς λόγοις τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τήν διάνοιαν. Πάντα δέ ὑπέρ λόγον, ὡς πᾶσαν διάνοιαν ὑπερβαίνοντα, πλήν ὅμως πνευματικά ὄντα καί θεῖα, ἑνοῦνται τοῖς νοητοῖς καί γίνονται παράδεισος νοερός ἄλλος καί Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐπουράνιος, ἐξομοιωθεῖσα τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις καί ἐνωθεῖσα, καί κλῆρος ἄσυλος τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἧς κληρονόμος οὐδείς οὐδαμῶς τῶν ἐπί γῆς ἐχρημάτισεν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ κατῴκησεν ἐν ταύτῃ, οὐδέ βήματος ποδός κύριος γέγονε· πάντες γάρ πάροικοι ἐγενόμεθα καί ἐσμέν καί ἐσόμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ, καθώς πᾶσα θεία ὑπαγορεύει Γραφή.

Ὁπόταν οὖν ὁλοκλήρως πάντα τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις (72) ἑνωθῇ τά ἐπίγεια, τηνικαῦτα καί οἱ δίκαιοι τήν ἀνακαινισθεῖσαν ταύτην κληρονομήσουσι γῆν, ἥν οἱ μακαριζόμενοι πραεῖς παρά τοῦ κυρίου κληρονομοῦσι. Νῦν μέν γάρ τά μέν ἡνώθη τοῖς οὐρανίοις, τά δέ μέλλει· αἱ μέν γάρ ψυχαί τῶν ἁγίων, καθά πρόσθεν εἰρήκαμεν, διά τῆς δωρεᾶς καί ἑνώσεως τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἔτι αὐτῶν ὄντων ἐν σώματι, κολλῶνται Θεῷ καί ἀνακαινιζόμεναι ἀλλοιοῦνται καί ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου ἀνίστανται καί ἐν ἀνεσπέρῳ φωτί ἐν δόξῃ ἀποκαθίστανται μετά κοίμησιν· τά δέ γε σώματα αὐτῶν οὐκέτι, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν σοροῖς καί φθορᾷ ἀφίενται, ἄφθαρτα καί αὐτά γενήσεσθαι μέλλοντα ἐν τῇ κοιονῇ ἀναστάσει, ὅτε καί πᾶσα δηλονότι ἠ ἐπίγειος κτίσις, ἡ ὁρωμένη αὕτη καί αἰσθητή, ἀλλοιωθήσεται καί τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἤγουν τοῖς ἀοράτοις καί ὑπέρ αἴσθησιν ἑνωθήσεται.

Τοῦτο τοιγαροῦν πληρωθῆναι δεῖ πρῶτον καί τηνικαῦτα ἐλεύσεται μετά δόξης πολλῆς καί δυνάμεως ὁ περιπόθητος ἡμῶν καί γλυκύτατος βασιλεύς Ἰησοῦς ὀ Χριστός καί Θεός κρῖναι κόσμον καί ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατά τά ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Εἶθ᾿ οὕτως, καθάπερ ἐν οἴκῳ μεγάλῳ ἤ βασιλείοις πολλάς ἔχουσι τάς ἀναπαύσεις καί τάς κατασκηνώσεις καί τήν διαφοράν πολλήν αὖθις ἐν ἀμφοτέραις ὁμοῦ καί θειοτάταις μοναῖς, οὕτως ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ καινῇ κτίσει τάς διαιρέσεις ποιήσει, ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ τήν κληρουχίαν κατά τήν αὐτοῦ ἀξίαν καί τήν ἐκ τῶν ἀρετῶν καί ἔργων προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ λαμπρότητά τε καί περιφάνειαν. Πνευματικῶν δέ ὄντων αὐτῶν καί διαφανῶν καί συνημμένων ἐκείναις ταῖς θείαις μοναῖς τε καί ἀνακλίσεσιν, ὡς μία τις ὅλη καθόλου ἐστίν, ὥσπερ οὖν καί ἔστιν, ἑστία ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν καί τοῦτο τοῖς πᾶσι φανήσεται δικαίοις, μόνον τόν βασιλέα ἔχουσα τοῦ παντός πανταχοῦ ὁρώμενον αὐτοῖς, συμπαρόντα ἑκάστῳ καί συνόντα ἕκαστον αὐτῷ καί ἐν ἑκάστῳ ἐκλάμποντα