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to foretell through the letter to the Corinthians the sudden cessation of time, and the reversal of things that are in motion, in which he says: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” For when the fullness, as I think, of human nature according to the foreknown measure has come to its end, because nothing is any longer lacking to the number of souls for its increase, he taught that the transformation of existing things will happen in an instant of time, naming that indivisible 208 and non-extended end of time an "atom" and a "twinkling of an eye," so that it is no longer possible for one who has reached the last and highest point of the peak of time, because no part is left to the extremity, to acquire this periodical change through death, but if only the trumpet of the resurrection should sound, which awakens the dead, and suddenly transforms those left in life to incorruption, in a like manner to those changed by the resurrection, so that the weight of the flesh no longer presses downward and holds the body down to the earth, but travels raised up through the air. “For we shall be caught up,” he says, “in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

Therefore let him await the time which is necessarily extended along with the increase of humanity. For indeed the patriarchs around Abraham had the desire to see the good things, and did not cease seeking the heavenly homeland, as the Apostle says; but still they are in the state of hoping for grace, God having foreseen something better for us, according to the voice of Paul: “So that,” he says, “they should not be made perfect without us.” If, then, they bear the delay, who from afar, through faith and hope alone, saw the good things, and greeted them, as the Apostle testifies, establishing the security of the enjoyment of the things hoped for in considering Him faithful who had promised; what ought we, the many, to do, for whom perhaps there is not even the hope for what is better from the lives we have lived? The soul of the Prophet also fainted with longing, and he confesses this loving passion through the psalm, saying his soul longs and faints to be in the courts of the Lord, even if it be necessary to be cast down in the lowest places, as it is greater and more preferable to be last in those [courts] than to be first in the dwellings of the sinners of this life. But nevertheless he bore the delay, while counting the way of life there blessed, and considering a brief participation more preferable than thousands of years; “Better,” he says, “is one day in your courts than a thousand;” but he was not displeased with the necessary economy concerning existing things, and thought it sufficient for the blessedness of men to have the good things through hope. Therefore he says at the end of the psalmody: “Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in You.” Therefore neither should we be distressed about the brief delay of the things hoped for, but to be diligent, that we might not be cast away from the things hoped for. For just as if someone should tell one of the more inexperienced that at the time of summer the collection of fruits will happen, and the storehouses will be full, and the table full of food at the time of plenty; foolish would be the one hastening the arrival 209 of the time, when it is necessary to cast seeds and through diligence to prepare the fruits for himself. For the season, whether one wishes it or not, will certainly come at the appointed time. But they will not see it in the same way, both he who has prepared for himself an abundance of fruits, and he who is left destitute of all preparation by the hour. Thus I think it is necessary, since it is manifest to all through the divine preaching that the time of transformation will come, not to be meddlesome about times (for He said it is not for us to know the times and seasons), nor to seek out certain calculations, by which one might make the soul unsound concerning the hope of the resurrection? but in the faith of the

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προειπεῖν διὰ τῆς πρὸς Κορινθίους ἐπιστολῆς τὴν αἰφνίδιον τοῦ χρό νου στάσιν, καὶ τὴν εἰς τὸ ἔμπαλιν τῶν κινουμένων ἀνάλυσιν, ἐν οἷς φησιν· «Ἰδοὺ μυστήριον ὑμῖν λέ γω; Πάντες μὲν οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, πάντες δὲ ἀλλα γησόμεθα, ἐν ἀτόμῳ, ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ, ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι.» Τοῦ γὰρ πληρώματος, ὡς οἶμαι, τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως κατὰ τὸ προγνωσθὲν μέτρον εἰς πέρας ἐλθόντος, διὰ τὸ μηκέτι λείπειν τῷ τῶν ψυχῶν ἀριθμῷ μηδὲν εἰς ἐπαύξησιν, ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τοῦ χρόνου γενήσεσθαι τὴν ἐναλλαγὴν τῶν ὄντων ἐδίδαξεν, ἄτο μον ὀνομάσας καὶ ῥιπὴν ὀφθαλμοῦ τὸ ἀμερὲς ἐκεῖνο 208 τοῦ χρόνου καὶ ἀδιάστατον πέρας ὡς μηκέτι δυνα τὸν εἶναι τῷ κατὰ τὸ ἔσχατόν τε καὶ ἀκρότατον τῆς ἀκμῆς ἐπιβάντι τοῦ χρόνου, διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ὑπολείπε σθαι τῇ ἀκρότητι μέρος, τὴν περιοδικὴν ταύτην διὰ θανάτου μεταβολὴν κτήσασθαι, ἀλλ' εἰ μόνον ἠχή σειεν ἡ τῆς ἀναστάσεως σάλπιγξ, ἡ τὸ τεθνηκὸς ἀφυπνίζουσα, καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ζωῇ καταλειφθέντας καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἐξ ἀναστάσεως ἀλλοιουμένων πρὸς ἀφθαρσίαν ἀθρόως μεταβάλλουσα, ὡς μηκέτι τὸ βάρος τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω βρίθειν, καὶ τῇ γῇ παρακατ έχειν τὸν ὄγκον· ἀλλὰ μετάρσιον δι' ἀέρος φοιτᾷν. «Ἁρπαγησόμεθα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάν τησιν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα, καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα.»

Οὐκοῦν ἀναμεινάτω τὸν χρόνον τὸν ἀναγκαίως τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ αὐξήσει συμπαρατεί νοντα. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ πατριάρχαι, τοῦ μὲν ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔσχον, καὶ οὐκ ἀνῆκαν ἐπιζητοῦντες τὴν ἐπουράνιον πατρίδα, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐν τῷ ἐλπίζειν ἔτι τὴν χάριν εἰσὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ κρεῖττόν τι περὶ ἡμῶν προ βλεψαμένου, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Παύλου φωνήν· «Ἵνα μὴ,» φησὶ, «χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσιν.» Εἰ οὖν ἐκεῖνοι φέρουσι τὴν ἀναβολὴν οἱ πόῤῥωθεν, διὰ μόνης πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἰδόντες τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι, καθὼς μαρτυρεῖ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, τὸ ἀσφαλὲς τῆς τῶν ἐλπισθέντων ἀπολαύσεως ἐν τῷ πι στὸν ἡγήσασθαι τὸν ἐπαγγειλάμενον θέμενοι· τί χρὴ πράττειν τοὺς πολλοὺς ἡμᾶς, οἷς τυχὸν οὐδὲ ἡ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἐλπὶς ἐκ τῶν βεβιωμένων ἐστίν; Ἐξέλιπε δι' ἐπιθυμίας καὶ ἡ τοῦ Προφήτου ψυχὴ, καὶ ὁμολογεῖ διὰ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας τὸ ἐρωτικὸν τοῦτο πάθος, ἐπιπο θεῖν λέγων καὶ ἐκλείπειν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν, ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς τοῦ Κυρίου γενέσθαι, κἂν ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις δέῃ παραῤῥιπτεῖσθαι, ὡς μεῖζον ὃν καὶ προτιμότερον τὸ ἐν ἐκείνοις ἔσχατον εἶναι. τοῦ πρωτεύειν ἐν τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς τοῦ βίου σκηνώμασιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἠνεί χετο τῆς ἀναβολῆς, μακαρίζων μὲν τὴν ἐκεῖ διαγωγὴν, καὶ τὴν ἐν βραχεῖ μετουσίαν χιλιάδων χρόνου προτι μοτέραν ποιούμενος· «Κρεῖσσον,» φησὶν, «ἡμέρα μία ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας·» ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐδυσχέ ραινε τῇ ἀναγκαίᾳ περὶ τῶν ὄντων οἰκονομίᾳ, ἱκανόν τε εἰς μακαρισμὸν ᾤετο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ τὸ δι' ἐλπίδος ἔχειν τὰ ἀγαθά. ∆ιό φησιν ἐπὶ τέλει τῆς ψαλμῳδίας· «Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, μακάριος ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἐλπίζων ἐπὶ σέ.» Οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς στενοχωρεῖσθαι χρὴ περὶ τῆς ἐν βραχεῖ τῶν ἐλπιζο μένων ἀναβολῆς, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν μὴ ἀπόβλητοι τῶν ἐλπιζομένων γενοίμεθα, τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχειν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις προείποι τινὶ τῶν ἀπειροτέρων, ὅτι κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ θέρους ἡ τῶν καρπῶν γενήσεται συλ λογὴ, καὶ πλήρεις μὲν αἱ ἀποθῆκαι, μεστὴ δὲ τῶν ἐδωδίμων ἡ τράπεζα τῷ τῆς εὐθηνίας ἔσται καιρῷ· μάταιος ἂν εἴη ὁ ἐπισπεύδων τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν παρου 209 σίαν, δέον σπέρματα καταβάλλειν καὶ δι' ἐπιμελείας ἑαυτῷ τοὺς καρποὺς ἑτοιμάζεσθαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ και ρὸς καὶ βουλομένου, καὶ μὴ, πάντως κατὰ τὸν τε ταγμένον ἐπιστήσεται χρόνον. Οὐχ ὁμοίως δὲ αὐτὸν ὄψονται, ὅ τε προετοιμάσας ἑαυτῷ τὴν τῶν καρπῶν ἀφθονίαν, καὶ ὁ πάσης παρασκευῆς ἔρημος κατα λειφθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ὥρας. Οὕτως οἶμαι δεῖν, προδήλου πᾶσι διὰ τοῦ θείου κηρύγματος ὄντος, ὅτι ἐνστήσεται τῆς ἐναλλαγῆς ὁ καιρὸς, μὴ χρόνους πολυπραγμο νεῖν (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμῶν εἶπεν εἶναι τὸ καιροὺς γνῶναι καὶ χρόνους), μηδὲ λογισμούς τινας ἀναζητεῖν, δι' ὧν σαθρώσει τις τὴν ψυχὴν περὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀνα στάσεως; ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει τῶν