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1. Many things grieve us from ignorance alone, so that, if we understand them well, we shall drive away the pain. Paul, at any rate, indicating this, said, I do not want you to be ignorant, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. What do you not want them to be ignorant of? The doctrine of the resurrection, he says. But why do you not speak of the punishment that is laid up for being ignorant of the doctrine of the resurrection? Because this is clear from that, and acknowledged; for now, along with that, this also will be no small gain. For since they did not disbelieve in the resurrection, but nevertheless were mourning, for this reason he speaks thus. And he speaks in one way to unbelievers, and in another way to these; for those who inquire about the times and the seasons, it is clear that they knew. For if we believe, he says, that Jesus died and rose and lived again, so God will also bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. Where are those who set aside the flesh? For if he did not take on flesh, neither did he die; and if he did not die, neither did he rise again. How then does he exhort us to faith from these things? Was he not rather, according to them, a trifler and a deceiver? For if to die is of sin, but Christ did not sin, how does he now exhort us? And why does he say, As others do who have no hope? It is as if he said: Whom do you mourn, O men? For whom do you grieve? For sinners, or for those who simply die? So whom do they mourn? But all these things become stale to them. Firstborn, he says, from the dead; that is, a firstfruit. Therefore, there must be others also. And see how here he sets forth nothing from reasoning, since they were gentle; but writing to the Corinthians, he first brought forward many things from reasoning, and then he added: You fool, what you sow is not made alive. For this is more authoritative, but when he speaks to a believer; but towards one who is outside, what force could this have? So, he says, God will also bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. Again, "those who have fallen asleep;" nowhere does he say, "those who have died." But in the case of Christ, he used "died," since he also spoke of the resurrection; but here, "those who have fallen asleep through Jesus." Either saying this, that they have fallen asleep in the faith of Jesus, or that through Jesus he will bring those who have fallen asleep, that is, the faithful. Here the heretics say that he means those who have been baptized. Where, then, does "so" stand? For Jesus did not fall asleep through baptism. And for what reason does he say, "those who have fallen asleep"? So he is not speaking of a general, but of a partial resurrection. He will bring those who have fallen asleep through Jesus, he says; and in many places he speaks thus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep; speaking of the faithful, and those who have fallen asleep in Christ; and again, The dead will rise. Then his discourse is not only about resurrection, but both about resurrection and about the honor that is in glory. Of resurrection 62.436 therefore all will partake, he says; but not all will be in glory, but "those who are in Christ." Since, therefore, he wishes to comfort them, he comforts them not with this only, but also with the great honor and with the speed, since they knew that. For that he wishes to comfort them with honor, as he proceeds he says, And so we shall always be with the Lord; and, that we shall be caught up in the clouds. But how do the faithful fall asleep through Jesus? Clearly, by having Christ in themselves. And the phrase, "He will bring with him," shows that they are brought from many places. For this, he says, we say to you by the word of the Lord. He was about to say something strange; for this reason he also establishes its trustworthiness. By the word of the Lord, he says; that is, We speak not from ourselves, but having learned from Christ, That we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. Which is what he says in the letter to the Corinthians, that

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αʹ. Πολλὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξ ἀγνοίας ἡμᾶς λυπεῖ μόνης, ὡς, ἂν αὐτὰ καλῶς καταμάθωμεν, ἀποκρουσόμεθα τὴν ὀδύνην. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐμφαίνων ἔλεγεν, Οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Τί οὐ θέλεις αὐτοὺς ἀγνοεῖν; Τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, φησὶ, λόγον. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ μὴ λέγεις τὴν κόλασιν τὴν ἀποκειμένην τῷ ἀγνοεῖν τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως λόγον; ∆ιότι τοῦτο ἐκεῖθεν δῆλόν ἐστι, καὶ ὡμολογημένον· τέως δὲ μετ' ἐκείνου καὶ τοῦτο ἔσται κέρδος οὐ μικρόν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐ τῇ ἀναστάσει ἠπίστουν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐθρήνουν, διὰ τοῦτο οὕτω φησί. Καὶ ἑτέρως μὲν τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσι διαλέγεται, ἑτέρως δὲ τούτοις· οἱ γὰρ περὶ τῶν χρόνων καὶ τῶν καιρῶν ζητοῦντες, δῆλον ὅτι ᾔδεσαν. Εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν, φησὶν, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ ἔζησεν, οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ. Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ τὴν σάρκα ἀθετοῦντες; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἀνέλαβε σάρκα, οὐδὲ ἀπέθανεν· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀπέθανεν, οὐδὲ ἀνέστη. Πῶς οὖν ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τούτων προτρέπει εἰς πίστιν; ἆρα οὐ λῆρος μᾶλλον ἦν κατ' αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀπατεών; Εἰ γὰρ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ἁμαρτίας ἐστὶν, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἥμαρτε, πῶς ἡμᾶς προτρέπεται νῦν; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καί φησιν, Ὥσπερ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα; Ὡσεὶ ἔλεγε· Τίνας θρηνεῖτε, ἄνθρωποι; ὑπὲρ τίνων λυπεῖσθε; ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, ἢ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁπλῶς ἀποθνησκόντων; Ὥστε ἐκεῖνοι τίνας θρηνοῦσι; Πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἕωλα αὐτοῖς γίνεται, Πρωτότοκος, φησὶν, ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν· τουτέστιν, ἀπαρχή. Οὐκοῦν καὶ λοιποὺς εἶναι δεῖ. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς ἐνταῦθα οὐδὲν ἀπὸ λογισμῶν τίθησιν, ἐπειδὴ προσηνεῖς ἦσαν· Κορινθίοις δὲ γράφων, πολλὰ πρῶτον καὶ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν ἐκίνησε, καὶ τότε ἐπήγαγεν· Ἄφρον σὺ, ὃ σπείρεις, οὐ ζωοποιεῖται. Κυριώτερον μὲν γὰρ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ὅταν τῷ πιστῷ διαλέγηται· πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἔξω ποίαν ἰσχὺν ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο; Οὕτω, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ. Πάλιν, Κοιμηθέντας· οὐδαμοῦ λέγει, ἀποθανόντας. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ, Ἀπέθανεν, ἔθηκεν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως εἶπεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, Τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· ἢ τοῦτο λέγων, ὅτι τῇ πίστει τοῦ Ἰησοῦ κοιμηθέντας, ἢ ὅτι διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει τοὺς κοιμηθέντας, τουτέστι, τοὺς πιστούς. Ἐνταῦθα οἱ αἱρετικοί φασιν ὅτι τοὺς βαπτισθέντας λέγει. Τὸ οὖν, Οὕτω, ποῦ ἵσταται; ὁ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἐκοιμήθη διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκέν φησι, Τοὺς κοιμηθέντας; Ὥστε οὐ περὶ καθολικῆς, ἀλλὰ περὶ μερικῆς ἀναστάσεως διαλέγεται. Ἄξει τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, φησί· καὶ πολλαχοῦ οὕτω λέγει. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγω Κυρίου, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας· περὶ τῶν πιστῶν λέγων, καὶ οἱ κοιμηθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ· καὶ πάλιν, Οἱ νεκροὶ ἀναστήσονται. Ἔπειτα οὐ περὶ ἀναστάσεως αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ ἀναστάσεως καὶ περὶ τιμῆς τῆς ἐν δόξῃ. Ἀναστάσεως 62.436 μὲν οὖν πάντες ἀπολαύσονται, φησίν· ἐν δόξῃ δὲ οὐ πάντες ἔσονται, ἀλλ', Οἱ ἐν Χριστῷ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν παραμυθήσασθαι βούλεται αὐτοὺς, οὐ τούτῳ μόνον παραμυθεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ τιμῇ τῇ πολλῇ καὶ τῷ τάχει, ἐπεὶ ἐκεῖνο ᾔδεσαν. Ὅτι γὰρ τῇ τιμῇ βούλεται αὐτοὺς παραμυθήσασθαι, προϊών φησι, Καὶ πάντοτε σὺν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα· καὶ, ὅτι Ἐν νεφέλαις ἁρπαγησόμεθα. Πῶς δὲ οἱ πιστοὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ κοιμῶνται· ∆ηλονότι τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχοντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. Τὸ δὲ, Ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ, δείκνυσι πολλαχόθεν ἀγομένους. Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν, φησὶ, λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου. Ξένον τι ἔμελλε λέγειν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον τίθησιν. Ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου, φησί· τουτέστιν, Οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθόντες λέγομεν, Ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας. Ὅπερ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους φησὶν, ὅτι