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we may dispute the judgment, nor should we tolerate others saying it, but in every way through the things that have been said let us silence them. For God would not have established such a tribunal for us here, if we were not then going to be held accountable for our transgressions. But this too is a proof of His love for mankind. For since He is going to require an account from us then for our transgressions, He established this incorruptible judge, so that by judging us here for our sins, and making us more temperate, He might snatch us away from the judgment that is to come there. Which is what Paul also says: 'For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged by the Lord.' Therefore, so that we may not be punished then, so that we may not be held accountable then, let each one enter into his own conscience, and having unfolded his life, and having gone over all his transgressions with exactness, let him condemn the soul that committed these things, let him punish his thoughts, let him afflict, let him distress his own mind, let him demand from himself a penalty for his sins through condemnation, through precise repentance, through tears, through confession, through fasting and almsgiving, through self-control and love, so that in every way we might be able, having put away all our sins here, to depart there with much confidence; which may we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

ON THE APOSTLE’S SAYING: But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow; and on Job and

Abraham. 1. We have spent four days explaining to you the parable concerning Lazarus, exhausting the treasure which we found lying in an ulcerated body; a treasure holding not gold and silver and precious stones, but philosophy, and courage, and endurance, and great fortitude. For just as happens with these perceptible treasures, the surface has thorns and thistles and simply rougher earth, but if one should dig below, much wealth appears; so indeed was it also with Lazarus: on the surface wounds, and beneath unspeakable wealth; the body paralyzed, but the soul noble and watchful, and it was possible to see that apostolic saying fulfilled in him: ‘Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed.’ And it was possible even today to speak on the same parable, and to fight against the heretics who slander the Old Testament, who accuse the patriarchs, who have sharpened their tongue against the Creator of all things, God; but so that the discourse might not become tiresome to you, having reserved these contests for another occasion, come, let us lead the discourse to another subject; since even a table with only one kind of food produces satiety, but varied ones by their succession stimulate the appetite. Therefore, so that this may also happen in our hearing, let us return today after a long time to the blessed Paul; for indeed the apostolic passage was read for us today at an opportune time, and what is about to be said will be in harmony with what was said before. You heard Paul today, therefore, crying out and saying: ‘But I do not want you to be ignorant concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.’ That was the evangelical string of Lazarus, this the apostolic sound, but the harmony is one. For indeed in that parable we discoursed at length on the resurrection and the tribunals there, and now the discourse has led us to the same subject again. So that even if we are digging up an apostolic passage, yet the same also here

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κρίσεως ἀμφισβητῶμεν, μήτε ἑτέρων λεγόντων ἀνεχώμεθα, ἀλλὰ παντὶ τρόπῳ διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων αὐτοὺς ἐπιστομίζωμεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ τότε ἐμέλλομεν εὐθύνας ὑφέξειν τῶν πεπλημμελημένων, τοιοῦτον ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα τὸ δικαστήριον ἐγκατέστησεν ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίας τεκμήριον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τότε μέλλει λόγον ἡμᾶς ἀπαιτεῖν τῶν πεπλημμελημένων, ἐγκατέστησε τοῦτον τὸν ἀδέκαστον κριτὴν, ἵνα οὗτος ἐνταῦθα ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων δικάζων ἡμῖν, καὶ σωφρονεστέρους ποιῶν, ἐξαρπάσῃ τῆς μελλούσης ἐκεῖ κρίσεως. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος λέγει· Εἰ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς ἐκρίνομεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐκρινόμεθα ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ τότε κολαζώμεθα, μὴ τότε εὐθύνας ὑπέχωμεν, ἕκαστος εἰς τὸ συνειδὸς εἰσελθέτω τὸ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ζωὴν ἀναπτύξας, καὶ ἅπαντα τὰ πεπλημμελημένα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐπελθὼν, καταγινωσκέτω τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς ταῦτα ἐργασαμένης, κολαζέτω τοὺς λογισμοὺς, θλιβέτω, στενοχωρείτω τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διάνοιαν, δίκην ἑαυτὸν ἀπαιτείτω τῶν ἡμαρτημένων διὰ τῆς καταγνώσεως, διὰ τῆς μετανοίας τῆς ἠκριβωμένης, διὰ δακρύων, διὰ ἐξομολογήσεως, διὰ νηστείας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης, διὰ ἐγκρατείας καὶ ἀγάπης, ἵνα παντὶ τρόπῳ δυνηθῶμεν πάντα ἐνταῦθα ἀποθέμενοι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, μετὰ πολλῆς ἀπελθεῖν ἐκεῖ τῆς παῤῥησίας· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΡΗΤΟΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΥ· Περὶ δὲ τῶν κεκοιμημένων οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε· καὶ εἰς τὸν Ἰὼβ καὶ τὸν

Ἀβραάμ. αʹ. Ἡμέρας τέσσαρας ἀνηλώσαμεν τὴν κατὰ τὸν Λάζαρον παραβολὴν ὑμῖν

ἐξηγούμενοι, τὸν θησαυρὸν ἐξαντλοῦντες, ὃν εὑρήκαμεν ἐν ἡλκωμένῳ κείμενον σώματι· θησαυρὸν οὐχὶ χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ λίθους ἔχοντα πολυτελεῖς, ἀλλὰ φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ ἀνδρείαν, καὶ ὑπομονὴν, καὶ καρτερίαν πολλήν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν θησαυρῶν τούτων συμβαίνει, τὴν μὲν ἐπιφάνειαν ἀκάνθας ἔχειν καὶ τριβόλους ἁπλῶς καὶ γῆν τραχυτέραν, εἰ δέ τις κάτω διασκάψειε, πολὺς ὁ πλοῦτος φαίνεται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου συνέβαινεν· ἄνωθεν τραύματα, καὶ κάτωθεν πλοῦτος ἄφατος· παρειμένον τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ γενναία καὶ ἐγρηγορυῖα ψυχὴ, καὶ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἦν ἰδεῖν ἐκεῖνο πληρούμενον ἐπὶ τούτου· Ὅσον ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, τοσοῦτον ὁ ἐντὸς ἀνακαινοῦται. Καὶ ἐνῆν μὲν καὶ τήμερον εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν παραβολὴν εἰπεῖν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς μαχήσασθαι τοὺς τὴν Παλαιὰν διαβάλλοντας, τοὺς τῶν πατριαρχῶν κατηγοροῦντας, τοὺς κατὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τὴν γλῶτταν ἠκονηκότας· ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ προσκορὴς ὑμῖν ὁ λόγος γένηται, τούτους εἰς ἕτερον ταμιευσάμενοι καιρὸν τοὺς ἀγῶνας, φέρε, πρὸς ἄλλην ὑπόθεσιν τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τράπεζα μονοειδὴς μὲν οὖσα κόρον ἐντίθησιν, αἱ δὲ ποικίλαι τῇ συνεχείᾳ διεγείρουσι τὴν ὄρεξιν. Ἵν' οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκροάσεως τοῦτο γένηται, πρὸς τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον διὰ μακροῦ τοῦ χρόνου τήμερον ἐπανέλθωμεν· καὶ γὰρ εἰς εὔκαιρον ἡμῖν τήμερον τὸ χωρίον ἀνεγνώσθη τὸ ἀποστολικὸν, καὶ συνῳδὰ ἔσται τοῖς πρώην λεχθεῖσι τὰ ῥηθησόμενα. Ἠκούσατε τοίνυν τοῦ Παύλου σήμερον βοῶντος καὶ λέγοντος· Περὶ δὲ τῶν κεκοιμημένων οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Ἐκείνη εὐαγγελικὴ νευρὰ ἡ τοῦ Λαζάρου, οὗτος ἀποστολικὸς ὁ φθόγγος, ἀλλὰ μία ἡ συμφωνία. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ παραβολῇ πολλὰ περὶ ἀναστάσεως καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ δικαστηρίων ἐφιλοσοφήσαμεν, καὶ νῦν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμᾶς ὑπόθεσιν ὁ λόγος ἤγαγε πάλιν. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ ἀποστολικὸν ἀνορύττομεν χωρίον, ἀλλὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐνταῦθα