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is it? has it not come to pass as a deed? Then He who brought on punishment so suddenly then, will He not much more bring it on now? For indeed the things happening now are not less than those then. How? Because, then, it says, the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and the intermingling was the terrible thing; but now there is no form of wickedness that is unattempted. Do you then believe that the flood occurred, or does it seem to you to be nonsense? And yet the very mountains where the ark landed bear witness, I mean those of Armenia. 3. But out of great abundance I will also lead the argument to another, clearer point than that. Has any of you ever visited Palestine? For from now on I will speak not of words, but of deeds; and yet the former things were clearer than deeds; for whatever Scripture says, these things are more trustworthy than things that are seen. Has any of you then ever visited Palestine? I think so. What then? You who have seen the places, bear witness for me to those who have not been there. For above Ascalon and Gaza, to the very end of the river Jordan, there is a large and fertile country; or rather there was; for now there is not; this country, then, was like a paradise. For, it says, Lot saw all the surrounding country of the Jordan, and it was watered, like the paradise of God. This land, then, so flourishing, and vying with all countries, which surpassed in its abundance the paradise of God, is now more desolate than all deserts; and trees stand, and have fruit; but the fruit is a reminder of the wrath of God. For pomegranate trees stand, both the wood, I say, and the fruit, having a splendid appearance, and offering many hopes to the uninformed; but if they are taken in the hands, when broken open they show no fruit, but much dust and ashes laid up within. Such is all the land; and if you find a stone, you will find it turned to ash. And why do I speak of stone and wood and earth, when even the air and the waters have shared in the disaster? For just as when a body is set on fire and burned up, the form remains, and the shape in the appearance of the fire, and the bulk and the proportion, but the power is no longer there; so indeed there it is possible to see earth, but having nothing of earth, but all is ashes; trees and fruits, but having nothing of trees or of fruits; air and water, but nothing of air or of water; for these too have been turned to ash. And yet how could air ever be set on 62.443 fire? And how could water, while remaining water? For it is possible to burn wood and stones, but it is in no way possible to burn air and water. For us it is not possible, but for Him who made them it is possible. Therefore the air is nothing other than a furnace, the water a furnace; all are fruitless, all are barren, all are images of the wrath that has gone before, proofs of that which is to come. Are these also threats of words? Are these also sounds of words? For to me not even the former things are unbelievable, but things not seen are as credible as things seen; but for the unbeliever even these things are sufficient to provide faith. If anyone disbelieves in Gehenna, let him consider Sodom, let him think of Gomorrah, the punishment that has occurred and still remains. This is a proof of the eternality of the punishment. These things are burdensome; but are those things not burdensome, when you say that there is no Gehenna, but God has simply threatened? when you weaken the hands of the people? You, the one who disbelieves, force me to say these things. If you had believed the words of Christ, I would not have been forced to bring forward the proof from facts; but since you have fled from those, you will henceforth be persuaded whether you will or not. For what have you to say about Sodom? Do you want to learn the cause for which these things happened then? There was one sin, a grievous and accursed one, yet still one; the men of that time lusted madly after boys, and for this reason they paid this penalty. But now countless sins, both equal to and more grievous than these, are committed. Then He who for one sin poured out such wrath, and was swayed neither by the supplication of Abraham, nor by the inhabitant Lot, who for the sake of the...

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ἐστιν; οὐχὶ ἔργον γέγονεν; Εἶτα ὁ κόλασιν οὕτως ἀθρόον τότε ἐπαγαγὼν, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον καὶ νῦν ἐπάξει; οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐλάττονα τῶν τότε τὰ νῦν γινόμενα. Πῶς; Ὅτι, τότε εἰσῆλθον, φησὶν, οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ αἱ ἐπιμιξίαι ἦσαν τὸ δεινόν· νῦν δὲ οὐδέν ἐστιν εἶδος κακίας ὅπερ ἀτόλμητον. Ἆρα οὖν πιστεύετε ὅτι γέγονεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς, ἢ λῆρος ὑμῖν δοκεῖ; Καίτοι γε καὶ τὰ ὄρη, ἔνθα ἡ κιβωτὸς ἱδρύνθη, μαρτυρεῖ, τὰ Ἀρμενίας λέγω. γʹ. Πλὴν ἐκ περιουσίας πολλῆς καὶ ἐφ' ἕτερον ἐκείνου σαφέστερον ἄξω τὸν λόγον. Ἐπεδήμησέ τις ὑμῶν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ ποτέ; λοιπὸν γὰρ οὐκέτι λόγον, ἀλλὰ πράγματα ἐρῶ· καίτοι καὶ τὰ πρότερα πραγμάτων σαφέστερα ἦν· ἅπερ γὰρ ἂν εἴπῃ ἡ Γραφὴ, ταῦτα τῶν ὁρωμένων πιστότερα. Ἐπεδήμησεν οὖν ὑμῶν τις τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ ποτέ; ἔγωγε οἶμαι. Τί οὖν; Μαρτυρήσατέ μοι ὑμεῖς οἱ τοὺς τόπους ἑωρακότες πρὸς τοὺς οὐ γενομένους ἐκεῖ. Ἀσκάλωνος γὰρ ἄνω καὶ Γάζης εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ποταμοῦ τὸ τέλος, ἔστι χώρα πολλή τις καὶ εὔφορος· μᾶλλον δὲ ἦν· νῦν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν· αὕτη δὴ οὖν ὡς παράδεισος ἦν. Εἶδε γὰρ, φησὶ, Λὼτ πᾶσαν τὴν περίχωρον τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, καὶ ἦν ποτιζομένη, ὡς παράδεισος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Αὕτη δὴ οὖν ἡ οὕτως εὐθαλὴς, καὶ πρὸς πάσας τὰς χώρας ἁμιλλωμένη, ἡ φθάνουσα τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ τὸν παράδεισον τοῦ Θεοῦ, πασῶν τῶν ἐρήμων ἐρημοτέρα ἐστὶ νῦν· καὶ ἕστηκε μὲν δένδρα, καὶ καρπὸν ἔχει· ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀργῆς ἐστιν ὑπόμνημα. Ἑστήκασι μὲν γὰρ ῥόαι, καὶ τὸ ξύλον λέγω καὶ ὁ καρπὸς, λαμπρὰν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν ἔχουσαι, καὶ τῷ ἀγνῶτι παρέχουσαι πολλὰς τὰς ἐλπίδας· εἰ δὲ ληφθεῖεν εἰς χεῖρας, διακλασθεῖσαι καρπὸν μὲν οὐδένα, κόνιν δὲ καὶ τέφραν πολλὴν δεικνύουσιν ἐναποκειμένην ἔνδον. Τοιαύτη καὶ ἡ γῆ πᾶσα· κἂν λίθον εὕρῃς, τετεφρωμένον εὑρήσεις. Καὶ τί λέγω λίθον καὶ ξύλα καὶ γῆν, ὅπου γε καὶ ἀὴρ, καὶ τὰ ὕδατα μετέσχε τῆς συμφορᾶς; Καθάπερ γὰρ σώματος ἐμπρησθέντος καὶ κατακαυθέντος, τὸ μὲν σχῆμα μένει, καὶ ὁ τύπος ἐν τῇ τοῦ πυρὸς ὄψει, καὶ ὄγκος καὶ ἡ ἀναλογία, ἡ δὲ δύναμις οὐκέτι· οὕτω δὴ ἐκεῖ γῆν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἔχουσαν γῆς, ἀλλὰ πάντα τέφραν· δένδρα καὶ καρποὺς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἔχοντα δένδρων οὐδὲ καρπῶν· ἀέρα καὶ ὕδωρ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀέρος οὐδὲ ὕδατος· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα τετέφρωται. Καίτοι πῶς ἂν ἀὴρ ἐμ 62.443 πρησθείη ποτέ; πῶς δ' ἂν ὕδωρ μένον ὕδωρ; ξύλα μὲν γὰρ καὶ λίθους δυνατὸν καίειν, ἀέρα δὲ καὶ ὕδωρ οὐδαμῶς δυνατόν. Ἡμῖν οὐ δυνατὸν, τῷ δὲ αὐτὰ ποιήσαντι δυνατόν. Τοιγαροῦν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ κάμινός ἐστιν ὁ ἀὴρ, κάμινος τὸ ὕδωρ· πάντα ἄκαρπα, πάντα ἄγονα, πάντα τῆς προλαβούσης ὀργῆς εἰκόνες, τῆς μελλούσης τεκμήρια. Μὴ καὶ ταῦτα ἀπειλαὶ ῥημάτων; μὴ καὶ ταῦτα ψόφοι ῥημάτων; Ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ τὰ πρότερα ἄπιστα, ἀλλ' ὁμοίως τοῖς ὁρωμένοις τὰ μὴ ὁρώμενα πιστά· τῷ δὲ ἀπίστῳ καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανὰ πίστιν παρασχεῖν. Εἴ τις ἀπιστεῖ τῇ γεέννῃ, τὰ Σόδομα λογιζέσθω, τὰ Γόμοῤῥα ἐννοείτω, τὴν τιμωρίαν τὴν γεγενημένην, καὶ ἔτι μένουσαν. Τοῦτο τοῦ διαιωνίζειν τὴν κόλασιν τεκμήριον. Φορτικὰ ταῦτα· ἐκεῖνα δὲ οὐ φορτικὰ, ὅταν λέγῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι γέεννα, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ἠπείλησεν ὁ Θεός; ὅταν ἐκλύσῃς τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ λαοῦ; Σύ με ταῦτα ἀναγκάζεις λέγειν ὁ διαπιστῶν. Εἰ τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἐπίστευσας τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐκ ἠναγκαζόμην τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πίστιν παραγαγεῖν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐκεῖνα πέφευγας, καὶ ἑκὼν καὶ ἄκων πεισθήσῃ λοιπόν. Τί γὰρ ἔχεις περὶ τῶν Σοδόμων εἰπεῖν; Βούλει καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν μαθεῖν, δι' ἣν τότε ταῦτα ἐγένετο; Ἓν ἦν ἁμάρτημα χαλεπὸν μὲν καὶ ἐπάρατον, πλὴν ἀλλ' ἕν· παισὶν ἐπεμαίνοντο οἱ τότε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ταύτην ἔδοσαν τὴν δίκην. Νῦν δὲ μυρία καὶ ἴσα, καὶ χαλεπώτερα γίνεται τούτων ἁμαρτήματα. Εἶτα ὁ ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς ἁμαρτήματος τοσαύτην ἐκχέων ὀργὴν, καὶ μήτε τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τὴν ἱκετηρίαν δυσωπηθεὶς, μήτε τὸν ἔνοικον Λὼτ, τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς τοὺς