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Nothing was more precious to him than this. But this shows not only the virtue of the children, but also the father's affection. When, therefore, he was a father, and so affectionate, showing not only the desire that comes from nature, but also that from piety, and those who departed were so virtuous, the pyre of despondency becomes threefold. Again, when they are snatched away one by one, the suffering has some consolation; for those who are left behind overshadow the despondency for those who have departed. But when the whole chorus has departed, at whom will he be able to look, who having many children, has suddenly become childless? After these, again, it is possible to speak of a fifth blow. What is this one? That they were all snatched away at once. For if, when some have departed in three or five days, the women and all the relatives lament this most of all, that the deceased was snatched away quickly and suddenly from their sight; much more would this man have grieved, deprived of them all thus not in three or two or one day, but in a single hour. For a terrible thing that has been expected over time, even if it is very unbearable, might easily become light by anticipation; but what happens contrary to hope and suddenly becomes unbearable. When, therefore, something is difficult in itself, and receives the addition of happening contrary to hope, consider how it becomes unbearable, and surpasses all reason. Do you wish to hear a sixth blow also? He lost them all in the very flower of their age. And you know how untimely deaths sting, and make grief manifold. But this was not only untimely, but also violent, so that this was also a seventh blow; for he did not see them breathing their last and expiring on a bed, but all buried by the house. Consider, then, who was it digging up that mound, and now pulling up a stone, now a child's limb, and seeing a hand still holding a cup, and another right hand lying on the platter, and the very form of the body disfigured, a nose crushed, a head shattered, eyes vanished, brains scattered, the whole form simply destroyed, and the variety of wounds not allowing the father to recognize the form of his beloved ones. You were disturbed hearing these things, and you weep; consider then, what kind of man he was seeing these things. For if we, after so much time, cannot bear to hear of that tragedy without tears, and this while hearing of others' misfortunes, what kind of adamant was he, receiving these things by sight, philosophizing not in others' evils, but in his own? For he did not despair, nor did he say any such thing; What is this? is this the reward for my kindness? for 48.1024 this reason did I open my house to strangers, that I might see it become a tomb for my children? for this reason did I show every virtue concerning them, that they might endure such a death? He said none of these things, nor did he think them; but he bore all things nobly, even after being deprived of them after so much care. For just as an excellent sculptor, fashioning golden statues, adorns them with great precision; so also did he shape their souls, fashioning, adorning them. And just as some industrious farmer continues watering the trunks of palms or olives, building walls around them, fencing them in, tending them in every way; so also this man did not cease, as if cultivating a fruitful olive tree, to increase the soul of each to a greater progress in virtue. But he saw the trunks uprooted by the assault of the evil spirit, and stretched out on the ground, and having endured a pitiable manner of death, and he uttered nothing blasphemous, but even gave thanks, delivering a timely blow to the devil. 5. But if you should say that this man had many sons, while another often lost one only-begotten, and the grief is not equal, you speak well, and I say to you that the grief is not equal, but Job's was much greater. For what was the benefit of having many children to him? Receiving the wound in more bodies made the misfortune clearer for him and the pain more bitter. But if you wish to see another holy man, an only-begotten

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οὐδὲν αὐτῷ τούτου προτιμότερον ἦν. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ τῶν παίδων τὴν ἀρετὴν δείκνυσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς φιλοστοργίαν. Ὅταν οὖν καὶ πατὴρ ἦν, καὶ οὕτω φιλόστοργος, μὴ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως πόθον ἐνδεικνύμενος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἀπελθόντες οὕτως ἐνάρετοι, τριπλῆ γίνεται τῆς ἀθυμίας ἡ πυρά. Πάλιν, ὅταν κατὰ μέρος ἀναρπάζωνται, ἔχει τινὰ παραμυθίαν τὸ πάθος· οἱ γὰρ ἐπιλειπόμενοι τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσι συσκιάζουσιν ἀθυμίαν· ὅταν δὲ ὁλόκληρος ὁ χορὸς ἀπέλθῃ, πρὸς τίνα δυνήσεται ἰδεῖν ὁ πολύπαις ἀθρόον ἄπαις γενόμενος; Μετὰ τούτων πάλιν ἔστι καὶ πέμπτην εἰπεῖν πληγήν. Ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; τὸ ἀθρόον αὐτοὺς ἀναρπασθῆναι πάντας. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τρισὶν, ἢ πέντε ἡμέραις ἀπελθόντων τινῶν, αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ οἱ προσήκοντες ἅπαντες τοῦτο μάλιστα πάντων ὀλοφύρονται, ὅτι ταχέως καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἀνηρπάγη τῆς ἐκείνων ὄψεως ὁ τετελευτηκώς· πολλῷ μᾶλλον οὗτος ἂν ἤλγησεν οὐκ ἐν ἡμέραις τρισὶ καὶ δυσὶ καὶ μιᾷ, ἀλλ' ἐν ὥρᾳ μιᾷ πάντας οὕτως ἀφαιρεθείς. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ μελετηθὲν τῷ χρόνῳ δεινὸν, κἂν σφόδρα ἀφόρητον ᾖ, τῇ προσδοκίᾳ κοῦφον ἂν γένοιτο ῥᾳδίως· τὸ δὲ παρ' ἐλπίδα συμβὰν καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἀφόρητον γίνεται. Ὅταν οὖν τι καθ' ἑαυτὸ χαλεπὸν ᾖ, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ παρ' ἐλπίδα συμβῆναι λαμβάνῃ προσθήκην, ἐννόησον πῶς ἀφόρητον γίνεται, καὶ πάντα ὑπερβαίνει λόγον. Βούλει καὶ ἕκτην ἀκοῦσαι πληγήν; Ἐν αὐτῷ τῆς ἡλικίας τῷ ἄνθει πάντας ἀπώλεσεν. Ἴστε δὲ ὅπως οἱ ἄωροι δάκνουσι θάνατοι, καὶ ποικίλον ποιοῦσι τὸ πένθος. Οὗτος δὲ οὐκ ἄωρος μόνον ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βίαιος, ὡς εἶναι καὶ ταύτην ἑβδόμην πληγήν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ κλίνης εἶδεν αὐτοὺς ἀποπνέοντας καὶ ψυχοῤῥαγοῦντας, ἀλλὰ τῇ οἰκίᾳ καταχωσθέντας ἅπαντας. Ἐννόησον τοίνυν, τίς ἦν ἀνορύττων ἐκεῖνο τὸ χῶμα, καὶ νῦν μὲν λίθον, νῦν δὲ μέλος ἀνέλκων παιδίου, καὶ χεῖρα ὁρῶν ἔτι φιάλην κατέχουσαν, καὶ δεξιὰν ἑτέραν ἐπικειμένην τῷ πίνακι, καὶ αὐτὸν τοῦ σώματος διεφθαρμένον τὸν τύπον, ῥινὸς συντριβείσης, κεφαλῆς διαθλασθείσης, ὀφθαλμῶν ἀφανισθέντων, ἐγκεφάλου διεσπαρμένου, πάσης ἁπλῶς τῆς μορφῆς διεφθαρμένης, καὶ τῆς τῶν τραυμάτων ποικιλίας οὐκ ἀφιείσης τὸν πατέρα τῶν ποθουμένων ὄψεων ἐπιγνῶναι τὸν τύπον. Συνεχύθητε ταῦτα ἀκούοντες, καὶ δακρύετε· ἐννοήσατε τοίνυν, τίς ἦν ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα ὁρῶν. Εἰ γὰρ ἡμεῖς μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον οὐ δυνάμεθα ἀδακρυτὶ τῆς τραγῳδίας ἐκείνης τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐνεγκεῖν, καὶ ταῦτα ἀλλοτρίας ἀκούοντες συμφορὰς, τίς ἦν ὁ ἀδάμας ἐκεῖνος θέᾳ ταῦτα παραλαμβάνων, οὐκ ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις, ἀλλ' ἐν οἰκείοις φιλοσοφῶν κακοῖς; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπεδυσπέτησεν, οὐδὲ τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν εἶπε· Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστιν; αὕτη μοι τῆς φιλοφροσύνης ἡ ἀμοιβή; διὰ 48.1024 τοῦτο τοῖς ξένοις ἀνέῳξα τὴν οἰκίαν, ἵνα τάφον τῶν παίδων γινομένην αὐτὴν ἐπίδω; διὰ τοῦτο πᾶσαν περὶ αὐτοὺς ἀρετὴν ἐπεδειξάμην, ἵνα τοιοῦτον ὑπομείνωσι θάνατον; Οὐδὲν τούτων οὐκ εἶπεν, οὐκ ἐνενόησεν· ἀλλ' ἔφερε πάντα γενναίως καὶ μετὰ τοσαύτην ἐπιμέλειαν αὐτῶν ἀφαιρεθείς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἄριστος ἀνδριαντοποιὸς χρυσοῦς διαπλάττων ἀνδριάντας, μετὰ πολλῆς καλλωπίζει τῆς ἀκριβείας· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς ἐκείνων ἐῤῥύθμιζε ψυχὰς διαπλάττων, κατακοσμῶν. Καὶ καθάπερ τις γεωργὸς φιλόπονος στελέχη φοινίκων ἢ ἐλαιῶν ἄρδων, τειχίζων, περιφράττων, παντὶ θεραπεύων τρόπῳ διατελεῖ· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος οὐ διελίμπανε, καθάπερ ἐλαίαν τινὰ κατάκαρπον, τὴν ἑκάστου ψυχὴν εἰς πλείονα ἀρετῆς αὔξων ἐπίδοσιν. Ἀλλ' εἶδε στελέχη τῇ τοῦ πονηροῦ πνεύματος προσβολῇ ἀνασπασθέντα, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐκταθέντα, καὶ τὸν ἐλεεινὸν τῆς τελευτῆς ὑπομείναντα τρόπον, καὶ οὐδὲν βλάσφημον ἐφθέγξατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐχαρίστησε, καιρίαν δοὺς τῷ διαβόλῳ τὴν πληγήν. εʹ. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις, ὅτι πολλοὺς εἶχεν οὗτος υἱοὺς, ἄλλος δὲ πολλάκις ἕνα μονογενῆ ἔχων ἀπώλεσε, καὶ οὐκ ἴσον τὸ πένθος, καλῶς λέγεις, κἀγώ σοί φημι ὅτι οὐκ ἴσον τὸ πένθος, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μεῖζον τὸ τοῦ Ἰώβ. Τί γὰρ αὐτῷ τῆς πολυπαιδίας ὄφελος; Τρανοτέραν αὐτῷ τὴν συμφορὰν ἐποίησε καὶ πικροτέραν τὴν ὀδύνην τὸ ἐν πλείοσι σώμασι τὸ τραῦμα δέξασθαι. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ ἕτερον ἰδεῖν ἅγιον μονογενῆ