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to him and ten thousands of ten thousands stood by him. The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened,” the good, the evil, the manifest, the hidden, the deeds, the thoughts, all things at once clearly revealing them to be heard by all, both angels and men. In light of these things, what sort must those be who have lived wickedly? Where then will that soul sink down, which is suddenly seen full of shame in the sight of so many spectators? And with what kind of body will it endure those endless and unbearable scourges, where there is unquenchable fire and a worm punishing immortally and a dark and dreadful abyss of Hades and bitter wailings and extraordinary lamentation and weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the terrors have no end? From these things there is no release after death, nor any device or contrivance to escape the bitter torments. 46.6 It is possible to flee these things now. While it is possible, let us recover ourselves from the fall and not despair of ourselves, if we depart from evil things. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. “Come, let us worship and fall down before him and weep in his presence.” The Word calls us to repentance, shouting and crying aloud. There is a way of salvation, if we are willing. Death has swallowed up, prevailing, but know well that God has again wiped away every tear from every face of those who repent. The Lord is faithful in all his words. He does not lie when he says: “Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; though they be red like crimson, I will make them white as wool.” The great physician of souls is ready to heal your affliction. His are the words, that sweet and saving mouth said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” The Lord wishes to cleanse you from the pain of the wound and to show you light from darkness. The good Shepherd seeks you, leaving behind those that have not gone astray. If you give yourself to him, the lover of mankind will not hesitate nor disdain to carry you on his own shoulders, rejoicing that he has found his lost sheep. The Father stands and awaits your return from error. Only return, and, while you are still far off, he will run and fall upon your neck, and with friendly kisses will embrace you, already cleansed by repentance. And he will put on you a robe, the first one, for a soul that has put off the old man with his deeds, and he will place a ring on hands that have washed away the blood of death, and he will put shoes on feet that have turned from the evil way to the path of the Gospel of peace. And he will proclaim a day of gladness and joy to his own and to angels and men, and in every way he will celebrate your salvation. “For amen I say to you,” he says, “that there is joy in heaven before God over one sinner who repents.” And if one of those who seem to be standing should complain that you were quickly received, the good Father himself will make a defense on your behalf, saying: “It was necessary to celebrate and be glad, because this my daughter was dead and has come to life, and was lost and has been found.” 47. TO GREGORY, A COMPANION 47.1 “Who will give me wings like a dove?” or how might my old age be renewed, so that I might be able to cross over to your love and both set to rest the longing I have for you and relate the sorrows of my soul and through you find some comfort for my afflictions? For upon the falling asleep of the blessed Eusebius the bishop, no small fear seized us that those who once lay in wait for the Church of our metropolis and wished to fill it with heretical tares, seizing the opportunity now, might uproot the piety sown with much labor in the souls of men by their own wicked teachings and cut up its unity, which indeed they have done in the case of many Churches. But since letters also came to us from the

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αὐτῷ καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν αὐτοῦ. Κριτήριον ἐκάθισε καὶ βίβλοι ἀνεῴχθησαν», τὰ καλά, τὰ φαῦλα, τὰ φανερά, τὰ κεκρυμμένα, τὰ πράγματα, τὰ ἐνθυ μήματα, τὰ πάντα ἀθρόως εἰς ἐξάκουστον τοῖς πᾶσι καὶ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις σαφῶς ἀνακαλύπτουσαι. Πρὸς ταῦτα ποταποὺς εἶναι ἀνάγκη τοὺς κακῶς βεβιωκότας; Ποῦ ἄρα ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη καταδύσεται, ἡ ἐν ὄψεσι τοσού των θεατῶν ἐξαίφνης ὀφθεῖσα αἰσχύνης ἀνάπλεως; Ποίῳ δὲ σώματι τὰς ἀπεράντους ἐκείνας καὶ ἀνυποίστους ὑπο στήσεται μάστιγας, ὅπου πῦρ ἄσβεστον καὶ σκώληξ ἀθά νατα κολάζων καὶ πυθμὴν ᾅδου σκοτεινὸς καὶ φρικώδης καὶ οἰμωγαὶ πικραὶ καὶ ὀλολυγμὸς ἐξαίσιος καὶ κλαυθμὸς καὶ βρυγμὸς ὀδόντων καὶ πέρας οὐκ ἔχει τὰ δεινά; Τούτων οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπαλλαγὴ μετὰ θάνατον, οὐδέ τις ἐπίνοια οὐδὲ μηχανὴ τοῦ διεκδῦναι τὰ πικρὰ κολαστήρια. 46.6 Ταῦτα φεύγειν ἔξεστι νῦν. Ἕως ἔξεστιν, ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ πτώματος ἀναλάβωμεν μηδὲ ἀπελπίσωμεν ἑαυτῶν, ἐὰν ἀναλύσωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν κακῶν. Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἁμαρτωλοὺς σῶσαι. «∆εῦτε, προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ προσπέσωμεν αὐτῷ καὶ κλαύσωμεν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ.» Ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ μετάνοιαν καλῶν ὁ Λόγος βοᾷ καὶ κέκραγεν. Ἔστιν ὁδὸς σωτηρίας, ἐὰν θέλωμεν. Κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας, ἀλλ' εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ Θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου τῶν μετανοούντων. Πιστὸς Κύριος ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ. Οὐ ψεύδεται εἰπών· «Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡσεὶ ἔριον λευκανῶ.» Ἕτοιμός ἐστιν ὁ μέγας τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς ἰάσασθαί σου τὸ πάθος. Ἐκείνου ῥήματά ἐστιν, ἐκεῖνο τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ σωτή ριον στόμα εἶπεν· «Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ, ἀλλ' οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες. Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς, εἰς μετάνοιαν». Βούλεται Κύριος καθαρίσαι σε ἀπὸ τοῦ πόνου τῆς πληγῆς καὶ δεῖξαί σοι φῶς ἀπὸ σκό τους. Σὲ ζητεῖ ὁ Ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, καταλιπὼν τὰ μὴ πεπλα νημένα. Ἐὰν ἐπιδῷς σεαυτήν, οὐκ ὀκνήσει οὐδ' ἀπαξιώσει σε ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων βαστάσαι τῶν ἰδίων, χαίρων ὅτι εὗρεν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόβατον τὸ ἀπολωλός. Ἕστηκεν ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ ἀναμένει τὴν σὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης ἐπάνοδον. Μόνον ἀνάλυσον, καί, ἔτι σου μακρὰν οὔσης, προσδραμὼν ἐπιπεσεῖται ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλόν σου, καὶ φιλικοῖς ἀσπασμοῖς περιπτύξεται τὴν ὑπὸ τῆς μετανοίας ἤδη κεκαθαρμένην. Καὶ στολὴν ἐνδύσει, τὴν πρώτην, ψυχὴν ἀπεκδυσαμένην τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον σὺν ταῖς αὐτοῦ πράξεσι, καὶ περι θήσει δακτύλιον χερσὶν ἀποπλυναμέναις τοῦ θανάτου τὸ αἷμα, καὶ ὑποδήσει πόδας ἀποστρέψαντας ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς πρὸς τὸν δρόμον τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης. Καὶ εὐφρο σύνης καὶ χαρᾶς ἡμέραν καταγγελεῖ τοῖς ἰδίοις καὶ ἀγγέ λοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ τὴν σὴν ἑορτάσει σωτηρίαν. «Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω, φησίν, ὑμῖν ὅτι χαρὰ γίνεται ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανο οῦντι.» Κἂν ἐγκαλέσῃ τις τῶν ἑστάναι δοκούντων ὅτι ταχὺ προσελήφθης, αὐτὸς ὁ ἀγαθὸς Πατὴρ ὑπὲρ σοῦ ἀπο λογήσεται λέγων· «Εὐφρανθῆναι δεῖ καὶ χαρῆναι, ὅτι αὕτη ἡ θυγάτηρ μου νεκρὰ ἦν καὶ ἀνέζησε, καὶ ἀπολωλυῖα καὶ εὑρέθη». 47.τ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΩ ΕΤΑΙΡΩ 47.1 «Τίς δώσει μοι πτέρυγας ὡσεὶ περιστερᾶς;» ἢ πῶς ἀνακαινισθῇ μου τὸ γῆρας, ὥστε με δυνηθῆναι διαβῆναι πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην καὶ τόν τε πόθον ὃν ἔχω ἐφ' ὑμῖν ἀναπαῦσαι καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ τῆς ψυχῆς διηγήσασθαι καὶ δι' ὑμῶν εὑρέσθαι τινὰ παραμυθίαν τῶν θλίψεων; Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῇ κοιμήσει τοῦ μακαρίου Εὐσεβίου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου φόβος ἡμᾶς κατέλαβεν οὐ μικρὸς μή ποτε οἵ ποτε ἐφε δρεύοντες τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τῆς μητροπόλεως ἡμῶν καὶ βου λόμενοι αὐτὴν αἱρετικῶν ζιζανίων πληρῶσαι, καιροῦ νῦν λαβόμενοι, τὴν πολλῷ καμάτῳ κατασπαρεῖσαν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐσέβειαν ταῖς παρ' ἑαυτῶν πονη ραῖς διδασκαλίαις ἐκριζώσωσι καὶ ταύτης τὴν ἑνότητα κατατέμωσιν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν πεποιήκα σιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ γράμματα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφίκετο τοῦ