to look to the creation, for this reason, looking to the one part of creation, we make our worship, not as the only work of God nor as a dwelling place of God set apart for this purpose, but as a place appointed for the worship offered by us to God. The custom of praying, the church has received from those from whom it has also received where to pray, and this from the holy apostles. Question 119. If those before the flood partook neither of the fruits of the trees nor of the eating of meats, as some of the fathers have taught, how did Abel offer from the fat of the sheep which he tended, and Cain likewise from the fruits of the ground which he tilled? And it is clear that each of them, preferring the divine to his own food, made use of such a sacrifice. But if they offered to God things useless to themselves, how did they not insult the ever-existing one by such an offering? For each of them would have offered to him a costless and mocking gift. How then was Cain's sacrifice rejected, but Abel's gifts became acceptable? Answer. The blessed apostle, the father of fathers and teacher of piety, says: Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not eat of the flock’s milk? -meaning no one. But if no one, then it is clear that Abel did not tend the flock in order not to eat of the milk of his own flock, nor did Cain till the ground in order not to eat of its fruits. Furthermore, if the fruits of the earth were useless to Cain, for what reason did he honor God with the worse things, but prefer himself to God with the better things (for which reason his sacrifice was rejected), not needing the fruits of the earth? But if Abel preferred God to his own need, while Cain preferred his own need to God, it is therefore clear that each of them needed sustenance from their own labors. Question 120. If some have supposed the resurrection to be the kingdom of God, and both the just and sinners are believed to be counted worthy of it, how did Paul declare those who did the forbidden things to be disinherited, saying that Neither fornicators nor adulterers and the rest will inherit the kingdom of God? Answer. Holy Scripture is accustomed to name as the kingdom of God not the resurrection simply, but the restoration after the resurrection, in which the separation of those who are punished and those who are glorified takes place, with God being undoubtedly confessed by all, who works glory in those who are glorified and punishment in those who are punished. Those in the tombs, he says, will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have done good will come out to the resurrection of life, but those who have done evil to

κτίσεως ἀποβλέπειν, διὰ τοῦτο εἰς τὸ ἓν μέρος τῆς κτίσεως ἀφορῶντες ποιοῦμεν τὴν προσκύνησιν, οὐχ ὡς μόνον ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδ' ὡς εἰς κατοικητήριον τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦτο ἀφωρισμένον, ἀλλ' εἰς τόπον προσκυνήσεως τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν προσαγομένης θεῷ τεταγμένον. Τὸ δὲ ἔθος, παρ' ὧν εἴληφεν ἡ ἐκκλησία τὸ εὔχεσθαι, παρὰ τούτων εἴληφε καὶ τὸ ποῦ εὔχεσθαι, τοῦτο δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων. Ἐρώτησις ριθ. Eἰ μήτε τοὺς ἐκ τῶν δένδρων καρποὺς μήτε τῆς τῶν κρεῶν ἐδωδῆς οἱ πρὸ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ μετελάμβανον, καθώς τινες τῶν πατέρων ἐδίδαξαν, πῶς ὁ Ἄβελ ἐκ τῶν στεάτων τῶν προβάτων ὧν ἐποίμαινε, καὶ ὁ Κάϊν ἐξ ὧν ἐγεώργει καρ πῶν τῆς γῆς ὁμοίως προσέφερε; Καὶ δῆλον ὡς ἑκάτερος αὐ τῶν, τῆς οἰκείας βρώσεως προτιμῶν τὸ θεῖον, τῇ τοιαύτῃ θυ σίᾳ ἐκέχρητο. Eἰ δὲ τὰ ἄχρηστα αὐτοῖς τῷ θεῷ προσεκό μιζον, πῶς τῇ τοιαύτῃ προσφορᾷ τὸ ἀεὶ ὂν οὐχ ὕβριζον; Ἀζήμιον γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ χλευαστικὴν χάριν ἕκαστος αὐτῶν κατε τίθετο. Πῶς οὖν ἡ μὲν τοῦ Κάϊν θυσία ἀπόβλητος, τὰ δὲ τοῦ Ἄβελ δῶρα αἰδέσιμα γέγονεν; Ἀπόκρισις. Ὁ μακάριος ἀπόστολος, ὁ τῶν πατέρων πατὴρ καὶ εὐσε βείας διδάσκαλος, φησί· Τίς φυτεύει ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐσθίει; Τίς ποιμαίνει ποίμνιον, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποίμνης οὐκ ἐσθίει; -ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐδείς. Ἀλλ' εἰ μηδείς, δῆλον ἄρα ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ Ἄβελ ἐποίμαινε τὴν ποίμνην, ἵνα μὴ ἐσθίῃ τοῦ γάλακτος τῆς ποίμνης αὑτοῦ, οὔτε ὁ Κάϊν ἐγεώργει τὴν γῆν, ἵνα μὴ ἐσθίῃ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῆς. Ἔτι δὲ εἰ ἄχρηστοι ἦσαν τῷ Κάϊν οἱ καρποὶ τῆς γῆς, τίνος ἕνεκεν τοῖς χείροσι μὲν ἐτίμα τὸν θεόν, τοῖς κρείττοσι δὲ αὑτὸν τοῦ θεοῦ προετίμησε (διὸ ἀπόβλητος αὐτοῦ γέγονεν ἡ θυσία), μὴ χρῄ ζων τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς; Eἰ δὲ προετίμησεν ὁ μὲν Ἄβελ τῆς ἰδίας χρείας τὸν θεόν, ὁ δὲ Κάϊν τὴν ἰδίαν χρείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, δῆλον ἄρα ὅτι ἕκαστος αὐτῶν τῆς ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων πόνων ἔχρῃζε θεραπείας. Ἐρώτησις ρκ. Eἰ βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἀνάστασίν τινες ὑπειλήφασι, δίκαιοι δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ταύτης ἀξιωθῆναι πιστεύονται, πῶς τοὺς τὰ ἀπηγορευμένα ποιήσαντας ἀποκληρονόμους ὁ Παῦλος ἀπέφαινε, φήσας ὅτι Oὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε μοιχοὶ καὶ οἱ ἐφεξῆς βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν; Ἀπόκρισις. Βασιλείαν θεοῦ οἶδεν ἡ θεία γραφὴ ὀνομάζειν οὐ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀποκατάστα σιν, ἐν ᾗ γίνεται κολαζομένων τε καὶ δοξαζομένων ἡ διαίρεσις, τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπὸ πάντων ἀναμφιβόλως ὁμολογουμένου, τοῦ τὴν δόξαν ἐν τοῖς δοξαζομένοις ἐνεργοῦντος καὶ τὴν κόλασιν ἐν τοῖς κολαζομένοις. Ἀκούσονται, φησί, τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις, καὶ ἐξελεύσονται οἱ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, οἱ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράξαντες εἰς