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he calls us, and descends to the human level, who will not give to God an atonement for himself, but for the whole world. For he does not need an atonement, but he himself is the propitiation. For such a high priest was fitting for us, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, like the high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the ignorances of the people. Then he says: And he labored for ever, and will live to the end. Life itself, power, the unwearied nature, labored in this age, when, wearied from the journey, he sat by the well. He shall not see destruction, when he sees wise men dying (for the Father will not let his Holy One see corruption), when those who boast in the wisdom that is being brought to nothing die. But if you wish to take what has been said as also applying to righteous men, remember Job saying: Man is born to trouble; and again the Apostle, that I labored more than all of them; and, In labors more abundantly. He therefore who has labored in this age, this one will live to the end; but he who lives in luxury and all dissipation, because of his delicate lifestyle, clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasting sumptuously every day, and fleeing the labors for virtue, has neither labored in this age, nor will he live in the age to come, but he will see life from afar, being tormented in the flame of the furnace. But he who has sweated in the countless 29.444 contests for virtue, and to obtain it has been tested in labors more abundantly, this is the one who will live to the end, as Lazarus who labored much in tribulations; as Job who became weary in the contests against the adversary. For there, he says, the weary are at rest. Therefore the Lord also calls to rest those who labor and are heavy laden. How then are those who labor in good works said to be heavy laden? Because going they went and wept, casting their seeds; but coming they shall come with rejoicing, carrying their sheaves filled with fruit, the things sown in proportion having been given back to them. Therefore they are called heavy laden who, because they sow in blessings, also reap in blessings, and with eternal joy place upon themselves the sheaves of spiritual fruits. He therefore who was redeemed by God who gave an atonement for him, this one has labored in this age, and after this will live to the end. This one also will not see destruction, when he sees wise men dying. He who has chosen the narrow and laborious way before the smooth and easy way, in the time of God's visitation, when those who disbelieved the words of God, and walked after the desires of their own vain heart, are led away to eternal punishment, this one will not see the eternal destruction, the everlasting misery. And he calls wise either those who are clever in villainy, about whom Jeremiah says, that They are wise to do evil, but to do good they do not know; or he also calls wise the disciples of the rulers of this age that is passing away, who, claiming to be wise, became fools. Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. And because this wisdom makes one a fool, God says he will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Therefore the plausibilities of falsely-called knowledge provide a cause of death to those who accept them; which death he who was redeemed by him who was pleased through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe will not see. The foolish and the senseless shall perish together, and shall leave their wealth to others. And their graves are their houses for ever, their dwelling places for generation and generation. They called their lands after their own names. Above he addressed as wise with one general name, whom now

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ἡμᾶς ὀνομάζει, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀνθρώπινον καταβαίνει, ὃς Οὐ δώσει τῷ Θεῷ ἐξίλασμα ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κόσμου παντός. Οὐ γὰρ ἱλασμοῦ δεῖται, ἀλλ' αὐτός ἐστιν ἱλαστήριον. Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἡμῖν ἔπρεπεν ἀρχιερεὺς ὅσιος, ἄκα κος, ἀμίαντος, κεχωρισμένος ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτω λῶν, καὶ ὑψηλότερος τῶν οὐρανῶν γενόμενος· ὃς οὐκ ἔχει καθ' ἡμέραν ἀνάγκην, ὥσπερ οἱ ἀρχιε ρεῖς, πρότερον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτιῶν προσφέ ρειν θυσίας, ἔπειτα τῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀγνοημάτων. Εἶτά φησι· Καὶ ἐκοπίασεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ζήσε ται εἰς τέλος. Ἡ αὐτοζωὴ, ἡ δύναμις, ἡ ἀκάματος φύσις, ἐκοπίασεν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἡνίκα Κεκο πιακὼς ἐκ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἐκαθέζετο ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς. Ὃς οὐκ ὄψεται καταφθορὰν, ὅταν ἴδῃ σοφοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας (οὐ δώσει γὰρ τὸν ὅσιον αὐτοῦ ὁ Πατὴρ ἰδεῖν διαφθορὰν), ὅταν οἱ τὴν καταργουμένην σοφίαν αὐχοῦντες ἀποθνήσκωσιν. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων δικαίων λαβεῖν τὰ εἰρημένα, μνήσθητι τοῦ Ἰὼβ λέγοντος· Ἄνθρωπος γεννᾶται κόπῳ· καὶ πάλιν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, ὅτι Περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα· καὶ τὸ, Ἐν κόποις περισσοτέ ρως. Ὁ οὖν κοπιάσας ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, οὗτος ζήσεται εἰς τέλος· ὁ δὲ ἐν τρυφῇ καὶ πάσῃ ἐκλύσει διάγων, διὰ τὸ ἁβροδίαιτον πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον ἐνδυόμενος, καὶ εὐφραινόμενος καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς, καὶ φεύγων τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς καμάτους, οὔτε ἐκοπίασεν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, οὔτε ζήσεται ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ἀλλὰ μακρὰν ὄψεται τὴν ζωὴν, βασανιζό μενος ἐν τῇ φλογὶ τῆς καμίνου. Ὁ δὲ μυρίοις τοῖς 29.444 ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀγῶσιν ἐνιδρώσας, καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτὴν ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως ἐξετασθεὶς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ζήσειν μέλλων εἰς τέλος, ὡς ὁ πολλὰ κοπιάσας ἐν θλίψεσι Λάζαρος· ὡς ὁ κατάκοπος γενό μενος ἐν τοῖς πρὸς τὸν ἐναντίον ἀγῶσιν Ἰώβ· Ἐκεῖ, γὰρ, φησὶ, κατάκοποι ἀνεπαύσαντο. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Κύ ριος καλεῖ πρὸς τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν τοὺς κοπιῶντας καὶ πεφορτισμένους. Πῶς οὖν οἱ κοπιῶντες ἐν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς πεφορτισμένοι λέγονται; Ὅτι Πορευόμενοι ἐπορεύοντο καὶ ἔκλαιον, βάλλοντες τὰ σπέρματα αὐτῶν ἐρχόμενοι δὲ ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, αἴρον τες τὰ δράγματα αὐτῶν πεπληρωμένα καρπῶν, τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν ἐσπαρμένων ἀποδοθέντων αὐ τοῖς. Πεφορτισμένοι οὖν λέγονται οἱ, διὰ τὸ σπεῖραι ἐπ' εὐλογίαις, ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίζοντες, καὶ μετ' εὐφροσύνης αἰωνίου τὰ τῶν πνευματικῶν καρ πῶν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπαναθέμενοι δράγματα. Ὁ οὖν λυτρω θεὶς διὰ τοῦ δεδωκότος Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἐξίλασμα, οὗτος ἐκοπίασε μὲν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ζήσεται εἰς τέλος. Οὗτος καὶ Οὐκ ὄψεται κα ταφθορὰν, ὅταν ἴδῃ σοφοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας. Ὁ τὴν στενὴν καὶ ἔγκοπον ὁδὸν πρὸ τῆς λείας καὶ ἀνει μένης ἐκλεξάμενος, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀπαγομένων εἰς τὴν αἰωνίαν κόλασιν τῶν ἀπι στησάντων μὲν τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ Θεοῦ, πορευθέντων δὲ ὀπίσω τῶν θελημάτων τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν τῆς μα ταίας, οὗτος τὴν αἰώνιον καταφθορὰν, τὴν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς κακοπάθειαν οὐκ ὄψεται. Σοφοὺς δὲ λέγει ἤτοι τοὺς δεινοὺς ἐν πανουργίᾳ, περὶ ὧν φησι Ἱερε μίας, ὅτι Σοφοί εἰσι τοῦ κακοποιῆσαι, τὸ δὲ καλὸν ποιῆσαι οὐ γινώσκουσιν· ἢ σοφοὺς λέγει καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν καταργουμένων, οἵτινες, Φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ, ἐμωράνθησαν. ∆ιότι Ἡ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ διὰ τὸ εἶναι μωροποιὸν τὴν σοφίαν ταύτην, ἀπολέσειν φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν, καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετήσειν. Αἱ οὖν πιθανότητες τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώ σεως, θανάτου αἰτίαν τοῖς παραδεξαμένοις παρέχον ται· ὅντινα θάνατον οὐκ ὄψεται ὁ λυτρωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ εὐδοκήσαντος ἐν τῇ μωρίᾳ τοῦ κηρύγματος σῶσαι τοὺς πιστεύοντας. Ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἄφρων καὶ ἄνους ἀπολοῦνται, καὶ καταλείψουσιν ἀλλοτρίοις τὸν πλοῦτον αὐ τῶν. Καὶ οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν οἰκίαι αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Σκηνώματα αὐτῶν εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. Ἐπεκαλέσαντο τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν γαιῶν. Ἄνω ἑνὶ ὀνόματι τῷ γενικῷ προσηγόρευσε σοφοὺς, οὓς νῦν