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to bring substances into being, or, having been brought forth and mixed either with themselves or with others, to separate them again, and to assign to each its own? For we also accomplish the latter, often separating by some art the wine that has been mixed with water. But the sun also draws up the potable and sweet from the sea through vapors and exhalations, but leaves behind the heavy and earthy and salty and bitter. But the former belongs to God alone who is able to do all things whatsoever He wills. If, therefore, God brought non-existent things into being, how is it not easy for Him, just by willing 230 it, to separate again the things that have been mixed with the universal elements and to assign to each body its own, even if this happens to be impossible for humans? For just as it is impossible for you and for me to separate the illuminating property of fire from its caustic property, but it is possible for God, for it is said, "the voice of the Lord dividing the flame of fire," so also the things that have been mixed are impossible for you and for me, but for God it is easy and simple. This wondrous doctrine is now set before us by the present word of the revelation, saying, "the sea gave up the dead who were in it" from the sea. And this, as the element of water, signified all moist substance. Therefore, he says, the moist substance gave up as much as was mixed in it from the watery part of human bodies. And, he says, "death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them." calling the earth "death" because our bodies are dissolved in it; whence also the divine prophet calls death "dust of death" by periphrasis, saying, "and you have brought me down to the dust of death." Therefore the earth also has given up all our earthy part that was in it. In addition to these, Hades also has given up the dead in it, by "Hades" meaning the air and fire from their being unseen and invisible. For the air also happens to be invisible by its subtlety, unless it should be thickened. And the fire that for a time lurks in matter is invisible, unless it should be called forth from it to the outside. But also the element of fire, the aether, happens to be invisible to us, being obscured by the interposition of much air. Or, at any rate, he calls fire "Hades" from its producing disappearance and unseenness in whatever it comes upon; whence also many of the learned call it "unseen" (adelon). Therefore, each of the elements having given back as much of the human composite 231 as was in them, the resurrection was effected. When this happened, he says, "each one was judged according to their works." And "death and Hades," he says, "were thrown into the lake of fire"; that is, death was abolished and the unseen and bodiless existence of souls in death, since the resurrection has occurred once for all and each soul has received back its own body; which, explaining more figuratively and hinting at their destruction, he said that death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The prophet Hosea also does this, saying, "Where is your judgment, O death? Where is your sting, O Hades?" This, he says, "is the second death, the lake of fire"; for it has been said also in the preceding parts that the first death is the sensible one, the separation of the soul and the body, and the second is the spiritual one, the punishment and the vengeance, which has sin for its mother. But also as many, he says, as have been in sins and were not counted worthy of the writing in the book of life, have suffered the same things. And if he said that also those of the sinners who are in a middle state have been thrown into the lake of fire with the Devil and the antichrist, for this he has said in the preceding parts, do not be surprised; for there is also there a different punishment, just as with a fever; one is burning and continuous, while another is lesser and mild, even if all are called fevers, so you should understand it for me there also. And, he says, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea is no more." Peter says something similar to this 232 in his second epistle, saying, "but we are looking for new heavens and a new earth according to His promises." But he does not say this as if the heaven and the earth and the sea have passed into destruction and non-existence,

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παραγαγεῖν τὰς οὐσίας, ἢ παραχθείσας καὶ ἑαυταῖς ἢ ἑτέραις συγχυθείσας αὖθις ἀφελεῖν, καὶ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἴδιον ἀπονεῖμαι; τὸ μὲν γὰρ τελευταῖον καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπιτελοῦμεν, πολλάκις χωρίζοντες τέχνῃ τινὶ τὸν οἶνον ἀνακραθέντα τῷ ὕδατι. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἥλιος τὸ μὲν πότιμον καὶ γλυκὺ διὰ τῶν ἀτμῶν καὶ τῶν ἀναθυμιάσεων ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης ἕλκει, τὸ δὲ βαρὺ καὶ γεῶδες καὶ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ πικρὸν ἐᾶ. τὸ δέ γε πρῶτον Θεοῦ μόνου τοῦ τὰ πάντα δυναμένου ὅσα ἂν ἐθελήσῃ. εἰ οὖν τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήγαγε, πῶς οὐ ῥάδιον αὐτῷ τὰ τοῖς καθ' ὅλου στοιχείοις ἀνακραθέντα πάλιν διακρῖναι μόνῳ τῷ βουλη 230 θῆναι καὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἑκάστῳ σώματι νεῖμαι, εἰ καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον τοῦτο τυγχάνει; ὥσπερ γὰρ σοί τε καὶ ἐμοὶ ἀδύνατον διακόψαι τὸ φωτιστικὸν τοῦ πυρὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ καυστικοῦ, Θεῷ δὲ δυνατόν, εἴρηται γὰρ φωνὴ Κυρίου διακόπτοντος φλόγα πυρός, οὕτω καὶ τὰ συγχυθέντα σοὶ μὲν ἀδύνατον καὶ ἐμοί, Θεῷ δὲ ῥάδιον καὶ εὐχερές. τοῦτο νῦν ἡμῖν τὸ θαυμάσιον δόγμα παρατίθεται ὁ παρὼν τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως λόγος, εἰπὼν ἔδωκεν ἡ θάλασσα τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης. στοιχεῖον δὲ αὕτη τοῦ ὕδατος πᾶσαν τὴν ὑγρὰν οὐσίαν ἐσήμανεν. ἔδωκε τοίνυν ἡ ὑγρά φησιν οὐσία ὅσον ἐν αὐτῇ ἀνεκράθη ἐκ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σωμάτων ὑδατώδους. καὶ ὁ θάνατός φησι καὶ ὁ Ἅδης ἔδωκαν τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς. θάνατον τὴν γῆν καλέσας παρὰ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ διαλύεσθαι ἡμῶν τὰ σώματα· ὅθεν καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος προφήτης χοῦν θανάτου κατὰ περίφρασιν τὸν θάνατον καλεῖ, λέγων καὶ εἰς χοῦν θανάτου κατήγαγέ με. δέδωκε τοιγαροῦν καὶ ἡ γῆ ἅπαν τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ γεῶδες ἡμῶν. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ὁ Ἅδης δέδωκε τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ νεκρούς, Ἅδην λέγων τὸν ἀέρα καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀειδοῦς καὶ ἀοράτου. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ τῇ λεπτότητι ἀόρατος τυγχάνει, πλὴν εἰ μὴ παχυνθείη. καὶ τὸ πῦρ τὸ τέως ἐμφωλεῦον ταῖς ὕλαις ἀόρατον, πλὴν εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω παρ' αὐτοῦ προσκληθείη. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τοῦ πυρὸς στοιχεῖον, ὁ αἰθὴρ ἀόρατος ἡμῖν τυγχάνει τῇ ἐπιπροσθήσει τοῦ πολλοῦ ἀέρος σκοτιζόμενος. ἢ γοῦν καὶ Ἅδην λέγει τὸ πῦρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀφάνειαν καὶ ἀειδίαν ἐμποιεῖν οἷς ἂν ἐπέλθῃ· ὅθεν καὶ ἄδηλον αὐτὸ προσαγορεύουσιν πολλοὶ τῶν λογίων. ἑκάστου οὖν τῶν στοιχείων ἀποδεδωκότος ὅσον ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου συγκρί 231 ματος, ἐνηργήθη ἡ ἀνάστασις. οὗ γενομένου, ἐκρίθησάν φησιν ἕκαστος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν. καὶ ὁ θάνατος καὶ ὁ Ἅδης φησὶν ἐβλήθησαν εἰς τὴν λίμνην τοῦ πυρός· τουτέστιν ἀνηρέθη ὁ θάνατος καὶ ἡ ἀειδὴς καὶ ἀσώματος τῶν ψυχῶν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ διαγωγή, τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἅπαξ γεγενημένης καὶ ἑκάστης ψυχῆς τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα ἀπολαβούσης· ὅπερ τροπικώτερον ἐξηγησάμενος καὶ τὴν ἀπώλειαν αὐτῶν αἰνιξάμενος, εἶπεν ἐμβεβλῆσθαι τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὸν Ἅδην εἰς τὴν λίμνην τοῦ πυρός. τοῦτο ποιεῖ καὶ ὁ προφήτης Ὠσηέ, εἰπὼν ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου, θάνατε; ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου, Ἅδη; οὗτός φησιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερός ἐστιν ἡ λίμνη τοῦ πυρός· εἴρηται γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ὡς πρῶτος μὲν θάνατός ἐστιν ὁ αἰσθητός, ἡ διάζευξις τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος, δεύτερος δὲ ὁ νοητός, ἡ κόλασις καὶ ἡ τιμωρία, ὅστις μητέρα ἔχει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσοι φησὶ γεγόνασιν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις καὶ οὐκ ἠξίωνται τῆς ἐν τῇ ζωῇ γραφῆς, τὰ ἴσα πεπόνθασιν. εἰ δὲ καὶ τοὺς μέσως ἔχοντας τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἶπε βεβλῆσθαι εἰς τὴν λίμνην τοῦ πυρὸς σὺν τῷ ∆ιαβόλῳ καὶ τῷ ἀντιχρίστῳ, τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηκε, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· ἔνι γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖ διάφορος κόλασις, ὥσπερ καὶ πυρετοῦ· ὁ μέν τις καῦσός ἐστι καὶ συνεχὴς ὁ δὲ μείων καὶ μαλθακός, εἰ καὶ πάντες καλοῦνται πυρετοί, οὕτω μοι κἀκεῖ νοήσεις. καὶ εἶδόν φησιν οὐρανοὺς καινοὺς καὶ γῆν καινήν· ὁ γὰρ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη γῆ ἀπῆλθον, καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι. τούτου ὅμοιόν 232 φησιν ὁ Πέτρος ἐν δευτέρᾳ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολῶν, καινοὺς δὲ οὐρανοὺς λέγων καὶ γῆν κατὰ τὰ ἐπαγγέλματα αὐτοῦ προσδοκῶμεν. οὐ τοῦτο δέ φησιν ὡς εἰς ἀπώλειαν καὶ ἀνυπαρξίαν χωρησάντων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης,