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and busily inquiring, who has arrived from the camp? and what he announced upon his arrival, and whether what was said was true or false? and spending sleepless nights, and looking at the city and weeping as though it were about to be destroyed immediately. For this reason we too have been silent these past days, because our entire city has been emptied, and all have migrated to the wilderness, and because those who were left behind have been darkened by the cloud of despondency. For a soul once filled with despondency is unfit for any hearing. For this reason also the friends of Job, when they arrived and saw the tragedy of that house, and the just man sitting on the dung-heap and covered with sores, both tore their garments, and cried aloud, and sat by him in silence, showing that nothing is so fitting at the beginning for those who are in pain as quiet and silence; for the suffering was too great for consolation. For this reason also the Jews 49.120 bound to the clay and the brick-making, when they saw Moses arrive, could not pay attention to what was said because of their faint-heartedness and their affliction. And what wonder is it if some faint-hearted men suffered this, when we find even the disciples having fallen into this state? For after that mystical supper, when Christ took them aside and spoke with them privately, at the beginning the disciples continually asked him: Where are you going? but when He told them of the evils that would shortly befall them—the wars, the uprisings, the hatred from all, the scourgings, the prisons, the courts, the executions—their soul then, as if oppressed by a most heavy burden of fear of what had been said and by despondency over what was to come, remained speechless. Therefore Christ, seeing them discomposed, reproached them for this very thing, saying: I am going to my Father, and no one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. For this reason we too were silent for the time past, awaiting the present opportunity. For if one who is about to ask something, even if he is about to propose reasonable things, awaits a favorable opportunity, so that he may approach the one who is about to give when he is gentle and well-disposed, and having received aid from the occasion may obtain the favor, much more must the one who speaks seek a favorable time, so that he may bring his words to the hearer when he is well-disposed and freed from all care and despondency; which is indeed what we have done.

2. Now, therefore, since you have shaken off your despondency, we wish to remind you of our former points, so that our argument may become clearer to you; for what we have said about creation, that God made it not only beautiful and wonderful and great, but also weak and corruptible, and again He placed in these very things many proofs, ordering both for our benefit, both leading us through its beauty to marvel at its Maker, and through its weakness turning us away from worshipping creation; this can also be seen to have happened in the case of our own body. For indeed concerning this too many ask, both of the enemies of the truth and of those ranked with us, for what reason it has become corruptible and subject to death. 49.121 And many of the Greeks and heretics say that it was not even made by God; for they say it is unworthy of God's craftsmanship, going over filth and sweat and tears and pains and hardships and all the other things of the body. But I, whenever discussion arises about these things, would first say this: Do not speak to me of this man who has offended, who is dishonored, who has been condemned; but if you wish to learn what kind of body God formed for us from the beginning, let us go to paradise, and let us see the man who was from the beginning. For that body was not so corruptible and subject to death, but just as a golden statue that has just come forth from a foundry and gleams brightly, so that body from all corruption

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καὶ πολυπραγμονοῦντες, τίς ἀφῖκται ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου; τί δὲ ἐλθὼν ἀπήγγειλε, καὶ πότερον ἀληθὲς ἢ ψευδὲς τὸ λεγόμενον; καὶ νύκτας ἀΰπνους διατελοῦντες, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὁρῶντες καὶ δακρύοντες ὡς αὐτίκα ἀπολουμένην. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰς ἔμπροσθεν ταύτας ἐσιγήσαμεν ἡμέρας, διὰ τὸ κεκενῶσθαι τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν ἅπασαν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἐρημίας μετωκίσθαι πάντας, καὶ διὰ τὸ τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας ἐσκοτῶσθαι τῷ νέφει τῆς ἀθυμίας. Ψυχὴ γὰρ ἅπαξ ἀθυμίας πλησθεῖσα, πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀκρόασίν ἐστιν ἀνεπιτήδειος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ τοῦ Ἰὼβ φίλοι παραγενόμενοι. καὶ τὴν τραγῳδίαν τῆς οἰκίας ἐκείνης ἰδόντες, καὶ τὸν δίκαιον ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας καθήμενον καὶ ἡλκωμένον, διέῤῥηξάν τε τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀνῴμωξαν, καὶ σιγῇ παρεκάθηντο, δηλοῦντες ὅτι οὐδὲν οὕτως ἐπιτήδειον παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῖς ὀδυνωμένοις ὡς ἡσυχία καὶ σιγή· καὶ γὰρ ἦν μεῖζον παραμυθίας τὸ πάθος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι 49.120 τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τῇ πλινθείᾳ προσδεδεμένοι, Μωσέα παραγενόμενον ἰδόντες, οὐκ ἐδύναντο τοῖς λεγομένοις προσέχειν ἀπὸ τῆς ὀλιγοψυχίας καὶ τῆς θλίψεως αὐτῶν. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν εἰ μικρόψυχοί τινες ἄνθρωποι τοῦτο ἔπαθον, ὅπου καὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς εὑρίσκομεν τούτῳ περιπεσόντας τῷ πάθει; Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ μυστικὸν ἐκεῖνο δεῖπνον, ἐπειδὴ λαβὼν αὐτοὺς ὁ Χριστὸς κατ' ἰδίαν διελέγετο, παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν συνεχῶς αὐτὸν ἠρώτων οἱ μαθηταί· Ποῦ ὑπάγεις; ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς τὰ μικρὸν ὕστερον αὐτοὺς διαδεξόμενα κακὰ, τοὺς πολέμους, τὰς ἐπαναστάσεις, τὰς ἀπεχθείας τὰς παρὰ πάντων, τὰς μάστιγας, τὰ δεσμωτήρια, τὰ δικαστήρια, τὰς ἀπαγωγὰς, ὥσπερ τινὶ φορτίῳ βαρυτάτῳ τῷ φόβῳ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἀθυμίᾳ πιεζομένη τότε αὐτῶν ἡ ψυχὴ, ἀχανὴς λοιπὸν ἔμεινε. ∆ιὸ συγχυθέντας αὐτοὺς ἰδὼν ὁ Χριστὸς, αὐτὸ τοῦτο ὀνειδίζων ἔλεγε· Πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μου, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐρωτᾷ με· Ποῦ ὑπάγεις; ἀλλ' ὅτι ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν, ἡ λύπη πεπλήρωκεν ὑμῶν τὴν καρδίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσιγήσαμεν τὸν παρελθόντα χρόνον, τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν ἀναμένοντες. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μέλλων δεῖσθαί τινος, κἂν εὔλογα μέλλῃ προτείνειν, ἐπιτηδειότητα ἀναμένει καιροῦ, ὅπως ἡμέρῳ καὶ εὖ διακειμένῳ τῷ μέλλοντι διδόναι τὴν αἴτησιν προσέλθοι, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ λαβὼν συμμαχίαν ἐπιτύχοι τῆς χάριτος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν λέγοντα καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον ζητεῖν χρὴ, ὅπως εὖ διακειμένῳ τῷ ἀκροατῇ καὶ πάσης ἀπηλλαγμένῳ φροντίδος καὶ ἀθυμίας προσαγάγῃ τοὺς λόγους· ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς πεποιήκαμεν.

βʹ. Νῦν γοῦν ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἀπετινάξασθε, καὶ τῶν προτέρων ὑμᾶς ἀναμνῆσαι βουλόμεθα, ὥστε σαφέστερον ὑμῖν γενέσθαι τὸν λόγον· ὃ γὰρ περὶ τῆς κτίσεως εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτι οὐχὶ καλὴν μόνον καὶ θαυμαστὴν καὶ μεγάλην αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσθενῆ καὶ φθαρτὴν, καὶ τούτων αὐτῶν πάλιν πολλὰ ἐγκατέθηκε δείγματα, ἀμφότερα πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον ἡμῖν οἰκονομῶν, καὶ διὰ μὲν τοῦ κάλλους εἰς τὸ θαῦμα τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἐνάγων, διὰ δὲ τῆς ἀσθενείας τοῦ σέβεσθαι τὴν κτίσιν ἡμᾶς ἀπάγων· τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ἡμετέρου ἔστιν ἰδεῖν γεγενημένον. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ περὶ τούτου πολλοὶ ζητοῦσι τῶν τε τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχθρῶν τῶν τε σὺν ἡμῖν τεταγμένων, τίνος ἕνεκεν φθαρτὸν καὶ ἐπίκηρον γέγονεν. 49.121 Ἑλλήνων δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ αἱρετικῶν οὐδὲ γεγενῆσθαι αὐτὸ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ φασιν· ἀνάξιον γὰρ αὐτὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δημιουργίας εἶναι λέγουσι, ῥύπους καὶ ἱδρῶτας καὶ δάκρυα καὶ πόνους καὶ ταλαιπωρίας καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τοῦ σώματος ἐπιόντες ἅπαντα. Ἐγὼ δὲ, ἐπειδὰν περὶ τούτων γένηται λόγος, πρῶτον μὲν ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι· Μή μοι τὸν ἄνθρωπον λέγε τοῦτον τὸν προσκεκρουκότα, τὸν ἠτιμωμένον, τὸν καταδικασθέντα· ἀλλ' εἰ βούλει μαθεῖν ὁποῖον ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡμῖν τὸ σῶμα ἔπλασεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπὶ τὸν παράδεισον ἔλθωμεν, καὶ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον ἴδωμεν. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τὸ σῶμα ἐκεῖνο φθαρτὸν καὶ ἐπίκηρον ἦν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τις χρυσοῦς ἀνδριὰς ἀπὸ χωνευτηρίου προελθὼν ἄρτι καὶ λαμπρὸν ἀποστίλβων, οὕτω πάσης φθορᾶς ἐκεῖνο