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of the abolition of death, and of the destruction of the diabolical tyranny, and that death will be paralyzed; for he was translated not dead, but so that he should not see death. For this reason he added, he was translated while living, because he had pleased God. For just as a father who has threatened his son, wishes indeed to release the threat immediately when he has made it, but he endures and is patient, so that for a time he might discipline and admonish him, allowing the threat to remain firm; so also God, to speak humanly, so to say, did not endure, but immediately showed that death is dissolved. And first He allows death to happen to the righteous one, wishing to frighten the father through the son. For wishing to show that the sentence is truly firm, not the wicked immediately, but He also subjected the one who pleased Him to the punishment, I mean that blessed Abel; and almost immediately after this one He translated Enoch while living. And He did not raise that one, so that they might not immediately be confident, but He translated this one while living, through Abel indeed causing fear, but through this one giving zeal for pleasing Him. So that those who say all things are moved and carried by chance, and do not expect a recompense, do not please Him, just as the Greeks do not. For to those who seek Him out through works and through knowledge He becomes a rewarder. 63.158 3. Since then we have a rewarder, let us do all things, so that we may not be deprived of the rewards for virtue; for it is worthy of many tears to disregard such a reward, to despise such a recompense. For just as He becomes a rewarder to those who seek Him out, so to those who do not seek Him, the opposite; Seek, and you will find, He says. But how is it possible to find the Lord? Consider how gold is found, with much labor. With my hands, he says, by night before him, and I was not deceived. That is, just as we seek what is lost, so let us seek God. Do we not concentrate our mind there? Do we not question everyone? Do we not make a journey? Do we not promise money? For instance, let there be a lost son of ours; what do we not do? what land, what sea do we not travel over? Do we not place money, and houses, and all things second to finding him? and if we find him, we hold him, we embrace him tightly, we do not forsake him. And when we are about to seek, we do everything, so as to find what is sought; how much more must we do this in the case of God, as if seeking one of the necessities? or rather not so, but even much more. But since we are weak, even as you seek your money, or your son, seek God. Do you not go abroad for this? Have you not ever gone abroad for the sake of money? Do you not investigate everything? Is it not when you find it, that you are then confident? Seek, he says, and you will find. For things that are sought require much care, and especially in the case of God; for many are the hindrances, many the things that overshadow, many the things that block our perception. For just as the sun is manifest, and is set before all in the midst, and we have no need to seek it; if however we bury ourselves, and even if we turn everything around, we need much labor, in order to see the sun; so indeed also here, if in the depth of wicked desires, if in the darkness of passions and of worldly affairs we bury ourselves, we scarcely see through, we scarcely look up. The one who is buried below, the more he looks up, the more he comes towards the sun. Let us therefore shake off the dust, let us tear open the mist that lies upon us; it is dense and thick, and does not allow us to look up. And how is this cloud torn apart, you say? If we draw to ourselves the rays of the spiritual sun, the sun of righteousness, if we lift our hands to heaven; The lifting up, he says, of my hands an evening sacrifice; if with our hands we also lift up our mind. You who have been initiated know what I am saying; and perhaps you even recognize what was said, and understand what I have hinted at. Let us lift our thought on high. I know many men, almost suspended from the earth, and stretching their hands beyond measure, and being disheartened that it is not possible to be raised up, and thus

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καταλύσεως τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ τῆς καθαιρέσεως τῆς τυραννίδος τῆς διαβολικῆς, καὶ ὅτι παραλυθήσεται ὁ θάνατος· μετετέθη γὰρ οὐ νεκρὸς, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὴ ἰδεῖν θάνατον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προσέθηκε, ζῶν μετετέθη, ὅτι εὐηρέστησε. Καθάπερ γάρ τις ἀπειλήσας πατὴρ υἱῷ, βούλεται μὲν εὐθέως ἀνεῖναι τὴν ἀπειλὴν, ὅταν ἀπειλήσῃ, ἀνέχεται δὲ καὶ καρτερεῖ, ἵνα τέως αὐτὸν σωφρονίσῃ καὶ νουθετήσῃ, ἀφεὶς βεβαίαν μένειν τὴν ἀπειλήν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς, σχεδὸν εἰπεῖν ἀνθρωπίνως, οὐκ ἐκαρτέρησεν, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἔδειξεν, ὅτι λέλυται ὁ θάνατος. Καὶ πρῶτον ἀφίησι τὸν θάνατον εἰς τὸν δίκαιον γενέσθαι, φοβῆσαι βουλόμενος διὰ τοῦ παιδὸς τὸν πατέρα. Θέλων γὰρ δεῖξαι, ὅτι ὄντως ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπόφασις βεβαία, οὐ τοὺς κακοὺς εὐθέως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν εὐαρεστήσαντα ὑπέβαλε τῇ τιμωρίᾳ, τὸν μακάριον ἐκεῖνον τὸν Ἄβελ λέγω· καὶ σχεδὸν μετὰ τοῦτον εὐθέως μετέθηκε τὸν Ἐνὼχ ζῶντα. Καὶ οὐκ ἀνέστησεν ἐκεῖνον, ἵνα μὴ θαῤῥήσωσιν εὐθέως, ἀλλὰ μετέθηκε τοῦτον ζῶντα, διὰ μὲν τοῦ Ἄβελ φοβήσας, διὰ δὲ τούτου δοὺς ζῆλον τοῦ εὐαρεστεῖν αὐτῷ. Ὥστε οἱ αὐτόματα πάντα ἄγεσθαι καὶ φέρεσθαι λέγοντες, καὶ μὴ προσδοκῶντες ἀντίδοσιν, οὐκ εὐαρεστοῦσιν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ οἱ Ἕλληνες. Τοῖς γὰρ ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν δι' ἔργων καὶ διὰ τῆς γνώσεως μισθαποδότης γίνεται. 63.158 γʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔχομεν μισθαποδότην, πάντα πράττωμεν, ὥστε μὴ ἀποστερηθῆναι τῶν μισθῶν τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀρετῇ· καὶ γὰρ πολλῶν δακρύων ἄξιον τοιαύτης ἀμοιβῆς ὑπεριδεῖν, τοιαύτης ἀντιδόσεως καταφρονῆσαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν μισθαποδότης γίνεται, οὕτω τοῖς μὴ ζητοῦσι τὸ ἐναντίον· Ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε, φησί. Πῶς δὲ ἔστι τὸν Κύριον εὑρεῖν; Ἐννόησον πῶς εὑρίσκεται τὸ χρυσίον, μετὰ πολλοῦ πόνου. Ταῖς χερσί μου, φησὶ, νυκτὸς ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἠπατήθην. Τουτέστιν, ὥσπερ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ζητοῦμεν, οὕτω τὸν Θεὸν ζητήσωμεν. Οὐχὶ τὸν νοῦν ἐκεῖ συστρέφομεν; οὐχὶ πάντας ἐξετάζομεν; οὐχὶ ἀποδημίαν ποιούμεθα; οὐχὶ χρήματα ἐπαγγελλόμεθα; Οἶον, ἔστω τις ἡμῖν υἱὸς ἀπολωλώς· τί οὐ πράττομεν; ποίαν γῆν, ποίαν θάλατταν οὐ περινοστοῦμεν; οὐχὶ καὶ χρήματα, καὶ οἰκίας, καὶ πάντα δεύτερα τιθέμεθα τῆς εὑρέσεως; κἂν εὕρωμεν, κατέχομεν, ἐπισφίγγομεν, οὐκ ἐγκαταλιμπάνομεν. Καὶ μέλλοντες ζητεῖν, πάντα πραγματευόμεθα, ὥστε εὑρεῖν τὸ ζητούμενον· πόσῳ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο χρὴ ποιεῖν, ὥσπερ τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων ζητοῦντας; μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀσθενεῖς ἐσμεν, κἂν ὡς τὰ χρήματά σου ζητεῖς, ἢ τὸν υἱὸν, ζήτησον τὸν Θεόν. Οὐχὶ ἀποδημεῖς ὑπὲρ τούτου; ἆρα οὐκ ἀπεδήμησάς ποτε ὑπὲρ χρημάτων; οὐχὶ πάντα περιεργάζῃ; οὐχ ὅταν εὕρῃς, τότε θαῤῥεῖς; Ζητεῖτε, φησὶ, καὶ εὑρήσετε. Τὰ γὰρ ζητούμενα πολλῆς δεῖται μερίμνης, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ Θεοῦ· πολλὰ γὰρ τὰ κωλύματα, πολλὰ τὰ ἐπισκοτοῦντα, πολλὰ τὰ εἴργοντα ἡμῶν τὴν αἴσθησιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἥλιός ἐστι δῆλος, καὶ εἰς μέσον πᾶσι πρόκειται, καὶ οὐ δεόμεθα τοῦ ζητεῖν αὐτόν· ἂν μέντοι κατορύξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, κἂν πάντα περιστρέφωμεν, πολλοῦ δεόμεθα πόνου, ὥστε ἰδεῖν πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἐὰν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τῶν πονηρῶν, ἐὰν ἐν τῷ σκότῳ τῶν παθῶν καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων κατορύττωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, μόλις διαβλέπομεν, μόλις ἀνακύπτομεν. Ὁ κάτω κατορωρυγμένος, ὅσῳ ἂν ἄνω βλέπῃ, τοσούτῳ πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον ἔρχεται. Ἀποτιναξώμεθα τοίνυν τὸν χοῦν, ἀναῤῥήξωμεν τὴν ἐπικειμένην ἡμῖν ἀχλύν· πυκνή τίς ἐστι καὶ στεγανὴ, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἡμᾶς ἀναβλέψαι. Καὶ πῶς διαῤῥήγνυται, φησὶν, ἡ νεφέλη αὕτη; Ἐὰν ἐπισπασώμεθα τοῦ νοητοῦ ἡλίου τὰς ἀκτῖνας, τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης, ἐὰν τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν αἴρωμεν· Ἔπαρσις, φησὶ, τῶν χειρῶν μου θυσία ἑσπερινή· ἐὰν μετὰ τῶν χειρῶν καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἀναλάβωμεν. Ἴστε οἱ μεμυημένοι τί λέγω· τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐπιγινώσκετε τὸ λεχθὲν, καὶ συνορᾶτε ὅπερ ᾐνιξάμην. Ἐπάρωμεν εἰς ὕψος τὴν διάνοιαν. Οἶδα πολλοὺς ἄνδρας ἐγὼ, σχεδὸν κρεμαμένους ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ πέρα τοῦ μέτρου τὰς χεῖρας ἀνατείνοντας, καὶ ἀθυμοῦντας ὅτι μὴ δυνατὸν μετεωρισθῆναι, καὶ οὕτως