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will be given, but the things of the wicked are not so; for their land will fall. Wherefore, in their very bodies and their very souls, as having fallen away from God, they will be handed over to the punishment that awaits them. 1.89 After the teaching of the resurrection of the dead, the prophetic spirit, having seen the saints of God standing around before him and gathered to the same place after the resurrection, and then from another side perceiving the coming wrath upon the wicked, calls to the company of the saints to withdraw for a short while and to hide themselves somewhere far off, so that they might not even be spectators of the destruction of the wicked. Wherefore he says: Go, my people, enter into your chambers; And the chambers of the people of God happen to be "the many mansions with the Father," appointed for each company of the saints according to the just judgment of God. Into these chambers, therefore, prepared for you, you, he says, my people, enter and shut your door, and do not meddle with the things that are very far from your chambers, but hide yourself for a very little while, until the Lord's wrath passes by, and when it has passed by, then opening the gates of your chambers with much authority and confidence, go forth, observing the new age and the kingdom of God promised to you. Following these things, he teaches what the wrath will do when it comes upon the wicked, saying: and the earth will disclose her blood, so that none of those whose souls were long ago destroyed in it may be hidden, through the sins "unto death"; for on this account God is said to bring the wrath, wrath here being the name for the "angels" who minister punishments; for as it was said concerning the Egyptians: "He sent upon them wrath and anger and affliction, a mission by evil angels," so also now the wrath of God, rushing against those who of old inhabited the earth, will uncover the blood shed upon it and will not cover her slain. And through these words he indicates the slaying of the saints of God and the blood of the martyrs, about whom Moses also, writing in the great song, said: "For he avenges the blood of his sons, and he will take vengeance and repay justice to his enemies, and will repay those who hate him." And every earthy and body-loving soul, confessing, will uncover the blood—I mean the sins "unto death" committed by it. And when these things are accomplished, "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Wherefore at the end of all things and after all, the word adds, saying: In that day, that is, at that time, God will bring the holy and the great and the strong sword. But instead of "the holy," all the other translators have called it "the hard." This sword, therefore, as if having stored it up for a long time, not releasing it against any other, he will bring upon this one alone, for whom it was also kept in proportion to his wickedness. And who was this? None other than he who from the beginning in the paradise of God tripped up the first man and cast him down from his position with God. And this was that crooked serpent and dragon, aptly named because he is dragged on the ground and creeps, and lies in wait for the feet of men, if somewhere biting someone and injecting his death-bearing venom into him, he might cast him down from the straight path that leads to God. The rod of God, therefore, being straight and for discipline, according to the saying: "a rod of uprightness is the rod of your kingdom," has been kept for those who have committed curable sins, being brought for their instruction and improvement and the benefit of their soul, but he who possesses nothing upright or straight, but is entirely crooked and twisted, creeping on the ground on his breast and his belly, and lying in wait for the feet of all to trip them up and cast them down, after all the wicked, he will be delivered to the hard and great and strong sword, which the great judge has stored up for him alone. And what was this sword, which the Seventy called holy and great and strong, but "the living

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δωρήσεται, ἀλλ' οὐ καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀσεβῶν τοιαῦτα· πεσεῖται γὰρ αὐτῶν ἡ γῆ. διὸ αὐτοῖς σώμασι καὶ αὐταῖς ψυχαῖς ὡς ἂν ἐκπεσόντες τοῦ θεοῦ παραδοθήσονται τῇ διαδεξομένῃ αὐτοὺς τιμωρίᾳ. 1.89 Μετὰ τὴν διδασκαλίαν τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως ὡς περιεστῶτας ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν συνηγμένους τοὺς ἁγίους τοῦ θεοῦ θεασάμενον τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ προφητικόν, ἔπειτα ἐξ ἑτέρου μέρους τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ὀργὴν τοῖς ἀσεβέσι κατανοῆσαν τῷ τάγματι τῶν ἁγίων προσφωνεῖ ἀποχωρεῖν πρὸς βραχὺ καὶ μακράν που κρύπτεσθαι, ὡς μηδὲ θεωροὺς τῆς τῶν ἀσεβῶν γίγνεσθαι ἀπωλείας. διό φησι· βάδιζε, λαός μου, εἴσελθε εἰς τὰ ταμιεῖά σου· ταμιεῖα δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ «αἱ πολλαὶ παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ» τυγχάνουσι «μοναὶ» ἑκάστῳ τάγματι τῶν ἁγίων κατὰ δικαίαν τοῦ θεοῦ κρίσιν ἀφωρισμέναι. εἰς ταῦτ' οὖν τὰ σοὶ παρεσκευασμένα ταμεῖα, σύ φησιν, ὁ ἐμὸς λαός, εἴσελθε καὶ ἀπόκλεισον τὴν θύραν σου, μηδὲ περιεργάζου τὰ πορρωτάτω τυγχάνοντα τῶν σῶν ταμείων, ἀλλ' ἀποκρύβηθι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ἡ ὀργὴ κυρίου, παρελθούσης δὲ αὐτῆς ἀναπετάσας λοιπὸν τὰς τῶν σαυτοῦ ταμείων πύλας μετὰ πολλῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ παρρησίας πρόϊθι τὸν νέον ἐποπτεύων αἰῶνα καὶ τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην σοι βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. Τούτοις ἑξῆς τί ἄρα ποιήσει ἡ ὀργὴ ἐπελθοῦσα τοῖς ἀσεβέσι διδάσκει λέγων· καὶ ἀνακαλύψει ἡ γῆ τὸ αἷμα αὐτῆς, ὡς μηδένα λαθεῖν τῶν πάλαι ἐν αὐτῇ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀνῃρημένων διὰ τῶν «πρὸς θάνατον» ἁμαρτημάτων· ἐπὶ τούτῳ γὰρ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐπάξειν εἴρηται ὁ θεός, ὀργῆς ἐνταῦθα ὀνομαζομένης τῶν ταῖς κολάσεσι διακονουμένων «ἀγγέλων»· ὡς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐλέγετο· «ἀπέστειλεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὀργὴν καὶ θυμὸν καὶ θλῖψιν, ἀποστολὴν δι' ἀγγέλων πονηρῶν», οὕτως καὶ νῦν ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ὁρμήσασα κατὰ τῶν πάλαι τὴν γῆν οἰκησάντων ἀνακαλύψει τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῆς ἐκχυθὲν καὶ οὐ κατακαλύψει τοὺς ἀνῃρημένους. δηλοῖ δὲ διὰ τούτων τὴν τῶν ἁγίων τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναίρεσιν καὶ τὰ τῶν μαρτύρων αἵματα, περὶ ὧν καὶ Μωσῆς ἐν μεγάλῃ ᾠδῇ γράφων ἔλεγεν· «ὅτι τὸ αἷμα τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκδικεῖται, καὶ ἐκδικήσει καὶ ἀνταποδώσει δίκην τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ τοῖς μισοῦσιν ἀνταποδώσει». καὶ ἑκάστη δὲ ψυχὴ γεώδης καὶ φιλοσώματος τὰ αἵματα, λέγω δὴ τὰ «πρὸς θάνατον» αὕτη πλημμεληθέντα, ἐξομολογουμένη ἀνακαλύψει. Τούτων δ' ἐπιτελεσθέντων «ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος». διὸ ἐπὶ τέλει τῶν ὅλων καὶ μετὰ πάντας ἐπιφέρει ὁ λόγος φάσκων· τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, τοῦτ' ἔστι κατ' ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ, ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς τὴν μάχαιραν τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ τὴν μεγάλην καὶ τὴν ἰσχυράν. ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ· τὴν ἁγίαν, οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες ἑρμηνευταὶ τὴν σκληρὰν ὠνόμασαν. ταύτην οὖν ὥσπερ ταμιευσάμενος ἐκ μακροῦ κατὰ μηδενὸς ἑτέρου ἐπαφεὶς αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τοῦτον μόνον ἐπάξει, ᾧ καὶ ἐτηρεῖτο ἀναλόγως τῇ αὐτοῦ κακίᾳ. τίς δὲ ἦν οὗτος, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν πρῶτον σκελίσας ἄνθρωπον καὶ καταβαλὼν ἀπὸ τῆς παρὰ τῷ θεῷ στάσεως. ἦν δ' οὗτος ὁ σκολιὸς οὗτος ὄφις καὶ δράκων προσφυῶς ὠνομασμένος διὰ τὸ χαμαὶ σύρεσθαι καὶ ἕρπειν καὶ τοῖς ποσὶν ἐφεδρεύειν τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἴ που τινὰ ἐνδακὼν καὶ τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ θανατηφόρον ἰὸν ἐγχρίμψας τῆς ὀρθῆς καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀγούσης καταβάλοι πορείας. ἡ μὲν οὖν τοῦ θεοῦ ῥάβδος εὐθεῖά τις οὖσα καὶ παιδευτικὴ κατὰ τό· «ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου», τοῖς ἰάσιμα ἡμαρτηκόσι τετήρηται εἰς παίδευσιν αὐτῶν καὶ βελτίωσιν καὶ ψυχῆς ὠφέλειαν προσαγομένη, ὁ δὲ μηδὲ ὀρθὸν μηδὲ εὐθὺ κεκτημένος ὅλος δὲ διόλου κάμπυλος καὶ σκολιός, χαμαί τε ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν ἕρπων, ἐφεδρεύων τε τοῖς πάντων ποσὶν ἐπὶ τὸ σκελίζειν καὶ καταβάλλειν αὐτοὺς μετὰ πάντας τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς, ὃς τῇ σκληρᾷ καὶ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἰσχυρᾷ μαχαίρᾳ παραδοθήσεται, ἣν αὐτῷ μόνῳ ὁ μέγας κριτὴς ἐταμιεύσατο. τίς δ' ἦν αὕτη ἡ μάχαιρα, ἣν ἁγίαν καὶ μεγάλην καὶ ἰσχυρὰν ὠνόμασαν οἱ Ἑβδομήκοντα, ἢ «ὁ ζῶν