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all these. And again, having said: Not having received the promises, he shows Noah to have received a reward for the salvation of his house, and Enoch to have been translated, and Abel to have yet received, and Abraham to have taken possession of the land; and he says: These all died in faith, not having received the promises. What then is it that he says? It is necessary to resolve the first, then the second. These all died in faith, he says. He said "All" here, not because all died, but because, with that one excepted, all these died whom we know to be dead. But the phrase, "not having received the promises," happens to be true; for this indeed was not to be the promise to Noah. 2. And what promises does he mean? For Isaac and Jacob received the promises of the land; but as for Noah, and Abel, and Enoch, what promises did they receive? Either then he speaks of these three; or if also of the others, this was not the promise: for Abel to be admired, nor for Enoch to be translated, nor for Noah to be saved, but these things happened to them on account of their virtue, and were certain tastes of the things to come. For God, knowing from the beginning that the human race needs much condescension, bestows on us not only the things in the future, but also things here; just as Christ also said to his disciples: Whoever has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life; and again: 63.162 Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. Do you see that these things are given by him by way of addition, so that we may not grow weary? For just as athletes enjoy care even when they are competing, yet they do not then enjoy all the rest, living under rules, but they enjoy all of it afterwards; so also God does not grant us to partake of all the rest here; for he gives some here, yet he has stored up the whole in the future. And that this is so, he showed it also by the subsequent statement, saying: But having seen them from afar and greeted them. Here he hints at something mystical; for he shows that they had a foretaste of all the things spoken about the future, the things concerning the resurrection, the things concerning the kingdom of heaven, the things concerning the other matters, which Christ preached when he came; for he means these promises. Either then he says this, or that they did not receive them, but being confident about them they departed; and they were confident by faith alone. He said, "having seen them from afar," indicating that it was four generations before; for after so many they went up out of Egypt. And having greeted them, he says, and having been pleased. So persuaded were they about them, as even to greet them; he spoke metaphorically of those who sail and from afar see the desired cities, which before entering them they make their own by addressing them. For they were looking for, he says, the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Do you see that "they received" means to have already accepted and to be confident about them? If then to be confident is to receive, it is possible for you also to receive. For these, even if they did not enjoy these things, yet in their longing they beheld them. Why then do these things happen? So that we might be ashamed, that they, even when earthly things were promised to them, did not pay attention, but sought the city to come; but to us God speaks in every way about the city above, and we seek the one here. He said to them, that "I will give you the things in the present"; but when he saw, or rather when they showed themselves to be worthy of greater things, then he no longer allows them to receive these, but those greater things, wishing to show us that they are worthy of greater things, not having wanted to be bound to these; as if someone should promise childish things to a sensible person, not that he should receive them, but to display his own philosophy, when that one asks for greater things. For this is the proof, that with such eagerness they kept away from the earth, that they did not even receive what was given. Therefore for this reason their descendants receive it; for they themselves were worthy of the earth. What is, "the city that has foundations"? For are not these foundations? To

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οὗτοι πάντες. Καὶ πάλιν εἰπών· Μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, τὸν Νῶε δείκνυσιν εἰληφέναι μισθὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν Ἐνὼχ μετατεθεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸν Ἄβελ ἔτι λαβεῖν, καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐπειλῆφθαι τῆς γῆς· καί φησι· Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγει; Ἀναγκαῖον τὸ πρῶτον λῦσαι, εἶτα τὸ δεύτερον. Κατὰ πίστιν ἀπέθανον, φησὶν, οὗτοι πάντες. Τὸ, Πάντες, ἐνταῦθα εἶπεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ πάντες ἀπέθανον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐξῃρημένου ἐκείνου, ἀπέθανον οὗτοι πάντες, οὓς ἴσμεν τεθνηκότας. Τὸ δὲ, Μὴ κομισάμενοι τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀληθὲς τυγχάνει· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο ἔμελλεν εἶναι ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῷ Νῶε. βʹ. Ποίας δὲ καὶ ἐπαγγελίας φησίν; ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἔλαβον τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τῆς γῆς· οἱ δὲ περὶ Νῶε, καὶ Ἄβελ, καὶ Ἐνὼχ, ποίας ἐπαγγελίας ἔλαβον; Ἢ τοίνυν περὶ τῶν τριῶν φησι τούτων· ἢ εἰ καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων, οὐ τοῦτο ἦν ἡ ἐπαγγελία, τὸ θαυμασθῆναι τὸν Ἄβελ, οὐδὲ τὸ μετατεθῆναι τὸν Ἐνὼχ, οὐδὲ τὸ διασωθῆναι τὸν Νῶε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα μὲν αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐγένετο, γεύματα δέ τινα ἦν τῶν μελλόντων. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰδὼς τὸ γένος τὸ ἀνθρώπινον πολλῆς δεόμενον συγκαταβάσεως, οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐνταῦθα ἡμῖν χαρίζεται· οἷον ὅπερ καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἔλεγεν ὁ Χριστός· Ὅστις ἀφῆκεν οἰκίας, ἢ ἀδελφοὺς, ἢ ἀδελφὰς, ἢ πατέρα, ἢ μητέρα, ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήψεται, καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσει· καὶ πάλιν· 63.162 Ζητεῖτε τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Ὁρᾷς καὶ ἐν προσθήκης μέρει ταῦτα παρ' αὐτοῦ διδόμενα, ὥστε μὴ ἀποκαμεῖν; Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ ἀθληταὶ ἀπολαύουσι μὲν θεραπείας καὶ ὅταν ἀγωνίζωνται, πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐ πάσης τότε τῆς ἀνέσεως ἀπολαύουσιν, ὑπὸ νόμοις ζῶντες, ἀλλὰ πάσης μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπολαύουσιν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς οὐ πάσης ἐνταῦθα δίδωσι μεταλαβεῖν τῆς ἀνέσεως· δίδωσι μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, πλὴν ὅμως τὴν πᾶσαν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἐταμίευσε. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἐδήλωσεν αὐτὸ καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς, εἰπών· Ἀλλὰ πόῤῥωθεν αὐτὰς ἰδόντες καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι. Ἐνταῦθά τι μυστικὸν αἰνίττεται· δείκνυσι γὰρ ὅτι προέλαβον πάντα τὰ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων εἰρημένα, τὰ περὶ ἀναστάσεως, τὰ περὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν, τὰ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὧν ἐλθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐκήρυσσε· τὰς γὰρ ἐπαγγελίας ταύτας φησίν. Ἢ τοῦτο οὖν φησιν, ἢ ὅτι οὐκ ἔλαβον μὲν αὐτὰς, θαῤῥήσαντες δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀπῆλθον· ἐθάῤῥησαν δὲ τῇ πίστει μόνῃ. Πόῤῥωθεν δὲ αὐτὰς ἰδόντες εἶπε, δηλῶν ὅτι πρὸ τεσσάρων γενεῶν· μετὰ γὰρ τοσαύτας ἀνῆλθον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. Καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι, φησὶ, καὶ ἡσθέντες. Οὕτω πεπεισμένοι ἦσαν περὶ αὐτῶν, ὡς καὶ ἀσπάσασθαι αὐτάς· ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς εἶπε τῶν πλεόντων καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὁρώντων τὰς πόλεις τὰς ποθουμένας, ἃς πρὶν ἢ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς αὐτὰς τῇ προσρήσει λαβόντες αὐτὰς οἰκειοῦνται. Ἐξεδέχοντο γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν τοὺς θεμελίους ἔχουσαν πόλιν, ἧς τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τὸ, Ἔλαβον, τὸ ἤδη δέξασθαί ἐστι καὶ θαρσῆσαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν; Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ θαρσῆσαι λαβεῖν ἐστιν, ἔνεστι καὶ ὑμῖν λαβεῖν. Οὗτοι γὰρ, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀπήλαυσαν τούτων, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῷ πόθῳ ἐθεώρουν αὐτάς. Τί δὴ ταῦτα γίνεται; Ἵνα ἡμεῖς αἰσχυνθῶμεν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν, καὶ ἐπαγγελλομένων αὐτοῖς τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ, οὐ προσεῖχον, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν πόλιν ἐζήτουν· ἡμῖν δὲ ἄνω καὶ κάτω ὁ Θεὸς περὶ τῆς ἄνω διαλέγεται πόλεως, καὶ τὴν ἐνταῦθα ζητοῦμεν. Εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι ∆ώσω ὑμῖν τὰ ἐν τῷ παρόντι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδε, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἔδειξαν ἑαυτοὺς μειζόνων ὄντας ἀξίους, τότε οὐκέτι αὐτοὺς ἀφίησι ταῦτα λαβεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα τὰ μείζονα, βουλόμενος ἡμῖν δεῖξαι ὅτι μειζόνων ἄξιοί εἰσι, μὴ θελήσαντες προσδεθῆναι τούτοις· ὡς ἄν τις συνετῷ ἐπαγγέλλοιτο παιδικὰ, οὐχ ἵνα λάβῃ ἀλλ' ἐπιδεικνύμενος αὑτοῦ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, αἰτοῦντος ἐκείνου τὰ μείζονα. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι δεικνύντος, ὅτι μετὰ τοσαύτης σπουδῆς ἀπείχοντο τῆς γῆς, ὅτι οὐδὲ διδόμενα ἐλάμβανον. Τοιγαροῦν διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ἔκγονοι λαμβάνουσιν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἦσαν τῆς γῆς ἄξιοι. Τί ἐστι, Τὴν τοὺς θεμελίους ἔχουσαν πόλιν; οὗτοι γὰρ οὐκ εἰσὶ θεμέλιοι; Πρὸς