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those who rule the earth, and above all those upon whom are the health and beauty of the body, and above all those upon whom are wealth and the purple robe and the fine linen, and above all those who are called blessed on earth by mouths that do not speak rightly. For that man knows that poverty with such joy is better than the whole world and the things in it, since all things concerning his body and concerning his whole life the heaven will cover and Hades will consume and death will rule over them, but the joy, which was procured for his soul from health, cannot be held by any of these things, because it is not of this world. For it has not come to him from glory, nor from much wealth, nor from the health of his body, nor from the praise of men, nor from any other thing under the heaven, but has been prepared from the labor and bitterness of his soul and from an encounter with the Spirit of God, who is above the heavens. For his heart, having been strained through him and pressed out, has brought forth a joy that is pure and unmixed with affliction. (308) And for this reason death will not rule over it, because no blemish will be found in it, but it will be like filtered wine before the sun, shining more brightly and being illumined and showing its color to be purer, gladdening and flashing exceedingly on the face of the one drinking it opposite the sun.

But in these things one thing is hard for me to understand; for I do not know which gladdens me more, the sight and the delight of the purity of the sun's rays or rather the drinking and the taste of the wine that is in my mouth. For I wish to speak of this, and that one draws me and seems sweeter; and when I look to that one, I am all the more delighted by the sweetness of the taste, and I am not sated with seeing nor am I filled with drinking. For when I think I have had my fill of drinking, then the beauty of the emitted rays makes me exceedingly thirsty and I find myself hungry again; and as much as I strive again to fill my stomach, my mouth is burned ten times over and I am set on fire by the thirst and desire for the most translucent drink.

Therefore, by this good judgment everyone who is judged will not fear another punishment or torment, nor will he dread the temptations that come upon him. For his thirst will not cease for eternity and his sweet and brightly shining drink will not fail, and the sweetness from the drink and the joy-producing radiance coming forth from the sun drive away all sorrow from his soul and always make that man rejoice, and no one harming him will prevail against him, nor (309) will there be anyone to prevent him from being filled from the spring of the cup. For the one who rules the earth with wickedness, the prince of darkness, the one who reigns over all the water of the sea and mocks the world as if one were holding a small sparrow in his hand, with all his army and power will not approach the heel of his foot, nor will he dare to look at him with boldness. For the gleam of the wine and the ray of the sun, brightly flashing towards the face of the one drinking, pass through to his inward parts and to his hands and feet and to his back parts and, making the drinker entirely fire, will have strength to burn and melt the enemies approaching him from all sides, and he becomes beloved to the light of the sun and a friend to the sun and to the brightly shining wine of the rays poured forth from them, in the manner of a beloved son; for his drinking is nourishment and a cleansing of the filth of his corrupted flesh, and the cleansing is complete health for him, and health does not permit him to be nourished by any other disease-causing food, but provides him with an infinite and burning desire to drink from the wine and to cleanse himself more and to make the drinking his health. For the beauty of health and the delight of loveliness, which comes from health, has no satiety.

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κρατοῦντας τῆς γῆς, καί ὑπέρ πάντας ἐφ᾿ οὕς ἡ ἡ ὑγεία καί ἡ εὐμορφία τοῦ σώματος, καί ὑπέρ πάντας ἐφ᾿ οὕς ὁ πλοῦτος καί ἡ πορφυρᾶ στολή καί ἡ βυσσίνη, καί ὑπέρ πάντας τούς μακαριζομένους ἐπί τῆς γῆς παρά στομάτων οὐκ ὀρθά λαλούντων. Οἶδε γάρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος ὅτι κρείσσων πενία μετά χαρᾶς τοιαύτης ὑπέρ πάντα τόν κόσμον καί τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ πραγμάτων ἐστίν, ἐπειδή πάντα τά ἐπί τῷ σώματι αὐτοῦ καί τά ἐπί παντί τῷ βίῳ ὁ οὐρανός καλύψει καί ᾅδης φάγεται καί θάνατος κυριεύσει αὐτῶν, ἡ δέ χαρά, ἡ ἐκ τῆς ὑγείας περιποιηθεῖσα τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ, ὑπ᾿ οὐδενός τούτων δύναται κρατηθῆναι, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Οὔτε γάρ ἀπό δόξης αὐτῷ γέγονεν αὕτη, οὐδέ ἀπό πολλοῦ πλούτου, οὔτε ἀπό ὑγείας σώματος αὐτοῦ, οὔτε ἀπό ἐπαίνου ἀνθρώπων, οὔτε ἀπό ἄλλου τινός πράγματος τῶν ὑπό τῶν οὐρανόν, ἀλλά ἀπό πόνου καί πικρίας ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐσκεύασται καί ἀπό συναντήσεως Πνεύματος Θεοῦ, τοῦ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν. ∆ιυλισθεῖσα γάρ δι᾿ αὐτοῦ καί ἐκπιεσθεῖσα ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἄδολον καί ἀμιγῆ θλίψεως χαράν ἀπέτεκε. (308) Καί διά τοῦτο θάνατος οὐ κυριεύσει αὐτῆς, ὅτι μῶμος οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ, ἀλλ᾿ ἔσται ὡς διυλισμένος οἶνος ἀπέναντι ἡλίου, ἐκλάμπων μᾶλλον καί λαμπρυνόμενος καί καθαρωτέραν δεικνύων τήν αὐτοῦ χρόαν, εὐφραίνων καί ὑπεραστράπτων τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ πίνοντος αὐτόν κατέναντι τοῦ ἡλίου.

Ἐπί δέ τούτοις ἕν μοι δυσνόητον· οὐ γάρ οἶδα ποῖον πλέον εὐφραίνει με, ἡ θέα καί ἡ τέρψις τῆς καθαρότητος τῶν τοῦ ἡλίου ἀκτίνων ἤ μᾶλλον ἡ πόσις καί ἡ γεῦσις τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματί μου. Θέλω γάρ εἰπεῖν τοῦτο καί ἕλκει με ἐκεῖνο καί γλυκύτερον φαίνεται· καί ὅταν πρός ἐκεῖνο ἀπίδω, ὑπό τῆς γλυκύτητος τῆς γεύσεως περισσοτέρως μᾶλλον ἡδύνομαι, καί οὔτε τοῦ βλέπειν κορέννυμι οὔτε τοῦ πίνειν ἐμπίπλαμαι. Ὅταν γάρ τοῦ πίνειν χορτασθῆναι δοκήσω, τότε τό κάλλος τῶν ἐκπεμπομένων ἀκτίνων διψᾶν με σφόδρα ποιεῖ καί λιμώττων πάλιν εὑρίσκομαι· καί ὅσῳ πάλιν φιλονεικήσω τήν ἐμήν ἐμπλῆσαι γαστέρα, καίεται τό στόμα μου δεκαπλασίως καί τῇ δίψῃ καί ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ διειδεστάτου πόματος ἐκπυρίζομαι.

Ταύτῃ οὖν τῇ καλῇ κρίσει πᾶς ὁ κρινόμενος ἑτέραν οὐ φοβηθήσεται τιμωρίαν ἤ βάσανον, οὐδέ πειρασμούς δειλιάσει τούς ἐπερχομένους αὐτῷ. Ἡ γάρ δίψα αὐτοῦ οὐ παυθήσεται εἰς τόν αἰῶνα καί τό ἡδύ καί λευκολαμπές αὐτοῦ πόμα οὐκ ἐκλείψει, καί ἡ ἐκ τοῦ ποτοῦ ἡδύτης καί ἡ ἐκ τοῦ ἡλίου ἐξερχομένη χαροποιός αἴγλη πᾶσαν λύπην ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκδιώκει καί πάντοτε χαίρειν ποιεῖ τόν ἄνθρωπον ἐκεῖνον, καί οὐδείς βλάπτων κατισχύσει αὐτοῦ, οὐδέ (309) ὁ κωλύσων αὐτόν ἔσται ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ποτηρίου μή ἐμφορηθῆναι. Ὁ γάρ κρατῶν τῇ κακίᾳ τῆς γῆς, ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ σκότου, ὁ βασιλεύων ἐπί πᾶν ὕδωρ θαλάσσης καί κόσμον ἐμπαίζων ὡς εἴ τις μικρόν στρουθίον κατέχων ἐν τῇ χειρί αὐτοῦ, μετά πάσης αὐτοῦ τῆς στρατιᾶς καί τῆς δυνάμεως οὐ προσεγγίσει πτέρναν ποδός αὐτοῦ, οὐδέ προσβλέψαι αὐτῷ μετά θάρσους τολμήσει. Ἡ γάρ στίλβα τοῦ οἴνου καί ἡ ἀκτίς τοῦ ἡλίου πρός τό πρόσωπον τοῦ πίνοντος φαιδρῶς ἀπαστράπτουσαι διέρχονται μέχρι τῶν ἐγκάτων αὐτοῦ καί μέχρι τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ καί ποδῶν καί μέχρι τῶν ὀπισθίων αὐτοῦ καί, πῦρ ὅλον ποιοῦσαι τόν πίνοντα, φλέγειν καί τήκειν τούς προσερχομένους αὐτῷ ἐχθρούς ἐκ πάντων τῶν μερῶν ἐνισχύσουσι, καί γίνεται ἀγαπητός τῷ φωτί τοῦ ἡλίου καί τῷ ἡλίῳ φίλος καί τῷ λευκολαμπεῖ οἴνῳ τῶν ἐξ αὐτῶν προεχεομένων ἀκτίνων δίκην υἱός ἠγαπημένος· ἡ γάρ πόσις αὐτοῦ τροφή καί κάθαρσις ῥύπου σεσηπότων σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ, καί ἡ κάθαρσις ὑγεία ὁλόκληρος αὐτῷ, καί ἡ ὑγεία οὐκ ἐᾷ αὐτόν ἕτερόν τι νοσοποιόν βρῶμα τραφῆναι, ἀλλά ἄπειρον καί διακαῆ ἐπιθυμίαν παρέχει αὐτῷ πίνειν ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου καί ἑαυτόν καθαίρειν μᾶλλον καί ὑγείαν ποιεῖσθαι τήν πόσιν. Τό γάρ κάλλος τῆς ὑγείας καί ἡ τερπνότης τῆς ὡραιότητος, τῆς ἐκ τῆς ὑγείας προσγινομένης, κόρον οὐκ ἔχει.