119

And at dawn the father, having entered with our mother and the three sons where Peter was, greeted him and sat down, then we also at his command. And Peter, looking intently at the father, said: I am eager for you to become of one mind with your wife and children, so that you may live together with them both here, and there, after the separation of the soul from the body, being together you will be without grief. For does it not grieve you and them most greatly, not to be with one another? And the father: Indeed, very much. And Peter: If, then, even here being separated from one another is grievous, when after death it is altogether fated for you not to be with one another, how much more will it not grieve you, being a wise man, to be separated from your own on account of the reasoning of your opinion, and for them to suffer much more from knowing that for you, thinking otherwise, eternal punishment awaits by the sentence of this dogma? And the father said: But it is not the case, dearest friend, that souls are punished in Hades, since at the same time it departs from the body, it is dissolved into the air. And Peter said: Until, then, we persuade you concerning this, answer me: does it not seem to you that you, not believing in the punishment, are not grieved, but that they, being persuaded of it, must necessarily be distressed on your account? And the father: What you say follows. And Peter: Why then will you not free them from the greatest grief concerning you by agreeing to the religion—not, I say, out of shamefacedness, but with good judgment—hearing what is said to you by me and judging whether these things are so or not? And if it is so as we say, you will both enjoy the company of your dearest ones here and rest together with them there; but if in the examination of the arguments you show that the things said by us are some false myth, in this way too you will do well, having made them of one mind with you, and you will stop them from relying on empty hopes and deliver them from false fears. And the father: You seem to me to say many reasonable things. And Peter said: What then is it that prevents you from coming to our faith? Tell me, so that we may begin to speak to that point. For there are many things that are hindrances: for those who are persuaded, the busyness of markets, of business, of farming, of cares and all such things; but for unbelievers, among whom you also are, [the hindrances are] suppositions: believing either that gods who do not exist, do exist, or that all things are subject to fate, or to chance, or that souls are mortal, or also that our doctrine is false because there is no providence. But I say that all things are governed by the providence of God, judging from what can be said about the things concerning you, namely, that the separation of you and your family happened for so many years. For since, being with you, they perhaps would not have listened to the words of piety, it was ordained that they journey abroad with their mother, and the shipwreck, and the suspicion of their death, and furthermore that they be educated in the Greek and godless doctrines, so that, as those who know them, they might be better able to refute them—and on top of this, that they came to love the word of piety and were able to be united with me to assist me in my preaching—but furthermore, also to meet their brother Clement and thus for their mother to be recognized and to be fully convinced of the divinity through a healing—and not long after for the twin children to be straightway recognized and to recognize her, and on the next day to meet with you and for you to recover your own. So great, therefore,

[HOMILY 15.]

119

Ὄρθρου δὲ γενομένου ὁ πατὴρ μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν τριῶν υἱῶν εἰσελθών, ἔνθα ὁ Πέτρος ἦν, προσαγορεύσας ἐκαθέσθη, ἔπειτα καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοῦ κελεύσαντος. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος τῷ πατρὶ προσεμβλέψας ἔφη· Σπεύδω ὁμόφρονά σε γενέσθαι γυναικὶ καὶ τέκνοις, ὅπως αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁμοδίαιτος ᾖς κἀκεῖ μετὰ τὸν χωρισμὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος συνόντα ἄλυπον ἔσεσθαι. ἢ γὰρ οὐ τὰ μέγιστά σε λυπεῖ καὶ αὐτοὺς τὸ μὴ ἀλλήλοις συνεῖναι; καὶ ὁ πατήρ· Καὶ πάνυ γε. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Eἰ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἀλλήλων κεχωρίσθαι λυπεῖ, μετὰ θάνατον πάντως ὀφειλόμενον ὑμῖν μετ' ἀλλήλων μὴ εἶναι, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον οὐ λυπήσει σὲ μὲν ἄνδρα σοφὸν ὄντα τῷ τῆς γνώμης σου λόγῳ τῶν σῶν κεχωρίσθαι, αὐτοὺς δὲ πολὺ μᾶλλον ὀδυνᾶσθαι τῷ εἰδέναι, ὅτι σε ἄλλα φρονοῦντα αἰώνιος μένει κόλασις ·ητοῦ δόγματος ἀποφάσει; καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν, ὦ φίλτατε, τὸ ἐν ᾅδου ψυχὰς κολάζεσθαι αὐτῆς ἅμα τῷ ἀποστῆναι τοῦ σώματος εἰς ἀέρα λυομένης. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Μέχ- ρις οὖν ὅτε περὶ τούτου πείσομέν σε, ἀπόκριναί μοι· οὐ δοκεῖ σοι σὲ μὲν ἀπιστοῦντα τὴν κόλασιν μὴ λυπεῖσθαι, ἐκείνους δὲ πεπεισμέ- νους ἀνάγκην ἔχειν περὶ σοῦ ἀνιᾶσθαι; καὶ ὁ πατήρ· Ἀκολούθως λέγεις. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ∆ιὰ τί δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἀπαλλάξεις μεγίστης περὶ σοῦ λύπης τῇ θρησκείᾳ συνθέμενος, οὐ δυσωπίᾳ λέγω, ἀλλ' εὐγνωμοσύνῃ, περὶ τῶν λεγομένων σοι ὑπ' ἐμοῦ ἀκούων καὶ κρίνων εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει ἢ οὔ; καὶ εἰ μὲν οὕτως ἔχει ὡς λέγομεν, καὶ ὧδε συναπολαύσεις τοῖς φιλτά- τοις κἀκεῖ συναναπαύσῃ· εἰ δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶν λόγων σκέψει δείξῃς τὰ ὑφ' ἡμῶν λεγόμενα μῦθόν τινα ψευδῆ εἶναι, καὶ οὕτως καλῶς ποιήσεις, αὐτοὺς ὁμογνώμονάς σοι εἰληφώς, καὶ τοῦ κεναῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐπερείδεσθαι παύσεις καὶ ψευδῶν φόβων ἀπαλλάξεις. καὶ ὁ πατήρ· Πολλὰ φαίνῃ μοι εὔλογα λέγων. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Τί οὖν ἐστιν τὸ κρατοῦν σε μὴ εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν πίστιν ἐλθεῖν, λέγε, ἵνα εἰς αὐτὸ λέγειν ἀρξώμεθα. πολλὰ γάρ ἐστιν τὰ κρατοῦντα· τοὺς μὲν πεπεισμένους ἀσχολίαι ἀγορασμῶν, πράξεων, γεωρ- γιῶν, φροντίδων καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ἀπιστοῦσι δέ, ἀφ' ὧν εἶ καὶ σύ, ὑπολή- ψεις τοῦ νομίζειν ἢ θεοὺς τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας εἶναι ἢ τὸ γενέσει τὰ πάντα ὑποκεῖ- σθαι ἢ αὐτοματισμῷ ἢ τὰς ψυχὰς θνητὰς ἢ καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον ψευδῆ ὡς οὐκ οὔσης προνοίας. ἐγὼ δὲ προνοίᾳ θεοῦ τὰ πάντα διοικεῖσθαι ἐκ τῶν περὶ σὲ λεγομένων εἶναι λέγω, τὸ τοσούτοις ἔτεσιν τὴν διάστασιν σοῦ τε καὶ τῶν σῶν γενέσθαι. ἐπεὶ γὰρ σὺν σοὶ ὄντες ἴσως τῶν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγων οὐκ ἂν ἐπήκουσαν, ᾠκονομήθη σὺν μητρὶ ἡ ἀποδημία καὶ ναυφράγιον καὶ θανάτου ὑπόνοια, ἔτι τε καὶ ἐκπαιδευθῆναι αὐτοὺς τὰ Ἑλλήνων καὶ ἄθεα δόγματα, ἵνα μᾶλλον ὡς εἰδότες ταῦτα ἀνασκευάζειν δυνατοὶ ὦσιν-ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸ φιλῆσαι τὸν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγον καὶ ἐμοὶ ἑνωθῆναι δυνηθῆναι πρὸς τὸ συλλαβέσθαι μου τῷ κηρύγματι-ἀλλ' ἔτι μὴν συνελθεῖν καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν Κλήμεντα καὶ οὕτως τὴν μητέρα ἐπιγνωσθῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ θεραπείας τὴν θεότητα πληροφορηθῆναι-καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ εὐθὺ τὰ δίδυμα τέκνα ἐπιγνωσθέντα καὶ ἐπιγνόντα καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἡμέρας σοι συντυχεῖν καὶ τοὺς σοὺς ἀπολαβεῖν. τοσαύτην οὖν

[OΜIΛIA IE.]