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see, that is, know all things, they say, while others want metensomatosis, and still others embrace a prior existence; from which it also follows, they say by consequence, that the sphere, or rather all spheres, are dissolved, and all corporeal nature is destroyed and souls return to their ancient order, just as those around the marvelous Origen opine; others say that heaven itself is always without beginning and without end, and that the world always continues in generation and corruption, from which it is concluded that God is malicious rather than powerless or envious, that is, they profess complete atheism; for it is unfitting for the world to remain thus always in generation and corruption, and very many other difficulties arise for all of them. 7.94 But only perfect Christians exist, like ears of piety in the midst of thorns and tares, who believe in all of the divine Scripture, both the Old and New Testament, and who say neither that there was another state before this one, nor who declare that there will be another after the one to come, but only the two, which the writing also fittingly shows, that from this state we pass over to the future and heavenly one and then we live again with the Lord, just as all divine Scripture discusses, that God began to create, having made the two spaces, and ceased from creation according to His purpose from above and from the beginning. 7.95 Strange things, therefore, he wrote, O best of men, whom you have called a rather feigned Christian, saying that the heavens are dissolved, which he also opines are spherical according to the hypothesis of the pagans, and that these are always revolving, having written down old wives' fables rather than Christian doctrines, following no one at all, except in part the good Origen; for the things written by him are completely foreign to the doctrine of the Christians. It would be for you, then, to judge and compare each doctrine and figure and to consider to which doctrine and figure the true Christian who wishes to be pious ought to adhere. For I see much deceit and guile in the one who has written the fables, both in bestowing the spherical shape upon heaven and again in saying it is dissolved. 7.96 For I, O most beloved, think thus according to the divine Scripture, and I trust that you are such as I am, a Christian following the divine Scriptures and the tradition of the holy Church which says: I believe in one God, that is, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, a consubstantial Trinity, and in the resurrection of the flesh, in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church, as the Creed itself also says: I believe there will be a resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. 7.97 And as the priests likewise pray concerning those who make offerings, saying thus: Receive the thanksgiving of your servants into your heavenly and renowned altar, into the greatness of your heavens, rendering to them in place of corruptible things, incorruptible; in place of temporal things, eternal; in place of earthly things, heavenly, and concerning the departed, thus: Give rest to the soul of this one, raising up also his flesh on the day you have appointed, according to your true and unfailing promises, to which I also add, praying along with them, saying the remainder: And to us grant Christian and well-pleasing ends in your sight, unto the ages. Amen. From Christianus to Anastasius concerning heaven, at the request of the grammarian Anatolius 8.t DISCOURSE 8 On the ode of Hezekiah, king of Judea,and on the return of the sun 8.1 Knowing well, O friend Peter, the hard-to-please race of men, I was possessed by great hesitation at your command. For some men blame those who wish to write anything for this very reason, that they involve themselves in affairs, when it is possible for them to be free from toil and enjoy a quiet life; others also, reckoning writing as nothing laborious, having put it in a hidden place, keep silent; others begin reading with desire, then having grown weary, they take the measure of quadrupeds; while others who are even of repute the

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ὁρᾶν ἤτοι γινώσκειν πάντα λέγουσιν, οἱ δὲ καὶ μετενσωμάτωσιν βούλονται, ἄλλοι καὶ προβιοτὴν ἀσπάζονται· οἷς καὶ ἕπεται λέγειν ἐξ ἀκολουθίας καταλύεσθαι τὴν σφαῖραν, ἤτοι πάσας, καὶ πᾶσαν σωματικὴν φύσιν ἀπόλλυσθαι καὶ ὑποστρέφειν εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν τάξιν τὰς ψυχάς, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν θαυμάσιον Ὠριγένην δοξάζουσι· ἕτεροι δὲ ἀεὶ ἄναρχον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανόν φασιν εἶναι καὶ ἐν γενέσει καὶ ἐν φθορᾷ ἀεὶ διάγειν τὸν κόσμον, οἷς συνάγεται χαιρεσίκακον μᾶλλον ἢ ἀδύναμον ἢ φθονερὸν τὸν Θεὸν λέγειν, ἤγουν παντελῶς ἀθεΐαν δοξάζειν· ἀνοίκειον γὰρ τὸ οὕτως πάντοτε μένειν τὸν κόσμον ἐν γενέσει καὶ φθορᾷ, καὶ ἕτερα πάμπολλα ἄπορα αὐτοῖς πᾶσιν ἀνακύπτει. 7.94 Μόνοι δὲ τέλειοι χριστιανοὶ ὑπάρχουσιν ὡς στάχυες εὐσεβείας μέσον ἀκανθῶν καὶ ζιζανίων ὄντες, οἱ πιστεύοντες πάσῃ τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, Παλαιᾷ τε καὶ Καινῇ ∆ιαθήκῃ, καὶ μήτε πρὸ ταύτης τῆς καταστάσεως εἶναι ἑτέραν λέγοντες, μήτε μετὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἑτέραν ἀποφαινόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τὰς δύο μόνας, ἃς καὶ ἡ καταγραφὴ ἁρμοδίως δείκνυσιν, ὅτι ἐκ ταύτης τῆς καταστάσεως ἐπὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν καὶ οὐράνιον μετερχόμεθα καὶ πάλιν τότε σὺν Κυρίῳ διάγομεν, καθάπερ πᾶσα ἡ θεία Γραφὴ διαλέγεται, ἀρξάμενον μὲν τὸν Θεὸν δημιουργεῖν, ποιήσαντα δὲ τοὺς δύο χώρους, καὶ παυσάμενον τῆς δημιουργίας κατὰ τὸν ἄνωθεν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς σκοπόν. 7.95 Ἀλλόκοτα τοίνυν συνέγραψεν, ὦ βέλτιστε, ὃν εἴρηκας πεπλασμένον μᾶλλον χριστιανόν, τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καταλύεσθαι λέγων, οὓς καὶ σφαιροειδεῖς δοξάζει κατὰ τὴν ὑποθήκην τῶν ἔξωθεν, καὶ τούτους ἀεὶ περιστρέφεσθαι, μύθους μᾶλλον γραώδεις ἀναγραψάμενος ἢ χριστιανικὰ δόγματα, οὐδενὶ τὸ σύνολον ἀκολουθήσας, εἰ μὴ ἐκ μέρους τῷ χρηστῷ Ὠριγένῃ· τῆς γὰρ δόξης τῶν χριστιανῶν παντελῶς ἠλλοτρίωνται τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ συγγραφέντα. Ὑμέτερον δὲ ἂν εἴη λοιπὸν κρῖναι καὶ συγκρῖναι ἕκαστον δόγμα καὶ σχῆμα καὶ σκοπῆσαι ποίῳ δόγματι καὶ σχήματι χρὴ τὸν ἀληθῶς χριστιανὸν τὸν εὐσεβεῖν βουλόμενον προστεθῆναι. Πολλὴν γὰρ ἀπάτην ὁρῶ καὶ δόλον τοῦ συγγραψαμένου τοὺς μύθους, καὶ τῷ οὐρανῷ τὸ σφαιρικὸν σχῆμα δωρουμένου καὶ πάλιν τοῦτον καταλύεσθαι λέγοντος. 7.96 Ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ προσφιλέστατε, οὕτως κατὰ τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν φρονῶ, θαρρῶ δὲ καὶ σὲ τοιοῦτον εἶναι οἷος κἀγώ, χριστιανὸν ἑπόμενον ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς καὶ τῇ παραδόσει τῆς ἁγίας Ἐκκλησίας φασκούσῃ· Πιστεύω εἰς ἕνα Θεόν, τουτέστι Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, Τριάδα ὁμοούσιον, καὶ εἰς σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, εἰς μίαν ἁγίαν, καθολικὴν καὶ ἀποστολικὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Σύμβολον λέγει· πιστεύω ἀνάστασιν ἔσεσθαι νεκρῶν καὶ ζωὴν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. 7.97 Καὶ ὡς οἱ ἱερεῖς ὁμοίως εὔχονται περὶ μὲν τῶν προσφερόντων οὕτως λέγοντες· Τὸ εὐχαριστήριον τῶν δούλων σου πρόσδεξαι εἰς τὸ οὐράνιον καὶ ἐλλόγιμόν σου θυσιαστήριον, εἰς τὰ μεγέθη σου τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀποδιδοὺς αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ φθαρτῶν ἄφθαρτα, ἀντὶ προσκαίρων αἰώνια, ἀντὶ ἐπιγείων οὐράνια, περὶ δὲ τῶν κεκοιμημένων οὕτως· Τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦδε ἀνάπαυσον συνανεγείρων καὶ τὴν σάρκα αὐτοῦ ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ ὥρισας κατὰ τὰς ἀληθεῖς καὶ ἀψευδεῖς σου ἐπαγγελίας, οἷς κἀγὼ ἐπισυνάπτω ἐπευχόμενος ἅμα αὐτοῖς τὸ ὑπόλοιπον λέγων· Ἡμῖν δὲ χριστιανὰ τὰ τέλη καὶ εὐάρεστα ἐνώπιόν σου χάρισαι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. Χριστιανοῦ πρὸς Ἀναστάσιον περὶ οὐρανοῦ, τοῦ γραμματικοῦ αἰτησαμένου Ἀνατολίου 8.τ ΛΟΓΟΣ Ηʹ Εἰς τὴν ᾠδὴν Ἐζεκίου, βασιλέως τῆς Ἰουδαίας,καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀναποδισμὸν τοῦ ἡλίου 8.1 Εὖ εἰδώς, ὦ φίλε Πέτρε, τὸ δυσάρεστον τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος ὄκνῳ πολλῷ κατειχόμην ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κελεύσει. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αὐτὸ τοῦτο τοὺς συγγράφειν τι ἐθέλοντας ψέγουσιν ὡς εἰς πράγματα καθιέντας ἑαυτούς, ἐξὸν αὐτοῖς ἀπηλλάχθαι καμάτου καὶ ἡσύχου διατριβῆς ἀπολαύειν· οἱ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐπίπονα, ὡς μηδὲν λογιζόμενοι τὴν γραφήν, ἐν κρυπτῷ θέντες ἠρεμοῦσιν· ἕτεροι δὲ πόθῳ μὲν ἄρχονται τῆς ἀναγνώσεως, εἶτα κατολιγωρήσαντες τῶν τετραπόδων τὸ μέτρον ποιοῦνται· οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐν λόγῳ ὄντες τὸ