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and describe the things concerning the king among us, such as men bearing gold, and pairs of white mules adorned with gold, and chariots studded with precious stones, and a snow-white litter, and plumes waving around the chariots, and dragons fashioned on silken robes, and golden shields having bosses, and from these, baldrics stretching upwards to the rims through many stones, and horses bearing gold, and golden bridles. But when we see the king, we no longer see any of these things; for he alone turns our attention, and the purple robes, and the diadem, and the throne, and the clasp, and the sandals, the great splendor of his appearance. Having gathered all these things accurately, then, from these again transfer your reasoning to the things above, and to that fearful day, on which Christ will appear. For you will not see pairs of mules then, nor golden chariots, nor dragons and shields, but things full of much dread, and which produce 60.538 such astonishment, as to amaze even the incorporeal powers themselves; For the powers of the heavens, it says, will be shaken. For then all heaven is opened, and the gates of those arches are thrown open, and the only-begotten Son of God descends, not with twenty, nor a hundred men as his bodyguard, but with thousands and myriads of angels, archangels, the Cherubim, the Seraphim, the other powers, and all things will be full of fear and trembling, as the earth is rent asunder, as all the men who ever lived, from when Adam came to be until that day, ascend from the earth and are all caught up, as he appears with so much glory, that even the moon and the sun and every light are hidden, being outshone by that radiance. What word will represent that blessedness, that splendor, that glory? Woe is me, my soul; for it now comes upon me to weep and groan greatly, when I consider from what good things we have fallen, from what blessedness we are estranged; for we are estranged (for my own part, at least, I say), unless we accomplish something great and wonderful. Let no one, therefore, speak to me of Gehenna here; for more grievous than any Gehenna is it to fall from so much glory, and worse than ten thousand punishments to be estranged from that inheritance. But still we gape at present things, and do not consider the malice of the devil, who through small things deprives us of great ones, and gives clay that he may seize gold, or rather that he may seize heaven, and shows a shadow that he may cast us out of the truth, and conjures up fantasies in dreams (for such is present wealth), so that when day comes he may prove us to be the poorest of all. 11. Therefore, considering these things, let us at last flee the deceit, and pass over to the things to come. For it is not possible to say that we were ignorant of the perishable nature of the present life, since events every day proclaim more clearly than a trumpet the present worthlessness, the mockery, the shame, the dangers, the pitfalls. What defense, then, will we have, when we pursue with great eagerness the things that are dangerous and full of shame, but flee the things that are safe and that make us glorious and illustrious, and give ourselves up entirely to the tyranny of money? For the slavery to these things is more grievous than any tyranny; and those know this who have been deemed worthy to be set free from it. Therefore, so that you too may learn this good freedom, break the bonds, leap out of the trap; and let not gold lie in your house, but what is more precious than ten thousand treasures, almsgiving and love for mankind instead of gold. For the latter gives us confidence before God, while the former pours down much shame upon us, and makes the devil to breathe fiercely against us. Why then do you arm your enemy, and make him stronger? Arm your own right hand against him, and bring all the beauty of the house into your soul, and lay up all your wealth in your mind, and let heaven guard your gold instead of a chest and a house, and let us put on all the

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καὶ ὑπόγραψον τὰ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν παρ' ἡμῖν, οἷον ἄνδρας χρυσοφοροῦντας, καὶ ζεύγη λευκῶν ἡμιόνων χρυσῷ καλλωπιζομένων, καὶ ὀχήματα λιθοκόλλητα, καὶ στρωμνὴν χιονώδη, καὶ πέταλα τοῖς ὀχήμασι περισειόμενα, καὶ δράκοντας ἐν ἱματίοις σχηματιζομένους σηρικοῖς, καὶ ἀσπίδας χρυσοῦς ἐχούσας ὀμφαλοὺς, καὶ τελαμῶνας ἐκ τούτων πρὸς τὰς ἄντυγας ἄνω διὰ πολλῶν ἐκτεινομένας λίθων, καὶ ἵππους χρυσοφοροῦντας, καὶ χαλινοὺς χρυσοῦς. Ἀλλ' ὅταν τὸν βασιλέα ἴδωμεν, οὐδὲν τούτων λοιπὸν ὁρῶμεν· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐπιστρέφει μόνος, καὶ τὰ πορφυρᾶ ἱμάτια, καὶ τὸ διάδημα, καὶ ἡ καθέδρα, καὶ ἡ περόνη, καὶ τὰ ὑποδήματα, ἡ πολλὴ τῆς ὄψεως λαμπηδών. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἅπαντα συναγαγὼν ἀκριβῶς, ἀπὸ τούτων πάλιν μετάθες ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω τὸν λογισμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν φοβερὰν ἐκείνην, καθ' ἣν ὁ Χριστὸς παραγίνεται. Οὐ γὰρ ζεύγη ἡμιόνων ὄψει τότε, οὐδὲ ὀχήματα χρυσᾶ, οὐδὲ δράκοντας καὶ ἀσπίδας, ἀλλ' ἃ πολλῆς γέμει φρίκης, καὶ τοσαύτην ἐμποιεῖ 60.538 τὴν ἔκπληξιν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὰς καταπλαγῆναι τὰς ἀσωμάτους δυνάμεις· Αἱ γὰρ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν, φησὶ, σαλευθήσονται. Τότε γὰρ ἀνοίγεται πᾶς οὐρανὸς, καὶ τῶν ἁψίδων ἐκείνων ἀναπετάννυνται αἱ πύλαι, κάτεισι δὲ ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ μονογενὴς Παῖς, οὐκ εἴκοσιν, οὐδὲ ἑκατὸν ἀνθρώπων δορυφορούντων αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ χιλιάδων καὶ μυριάδων ἀγγέλων, ἀρχαγγέλων, τῶν Χερουβὶμ, τῶν Σεραφὶμ, τῶν ἄλλων δυνάμεων, καὶ πάντα ἔσται φόβου καὶ τρόμου μεστὰ, τῆς γῆς ἀναῤῥηγνυμένης, τῶν πώποτε γενομένων ἀνθρώπων, ἐξ οὗ γέγονεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ἀπὸ γῆς ἀναβαινόντων τε καὶ ἁρπαζομένων ἁπάντων, αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς τοσαύτης φαινομένου δόξης, ὡς καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ ἅπαν κρύπτεσθαι φῶς ὑπὸ τῆς αὐγῆς ἐκείνης καταλαμπόμενον. Τίς παραστήσει λόγος τὴν μακαριότητα ἐκείνην, τὴν λαμπρότητα, τὴν δόξαν; Οἴμοι ψυχή· καὶ γὰρ δακρῦσαί μοι νῦν ἔπεισι καὶ στενάξαι μέγα, ἐννοοῦντι ποίων ἐξεπέσομεν ἀγαθῶν, οἵας ἀλλοτριούμεθα μακαριότητος· καὶ γὰρ ἀλλοτριούμεθα (τό γε ἐμαυτοῦ λέγω τέως), ἐὰν μή τι μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν ἐργασώμεθα. Μὴ τοίνυν μοι λεγέτω τις γέενναν ἐνταῦθα· καὶ γὰρ ἁπάσης γεέννης χαλεπώτερον τὸ τοσαύτης ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς δόξης, καὶ μυρίων κολάσεων χεῖρον τὸ τῆς λήξεως ἀλλοτριωθῆναι ἐκείνης. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔτι πρὸς τὰ παρόντα κεχήναμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἐννοοῦμεν τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν κακουργίαν, ὃς διὰ τῶν μικρῶν τὰ μεγάλα ἡμᾶς ἀφαιρεῖται, καὶ δίδωσι πηλὸν ἵνα ἁρπάσῃ χρυσὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἵνα ἁρπάσῃ τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ δείκνυσι σκιὰν ἵνα ἐκβάλῃ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐν ὀνείρασι φαντάζει (τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ παρὼν πλοῦτος), ἵνα ἡμέρας γενομένης πάντων ἀποδείξῃ πενεστέρους. ιαʹ. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοήσαντες, ὀψὲ γοῦν ποτε φύγωμεν τὸν δόλον, καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα μεταστῶμεν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἠγνοήσαμεν τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὸ ἐπίκηρον, τῶν πραγμάτων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν βοώντων σάλπιγγος λαμπρότερον τὴν παροῦσαν εὐτέλειαν, τὸν γέλωτα, τὴν αἰσχύνην, τοὺς κινδύνους, τὰ βάραθρα. Ποίαν οὖν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν, τὰ μὲν ἐπικίνδυνα καὶ αἰσχύνης γέμοντα μετὰ πολλῆς διώκοντες τῆς σπουδῆς, τὰ δὲ ἀσφαλῆ καὶ ἐνδόξους ἡμᾶς ποιοῦντα καὶ λαμπροὺς φεύγοντες, καὶ ὅλους ἑαυτοὺς τῇ τῶν χρημάτων ἐκδιδόντες τυραννίδι; Καὶ γὰρ τυραννίδος ἁπάσης χαλεπωτέρα ἡ τούτων δουλεία· καὶ ἴσασιν ὅσοι αὐτῆς ἀπαλλαγῆναι κατηξιώθησαν. Ἵν' οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς μάθητε τὴν καλὴν ταύτην ἐλευθερίαν, διαῤῥήξατε τὰ δεσμὰ, ἀποπηδήσατε τῆς παγίδος· καὶ μὴ κείσθω χρυσίον ὑμῖν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας, ἀλλ', ὃ μυρίων χρημάτων ἐστὶ τιμιώτερον, ἐλεημοσύνη καὶ φιλανθρωπία ἀντὶ χρυσίου. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ παῤῥησίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῖν δίδωσιν, ἐκεῖνο δὲ πολλὴν ἡμῖν καταχέει τὴν αἰσχύνην, καὶ σφοδρὸν ποιεῖ πνεῖν τὸν διάβολον καθ' ἡμῶν. Τί τοίνυν καθοπλίζεις σου τὸν ἐχθρὸν, καὶ ἰσχυρότερον ποιεῖς; Ὅπλισον τὴν σεαυτοῦ δεξιὰν κατ' ἐκείνου, καὶ τὸ κάλλος τῆς οἰκίας ἅπαν εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν εἰσάγαγε, καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ ἀπόθου ἅπαντα, καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ἀντὶ κιβωτίου καὶ οἰκίας ὁ οὐρανὸς φυλαττέτω, καὶ πάντα ἡμεῖς περιβαλώμεθα τὰ