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of her 10.6 But we, brethren, who have received the vineyard from the Savior and have been called to the heavenly banquet, as the feast is already approaching, let us take the palm branches and become victors over sin, so that just as those who met the Savior then, we too may be ready in our deeds, that we may both meet Him when He comes and, entering in with Him, may partake of the immortal food and live henceforth eternally in the heavens. From the same, from the 29th Festal Letter And the things of men cease, but the goodness of God does not cease; whence He raises us up even when we are dead and our own nature has grown weak, and having been made from earth, He leads us up to the heavens. From the same, from the 40th Festal Letter 10.7 "But you are those who have continued with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom." Having therefore been called by the Gospel to the great and heavenly supper, to that swept upper room, "let us cleanse ourselves," as the Apostle commanded, "from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God," so that, being spotless within and without—clothed without in self-control and righteousness, and within, by the spirit, rightly dividing the word of truth—we may hear: "Enter into the joy of your Lord." From the same, from the 42nd Festal Letter 10.8 For we have been called, brethren, and are now being summoned by wisdom and according to the gospel parable to that great, super-cosmic supper which suffices for all creation, to the Pascha, I say, the sacrificed Christ. "For Christ, our Pascha, has been sacrificed." And after other things Those, therefore, who are thus adorned will come and hear: "Enter into the joy of your Lord." From the same, from the 43rd Festal Letter 10.9 But for us, whose is also the Pascha, the calling is from above, and our citizenship is in heaven, with Paul who says: "For we do not have here a lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come," where, looking to it, we celebrate well. And again, after other things Heaven is truly high and its distance to us is immense; "for the heaven," it says, "of heaven is the Lord's"; but we should not for this reason hesitate, nor be afraid as if the way to it were impossible, but rather we should be more eager. For we do not need, as those who once journeyed from the east and found a plain in the land of Shinar attempted, to bake bricks in fire and seek bitumen for mortar. For their tongues were confused and their work was destroyed; but for us the Lord has consecrated the way through his own blood and has made it easy. And again 10.10 For not only did he comfort us in the distance and by his exhortation, but he also came and opened this gate which was once closed; for it was truly closed from the time he cast Adam out of the paradise of delight and stationed the Cherubim and the flaming sword which turned to guard the way to the tree of life, but is now extended; and appearing with greater grace and love for mankind, he who sits upon the Cherubim himself brought the confessing thief into paradise with him; and into heaven the same one, entering as a forerunner for us, opened wide the gates for all. And again 10.11 But Paul, "pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call," was caught up by it to the third heaven, and having seen the things above, he then came down and instructs us, evangelizing with the things written to the Hebrews: "For you have not come," he says, "to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven." Who would not pray to have the assembly above with these? Who would not love to be registered with these, so that with them he might also hear: "Come, you who are

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αὐτῆσ 10.6 Ἡμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, οἱ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα παρὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος παραλαβόντες καὶ εἰς τὴν οὐράνιον εὐωχίαν κληθέντες, ὡς ἤδη τῆς ἑορτῆς ἐγγιζούσης, λάβωμεν τὰ βάϊα τῶν φοινίκων καὶ νικηταὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας γενόμενοι, ὡς οἱ ἀπαντήσαντες τῷ Σωτῆρι τότε, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἕτοιμοι γενώμεθα ταῖς πράξεσιν, ἵνα καὶ ἀπαντήσωμεν ἐρχομένῳ καὶ συνεισελθόντες αὐτῷ τῆς ἀθανάτου μεταλάβωμεν τροφῆς καὶ ἀϊδίως λοιπὸν ζήσωμεν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς κθʹ ἑορταστικῆσ Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῶν ἀνθρώπων παύεται, ἡ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθότης οὐ παύεται· ὅθεν καὶ ἀποθανόντας ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀσθενησάσης τῆς ἰδίας ἡμῶν φύσεως ἀνεγείρει, καὶ ἐκ γῆς γεγονότας εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάγει. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς μʹ ἑορταστικῆσ 10.7 "Ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε οἱ διαμεμενηκότες μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς μου, κἀγὼ διατίθεμαι ὑμῖν, καθὼς διέθετό μοι ὁ Πατήρ μου, βασιλείαν, ἵνα ἐσθίητε καὶ πίνητε ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης μου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου." Ἐπὶ δεῖπνον τοίνυν τὸ μέγα καὶ οὐράνιον διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου κληθέντες, εἰς τὸ ἀνάγαιον ἐκεῖνο τὸ σεσαρωμένον, "καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτούς", ὡς παρήγγειλεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, "ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, ἐπιτελοῦντες ἁγιωσύνην ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ", ἵνα ἔσωθεν καὶ ἔξω ἄσπιλοι τυγχάνοντες, ἔξωθεν μὲν περιβεβλημένοι σωφροσύνην καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ἔσωθεν δὲ τῷ πνεύματι ὀρθοτομοῦντες τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀκούσωμεν· "Εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου σου." Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς μβʹ ἑορταστικῆσ 10.8 Κεκλήμεθα γάρ, ἀδελφοί, καὶ νῦν συγκαλούμενοι ὑπὸ τῆς σοφίας καὶ κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν παραβολὴν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέγα τὸ ὑπερκόσμιον καὶ πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει διαρκοῦν, ἐπὶ τὸ Πάσχα δὴ λέγω, τὸν τυθέντα Χριστόν. "Τὸ γὰρ Πάσχα ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός." Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα Οἱ μὲν οὖν οὕτω κεκοσμημένοι ἐρχόμενοι ἀκούσονται· "Εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ Κυρίου σου." Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς μγʹ ἑορταστικῆσ 10.9 Ἡμῶν δέ, ὧν ἐστι καὶ τὸ Πάσχα, ἡ κλῆσις ἄνωθέν ἐστι, καὶ τὸ πολίτευμα ἡμῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐστι μετὰ Παύλου λέγοντος· "Οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπιζητοῦμεν", ἔνθα καὶ ἀποβλέποντες ἑορτάζομεν καλῶς. Καὶ πάλιν μεθ' ἕτερα Ὑψηλὸς μὲν ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἀπέραντον τὸ τούτου διάστημα πρὸς ἡμᾶς· "ὁ γὰρ οὐρανός, φησί, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ"· ἀλλ' οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἀποκνητέον, οὐδὲ φοβητέον ὡς ἀδύνατον οὖσαν τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὁδόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον προθυμητέον. Οὐ γάρ, ὡς οἱ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν τότε κινήσαντες καὶ εὑρόντες πεδίον ἐν γῇ Σενναὰρ ἐπεχείρησαν, χρεία καὶ ἡμῖν ὀπτῆσαι πλίνθον ἐν πυρὶ καὶ ζητεῖν ἄσφαλτον ἀντὶ πηλοῦ. Συνεχύθησαν γὰρ ἐκείνων αἱ γλῶσσαι καὶ κατελύθη τὸ ἔργον· ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ Κύριος τὴν ὁδὸν ἐνεκαίνισε διὰ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος καὶ εὔκολον αὐτὴν κατεσκεύασεν. Καὶ πάλιν 10.10 Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐν τῷ διαστήματι καὶ τῇ παρακλήσει παρεμυθήσατο, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ κεκλεισμένην ταύτην ποτὲ τὴν πύλην ἐλθὼν ἤνοιξε· κέκλεισται γὰρ ὄντως ἐξ ὅτου τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ ἔταξε τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, νῦν δὲ ἐκτεταμένην· καὶ πλείονι χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ἐμφανεὶς αὐτὸς ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν Χερουβὶμ εἰσήγαγεν εἰς μὲν τὸν παράδεισον μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ὁμολογήσαντα λῃστήν· εἰς δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁ αὐτὸς πρόδρομος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσελθὼν πᾶσιν ἀνεπέτασε τὰς θύρας. Καὶ πάλιν 10.11 Ὁ δὲ Παῦλος "κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκων εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως" ἡρπάσθη δι' αὐτῆς ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, ἑωρακὼς τά τε ἄνω, λοιπὸν κατερχόμενος κατηχεῖ καὶ ἡμᾶς εὐαγγελιζόμενος τὰ πρὸς Ἑβραίους γραφέντα· "Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε, λέγων, ψηλαφωμένῳ ὄρει καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ καὶ γνόφῳ καὶ ζόφῳ καὶ θυέλλῃ καὶ σάλπιγγος ἤχῳ καὶ φωνῇ ῥημάτων, ἀλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων, πανηγύρει καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς." Τίς οὐκ ἂν εὔξαιτο μετὰ τούτων ἔχειν τὴν ἄνω σύνοδον; Τίς οὐκ ἀγαπήσει μετὰ τούτων ἀπογράφεσθαι, ἵνα καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἀκούσῃ· "∆εῦτε, οἱ