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of your salvation? If therefore the wicked are not punished, another perhaps will say again, that neither are the good crowned; and where is the philanthropy and the righteous judgment of God? Therefore, do not deceive yourselves, men, by obeying the devil; for these are his thoughts. For if judges and masters and teachers honor the good, but punish the wicked, how could it be reasonable for the opposite to happen with God, and for the good and the wicked to be deemed worthy of the same things? And when will the wicked be delivered from their evil? For if, even when expecting punishment, they do not desist from wickedness, should they also cast off this fear, and not only not fall into Gehenna, but also attain the kingdom, when will they stop being wicked? I have heard some lovers of sin saying that God threatened Gehenna for the fear of men; for may it not be, that being merciful He will punish someone, and especially those who have known Him. Tell me, then, you who declare God a liar, who flooded the whole world in the time of Noah, and brought about that harsh shipwreck, and caused the utter destruction of our entire race? who sent those thunderbolts and fiery whirlwinds upon the land of Sodom? who drowned all of Egypt? who consumed the six hundred thousand in the desert? who burned up the assembly of Abi 63.744 ram? who commanded the earth to open its mouth and swallow up those with Korah and Dathan? who struck down the seventy thousand in the twinkling of an eye in the time of David? who is he who put to death the one hundred and eighty-five thousand in one night during the prophecy of Isaiah? And do you not see how many daily misfortunes we bear when we sin? How would it be reasonable for some to be punished, and others not to be punished? For if God is not unjust, as indeed He is not unjust, you too will certainly pay the penalty for sinning; but if, because God is philanthropic, He does not punish, then neither should these have been punished. But as it is, because of these words of ours, God punishes many even here, so that when you do not believe the words of the threat, you may at least believe the deeds of the punishment. Do we then persuade those who contradict that the account of Gehenna is not a myth? For so true is it, that not only we, but also poets and philosophers and story-tellers have philosophized about the future retribution, and have said that the wicked are punished in Hades. For even if they were not able to speak of these things with the truth as it is, since they were moved by reasonings and by things heard from us, nevertheless they grasped some image of judgment. For they speak of certain rivers, Cocytus and Pyriphlegethon, and the water of Styx, and Tartarus, as far distant from the earth as the earth is from heaven, and many modes of punishment; and again of the Elysian plain, and the isles of the blessed, and flowering meadows, and much fragrance, and a gentle breeze; and of choruses abiding there, and clothed in white robes, and singing certain hymns; and, in short, of a recompense laid up for both good and wicked after their departure from here. Let us not, therefore, disbelieve in Gehenna, so that we may not fall into it; for he who disbelieves becomes more negligent; and he who is negligent will certainly depart into it; but let us also believe without doubting, and discourse continually about it, and we shall not sin readily. For the memory of such words, like some bitter medicine, will be able to wipe away all wickedness, continually settling in our soul. If you are cruel and merciless, remember those virgins who, when their lamps were extinguished because they had no oil, were cast out of the bridechamber, and you will quickly become philanthropic. If you wish to seize things by force, hear the judge saying, Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness; and you will cast out this desire. If you desire to be drunk and live in luxury, hear the rich man saying, Send Lazarus, that with the tip of his finger he may cool my tormented tongue; and not obtaining his request; and you will quickly desist from the passion. If

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σωτηρίας τῆς σῆς; Εἰ οὖν οἱ πονηροὶ μὴ κολάζονται, ἐρεῖ πάλιν ἄλλος ἴσως, ὅτι οὔτε οἱ ἀγαθοὶ στεφανοῦνται· καὶ ποῦ ἡ φιλανθρωπία καὶ ἡ δικαιοκρισία τοῦ Θεοῦ; Μὴ τοίνυν φενακίζετε ἑαυτοὺς, ἄνθρωποι, τῷ διαβόλῳ πειθόμενοι· ἐκείνου γάρ εἰσι ταῦτα τὰ νοήματα. Εἰ γὰρ δικασταὶ καὶ δεσπόται καὶ διδάσκαλοι τοὺς μὲν ἀγαθοὺς τιμῶσι, τοὺς δὲ πονηροὺς κολάζουσι, πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ τὰ ἐναντία γίνεσθαι, καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῦσθαι τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς καὶ τοὺς πονηρούς; πότε δὲ καὶ ἀπαλλαγήσονται τῆς κακίας οἱ πονηροί; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ κόλασιν προσδοκῶντες οὐκ ἀφίστανται τῆς πονηρίας, ἂν καὶ τὸν φόβον τοῦτον ἀποθῶνται, καὶ μὴ μόνον εἰς γέενναν μὴ ἐμπέσωσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλείας ἐπιτύχωσι, πότε πονηρευόμενοι στήσονται; Ἀκήκοά τινων φιλαμαρτημόνων λεγόντων, ὅτι πρὸς φόβον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠπείλησε τὴν γέενναν ὁ Θεός· μὴ γένοιτο γὰρ, ὅτι ἐλεήμων ὢν κολάσει τινὰ, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἐπεγνωκότων αὐτόν. Λέγετε οὖν μοι, οἱ ψεύστην τὸν Θεὸν ἀποφαίνοντες, τίς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπέκλυσεν ἅπασαν ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε, καὶ τὸ χαλεπὸν ἐκεῖνο ναυάγιον εἰργάσατο, καὶ τὴν παντὸς τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν πανωλεθρίαν ἐποίησε; τίς τοὺς κεραυνοὺς ἐκείνους καὶ τοὺς πρηστῆρας ἀφῆκεν ἐπὶ τὴν Σοδόμων γῆν; τίς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἅπασαν κατεπόντισε; τίς τὰς ἑξακοσίας χιλιάδας ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου κατηνάλωσε; τίς τὴν συναγωγὴν Ἀβει 63.744 ρὼν κατέφλεξε; τίς τοῖς περὶ Κορὲ καὶ ∆αθὰν ἀνοῖξαι τῇ γῇ τὸ στόμα καὶ καταπιεῖν ἐκέλευσε; τίς τὰς ἑβδομήκοντα χιλιάδας ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ κατήνεγκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ; τίς ὁ τὰς ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ θανατώσας ἐπὶ τῆς προφητείας Ἡσαΐου; Τὰς δὲ καθημερινὰς συμφορὰς οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσας φέρομεν ἁμαρτάνοντες; Πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον, τοὺς μὲν κολάζεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ μὴ κολάζεσθαι; Εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς, ὡσπεροῦν οὐδὲ ἄδικος, πάντως καὶ σὺ δίκην δώσεις ἁμαρτάνων· εἰ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐ κολάζει, οὐδὲ τούτους ἔδει κολασθῆναι. Νυνὶ δὲ διὰ ταῦτα ἡμῶν τὰ ῥήματα πολλοὺς καὶ ἐνταῦθα κολάζει ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα, ὅταν τοῖς ῥήμασι μὴ πιστεύσητε τῆς ἀπειλῆς, κἂν τοῖς πράγμασι πιστεύσητε τῆς τιμωρίας. Ἆρα πείθομεν τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι μῦθος ὁ περὶ τῆς γεέννης λόγος; Οὕτω γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθὴς, ὅτι οὐχ ἡμεῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιηταὶ καὶ φιλόσοφοι καὶ λογοποιοὶ περὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἀνταποδόσεως ἐφιλοσόφησαν, καὶ ἐν ᾅδου κολάζεσθαι τοὺς πονηροὺς εἰρήκασιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μετὰ ἀληθείας, ὡς ἔχει ταῦτα, εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν, ἅτε ἀπὸ λογισμῶν κινηθέντες καὶ παρ' ἀκουσμάτων τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰκόνα τινὰ κρίσεως ἔλαβον. Κωκυτοὺς γάρ φασί τινας καὶ Πυριφλεγέθοντας ποταμοὺς καὶ Στυγὸς ὕδωρ καὶ Τάρταρον, τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοντα τῆς γῆς, ὅσον αὐτὴ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ πολλοὺς κολάσεως τρόπους· καὶ πάλιν Ἠλύσιον πεδίον, καὶ μακάρων νήσους, καὶ λειμῶνας εὐανθεῖς, καὶ εὐωδίαν πολλὴν, καὶ αὔραν λεπτήν· καὶ χοροὺς ἐκεῖ διατρίβοντας, καὶ λευκὴν περιβεβλημένους στολὴν, καὶ ᾄδοντας ὕμνους τινάς· καὶ ὅλως καὶ ἀγαθοῖς καὶ πονηροῖς ἀποκειμένην ἀντίδοσιν μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἔξοδον. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀπιστῶμεν γέενναν, ἵνα μὴ ἐμπέσωμεν εἰς αὐτήν· ὁ γὰρ ἀπιστῶν ῥᾳθυμότερος γίνεται· ὁ δὲ ῥᾳθυμῶν εἰς αὐτὴν ἀπελεύσεται πάντως· ἀλλὰ καὶ πιστεύωμεν ἀνενδοιάστως, καὶ διαλεγώμεθα συνεχῶς περὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐ ταχέως ἁμαρτησόμεθα. Τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων λόγων ἡ μνήμη καθάπερ τι φάρμακον πικρὸν πᾶσαν κακίαν ἀποσμῆξαι δυνήσεται, συνεχῶς ἡμῶν ἐνιζάνουσα τῇ ψυχῇ. Ἂν ὠμὸς καὶ ἀνελεήμων ᾖς, ἀναμνήσθητι τῶν παρθένων ἐκείνων, αἳ τῶν λαμπάδων αὐτῶν σβεσθεισῶν, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ἔλαιον, τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐξέπεσον, καὶ ταχέως ἔσῃ φιλάνθρωπος. Ἂν ἁρπάσαι βουληθῇς, ἄκουσον τοῦ δικαστοῦ λέγοντος, ∆ήσατε αὐτοῦ χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, καὶ βάλετε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· καὶ ταύτην ἐκβαλεῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. Ἂν μεθύειν καὶ τρυφᾷν ἐπιθυμῇς, ἄκουσον τοῦ πλουσίου λέγοντος, Πέμψον Λάζαρον, ἵνα ἄκρῳ τῷ δακτύλῳ καταψύξῃ τὴν τηγανιζομένην γλῶσσαν· καὶ οὐ τυγχάνοντος τῆς αἰτήσεως· καὶ ταχέως ἀποστήσῃ τοῦ πάθους. Ἂν