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our soul shall rejoice in God our Savior, rejoicing both in the putting off of the old man, who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and in the putting on of the temple built according to God in spirit. For our God will clothe us with the garment of salvation and the tunic of gladness: that is, the philosophical practice of character through the virtues, and the unerring gnostic contemplation in spirit, so that we may also enjoy the initial goods of the future divine and undefiled bridal chamber. On all these things, carefully considering how we walk, and what we resolve concerning ourselves; knowing that many unseen witnesses are present at what is done by us, not looking only at what is visible, but peering into the souls themselves, and examining the hidden things of the heart.

For truly, many choirs of angelic Powers surround us from all sides, recording in heaven with all accuracy what is done and said by us, and what is thought, even to a mere thought, for our conviction on the terrible day of judgment; when all visible creation, being shaken by an ineffable urgency, is pushed toward its own end; and heaven and earth shall pass away with a rushing noise; and the elements in between, burning, shall be dissolved; and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and the things upon them. When thrones are set, and the Ancient of days is seated, and books are opened, containing the faithful and unadulterated records of our works and words and thoughts; and a thousand thousands of angels minister to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him; and a dreadful threat of burning (blazing) fire running everywhere, and enveloping all things around, and melting the mountains like wax. For a river of fire, he says, was flowing before him. When Tartarus, and a gaping and unimaginable pit, and the outer darkness, and the sleepless worm are shown to be present; and over them fear stood suspended through all things, awaiting the outcome; (381) and angels of wrath, flashing with punishing fire, seeing fire, and breathing fire, stand ready for every vengeance of all lawlessness. And besides these, all earthly and heavenly creation, both among angels, and the powers above the angels, and among men, stands by with trembling, awaiting the terrible revelation of the divine will; before whom all of our deeds will be read aloud, and the hidden things will be laid bare; so that all will know the sins of each other, as each knows his own, by clearly reading the book of his own conscience. For I will convict you, he says, and I will set your sins before your face. And again: Their own counsels shall encompass them.

And behold a man and his work, and an unerring judge, having the terrible and magnificent power of the heavenly orders present with him, sits enthroned on high, flashing forth all justice, and assigning to each through a true and just decision what is deserved; to those placed on the right hand on account of their good deeds, gently giving the kingdom of heaven prepared from the foundation of the world; but those who have been allotted their place on the left hand on account of the lack of good works, he thrusts away with wrath into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Who will bear that raging fire? Who will not shrink from the strange sight of that worm? Who will be able to bear the swift and heavy weight of that outer darkness? Who will withstand Tartarus roaring, and the abyss boiling up with it from its depths? Who of those appointed for this

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ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεται ἐπί τῷ Θεῷ τῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν· χαίρουσα ἐπί τε τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τοῦ φθειρομένου κατά τάς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης· καί τῇ ἐπενδύσει τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ κατά Θεόν κτισθέντος ἐν πνεύματι. Ἐνδύσει γάρ ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός ἡμῶν ἱμάτιον σωτηρίου, καί χιτῶνα εὐφροσύνης· τουτέστι τήν ἑκτικήν κατ᾿ ἦθος διά τῶν ἀρετῶν φιλόσοφον πρᾶξιν, καί τήν ἄπταιστον ἐν πνεύματι γνωστικήν θεωρίαν, ἵνα καί τῶν μελλόντων τοῦ θείου καί ἀκηράτου νυμφῶνος ἀρχικῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐπί τούτοις πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς σκοποῦντες πῶς περιπατοῦμεν, καί τί περί ἑαυτῶν βουλευόμεθα· πολλούς γινώσκοντες τοῖς παρ᾿ ἡμῶν γινομένοις ἀοράτους παρίστασθαι μάρτυρας, οὐκ εἰς τό φαινόμενον βλέποντας μόνον, ἀλλ᾿ εἰς αὐτάς παρακύπτοντας τάς ψυχάς, καί τό κρυπτόν, διελέγχοντας τῆς καρδίας.

Πολλοί γάρ, ὡς ἀληθῶς, χοροί πανταχόθεν ἀγγελικῶν ∆υνάμεων ἡμᾶς περιεστήκασι, τά γινόμενά τε καί λεγόμενα παρ᾿ ἡμῶν, καί νοούμενα, μέχρι καί ψιλῆς ἐνθυμήσεως, δι᾿ ἀκριβείας πάσης ἐν οὐρανῷ καταγράφοντες, πρός ἔλεγχον ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ φοβερᾷ ἡμέρα τῆς κρίσεως· ὅτε πᾶσα τῶν ὁρατῶν ἡ κτίσις κλονουμένη κατ᾿ ἔπειξιν ἄφατον πρός τήν οἰκείαν ὠθεῖται συντέλειαν· καί οὐρανός καί γῆ ῥοιζηδόν παρελεύσονται· καί τά διά μέσου στοιχεῖα καυσούμενα λυθήσεται· καί ἔσται οὐρανός καινός καί γῆ καινή, καί τά ἐπί τούτοις. Ἡνίκα θρόνοι προτίθενται, καί Παλαιός ἡμερῶν προκαθέζεται, καί βίβλοι ἀνοίγονται, τῶν ἡμετέρων ἔργων τε καί λόγων καί νοημάτων τά ἔγγραφα πιστῶν τε καί ἀνοθεύτως ἔχουσαι· χίλιαί τε χιλιάδες ἀγγέλων λειτουργοῦσιν αὐτῷ, καί μυρίαι μυριάδες αὐτῷ παρεστήκασι· καί ἀπειλή φρικώδης αἰθομένου (καιομένου) πυρός πανταχοῦ διατρέχουσα, καί τά κύκλῳ πάντα περιλαμβάνουσα, καί ὄρη ὡσεί κηρόν ἐκτήκουσα. Ποταμός γάρ πυρός, φησίν, εἶλκεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Ἡνίκα τάρταρος, καί βόθρος ἀχανής καί ἀνείκαστος, καί σκότος ἐξώτερον, καί σκώληξ ἀκοίμητος ἀναδειχθῶσι παρόντα· καί ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς φόβος εἰστήκει διά πάντων μετέωρος ἐκδεχομένων τήν ἔκβασιν· (381) καί ὁργῆς ἄγγελοι κολαστικόν πῦρ ἀποστίλβοντες, πῦρ δέ βλέποντες, καί πῦρ ἀναπνέοντες, ἕτοιμοι πρός πᾶσαν ἐκδίκησιν πάσης παρανομίας ἐστήκασι. Πᾶσά τε πρός τούτοις κτίσις ἐπίγειός τε καί ἐπουράνιος, ὅση τε ἐν ἀγγέλοις, καί ταῖς ὑπέρ ἀγγέλους δυνάμεσι, καί ὅση ἀνθρώποις, παρίσταται μετά τρόμου τήν φοβεράν τῆς θείας βουλῆς ἐκδεχομένη φανέρωσιν· ἐφ᾿ ὧν ἁπάντων, αἱ πάντων ἡμῶν ἀναγνωσθήσονται πράξεις, καί τῶν κρυπτῶν ἡ γύμνωσις γενήσεται· ὥστε πάντας οὕτως γινώσκειν ἀλλήλων τάς ἁμαρτίας, ὡς ἕκαστος τάς ἑαυτοῦ, τήν βίβλον ἁπλανῶς ἀναγινώσκων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ συνειδήσεως. Ἐλέγξω γάρ σε, φησί, καί παραστήσω κατά πρόσωπόν σου τάς ἁμαρτίας σου. Καί πάλιν· Κυκλώσει αὐτούς τά διαβούλια αὐτῶν.

Καί ἰδού ἄνθρωπος καί τό ἔργον αὐτοῦ, καί δικαστής ἀπαραλόγιστος, παρισταμένην ἔχων τήν φοβεράν καί μεγαλοπρεπῆ τῶν οὐρανίων ταγμάτων δύναμιν, ὑψηλός προκαθέζεται, πᾶσαν ἀπαστράπτων δικαιοσύνην, καί ἑκάστῳ δι᾿ ἀποφάσεως ἀληθοῦς καί δικαίας ἀπονέμων τά πρός ἀξίαν· τοῖς μέν ἐκ δεξιῶν διά τάς καλάς πράξεις σταθεῖσιν, μειλιχίως τήν ἡτοιμασμένην ἀπό καταβολῆς κόσμου τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν διδούς· τούς δέ τήν ἐξ εὐωνύμων διά τήν ἐρημίαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων στάσιν λαχόντας, εἰς τό αἰώνιον πῦρ, τό ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καί τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ, μετ᾿ ὁργῆς ἀπωθούμενος. Τίς ἐκεῖνο τό πῦρ ἐνέγκει μαινόμενον; Τίς οὐ καταπτήσει τό ξένον ἐκείνου τοῦ σκώληκος θέαμα; Τίς τοῦ σκότους ἐκείνου τοῦ ἐξωτέρου τό ταχύ τε ὁμοῦ καί βαρύ φέρειν δυνήσεται; Τίς μυκώμενον τό τάρταρον, καί ἐκ πυθμένος αὐτῷ συναναβρασσομένην τήν ἄβυσσον ὑποστήσεται; Τίς τῶν ἐπί τούτῳ τεταγμένων