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The school of our humility is set before us, so that we may be constantly reminded of our own weakness. Someone hastens to enter a royal city, boasting in wealth and power and other honors, and before he sees what he imagines, he first sees what is actually there; and we are taught first what we come to, and then to see the fantasies within. And not only this, but often when a man wishes to take a wife, he dictates to the law, he writes the dowry contracts, and there is not yet a union, and death is immediately written in; he has not yet seen the woman, and a sentence of death against himself and against her is presupposed, and he writes such things: If the husband should die before the wife; if the wife before the husband, such and such is stipulated. And not only concerning those who exist and are living are the sentences of death laid down, but also against those not yet born. For what does it say? If the child that is born should die. Not yet the fruit, and the sentence has run its course. Then in the documents he recognizes nature; but if he suffers something human, or his wife dies, he forgets what he wrote, and utters other words of tragedy. And was it necessary for me to suffer these things? he says; Did I expect to suffer these things, and to be deprived of my spouse? What are you saying, man? You were outside the events, and you recognized the limits of nature; when you fell into these sufferings, have you forgotten the laws of nature? When therefore you see one of your own depart from here, do not be distressed, return to yourself, and examine your conscience; consider that a little later this same end awaits you. But the deceased rots, he says, and becomes dust and ashes. For this reason, then, one ought especially to rejoice. For when someone is about to rebuild a house that has become dilapidated and old, having first cast out the inhabitants, he then demolishes the house and rebuilds it more splendidly. And those who were cast out are not grieved by what is happening, but it even cheers them more; for they do not pay attention to the demolition which is seen but they imagine the future building which is not seen. So indeed does God do; being about to demolish our body, he first leads out the soul dwelling in it, as if from a house, so that having built it more splendidly, he may lead it in again with greater glory. For when Adam was formed, he did not see that he rose from the earth; for God did not make the soul before the body, so that it would not see its creation; for this reason he was also ignorant of his own lowly origin; but when he is raised in the resurrection, he knows that he is raised having cast off dust. For even if the dead man does not see himself, yet he sees the one before him dissolved into dust, and through what he sees he is taught. Have you not seen bold and arrogant men, how subdued they are in the face of death? Death is announced, and the heart of all trembles. And we philosophize by the tombs, about what we become, and we talk nonsense; we come out from the tombs, and we forget our humility. At the tomb each one speaks to his neighbor something like this: O the misery, O our 63.804 wretched life; what then do we become? And do we speak at all, and do we seize and bear grudges? And each one simply philosophizes in this way, as if he were about to renounce all wickedness immediately; and inside he philosophizes with words, but outside he fights against God with his deeds. But let us return to the subject at hand. For what reason, tell me, do you weep so for the departed? Because he was wicked? Then for this reason you ought to give thanks, because the course of his wickedness was cut short. But he was good and gentle? For this reason too you ought to rejoice, because he was snatched away quickly, before wickedness could change his understanding. But he was young? For this reason too give thanks, and again glorify the one who took him. For just as many send off those called to office with acclamation, so too we ought to send off the saints who are departing, since they have been called to a greater honor, with much acclamation. For I do not say that you should not grieve for those who have departed, but that you should not do this immoderately. For if we consider that the one who departed was mortal, and that God took him away, not the

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τὸ διδασκάλιον τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν πρόκειται, ἵνα συνεχῶς τῆς ἑαυτῶν ὑπομιμνησκώμεθα ἀσθενείας. Ἐπείγεταί τις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς πόλιν βασιλεύουσαν, καὶ κομῶσαν πλούτῳ καὶ δυναστείαις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀξιώμασι, καὶ πρὶν ἴδῃ ὃ φαντάζεται, βλέπει πρῶτον ὃ γίνεται· καὶ παιδευόμεθα πρῶτον εἰς τί καταλήγομεν, καὶ τότε ὁρᾷν τὰ ἔσω φαντάσματα. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνὴρ πολλάκις ἐπειδὰν γυναῖκα θέλῃ λαβεῖν, ὑπαγορεύει τῷ νόμῳ, γράφει τὰ προικῷα, καὶ οὐδέπω συνάφεια, καὶ θάνατος εὐθὺς ἀναγράφεται· οὐδέπω εἶδε τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ θανάτου ψῆφος καθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κατ' ἐκείνης προϋποτίθεται, καὶ γράφει τοιαῦτα· Ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ πρὸ τῆς γυναικός· ἐὰν ἡ γυνὴ πρὸ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, τὸ καὶ τὸ διατυποῦται. Καὶ οὐ μόνον περὶ τῶν ὄντων καὶ ζώντων αἱ τοῦ θανάτου τίθενται ψῆφοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῶν οὐδέπω γεγονότων. Τί γάρ φησι; Ἐὰν δὲ τὸ τεχθὲν παιδίον ἀποθάνῃ. Οὔπω ὁ καρπὸς, καὶ ἡ ἀπόφασις ἔδραμεν. Εἶτα ἐν μὲν τοῖς γραμματείοις ἐπιγινώσκει τὴν φύσιν· εἰ δέ τι τῶν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον πάθῃ, ἢ τὸ γύναιον ἀποθάνῃ, ἐπιλανθάνεται ὧν ἔγραψε, καὶ ἕτερα τραγῳδίας προφέρει ῥήματα. Καὶ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἔδει με παθεῖν; ταῦτα ἐγὼ προσεδόκησα πάσχειν, καὶ ἀποστερεῖσθαι τῆς συζυγίας; Τί λέγεις, ἄνθρωπε; ἔξω ἦς τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ ἐπεγίνωσκες τοὺς ὅρους τῆς φύσεως· ὅτε περιέπεσας τοῖς πάθεσιν, ἐπελάθου τῶν νόμων τῆς φύσεως; Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τινὰ τῶν προσηκόντων ἀπελθόντα ἐντεῦθεν, μὴ δυσχεράνῃς, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπάνελθε, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς ἐξέτασον· σκόπησον ὅτι μικρὸν ὕστερον καὶ σὲ μένει τοῦτο τὸ τέλος. Ἀλλ' ὁ τελευτήσας σήπεται, φησὶ, καὶ κόνις γίνεται καὶ τέφρα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὖν μάλιστα χαίρειν δεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ οἰκίαν τις μέλλων οἰκοδομεῖν σαθρωθεῖσαν καὶ παλαιὰν γενομένην, ἐκβαλὼν πρῶτον τοὺς οἰκοῦντας, οὕτω καταλύει τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ἀνοικοδομεῖ λαμπροτέραν. Καὶ τοὺς ἐκβληθέντας οὐ λυπεῖ τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐφραίνει πλέον· οὐ γὰρ τῇ καθαιρέσει προσέχουσι τῇ βλεπομένῃ ἀλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν οἰκοδομὴν φαντάζονται τὴν οὐ βλεπομένην. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ποιεῖ· μέλλων καταλύειν ἡμῶν τὸ σῶμα, τὴν ἐνοικοῦσαν ἐν αὐτῷ ψυχὴν ἐξάγει πρότερον, καθάπερ ἐξ οἰκίας τινὸς, ἵνα λαμπροτέραν αὐτὴν οἰκοδομήσας, μετὰ πλείονος ταύτην δόξης εἰσαγάγῃ πάλιν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ὅτε ἐπλάττετο, οὐκ εἶδεν ὅτι ἀπὸ γῆς ἀνέστη· οὐ γὰρ προγενεστέραν ἐποίησε τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ σώματος ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα μὴ βλέπῃ τὴν δημιουργίαν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἠγνόησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐτέλειαν· ὅτε μέντοι ἐγείρεται ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει, οἶδεν, ὅτι χοῦν ἀποδυσάμενος ἐγείρεται. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτὸν μὴ βλέπει ὁ νεκρὸς, ἀλλὰ τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ ὁρᾷ εἰς χοῦν ἀναλυθέντα, καὶ δι' ὧν ὁρᾷ παιδεύεται. Οὐκ εἶδες θρασεῖς ἄνδρας καὶ ὑπερηφάνους, πῶς κατεσταλμένοι εἰσὶν ἐν τοῖς θανάτοις; ἀπαγγέλλεται θάνατος, καὶ πάντων ἡ καρδία πτήσσει. Καὶ φιλοσοφοῦμεν περὶ τὰ μνήματα, τί γινόμεθα, καὶ φλυαροῦμεν· ἐξήλθομεν τῶν τάφων, καὶ ἐπελαθόμεθα τῆς ταπεινώσεως. Ἐν τῷ τάφῳ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ἕκαστος ὧδέ πη φθέγγεται· Ὢ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας, ὢ τῆς 63.804 οἰκτρᾶς ἡμῶν ζωῆς· ἄρα τί γινόμεθα; καὶ ὅλως φθεγγόμεθα, καὶ ἁρπάζομεν καὶ μνησικακοῦμεν; Καὶ ἕκαστος ἁπλῶς οὕτω φιλοσοφεῖ, ὡς μέλλων πάντῃ τῇ κακίᾳ εὐθὺς ἀποτάττεσθαι· καὶ ἔσω μὲν λόγοις φιλοσοφεῖ, ἔξω δὲ τοῖς ἔργοις θεομαχεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, οὕτω δακρύεις τὸν ἀπελθόντα; ὅτι πονηρὸς ἦν; οὐκοῦν διὰ τοῦτο εὐχαριστεῖν δεῖ, ὅτι ἐνεκόπη τὰ τῆς κακίας αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ χρηστὸς ἦν καὶ ἐπιεικής; καὶ διὰ τοῦτο χαίρειν δεῖ, ὅτι ταχέως ἡρπάγη, πρὶν ἢ κακία ἀλλάξῃ τὴν σύνεσιν. Ἀλλὰ νέος ἦν; καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐχαρίστησον, καὶ τὸν λαβόντα δόξασον πάλιν. Καθάπερ γὰρ τοὺς ἐπὶ ἀρχὴν καλουμένους πολλοὶ προπέμπουσι μετ' εὐφημίας, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἁγίων τοὺς ἀπιόντας, ἅτε ἐπὶ μείζονα κληθέντας τιμὴν, μετὰ πολλῆς δεῖ προπέμπειν τῆς εὐφημίας. Οὐ γὰρ λέγω μὴ λυπεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσιν ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀμέτρως τοῦτο ποιεῖν. Ἂν γὰρ ἐννοήσωμεν ὅτι θνητὸς ὁ ἀπελθὼν ἦν, καὶ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἀφείλετο, οὐ τὴν