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to lead out those disposed to mourning. 4. But if for relatives to mourn and be crushed in spirit is an evil, much more so is it to be led away from spiritual words. For this reason, He also said elsewhere: "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of heaven." For it is far better to proclaim the kingdom and to snatch others from death, than to bury a dead man who is in no way helped by it; and especially when there are others who will fulfill all these duties. Therefore we learn nothing else from this than that we must not waste even the briefest moment, even if there are ten thousand pressing matters, but to put spiritual things before all things, even the most necessary, and to know what is life and what is death. For many of those who seem to be living are no different from the dead, when they live in wickedness; or rather, these are even worse than they. For he that is dead, he says, is freed from sin; but this one is a slave to sin. For do not say this to me, that "He is not eaten by worms, nor does he lie in a coffin, nor has he closed his eyes, nor 57.349 is he bound with grave-clothes." For he endures things more grievous than the departed, not being eaten by worms, but being torn apart more fiercely than by wild beasts by the passions of his soul. And if his eyes are open, this again is much worse than being shut. For the eyes of the dead man see nothing evil; but this one gathers for himself ten thousand diseases, with his eyes being open. And the one lies in a coffin, being motionless to all things; but this one has been buried in the tomb of ten thousand maladies. But do you not see his body decaying? And what of that? For before his body, his soul is corrupted and has perished, and it endures a greater decay. For the one has stunk for ten days; but this one breathes out a foul odor his whole life, having a mouth more unclean than sewers. So much, therefore, does that one differ from this one, as the one endures only the corruption of nature, while this one, along with that, also introduces the decay from profligacy, devising ten thousand occasions of corruption every day. But is he carried on a horse? And what of that? For that one is also on a bier; and what is grievous is that no one sees that one being dissolved and decaying, but he has the coffin as a screen; but this one, stinking, goes about everywhere, carrying a deadened soul in his body as in a tomb. And if it were possible to see the soul of a man living in luxury and vice, you would have seen that it is far better to lie bound in a tomb than to be tightened by the chains of sin; and to have a stone lying upon you than the heavy lid of insensibility. Therefore, it is most necessary for the relatives of these dead, since these are insensate, to approach Jesus concerning them, just as Mary then did in the case of Lazarus. And though he stinks, though he be dead four days, do not despair, but approach, and first take away the stone. For then you will see him lying, as in a tomb, and bound with grave-clothes. And if you wish, let us bring one of the great and illustrious into our midst. But do not be afraid; for I will state the example anonymously; or rather, even if I were to say the name, there would be no need to fear. For who ever feared a dead man? For whatever he may do, he remains a dead man; and a dead man cannot wrong a living one, not in a small way, not in a great way. Let us see, then, their head bound. For when they are continually drunk, 57.350 just as the dead with those many wrappings and grave-clothes, so all their senses are shut up and bound. And if you wish to see the hands, you will see them also bound to the belly, like those of the departed, and tightly wrapped, not with grave-clothes, but, what is much more grievous, with the bonds of avarice. For it does not permit them to be stretched out for almsgiving, nor for any other such good deeds, but makes them more useless than those of the dead. Do you wish to see the feet also bound together? See them again tightly wrapped with cares, and for this reason never able to run to the house of God. Have you seen the

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διακειμένους ἐπὶ τὸ πένθος ἐξαγαγεῖν. δʹ. Εἰ δὲ τὸ τοὺς προσήκοντας πενθῆσαι καὶ συντριβῆναι τὴν διάνοιαν κακὸν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀπάγεσθαι λόγων. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ἔλεγεν· Οὐδεὶς βαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ἄροτρον, καὶ στραφεὶς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω εὔθετός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Καὶ γὰρ πολλῷ βέλτιον βασιλείαν ἀνακηρύττειν, καὶ ἑτέρους ἀνασπᾷν ἀπὸ θανάτου, ἢ τὸν οὐδὲν ὠφελούμενον νεκρὸν θάπτειν· καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ὦσιν οἱ ταῦτα πληρώσοντες ἅπαντα. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἕτερον ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅτι οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα καιρὸν παραπολλύναι χρὴ, κἂν μυρία τὰ κατεπείγοντα ᾖ, ἀλλὰ πάντων καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων τὰ πνευματικὰ προτιθέναι, καὶ εἰδέναι, τί μὲν ζωὴ, τί δὲ θάνατος. Πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ζῇν δοκούντων νεκρῶν οὐδὲν διαφέρουσιν, ὅταν ἐν κακίᾳ ζῶσι· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνων οὗτοι χείρους. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀποθανὼν, φησὶ, δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· οὗτος δὲ δουλεύει τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο εἴπῃς, ὅτι Ὑπὸ σκωλήκων οὐ κατεσθίεται, οὐδὲ ἐν λάρνακι κεῖται, οὐδὲ ἀπέκλεισε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, οὐδὲ 57.349 κειρίαις δέδεται. Καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα χαλεπώτερα ὑπομένει τοῦ τετελευτηκότος, οὐ σκωλήκων αὐτὸν κατεσθιόντων, ἀλλὰ θηρίων σφοδρότερον τῶν παθῶν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτὸν σπαραττόντων. Εἰ δὲ ἀνεῴγασιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ τοῦτο πολὺ χεῖρον πάλιν τοῦ μεμυκέναι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ νεκροῦ οὐδὲν ὁρῶσι πονηρόν· οὗτος δὲ μυρίας ἑαυτῷ συνάγει νόσους, ἀνεῳγμένων αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν λάρνακι κεῖται, πρὸς πάντα ἀκίνητος ὤν· οὗτος δὲ ἐν τῷ τάφῳ τῶν μυρίων κατορώρυκται νοσημάτων. Ἀλλὰ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ σηπόμενον οὐχ ὁρᾷς; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ διέφθαρται καὶ ἀπόλωλε, καὶ πλείονα ὑπομένει τὴν σηπεδόνα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δέκα ὄδωδεν ἡμέρας· οὗτος δὲ ἅπαντα τὸν βίον δυσωδίας ἀποπνεῖ, στόμα ἔχων ὀχετῶν ἀκαθαρτότερον. Ὥστε τοσοῦτον αὐτοῦ διενήνοχεν ἐκεῖνος, ὅσον ὁ μὲν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως ὑπομένει μόνον φθορὰν, οὗτος δὲ μετ' ἐκείνης καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσωτίας ἐπεισάγει σηπεδόνα, μυρίας καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐπινοῶν ὑποθέσεις διαφθορᾶς. Ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἵππου φέρεται; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ κλίνης· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπὸν, λυόμενον μὲν ἐκεῖνον καὶ σηπόμενον οὐδεὶς ὁρᾷ, ἀλλ' ἔχει τὴν λάρνακα παραπέτασμα· οὗτος δὲ ὀδωδὼς πανταχοῦ περίεισι, καθάπερ ἐν τάφῳ τῷ σώματι νενεκρωμένην ψυχὴν περιφέρων. Καὶ εἴγε ἦν ψυχὴν ἀνδρὸς ἰδεῖν τρυφῇ καὶ κακίᾳ συζῶντος, εἶδες ἂν ὅτι πολὺ βέλτιον ἐν τάφῳ κεῖσθαι δεδεμένον, ἢ ταῖς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σφίγγεσθαι σειραῖς· καὶ λίθον ἔχειν ἐπικείμενον, ἢ τὸ βαρὺ τῆς ἀναισθησίας πῶμα. ∆ιὸ δὴ μάλιστα τοὺς τούτοις προσήκοντας τοῖς νεκροῖς, ἐπειδὴ οὗτοι ἀναλγήτως διάκεινται, προσιέναι δεῖ περὶ αὐτῶν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, καθάπερ ἡ Μαρία τότε ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου. Κἂν ὀδωδὼς ᾖ, κἂν τεταρταῖος ᾖ, μὴ ἀπογνῷς, ἀλλὰ πρόσελθε, καὶ τὸν λίθον ἄνελε πρῶτον. Καὶ γὰρ τότε ὄψει κείμενον, ὥσπερ ἐν τάφῳ, καὶ ταῖς κειρίαις δεδεμένον. Καὶ εἰ βούλεσθε, τῶν μεγάλων τινὰ καὶ περιφανῶν εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσητε· ἀνωνύμως γὰρ ἐρῶ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα· μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔλεγον, οὐδὲ οὕτω δεδοικέναι ἐχρῆν. Τίς γάρ ποτε νεκρὸν δέδοικε; Καὶ γὰρ ὅσα ἂν πράξῃ, μένει νεκρὸς ὤν· νεκρὸς δὲ ζῶντα οὐ μικρὸν, οὐ μέγα ἀδικῆσαι δύναται. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν δεδεμένην. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν μεθύωσι διηνε 57.350 κῶς, καθάπερ οἱ νεκροὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐπιβλήμασιν ἐκείνοις καὶ ταῖς κειρίαις, οὕτω πάντα τὰ αἰσθητήρια ἀποκλείεται καὶ δεσμεῖται. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἰδεῖν, ὄψει καὶ ταύτας τῇ γαστρὶ προσδεδεμένας, καθάπερ τῶν οἰχομένων, καὶ περιεσφιγμένας, οὐ κειρίαις, ἀλλ' ὃ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερόν ἐστι, τοῖς τῆς πλεονεξίας δεσμοῖς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀφίησιν αὐτὰς ἐκταθῆναι πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην ἐκείνη, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλὰ τῶν νενεκρωμένων ἀχρηστοτέρας ἐργάζεται. Βούλει καὶ τοὺς πόδας ἰδεῖν συνδεδεμένους; Ὅρα αὐτοὺς πάλιν περιεσφιγμένους φροντίσι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐδέποτε δυναμένους εἰς οἶκον Θεοῦ δραμεῖν. Εἶδες τὸν