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making His defense. For when some died after a tower fell, he said to those who were perplexed about these things: Do you think that these were sinners above all men? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise per 60.635 ish; admonishing us not to be confident when, others having paid the penalty, we, who have sinned much, do not pay it. For if we do not change, we will certainly pay. And how, one says, are we punished eternally, having sinned here for a short time? How is it that here a man, who in a brief moment of time has committed one murder, is condemned to the perpetual punishment of the mines? But God does not do these things, one says. How then did he hold the paralytic for thirty-eight years in such a punishment? For that He was punishing him for sins, hear what He says: Behold, you have become well; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you. But still he received release, one says. But the things there are not so; for that those things will never have a release, hear him saying: Their worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched; and, These will go into eternal life, and these into eternal punishment. If, therefore, life is eternal, so also is punishment eternal. Do you not see how many things He threatened the Jews? Did the things threatened come to pass, then, or were the things said mere words? There will not be left one stone upon another? Did one remain then? And what of when he said, There will be tribulation such as has not been? Did it not come to pass? Read the history of Josephus, and you will not even be able to breathe, just hearing what those people suffered in those events. These things I say, not to grieve you, but to make you safe, and not, by entertaining you with trifles, prepare you to endure more grievous things. For why, tell me, do you not think you deserve to be punished when you sin? Did he not tell you everything beforehand? Did he not threaten? Did he not inspire fear? Did he not work countless things for your salvation? Did he not grant the washing of regeneration, and forgive all your former sins? After this forgiveness and washing, did he not again give help from repentance to you when you sinned? Did he not make the way easy for you, even after these things, for the forgiveness of sins? 2. Hear, then, what He commanded: If you forgive your neighbor, I also forgive you, he says. What difficulty does this have? Judge for the orphan, and justify the widow; and come, let us reason together, he says, and though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. What labor does this have? Tell your sins, that you may be justified. What difficulty does this have? Redeem your sins by alms. What sweat is this? The publican said, Be merciful to me, a sinner, and he went down justified. What toil is it to imitate the publican? But are you unwilling to be persuaded, even after so many things, that there is punishment and retribution? Then you would not even say the devil is punished. For, Depart, he says, into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For if there is no Gehenna, he is not punished either; but if he is punished, it is clear that we also who do his works will be punished; for we too have disobeyed, even if not in the same things. And how are you not afraid, uttering such bold things? For when you say, God is a lover of mankind, and does not punish; if He should punish, He will be found, according to you, to be no longer a lover of mankind. Do you see to what words the devil leads you? What then? Will the monks who have taken to the mountains and demonstrated countless ascetic practices depart uncrowned? For if the wicked are not punished, nor is there a requital for anything, another will perhaps say that the good are not crowned either. No, one says; for this is fitting for God, 60.636 that there be only a kingdom, and not Gehenna. Therefore the fornicator and the adulterer and the one who has worked countless evils will enjoy the same things as the one who has demonstrated temperance and holiness; and Paul will stand with Nero, or rather even the devil with Paul. For if there is no Gehenna, but there is a resurrection of all, then the wicked will obtain the same good things as the righteous. And who would say this, even of the most deranged of men? Or rather, what demon would say this? For even they confess that Gehenna exists; for which reason also

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ἀπολογουμένου. Ἐπειδὴ γάρ τινες πύργου κατενεχθέντος ἀπέθανον, ἔλεγε τοῖς ὑπὲρ τούτων διαποροῦσι· ∆οκεῖτε, ὅτι οὗτοι ἁμαρτωλοὶ παρὰ πάντας ἦσαν; Οὐχὶ, λέγω ὑμῖν· ἀλλ' ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσητε, καὶ ὑμεῖς πάντες ὡσαύτως ἀπ 60.635 ολεῖσθε· παραινῶν ἡμῖν μὴ θαῤῥεῖν, ὅταν, ἑτέρων δόντων δίκην, ἡμεῖς πολλὰ πλημμελήσαντες μὴ δῶμεν. Ἂν γὰρ μὴ μεταβαλώμεθα, δώσομεν πάντως. Καὶ πῶς, φησὶν, ἀθάνατα κολαζόμεθα, ἐνταῦθα βραχὺν χρόνον ἁμαρτόντες; πῶς ἐνταῦθα ἄνθρωπος ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ ἕνα φόνον πεποιηκὼς, διηνεκῶς τῇ τῶν μετάλλων καταδικάζεται τιμωρίᾳ; Ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς οὐ ποιεῖ ταῦτα, φησί. Πῶς οὖν τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη ἐν τοσαύτῃ κολάσει τὸν παράλυτον κατεῖχεν; Ὅτι γὰρ δι' ἁμαρτήματα αὐτὸν ἐκόλαζεν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν· Ἴδε, ὑγιὴς γέγονας· μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε, ἵνα μὴ χεῖρόν τί σοι γένηται. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔλαβε λύσιν, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ ἐκεῖ τοιαῦτα· ὅτι γὰρ ἐκεῖνα λύσιν οὐχ ἕξει ποτὲ, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ὁ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτήσει, καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβεσθήσεται· καὶ, Πορεύσονται οὗτοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ οὗτοι εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον. Εἰ τοίνυν ἡ ζωὴ αἰώνιος, καὶ ἡ κόλασις αἰώνιος. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πόσα ἠπείλησεν Ἰουδαίοις; ἆρα οὖν ἐξέβη τὰ ἀπειληθέντα, ἢ λόγος ἦν τὰ εἰρημένα· Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ λίθος ἐπὶ λίθῳ; ἆρα οὖν ἔμεινε; Τί δὲ, ὅτε εἶπεν, Ἔσται θλῖψις οἵα οὐ γέγονεν; ἆρα οὐκ ἐγένετο; Ἀνάγνωθι τὴν ἱστορίαν τοῦ Ἰωσήπου, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀναπνεῦσαι δυνήσῃ, μόνον ἀκούων ἅπερ ἔπαθον ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκεῖνοι. Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα λυπήσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀσφαλίσωμαι, καὶ μὴ ψυχαγωγήσας ὑμᾶς περιττὰ παρασκευάσω χαλεπώτερα ὑπομεῖναι. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, οὐκ ἀξιοῖς κολάζεσθαι ἁμαρτάνων; οὐχὶ προεῖπέ σοι ἅπαντα; οὐχὶ ἠπείλησεν; οὐχὶ ἐφόβησεν; οὐχὶ μυρία εἰργάσατο ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς σῆς; οὐχὶ λουτρὸν παλιγγενεσίας ἐδωρήσατο, καὶ τὰ πρότερα ἀφῆκε πάντα; οὐχὶ μετὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν ταύτην καὶ τὸ λουτρὸν, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς μετανοίας πάλιν βοήθειαν ἁμαρτάνοντί σοι δέδωκεν; οὐχὶ εὔκολον ἐποίησέ σοι τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως; ʹ. Ἄκουε γοῦν οἷα ἐπέταξεν· Ἂν ἀφῇς τῷ πλησίον, ἀφίημί σοι κἀγὼ, φησί. Ποίαν τοῦτο δυσκολίαν ἔχει; Κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ, καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν· καὶ δεῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν, φησὶ, καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ. Ποῖον τοῦτο ἔχει μόχθον; Λέγε σὺ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Τίνα τοῦτο δυσκολίαν ἔχει; Τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι. Ποῖος τοῦτο ἱδρώς; Εἶπεν ὁ τελώνης, Ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, καὶ κατῆλθε δεδικαιωμένος. Ποῖος πόνος μιμήσασθαι τὸν τελώνην; Ἀλλ' οὐ βούλει πεισθῆναι οὐδὲ μετὰ τοσαῦτα, ὅτι κόλασίς ἐστι καὶ τιμωρία; Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τὸν διάβολον εἴποις ἂν κολάζεσθαι. Πορεύεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἔστι γέεννα, οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος κολάζεται· εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος κολάζεται, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ τὰ τούτου ἔργα ἐπιτελοῦντες κολασθησόμεθα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς παρηκούσαμεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς. Πῶς δὲ οὐ δέδοικας καὶ τολμηρὰ φθεγγόμενος; Ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃς, ὅτι Φιλάνθρωπός ἐστι Θεὸς, καὶ οὐ κολάζει· ἐὰν κολάσῃ, εὑρεθήσεται κατὰ σὲ οὐκέτι φιλάνθρωπος ὤν. Ὁρᾷς εἰς οἷα ῥήματα ὑμᾶς ὁ διάβολος ἄγει; Τί δέ; Οἱ τὰ ὄρη κατειληφότες μοναχοὶ, καὶ μυρίαν ἄσκησιν ἐπιδειξάμενοι, ἀστεφάνωτοι ἀπελεύσονται; Εἰ γὰρ οἱ πονηροὶ οὐ κολάζονται, οὐδὲ ἔστιν οὐδενὸς ἀντίδοσις, ἐρεῖ τις ἕτερος ἴσως, ὅτι οὐδὲ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ στεφανοῦνται. Οὐχὶ, φησί· τοῦτο γὰρ Θεῷ πρέπον, 60.636 βασιλείαν εἶναι μόνον, καὶ μὴ γέενναν. Οὐκοῦν ὁ πόρνος καὶ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ ὁ μυρία κακὰ ἐργασάμενος, τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσεται τῷ σωφροσύνην καὶ ἁγιωσύνην ἐπιδειξαμένῳ· καὶ Παῦλος μετὰ Νέρωνος στήσεται, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὁ διάβολος μετὰ Παύλου. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἔστι γέεννα, ἀνάστασις δὲ πάντων ἐστὶ, καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀγαθῶν τεύξονται τοῖς δικαίοις. Καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι καὶ τῶν σφόδρα ἐξεστηκότων ἀνθρώπων; μᾶλλον δὲ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι δαιμόνων; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι γέενναν ὁμολογοῦσιν εἶναι· διὸ καὶ