229

I will show you this difference and the precise just judgment. But consider: Adam sinned, and Eve sinned; and both indeed transgressed, but they did not sin equally; therefore, neither were they punished equally. For so great was the difference, that Paul said, 'Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.' And yet the deceit was one; but nevertheless God's examination with precision showed so great a difference, that Paul said this. Again, Cain was punished; but Lamech, having committed murder after him, suffered nothing of the sort; and yet this too was murder, and that was murder, and this one much worse, because he did not become better even by the example; but nevertheless, since he neither slew a brother after an admonition, nor needed an accuser, nor was shameless when God questioned him, but even with no one convicting him, he both accused and condemned himself, he obtained pardon; but the other, because he did the opposite, was punished. See with how much precision God examines what happens. For this reason He punished those in the flood in one way, and those in Sodom in another; and the Israelites again differently, and those in Babylon, and those under Antiochus; showing that He takes great account of our affairs. And some served for seventy years, others for four hundred; others ate their children, and endured countless other worse calamities, and not even by this were they delivered, neither these nor those who were burned alive in Sodom. For, it says, 'it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, than for that city.' For if He cared nothing for us, neither when we sin nor when we do right, perhaps it would have some reason to say that there is no punishment; but if He takes such pains that we should not sin, and arranges so many things that we should do right, it is clear that He both punishes sinners and crowns those who do right. But consider for me the inconsistency of the many. For here they blame God, because He is often longsuffering, and overlooks many who are defiled, licentious, violent, not paying the penalty; there again, if He should threaten to punish them, they are vehement and severe in their accusations; and yet if this grieves them, they ought to accept and admire that. But O the folly, O the irrational and brutish opinion! O the sin-loving and pleasure-loving soul that looks toward evil; for from the love of pleasure all these doctrines are born; so that if those who say these things were willing to take hold of virtue, they would quickly be convinced about Gehenna too, and would not doubt. And where, he says, and in what place will this Gehenna be? For what concern is this to you? For the question is to show that it exists, not where it is stored up and in what place. For some, relating myths, say that it is in the valley of Jehoshaphat, a thing which was said concerning a certain past war, and they now draw this to Gehenna; but the Scripture does not say this. But in what place, he says, will it be? Somewhere outside, as I at least think, of this whole world. For just as the prisons and the mines of kingdoms 60.674 are set at a great distance, so also Gehenna will be somewhere outside of this world. 4. Let us not, therefore, seek where it is, but how we might flee it; nor because God does not punish all here, for this reason disbelieve in the things to come; for He is a lover of mankind, and is longsuffering. For this reason He threatens, and does not cast in immediately; For 'I do not desire,' He says, 'the death of the sinner.' But if there is no death of a sinner, what was said is superfluous. And I know, indeed, that nothing is more unpleasant to you than these words; but to me, nothing is more pleasant than these. And would that it were possible, both while eating lunch and dining and bathing and everywhere to discourse concerning Gehenna; for then we would not feel pain at the terrible things here, nor would we take pleasure in the good things. For what terrible thing can you even tell me? poverty, disease, captivity, maiming of the body? But all these things are a laughing-stock compared to the punishment there; and if you speak of those tortured throughout by hunger, and if you speak of those maimed from their earliest age and begging, even these things are luxury compared to those evils. Let us therefore continually turn to the words concerning these things; for the remembrance does not permit one to fall into Gehenna

229

ταύτην ὑμῖν δείξω τὴν διαφορὰν καὶ τὴν ἀκριβῆ δικαιοκρισίαν. Σκόπει δέ· ἥμαρτεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ, ἥμαρτε καὶ ἡ Εὔα· καὶ ἀμφότεροι μὲν παρέβησαν, οὐκ ἐξ ἴσης δὲ ἥμαρτον· οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ ἐξ ἴσης ἐκολάσθησαν. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ τὸ μέσον ἦν, ὡς Παῦλον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἀδὰμ οὐκ ἠπατήθη, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἀπατηθεῖσα ἐν παραβάσει γέγονε. Καίτοι ἡ ἀπάτη μία ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξέτασις τοσοῦτον ἔδειξε τὸ μέσον, ὡς Παῦλον εἰπεῖν τοῦτο. Πάλιν ὁ μὲν Κάϊν ἐκολάζετο· ὁ δὲ Λάμεχ μετ' ἐκεῖνον φονεύσας, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔπαθε· καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο φόνος, κἀκεῖνο φόνος, καὶ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερος, ὅτι μηδὲ τῷ παραδείγματι γέγονε βελτίων οὗτος· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ ὁ μὲν οὔτε ἀδελφὸν ἔσφαξε μετὰ παραίνεσιν, οὔτε ἐδεήθη τοῦ κατηγορήσοντος, οὔτε Θεοῦ ἐρωτῶντος ἠναισχύντησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μηδενὸς ἐλέγχοντος καὶ κατεῖπεν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ κατεδίκασε, συγγνώμης ἔτυχεν· ὁ δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τἀναντία ἐποίησεν, ἐτιμωρεῖτο. Ἴδε μεθ' ὅσης ἀκριβείας ἐξετάζει τὰ γινόμενα ὁ Θεός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ κατακλυσμῷ ἑτέρως, καὶ τοὺς ἐν Σοδόμοις ἄλλως ἐτιμωρήσατο· καὶ τοὺς Ἰσραηλίτας δὲ πάλιν διαφόρως, καὶ τοὺς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, καὶ τοὺς ἐπ' Ἀντιόχου· δεικνὺς, ὅτι πολὺν ἔχει τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγον. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ἑβδομήκοντα ἐδούλευσαν ἔτη, οἱ δὲ τετρακόσια· οἱ δὲ τέκνα ἔφαγον, καὶ μυρίας ἑτέρας χαλεπωτέρας ὑπέμειναν συμφορὰς, καὶ οὐδὲ ταύτῃ ἀπηλλάγησαν οὔτε οὗτοι οὔτε οἱ ζῶντες καέντες ἐν Σοδόμοις. Ἀνεκτότερον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥων, ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ μηδὲν αὐτῷ μήτε ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν μέλει, μήτε κατορθούντων, ἴσως ἕξει τινὰ λόγον τὸ λέγειν μὴ εἶναι κόλασιν· εἰ δὲ τοσαύτην ποιεῖται σπουδὴν, ὥστε μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν ἡμᾶς, καὶ τοσαῦτα πραγματεύεται, ὥστε κατορθοῦν, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ ἁμαρτάνοντας κολάζει, καὶ κατορθοῦντας στεφανοῖ. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει τῶν πολλῶν τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ ἐγκαλοῦσι τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι μακροθυμεῖ πολλάκις, καὶ περιορᾷ πολλοὺς μιαροὺς, ἀσελγεῖς, βιαίους, μὴ διδόντας δίκην· ἐκεῖ πάλιν ἂν ἀπειλήσῃ κολάζειν αὐτοὺς, σφοδροὶ καὶ βαρεῖς εἰσιν αἰτιώμενοι· καίτοι γε εἰ τοῦτο λυπεῖ, ἐκεῖνο ἀποδέχεσθαι ἔδει καὶ θαυμάζειν. Ἀλλ' ὢ τῆς ἀνοίας, ὢ τῆς ἀλόγου καὶ ὀνώδους γνώμης· ὢ φιλαμαρτήμονος καὶ φιληδόνου καὶ πρὸς κακίαν βλεπούσης ψυχῆς· καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς φιληδονίας τὰ δόγματα ἅπαντα ταῦτα τίκτεται· ὡς εἰ βουληθεῖεν οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες ἀρετῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι, ταχέως καὶ περὶ τῆς γεέννης πιστωθήσονται, καὶ οὐκ ἀμφιβαλοῦσι. Καὶ ποῦ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐν ποίῳ χωρίῳ αὕτη ἔσται ἡ γέεννα; Τί γάρ σοι τούτου μέλει; τὸ γὰρ ζητούμενον, δεῖξαι ὅτι ἔστιν, οὐχ ὅπου τεταμίευται καὶ ἐν ποίῳ χωρίῳ. Τινὲς μὲν γὰρ μυθολογοῦντές φασιν, ὅτι ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ Ἰωσαφὰτ, ὃ περὶ πολέμου τινὸς εἴρηται παρελθόντος, καὶ νῦν τοῦτο εἰς τὴν γέενναν ἕλκοντες· ἡ δὲ Γραφὴ οὐ τοῦτό φησιν. Ἀλλ' ἐν ποίῳ τόπῳ, φησὶν, ἔσται; Ἔξω που, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι, τοῦ κόσμου τούτου παντός. Καθάπερ γὰρ τῶν βασιλείων 60.674 τὰ δεσμωτήρια καὶ τὰ μέταλλα πόῤῥω διέστηκεν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ταύτης ἔξω που ἔσται ἡ γέεννα. δʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν ζητῶμεν ποῦ ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πῶς ἂν αὐτὴν φύγοιμεν· μηδὲ ἐπειδὴ πάντας ἐνταῦθα οὐ κολάζει Θεὸς, διὰ τοῦτο ἀπίστει τοῖς μέλλουσι· φιλάνθρωπος γάρ ἐστι, καὶ μακροθυμεῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀπειλεῖ, καὶ οὐκ εὐθέως ἐμβάλλει· Οὐ γὰρ θέλω, φησὶ, τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. Εἰ δὲ μή ἐστι θάνατος ἁμαρτωλοῦ, περιττὸν τὸ εἰρημένον. Καὶ οἶδα μὲν, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀηδέστερον τούτων ὑμῖν τῶν λόγων· ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ τούτων οὐδὲν ἥδιον. Καὶ εἴθε ἦν καὶ ἀριστοποιουμένους καὶ δειπνοῦντας καὶ λουομένους καὶ πανταχοῦ περὶ γεέννης διαλέγεσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἠλγήσαμεν τοῖς ἐνταῦθα δεινοῖς, οὐκ ἂν ἥσθημεν τοῖς χρηστοῖς. Τί γάρ μοι καὶ εἰπεῖν ἔχεις δεινόν; πενίαν, νόσον, αἰχμαλωσίαν, πήρωσιν σώματος; Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα γέλως πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖ κόλασιν· κἂν τοὺς δι' ὅλου βασανιζομένους λιμῷ λέγῃς, κἂν τοὺς ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας πεπηρωμένους καὶ προσαιτοῦντας, τρυφὴ καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς ἐκεῖνα τὰ κακά. Συνεχῶς τοίνυν στρέφωμεν τοὺς περὶ τούτων λόγους· οὐ γὰρ ἀφίησιν ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς γέενναν τὸ μεμνῆσθαι