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let us seek another image. If it should happen that he who now reigns should get control of the whole earth, and then be troubled neither by wars nor by cares, but only be honored and live in luxury and have many tributes, and gold flow in to him from all sides, and be an object of admiration; what kind of soul do you think he would have, if he saw the wars throughout the whole earth had ceased? It is something like that; or rather, I have not yet reached that image; wherefore it is necessary to seek another. Consider now with me. For just as a royal child, as long as it is in the womb, perceives nothing; but if it should happen to suddenly come forth from there, and ascend the royal throne, not gently, but to receive everything all at once; so is this rest and that. Or if some prisoner, having suffered countless evils, were suddenly snatched up to the royal throne. But not even so have I precisely grasped the image. For here, whatever good things one may obtain, even if you speak of kingship itself, on the first day one has a flourishing desire, and on the second and the third, but as time goes on, he remains in pleasure, but not so great; for it lessens from familiarity, whatever it may be. But there it not only does not diminish, but even increases. For consider how great a thing it is for a soul that has departed thither, to expect no longer an end of those good things, nor any change, but an increase and a life that has no end, and a life freed from all danger, and from all despondency and care, full of cheerfulness and countless good things. For if when we go out to a plain here, where we see soldiers' tents pitched from curtains, and spears and helmets and the bosses of shields gleaming, we are transported with wonder; and if it should also happen to see the king running into the midst with golden arms, we think we have everything; what do you think, when you see the eternal tents of the saints pitched in heaven? For they will receive you, he says, into the eternal tents; when you see each of them shining brighter than the rays of the sun, not from bronze and iron, but from that glory, whose splendors a human eye cannot bear to see? And these things indeed are for men. But what could one say of the thousands of angels, of archangels, of Cherubim, of Seraphim, of principalities, of powers, whose beauty is indescribable, 63.885 surpassing all understanding? But for how long shall I not stop, pursuing the unattainable? For eye has not seen, he says, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him. What then is more blessed than those who attain to that glory? what is more wretched than those who fail to attain it? For if one who has been cast out of his fatherland is pitied by all, and one who has lost his inheritance seems to be pitiful in the eyes of all; he who falls from heaven and from the good things stored up, with how many tears ought he to be drenched? For one weeps when he suffers some involuntary things, for which he himself is not the cause; but when of his own will he entangles himself in wickedness, he is worthy not even of tears, but of lamentations, or rather, even then of mourning; since even our Lord Jesus Christ mourned and wept over Jerusalem, although it was ungodly. Truly we are worthy of countless wailings and countless lamentations. If the whole world, taking a voice, and stones and wood and trees and beasts and birds and fish, should bewail us who have fallen from those good things, it would bewail nothing worthily, nor would it lament. For what word will be able to represent, what mind that blessedness, and that virtue, that glory, that joy, that splendor, Which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man? He did not say that it simply surpasses, but, nor has anyone ever conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him. For of what sort are these good things likely to be, of which God is the preparer and provider? For if, having made us straightway, when nothing had been done beforehand by us, He bestowed so many things—paradise, communion with Himself, immortality, a blessed life and one free from cares; to those who have toiled so much and striven and for His sake

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ἑτέραν εἰκόνα ἐπιζητήσωμεν. Εἰ συμβῇ τὸν βασιλεύοντα νῦν πάσης κρατῆσαι τῆς γῆς, εἶτα μήτε ὑπὸ πολέμων, μήτε ὑπὸ φροντίδων ἐνοχλεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ τιμᾶσθαι μόνον καὶ τρυφᾷν καὶ πολλοὺς ἔχειν φόρους, πάντοθεν δὲ τὸ χρυσίον αὐτῷ ἐπιῤῥεῖν, καὶ ἀπόβλεπτον εἶναι· ποίαν οἴεσθε ἔχειν αὐτὸν ψυχὴν, εἰ τοὺς πολέμους τοὺς πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς πεπαυμένους ἑώρα; Τοιοῦτόν τί ἐστι· μᾶλλον δὲ οὔπω τῆς εἰκόνος ἐφικόμην ἐκείνης· διὸ χρὴ ἑτέραν ἐπιζητῆσαι. Ἐννόησον δή μοι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ παιδίον βασιλικὸν, ἕως μὲν ἂν ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ ᾖ, οὐδενὸς ἐπαισθάνεται· εἰ δὲ συμβῇ ἄφνω ἐξελθεῖν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον ἀνελθεῖν τὸν βασιλικὸν, μὴ ἠρέμα, ἀλλ' ἀθρόον πάντα προσλαβεῖν· οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ κατάπαυσις αὕτη κἀκείνη. Ἢ εἴ τις δεσμώτης μυρία παθὼν κακὰ, ἀθρόον ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλικὸν ἁρπαγῇ θρόνον. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐφικόμην ἀκριβῶς τῆς εἰκόνος. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ ὧν ἄν τις ἐπιτύχῃ καλῶν, κἂν αὐτὴν εἴπῃς τὴν βασιλείαν, παρὰ μὲν τὴν πρώτην ἡμέραν ἀκμάζοντα ἔχει τὸν πόθον, καὶ παρὰ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ τὴν τρίτην, χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος, μένει μὲν ἐν ἡδονῇ, οὐ τοσαύτῃ δέ· λήγει γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας, οἵα ἂν ᾗ. Ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐ μειοῦται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιδίδωσιν. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ὅσον ἐστὶ ψυχὴν ἀπελθοῦσαν ἐκεῖ, μηκέτι τέλος προσδοκᾷν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκείνων, μηδὲ μεταβολὴν, ἀλλ' ἐπίδοσιν καὶ ζωὴν τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσαν, καὶ ζωὴν παντὸς μὲν κινδύνου, πάσης δὲ ἀθυμίας καὶ φροντίδος ἀπηλλαγμένην, μεστὴν εὐθυμίας καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν. Εἰ γὰρ εἰς πεδίον ἐξιόντες ἐνταῦθα, ἔνθα σκηνὰς ὁρῶμεν στρατιωτῶν ἐκ παραπετασμάτων πηγνυμένας, καὶ δόρατα καὶ κράνη καὶ ὀμφαλοὺς ἀσπίδων λάμποντας, μετέωροι γινόμεθα τῷ θαύματι· εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα συμβῇ εἰς μέσον ἰδεῖν τρέχοντα μετὰ ὅπλων χρυσῶν, τὸ πᾶν ἔχειν νομίζομεν· τί οἴει, ὅταν τῶν ἁγίων ἴδῃς τὰς σκηνὰς τὰς αἰωνίους ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ πεπηγυίας; ∆έξονται γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους, φησὶ, σκηνάς· ὅταν αὐτῶν ἕκαστον ὑπὲρ τὰς ἀκτῖνας τὰς ἡλιακὰς ἴδῃς ἀπολάμποντα, οὐκ ἀπὸ χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης, ἧς τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς ἀνθρώπινος οὐ δύναται ὀφθαλμὸς ἰδεῖν; Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Τί δ' ἄν τις εἴποι τὰς χιλιάδας τῶν ἀγγέλων, τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων, τῶν Χερουβὶμ, τῶν Σεραφὶμ, τῶν ἀρχῶν, τῶν ἐξουσιῶν, ὧν τὸ κάλλος ἀμήχανον, 63.885 πάντα νοῦν ὑπερβαῖνον; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ μέχρι τίνος οὐ στήσομα. διώκων ἀκίχητα; Οὔτε γὰρ ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε, φησὶν, οὐδὲ οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν. Τί τοίνυν μακαριώτερον τῶν ἐπιτυγχανόντων τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης; τί τῶν ἀποτυγχανόντων ἀθλιώτερον; Εἰ γὰρ πατρίδος τις ἐκβεβλημένος ὑπὸ πάντων ἐλεεῖται, καὶ ὁ κληρονομίαν ἀπολέσας, δοκεῖ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐλεεινὸς εἶναι· ὁ καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐκπίπτων καὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀγαθῶν, πόσοις ὀφείλει δάκρυσι καταῤῥαίνεσθαι; ∆ακρύει γάρ τις, ὅταν τι πάθῃ τῶν ἀβουλήτων, ὧν οὐκ αὐτός ἐστιν αἴτιος· ὅταν δὲ ἐξ οἰκείας γνώμης ἑαυτὸν περιπείρῃ τῇ κακίᾳ, οὐδὲ δακρύων, ἀλλὰ θρήνων ἐστὶν ἄξιος, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τότε πένθους· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ,καίτοι ἀσεβοῦσαν, ἐπένθησε καὶ ἐδάκρυσεν. Ὄντως μυρίων ὀδυρμῶν ἄξιοί ἐσμεν καὶ μυρίων θρήνων. Ἐὰν πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη λαβοῦσα φωνὴν, καὶ λίθοι καὶ ξύλα καὶ δένδρα καὶ θηρία καὶ ὄρνιθες καὶ ἰχθύες ὀδύρηται ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἐκπεπτωκότας τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκείνων, οὐδὲν κατ' ἀξίαν ὀδυρεῖται, οὐδὲ θρηνήσει. Ποῖος γὰρ λόγος παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται, ποῖος νοῦς ἐκείνην τὴν μακαριότητα, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκείνην, τὴν δόξαν, τὴν εὐφροσύνην, τὴν λαμπρότητα, Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη; Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ὑπερβαίνει ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ', οὐδὲ ἐνενόησέ ποτέ τις, Ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. Ὧν γὰρ ἑτοιμαστὴς καὶ παρασκευαστὴς ὁ Θεὸς ἀγαθῶν, ὁποῖα εἰκὸς εἶναι ταῦτα; Εἰ γὰρ ποιήσας ἡμᾶς εὐθέως, οὐδενὸς παρ' ἡμῶν προϋπηργμένου, τοσαῦτα ἐχαρίσατο, παράδεισον, ὁμιλίαν τὴν μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἀθανασίαν, βίον μακάριον καὶ φροντίδων ἀπηλλαγμένον· τοῖς τοσαῦτα πεπονηκόσι καὶ ἠθληκόσι καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ