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they will come to a state of blessedness, of which not even those of a lower station will be deprived. And they themselves, arriving at certain periods as at heavenly feasts, will partake of some unceasing and divine gladness, having enjoyed the ineffable good things there, concerning which it has been said: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him.” And having been filled with these things, they will return to their own dwelling places, each one receiving his own and fitting occupation, when both the true “sabbath rest” and the perfect and true “rest of souls” will be given to those worthy of these things. For which reason it has been said: And it shall be from month to month and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me in Jerusalem, said the Lord. And by “all flesh” he means all the nations, naming them in this way; for so it was said also in what came before: “All flesh shall see the salvation of God,” and elsewhere: “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and they shall prophesy.” For lest the Jews should think these things were spoken concerning them, he necessarily extends the meaning more universally, calling it all flesh, thus indicating the whole human race; but some will come at certain times, while others are citizens of Jerusalem itself, and they are “myriads of angels,” as the Apostle also taught: “and the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.” They will not come at intervals, but will be inhabitants and citizens forever, as “ministers” and “priests” under the “high priest,” the Son of God, enjoying the good things there forever, and all these will see the destruction of the impious, understanding what good things they have been deprived of. Wherefore it has been spoken: And they will go out and see the corpses of the men who have transgressed against me, or according to Symmachus: and they will see the last things of the men who have rejected me. And who these were, he made clear at the beginning of the prophecy, saying: “I have begotten and raised up sons, but they have rejected me”; He hinted, therefore, at those of the Jewish nation who “rejected” saving “grace.” And being far from them, those going out from Jerusalem and departing to their own dwelling places will see them; for the word shows this, saying: They will go out and see the corpses of the men who have rejected me, whose worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched, but they will be a sight to all flesh. Of all punishments, therefore, this would be the worst, I mean, to have their own undying worm within themselves; for thus he names the conscience, which like a worm devours the soul of those conscious of no good in themselves while repenting of their impieties, and seeing themselves excluded from so many good things. Each of them, therefore, in confessing, will become his own accuser, recalling the things done by him during his mortal life and being goaded by his conscience, and thus their worm remains undying. For surely these things are not said concerning a physical worm, as though it too were to come into being, “and their fire will be unquenchable.” Indeed, our savior also defined this as the end of the impious in the Gospels, saying to those who will be placed “on his left”: “Depart into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Therefore, just as the fire is called “eternal” there, so also here it is “unquenchable,” since fire of one and the same substance is presented from both scriptures. But they will also, being in such a punishment, be a sight to all flesh; but to what flesh? Surely to that which will not be punished, but will be deemed worthy of the heavenly vision, concerning which it was said above: “All flesh shall come to worship before me, said the Lord,” and they will go out and see. This flesh, therefore, will see the end of these who are being punished—the end of the better things—this flesh which has been deemed worthy. But those who are to be delivered to “the eternal fire” their own worm

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μακαριότητος ἥκουσιν, ἧς οὐ στερήσονται οὐδ' οἱ ὑποβεβηκότες. καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ κατὰ περιόδους τινὰς ὡς ἐν οὐρανίοις ἑορταῖς ἀφικνούμενοι εὐφροσύνης ἀλήκτου τινὸς καὶ ἐνθέου μεταλήψονται τῶν αὐτόθι ἀρρήτων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσαντες, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· «ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν». καὶ τούτων ἐμφορηθέντες ἐπανήξουσιν εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν μονάς, ἕκαστος τὴν οἰκείαν καὶ ἑαυτῷ κατάλληλον διατριβὴν ἀποληψόμενος, ὅτε καὶ ὁ ἀληθινὸς «σαββατισμὸς» καὶ ἡ τελεία καὶ ἀληθὴς «ψυχῶν ἀνάπαυσις» τοῖς τούτων ἀξίοις ἀποδοθήσεται. διὸ εἴρηται· καὶ ἔσται μῆνα ἐκ μηνὸς καὶ σάββατον ἐκ σαββάτου ἥξει πᾶσα σὰρξ τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι ἐνώπιόν μου εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, εἶπε κύριος. σάρκα δὲ πᾶσαν λέγει πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τοῦτον ὀνομάζων τὸν τρόπον· οὕτως γοῦν ἐλέγετο καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν· «ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ», καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν». ἵνα γὰρ μὴ Ἰουδαῖοι νομίζωσι ταῦτα περὶ αὐτῶν εἰρῆσθαι, ἀναγκαίως ἐξαπλοῖ τὴν διάνοιαν καθολικώτερον πᾶσαν ὀνομάζων σάρκα, οὕτω πᾶν τὸ ἀνθρώπινον δηλῶν γένος· ἀλλ' οἱ δὲ μὲν κατὰ καιροὺς ἥξουσιν, οἱ δὲ αὐτῆς τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ πολῖταί εἰσι δὲ «μυριάδες ἀγγέλων» καθὼς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἐδίδαξε· «καὶ ἐκκλησία πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς». οὐχ ἥξουσιν ἐκ διαστημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ παντὸς οἰκήτορες ἔσονται καὶ πολῖται, οἷα «λειτουργοὶ» καὶ «ἱερεῖς» ὑπ' «ἀρχιερεῖ» τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν αὐτόθι ἀγαθῶν διὰ παντὸς ἀπολαύοντες, ὄψονται δὲ πάντες οὗτοι τῶν ἀσεβῶν τὴν ἀπώλειαν ἐννοοῦντες οἵων ἀγαθῶν ἐστερήθησαν. ∆ιὸ λέλεκται· καὶ ἐξελεύσονται καὶ ὄψονται τὰ κῶλα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν παραβεβηκότων ἐν ἐμοί, ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον· καὶ ὄψονται τὰ ἔσχατα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἀθετησάντων ἐν ἐμοί. τίνες δὲ ἦσαν οὗτοι, ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς προφητείας ἐδήλου λέγων· «υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν»· ᾐνίξατο τοίνυν τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους τὴν σωτήριον «ἀθετήσαντας χάριν». μακρὰν δὲ αὐτῶν ὄντες ὄψονται αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐκ τῆς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐξελευσόμενοι καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκείας μονὰς ἀπερχόμενοι· τοῦτο γὰρ παρίστη φάσκων ὁ λόγος· ἐξελεύσονται καὶ ὄψονται τὰ κῶλα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἀθετησάντων ἐν ἐμοί, ὧν ὁ σκώληξ οὐ τελευτήσει, καὶ τὸ πῦρ οὐ σβεσθήσεται, ἀλλ' ἔσονται εἰς ὅρασιν πάσῃ σαρκί. πάσης οὖν τιμωρίας τὸ χείριστον τοῦτο ἂν εἴη, λέγω δὲ τὸ ἀτελεύτητον ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν ἑαυτῶν σκώληκα· οὕτω δὲ ὀνομάζει τὴν συνείδησιν δίκην σκώληκος κατεσθίουσαν τῶν ἑαυτοῖς οὐκ ἀγαθὰ συνειδότων τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν τῷ μετανοεῖν, ἐφ' οἷς ἠσέβουν, ὁρᾶν τε ἑαυτοὺς ἀποκλήτους τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν. ἕκαστος οὖν αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος γενήσεται ἀναπεμπαζόμενος τὰ κατὰ τὸν θνητὸν βίον αὐτῷ πεπραγμένα καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως κεντούμενος, καὶ οὕτως αὐτῶν ὁ σκώληξ ἀτελεύτητος διαμένει. οὐ γὰρ δή που περὶ αἰσθητοῦ σκώληκος ὡς μέλλοντος καὶ αὐτοῦ γενήσεσθαι ταῦτ' εἴρηται, «καὶ τὸ πῦρ δὲ αὐτῶν ἄσβεστον» ὑπάρξει. ὃ δὴ τέλος τῶν ἀσεβῶν ὡρίζετο καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις εἰπὼν τοῖς «εἰς τὰ ἀριστερὰ αὐτοῦ» στησομένοις· «πορεύεσθε εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον, τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ». ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖ «αἰώνιον» εἴρηται πῦρ, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα «ἄσβεστον» μιᾶς καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας πυρὸς ἐξ ἑκατέρων τῶν γραφῶν παρισταμένης. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔσονται ἐν τοιαύτῃ ὄντες κολάσει εἰς ὅρασιν πάσῃ σαρκί· ποίᾳ δὲ σαρκί; ἢ πάντως που τῇ μὴ κολασθησομένῃ, τῆς δὲ ἐπουρανίου θέας καταξιωθησομένῃ, περὶ ἧς ἀνωτέρω ἐλέγετο· «ἥξει πᾶσα σὰρξ τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι ἐνώπιόν μου, εἶπε κύριος», καὶ ἐξελεύσονται καὶ ὄψονται. αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἡ σὰρξ ὄψεται τούτων κολαζομένων τέλος τῶν κρειττόνων, αὕτη κατηξιωμένη. οἱ δὲ «τῷ πυρὶ τῷ αἰωνίῳ» παραδοθησόμενοι τὸν ἑαυτῶν σκώληκα