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to their end. The things said before, I considered only in my own thoughts, by which I was in danger of suffering agitation, but I did not declare them to others. For if, having judged it right to think this way, I had brought forth this godless teaching to others; I would have become a transgressor of the pious doctrines, and would have broken the covenants of the generation of your children. For all the holy and God-loving men have become your children, O God. And their generation is the succession of the saints from them, whose teachings and doctrines I would have corrupted, if I had brought forth to others the aforementioned thoughts of my own. But even if I gave myself to know the reasons why sinners remain cheerful and have possessed wealth forever, while the righteous are humbled; not even so would I have comprehended the ineffable judgments concerning these things, but I would have gathered only toils for myself, falling into perplexity and weariness of soul. Therefore he says: And if I undertook to know this, it is toil before me; or according to Symmachus, And if I considered to understand this, it appeared a hardship to me. Wherefore, seeing that the knowledge of these things is incomprehensible to men, using pious reasoning, I thought within myself that it was better to hold back and to await the opportune time for 23.844 the knowledge of these things. And this was, Until I enter the sanctuary of God, and understand their end; or according to Symmachus, Until I enter into the holy places of God, I shall be instructed in their end. And having found for myself this good refuge for the resolution of the perplexing questions, that is, the departure from mortal life and the entrance to the promises of God, I received healing and comfort; knowing well that when I arrive there, I shall perceive the reasons for the things I sought, and I shall know the end of the ungodly. For it is not proper to look only at the present life and at their present luxury, but also to look to their end. Surely for their deceit you have set evils for them; you cast them down when they were lifted up. How they have come to desolation suddenly! they have failed, they have perished because of their folly, as a dream of one waking up. Having set my mind to three reasonings concerning the things I sought, I saw that the one saying, 'Surely in vain have I justified my heart,' was impious and godless; and the one concerning the comprehension of these things was filled with toil and pain because of the depths of the riches of the knowledge of God, and because his judgments are unsearchable, and his ways past finding out; therefore I settled upon the third, judging it best to hold back for the time being, but to wait and look to the end of all things. And entrusting myself to this reasoning, being pious and true, I profited from this very faith. For I knew from the suggestion of the prophetic Spirit that because of their deceit God will cast them down before long, after they have been lifted up and exalted. Then, being enlightened, and having perceived by prophetic power their fall which will overtake them in the end, I rightly say: How they have come to desolation suddenly! they have failed, they have perished because of their folly, and they have become as a dream of one awakened. For as long as one imagines things dreaming in sleep, he seems to do something, being deceived by the fantasy of the dream; but when he is awakened, having shaken off sleep, the things of the fantasy are gone for him. So also for the ungodly, the seeming prosperity of the present life and the wealth and the pride will have a similar end to those who dream and have visions in sleep, then awake and have laid hold of none of the things they seemed to see and hold in their hands. But according to Symmachus, instead of, 'Surely for their deceit you have set for them,' he has said it in this way: Truly you have set them in a slippery place, you have cast them down to destruction; suddenly they have failed, they were consumed as if they had not existed, as a dream to one who has awakened. And for 'suddenly,' and 'unexpectedly,' you will set forth the saving voice which

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εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα αὐτῶν. Τὰ προλεχθέντα ἐν τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ λογισμοῖς ἐνεθυμήθην αὐτὸ μόνον, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ ἐκινδύνευον σάλον παθεῖν, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἐξηγόρευον εἰς ἑτέρους. Εἰ γὰρ κρίνας οὕτω φρονεῖν τὴν ἄθεον ταύτην διδασκαλίαν προέφερον εἰς ἑτέρους· παραβάτης ἂν ἐγενόμην τῶν εὐσεβῶν δογμάτων, καὶ τὰς συνθήκας ἂν παρῆλθον τῆς γενεᾶς τῶν σῶν τέκνων. Τέκνα γάρ σου τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντες γεγόνασιν οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ θεοφιλεῖς ἄνδρες. Γενεὰ δὲ αὐτῶν ἡ ἐξ αὐτῶν διαδοχὴ τῶν ἁγίων, ὧν τὰ μαθήματα καὶ τὰ δόγματα παρεχάραξα ἂν, εἰ προέφερον εἰς ἑτέρους τοὺς προλεχθέντας ἐμαυτοῦ λογισμούς. Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ παρεῖχον ἐμαυτὸν τοῦ γνῶναι τὰς αἰτίας, δι' ἃς οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ εὔθυμοι διατελοῦσι καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατέσχον πλούτου, οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι ταπεινοῦνται· οὐδὲ οὕτω κατέλαβον ἂν τὰς ἀποῤῥήτους περὶ τούτων κρίσεις, κόπους δὲ μόνους ἐμαυτῷ συνῆγον, εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐμπίπτων καὶ εἰς ψυχῆς κάματον. ∆ιό φησι· Καὶ εἰ ὑπέλαβον τοῦ γνῶναι τοῦτο, κόπος ἐστὶν ἐνώπιόν μου· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Καὶ εἰ ἐλογιζόμην ἐπιγνῶναι τοῦτο, μόχθος ἐφαίνετό μοι. ∆ιόπερ ὁρῶν ἀκατάληπτον οὖσαν ἀνθρώποις τὴν τούτων γνῶσιν, εὐσεβεῖ χρώμενος λογισμῷ, διενοούμην παρ' ἐμαυτῷ κρεῖττον εἶναι ἐπέχειν καὶ ἐκδέχεσθαι τὸν ἐπιτήδειον τῆς 23.844 τούτων γνώσεως καιρόν. Οὗτος δὲ ἦν, Ἕως εἰσέλθω εἰς ἁγιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ συνῶ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα αὐτῶν· ἢ κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον, Ἕως εἰσέλθω εἰς τὰ ἁγιάσματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, συνετισθῶ τὰ ἔσχατα αὐτῶν. Ταύτην δὲ καλὴν ἐμαυτῷ καταφυγὴν εὑρὼν τῆς τῶν ἀπορουμένων λύσεως, τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν δηλαδὴ τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου, καὶ τὴν εἴσοδον τὴν ἐπὶ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, θεραπείας ἐτύγχανον καὶ παραμυθίας· εὖ εἰδὼς, ὡς ἐκεῖσε γενόμενος, συναισθήσομαι τοὺς λόγους τῶν ἐζητημένων, γνώσομαί τε τὰ ἔσχατα τῶν ἀσεβῶν. Μὴ γὰρ προσήκει εἰς τὸν παρόντα μόνον ἀποβλέπειν βίον καὶ εἰς τὴν παροῦσαν αὐτῶν τρυφὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα αὐτῶν ἀφορᾷν. Πλὴν διὰ τὰς δολιότητας αὐτῶν ἔθου αὐτοῖς κακά· κατέβαλες αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ἐπαρθῆναι. Πῶς ἐγένοντο εἰς ἐρήμωσιν ἐξάπινα; ἐξέλιπον, ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὴν ἀβουλίαν αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ ἐνύπνιον ἐξεγειρομένων. Τρισὶ λογισμοῖς ἐπιβαλὼν περὶ τῶν ἐζητημένων, τὸν μὲν ἑώρων ἀσεβῆ καὶ ἄθεον τὸν λέγοντα· Ἄρα ματαίως ἐδικαίωσα τὴν καρδίαν μου· τὸν δὲ τῆς τούτων καταλήψεως, πεπληρωμένον κόπου καὶ πόνου διὰ τὰ βάθη τοῦ πλούτου τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀνεξερεύνητα εἶναι τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνιάστους τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ· ἐπὶ τὸν τρίτον οὖν ἔστην κρίνας ἐπέχειν μὲν τέως, περιμένειν δὲ καὶ ἀφορᾷν εἰς τὸ πάντων τέλος. Τούτῳ δ' ἐμπιστεύσας ἐμαυτὸν τῷ λογισμῷ εὐσεβεῖ ὄντι καὶ ἀληθεῖ, ἐξ αὐτῆς ὠνάμην τῆς πίστεως. Ἔγνων γὰρ ἐξ ὑποβολῆς τοῦ προφητικοῦ Πνεύματος, ὡς διὰ τὰς δολιότητας αὐτῶν καταβαλεῖ αὐτοὺς οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ὁ Θεὸς, μετὰ τὸ ἐπαρθῆναι καὶ ὑψωθῆναι. Εἶτα φωτισθεὶς, καὶ τὴν πτῶσιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπὶ τέλει καταληψομένην αὐτοὺς προφητικῇ δυνάμει συνιδὼν, εἰκότως φημί· Πῶς ἐγένοντο εἰς ἐρήμωσιν ἐξάπινα; ἐξέλιπον, ἀπώλοντο διὰ τὴν ἀβουλίαν αὐτῶν, γεγόνασί τε ὡσεὶ ἐνύπνιον ἐξεγηγερμένου. Ἕως μὲν γάρ τις φαντάζεται ὀνειρώττων ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις, δοκεῖ τι πράττειν ἀπατώμενος τῇ τοῦ ἐνυπνίου φαντασίᾳ· ἐπειδὰν δὲ διεγερθῇ τὸν ὕπνον ἀποτριψάμενος, οἴχεται αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς φαντασίας. Οὕτω δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἡ τοῦ παρόντος βίου δοκοῦσα εὐπραγεία καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος καὶ ἡ ὑπερηφανία ὅμοιον ἕξει τὸ τέλος τοῖς ὀνειρώττουσι καὶ ἐνυπνιαζομένοις, ἔπειτα διεγρηγοροῦσι καὶ μηδενὸς ὧν ἐδόκουν ὁρᾷν τε καὶ κατέχειν ταῖς χερσὶν ἐπειλημμένοις. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Πλὴν διὰ τὰς δολιότητας ἔθου αὐτοῖς, τοῦτον εἴρηκε τὸν τρόπον· Ὄντως ἐν ὀλίσθῳ ἔταξας αὐτοὺς, κατέβαλες αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀφανισμούς· ἐξαίφνης ἐξέλιπον, ἀνηλώθησαν ὡς οὐχ ὑπάρξαντες, ὡς ὄνειρον ἐξυπνίσαντι. Εἰς δὲ τὸ, ἐξαίφνης, καὶ τὸ, ἐξάπινα, παραθήσεις τὴν σωτήριον φωνὴν τὴν