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they were astonished finding footprints in the paradise and they reported these things to the king, saying 'all are soldiers in your kingdom and no one is a pagan. Whence then are there footprints of pagans in the paradise?' And he marveled, and as the parable, of course, of the apocryphal book says, speaking enigmatically to man, but God is ignorant of nothing. And the narrative says that he sent for the lame man and the blind man and asked the blind man, 'Did you go down into the paradise?' And he said, 'Alas, lord; you see our weakness, you know that 2.517 I do not see where I am walking.' Then coming to the lame man, he asked him too, 'Did you go down into my paradise?' And he answered and said, 'O lord, do you wish to embitter my soul in the matter of my weakness?' And so the judgment is delayed. What then does the just judge do? Recognizing in what manner both were yoked together, he places the lame man on the cripple and examines them both with scourges, and they are not able to deny. Each convicts the other, the lame man saying to the blind man, 'Did you not carry me and bring me away?' and the blind man to the lame man, 'Were you not yourself my eyes?' Thus the body is joined to the soul and the soul to the body for the conviction of their common work, and the judgment becomes complete concerning both, body and soul, * of the deeds that were done, whether good or evil. And you who are careful of your own lives see that all who were brought against the truth have procured injustice for themselves, as also the holy prophet David says, 'he conceived trouble and brought forth iniquity.' For everyone who gathers to himself the trouble of others' thoughts begets injustice for himself and for those who are persuaded by him; 'He dug a pit and hollowed it out, and he will fall into the ditch that he made.' But against all these things, if anyone has anything to say against them, let him come forward; if anyone wishes to act against God, let him dare. For God is mighty; 'he will not grow weary or be hungry or be thirsty, nor is there any searching of his understanding,' in which he raises dissolved bodies, in which he saves what is perishing, in which he gives life to what is dead, in which he clothes the corruptible with incorruption, in which he brings the fallen seed to resurrection, in which he leads what was sown and died to a greater splendor, renewing it; as is stated in many scriptures, which speak enigmatically of our resurrection. 71. And in the psalm of David concerning the dedication of the house of David, as the prophet was watching intently and observing the future with the Holy Spirit, he spoke fittingly about the resurrection; 'I will exalt you, Lord, because you have taken me up, renewing my house,' that is, the body which had fallen, 2.518 'and you did not make my enemies rejoice over me.' And Solomon in proverbs likewise, preparing all things of hope for the preparation there, urged, saying 'Prepare your works for the departure' calling the departure the release from here 'and prepare yourself,' he says, 'for the field,' extending the admonition to all together, those in the country and in the city, both to the educated and to those who practice manual arts, for whom no work in a field is required; for whence for linen-workers and silversmiths, and for poets and writers, is the preparation in the field? For the voice has called all together indiscriminately, adding 'prepare yourself for the field,' hinting at nothing else than this, that for every person, citizen and country-dweller, the field is the laying aside of the body, the end which comes through burial? Then afterwards, signifying the same hope of the resurrection, he says, 'and you shall rebuild your house.' He did not say 'you shall build the house'; for it was built once in the formation in the womb, when our mothers conceived each of us in the formation; but the resurrection from the earth, or from the field, is no longer a building but a rebuilding, on account of the demolition brought upon it in the fall of burial; as the savior also said, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
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ἐξεπλάγησαν τὰ ἴχνη εὑρόντες ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ καὶ ταῦτα ἀνήγγειλαν τῷ βασιλεῖ, λέγοντες «ἅπαντες στρατιῶται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου καὶ οὐδείς ἐστι παγανός. πόθεν τοίνυν ἴχνη παγανῶν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ»; ὁ δὲ ἐθαύμασε, καὶ ὡς μὲν ἡ παραβολὴ δηλονότι τοῦ ἀποκρύφου λέγει ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον αἰνιττομένη, ὁ θεὸς δὲ οὐδὲν ἀγνοεῖ. ἡ δὲ διήγησις λέγει ὡς μετεστείλατο τὸν χωλὸν καὶ τὸν τυφλὸν καὶ ἠρώτησε τὸν τυφλόν «μὴ σὺ κατῆλθες εἰς τὸν παράδεισον»; ὁ δὲ ἔφη «οἴμοι, κύριε· ὁρᾷς ἡμῶν τὴν ἀδυναμίαν, οἶδας ὅτι 2.517 οὐχ ὁρῶ ποῦ βαδίζω». εἶτα ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸν χωλὸν καὶ αὐτὸν ἠρώτα «σὺ κατῆλθες εἰς τὸν παράδεισόν μου»; ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν «ὦ κύριε, πικρᾶναί μου τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν τῷ μέρει τῆς ἀδυναμίας βούλει». καὶ λοιπὸν ἡ κρίσις ἀργεῖ. τί οὖν ποιεῖ ὁ κριτὴς ὁ δίκαιος; ἀναγνοὺς ποίῳ τρόπῳ ἀμφότεροι ἐζεύχθησαν ἐπιτίθησι τὸν χωλὸν τῷ πηρῷ καὶ τοὺς ἀμφοτέρους ἐτάζει μάστιξι, καὶ οὐ δύνανται ἀρνήσασθαι. ἑκάτεροι ἀλλήλους ἐλέγχουσιν, ὁ μὲν χωλὸς λέγων τῷ τυφλῷ «οὐ σύ με ἐβάστασας καὶ ἀπήνεγκας»; καὶ ὁ τυφλὸς τῷ χωλῷ «οὐκ αὐτὸς ὀφθαλμοί μου γέγονας»; οὕτως τὸ σῶμα τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ τῷ σώματι εἰς ἔλεγχον τῆς κοινῆς ἐργασίας συνάπτεται, καὶ ἡ κρίσις τελεία γίνεται περὶ ἀμφοτέρων, σώματός τε καὶ ψυχῆς, * τῶν ἔργων τῶν γεγενημένων εἴτε ἀγαθῶν εἴτε φαύλων. Καὶ ὁρᾶτε οἱ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς ἐπιμελόμενοι ὅτι πάντες οἱ κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐνεχθέντες ἑαυτοῖς τὴν ἀδικίαν προσεπορίσαντο, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἅγιος προφήτης ∆αυὶδ λέγει «συνέλαβε πόνον καὶ ἔτεκεν ἀνομίαν». πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ἑαυτῷ συνάγων τὸν πόνον τῶν ἀλλοτρίων διανοημάτων ἑαυτῷ τίκτει τὴν ἀδικίαν καὶ τοῖς πειθομένοις· «λάκκον ὤρυξε καὶ ἀνέσκαψεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς βόθρον ὃν εἰργάσατο». ἀλλὰ πρὸς ταῦτα πάντα εἴ τις ἔχει ἀντιλέγειν, ἡκέτω· εἴ τις θέλει θεῷ ἀντιπράττειν, τολμάτω. θεὸς γὰρ ἰσχυρὸς «οὐ κοπιάσει οὐδὲ πεινάσει οὐδὲ διψήσει, οὐδὲ ἔστιν ἐξεύρεσις τῆς φρονήσεως αὐτοῦ», ἐν ᾗ τὰ λελυμένα σώματα ἐγείρει, ἐν ᾗ τὸ ἀπολλύμενον σῴζει, ἐν ᾗ τὸ τεθνηκὸς ζωογονεῖ, ἐν ᾗ τὸ φθαρτὸν ἀφθαρσίαν ἀμφιέννυσιν, ἐν ᾗ τὸν κόκκον τὸν πεσόντα εἰς ἀνάστασιν φέρει, ἐν ᾗ τὸν σπαρέντα καὶ ἀποθανόντα εἰς περισσοτέραν φαιδρότητα ἄγει ἀνακαινίζων· ὡς ἐν πολλαῖς γραφαῖς ἐμφέρεται, αἰνιττομένης τῆς ἡμῶν ἀναστάσεως. 71. Ἐν δὲ τῷ τοῦ ∆αυὶδ περὶ τοῦ ἐγκαινισμοῦ τοῦ οἴκου ∆αυὶδ ψαλμῷ ὡς καραδοκῶν ὁ προφήτης καὶ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ σκοπῶν τὸ μέλλον εὐλόγως περὶ ἀναστάσεως ἔφη· «ὑψώσω σε, κύριε, ὅτι ὑπέλαβές με, ἀνακαινίζων μου τὸν οἶκον», τουτέστιν τὸ σῶμα τὸ πεσόν, 2.518 «καὶ οὐκ ηὔφρανας τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐπ' ἐμέ». καὶ ὁ Σολομῶν ἐν παροιμίαις ὡσαύτως εἰς τὴν ἐκεῖσε ἑτοιμασίαν τὰ πάντα τῆς ἐλπίδος παρασκευάζων προὔτρεπε φάσκων «ἑτοίμαζε εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον τὰ ἔργα σου» ἔξοδον λέγων τὴν ἀπ' ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγήν «καὶ ἑτοιμάζου» φησίν «εἰς τὸν ἀγρόν», ὁμοῦ πᾶσι τὴν νουθεσίαν ἐπεκτεινόμενος τοῖς κατὰ ἀγρόν τε καὶ κατὰ ἄστυ, λογίοις τε καὶ τοῖς τὰς βαναύσους τέχνας ἐπιχειροῦσιν, οἷς οὐδεμία ἐργασία κατὰ ἀγρὸν ἐπιζητουμένη· πόθεν γὰρ λινουργοῖς καὶ ἀργυροχόοις, ποιηταῖς τε καὶ λογογράφοις ἡ κατὰ τὴν ἄρουραν ἑτοιμασία; συλλήβδην γὰρ ὁμοῦ ἡ φωνὴ ἀδιακρίτως τοὺς πάντας κέκληκεν ἐπειποῦσα «ἑτοιμάζου εἰς τὸν ἀγρόν», τί ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτο αἰνιττομένη, ὅτι παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ πολίτῃ τε καὶ ἀγροίκῳ ἀπόθεσις τοῦ σώματος ἀγρός, τὸ διὰ τὴν ταφὴν τέλος; εἶτα μετέπειτα τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως σημαίνων ἐλπίδα φάσκει «καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσεις τὸν οἶκόν σου». οὐκ εἶπεν «οἰκοδομήσεις τὸν οἶκον»· ἅπαξ γὰρ ᾠκοδομήθη ἐν τῇ πλάσει τῇ κατὰ τὴν γαστέρα, ὅτε αἱ μητέρες ἐκύϊσκον ἕκαστον ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ πλάσει· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς γῆς ἡ ἀνάστασις ἢ ἀπὸ ἀγροῦ, οὐκέτι οἰκοδομουμένῃ ἀλλὰ ἀνοικοδομουμένῃ, διὰ τὴν ἐπενεχθεῖσαν αὐτῇ καθαίρεσιν ἐν τῷ τῆς ταφῆς πτώματι· ὡς καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἔφη «λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγείρω