De exitu animi HOMILY 14

Concerning the departure of the soul, and concerning the second coming.

77.1072

I fear death, because it is bitter to me. I fear Gehenna, because it is endless. I fear Tartarus, because it has no warmth. I fear the darkness, because it has no light. I fear the venomous worm, because it is endless. I fear the angels of judgment, because they are merciless. I fear, considering the terrible and incorruptible tribunal of that day, the dreadful judgment seat, the incorruptible judge. I fear the river of fire, which flows before that judgment seat, and roars with the most violent flame, the sharpened swords. I fear the severe punishments. I fear the torment that has no end. I fear the lightless gloom. I fear the outer darkness. I fear the unbreakable bonds, the gnashing of teeth, the inconsolable weeping. I fear the inescapable reproofs; for that judge needs no accusers, nor witnesses, nor proofs, nor refutations; but whatever we have done, and spoken, and planned, He brings forth before the eyes of the sinners.

Then there is no one standing by, and snatching one from the punishment, not a father, not a mother, not a son, not a daughter, not any other of the relatives, not a neighbor, not a friend, not an advocate, not a gift of money, not an abundance of wealth, not the prestige of power; but all these things are driven like dust into ash, and being judged alone by what he has done, he awaits the liberating or the condemning verdict. Woe is me! Woe is me! my conscience convicts me, and the scripture cries out, and teaches me: O soul, of the defilements, and of the works abominable to you! Woe is me, for I have corrupted the temple of the body, and grieved your Holy Spirit! O God, your works are true, and your judgment is just, and your ways 77.1073 are straight, and your judgments are unsearchable. For a temporary enjoyment of sin, I am eternally tormented; for the pleasure of the flesh, I am given over to the fire. Just is the judgment of God; I was called, and I did not obey; I was taught, and I did not pay attention; they testified to me, but I scoffed; reading and knowing, not disbelieving, but in negligence, and indolence, and listlessness, and in distractions, and disturbances, and storms living luxuriously and wastefully, and leaping with exultation, and making merry I spent my years, and months, and days toiling, and laboring, and striving for temporary, and corruptible, and earthly things; not taking to mind, or considering, what fear and trembling, and agony, and necessity the soul has to see, when it is separated from the body. For there come upon us armies and heavenly powers; and of the opposing powers, the rulers of darkness, the world-rulers of wickedness, the chief tax-collectors, and accountants, and reckoners of the air; and with them the man-slaying devil, the tyrant in malice, whose tongue is like a sharpened razor; concerning whom the prophet says: The arrows of the mighty are sharpened, with the coals of the desolate; and he lies in wait as a lion in his den, the great dragon, the apostate, Hades, who widens his mouth, the ruler of the authority of darkness, he who has the power of death and in some manner of justice, seizing the soul, bringing forth and counting all that was done by me in deed and word, the lawless deeds both in knowledge, and in ignorance, and

De exitu animi ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ι∆ʹ

Περὶ ἐξόδου ψυχῆς, καὶ περὶ τῆς δευτέρας παρουσίας.

77.1072

Φοβοῦμαι τὸν θάνατον, ὅτι πικρός μοί ἐστι. Φοβοῦμαι τὴν γέενναν, ὅτι ἀτελεύτητός ἐστι. Φοβοῦμαι τὸν τάρταρον, ὅτι οὐ μετέχει θέρμης. Φοβοῦμαι τὸ σκότος, ὅτι οὐ μετέχει φωτός. Φοβοῦμαι τὸν σκώληκα τὸν ἰοβόλον, ὅτι ἀτελεύτητός ἐστι. Φοβοῦμαι τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς κρίσεως, ὅτι ἀνελεήμονές εἰσι. Φοβοῦμαι ἐννοῶν τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ ἀδέκαστον δικαστήριον, τὸ βῆμα τὸ φρικῶδες, τὸν δικαστὴν τὸν ἀδέκαστον. Φοβοῦμαι τὸν ποταμὸν τοῦ πυρὸς, τὸν πρὸ τοῦ βήματος ἐκείνου συρόμενον, καὶ σφοδροτάτῃ κατακλάζοντα τῇ φλογὶ, τὰς ἠκονημένας ῥομφαίας. Φοβοῦμαι τὰς ἀποτόμους τιμωρίας. Φοβοῦμαι τὴν κόλασιν τὴν οὐκ ἔχουσαν τέλος. Φοβοῦμαι τὸν ζόφον τὸν ἀφεγγῆ. Φοβοῦμαι τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον. Φοβοῦμαι τὰ δεσμὰ τὰ ἄλυτα, τὸν βρυγμὸν τῶν ὀδόντων, τὸν κλαυθμὸν τὸν ἀπαραμύθητον. Φοβοῦμαι τοὺς ἀφύκτους ἐλέγχους· οὐδὲν γὰρ κατηγόρων δεῖται ὁ δικαστὴς ἐκεῖνος, οὔτε μαρτύρων, οὔτε ἀποδείξεων, οὔτε ἐλέγχων· ἀλλ' ὅσα ἐπράξαμεν, καὶ ἐλαλήσαμεν, καὶ ἐβουλευσάμεθα, φέρει εἰς μέσον πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῶν πεπλημμεληκότων.

Τότε οὐδεὶς ὁ παριστάμενος, καὶ ἐξαρπάζων τῆς τιμωρίας, οὐ πατὴρ, οὐ μήτηρ, οὐχ υἱὸς, οὐχὶ θυγάτηρ, οὐκ ἄλλος τις τῶν συγγενῶν, οὐ γείτων, οὐ φίλος, οὐ συνήγορος, οὐ χρημάτων δόσις, οὐ πλούτου περιουσία, οὐ δυναστείας ὄγκος· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ὥσπερ κόνις εἰς σποδὸν ἐλήλαται, καὶ μόνος κρινόμενος ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῷ πεπραγμένων, τὴν ἐλευθεροῦσαν, ἢ τὴν καταδικάζουσαν ὑπομένει ψῆφον. Οἴμοι! οἴμοι! τῆς συνειδήσεως ἐλεγχούσης με, καὶ τῆς γραφῆς βοώσης, καὶ διδασκούσης με· ὦ ψυχὴ, τῶν μιασμάτων, καὶ παρὰ σοὶ ἐβδελυγμένων ἔργων! Οἴμοι, ὅτι τὸν ναὸν τοῦ σώματος ἔφθειρα, καὶ τὸ ἅγιόν σου Πνεῦμα ἐλύπησα! ὦ Θεὲ, ἀληθινά σου τὰ ἔργα, καὶ δικαία ἡ κρίσις σου, καὶ εὐθεῖαι αἱ ὁδοί 77.1073 σου, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα τὰ κρίματά σου. ∆ιὰ πρόσκαιρον ἁμαρτίας ἀπόλαυσιν, ἀθάνατα βασανίζομαι· δι' ἡδονὴν σαρκὸς, τῷ πυρὶ παραδίδομαι. ∆ικαία ἡ κρίσις τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐκαλούμην, καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουον· ἐδιδασκόμην, καὶ οὐ προσεῖχον· διεμαρτύραντό μοι, ἐγὼ δὲ κατεγέλων· ἀναγινώσκων καὶ ἐπιγινώσκων, οὐκ ἀπιστεύων, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀμελείᾳ, καὶ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ, καὶ ἀκηδίᾳ, καὶ ἐν περισπασμοῖς, καὶ ταραχαῖς, καὶ ζάλαις τρυφῶν καὶ σπαταλῶν, καὶ σκιρτῶν ἀγαλλόμενος, καὶ εὐφραινόμενος ἐδαπάνησά μου τὰ ἔτη, καὶ τοὺς μῆνας, καὶ τὰς ἡμέρας εἰς τὰ πρόσκαιρα, καὶ φθαρτὰ, καὶ γήϊνα κοπιῶν, καὶ μοχθῶν, καὶ ἀγωνιζόμενος· μὴ εἰς νοῦν λαμβάνων, ἢ λογιζόμενος, οἷον φόβον καὶ τρόμον, καὶ ἀγῶνα, καὶ ἀνάγκην ἔχει ἰδεῖν ἡ ψυχὴ, ὅτε τοῦ σώματος χωρίζεται. Παραγίνονται γὰρ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς στρατιαὶ καὶ δυνάμεις οὐράνιοι· καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεων, οἱ τοῦ σκότους ἄρχοντες, οἱ κοσμοκράτορες τῆς πονηρίας, οἱ τελωνάρχαι, καὶ λογοθέται, καὶ πρακτοψηφισταὶ τοῦ ἀέρος· καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀνθρωποκτόνος διάβολος, ὁ ἐν κακίᾳ δυνάστης, οὗ ἡ γλῶσσα, ὡσεὶ ξυρὸν ἠκονημένον· περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Τὰ βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκονημένα σὺν τοῖς ἄνθραξι τοῖς ἐρημικοῖς· καὶ ἐνεδρεύει ὡς λέων ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ αὐτοῦ, ὁ δράκων ὁ μέγας, ὁ ἀποστάτης, ὁ ᾅδης, ὁ πλατύνων στόμα αὐτοῦ, ὁ ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους, ὁ ἔχων τοῦ θανάτου τὸ κράτος καὶ τρόπῳ τινὶ δίκην, κατέχων τὴν ψυχὴν, ἐπιφέρων καὶ ψηφίζων πάντα τὰ ἐμοὶ πεπραγμένα ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ, τὰ ἐν γνώσει, καὶ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ, ἀνομήματα καὶ