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Dialogus de anima et resurrectione

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS GREGORY, BISHOP OF NYSSA, THE DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE SOUL AND RESURRECTION, CALLED "THE MACRINIA".

Since the great Basil, one among the saints, had departed from human life to God, and a common cause of mourning had arisen for the Churches, and my sister and teacher was still in this life, I went in haste to share with her in the misfortune concerning our brother. And my soul was in great pain, grieving exceedingly at such a loss, and I was seeking some companion in my tears who bore an equal burden of grief to my own. But when we were in each other’s sight, the teacher, appearing before my eyes, stirred up my grief; for indeed she herself was already afflicted with a fatal illness. But she, like skilled horsemen, allowing me for a little while to be carried away by the rush of my passion, then attempted to rein me in with her speech, guiding the unruly part of my soul as with a bridle by her own reasoning, and she 46.13 uttered the apostolic saying, that we should not grieve for those who have fallen asleep; for this is a passion for those alone who have no hope.

{L.} And I, while my heart was still seething with grief, said, "How is it possible for this to be achieved among men, since there exists in everyone such a natural aversion to death, and neither do those who see the dying easily accept the sight, and those whom death approaches flee it as much as possible? But also since those who rule by law judge this the ultimate injustice and the ultimate punishment, what device is there to consider departure from life as nothing, even in the case of a stranger, let alone one’s own friends, when they come to the end of their life? We see, too," I said, "that all human endeavor aims at this: how we might remain in life. For this reason, houses have been devised for us to live in, so that our bodies might not be worn down by the surrounding cold or heat. And what else is agriculture but a provision for living? And care for life surely arises from the fear of death. And why is the art of medicine so honored by men? Is it not because through its skill it seems in some way to fight against death? And breastplates, and shields, and greaves, and helmets, and defensive weapons, and the circuits of walls and iron-bound gates, and the security of moats and such things, what else are they for but the fear of death? Since death is thus naturally fearful, how is it possible to be easily persuaded by one who commands the survivor to remain 46.16 without grief for the one who has passed away?"

{M.} "But what," says the teacher, "seems to you most grievous about death in itself? For the habit of the less rational is not a sufficient charge against it." {G.} "What then is not worthy of grief," I said to her, "when we see one who was just now living and speaking, suddenly become breathless and voiceless and motionless, and all their natural senses extinguished, sight not working, nor hearing, nor any other of those things which sensation perceives? To whom, even if you apply fire, or iron, or cut the body with a sword, or set it before flesh-eating beasts, or hide it in the earth, the one lying there is indifferent to everything. When, therefore, this change is seen, and that vital cause, whatever it was, suddenly becomes unseen and unperceived, just as when a lamp is extinguished, the flame which was just now kindled upon it neither remains on the wick, nor removes itself somewhere else, but passes into complete annihilation, how could anyone bear such a great change without grief, when it is so plainly thrust upon them? For the departure of the soul

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Dialogus de anima et resurrectione

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΨΥΧΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΕΩΣ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ Ο ΛΕΓΟΜΕΝΟΣ ΤΑ ΜΑΚΡΙΝΙΑ.

Ἐπειδὴ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου βίου πρὸς Θεὸν μετέστη ὁ πολὺς ἐν ἁγίοις

Βασίλειος, καὶ κοινὴ πένθους ἀφορμὴ ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ἐγένετο, περιῆν δὲ ἔτι τῷ βίῳ ἡ ἀδελφὴ καὶ διδάσκαλος, ἐγὼ μὲν ᾔειν κατὰ σπου δὴν κοινωνήσων ἐκείνῃ τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ συμφορᾶς. Καί μοι περιώδυνος ἦν ἡ ψυχὴ, πρὸς τοιαύτην ζημίαν ὑπεραλγοῦσα, καί τινα τῶν δακρύων κοινω νὸν ἐπεζήτουν τὸν ἶσον ἔχοντά μοι τῆς λύπης ἄχθος. Ὡς δὲ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἦμεν ἀλλήλων, ἐμοὶ μὲν ἀνεκίνει τὸ πάθος προφανεῖσα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡ δι δάσκαλος· καὶ γὰρ ἤδη καὶ αὐτὴ τῇ πρὸς θάνατον ἀῤῥωστίᾳ συνείχετο. Ἡ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς τῆς ἱππικῆς ἐπιστήμονας ἐνδοῦσά μοι πρὸς ὀλίγον παρενεχθῆναι τῇ ῥύμῃ τοῦ πάθους, ἀναστομοῦν ἐπεχείρει μετὰ ταῦτα τῷ λόγῳ, καθάπερ χαλινῷ τινι τῷ ἰδίῳ λογισμῷ τὸ ἀτακτοῦν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπευθύνουσα, καὶ ἦν 46.13 αὐτῇ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν λόγιον προφερόμενον, τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν κεκοιμημένων λυπεῖσθαι· μόνων γὰρ τοῦτο τῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων ἐλπίδα τὸ πάθος εἶναι.

{Λ.} Κἀγὼ περιζεούσης ἔτι μοι τῆς καρδίας τῇ λύπῃ Πῶς ἔστιν, εἶπον, ἐν ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο κατορθωθῆ ναι, οὕτως ἐν ἑκάστῳ φυσικοῦ τινος πρὸς τὸν θάνατον τῆς διαβολῆς ὑπαρχούσης, καὶ οὔτε τῶν ὁρώντων τοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας εὐκόλως καταδεχομένων τὴν θέαν, οἷς τε ἂν προσίῃ ὁ θάνατος ἀποφευγόντων ἐφ' ὅσον οἷόν τε; Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐπικρατούντων νόμον ἔσχατον ἐν ἀδικίαις καὶ ἔσχατον ἐν τιμωρίαις τοῦτο κρινόντων, τίς μηχανὴ τὸ μηδὲν ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν τοῦ ζῇν ἀναχώρησιν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔξω τινὸς μὴ ὅτι γε τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ὅταν τοῦ βίου λήγωσιν; Ὁρῶμεν δὲ, εἶπον, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σπουδὴν πρὸς τοῦτο βλέπουσαν, ὅπως ἂν ἐν τῷ ζῇν διαμένοιμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ οἶκοι πρὸς διαγωγὴν ἡμῖν ἐπινενόην, ὡς ἂν μὴ τῷ περιέχοντι διὰ ψύξεως ἢ θερμότητος καταπονοῖτο τὰ σώματα. Γεωπονία δὲ τί ἄλλο καὶ οὐχὶ τοῦ ζῇν ἐστι παρασκευή; Ἡ δὲ τῆς ζωῆς φροντὶς πάντως διὰ τὸν τοῦ θανάτου φόβον γίνεται. Ἡ δὲ ἰατρικὴ πόθεν τιμία τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐστίν; Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ μάχεσθαί πως διὰ τῆς τέχνης δοκεῖ πρὸς τὸν θάνατον; Θώρακες δὲ, καὶ θυρεοὶ, καὶ κνημῖδες, καὶ κράνη, καὶ τὰ ἀμυντήρια τῶν ὅπλων, καὶ αἱ τῶν τειχῶν περιβολαὶ καὶ σιδηρόδετοι πύλαι, καὶ ἡ τῶν τάφρων ἀσφάλεια καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, τί ἄλλο πλὴν διὰ τὸν τοῦ θανάτου γίνεται φόβον; Οὕτως οὖν ὄντος φοβεροῦ φυσικῶς τοῦ θανάτου, πῶς ἔστι ῥᾳδίως πεισθῆναι τῷ κελεύοντι ἄλυπον διαμέ 46.16 νειν ἐπὶ τοῦ κατοιχομένου τὸν περιόντα;

{Μ.} Τί δὲ, φησὶν ἡ διδάσκαλος, τί σοι μάλιστα λυπηρὸν αὐτὸ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ, τὸ τοῦ θανάτου δοκεῖ; οὐ γὰρ ἱκα νὸν εἰς διαβολὴν ἡ τῶν ἀλογωτέρων συνήθεια. {Γ.} Τί μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστι λύπης ἄξιον, πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπον ἐγὼ, ὅταν βλέπωμεν τὸν τέως ζῶντά τε καὶ φθεγγόμενον, ἄπνουν καὶ ἄναυδον καὶ ἀκίνητον ἀθρόως γενόμενον, καὶ πάντα αὐτῶν σβεσθέντα τὰ φυσικὰ αἰσθητήρια, οὐκ ὄψεως, οὐκ ἀκοῆς ἐνεργού σης, οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς ὧν ἡ αἴσθησις τὴν ἀντίληψιν ἔχει; Ὧ κἂν πῦρ προσενέγκῃς, κἂν σίδηρον, κἂν ἀνατέμῃς διὰ ξίφους τὸ σῶμα, κἂν τοῖς σαρκοβόροις προθῇς, κἂν ἐγκρύψῃς χώματι, πρὸς ἅπαντα ὁμοίως ὁ κείμενος ἔχει. Ὅταν οὖν ἐν τούτοις βλέπηται ἡ μεταβολὴ, τὸ δὲ ζωτικὸν ἐκεῖνο αἴτιον, ὅ τί ποτε ἦν, ἀφανές τε καὶ ἄδολον ἀθρόως γένηται, καθάπερ ἐπὶ λύχνου σβεσθέντος τῆς τέως ἐξαπτομένης ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ φλογὸς οὔτε ἐπὶ τῆς θρυαλλίδος μενούσης, οὔτε ἑτέ ρωθί που μεθισταμένης, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀφανισμὸν παντελῆ μεταχωρούσης, πῶς ἂν γένοιτο τὴν τοσαύτην μετα βολὴν ἐνεγκεῖν ἀλύπως μηδενὶ, προδήλως ἐπερειδό μενον; Ἔξοδον γὰρ ψυχῆς