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De resurrectione mortuorum

HOMILY ON THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

1. We have spoken to you previously concerning dogmas and the glory of the only-begotten Son of God, silencing those who diminish His dignity, and alienate Him from the One who begot Him; today I wish to exercise a more ethical discourse, and to make the entire exhortation concerning life and conduct; or rather this discourse will not be only ethical, but also dogmatic; for I am preparing to enter upon the subject of the resurrection. And this subject is a varied one, at once both correcting us in dogmas, and ordering our life, and freeing the providence of God from all accusation. And just as when disbelieved, it overturns our life, and fills it with countless evils, and turns things upside down; so when believed, it introduces to us arguments concerning Providence, and prepares us to take great 50.418ter care for virtue, and to flee vice with great diligence, and fills all things with tranquility and peace. For the one who does not expect to be resurrected, nor to give an account for the things done by him here, but believes that our affairs stop with the present life, and that there is nothing further beyond, will neither care for virtue; for how could he, expecting no reward to be laid up for him for his labors? nor will he abstain from vice, expecting to undergo no punishment for the evil things done by him; but having given himself over to wicked desires, he will pursue every form of wickedness. But he who has convinced himself about the future judgment, and has that fearful tribunal before his eyes, and the inexorable accounts and the sentence that cannot be argued away, will try in every way to hold fast to moderation 50.419 and gentleness and the other virtues, and to flee intemperance and insolence and all other wickedness; and from this he will be able to silence with great abundance those who accuse the providence of God. For when some see the gentle and sober and those living in righteousness, strangled by poverty, being abused, being falsely accused, scarcely having enough necessary food, and often also worn out by long illness and harsh diseases, and obtaining no protection, but sorcerers and defiled men and those full of many evils clothed in wealth, living in luxury, wearing splendid garments, dragging along a great swarm of servants, being admired, enjoying power, possessing great boldness before the king; then some because of these things accuse the providence of God, and say: Where in these things is providence? And where is righteous judgment? The sober and gentle man is in evils, the intemperate and corrupt man is in good things; and this one is admired, while that one is despised; this one enjoys much luxury, that one is in poverty and the utmost evils. The one who doubts about the future will be silenced, and will say nothing at all; but the one who knows how to reason about the resurrection will easily restrain the blasphemy, and will say to those who are vexed by such things: Cease sharpening your own tongue against the God who made you. For our affairs do not stand only for the present life, but we are hastening to another life, much longer, or rather, having no end; and there certainly this poor man who lives with righteousness will receive the rewards for these labors, but the intemperate man and sorcerer, for this wickedness and the

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De resurrectione mortuorum

ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΝΕΚΡΩΝ ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΕΩΣ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ

αʹ. Περὶ δογμάτων ὑμῖν ἔμπροσθεν διελέχθημεν καὶ τῆς τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξης, ἐπιστομίζοντες τοὺς καθαιροῦντας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν, καὶ τοῦ γεγεννηκότος αὐτὸν ἀλλοτριοῦντας· σήμερον τὸν ἠθικώτερον βούλομαι γυμνάσαι λόγον, καὶ περὶ βίου καὶ πολιτείας ἅπασαν ποιήσασθαι τὴν παραίνεσιν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἠθικὸς ἔσται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δογματικὸς οὗτος ὁ λόγος· εἰς γὰρ τὴν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὑπόθεσιν καθεῖναι παρασκευάζομαι. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ ὑπόθεσις ποικίλη τίς ἐστιν, ὁμοῦ καὶ εἰς δόγματα ἡμᾶς διορθοῦσα, καὶ τὸν βίον ἡμῶν ῥυθμίζουσα, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν ἁπάσης ἀπαλλάττουσα κατηγορίας. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπιστουμένη, τὴν ζωὴν ἀνατρέπει τὴν ἡμετέραν, καὶ μυρίων κακῶν ἐμπίπλησι, καὶ τὰ ἄνω κάτω ποιεῖ· οὕτω πιστευομένη, τοὺς περὶ τῆς Προνοίας ἡμῖν συνεισάγει λόγους, καὶ πολλὴν τῆς 50.418ter ἀρετῆς παρασκευάζει ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς τὴν κακίαν φεύγειν, καὶ γαλήνης ἅπαντα καὶ εἰρήνης πληροῖ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ μὴ προσδοκῶν ἀναστήσεσθαι, μηδὲ εὐθύνας δώσειν τῶν ἐνταῦθα πεπραγμένων αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὰ ἡμέτερα στήσεσθαι νομίζων, καὶ περαιτέρω μηδὲν εἶναι πλέον, οὔτε ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελήσεται· πῶς γὰρ, μηδεμίαν προσδοκῶν ἀμοιβὴν αὐτῷ κεῖσθαι τῶν πόνων; οὔτε κακίας ἀφέξεται, μηδεμίαν προσδοκῶν ὑποστήσεσθαι κόλασιν τῶν κακῶς αὐτῷ πεπραγμένων· ἀλλ' ἐπιδοὺς ἑαυτὸν ταῖς ἀτόποις ἐπιθυμίαις, πᾶν εἶδος ἐπελεύσεται πονηρίας. Ὁ δὲ περὶ τῆς μελλούσης πεπεικὼς ἑαυτὸν κρίσεως, καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν δικαστήριον ἐκεῖνο πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἔχων, καὶ τὰς ἀπαραιτήτους εὐθύνας καὶ τὴν ἀπαραλόγιστον ψῆφον, παντὶ τρόπῳ πειράσεται σωφροσύνης 50.419 μὲν καὶ ἐπιεικείας ἀντέχεσθαι καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς, ἀκολασίαν δὲ καὶ θρασύτητα καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν πονηρίαν φεύγειν· καὶ τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς περιουσίας ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιστομίσαι οὗτος δυνήσεται. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁρῶντές τινες τοὺς μὲν ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ σώφρονας καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ζῶντας, ἀγχομένους ὑπὸ πενίας, ἐπηρεαζομένους, συκοφαντουμένους, μόλις τῆς ἀναγκαίας εὐποροῦντας τροφῆς, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ νόσῳ μακρᾷ καὶ χαλεποῖς νοσήμασι ταριχευομένους, καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς τυγχάνοντας προστασίας, ἀνθρώπους δὲ γόητας καὶ μιαροὺς καὶ πολλῶν γέμοντας κακῶν πλοῦτον περιβεβλημένους, τρυφῶντας, λαμπρὰ περικειμένους ἱμάτια, ἐσμὸν οἰκετῶν ἐπισυρομένους πολὺν, θαυμαζομένους, δυναστείας ἀπολαύοντας, παρὰ βασιλεῖ πολλὴν κεκτημένους παῤῥησίαν· εἶτά τινες ὑπὲρ τούτων κατηγορῶσι τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, καὶ λέγωσι· Ποῦ ταῦτα προνοίας; ποῦ δὲ δικαίας κρίσεως; ὁ σώφρων καὶ ἐπιεικὴς ἐν κακοῖς, ὁ ἀκόλαστος καὶ διεφθαρμένος ἐν ἀγαθοῖς· καὶ οὗτος μὲν θαυμάζεται, ἐκεῖνος δὲ καταφρονεῖται· οὗτος ἀπολαύει τρυφῆς πολλῆς, ἐκεῖνος ἐν πενίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἐστὶ κακοῖς· ὁ μὲν περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀμφιβάλλων σιωπηθήσεται, καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως ἐρεῖ· ὁ δὲ περὶ ἀναστάσεως φιλοσοφεῖν εἰδὼς, ῥᾳδίως τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐφέξει, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀποδυσπετοῦντας ἐρεῖ· Παύσασθε κατὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος ὑμᾶς Θεοῦ τὴν γλῶτταν ἀκονῶντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν. Οὐ γὰρ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὰ ἡμέτερα ἕστηκε πράγματα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἑτέραν ζωὴν ἐπειγόμεθα πολλῷ μακροτέραν, μᾶλλον δὲ πέρας οὐκ ἔχουσαν· κἀκεῖ πάντως ὁ μὲν πένης οὗτος καὶ μετὰ δικαιοσύνης ζῶν, τῶν πόνων τούτων λήψεται τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, ὁ δὲ ἀκόλαστος καὶ γόης, τῆς πονηρίας ταύτης καὶ τῆς