Слово 7 *

Funeral service for brother Caesarea, delivered while his parents were still alive Perhaps, you think, friends, brothers and fathers, dear in deed and name, that I willingly begin to speak, wanting to accompany those who have left us with tears and lamentation, or to offer a long and florid speech, which many enjoy. And some are preparing to grieve and shed tears with me, so that, together with my grief, they can mourn their own, whichever one has, and learn grief from the suffering of a friend; others hope to satiate their ears and receive pleasure, assuming that I will turn the misfortune itself into an opportunity to show myself, as happened to me before, when, among other things, I was quite abundant in the objects of the word and was generous with the words themselves, until I looked to the true and highest Word, betrayed everything to God, from Whom are all things, and received God in return for everything. No, don’t think about me like that, if you want to think about me fairly. I will no longer properly cry for the dead I, who do not approve of this in others. I will not praise beyond measure and decency; although a word for one who has the gift of speech and praise for one who especially loves my words is a gift that is pleasant to him and more fitting than any gift, and not only a gift, but a duty that is fairer than any debt. However, I will shed tears and amazement at how much the law given for this justifies this, for this is not alien to our wisdom, since “the memory of the righteous will be blessed” (Proverbs 10:7). “Shed tears over the dead and, as if subjected to a cruel misfortune, begin to weep” (Sir. 38:16), someone says, equally preventing us from insensitivity and from immoderation in grief. Then I will show the weakness of human nature, and I will also mention the dignity of the soul. Just as I will give due consolation to those who mourn, so I will raise sorrow from the physical and temporary to the spiritual and eternal. I’ll start with what’s the most decent thing for me to start with. You all know the parents of Caesar; and their virtues are visible and audible to you; you imitate and marvel at them, and to those who do not know, if there are any, you tell about them, choosing for this purpose one thing, another another. And it would be impossible to retell everything alone; such a thing, no matter how tireless and zealous one is, requires more than one language. Of the many great qualities that are praiseworthy in them (let them not think that I am exceeding the limit by praising my own!), one is more important than all of them and is not inferior to others in celebrity; this is piety. I will also say that these respectable people, adorned with gray hair, deserve respect equally for their virtue and for their old age. Their bodies are exhausted by the years, but their souls are made youthful by God. The father, who was a wild olive tree, was skillfully grafted onto a good olive tree and was so filled with its juices that he was entrusted with grafting others, entrusted with the healing of souls. Having been awarded a high rank and honored by the high presidency of these people, like the second Aaron or Moses, he approaches God, and to others standing from afar he teaches God’s words. He is meek, not angry, calm in appearance, ardent in spirit, abundant in visible gifts, but even more enriched in hidden ones. But why describe who you yourself know? Even if I speak for a long time, I will not say how long it would be necessary and how much each of you knows and wants to hear. It is better to let everyone think in their own way, rather than, by depicting a miracle in words, to reduce most of it. And the mother, from ancient times and in her ancestors, was dedicated to God, not only herself possessing piety as an inalienable heritage, but passing it on to her children. Indeed, the firstfruit of the holy and the mixture is holy (Rom. 11:16). And she grew and multiplied this heritage to such an extent that some (I will say this bold word) are confident and assure that the perfections visible in her husband were her only work, and (which is wonderful) as a reward for the wife’s piety, greater and more perfect piety was given to the husband. The most amazing thing is that both of them are both child-loving and Christ-loving; or rather, to say, they are more lovers of Christ than lovers of children. For them and for their children there was only one consolation, that they should be glorified and named after Christ; By happiness they meant virtue and bringing children closer to perfection. They are merciful, compassionate, they save a lot from aphids, from robbers and from the ruler of the world; They themselves move from a temporary home to a permanent one, and for the children they collect the most precious heritage - future glory. Thus they reached a venerable old age, equally respected for their virtue and for their age, filled with days both passing and abiding. The only thing is that they do not have primacy among earth-born creatures, in which each of them prevents the other from being first. For them, the measure of well-being was fulfilled in everything; Will someone else exclude the last event, which I don’t know what to call - a test, or God’s vision. But I would call it looking, because by sending one of the children, who due to age could sooner hesitate, the more freely they themselves can renounce life and ascend to the heavenly with the whole house. I did not say all this with the intention of praising my parents, for I know that hardly anyone would have succeeded in this, even if they devoted a whole word to praising them. I only wanted to show from the properties of my parents what the virtue of Caesar should be. Do not be surprised and do not consider it incredible that with such parents he showed himself worthy of such praise. On the contrary, it would be surprising if, having despised home and close examples, he imitated others. And indeed, the beginning was such as befitted a man who had a noble origin and subsequently promised an excellent life. And I’ll shorten the middle: beauty, majesty of growth, pleasantness in everything and, as if in sounds, harmony - these were the advantages in Caesarea, which are not our business to be surprised at, although for others they seem important. I’ll move on to what follows, which is difficult to keep silent about, even if I wanted to. Brought up in such rules and instructed by sufficient practice here (in Nazianza - “ed.”) in the sciences, in which, in the speed and highness of talents (it is difficult to say how many), he surpassed many (can I remember this without tears and from grief against the promise not to expose myself to unchasteness?), when the time came to leave us our parental home, we were separated from each other for the first time. I, out of love for eloquence, remained in the then flourishing Palestinian schools, and he went to Alexandria, to this city, which then, and until now, was and was revered as the imprecise place of all education. Which of his perfections would I name first, or most important, about which I will remain silent without the greatest damage to the word? Who was more trusting of his mentors than him? Who is friendlier with their peers? Who avoided associations and conversations with disreputable people more than him? Who has entered into the closest communication with the most excellent people, both with foreigners and with the most approved and famous of their compatriots? He knew that short dealings with people contribute greatly to skill in both virtue and vice. And for such qualities, who was more distinguished than him by his superiors, respected in the whole city? And although, due to the vastness of the city, everyone remained in obscurity, yet who was more famous for his chastity, more glorious for his intelligence? What kind of sciences did he not take? Or, better to say, in what science did you not succeed more than another succeeded, studying it alone? Who, not only among his peers in education and years, but among those older in age and who began to study before him, could compare with him, at least somewhat? He studied all sciences as one, and one as all. He defeated his peers who were quick in talent with his hard work, and those who were tireless in their studies - with his sharpness of mind; or rather, he surpassed the quick in speed, the hardworking - in diligence, and those who were superior in both - both. From geometry, from astronomy and from science, dangerous for others 69, he chose what was useful, as much as was necessary, so that, having learned the harmonious flow and order of the celestial bodies, he would revere the Creator; and what is harmful in this science, he avoided, and did not subordinate either beings or phenomena to the movement of the stars, as others do, placing creatures at their service along with the Creator; on the contrary, the very movement of the stars, like everything else, he attributed, as much as he should, to God. As for the science of numbers and their relationships, as well as the wonderful medical knowledge that goes deep into the properties of natures and temperaments and into the beginnings of diseases, in order to uproot the roots and cut off the branches, is there anyone so ignorant that he would give Caesarea second place, rather than preferring to be first after him and have perfection among the second? And all this did not go untested; on the contrary, the East, the West and all the countries where Caesarea later visited serve as famous monuments of his learning. When, in one soul, like in a large ship, loaded with all sorts of goods, having collected all the virtues and information, he set off for his hometown in order to endow others with the treasures of his learning; then something amazing happened. And since the memory of this especially delights me, and maybe it will give you pleasure, it would not be superfluous to recount it briefly. The mother, in her maternal and child-loving prayers, asked God to let her both let us go together and see us return together. For when we were together, we seemed like some kind of couple, if not to others, then to the mother, worthy of good wishes and contemplation, although now we are separated due to malicious envy 70 . And then God, who listens to righteous prayer and rewards the love of parents for well-behaved children, prompted us, without any premeditation or agreement on our part, one from Alexandria, and the other from Greece, one by land, and the other by sea, to arrive at the same time and in the same city. This was Byzantium, the capital city now in Europe, in which Caesarea after some time acquired such fame that he was offered distinctions in society, a noble marriage and a place in the Senate. Even according to a general verdict, 71 embassies were sent to the great Tsar with a petition - the first of the cities, if the Tsar wants to make it truly the first and worthy of this name, to honor and adorn the first of the learned men, and thanks to this, force, among other things, to say about Byzantium that, with other advantages, it abounds in many men, excellent in knowledge of philosophy and other sciences, and also has Caesarea as a doctor and citizen. But enough of that. And what happened to us then, although it seemed to others to be just an accident, which had neither foundation nor reason, like many things in our life is attributed to chance; however, for those who love God, it was clearly shown not by chance, but by the fulfillment of the prayer of pious parents, according to which children gather to them both from land and from sea. I will not keep silent about the excellent quality of Caesarea, which to others may seem unimportant and not worth mentioning, but it seemed to me then and now seems very important, if only brotherly love is commendable. And whenever I talk about the deeds of Caesarea, I will not cease to rank this among the first perfections. In Byzantium, as I said, they held him with honors, and did not agree to release him under any pretext. However, I prevailed, respected and highly valued by Caesarius in everything; I convinced him to fulfill the prayer of his parents, his duty to the fatherland, as well as my desire; persuaded him to continue his journey, and, moreover, together with me, to prefer me not only to cities and peoples, honors and benefits, which from everywhere either abundantly either already poured into him, or flattered him with hope, but almost even to the Emperor himself and his orders. As for me, from that time on, casting aside all ambition, like the heavy yoke of a ruler or a painful illness, I decided to devote myself to wisdom and strive for the heavenly life; or better to say, such a desire began in me earlier, but the way of life was adopted later. Caesarius dedicated the first fruits of his learning to his homeland, and having earned due respect for his labors, he was then carried away by the desire for glory and, as I was assured, by the desire to become useful to the city. He went to the royal court, which I did not quite like and was not in my disposition, for (I apologize to you) it is better and higher for me to be last with God than to take first place with an earthly king. However, Caesarea’s act did not deserve reproach; for a wise life is both the highest and the most difficult; it is not possible for many, but only for those who are called to this by the high Mind of God, who succeed in a good undertaking. But it is also important if someone, having chosen the second kind of life, maintains integrity and thinks more about God and about his salvation than about his glory; who, acting on the disgrace of this world, although he accepts honors as a shadow or mask of something varied and temporary, nevertheless he himself lives for God and guards in himself the image of which he knows that he received it from God and for which he is obliged to give an account to the Giver. And I know that this was exactly the way of thinking of Caesarea. He is given first place among doctors; for which it did not require much effort, but only had to show him your information, or even one preliminary part of your information. Soon he was included among those close to the Emperor and received the highest honors. Meanwhile, he offers the benefits of his art to high officials free of charge, knowing that virtue and fame acquired by honest means most likely lead to exaltation. And thanks to this, he far surpassed in glory those below whose rank he was. Everyone loved him for his chastity and trusted him with their most precious things (health - “ed.”), without demanding the Hippocratic Oath from him; even the innocence of Kratesov was nothing in comparison with Caesarius. He was respected by everyone more than what he was worth; and although he was awarded important distinctions every day, the Sovereigns themselves, and all the first people in the state after them, considered him worthy of even greater honors in the future. The most important thing is that neither fame nor the surrounding luxury could damage the nobility of his soul. On the contrary, with many and important differences, he considered only one dignity to be the first - both to be and to be called a Christian; and everything else, in comparison with this, seemed to him like a toy and vanity. He left others to amuse themselves as if in a theater that was hastily built and then dismantled, or rather broken down than installed; which we really see in the numerous upheavals of life and in the changeability of happiness, so that the true and undoubtedly constant good is one, namely piety. Such were the fruits of Caesar’s philosophy even under the chlamys (senator’s clothing - “ed.”)! In such thoughts he lived and died, revealing and proving, according to the inner man, before God even greater piety than was visible to people. But if I should pass over in silence his other deeds, patronage of relatives who fell into misfortune, contempt for the arrogant, respect for friends, freedom before superiors, exploits for the truth, very often and for many words composed, not only strong arguments, but distinguished by piety and animation, then instead of all this I need to talk about one of the most famous of all his deeds. The evil king (Julian the Apostate - ed.) became furious with us; he first became furious with himself, having rejected faith in Christ, and then he became intolerable to others. Not boldly, not following the example of other Christ-haters, he surrendered to wickedness, but covered up the persecution with a guise of meekness, and like that reptile serpent that owned his soul, with all sorts of tricks he lured the unfortunate into the same abyss. The first of his tricks and intrigues was to punish those who suffered for Christianity as villains, so that we would not have the honor of Martyrs, for this great man was jealous of Christians in this too. And the second flattery consisted in the fact that he gave his work the name of persuasion, and not violence; so that those who arbitrarily deviate into wickedness will have more shame, the less danger they face. And he attracted some with money, some with rank, some with promises, some with various kinds of honors, offering them in the eyes of everyone not like a king, but completely servilely. He tried to influence everyone with his charming speeches and his own example. In addition to many others, he makes an attempt on Caesarea. What stupidity and even madness is to hope that Caesarea, my brother and son of such parents, will catch! May we be allowed to extend the word and enjoy the story, as those present at this wonderful event enjoyed! A valiant man, protected by the sign of Christ and covered with a great word instead of a shield, appears before the strong in arms and the great in the gift of speech, does not lose firmness when hearing flattering speeches, but appears as a fighter, ready to struggle in word and deed against the strong in both. So, the field is open, here comes the ascetic of piety! On the one hand, the heroic Christ, arming the fighter with His sufferings, on the other, a cruel ruler, now seducing with friendly speeches, now frightening with the vastness of his power. And there are also two kinds of spectators: some remain in piety, others are already carried away by the ruler; but both of them are carefully observing what turn the matter will take; and the thought of who will win causes them greater confusion than the warriors themselves. Did you not fear for Caesarea, did you think that success would not correspond to his aspirations? But have no doubt: victory is with Christ, who has overcome the world. Most of all, I would like now to retell what was said and proposed then; because in this dispute there are a lot of subtle turns and beauties that would not be unpleasant for me to recall in my memory. But this would not at all befit the time and subject of the word. Caesarea decided on all his verbal tricks, rejected hidden and obvious seductions, like children's toys, and loudly proclaimed that he was a Christian and would be a Christian: however, the Tsar did not remove him completely from himself. He strongly wanted to use and boast of the learning of Caesarea; and then he uttered the following words, often repeated by everyone: “Prosperous father! ill-fated children! For with this desecration he deigned to honor me, who was known to him by Athenian education and piety. Meanwhile, Caesarea, reserved until the second presentation to the King, whom the wrath of God had timely armed against the Persians, returned to us as a blessed exile, as a victorious man, not stained with blood and glorified by dishonor more than by brilliant distinctions. Such a victory, in my opinion, is much higher and more honorable than the power of Julian, the high scarlet robe and the precious diadem. And I exalt myself with the story of this more than I would have exalted myself if Caesarea shared the whole kingdom with him. If he yields to evil times, then he does so according to our law, which commands us to suffer for the truth when circumstances require, and not to betray piety out of timidity, but also not to volunteer, as long as possible, to danger, both fearing for our souls and sparing those who plunge us into danger. When the darkness dissipated, the distant country perfectly resolved the matter, “purified weapons” (Ps. 7:13) overthrew the wicked, and the Christians triumphed again; Is it necessary to say with what glory and honor then, with what and how many testimonies, Caesar was received again to the royal court, as if through this he was showing, and not receiving, mercy? A new honor took the place of the old one. And although the rulers changed over time, the good opinion of Caesarea and his primacy at court was unshakable. Even the sovereigns bickered among themselves about which of them was more kind to Caesarea and who had more right to call him his most sincere friend and close associate. Such was the piety of Caesarea, and such was the reward for piety! Let both young men and men hear about this, and let all who covet it and consider it part of their well-being gain such fame through the same virtue! Only “the fruit of good labor is glorious” (Wis.3:15). But here is another wonderful event in the life of Caesarea, which serves as strong proof of the fear of God, together with his own and his parents. Caesarius lived in Bithynia and was the head of a department that was close to the sovereign himself. He was the custodian of the royal treasury and had treasures under his supervision. And with this, the sovereign paved the way for him to the highest ranks. But during the recent earthquake in Nicaea, which, as they say, was more terrible than the previous ones and caught almost everyone and destroyed along with the splendor of the city, of the noble inhabitants, almost one, or very few, escaped from destruction at Caesarea. And salvation took place in an incredible way for him: he was covered with ruins and suffered only small signs of danger, as much as was necessary for him to accept fear as a teacher of the highest salvation, and leaving service to the fickle, entering from one royal court to another, completely moving to the mountain army. He himself came across such a thought and zealously desired its fulfillment, as he assured me in his letters; and I took the opportunity to advise what I had not ceased to admonish before, regretting that his great talents were turned to the worst, that such a wise soul was immersed in public affairs and was like the sun covered by a cloud. But having been saved from the earthquake, Caesarea was not saved from the disease, because he was a man: and the first belonged to him in fact, and the last was common to him with everyone; the former was due to piety, and in the latter nature acted. Thus consolation preceded sorrow, so that we, stricken by his death, could boast of his miraculous salvation at that time. And now the great Caesarea has been preserved for us; before us is the precious ashes, the praised dead, moving from hymns to hymns, accompanied to the altars of martyrdom, honored both by the holy hands of the parents, and by the white clothes of the mother, who replaces grief in herself with piety and tears, which are overcome by wisdom and psalmody, with which crying is tamed; before us is receiving honors worthy of the newly created soul, which the Spirit transformed by water. This is my funeral offering for you, Caesarea! Accept the beginnings of my speeches, you often complained that I hid the gift of speech, and now it was necessary for you to reveal it! Here is a decoration from me, and I know that it is more pleasant for you than any other decoration! I did not bring you the silky and soft fabrics with which you did not enjoy yourself before, because you adorned yourself with virtue alone. You didn’t even bring fabrics made of pure linen, you didn’t pour out the valuable incense, which you sent to the women’s chambers during your life and which are fragrant for no longer than one day; did not bring anything else, equally insignificant and respected by insignificant people; since all this, together with your beautiful body, would now be covered by this cold stone. Away from me with those pagan games and performances that were performed in honor of unfortunate young men and in which unimportant rewards were offered for unimportant deeds! Away with those rites in which the deceased were laid to rest with mounds, offerings of firstfruits, crowns and fresh flowers, submitting more to the domestic law and the unreason of grief than to reason! My gift is the word, it, moving further and further, will reach, perhaps, future times and will not allow the one who has moved from here to completely leave us, but will preserve it forever for the ear and heart, presenting the image of the beloved more clearly than the picture. This is my offering! If it is of little importance and does not correspond to your merits, then at least it is pleasing to God, as commensurate with your strength. Moreover, we repaid part, and the other, whoever remains alive among us, will repay during the year-long celebration and remembrance. And you, divine and sacred head, enter heaven, rest in the bosom of Abraham (whatever they signify), behold the face of the Angels, the glory and splendor of the Blessed, or better yet, form one face with them and rejoice, laughing from above at all the so-called wealth here, the insignificant merits, deceptive honors, the delusion of feelings, the vicissitudes of this life, the disorder and misunderstandings as if in the middle of a night battle! And may you stand before the Great King, filled with the heavenly light, from which we, having received a small stream, as much as can be depicted in the mirror and fortune-telling, may we finally ascend to the Source of good, with a pure mind to contemplate the pure truth and for the local zeal for good, gain that reward in order to enjoy the most perfect possession and contemplation of good in the future! For this is the goal of our arcane teaching, as both Scripture and theologians prophesy. What else remains? Offer healing words to those grieving. For those who mourn, the most effective relief is that which is given to those who mourn with them. He who himself feels equal grief is more comfortable comforting those who suffer. Moreover, my word addresses especially those for whom I would be ashamed if they did not excel everyone else in patience, just as they excel in any other virtue. For although they are the most loving of children, they are also the most wise and Christ-loving. Just as they themselves think most of all about moving from here, so their children were taught the same thing, or, better to say, their whole life is dedicated to thinking about death. If grief clouds thoughts and, like suppuration from the eyes, does not allow one to clearly consider what should be, then may the elders receive consolation from the young, parents from the son, who have given advice to many and acquired long-term experience - from the one who himself needs their advice. Do not be surprised if, when I am young, I give lessons to the elders; and that’s yours, if I can see things better than gray-haired people. How much longer will we live, venerable elders approaching God? How long will the misery here continue? The whole human life is short if we compare it with the Divine and endless nature. Even shorter is the remainder of life and, so to speak, the cessation of human breathing, the end of temporary life. What did Caesarea tell us before? How long shall we mourn him as having departed from us? Are we not hastening to the same monastery? Will the same stone soon cover us too? Will we soon become the same dust? In these short days, we will not so much acquire good things as we will see, experience, and perhaps do bad things ourselves; and then we will bring a general and indispensable tribute to the law of nature. We will accompany some, we will precede others; We will mourn for some, for others we will serve as an object of lamentation, and from others we will accept the tearful gift that we ourselves brought to the dead. This is our temporary life, brothers! This is our funny appearance on earth - to arise from nothing and, having arisen, to be destroyed! We are the same as a fleeting dream, an elusive ghost, the flight of a bird, a ship on the sea with no trace, dust, spirit, spring dew, a color that is born with time and flies around with time. “The days of a man are like grass, like the flower of the field, so he blossoms” (Ps. 103:15); The divine David spoke beautifully about our weakness. He says the same thing in the following words: “he has exhausted my strength, he has shortened my days” (Ps. 101:24), and he defines the measure of human days by “spans” (Ps. 38:6). What can we say in spite of Jeremiah, who even turns to his mother with reproach, complaining that he was born and, moreover, because of the sins of others (Jer. 15:10)? “I saw all sorts of things,” says Ecclesiastes; I surveyed in my thoughts everything human, wealth, luxury, power, fickle glory, wisdom that more often runs away than is acquired; repeatedly returning to the same thing, I considered again luxury and again wisdom, then voluptuousness, gardens, a large number of slaves, a multitude of estates, cupbearers and cupbearers, singers and singers, weapons, armor-bearers, genuflections of peoples, collected tributes, royal greatness and all the excesses and necessities of life, everything in which I surpassed all the former kings before me; and what is in all this? “All is vanity of vanities, all vanity and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 1:2, 14), that is, some unreasonable desire of the soul and entertainment of a person condemned to this, perhaps, for an ancient fall. But “the essence of everything,” he says, “fear God” (Eccl. 12:13), here is the limit of your bewilderment. And the only benefit from life here is to be guided by the very confusion of what is visible and overwhelmed towards the constant and unshakable. So, let us mourn not Caesarea, about whom we know - from what evils he was freed, but ourselves; for we know what disasters we have been left for and what we will still gather for ourselves if we do not sincerely surrender ourselves to God, if, bypassing what is transitory, we do not rush to the life above, if, while living on earth, we do not leave the earth and do not sincerely follow the Spirit that leads us to what is above. This is unfortunate for the faint-hearted, but easy for the courageous. Let us also consider this: Caesarea will not be in command, but neither will he be under the command of others; will not instill fear in others, but he himself will not be afraid of a cruel ruler, sometimes unworthy to be in charge; will not accumulate wealth, but will not be afraid of envy, or will not harm the soul by unjust acquisition and effort to add as much as he acquired. For such is the disease of the love of wealth that it has no limit to the need for more and cures itself of thirst by constantly drinking. Caesarius will not compose new speeches, but he will be amazed at his speeches; he will not talk about the teachings of Hippocrates, Galen and their opponents, but he will not suffer from illnesses, collecting sorrows for himself from other people’s troubles; will not prove the positions of Euclid and Ptolemy and Heron, but will not complain about the ignorant who are arrogant beyond measure; will not show his knowledge in the teachings of Plato, Aristotle, Pyrrho, Democritus, Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, Cleanthes, Epicurus, and I don’t know which of the venerable Stoics or Academicians, but he will not even care about how to decide their credibility. Do I need to mention anything else? But what, of course, is dear and desirable to everyone, he will have neither a wife nor children. For this reason, neither he himself will mourn for them, nor will we be mourned by them; will not remain after others and for others as a monument of misfortune. He will not inherit the estate, but instead he will have heirs, which are always more useful to have and which he himself wanted in order to move from here enriched and take with him everything that was his. And what generosity! What a new consolation! What generosity in the performers! The news is heard, worthy of general hearing, and the mother’s grief is exhausted by a beautiful and holy vow - everything that her son had, all his wealth, should be given for him as a funeral gift, and nothing should be left to those who were expecting an inheritance. Is this really not enough consolation? I will offer the strongest method of treatment. For me, the words of the wise are convincing that every good and God-loving soul, as soon as it is freed from the body associated with it, comes into a state of feeling and contemplating the good that awaits it, and after cleansing or putting aside (or else, I don’t know how to express it) what has darkened it, it enjoys some kind of wonderful pleasure, rejoices and joyfully marches to its Master; because she escaped this life as an unbearable prison, and threw off the shackles that lay on her, with which the wings of the mind were drawn down. Then, in a vision, she seems to reap the bliss prepared for her. And then the flesh that was born with itself, with which it practiced wisdom here, from the earth that gave it and then preserved it, having received it in a way incomprehensible to us and known only to God, who united and separated them - together with it enters into the inheritance of the coming glory. And just as, by natural union with the flesh, she herself shared its burdens, so he imparts to her his consolations, completely absorbing her into himself 72 and becoming with her one spirit, and mind, and god, after the mortal and transient are swallowed up by life. Listen, then, to how the divine Ezekiel philosophizes about the joining of bones and veins (Ezek. 37), and after him the divine Paul about the earthly tabernacle and the church not made with hands, of which one will be “destroyed,” and the other prepared in “heaven” (2 Cor. 5:1). He says that "to leave the body" means to "enter into the Lord"; and life in the body mourns as a departure from the Lord, and therefore desires and hastens to renounce the body. Why should I be faint-hearted in hope? Why cling to the temporary? I will wait for the Archangel's voice, the last trumpet, the transformation of the sky, the transformation of the earth, the liberation of the elements, the renewal of the whole world. Then I will see Caesar himself, not departed, not worn out, not mourned, not accompanied by regrets, but holy, glorified, exalted, as you, the most beloved of brothers and the most brotherly, have repeatedly appeared to me in a dream, either because my desire portrayed you this way, or because it was the truth itself. And now, having left my tears, I will turn to myself, so that against my will I myself do not become worthy of tears, and I will consider my situation. “Sons of men” (for the word reaches out to you), “how long will you be” and heavy in thought, “how long will you love vanity and seek lies” (Ps. 4:3), considering this life to be something great and these few to be numerous, and turning away this longed-for and pleasant separation as something heavy and terrible? Do we still not know ourselves? Let's not reject what is visible? Let's not turn our gaze to the mental? If we must grieve over something, then shall we not grieve over the “continuation of the coming” (Ps. 109:5), together with the divine David, who calls everything on earth settlements of darkness 73, “a place of bitterness” (Ps. 43:20), “a deep swamp” (Ps. 68:3), “the shadow of death” (Ps. 106:10)? Let's get sick; because we linger in the coffins that we carry with us; because we, who were gods, die like people, a sinful death. This fear overwhelms me; I think about this day and night; Both future glory and future judgment do not allow me to calm down. I desire one so much that I can say: “My soul faints for Thy salvation” (Ps. 119:81); and I am horrified and disgusted by the other. And what frightens me is not that this body of mine, destructible and perishable, will completely perish, but that God’s glorious creation (glorious when it succeeds in goodness, and equally dishonorable when it sins), a creation in which there is intelligence, law and hope, will be condemned to the same ignominy with the unreasonable, and after separation from the body will become no better than it, which is what vicious people and worthy of the future fire would desire. Oh that I might “mortify the members of the earth” ( Col. 3:5 )! Oh, if only I, walking the narrow path, passable for few, and not the wide and easy one, would sacrifice everything to the spirit! For glorious and great is what follows; that which is hoped for is more than that which we are worthy of. “What is man, that You remember him” (Ps. 8:5)? What a new secret this is about me! I am small and great, humbled and exalted, mortal and immortal, I am both earthly and heavenly! I have one thing in common with the world below, and another with God; one is with the flesh, and the other is with the spirit! I must be buried with Christ, rise with Christ, co-heir with Christ, become a son of God, even God! You see where the word has finally taken us. I am almost ready to thank the misfortune that befell us, which disposed me to such wisdom and even made me ardently desire to move from here. This great mystery intends for us, God, who became human and became poor for us, intends to restore the flesh, save the image and recreate man, so that we may be “all one in Christ,” Who in all of us has become completely all that He Himself is; may there no longer be in us “neither male nor female,” neither barbarian nor Scythian, “neither slave nor free” (Gal. 3:28.29), since these are carnal signs; but may we have one Image of God, by which and according to which we were created; may He be depicted and imprinted in us so much that only by Him can they recognize us. And in this we hope to succeed, according to the great love of mankind of the generously gifted God, who, demanding little, gives great things to those who sincerely love Him both in the present and in the future, we will endure everything, endure everything for the sake of love for Him and out of hope, give thanks for everything, both for the “right” and for the “left,” that is, for the pleasant and for the sorrowful, because we often turn the last word of God into a weapon of salvation ( 2 Cor.6:7). Let us entrust to God both our souls and the souls of those who preceded us to the place of peace, because they were, as it were, more ready than us on the common path. And I myself, walking the same path, will stop speaking here. But stop your tears, you too, hastening to your grave, to the grave that Caesarea receives from you as a sorrowful and everlasting gift; to the tomb, which was prepared for the parents and was well-timed for old age, but was given by the Manager of our affairs to the son and youth, although not in the usual order, but not out of order. You, the Lord and Creator of all kinds, and especially of this creation 74! God of Your people, Father and Ruler, Lord of life and death! Guardian and Benefactor of our souls, creating and preparing everything in good time with the artistic Word, as You Yourself know, in the depths of wisdom and world rule! Now accept Caesarea as the firstfruits of our departure. Although he is the last of us; however, we first hand him over to Your destinies, by which everything is held together. And finally, having preserved us in the body while it is useful, accept us at the right time; accept those who are prepared, who are not embarrassed, who do not flee on the last day, who are not forcibly drawn away from here, as happens with peace-loving and carnal souls, but who complacently depart to the long-lasting and blessed life there, to life in Christ. Amen. That is, the devil, who, with his charm, persuaded our ancestors to disobey, subjected us all to condemnation and death. Constantius, who was not then in Constantinople. The Holy Theologian points to the truth revealed in 1 Cor. 15:42–44, 53–54. Villages of darkness, according to St. The Theologians are probably the same as the villages of Kedar (Ps. 119:5). You might be interested in: