The Two Deaths

Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ ὁ μνημονεύων σου. Οἱ περὶ τοῦ κοινῦν θανάτου ὑπονοοῦντες εἰρῆσθαι τὰ προκείμενα, σφάλλονται, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀσεβοῦσιν· οἱ γὰρ ἅγιοι ἄνδρες οὐ τότε μόνον μνήμην ἔχουσι Θεοῦ, ὅτε τὴν κοινὴν ζωὴν ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὅτε χωρίζονται τοῦ φθαρτοῦ σώματος. Τί οὖν φησίν; Ἐπεὶ οὐδεὶς μεμνημένος σου ἐν θανάτῳ γίνεται, ὄν ἡ ἁμαρτία ἀποτίκτει· οὕτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ χωρίζων ἐναρέτου ζωῆς τὴν ἁμαρτάνουσαν ψυχήν· ποθῶ δὲ μνήμην σου ἔχειν, εἰς τοῦτ' αὐτὸ ῥέψας τὴν ἀγαθότητα σου, σῶσόν με, ἵνα μὴ ἰσχυσάσης κατ' ἐμου τῆς προσούσης ἀσθενείας καὶ ταραχῆς, καταποθῶ ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου. Οὐ γὰρ εἴρηται, Οὐ μέμνηται Θεοῦ ὁ ἐν θανάτῳ, ἀλλ', Ὁ μνημονεύων αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν θανάτω, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Σωτήρ· Ὁ τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων, θάνατον οὐ θεωρεϊ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος Ϛ' Migne PG 39.1177

'For in death there is no memory of you.' 1 Those who think that this speaks of the common death are deceived, or rather they speak impiously. For holy men are not only then mindful of God when they possess the common life but much more so when they are separated from the common body. What then does he say? That none who is mindful of you will fall into that death which sin begets, for this death by sin separates the soul from the life of virtue. But desiring to be mindful of you, quickly turning to your kindness, save me, lest being overwhelmed in my weakness and confusion I am devoured by death. For he does not say there is no memory of God in the one who dies, but that he who is mindful of you does not die, concerning which the Saviour said, 'He who hears my word shall not see death into eternity.' 2   Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 6 1 Ps 6.6 2 Jn 8.51