Death And Ourselves

Νυνὶ δὴ ἀφεὶς τοὺς θρήνους εἰς ἐμαυτὸν βλέψω, μή τι θρήνων ἄξιον λάθω φέρων, καὶ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ περισκέψομαι. Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, μέτεισι γὰρ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁ λόγος, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι καὶ παχεῖς τὴν διάνοιαν; ἵνα τί ἀγαπᾶτε ματαιότητα καὶ ζητεῖτε ψεῦδος, μέγα τι τὸν ἐνταῦθα βίον καὶ τὰς ὀλίγας ταύτας ἡμέρας πολλὰς ὑπολαμβάνοντες, καὶ τὴν διάζευξιν ταύτην, τὴν ἀσπαστὴν καὶ ἡδεῖαν, ὡς δή τι βαρὺ καὶ φρικῶδες ἀποστρεφόμενοι; Οὐ γνωσόμεθα ἡμᾶς αὐτούς; οὐ τὰ φαινόμενα ῥίψομεν; οὐ πρὸς τὰ νοούμενα βλέψομεν; Οὐκ, εἴ τι καὶ λυπεῖσθαι χρή, τοὐναντίον ἀνιασόμεθα τῇ παροικίᾳ μηκυνομένῃ, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον Δαβίδ, σκηνώματα σκοτασμοῦ καὶ τόπον κακώσεως καὶ ἰλὺν βυθοῦ καὶ σκιὰν θανάτου τὰ τῇδε ἀποκαλοῦντα, ὅτι βραδύνομεν ἐν τοῖς τάφοις οἷς περιφέρομεν, ὅτι ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκομεν τὸν τῆς ἁμαρτίας θάνατον, θεοὶ γεγονότες; Τοῦτον ἐγὼ φοβοῦμαι τὸν φόβον, τούτῳ καὶ νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ´ ἡμέραν σύνειμι, καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ με ἀναπνεῖν, ἡ ἐκεῖθεν δόξα καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖσε δικαιωτήρια· ὧν τῆς μὲν ἐφίεμαι, μέχρι καὶ τοῦ δύνασθαι λέγειν· Ἐκλείπει εἰς τὸ σωτήριόν σου ἡ ψυχή μου, τὰ δὲ φρίττω καὶ ἀποστρέφομαι. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ οὐ δέδοικα, μή μοι τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο διαρρυὲν καὶ διαφθαρὲν παντελῶς οἰχήσεται, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πλάσμα τὸ ἔνδοξον, ἔνδοξον γὰρ κατορθοῦν, ὥσπερ ἄτιμον ἁμαρτάνον, ἐν ᾧ λόγος, νόμος, ἐλπίς, τὴν αὐτὴν τοῖς ἀλόγοις ἀτιμίαν κατακριθῇ, καὶ μηδὲν πλέον ᾖ μετὰ τὴν διάζευξιν· ὡς ὄφελόν γε τοῖς πονηροῖς καὶ τοῦ ἐκεῖθεν πυρὸς ἀξίοις. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος Ζ´, Εἰς Καισὰριον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφὸν ἐπιτάφιος Source: Migne PG 35.784b-785a

But now, putting aside lamentation, I will look to myself, and examine my own state, so that I do neglect anything I bear which is worthy of grieving. 'You sons of men,' for the words befit you, 'how long will you be hard-hearted and dull of mind, so that you love vanities and chase after a lie?' 1 thinking life here to be something great and these few days very many, and shrinking away from this separation, welcome and pleasant as it is, as if it were something grievous and terrible? Do we not know ourselves? Are we not to cast aside things seen? Are we not to look to the things unseen? 2 Are we not, even if we are somewhat grieved, to be on the contrary distressed at our long sojourn, like the blessed David, who calls things here the tents of darkness, and the place of affliction, and the deep mire, and the shadow of death, because we linger in the tombs we bear about with us, because, though we are gods, we die like men in the death of sin? 3 This is what I fear, this is my companion day and night and will not let me breathe, on the one side there is glory, on the other the place of correction. The former I long for until I can say, 'My soul faints for your salvation.' 4 From the latter I turn away shuddering. But I am not afraid that this body of mine should utterly perish in dissolution and corruption, but that the glorious creature of God, for it is glorious if upright, just as it is wretched if sinful, in which is reason, morality, and hope, should be condemned to the same dishonour as irrational things, and be no better after death, something that is due to the wicked, who are worthy of the fire to come. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 7, Funeral Speech for his brother Caesarius 1 Ps 4.3 2 2 Cor 4.18 3 Ps 22.4, Ps 119.5, P 81.6-7 4 Ps 118.81