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Epistles on the Arian Heresy

Alexander of Alexandria

Section 4

About this work

Author: Alexander of Alexandria

4. Man went forth from paradise to a region

‹ Section 3 Section 5 ›

which

was

the

sink

of

unrighteousness

,

fornication

,

adultery

,

and

cruel

murder

.

And

there

he

found

his

destruction

;

for

all

things

conspired

to

his

death

,

and

worked

the

ruin

of

him

who

had

hardly

entered

there

.

Meanwhile

man

wanted

some

consolation

and

assistance

and

rest

.

For

when

was

it

well

with

man

?

In

his

mother’s

womb

?

But

when

he

was

shut

up

there

,

he

differed

but

little

from

the

dead

.

When

he

was

nourished

with

milk

from

the

breast

?

Not

even

then

,

indeed

,

did

he

feel

any

joy

.

Was

it

rather

whilst

he

was

coming

to

maturity

?

But

then

,

especially

,

dangers

impended

over

him

from

his

youthful

lusts

.

Was

it

,

lastly

,

when

he

grew

old

?

Nay

,

but

then

does

he

begin

to

groan

,

being

pressed

down

by

the

weight

of

old

age

,

and

the

expectation

of

death

.

For

what

else

is

old

age

but

the

expectation

of

death

?

Verily

all

the

inhabitants

of

earth

do

die

,

young

men

and

old

,

little

children

and

adults

,

for

no

age

or

bodily

stature

is

exempt

from

death

.

Why

,

then

,

is

man

tormented

by

this

exceeding

grief

?

Doubtless

the

very

aspect

of

death

begets

sadness

;

for

we

behold

in

a

dead

man

the

face

changed

,

the

figure

dead

,

the

body

shrunk

up

with

emaciation

,

the

mouth

silent

,

the

skin

cold

,

the

carcase

prostrate

on

the

ground

,

the

eyes

sunken

,

the

limbs

immoveable

,

the

flesh

wasted

away

,

the

veins

congealed

,

the

bones

whitened

,

the

joints

dissolved

,

all

parts

of

him

reduced

to

dust

,

and

the

man

no

longer

existing

.

What

,

then

,

is

man

?

A

flower

,

I

say

,

that

is

but

for

a

little

time

,

which

in

his

mother’s

womb

is

not

apparent

,

in

youth

flourishes

,

but

which

in

old

age

withers

and

departs

in

death

.