The Instructions of Commodianus.

 The Instructions of Commodianus

 II.—God’s Indignation.

 III.—The Worship of Demons.

 IV.—Saturn.

 V.—Jupiter.

 VI.—Of the Same Jupiter’s Thunderbolt.

 VII.—Of the Septizonium and the Stars.

 VIII.—Of the Sun and Moon.

 IX.—Mercury.

 X.—Neptune.

 XI.—Apollo the Soothsaying and False.

 XII.—Father Liber—Bacchus.

 XIII.—The Unconquered One.

 XIV.—Sylvanus.

 XV.—Hercules.

 XVI.—Of the Gods and Goddesses.

 XVII.—Of Their Images.

 XVIII.—Of Ammydates and the Great God.

 XIX.—Of the Vain Nemesiaci.

 XX.—The Titans.

 XXI.—The Montesiani.

 XXII.—The Dulness of the Age.

 XXIII.—Of Those Who are Everywhere Ready.

 XXIV.—Of Those Who Live Between the Two.

 XXV.—They Who Fear and Will Not Believe.

 XXVI.—To Those Who Resist the Law of Christ the Living God.

 XXVII.—O Fool, Thou Dost Not Die to God.

 XXVIII.—The Righteous Rise Again.

 XXIX.—To the Wicked and Unbelieving Rich Man.

 XXX.—Rich Men, Be Humble.

 XXXI.—To Judges.

 XXXII.—To Self-Pleasers.

 XXXIII.—To the Gentiles.

 XXXIV.—Moreover, to Ignorant Gentiles.

 XXXV.—Of the Tree of Life and Death.

 XXXVI.—Of the Foolishness of the Cross.

 XXXVII.—The Fanatics Who Judaize.

 XXXVIII.—To the Jews.

 XXXIX.—Also to the Jews.

 XL.—Again to the Same.

 Isaiah said:  This is the man who moveth the world and so many kings, and under whom the land shall become desert.  Hear ye how the prophet foretold c

 XLII.—Of the Hidden and Holy People of the Almighty Christ, the Living God.

 XLIII.—Of the End of This Age.

 XLIV.—Of the First Resurrection.

 XLV.—Of the Day of Judgment.

 XLVI.—To Catechumens.

 XLVII.—To the Faithful.

 XLVIII.—O Faithful, Beware of Evil.

 XLIX.—To Penitents.

 L.—Who Have Apostatized from God.

 LI.—Of Infants.

 LII.—Deserters.

 LIII.—To the Soldiers of Christ.

 LIV.—Of Fugitives.

 LV.—Of the Seed of the Tares.

 LVI.—To the Dissembler.

 LVII.—That Worldly Things are Absolutely to Be Avoided.

 LVIII.—That the Christian Should Be Such.

 LIX.—To the Matrons of the Church of the Living God.

 LX.—To the Same Again.

 LXI.—In the Church to All the People of God.

 LXII.—To Him Who Wishes for Martyrdom.

 LXIII.—The Daily War.

 LXIV.—Of the Zeal of Concupiscence.

 LXV.—They Who Give from Evil.

 LXVI.—Of a Deceitful Peace.

 LXVII.—To Readers. I warn certain readers only to consider, and to give material to others by an example of life, to avoid strife, and to shun so many

 LXVIII.—To Ministers.

 LXIX.—To God’s Shepherds.

 LXX.—I Speak to the Elder-Born.

 LXXI.—To Visit the Sick.

 LXXII.—To the Poor in Health.

 LXXIII.—That Sons are Not to Be Bewailed.

 LXXIV.—Of Funeral Pomp.

 LXXV.—To the Clerks.

 LXXVI.—Of Those Who Gossip, and of Silence.

 LXXVII.—To the Drunkards.

 LXXVIII.—To the Pastors.

 LXXIX.—To the Petitioners.

 LXXX.—The Name of the Man of Gaza.

XLIV.—Of the First Resurrection.

From heaven will descend the city in the first resurrection; this is what we may tell of such a celestial fabric.  We shall arise again to Him, who have been devoted to Him.  And they shall be incorruptible, even already living without death.  And neither will there be any grief nor any groaning in that city.  They shall come also who overcame cruel martyrdom under Antichrist, and they themselves live for the whole time, and receive blessings because they have suffered evil things; and they themselves marrying, beget for a thousand years.  There are prepared all the revenues of the earth, because the earth renewed without end pours forth abundantly.  Therein are no rains; no cold comes into the golden camp.  No sieges as now, nor rapines, nor does that city crave the light of a lamp.  It shines from its Founder.  Moreover, Him it obeys; in breadth 12,000 furlongs and length and depth.  It levels its foundation in the earth, but it raises its head to heaven.  In the city before the doors, moreover, sun and moon shall shine; he who is evil is hedged up in torment, for the sake of the nourishment of the righteous.  But from the thousand years God will destroy all those evils.

XLIV.---DE RESURRECTIONE PRIMA.

De coelo descendet civitas in anastasi prima: Est quod referamus de fabrica tanta coelesti. 0235A Resurgemus illi qui fuimus illi devoti, Et incorrupti erunt, jam tunc sine morte viventes: Sed nec dolor ullus, nec gemitus erit in illa. Venturi sunt illi quoque sub Antichristo qui vincunt Robusta martyria: et ipsi toto tempore vivunt, Recipiuntque bona quoniam mala passi fuere, Et generant ipsi per annos mille nubentes. Comparantur ibi tota vectigalia terrae, Terra quia nimium fundit sine fine novata. Inibi non pluvia, non frigus in aurea castra, Obsidiae nullae, sicut nunc, neque rapinae, Nec lucernae lumen desiderat civitas illa: Ex auctore suo lucet, nec non ibi paret Per duodecim millia stadia lata; longa, sic alta; Radicem in terra, sed caput cum coelo peraequat, 0235B In urbe pro foribus autem sol et luna lucebit. Malus in angore septus propter justos alendos. Ab annis autem mille Deus omnia perdet.