the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven is not completely cut off from them, if 3.2 they obey the commandments; then whenever they learn that they have feared a fearless fear and that the Savior gladly receives them when they wish it, then also to show them beforehand and initiate them, how and through what works and dispositions they might enjoy their hope, as it is neither impossible for them, 3.3 nor, on the contrary, is it attained randomly. But just as is the case with athletes—that we may compare small and perishable things with great and imperishable ones—let the one who is rich in a worldly way consider this also for himself. 3.4 For of them, one who has despaired of being able to win and receive crowns does not even enroll for the contest at all, while another, who has put this hope in his mind but does not submit to the appropriate labors, exercises, and diet, remains uncrowned 3.5 and misses out on his hopes. So too, let someone who is clothed in this earthly garment neither from the start exclude himself from the Savior's contests, being a believer and perceiving the greatness of God's love for humanity, nor, on the other hand, let him hope to receive the crowns of incorruptibility without effort or sweat, having remained untrained and uncontested; 3.6 but let him submit himself, bringing himself to the Word as his trainer, and to Christ as the judge of the contest. Let his prescribed food and drink be the new covenant of the Lord, his exercises the commandments, his good form and adornment the fine dispositions, love, faith, hope, knowledge of truth, . . . . . . . . . ., gentleness, compassion, modesty, so that, when the last trumpet sounds for the race and the departure from here, as from the stadium of life, he may stand victorious before the judge of the contest with a good conscience, acknowledged as worthy of the fatherland above, to which he returns with crowns and angelic proclamations.

4.1 May the Savior then grant us, beginning the argument from here, to contribute true things and

fitting and saving things to the brethren, first toward hope itself and second toward the approach to hope. 4.2 And what he grants to those who ask and teaches those who request and looses ignorance and casts off despair, introducing again the same sayings about the rich, which become their own interpreters 4.3 and safe expositors. For there is nothing like hearing again the sayings themselves, which until now have disturbed us in the gospels, as we listened uncritically and mistakenly in our immaturity. 4.4 "As he was going out into the road, a certain man came up and knelt before him, saying: 4.5 'Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' And Jesus says, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except one, God. You know the commandments: You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false 4.6 witness, Honor your father and your mother.' And he answering says to him, 'All these I have kept from my youth.' And Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, 'One thing you lack: if you wish to be perfect, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in 4.7 heaven, and come, follow me.' But he, being dismayed at the saying, 4.8 went away grieving; for he had many possessions and fields. And Jesus, looking around, says to his disciples, 'How difficult it is for those who have possessions to enter the kingdom of God.' 4.9 And the disciples were amazed at his words. And again Jesus answering says to them, 'Children, how difficult it is for those who trust in possessions to enter the kingdom of God; a camel will more easily go through the eye of a needle than a rich man into the kingdom of God.' And they were exceedingly astonished and said, 'Who then can be saved?' And looking at them, he said, 'What is impossible with men 4.10 is possible with God.' Peter began to say to him, 'Look, we have left everything and have followed you.' And Jesus answering says, 'Truly I say to you, whoever leaves his own possessions and parents and brothers and wealth for my sake and for the sake of the gospel,

οὐκ ἀποκέκο πται τέλεον αὐτοῖς ἡ κληρονομία τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἐὰν 3.2 ὑπακούσωσι ταῖς ἐντολαῖς· εἶθ' ὁπόταν μάθωσιν ὡς ἀδεὲς δεδίασι δέος καὶ ὅτι βουλομένους αὐτοὺς ὁ σωτὴρ ἀσμένως δέχεται, τότε καὶ προδεικνύναι καὶ μυσταγωγεῖν, ὅπως ἂν καὶ δι' οἵων ἔργων τε καὶ διαθέσεων ἐπαύραιντο τῆς ἐλπίδος, ὡς οὔτ' ἀμηχάνου καθεστώσης 3.3 αὐτοῖς οὔτε τοὐναντίον εἰκῇ περιγινομένης. ἀλλ' ὅνπερ τρόπον ἔχει τὸ τῶν ἀθλητῶν, ἵνα μικρὰ καὶ ἐπίκηρα μεγάλοις καὶ ἀφθάρτοις παραβάλωμεν, τουτὶ καὶ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ κατὰ κόσμον πλουτῶν 3.4 λογιζέσθω. καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνων ὁ μὲν ὅτι δυνήσεται νικᾶν καὶ στεφά νων τυγχάνειν ἀπελπίσας οὐδ' ὅλως ἐπὶ τὴν ἄθλησιν ἀπεγράψατο, ὁ δὲ ταύτην μὲν ἐμβαλόμενος τῇ γνώμῃ τὴν ἐλπίδα, πόνους δὲ καὶ γυμνάσια καὶ τροφὰς μὴ προσιέμενος προσφόρους, ἀστεφάνωτος 3.5 διεγένετο καὶ διήμαρτε τῶν ἐλπίδων. οὕτως τις καὶ τὴν ἐπίγειον ταύτην περιβεβλημένος περιβολὴν μήτε τὴν ἀρχὴν ἑαυτὸν τῶν ἄθλων τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐκκηρυσσέτω, πιστός γε ὢν καὶ τὸ μεγαλεῖον συνο ρῶν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, μήτε μὴν αὖθις ἀνάσκητος καὶ ἀναγώνιστος μείνας ἀκονιτὶ κἀνιδρωτὶ τῶν στεφάνων τῆς ἀφθαρσίας 3.6 ἐλπιζέτω μεταλαβεῖν· ἀλλ' αὑτὸν ὑποβαλέτω φέρων γυμναστῇ μὲν τῷ λόγῳ, ἀγωνοθέτῃ δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ· τροφὴ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ποτὸν γενέσθω τεταγμένον ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη τοῦ κυρίου, γυμνάσια δὲ αἱ ἐντολαί, εὐσχημοσύνη δὲ καὶ κόσμος αἱ καλαὶ διαθέσεις, ἀγάπη, πίστις. ἐλπίς, γνῶσις ἀληθείας, ··········, πραότης, εὐσπλαγχνία, σεμ νότης, ἵν', ὅταν ἡ ἐσχάτη σάλπιγξ ὑποσημήνῃ τοῦ δρόμου καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἐξόδου καθάπερ ἐκ σταδίου τοῦ βίου, μετ' ἀγαθοῦ τοῦ συνειδότος τῷ ἀθλοθέτῃ παραστῇ νικηφόρος, ὡμολογημένος τῆς ἄνω πατρίδος ἄξιος, εἰς ἣν μετὰ στεφάνων καὶ κηρυγμάτων ἀγγελικῶν ἐπανέρχεται.

4.1 ∆οίη τοίνυν ἡμῖν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐντεῦθεν ἀρξαμένοις τοῦ λόγου τἀληθῆ καὶ τὰ

πρέποντα καὶ τὰ σωτήρια συμβαλέσθαι τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς πρός τε τὴν ἐλπίδα πρῶτον αὐτὴν καὶ δεύτερον πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἐλπί 4.2 δος προσαγωγήν. ὃ δὲ χαρίζεται δεομένοις καὶ αἰτοῦντας διδάσκει καὶ λύει τὴν ἄγνοιαν καὶ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν ἀποσείεται, τοὺς αὐτοὺς πάλιν εἰσάγων λόγους περὶ τῶν πλουσίων, ἑαυτῶν ἑρμηνέας γινο 4.3 μένους καὶ ἐξηγητὰς ἀσφαλεῖς. οὐδὲν γὰρ οἷον αὐτῶν αὖθις ἀκοῦσαι τῶν ῥητῶν, ἅπερ ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἄχρι νῦν διετάρασσεν ἀβασανίστως καὶ διημαρτημένως ὑπὸ νηπιότητος ἀκροωμένους. 4.4 "ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ εἰς ὁδὸν προσελθών τις ἐγονυπέτει λέγων· 4.5 "διδάσκαλε ἀγαθέ, τί ποιήσω, ἵνα ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω;" ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς λέγει· "τί με ἀγαθὸν λέγεις; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός. τὰς ἐντολὰς οἶδας· μὴ μοιχεύσῃς, μὴ φονεύσῃς, μὴ κλέψῃς, μὴ ψευδο 4.6 μαρτυρήσῃς, τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα." ὃ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει αὐτῷ· "πάντα ταῦτα ἐφύλαξα ἐκ νεότητός μου." ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἐμβλέψας ἠγάπησεν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπεν· "ἕν σοι ὑστερεῖ· εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, πώλησον ὅσα ἔχεις καὶ διάδος πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν 4.7 οὐρανῷ, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι." ὃ δὲ στυγνάσας ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ 4.8 ἀπῆλθε λυπούμενος· ἦν γὰρ ἔχων χρήματα πολλὰ καὶ ἀγρούς. περι βλεψάμενος δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· "πῶς δυσκόλως οἱ τὰ χρήματα ἔχοντες εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ." 4.9 οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ ἐθαμβοῦντο ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ. πάλιν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει αὐτοῖς· "τέκνα, πῶς δύσκολόν ἐστι τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐπὶ χρήμασιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσελθεῖν· εὐκόλως διὰ τῆς τρυμαλιᾶς τῆς βελόνης κάμηλος εἰσελεύσεται ἢ πλούσιος εἰς τὴν βασι λείαν τοῦ θεοῦ." οἳ δὲ περισσῶς ἐξεπλήσσοντο καὶ ἔλεγον· "τίς οὖν δύναται σωθῆναι;" ὃ δὲ ἐμβλέψας αὐτοῖς εἶπεν· "ὅ τι παρὰ ἀνθρώποις 4.10 ἀδύνατον, παρὰ θεῷ δυνατόν." ἤρξατο ὁ Πέτρος λέγειν αὐτῷ· "ἴδε ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα καὶ ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι." ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει· "ἀμὴν ὑμῖν λέγω, ὃς ἂν ἀφῇ τὰ ἴδια καὶ γονεῖς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ χρήματα ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ ἕνεκεν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου,