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Adam is exiled from paradise, by one voice of faith the thief is saved; one sin casts him out from delight, one act of righteousness settles this one into delight. The thief entered into paradise. O the wonder! Not even to Abraham was the promise of paradise given by voice; for he inherits by faith, but the promise of paradise he did not receive before the thief.

7 Pay close attention here, and having searched all the old and new scripture; you will find that none of the righteous appears to have received the promise by voice before the thief, not Abraham, not Moses, not the prophets, not the apostles, but before all the thief hears: "Amen, amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." God called Abraham, saying: "Go out from your land and from your kindred and from your father's house," and he did not say: that you may inherit paradise, but "come to a land that I will show you." To Moses God has given the law, and as the fruit of the commandments he promises the good things on earth: "If you keep the law of the Lord your God." Nowhere is there a promise of paradise before the thief.

8 It is necessary to ask why he made the promise to this man before the others and before such trustworthy men. Abraham believed God, but he believed not when he appeared to him in such humiliation, he believed him speaking from heaven, he believed him sending forth the word through holy angels and offering the commandment from his own authority. Isaiah also believed, but after seeing him in glory; Ezekiel also believed, but after beholding him upon the cherubim; the prophets also believed, but each in different ways saw his own master in glory, as it was possible for human nature to see. Moses believed, but he believed God speaking from the midst of the fire and the darkness and the trumpets and the thunders; these things were sufficient to strengthen even the unbeliever.

9 I say these things not to disparage the prophets, but in defense of the one who received paradise. But he sees a savior not on a royal throne, not speaking in the heavens, not commanding through an angel; he saw in humiliation and he worships in glory; he saw on a cross and he beseeches as one seated in heaven. He sees him being condemned and calls the crucified one king, and says: "Remember me when you come into your kingdom."

10 You see him crucified and you call him king who is in the glory of condemnation? Did you, who devoted yourself to lawlessness, read the law? Did you, who devoted yourself to murder, read the prophets? Did you, while sharpening your sword, read the divine law? From where were you taught to philosophize such things about Christ? The Jews, who know the law, crucify him; you who are ignorant of it call the condemned one God, you worship the crucified one. Whom has he led into the glory of the kingdom. We have spoken on behalf of the one who dared through these deeds; for we do not imitate outward characterization and personification, but we borrow the starting points of our arguments from the events themselves. Who taught you to say such things about him? The law, he says, did not teach me, but the sun being hidden taught me. I saw it shuddering at the humiliation of the cross, I saw the earth also split apart and not bearing the Christ-killing beasts; I saw the rocks also split apart. Rocks were split, but the ungrateful heart is not broken; the rocks were split, the veil of the temple was also torn in two.

11 What is the veil? As if we were to say a curtain; for it is necessary to use this common word from which all understand what the veil was, not because I am interpreting a difficult thing, but because for many it is incomprehensible. A veil, a fabric made of purple and scarlet and fine linen and hyacinth. When therefore the cross

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ἐξορίζεται Ἀδὰμ τοῦ παραδείσου, διὰ μίαν φωνὴν πίστεως ὁ λῃστὴς σῴζεται· μία ἐκεῖνον ἁμαρτία ἐκβάλλει τῆς τρυφῆς, μία τοῦτον δικαιοσύνη εἰσοικίζει εἰς τὴν τρυφήν. Εἰσῆλθεν ὁ λῃστὴς εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος. οὔτε τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ἐδόθη ἐπαγγελία παραδείσου διὰ φωνῆς· κληρονομεῖ γὰρ διὰ πίστεως ἀλλ' ἐπαγγελίαν παραδείσου οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ λῃστοῦ ἔλαβεν.

7 Ἐνταῦθα πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς καὶ τὴν παλαιὰν ἐρευνήσας γραφὴν πᾶσαν καὶ τὴν νέαν· εὑρήσεις ὅτι οὐδεὶς φαίνεται τῶν δικαίων πρὸ τοῦ λῃστοῦ διὰ φωνῆς τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν δεξάμενος, οὐκ Ἀβραάμ, οὐ Μωϋσῆς, οὐχ οἱ προφῆται, οὐκ ἀπόστολοι, ἀλλὰ πρὸ πάντων ὁ λῃστὴς ἀκούει· «Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ». Ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰμ λέγων· «Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου» καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν· ἵνα κληρονομήσῃς παράδεισον, ἀλλὰ «δεῦρο εἰς γῆν ἣν ἄν σοι δείξω». Μωϋσῇ τὸν νόμον δέδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ καρπὸν ἐντολῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ἀγαθά· «Ἐὰν φυλάξῃς τὸν νόμον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου». Οὐδαμοῦ ἐπαγγελία παραδείσου πρὸ τοῦ λῃστοῦ.

8 Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ζητῆσαι τίνος ἕνεκεν τούτῳ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ πρὸ τοιούτων ἀξιοπίστων ἀνδρῶν ἐπηγγείλατο. Ἐπίστευσεν μὲν Θεῷ ὁ Ἀβραάμ, ἀλλ' ἐπίστευσεν οὐκ ἐν τοιαύτῃ ὕβρει αὐτῷ φανέντι, ἐπίστευσεν ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ φθεγγομένῳ, ἐπίστευσεν αὐτῷ δι' ἀγγέλων ἁγίων τὸν λόγον ἐκπέμποντι καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας αὐθεντίας τὴν ἐντολὴν προσφέροντι. Ἐπίστευσεν καὶ Ἠσαΐας, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἐν δόξῃ· ἐπίστευσεν καὶ Ἰεζεκιήλ, ἀλλὰ θεασάμενος αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβίμ· ἐπίστευσαν καὶ οἱ προφῆται, ἀλλὰ διαφόρως ἕκαστος ἐν δόξῃ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ δεσπότην εἶδεν, ὡς ἰδεῖν δυνατὸν ἦν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν. Ἐπίστευσεν Μωϋσῆς ἀλλ' ἐπίστευσεν Θεῷ λαλοῦντι ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ γνόφου καὶ τῶν σαλπίγγων καὶ τῶν βροντῶν· ἱκανὰ ἦν ταῦτα καὶ τὸν ἄπιστον νευρῶσαι.

9 Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω οὐ τοὺς προφήτας ἐξουθενῶν ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαβόντος τὸν παράδεισον ἀπολογούμενος. Αὐτὸς δὲ βλέπει σωτῆρα οὐκ ἐπὶ θρόνου βασιλικοῦ, οὐκ ἐν οὐρανοῖς φθεγγόμενον, οὐ δι' ἀγγέλου διαταττόμενον· εἶδεν ἐν ὕβρει καὶ προσκυνεῖ ἐν δόξῃ· εἶδεν ἐπὶ σταυροῦ καὶ παρακαλεῖ ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καθήμενον. Βλέπει αὐτὸν κατακρινόμενον καὶ βασιλέα καλεῖ τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον καὶ φησί· «Μνήσθητί μου ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου».

10 Ἐσταυρωμένον βλέπεις καὶ βασιλέα καλεῖς τὸν ἐν δόξῃ κατακρίσεως; Μὴ γὰρ νόμον ἀνέγνως ὁ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ σχολάσας, μὴ προφῆτας ἀνέγνως ὁ φόνοις ἐσχολακὼς, μὴ ἀνέγνως τὸν θεῖον νόμον τὴν μάχαιραν ἀκονῶν. Πόθεν ἐπαιδεύθης περὶ Χριστοῦ τοιαῦτα φιλοσοφεῖν; Ἰουδαῖοι σταυρῶσιν, οἱ τὸν νόμον εἴδοτες, σὺ ὁ τούτου ἄπειρος Θεὸν λέγεις τὸν κατάκριτον, προσκυνεῖς τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον. Τίνας εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν δόξαν τῆς βασιλείας. Εἴπομεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τολμήσαντος διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων· οὐ γὰρ τὴν ἔξω ἠθοποιΐαν μιμούμεθα καὶ προσωποποιΐαν ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων τὰς ἀφορμὰς δανειζόμεθα τῶν ὑποθέσεων. Τίς ἐπαίδευσέν σε τοιαῦτα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λέγειν; Νόμος μέν, φησίν, οὐκ ἐπαίδευσεν, ὁ δὲ ἥλιος κρυβεὶς ἐδίδαξεν. Εἶδον αὐτὸν φρίξαντα τὴν ὕβριν τοῦ σταυροῦ, εἶδον καὶ τὴν γῆν σχισθεῖσαν καὶ μὴ φέρουσαν τοὺς χριστοφόνους θῆρας· εἶδον καὶ τὰς πέτρας σχισθεῖσας. Πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν, ἡ δὲ καρδία ἡ ἀγνώμων οὐ διαλύεται· ἐσχίσθησαν αἱ πέτραι, ἐρράγη καὶ τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ εἰς δύο.

11 Τί ἐστιν τὸ καταπέτασμα; οἷον ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ἡμεῖς βῆλον· δεῖ γὰρ ταύτῃ τῇ συνήθῃ χρήσασθαι φωνῇ ἐξ ἧς πάντες καταλαμβάνουσιν τί καταπέτασμα ἦν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ δύσκολον ἑρμηνεύω ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πολλοῖς ἀκατάληπτον. Καταπέτασμα πορφύρας καὶ κοκκίνου καὶ βύσσου καὶ 5ϊ5ακίνθου κατεσκευασμένον ὕφος. Ὅτε οὖν ὁ σταυρὸς