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A shameless lender toils to double the principal, but God of his own accord gives the hundredfold to the one who does not oppress his brother. Be persuaded then by God who counsels you, and you will receive sinless interest. Why with sin do you waste yourself away with cares, counting the days, calculating the months, considering the principal, daydreaming of the additions, fearing the deadline, lest it arrive fruitless like a summer crop struck by hail? The lender pries into the debtor’s actions, his travels, his movements, his changes of residence, his business ventures. And if some grim rumor arrives, that so-and-so fell among robbers or from some circumstance his prosperity 9.200 was turned into poverty, he sits with his hands clasped, groans constantly, sheds many a tear, unrolls the bond, mourns the gold in the letters, bringing forth the contract like the garment of a deceased son; from that he stirs his passion more fervently. And if the loan is a maritime one, he sits by the shores, worries about the movements of the winds, constantly asks those landing if any shipwreck has been heard of, if those at sea were in any danger; his soul freezes when he sees the sea raging, he sees dreams, his soul is haunted by apparitions from the remnants of his daily anxiety. To such a man it must be said: Cease, man, from dangerous anxiety, rest from a consuming hope; do not, by seeking interest, destroy the principal for yourself. From a poor man you seek revenues and additions of wealth, doing something like one who would wish to take stacks of grain from land dried by the hottest drought, or a multitude of grape clusters from a vine after a hail-bearing cloud, or the birth of children from a barren womb, or the nourishment of milk from women who have not given birth. No one attempts things that are contrary to nature and impossible, since in addition to accomplishing nothing, he also incurs ridicule. God alone is all-powerful, who from impossibilities finds resources and creates things beyond hope and expectation, now commanding a spring to flow from a rock, then raining from heaven an unusual and foreign bread, and again sweetening the bitter Marah with the touch of wood, and making the womb of the barren Elizabeth fertile and giving Samuel to Hannah and to Mary the firstborn in virginity. These are the works of the all-powerful hand alone.

But you, from bronze and gold, from barren materials, do not seek interest, nor force poverty to do what the wealthy do, nor 9.201 force the one who begs for the principal to give an increase. For do you not know that the need for a loan is a specious request for mercy? Therefore also the Law, the introductory letter of piety, everywhere forbids interest: If you lend money to your brother, you shall not press him. and Grace, abounding from the fount of goodness, legislates the forgiveness of debts, in one place acting kindly and saying: And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back; and elsewhere in a parable bitterly punishing the harsh servant, who was not moved by his fellow servant bowing down, nor did he forgive a paltry debt of one hundred denarii, though he himself had received forgiveness for ten thousand talents. But our Savior and teacher of piety, introducing to his disciples a simple rule and pattern of prayer, inserted this one thing also into the words of supplication, as being especially necessary and primarily sufficient to entreat God: And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. How then will you pray, O usurer? With what conscience will you, who take all and have not learned to give, ask a good thing from God? Or do you not know that your prayer is a reminder of your misanthropy? What have you forgiven, that you ask for forgiveness? Whom have you pitied, that you call on the Merciful One? And if you ever do give alms, from where do you give it? Is it not from your bitter and misanthropic taxation? Is it not from the misfortunes of others, full of tears and groans? If the poor man knew from where you offer alms, he would not accept it, as if about to taste the flesh of his brothers and the blood of his kin, but would say a word to you

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ἀναίσχυντος δανειστὴς κάμνει, ἵνα διπλασιάσῃ τὸ κεφάλαιον, ὁ θεὸς δὲ αὐθαιρέτως τῷ μὴ θλίβοντι τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸ ἑκατοντα πλάσιον δίδωσι. πείσθητι οὖν τῷ θεῷ συμβουλεύοντι καὶ λήψῃ τόκους ἀναμαρτήτους. ἵνα τί μετὰ ἁμαρτίας μερίμναις σαυτὸν ἐκτήκεις τὰς ἡμέρας ἀριθμῶν, τοὺς μῆνας ψηφίζων, τὸ κεφάλαιον ἐννοῶν, τὰς προσθήκας ὀνειροπολῶν, φοβού μενος τὴν προθεσμίαν, μὴ ἄκαρπος παραγένηται ὡς θέρος χαλαζωθέν; περιεργάζεται ὁ δανειστὴς τοῦ χρεώστου τὰς πράξεις, τὰς ἐκδημίας, τὰ κινήματα, τὰς μεταβάσεις, τὰς ἐμπορίας. κἂν φήμη τις παραγένηται σκυθρωπή, ὅτι λῃσταῖς ὁ δεῖνα περιέπεσεν ἢ ἔκ τινος περιστάσεως εἰς πενίαν αὐτῷ 9.200 μετεβλήθη ἡ εὐπορία, κάθηται τὼ χεῖρε συνδήσας, στένει συνεχῶς, ὑποδακρύει πολλά, ἀνελίττει τὸ χειρόγραφον, θρηνεῖ ἐν τοῖς γράμμασι τὸν χρυσὸν προκομίζων τὸ συμβό λαιον ὡς ἱμάτιον υἱοῦ τελευτήσαντος· ἀπ' ἐκείνου θερμότερον ἐγείρει τὸ πάθος. ἂν δὲ καὶ ναυτικὸν ᾖ τὸ δάνεισμα, τοῖς αἰγιαλοῖς προσκάθηται, τὰς κινήσεις μεριμνᾷ τῶν ἀνέμων, συνεχῶς διερωτᾷ τοὺς καταίροντας, μή που ναυάγιον ἠκούσθη, μή που πλέοντες ἐκινδύνευσαν· παχνοῦται τὴν ψυχήν, ὅταν ἀγριαίνουσαν ἴδῃ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὀνείρατα βλέπει, φαντασιοῦται τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκ τῶν λειψάνων τῆς μεθημερινῆς φροντίδος. πρὸς δὴ τὸν τοιοῦτον λεκτέον· παῦσαι, ἄνθρωπε, μερίμνης ἐπικινδύνου, ἀνάπαυσαι ἀπ' ἐλπίδος τηκούσης, μὴ τόκους ζητῶν σαυτῷ τὸ κεφάλαιον διαφθείρῃς. παρὰ πένητος ζητεῖς προσόδους καὶ προσθήκας πλούτου παραπλήσιον ποιῶν, ὡς εἴ τις ἀπὸ χώρας αὐχμῷ θερμοτάτῳ ξηραν θείσης λαβεῖν θελήσειε σίτου θημωνιάς, ἢ πλῆθος βοτρύων ἐξ ἀμπέλου μετὰ νέφος χαλαζηφόρον, ἢ τέκνων τόκον ἀπὸ στείρας γαστρός, ἢ γάλακτος τροφὴν ἐξ ἀτόκων γυναικῶν. οὐδεὶς ἐγχειρεῖ τοῖς παρὰ φύσιν καὶ ἀδυνάτοις, ἐπεὶ πρὸς τῷ μηδὲν κατορθοῦν προσοφλισκάνει γέλωτα. μόνος ὁ θεὸς παντοδύναμος, ὃς ἐκ τῶν ἀπόρων εὑρίσκει τοὺς πορισμοὺς καὶ τὰ παρ' ἐλπίδα καὶ προσδοκίαν δημιουργεῖ, νῦν μὲν κελεύων πέτρας πηγὴν ἀπορρεῖν, αὖθις δὲ βρέχων ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἄρτον ἀσυνήθη καὶ ξένον, καὶ πάλιν γλυκαίνων τὴν πικρὰν Μερρὰν ἐπαφῇ ξύλου, καὶ τῆς στείρας Ἐλισάβετ εὔτοκον ποιῶν τὴν γαστέρα καὶ διδοὺς τῇ Ἅννᾳ τὸν Σαμουὴλ καὶ τῇ Μαρίᾳ τὸν ἐν παρθενίᾳ πρωτότοκον. ταῦτα μόνης τῆς παντοδυνάμου χειρὸς ἔργα.

Σὺ δὲ χαλκοῦ καὶ χρυσοῦ, τῶν ἀγόνων ὑλῶν, μὴ ζήτει τόκον μηδὲ βιάζου πενίαν τὰ τῶν πλουτούντων ποιεῖν μηδὲ 9.201 διδόναι πλεονασμοὺς τὸν τὸ κεφάλαιον προσαιτοῦντα. ἢ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδας, ὡς δάνους χρεία εὐπρόσωπός ἐστιν ἐλέου αἴτησις; διὸ καὶ ὁ νόμος, τὸ εἰσαγωγικὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας γράμμα, πανταχοῦ ἀπαγορεύει τὸν τόκον· Ἐὰν δανείσῃς ἀργύριον τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, οὐκ ἔσῃ αὐτὸν κατεπείγων. καὶ ἡ χάρις τῇ πηγῇ τῆς ἀγαθότητος πλεονάζουσα τῶν ὀφλημάτων νομοθετεῖ τὴν συγχώρησιν, ὅπου μὲν χρηστευομένη καὶ λέγουσα· Καὶ εἰ δανείζετε, παρ' ὧν ἐλπίζετε ἀπολαβεῖν· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ ἐν παραβολῇ τὸν σκληρὸν οἰκέτην πικρῶς κολάζουσα, ὃς τῷ ὁμοδούλῳ προσκυνοῦντι οὐκ ἐπεκλάσθη οὐδὲ ἀφῆκεν ἑκατὸν δηναρίων εὐτελὲς χρέος αὐτὸς τῶν μυρίων ταλάντων λαβὼν τὴν συγχώρησιν. ὁ δὲ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας διδάσκαλος εὐχῆς κανόνα καὶ τύπον ἀπέριττον τοῖς μαθηταῖς εἰσηγούμενος, ἓν καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς τῆς ἱκεσίας λόγοις ἐνέθηκεν ὡς μάλιστα δεῖν καὶ πρῶτον ἀρκοῦν δυσωπῆσαι θεόν· Καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, καθὼς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν. πῶς οὖν προσεύξῃ, ὁ τοκογλύφος; μετὰ ποίου συνειδότος αἴτημα ἀγαθὸν ζητήσεις παρὰ θεοῦ ὁ πάντα λαμβάνων καὶ μὴ μαθὼν τὸ διδόναι; ἢ οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι ἡ προσευχή σου ὑπόμνησις μισανθρωπίας ἐστίν; τί συνεχώρησας καὶ συγγνώμην αἰτεῖς; τίνα ἠλέησας καὶ καλεῖς τὸν ἐλεήμονα; ἂν δὲ καὶ δῷς ἐλεημοσύνην ποτέ, πόθεν δίδως; οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς πικρᾶς σου καὶ μισανθρώπου φορολογίας; οὐκ ἀπὸ συμφορῶν ἀλλοτρίων δακρύων γέμοντα καὶ στεναγμῶν; εἰ ἐγνώριζεν ὁ πένης, πόθεν ὀρέγεις τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην, οὐκ ἂν ἐδέξατο ὡς ἀδελφικῶν σαρκῶν γεύεσθαι μέλλων καὶ αἵματος τῶν οἰκείων, εἶπε δ' ἂν πρός σε λόγον