having sold his possessions; and these were evil, by no longer living for them, but being dead to the whole world and its desires. Those who have written about pearls say that there are six different kinds of them, of which the better are those found in India in shells, formed from heavenly dew. The lesser pearls, then, are the inquiries of the law and the prophets, and of the rest of Scripture, which one who seeks diligently, giving himself to commerce, seeks Christ, the pearl better than all these, considering all these present good things as loss and rubbish for the sake of the knowledge of Christ. Furthermore, the dragnet is the weaving of the words of the ancient Scripture, which seemed incomplete, but which Christ, having come, has perfected. This. cast into the sea of this life, gathers not different natures, but free wills and choices; so that what is gathered from every kind, is praiseworthy and blameworthy in their inclinations toward the forms of virtues or of evils. And in addition to these things, what is gathered from every kind can signify the calling from every kind. But the angels will not draw the dragnet to the shore, that is, to the things outside this life, unless it has been filled with the fullness of the nations; but having been filled, they draw it up, and they will restore each of the good things under the dragnet to its own order according to what are here called their vessels, but the bad they will cast out. And the "out" is the furnace of fire, as the Savior says in what follows; for the bad fish are cast out, but the bad men into the furnace of fire. v. 47. Again: The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea. The intelligible weaving of the dragnet is the old and new Scripture from various thoughts; The sea, the tumultuous life of men. Every kind, the various 17.297 choices among men, the calling of all sorts of nations. Workers of the dragnet, the Lord and the angels who came to minister to him. The vessels, the different mansions. But the dragnet is not drawn up until the fullness of the nations has come in. Or thus: The dragnet is the apostolic teaching, which indiscriminately catches Jews and Greeks, barbarians, Scythians, slaves, free, evil and good. The sea, the life of men. The shore, its end. And at the consummation, when the dragnet is drawn up, the good are separated from the bad, the one being honored, the other being punished. For the way of all the faithful is not the same. And lest anyone think that only the unfaithful and evil are cast out, he indicated that they are sent away to everlasting punishment: And they will cast them into the furnace of fire, and so on. CHAP. 18. Verse 5. And whoever receives one such child in my name, receives me. He exhorts the faithful to receive in his name one such child, or one of such spiritual ones who have formed Christ, according to the humbling of his own spirit. And according to Luke, one must receive the child shown by the Savior in his name, so that in him he may receive Christ who is also in the Spirit. Or one such, since all the spiritual are one. And the word exhorts to receive the simple and meek in heart in the word of Christ. Checking the contentiousness of the disciples (since when teachers fight, schisms arise from the many who are scandalized, with those who are scandalized wishing to draw the hearers to themselves), he foretells the punishment with them. And this was said emphatically. That is, even if you scandalize a humble person among the faithful, the punishment against you will be severe. For he signifies the unbearable punishment through the millstone and drowning, which will be with those who insult such people. For here he calls insult a scandal. And I say these things, because the little ones are easily scandalized, so that we may not despise them. For the great and perfect in virtue despises every scandal. And from what he foretells and laments for such people, he gives them time for repentance. And having said, It is necessary, he does not take away the

πεπρακὼς αὐτοῦ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα· κακία δὲ ταῦτ' ἦν, τῷ μηκέτι ζῇν τούτοις, νεκρωθῆναι δὲ τῷ κόσμῳ παντὶ καὶ θελήμασι τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οἵ γε μὴν περὶ μαργαριτῶν γράψαντες, φασὶν ἓξ εἶναι τὰς τούτων διαφορὰς, ὧν κρείττους οἱ κατ' Ἰνδίαν ἐν κόγχαις γενόμενοι ἐκ δρόσου τῆς οὐρανίας. Οἱ ἥττους γοῦν μαργαρῖταί εἰσιν αἱ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης Γραφῆς ζητήσεις, ἃ ὁ ἐμπόνως ζητῶν, ἐμπορίας ἀποδιδόμενος, τὸν κρείττω τούτων ἁπάντων μαργαρίτην Χριστὸν ζητεῖ, πάντα ταῦτα καὶ παρόντα καλὰ ζημίας ἡγούμενος καὶ σκύ βαλα πρὸς τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἔτι σαγήνη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ τῶν παλαιῶν τῆς Γρα φῆς λόγων πλοκὴ, ἣν ἀτελῆ δοκοῦσαν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐλθὼν τετελείωκεν. Αὕτη. εἰς τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ βίου ἐμβαλλομένη θάλασσαν, οὐ φύσεων συνάγει διαφό ρων, ἀλλὰ γνωμῶν αὐτεξουσίων καὶ προαιρέσεων· ὡς εἶναι τὸ ἐκ παντὸς γένους συναγόμενον, ἐπαινε τοὺς καὶ ψεκτοὺς ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τὰ εἴδη τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἢ τῶν κακιῶν ἐπιῤῥεπείαις. ∆ύναται δὲ πρὸς τούτοις τὸ ἐκ παντὸς γένους συναγόμενον δηλοῦν τὴν ἀπὸ παντὸς γένους κλῆσιν. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ τὴν σαγήνην ἑλκύ σωσιν ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν, ἤτοι τὰ ἔξω τοῦδε τοῦ βίου πράγματα, οἱ ἄγγελοι, μὴ πληρωθεῖσαν τῷ πληρώ ματι τῶν ἐθνῶν· πλησθεῖσαν δὲ ἀναβιβάζουσι, καὶ ἕκαστον τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν σαγήνην καλῶν, εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον τάγμα ἀποκαταστήσονται κατὰ τὰ ὀνομαζόμενα ἐν ταῦθα αὐτῶν ἀγγεῖα, τὰ δὲ σαπρὰ ἔξω βαλοῦσι. Τὸ δὲ ἔξω ἡ κάμινός ἐστι τοῦ πυρὸς, καθώς φησιν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς· οἱ μὲν γὰρ φαῦλοι τῶν ἰχθύων ἔξω ῥιπτοῦνται, οἱ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὴν κάμι νον τοῦ πυρός. Στ. μζʹ. Πάλιν· Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρα νῶν σαγήνῃ βληθείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν. Σαγήνης πλοκὴ νοητὴ ἡ ἐκ ποικίλων νοημάτων παλαιὰ καὶ καινὴ Γραφή· Θάλασσα, ὁ κυματούμε νος τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος. Τὸ πᾶν γένος τὸ ποικίλον 17.297 τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις προαιρέσεων, ἡ παντοίων ἐθνῶν κλῆσις. Ἐργάται σαγήνης, ὁ Κύριος καὶ οἱ προσελ θόντες ἄγγελοι διακονεῖν αὐτῷ. Ἀγγεῖα αἱ διάφοροι μοναί. Οὐκ ἀνάγεται δὲ ἡ σαγήνη, ἕως οὗ τὸ πλή ρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ. Ἢ οὕτως· Σαγήνη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀποστολικὴ διδασκαλία, ἡ ἀδιακρίτως συλλαμβανο μένη Ἰουδαίους καὶ Ἕλληνας, βαρβάρους, Σκύθας, δούλους, ἐλευθέρους, πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθούς. Θάλασσα, ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος. Αἰγιαλὸς, τὸ τέρμα τούτου. Ἐν δὲ τῇ συντελείᾳ, ὅτε ἀνασπᾶται ἡ σαγήνη, ἀφ ορίζονται ἀπὸ τῶν φαύλων οἱ ἀγαθοὶ, οἱ μὲν τιμώμε νοι, οἱ δὲ κολαζόμενοι. Οὐ γὰρ πάντων τῶν πιστῶν ὅμοιος ὁ τρόπος. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ νομίσῃ τις, ὅτι ἔξω μόνον βάλλονται οἱ ἄπιστοι καὶ πονηροὶ, ἐσήμανεν, ὅτι εἰς διηνεκῆ κόλασιν παραπέμπονται· Καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ΚΕΦ. ΙΗʹ. Στίχ. εʹ. Καὶ ὃς ἐὰν δέξηται παιδίον τοιοῦτον ἓν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐμὲ δέχεται. Παραινεῖ δέχεσθαι τοὺς πιστοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἓν παιδίον τοιοῦτον, ἢ ἓν τοιούτων τῶν πνευ ματικῶν καὶ μεμορφωμένων τὸν Χριστὸν, κατὰ τὸ ταπεινῶσαι τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πνεῦμα. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Λουκᾶν, τὸ δεικνύμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος παιδίον δέχεσθαι δεῖ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ δέξηται τὸν Χριστὸν ὄντα καὶ ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι. Ἢ ἓν τοιοῦτον, ἐπεὶ ἕν εἰσι πάντες οἱ πνευματικοί. Προτρέπει δὲ ὁ λόγος καὶ τὸ δέχεσθαι τῶν ἁπλῶν καὶ πραέων τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ Χριστοῦ. Ἀνακόπτων τὸ φιλόνικον τῶν μαθη τῶν (ἐπειδὴ ὅτε οἱ διδάσκαλοι μάχονται, σχίσματα γίνονται πολλῶν σκανδαλιζομένων, βουλομένων τῶν σκανδαλιζομένων ἐπισπᾶσθαι εἰς αὑτοὺς τοὺς ἀκροα τὰς), προλέγει τὴν μετ' αὐτῶν τιμωρίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐπιτεταγμένως ἐλέχθη. Τουτέστιν κἂν εὐτελῆ ἄνθρω πον τῶν πιστῶν σκανδαλίσητε, βαρεῖα ἔσται καθ' ὑμῶν ἡ τιμωρία. Τὴν γὰρ ἀφόρητον τιμωρίαν διὰ τοῦ μύ λου καὶ καταποντισμοῦ σημαίνει, τὴν ἐσομένην μετὰ τῶν τοὺς τοιούτους ὑβριζόντων. Σκάνδαλον γὰρ ἐν ταῦθα τὴν ὕβριν καλεῖ. Ταῦτα δέ φημι, ἐπειδὴ οἱ μι κροὶ εὐσκανδάλιστοί εἰσιν, ἵνα μὴ καταφρονῶμεν αὐ τῶν. Ὁ γὰρ μέγας καὶ τέλειος ἐν ἀρετῇ παντὸς σκαν δάλου καταφρονεῖ. Ἐξ ὧν δὲ προλέγει καὶ θρηνεῖ τοὺς τοιούτους, δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς καιρὸν μετανοίας. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Ἀνάγκη, οὐκ ἀναιρεῖ τὸ