running through his humanity up to this point, but in vain does the one who has kept all the lawful commandments "from his youth" ask from another, kneeling, for immortality. For not only has he fulfilled the law, but he has done so starting straight from his earliest years; for what is great or exceedingly glorious about an old age barren of wrongdoings, which youthful desires, or boiling anger, or love of money produce? But if someone, in the leaping of youth and in the heat of his age, has presented a ripe mind, older than his years, this one is a wonderful and distinguished champion, and grey-haired in his judgment. But yet, such a one is precisely convinced that while he lacks nothing for righteousness, he is altogether in need of life; therefore he asks for it from the only one who is able to give it; and while he acts with boldness towards the law, he supplicates the son of God. He is transferred "from faith to faith"; as one who is tottering precariously in the law and anchored in a dangerous place, he moves his anchorage to the Savior.

So Jesus does not rebuke him as one who has not fulfilled all the things from the law, but even loves and highly esteems his obedience in what he had learned, but says he is imperfect with respect to eternal life, as one who has not fulfilled the perfect things, and is a worker of the law, but idle with respect to true life.

Those things, then, are good (and who says they are not? for the "commandment is holy") up to a certain point of tutelage with fear and preliminary instruction, proceeding to the supreme legislation and grace of Jesus, but "Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes," not making slaves as a slave, but sons and brothers and fellow heirs those who carry out the will of the Father.

"If you wish to be perfect." He was not yet perfect, then; for nothing is more perfect than the perfect. And divinely the phrase "if you wish" showed the free will of the soul conversing with him. For the choice was up to the man, as a free agent, but the giving was up to God, as Lord. And he gives to those who wish and are exceedingly zealous and ask, so that in this way their salvation might become their own. For God does not compel, for violence is hateful to God, but he provides to those who seek, and gives to those who ask, and opens to those who knock. If you wish, then, if you truly wish and are not deceiving yourself, acquire what is lacking. "One thing you lack," the one thing, my thing, the good thing, the thing now above the law, which the law does not give, which the law does not contain, which is proper to the living. Certainly he who had fulfilled all the things of the law "from his youth" and boasted of these immense things was not able to add this one thing to them all, the special gift of the Savior, in order to receive the eternal life which he desires; but he went away displeased, being grieved at the command of life, for which he was supplicating. For he did not truly want life, as he said, but was only clothing himself in the reputation of a good choice, and he was able to be busy about many things, but the one thing, the work of life, he was unable and unwilling and weak to carry out; just as the Savior also said something similar to Martha, who was busy about many things and distracted and troubled with her serving, and blaming her sister because, having left the serving, she sat at his feet, occupying herself with learning; "you are troubled about many things; but Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her." So also he commanded this man to cease from his busyness and to be devoted to one thing and to sit beside it, the grace of the one who bestows eternal life.

What then was it that drove him to flight and made him desert the teacher, the supplication, the hope, the life, the things he had labored for?

"Sell your possessions." And what is this? Not what some readily accept, that he commands him to throw away the substance he possesses and to withdraw from his

μέχρι τοῦ σημείου τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα διατρέχων, μάτην δὲ ὁ πάσας πεποιηκὼς "ἐκ νεότητος" τὰς νομίμους ἐντολὰς παρὰ 8.3 ἄλλου αἰτεῖ γονυπετῶν ἀθανασίαν. οὐδὲ γὰρ πεπλήρωκε μόνον τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπὸ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἀρξάμενος· ἐπεὶ καὶ τί μέγα ἢ ὑπέρλαμπρον γῆρας ἄγονον ἀδικημάτων ὧν ἐπιθυμίαι τί κτουσι νεανικαὶ ἢ ὀργὴ ζέουσα ἢ ἔρως χρημάτων; ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἐν σκιρτήματι νεοτησίῳ καὶ τῷ καύσωνι τῆς ἡλικίας παρέσχηται φρό νημα πεπανὸν καὶ πρεσβύτερον τοῦ χρόνου, θαυμαστὸς οὗτος ἀγω 8.4 νιστὴς καὶ διαπρεπὴς καὶ τὴν γνώμην πολιός. ἀλλ' ὅμως οὗτος ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀκριβῶς πέπεισται, διότι αὐτῷ πρὸς μὲν δικαιοσύνην οὐδὲν ἐνδεῖ, ζωῆς δὲ ὅλως προσδεῖ· διὸ αὐτὴν αἰτεῖ παρὰ τοῦ δοῦναι μόνου δυναμένου· καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὸν νόμον ἄγει παρρησίαν, τοῦ θεοῦ δὲ τὸν 8.5 υἱὸν ἱκετεύει. "ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν" μετατάσσεται· ὡς σφαλερῶς ἐν νόμῳ σαλεύων καὶ ἐπικινδύνως ναυλοχῶν εἰς τὸν σωτῆρα μεθορ μίζεται.

9.1 Ὁ γοῦν Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἐλέγχει μὲν αὐτὸν ὡς πάντα τὰ ἐκ νόμου μὴ

πεπληρωκότα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγαπᾷ καὶ ὑπερασπάζεται τῆς ἐν οἷς ἔμαθεν εὐπειθείας, ἀτελῆ δὲ εἶναί φησιν ὡς πρὸς τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν ὡς οὐ τέλεια πεπληρωκότα καὶ νόμου μὲν ἐργάτην, ἀργὸν δὲ ζωῆς ἀληθι 9.2 νῆς. καλὰ μὲν οὖν κἀκεῖνα (τίς δ' οὔ φησιν; ἡ γὰρ "ἐντολὴ ἁγία") ἄχρι παιδαγωγίας τινὸς μετὰ φόβου καὶ προπαιδείας ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ νομοθεσίαν τὴν ἄκραν καὶ χάριν προχωροῦντα, πλήρωμα δὲ "νόμου Χριστὸς εἰς δικαιοσύνην παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι", οὐχὶ δὲ δού λους ποιῶν ὡς δοῦλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ υἱοὺς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ συγκληρονό μους τοὺς ἐπιτελοῦντας τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός.

10.1 "Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος γενέσθαι." οὐκ ἄρα πω τέλειος ἦν· οὐδὲν γὰρ τελείου

τελειότερον. καὶ θείως τὸ "εἰ θέλεις" τὸ αὐτεξούσιον τῆς προσδιαλεγομένης αὐτῷ ψυχῆς ἐδήλωσεν. ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ γὰρ ἦν 10.2 ἡ αἵρεσις ὡς ἐλευθέρῳ, ἐπὶ θεῷ δὲ ἡ δόσις ὡς κυρίῳ. δίδωσι δὲ βουλομένοις καὶ ὑπερεσπουδακόσι καὶ δεομένοις, ἵν' οὕτως ἴδιον αὐτῶν ἡ σωτηρία γένηται. οὐ γὰρ ἀναγκάζει ὁ θεός, βία γὰρ ἐχθρὸν θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ζητοῦσι πορίζει καὶ τοῖς αἰτοῦσι παρέχει καὶ τοῖς 10.3 κρούουσιν ἀνοίγει. εἰ θέλεις οὖν, εἰ ὄντως θέλεις καὶ μὴ ἑαυτὸν ἐξαπατᾷς, κτῆσαι τὸ ἐνδέον. "ἕν σοι λείπει", τὸ ἕν, τὸ ἐμόν, τὸ ἀγαθόν, τὸ ἤδη ὑπὲρ νόμον, ὅπερ νόμος οὐ δίδωσιν, ὅπερ νόμος οὐ 10.4 χωρεῖ, ὃ τῶν ζώντων ἴδιόν ἐστιν. ἀμέλει ὁ πάντα τὰ τοῦ νόμου πληρώσας "ἐκ νεότητος" καὶ τὰ ὑπέρογκα φρυαξάμενος τὸ ἓν τοῦτο προσθεῖναι τοῖς ὅλοις οὐ δεδύνηται, τὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐξαίρετον, ἵνα λάβῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἣν ποθεῖ· ἀλλὰ δυσχεράνας ἀπῆλθεν, ἀχθεσθεὶς 10.5 τῷ παραγγέλματι τῆς ζωῆς, ὑπὲρ ἧς ἱκέτευεν. οὐ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ζωὴν ἤθελεν, ὡς ἔφασκεν, ἀλλὰ δόξαν προαιρέσεως ἀγαθῆς μόνην περι εβάλλετο, καὶ περὶ πολλὰ μὲν οἷός τε ἦν ἀσχολεῖσθαι, τὸ δὲ ἕν, τὸ τῆς ζωῆς ἔργον, ἀδύνατος καὶ ἀπρόθυμος καὶ ἀσθενὴς ἐκτελεῖν· 10.6 ὁποῖόν τι καὶ πρὸς τὴν Μάρθαν εἶπεν ὁ σωτὴρ ἀσχολουμένην περὶ πολλὰ καὶ περιελκομένην καὶ ταρασσομένην διακονικῶς, τὴν δὲ ἀδελ φὴν αἰτιωμένην, ὅτι τὸ ὑπηρετεῖν ἀπολιποῦσα τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ παρακάθηται μαθητικὴν ἄγουσα σχολήν· "σὺ περὶ πολλὰ ταράσσῃ· Μαρία δὲ τὴν ἀγαθὴν μερίδα ἐξελέξατο, καὶ οὐκ ἀφαιρεθήσεται αὐτῆς." 10.7 οὕτως καὶ τοῦτον ἐκέλευε τῆς πολυπραγμοσύνης ἀφέμενον ἑνὶ προσ τετηκέναι καὶ προσκαθέζεσθαι, τῇ χάριτι τοῦ ζωὴν αἰώνιον προστι θέντος.

11.1 Τί τοίνυν ἦν τὸ προτρεψάμενον αὐτὸν εἰς φυγὴν καὶ ποιῆσαν

ἀπαυτομολῆσαι τοῦ διδασκάλου, τῆς ἱκετείας, τῆς ἐλπίδος, τῆς ζωῆς, 11.2 τῶν προπεπονημένων; "πώλησον τὰ ὑπάρχοντά σου." τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; οὐχ ὃ προχείρως δέχονταί τινες, τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν οὐσίαν ἀπορ ρῖψαι προστάσσει καὶ ἀποστῆναι τῶν