5

4. And that you may learn this precisely, listen: He said, "I will that heaven come to be," and heaven came to be; "I will that earth come to be," and earth came to be, and that substance, not being, came into existence; "I will that angels come to be," and the company of angels came to be. His word creates intelligent substances and bodies that had not existed, and it is not able to loose sins? For what is sin in comparison to the love for mankind of the Master? A spider's web. The wind blows, and the spider's web is torn apart; God wills, and sin is not dissolved? I say these things, not to make you more negligent, but to lead you to faith in the expectation of a greater and better hope. Never despair, O man; despair of him who despairs of himself. Consider, therefore, this great prophet, David I mean, after the grace of the Spirit, after his boldness toward God, after a multitude of achievements, after so many trophies, proclaiming and saying: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy." I have cast myself upon the sea of the Master's love for mankind. And what do you want? Tell me. You heard the prophet saying: "And the Lord has taken away your sin." What more do you seek? I do not seek this alone; I seek my beauty, I seek my boldness. "And according to the multitude of your compassions, blot out my transgression." Do you see what he seeks? What then? Has it not been blotted out? What else do you want? "Wash me more and more from my sin, and from my iniquity cleanse me." For what? I seek more, a greater purity of splendor. "Wash me more and more from my sin." For what did you do, that it should happen? Pay attention to the word with precision; pay attention, and apply yourself. The mercy of God is ineffable, unexplainable, unable to be comprehended, surpassing the mind, conquering reason. But even if the mercy of God is such, lest men become useless by being shown mercy, it also has need of what is from us. Heed what I say: God shows mercy, but he does not simply show mercy, but he says: "You also give." What then? It is as if he says: "You have countless burdens of sins, you have many transgressions; I wish to lighten them. You also lend a hand; not because I have need of you, but because I wish for you also to contribute something to your own salvation; and how, I will tell you. For example, the thief was saved, and so many sins were loosed; but not by mercy alone, but also by his own faith. For what does he say? "Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom." What did God contribute to his salvation? The loosing of sins. What did the thief contribute to his own salvation? Faith. Of what kind? Great, lofty, reaching to heaven. How, I will tell you: The Jews saw the dead being raised, lepers being cleansed, demons being driven out, the sea being bridled, the earth gushing forth, a fish bringing a stater, a star leading the Magi, creation above and below attending Him, and after all these things 55.580 they crucified Him, their own and everyone's Master. The thief saw none of these things, but one being spat upon, being insulted, being reviled; and he was not scandalized, but confessed Him as king. Do you see that he was not simply shown mercy, but that he himself also contributed? For it is necessary for the one being shown mercy to also contribute something to his own salvation. Again, the tax collector, being a robber, being a covetous man, how was he saved? Christ was passing by, and says to him: "Come, follow me;" and rising up, he followed him. Therefore, just as the thief contributed the word, so also the tax collector offered his following to him. For just as in the case of those who are sick and afflicted with incurable diseases, and are in need of expensive medicines, if the physician comes in and says to the sick person: "Many ingredients are needed for the preparation of the medicine;" the sick person says: "I do not have so much to give, I am overcome by poverty;" the physician says to him: "Give me such and such an ingredient, and I will provide all the others from myself;" so also

5

δʹ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς τοῦτο ἀκριβῶς, ἄκουε· Εἶπε, Θέλω γενέσθαι οὐρανὸν, καὶ ἐγένετο οὐρανός· Θέλω γενέσθαι γῆν, καὶ ἐγένετο γῆ, καὶ μὴ οὖσα ἡ οὐσία ἐκείνη ὑπ έστη· Θέλω γενέσθαι ἀγγέλους, καὶ ὁ δῆμος τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐγένετο. Οὐσίας νοερὰς καὶ σώματα μὴ ὑφεστηκότα ἐργάζεται ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἁμαρτήματα λῦσαι οὐ δύ ναται; Τί γάρ ἐστιν ἁμαρτία πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν; Ἀράχνη. Ἄνεμος φυσᾷ, καὶ διασπᾶται ἀράχνη· Θεὸς βούλεται, καὶ οὐ παραλύεται ἁμαρτία; Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα ῥᾳθυμοτέρους ἐργάσωμαι, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμᾶς εἰς πίστιν ἀγάγω προσδοκίας μείζονος καὶ χρηστο τέρας ἐλπίδος. Μηδέποτε ἀπογίνωσκε, ὦ ἄνθρωπε· ἐκεί νου ἀπόγνωθι τοῦ ἀπογινώσκοντος ἑαυτόν. Ἐννόησον τοίνυν τὸν μέγαν προφήτην τοῦτον, τὸν ∆αυῒδ λέγω, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν, μετὰ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν παῤῥησίαν, μετὰ κατορθωμάτων πλῆθος, μετὰ τρόπαια τοσαῦτα, ἀνακηρύττοντα καὶ λέγοντα· Ἐλέησόν με, ὁ Θεὸς, κατὰ τὸ μέγα ἔλεός σου. Ἐπὶ τὸ πέλαγος ἐμαυτὸν ἥπλωσα τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίας. Καὶ τί θέλεις; εἰπέ μοι. Ἤκουσας τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Καὶ Κύριος ἀφεῖλε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου. Τί πλέον ζητεῖς; Οὐ ζητῶ τοῦτο μόνον· τὸ κάλλος μου ζητῶ, τὴν παῤῥη σίαν μου ζητῶ. Καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν σου, ἐξάλειψον τὸ ἀνόμημά μου. Ὁρᾷς τί ζητεῖ; Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἐξήλειπται; τί ἄλλο θέλεις; Ἐπὶ πλεῖον πλῦ νόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνο μίας μου καθάρισόν με. Τί γάρ; Πλείονα ζητῶ, μεί ζονα λαμπηδόνος καθαρότητα. Ἐπὶ πλεῖον πλῦνόν με ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου. Τί γὰρ ἐποίησας, ἵνα γένηται; Πρόσεχε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ· πρόσεχε, καὶ σύντει νον σαυτόν. Ὁ ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄφατος, ἀνερμήνευτος, καταληφθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος, ὑπερβαίνων νοῦν, νικῶν λογισμόν. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ τοιοῦτός ἐστιν ὁ ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα μὴ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἄχρηστοι γένωνται ἐλεούμενοι, χρείαν ἔχει καὶ τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν. Πρόσχες ὃ λέγω· Ὁ Θεὸς ἐλεεῖ, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐλεεῖ, ἀλλὰ λέγει· ∆ὸς καὶ σύ. Τί ποτε; Οἷόν τι λέγει· Μυρία ἔχεις ἁμαρτημάτων φορτία, ἔχεις πλημμελήματα πολλά· θέλω αὐτὰ κουφίσαι. ∆ὸς καὶ σὺ χεῖρα· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἐγὼ σοῦ χρείαν ἔχω, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ βούλομαι καὶ σέ τι συνεισενέγκασθαι εἰς τὴν σαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν· καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Οἷον ὁ λῃστὴς ἐσώθη, καὶ τοσαῦτα ἔλυσεν ἁμαρτήματα· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐλέῳ μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ αὑτοῦ πίστει. Τί γάρ φησι; Μνή σθητί μου. Κύριε, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Τί εἰσήνεγκεν ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν ἐκείνου; Λύσιν ἁμαρτημά των. Τί εἰσήνεγκεν ὁ λῃστὴς εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ; Πίστιν. Ποταπήν; Μεγάλην, ὑψηλὴν, τοῦ οὐρα νοῦ ἁπτομένην. Πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω· Ἰουδαῖοι εἶδον νεκροὺς ἐγειρομένους, λεπροὺς καθαιρομένους, δαίμονας ἐλαυ νομένους, θάλατταν χαλινουμένην, γῆν πηγάζουσαν, ἰχ θὺν στατῆρα φέροντα, ἀστέρα ἄγοντα Μάγους, τὴν ἄνω, τὴν κάτω κτίσιν δορυφοροῦσαν, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα 55.580 ἐσταύρωσαν αὐτὸν τὸν ἑαυτῶν καὶ πάντων ∆εσπότην. Ὁ λῃστὴς οὐδὲν τούτων εἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἐμπτυόμενον, ὑβρι ζόμενον, λοιδορούμενον· καὶ οὐκ ἐσκανδαλίσθη, ἀλλὰ βα σιλέα ὡμολόγησεν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἠλεήθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς εἰσήνεγκε; ∆εῖ γὰρ τὸν ἐλεούμενον καὶ αὐτόν τι εἰσφέρειν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν σωτηρίαν. Πάλιν ὁ τελώνης ἅρπαξ ὢν, πλεονέκτης ὢν, πῶς ἐσώθη; Παρῄει ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· ∆εῦρο, ἀκολούθει μοι· καὶ ἀναστὰς ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ λῃστὴς τὸ ῥῆμα εἰσήνεγκεν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ τελώνης τὴν ἀκολούθη σιν αὐτῷ παρέσχεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν καμνόντων καὶ νοσήμασιν ἀνιάτοις κατεχομένων, καὶ πολυτελῶν δεομέ νων φαρμάκων, ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ ὁ ἰατρὸς, καὶ εἴπῃ πρὸς τὸν ἄῤῥωστον· Πολλῶν χρεία ἐστὶν εἰδῶν πρὸς κατα σκευὴν τοῦ φαρμάκου· λέγει ὁ νοσῶν· Οὐκ ἔχω δοῦναι τοσοῦτον, πτωχείᾳ κατέχομαι· λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ ἰατρός· Τὸ καὶ τὸ δός μοι εἶδος, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα παρ' ἐμαυ τοῦ παρέχω· οὕτω