making it disappear. And behold the wondrous thing; Immediately Zacchaeus, standing before the entrance, says: Lord, the half of my possessions I give to the poor. You have not yet been taught, and you obey? you have not yet learned, and you have kept it? The Savior said nothing, taught nothing, did not suggest anything about almsgiving, did not dictate love for the poor then, but was silent, and quietly illumined; and just as the sun pouring through its rays into a house, 59.604 does not enlighten with a word, but shines by its very energy; so also the Savior, having entered, with the rays of righteousness banished the course of injustice; For the light shines in the darkness, as the evangelist says. Lord, the half of my possessions I give to the poor. He well divides his greed, he cuts off his injustice. The half of my possessions. Everything whole is strong, but when cut it is weak. The half of my possessions. O what a good voice, conquering nature, or rather conquering habit! for habit is a second nature. He banished greed, he recognized the truth. The half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have wronged or falsely accused anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. Here it is necessary to pay close attention, that the wealth of Zacchaeus was not from injustice alone, but also from a paternal inheritance; for if it were from injustice, how could he restore fourfold what he had taken? For why does he say, If I have wronged anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold? Even if he lived in transgression, yet he also knew the law; for the law commands the thief to restore the theft fourfold. If someone, it says, steals a sheep, and it is discovered, let him restore four sheep. God makes the punishment fourfold, or rather the penalty, so that even if the law does not frighten, the penalty may shame him; for many often, not respecting the law, respect a penalty. He therefore condemns himself, not awaiting the verdict of the law, but himself becoming a law unto himself; For the law is not made for a righteous man. The Savior, receiving this voice, says: Today salvation has come to this house. He justified himself, not because he simply saw Christ, but because he obeyed Christ's laws. Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. Before he did the works of Abraham, He does not call him a son of Abraham, but calls him Zacchaeus by his simple name; but when he fulfilled the works of the patriarch, professing love for the poor, and alienation from injustice, then He says, And this man is a son of Abraham. 4. And so we, brothers, even if we are and are called Christians, nothing shows us to be Christians so much as the work of truth. Let us not then dishonor our name by our works, but let us dignify our faith by our works. We were called sons of Abraham through faith, let us be called sons of Abraham through good works. For as I said before, it is not nobility of the body that is sought, but consistency of character. For this reason Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the patriarchs denied the synagogue, because they did not inherit the faith of the fathers; Abraham denied his own, because they did not follow the faith; Isaac and Jacob and all the patriarchs also denied them; for nature also denies him who has denied God. And what word will testify that Abraham denied the Jews, so that we may not seem to be bold against enemies, but to be reproving them as having sinned? The blessed Jeremiah says in the person of the people: Lord, have mercy on us; the mountain and the city, which our fathers blessed, have been burned with fire; you, Lord, have mercy on us, for Abraham did not know us, and Israel did not recognize us; you, Lord, spare us. Since, he says, those in whom we boast have been alienated from us, and have denied our race, you have mercy on us who conquer all with love for mankind. Have mercy on us, for Abraham did not know us. For if he had acknowledged our affairs, would he not have interceded for his own children. He interceded for the Sodomites, and was heard; and interceding for his own, was he not heard? Abraham did not know us. Abraham denies those who are foreign in their ways, but makes his own, as I said, those

ἀφανίζων. Καὶ ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστόν· Εὐθέως ὁ Ζακχαῖος στὰς πρὸ τοῦ προθύρου λέγει· Κύριε, τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μοι δίδωμι τοῖς πτωχοῖς. Οὐδέπω ἐδιδάχθης, καὶ ὑπακούεις; οὐδέπω ἔμαθες, καὶ ἐφύλαξας; Οὐδὲν εἶπεν ὁ Σωτὴρ, οὐδὲν ἐδίδαξεν, οὐ περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης ὑπέθετο, οὐ φιλοπτωχείαν ὑπηγόρευσε τότε, ἀλλ' ἐσιώπα, καὶ ἠρέμα κατηύγαζε· καὶ ὥσπερ ἥλιος εἰσχεόμενος διὰ τῶν ἀκτίνων εἰς οἶκον, 59.604 οὐ ῥήματι φωτίζει, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ καταλάμπει· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰσελθὼν, ταῖς ἀκτῖσι τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὸν δρόμον τῆς ἀδικίας ἐξώρισε· Τὸ γὰρ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, ὥς φησιν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής. Κύριε, τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μοι δίδωμι τοῖς πτωχοῖς. Καλῶς μερίζει τὴν πλεονεξίαν, τέμνει τὴν ἀδικίαν. Τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μοι. Πᾶν ὁλόκληρον ἰσχυρὸν, τεμνόμενον δὲ ἀσθενές. Τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μοι. Ὢ τῆς καλῆς φωνῆς, νικώσης τὴν φύσιν, μᾶλλον δὲ νικώσης τὴν συνήθειαν! δευτέρα γὰρ φύσις ἡ συνήθεια. Ἐξώρισε τὴν ἀπληστίαν, ἐπέγνω τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ὑπαρχόντων μοι δίδωμι τοῖς πτωχοῖς, καὶ εἴ τινός τι ἠδίκησα ἢ ἐσυκοφάντησα, ἀποδίδωμι τετραπλοῦν. Ἐνταῦθα προσέχειν ἀκριβῶς χρὴ, ὅτι ὁ πλοῦτος τοῦ Ζακχαίου οὐκ ἦν ἐξ ἀδικίας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ πατρικῆς περιουσίας· εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἐξ ἀδικίας, πῶς τετραπλασίονα ἠδύνατο ἀποδοῦναι, ἃ ἔλαβε; ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ λέγει, Εἴ τινός τι ἠδίκησα, ἀποδίδωμι τετραπλοῦν; Εἰ καὶ τῇ παρανομίᾳ συνέζησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν νόμον ἐγνώριζεν· κελεύει γὰρ ὁ νόμος τὸν κλέπτην εἰς τετραπλάσιον ἀποδιδόναι τὴν κλοπήν. Ἐάν τις, φησὶ, κλέψῃ πρόβατον, καὶ γνωρισθῇ, ἀποδῷ τέσσαρα πρόβατα. Τετραπλασιάζει τὴν τιμωρίαν ὁ Θεὸς, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ζημίαν, ἵνα κἂν ὁ νόμος μὴ φοβήσῃ, ἡ ζημία δυσωπήσῃ· πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλάκις νόμον μὴ αἰδούμενοι, ζημίαν αἰδοῦνται. Ἑαυτὸν τοίνυν καταδικάζει, οὐκ ἐκδεχόμενος τὴν ψῆφον τοῦ νόμου, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν νόμος γενόμενος· ∆ικαίῳ γὰρ νόμος οὐ κεῖται. Ὁ Σωτὴρ ταύτην δεξάμενος τὴν φωνὴν, φησί· Σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ γέγονεν. Αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐδικαίωσεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ Χριστὸν ἁπλῶς εἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῖς Χριστοῦ ὑπήκουσε νόμοις. Σήμερον σωτηρία τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ γέγονεν, ὅτι καὶ οὗτος υἱὸς Ἀβραάμ ἐστι. Πρὶν ποιῆσαι τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, οὐ καλεῖ αὐτὸν υἱὸν Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ Ζακχαῖον ψιλῇ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ καλεῖ· ὅτε μέντοι ἐπλήρωσε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πατριάρχου, φιλοπτωχείαν ἐπαγγειλάμενος, καὶ τῆς ἀδικίας τὴν ἀλλοτρίωσιν, τότε λέγει, Καὶ οὗτος υἱὸς Ἀβραάμ ἐστι. δʹ. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰ καὶ Χριστιανοί ἐσμεν, καὶ λεγόμεθα, οὐδὲν οὕτως ἡμᾶς δείκνυσι Χριστιανοὺς, ὡς τὸ ἔργον τῆς ἀληθείας. Μὴ τοίνυν ὑβρίσωμεν τοῖς ἔργοις τὴν προσηγορίαν, ἀλλὰ σεμνύνωμεν τοῖς ἔργοις τὴν πίστιν. Ἐκλήθημεν υἱοὶ Ἀβραὰμ διὰ πίστεως, κληθῶμεν υἱοὶ Ἀβραὰμ διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων. Ὃ γὰρ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, οὐχ ἡ τοῦ σώματος εὐγένεια ζητεῖται, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν τρόπων ἀκολουθία. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ οἱ πατριάρχαιπάντες ἠρνήσαντο τὴν συναγωγὴν, ἐπειδὴ τῶν πατέρων τὴν πίστιν οὐκ ἐκληρονόμησαν· ἠρνήσατο Ἀβραὰμ οἰκείους, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἠκολούθησαν τῇ πίστει· ἠρνήσατο αὐτοὺς καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ καὶ οἱ πατριάρχαι πάντες· τὸν γὰρ ἀρνησάμενον Θεὸν καὶ ἡ φύσις ἀρνεῖται. Καὶ τίς μαρτυρήσει λόγος, ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ Ἰουδαίους ἠρνήσατο, ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν ὡς ἐπὶ ἐχθρῶν θρασύνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἡμαρτηκότας ἐλέγχειν; Λέγει ὁ μακάριος Ἱερεμίας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ· Κύριε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς· ἐγενήθη τὸ ὄρος καὶ ἡ πόλις, ἣν εὐλόγησαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, πυρίκαυστος· σὺ, Κύριε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἔγνω ἡμᾶς, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ οὐκ ἐπέγνω ἡμᾶς· σὺ, Κύριε, φεῖσαι ἡμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ, φησὶν, ἐκεῖνοι, ἐφ' οἷς σεμνυνόμεθα, ἠλλοτριώθησαν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἠρνήσαντο ἡμῶν τὸ γένος, σὺ ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς ὁ πάντας φιλανθρωπίᾳ νικῶν. Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἔγνω ἡμᾶς. Εἰ γὰρ ᾠκειοῦτο τὰ ἡμέτερα, οὐκ ἂν ἐπρέσβευσεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων τέκνων. Ὑπὲρ Σοδομιτῶν ἐπρέσβευσε, καὶ ἠκούετο· καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων πρεσβεύων οὐκ ἠκούετο; Ἀβραὰμ οὐκ ἔγνω ἡμᾶς. Ἀρνεῖται Ἀβραὰμ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τοῖς τρόποις, οἰκειοῦται δὲ, ὡς ἔφην, τοὺς