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continually advising 48.970 and being ignored, then not withdrawing, shows proof of the warmest and most genuine love, being nourished by no such hope, but only because of his affection for the one who hears him, not withdrawing from his care for his brother. But that we must never withdraw from the fallen, even if we know beforehand that they will not be persuaded by us, has been sufficiently demonstrated. It is necessary, therefore, to proceed to the accusation of those who live in luxury. For as long as this feast stands, and the devil works the wounds of drunkenness in the souls of the drunk, we must apply the remedies. 2. Yesterday, then, we brought Paul against them, saying: Whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Today, however, we will show them Paul’s Master, not only exhorting, nor advising to abstain from luxury, but also punishing and taking vengeance on the one living in luxury. For the story of the rich man and Lazarus and what happened to each of them indicates nothing other than this. Rather, so that we may not do this superficially, I will read the parable to you from the beginning. There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day; and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. Therefore, for what reason the Master spoke in parables, and why indeed He explained some of the parables, but did not explain others, and what a parable is, and all such things, we will reserve for another time, so as not to depart now from the urgent subject; but for now we will say only this to you, which of the evangelists it is who said that Christ spoke this parable. Who then is it? Luke alone. For it is also necessary to know this, that of the things said, some the four said, and others each one took upon himself individually. For what reason? So that the reading of the others might become necessary for us, and the excellence of their harmony might be manifest. For if all had said all things, we would not have paid attention to all of them with diligence, since one would be sufficient to teach the whole; but if all had said all things differently, the excellence of their harmony would not have appeared. For this reason they all wrote many things in common, and each also took some upon himself individually. What Christ teaches through the parable, therefore, is this. There was a certain rich man, he says, living with great wickedness, who experienced no misfortune, but everything flowed to him as if from springs. For that nothing unexpected happened to him, nor any cause for despondency, nor any irregularity in life, this very thing was hinted at by saying that he feasted every day. And that he lived with wickedness is clear both from the end that befell him, and before the end, from the contempt shown towards the poor man. For that he pitied not only that man at 48.971 the gate, but not any other either, he himself showed. For if he was forced to see the one continually cast at his gate, and lying before his eyes, whom every day, both once, and twice, and more often, he was compelled to see when entering and leaving; for he was not lying in a side street, nor in a hidden and narrow place, but where the rich man, making his continual entrances and exits, was unwillingly compelled to see him; if therefore he did not pity this man, who was lying in such a grievous suffering, and living with such great poverty, or rather suffering through his whole life with sickness, and a most grievous sickness; towards which of those he met would he ever have been moved? For even if he passed him by on the first day, on the second it was likely he would feel something; but if on this day too he overlooked him, still on the third, or the fourth, or the one after that, he absolutely ought to have been moved, even if he were wilder than the beasts. But he felt nothing of the sort; but he became even more insolent and harsher than that judge, who neither feared God, nor regarded men. For that man, the widow's

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συνεχῶς συμβουλεύων 48.970 καὶ παρακουόμενος, εἶτα οὐκ ἀφιστάμενος, θερμοτάτης καὶ γνησιωτάτης ἀγάπης τεκμήριον ἐπιδείκνυται, ἐλπίδι μὲν οὐδεμιᾷ τοιαύτῃ τρεφόμενος, διὰ δὲ τὸ πρὸς τὸν ἀκούοντα φίλτρον μόνον τῆς περὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὐκ ἀφιστάμενος ἐπιμελείας. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν χρὴ μηδέποτε ἀφίστασθαι τῶν πεπτωκότων, κἂν προειδότες ὦμεν, ὅτι οὐ πεισθήσονται ἡμῖν, ἱκανῶς ἀποδέδεικται. ∆εῖ δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν τρυφώντων κατηγορίαν βαδίσαι. Ἕως γὰρ ἂν ἑστήκῃ ἡ ἑορτὴ αὕτη, καὶ τὰ ἕλκη τῆς μέθης ἐν ταῖς τῶν μεθυόντων ἐργάζεται ψυχαῖς ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἡμᾶς τὰ φάρμακα ἐπιτιθέναι χρή. ʹ. Χθὲς μὲν οὖν τὸν Παῦλον αὐτοῖς ἐπετειχίσαμεν λέγοντα· Εἴτε ἐσθίετε, εἴτε πίνετε, εἴτε τι ποιεῖτε, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖτε. Σήμερον δὲ τὸν Παύλου ∆εσπότην δείξομεν αὐτοῖς, οὐχὶ παραινοῦντα μόνον, οὐδὲ συμβουλεύοντα ἀπέχεσθαι τρυφῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ κολάζοντα τὸν ἐν τρυφῇ ζῶντα, καὶ τιμωρούμενον. Ἡ γὰρ τοῦ πλουσίου καὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου καὶ τῶν ἑκατέροις συμβάντων ἱστορία οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τοῦτο ἐνδείκνυται. Μᾶλλον δὲ, ἵνα μὴ παρέργως τοῦτο ποιήσωμεν, ἄνωθεν ὑμῖν αὐτὴν ἀναγνώσομαι τὴν παραβολήν. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος, καὶ ἐνεδιδύσκετο πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον, εὐφραινόμενος καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς· πτωχὸς δέ τις ἦν ὀνόματι Λάζαρος, ὃς ἐβέβλητο εἰς τὸν πυλῶνα αὐτοῦ ἡλκωμένος, καὶ ἐπιθυμῶν χορτασθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τοῦ πλουσίου· ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ κύνες ἐρχόμενοι, περιέλειχον τὰ ἕλκη αὐτοῦ. Τίνος μὲν οὖν ἕνεκεν ἐν παραβολαῖς ἐλάλει ὁ ∆εσπότης, καὶ τί δήποτε τῶν παραβολῶν τὰς μὲν ἔλυε, τὰς δὲ οὐκ ἔλυε, καὶ τί πότ' ἐστιν ἡ παραβολὴ, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, εἰς ἕτερον καιρὸν ταμιευσόμεθα, ὥστε μὴ τοῦ κατεπείγοντος ἀποστῆναι λόγου νῦν· ἐκεῖνο δὲ τέως πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐροῦμεν μόνον, τίς ἐστι τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν ὁ τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην εἰρηκέναι τὸν Χριστὸν εἰπών. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν; Ὁ Λουκᾶς μόνος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι, ὅτι τῶν εἰρημένων τὰ μὲν οἱ τέσσαρες εἶπον, τὰ δὲ κατ' ἰδίαν ἕκαστος ἀπολαβών. Τίνος ἕνεκεν; Ἵνα καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀναγκαία ἡμῖν ἡ ἀνάγνωσις γένηται, καὶ τὸ τῆς συμφωνίας ἐξαίρετον διαφανῇ. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ πάντες ἅπαντα εἶπον, οὐκ ἂν πᾶσι μετὰ σπουδῆς προσείχομεν, ἀρκοῦντος ἑνὸς διδάξαι τὸ πᾶν· εἰ δὲ πάντες πάντα ἐξηλλαγμένα εἶπον, οὐκ ἂν ἐφάνη τὸ τῆς συμφωνίας ἐξαίρετον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ κοινῇ πάντες πολλὰ ἔγραψαν, καὶ κατ' ἰδίαν ἕκαστος ἀπολαβών. Ὅπερ οὖν Χριστὸς διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς διδάσκει, τοῦτό ἐστιν. Ἄνθρωπός τις, φησὶν, ἦν πλούσιος κακίᾳ πολλῇ συζῶν, οὐδεμιᾶς πεῖραν ἐδέχετο συμφορᾶς, ἀλλὰ πάντα αὐτῷ ὥσπερ ἐκ πηγῶν ἐπέῤῥει. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲν τῶν ἀδοκήτων συνέβαινεν αὐτῷ, οὐδ' ἀθυμίας ὑπόθεσις, οὐδ' ἀνωμαλία τις βιωτικὴ, αὐτὸ τοῦτο ᾐνίξατο τὸ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ηὐφραίνετο καθ' ἡμέραν. Ὅτι δὲ κακίᾳ συνέζη, δῆλον μὲν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ λαχόντος αὐτῷ τέλους, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τέλους δὲ ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὸν πένητα γενομένης ὑπεροψίας. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ μόνον ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐν 48.971 τῷ πυλῶνι, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἄλλον τινὰ ἠλέει, αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος τοῦτο ἔδειξεν. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν ἐν τῷ πυλῶνι διηνεκῶς ἐῤῥιμμένον, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν κείμενον, ὃν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ ἅπαξ, καὶ δὶς, καὶ πλεονάκις, ὁρᾷν ἠναγκάζετο εἰσιὼν καὶ ἐξιών· οὐ γὰρ ἐν ἀμφόδῳ, οὐδ' ἐν κρυπτῷ καὶ στενωπῷ κατέκειτο τόπῳ, ἀλλ' ἔνθα συνεχεῖς τὰς εἰσόδους καὶ τὰς ἐξόδους ποιούμενος ὁ πλούσιος, ἄκων αὐτὸν ὁρᾷν ἠναγκάζετο· εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτον οὐκ ἠλέησε, τὸν ἐν τοσούτῳ χαλεπῷ πάθει κατακείμενον, καὶ ἀπορίᾳ τοσαύτῃ συζῶντα, μᾶλλον δὲ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου ἀῤῥωστίᾳ ταλαιπωροῦντα, καὶ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ χαλεπωτάτῃ· πρὸς τίνα ἂν τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ἐπεκάμφθη ποτέ; Καὶ γὰρ εἰς τὴν προτέραν ἡμέραν παρέδραμε, τὴν δευτέραν εἰκὸς ἦν τι παθεῖν· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ παρεῖδεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τρίτην, ἢ τὴν τετάρτην, ἢ τὴν μετ' ἐκείνην, πάντως αὐτὸν ἐπικαμφθῆναι ἔδει, καὶ εἰ τῶν θηρίων ἀγριώτερος ἦν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἔπαθε τοιοῦτον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνου τοῦ δικαστοῦ, τοῦ μήτε τὸν Θεὸν φοβουμένου, μήτε ἀνθρώπους αἰδουμένου καὶ ἰταμώτερος καὶ ἀπηνέστερος γέγονεν. Ἐκεῖνον μὲν γὰρ ἡ τῆς χήρας