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Abraham was rich. Have you seen his wealth? See also his hospitality. Have you seen his table? See also his kindness. What then of Abraham? He was rich. I will not quarrel with you. Was Abraham rich? Yes, he was rich. Have you seen his wealth? See also his way of life. And about noonday the Lord appeared to him as he was sitting by the oak of Mamre; and behold, three men. And rising up (for he did not think that it was God who was present; for how could he?) he worshipped, and says: If you have judged me worthy, that you might enter into my tent of beams. Have you seen what the old man was doing at midday? Not sitting under a roof, but drawing in strangers and wayfarers from unknown parts, and rising up, the rich and noble man worshipped. He who had cast aside money, leaving house, wife, children, servants, although having three hundred and eighteen, leaving everyone, went out to fish, he spread out a net of hospitality, lest some wayfarer, some stranger, should run past his house. See what the old man is doing. He does not entrust it to a servant, although 55.506 he had three hundred and eighteen; for he knew that the race of servants is lazy; lest the servant doze off, and the stranger run past, and he lose the catch. Behold Abraham, behold the rich man. Do you deign even to see a poor man? or even to answer? or even to converse? But if ever you do give, it is through a servant. But the righteous man was not so; but he sat receiving the hot ray, dripping dew in the heat; a shade to him was the desire for hospitality; he sat gathering the fruit of hospitality, and this as a rich man. Compare for me the rich of today. At midday where do they sit? In Hades. Where do they sit? In the death of drunkenness. Where do they sit? In the public street, cast down, drunk, hardened in their heart, more irrational than irrational beasts. But the righteous man was not so. 5. Do you wish to imitate Abraham? Imitate him thus, I do not forbid it, but even advise it; although greater things than Abraham's are required of us. For, He says, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. For now, however, you should at least reach Abraham. And what did Abraham have? He was hospitable, and he arose, and he worshipped, not even knowing who the passers-by were. For if he had known, he would have done nothing wonderful, in that he ministered to God; but his ignorance of those who arrived shows his zeal for hospitality to be greater. And he sat and received them. And how? Lavishly; he sacrificed a calf, and calls Sarah also, and makes his wife a partner in his hospitality, and not hidden in a chamber, but standing under the oak. For that table, then, opened her womb, and corrected the defect of nature. He sacrificed a calf, and received Isaac; she kneaded flour, and received her seed, as the stars of heaven, and as the sand of the sea. But you will surely say: Give to me also the fruit of so many legitimate sons. Wretched, and miserable, and most worthless one, do you seek the things on earth? I give you heaven, the dance with the angels, enjoyment forever, and you seek a corruptible death? I give you a life that has no end. The reward is greater, the recompense more plentiful. Pay close attention to what I say, that you may see a reversal of things. For when it was necessary to show hospitality, what does Abraham say to his wife Sarah? Make haste, and knead three measures of fine flour. Let the women hear what is being said. Make haste, and knead three measures of fine flour. For the theater is common to us, and the school is set before each nature. Let the women hear what is being said; let the men also hear, and let them imitate. Make haste, he says, and knead three measures of fine flour; and he himself ran to the herd of cattle. They divide the labor, so that they may also divide the crown. The things of marriage are common; let the things of virtue also be common. I took you as a helper; become a helper to me

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ὁ Ἀβραὰμπλούσιος ἦν. Εἶδες αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον; Βλέπε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν φιλοξενίαν. Εἶδες αὐτοῦ τὴν τράπεζαν; Βλέπε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν φιλοφροσύνην. Τί οὖν ὁ Ἀβραάμ; Πλούσιος ἦν. Μὴ ἐφιλονείκησά σοι; Πλούσιος ἦν ὁ Ἀβραάμ; Ναὶ, πλούσιος ἦν. Εἶδες αὐτοῦ τὸν πλοῦτον; Βλέπε αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν διαγωγήν. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ μεσημβρινὸν ὤφθη αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος πρὸς τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρῇ καθημένῳ· καὶ ἰδοὺ τρεῖς ἄνδρες. Καὶ ἀναστὰς (οὐ γὰρ ἐνόμιζεν, ὅτι Θεὸς ἦν ὁ παρών· πῶς γάρ;) προσεκύνησε, καὶ λέγει· Εἰ κεκρίκατέ με ἄξιον, ἵνα εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τῶν δοκῶν μου. Εἶδες τί ἐποίει ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ ὁ γέρων; Οὐχ ὑπὸ στέγην καθήμενος, ἀλλὰ ξένους καὶ ὁδοιπόρους οὐδαμόθεν γνωρίμους ἐπισπώμενος, καὶ ἀναστὰς προσεκύνησεν ὁ πλούσιος καὶ εὐγενής. Ὁ χρήματα περιελόμενος καταλιπὼν οἰκίαν, γυναῖκα, παῖδας, οἰκέτας, καίτοι τριακοσίους δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔχων, καταλιπὼν ἅπαντας, ἐξῆλθεν ἁλιεῦσαι, σαγήνην ἥπλωσε φιλοξενίας, μήπου ὁδοιπόρος, μήπου ξένος, καὶ παραδράμῃ τὴν οἰκίαν. Βλέπε τί ποιεῖ ὁ γέρων. Οὐκ ἐπιτρέπει οἰκέτῃ, καίτοι 55.506 τριακοσίους δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔχων· ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι ῥᾴθυμόν ἐστι τὸ γένος τῶν οἰκετῶν· μήπου ἀπονυστάξῃ ὁ οἰκέτης, καὶ παραδράμῃ ὁ ξένος, καὶ ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ἄγραν. Ἴδε ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, ἴδε ὁ πλούσιος. Καταξιοῖς σὺ κἂν ἰδεῖν πένητα; κἂν ἀποκριθῆναι; κἂν διαλεχθῆναι; Ἀλλὰ κἄν ποτε δῷς, διὰ δούλου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν ὁ δίκαιος οὕτως· ἀλλὰ ἐκάθητο θερμὴν τὴν ἀκτῖνα δεχόμενος, δρόσον ἐν καύματι σταζόμενος· σκιὰ ἦν αὐτῷ ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῆς φιλοξενίας· ἐκάθητο τρυγῶν τὸν καρπὸν τῆς φιλοξενίας, καὶ τοῦτο πλούσιος. Παράβαλλέ μοι τοὺς πλουσίους τοὺς νῦν. Ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ ποῦ κάθηνται; Ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ. Ποῦ κάθηνται; Ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ τῆς μέθης. Ποῦ κάθηνται; Ἐπὶ τῆς δημοσίας, ἐῤῥιμμένοι, μεθύοντες, πεπωρωμένοι τὴν καρδίαν, ἀλόγων ἀλογώτεροι. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ δίκαιος οὕτω. εʹ. Θέλεις μιμήσασθαι τὸν Ἀβραάμ; Μίμησαι οὕτως, οὐ κωλύω, ἀλλὰ καὶ συμβουλεύω· καίτοι μείζονα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἀπαιτούμεθα. Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶ, μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐκ εἰσελεύσεσθε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τέως δὲ σὺ κἂν τὸν Ἀβραὰμ φθάσον. Καὶ τί εἶχεν ὁ Ἀβραάμ; Φιλόξενος ἦν, καὶ ἀνέστη, καὶ προσεκύνησεν, οὐδὲ εἰδὼς τίνες ἦσαν οἱ παριόντες. Εἰ γὰρ ᾔδει, οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν ἐποίει, ὅτι Θεὸν ἐθεράπευσεν· ἀλλ' ἡ ἄγνοια τῶν παραγενομένων μείζονα αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι τῆς φιλοξενίας τὴν προθυμίαν. Καὶ ἐκάθητο καὶ ὑπεδέχετο. Καὶ πῶς; ∆αψιλῶς· μόσχον ἔθυσε, καὶ καλεῖ καὶ τὴν Σάῤῥαν, καὶ κοινωνὸν ποιεῖ τῆς φιλοξενίας τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ οὐκ ἐν θαλάμῳ κρυπτομένην, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τὴν δρῦν ἑστηκυῖαν. Ἡ γὰρ τράπεζα ἐκείνη λοιπὸν διήνοιξεν αὐτῆς τὴν μήτραν, καὶ τὴν πήρωσιν τῆς φύσεως διώρθωσεν. Ἔθυσε μόσχον, καὶ ἔλαβε τὸν Ἰσαάκ· ἐφύρασεν ἄλευρα, καὶ ἔλαβε τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῆς, ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ὡς τὴν ψάμμον τῆς θαλάσσης. Ἀλλὰ πάντως ἐρεῖς· ∆ὸς καὶ ἐμοὶ τὸν καρπὸν τοσούτων γνησίων υἱῶν. Ἄθλιε, καὶ ταλαίπωρε, καὶ εὐτελέστατε, τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ ζητεῖς; Τὸν οὐρανόν σοι δίδωμι, τὴν μετ' ἀγγέλων χορείαν, τὴν δι' αἰῶνος ἀπόλαυσιν, καὶ θάνατον φθαρτὸν ζητεῖς; Ζωήν σοι δίδωμι τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσαν. Μείζων ἡ ἀμοιβὴ, πλείων ἡ ἀντίδοσις. Πρόσεχε μετ' ἀκριβείας ὃ λέγω, ἵνα ἴδῃς ἀντιστροφὴν πραγμάτων. Ὅτε γὰρ ἔδει φιλοξενίαν ἐπιδείξασθαι, ὁ Ἀβραὰμ τί λέγει τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ Σάῤῥᾳ; Σπεῦσον, καὶ φύρασον τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως. Ἀκουέτωσαν γυναῖκες τῶν λεγομένων. Σπεῦσον, καὶ φύρασον τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως. Κοινὸν γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸ θέατρον, καὶ ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ φύσει τὸ διδασκαλεῖον πρόκειται. Ἀκουέτωσαν γυναῖκες τῶν λεγομένων· ἀκουέτωσαν καὶ ἄνδρες, καὶ μιμείσθωσαν. Σπεῦσον, φησὶ, καὶ φύρασον τρία μέτρα σεμιδάλεως· καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδραμεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν βοῶν. Μερίζονται τὸν πόνον, ἵνα μερίσωνται καὶ τὸν στέφανον. Κοινὰ τὰ τοῦ γάμου· ἔστω κοινὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς. Βοηθόν σε ἔλαβον· γενοῦ μοι βοηθὸς