Quis dives salvetur

 the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven is not completely cut off from them, if 3.2 they obey the commandments then whenever they learn that they ha

 he will receive a hundredfold. now in this time to have fields and goods and houses and brothers with persecutions, for what purpose? and in the comin

 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, kn

 of possessions, but to banish from the soul the notions about possessions, the affection for them, the excessive desire, the anxiety and sickness conc

 advising both to give and not to give, to feed and not to feed, to receive and to shut out, to share and not to share, which is of all things most irr

 being called blessed by the Lord and called poor in spirit, a ready heir of the kingdom of heaven, not a rich man unable to live

 Again, in the same way, there is a genuine poor man and another, a bastard and falsely named poor man. The one is poor in spirit, which is his own th

 to those holding on violently, or rather steadfastly, he conceded and yielded for God rejoices 21.4 in being conquered in such things. Therefore, hav

 24.1 Can you be master of your wealth? Tell me, and Christ does not drive you away from your property, the Lord is not envious. But do you see yoursel

 has been settled among men and an abundant race, being strong in possessions 26.4 and prevailing in wealth? For if on account of an involuntary birth

 he assigns the second place to his neighbor. And who else could this be but the Savior himself? Or who has had more mercy on us than he, we who were a

 to do a righteous and saving work, to give rest to one of those who have an eternal tabernacle with the Father. 31.7 See, first, that He has not comma

 34.2 But you, who have tasted of truth and been deemed worthy of the great redemption, be not deceived, but contrary to other men, enlist for yourself

 we will shut out from one another, things which after a little while the fire will possess? Divinely and with inspiration John says, He who does not

 for one who has acted well throughout his life, but at the end has run aground on wickedness, all his former labors are useless, having become without

 going out by night for clothes-stealing, they lead him along, and then they thought it right to accomplish something 42.6 even greater. And he little

 let him blame, 42.19 but his own soul for willingly perishing. But to the one who looks for salvation and longs for it and asks with shamelessness and

being called blessed by the Lord and called poor in spirit, a ready heir of the kingdom of heaven, not a rich man unable to live;

17.1 But he who carries wealth in his soul and instead of the spirit of God carries gold or a field in his heart and always makes his possessions immeasurable and on every occasion looks for more, having bowed down and being fettered by the snares of the world, being earth and about to go into the earth, how can he desire and be mindful of the kingdom of heaven, a man wearing not a heart, but a field or a mine, to be found necessarily in these things which he has chosen? "For where the mind of man is, there is his treasure also." 17.2 And the Lord knows two kinds of treasures, the one good, "for a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good," the other evil, "for an evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." 17.3 Just as, then, treasure is not one thing in his sight, as it is with us, that which gives a sudden great profit in its discovery, but also a second kind, which is unprofitable and unenviable and hard to acquire and damaging, so also is wealth, one kind of good things, another of bad things, if indeed we know that wealth and treasure are not by nature detached from one another. 17.4 And one kind of wealth would be something to be acquired and to be put on, but the other something not to be acquired and to be cast off. 17.5 And in the same way, poverty is blessed, namely spiritual poverty. Wherefore Matthew also added: "Blessed are the poor;" How? "in spirit." And again: "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God." Therefore miserable are the opposite poor, who are without a share in God, and without a share in human possessions, and without a taste of the righteousness of God.

18.1 Therefore one must hear of the rich in a discerning way, of those who will with difficulty enter into the kingdom, not crudely nor boorishly nor carnally; for it has not been said thus. Nor does salvation depend on external things. Whether these things are many or few, or small or great, or glorious or inglorious, or approved or unapproved, but on the virtue of the soul, faith and hope and love and brotherly affection and knowledge and meekness and 18.2 humility and truth, of which salvation is the prize. For no one will live on account of bodily beauty, nor, on the contrary, will he perish; but he who uses the body given him purely and according to God will live. But he who destroys the 18.3 temple of God will be destroyed. And it is possible for an ugly man to be licentious and for a beautiful man to be temperate; nor does strength and size of body give life, nor does any of the members destroy, but the soul which uses them 18.4 furnishes the cause for either result. Endure, then, he says, being struck on the face, which a strong and healthy man can 18.5 obey, and again a weak man can transgress through incontinence of will. So also a man who is poor and without means might be found drunk with desires, and a man rich in possessions sober and poor in pleasures, persuaded, 18.6 prudent, pure, chastened. If, therefore, that which is to live is first and foremost the soul, and about it virtue growing saves, but vice kills, it is already clearly manifest that it, even when poor in those things by which one might be corrupted by wealth, is saved, and when rich in those 18.7 things which wealth destroys, is put to death; and let us no longer seek elsewhere the cause of the end, except in the state and disposition of the soul towards obedience to God and purity and towards transgression of commandments and collection of vice.

19.1 The truly and finely rich man, then, is he who is rich in virtues and is able to use every fortune piously and faithfully. But the counterfeit rich man is he who is rich according to the flesh and has transferred his life to external possession, which is passing away and perishing and at one time becoming another's 19.2 and in the end, in no way anyone's.

μακαριζό μενος ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ πτωχὸς τῷ πνεύματι καλούμενος, κληρο νόμος ἕτοιμος οὐρανοῦ βασιλείας, οὐ πλούσιος ζῆσαι μὴ δυνάμενος·

17.1 ὁ δὲ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τὸν πλοῦτον φέρων καὶ ἀντὶ θεοῦ πνεύματος ἐν τῇ

καρδίᾳ χρυσὸν φέρων ἢ ἀγρὸν καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν ἄμετρον ἀεὶ ποιῶν καὶ ἑκάστοτε τὸ πλεῖον βλέπων, κάτω νενευκὼς καὶ τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου θηράτροις πεπεδημένος, γῆ ὢν καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελευσόμενος, πόθεν δύναται βασιλείας οὐρανῶν ἐπιθυμῆσαι καὶ φροντίσαι, ἄνθρωπος οὐ καρδίαν, ἀλλὰ ἀγρὸν ἢ μέταλλον φορῶν, ἐν τούτοις εὑρεθησόμενος ἐπάναγκες ἐν οἷς εἵλετο; "ὅπου γὰρ ὁ νοῦς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ θησαυρὸς αὐτοῦ." 17.2 Θησαυροὺς δέ γε ὁ κύριος οἶδε διττούς, τὸν μὲν ἀγαθόν, "ὁ" γὰρ "ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας προ φέρει τὸ ἀγαθόν", τὸν δὲ πονηρόν, "ὁ" γὰρ "κακὸς ἐκ τοῦ κακοῦ θησαυροῦ προφέρει τὸ κακόν, ὅτι ἐκ περισσεύματος τῆς καρδίας τὸ 17.3 στόμα λαλεῖ." ὥσπερ οὖν θησαυρὸς οὐχ εἷς παρ' αὐτῷ καθὸ καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν, ὁ τὸ αἰφνίδιον μέγα κέρδος ἐν εὑρήσει διδούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεύ τερος, ὁ ἀκερδὴς καὶ ἄζηλος καὶ δύσκτητος καὶ ἐπιζήμιος, οὕτως καὶ πλοῦτος ὃ μέν τις ἀγαθῶν, ὃ δὲ κακῶν, εἴ γε τὸν πλοῦτον καὶ τὸν 17.4 θησαυρὸν οὐκ ἀπηρτημένους ἴσμεν ἀλλήλων τῇ φύσει. καὶ ὁ μέν τις πλοῦτος κτητὸς ἂν εἴη καὶ περίβλητος, ὃ δὲ ἄκτητος καὶ ἀπόβλητος· τὸν 17.5 αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ πτωχεία μακαριστὴ μὲν ἡ πνευματική. διὸ καὶ προσέθηκεν ὁ Ματθαῖος· "μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί·" πῶς; "τῷ πνεύ ματι." καὶ πάλιν· "μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες τὴν δικαιο σύνην τοῦ θεοῦ·" οὐκοῦν ἄθλιοι οἱ ἐναντίοι πτωχοί, θεοῦ μὲν ἄμοιροι, ἀμοιρότεροι δὲ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης κτήσεως, ἄγευστοι δὲ δικαιο σύνης θεοῦ.

18.1 Ὥστε τοὺς πλουσίους μαθηματικῶς ἀκουστέον, τοὺς δυσκόλως

εἰσελευσομένους εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν, μὴ σκαιῶς μηδὲ ἀγροίκως μηδὲ σαρκίνως· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως λέλεκται. οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐκτὸς ἡ σωτηρία. οὔτε εἰ πολλὰ οὔτε εἰ ὀλίγα ταῦτα ἢ μικρὰ ἢ μεγάλα ἢ ἔνδοξα ἢ ἄδοξα ἢ εὐδόκιμα ἢ ἀδόκιμα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετῇ, πίστει καὶ ἐλπίδι καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ φιλαδελφίᾳ καὶ γνώσει καὶ πραότητι καὶ 18.2 ἀτυφίᾳ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ, ὧν ἆθλον ἡ σωτηρία. οὐδὲ γὰρ διὰ κάλλος σώματος ζήσεταί τις ἢ τοὐναντίον ἀπολεῖται· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τῷ δοθέντι σώματι ἁγνῶς καὶ κατὰ θεὸν χρώμενος ζήσεται. ὁ δὲ φθείρων τὸν 18.3 ναὸν θεοῦ φθαρήσεται. δύναται δέ τις καὶ αἰσχρὸς ἀσελγαίνειν καὶ κατὰ κάλλος σωφρονεῖν· οὐδὲ ἰσχὺς καὶ μέγεθος σώματος ζωοποιεῖ οὐδὲ τῶν μελῶν οὐδενία ἀπολλύει, ἀλλ' ἡ τούτοις ψυχὴ χρωμένη 18.4 τὴν αἰτίαν ἐφ' ἑκάτερα παρέχεται. ὑπόφερε γοῦν, φησί, παιόμενος τὸ πρόσωπον, ὅπερ δύναται καὶ ἰσχυρός τις ὢν καὶ εὐεκτῶν ὑπα 18.5 κοῦσαι καὶ πάλιν ἀσθενικός τις ὢν ἀκρασίᾳ γνώμης παραβῆναι. οὕτως καὶ ἄπορός τις ὢν καὶ ἄβιος εὑρεθείη ποτ' ἂν μεθύων ταῖς ἐπιθυ μίαις, καὶ χρήμασι πλούσιος νήφων καὶ πτωχεύων ἡδονῶν, πεπει 18.6 σμένος, συνετός, καθαρός, κεκολασμένος. εἰ τοίνυν ἐστὶ τὸ ζησόμενον μάλιστα καὶ πρῶτον ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ περὶ ταύτην ἀρετὴ μὲν φυομένη σῴζει, κακία δὲ θανατοῖ, δῆλον ἤδη σαφῶς ὅτι αὕτη καὶ πτωχεύουσα ὧν ἄν τις ὑπὸ πλούτου διαφθείρηται σῴζεται, καὶ πλουτοῦσα τού 18.7 των ὧν ἐπιτρίβει πλοῦτος θανατοῦται· καὶ μηκέτι ζητῶμεν ἀλλαχοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ τέλους πλὴν ἐν τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς καταστάσει καὶ δια θέσει πρός τε ὑπακοὴν θεοῦ καὶ καθαρότητα πρός τε παράβασιν ἐντολῶν καὶ κακίας συλλογήν.

19.1 Ὁ μὲν ἄρα ἀληθῶς καὶ καλῶς πλούσιός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ἀρετῶν πλούσιος καὶ

πάσῃ τύχῃ χρῆσθαι ὁσίως καὶ πιστῶς δυνάμενος· ὁ δὲ νόθος πλούσιος ὁ κατὰ σάρκα πλουτῶν καὶ τὴν ζωὴν εἰς τὴν ἔξω κτῆσιν μετενηνοχὼς τὴν παρερχομένην καὶ φθειρομένην καὶ ἄλλοτε 19.2 ἄλλου γινομένην καὶ ἐν τῷ τέλει μηδενὸς μηδαμῇ.