Christ. Have you practiced righteousness? The character of truth has been formed. One must therefore pay attention to how one should make Christ a brother. Take him as a partner in your affairs. You do not wish to grant him everything? At least give him half, like 59.606 Zacchaeus. For to him, it says, Zacchaeus gave, not to the poor. But listen, that "He who has mercy on the poor, lends to God." By giving to the poor, you have given to Christ. Do you not know that he takes what is given as given to himself? do you not know how he has written a fearful judgment for you, saying: "When the Son of Man comes in the regeneration, he will place the sheep on his right, and the goats on his left; and he will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, for I was hungry, and you gave me food'?" e. See how he who borrows through the poor, acknowledges the debt. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was naked, and you clothed me. Therefore, in visible form you clothe a naked person, but in truth you clothe Christ. Clothe Christ, so that he may clothe you on the day of judgment; shelter him, so that he may shelter you on the day of wrath; listen to David saying: "He sheltered me in the secret place of his tabernacle." There is need of shelter; that fearful fire overtakes, the inescapable Gehenna; and if the hand of Christ does not shelter, the alien fire will know. It knows how to seize what is alien, it knows how to honor the saints, it respects piety, it seizes impiety. There neither wealth nor money persuades, nor authority, nor power; all stand with equal honor before the judgment seat of Christ. For even if there are differences among men, yet before the Master all are of equal honor, even if they have great difference. How great is the difference between an angel and a man? Great, and not an ordinary one. How great is the difference between sun and moon and stars? But to the law of worship they are called together. How great is the difference between a plant and angels and animals? The ones are immortal, the others mortal; but each one in the yoke of servitude recognizes the mastery. For this reason David also joins together by harmony those things divided by rank, saying, "Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the highest, praise him, all his angels, all his powers, sun and moon." For though it is inferior in rank, yet it is united in servitude; and just as, brothers, the dignities in the world are divided among themselves, but united under the yoke of servitude (for all bow to the King, all tremble at the authority; and the difference is in the dignities, but the harmony is among the servants); so there too all men are equal, and only those who excel, who shine with piety, are unequal. For this reason Daniel said well, "I saw in a vision of the night, and behold, one like the Ancient of Days was seated." Here pay close attention, I beseech you, how he describes the judge of truth as in a bodily image. For since God is bodiless by nature, as in an image he depicts the intelligible things by means of sensible ones. So he says, "As an Ancient of Days," not grown old with time, but honored for his antiquity; "His garment was white as snow, the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was a flame of fire, its wheels burning fire." "A river of fire was flowing before him; a thousand thousands stood by him, and ten thousand times ten thousand ministered to him." O fearful judgment! O memory sufficient to frighten the ungrateful! If these things are so fearful when heard, how much more fearful when seen? "And I saw in a vision of the night, and behold, books were opened, and thrones were set." Thrones, of whom? Is it not clear that they are of the holy apostles, to whom the Savior said: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Books were opened. Bo59.607 oks, in which the evil things are written, in which the good things are written, in which the life of each is recorded. And he calls it a book, not because there is parchment and letters with God; but because for you the book is an instrument of memory, he describes the memory of God as in a book; for God does not need a book; for the book for God is memory.

Χριστόν. Ἐποίησας δικαιοσύνην; Ἐμορφώθη ὁ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ἀληθείας. ∆εῖ οὖν προσέχειν πῶς χρὴ ἀδελφοποιῆσαι τὸν Χριστόν. Λάβε αὐτὸν κοινωνὸν τῶν σῶν πραγμάτων. Οὐ θέλεις αὐτῷ χαρίσασθαι πάντα; Κἂν τὰ ἡμίση δὸς αὐτῷ ὡς ὁ 59.606 Ζακχαῖος. Αὐτῷ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔδωκεν ὁ Ζακχαῖος, οὐ τοῖς πτωχοῖς. Ἀλλ' ἄκουε, ὅτι Ὁ ἐλεῶν πτωχὸν, δανείζει Θεῷ. Πτωχοῖς διδοὺς, Χριστῷ δέδωκας. Οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι τὰ δοθέντα εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλαμβάνει; οὐκ οἶδας, πῶς φοβερόν σοι κριτήριον ἐνέγραψε λέγων· Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ, στήσει τὰ μὲν πρόβατα ἐκ δεξιῶν, τὰ δὲ ἐρίφια ἐξ εὐωνύμων· καὶ ἐρεῖ τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν, ∆εῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν, ὅτι ἐπείνασα, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν; εʹ. Βλέπε, πῶς ὁ διὰ τῶν πτωχῶν δανειζόμενος, ὁμολογεῖ τὸ χρέος. Ἐδίψησα, καὶ ἐποτίσατέ με· γυμνὸς ἤμην, καὶ περιεβάλετέ με. Οὐκοῦν τῷ μὲν φαινομένῳ σχήματι γυμνὸν ἐνδύεις, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ Χριστὸν περιβάλλεις. Ἔνδυσον Χριστὸν, ἵνα ἐνδύσῃ σε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· σκέπασον αὐτὸν, ἵνα σκεπάσῃ σε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς· ἄκουε τοῦ ∆αυῒδ λέγοντος· Ἐσκέπασέ με ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ. Χρεία σκέπης· καταλαμβάνει τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο τὸ φοβερὸν, ἡ γέεννα ἡ ἀπαραίτητος· καὶ ἐὰν μὴ ἡ Χριστοῦ χεὶρ σκεπάσῃ, τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἀλλότριον γνωρίσει. Οἶδεν ἐπιλαβέσθαι ἀλλοτρίων, οἶδε τιμᾷν ἁγίους, αἰδεῖται τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῆς ἀσεβείας. Ἐκεῖ οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐ χρήματα πείθει, οὐκ ἐξουσία, οὐ δυναστεία· πάντα ἐξ ἰσοτιμίας παρίσταται τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Κἂν γὰρ αἱ διαφοραὶ ὦσι περὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην ὁμότιμα πάντα, κἂν πολλὴν ἔχῃ τὴν διαφοράν. Ἀγγέλου καὶ ἀνθρώπου πόση διαφορά; Πολλὴ, καὶ οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα. Ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἀστέρων πόση διαφορά; Ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν νόμον τῆς προσκυνήσεως ὁμοῦ καλεῖται. Πόση διαφορὰ βοτάνης καὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ζώων; Τὰ μὲν ἀθάνατα, τὰ δὲ θνητά· ἀλλ' ἕκαστον ἐν τῷ ζυγῷ τῆς δουλείας ἐπιγινώσκει τὴν δεσποτείαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ∆αυῒδ τὰ διῃρημένα τῇ τάξει συνάπτει τῇ συμφωνίᾳ, λέγων, Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν, πάντες ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ὑποβέβηκε τῇ τάξει, ἀλλ' ἥνωται τῇ δουλείᾳ· καὶ ὥσπερ, ἀδελφοὶ, τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἀξιώματα διῄρηται μὲν πρὸς ἑαυτὰ, ἥνωται δὲ πρὸς τὸν ζυγὸν τῆς δουλείας (πάντες γὰρ ὑποκύπτουσι τῷ Βασιλεῖ, πάντες τρέμουσι τὴν ἐξουσίαν· καὶ ἡ μὲν διαφορὰ περὶ τὰ ἀξιώματα, ἡ δὲ συμφωνία παρὰ τοῖς δούλοις)· οὕτω κἀκεῖ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἴσοι, μόνοι δὲ ἄνισοι οἱ ὑπερέχοντες, οἱ τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ διαλάμποντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καλῶς ἔλεγεν ὁ ∆ανιὴλ, Ἐθεώρουν ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὡς Παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐκαθέζετο. Ἐνταῦθα πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς, παρακαλῶ, πῶς τὸν κριτὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἱστορεῖ ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι σωματικῇ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀσώματός ἐστι τὴν φύσιν, ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς διαγράφει τὰ νοητά. Φησὶ γοῦν, Ὡς Παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν, οὐ χρόνῳ πεπαλαιωμένος, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀρχαιότητι τετιμημένος· Ἡ στολὴ αὐτοῦ ὡς χιὼν λευκὴ, ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ἔριον καθαρόν· ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ φλὸξ πυρὸς, οἱ τροχοὶ αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον. Ποταμὸς πυρὸς ἑλκόμενος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ· χίλιαι χιλιάδες παρειστήκεισαν αὐτῷ, καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες λειτουργοῦσιν αὐτῷ. Ὢ φοβεροῦ κριτηρίου! ὢ μνήμης ἱκανῆς φοβῆσαι τοὺς ἀγνώμονας! Εἰ ἀκουόμενα οὕτω φοβερὰ, θεωρούμενα πόσῳ φοβερώτερα; Καὶ ἐθεώρουν ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς, καὶ ἰδοὺ βίβλοι ἀνεῴχθησαν, καὶ θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν. Θρόνοι, τίνων; Ἦ δῆλον ὅτι τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, πρὸς οὓς ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτήρ· Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ, καθίσεσθε καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους, κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν. Βί59.607 βλοι, αἷς ἐγγέγραπται τὰ φαῦλα, αἷς ἐγγέγραπται τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἐν αἷς ἀναγέγραπται ὁ ἑκάστου βίος. Βιβλίον δὲ καλεῖ, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ δέρμα ἐστὶ παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ γράμματα· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ παρὰ σοὶ τὸ βιβλίον μνήμης ἐστὶν ὄργανον, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μνήμην ἱστορεῖ ὡς ἐν βιβλίῳ· βιβλίου γὰρ Θεὸς οὐ χρῄζει· βίβλος γὰρ Θεῷ ἡ μνήμη.