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

to those holding on violently, or rather steadfastly, he conceded and yielded; for God rejoices 21.4 in being conquered in such things. Therefore, having heard these things, the blessed Peter, the chosen, the preeminent, the first of the disciples, for whom alone and for himself the 21.5 Savior pays the tax, quickly seized and understood the saying. And what does he say? "Behold, we have left everything and followed you." But if by "everything" he means his own possessions, perhaps four obols, so to speak, he boasts of having left them and might inadvertently declare the kingdom of heaven a worthy equivalent 21.6 for them; but if, as we were just now saying, having cast off the old intelligible possessions and diseases of the soul they follow in the Master's footsteps, this would now be fitting 21.7 for those who are to be enrolled in heaven. For this is truly to follow the Savior: to pursue his sinlessness and perfection, and as if before a mirror, to adorn and order the soul according to him, and to arrange all things through all things in a like manner.

22.1 "And Jesus answered: Truly I say to you, whoever leaves his own things and parents and

brothers and possessions for my sake and for the sake of the gos 22.2 pel, will receive a hundredfold." But let not this trouble us, nor what is even harsher than this, uttered in words elsewhere: "Whoever does not hate father and mother and children, and in addition 22.3 also his own life, cannot be my disciple." For the God of peace does not introduce hatred and separation from one's dearest ones, 22.4 seeing that he also advises to love one's enemies. But if one must love one's enemies, by analogy, ascending from them, also one's closest kin; or if one must hate blood-relatives, the argument, descending, teaches to reject enemies much more, so that the sayings, contradicting each other, would be 22.5 refuted. But they do not contradict, not in the least; for from the same mind and disposition and on the same principle, one might hate his father and love his enemy, who neither takes vengeance on an enemy nor reveres his father 22.6 more than Christ. For in that saying he cuts out hatred and evil-doing, but in this one, deference towards one's intimates, 22.7 if it should be harmful to salvation. If, then, someone's father or son or brother should be godless and become a hindrance to faith and an obstacle to the life above, let him not consent to him nor be of one mind, but let him dissolve the carnal relationship on account of the spiritual enmity.

23.1 Consider the matter to be a legal proceeding. Let it seem to you that your father

standing by and saying, "I begot you and raised you, follow me and join my unjust cause and do not obey the law of Christ" and whatever a blasphemous 23.2 and naturally dead man might say. But from the other side hear the Sav ior: "I regenerated you, who were badly born by the world unto death; I freed you, I healed you, I redeemed you; I will give you a life unceasing, eternal, super-mundane; I will show you the face of God the good Father; "Call no one your father on earth;" "Let the dead bury their 23.3 dead, but you, follow me;" for I will lead you up to rest and enjoyment of ineffable and unspeakable good things, "which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of men, things into which angels desire to look and to see, the good things which God has prepared for the 23.4 saints and for the children who love him," I am your nourisher, giving myself as bread, of which no one who tastes ever experiences death, and daily supplying the drink of immortality; I am the teacher of super-celestial teachings; for your sake I struggled against death and I paid the price of your death, which you owed for your past sins 23.5 and for your unbelief toward God." Having heard these words from both sides, judge for yourself and cast your vote for your own salvation; and if a brother says similar things, or a child, or a wife, or anyone at all, let Christ be the victor in you before all; for he contends on your behalf.

βιαίως, μᾶλλον δὲ βεβαίως ἀντεχομένους συνεχώρησεν εἶξεν· χαίρει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἡττώ 21.4 μενος. τοιγάρτοι τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ μακάριος Πέτρος. ὁ ἐκλεκτός. ὁ ἐξαίρετος, ὁ πρῶτος τῶν μαθητῶν, ὑπὲρ οὗ μόνου καὶ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν 21.5 φόρον ὁ σωτὴρ ἐκτελεῖ, ταχέως ἥρπασε καὶ συνέβαλε τὸν λόγον. καὶ τί φησιν; "ἴδε ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα καὶ ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι." τὰ δὲ "πάντα" εἰ μὲν τὰ κτήματα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ λέγει, τέσσαρας ὀβολοὺς ἴσως, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, καταλιπὼν μεγαλύνεται καὶ τούτων ἀνταξίαν 21.6 ἀποφαίνων ἂν λάθοι τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· εἰ δέ, ἅπερ ἄρτι νῦν λέγομεν, τὰ παλαιὰ νοητὰ κτήματα καὶ ψυχικὰ νοσήματα ἀπορ ρίψαντες ἕπονται κατ' ἴχνος τοῦ διδασκάλου, τοῦτ' ἂν ἀνάπτοιτο 21.7 ἤδη τοῖς ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐγγραφησομένοις. τοῦτο γὰρ ἀκολουθεῖν ὄντως τῷ σωτῆρι, ἀναμαρτησίαν καὶ τελειότητα τὴν ἐκείνου μετερ χόμενον καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὥσπερ κάτοπτρον κοσμοῦντα καὶ ῥυθμίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ πάντα διὰ πάντων ὁμοίως διατιθέντα.

22.1 "Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν ὑμῖν λέγω, ὃς ἂν ἀφῇ τὰ ἴδια καὶ γονεῖς καὶ

ἀδελφοὺς καὶ χρήματα ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ ἕνεκεν τοῦ εὐαγ 22.2 γελίου, ἀπολήψεται ἑκατονταπλασίονα." ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τοῦθ' ἡμᾶς ἐπι ταρασσέτω μηδὲ τὸ ἔτι τούτου σκληρότερον ἀλλαχοῦ ταῖς φωναῖς ἐξενηνεγμένον· "ὃς οὐ μισεῖ πατέρα καὶ μητέρα καὶ παῖδας, προσέτι 22.3 δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχήν, ἐμὸς μαθητὴς εἶναι οὐ δύναται." οὐ γὰρ εἰσηγεῖται μῖσος καὶ διάλυσιν ἀπὸ τῶν φιλτάτων ὁ τῆς εἰρήνης θεός. 22.4 ὅ γε καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾶν παραινῶν. εἰ δὲ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀγα πητέον, ἀνάλογον ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἀνιόντι καὶ τοὺς ἐγγυτάτω γένους· ἢ εἰ μισητέον τοὺς πρὸς αἵματος, πολὺ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἐχθροὺς προβάλ λεσθαι κατιὼν ὁ λόγος διδάσκει, ὥστε ἀλλήλους ἀναιροῦντες ἐλέγχοιντ' 22.5 ἂν οἱ λόγοι. ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἀναιροῦσιν οὐδ' ἐγγύς, ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης καὶ διαθέσεως καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτῷ ὅρῳ πατέρα μισοίη τις ἂν καὶ ἐχθρὸν ἀγαπώῃ ὁ μήτε ἐχθρὸν ἀμυνόμενος μήτε πατέρα 22.6 Χριστοῦ πλέον αἰδούμενος. ἐν ἐκείνῳ μὲν γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ μῖσος ἐκκό πτει καὶ κακοποιίαν, ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τὴν πρὸς τὰ σύντροφα δυσωπίαν. 22.7 εἰ βλάπτοι πρὸς σωτηρίαν. εἰ γοῦν ἄθεος εἴη τινὶ πατὴρ ἢ υἱὸς ἢ ἀδελφὸς καὶ κώλυμα τῆς πίστεως γένοιτο καὶ ἐμπόδιον τῆς ἄνω ζωῆς, τούτῳ μὴ συμφερέσθω μηδὲ ὁμονοείτω, ἀλλὰ τὴν σαρκικὴν οἰκειότητα διὰ τὴν πνευματικὴν ἔχθραν διαλυσάτω.

23.1 Νόμισον εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα διαδικασίαν. ὁ μὲν πατήρ σοι δοκείτω

παρεστὼς λέγειν "ἐγώ σε ἔσπειρα καὶ ἔθρεψα, ἀκολούθει μοι καὶ συνα δίκει καὶ μὴ πείθου τῷ Χριστοῦ νόμῳ" καὶ ὁπόσα ἂν εἴποι βλά 23.2 σφημος ἄνθρωπος καὶ νεκρὸς τῇ φύσει. ἑτέρωθεν δὲ ἄκουε τοῦ σωτῆ ρος· "ἐγώ σε ἀνεγέννησα, κακῶς ὑπὸ κόσμου πρὸς θάνατον γεγεν νημένον, ἠλευθέρωσα, ἰασάμην, ἐλυτρωσάμην· ἐγώ σοι παρέξω ζωὴν ἄπαυστον, αἰώνιον, ὑπερκόσμιον· ἐγώ σοι δείξω θεοῦ πατρὸς ἀγαθοῦ πρόσωπον· "μὴ κάλει σεαυτῷ πατέρα ἐπὶ γῆς·" "οἱ νεκροὶ τοὺς νε 23.3 κροὺς θαπτέτωσαν, σὺ δέ μοι ἀκολούθει·" ἀνάξω γάρ σε εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν ἀρρήτων καὶ ἀλέκτων ἀγαθῶν, "ἃ μήτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε μήτε οὖς ἤκουσε μήτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπων ἀνέβη, εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυ μοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι καὶ ἰδεῖν ἅπερ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς 23.4 ἁγίοις ἀγαθὰ καὶ τοῖς φιλοῦσιν αὐτὸν τέκνοις," ἐγώ σου τροφεὺς ἄρτον ἐμαυτὸν διδούς, οὗ γευσάμενος οὐδεὶς ἔτι πεῖραν θανάτου λαμ βάνει, καὶ πόμα καθ' ἡμέραν ἐνδιδοὺς ἀθανασίας· ἐγὼ διδάσκαλος ὑπερουρανίων παιδευμάτων· ὑπὲρ σοῦ πρὸς τὸν θάνατον διηγωνι σάμην καὶ τὸν σὸν ἐξέτισα θάνατον, ὃν ὤφειλες ἐπὶ τοῖς προημαρ 23.5 τημένοις καὶ τῇ πρὸς θεὸν ἀπιστίᾳ." τούτων τῶν λόγων ἑκατέρωθεν διακούσας ὑπὲρ σεαυτοῦ δίκασον καὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἀνένεγκε τῇ σαυτοῦ σωτηρίᾳ· κἂν ἀδελφὸς ὅμοια λέγῃ κἂν τέκνον κἂν γυνὴ κἂν ὁστισοῦν, πρὸ πάντων ἐν σοὶ Χριστὸς ὁ νικῶν ἔστω· ὑπὲρ σοῦ γὰρ ἀγω νίζεται.