a Jewish choice; but that of the second, a Christian one, starting from evil things, but seizing salvation through repentance); Therefore the ungrateful thief, having a Jewish choice, says: If you are the Son of God, save yourself and us, by coming down from the cross; but the other is found grateful, the one accountable in the court of law, a judge on the cross; but also teaching the fear of God. For the first words of the thief to his fellow thief say: Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. What are you saying? You who steal out there, do you condemn here? You who murder out there, do you teach fear here? Do you not even fear God? Learn of the cross of Christ, so that your voice may become a teacher of piety. For behold the wondrous thing: the thief says to his fellow thief: Do you not even fear God? He proclaims Him God, who was willingly 59.551 crucified with them, and who suffers with long-suffering for the sake of humanity. And that he speaks about the Savior himself: Do you not even fear God? learn from what follows: Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. I say these things so that you may learn to labor for piety, and to show zeal both at home and in the marketplace, and to strive for Christ, so that you too may receive from him the crown of righteousness, like this grateful thief. For hear him speaking to the blaspheming fellow thief: Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. And he said to Jesus, "Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom." Have you seen a true defense? have you seen how he confessed Christ himself as true God? Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom. He confesses his own evil deeds, and advocates for the Master. You were tortured so much, O thief, before the governor, that you might confess the robberies, and the murders, and the thefts you committed, even if you did not confess; and here you say, without tortures, "We are receiving the due reward of our deeds"? Through countless tortures you barely confessed before the governor; and here, having no one to compel you, you confess so easily? Yes, he says; but there death follows confession, here repentance and life follow confession. For we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. If we, he says, justly; this man unjustly. For we murdered the living, this man raised the dead; we plundered the property of others, this man has given his own wealth to the world. The thief fights with his fellow thief, and says: Until this time of the cross we came together and journeyed together, but now from the cross my path is split; if you wish to journey with me to life, come; but if not, go your own way. Hence, when I journeyed with you, I was with you on the first path; but now the cross has split that second road into two. By repentance the path of the thieves is split. And the psalm and the end of the psalm was then fulfilled: The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. Therefore when the thief advocated for the truth, he turns to the king of glory, and says, "Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom." 6. Let the Arians then be ashamed, and let them hear what the thief says: Lord, remember me, when you come in your kingdom. The thief sees him crucified, and confesses him as Lord; the heretic confesses him as enthroned with the Father, and blasphemes him as a creature. Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom. I wanted to say something to the thief: May Christ remember you, for having done what worthy thing? That you murdered? that you plundered? for you say, "Remember me, when you come in your kingdom." But let no one think that Christ saved the thief by grace alone, but it was owed to him as a debt. What debt? he says; that he acted righteously? gave alms? shared his own possessions, fasted, kept vigil? did he do a thing, which

προαίρεσις Ἰουδαϊκή· ἡ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου Χριστιανικὴ, ἀπὸ κακῶν μὲν ὁρμωμένη, μετανοίᾳ δὲ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἁρπάζει)· λέγει οὖν ὁ ἀγνώμων λῃστὴς, καὶ Ἰουδαϊκὴν ἔχων προαίρεσιν· Εἰ Υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, σῶσον σεαυτὸν καὶ ἡμᾶς, καταβὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ· ὁ δὲ ἄλλος εὐγνώμων εὑρίσκεται, ὁ ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ ὑπεύθυνος, ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ δικαστής· ἀλλὰ καὶ διδάσκων φόβον Θεοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ πρώτη φωνὴ τοῦ λῃστοῦ τῷ συλλῃστῇ λέγει· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματι εἶ; Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξε. Τί λέγεις; ὁ ἔξω κλέπτων, ὧδε καταδικάζεις; ὁ ἔξω φονεύων, ὧδε φόβον διδάσκεις; Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεόν; Μάθε τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸν σταυρὸν, ἵνα ἡ φωνὴ γένηταί σοι εὐσεβείας διδάσκαλος. Ὅρα γὰρ τὸ θαυμαστόν· ὁ λῃστὴς λέγει τῷ συλλῃστῇ· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεόν; Θεὸν αὐτὸν κηρύττει τὸν ἑκουσίως 59.551 συνεσταυρωμένον αὐτοῖς, καὶ μακροθύμως ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος πάσχοντα. Καὶ ὅτι περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος λέγει· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεόν; ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς μάνθανε· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματι εἶ; Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν. Ταῦτα λέγω, ἵνα μάθητε ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας κάμνειν, καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ τὸν ζῆλον ἐνδείκνυσθαι, καὶ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ἵνα καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης λάβητε στέφανον, ὡς ὁ εὐγνώμων οὗτος λῃστής. Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν βλάσφημον συλλῃστήν· Οὐδὲ φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματι εἶ; Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν. Καὶ ἔλεγε τῷ Ἰησοῦ, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Εἶδες συνηγορίαν ἀληθῆ; εἶδες πῶς αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ὡμολόγησε; Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ὁμολογεῖ τὰ ἴδια κακὰ, καὶ συνηγορεῖ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ. Τοσαῦτα ἐβασανίσθης, λῃστὰ, ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, ἵνα ὁμολογήσῃς τὰς λῃστείας, καὶ τοὺς φόνους, καὶ τὰς κλοπὰς, ἃς ἐποίησας, εἰ καὶ οὐχ ὡμολόγησας· καὶ ὧδε λέγεις ἐκτὸς βασάνων, Ἄξια ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν; ∆ιὰ μυρίων βασάνων μόλις ὡμολόγησας ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος· καὶ ὧδε μηδένα ἔχων τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα, εὐκόλως οὕτως ὁμολογεῖς; Ναὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἀκολουθεῖ θάνατος, ὧδε τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἕπεται μετάνοια καὶ ζωή. Ἄξια γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν. Εἰ ἡμεῖς, φησὶ, δικαίως· οὗτος ἀδίκως. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ τοὺς ζῶντας ἐφονεύσαμεν, οὗτος τοὺς νεκροὺς ἤγειρεν· ἡμεῖς τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐσυλήσαμεν, οὗτος τὸν ἴδιον πλοῦτον τῇ οἰκουμένῃ δέδωκε. Μάχεται ὁ λῃστὴς τῷ συλλῃστῇ, καί φησι· Μέχρι τούτου τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀλλήλοις συνήλθομεν καὶ συνωδεύομεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σχίζεταί μοι ἡ ὁδός· ἐὰν θέλῃς συνοδεῦσαί μοι πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν, ἐλθέ· εἰ δὲ μὴ, τὴν οἰκείαν πορεύου. Ἔνθεν, ὅτε σὺν σοὶ συνώδευον, τὴν πρώτην μετὰ σοῦ ἤμην· ἀλλὰ νῦν ὁ σταυρὸς ἔσχισεν αὐτὴν τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν δευτέραν εἰς δύο. Μετανοίᾳ σχίζεται ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν λῃστῶν. Καὶ ἦν ὁ ψαλμὸς καὶ τὸ τέλος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τότε πληρούμενον· Γινώσκει Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. Ὅτε οὖν συνηγόρησεν ὁ λῃστὴς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, στρέφεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τῆς δόξης, καί φησι, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν βασιλείᾳ σου. ϛʹ. Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν λοιπὸν οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ, καὶ ἀκουέτωσαν τί ὁ λῃστὴς λέγει· Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ὁ λῃστὴς βλέπει ἐσταυρωμένον, καὶ Κύριον ὁμολογεῖ· ὁ αἱρετικὸς ὁμολογεῖ σύνθρονον τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ὡς κτίσμα βλασφημεῖ. Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἤθελόν τινα εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν λῃστήν· Μνησθείη σου ὁ Χριστὸς, τί ἄξιον ποιήσαντος; Ὅτι ἐφόνευσας; ὅτι ἐσύλησας; λέγεις γὰρ, Μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἀλλὰ μή τις νομιζέτω, ὅτι κατὰ χάριν μόνον ἔσωσε τὸν λῃστὴν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ὀφειλὴν ἐχρεωστεῖτο αὐτῷ. Ποῖον χρέος; φησίν· ὅτι ἐδικαιοπράγησεν; ἐλεημοσύνας ἔδωκεν; τὰ ἴδια ἐμέρισεν, ἐνήστευσεν, ἠγρύπνησεν; ἐποίησε πρᾶγμα, ὃ