No one else? But that he believed in God? And prophets believed in God, and patriarchs believed, hymn-writers believed, apostles, preachers, martyrs; but all these having seen God in glory, but this one in insult. But place ten thousand servants serving a master, when the master is in prosperity and honor; and one servant in a time of trial and affliction and flight, not departing from his own master; but those ten thousand servants in the time of trial and flight having left their master and withdrawn; are these servants who, in prosperity, left the master in the time of 59.552 trial, able to be like the one who followed the master in adversity? By no means. Peter believed, but having seen him raise the dead, having beheld his glory he believed; Paul believed, but having seen a light from heaven, which blinded his bodily eyes, but enlightened the eyes of his soul; Abraham believed, but having beheld a divine vision; Isaiah believed, but having seen him sitting on a high throne, and the Cherubim around him. All saw, but in glory; but this one in insult; therefore he cried out, Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom. From my circumstances you ought to say to me: why do you say this? Because I am a sinner, and a murderer; a thief up to this very hour; my evils are many, I confess, but I have in my mind a hidden faith, which no one knows, except the Master alone who suffers with me. The Master has outwardly the visible symbols of the passion; and I, he says, did not pay attention to the visible insult, but I glorify the hidden kingdom. So you too say: Lord, do not look upon my visible iniquities, but my hidden faith, and, Remember me, when you come into your kingdom. Christ, having said absolutely nothing to anyone, but having been silent, and having answered neither Pilate, nor any other ungrateful soul of the Jews, answers then; and since it was very grievous and strange to be silent, he finally answers, and says to the thief: Truly, truly, I say to you; today you will be with me in paradise. O grace of the benefactor! since you asked for a slow grace, and you say, Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom. You asked for a slow grace, I give a swift grace; Today you will be with me in paradise. Did you see God's salvation? did you see the Master's beneficence? did you see the great judge of truth? Today you will be with me in paradise. Before this no one of the Jews or the patriarchs had heard the promise of paradise, from the time Adam transgressed, and went out from it; and yet God promised countless things to faithful men; and to no one did he promise paradise, except to the thief; nowhere does the mouth of God appear promising paradise to man after Adam was cast out, except first to this thief. Why did he speak first about paradise to none of the patriarchs, to none of the prophets, to none of the apostles? But to the ancients he promised: I will give you a land flowing with milk and honey; to the apostles he says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; paradise nowhere; in the midst he keeps paradise as a promise first for the thief. For when Paul says: I was caught up into paradise; but this happened after the thief. Why then did he who uttered one single word enter first? for what? did he often sing psalms? did he often strive? did he often theologize? Once, he says; righteous is my God, the awarder of salvation; since he cast out the first man Adam from paradise not for many sins, but for one act of disobedience; thus the balance of justice promised the thief to enter paradise first, who confessed not many things, but offered one confession of faith. I spoke of the sin of Adam, that he touched the tree against the commandment; what is the justification of the thief? That he touched the cross with faith, he entered into paradise. What then happens? The Savior indeed promised salvation; but there was no time, nor

μηδεὶς ἄλλος; Ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐπίστευσε τῷ Θεῷ; Καὶ προφῆται ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ πατριάρχαι ἐπίστευσαν, ὑμνογράφοι ἐπίστευσαν, ἀπόστολοι, κήρυκες, μάρτυρες· ἀλλ' οὗτοι πάντες ἐν δόξῃ θεασάμενοι τὸν Θεὸν, οὗτος δὲ ἐν ὕβρει. Ἀλλὰ στῆσον μυρίους οἰκέτας δουλεύοντας δεσπότῃ, ὅτε ὁ δεσπότης ἐστὶν ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ καὶ τιμῇ· καὶ ἕνα δοῦλον ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ καὶ θλίψεως καὶ φυγῆς, οὐκ ἀναχωροῦντα τοῦ ἰδίου δεσπότου· ἐκείνους δὲ τοὺς μυρίους δούλους ἐν τῷ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ καιρῷ καὶ τῆς φυγῆς καταλιπόντας τὸν δεσπότην καὶ ὑποχωρήσαντας· ἆρά γε οὗτοι οἱ δοῦλοι οἱ ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ τὸν δεσπότην ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ 59.552 πειρασμοῦ καταλιπόντες, ὅμοιοι εἶναι δύνανται τοῦ ἐν δυσπραγίᾳ τῷ δεσπότῃ ἀκολουθήσαντος; Οὐδαμῶς. Ἐπίστευσε Πέτρος, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν νεκροὺς ἐγείραντα, τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ θεασάμενος ἐπίστευσεν· ἐπίστευσε Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν φῶς οὐρανόθεν, καὶ τὰς μὲν σωματικὰς ὄψεις πηρώσαντα, τὰ δὲ ψυχικὰ ὄμματα φωτίσαντα· ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ θεασάμενος ὄψιν θεϊκήν· Ἡσαΐας ἐπίστευσεν, ἀλλ' ἰδὼν αὐτὸν καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ. Ὅλοι εἶδον, ἀλλ' ἐν δόξῃ· οὗτος δὲ ἐν ὕβρει· διὸ καὶ ἔκραζε, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἀπὸ τῶν κατ' ἐμὲ ὀφείλετέ μοι εἰπεῖν· διὰ τί λέγεις; Ὅτι ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, καὶ φονεύς· λῃστὴς μέχρι τῆς ὥρας ταύτης· πολλά μου τὰ κακὰ, ὁμολογῶ, ἀλλ' ἔχω ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ μου πίστιν κεκρυμμένην, ἣν οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ∆εσπότης μόνος ὁ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάσχων. Ἔξωθεν ἔχει ὁ ∆εσπότης τὰ τοῦ πάθους φαινόμενα σύμβολα· καὶ ἐγὼ, φησὶν, οὐ προσέσχον τῇ φαινομένῃ ὕβρει, ἀλλὰ τὴν κεκρυμμένην βασιλείαν δοξάζω. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ λέγε· Κύριε, μὴ ἴδῃς μου τὰς ἀδικίας τὰς φαινομένας, ἀλλὰ τὴν πίστιν τὴν κρυπτομένην, καὶ, Μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. ∆ιόλου μηδὲν μηδενὶ λαλήσας Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ σιωπήσας, καὶ μήτε τῷ Πιλάτῳ ἀποκριθεὶς, μήτε τινὶ ἄλλῃ ἀγνώμονι ψυχῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἀποκρίνεται τότε· καὶ ἐπειδὴ πολὺ βαρὺ ἦν καὶ ἄτοπον τὸ σιωπᾷν, ἀποκρίνεται λοιπὸν, καὶ λέγει τῷ λῃστῇ· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν, λέγω σοι· σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ὢ τοῦ εὐεργέτου χάρις! ἐπειδὴ βραδεῖαν ᾐτήσω τὴν χάριν, καὶ λέγεις, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Σὺ βραδεῖαν ᾔτησας, ἐγὼ ταχεῖαν δίδωμι τὴν χάριν· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Εἶδες Θεοῦ σωτηρίαν; εἶδες ∆εσπότου εὐεργεσίαν; εἶδες τὸν μέγαν τῆς ἀληθείας δικαστήν; Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Πρὸ τούτου οὐδεὶς ἤκουσεν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἢ τῶν πατριαρχῶν ἐπαγγελίαν παραδείσου, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ Ἀδὰμ παρέβη, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ· καίτοι μυρία ὁ Θεὸς ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῖς πιστοῖς· καὶ οὐδενὶ ἐπηγγείλατο παράδεισον, ἢ τῷ λῃστῇ· οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται τὸ στόμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελλόμενον παράδεισον ἀνθρώπῳ μετὰ τὸ ἐκβληθῆναι τὸν Ἀδὰμ, ἢ τούτῳ πρῶτον τῷ λῃστῇ. ∆ιὰ τί μηδενὶ τῶν πατριαρχῶν πρῶτον εἶπε περὶ παραδείσου, οὐδενὶ τῶν προφητῶν, οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων; Ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἐπηγγείλατο· ∆ώσω σοι γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι· τοῖς ἀποστόλοις λέγει· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· παράδεισος οὐδαμοῦ· ἐν μέσῳ τηρεῖ τὸν παράδεισον εἰς ἐπαγγελίαν πρῶτον τῷ λῃστῇ. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃ Παῦλος· Ἡρπάγην εἰς τὸν παράδεισον· ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸν λῃστὴν τοῦτο ἐγένετο. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν πρῶτος εἰσῆλθεν ὁ μίαν ὁμοῦ φθεγξάμενος φωνήν; τί γάρ; πολλάκις ἔψαλλε; πολλάκις ἠγωνίσατο; πολλάκις ἐθεολόγησεν; Ἅπαξ, φησί· δίκαιος ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ βραβευτὴς τῆς σωτηρίας· ἐπειδὴ τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον Ἀδὰμ οὐ διὰ πολλὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐξέβαλε τοῦ παραδείσου, ἀλλὰ διὰ μίαν παρακοήν· οὕτως ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζυγὸς πρῶτον εἰσελθεῖν ἐν παραδείσῳ τὸν λῃστὴν ἐπηγγείλατο, τὸν μὴ πολλά τινα ὁμολογήσαντα, ἀλλὰ μίαν ὁμολογίαν πίστεως προσενεγκόντα. Εἶπον τὸ ἁμάρτημα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ὅτι ἥψατο τοῦ ξύλου παρὰ τὴν ἐντολήν· τίς ἡ δικαιολογία τοῦ λῃστοῦ; Ὅτι ἥψατο τοῦ σταυροῦ μετὰ πίστεως, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. Τί λοιπὸν γίνεται; Ἐπηγγείλατο μὲν τὴν σωτηρίαν ὁ Σωτήρ· καιρὸς δὲ οὐκ ἦν, οὐδὲ