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 all but put to death by the world-rulers of darkness with many wounds: fears, desires, angers, griefs, deceits, pleasures? And of these wounds, the only physician is Jesus, cutting out the passions utterly by the root, not as the Law did, merely the results, the fruits of the wicked plants, but bringing his own axe to the roots of wickedness. This is he who poured out the wine, the blood of the vine of David, upon our wounded souls; this is he who brought and lavished the oil, the mercy from the Father’s compassion; this is he who showed the unbreakable bonds of health and salvation: love, faith, hope; this is he who commanded angels and principalities and powers to minister to us for a great reward, because they too will be set free from the futility of the world at the revelation of the glory of the sons of God. Therefore, one must love him equally with God. And he loves Christ Jesus who does his will and keeps his commandments. "For not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father." And: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I say?” And: “You are blessed who see and hear what neither the righteous nor prophets did,” if you do what I say.

The first, then, is he who loves Christ, and the second is he who those

who have believed in him honors and cares for. For whatever one does for a disciple, the Lord receives this as for himself and makes it all his own. "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, and I was thirsty and you gave me drink, and I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick and visit you? Or in prison and come to you?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" Again, from the opposite, those who did not provide these things for them he casts into the eternal fire, as not having provided for him. And elsewhere: “He who receives you receives me, he who does not receive you rejects me.”

These he calls children and little children and infants and friends and little ones

here below in relation to their future greatness above. Saying, “Do not despise one of these little ones; for their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” And elsewhere: “Do not be afraid, little flock; for it has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom” of heaven. In the same way also he says that the least in the kingdom of heaven, that is, his own disciple, is greater than John, the greatest among those born of women. And again: “Whoever receives a righteous man or a prophet in the name of a righteous man or a prophet will receive their reward, and whoever gives a disciple a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple will not lose his reward.” Therefore, this reward alone is not lost. And again: “Make for yourselves friends from the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” By nature, indeed, showing that all possession, which anyone has for himself as his own and does not set aside for the common use of those in need, is unjust, but from this unrighteousness it is possible also a thing

δευτερεῖα νέμει τῷ πλησίον. τίς δ' ἂν ἄλλος οὗτος εἴη πλὴν αὐτὸς ὁ σωτήρ; ἢ τίς μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς ἐλεήσας ἐκείνου, τοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν κοσμοκρατόρων τοῦ σκότους ὀλίγου τεθανατωμένους τοῖς πολλοῖς τραύμασι, φόβοις, ἐπιθυμίαις, ὀργαῖς, λύπαις, ἀπάταις, ἡδο 29.3 ναῖς; τούτων δὲ τῶν τραυμάτων μόνος ἰατρὸς Ἰησοῦς, ἐκκόπτων ἄρδην τὰ πάθη πρόρριζα, οὐχ ὥσπερ ὁ νόμος ψιλὰ τὰ ἀποτελέσματα, τοὺς καρποὺς τῶν πονηρῶν φυτῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀξίνην τὴν ἑαυτοῦ 29.4 πρὸς τὰς ῥίζας τῆς κακίας προσαγαγών. οὗτος ὁ τὸν οἶνον, τὸ αἷμα τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς ∆αβίδ, ἐκχέας ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τὰς τετρωμένας ψυχάς, οὗτος ὁ τὸ ἔλαιον, τὸν ἐκ σπλάγχνων πατρὸς ἔλεον, προσενεγκὼν καὶ ἐπιδαψιλευόμενος, οὗτος ὁ τοὺς τῆς ὑγείας καὶ σωτηρίας δεσμοὺς ἀλύτους ἐπιδείξας, ἀγάπην, πίστιν, ἐλπίδα, οὗτος ὁ διακονεῖν ἀγγέλους καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας ἡμῖν ἐπιτάξας ἐπὶ μεγάλῳ μισθῷ, διότι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐλευθερωθήσονται ἀπὸ τῆς ματαιότητος τοῦ κόσμου παρὰ τὴν 29.5 ἀποκάλυψιν τῆς δόξης τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ θεοῦ. τοῦτον οὖν ἀγαπᾶν ἴσα χρὴ τῷ θεῷ. ἀγαπᾷ δὲ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ὁ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιῶν 29.6 καὶ φυλάσσων αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐντολάς. "οὐ γὰρ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι "κύριε κύριε" εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου." καί· "τί με λέγετε "κύριε κύριε" καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε ἃ λέγω;" καί· "ὑμεῖς μακάριοι οἱ ὁρῶντες καὶ ἀκούοντες ἃ μήτε δίκαιοι μήτε προφῆται", ἐὰν ποιῆτε ἃ λέγω.

30.1 Πρῶτος μὲν οὖν οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸν ἀγαπῶν, δεύτερος δὲ ὁ τοὺς

ἐκείνῳ πεπιστευκότας τιμῶν καὶ περιέπων. ὃ γὰρ ἄν τις εἰς μαθητὴν ἐργάσηται, τοῦτο εἰς ἑαυτὸν ὁ κύριος ἐκδέχεται καὶ πᾶν 30.2 ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖται. "δεῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομή σατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. ἐπείνασα γὰρ καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, καὶ ἐδίψησα καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι πιεῖν, καὶ ξένος ἤμην καὶ συνηγάγετέ με, γυμνὸς ἤμην καὶ ἐνεδύσατέ με, ἠσθένησα καὶ ἐπε 30.3 σκέψασθέ με, ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην καὶ ἤλθετε πρός με. τότε ἀποκριθήσονται αὐτῷ οἱ δίκαιοι λέγοντες· κύριε, πότε σε εἴδομεν πεινῶντα καὶ ἐθρέψα μεν, ἢ διψῶντα καὶ ἐποτίσαμεν; πότε δὲ εἴδομέν σε ξένον καὶ συνηγά γομεν, ἢ γυμνὸν καὶ περιεβάλομεν; ἢ πότε σε εἴδομεν ἀσθενοῦντα 30.4 καὶ ἐπεσκεψάμεθα; ἢ ἐν φυλακῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν πρὸς σέ; ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐρεῖ αὐτοῖς· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐφ' ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τού 30.5 των τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε." πάλιν ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων τοὺς ταῦτα μὴ παρασχόντας αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐμβάλ 30.6 λει τὸ αἰώνιον, ὡς αὐτῷ μὴ παρεσχηκότας. καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· "ὁ ὑμᾶς δεχόμενος ἐμὲ δέχεται, ὁ ὑμᾶς μὴ δεχόμενος ἐμὲ ἀθετεῖ."

31.1 Τούτους καὶ τέκνα καὶ παιδία καὶ νήπια καὶ φίλους ὀνομάζει καὶ μικροὺς

ἐνθάδε ὡς πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἄνω μέγεθος αὐτῶν. "μὴ καταφρονήσητε" λέγων "ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων· τούτων γὰρ οἱ ἄγγελοι διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν 31.2 οὐρανοῖς." καὶ ἑτέρωθι· "μὴ φοβεῖσθε, τὸ μικρὸν ποίμνιον· ὑμῖν γὰρ εὐδόκησεν ὁ πατὴρ παραδοῦναι τὴν βασιλείαν" τῶν οὐρανῶν. 31.3 κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ τοῦ μεγίστου ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν Ἰωάννου τὸν ἐλάχιστον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν, τουτέστι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μαθη 31.4 τήν, εἶναι μείζω λέγει. καὶ πάλιν· "ὁ δεχόμενος δίκαιον ἢ προφήτην εἰς ὄνομα δικαίου ἢ προφήτου τὸν ἐκείνων μισθὸν λήψεται, ὁ δὲ μαθητὴν ποτίσας εἰς ὄνομα μαθητοῦ ποτήριον ψυχροῦ ὕδατος τὸν μισθὸν οὐκ ἀπολέσει." οὐκοῦν οὗτος μόνος ὁ μισθὸς οὐκ ἀπολλύ 31.5 μενός ἐστι. καὶ αὖθις· "ποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμωνᾶ τῆς 31.6 ἀδικίας, ἵνα ὅταν ἐκλίπῃ, δέξωνται ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς." φύσει μὲν ἅπασαν κτῆσιν, ἣν αὐτός τις ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ κέκτηται ὡς ἰδίαν οὖσαν καὶ οὐκ εἰς κοινὸν τοῖς δεομένοις κατατίθησιν, ἄδικον οὖσαν ἀποφαί νων, ἐκ δὲ ταύτης τῆς ἀδικίας ἐνὸν καὶ πρᾶγμα