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 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 commanded you to wait to be asked nor to be bothered, but to seek for yourself those who will be well-treated, who are worthy 31.8 disciples of the Savior. Fine, therefore, is also the word of the apostle: "for God loves a cheerful giver," rejoicing in giving and not sowing sparingly, lest he also reap in the same way, without grumbling and hesitation and sorrow, and sharing, which is a pure 31.9 benefaction. But better than this is that which was said by the Lord in another place: "Give to everyone who asks of you;" for such generosity is truly of God. But this saying is beyond all divinity, not to wait to be asked, but to seek for yourself who is worthy to be well-treated, 32.1 then to define so great a reward for the sharing, an eternal tabernacle. O fine commerce, O divine marketplace! One buys incorruptibility with money, and giving the perishing things of the world, receives in exchange an eternal dwelling for these in the heavens. 32.2 Sail to this festival, if you are wise, O rich man; and if you must, travel the whole earth, do not spare yourself dangers and 32.3 toils, so that you may purchase here the kingdom of heaven. Why do transparent stones and emeralds and a house so delight you, food for fire 32.4 or a plaything of time or a side-effect of an earthquake or the insolence of a tyrant? Desire to dwell in the heavens and to reign with God; this kingdom a man will give you, imitating God; here taking little, 32.5 there for all ages he will make you a fellow-dweller. Beseech him that he might take it; hasten, strive, fear lest he dishonor you; for he has not been commanded 32.6 to receive, but you to provide. And yet the Lord did not say: "give" or "provide" or "do good" or "help," but "make a friend;" and a friend is not made from one gift, but from complete rest and long association; for neither faith nor love nor endurance is of one day, but "he who endures to the end, this one will be saved".

33.1 How then does man give these things? Because on account of that man's honor and

good will and intimacy the Lord gives them; "For I will give not only to my 33.2 friends, but also to the friends of my friends."

And who is this friend of God? Do not you judge who is worthy and who is unworthy; for it is possible for you to err in your opinion; so in the uncertainty of ignorance it is better to do good even to the unworthy on account of the worthy than, while being wary of 33.3 the less good, to not even encounter the earnest. For by being sparing and pretending to test those who will rightly receive or not, it is possible for you to neglect some of the friends of God, the penalty for which is eternal fiery punishment; but by giving forth to all in succession who are in need, it is altogether necessary to find someone also of those who are able to save with God. 33.4 "Judge not," therefore, "that you be not judged; with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you; a good measure, pressed down and 33.5 shaken together, running over, will be given back to you." Open your heart to all those enrolled as disciples of God, not looking contemptuously on the body, not being disposed neglectfully toward age, nor if someone appears propertyless or badly-dressed or ugly or weak, should you on this account be vexed in soul and turn away. 33.6 This is an outward form put around us for the sake of our entrance into the world, so that we might be able to enter this common school; but within dwells hidden the Father and His Son who died for us and rose with us.

34.1 This visible form deceives death and the devil;

for the inner wealth and beauty is unseen by them; and they rage about the little flesh, which they despise as weak, being blind to the possessions within, not knowing how great a "treasure in an earthen vessel" we carry, fortified by the power of God the Father and the blood of God the Son and the dew of the Holy Spirit.

δίκαιον ἐργάσασθαι καὶ σωτήριον, ἀναπαῦσαί τινα τῶν ἐχόντων αἰώνιον· σκηνὴν παρὰ τῷ πατρί. 31.7 Ὅρα πρῶτον μὲν ὡς οὐκ ἀπαιτεῖσθαί σε κεκέλευκεν οὐδὲ ἐνο χλεῖσθαι περιμένειν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸν ζητεῖν τοὺς εὖ πεισομένους ἀξίους 31.8 τε ὄντας τοῦ σωτῆρος μαθητάς. καλὸς μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ τοῦ ἀποστόλου λόγος· "ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην· ἀγαπᾷ ὁ θεός", χαίροντα τῷ διδόναι καὶ μὴ φειδομένως σπείροντα, ἵνα μὴ οὕτως καὶ θερίσῃ, δίχα γογγυσμῶν καὶ διακρίσεως καὶ λύπης καὶ κοινωνοῦντα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν εὐεργεσία 31.9 καθαρά. κρείττων δ' ἐστὶ τούτου ὁ τοῦ κυρίου λελεγμένος ἐν ἄλλῳ χωρίῳ· "παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου·" θεοῦ γὰρ ὄντως ἡ τοιαύτη φιλοδωρία. οὑτοσὶ δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑπὲρ ἅπασάν ἐστι θεότητα, μηδὲ αἰτεῖσθαι περιμένειν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ἀναζητεῖν, ὅστις ἄξιος εὖ παθεῖν, 32.1 ἔπειτα τηλικοῦτον μισθὸν ὁρίσαι τῆς κοινωνίας, αἰώνιον, σκηνήν. ὢ καλῆς ἐμπορίας, ὢ θείας ἀγορᾶς· ὠνεῖται χρημάτων τις ἀφθαρσίαν, καὶ δοὺς τὰ διολλύμενα τοῦ κόσμου μονὴν τούτων αἰώνιον ἐν οὐρα 32.2 νοῖς ἀντιλαμβάνει. πλεῦσον ἐπὶ ταύτην. ἂν σωφρονῇς. τὴν πανήγυ ριν, ὦ πλούσιε, κἂν δέῃ, περίελθε γῆν ὅλην, μὴ φείσῃ κινδύνων καὶ 32.3 πόνων, ἵν' ἐνταῦθα βασιλείαν οὐράνιον ἀγοράσῃς. τί σε λίθοι δια φανεῖς καὶ σμάραγδοι τοσοῦτον εὐφραίνουσι καὶ οἰκία, τροφὴ πυρὸς 32.4 ἢ χρόνου παίγνιον ἢ σεισμοῦ πάρεργον ἢ ὕβρισμα τυράννου; ἐπιθύ μησον ἐν οὐρανοῖς οἰκῆσαι καὶ βασιλεῦσαι μετὰ θεοῦ, ταύτην σοὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἄνθρωπος δώσει θεὸν ἀπομιμούμενος· ἐνταῦθα μικρὰ 32.5 λαβὼν ἐκεῖ δι' ὅλων αἰώνων σύνοικόν σε ποιήσεται. ἱκέτευσον ἵνα λάβῃ· σπεῦσον, ἀγωνίασον, φοβήθητι μή σε ἀτιμάσῃ· οὐ γὰρ κεκέ 32.6 λευσται λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ σὺ παρασχεῖν. οὐ μὴν οὐδ' εἶπεν ὁ κύριος· "δὸς" ἢ "παράσχες" ἢ "εὐεργέτησον" ἢ "βοήθησον", "φίλον" δὲ "ποίησαι"· ὁ δὲ φίλος οὐκ ἐκ μιᾶς δόσεως γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὅλης ἀναπαύσεως καὶ συνουσίας μακρᾶς· οὔτε γὰρ ἡ πίστις οὔτε ἡ ἀγάπη οὔτε ἡ καρτερία μιᾶς ἡμέρας, ἀλλ' "ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται".

33.1 Πῶς οὖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ταῦτα δίδωσιν; ὅτι διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τιμὴν καὶ

εὔνοιαν καὶ οἰκείωσιν ὁ κύριος δίδωσι· "δώσω γὰρ οὐ μόνον τοῖς 33.2 φίλοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς φίλοις τῶν φίλων." καὶ τίς οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ φίλος τοῦ θεοῦ; σὺ μὲν μὴ κρῖνε, τίς ἄξιος καὶ τίς ἀνάξιος· ἐνδέχεται γάρ σε διαμαρτεῖν περὶ τὴν δόξαν· ὡς ἐν ἀμφιβόλῳ δὲ τῆς ἀγνοίας ἄμεινον καὶ τοὺς ἀναξίους εὖ ποιεῖν διὰ τοὺς ἀξίους ἢ φυλασσόμενον 33.3 τοὺς ἧσσον ἀγαθοὺς μηδὲ τοῖς σπουδαίοις περιπεσεῖν. ἐκ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ φείδεσθαι καὶ προσποιεῖσθαι δοκιμάζειν τοὺς εὐλόγως ἢ μὴ τευξομένους ἐνδέχεταί σε καὶ θεοφιλῶν ἀμελῆσαί τινων, οὗ τὸ ἐπι τίμιον κόλασις ἔμπυρος αἰώνιος· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ προΐεσθαι πᾶσιν ἑξῆς τοῖς χρῄζουσιν ἀνάγκη πάντως εὑρεῖν τινα καὶ τῶν σῶσαι παρὰ θεῷ 33.4 δυναμένων. "μὴ κρῖνε" τοίνυν, "ἵνα μὴ κριθῇς· ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖς, τούτῳ καὶ ἀντιμετρηθήσεταί σοι· μέτρον καλόν, πεπιεσμένον καὶ 33.5 σεσαλευμένον, ὑπερεκχυνόμενον, ἀποδοθήσεταί σοι." πᾶσιν ἄνοιξον τὰ σπλάγχνα τοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ μαθηταῖς ἀπογεγραμμένοις, μὴ πρὸς σῶμα ἀπιδὼν ὑπερόπτως, μὴ πρὸς ἡλικίαν ἀμελῶς διατεθείς, μηδ' εἴ τις ἀκτήμων ἢ δυσείμων ἢ δυσειδὴς ἢ ἀσθενὴς φαίνεται, πρὸς 33.6 τοῦτο τῇ ψυχῇ δυσχεράνῃς καὶ ἀποστραφῇς. σχῆμα τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἔξωθεν ἡμῖν περιβεβλημένον τῆς εἰς κόσμον παρόδου προφάσει, ἵν' εἰς τὸ κοινὸν τοῦτο παιδευτήριον εἰσελθεῖν δυνηθῶμεν· ἀλλ' ἔνδον κρυπτὸς ἐνοικεῖ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ τούτου παῖς ὁ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀποθανὼν καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν ἀναστάς.

34.1 Τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα τὸ βλεπόμενον ἐξαπατᾷ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὸν διάβολον·

ὁ γὰρ ἐντὸς πλοῦτος καὶ τὸ κάλλος αὐτοῖς ἀθέατός ἐστι· καὶ μαίνονται περὶ τὸ σαρκίον, οὗ καταφρονοῦσιν ὡς ἀσθενοῦς, τῶν ἔνδον ὄντες τυφλοὶ κτημάτων, οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι πηλίκον τινὰ "θη σαυρὸν ἐν ὀστρακίνῳ σκεύει" βαστάζομεν, δυνάμει θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ αἵματι θεοῦ παιδὸς καὶ δρόσῳ πνεύματος ἁγίου περιτετειχισμένον.