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heir of what has been left behind? For he whom you expect will not in every case be your successor. 3.8.2 If you leave behind children, they will perhaps be beaten with fists, and a covetous man of your own kind will drive them, weeping, from their father’s house. And if, being childless, you should transfer your inheritance to one of your friends, do not regard your will as an unchangeable law, as an indisputable and strong matter. A little effort makes the document invalid. Or do you not see those constantly contending in the courts against wills, how they defraud them with various attempts, putting forward as advocates experts in the laws, bringing in terrible orators as assistants, feeding false witnesses, corrupting courts? 3.8.3 And for this reason, from what you see while living, be instructed concerning the future things that come after you. If you have your wealth justly, use it for what is needed, like the blessed Job; if unjustly, restore it to its wronged owners, like a captive from war; either what you took or with an addition, like Zacchaeus. If you do not have it, do not acquire it wrongly. For sin will follow you as bitter provision as you travel the necessary journey; but the enjoyment of what was acquired will be left to those whom you do not know. 3.8.4 And then you will marvel at David saying: He heaps up treasures, and knows not for whom he shall gather them. And you should also know the rich man, the opposite of Lazarus, who was just now read to us from the Gospels, not a myth composed for astonishment, but an exact type handed down of what is to come. 3.9.1 The fine linen has rotted, the kingdom has passed to another, the luxuries have been abolished; the sin from them has gone abroad with him like a shadow remaining with a walking body. And for this reason, after the luxury of the banquets and the delicate table, he seeks a drop of water dripping from a leper’s finger; and he calls the poor man the healer of his punishment, he who perhaps did not even have hands, when he was thrown at the gate; for then he would have driven away the dogs that were licking his sores. 3.9.2 And he desires to join Lazarus, being seen from opposite, and is separated in the middle by the pit or by the chasm; not of some pit actually dug nor of a trench made, as one can see the no-man's-land of war at military camps, but the impediment, I think, of sins the account indicates, which has walled off the passage to the just man for the one who has been condemned. 3.9.3 And Isaiah the prophet seals my interpretation, sternly addressing a foolish people and saying: Is the Lord's hand not strong enough to save? Or has his ear become heavy, that he should not hear? But your sins separate between you and between God. And if sins know how to separate men from God, nothing could be more sinful than covetousness, which also by the unerring voice of Paul, the herald of truth, is called idolatry and the root and mother of all evils. 3.10.1 For from where were those who were once of the portion of the Christians and partakers of the mysteries drawn to the worship of demons? Was it not by a love of acquiring many things and becoming masters of what belongs to others? And having received promises from the godless and impious either of a ruler's life or of wealth from the imperial treasuries, they quickly changed their religion as if it were a garment. And indeed, memory and hearing have preserved and taught the things of the times before our life. 3.10.2 But there are also things which the life of our time has handed down through experience. For when that emperor, who suddenly put off the mask of a Christian, and stripped bare the comic drama which he had played for a long time, himself shamelessly sacrificed to demons and many benefits were set forth for those willing to do this, how many left the church and ran to the altars? How many, accepting the bait of high offices, with him swallowed the hook of transgression? 3.10.3 And branded men wander about through the cities, being hated; pointed out with the finger, these too are traitors of Christ for a little

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καταλειφθέντων κληρονόμος; Οὐ γὰρ πάντως ἐκεῖνος ἔσται διάδοχος, ὃν σὺ προσδοκᾷς. 3.8.2 Ἂν παῖδας καταλείπῃς, τυχὸν κονδυλισθήσονται καὶ ὁμότροπός σου πλεονέκτης θρηνοῦντας αὐτοὺς τῆς οἰκίας τῆς πατρικῆς ἀπελάσει. Κἂν ἄπαις ὢν ἐπί τινα τῶν φίλων παραπέμψῃς τὸν κλῆρον, μὴ πρόσεχέ σου τῇ διαθήκῃ ὡς ἀκινήτῳ νόμῳ, ὡς πράγματι ἀναντιρρήτῳ καὶ ἰσχυρῷ. Ὀλίγη σπουδὴ ἄκυρον ποιεῖ τὴν γραφήν. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς συνεχῶς ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις κατὰ τῶν διαθηκῶν ἀγωνιζομένους, ὅπως αὐτὰς ποικίλοις ἐγχειρήμασι παρα κρούονται τοὺς τῶν νόμων τεχνίτας προϊστάμενοι συνηγόρους, τοὺς δεινοὺς ῥήτορας ἐπαγόμενοι βοηθοῦς, ψευδομάρτυρας τρέφοντες, δικαστή ρια διαφθείροντες; 3.8.3 Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐξ ὧν ὁρᾷς ζῶν, περὶ τῶν μελλόντων τῶν μετὰ σὲ παιδεύου. Εἰ δίκαιον ἔχεις τὸν πλοῦτον, εἰς δέον χρῆσαι, ὡς ὁ μακάριος Ἰώβ· εἰ ἄδικον, ἀνάλυσον αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς βιασθέντας κυρίους, ὡς αἰχμάλωτον ἐκ πολέμου· ἢ αὐτὸν ὃν ἔλαβες ἢ μετὰ προσθήκης, ὡς ὁ Ζακχαῖος. Εἰ μὴ ἔχῃς, μὴ κτήσῃς κακῶς. Σοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἀκολουθήσει πικρὸν ἐφόδιον ἡ ἁμαρτία τὴν ἀναγκαίαν πορευομένῳ πορείαν· ἡ δὲ ἀπόλαυσις τῶν κτηθέντων οἷς οὐ γινώσκεις καταλειφθήσεται. 3.8.4 Καὶ τότε τὸν ∆αβὶδ θαυμάσεις λέγοντα· θησαυρίζει καὶ οὐ γινώσκει τίνι συνάξει αὐτά. Γνωρίσῃς δὲ καὶ τὸν πλούσιον τὸν ἀντίθετον τοῦ Λαζάρου, τὸν ἀρτίως ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν εὐαγγελίων ἀναγνωσθέντα, οὐ μῦθον συγκείμενον εἰς κατάπληξιν, ἀλλὰ τύπον ἀκριβῆ παραδοθέντα τοῦ μέλλοντος. 3.9.1 Ἡ βύσσος ἐσάπη, ἡ βασιλεία μετῆλθεν εἰς ἕτερον, αἱ τρυφαὶ κατηργήθησαν· ἡ ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἁμαρτία συνεξεδήμησεν ὡς σκιὰ παρα μένουσα βαδίζοντι σώματι. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τὴν πολυτέλειαν τῶν συμποσίων καὶ τὴν ἁβροδίαιτον τράπεζαν ὕδατος ῥανίδα ζητεῖ δακτύλου λεπροῦ ἀποστάζουσαν· καὶ καλεῖ τὸν πτωχὸν τῆς τιμωρίας θεραπευτήν, τὸν οὐδὲ χεῖρας ἔχοντα τάχα, ἡνίκα τῷ πυλῶνι προσέρριπτο· ἦ γὰρ ἂν τοὺς κύνας ἀπεσόβησεν τοὺς ἐπιλειχομένους τὰ τραύματα. 3.9.2 Ἐπιθυμεῖ δὲ συμμίξαι τῷ Λαζάρῳ ἐκ τοῦ κατάντικρυ βλεπομένῳ καὶ μέσῳ διείργεται τῷ ὀρύγματι ἢ τῷ χάσματι· οὐ βόθρου τινὸς ὄντως ὠρυγμένου οὐδὲ τάφρου πεποιημένης, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν στρατοπέδων ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὸ τοῦ πολέμου μεταίχμιον, ἀλλὰ τὸ κώλυμα, οἶμαι, τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται, ὃ τῷ κατεγνωσμένῳ τὴν πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον πάροδον ἀπετείχισεν. 3.9.3 Καί μου τὴν ἑρμηνείαν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης ἐπισφραγίζεται πρὸς λαὸν ἄφρονα βαρέως ἀποτεινόμενος καὶ λέγων· Μὴ οὐκ ἰσχύει ἡ χεὶρ Κυρίου διασῶσαι; ἢ ἐβάρυνεν τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι; Ἀλλ' αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν διιστῶσιν ἀνὰ μέσον ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ἁμαρτήματα ἀνθρώπους χωρίζειν οἶδεν Θεοῦ, οὐδὲν ἂν πλεονεξίας ἁμαρτωλότερον γένοιτο, ἣ καὶ παρὰ τῆς ἀψευδοῦς φωνῆς Παύλου, τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκος, εἰδωλολατρεία προσαγορεύεται καὶ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ῥίζα καὶ μήτηρ. 3.10.1 Πόθεν γὰρ οἱ τῆς μερίδος ὄντες ποτε τῶν χριστιανῶν καὶ κοινωνοὶ τῶν μυστηρίων πρὸς τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων λατρείαν εἱλκύσθησαν; Οὐκ ἔρωτι τοῦ πολλὰ κτήσασθαι καὶ κύριοι γένεσθαι τῶν ἀλλοτρίων; Λαβόντες δὲ ὑποσχέσεις παρὰ τῶν ἀθέων καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἢ ζωῆς ἀρχοντικῆς ἢ περιουσίας τῆς ἐκ βασιλικῶν ταμιείων, ὥσπερ ἱμάτιον ταχέως τὴν θρησκείαν μετημφιέσαντο. Καὶ τὰ μὲν τῶν ἀνωτέρω χρόνων τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς μνήμη καὶ ἀκοὴ διεσώσατο καὶ ἐδίδαξεν. 3.10.2 Ἔστιν δὲ ἃ καὶ ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς βίος τῇ πείρᾳ παρέδωκεν. Ὅτε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὸ προσωπεῖον τοῦ χριστιανοῦ ἀθρόον ἀποθέμενος, γυμνώσας δὲ τὸ δρᾶμα τὸ κωμικὸν ὃ ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ καθυπεκρίνατο, αὐτός τε ἀναιδῶς ἔθυεν δαίμοσιν καὶ τοῖς τοῦτο βουλομένοις ποιεῖν πολλὰ προετέθη τὰ χρέα, πόσοι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀφέντες ἐπὶ τοὺς βωμοὺς ἔδραμον; πόσοι δὲ τὸ τῶν ἀξιωμάτων δέλεαρ εἰσδεξάμενοι μετ' ἐκείνου κατέπιον τὸ τῆς παραβάσεως ἄγκιστρον; 3.10.3 Στιγματίαι δὲ περινοστοῦσι κατὰ τὰς πόλεις, μισούμενοι· δακτυλοδεικτούμενοι προδόται καὶ οὗτοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ δι' ὀλίγον