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

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 love his brother is a murderer," a seed of Cain, a creature of the devil, he does not have the compassion of God, he does not have hope for better things, he is without seed, he is barren, he is not a branch of the ever-living heavenly vine, he is cut off, he awaits the fire altogether.

38.1 But you, learn the "more excellent way," which Paul shows for

salvation; "love does not seek its own," but is poured out upon the brother; for him it is zealous, for him it is sanely mad. 38.2 "Love covers a multitude of sins; perfect love casts out fear; it does not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices with the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Prophecies will be done away, tongues will cease, healings are left upon the earth. But these three remain: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love." 38.3 And rightly so; for faith indeed departs, when we are convinced by sight, having seen God. And hope vanishes when the things hoped for have been rendered, but love comes to its fullness and increases the more when the perfect things have been delivered. 38.4 If anyone casts this into his soul, he is able, even if he has been born in sins, even if he has done many forbidden things, by increasing love and receiving a pure repentance 38.5 to fight back against his failings. For let not this be left to you for despair and folly, even if you should learn who the rich man is 39.1 who has no place in heaven and in what way someone using his possessions might escape both the condemnation of wealth and the difficulty of entering life and be able to partake of the eternal good things, but should it happen that through ignorance or weakness or involuntary circumstance, after the seal and the redemption, he has fallen into certain sins or transgressions, so as to be completely overcome, that this man has been utterly condemned 39.2 by God. For to everyone who with truth from his whole heart has turned to God, the doors are opened and the Father receives with exceeding joy a son who truly repents; but true repentance is no longer to be liable for the same things, but to uproot utterly from the soul the sins for which he has condemned himself to death; for when these 39.3 have been destroyed, God will once again dwell in you. For he says that there is great and unsurpassed joy and celebration in heaven for the Father and the angels over one sinner who turns and repents. 39.4 Wherefore he has also cried out: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice; I do not desire the death of the sinner, but his repentance; though your sins be as scarlet wool, I will make them white as snow, and though they be blacker than 39.5 darkness, having washed them, I will make them like white wool." For it is possible for God alone to grant forgiveness of sins and not to "count transgressions." Seeing that also the Lord commands us each day to forgive 39.6 our repenting brothers. But if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts, how much more "the Father of mercies," the good Father "of all comfort," the very compassionate and very merciful one, is by nature long-suffering; he awaits those who turn; and to turn is truly to cease from sins and no longer to look back.

40.1 Of past things, therefore, God gives forgiveness, but of future

things each person is for himself. And this is to repent: to condemn past deeds and to ask for amnesty for them from the Father, who alone of all is able to make undone the things that have been done, by the mercy that is from him and by the dew of the Spirit wiping away the 40.2 past sins. "For in whatever state I find you," he says, "in that 40.3 I will also judge you;" and at every point the end of all things cries out; so that even for the one who has done the greatest things well

ἀλλήλων ἀπο 37.6 κλείσομεν, ἃ μετὰ μικρὸν ἕξει τὸ πῦρ; θείως γε καὶ ἐπιπνόως ὁ Ἰω άννης "ὁ μὴ φιλῶν" φησὶ "τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀνθρωποκτόνος ἐστί", σπέρμα τοῦ Κάιν, θρέμμα τοῦ διαβόλου, θεοῦ σπλάγχνον οὐκ ἔχει, ἐλπίδα κρειττόνων οὐκ ἔχει, ἄσπορός ἐστιν, ἄγονός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστι κλῆμα τῆς ἀεὶ ζώσης ὑπερουρανίας ἀμπέλου, ἐκκόπτεται, τὸ πῦρ ἄθρουν ἀναμένει.

38.1 Σὺ δὲ μάθε τὴν "καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ὁδόν", ἣν δείκνυσι Παῦλος ἐπὶ

σωτηρίαν· "ἡ ἀγάπη τὰ ἑαυτῆς οὐ ζητεῖ", ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐκκέχυται· περὶ τοῦτον ἐπτόηται, περὶ τοῦτον σωφρόνως μαίνεται. 38.2 "ἀγάπη καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν· ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἐκβάλλει τὸν φόβον· οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται, οὐκ ἐπιχαίρει τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, συγ χαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ἐλπίζει. πάντα ὑπομένει. ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε ἐκπίπτει, προφητεῖαι καταργοῦν ται, γλῶσσαι παύονται, ἰάσεις ἐπὶ γῆς καταλείπονται. μένει δὲ τὰ τρία ταῦτα, πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη· μείζων δὲ ἐν τούτοις ἡ ἀγάπη." 38.3 καὶ δικαίως· πίστις μὲν γὰρ ἀπέρχεται, ὅταν αὐτοψίᾳ πεισθῶμεν ἰδόντες θεόν. καὶ ἐλπὶς ἀφανίζεται τῶν ἐλπισθέντων ἀποδοθέντων, ἀγάπη δὲ εἰς πλήρωμα συνέρχεται καὶ μᾶλλον αὔξεται τῶν τελείων 38.4 παραδοθέντων. ἐὰν ταύτην ἐμβάληταί τις τῇ ψυχῇ, δύναται, κἂν ἐν ἁμαρτήμασιν ᾖ γεγεννημένος, κἂν πολλὰ τῶν κεκωλυμένων εἰργασμένος, αὐξήσας τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ μετάνοιαν καθαρὰν λαβὼν 38.5 ἀναμαχέσασθαι τὰ ἐπταισμένα. μηδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο εἰς ἀπόγνωσίν σοι καὶ ἀπόνοιαν καταλελείφθω, εἰ καὶ τὸν πλούσιον μάθοις ὅστις ἐστὶν 39.1 ὁ χώραν ἐν οὐρανοῖς οὐκ ἔχων καὶ τίνα τρόπον τοῖς οὖσι χρώμενος ἄν τις τό τε ἐπίρρητον τοῦ πλούτου καὶ χαλεπὸν εἰς ζωὴν δια φύγοι καὶ δύναιτο τῶν αἰωνίων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐπαύρασθαι, εἴη δὲ τετυχηκὼς ἢ δι' ἄγνοιαν ἢ δι' ἀσθένειαν ἢ περίστασιν ἀκούσιον μετὰ τὴν σφραγῖδα καὶ τὴν λύτρωσιν περιπετής τισιν ἁμαρτήμασιν ἢ παραπτώμασιν, ὡς ὑπενηνέχθαι τέλεον, ὅτι οὗτος κατεψήφισται 39.2 παντάπασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. παντὶ γὰρ τῷ μετ' ἀληθείας ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ἐπιστρέψαντι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀνεῴγασιν αἱ θύραι καὶ δέχεται τρισάσμενος πατὴρ υἱὸν ἀληθῶς μετανοοῦντα· ἡ δ' ἀληθινὴ μετάνοια τὸ μηκέτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἔνοχον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ ἄρδην ἐκριζῶσαι τῆς ψυχῆς ἐφ' οἷς ἑαυτοῦ κατέγνω θάνατον ἁμαρτήμασιν· τούτων 39.3 γὰρ ἀναιρεθέντων αὖθις εἰς σὲ θεὸς εἰσοικισθήσεται. μεγάλην γάρ φησι καὶ ἀνυπέρβλητον εἶναι χαρὰν καὶ ἑορτὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἑνὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἐπιστρέψαντος καὶ μετανοήσαντος. 39.4 διὸ καὶ κέκραγεν· "ἔλεον θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν· οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν· κἂν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν ἔριον, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, κἂν μελάντερον τοῦ 39.5 σκότους, ὡς ἔριον λευκὸν ἐκνίψας ποιήσω." θεῷ γὰρ μόνῳ δυνατὸν ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν παρασχέσθαι καὶ μὴ "λογίσασθαι παραπτώματα". ὅπου γε καὶ ἡμῖν παρακελεύεται τῆς ἡμέρας ἑκάστης ὁ κύριος ἀφιέναι 39.6 τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μετανοοῦσιν. εἰ δὲ ἡμεῖς πονηροὶ ὄντες ἴσμεν ἀγαθὰ δόματα διδόναι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον "ὁ πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν". ὁ ἀγαθὸς πατὴρ "πάσης παρακλήσεως". ὁ πολύσπλαγχνος καὶ πολυέλεος πέφυκε μακροθυμεῖν· τοὺς ἐπιστρέψαντας περιμένει· ἐπιστρέψαι δέ ἐστιν ὄντως ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὸ παύσασθαι καὶ μηκέτι βλέπειν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω.

40.1 Τῶν μὲν οὖν προγεγενημένων θεὸς δίδωσιν ἄφεσιν, τῶν δὲ ἐπιόν των

αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ. καὶ τοῦτ' ἔστι μεταγνῶναι τὸ καταγνῶ ναι τῶν παρῳχημένων καὶ αἰτήσασθαι τούτων ἀμνηστίαν παρὰ πατρός. ὃς μόνος τῶν ἁπάντων οἷός τέ ἐστιν ἄπρακτα ποιῆσαι τὰ πεπρα γμένα ἐλέῳ τῷ παρ' αὑτοῦ καὶ δρόσῳ πνεύματος ἀπαλείψας τὰ 40.2 προημαρτημένα. "ἐφ' οἷς γὰρ ἂν εὕρω ὑμᾶς", φησίν, "ἐπὶ τούτοις 40.3 καὶ κρινῶ·" καὶ παρ' ἕκαστα βοᾷ τὸ τέλος πάντων· ὥστε καὶ τῷ τὰ μέγιστα εὖ