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with much greater severity. For just as for that man, lying at the gate of the rich man and seeing another's goods made the torment more severe, so now for this one, lying in Gehenna and seeing the luxury of Lazarus made the punishment more severe, so that he might have a more unbearable chastisement not only by the nature of the torments, but also by the comparison with that man's honor. And just as when God cast Adam out of paradise, He made him dwell opposite paradise, so that the continuous sight, renewing his suffering, might provide him with a more acute sense of his fall from good things; so also He made this man dwell opposite Lazarus, so that he might see of what things he had deprived himself. "I sent to you," He says, "the poor man Lazarus to your gate, so that he might become for you a teacher of virtue, and an occasion for philanthropy; you overlooked the gain, you were unwilling to make use of the opportunity for salvation as you ought; henceforth you shall use him for a greater occasion of chastisement and punishment." From these things we learn that all those who are abused and wronged by us will stand before our face then. And yet this man was not wronged in any way by the rich man; for the rich man did not take that man's money, but did not share his own. But if one who does not share his own things has as an accuser the one who was not shown mercy, what pardon will he obtain who has also seized the things of others, with the wronged standing around him on all sides? For there is no need there of witnesses, nor of accusers, nor of proofs, nor of evidence; but the things themselves, just as we have fashioned them, appear before our eyes. For "Behold," it says, "the man and his works;" for this too is robbery, not to share one's possessions. And perhaps what is said seems astonishing to you, but do not be astonished; for I will provide you a testimony from the divine Scriptures saying that not only seizing the things of others, but also not sharing one's own 48.988 with others, this too is robbery and greed and dispossession. What then is this testimony? God, accusing the Jews through the prophet, says: "The earth has brought forth its produce, and you have not brought in the tithes; but the plunder of the poor is in your houses." "Since," He says, "you did not give the customary offerings, you have plundered the things of the poor man." And he says this, showing to the rich that they possess the things of the poor, even if they have inherited a paternal estate, or from wherever they have collected their wealth. And again elsewhere he says: "Do not deprive the poor man of his life;" but he who deprives, deprives of what belongs to another; for it is called dispossession when we take and hold what belongs to others. And through this, therefore, we are taught that when we do not give alms, we will be punished equally with those who deprive. For our wealth belongs to the Master, from wherever we may collect it; and if we offer it to those in need, we will obtain great abundance. And for this reason God allowed you to have more, not so that you might spend it on fornication, and drunkenness, and gluttony, and extravagance in clothing, and other folly, but so that you might distribute it to those in need. For just as a receiver who has accepted royal funds, if, neglecting to distribute to whom he is commanded, he spends it on his own folly, he gives an account and is utterly destroyed; so also the rich man is a kind of receiver of the funds owed to be distributed to the poor, having been commanded to distribute them to his own fellow servants who are in poverty. If therefore he spends on himself anything more than is necessary, he will give a most severe account there. For his possessions are not his own, but belong to his fellow servants. εʹ. Let us therefore be sparing with them, as with things belonging to others, so that they may become our own. But how shall we be sparing with them, as with things belonging to others? When we do not spend them on superfluous needs, nor only on our own, but share them into the hands of the poor; and if you are wealthy, but spend anything more than what is needed, you will give an account for the money entrusted to you. This also happens in great households. For many have entrusted their own treasuries to their own servants; but nevertheless those who were entrusted

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μετὰ μείζονος τῆς ὑπερβολῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ χαλεπωτέραν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν βάσανον τὸ ἐν τῷ πυλῶνι τοῦ πλουσίου κεῖσθαι, καὶ ὁρᾷν τὰ ἀλλότρια ἀγαθὰ, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τούτῳ χαλεπωτέραν ἐποίει τὴν τιμωρίαν νῦν τὸ ἐν τῇ γεέννῃ κεῖσθαι, καὶ ὁρᾷν τὴν τοῦ Λαζάρου τρυφὴν, ἵνα μὴ τῇ φύσει τῶν βασάνων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ παραθέσει τῆς ἐκείνου τιμῆς ἀφορητοτέραν ἔχῃ τὴν κόλασιν. Καὶ καθάπερ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἐκβάλλων τοῦ παραδείσου, καταντικρὺ τοῦ παραδείσου κατῴκισεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα ἡ συνεχὴς ὄψις ἀνανεοῦσα τὸ πάθος, ἀκριβεστέραν αὐτῷ παράσχῃ τῆς ἐκπτώσεως τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὴν αἴσθησιν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τοῦτον κατέναντι τοῦ Λαζάρου κατῴκισεν, ἵνα ἴδῃ τίνων ἑαυτὸν ἀπεστέρησεν. Ἔπεμψά σοι, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν πυλῶνα τὸν πένητα Λάζαρον, ἵνα σοι γένηται διδάσκαλος ἀρετῆς, καὶ φιλανθρωπίας ὑπόθεσις· παρεῖδες τὸ κέρδος, οὐκ ἠθέλησας εἰς δέον χρήσασθαι τῇ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀφορμῇ· χρήσῃ λοιπὸν αὐτῷ εἰς μείζονα κολάσεως καὶ τιμωρίας ὑπόθεσιν. Ἀπὸ τούτων μανθάνομεν, ὅτι πάντες οἱ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπηρεαζόμενοι καὶ ἀδικούμενοι, κατὰ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν στήσονται τότε. Καίτοι οὗτος οὐδὲν ἠδίκητο παρὰ τοῦ πλουσίου· οὐ γὰρ τὰ ἐκείνου ἔλαβε χρήματα ὁ πλούσιος, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ οὐ μετέδωκεν. Εἰ δὲ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μὴ μεταδιδοὺς, κατήγορον ἔχει τὸν οὐκ ἐλεηθέντα, ὁ καὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια ἁρπάσας, ποίας τεύξεται συγγνώμης, πανταχόθεν αὐτὸν περιεστώτων τῶν ἠδικημένων; Οὐ γὰρ μαρτύρων ἐκεῖ χρεία, οὐδὲ κατηγόρων, οὐδὲ ἀποδείξεων, οὐδὲ τεκμηρίων· ἀλλ' αὐτὰ καθ' ἑαυτὰ τὰ πράγματα, οἷάπερ αὐτὰ κατεσκευάσαμεν, πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν φαίνεται τῶν ἡμετέρων. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ἁρπαγὴ τὸ μὴ μεταδοῦναι τῶν ὄντων. Καὶ τάχα ὑμῖν θαυμαστὸν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ λεγόμενον, ἀλλὰ μὴ θαυμάσητε· μαρτυρίαν γὰρ ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν θείων παρέξομαι Γραφῶν λέγουσαν, ὅτι οὐ τὸ τὰ ἀλλότρια ἁρπάζειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ 48.988 μὴ μεταδιδόναι ἑτέροις, καὶ τοῦτο ἁρπαγὴ καὶ πλεονεξία καὶ ἀποστέρησίς ἔστι. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη; Τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐγκαλῶν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, φησίν· Ἐξήνεγκεν ἡ γῆ τὰ ἐκφόρια αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ εἰσηνέγκατε τὰ ἐπιδέκατα· ἀλλ' ἡ ἁρπαγὴ τοῦ πτωχοῦ ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις ὑμῶν. Ἐπειδὴ τὰς προσφορὰς, φησὶ, τὰς εἰωθυίας οὐκ ἐδώκατε, ἡρπάσατε τὰ τοῦ πένητος. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει, δεικνὺς τοῖς πλουσίοις, ὅτι τὰ τῶν πενήτων ἔχουσι, κἂν πατρῷον διαδέξωνται κλῆρον, κἂν ὁθενδήποτε συλλέξωσι τὰ χρήματα. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· Μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ πτωχοῦ· ὁ δὲ ἀποστερῶν, τὰ ἀλλότρια ἀποστερεῖ· ἀποστέρησις γὰρ λέγεται, ὅταν τὰ ἀλλότρια λαβόντες κατέχωμεν. Καὶ διὰ τούτου τοίνυν παιδευόμεθα, ὅτι ὅταν ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ παράσχωμεν, ἐν ἴσῳ τοῖς ἀποστεροῦσι κολασόμεθα. ∆εσποτικὰ γάρ ἐστι τὰ χρήματα, ὅθεν ἂν αὐτὰ συλλέξωμεν· κἂν τοῖς δεομένοις αὐτὰ παρέξωμεν, πολλῆς ἐπιτευξόμεθα τῆς ἀφθονίας. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σοι πλείονα ἔχειν συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχ ἵνα εἰς πορνείαν, καὶ μέθην, καὶ ἀδηφαγίαν, καὶ ἱματίων πολυτέλειαν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην βλακείαν ἀναλώσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῖς δεομένοις αὐτὰ διανείμῃς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὑποδέκτης τις βασιλικὰ δεξάμενος χρήματα, ἂν ἀφεὶς οἷς ἂν κελεύηται διανεῖμαι, εἰς οἰκείαν καταναλώσῃ βλακείαν, εὐθύνας δίδωσι καὶ προσαπόλλυται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ πλούσιος, ὑποδέκτης τίς ἐστι τῶν τοῖς πένησιν ὀφειλομένων χρημάτων διανεμηθῆναι, ἐπιταχθεὶς αὐτὰ διανέμειν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ συνδούλων τοῖς πενομένοις. Ἂν οὖν πλέον τι τῆς χρείας εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλώσῃ τῆς ἀναγκαίας, χαλεπωτάτας ἐκεῖ δώσει τὰς εὐθύνας. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν αὐτοῦ τὰ αὑτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῶν συνδούλων τῶν ἑαυτοῦ. εʹ. Φειδώμεθα τοίνυν αὐτῶν, ὡς ἀλλοτρίων, ἵνα γένηται ἡμέτερα. Πῶς δὲ αὐτῶν φεισόμεθα, ὡς ἀλλοτρίων; Ὅταν μὴ εἰς περιττὰς αὐτὰ ἀναλίσκωμεν χρείας, μηδὲ εἰς ἡμετέρας μόνον, ἀλλὰ ταῖς τῶν πενήτων αὐτὰ συμμερίζωμεν χερσί· κἂν εὔπορος ᾖς, πλέον δέ τι τῆς χρείας ἀναλίσκῃς, λόγον δώσεις τῶν ἐμπιστευθέντων σοι χρημάτων. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν οἰκιῶν γίνεται τῶν μεγάλων. Πολλοὶ γοῦν τὰ ταμεῖα τὰ ἑαυτῶν τοῖς οἰκέταις τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐνεπίστευσαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οἱ πιστευθέντες ἐκεῖνοι