to make you depart from that ruler of yours-while, therefore, "you are going with your accuser to the magistrate," before going "to the judge," before becoming worthy of the prison, while you are still on the way, "make an effort to be released" <from the adversary or from the judge>, to whom the adversary drags you; that is, good deeds, moderation, righteousness, courage, prudence, wisdom-"for behold, the man and his works are before his face"-so that you may be able "to be released from your adversary"; 35.202 you become a friend of this one, but a stranger to God, making a pact with the adversary. Standing, therefore, on the way that says, "I am the way," "make an effort to be released." And the expression "he may drag you off" is a good one, to show that we are dragged unwillingly, as if not wanting to go to our condemnation. And the judge is our Lord Jesus Christ; and the officer is the angel assigned to each person; 35.203 and "a lepton" is the smallest sin, and "a quadrans," as Matthew says, is the multitude of sins. 35.205 But blessed is the one who owes nothing, or who owes little and things worthy of forgiveness. 35.206 For this reason let us give a good deed to be released from the adversary, so that we may become friends with the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power forever and ever. 37.209.10 Bethany is interpreted as "house of obedience," and Bethphage as "jawbones," being a certain priestly place; for the jawbones were given to the priests, as is written in the law; where, therefore, there is obedience and a holy place, there the Lord sends the apostles to untie "a colt tied, 37.210 on which no man has ever sat." Instead of: never has a rational man sat upon it, or a word of Moses or Isaiah or any other of the prophets. But when Christ came, he told the disciples to go and untie the colt. And he said to them: "If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying the colt?', you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.'" It must be observed, however, that Jesus says, "If anyone asks you," and did not name a lord, but the evangelist says, "Its lords said." For there were many 37.211 lords of the donkey before it was mastered by the Savior, and we know that one who has once become the Lord's cannot have many lords; for when a man serves wickedness, he is a slave to many passions. The disciples, therefore, take the word and set it upon the souls of the hearers; then they take off their own garments "and spread them on the road." Therefore, the garments of the apostles are laid upon us, their good 37.212 actions and words adorn us; but the disciples also want us to tread on their garments, that is, for us to examine the apostolic words. But when do we keep silent? When "the love of many grows cold," when that which was said by the Savior comes to pass: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" 38.214 I wonder, lest here too the Lord's weeping might reach us. For we are the Jerusalem being wept for, we who are more discerning. If after the mysteries of the truth have been revealed to us and the word of salvation has been preached we sin, we are wept for. For no gentile is wept for, but such a Jerusalem is wept for, since when she sins "her enemies" will surround her on all sides, the opposing powers, and they will cast up "a rampart" against her and besiege her "and will not leave one stone upon another" in her; for if after a long time someone who has lived moderately or practiced another virtue is overcome, his building is torn down. 38.215 "For I will not remember," he says, "his former righteous deeds; in his sin, in which I will find him, in it I will judge him." He does not cast out those who buy—for the one who buys acquires what is bought—but those who by selling give away their own useful things and receive in exchange for them things considered valuable but not the things that are valuable. And for this reason the Savior casts you out of the temple; for if you sell, you will be like the prodigal son, who took his father's living and lost everything; I fear lest this matter be found among us.

ἀποστῆσαί σε ἐκείνου τοῦ σοῦ ἄρχοντος-ἕως οὖν «ὑπάγεις μετὰ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου σου ἐπ' ἄρχον τα», πρὶν ἀπελθεῖν «πρὸς τὸν κριτήν», πρὶν ἄξιον γενέσθαι τῆς φυλακῆς, ἕως ἔτι ὁδεύεις, «δὸς ἐργασίαν ἀπηλλάχ θαι» <ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ κριτοῦ>, πρὸς ὃν σύρει σε ὁ ἀντίδικος· τοῦτ' ἔστιν εὐποιΐαν, σωφρο σύνην, δικαιοσύνην, ἀνδρείαν, φρό νησιν, σοφίαν-»ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἄνθρω πος καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πρὸ προσ ώπου αὐτοῦ»-ἵνα δυνηθῇς «ἀπηλ λάχθαι τοῦ ἀντιδίκου σου»· οἰκεῖος 35.202 μὲν γίνῃ τούτου, ἀλλότριος δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ, συνθήκην ποιούμενος μετὰ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου. Ἑστὼς οὖν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τῇ εἰπούσῃ· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός», «δὸς ἐργασίαν ἀπηλλάχθαι». Καλὴ δὲ ἡ λέξις ἡ «κατασύρῃ σε», ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι ἄκοντες ἑλκόμεθα, ὡς ἐπὶ καταδίκην μὴ θέλοντες πορεύ εσθαι. Κριτὴς δὲ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· πράκτωρ δὲ ὁ ἀφορισθεὶς ἑκάστῳ ἀνθρώπῳ ἄγγελος· 35.203 «λεπτὸν» δέ ἐστι τὸ ἐλάχιστον ἁμάρτημα, «κοδράντης» δέ, ὡς ὁ Ματθαῖός φησιν, τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. 35.205 Μακάριος δὲ ὁ μηδὲν ὀφείλων ἤγουν ὁ μικρὰ ὀφείλων καὶ συγ γνώμης ἄξια. 35.206 διὰ τοῦτο δῶμεν εὐεργεσί αν ἀπηλλάχθαι τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ, ἵνα οἰκειω θῶμεν τῷ κυρίῳ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. 37.209.10 Ἡ μὲν Βηθανία ἑρμηνεύεται «οἶ κος ὑπακοῆς», ἡ δὲ Βηθφαγὴ «σια γόνες», ἱερατικός τις ὢν τόπος· αἱ γὰρ σιαγόνες τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐδίδοντο, ὡς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἀναγέγραπται· ὅπου οὖν ὑπακοὴ καὶ ἱερὸς τόπος, ἐκεῖ ἀποστέλλει ὁ κύριος τοὺς ἀποστόλους λύσοντας «πῶλον δεδεμέ 37.210 νον, ἐν ᾧ οὐδεὶς πώποτε ἀνθρώπων ἐκάθισεν». ἀντὶ τοῦ· οὐδέποτε ἄνθρωπος λογικὸς ἐπεκάθισεν, ἢ Μωϋσέως λόγος ἢ Ἡσαΐου οὐδὲ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν προφητῶν. Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν ὁ Χριστός, εἶπε τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ἵνα ἀπελθόντες λύσωσι τὸν πῶλον. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς· «ἐάν τις ὑμᾶς ἐρωτᾷ· τί λύετε τὸν πῶλον, ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχει». Παρατηρητέον δέ, ὅτι ὁ μὲν Ἰησοῦς· «ἐάν τις», φησίν, «ὑμᾶς ἐρωτᾷ», καὶ οὐκ ὠνόμασε κύριον, ὁ δὲ εὐαγγελιστής φησιν, ὅτι «εἶπον οἱ κύριοι αὐτοῦ». Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ 37.211 κύριοι τοῦ ὄνου πρὸ τοῦ κυριευθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος, ἴσμεν δέ, ὅτι ὁ τοῦ κυρίου ἅπαξ γενόμενος οὐ δύναται πολλοὺς κυρίους ἔχειν· ὅταν γὰρ τῇ κακίᾳ δουλεύῃ τις ἄνθρωπος, πολλῶν παθῶν δοῦλός ἐστιν. Λαμβάνουσι τοίνυν τὸν λόγον οἱ μαθηταὶ καὶ ἐπικαθίζουσιν αὐτὸν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἀκουόντων· εἶτα ἐκδύονται τὰ ἱμάτια ἑαυτῶν «καὶ ὑποστρωννύουσιν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ». Ἐπίκειται οὖν ἡμῖν τὰ ἱμάτια τῶν ἀποστόλων, αἱ πράξεις αὐτῶν αἱ κα 37.212 λαὶ καὶ οἱ λόγοι κοσμοῦσι ἡμᾶς· θέλουσι δὲ οἱ μαθηταί, καὶ ἵνα πατῶμεν αὐτῶν τὰ ἱμάτια, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἵνα ἐξετάζωμεν τοὺς ἀποστολικοὺς λόγους. Πότε δὲ ἡμεῖς σιωπῶμεν; Ὅταν «ψυγῇ ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν», ὅταν γένηται τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος εἰρημένον· «ἆρά γε ἐλθὼν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εὑρίσκει τὴν πίστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς;» 38.214 Ζητῶ, μήποτε καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐφ' ἡμᾶς ὁ κλαυθμὸς τοῦ κυρίου φθάνῃ. Ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν ἡ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ κλαιομένη, οἱ διορατικώτεροι. Ἐὰν μετὰ τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι ἡμῖν τὰ μυστήρια τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ κηρυχθῆναι τὸν λόγον τῆς σωτηρίας ἁμαρτάνωμεν, κλαιόμεθα. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐθνικὸς κλαίεται, κλαίεται δὲ ἡ τοιαύτη Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἐπειδήπερ «οἱ ἐχθροὶ» αὐτῆς ἁμαρτάνουσαν αὐτὴν περιέξουσι κυκλόθεν, αἱ ἀντικείμεναι δυνάμεις, καὶ περιβαλοῦσιν αὐτῇ «χάρακα» καὶ συνέξουσιν αὐτὴν «καὶ λίθον ἐπὶ λίθον οὐκ ἀφήσουσιν» ἐν αὐτῇ· ἐὰν γὰρ μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον σωφρονήσας τις ἢ ἄλλην ἀρετὴν ἐπιτηδεύσας νικηθῇ, καθαιρεῖται αὐτοῦ ἡ οἰκοδομή. 38.215 «Οὐ γὰρ μὴ μνησθῶ», φησί, «τῶν προτέρων δικαιοσυνῶν αὐτοῦ· ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ἐν ᾗ καταλήψομαι αὐτόν, ἐν αὐτῇ κρινῶ αὐτόν». Οὐκ ἐκβάλλει τοὺς ἀγοράζοντας-ὁ γὰρ ἀγοράζων συλλαμβάνει τὸ ἀγοραζόμενον-ἀλλὰ τοὺς διὰ τὸ πωλεῖν ἀποδιδομένους τὰ ἴδια χρήσιμα καὶ λαμβάνοντας ἀντὶ αὐτῶν τὰ νενομισμένα εἶναι τίμια καὶ οὐ τὰ τίμια. Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐκβάλλει σε ἀπὸ τοῦ ναοῦ ὁ σωτήρ· ἐὰν γὰρ πωλῇς, ὅμοιος ἔσῃ τῷ ἀσώτῳ υἱῷ, ὃς ἔλαβε τὸν βίον τὸν πατρικὸν καὶ πάντα ἀπώλεσε· φοβοῦμαι μήποτε περί τινα εὑρεθῇ ἡμῶν τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο.