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having delivered, and having entrusted to all an equal and similar stewardship, he exhorted them to do business, until he should return from the long journey. And the business was nothing other than the preaching concerning his kingdom announced to all men by his own disciples. But this was one, since there is also one teaching for all, and one faith, and one baptism and the same word; wherefore also the mina is one, but their work became different, and the business brilliant, and the profit from it rich. And these were the things for which the noble man was sent on the long journey. Wherefore it was said to him by the Father: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. But what enemies, if anyone should wish to learn, the word will teach through the parable, introducing fellow citizens of the king who hate him and refuse his rule, saying with bare head and unbridled mouth: We do not want this man to reign over us. But they, although being citizens, denied the king, but he hears from the Father: Sit at my right hand, until your enemies are placed under your feet; and: Rule in the midst of your enemies. Since then his enemies the citizens became deniers of his kingdom, he fittingly said to them: The kingdom of God will be taken from you, and will be given to a nation producing its fruits. And what nation was worthy of the kingdom, he who said made clear: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance. And he indicated his enemy citizens to be none other than the nation of the Jews, who indeed, having first been deemed worthy of the Savior's grace, repaid him with the opposite. Wherefore he said prophetically concerning them: They returned evil to me; instead of loving me, they slandered me, and they made war without cause, and spoke against me with a deceitful tongue, and surrounded me with words of hatred; by which they are accustomed to put forth blasphemous words against him, both cursing him, and all but saying by their very deeds: We do not want this man to reign over us. Therefore indeed they will not only be deprived of the kingdom, but will also suffer the penalty for their impiety. And he called them citizens through the parable, as indeed stemming from the same kinship as he; since he himself also sprang from the same forefathers according to his birth in the flesh, and since he shared in the same lawful polity as they. These things, then, would be representative of his first coming. Since the Savior taught these things in this manner, he consequently presented his glorious and kingly return, testifying what sort of just judgment he will then make upon all; for to those who have well and faithfully multiplied the mina 24.593, rendering the fitting reward, he will permit them to rule and reign with him; but upon the one who through sloth and laziness neglected the Master's command, and loved idleness and leisure, not even wishing to endure the labor of the business, he will inflict a bitter penalty. Have authority over ten cities. For these are kingdoms, fitting promotions, granting rule over men and leadership of souls still more imperfect to those who have provided the proof in a small matter, worthily of what they accomplished during the first life. And you might learn the genuineness of the said servants, and the faithfulness of their business by taking their deeds themselves; as their sound went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. For through those very acquaintances of the Savior, and through those after them who took up a zeal like theirs, the Church, set apart for God from all the nations, in a short time filled the whole inhabited world. And in another way also, those entrusted with the saving evangelical word will do the work, through works and deeds, of a life and conduct befitting God, fulfilling the teachings of the word. Of whom those who have worked differently, he will reward with different honors

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παραδοὺς, ἴσην τε καὶ ὁμοίαν πᾶσιν ἐγχειρίσας τὴν οἰκονομίαν, πραγματεύσασθαι παρεκελεύσατο, ἕως ἂν ἐπανέλθῃ τῆς μακρᾶς ἀποδημίας. Ἡ δὲ πραγματεία οὐκ ἄλλη τις ἦν ἀλλὰ τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν κατηγγελμένον. Ἀλλ' ἓν μὲν ἦν τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ καὶ μία τῶν πάντων διδασκαλία, καὶ μία πίστις, καὶ ἓν βάπτισμα καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος· διὸ καὶ μία ἡ μνᾶ, διάφορος δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ ἐργασία ἐγένετο, καὶ ἡ πραγματεία λαμπρὰ, ὅ τ' ἐπὶ ταύτῃ πόρος πλούσιος. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἦν ὧν ἕνεκα τὴν μακρὰν πορείαν ὁ εὐγενὴς ἐστέλλετο ἄνθρωπος. Ὅθεν ἐλέγετο αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός· Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. Ποίους δὲ, εἴ τις πύθοιτο μαθεῖν ἐθέλων, ἐχθροὺς, ὁ διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς διδάξει λόγος, συμπολίτας εἰσάγων τοῦ βασιλέως μισοῦντας αὐτὸν καὶ παραιτουμένους αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν, γυμνῇ τε τῇ κεφαλῇ λέγοντας καὶ ἀχαλίνῳ στόματι· Οὐ θέλομεν τοῦτον βασιλεύειν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν, καίπερ ὄντες πολῖται, τὸν βασιλέα ἠρνοῦντο, ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἀκούει· Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν ὑπὸ πόδας τεθῶσιν οἱ ἐχθροί σου· καί· Κατακυρίευε ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔξαρνοι τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἐγένοντο οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ πολῖται, εἰκότως πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφασκεν· Ἀρθήσεται ἀφ' ὑμῶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς. Ποῖον δὲ ἦν τὸ ἔθνος τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἄξιον, ἐδήλου ὁ εἰπών· Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. Ἐδήλου δὲ πολίτας ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ οὐχ ἑτέρους τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, οἳ δὴ, πρῶτοι τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος χάριτος ἠξιωμένοι, τοῖς ἐναντίοις αὐτὸν ἠμύναντο. ∆ιὸ περὶ αὐτῶν προφητικῶς ἔλεγεν· Ἀνταπεδίδοσάν μοι πονηρά· ἀντὶ ἀγαπᾷν με, ἐνδιέβαλλόν με, καὶ ἐπολέμησαν δωρεὰν, καὶ ἐλάλησαν κατ' ἐμοῦ γλώσσῃ δολίᾳ, καὶ λόγοις μίσους ἐκύκλωσαν· δι' ὧν προβάλλεσθαι εἰώθασι κατ' αὐτοῦ βλασφήμων λόγων, κατευχόμενοί τε αὐτοῦ, καὶ μόνον οὐκ αὐτοῖς λέγοντες τοῖς ἔργοις· Οὐ θέλομεν τοῦτον βασιλεῦσαι ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. ∆ιὸ δὴ οὐ μόνον τῆς βασιλείας στερηθήσονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πείσονται τὰ ἐπίχειρα τῆς αὐτῶν δυσσεβείας. Πολίτας δὲ αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς ὠνόμαζεν, ἅτε δὴ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὁρμωμένους αὐτῷ συγγενείας· ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν ὡρμᾶτο προπατόρων κατὰ τὴν ἔνσαρκον αὐτοῦ γένεσιν, καὶ ἐπείπερ τῆς νομίμου ὁμοίως αὐτοῖς μετῄει πολιτείας. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν παραστατικὰ ἂν εἴη τῆς πρώτης αὐτοῦ ἀφίξεως. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῦτον ἐδίδαξε τὸν τρόπον, ἀκολούθως τὴν ἐπάνοδον αὐτοῦ τὴν ἔνδοξον καὶ βασιλικὴν παρίστη, μαρτυρόμενος ὁποίαν τότε ποιήσεται τὴν κατὰ πάντων δικαιοκρισίαν· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ εὖ καὶ πιστῶς τὴν μνᾶν 24.593 πολυπλασιάσασι τὴν πρέπουσαν ἀποδιδοὺς ἀμοιβὴν, συνάρχειν αὐτῷ καὶ συμβασιλεύειν ἐπιτρέψει· τῷ δὲ κατ' ὄκνον καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἠμεληκότι τῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου παρακελεύσεως, ἀργίαν τε καὶ σχολὴν ἠγαπηκότι, μηδὲ βουληθέντι τὸν πόνον ὑπομεῖναι τῆς πραγματείας, πικρὰν ἐπαρτήσει δίκην. Ἴσθι ἐξουσίαν ἔχων ἐπάνω δέκα πόλεων. Βασιλεῖαι γὰρ αὗται, πρέπουσαι προαγωγαὶ, ἀρχὰς ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἡγεμονίας τῶν ἀτελεστέρων ἔτι ψυχῶν τοῖς ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὴν δοκιμὴν παρεσχημένοις, ἐπαξίως ὧν ἐπραγματεύσαντο κατὰ τὸν πρῶτον βίον, χαριζόμεναι. Μάθοις δ' ἂν τῶν εἰρημένων δούλων τὸ γνήσιον, καὶ τὸ πιστὸν τῆς πραγματείας ἔργοις αὐτοῖς παραλαβών· ὡς εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν. ∆ι' αὐτῶν γὰρ ἐκείνων τῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος γνωρίμων, καὶ διὰ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν ὅμοιον ἐκείνοις ἐπανῃρημένων ζῆλον, ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀφορισθεῖσα τῷ Θεῷ Ἐκκλησία, ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ τὴν σύμπασαν οἰκουμένην ἐπλήρου. Καὶ καθ' ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον τὴν ἐργασίαν ποιήσονται οἱ τὸν σωτήριον λόγον τὸν εὐαγγελικὸν πιστευθέντες, δι' ἔργων καὶ πράξεων, βίου τε καὶ πολιτείας θεοπρεποῦς, τὰς τοῦ λόγου διδασκαλίας ἀποπληροῦντες. Ὧν τοὺς μὲν διαφόρως ἐργασαμένους, διαφόροις τιμαῖς ἀμείψεται ὁ