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he who listens with pleasure to what is said, this one is also prepared for the demonstration of works. For these reasons, today also I have stripped down more eagerly for the teaching. But be roused now also. For it is not necessary for the speaker alone to be roused, but the listeners must also be in a state of contest, and the listeners even more than the speaker. For we have one concern, to deposit the master's money; but your labor is greater, so as to both receive it, and to keep it with much security. Therefore, after the hearing, put the locks on the doors. the bolts; and surround the soul on all sides with fearsome reasonings, like some guards. For the thief is shameless, and is always vigilant, and continually attacks, and though he often fails, he often tries again. Let the guards therefore be fearsome; and if they see the devil coming and wanting to snatch something of what was deposited, let them drive him away with a loud shout; and if worldly cares come upon you, let them prevent them; and if forgetfulness from nature disturbs, let them rouse the memory by meditation. For the danger is not small, to lose the master's money. For if those who receive this money, when they have squandered what was entrusted to them, are often punished with death; those who have received oracles far more precious than these, and then lost them, what punishment will they not undergo, Concerning this money, only the recipients are responsible for its keeping, and for nothing else. For however much they received, it is entirely necessary for them to deposit that much, and no one is required to give anything more from them; but concerning the words of God we are responsible not only for their keeping, but also for much work. For we are commanded not only to return what we received, but also to bring these doubled to the Master. And yet even if it were only a matter of keeping it, the matter would require much struggle and diligence; 54.609 but when the Master also commands us to increase it, consider how much labor and care is needed for us who have been entrusted. For this reason, one who was entrusted with five talents, brought not only what he was entrusted with, but also as many again. For those were from the master's love for humanity; but the servant also had to show his own diligence. Likewise also the one entrusted with two talents produced another two, and for this reason was deemed worthy of the same honor by his own master. But another again, entrusted with one talent and bringing back the very thing he was entrusted with, not having diminished it, not having lessened the deposit, not returning half of it, since he did not demonstrate business, nor bring back double what was entrusted, he paid the ultimate penalty; and quite rightly. "For if I wished," he says, "for it only to be kept, and for no other commerce to be done with it, I would not have given it into the hands of servants." But consider for me the master's love for humanity. The one entrusted with five talents brought another five, and the one with two, as many again; and each enjoyed the same rewards. For just as he said to that one: 'Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things'; so also to the one who brought the two he says, 'Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things.' The income was not the same, yet the reward was the same; so he deemed this one also worthy of the same honor. Why indeed? Because God paid attention not to the quantity of what was brought, but to the ability of those who worked. For each of them demonstrated what was according to his ability; but the increase and decrease of what was brought was caused not by the laziness of that one, nor the diligence of this one, but by the difference in the deposit. That one received five, and brought another five; this one received two, and brought two, and is in no way inferior in the account of diligence. For both this one doubled, and that one doubled what was entrusted; but the one who received one, single

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μεθ' ἡδονῆς ἀκούων τῶν λεγομένων, οὗτος καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἔργων ἐπίδειξιν παρεσκεύασται. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα καὶ τήμερον προθυμότερον ἀπεδυσάμην πρὸς τὴν διδασκαλίαν. Ἀλλὰ διεγέρθητε καὶ νῦν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν λέγοντα διεγηγερμένον εἶναι χρὴ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐναγωνίους εἶναι χρὴ, καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας μᾶλλον, ἢ τὸν λέγοντα. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ μίαν ἔχομεν σπουδὴν, καταβαλεῖν τὰ δεσποτικὰ χρήματα· ὑμῖν δὲ πλείων ὁ πόνος, ὥστε καὶ ὑποδέξασθαι αὐτὰ, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τηρῆσαι τῆς ἀσφαλείας. Ἐπίθετε τοίνυν μετὰ τὴν ἀκρόασιν τὰ κλεῖθρα ταῖς θύραις. τοὺς μοχλούς· καὶ λογισμοὺς τοὺς φοβεροὺς, καθάπερ τινὰς φύλακας, πανταχόθεν περιστήσατε τῇ ψυχῇ. Καὶ γὰρ ἀναίσχυντος ὁ κλέπτης ἐστὶ, καὶ διαπαντὸς ἀγρυπνεῖ, καὶ συνεχῶς ἐπιτίθεται, κἂν πολλάκις ἀποτύχῃ, πολλάκις ἐπιχειρεῖ. Ἔστωσαν τοίνυν φοβεροὶ οἱ φύλακες· κἂν ἴδωσι τὸν διάβολον ἐλθόντα καὶ βουλόμενον ἁρπάσαι τι τῶν καταβληθέντων, μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸν ἀπελαυνέτωσαν τῆς κραυγῆς· κἂν φροντίδες βιωτικαὶ ἐπίωσι, κωλυέτωσαν· κἂν λήθη παρὰ τῆς φύσεως διενοχλῇ, τῇ μελέτῃ τὴν μνήμην διεγειρέτωσαν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι μικρὸς ὁ κίνδυνος, ἀπολέσαι χρήματα δεσποτικά. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ ταῦτα τὰ χρήματα ὑποδεχόμενοι, ἐπειδὰν διασκορπίσωσι τὰ πιστευθέντα, θανάτῳ κολάζονται πολλάκις· οἱ τὰ πολλῷ τιμιώτερα τούτων ὑποδεξάμενοι λόγια, εἶτα ἀπολέσαντες, ποίαν οὐχ ὑποστήσονται τιμωρίαν, Ἐπὶ μὲν τούτων τῶν χρημάτων φυλακῆς εἰσιν ὑπεύθυνοι μόνον οἱ δεχόμενοι, ἑτέρου δὲ οὐδενός. Ὅσα γὰρ ὑπεδέξαντο, τοσαῦτα αὐτοὺς καταθεῖναι πᾶσα ἀνάγκη, καὶ πλέον οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν ἀπαιτεῖται παρ' αὐτῶν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγων οὐχὶ φυλακῆς ἐσμεν ὑπεύθυνοι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐργασίας πολλῆς. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἅπερ ἐδεξάμεθα μόνον ἀποδοῦναι κελευόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ διπλᾶ ταῦτα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ προσενεγκεῖν. Καίτοι εἰ καὶ φυλάξαι προέκειτο μόνον, πολλῆς ἀγωνίας καὶ σπουδῆς 54.609 ἐδεῖτο τὸ πρᾶγμα· ὅταν δὲ καὶ πλεονάσαι αὐτὰ προστάττῃ ἡμῖν ὁ ∆εσπότης, ἐννόησον ὅσου πόνου καὶ φροντίδος ἡμῖν δεῖ τοῖς πιστευθεῖσι. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο πιστευθείς τις πέντε τάλαντα, οὐχ ὅσα ἐνεπιστεύθη προσήνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα τοσαῦτα. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ τῆς τοῦ δεσπότου φιλανθρωπίας ἦν· ἔδει δὲ καὶ τὸν οἰκέτην τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σπουδὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι. Ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο τάλαντα πιστευθεὶς εἰργάσατο ἄλλα δύο, καὶ τούτου ἕνεκα ἠξιώθη τῆς αὐτῆς τιμῆς παρὰ τοῦ ἰδίου δεσπότου. Ἄλλος δέ τις πάλιν ἓν τάλαντον πιστευθεὶς καὶ προσενεγκὼν αὐτὸ ὅπερ ἐπιστεύθη, οὐ μειώσας, οὐκ ἐλαττώσας τὴν παρακαταθήκην, οὐκ ἐξ ἡμισείας ἀποδοὺς, ἐπειδὴ μὴ τὴν πραγματείαν ἀπεδείξατο, μηδὲ διπλοῦν προσήνεγκε τὸ πιστευθὲν, τὴν ἐσχάτην ἔδωκε δίκην· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Εἰ γὰρ ἐβουλόμην, φησὶν, αὐτὰ φυλάττεσθαι μόνον, καὶ ἄλλην μὴ γενέσθαι ἐμπορίαν ἐν αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὰ ταῖς τῶν δούλων ἔδωκα χερσί. Σὺ δέ μοι θέα τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ δεσπότου. Προσήνεγκεν ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα πιστευθεὶς ἄλλα πέντε, καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο, ἄλλα τοσαῦτα· καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἑκάτερος ἀπήλαυσεν ἀμοιβῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ εἶπεν· Εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστὲ, ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἦς πιστὸς, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω· οὕτω καὶ τῷ τὰ δύο προσενεγκόντι φησὶν, Εὖ, δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστὲ, ἐπὶ ὀλίγα ἦς πιστὸς, ἐπὶ πολλῶν σε καταστήσω. Ἡ πρόσοδος οὐχ ἡ αὐτὴ, καὶ ὁ μισθὸς ὁ αὐτός· οὕτω καὶ τοῦτον τῆς αὐτῆς ἠξίωσε τιμῆς. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι οὐ τῇ ποσότητι τῶν προσενεχθέντων, ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει τῶν ἐργαζομένων προσεῖχεν ὁ Θεός. Ἐκείνων μὲν γὰρ ἕκαστος τὰ κατὰ δύναμιν ἐπεδείξατο· τὸν πλεονασμὸν δὲ τῶν προσενεχθέντων καὶ τὴν ἐλάττωσιν οὐχ ἡ ῥᾳθυμία ἐκείνου, οὐδὲ ἡ σπουδὴ τούτου, ἀλλ' ἡ διαφορὰ τῆς παρακαταθήκης ἐποίησεν. Ἐκεῖνος πέντε ἔλαβε, καὶ πέντε ἄλλα προσήνεγκεν· οὗτος δύο ἔλαβε, καὶ δύο προσήνεγκε, καὶ κατ' οὐδὲν ἠλάττωται ἐν τῷ τῆς σπουδῆς λόγῳ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὗτος διπλᾶ, κἀκεῖνος διπλᾶ τὰ πιστευθέντα εἰργάσατο· ὁ δὲ ἓν λαβὼν ἁπλοῦν