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did they all lay down their money? did they not make them administrators and masters? did they not even entrust their souls to them? did they not subject their whole selves to their counsel? did they not even register themselves as slaves? And now do we not see many such things happening? For often many from small and humble beginnings, handling only a butcher's knife, and not even having enough necessary food, having the name of a monk, have appeared more than all others, and have been honored by kings. But are these things small? But consider that these are an addition; but the principal is stored up for the time to come. Despise money, if you wish to have money; if you wish to be rich, become poor. For such are the paradoxes of God; He does not wish you to become rich from your own effort, but from His grace. Leave these things to Me, He says; 62.556 you be concerned for spiritual things, that you may also learn My power; flee the slavery and the yoke that comes from money. As long as you cling to it, you are poor; when you despise it, you become doubly rich, both because these things flow to you from all sides, and because you need none of the things which the many need. For it is not possessing many things that makes one rich, but not needing many things. So as long as he is in need, a king is no different from a poor man; for poverty is this: to be in need of others. Therefore, even the king, by this reasoning, is poor, inasmuch as he needs his subjects. But not so the crucified one; for he needs nothing, his hands are sufficient for his nourishment; For to me, he says, and to those with me, these hands have ministered. These things he said, who said, As having nothing, and yet possessing all things; he who was thought to be a god by the inhabitants of Lystra. If you wish to obtain the things of the world, seek heaven; if you wish also to enjoy the things here, despise them. For seek, he says, first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added to you. Why do you admire small things? why do you gape at things worthy of no account? how long will you be poor? how long will you be a beggar? Look up to heaven, consider the wealth there, laugh at gold, learn its use, how great it is. The enjoyment lasts only for the present, for the present perishable life it is as sand; or rather, as a drop to a measureless abyss, so is the present life to the things to come. This is not possession, it is use, it is not ownership; for how can it be, when upon your expiring, whether willing or unwilling, others receive all that you have, and they in turn give it to others, and they again to others? For we are all sojourners, and the owner of the house is perhaps more the tenant of the house; for often when the former has died, the latter has remained, enjoying the house more. And if this one is for a wage, so was the former one for a wage; for he built, and toiled, and repaired. Ownership is only words; but in reality we are all masters of what belongs to others. Those things alone are ours, which we send ahead there; but the things here are not ours, but belong to the living; rather, they have left us even while we are alive. Those things alone are ours, which are the soul's achievements, almsgiving and love for mankind. These things are called external even by those outside; for they are outside of us. Let us therefore make them internal. For it is not possible to depart taking money, but it is possible to depart taking almsgiving; or rather, let us send them ahead so that they may prepare a dwelling for us in the eternal mansions. γʹ. Possessions are so called from being used, not from being masters of them; and property itself is for use, not for ownership. For tell me, of how many masters has each field been, and of how many will it be? and a very wise proverb is told (for one must not despise common proverbs, if they have something wise in them); Field, it says, whose were you, and whose will you be? This we must say also to houses, this also to money. Virtue alone knows for us

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ἐτίθεσαν πάντες τὰ χρήματα; οὐκ ἐκείνους ἐποίουν διοικητὰς καὶ κυρίους; οὐχὶ καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτοῖς ἐνεχείριζον; οὐχὶ ὁλοκλήρους ἑαυτοὺς τῆς ἐκείνων βουλῆς ἐξήρτησαν; οὐχὶ καὶ ἑαυτοὺς δούλους κατέγραφον; Καὶ νῦν δὲ οὐ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ὁρῶμεν γινόμενα; Πολλοὶ γὰρ πολλάκις ἀπὸ μικρῶν ὄντες καὶ εὐτελῶν, μάκελλαν μεταχειρίζοντες μόνον, καὶ οὐδὲ τῆς ἀναγκαίας μόνης εὐποροῦντες τροφῆς, προσηγορίαν μονάζοντος ἔχοντες, πάντων μᾶλλον ἐφάνησαν, καὶ παρὰ βασιλέων ἐτιμήθησαν. Ἀλλὰ μικρὰ ταῦτα; Ἀλλ' ἐννόησον ὅτι προσθήκη ταῦτα· τὸ δὲ κεφάλαιον ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι τεταμίευται χρόνῳ. Καταφρόνησον χρημάτων, εἰ βούλει χρήματα ἔχειν· εἰ βούλει πλουτῆσαι, γενοῦ πένης. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ παράδοξα· οὐ βούλεταί σε ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας σπουδῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος γενέσθαι πλούσιον. Ἐμοὶ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἄφες· 62.556 σὺ τὰ πνευματικὰ μερίμνα, ἵνα μάθῃς μου καὶ τὴν δύναμιν· τὴν δουλείαν καὶ τὸν ζυγὸν τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν χρημάτων φεῦγε. Ἕως ὅτε αὐτῶν ἀντέχῃ, πένης εἶ· ἐπειδὰν αὐτῶν καταφρονήσῃς, διπλῇ γίνῃ πλούσιος, τῷ τέ σοι πάντοθεν ταῦτα ἐπιῤῥεῖν, καὶ τῷ μηδενὸς δεῖσθαι ὧν οἱ πολλοί. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ πολλὰ κεκτῆσθαι πλουτοῦντος, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ πολλῶν δεῖσθαι. Ὥστε ἕως ἂν δέηται, οὐδὲν τοῦ πένητος ὁ βασιλεὺς διενήνοχε· πενία γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ δεῖσθαι ἑτέρων. Ὥστε καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον πένης ἐστὶ, καθὸ δεῖται τῶν ἀρχομένων. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ ἐσταυρωμένος οὕτως· οὐδενὸς γὰρ δεῖται, ἀρκοῦσιν αὐτῷ πρὸς διατροφὴν αἱ χεῖρες· Ἐμοὶ γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ τοῖς οὖσι μετ' ἐμοῦ ὑπηρέτησαν αἱ χεῖρες αὗται. Ταῦτα ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγεν ὁ λέγων, Ὡς μηδὲν ἔχοντες, καὶ πάντα κατέχοντες· ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεὸς νομισθεὶς παρὰ τῶν ἐν Λύστρᾳ κατοικούντων. Εἰ βούλει τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τυχεῖν, ζήτει τὸν οὐρανόν· εἰ βούλει καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαῦσαι, καταφρόνησον αὐτῶν. Ζητεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Τί τὰ μικρὰ θαυμάζεις; τί κέχηνας περὶ τὰ μηδενὸς ἄξια λόγου; μέχρι πότε πένης; μέχρι πότε πτωχός; Ἀνάβλεψον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, τὸν ἐκεῖ πλοῦτον ἐννόησον, καταγέλασον τοῦ χρυσοῦ, μάθε τὴν χρῆσιν αὐτοῦ, πόση τίς ἐστι. Μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος μένει ἡ ἀπόλαυσις, μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος βίου τοῦ ἐπικήρου ὅσον ψάμμος· μᾶλλον δὲ ὅσον σταγὼν πρὸς ἄβυσσον ἄμετρον, τοσοῦτον ὁ παρὼν βίος πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα. Οὐκ ἔστι κτῆσις τοῦτο, χρῆσίς ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστι κυρία· πῶς γὰρ, ὅταν σοῦ ἀποπνέοντος καὶ ἑκόντος καὶ ἄκοντος, ἕτεροι λαμβάνωσι πάντα τὰ ὄντα, καὶ αὐτοὶ πάλιν ἑτέροις δόντες, καὶ πάλιν ἐκεῖνοι ἑτέροις; Πάντες γὰρ πάροικοί ἐσμεν, καὶ ὁ κύριος τῆς οἰκίας τάχα μᾶλλον ὁ μισθωτός ἐστι τῆς οἰκίας· πολλάκις γὰρ ἐκείνου τελευτήσαντος, οὗτος ἔμεινε, πλέον ἀπολαύων τῆς οἰκίας. Εἰ δὲ οὗτος μετὰ μισθοῦ· ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνος ὁ πρότερος μετὰ μισθοῦ· ᾠκοδόμησε γὰρ, καὶ ἐταλαιπωρήθη, καὶ ἐπεσκεύασε. Ῥήματα μόνον ἐστὶν ἡ δεσποτεία· τῷ δὲ ἔργῳ πάντες τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐσμὲν κύριοι. Ἐκεῖνα μόνον ἐστὶν ἡμέτερα, ὅσα ἂν ἐκεῖ προπέμψωμεν· τὰ δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὐχ ἡμέτερα, ἀλλὰ τῶν ζώντων· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ζῶντας ἡμᾶς ἀπέλιπεν. Ἐκεῖνα μόνα ἐστὶν ἡμέτερα, ὅσα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐστι κατορθώματα, ἐλεημοσύνη καὶ φιλανθρωπία. Ταῦτα τὰ ἐκτὸς λέγεται καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξωθεν· ἐκτὸς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐστι. Ποιήσωμεν τοίνυν αὐτὰ τῶν ἐντός. Οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν χρήματα λαμβάνοντα ἀπελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ δυνατὸν ἐλεημοσύνην λαμβάνοντα ἀπελθεῖν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ προπέμψωμεν αὐτὰ ὥστε ἑτοιμάσαι ἡμῖν σκηνὴν ἐν ταῖς αἰωνίαις μοναῖς. γʹ. Χρήματα λέγεται παρὰ τὸ κεχρῆσθαι, οὐ παρὰ τὸ κυρίους εἶναι· καὶ τὰ κτήματα δὲ αὐτὰ χρῆσίς ἐστιν, οὐ δεσποτεία. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, πόσων κυρίων ἕκαστος ἀγρὸς γέγονε, καὶ πόσων ἔσται; λέγεταί τις καὶ παροιμία σοφωτάτη (οὐ γὰρ τῶν δημωδῶν παροιμιῶν δεῖ καταφρονεῖν, ἂν ἔχωσί τι σοφόν)· Ἀγρὲ, φησὶ, πόσων ἦς, καὶ πόσων ἔσῃ; Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς οἰκίας, τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς χρήματα λεκτέον ἡμῖν. Ἀρετὴ μόνον οἶδεν ἡμῖν