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of good things. For if the things of this life, both perishable and corruptible, never come to men without toils and sweats, much more so the spiritual things. Yes, he says, but from inheritance it 62.562 often came to many. But even if these things come, the guarding of them and their preservation is not without toils, but one must labor and endure hardships no less than those who acquired them; and I do not yet say, that many who have toiled much, or many who have endured hardships, were disappointed at the very mouth of the harbor, a wind having somehow fallen upon them, and working shipwreck in the very hopes of good things. But with us there is nothing of the sort; for it is God who promises, and Hope does not disappoint. Or do you not also know, since you are involved in the affairs of this life, how many after countless toils did not enjoy the fruits, either death often carrying them off beforehand, or a change of circumstances occurring, or a disease befalling them, or slanderers attacking them, or some other cause (for human affairs are many) leading them away with empty hands? What then, he says, do you not see those who succeed, those who through a few toils have acquired great goods? What kind of goods? Money, and houses, and so many acres of land, and herds of slaves, and a weight of silver and gold? These you call goods, and you are not ashamed nor do you hide yourself, a man commanded to philosophize about heaven, yet gaping at the things of earth, and calling things good which are worthy of no account? If these are goods, then by all means we must also call those who possess them good; for how is one who has something good not good? What then, tell me? When those who possess them are greedy, seize things, shall we call them good? For if wealth is a good, but it is gathered from greed, the more it increases, the more it will make the one who has it be considered good. Is the greedy man, then, good? But if wealth is a good, and it is increased by greed, the greedier one is, the better he will be. Do you see the contradiction? But what if he is not greedy, he says. And how is this possible? For the passion is destructive, and it is not possible, it is not possible to be rich without being unjust. This Christ also declared, saying, Make for yourselves friends from the mammon of unrighteousness. What then, he says, if he receives the inheritance from his father? He has received things gathered from unrighteousness. For surely his ancestor was not rich from the time of Adam, but it is likely that many others existed before him, and then among the many one was found who had unjustly taken and enjoyed the things of others. What then? Did Abraham, he says, have unjust wealth? And what of Job, the blameless, the just, the true, the devout, who abstained from every evil thing? Their wealth was not in gold, nor in silver, nor in buildings, but in livestock; and besides, he was also rich from God. For that it was in livestock is clear from this: for the one who wrote the book, recounting the things that happened to that blessed man, and saying that his camels, and mares and donkeys died, did not say that they came and seized treasures of gold. Besides, Abraham was also rich; but in servants. What then? Did he not buy them? Not at all; for this reason Scripture said, that the three hundred and eighteen were born in his house. And he had sheep and oxen. From where then did he send gold to Rebecca? Having received gifts from Egypt, not by force, nor by doing injustice. 4. For tell me, from where are you rich? From whom 62.563 did you receive it? And another, from where? From my grandfather, he says, from my father. Will you be able, then, by going back through a long line of your family, thus to show the possession to be just? But you could not, but of necessity its beginning and its root must be from some injustice. From where? Because God from the beginning did not make one man rich and another poor, nor, bringing them forth, did He show to one many treasures of gold, and deprive the other of the search, but He gave the same earth to all. From where

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ἀγαθῶν. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ βιωτικὰ πράγματα καὶ ἐπίκηρα καὶ φθαρτὰ πόνων χωρὶς καὶ ἱδρώτων οὐδέποτε παραγίνεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ πνευματικά. Ναὶ, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ κληρονομίας πολ 62.562 λοῖς πολλάκις παρεγένετο. Ἀλλὰ κἂν αὐτὰ παραγίνηται, ἡ φυλακὴ ἡ τούτων καὶ ἡ σωτηρία πόνων οὐκ ἔστι χωρὶς, ἀλλὰ δεῖ πονεῖν καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι τῶν κεκτημένων οὐχ ἧττον· καὶ οὔπω λέγω, ὅτι πολλὰ πονήσαντες, ἢ καὶ πολλοὶ ταλαιπωρηθέντες, ἐψεύσθησαν πρὸς αὐτὰ τοῦ λιμένος τὰ στόματα, πνεύματός ποθεν ἐμπεσόντος, καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἐλπίσι τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸ ναυάγιον ἐργασαμένου. Παρὰ δὲ ἡμῖν οὐδὲν τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐπαγγελλόμενος, καὶ Ἡ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. Ἢ οὐκ ἴστε καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἅτε ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς στρεφόμενοι πράγμασι, πόσοι μετὰ μυρίους πόνους οὐκ ἀπώναντο τῶν καρπῶν, ἢ θανάτου πολλάκις προαπενεγκόντος αὐτοὺς, ἢ πραγμάτων μεταβολῆς γενομένης, ἢ νόσου προσπεσούσης, ἢ συκοφαντῶν ἐπιτεθέντων, ἢ καὶ ἄλλης τινὸς αἰτίας (πολλὰ δὲ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα) κεναῖς αὐτοὺς ἀπαγαγούσης χερσί; Τί δὲ, φησὶ, τοὺς ἐπιτυγχάνοντας οὐχ ὁρᾷς, τοὺς δι' ὀλίγων πόνων μεγάλα κτησαμένους ἀγαθά; Ποῖα ἀγαθά; χρήματα, καὶ οἰκίας, καὶ πλέθρα γῆς τόσα καὶ τόσα, καὶ ἀνδραπόδων ἀγέλας, καὶ σταθμὸν ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου; ταῦτα λέγεις ἀγαθὰ, καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαλύπτῃ οὐδὲ καταδύῃ, ἄνθρωπος περὶ οὐρανοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν προστεταγμένος, καὶ πρὸς τὰ τῆς γῆς κεχηνὼς πράγματα, καὶ ἀγαθὰ καλῶν ἃ μηδενός ἐστιν ἄξια λόγου; Εἰ ταῦτα ἀγαθὰ, πάντως καὶ τοὺς κεκτημένους αὐτὰ ἀγαθοὺς δεῖ καλεῖν· ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθόν τι ἔχων, πῶς οὐκ ἀγαθός; Τί οὖν, εἰπέ μοι; ὅταν οἱ κεκτημένοι αὐτὰ πλεονεκτῶσιν, ἁρπάζωσιν, ἀγαθοὺς αὐτοὺς καλέσομεν; Εἰ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν ὁ πλοῦτος, ἀπὸ δὲ πλεονεξίας συνάγεται, ὅσῳ ἂν αὔξηται, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον τὸν ἔχοντα ἀγαθὸν ποιήσει νομίζεσθαι. Ἄρα οὖν ἀγαθὸς ὁ πλεονεκτῶν; Εἰ δὲ ὁ πλοῦτος ἀγαθὸς, ὑπὸ δὲ πλεονεξίας αὔξεται, ὅσῳ ἂν πλεονεκτῇ, ἀγαθώτερος ἔσται. Εἶδες τὴν ἐναντίωσιν; Ἀλλὰ ἂν μὴ πλεονεκτῇ, φησί. Καὶ πῶς ἔνι γενέσθαι; ὀλέθριον γὰρ τὸ πάθος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι μὴ ἀδικοῦντα πλουτεῖν. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπεφήνατο λέγων, Ποιήσατε ὑμῖν φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ἂν παρὰ πατρὸς δέξηται τὸν κλῆρον; Τὰ ἐξ ἀδικίας συλλεγέντα ἐδέξατο. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ὁ πρόγονος ἐκείνου πλούσιος ἦν, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς ἑτέρους εἰκὸς πρὸ ἐκείνου γεγενῆσθαι, εἶτα ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς εὑρεθῆναί τινα ἀδίκως τὰ τῶν ἄλλων εἰληφότα καὶ καρπούμενον. Τί οὖν; Ἀβραὰμ, φησὶν, ἄδικον πλοῦτον εἶχε; τί δὲ ὁ Ἰὼβ, ὁ ἄμεμπτος, ὁ δίκαιος, ὁ ἀληθινὸς, ὁ θεοσεβὴς, ὁ ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος; Ὁ πλοῦτος ἐκείνοις οὐκ ἐν χρυσῷ ἦν, οὐδὲ ἐν ἀργύρῳ, οὐδὲ ἐν οἰκοδομήμασιν, ἀλλ' ἐν θρέμμασιν· ἄλλως δὲ καὶ θεόπλουτος οὗτος ἦν. Ὅτι γὰρ ἐν θρέμμασιν ἦν, εὔδηλον ἐκεῖθεν· καταλέγων γὰρ ὁ τὸ βιβλίον γράψας τὰ συμβεβηκότα τῷ μακαρίῳ ἐκείνῳ, καὶ λέγων, ὅτι ἀπέθανον αὐτῷ κάμηλοι, καὶ ἵπποι θήλειαι καὶ ὄνοι, οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι καὶ χρυσίου θησαυροὺς ἐλθόντες ἀφήρπασαν. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ πλούσιος ἦν· ἀλλ' ἐν οἰκέταις. Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἠγόρασε τούτους; Οὐδαμῶς· διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν ἡ Γραφὴ, ὅτι οἰκογενεῖς ἦσαν οἱ τριακόσιοι δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ. Καὶ πρόβατα καὶ βόες ἦσαν αὐτῷ. Πόθεν οὖν χρυσίον ἔπεμψε τῇ Ῥεβέκκᾳ; Ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου δῶρα λαβὼν, οὐ βιασάμενος, οὐδὲ ἀδικήσας. δʹ. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, πόθεν σὺ πλουτεῖς; παρὰ τίνος 62.563 λαβών; τί δὲ ἕτερος πόθεν; Παρὰ τοῦ πάππου, φησὶ, παρὰ τοῦ πατρός. ∆υνήσῃ οὖν μέχρι πολλοῦ τοῦ γένους ἀνιὼν, οὕτω δεῖξαι τὴν κτῆσιν δικαίαν οὖσαν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν ῥίζαν ἀπὸ ἀδικίας εἶναί τινος. Πόθεν; Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὐ τὸν μὲν πλούσιον ἐποίησε, τὸν δὲ πένητα, οὐδὲ παραγαγὼν, τούτῳ μὲν ἔδειξε χρυσίου θησαυροὺς πολλοὺς, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ἀπεστέρησε τῆς ἐρεύνης, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτὴν πᾶσιν ἀνῆκε γῆν. Πόθεν