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with the one who reproves, concerning every matter, that is, concerning every sin for which they ask forgiveness, it will be given to them by the man-loving God. For if the one being reproved does not agree with the one who reproves, there is no longer forgiveness, but a binding according to what follows, that "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven," that judgment being fulfilled, that "if the one reproved even disobeys the Church, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector."

QUESTION 262. Since Scripture places poverty and indigence among the things praised, as in, "Blessed are the poor;" and in, "The Lord has heard the desire of the indigent;" and again; "The poor and indigent shall praise your name;" what is the difference between poverty and indigence? And how is David speaking truly when he says, "But I am poor and indigent?" RESPONSE. Remembering the Apostle saying concerning the Lord, "That for our sakes he became poor, though he was rich," I reckon that a poor man is one who has descended from wealth into want; but an indigent man is one who is in want from the beginning and has governed such a circumstance pleasingly to the Lord. But David confesses to be poor and indigent, perhaps saying this also in the person of the Lord, being called poor according to, "Who for our sakes became poor, though he was rich;" but indigent, inasmuch as he was not the son of some rich man, but of a carpenter according to the flesh. But perhaps also because he knew, according to Job, not to store up treasures for himself, nor to cling to wealth as his own, but to manage all things according to the will of the Lord. 31.1261

QUESTION 263. What does the Lord wish to teach through the examples, to which he adds, "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple?" For if the one who wants to build a tower, or to engage another king, ought to prepare himself either for the building, or for the war; and if he is not able, it is permitted for him either not to lay the foundation in the first place or to ask for terms of peace; must therefore also the one who wishes to become a disciple of the Lord renounce? and if he learns that he is ill-disposed toward this, is it permitted for him not even to become a disciple of the Lord in the first place? RESPONSE. The Lord's purpose in these examples is not to give permission to become a disciple of the Lord, or not; but to show the impossibility of pleasing God amidst things that distract the soul; in which it is also in danger of becoming easily captured by the schemes of the devil, and is proven worthy of mockery and laughter, on account of the incompleteness of the things it seemed to be zealous for. Praying to avoid suffering this, the Prophet said: "Lest my enemies rejoice over me; and when my feet were moved, they spoke boastfully against me."

QUESTION 264. Since the Apostle says, "That you may be sincere;" and again, "But as from sincerity;" what is sincerity? RESPONSE. I reckon sincerity to be that which is unmixed, and utterly cleansed from everything contrary, but gathered and ordered toward piety alone; and not only this, but also toward those things which in every time and matter are sought precisely for its purpose; so that one who is appointed to something is not distracted even toward kindred right actions. The former is shown from the sequence itself; for he adds to, "But as from sincerity," this: "as from God we speak in the sight of God in Christ;" but the second from, "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned;" and from the things that follow these.

QUESTION 265. Whether the saying, "If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift," was said only to priests, or also to everyone; and how each of us offers a gift at the altar. RESPONSE.

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σκοπῷ τοῦ ἐλέγχοντος, περὶ παντὸς πράγμα τος, τουτέστι, περὶ παντὸς ἁμαρτήματος οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται τὴν ἄφεσιν, δοθήσεται αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ συμφωνήσῃ ὁ ἐλεγχόμενος τῷ ἐλέγχοντι, οὐκέτι ἄφεσις γίνεται, ἀλλὰ δεσμὸς κατὰ τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον, ὅτι Ὅσα ἐὰν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένα ἐν τῷ οὐ ρανῷ, πληρουμένου τοῦ κρίματος ἐκείνου, ὅτι Ἐὰν καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παρακούσῃ ὁ ἐλεγχθεὶς, ἔστω σοι ὡς ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΞΒʹ. Τῆς Γραφῆς ἐν τοῖς ἐπαινουμένοις τιθείσης τὴν πτωχείαν καὶ τὴν πενίαν, ὡς ἐν τῷ, «Μακά ριοι οἱ πτωχοί·» καὶ ἐν τῷ, «Τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν πενήτων εἰσήκουσε Κύριος·» καὶ πάλιν· «Πτωχὸς καὶ πένης αἰνέσουσι τὸ ὄνομά σου·» τίς ἐστιν ἡ διαφορὰ πτωχείας καὶ πε νίας; καὶ πῶς ἀληθεύει ὁ ∆αβὶδ λέγων· «Ἐγὼ δὲ πτωχός εἰμι καὶ πένης;» ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Μεμνημένος τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, Ὅτι δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε, πλούσιος ὢν, λογίζομαι, ὅτι πτωχὸς μέν ἐστιν ὁ ἀπὸ πλούτου κατ ελθὼν εἰς ἔνδειαν· πένης δὲ ὁ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν ἐνδείᾳ ὢν καὶ εὐαρέστως τῷ Κυρίῳ κυβερνήσας τὴν τοιαύτην περίστασιν. Ὁ δὲ ∆αβὶδ πτωχὸς καὶ πένης εἶναι ὁμολογεῖ, τάχα μὲν εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τοῦτο λέγων, πτωχοῦ μὲν ὀνομαζομένου κατὰ τὸ, Ὃς δι' ἡμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε, πλούσιος ὤν· πένης δὲ, καθὸ οὐ πλουσίου τινὸς, ἀλλὰ τέκτονος υἱὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα ἐχρημάτισε. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ἐπείπερ ᾔδει, κατὰ τὸν Ἰὼβ, μὴ θησαυροφυλακεῖν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, μηδὲ ὡς ἰδίῳ προσέχειν τῷ πλούτῳ, οἰκονομεῖν δὲ πάντα κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου. 31.1261

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΞΓ. Τί βούλεται διδάξαι ὁ Κύριος διὰ τῶν ὑποδειγμά των, οἷς ἐπιφέρει τὸ, «Οὕτως οὖν πᾶς ἐξ ὑμῶν, ὃς οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὑπάρχουσιν, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθη τής;» Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μὲν θέλων πύργον οἰκοδομῆ σαι, ἢ συμβαλεῖν ἑτέρῳ βασιλεῖ, παρασκευά σασθαι ὀφείλει ἢ πρὸς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν, ἢ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ δυνατὸς, ἔξεστιν αὐτῷ ἢ μὴ θεῖναι θεμέλιον τὴν ἀρχὴν ἢ ἐρωτῆσαι τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην· ἆρα καὶ ὁ θελήσας μαθητὴς γενέσθαι τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀποτάξασθαι ὀφείλει; ἐὰν δὲ καταμάθῃ πρὸς τοῦτο δυσκόλως ἔχοντα ἑαυτὸν, ἔξεστιν αὐτῷ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν μαθητεῦσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Σκοπὸς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν τοῖς ὑποδείγμασι τούτοις ἐστὶν, οὐκ ἐξουσίαν δοῦναι γενέσθαι μαθητὴν τοῦ Κυρίου, ἢ μή· ἀλλὰ δεῖξαι τὸ ἀδύνατον τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν εὐαρεστήσεως ἐν τοῖς περισπῶσι τὴν ψυχήν· ἐν οἷς καὶ κινδυνεύει εὐάλωτος γινομένη ταῖς μεθ οδείαις τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ χλεύης καὶ γέλωτος ἀξία, διὰ τὸ ἀτελὲς τῶν ἐσπουδάσθαι δοκούντων, ἐλέγ χεται. Ὅπερ ἀπευχόμενος ὁ Προφήτης παθεῖν, ἔλε γεν· Μήποτε ἐπιχαρῶσί μοι οἱ ἐχθροί μου· καὶ ἐν τῷ σαλευθῆναι πόδας μου, ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἐμεγαλοῤ ῥημόνησαν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΞ∆ʹ. Τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· «Ἵνα ἦτε εἰλικρι νεῖς·» καὶ πάλιν, «Ἀλλ' ὡς ἐξ εἰλικρι νείας·» τὸ εἰλικρινὲς τί ἐστιν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Εἰλικρινὲς λογίζομαι εἶναι τὸ ἀμιγὲς, καὶ ἄκρως κεκαθαρμένον ἀπὸ παντὸς ἐναντίου, συνηγμένον δὲ καὶ τεταγμένον πρὸς μόνην θεοσέβειαν· οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐν ἑκάστῳ καιρῷ καὶ πράγματι πρὸς τὸν ταύτης σκοπὸν ἀκριβῶς ἐπιζη τούμενα· ὥστε μηδὲ πρὸς τὰ συγγενῆ τῶν κατορθω μάτων ἀπομετεωρίζεσθαι τὸν εἴς τι ταχθέντα. ∆η λοῦται δὲ τὸ μὲν πρότερον ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀκολουθίας· ἐπιφέρει γὰρ τῷ, Ἀλλ' ὡς ἐξ εἰλικρινείας, τὸ, Ὡς ἐκ Θεοῦ κατενώπιον Θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλοῦμεν· τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἐκ τοῦ, Μὴ ὑπερφρονεῖν παρ' ὃ δεῖ φρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ φρονεῖν εἰς τὸ σωφρονεῖν, ἑκάστῳ ὡς ὁ Θεὸς ἐμέρισε μέτρον πίστεως· καὶ ἐκ τῶν τούτοις ἐπιφερομένων.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΞΕʹ. Εἰ πρὸς μόνους τοὺς ἱερεῖς εἴρηται τὸ, «Ἐὰν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἐκεῖ μνησθῇς, ὅτι ἔχει τι ὁ ἀδελφός σου κατὰ σοῦ, ἄφες ἐκεῖ τὸ δῶρόν σου ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ὕπαγε, πρῶτον διαλλά γηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου,» ἢ καὶ πρὸς πάντας· καὶ πῶς ἕκαστος ἡμῶν προσφέρει δῶρον ἐπὶ τὸ θυ σιαστήριον. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ.