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Just as when you see a prisoner bound in iron on his back, and on his hands, and often also on his feet, for this reason you especially pity him; so too with the rich man, when you see him enveloped in countless affairs, do not consider him rich because of these things, but rather wretched because of these very things; for with these bonds he also has a harsh jailer, the wicked love of money, which does not allow him to go beyond this prison, but fashions for him countless fetters and guards and doors and bars, and having thrown him into the inner prison, persuades him even to take pleasure in these bonds, so that he may not even find any hope of release from the evils that lie upon him. For a poor man does not desire necessities so much as a rich man desires superfluities; nor again does he 63.645 have such strength to make use of wickedness, as this one has power. If therefore he both wants it more and is able, it is clear that he will work more and greater things. God made you rich, so that you might help those in need, so that you might loose your own sins through the salvation of others; He gave you money, not so that you might lock it up for your own destruction, but so that you might pour it out for your own salvation. For this reason also He made the possession of them uncertain and not permanent, so that in this way too He might break the intensity of the madness for them. For if now, when those who possess them have no confidence concerning them, but also see many plots born from the matter, they are so inflamed with desire for them; if this also were added to wealth, namely, certainty and security, whom would they have spared, from whom would they have abstained? For who, tell me, was poorer than Elijah? but for this reason he conquered all the rich, because he was poor, and poverty itself he chose from a rich mind, and he considered all the wealth of money to be less than his own greatness of soul, and not worthy of his philosophy. For if he considered present things to be great for him, he would not have acquired only a sheepskin. For so did he condemn the present vanity, that he saw gold as discarded mud. For this reason even the king entreated the poor man, and he who had so much gold gaped at the mouth of him who had nothing more than a sheepskin; thus more glorious than the purple robe was the sheepskin, and than the royal courts the cave of the righteous man. For this reason also, when ascending into heaven, he left nothing else to his disciple but the sheepskin; With this, he says, I wrestled with the devil; taking this, arm yourself also against him. For poverty is a strong weapon and an unconquerable lodging. And Elisha received the sheepskin as the greatest inheritance; for it was truly a very great inheritance, and more precious than all gold. And that one was a double Elijah, and there was an Elijah above, and an Elijah below. I know that you bless that righteous man, and each of you wished to be him. What then, if I should show you, that we have all received something else much greater than that? For Elijah on the one hand left a sheepskin 63.646 to his disciple; but the Son of man, ascending, left us His own flesh. When therefore we hear of a loss of money, let us not be troubled, but let us say, Blessed be God, and we shall find much more wealth. For you will not reap so much by spending your wealth on the needy, and going about and seeking the poor, and scattering your possessions to the hungry, as you will gain through this saying. Since I also admire Job, not so much for opening his house to the needy, as I am astonished at and proclaim him for bearing the seizure of his money with thanksgiving. For such a one, if he is able, having calmed the waves of his nature, to say without tears the words of Job, The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away, will stand with Abraham himself, he will be proclaimed with Job from this saying alone. When therefore the devil takes gold from you, either through robbers, or by some other pretext, glorify the Master, and you will have gained more, and you will give a double blow to the enemy, both because you were not displeased, and because you gave thanks. For if he sees,

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καθάπερ τὸν δεσμώτην, ὅταν ἴδῃς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ νώτου, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χειρῶν, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ποδῶν σεσιδηρωμένον, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα ταλανίζεις· οὕτω καὶ τὸν πλούσιον, ὅταν θεάσῃ μυρία περιβεβλημένον πράγματα, μὴ διὰ ταῦτα πλούσιον, ἀλλὰ διὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὖν αὐτὰ ἄθλιον εἶναι νόμιζε· μετὰ γὰρ τῶν δεσμῶν τούτων καὶ δεσμοφύλακα ἔχει χαλεπὸν, τὸν πονηρὸν ἔρωτα τῶν χρημάτων, ὃς οὐκ ἀφίησιν ὑπερβῆναι τοῦτο τὸ δεσμωτήριον, ἀλλὰ μυρίας αὐτῷ κατασκευάζει καὶ πέδας καὶ φυλακὰς καὶ θύρας καὶ μοχλοὺς, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐνδοτέραν αὐτὸν ἐμβαλὼν φυλακὴν, πείθει καὶ ἥδεσθαι τοῖς δεσμοῖς τούτοις, ἵνα μηδὲ ἐλπίδα τινὰ ἀπαλλαγῆς εὕρῃ τῶν ἐπικειμένων κακῶν. Οὐ τοσοῦτον γὰρ πένης ἐφίεται τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ὡς τῶν περιττῶν ὁ πλουτῶν· οὐδ' αὖ το 63.645 σαύτην ἰσχὺν ἔχει πρὸς τὸ χρήσασθαι τῇ πονηρίᾳ, ὅσην δύναμιν οὗτος. Εἰ τοίνυν καὶ βούλεται μᾶλλον καὶ δύναται, εὔδηλον ὅτι μᾶλλον καὶ πλείονα ἐργάσεται. Πλούσιόν σε ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα τοῖς δεομένοις βοηθῇς, ἵνα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα λύσῃς τὰ σαυτοῦ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρων σωτηρίας· ἔδωκέ σοι χρήματα, οὐχ ἵνα κατακλείσῃς ἐπ' ὀλέθρῳ τῷ σῷ, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐκχέῃς ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῇ σῇ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν αὐτῶν ἄδηλον ἐποίησε καὶ οὐ μόνιμον, ἵνα καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῆς περὶ αὐτὰ μανίας καταλύσῃ τὸν τόνον. Εἰ γὰρ νῦν οὐκ ἔχοντες θαῤῥεῖν οἱ κεκτημένοι περὶ αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὰς ὁρῶντες ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος τικτομένας ἐπιβουλὰς, οὕτως ἐκκαίονται περὶ τὸν ἐκείνων πόθον· εἰ καὶ τοῦτο τῷ πλούτῳ προσῆν, τὸ βέβαιον καὶ ἀδιάπτωτον, τίνος ἂν ἐφείσαντο, τίνος ἂν ἀπέσχοντο; Τίς γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦ Ἠλία πενέστερος ἦν; ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο πάντας ἐνίκα τοὺς πλουτοῦντας, ἐπειδὴ πένης ἦν, καὶ αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν πενίαν ἀπὸ πλουσίας εἵλετο διανοίας, καὶ ἅπαντα τῶν χρημάτων τὸν πλοῦτον ἐλάττονα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μεγαλοψυχίας ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι, καὶ οὐκ ἄξιον αὐτοῦ τῆς φιλοσοφίας. Εἰ γὰρ μεγάλα αὐτῷ τὰ παρόντα ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι, οὐκ ἂν μηλωτὴν ἐκτήσατο μόνην. Οὕτω γὰρ τῆς παρούσης κατέγνω ματαιότητος, ὡς καὶ πηλὸν ἐῤῥιμμένον τὸ χρυσίον ἑώρα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ πένητος ἐδεῖτο, καὶ πρὸς τὸ στόμα δὲ ἐκεχήνει τοῦ μηδὲν πλέον μηλωτῆς ἔχοντος, ὁ τοσοῦτον χρυσίον ἔχων· οὕτω λαμπροτέρα τῆς πορφυρίδος ἡ μηλωτὴ ἦν, καὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν αὐλῶν τὸ σπήλαιον τοῦ δικαίου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνιὼν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ἢ τὴν μηλωτὴν τῷ μαθητῇ κατέλιπε· Μετὰ ταύτης, φησὶ, τῷ διαβόλῳ ἐπάλαισα, ταύτην λαβὼν ὁπλίζου καὶ σὺ κατ' ἐκείνου. Ἰσχυρὸν γὰρ ὅπλον ἀκτημοσύνη καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστον καταγώγιον. Καὶ ἐδέξατο καθάπερ μεγίστην κληρονομίαν τὴν μηλωτὴν ὁ Ἐλισσαῖος· καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἀληθῶς μεγίστη κληρονομία, καὶ παντὸς χρυσοῦ τιμιωτέρα. Καὶ ἦν διπλοῦς Ἠλίας ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἦν ἄνω Ἠλίας,καὶ κάτω Ἠλίας. Οἶδα ὅτι μακαρίζετε τὸν δίκαιον ἐκεῖνον, καὶ ἐβούλεσθε ἕκαστος αὐτὸς εἶναι. Τί οὖν, ἂν ὑμῖν ἐπιδείξω, ὅτι ἕτερόν τι πολλῷ μεῖζον ἐκείνου πάντες ἐλάβομεν; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἠλίας μηλωτὴν ἀφῆκε 63.646 τῷ μαθητῇ· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνων, τὴν σάρκα ἡμῖν κατέλιπε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Ὅταν τοίνυν χρημάτων ἀπώλειαν ἀκούσαντες, μὴ ταραχθῶμεν, ἀλλ' εἴπωμεν, Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα τὸν πλοῦτον εὑρήσομεν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοσαῦτα καρπώσῃ τὸν πλοῦτον ἀναλίσκων εἰς δεομένους, καὶ περιιὼν καὶ πένητας ἐπιζητῶν, καὶ σκορπίζων τὰ ὄντα τοῖς πεινῶσιν, ὅσα διὰ τούτου τοῦ ῥήματος κερδανεῖς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ οὐχ οὕτω θαυμάζω τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνοίγοντα τοῖς δεομένοις, ὡς ἐκπλήττομαι καὶ ἀνακηρύττω τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν χρημάτων εὐχαρίστως φέροντα. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ἂν δυνηθῇ τῆς φύσεως τὰ κύματα κατευνάσας εἰπεῖν τὸ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἀδακρυτὶ, Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο, μετὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ αὐτοῦ στήσεται, μετὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἀνακηρυχθήσεται ἀπὸ μόνου τούτου τοῦ ῥήματος. Ὅταν οὖν ἀφέληταί σοι χρυσίον ἢ διὰ λῃστῶν, ἢ δι' ἑτέρας τινὸς προφάσεως ὁ διάβολος, δόξασον τὸν ∆εσπότην, καὶ πλέον ἔσῃ κεκερδηκὼς, καὶ διπλῆν δώσεις τῷ ἐχθρῷ τὴν πληγὴν, ὅτι τε οὐκ ἐδυσχέρανας, καὶ ὅτι ηὐχαρίστησας. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἴδῃ,