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you may partake of His Divinity. Therefore, when you prepare yourself for His reception, then it is said that He will be received by you. And when you hunger and thirst for His sake, (173) these things are reckoned as food and drink for Him. How? Because through these and such works and deeds you purify your soul and deliver yourself from the hunger and filth of the passions; and God, who has thus received you and made all that is yours His own, desiring to make you a god as He became man, reckons that He suffers what you do to yourself, and says: "Inasmuch as you have done it to your own least soul, you have done it to Me."

For by what other works did those in caves and mountains please God, if not entirely through love and repentance and faith - for having forsaken the whole world and followed Him alone, through repentance and tears they both received Him and gave Him lodging, they both nourished Him and gave Him drink when He was thirsty, and besides, are not all who are from holy baptism called sons of God, and are they not least and poor according to the world? Therefore, those who have known in the perception of their soul that they have become sons of God, no longer endure to be adorned by a corruptible world, for they have put on Christ. For what man, being arrayed in royal purple, would ever consent to put on a filthy and tattered tunic over it? But those who do not know this and are naked of the royal garment, but have been zealous through repentance and the other good works, as we said, and have thus put on Christ, they clothe that very Christ; for they too are christs, as sons of God from divine baptism. But if they do not do this, but clothe all the naked in the world, yet leave themselves naked, (174) what have they profited? Then again, we who have been baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit are called brothers of Christ; and not only this, but we are also His members. Being, therefore, His brother and member, if you honor, lodge, and care for all others, but neglect yourself and do not strive through all means to ascend to the highest point of life and honor according to God, but through the hunger of sloth or the thirst of indolence or the most narrow prison of this filthy body, through gluttony or love of pleasure, you leave your own soul filthy, squalid, lying in the deepest darkness as if dead, have you not insulted the brother of Christ? Did you not leave Him hungry and thirsty? Did you not visit Him when He was in prison? Therefore, for this reason you will also hear: "You did not have mercy on yourself, you shall not receive mercy."

But if someone says: "And since, he says, it is so and we have no reward for the money or goods given by us, what need is there to give to the poor?" let him hear the one who is to judge him and render to each according to his works, as if saying to him: "Fool, what did you bring into the world or what visible thing did you yourself make? Did you not come forth naked from your mother's womb, and will you not depart from life naked and stand exposed before my judgment seat? And for what money of yours do you demand wages from me? And by what goods of yours do you claim to have mercy on your brothers and through them on me, who set forth all these things not for you alone, but in common for all? Or do you suppose that I desire anything and think that I too can be bribed (175) like the avaricious among judging men? for it is possible for you to reckon this out of ignorance. It is not because I desire money at all, but because I have mercy on you, not because I want to take what is yours, but because I wish to free you from the judgment upon them, that I legislate these things and for no other reason."

But do not think, brother, that God is at a loss and cannot feed the poor, and for this reason commands us to have mercy on them and to hold this commandment in high regard. May it not be! But what the devil did through avarice against us and for our destruction, this He established through almsgiving for our sake and

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μεταλάβῃς σύ τῆς ἐκείνου Θεότητος. Ὅταν γοῦν σεαυτόν πρός ὑποδοχήν αὐτοῦ εὐτρεπίσῃς, τότε ὑποδεχθήσεσθαι αὐτόν ὑπό σοῦ λέγεται. Ὅταν δέ δι᾿ ἐκεῖνον πεινᾷς σύ καί διψᾷς, (173) τροφή ἐκείνῳ καί πόσις ταῦτα λογίζεται. Πῶς; Ὅτι διά τούτων καί τῶν τοιούτων ἔργων καί πράξεων καθαίρεις σου τήν ψυχήν καί τοῦ λιμοῦ καί τοῦ ῥύπου τῶν παθῶν ἀπαλλάττεις σαυτόν· καί ὁ ἀναδεξάμενός σε οὕτω καί ἰδιοποιησάμενος τά κατά σέ πάντα Θεός καί θεόν σε ποιῆσαι ἐπιποθῶν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, ἅπερ ποιεῖς σεαυτῷ, ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα πανθάνειν λογίζεται καί λέγει· "Ἐφ᾿ ὅσον ἐποίησας τῇ ἐλαχίστῃ ψυχῇ σου, ἐμοί ἐποίησας".

∆ιά ποίων γάρ ἄλλων ἔργων οἱ ἐν σπηλαίοις καί ὄρεσι τῷ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησαν, εἰ μή δι᾿ ἀγάπης πάντως καί μετανοίας καί πίστεως - πάντα γάρ τόν κόσμον ἀφέντες καί αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἀκολουθήσαντες, διά μετανοίας καί δακρύων ἐδέξαντό τε αὐτόν καί ἐξένισαν, ἔθρεψάν τε καί διψῶντα ἐπότισαν , ἄλλως δέ πάντες πάντως οἵ ἐκ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος υἱοί Θεοῦ χρηματίζουσιν, ἐλάχιστοι δέ καί κατά κόσμον εἰσί καί πτωχοί; Οἱ οὖν γνόντες ἐν αἰσθήσει ψυχῆς ὅτι υἱοί γεγόνασι τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκέτι ἀνέχονται κόσμῳ καλλωπισθῆναι φθαρτῷ, ἐνδεδυμένοι γάρ εἰσι τόν Χριστόν. Τίς δέ ἀνθρώπων καταδέξεταί ποτε, πορφύρᾳ βασιλικῇ ἐστολισμένος, ῥυπῶντα και διερρωγότα χιτῶνα ἐπάνω ταύτης ἐνδύσασθαι; Οἱ δέ μή τοῦτο εἰδότες καί γυμνοί τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ὄντες ἐνδύματος, σπουδάσαντες δέ διά μετανοίας καί τῶν ἄλλων, ὡς εἴπομεν, ἀγαθοεργιῶν καί ἐνδυσάμενοι οὕτω τόν Χριστόν, αὐτόν ἐκεῖνον ἐνδύουσι τόν Χριστόν· χριστοί γάρ καί αὐτοί, ὡς υἱοί Θεοῦ ἀπό τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος, πέλουσιν. Εἰ δέ μή τοῦτο ποιήσουσιν, ἀλλά τούς γυμνούς μέν ἅπαντας, τούς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, ἐνδύσουσιν, ἑαυτούς δέ γυμνούς καταλείψουσι, (174) τί ὠφέλησαν; Εἶτα πάλιν, ἀδελφοί Χριστοῦ οἱ βαπτισθέντες εἰς τό ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρός καί τοῦ Υἱοῦ καί τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος λεγόμεθα· καί οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλά καί μέλη ἐσμέν αὐτοῦ. Ἀδελφός οὖν ὑπάρχων αὐτοῦ καί μέλος, ἐάν πάντας μέν ἄλλους τιμήσῃς, ξενίσῃς, θεραπεύσῃς, σεαυτόν δέ παρίδῃς καί διά πάντων οὐκ ἀγωνίσῃ εἰς τό ἀκρότατον τῆς κατά Θεόν πολιτείας καί τιμῆς ἀνελθεῖν, ἀλλά λιμῷ ὀκνηρίας ἤ δίψει ῥᾳθυμίας ἤ φυλακῇ στενωτάτῃ τοῦδε τοῦ ῥυπαροῦ σώματος διά γαστριμαργίας ἤ φιληδονίας τήν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν καταλείψῃς ῥυπῶσαν, αὐχμῶσαν, ἐν βαθυτάτῳ σκότει κειμένην ὡσεί νεκράν, οὐχί τόν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνύβρισας ἀδελφόν; Οὐχί πεινῶντα αὐτόν καί διψῶντα κατέλιπες; Οὐχί φυλακῇ ὄντα οὐκ ἐπεσκέψω αὐτόν; Τοιγαροῦν καί διά τοῦτο ἀκούσεις· "Σεαυτόν οὐκ ἠλέησας, οὐκ ἐλεηθήσῃ".

Εἰ δέ λέγει τις· "Καί ἐπειδή, φησί, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι καί μισθόν τῶν παρ᾿ ἡμῶν διδομένων χρημάτων ἤ πραγμάτων οὐκ ἔχομεν, τίς καί διδόναι τοῖς πένησι χρεία ἐστίν;" ἀκουσάτω τοῦ μέλλοντος αὐτόν κρῖναι καί ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατά τά ἔργα αὐτοῦ, οἱονεί λέγοντος πρός αὐτόν· "Ἄφρων, τί εἰσήνεγκες εἰς τόν κόσμον ἤ τί τό ὁρώμενον αὐτός ἐποίησας; Οὐχί γυμνός ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός σου προῆλθες, γυμνός δέ ἐξελεύσῃ τοῦ βίου καί τετραχηλισμένος τῷ ἐμῷ βήματι παραστήσῃ; Καί ὑπέρ ποίων σου χρημάτων μισθούς μοι προσαπαιτεῖς; ∆ιά ποίων δέ σῶν πραγμάτων ἐλεεῖν λέγεις τούς ἀδελφούς σου καί διά τούτων ἐμέ, τόν πάντα ταῦτα οὐχί σοί μόνῳ, ἀλλά κοινά τοῖς πᾶσι προθέμενον; Ἤ ἐπιθυμεῖν με ὑπολαμβάνεις τινός καί δωροδοκεῖσθαι (175) ὁμοίως τοῖς φιλαργύροις τῶν κρινόντων ἀνθρώπων οἴει κἀμέ; ἔστι γάρ καί τοῦτο ἐξ ἀγνοίας λογίσασθαί σε. Οὐχί χρημάτων ὅλως ἐπιθυμῶν, ἀλλά ὑμᾶς ἐλεῶν, οὐχί τά ὑμέτερα θέλων λαβεῖν, ἀλλά τοῦ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς κρίματος ἐλευθερῶσαι ὑμᾶς βουλόμενος, ταῦτα νομοθετῶ καί δι᾿ ἕτερόν τι οὐδέν".

Ἀλλά γάρ μή δοκῇς, ἀδελφέ, ὅτι ἀπορεῖ ὁ Θεός καί οὐ δύναται θρέψαι τούς πένητας καί διά τοῦτο προστάσσει ἡμῖν ἐλεεῖν αὐτούς καί περί πολλοῦ ποιεῖσθαι τήν ἐντολήν ταύτην. Μή γένοιτο! Ἀλλ᾿ ὅπερ διά πλεονεξίας καθ᾿ ἡμῶν καί εἰς ἀπώλειαν ἡμῶν ἐποίησεν ὁ διάβολος, τοῦτο διά τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ὑπέρ ἡμῶν κατεσκεύασε καί