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For this reason and before all others (118) he received the kingdom. But the longing of the harlot, what word then will represent it, which she carried in her heart, approaching me as God and Master of things visible and invisible, and offered so richly as no one until then, which I, seeing, accepted? And I did not take the longing, but having given her the pearl I let go of the longing also, but rather I also kindled it and raised it into a great torch and I released this one, being more venerable than virgins. For suddenly, having crossed the entire law as if a wall, or having been lifted up over all the virtues as if a ladder, she reached the end of the law, which is love, and she went away keeping this invulnerable until the end. And the prodigal likewise, having turned from his heart, repented with knowledge, and being my son before, he did not approach as my son, but asked (119) to become one of my hired servants. Not with the mouth only, but he also spoke with his soul, and by his deeds he showed the very things he said in words. The humility of this one drew me to compassion and I immediately enriched him and I quickly glorified him, because I saw from all his

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∆ιά τοῦτο καί πρό πάντων (118) ἔλαβε τήν βασιλείαν. Πόρνης δέ τόν πόθον ἆρα ποῖος λόγος παραστήσει, ὅν ἐβάσταζεν ἐκείνη ἐν καρδίᾳ προσελθοῦσα ὡς Θεῷ μοι καί ∆εσπότῃ ὁρατῶν καί ἀοράτων καί προσέφερε πλουσίως ὡς οὐδείς τῶν μέχρι τότε, ὅν ἰδών ἀπεδεξάμην; Καί οὐκ ἔλαβον τόν πόθον, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτῇ τόν μαργαρίτην δούς ἀφῆκα καί τόν πόθον, μᾶλλον δέ καί προσανῆψα καί πυρσόνν εἰς μέγαν ἦρα καί ἀπέλυσα παρθένων σεμνοτέραν οὖσαν ταύτην. Ἄφνω γάρ τόν νόμον πάντα ὥσπερ τεῖχος διαβᾶσα, ἤ ὡς κλίμακα τάς πάσας ἀρετάς ὑπεραρθεῖσα ἔφθασεν εἰς τέλος νόμου, ὅπερ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη, καί ἀπῆλθε μέχρι τέλους ἄτρωτον τηροῦσα ταύτην. Ὁ δέ ἄσωτος ὁμοίως ἐκ καρδίας ἐπιστρέψας μετενόησε γνωσίως, καί υἱός μου ὤν τό πρόσθεν οὐ προσῆλθεν ὡς υἱός μου, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς εἷς με ἐξῃτεῖτο (119) τῶν μισθίων μου γενέσθαι. Οὐ τῷ στόματι δέ μόνον, ἀλλά καί ψυχῇ ἐλάλει, καί τοῖς ἔργοις ἐπεδείκνυ ἅπερ ἔλεγε τοῖς λόγοις. Ἡ ταπείνωσίς με τούτου εἵλκυσε πρός εὐσπαγχνίαν καί ἐπλούτισα εὐθέως καί ἐδόξασα συντόμως, ὅτι ἔβλεπον ἐξ ὅλης