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good". Concerning the thing made, he has not said "for good works", but for being. But they are created "for good works", that they might do good works. Question: So that the formation might be from the quality? -Thus as it is a form; for the substance of the heart was formed. And the heart is mind. But the name of creation extends also to sensible things: "and creating the world from formless matter". Question: Concerning rational beings in parallel? -Yes, concerning rational beings in general. It is found extending also to irrational souls. 15 who understands all their works. He understands the works, since he knows the heart, and the principles of the works that come into being are taken from sensation. Among us many treat people hospitably from their own means, and some, becoming imitators of God, do so for no other reason than that "it is good to give rather than to receive"; for giving makes one like God, but receiving does not; for each of those who receive is receptive of something. But one is contributory, and this is what it means for it to be said that it is good "to give rather than to receive". Again: "blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy". There is a certain lesser progress; for in order to receive mercy, one shows mercy. Another shows mercy out of sympathy, being careful lest, being a man, he fall into such things. Thus, then, Christians also feed those in prisons out of sympathy. Others, again, having sometimes seen someone afflicted with sickness, pity him because he is ill-treated. And again, others do this also for the hunt of glory, that they may be glorified. But each of these, not being perfect, admits of the more and the less; for the perfect is only that which does not admit of the more and the less, the right and the left. But each of these has an infinite difference. The more and the less is taken not only according to intensity, but also according to time. This infinity, therefore, is comprehended by God alone. He alone knows this. For this reason he knows the heart of each. And it is difficult to find perhaps an unvarying heart towards another heart. We, therefore, perform these things which we have mentioned, according to vainglory, according to sympathy. But to treat saints hospitably is another thing. Mercy, therefore, is not spoken of in the case of the saints; for "contributing to the needs of the saints". He who gives to a saint must rather receive existence than he gives. 16 A king is not saved by much power. And this is true in its literal sense. Many having great power and a large hand of soldiers have been captured, and the multitude of soldiers does not in every case save the king. Pharaoh went out with much power to pursue the Hebrews, and he was not saved by his much power; for "the chariots of Pharaoh and his power he has thrown into the sea". And we find also in the other histories of the scriptures that a few have often overcome many. And generally in the manner of a prophecy it has been said to the Hebrews: "one" of you "shall chase a thousand, and two shall move ten thousand", "and at the voice of five many shall flee". The historical sense is therefore preserved. And the spiritual interpretation has much consistency: many who seem to have a preparation of arguments and a consolidated power are tripped up, they are refuted by truth itself, and according to this we say that: even if someone boasts of a kingdom through another preparation, through another cleverness, through leaders, he is not in every case saved in this much power. But it is also possible to take it thus: since there are some kings according to allegory, as were the Corinthians, concerning whom he says that they reigned-and Abraham was "a king from God"- he who gave to himself from his own power to reign in such a way, and did not wait for the merciful God, is not saved in his own power; just as a guarded city does not remain unharmed without God's cooperation, nor does a house being built come to completion without the assistance of the architect of all things. 16 and a giant will not be saved in the multitude of his strength. This also has a history: Goliath was a great giant and had a multitude of strength and he trusted not

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ἀγαθοῖς". ε᾿̣πὶ τοῦ ποιήμ̣ατος οὐκ εἴρηκεν τὸ "ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς", ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τῷ εἶναι. κτίζονται δὲ "ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς", ἵνα ἀγαθὰ ἔργα ποιῶσιν. ἐπερ · ἵνα ἡ πλάσις ἀπὸ τῆς ποιότητος ᾖ; -οὕτως ὡς εἶδός ἐστιν· καρδίας γὰρ ἡ οὐσία ἐπλα´̣σθη. ἡ δὲ καρδία νοῦς ἐστιν. τὸ δὲ τῆς κτίσεως ὄνομα παρατείνει καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν· "καὶ κτίσασα τὸν κόσμον ἐξ ἀμόρφου ὕλης". ἐπερ · ἐπὶ τῶν λογικῶν ἐκ παραλλήλου; -ναί, ἐπὶ τῶν λογικῶν καθόλου. εὑρίσκεται παρατεῖνον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ψυχῶν. 15 ὁ συνιεὶς πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν. τὰ ἔργα συνίει, ἐπεὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἐπίσταται, αἱ ἀρχαὶ δὲ τῶν γινομένων ἔργων ἀπὸ τῆς αἰσθήσεως λαμβάνονται. παρ' ἡμῖν πολλοὶ δεξιοῦνται ἐκ τῶν ἐνόντων ἀνθρώπους, καὶ οἱ μὲν μιμηταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ γινόμενοι οὐ δι' ἄλλο ἢ ὅτι "ἀγαθόν ἐστιν διδόναι μᾶλλον ἢ λαμβάνειν"· ὁμοιοῖ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ τὸ διδόναι, τὸ λαμβάνειν δὲ οὔ· ἕκαστος γὰρ τῶν λαμβανόν των ἐστὶν δεκτικός τινος. παρεκτικὸς δέ ἐστιν, καὶ τουτέστιν τ̣ὸ λέγεσθαι ἀγαθὸν εἶν̣αι "τὸ διδόναι μᾶλλον ἢ λαμβάνειν". πάλιν· "μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται". ἔστιν προκοπή τις ἐλάττω· ἵν' ἐλεηθῇ γάρ, ἐλεᾷ. ἄλλος διὰ συνπάθειαν ἐλεᾷ εὐλαβούμενος μὴ τοῖς τοιούτοις περιπέσῃ ἄνθρωπος ὤν. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ τοὺς ἐν δεσμωτηρίοις τρέφουσιν Χριστιανοὶ κατὰ συνπάθειαν. ἄλλοι πάλιν ἑωρακότες ἐνίοτε βεβλημένον νόσῳ οἰκτίρουσιν διὰ τὸ κεκακῶσθαι ἐκεῖνον. καὶ πάλιν ἄλλοι καὶ ἐπὶ θήρᾳ δόξης τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, ἵνα δοξασθῶσιν. ἕκαστον δὲ τούτων οὐκ ὂν τέλειον δ̣έχεται τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον· τὸ τέλειον γάρ ἐστιν μόνον τὸ μὴ ἐπιδεχόμενον τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον, τὸ δεξιὸν καὶ σ̣καιόν. ἕκαστον δὲ τούτων ἄπειρον ἔχει διαφοράν. οὐ μόνον δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἐπίτασιν τὸ μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ ἧττον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸν χρόνον λαμβάνεται. ἡ ἀπειρία οὖν αὕτη μόνη θεῷ καταλαμβάνεται. μόνος αὐτὸς τοῦτο ἐπίσταται. διὰ τοῦτο ἑκάστου τὴν καρδίαν οἶδεν. καὶ δύσκολόν ἐστιν εὑρεῖν τάχα ἀπαράλλακτον καρδίαν πρὸς ἄλλην καρδίαν. ἡμεῖς οὖν ταῦτα, ἃ εἰρήκαμεν, ἐπιτελοῦμε̣ν̣ κατὰ κενοδο180 ξίαν, κατὰ συνπάθειαν. ἄλλο δὲ τὸ δεξιοῦσθαι ἁγίους. οὐ λέγεται οὖν ἐλεημοσύνη ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων· "ταῖς" γὰρ "χρείαις τῶν ἁγίων κοινωνοῦντες". ὕπαρξιν λαμβάνειν δεῖ μᾶλλον ὁ διδοὺς ἁγίῳ ἤπερ δίδει. 16 οὐ σῴζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν. καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ῥητοῦ ἀληθές ἐστιν τοῦτο. πολλοὶ μεγάλην ἔχοντες δύναμιν καὶ χεῖρα στρατιωτῶν πολλὴν ἑάλωσαν, καὶ οὐ πάντως τὸ πλῆθος τῶν στρατιωτῶν σῴζει τὸν βασιλέα. ὁ Φαραὼθ μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως ἐξῆλθεν διώκειν τοὺς Ἑβραίους, καὶ οὐκ ἐσώθη διὰ τὴν πολλὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ· τὰ γὰρ "ἅρματα Φαραὼθ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἔριψεν εἰς θάλασσαν". εὑρίσκομεν δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις ἱστορίαις τῶν γραφῶν ὀλίγους πολλάκις περιγενομένους πολλῶν. καὶ καθόλου προφητείας τρόπῳ εἴρηται τοῖς Ἑβραίοις· "εἷς" ἐξ ὑμῶν "διώξεται χιλίους καὶ δύο μετακινήσουσιν μυριάδας", "καὶ διὰ φωνὴν πέντε φεύξονται πολλοί". σῴζεται οὖν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἱστορίας. καὶ ἡ ἀναγωγὴ δὲ ἀκολουθίαν ἔχει πολλήν· πολλοὶ δοκοῦντες παρασκευὴν ἔχειν λόγων καὶ δύναμιν συνκεκροτημένην σφάλλον̣ται, ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλέγχονται, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο λέγομεν ὅτι· κἄν τις αὐχῇ βασιλέιαν διὰ ἄλλην παρασκευήν, διὰ ἄλλην δεινότητα, διὰ προισταμένων, οὐ σῴζεται πάντως ἐν τῇ πολλῇ ταύτῃ δυνάμει. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως λαβεῖν· ἐπεί εἰσίν τινες κατὰ ἀλληγορίαν βασιλεῖς, ὡς ἦσαν Κορίνθιοι, περὶ ὧν λέγε̣ι ὅτι ἐβασίλευον-καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ δὲ "βασιλεὺς παρὰ θεοῦ" ἦν-, ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτῷ ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως τὸ τοιούτως βασιλεύει̣ν καὶ μὴ ἐκδεξάμενος τὸν ἐλεῶντα θεόν, οὐ σῴζεται ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει· ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἡ φρουρουμένη πόλις ἄνευ θεοῦ συνεργείας ἀβλαβὴς μένει οὐδὲ ὁ οἶκος ὁ οἰκοδομούμενος μὴ συνλαμβανομέν̣ου τοῦ ἀρχιτέκτονος τῶν ὅλων εἰς πέρας ἔρχεται. 16 καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. ἔχει καὶ τοῦτο ἱστορίαν· μέγας γίγας ἦν ὁ Γολιὰτ καὶ πλῆθος ἰσχύος εἶχεν καὶ ἐπίστευσεν οὐκ