127

a sacrifice, and would rather provoke than propitiate God. For almsgiving is so called for this reason, that we may have mercy, not that we may punish our fellow servants. But he who takes what belongs to others and gives to another, has not shown mercy, but rather inflicted punishment, and has committed no ordinary injustice. He who wishes to be rich, has need of money; he who does not wish to be rich, is always in abundance. For not being rich, but not wishing to be rich, this is wealth. For example: there is a rich man who seizes the property of all; and there is a rich man who gives his own property to the poor; the one is rich in gathering, the other in spending; and the one sows the earth, but the other cultivates heaven. But as much as heaven is better than earth, by so much is the fruitfulness of this one 63.730 weaker than that one's. And what is truly wonderful, is that in the case of the robber not only the wronged, but also those who have suffered no evil, hate him, sympathizing with those who have suffered badly. And if he should fall, countless cries from all, "The defiled, the wicked, the utterly wicked;" and all trample on him. But in the case of the merciful man, not only those who have received mercy, but also those who have not received mercy love him, reckoning the good deed done to the former as done to themselves. And if he should suffer anything unpleasant, all pray, "May God have mercy on him; may he do well by him, may his good things remain with him." Do you see how wickedness has as enemies even those who have not been wronged, while almsgiving possesses as lovers even those who have not received mercy? First, then, rid yourself of rapacity, and then show almsgiving; stay your hands from greed, and so bring them to almsgiving. But if with the same hands we also strip the poor, even if with what is given from them we clothe them, not even so shall we escape punishment; for the occasion of propitiation becomes an occasion of every transgression; for it is better not to show mercy than to show mercy in this way. For if Cain, by bringing the lesser things, provoked God, how shall he who gives what belongs to others not provoke him? Almsgiving is a certain excellent art and a patroness of those who practice it; for it is dear to God, if it is not wronged by us; but it is wronged, when we practice it from rapacity; so that if it is pure, it gives great confidence to those who send it up, and it intercedes for those who have offended. For so great is its power; it breaks the chains, dispels the darkness, quenches the fire, and makes those who practice it like God. For, he says, be merciful, just as your heavenly Father is merciful. Let us not, then, betray the opportunity of the present life, but let us cling firmly to our salvation. For it is possible, it is possible even to the last breath to be well-pleasing to God; it is possible also from a will to be approved, not indeed in the same way as while living, but it is possible nonetheless. How and in what way? If you enroll God with your heirs, and assign to him also a share of the whole inheritance. Did you not nourish him while living? Even when you are departing, when you are no longer master, give him a share of your possessions. For of greater longing and of more reward is it for you to nourish him while living; but if you have not done this for him, at least come to the second best; and if you shrink from this also, consider that his Father has made you his co-heir, and put an end to your inhumanity. For what pardon will you obtain, when, besides not nourishing him while living, you are not even willing, when you are about to depart to him, to bestow some small thing on him from that money of which you are no longer master, but are so hostilely and inimically disposed as not to share with him even those things which have become useless to you? Do you not see how many men were not even deemed worthy of this end, but were snatched away and departed? But God has made you master both to give instructions to your relatives, and to speak concerning your possessions, and to dispose of all things concerning your house. What defense, then, will you have, when, having received even this grace from him, you betray the benefit, and are not even compelled by necessity to become philanthropic? For the better thing, and that which provides great confidence, is to relieve poverty while living; but if you are not willing to do that, at least do something noble at your death; for it is not of much love, but it is something nonetheless. If

127

θυσία, καὶ παροξύνειεν ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ ἐξιλεώσαιτο τὸν Θεόν. Ἐλεημοσύνη γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται ἵνα ἐλεῶμεν, οὐχ ἵνα κολάζωμεν τοὺς ὁμοδούλους. Ὁ δὲ τὰ ἑτέρων λαμβάνων καὶ ἑτέρῳ διδοὺς, οὐκ ἠλέησεν, ἀλλ' ἐτιμωρήσατο μᾶλλον, καὶ ἀδικίαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἠδίκησεν. Ὁ βουλόμενος πλουτεῖν, χρείαν ἔχει χρημάτων· ὁ μὴ βουλόμενος πλουτεῖν, ἀεί ἐστιν ἐν εὐπορίᾳ. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ πλουτεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι πλουτεῖν, τοῦτό ἐστι πλοῦτος. Οἷόν τι λέγω· ἔστι πλούσιος τὰ πάντων ἁρπάζων· καὶ ἔστι πλούσιος τὰ ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς πένησι παρέχων· ὁ μὲν ἐν τῷ συνάγειν, ὁ δὲ ἐν τῷ ἀναλίσκειν πλουτῶν· καὶ ὁ μὲν σπείρει τὴν γῆν, ὁ δὲ γεωργεῖ τὸν οὐρανόν. Ἀλλ' ὅσον ὁ οὐρανὸς τῆς γῆς βελτίων, τοσοῦτον τούτου ἡ εὐφορία 63.730 ἐκείνης ἀσθενεστέρα. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ ἅρπαγος οὐ μόνον οἱ ἠδικημένοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μηδὲν παθόντες κακὸν, μισοῦσιν ἐκεῖνον, συναλγοῦντες τοῖς κακῶς πεπονθόσιν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πέσῃ, βοαὶ μυρίαι παρὰ πάντων, Ὁ μιαρὸς, ὁ πονηρὸς, ὁ παμπόνηρος· καὶ πάντες ἐπεμβαίνουσιν αὐτῷ. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐλεήμονος οὐ μόνον οἱ ἐλεηθέντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μὴ ἐλεηθέντες φιλοῦσιν αὐτὸν, τὴν εἰς ἐκείνους γενομένην εὐποιίαν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς λογιζόμενοι. Εἰ δέ τι καὶ ἀηδὲς πάθῃ, εὔχονται πάντες, Ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἐλεήσει· ποιήσει αὐτῷ καλῶς, παραμείνειν αὐτῷ τὰ ἀγαθά. Εἶδες πῶς ἡ κακία καὶ τοὺς μὴ ἀδικηθέντας πολεμίους ἔχει, ἡ δὲ ἐλεημοσύνη καὶ τοὺς μὴ ἐλεηθέντας ἐραστὰς κέκτηται; Πρῶτον τοίνυν ἀπαλλάγηθι τοῦ ἁρπάζειν, καὶ τότε τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ἐπίδειξαι· στῆσον τὰς χεῖρας ἀπὸ πλεονεξίας, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ἄγε. Ἂν δὲ ταῖς αὐταῖς καὶ τοὺς πτωχοὺς ἀποδύωμεν, εἰ καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἐκείνων διδομένοις ἐνδύωμεν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτω τὴν κόλασιν διαφύγωμεν· ἡ γὰρ ὑπόθεσις τοῦ ἱλασμοῦ πάσης πλημμελείας ὑπόθεσις γίνεται· τοῦ γὰρ οὕτως ἐλεεῖν τὸ μὴ ἐλεεῖν κρεῖττον. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ ἐλάττω κομίσας ὁ Κάϊν τὸν Θεὸν παρώξυνεν, ὁ καὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια διδοὺς πῶς οὐ παροξυνεῖ; Ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τέχνη τίς ἐστιν ἀρίστη καὶ προστάτις τῶν ἐργαζομένων αὐτήν· φίλη γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ ἐστιν, εἰ μὴ ἀδικεῖται παρ' ἡμῶν· ἀδικεῖται δὲ, ὅταν ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς αὐτὴν ἐργαζώμεθα· ὡς ἐὰν ᾖ καθαρὰ, πολλὴν τοῖς ἀναπέμπουσιν αὐτὴν δίδωσι παῤῥησίαν, καὶ ὑπὲρ προσκεκρουκότων δεῖται. Τοσαύτη γὰρ αὐτῆς ἡ ἰσχύς· αὕτη διαῤῥήγνυσι τὰ δεσμὰ, λύει τὸ σκότος, σβέννυσι τὸ πῦρ, καὶ ὁμοίους Θεῷ καθιστᾷ τοὺς ἐργαζομένους αὐτήν. Γίνεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, οἰκτίρμονες, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος οἰκτίρμων ἐστί. Μὴ δὴ προδῶμεν τὴν εὐκαιρίαν τοῦ παρόντος βίου, ἀλλ' ἐχώμεθα σφοδρῶς τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας. Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔστι καὶ εἰς ἐσχάτας ἀναπνοὰς εὐαρεστῆσαι τῷ Θεῷ· ἔστι καὶ ἀπὸ διαθήκης εὐδοκιμῆσαι, οὐχ οὕτως μὲν ὡς ζῶντας, ἔστι δὲ ὅμως. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἂν τὸν Θεὸν ἐγγράψῃς μετὰ τῶν σῶν κληρονόμων, καὶ μοῖραν καὶ αὐτῷ τοῦ παντὸς ἀπονείμῃς κλήρου. Οὐκ ἔθρεψας αὐτὸν ζῶν; κἂν ἀπελθὼν, ὅτε οὐκέτι κύριος εἶ, μετάδος αὐτῷ τῶν σῶν. Μείζονος μὲν γὰρ πόθου καὶ πλείονος μισθοῦ τὸ ζῶντά σε τρέφειν αὐτόν· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο αὐτῷ μὴ πεποίηκας, κἂν ἐπὶ τὸ δεύτερον ἐλθέ· εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ὀκνεῖς, ἐννόησον ὅτι ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ συγκληρονόμον αὐτοῦ σε πεποίηκε, καὶ κατάλυσον τὴν ἀπανθρωπίαν. Ποίας γὰρ τεύξῃ συγγνώμης, ὅταν πρὸς τῷ μὴ θρέψαι αὐτὸν ζῶν, μηδὲ μέλλων ἀπιέναι πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀπὸ τῶν χρημάτων τούτων, ὧν οὐκ εἶ κύριος λοιπὸν, βουληθῇς αὐτῷ μικρόν τι χαρίσασθαι, ἀλλ' οὕτως ἐχθρῶς διάκεισαι καὶ πολεμίως, ὡς μηδὲ τῶν ἀχρήστων σοι γενομένων αὐτῷ μεταδοῦναι; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ τούτου κατηξιώθησαν τοῦ τέλους, ἀλλὰ ἁρπαγέντες ἀπῆλθον; σὲ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἐπισκῆψαι τοῖς προσήκουσι, καὶ εἰπεῖν περὶ τῶν ὄντων, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ἅπαντα διαθεῖναι ἐποίησε κύριον. Ποίαν οὖν ἀπολογίαν ἕξεις, ὅταν καὶ ταύτην παρ' αὐτοῦ λαβὼν τὴν χάριν, προδῷς τὴν εὐεργεσίαν, καὶ μηδὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἕλῃ γενέσθαι φιλάνθρωπος; Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἄμεινον καὶ πολλὴν παρέχον τὴν παῤῥησίαν, ζῶντα διορθοῦν πενίαν· εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνο μὴ βουληθῇς, κἂν τελευτῶν ποίησόν τι γενναῖον· οὐ πολλῆς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἀγάπης, ἔστι δ' οὖν ὅμως. Εἰ