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of the redemption of his soul. And what is this consequence? one might say. A great one, indeed, and continuous, and very much dependent on what has gone before. For since his discourse is about a tribunal, and those fearful reckonings, and the incorruptible vote; and many in the tribunals here have corrupted justice, and bought judges, and escaped punishment; proclaiming the incorruptibility of that vote, and increasing the fear which he had mentioned before, he added these things, showing that he rightly said to fear one fear, that which comes from sin, and no other. For there it is not possible to corrupt justice with money, nor by paying bribes to snatch oneself from Gehenna; nor does patronage or advocacy save, nor anything else of that sort. For even if you are rich, even if a ruler, even if known to someone, all these things are random and in vain; from his works each one there is both punished and crowned. Since also the one in the story of Lazarus was very rich, but his wealth did not help him at all; and the virgins had the other virgins as acquaintances, but familiarity did not benefit them at all; for one thing only is sought there. You, therefore, he says, who trust in wealth, and are clothed in power, are puffed up randomly and in vain; for neither the abundance of money, nor the strength of power will cross over with you into that tribunal; nor will familiarity and kinship nor anything else of that sort deliver you. It is not possible there by paying money, nor an atonement, nor a price for a soul, ever to be saved. What then does Scripture mean when it says, Make for yourselves friends from the mammon of unrighteousness, so that they may receive you into the eternal dwellings? What then is the meaning of what has been said? Nothing contrary, nor conflicting with the former things, but indeed very much in agreement. For one must make friends here in the present life, by paying out money, by spending what one has on those in need. Therefore it hints at nothing else here than abundant almsgiving. So that if you depart there, having done none of these things, no one will stand up for you. For it is not their friendship that stands up for us, but the making of friends from mammon; for this reason he added, Friends from mammon, so that you might learn that your own works will spare you, your almsgiving, your love for mankind, your generosity to those in need. Since indeed neither kinship nor familiarity benefits at all without works, hear what the prophet says: If Noah, and Job, and Daniel should stand, they shall not deliver their sons and daughters. And why do I speak of the future, when even in the present life friendship has been of no benefit? How much then did Samuel lament and mourn, and yet did not snatch away Saul? How much did Jeremiah pray, and did not benefit the Jews at all, but was even rebuked for praying? And why are you surprised if Jeremiah is of no benefit, when he says that not even Moses, if he were at that time, would be able to save the Jews then, since the things of wickedness prevailed, and they contributed nothing from their own side? εʹ. How much did Paul mourn for the Jews, saying, 55.229 Brothers, the good pleasure of my heart and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation? What then did his prayer avail? Nothing. And why do I say prayer, when he even prayed to be anathema for them? What then? Are the prayers of the saints superfluous? By no means, but they have very great strength, whenever you also help them. Thus Peter raised Tabitha, not by prayer alone, but also by her almsgiving; thus the saints, by praying, stood up for others. And this indeed is here, where the contests and the struggles are; but there, none of these things, but salvation is from works alone. And he seems to me to satirize very much those who are rich here, and those who are puffed up. For he did not say, Those who have money, nor, Those who possess power, but, Those who trust in the multitude of their wealth, and

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λυτρώσεως τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ποία αὕτη ἡ ἀκολουθία; εἴποι τις ἄν. Πολλὴ μὲν οὖν, καὶ συνεχὴς, καὶ σφόδρα τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἐκκρεμαμένη. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ δικαστηρίου ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ, καὶ τῶν φοβερῶν ἐκείνων εὐθυνῶν, καὶ τῆς ἀδεκάστου ψήφου· πολλοὶ δὲ ἐν δικαστηρίοις τοῖς ὧδε τὸ δίκαιον διέφθειραν, καὶ δικαστὰς ὠνήσαντο, καὶ διέφυγον τὴν δίκην· ἀνακηρύττων ἐκείνης τῆς ψήφου τὸ ἀδέκαστον, καὶ τὸν φόβον αὔξων, ὃν πρότερον εἴρηκε, ταῦτα ἐπήγαγε δεικνὺς, ὅτι καλῶς εἶπεν ἕνα φόβον φοβεῖσθαι τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἄλλον δὲ μηδένα. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ χρήμασι φθεῖραι τὸ δίκαιον, οὐδὲ καταβαλόντα δῶρα ἐξαρπάσαι τῆς γεέννης ἑαυτόν· οὐδὲ προστασία καὶ συνηγορία σώζει, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν. Κἂν γὰρ πλούσιος ᾖς, κἂν δυνάστης, κἄν τινι γνώριμος, πάντα ταῦτα εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην· ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἕκαστος ἐκεῖ καὶ κολάζεται καὶ στεφανοῦται. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου σφόδρα πλούσιος ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ὁ πλοῦτος ὤνησε· καὶ αἱ παρθένοι γνωρίμους εἶχον τὰς παρθένους, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν αὐτὰς ἡ οἰκείωσις ὠφέλησεν· ἓν γάρ ἐστι τὸ ζητούμενον ἐκεῖ μόνον. Ὑμεῖς τοίνυν, φησὶν, οἱ τῷ πλούτῳ θαῤῥοῦντες, καὶ δυναστείαν περιβεβλημένοι, εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην φυσᾶσθε· οὐδὲ γὰρ διαβήσεται μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰς ἐκεῖνο τὸ δικαστήριον ἡ τῶν χρημάτων περιουσία, οὐδὲ ἡ τῆς δυναστείας ἰσχύς· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οἰκειότης καὶ συγγένεια οὐδὲ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ἐξαιρήσεται. Οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ καταβαλόντα χρήματα, οὐδὲ ἐξιλασμὸν, οὐδὲ τιμὴν ψυχῆς, σωθῆναί ποτε. Τί οὖν ὅτι φησὶν ἡ Γραφὴ, Ποιήσατε ὑμῖν φίλους ἐκ τοῦ ἀδίκου μαμωνᾶ, ὅπως εἰσδέξωνται ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς; Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; Οὐδὲν ἐναντίον, οὐδὲ μαχόμενον τοῖς προτέροις, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα συμφωνοῦν. Φίλους γὰρ ἐνταῦθα δεῖ ποιεῖν ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ, χρήματα καταβάλλοντας, τὰ ὄντα δαπανῶντας εἰς τοὺς δεομένους. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἄλλο ἐνταῦθα ἢ ἐλεημοσύνην δαψιλῆ αἰνίττεται. Ὡς ἐὰν ἀπέλθῃς ἐκεῖ, μηδὲν τούτων ἐργασάμενος, οὐδείς σου προστήσεται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ φιλία ἐκείνων ἡμῖν προΐσταται, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ μαμωνᾶ γενέσθαι φίλους· διὰ τοῦτο προσέθηκε, Φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμωνᾶ, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι αὐτά σου τὰ ἔργα φείσεται, ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη, ἡ φιλανθρωπία, ἡ εἰς τοὺς δεομένους φιλοτιμία. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε οὔτε συγγένεια, οὔτε οἰκειότης ὠφελεῖ τι χωρὶς ἔργων, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Ἐὰν στῇ Νῶε, καὶ Ἰὼβ, καὶ ∆ανιὴλ, υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ θυγατέρας οὐ μὴ ῥύσονται. Καὶ τί λέγω ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ὅπου γε καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ οὐδὲν ὤνησε φιλία; Πόσα οὖν ἀπωδύρατο καὶ ἐθρήνησεν ὁ Σαμουὴλ, καὶ τὸν Σαοὺλ οὐκ ἐξήρπασε; πόσα δὲ ὁ Ἱερεμίας ηὔξατο, καὶ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους οὐδὲν ὤνησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπετιμήθη εὐχόμενος; Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις, εἰ Ἱερεμίας οὐδὲν ὀνίνησιν, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ τὸν Μωσέα λέγει, εἰ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἦν, δύνασθαι σῶσαι τοὺς τότε Ἰουδαίους, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τῆς κακίας ἐκράτησε, καὶ οὐδὲν οἴκοθεν εἰσήνεγκαν; εʹ. Πόσα περὶ Ἰουδαίων ὁ Παῦλος ἐθρήνει, λέγων, 55.229 Ἀδελφοὶ, ἡ μὲν εὐδοκία τῆς ἐμῆς καρδίας καὶ ἡ δέησις ἡ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν; Τί οὖν ἴσχυσεν αὐτοῦ ἡ δέησις; Οὐδέν. Καὶ τί λέγω δέησις, ὅπου γε καὶ ἀνάθεμα ηὔχετο εἶναι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν; Τί οὖν; περιτταί εἰσιν αἱ τῶν ἁγίων εὐχαί; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἰσχὺν ἔχουσαι, ὅταν αὐταῖς καὶ σὺ βοηθῇς. Οὕτως ἀνέστησε τὴν Ταβιθὰν ὁ Πέτρος, οὐκ εὐχῇ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ ἐκείνης ἐλεημοσύνῃ· οὕτως ἑτέρων προέστησαν εὐχόμενοι οἱ ἅγιοι. Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἐνταῦθα, ἔνθα τὰ σκάμματα, καὶ τὰ παλαίσματα· ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐδὲν τούτων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἡ σωτηρία μόνον. Σφόδρα δέ μοι καὶ κωμῳδεῖ τοὺς πλουτοῦντας ἐνταῦθα, καὶ τοὺς πεφυσημένους. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, Οἱ ἔχοντες χρήματα, οὐδὲ, Οἱ δύναμιν κεκτημένοι, ἀλλ', Οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν, καὶ