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and no one dies to himself; for whether we live, we live to the Lord; or whether we die, we die to the Lord; he has shown this more clearly also through these things. For he who lives by the law, how can he live to Christ? And not only does he establish this through these things, but he also restrains the one who is eager for their correction, and persuades him to be long-suffering, showing that it is impossible for God to despise them, but that he will correct them at the proper time. 3. What then is, None of us lives to himself? We are not free, we have a Master who wishes us to live, and does not wish us to die, and to whom both these things are of more concern than to us. For through these things he shows that he cares for us more than we do, and even more than we, and considers our life a treasure, and death a loss. For we do not die to ourselves alone, but also to the Master, if indeed we die. But here he means the death that comes from faith. Therefore, this is sufficient to persuade that he cares for us, that we live to him, and we die to him. Nevertheless, he is not content with this, but adds another thing, saying: Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's. And having moved from that death to the natural one, so that he might not seem to make his argument harsh, he makes another very great sign of his providence. What is this? For to this end, he says, Christ both died and rose and lived, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. So let this also persuade you, that he always cares for our salvation and correction. For if he did not show such great providence for us, what need was there for the economy of salvation? He therefore who showed such great zeal for us to become his, as to take the form of a servant and to die, will he despise us after we have become his? This cannot be, it cannot be; nor would he choose to abandon such an undertaking; For to this end, he says, he also died; as one might say, So-and-so would not bear to despise his servant; for he cares for his own purse. For we do not love money as much as he loves our salvation. Therefore, it was not money, but his own blood that he paid for us; and for this reason he would not bear to abandon those for whom he paid so great a price. But see also his power, how he shows it to be ineffable. For to this end, he says, he died and lived, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living; and above, For whether we live, or whether we die, we are his. Have you seen his far-reaching dominion? have you seen his invincible strength? have you seen his precise providence? For do not speak to me of the living, he says; he provides for the departed also. And if for the departed, it is clear that also for the living; for he has omitted nothing for the sake of this dominion, establishing for himself more rights than men, and apart from all other things, to 60.632 provide for us. For a man pays silver, and for this reason strongly holds on to his own servant; but he paid death, and would not count as nothing the salvation of one bought for such a price, and over whom he acquired dominion with such great zeal and effort. And he says these things, shaming the Judaizer, and persuading him to remember the greatness of the benefit, and that being dead he lived, and that he gained nothing from the law, and that it would be of the utmost ingratitude, having abandoned the one who demonstrated such things for him, to run back to the law. Having therefore rebuked him sufficiently, he again lets up, saying: But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? And he seems to set them down as equals, but from what has been said he shows that there is a great difference. And first, by the appellation of 'brother' he puts an end to the contentiousness, and then also by reminding of that fearful day; for having said, Why do you show contempt for your brother? he added, For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And he seems again to rebuke the more perfect one by saying these things, but he shakes the mind of the Judaizer, shaming him not only by the benefit that was given, but also by the

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καὶ οὐδεὶς ἑαυτῷ ἀποθνήσκει· ἐάν τε γὰρ ζῶμεν, τῷ Κυρίῳ ζῶμεν· ἐάν τε ἀποθνήσκωμεν, τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀποθνήσκομεν· σαφέστερον καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτὸ παρεδήλωσεν. Ὁ γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ ζῶν, πῶς δύναται τῷ Χριστῷ ζῇν; Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον διὰ τούτων κατασκευάζει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐπειγόμενον εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων διόρθωσιν κατέχει, καὶ πείθει μακροθυμεῖν, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἀμήχανον τὸν Θεὸν καταφρονῆσαι αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ τῷ προσήκοντι καιρῷ διορθώσεται. γʹ. Τί οὖν ἐστιν, Οὐδεὶς ἡμῶν ἑαυτῷ ζῇ; Οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἐλεύθεροι, ∆εσπότην ἔχομεν τὸν καὶ ζῇν ἡμᾶς βουλόμενον, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν οὐ θέλοντα, καὶ ᾧ ταῦτα ἀμφότερα μᾶλλον ἡμῶν διαφέρει. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τούτων δείκνυσιν, ὅτι πλέον ἡμῶν αὐτὸς ἡμῶν κήδεται καὶ μᾶλλον ἡμῶν, καὶ πλοῦτον τὴν ἡμετέραν ζωὴν ἡγεῖται, καὶ ζημίαν τὸν θάνατον. Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς ἀποθνήσκομεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ἂν ἄρα ἀποθάνωμεν. Θάνατον δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἐκ τῆς πίστεως λέγει. Ἱκανὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ τοῦτο πεῖσαι, ὅτι φροντίζει ἡμῶν, ὅτι αὐτῷ ζῶμεν, καὶ αὐτῷ ἀποθνήσκομεν. Πλὴν οὐκ ἀρκεῖται τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον ἐπάγει, εἰπών· Ἐάν τε οὖν ζῶμεν, ἐάν τε ἀποθνήσκωμεν, τοῦ Κυρίου ἐσμέν. Καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ θανάτου ἐπὶ τὸν φυσικὸν μεταβὰς, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τραχύνειν τὸν λόγον, ἕτερον σημεῖον ποιεῖται τῆς αὐτοῦ προνοίας μέγιστον. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, Χριστὸς καὶ ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ ἔζησεν, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ. Ὥστε καὶ τοῦτό σε πειθέτω, ὅτι ἀεὶ φροντίζει τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν καὶ διορθώσεως. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοσαύτην ἡμῶν ἐποιεῖτο πρόνοιαν, τίς χρεία τῆς οἰκονομίας ἦν; Ὁ τοίνυν τοσαύτην σπουδὴν θέμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ, αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι ἡμᾶς, ὡς καὶ δούλου μορφὴν λαβεῖν καὶ ἀποθανεῖν, οὗτος μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι καταφρονήσει; Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔστιν· οὐδ' ἂν ἕλοιτο τοσαύτην προέσθαι πραγματείαν· Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἀπέθανεν· ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, Ὁ δεῖνα οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιτο καταφρονῆσαι τοῦ δούλου· τοῦ γὰρ οἰκείου κήδεται βαλαντίου. Καὶ γὰρ οὐχ οὕτως ἡμεῖς χρημάτων ἐρῶμεν, ὡς αὐτὸς τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας. Οὐκοῦν οὐ χρήματα, ἀλλὰ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατέβαλε· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν ἀνάσχοιτο προέσθαι τούτους, ὑπὲρ ὧν τοσαύτην τιμὴν κατέθηκεν. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ, πῶς δείκνυσιν ἄφατον οὖσαν. Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀπέθανε καὶ ἔζησεν, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ· καὶ ἀνωτέρω, Ἐάν τε γὰρ ζῶμεν, ἐάν τε ἀποθνήσκωμεν, αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν. Εἶδες δεσποτείαν ἐπιτεταμένην; εἶδες ἰσχὺν ἄμαχον; εἶδες πρόνοιαν ἠκριβωμένην; Μὴ γάρ μοι τοὺς ζῶντας εἴπῃς, φησί· καὶ τῶν ἀπελθόντων προνοεῖται. Εἰ δὲ τῶν ἀπελθόντων, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τῶν ζώντων· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῆς δεσποτείας ταύτης παρέλιπε, πλείονα ἀνθρώπων καὶ δικαιώματα ἑαυτῷ κατασκευάζων, καὶ χωρὶς τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων εἰς τὸ 60.632 προνοεῖν ἡμῶν Ἄνθρωπος μὲν γὰρ ἀργύριον καταβάλλει, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σφόδρα ἀντέχεται τοῦ ἰδίου δούλου· αὐτὸς δὲ θάνατον κατέβαλε, καὶ οὐκ ἂν τὸν τοσαύτης τιμῆς ἀγορασθέντα, καὶ οὗ τὴν δεσποτείαν μετὰ τοσαύτης ἐκτήσατο σπουδῆς καὶ πραγματείας, τούτου τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐν οὐδενὶ λογιεῖται. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, ἐντρέπων τὸν ἰουδαΐζοντα, καὶ πείθων ἀναμνησθῆναι τοῦ μεγέθους τῆς εὐεργεσίας, καὶ ὅτι νεκρὸς ὢν ἔζησε, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐκέρδανε παρὰ τοῦ νόμου, καὶ ὅτι ἐσχάτης ἀγνωμοσύνης ἂν εἴη, τὸν τοσαῦτα ἐπιδειξάμενον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καταλιπόντα, ἐπὶ τὸν νόμον παλινδρομεῖν. Ἱκανῶς τοίνυν αὐτοῦ καθαψάμενος, πάλιν ἀνίησι λέγων· Σὺ δὲ τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; ἢ καὶ σὺ τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ὡς ἰσάζοντα αὐτὰ τιθέναι, πολλὴν δὲ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων δείκνυσι τὴν διαφορὰν οὖσαν. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καταλύει τὴν φιλονεικίαν, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τῷ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἀναμνῆσαι τῆς φοβερᾶς· εἰπὼν γὰρ, Τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; ἐπήγαγε, Πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν πάλιν ἐπιτιμᾷν τῷ τελειοτέρῳ ταῦτα λέγων, κατασείει δὲ τοῦ ἰουδαΐζοντος τὴν διάνοιαν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς εὐεργεσίας τῆς γενομένης ἐντρέπων αὐτὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς