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that one is more trustworthy than these. For this reason, in her case He postpones and delays, showing her vigor; but to these He immediately gives the gift, stopping the mouths of the unbelieving Jews, and cutting off all their defense. For the more someone is benefited, the more he is liable to punishment if he is ungrateful, and not even made better by the honor. For this reason also the rich, being evil, are punished more than the poor, because even in abundance they have not become gentle. For do not tell me that they gave alms. For if they did not give according to the value of their substance, not even so will they escape. For almsgiving is not judged by the measure of what is given, but by the generosity of the will. But if these pay the penalty, much more so those who are obsessed with superfluous things, who build three- and four-story houses, while despising the hungry, those who care for avarice but neglect almsgiving. But since the subject of almsgiving has come up, come, let us take up today that discourse which I left unfinished three days ago when speaking about philanthropy. You remember when I was recently discoursing on the extravagance of footwear, and of that vain labor, and of the folly of the young, then from almsgiving our discourse fell upon those charges. What then were the things being discussed at that time? That almsgiving is a kind of art, having its workshop in heaven, and a teacher not man, but God. Then, seeking what is an art and what is not an art, we fell into vain labors and evil arts, among which we also mentioned this art of footwear. Have you recalled? Come then, today let us also take up what was said then, and show how almsgiving is an art and better than all arts. For if it is the property of an art to end in something useful, and nothing is more useful than almsgiving, it is clear that it is both an art and better than all arts. For it does not make shoes for us, nor weave garments, nor build houses of clay; but it procures eternal life, and snatches us from the hands of death, and in both lives it makes us radiant, and builds the mansions in the heavens, and those eternal tabernacles. This does not allow our lamps to be extinguished, nor for us to appear at the wedding feast with soiled garments, but it washes them, and makes them purer than snow. For though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow, It does not let us fall where 58.523 that rich man was, nor hear those fearful words, but it leads us by the hand into the bosom of Abraham. And yet of the arts of this life, each one, taking one thing, has an achievement; for example, agriculture, to feed; weaving, to clothe; or rather, not even this; for it is not sufficient on its own to contribute to us what it has. 4. And if you wish, let us examine agriculture first. For if it does not have the blacksmith's art, to borrow from it a mattock and a ploughshare and a sickle and an axe, and many other things; and the carpenter's art, so as to fix a plow, and to make a yoke, and a wagon, so as to thresh ears of corn; and the leather-worker's art, so as to make a strap; and the builder's art, so as to build a stall for the plowing oxen, and houses for the sowing farmers; and the woodcutter's art, so as to cut wood; and the baker's art after all these, it appears nowhere. So also weaving, when it makes something, calls many arts with it, to assist it with the things at hand; and if they do not come and lend a hand, it too stands at a loss like the other. And each of the arts needs the other. But when it is necessary to show mercy, we need nothing else, but it requires only the will. But if you should say that it requires money, and houses, and garments, and shoes, read those words of Christ, which He said about the widow, and cease from this anxiety; For even if you are very poor, and one of the beggars, if you cast in two mites, you have accomplished the whole thing; and if you give a barley-cake, having only this, you have come to the end of the art. Let us therefore receive this

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πιστοτέρα ἐκείνη τούτων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπ' ἐκείνης μὲν ἀναβάλλεται καὶ μέλλει, τὸ εὔτονον αὐτῆς ἐνδεικνύμενος· τούτοις δὲ εὐθέως παρέχει τὴν δωρεὰν, ἐμφράττων τῶν ἀπίστων Ἰουδαίων τὰ στόματα, καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν ἐκκόπτων ἀπολογίαν. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἄν τις μείζονα εὐεργετῆται, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ὑπεύθυνος κολάσει ἀγνωμονῶν, καὶ μηδὲ τῇ τιμῇ γενόμενος βελτίων ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ πλουτοῦντες τῶν πενομένων μᾶλλον κολάζονται κακοὶ ὄντες, ὅτι μηδὲ ἐν εὐθηνίᾳ γεγόνασιν ἥμεροι. Μὴ γάρ μοι λέγε, ὅτι ἔδωκαν ἐλεημοσύνην. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ κατ' ἀξίαν ἔδωκαν τῆς οὐσίας, οὐδ' οὕτω διαφεύξονται. Οὐ γὰρ τῷ μέτρῳ τῶν διδομένων ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη κρίνεται, ἀλλὰ τῇ δαψιλείᾳ τῆς γνώμης. Εἰ δὲ οὗτοι δίκην διδόασι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ περὶ τὰ περιττὰ ἐπτοημένοι, οἱ τριώροφα καὶ τετραώροφα οἰκοδομοῦντες, τῶν δὲ πεινώντων καταφρονοῦντες, οἱ φιλαργυρίας μὲν ἐπιμελούμενοι, ἐλεημοσύνης δὲ ἀμελοῦντες. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης λόγος ἐνέπεσε, φέρε δὴ τὸν λόγον ἐκεῖνον, ὃν πρὸ τριῶν ἡμερῶν περὶ φιλανθρωπίας ποιούμενος ἀτέλεστον εἴασα, ἀναλάβωμεν σήμερον. Μέμνησθε, ὅτε πρώην περὶ ὑποδημάτων περιεργίας διελεγόμην, καὶ τῆς ματαιοπονίας ἐκείνης, καὶ τῆς τῶν νέων βλακείας, τότε ἀπὸ ἐλεημοσύνης ἡμῖν εἰς ἐκεῖνα ὁ λόγος ἐξέπεσε τὰ ἐγκλήματα. Τίνα οὖν ἦν τὰ τότε κινούμενα; Ὅτι τέχνη τίς ἐστιν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη, ἐν οὐρανῷ τὸ ἐργαστήριον ἔχουσα, καὶ διδάσκαλον οὐκ ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ Θεόν. Εἶτα ζητοῦντες, τί τέχνη, καὶ τί οὐ τέχνη, εἰς ματαιοπονίας καὶ κακοτεχνίας ἐνεπέσομεν, ἐν αἷς καὶ τῆς τέχνης ταύτης ἐμνημονεύσαμεν τῆς τῶν ὑποδημάτων. Ἆρα ἀνεπολήσατε; Φέρε οὖν καὶ τήμερον τὰ τότε εἰρημένα ἀναλάβωμεν, καὶ δείξωμεν πῶς τέχνη καὶ ἀμείνων πασῶν τεχνῶν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη. Εἰ γὰρ τέχνης ἴδιον τὸ πρός τι χρήσιμον τελευτᾷν, ἐλεημοσύνης δὲ οὐδὲν χρησιμώτερον, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τέχνη καὶ τεχνῶν ἁπασῶν αὕτη ἀμείνων. Οὐ γὰρ ὑποδήματα ἡμῖν ἐργάζεται, οὐδὲ ἱμάτια ὑφαίνει, οὐδὲ οἰκίας οἰκοδομεῖ τὰς πηλίνας· ἀλλὰ ζωὴν αἰώνιον προξενεῖ, καὶ τῶν τοῦ θανάτου χειρῶν ἐξαρπάζει, καὶ ἐν ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ ζωῇ λαμπροὺς ἀποφαίνει, καὶ οἰκοδομεῖ τὰς μονὰς τὰς ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς ἐκείνας τὰς αἰωνίους. Αὕτη τὰς λαμπάδας ἡμῶν οὐκ ἀφίησι σβεσθῆναι, οὐδὲ ῥυπαρὰ ἔχοντας ἱμάτια φανῆναι ἐν τῷ γάμω, ἀλλὰ πλύνει, καὶ χίονος καθαρώτερα ἐργάζεται. Ἐὰν γὰρ ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, Οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἡμᾶς ἐμπεσεῖν ἔνθα 58.523 ὁ πλούσιος ἐκεῖνος, οὐδὲ ἀκοῦσαι τῶν φοβερῶν ῥημάτων, ἀλλ' εἰς κόλπους χειραγωγεῖ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Καίτοι τῶν τεχνῶν τῶν βιωτικῶν ἓν ἑκάστη ἀπολαβοῦσα ἔχει κατόρθωμα· οἷον ἡ γεωργία, τὸ τρέφειν ἡ ὑφαντικὴ, τὸ ἐνδύειν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ μόνη τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῆς ἡμῖν συνεισενεγκεῖν. δʹ. Καὶ εἰ βούλει, τὴν γεωργικὴν ἐξετάσωμεν πρώτην. Ἂν γὰρ μὴ ἔχῃ τὴν χαλκευτικὴν, ἵνα δίκελλαν καὶ ὕνην καὶ δρεπάνην καὶ πέλεκυν, καὶ ἕτερα πλείονα δανείζηται παρ' αὐτῆς· καὶ τὴν τεκτονικὴν, ὥστε καὶ ἄροτρον πῆξαι, καὶ ζεύγλην κατασκευάσαι, καὶ ἅμαξαν, ὥστε τρίβειν ἀστάχυας· καὶ τὴν σκυτοτομικὴν, ὥστε καὶ ἱμάντα ἐργάσασθαι· καὶ τὴν οἰκοδομικὴν, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς ἀροτριῶσι ταύροις βοοστάσιον οἰκοδομῆσαι, καὶ τοῖς σπείρουσι γεωργοῖς οἰκίας· καὶ τὴν δρυμοτομικὴν, ὥστε ξύλα τέμνειν· καὶ τὴν ἀρτοποιητικὴν μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα, οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ ὑφαντικὴ, ὅταν τι ποιῇ, πολλὰς μεθ' ἑαυτῆς καλεῖ τέχνας, ὥστε αὐτῇ συνεφάψασθαι τῶν προκειμένων· κἂν μὴ παραγένωνται καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέξωσιν, ἕστηκε καὶ αὕτη κατ' ἐκείνην ἀπορουμένη. Καὶ ἑκάστη δὲ τῶν τεχνῶν τῆς ἑτέρας δεῖται. Ὅταν δὲ ἐλεῆσαι δέῃ, οὐδενὸς ἡμῖν δεῖ ἑτέρου, ἀλλὰ γνώμης δεῖται μόνον. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις, ὅτι χρημάτων δεῖται, καὶ οἰκημάτων, καὶ ἱματίων, καὶ ὑποδημάτων, ἀνάγνωθι τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκεῖνα, ἃ περὶ τῆς χήρας εἶπε, καὶ παῦσαι ταύτης τῆς ἀγωνία· Κἂν γὰρ σφόδρα πένης ᾖς, καὶ τῶν προσαιτούντων, δύο λεπτὰ ἂν βάλῃς, τὸ πᾶν ἀπήρτισας· κἂν δῷς μάζαν, ταύτην ἔχων μόνον, πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἦλθες τῆς τέχνης. Ταύτην τοίνυν δεξώμεθα τὴν