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On Lazarus and the Rich Man

On Lazarus and the rich man, homily 2. 59.591 1. The arena of the Church is the greatest school, a place of instruction for the rich, a refuge for the poor. Come then, beloved, since we stand in the wrestling-ground of teaching, following the lessons that have gone before, taking in hand what has just been said, let us sprinkle for all of you the due drops 59.592 of our discourse. Now the reading for us was narrating the way of life of a rich man and a poor man: the rich man's life immersed in luxury, and the poor man's life branded by poverty. There was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting 59.593 sumptuously every day. And there was a certain poor man named Lazarus, who was laid at the rich man's gate, full of sores, and desiring to receive from the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; and no one gave to him, but even the dogs came and licked his sores. It is necessary therefore, beloved, to recount the details, so that just as sailors from the experience of those who have sailed before, we too might flee the hidden rocks of shipwrecks; so that the rich, from the punishment of the rich man who came before, might discipline themselves, and the poor, seeing their own hopes shining beforehand in Lazarus, might eagerly run the race of affliction to its end. There was a certain rich man. A certain man. He has not been honored with the address of a name, like the righteous Job. There was a certain man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. But this one's name has been passed over in silence; for the unfruitful is deprived even of his name, for the names of the righteous are in the book of life, but those of sinners will be blotted out, having only the common name of his nature, 'man'; for this is the common name of all. But while he had the common name, he had the peculiar cruelty of wickedness. There was a certain rich man. A kinsman, indeed, of the poor Lazarus according to the nature of the body, but a stranger to the inheritance in Christ because of the wickedness of his choice. There was a certain man. He was a man in form, but in mindset a solitary beast. There was a certain rich man. Rich in possessions, rich in accusations, rich in bronze, rich in the venom of sin; shining with silver, but darkened by sins; rich in gold, but poor in Christ; having much clothing, but having a naked soul; keeping costly garments, and feeding many moths. There was a certain rich man. Boasting in wealth, having no flower of righteousness; an autumn tree, fruitless, twice dead. There was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen. He had purple for his garment, but was cast out from the kingdom of God; he had purple, not sprinkled with the blood of Christ, but dyed from the blood of a sea snail; not betrothing to him the kingdom of heaven, but portending for him the dreadful flame of Gehenna. There was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in fine linen and purple, feasting sumptuously every day. Feasting, not as the righteous in the Lord—for the joy of the righteous is the remembrance of God, as David bears witness to me, saying: I remembered God, and I was glad—but he was feasting in drunkenness, in debauchery, in dissipation, in disorders, in no way unlike pigs wallowing in mire. But there was a certain poor man, Lazarus. He spoke the name of the poor man, honoring the poor man by the address of his name. But there was a certain poor man

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De Lazaro et divite

Εἰς τὸν Λάζαρον καὶ εἰς τὸν πλούσιον, ὁμιλία ʹ. 59.591 αʹ. Μέγιστόν ἐστι διδασκαλεῖον τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας στάδιον, πλουσίων παιδευτήριον, πενήτων καταφύγιον. Φέρε τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐπειδήπερ ἐν τῷ σκάμματι τῆς διδασκαλίας ἑστήκαμεν, τοῖς τοῦ προλαβόντος διδάγμασιν ἐξακολουθήσαντες, τὰ ἀρτίως εἰρημένα ἐν χερσὶ λαβόντες, πᾶσιν ὑμῖν τὰς παρ' ἡμῶν ὀφειλομένας ψεκάδας 59.592 τοῦ λόγου δροσίσωμεν. Ἦν δὲ ἡμῖν τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα διηγούμενον πλουσίου καὶ πένητος πολιτείαν· πλουσίου μὲν τὸν βίον τῇ τρυφῇ βεβαπτισμένον, πένητος δὲ τὸν βίον τῇ πτωχείᾳ κατεστιγμένον. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος, καὶ ἐνεδιδύσκετο πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον, εὐφραινό 59.593 μενος καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς. Πτωχὸς δέ τις ἦν Λάζαρος ὀνόματι, ὃς ἐβέβλητο πρὸς τὸν πυλῶνα τοῦ πλουσίου ἡλκωμένος, καὶ ἐπιθυμῶν ἀπὸ τῶν πιπτόντων ψιχίων τῆς τραπέζης τοῦ πλουσίου μεταλαβεῖν· καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ κύνες ἐρχόμενοι ἔλειχον τὰ ἕλκη αὐτοῦ. Ἀναγκαῖον τοίνυν διηγήσασθαι, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὰ κατὰ μέρος, ἵν' ὥσπερ οἱ πλωτῆρες ἐκ τῆς τῶν προπλεόντων πείρας φύγωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰς ὑφάλους τῶν ναυαγίων πέτρας· ἵν' οἱ μὲν πλούσιοι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ προλαβόντος πλουσίου τιμωρίας ἑαυτοὺς σωφρονίσωσιν, οἱ δὲ πένητες τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἐλπίδας ἐν Λαζάρῳ ὁρῶντες προλαμπούσας προθύμως τὸν δρόμον τῆς θλίψεως διεκδράμωσιν. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος. Ἄνθρωπός τις. Οὐ τετίμηται τῇ τοῦ ὀνόματος προσηγορίᾳ, ὥσπερ ὁ δίκαιος Ἰώβ. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ Αὐσίτιδι, ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰώβ. Τούτου δὲ παρασεσιώπηται τὸ ὄνομα· ὁ γὰρ ἄκαρπος ἐστέρηται καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος δικαίων γὰρ καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς, ἁμαρτωλῶν δὲ ἐξαλειφθήσεται, μόνον ἔχων τὸ κοινὸν τῆς φύσεως ὄνομα τὸ ἄνθρωπος· τοῦτο γὰρ πάντων κοινὸν τὸ ὄνομα. Ἀλλὰ κοινὸν μὲν εἶχε τὸ ὄνομα, ἰδιάζουσαν δὲ τῆς κακίας τὴν ὠμότητα. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος. Συγγενὴς μὲν τοῦ πένητος Λαζάρου κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν, ξένος δὲ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ κληρονομίας διὰ τὴν τῆς προαιρέσεως μοχθηρίαν. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν. Ἄνθρωπος μὲν ἦν τῷ σχήματι, τῷ δὲ φρονήματι θηρίον μονοφάγον. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος. Πλούσιος ἐν κτήμασι, πλούσιος ἐν ἐγκλήμασι, πλούσιος ἐν χαλκῷ, πλούσιος ἐν ἰῷ ἁμαρτίας· ἀργύρῳ περιλαμπόμενος, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτίαις συσκοτιζόμενος· πλούσιος ἐν χρυσῷ, ἀλλὰ πτωχὸς ἐν Χριστῷ· ἐσθῆτα ἔχων πολλὴν, ἀλλὰ γυμνὴν ἔχων τὴν ψυχήν· πολυτελῆ ἐσθῆτα φυλάσσων, καὶ σῆτας ἐκτρέφων πολλούς. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος. Πλούτῳ κομῶν, ἄνθος δικαιοσύνης οὐκ ἔχων· δένδρον φθινοπωρινὸν, ἄκαρπον, δὶς ἀποθανόν. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος, καὶ ἐνεδιδύσκετο πορφύραν καὶ βύσσον. Πορφύραν μὲν εἶχε τὸ ἔνδυμα, τῆς βασιλείας δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπέῤῥιπτο, πορφύραν εἶχεν, οὐ τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐῤῥαντισμένην, ἀλλ' ἐξ αἵματος κοχλίου θαλάσσης βεβαμμένην· οὐ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν μνηστευομένην αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ φοβερὰν φλόγα γεέννης αὐτῷ προλάμπουσαν. Ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν πλούσιος, καὶ ἐνεδιδύσκετο βύσσον καὶ πορφύραν, εὐφραινόμενος καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς. Εὐφραινόμενος, οὐχ ὡς οἱ δίκαιοι ἐν Κυρίῳ δικαίων γὰρ εὐφροσύνη μνήμη Θεοῦ, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ μοι ∆αυῒδ λέγων· Ἐμνήσθην τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ηὐφράνθην, ἀλλ' ἦν εὐφραινόμενος ἐν μέθαις, ἐν ἀσωτίαις, ἐν κραιπάλαις, ἐν ἀταξίαις, οὐδὲν ἀπεοικὼς χοίροις ἐν βορβόρῳ κυλινδουμένοις. Πτωχὸς δέ τις ἦν Λάζαρος. Εἶπε τοῦ πένητος τὸ ὄνομα, τιμῶν τὸν πτωχὸν διὰ τῆς τοῦ ὀνόματος προσηγορίας. Πτωχὸς δέ τις ἦν