The Difference in Confession
Do you confess in such a way? Yes, he says; but there death follows that confession, whereas here repentance and life follow the confession. For we receive what is worthy of what we have done; but this man did nothing strange. If we, he says, acted justly; this man acted unjustly. For we murdered the living, but this man raised the dead; we plundered what belonged to others, but this man gave his own wealth to the inhabited world.
The robber fights with the collector, and says: 'Until this time, during the time of the cross, we came together and traveled together, but now from the cross the way is split for me; if you wish to travel with me toward life, come; but if not, go your own way.' From that point, when I was traveling with you, I was first with you; but now the cross has split that way, the second one, into two. By repentance the way of the robbers is split. And the psalm and the end of the psalm were being fulfilled then: 'The Lord knows the way of the righteous, and the way of the ungodly shall perish' (Ps 1:6). When therefore the robber agreed with the truth, he turns toward the King of glory, and says, 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom' (Lk 23:42).
6. Let the Arians be ashamed, then, and let them hear what the robber says: 'Lord, remember me, when you come in your kingdom.' The robber sees one crucified, and confesses Lord; the heretic confesses himself a co-heir with the Father, and blasphemes as a creature. 'Remember me, Lord, when you come in your kingdom.'
I wished to say something to the robber: 'May Christ remember you, for what worthy thing have you done? That you murdered? That you plundered?' For you say, 'Remember me, when you come in your kingdom.' But let no one think that Christ saved the robber by grace alone, but that he was indebted to him by obligation. What kind of debt? he says; that he acted justly? He gave alms? He shared his own? He entrusted? He stayed awake? He did a deed that no one else did? But that he believed in God? And prophets believed in God, and patriarchs believed, hymnographers believed, apostles, preachers, martyrs; but all these, having seen God in glory, but this one in insolence. But set up myriads of servants serving a master, when the master is in prosperity and honor.
Greek
οὕτως ὁμολογεῖς; Ναὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἀκολουθεῖ θάνατος, ὧδε τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ ἕπεται μετάνοια καὶ ζωή. Ἄξια γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὧν ἐπράξαμεν, ἀπολαμβάνομεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν. Εἰ ἡμεῖς, φησὶ, δικαίως· οὗτος ἀδίκως. Ἡμεῖς γὰρ τοὺς ζῶντας ἐφονεύσαμεν, οὗτος τοὺς νεκροὺς ἤγειρεν· ἡμεῖς τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐσυλήσαμεν, οὗτος τὸν ἴδιον πλοῦτον τῇ οἰκουμένῃ δέδωκε. Μάχεται ὁ λῃστὴς τῷ συλλῃστῇ, καί φησι· Μέχρι τούτου τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀλλήλοις συνήλθομεν καὶ συνωδεύομεν, ἀλλὰ νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σχίζεταί μοι ἡ ὁδός· ἐὰν θέλῃς συνοδεῦσαί μοι πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν, ἐλθέ· εἰ δὲ μὴ, τὴν οἰκείαν πορεύου. Ἔνθεν, ὅτε σὺν σοὶ συνώδευον, τὴν πρώτην μετὰ σοῦ ἤμην· ἀλλὰ νῦν ὁ σταυρὸς ἔσχισεν αὐτὴν τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν δευτέραν εἰς δύο. Μετανοίᾳ σχίζεται ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν λῃστῶν. Καὶ ἦν ὁ ψαλμὸς καὶ τὸ τέλος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τότε πληρούμενον· Γινώσκει Κύριος ὁδὸν δικαίων, καὶ ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν ἀπολεῖται. Ὅτε οὖν συνηγόρησεν ὁ λῃστὴς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, στρέφεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τῆς δόξης, καί φησι, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν βασιλείᾳ σου. ϛʹ. Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν λοιπὸν οἱ Ἀρειανοὶ, καὶ ἀκουέτωσαν τί ὁ λῃστὴς λέγει· Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ὁ λῃστὴς βλέπει ἐσταυρωμένον, καὶ Κύριον ὁμολογεῖ· ὁ αἱρετικὸς ὁμολογεῖ σύνθρονον τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ὡς κτίσμα βλασφημεῖ. Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἤθελόν τινα εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὸν λῃστήν· Μνησθείη σου ὁ Χριστὸς, τί ἄξιον ποιήσαντος; Ὅτι ἐφόνευσας; ὅτι ἐσύλησας; λέγεις γὰρ, Μνήσθητί μου, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Ἀλλὰ μή τις νομιζέτω, ὅτι κατὰ χάριν μόνον ἔσωσε τὸν λῃστὴν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ὀφειλὴν ἐχρεωστεῖτο αὐτῷ. Ποῖον χρέος; φησίν· ὅτι ἐδικαιοπράγησεν; ἐλεημοσύνας ἔδωκεν; τὰ ἴδια ἐμέρισεν, ἐνήστευσεν, ἠγρύπνησεν; ἐποίησε πρᾶγμα, ὃ μηδεὶς ἄλλος; Ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐπίστευσε τῷ Θεῷ; Καὶ προφῆται ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ πατριάρχαι ἐπίστευσαν, ὑμνογράφοι ἐπίστευσαν, ἀπόστολοι, κήρυκες, μάρτυρες· ἀλλ' οὗτοι πάντες ἐν δόξῃ θεασάμενοι τὸν Θεὸν, οὗτος δὲ ἐν ὕβρει. Ἀλλὰ στῆσον μυρίους οἰκέτας δουλεύοντας δεσπότῃ, ὅτε ὁ δεσπότης ἐστὶν ἐν εὐπραγίᾳ καὶ τιμῇ·
About this text
A spiritual exploration of light and faith through the story of a blind man, showing how divine grace transforms lives.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 65 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
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