Chapter Fifteen

¹ Then drew near to him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them. And he spoke this parable to them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents. The Lord did that for the sake of which he was made flesh, receiving the publicans and the sinners, as a physician [receives] the sick; but the sinners in very truth, the Pharisees, requited this love toward man with a murmuring. For, accounting the publicans abominable, they themselves devoured the houses of the widows and the orphans. What, then, [does] the Lord [do]? Even as he showed love toward the publicans, so also toward these very men that slandered this love; for he turns not away from them as incurable and murmurers, but mildly heals them, speaking to them the parable of the sheep, and from the things plain and manifest persuading them, and stopping their mouths from being vexed at so great an outpouring of goodness. For if over one sheep — irrational, and not made after the image of God — so great joy comes to pass when it is found after wandering, how great is it likely to come to pass over a rational man made after the image of God? Manifestly, then, the parable calls the righteous the ninety and nine sheep, and the sinner that has fallen away the one. But some say that the hundred sheep are all the rational creation, and the one sheep [is] man, of the rational nature, which, having wandered, the good Shepherd sought out, leaving the ninety and nine in the wilderness, that is, in the place above, the heavenly. For heaven is a wilderness, removed from the much-thronging of the world, and filled with all calm and peace. And the Lord, having found this [sheep] that had wandered, laid it upon his shoulders. For our infirmities and our sins he himself bore, and all our burdens he himself took upon him without burden — paying off all that we owed, and saving us easily and without toil, even up to his own house, that is, heaven; and he calls together his friends and neighbours, perhaps the angels, whom we have rendered also to be sheep by one and another application. For in so far as every created nature is brutish as toward God, in this respect the powers above may be called sheep; but in so far as they are rational, that is, intelligent, and seem nearer than the other creatures, in this respect [they may be understood as] friends and neighbours, [namely] the choirs of the angelic powers. And you may understand by the woman the wisdom and power of God and the Father, his own Son, who lost one piece of silver out of the rational creatures created after his image, [namely] man, and lights a candle, his own flesh. For as the candle, being of earth, lightens the things that are darkened through the light which it receives, so also the flesh of the Lord, being earthy and like to us, shone by the light of the Godhead by which it was taken up; and indeed the house too was swept, that is, the whole world was cleansed of sin. For Christ was he that took away the sin of the world. And so the piece of silver was found, the royal image, and joy comes to pass both to Christ himself who found it, and to the powers above, who are his friends and neighbours — friends as doing his will, and neighbours as being bodiless. And I inquire whether all the powers above are his friends, but the nearer ones [his] neighbours, such as Thrones, Cherubim, Seraphim. For mark the expression: And he calls together his friends and his neighbours; for he seems to indicate two parts, even though it may seem over-curious. […]

² And he said, A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided to them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave to him. This parable also is like to those before it; for it too brings in by the [word] man God, who is truly the lover of man; and by the two sons, the two orders of men, the righteous, I mean, and sinners. And the younger said, Give me the portion of goods that falls to me. Righteousness is an ancient possession of human nature, and the elder son starts not away; but sin is a later-born evil, wherefore the younger also starts away — he, plainly, that grew up together with the sin afterward brought in. And otherwise too the sinner is called the younger son, as an innovator, and an apostate, and one that has risen up against the father’s will. Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. The goods of man are the rational [faculty], which is attended also by free choice, for everything rational is self-determining. The Lord gives us, then, the reason, that we may use it freely as being our own substance. And he gives to all alike, for all are alike rational, alike self-determining; but some of us use this bounty according to reason, and others make the divine gift useless. And simply all things, as many as the Lord has given us, may be reckoned our substance — I mean, for instance, heaven, earth, simply the whole creation, the law, the prophets. But the younger son saw heaven, and made [it] a god; he saw earth, and worshipped [it]; and in his law he would not walk; in the prophets he wrought wickedness. But the elder son used all these things to the glory of God. Having given these things alike, then, he left [them] to walk self-determiningly, for he constrains no one unwilling to serve him. For if he wished to constrain, he would not even have created us rational and self-determining. But all these things together the younger spent; and what is the cause? That he took his journey into a far country. For when a man departs from God, and makes himself far from the divine fear, he spends out all the divine gifts. For while we are near to God, we do no such thing worthy of perdition, according to the [saying], I foresaw the Lord always before me, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. But becoming far from him and apostates, we both do and suffer all the worst things, according to the [saying], Lo, they that remove themselves far from you shall perish. He scattered, then, his substance, and with reason; for virtue has one limit, and is some one thing; but vice is many-cloven, and works many wanderings; as, for example, of manliness there is one limit, [namely] to use the irascible [part] when one ought, and as one ought, and toward those toward whom one ought. But of vice [in this regard] there are two kinds, cowardice and rashness. Do you see the reason scattered, and the unity of virtue lost? And this substance being spent, and the man walking no longer according to reason — the natural law, I mean — nor keeping step with the written law, nor hearkening to the prophets, a mighty famine comes to pass, not a famine of bread, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. And he begins to be in want, as one not fearing the Lord, but holding himself far from him; whereas to them that fear the Lord there is no want. And how is there no want to them that fear? Because he that fears the Lord shall greatly delight in his commandments. For this cause glory and riches are in his house, and he himself scattered rather, and gave to the poor — so far is he from being himself in want. He, then, that has journeyed far from God, and has not before his eyes his fearful face, is with reason in want, no divine word working in him. And going, that is, advancing forward and progressing in vice, he joined himself to one of the citizens of that country. For he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit; but he that is joined to the harlot, [the] nature of the demons, becomes one body, being made wholly flesh, and not having room for the spirit in himself, as they in the time of the flood. For the citizens of that country which is far from God are altogether the demons. And this man, having progressed, and become mighty in vice, feeds swine, that is, he becomes to others also a teacher of wickedness and of filthy practice. For all that take pleasure in the mire of dishonourable practices and material passions are swine; for the eyes of the swine can never look upward, having received a strange formation. Whence the swineherds also, when, holding a swine, they cannot stop it from crying out, turning it on its back, persuade it to cry more moderately. For, coming as it were to a sight of what it never saw before, and looking at the things above, it is astonished, and is silent; such are the eyes of those nurtured in vile things — they never look on the things above. These, then, he feeds who excels many in vice, such as keepers of harlots, arch-robbers, chief publicans; for all these shall be said to feed swine. And this wretched man desires to be satisfied with sin, and no one gives him a satisfying of it. For he that is accustomed to the evils receives no fill of them; for the pleasure abides not, but at once it comes to be and passes away, and the wretched man is found again empty; for sin is likened to husks, having sweetness and roughness — for it gives pleasure for a season, but punishes for ever. No one, then, gives a satisfying of the evils to him that luxuriates in them. For who indeed shall give him a fill, and make [him] cease? God? But he is not present, for he that eats these things journeys far from God. But the demons? And how [should they], when [they wish him never] to come to a fill of vice?

³ And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of your hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight, and am no more worthy to be called your son. He that was hitherto prodigal came to himself; for as long as he wrought the evil things, he was out of himself. For he is said to have spent his substance, and with reason; for this cause he is out of himself. For he that is not governed by reason, but lives as an irrational creature, and leads others in irrationality, is out of himself, and abides not in his own substance, that is, the reason. But when one reckons up who he was, and into what wretchedness he has come, then he comes to be in himself, reasoning, and coming to repentance from his outward wandering. And by hired servants he means, for instance, the catechumens, who have not yet attained to become sons, as not yet illumined. And altogether the catechumens have an abundance of the rational loaves, hearing daily at the readings. And that you may learn the difference between a hired servant and a son, hear. There are three orders of them that are saved: for some as slaves do the good, fearing the judgment; which David too hints at, saying, Nail down my flesh with your fear, for I was afraid of your judgments. And others seem to be hired servants, hastening to please God through desire of the good things, as the same David says, I have inclined my heart to do your statutes always, for the recompense. And if [there be] sons, [these are] they that do his commandments through love toward God, as again the same David witnesses, O how I love your law, O Lord! it is my meditation all the day; and again, I lifted up my hands to your commandments, which I have loved — not which I feared; and again, Your testimonies are wonderful, and because they are wonderful, therefore my soul has sought them out. When, then, one being in the order of a son, is then through sin disowned, and sees others enjoying the divine gifts of grace, and partaking of the divine mysteries and of the divine bread — for we must not understand [this] only of the catechumens as called hired servants, but also of those simply in the Church who are not of the first order — then indeed he ought to say to himself these piteous things: How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! But I will arise — that is, from the fall of sin — and go to my Father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you; for, having forsaken the heavenly things, I sinned against them, preferring before them the abominable pleasure, and choosing before my fatherland, heaven, the land of famine. For as one is said to sin, let us say, against gold, who prefers lead before it, so against heaven sins he who prefers before it the earthly things. For he altogether misses the way that leads to heaven. And note that, when he sinned, he sinned as not acting before God; but when he confesses, he perceives that he has sinned before God. And having arisen, he came to his father; for we ought not only to will the things dear to God, but also to do [them]. And as you have seen the repentance warm, so behold also the compassion of the father. For he waited not even for the son to come up to him, but anticipates [him], and embraces [him]. For he is a father by his kindness, even though by nature God, and wholly enfolds the whole [of him], that he may bind him fast to himself on every side, according to that which is said, And the glory of God shall enfold you. And of old, when the son made himself far off, it was a season also for the father to be removed from the embrace; but when he drew near through prayer and turning, it became a season for embracing. He falls, then, upon the neck of him that was formerly an apostate, showing him to be now become obedient; and as it were sends within, [as] through a fore-gate, the sanctification first into the mouth.

⁴ But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: and bring here the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. By the servants you may understand the angels, the ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those worthy of salvation; for these too robe him that turns from vice with the best robe, that is, the ancient [robe] which we wore before we sinned, the garment of incorruption; or [with] the honourable [robe] before all the rest, such as is that of baptism. For this is put about me first, and from it I receive the covering of my unseemliness. Either, then, you may understand by the servants the angels, who minister to all the things accomplished among us, and through whom as means we are sanctified; or also the priests, who through baptism and the word of teaching clothe him that turns, and put about him the best robe, Christ himself (for as many of us as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ), and give a ring upon the hand, the seal of Christianity, which we have through our works; for the hand is a symbol of practice, and the ring of the seal. He, then, that is baptized, and simply he that turns from vice, ought to have upon his hand — that is, upon all his practical power — a seal and a token of a Christian, that he may have [something] to show, that he has been renewed after the image of him that created him. Or you may understand the ring otherwise, [as] an earnest of the Spirit; I mean this: God gives the most perfect good things then, when their season is; and now, plainly to assure us, he gives those gifts of grace, as it were certain earnests of the things to come — to some working of wonders, to others teaching, to others somewhat else; and receiving these, we firmly hope from them for the more perfect things also. Shoes on the feet, that they may be guarded from the scorpions — that is, the sins that seem small, and hidden, as David said, but which are nevertheless deadly — yea, and also from the serpents, [namely] the sins that are accounted manifestly to harm. And otherwise too, shoes are given to him that is counted worthy of the first robe, God making him ready to preach the gospel, and to benefit others. For this is a Christian — the benefit of his neighbour. And the fatted calf, who he is that is sacrificed and eaten, is not unknown; for altogether [it is] the true Son of God, who, as man, took also flesh, [that is,] the nature irrational and brutish, even though he filled it with his own glories. In this respect he is understood as a calf, untried by the yoke of the law of sin; and fatted, in that he was set apart to this mystery before the foundation of the world. And perhaps that which shall be said will seem over-curious; nevertheless it shall be said: that the bread which we break, according to the appearance indeed, being composed of wheat, may be [called] fatted; but according to that which is understood, being flesh, may be called a calf. And the same is both calf and fatted. He, then, that is baptized, and becomes a son of God — or rather is restored — and simply every one that is cleansed from sin, partakes of this fatted calf, and is made a cause of gladness both to the Father and to his servants, the angels and priests, as having lived again from death, and been found out of perdition; for, so far as concerned the abundance of his vice, he was dead, that is, despaired of; but so far as concerned the human nature, mutable and able to fall back from vice to virtue, he is said to be lost.

⁵ Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, Your brother is come; and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve you, neither transgressed I at any time your commandment: and yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but as soon as this your son was come, which has devoured your living with harlots, you have killed for him the fatted calf. And he said to him, Son, you are ever with me, and all that I have is yours. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this your brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. Here is the much-discussed question: How does the son appear envious — he that has lived well-pleasingly in all the rest, and has served the father? Which shall be solved, if one reckon up wherefore the parable was spoken. For altogether [it was] because the pure Pharisees, that justified themselves, murmured at the Lord for receiving harlots and publicans; for this cause this parable was spoken together with those before it. Since, then, [it was] because the Pharisees murmured, seeming to be righteous above the publicans, [that] it was spoken, consider that the person of the son who seems to murmur is taken for all those that are offended at the sudden well-doing and salvation of sinners. And this is not envy, but an overflow of the love of God toward man, unknown to us, and for this cause breeding the murmuring. For does not David too bring in the person of one offended at the peace of sinners? And Jeremiah likewise, saying, Wherefore does the way of the wicked prosper? — and, You have planted them, and they have taken root. For all these things are of the weak and poor understanding of men, set on fire, and doubting at the unworthy, forsooth, well-doing of the wicked. The Lord says, then, through the present parable, all but such things as these to the Pharisees: Be it so, you are righteous like that son, and well-pleasing to the Father; I exhort you that are righteous and pure not to murmur at the gladness which we make for the salvation of the sinner; for he too is a son. No envy, then, is shown forth from this, but the Lord instructs the mind of the Pharisees through this parable, so that, even if they were righteous, and had fulfilled every commandment of God, they should not be vexed at the reception of sinners. And it is no marvel if we are vexed at the things that seem to come to pass unworthily, for so great is the love of God toward man, and so ungrudgingly does he impart to us of his own good things, that even a murmuring can hence be bred; which also in common speech we say. For oftentimes, having done good to some one, and then being met with ingratitude from him, we say, All men blame me, that I did you so much good — and yet perhaps no one blamed us, but nevertheless, wishing to show the greatness of the benefit, we feign this. And let us see the parable also part by part, as in summary. The elder son was in the field, [namely] in this world, working his own land, the flesh I mean, that he might be filled with bread, and sowing in tears, that he might reap in joy. And having learned what was done, he would not go in to the common joy. But the father, who loves man, goes out, and entreats, and teaches him afresh the cause of the gladness, that it is the quickening again of a dead one — [the son] being offended as a man, and accusing him as having given not even a kid to himself, but having killed the fatted calf for the prodigal. And what is signified by the kid? Thus may you learn: every kid is set in the left and sinful portion. The well-pleasing son says, then, In all toils I passed my life, persecuted, ill-treated, afflicted by the sinners, and never on my behalf did you slay and kill a kid, that is, a sinner afflicting me, that I might find a little ease; as Ahab was a kid to Elijah. He persecuted, then, the prophet, and the Lord gave not this kid quickly to slaughter, that Elijah, being a little eased, might rest with his friends the prophets. Wherefore he says also to God, Lord, they have slain your prophets, and digged down your altars. A kid to David was Saul, and all those that slandered him, whom the Lord suffered to tempt him, and slew [them] not, that David might be gladdened; wherefore he said also, How long, O Lord, how long shall sinners boast? These things says also the son in the Gospel: Me, who am always in toils, you have counted worthy of no comfort, neither have you delivered any of them that afflict me to slaughter; but now you will thus so easily save the prodigal. This, then, is the whole aim of the parable, spoken because of the Pharisees murmuring at the sinners received by the Lord, and instructing [them] that, even if they be righteous, they should not shake off the sinners, nor murmur against God for receiving them. The younger son, then, [is] the harlots and the publicans; the elder son, the Pharisees and the Scribes, taken under the supposition of being righteous — as though God said, Be it so, you are truly righteous, and have transgressed no commandment; ought we not, then, to receive those who turn from wickedness? Such murmurers, then, he instructs through the parable. And I am not ignorant that some have taken the elder son [to mean] the angels, and the younger the nature of men, that innovated against the given commandment and broke loose; and others, the Israelites and the Gentiles. But the true [view], as we have only said, [is] that the elder son is taken for the person of the righteous, and the younger for [the person] of the sinners that turn. And the whole texture of the parable was framed because of the Pharisees, the Lord instructing them not to be vexed at the reception of sinners, even if they themselves were righteous, but rather to bear with the well-doing and salvation of those who, having turned to God from being sinners, are looked upon graciously by him.