Restitution to the neighbor; full justification in Christ
Cyril: …or has wronged his neighbor in anything, or has found something lost and lies about it, and swears falsely about any one of all the things a man may do so as to sin in them, then it shall be, when he has sinned and trespassed, that he shall give back the plunder he seized, or the wrong he did, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost thing he found, in any matter about which he swore falsely; and he shall repay the principal itself and add a fifth to it; to whomever it belongs he shall give it, on the day he is convicted. And for his trespass he shall bring to the Lord a ram without blemish from the flock, at the value of that in which he trespassed. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any one of all the things he did and in which he trespassed’ (Leviticus 6:2–7). Do you see how the way of cleansing runs alike in both cases and is completed by both means? For he repays with increase, and he brings a ram. The law very rightly commanded that offenses against God and offenses against brothers and kinsmen alike must be put away. But justification in Christ is by no means partial; it is rather a complete washing away of whatever tends to stain us. Therefore he also said: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life’ (John 5:24). If, then, the one who through Christ has justification by faith conferred on him has escaped being judged, we are bound to say that he has escaped the charges; and no kind of accusation, I say, could prevail against such a person. For ‘it is God who justifies; who is he that condemns?’ (Romans 8:33–34). So when we answer with deeds to those brothers who have been grieved, we shall find justification in Christ close at hand. So also Zacchaeus the tax collector, when called to apostleship, promised not only that he would follow the one who had called him, but also that he would give back fourfold whatever he had taken by wrong (Luke 19:8). For I think that those who are to make Christ dwell within themselves through the Spirit (Ephesians 3:16–17) must first wash off their filth and first scour away their offenses, and so show him their own soul bright and spotless, just as the divinely inspired Psalmist, having reached this fine state of virtue, cried aloud: ‘My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing and make melody’ (Psalm 57:7). For just as dyes settle into wool when it is clean, but if any trace of dirt remains, what was taken in is at once easily shed and finds no firm hold in it, so too participation in Christ sinks into holy and pure souls, but would not settle at all in those that are not so. ‘For the Holy Spirit of wisdom will flee from deceit,’ as it is written, ‘and will not dwell in a body in debt to sins’ (Wisdom of Solomon 1:4–5). So by making amends to those who have been wronged, and by good deeds that lead to friendship and shear away our brothers’ grief, we shall free ourselves from every charge and gain the forgiveness that is in Christ.
Palladius: You have spoken most rightly.
Greek
ἠδίκησέ τι τὸν πλησίον, ἢ εὗρεν ἀπώλειαν, καὶ ψεύσηται περὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ ὀμόσῃ ἀδίκως περὶ ἑνὸς ἀπὸ πάντων, ὧν ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὥστε ἁμαρτεῖν ἐν τούτοις. Καὶ ἔσται ἡνίκα ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ, καὶ πλημμελήσῃ, καὶ ἀποδῷ τὸ ἅρπαγμα, ὃ ἥρπασεν, ἢ τὸ ἀδίκημα, ὃ ἠδίκησεν, ἢ τὴν παραθήκην, ἥτις παρετέθη αὐτῷ, ἢ τὴν ἀπώλειαν, ἣν εὗρεν ἀπὸ παντὸς πράγματος, οὗ ὤμοσε περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀδίκως, καὶ ἀποτίσει αὐτὸ τὸ κεφάλαιον, καὶ τὸ ἐπίπεμπτον προσθήσει ἐπ' αὐτὸ, τίνος ἐστὶν, αὐτῷ ἀποδώσει ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἐλεγχθῇ, καὶ τῆς πλημμελείας αὐτοῦ οἴσει τῷ Κυρίῳ κριὸν ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων ἄμωμον, τιμῆς, εἰς ὃ ἐπλημμέλησε. Καὶ ἐξιλάσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἔναντι Κυρίου, καὶ ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ περὶ ἑνὸς ἀπὸ πάντων ὧν ἐποίησε καὶ ἐπλημμέλησεν ἐν αὐτῷ.» Ὁρᾷς τῆς ἀποκαθάρσεως ἐν ἴσῳ τρέχοντα, καὶ πληρούμενον δι' ἀμφοῖν τὸν τρόπον; Ἐκτίσει γὰρ δὴ σὺν πλεονασμῷ, καὶ κριοῦ προσαγωγῇ· τά τε εἰς Θεὸν ἐγκλήματα, τά τε εἰς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ ὁμογενεῖς ἀποκρούεσθαι δεῖν ὁ νόμος εὖ μάλα διεκελεύετο. Μερικὴ δὲ οὔτι που δικαίωσις ἐν Χριστῷ, τελεία δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ κατασπιλοῦν εἰωθότος ἀπόνιψις· τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν· «Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται, ἀλλὰ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν.» Εἰ δὲ τὸ κρίνεσθαι διαπέφευγεν, ὁ τὴν ἐν πίστει δικαίωσιν εἰσποιητὴν ἔχων διὰ Χριστοῦ, πᾶσά πως ἀνάγκη λέγειν ὡς διέδρα τὰ ἐγκλήματα· καὶ τρόπος αἰτιαμάτων ἰσχύσειεν ἂν οὐδεὶς, κατά γε τοιοῦδε, φημί. «Θεὸς γὰρ ὁ δικαιῶν, τίς ὁ κατακρίνων;» Οὐκοῦν τοῖς λελυπημένοις τῶν ἀδελφῶν, διὰ πραγμάτων ἀπολογούμενοι, τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ δικαίωσιν ἑτοιμοτάτην εὑρήσομεν. Οὕτω καὶ Ζακχαῖος ὁ τελώνης κεκλημένος εἰς ἀποστολὴν, οὐχ ὡς ἕψεται μόνον τῷ κεκληκότι κατεπηγγέλλετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἠδίκησεν ἀποδώσειν ἐν τετραπλῷ. Χρῆναι γὰρ οἶμαι τοὺς μέλλοντας ἔν γε δὴ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἔνοικον διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ποιεῖσθαι Χριστὸν, προαπονίζεσθαι ῥύπους, καὶ προαποσμήχειν ἐγκλήματα, λαμπρὰν δὲ οὕτω καὶ ἀκηλίδωτον ἀποφαίνειν αὐτῷ τὴν ἰδίαν ψυχὴν, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Μελῳδὸς ἐν καλῷ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀρετῆς γεγονὼς, ἀνεφώνει λέγων· «Ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου, ὦ Θεὸς, ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου, ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ καθαροῖς μὲν οὖσι τοῖς ἐρίοις ἐνιζάνουσιν αἱ βαφαὶ, εἰ δὲ ῥύπου τι μέτεισι λείψανον, εὐαπόβλητον εὐθὺς τὸ εἰσκεκριμένον, καὶ ἀσφαλῆ τὴν ἕδραν οὐκ ἔχον ἐν αὐτοῖς· οὕτω καὶ ἡ Χριστοῦ μέθεξις, ταῖς μὲν ἁγίαις καὶ καθαραῖς εἰσδύεται ψυχαῖς, ταῖς δὲ μὴ οὕτως ἐχούσαις, οὐδ' ἂν ὅλως ἐνιζήσειεν· «Ἅγιον γὰρ πνεῦμα σοφίας φεύξεται δόλον,» κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, «καὶ οὐ κατοικήσει ἐν σώματι κατάχρεῳ ἁμαρτίαις.» Οὐκοῦν θεραπεύοντες τοὺς ἠδικημένους, καὶ τοῖς εἰς φιλίαν κατορθώμασι τὰς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀποκείροντες λύπας, αἰτίας ἑαυτοὺς ἁπάσης ἀπαλλάξομεν, καὶ τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ κερδανοῦμεν ἄφεσιν.
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Ὀρθότατα ἔφης.