God asks according to each one’s means
Palladius: I say so myself. For Christ said this: ‘From the one to whom they have entrusted much, they will ask much’ (Luke 12:48). And clearly the reverse is also true: surely little will be asked of the one who has received less.
Cyril: Look, then, at the matter as it is written in the law, and see God asking of each in proportion to each one’s measure. Being the spring and source of a gentleness and love for humankind beyond words, he sends away none of those who have run to him through faith; he welcomes each with whatever he has, and accepts spiritual offerings, in every case excusing what lies beyond a person’s strength. The law on this point reads as follows in Leviticus: ‘And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: If anyone makes a vow to give the Lord the value of his own life, the valuation of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old shall be this: his valuation shall be fifty didrachms of silver by the holy weight; and for a female the valuation shall be thirty didrachms. If from five years old to twenty years, the valuation of a male shall be twenty didrachms, and of a female ten didrachms. From one month old to five years old, the valuation of a male shall be five didrachms of silver, and of a female three didrachms of silver. And from sixty years old and upward, if it is a male, his valuation shall be fifteen didrachms of silver, and if a female, ten didrachms of silver. But if he is too poor for the valuation, he shall stand before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to what the hand of the one who vowed can afford, so the priest shall value him’ (Leviticus 27:1–8). For some came forward, enrolling themselves with God for consecration and as an offering dedicated to him, and gladly dedicating the sum of didrachms the law had fixed. But if someone was not very well off, that is, one of the humbler sort, the payment was no longer made by the legal scale; instead the priest serving at the time assessed him, and a debt matched to his means was set. This, then, is the plainer account and sense of the letter. But I think it necessary to remind those who attend to the sacred words with the greatest love of learning that Christ, speaking once to the Pharisees, called this very commandment to mind clearly and plainly. For they had turned aside into a debased way of life, one the law did not recognize, and were ‘teaching as doctrines the commandments of men,’ as it is written (Matthew 15:9; Isaiah 29:13), and they came to him saying: ‘Why do your disciples transgress the commandment of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread’ (Matthew 15:2). At once the Savior said to them: ‘Why do you also transgress the commandment of God? For God said, Honor your father and your mother, that it may be well with you (Exodus 20:12). But you say, Whoever says to his father and his mother, “Whatever help you might have had from me is a gift,” shall not honor his father and his mother. And you have made void the commandment of God for the sake of…’ (Matthew 15:3–6)
Greek
{ΠΑΛΛ.} Οὕτω φημὶ καὶ αὐτός· οὕτω γὰρ ἔφασκεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅτι «Ὧ πολὺ παρέθεντο, πολὺ ζητήσουσι παρ' αὐτοῦ·» Δῆλον δὲ ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν ἀληθές· βραχὺ γάρ που πάντως παρὰ τοῦ τὸ ἔλαττον εἰληφότος.
{ΚΥΡ.} Ἄθρει δὴ οὖν τὸ χρῆμα ἐν νόμῳ γραφόμενον, καὶ ἀναλόγως τοῖς ἑκάστου μέτροις, τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ ζητοῦντα Θεόν. Ἡμερότητος δὲ τῆς ἐπέκεινα λόγου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας ὑπάρχων πηγὴ καὶ γένεσις, ἀποπέμπεται μὲν οὐδένα τῶν διὰ πίστεως προσδεδραμηκότων αὐτῷ, προσίεται δὲ μεθ' ὧν ἂν ἕκαστος ἔχοι, καὶ δωροφορίας δέχεται πνευματικὰς, τὸ ἰσχύος ἐπέκεινα παραιτούμενος πανταχῆ. Ἔχει δὲ οὕτως ἡμῖν ὁ ἐπὶ τῷδε νόμος, ἐν τῷ Λευϊτικῷ· «Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωσῆν, λέγων· Λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτοῖς· Ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἂν εὔξηται εὐχὴν ὥστε τιμὴν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἔσται ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ ἄρσενος ἀπὸ εἰκοσαετοῦς ἕως ἑξηκονταετοῦς. ἔσται αὐτοῦ ἡ τιμὴ πεντήκοντα δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου τῷ σταθμῷ τῷ ἁγίῳ, τῆς δὲ θηλείας ἔσται ἡ συντίμησις τριάκοντα δίδραχμα. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀπὸ πενταετοῦς ἕως εἴκοσι ἐτῶν, ἔσται ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ ἄρσενος εἴκοσι δίδραχμα, τῆς δὲ θηλείας, δέκα δίδραχμα. Ἀπὸ δὲ μηνιαίου ἕως πενταετοῦς, ἔσται ἡ τιμὴ τοῦ ἄρσενος πέντε δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου, τῆς δὲ θηλείας, τρία δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀπὸ ἑξηκονταετῶν καὶ ἐπάνω, ἐὰν μὲν ἄρσεν ᾖ, ἔσται ἡ τιμὴ αὐτοῦ πέντε καὶ δέκα δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου· ἐὰν δὲ θήλεια, δέκα δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου· ἐὰν δὲ ταπεινὸς ᾖ τῇ τιμῇ, στήσεται ἐναντίον τοῦ ἱερέως, καὶ τιμήσεται αὐτὸν ὁ ἱερεὺς καθάπερ ἰσχύει ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ εὐξαμένου, οὕτως τιμήσεται αὐτὸν ὁ ἱερεύς.» Προσίεσαν μὲν γάρ τινες, ἑαυτοὺς εἰς ἁγιασμὸν καὶ ἀνάθημα καταγράφοντες τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἀνατιθέντες ἀσμένως τὴν τῷ νόμῳ διωρισμένην τῶν διδράχμων ποσότητα. Εἰ δὲ δή τις εἴη τῶν οὐ λίαν εὐσθενῶν, ἤγουν τῶν ἀσημοτέρων, οὐκέτι μὲν κατὰ νόμους ἡ ἔκτισις ἦν. Δοκιμάζοντος δὲ τοῦ κατὰ καιροὺς ἱερατεύοντος, ὄφλημά τι τοῖς αὐτοῦ μέτροις τὸ ἰσοπαλὲς ὡρίζετο. Αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἡ ἐμφανεστέρα τοῦ γράμματος ἀφήγησις καὶ ἔννοια· ἀναμνῆσαι δὲ δεῖν ἀναγκαῖον ὑπολαμβάνω τοὺς τοῖς ἱεροῖς προσεδρεύοντας λόγοις ὅτι μάλιστα φιλομαθῶς, ὡς τοῖς Φαρισαίοις ποτὲ προσελάλει Χριστὸς, καὶ ταυτησὶ σαφῶς τε καὶ ἐναργῶς διεμέμνητο τῆς ἐντολῆς. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ, εἰς ἐξίτηλόν τινα καὶ οὐχὶ τῷ νόμῳ διεγνωσμένον μεθορμισάμενοι βίον, καὶ διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, προσίεσαν λέγοντες, «Διατί οἱ μαθηταί σου παραβαίνουσι τὴν ἐντολὴν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων; Οὐ γὰρ νίπτονται τὰς χεῖρας, ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίουσι.» Παραχρῆμα δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Σωτήρ· «Διατί καὶ ὑμεῖς παραβαίνετε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς εἶπε, Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται· ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε, Ὃς ἐὰν εἴπῃ τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ, Δῶρον ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς, οὐ μὴ τιμήσει τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα· καὶ ἠκυρώσατε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τὴν