Беседа XXXI

“And Terah gave drink to Abram and Nahor 257 his sons, and Lot the son of Arran his son 258, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son: and I brought out of the land of the Chaldeans, and went to the land of Canaan, and came even to Haran, and dwelt there” (Gen. 11:31). 1. I thank you very much for the fact that yesterday you joyfully accepted the teaching on prayer, and (today) flock to listen with such zeal. This makes us more zealous and encourages us to offer you the most abundant spiritual feast. Likewise, a farmer, when he sees that his field is growing in abundance the seeds thrown into it and presents a rich harvest, does not cease to use all his efforts every day, to apply proper care and watch day and night, lest his labors be lost due to something. In the same way, I, seeing that this spiritual field of yours is so green and this spiritual seed has taken root in the depths of your soul, I rejoice and have fun, but at the same time I am very worried, knowing the wickedness of the enemy and accuser of our salvation. Just as sea robbers, when they see a ship filled with many goods and carrying untold wealth, then especially use all their cunning to sink the entire cargo and deprive the swimmers of everything and make them beggars, so the devil, when he sees that (a person) has collected a lot of spiritual wealth, that (he has) fiery zeal, a vigorous mind, and wealth increases every day, he suffers and gnashes his teeth, and, like a robber, walks back and forth, inventing a thousand tricks in order to somehow approach us, expose and rob us, and steal all our spiritual wealth. Therefore, I ask, let us be vigilant, and to the extent that our spiritual acquisition begins to increase, we will try to strengthen our vigilance to the same extent, to block the devil’s access (to us) from everywhere, and, having attracted God’s favor to ourselves through a good life, we will put ourselves above the devil’s arrows. This is a crafty creature and uses many different intrigues: when (the devil) cannot directly entice us to evil and ensnare us by deception, he does not do violence, does not force, no, but only deceives, and when he sees that we are careless, he lays a stumbling block for us - so, when he does not have time to clearly harm our salvation through sins, then often with the very virtues that we perform, secretly deceiving us, he destroys all our wealth. What do these words of mine mean? We need to express this more clearly so that we, having recognized his intrigues, can avoid harm from them. So, when he sees that we are not easily persuaded to obvious sin, that we, for example, run away from intemperance and love chastity, also turn away from covetousness, hate unrighteousness, neglect pleasures, but devote ourselves to fasting and prayers and care about alms, then he already invents another trick by which he could destroy all our wealth and make so many of our virtues fruitless. To those who, with great difficulty, have already managed to overcome his machinations, he inspires them to think highly of their virtues and seek glory from people, in order to thereby deprive them of true glory. In fact, whoever performs spiritual deeds and (for them) seeks human glory, here already receives a reward for himself and no longer has a debtor in God. Having received praise from those from whom he sought glory, he deprived himself of the praise promised by the Lord, since he preferred temporary glory from people like himself to praise from the Creator of the universe. And the Lord himself, first of all, taught this about prayer, almsgiving, and fasting: when you fast, He says, “anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to a man to fast, but to your Father who is in the secret: and your Father who sees in the secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:17-18). And again: “When you give alms, do not sound the trumpet,” he says, “in front of you, as the hypocrites do in congregations and in hundreds, so that they may be glorified by men. Amen, I say to you, they will receive their reward” (Matthew 6:2). You see how he who seeks glory here is deprived of the glory there, and how, on the contrary, he who practices virtue according to this commandment and tries to hide it from people will clearly receive a reward from the Lord on that terrible day. “Your Father,” it is said, “sees in secret, will reward you in reality”; those. do not think that not a single person has praised you and that you are secretly doing virtue; no, think about the fact that, a little later, the generosity of the Lord will be so great that He will glorify and crown and reward you for your deeds of virtue, not secretly, not hidden, but before the entire human race, starting from Adam to the end of the world. What kind of apology will those deserve who, although they have undertaken the work of virtue, but, because of temporary, insignificant and vain glory from people like themselves, have deprived themselves of heavenly glory? 2. So, please, let us be careful, and if we manage to accomplish any spiritual deed, let us try in every possible way to hide it from everyone in the recesses of our soul, so that we may receive praise from the unceasing eye (of God), and so that, because of human glory and because of often flattering praise, we do not become unworthy of glory from the Lord. It is equally detrimental and harmful to our salvation to perform spiritual deeds for the sake of human glory, and to have a high opinion of the virtues we have accomplished. Therefore, one must be vigilant and careful, and constantly use the aids of Divine Scripture, so as not to surrender to these destructive passions 259. Let someone perform countless deeds and create every virtue; but if he begins to think highly of himself, he will be the most pitiful and unhappy person. We know this from what happened to the Pharisee, who was so magnified before the publican - and suddenly became lower than the publican; who, having scattered with his tongue all the wealth of his virtues, exposed himself and deprived himself of everything, and suffered a strange and extraordinary shipwreck: having already entered the very pier, he sank all his cargo. Truly, to suffer this from a prayer performed incorrectly means the same as to suffer a shipwreck in the pier itself. That is why Christ gave this commandment to his disciples: “Whenever you have done everything, say, as we are unbreakable servants” (Luke 17:10), in order to protect them through this and remove them from this destructive passion. Do you see, beloved, that just as someone who pursues human glory and does good deeds only because of it does not receive any benefit, so someone who has accomplished all the virtues, if he dreams of them, loses everything and is left with nothing? Let us, please, avoid disastrous passions and look only at that never-ending Eye; Let us not covet anything from people, let us not seek praise from them, but let us be content with praise from the Lord. (To the believer), it is said, “praise does not come from man, but from God” (Rom. 2:29). And the more we succeed in virtue, the more we will try to humble ourselves and be modest. Even if we have ascended to the very top of virtues, if we conscientiously compare our good deeds with the blessings of God, we will clearly see that our virtues do not equal the slightest part of what God has done for you. This is what 260 made each of the saints famous for. And in order for you to be convinced of this, listen to the teacher of the universe, this heavenly soul like him, after performing such virtues, after such a testimony about him from above - “for a vessel,” it is said, “he is My chosen one” (Acts 9:15) - does not forget about his sins, but constantly carries them in his mind, just as he does not allow himself to forget even about what, as he was absolutely sure, he had already received forgiveness in baptism, but cries out and says: “I am an apostle, and not worthy to be called an apostle” (1 Cor. 15:9). Then, so that we might know the full depth of his humility, he added: “for the first time they persecuted the Church of God.” What are you doing, Pavel? The Lord, in His mercy, has forgiven and made amends for all your sins, and do you still remember them? So, he says, I know and am sure that the Lord has freed me (from sins): but when I think about my deeds and look at the abyss of God’s love for mankind, then I am completely convinced; that (only) by His grace and love for mankind I am what I am. Having said: “I am not worthy to be called an apostle, for they persecuted the Church of God,” he added: “by the grace of God I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). That is, although I showed so much anger on my part, His ineffable goodness and mercy granted me forgiveness. Do you see a soul that is contrite and constantly remembers its sins committed even before baptism? We will also imitate this (apostle) and, daily remembering the sins we committed after baptism, we will constantly keep them in our minds and will never allow ourselves to forget about them. This will be quite a strong bridle for us to humble and tame us. And what do I say about Paul, such a great and lofty man? Do you want to see how the Old Testament (the righteous) were glorified most of all by this same thing, i.e., that, after performing countless deeds and already having ineffable boldness (before God), they humbled themselves? Listen to how the patriarch, after a conversation with God, after the promise given to him, said about himself: “I am earth and ashes” (Gen. 18:27). 3. But since I mentioned the patriarch, then, if you wish, let us offer today’s reading to your love, so that, having explained it, we can see the extraordinary greatness of the virtue of this righteous man. “And Terah gave water to Abram and Nahor his sons, and Lot... his son’s son 261, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and I brought him out of the land of the Chaldees and went to the land of Canaan, and came even to Haran, and dwelt there. And all the 262 days of Terinah lived in Haran for two hundred and five years, and she died... in Haran” (Gen. 11:31–32). Let us, please, listen carefully to these words so that we can comprehend the meaning of what is written. Now, at the very beginning, there is already confusion in these words. This blessed prophet, i.e. Moses said that “Tarah gave water to Abram and Nahor, and brought him out of the land of Chaldeans to the land of Canaan, and came to Haran and settled there.” And blessed Stephen, in his speech to the Jews, says: “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham who was in Mesopotamia, before he even dwelt in Haran:... and from there, after the death of his father, he drove him away” (Acts 7:2, 4). What then? Does Divine Scripture contradict itself? Yes it will not; but we must conclude from this that since the son (Abraham) was God-loving, God, appearing to him, commanded him to move from Mesopotamia. Having learned about this, Terah, his father, although he was an unbeliever, out of love for his son, decided to go with him, came to Harran, lived there and died. It was then that the patriarch, by the command of God, moved to the land of Canaan. And indeed, God did not bring him out of Haran until after the death of Terah. It was then, after the death of Terah, “and the Lord said to Abram, “Go away from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and go 263 to the land that I will show you.” And I will make you into a great language, and I will bless you, and I will magnify your name, and you will be blessed. And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you: and all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you” (Gen. 12:1-3). Let us carefully consider each of these words in order to see the God-loving soul of the patriarch. Let us not ignore these words, but let us consider how difficult this command is. “Get out,” he says, “from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.” Leave, he says, what is known and reliable, and prefer the unknown and unprecedented. See how from the very beginning the righteous man was taught to prefer the invisible to the visible and the future to what was already in his hands. He was not commanded to do something unimportant; (commanded) to leave the land where he had lived for so long, to leave all his kinship and his entire father’s house and go where he did not know or care. (God) did not say to which country he wanted to resettle him, but with the uncertainty of His command he tested the piety of the patriarch: “Go,” he says, “to the land that I will show you.” Think, beloved, what a sublime spirit, unpossessed by any passion or habit, was required to fulfill this command. In fact, if even now, when the pious faith has already spread, many cling so tightly to their habit that they would rather decide to transfer everything than to leave, even if it was necessary to have the place in which they had previously lived - and this happens not only with ordinary people, but also with those who have retired from the noise of everyday life, who have chosen the monastic life - then all the more natural was this righteous man to be upset by such a command and to hesitate in fulfilling it. “Go away,” he says, leave your relatives and your father’s house, and “go to the land, even I will show you.” Who wouldn't be confused by such words? Without declaring to him either a place or a country, with such uncertainty (God) tests the soul of the righteous. If such a command had been given to someone else, an ordinary person, he would have said: so be it; you command me to leave the land where I now live, my kinship, my father’s house; but why don’t you tell me the place where I should go, so that I know at least how great the distance is? How do I know that that land will be much better and more fruitful than this one that I will leave? But the righteous man did not say or think anything like that, and, looking at the importance of the command, he preferred the unknown to what was in his hands. Moreover, if he did not have an exalted spirit and a wise mind, if he did not have the skill to obey God in everything, he would have encountered another important obstacle - the death of his father. You know how often many, because of the coffins of their relatives, wanted to die in the places where their parents ended their lives. 4. So for this righteous man, if he were not very God-loving, it would be natural to think about this too, that my father, out of love for me, left his homeland, abandoned his old habits, and, having overcome all (obstacles), came even here and, one can almost say, died because of me in a foreign land; and I, even after his death, do not try to repay him in kind, but retire, leaving my father and his coffin along with his family? However, nothing could stop his determination; love for God made everything seem easy and comfortable to him. In fact, if he wanted to settle down according to human considerations, he could have thought this: I’m already at this age and approaching old age: where will I go? I didn’t take my brother with me, I don’t have a single relative with me, but I separated from all my half-blooded ones: how can I go as a lonely wanderer in a foreign direction, not knowing where the end of my wanderings will be? And if I have to die in the middle of this road, what will be the use of all these worries? Who will bury me, an old man, a wanderer, a rootless, a homeless man? Will my wife beg my neighbors to show me some kind of compassion and fulfill her last duty with the help of a voluntary collection and offering? Isn’t it much better to spend this short time here that we still have left to live, rather than in my old age wandering here and there, and being ridiculed by everyone, because even at this age I cannot live in peace, but I change place after place and don’t stop anywhere? This righteous man did not think anything of the sort, but hastened to fulfill God’s command. But perhaps someone will say that the words (of God) were enough to motivate him to do this: “Go into the land, I will show you, and I will make you a great language, and I will bless you” (Gen. 12:1-2). But these words in particular could, if he had not been a lover of God, make him colder to fulfilling the command. He could have said if he had been one of the ordinary people: why are you sending me to a foreign land and telling me to go to a foreign land? Why, if you want to make me great, don’t you make me great here? Why don’t you give me Your blessing when I live in my father’s house? What if, before I reach the place where you command me to go, I have to become upset and die from exhaustion from the difficulties of the journey? What good will this promise do to me? However, he did not even want to think of anything like that, but, like a dutiful slave, he only cared about fulfilling the command; He was not curious, did not question, but obeyed and was quite sure that the promises of God were not false. “And I will make you a great language, and I will bless you, and I will magnify your name, and you will be blessed.” Great promise! “I will make you,” he says, “into a great language, and I will bless you, and I will magnify your name.” Not only will I place you over a great nation and make your name great, but I will also bless you and you will be blessed. Do not think, beloved, that there is an identity in these words: “And I will bless you, and you will be blessed.” This means: I will honor you with such a blessing that it will last forever. You will be so blessed that everyone will consider it the greatest honor to become related to you. Look at how early (God) predicted for him the celebrity in which He wanted to place him. “I will make you,” he says, “a great language, and I will magnify your name, and I will bless you, and you will be blessed.” That is why the Jews, boasting about the patriarch, tried to show their kinship with him, and said about themselves: “We are children of Abraham.” But so that they know that, due to their evil morals, they are not worthy of this kinship, Christ tells them: “Because they were children of Abraham, they quickly did the works of Abraham” (John 8:39). And John, the son of Zechariah, when those who wanted to be baptized flocked to the Jordan, said to them: “Birth of vipers, who told you to flee from the coming wrath? Create fruit worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say: 264 fathers and imams of Abraham: for I say to you, that God is able even 265 from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:7-9). Do you see how great the name of this patriarch was for everyone? But now, while this has not yet come true, only the piety of the righteous is shown, as i.e. he believed the words of God and accepted everything that seemed difficult easily. “And I will bless,” he says, “those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse: and all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.” Look also at God’s condescension, at what kindness (the Lord) shows to the patriarch. Those, he says, I recognize as my friends who will be sincerely disposed towards you, and as enemies - those who will be at enmity against you. And children hardly try to make sure that they have the same friends and enemies as their fathers. So, very great, beloved, is God’s favor towards the patriarch! Those, he says, I will bless who bless you; And I will curse those who curse you, “and all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.” Here's another gift! All, he says, the tribes of the earth will try to be blessed by your name, and they will place their best glory in bearing your name. 5. Have you heard, beloved, what commands the Lord gave to the Chaldean, an old man who did not know the law, had not read the prophets, and had not received any other instruction? Do you see how important these commands are? What high and valiant soul was required to fulfill them? Look at the obedience of the patriarch, as Scripture depicts it to us. “And Abram went,” he says, “as the Lord God said to him 266, and Lot went with him.” It is said not simply: “Abram went,” but: “as the Lord God said to him,” - i.e. he fulfilled everything that was in the command. God told him to leave everything, both kinship and home - and he left. He told him to go to a land he did not know - he obeyed. He promised to “create” him “into a great language” and bless him - he believed that this too would come true. In a word, “as the Lord” God spoke to him, so he “went”, i.e. He believed the words of God, without any hesitation or doubt, and went with a strong spirit and determination: for this he received great favor from the Lord. “And he went,” it is said, “and Lot was with him.” Why, when God said: “Get out from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house,” why did he take Lot? Not out of disobedience against the Lord, but of course because (Lot) was young and (Abraham) took his father’s place; and even he, out of love for him and (Abraham’s) meek disposition, did not want to be separated from the righteous man: for this reason Abraham does not want to leave him. In addition, he already looked at him as a son, because, even having reached that age, he did not yet have his own children due to Sarah’s barrenness. And the disposition of this young man did not differ much from the disposition of the righteous man. The very fact that he (Lot), meaning the two brothers, joined the righteous man, shows that he had enough intelligence to judge and decide to which of his uncles he would entrust his fate. And the determination to set off on the road represents new proof of good morality (of Lot): although he later sinned somewhat when he took the best part of the land for himself (Gen. 13:11), he nevertheless tried to follow in the footsteps of the righteous man. That is why the righteous man took him as his companion, and he readily exchanged his home life for a wandering one. Further, so that we know that the Lord commanded this to the patriarch not in his youth, but when he had already come to old age, when people for the most part are rather averse to travel, the Scripture says: “Abraham was seventy-five years old when he came out of (the land of) Haran” (Gen. 12:4). You see how neither age nor anything else that could tie him to home life served as an obstacle to him; on the contrary, love for God conquered everything. Thus, when the soul is cheerful and attentive, it overcomes all obstacles, everything rushes towards its favorite object, and no matter what difficulties present itself to it, it is not delayed by them, but everything runs past and stops not before achieving what it wants. That is why this righteous man, although he could have been restrained by old age and many other obstacles, nevertheless broke all his bonds and, like a vigorous youth and not delayed by anything, hastened and hastened to fulfill the command of the Lord. And it is impossible for anyone who decides to do something glorious and valiant to do it without arming himself in advance against everything that might hinder such an enterprise. The righteous man knew this well, and leaving everything without attention, without thinking about habit, or kinship, or his father’s house, or his (father’s) tomb, or even his old age, he directed all his thoughts to only how he could fulfill the command of the Lord. And then a wonderful sight presented itself: a man in extreme old age, with his wife, also elderly, and with many slaves, was moving, not even knowing where his wandering would end. And if you also think, by the way, about how difficult the roads were at that time (then it was impossible, as now, to freely pester anyone and thus make the journey with convenience, because in all places there were different authorities, and travelers had to go from one owner to another and almost every day move from kingdom to kingdom), then this circumstance would have been a sufficient obstacle for the righteous if he had not had great love (for God) and the readiness to fulfill Him commandment. But he tore all these obstacles apart like a cobweb and, strengthening his mind with faith and submitting to the greatness of the Promised One, set off on his journey. “And Abram gave water,” it is said, “to Sarai his wife, and to Lot his brother’s son, and to all his possessions, the 267 tree in Haran; and came forth to go to the land of Canaan” (Gen. 12:5). 6. Notice the thoroughness of Scripture with which it tells us everything, so that from everything we learn the piety of the righteous. “And they watered,” he says, “Sarah his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all... the tree of wealth in Harran.” It is not without reason that it is said: “all ... the wealth of the money-grubber is in Harran” - so that they know that the patriarch did not take anything with him from Chaldea, but, leaving all this father’s estate to his brother, he left with only what he could acquire in Harran. And this wonderful man took this with him, not because he valued his property or was covetous, but so that he could prove to everyone with his property that God cared for him. The One who brought him out of the land of the Chaldeans and then ordered him to move from there, Himself multiplied his property every day and eliminated all trouble. Thus, the very fact that Abraham took this property with him and carried it all the way served as proof of his spiritual piety. Anyone who saw him probably wanted to know the reason for such a journey of the righteous man. Then, having learned that he was moving to a foreign land, leaving his property (in his homeland), by the command of God, he himself became convinced of how pious the obedience of the righteous man was, and how great God’s providence was for him. “And he went out,” it is said, “to go to the land of Canaan.” How did he know that his wandering would end in the land of Canaan, when the command said: “Go to the land, and I will show you?” Maybe God revealed this to him too, showing his spirit the land in which he wanted to settle him. In fact, God, when he gave him the command, said so vaguely: “Go into the land, and I will show you,” in order to reveal to us the virtue of the righteous. Then, since Abraham readily did everything that was required of him, God immediately gave him information about the land in which he wanted to make a home for him. Foreseeing the greatness of the virtue of the righteous man, God therefore called him from his home (his father’s) and did not order him to take even his brother with him, because he wanted to make him a teacher now for all the inhabitants of Palestine, and soon afterwards for the Egyptians. Do you see that both virtue and vice depend not on nature, but on our free will? The patriarch and Nahor were brothers by nature, but not so by their disposition. On the contrary, Nahor, despite the fact that his brother had reached such virtue, still remained in error; and this one actually showed everyone his success in godly virtue every day. And he came, it is said, to the land of Canaan 268, “and Abram went through the land for the length of it, even to the place of Shechem, to a tall oak tree” (Gen. 12:6). Scripture shows us the very place in the country (Canaan) in which the righteous now settles. Then, so that we know what situation this country was in, he says: “The Canaanites then lived on the earth.” Blessed Moses made this remark not without a purpose, but so that you would recognize the wise soul of the patriarch and from the fact that he, since these places were still occupied by the Canaanites, had to live like a wanderer and wanderer, like some outcast poor man, as he had to, having, perhaps, no shelter. And yet he did not complain and did not say: what is this? I, who lived in such honor and respect in Harran, must now, as a rootless man, as a wanderer and a stranger, live here and here out of mercy, seek peace for myself in a poor refuge - and I cannot get this either, but am forced to live in tents and huts and endure all other disasters! Is this what the words mean: “Go and I will make you into a great language”? A great start for me so far! What good things can we expect next? No, the righteous man, even in this situation, did not allow himself to say anything like that or to come into doubt; on the contrary, relying on the promises of God with all his heart and with full faith, he remained unshakable in spirit, for which he soon received consolation from above. 7. But so that we do not continue the teaching too much, let us stop here and finish the word, asking your love that you imitate the spiritual disposition of this righteous man. Truly, it will be extremely strange if, while this righteous man, being called from (his) land to a (foreign) land, showed such obedience that neither old age, nor other obstacles we have counted, nor the inconveniences of the (then) time, nor other difficulties that could stop him, were able to keep him from obedience, but, having broken all his bonds, he, the old man, ran and hurried like a vigorous youth, with wife, nephew and slaves, to fulfill the command of God; we, on the contrary, being called not from earth to earth, but from earth to heaven, will not show the same zeal in obedience as the righteous, but will present empty and insignificant reasons; and we will not be carried away by the greatness of (God’s) promises, nor by the unimportance of what is visible, as earthly and temporary, nor by the dignity of the Caller; on the contrary, we will show such inattention that we will prefer the temporary to the always abiding, the earth to the sky, and we will place the thing that can never end lower than that which flies away before it appears. How long, tell me, will we, for example, show such greed in collecting money? What kind of madness is this - every day to be carried away by this painful passion and never feel full, but to be almost worse than drunk? Just as drunks, the more wine they drink, the more they inflame their thirst and the stronger they kindle the fire, so those who indulge in a strong passion for money never calm down, but the more they receive, the more the flame (of passion) rises in them and the furnace burns hotter. Don’t we see what happened to those who lived before us, how they, having taken possession, so to speak, of the entire universe, were taken away from here naked and without everything, only to be subjected to account and punishment for everything? The property (of a money lover) is often divided among many, and he alone takes away the sins he has committed because of this property, is subjected to painful punishment for them and does not find any consolation in anything. Why, tell me, do we not care about our own salvation, and think of our soul as if it were someone else’s? Do you not hear how Christ says: “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” And again: “What good is it for a man if he ... gains, but loses his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). What can you compare to a soul? Name the entire universe and then you won’t say anything. In fact, “what good is it,” as Christ said, to gain “the whole world” and harm our soul, which has nothing closer to us? And we will leave her, so precious, she, about whom we should care so much, in such neglect that she suffers every day, now besieged by love of money, now tormented by intemperance, now humiliated by anger, and outraged differently by each passion - and we will not take any care for her, although it is too late? Who will finally honor us with forgiveness or deliver us from the punishment that threatens us? Therefore, I ask that while we still have time, let us wash away its filth with abundant alms and extinguish the flame of our sins with it. It is said: “Water quenches a burning fire, and sins are cleansed through alms” (Sir.3:30). And indeed, nothing else can save us from the fire of hell like generous (alms). If we serve it according to the prescribed commandment, i.e. not out of boasting, but out of love for God, then we will be able to wash away the filth of our sins, and be counted worthy of God’s love for mankind, the grace and generosity of His Only Begotten Son, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Zlat.: τὸν ᾿Αβρὰμ καὶ τὸν Ναχὼρ. τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ according to Cottonian., Dorofeev. and other sp. and contrary to Lucian. and ev. t., where instead it reads: τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ - “his son.” Zlat.: ᾿Αῤῥαν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ; to Alex instead. and Lucian. sp. υἱὸν τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ – “the son of his son,” as in Hebrew. T.; this last reading is also found in Chrysostom in section 3. this conversation. those. love of glory and arrogance. those. humility and modesty. Zlat.: Λὼτ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ υἱοῦ αυτοῦ . Zlat.: πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι contrary to Alex., Lucian. and other sp., as well as Heb. text where πᾶσαι – “everything” is missing; in these sp. the name of Abraham's father is written Θάρα, in Zlat. Θάῤῥα. Zlat.: καὶ δεῦρο according to Lucian. and Bodleian. sp., contrary to Alex. etc., where this word is not readable. Zlat.: μὴ δόξητε λέγειν with the omission of the words: ἐν ἑαυτοῖς - “in itself.” Here at Zlat. before: ἐκ τῶν λίθων added: καὶ, not readable in Greek. sp. Gospels. Zlat.: Κύριος ο Θεὸς according to sp. Dorothea and others others, contrary to Alec. and Lucian. sp., where it is read, in accordance with Hebrew. text, one: Κύριος - “Lord”. The words: “and every soul who has acquired money”, in the text of Zlat. Min's are omitted. Zlat.: καὶ ῆ᾿λθε εἰς γῆν Χαναὰν; these words found in Hebrew. text, omitted in the translation of the 70 (Field. Origenis Hexapla) and in Lucian. lists (with the exception of 82nd from “Holmes”); they are read by Zlat. according to Alex. (ἦλθον – “came”), Cottonian. (ἦλθεν: “arrived”, in the sp. Dorothea: ἐξῆλθε῀ came out) and other sp., in Slav. They also don’t read the Bible. You might be interested in: