Preface #

¹ I, a sinner and the least of all, more foolish than the rest and more ignorant than anyone, dare to urge you by frequent letters to continue in the path of holiness and righteousness—not because I trust in my own righteousness, nor because I possess wisdom or am renowned for knowledge, but solely because of the love I have conceived in my heart and mind according to God, which compels me for your sake. This love urges and provokes me, sinner and ignorant though I am, to speak in such a way that, although I do not know how to speak, I cannot remain silent. I would wish, and I would gladly prefer, that you might receive instruction from those whose wisdom is more abundant, whose eloquence is greater, whose knowledge is richer, and whose conscience is freer from every stain of sin—those who could rightly instruct you with their words and their example. For as for me, besides the fact that the darkness of foolishness and ignorance has so blinded my mind that it cannot understand or speak anything divine, my conscience also accuses me of all my sins, to the extent that, even if it could receive some light, it hides it away. And thus, not only do I have nothing to say, but even what I do have, I cannot bring forth with confidence, for my conscience prevents me.

² Still, while you may seem more advanced and better than I, be content for now with my simple admonitions, and forgive me out of love—the kind of love that does not look at what it gives or seek what it does not possess, but gladly shares all that it has. Look not so much at the appearance of the gift, but at the intention of the heart; consider carefully what could be denied to you by one who was able to give everything she had. She would have given even what she did not have, if she could, who was able to give all that she did have. Therefore, he is only slightly thirsty who cannot be satisfied for the moment with the water of a flowing brook until he reaches a fuller and purer fountain. Nor do I think someone is truly hungry if, when he has coarse bread, he waits instead for fine white loaves. So you too, dearest sister—whom I am certain hungers and thirsts greatly for the things of heaven—chew for now the coarse bread until you find the white loaves made of fine wheat; drink the water of the small and muddy stream until you may drink from the more abundant and purer source. And do not let our bread, though it may seem rustic, displease you. For rustic bread may appear unrefined, but it is more nourishing and satisfies the hungry stomach more quickly, and strengthens the weary, more than that which seems fine and white. So now I will speak as I am able, and explain, as best I can, what it means to act in a Christian way. And I find no more fitting place to begin than to first discuss the very name “Christian,” and explain why a person is called a Christian.

Chapter One: The Name and Dignity of the Christian; the Duty of the Christian #

¹ No wise or faithful person is unaware that “Christ” means “Anointed.” It is well known that those who were anointed were always holy men, worthy enough before God, and none other than prophets, priests, or kings. So great was the mystery of that anointing that, among the Jewish people, not everyone received it—only a few among many were deemed worthy. This continued until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom God anointed with the oil of gladness—that is, with the Holy Spirit—above all his companions. From that time onward, those who believe in Him and are cleansed by the sanctification of His baptism are all anointed—not just a few, as was the case under the Law—but all are made prophets, priests, and kings.

² We are reminded by the example of His anointing what kind of people we ought to be—so that those who possess such a holy anointing may also live a life no less holy. For from the sacrament of this anointing comes the name and title of both Christ and all Christians—that is, those who believe in Christ. Anyone who does not imitate Christ bears that name in vain. For what good is it to be called something you are not, and to lay claim to a name that does not belong to you? But if it delights you to be called a Christian, then live as Christ did, and rightly claim the name of Christian for yourself. Or do you perhaps desire not to be one, but only to be called one? That is shameful and pitiful indeed—wanting to be called what you are not. No one truly comes to Christ just to be called a Christian without being one. Whoever is called a Christian professes that Christ is his Lord. And he truly has Christ as his Lord if he obeys and serves Him in all things. Otherwise, he is not a servant of Christ, but a mocker and deceiver—someone who claims to be His servant while refusing to serve Him. A double judgment, then, awaits such a person: both for mocking God—whom he falsely called his Lord—and for the seriousness of his sin.

Chapter 2: Sinners; God does not immediately punish for two reasons; God’s kindness toward humanity #

¹ But the long patience of the merciful God causes many unbelievers, shameless people, and the unfaithful to sin boldly, so that they do not believe God to be the avenger of their sins, because He does not immediately choose to punish the sinners. Miserable and ungrateful, careless of their own salvation, they even blame God for the fact that their destruction is delayed—ignorant that, by God’s providence, they are spared for two reasons: first, so that His long patience may be for the benefit of the human race; and second, so that He may not be thought impatient if He were to condemn sinners right away. For if He were not so patient, the origin of the human race would have long since ceased to exist. Nor would we have any righteous people from among sinners, if God wished to punish those who sin immediately. For we know and have read about some who were formerly held guilty by many and various kinds of sins—either because of the blindness of ignorance, or out of unfaithfulness, or deceived by the vanity of youth—and who, through the most merciful patience of God who bore with them, were afterwards converted from their error and performed even greater works of righteousness than the sins they had previously committed.

² For God does not forgive sins, but delays punishment; nor does He save the persistent sinner from death, but patiently waits so that, even if late, the sinner might be converted and live. As the blessed Apostle Peter says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfil His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”. For He, like a loving, kind, and merciful Father, does not strike you immediately, so that you might recognize how great His mercy is toward you, how abundant His compassion is—He prefers to wait for you, a sinner and ungodly person, and to save you once converted, rather than to punish you while sinning. As the Lord Himself speaks through the prophet, and declares through the kindness of His own voice how much mercy and compassion He wants to show to man, saying: “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all My statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?”.

³ And elsewhere, “The wickedness of the wicked shall not harm him, on whatever day he turns away from his wickedness”. And again, “Return, you rebellious children, and I will heal your brokenness”. See how God warns and urges you to turn from your sins, even if late, so that you may be saved. See how He encourages one already subject to death to live; how gently and mercifully He invites, so that He does not even deny the compassion of a father to sinners. He still calls them His children, even though they have lost God as their Father through sin—just as He Himself, in another place, bears witness with a tearful and sorrowful lament that He has lost sinners, saying, “I have become childless, I have lost my people because of their sins”. From this, then, understand how greatly God loves you—He would rather that you live than perish. And yet you despise and reject Him, the One who loves you more than you love yourself, the One who wants you to live even when you wish to die? The Lord says, “I do not desire the death of the wicked, but that they turn from their ways and live”. You, then, wanted to die by sinning; but He wants you to live by turning back. O foolish one, O irreverent and ungrateful soul, who will not even agree with God in this—He who wants to show you mercy; who would rather save you by His compassion than let you perish by your sin!

Chapter 3: Those Who Abuse God’s Mercy Are Punished Even in This Life; Unjust Judges #

¹ Let no one, then, flatter himself for this reason; let no one deceive himself with foolish and empty suspicion; let no one feel secure and free to sin simply because the wrath and judgment of God do not immediately fall upon sinners. Let him not think that he has sinned without consequence just because he is not instantly struck down. Rather, let him recognize that God is delaying His judgment, not ignoring the sin; and that His wrath, not His mercy, will come upon sinners suddenly and without warning, as it is written: “Say not, I have sinned, and what harm has befallen me? For the Most High is a patient repayer”, and elsewhere, “Do not delay to turn back to the Lord, and do not put it off from day to day; for His wrath will come suddenly”. This is fulfilled in many people, upon whom, because of their excessive sins, the wrath of God comes both in this life and is reserved for the next. But no one perceives this, no one understands; nor does anyone who suffers misfortune consider that it has been brought upon him because of his sins. Instead, he imagines that what he has endured is due more to the course of nature than to the guilt of his crimes. And so God does not seem to be punishing sinners in the present, because when He does punish, it is not recognized as such.

² For there are many whom no one understands, who—because of the multitude of their sins—are already being judged in this life before the day of judgment. Or let someone tell us: has he ever seen a sacrilegious man, a murderer, a thief, a fraudster, an adulterer, or someone guilty of other crimes live to old age? We see many examples ourselves, by which we can clearly prove that the wicked and impious, once they have reached the end of their sinning, are judged even now in this life, and that this present life is denied them just as surely as the life to come.

³ But this can be more easily understood by anyone who has, through various periods of time, awaited the downfall of unjust and wicked rulers. The higher their power, the greater their audacity in sinning—since they believe they are permitted to do whatever they are capable of doing. And because they do not fear the judgment of others while they themselves sit in judgment, they rush headlong into sin. Thus it comes to pass that those who do not fear human judgment in their wrongdoing come to feel the judgment—and vengeance—of God.

⁴ Among these, some who had frequently shed the blood of the innocent eventually experienced the judgment of God so severely that they were later forced to shed their own blood—the very ones who had so eagerly spilled the blood of others. Others, having committed similar crimes, were struck down by God’s indignation in such a way that they lay unburied, becoming food for wild beasts and the birds of the air. Still others, who had unjustly slaughtered countless multitudes, were themselves torn to pieces, limb from limb, so that the number and severity of their own punishments matched the multitudes they had caused to perish.

⁵ And many women were made widows by the unjust execution of their husbands under such rulers’ judgment, and many children were left orphans by the murder of their fathers—children who, beyond the grief of their loss, were driven into poverty and destitution. For these tyrants added to their impiety and cruelty yet another wrong: they not only killed the fathers but also plundered the children of the dead. Now, however, the very same oppressors’ wives are widows, and their children are orphans, begging daily for bread from strangers.

⁶ Does it not seem to you that in them has been fulfilled the testimony of God, who warns and says: “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows and your children orphans”? O shameful injustice! O wicked crime! O cruelty too great to bear! Two of the most savage and monstrous evils are committed at once: murder is done so that robbery may follow. Husbands are killed, fathers are slain, in order that widows may be more easily despoiled and orphans robbed. And so each man rejoices at another’s death, as though he himself were not also destined to die one day.

⁷ It is right, therefore, that God is stirred by such cruelty and godlessness. It is right that He sometimes reveals His judgment even before the appointed time. It is right that life—neither in the present nor in the age to come—is granted to such people. By their example, we are warned not to think that even in this life the wicked and impious can escape God’s judgment.

Chapter 4: That God punishes the sinner once a fixed number of sins is completed #

¹ It is more fitting for us to believe that each person is upheld by God’s patience until they have filled up the measure and limit of their sins; but once that measure is complete, they are immediately struck down, and no further opportunity for forgiveness remains. That there is indeed a fixed number and measure of sins is revealed by the testimony of God Himself. And it is clearly shown that each person is judged sooner or later depending on when they complete the measure of their sins. This is most plainly demonstrated when God speaks to Abraham about the destruction and burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, whose sins had already reached their full measure: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very grave”.

² But what does He say about the Amorites, whose sins were not yet complete, and who, as is well known, were destroyed many years after the aforementioned cities had been burned? “The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete”. By this example, we are clearly instructed and taught that each person reaches their end according to the fullness of their sins, and that God sustains them in the hope of their conversion only as long as they have not yet completed the full sum of their offenses.

³ Let no one deceive themselves, I say, let no one be misled: God does not love the wicked, He does not love sinners, He does not love the unjust, the greedy, the cruel, the impious. Rather, He loves the good, the just, the devout, the humble, the innocent, the meek. As it is written: “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; Evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; You hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies”.

Chapter 5: Swift death comes to the wicked as punishment, to the good as deliverance #

¹ But someone might ask: “Why do we see good people dying alongside the wicked?” The good do not perish—they escape. They are freed from the company of the wicked and from persecution, and they are brought into rest. It is truly the wicked who die and are lost, for when they depart from this world, they go on to await even harsher judgment and punishment.

² The righteous are called away before their time, so that they may no longer be tormented by the wicked. Meanwhile, the wicked and godless are removed so they can no longer persecute the good. The just are summoned from pressure, tribulation, and distress into rest; but the impious are torn from their indulgence, wealth, and pleasures and taken to punishment.

³ For the righteous go forth to judge, but the wicked to be judged; the righteous to be vindicated, the wicked to suffer vengeance. As it is written: “But the righteous man, though he die early, shall be at rest”; and again: “He was taken away, lest wickedness change his understanding”; and again: “Because his soul was pleasing to God, He hastened to take him away from the midst of wickedness”; and again: “Their departure seemed to be disaster, but they are at peace”.

⁴ You see, then, that the dissolution of the body is for the righteous and the worshippers of God not a punishment, but a rest. When they are dissolved, they are set free rather than destroyed. Therefore, the faithful neither fear nor dread this dissolution, but rather long for and desire it—understanding it to bring them rest, not punishment. But the wicked, the impious, and those aware of their own crimes rightly fear it by a natural instinct, because they know that in it they are to be judged. For this reason, given this understanding, we ought by no means to sin—especially since we know that judgment for sinners is both present now and reserved for the future.

Chapter 6: It is shameful to claim the name “Christian” falsely; Who is a true Christian #

¹ Let us not flatter ourselves merely because we are called Christians. Rather, we should believe that we will also be judged for this very reason—if we claim a name that does not truly belong to us. Who would be so unbelieving, so faithless, so stubborn, so obstinate, or so reckless as not to fear the wrath and indignation of God the Judge, which will come one day? Or at least, let such a person feel some shame before human custom. Consider how senseless, how foolish, how ridiculous even the pagans would judge someone to be, who is so vain and deluded that he takes on a name that is not his own.

² After all, who is so foolish and pitiable as to dare to call himself a lawyer when he can’t even read? Who would be so mad and mindless as to claim to be a soldier but not know how to use a weapon? No one takes on a title without a reason. If someone is called a shoemaker, it’s because he makes shoes. If someone is called a blacksmith or a craftsman, it’s because he has skill in his trade. If someone is called a merchant, it’s because he sells at a higher price what he bought for less.

³ From examples like these, we understand that no one rightly bears a name without action; every name must correspond to what one does. So then—how can you be called a Christian, if there is no Christian action in you? “Christian” is a name of righteousness, goodness, integrity, patience, chastity, wisdom, humility, compassion, innocence, and devotion. So how do you claim and defend that name for yourself when, out of so many qualities, hardly any can be found in you? A true Christian is not one in name only, but one in deed. He is the one who imitates and follows Christ in everything—who is holy, innocent, undefiled, and untouched by corruption. In his heart, there is no place for malice; only goodness and piety reside there. He knows no desire to harm or injure anyone, but strives to help all. That is the Christian: one who, following Christ’s example, does not even hate his enemies, but instead does good to those who oppose him and prays for his persecutors and adversaries.

⁴ Indeed, whoever is willing to harm or injure someone is lying if he claims to be a Christian. A true Christian is one who can truthfully say, “I have wronged no one. I have lived justly with all people.”

Chapter 7: God has always been pleased by justice and offended by injustice; Enoch was taken up into immortality #

¹ But let no one think or believe that I speak from my own opinion, or suppose that what I say can be easily dismissed as something uttered by personal choice rather than by the authority of the Law. I will now begin to present examples from the Law itself—by which the path of life is made known to us—both the old and the new, and show what God has commanded humankind to observe from the very beginning of the world, that which has always either pleased or displeased Him.

² For I read that after Adam—who was the first formed by God, though now is not the time to speak of him—Cain and Abel were brothers, born at the beginning of the world. Of these, one pleased God because he was innocent and just; the other, because he was unjust and harmful, could not be pleasing to God. Later, in the course of time, Scripture testifies that Enoch was truly righteous. His righteousness was so great that he did not experience death, but was taken up from among mortals and granted immortality in a singular way. By his example it is shown that one just person is more beloved by God than many sinners.

³ Noah too was a just man. We know what his righteousness achieved: that he and his family alone were granted life when the whole world was condemned through the flood. And what Abraham attained through the merit of faith and righteousness, Scripture clearly bears witness: that at that time, he alone was called God’s friend on earth, because he alone had been found righteous.

⁴ As for Lot, when all the inhabitants of Sodom were perishing in fire, was it not also the merit of righteousness that led to his deliverance? It would take too long to go through each case and recount the merits of them all.

Chapter 8: God afflicted the Israelites with many miseries to teach them works of piety; The Fulfillment of the Law #

¹ It is fitting for us to understand how God instructed the Jewish people, whom He first chose for Himself from among all nations through the seed of Abraham, and what He commanded them to do and observe in order to be pleasing to Him.

² First of all, He caused them to leave the land in which they had always desired to dwell, and, abandoning their homeland, He led them into a foreign country—namely, Egypt. I do not believe this happened without purpose, nor without the providence of God. Rather, I think the reason was this: because God had chosen His people, wishing to educate them in mercy, piety, justice, and other good works, He wanted them to live for a time as strangers and captives in a foreign land. In this way, they might learn the hardship and suffering of exile and captivity, so that later, when they encountered others who were strangers or afflicted, they might more easily show mercy—having first experienced the miseries of exile themselves.

³ For no one shows compassion to a foreigner and a sojourner as readily as one who knows the trials of exile. No one welcomes a homeless stranger so willingly into their own home unless they themselves once depended on the hospitality of others. No one feeds the hungry or gives drink to the thirsty so generously as one who has personally endured hunger and thirst. No one clothes the naked so easily with their own garments as one who has known the pain of cold and exposure. No one rushes to help the afflicted, the poor, and the burdened more eagerly than someone who has been through tribulations, miseries, and toil.

⁴ Therefore, with good reason, God—who is the teacher of mercy and piety and who would later give the Law through which He would command His people to practice mercy, piety, and every good work—first willed that they endure all kinds of oppression, suffering, and hardship in a foreign land. In doing so, they might more easily show compassion to others who suffer and be more ready to obey His commandments. You might compare Him to a good farmer, who, before sowing seed, spends a long time preparing the soil with plough and hoe, lest the seed he entrusts to it be lost. In the same way, God tempers and disciplines His people for a long time before entrusting them with the seed of life-giving commandments.

⁵ Finally, so that it may be more clearly evident that he endured these things for this very reason, let us look at the commands of the Lord Himself. He says, “You shall not wrong or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt”. And again, we read: “The Lord your God is the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He defends the cause of the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, giving them food and clothing. You shall love the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt”. And elsewhere, it says: “When you harvest your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; that is why I am commanding you to do this”.

⁶ From this, it is easy to perceive and recognize that the people were afflicted with all these hardships for this very reason: that through their own example, they might be taught to show mercy to others. As it is written: “By such works you taught your people that the righteous must be kind”. Thus, it is abundantly clear what kind of people God wants His own to be—and through many examples, it is shown by what kind of works they may gain His favour.

⁷ But so that what we’ve said does not seem insufficient to reveal His will, let us also join to it the precepts of the Law and the Prophets. In this way, we can confirm—through the witness of both the Old and the New Law—what pleases God, what has always pleased Him, and what He has repeatedly commanded to be done and observed. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength; and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” That this is the chief commandment of the Law and the Prophets is confirmed by the testimony of our Lord and Saviour Himself, who said, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

⁸ This cannot be abolished or changed: in these two commandments—love of God and love of neighbour—lie the entire content and essence of the Law and the Prophets. Whoever is able to fulfil these has fulfilled the Law. For in truth, the Law seeks nothing else than that you love God and your neighbour. And truly, he is the one who both fulfils and keeps the Law, who sins neither against God nor against his neighbour.

Chapter 9: Whom one ought to love—What kind of people God’s people should be #

¹ But I must by no means pass over or ignore the question of what it means to love God and to love one’s neighbour. A person loves God who obeys all His commandments. A person loves God who keeps His laws and precepts. A person loves God who, as God is holy, also sanctifies himself—just as it is written: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy”. A person loves God who fulfils the word spoken by the prophet: “You who love the Lord, hate evil”. A person loves God who thinks not of worldly things, but of heavenly and divine matters. For God is a lover of holiness, justice, and piety; and whoever does only what God is seen to love, that person truly loves God.

² Indeed, what it means to love God is clearly taught by our Lord and Saviour, who says: “He who hears my words and does them, he it is who loves me”. If, therefore, the one who does what God commands is the one who loves Him, then whoever does not do so does not love Him. Indeed, everyone who does not love, hates.

³ From this, it is clear and evident that those who do not keep God’s commandments are in fact haters of God. Of such people, I believe the prophet spoke when he said: “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? I hate them with perfect hatred; they have become my enemies”. The righteous prophet hates sinners, adulterers, the unjust, and those who scorn the commandments of God. As he says in another place: “I saw the transgressors and was grieved”, and again: “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law”.

⁴ See, then, how just, how pure, and how holy we ought to be—we who are not only forbidden from living wickedly ourselves, but also from recognizing or associating with those who do. This is shown clearly by the blessed Apostle as well, who commanded that even bread should not be shared with sinners, saying: “If anyone who bears the name of brother is found among you to be a fornicator, or greedy, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler, with such a one you must not even eat”.

⁵ God willed that His people be holy—set apart from every stain of injustice and iniquity. He desired them to be so just, so devout, so pure, so without blemish, so sincere, that the nations would find in them nothing to reproach, but rather something to admire, so that they would say: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His inheritance”.

⁶ Such ought to be the character of those who worship and serve God: gentle, dignified, wise, devout, blameless, uncorrupted, and spotless—so that whoever sees them is struck with awe and wonder, and says, “Truly, these are God’s people, for such is their way of life.” The man of God must so conduct and present himself that no one would ever tire of seeing him, that all would long to hear him speak, and that everyone who does see him would be moved to believe he is a child of God. Thus, the words of the Song of Songs are fulfilled in him: “His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether desirable”.

⁷ For if a Christian presents himself otherwise—if a servant of God behaves in such a way that, by his manner of life, he becomes indistinguishable from those who serve demons and idols—then God will begin to be blasphemed because of him. People will say: “Behold this Christian, this so-called servant of God, whose actions are so wicked, whose deeds are shameful, whose conduct is corrupt; whose life is impious, criminal, indulgent, and filthy.” He will become guilty of fulfilling the prophecy: “Because of you, the name of God is blasphemed among the nations”.

⁸ But woe to those through whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed. For there is nothing God more greatly desires or requires of us than that, through our actions, His name may be glorified by all. As it is written: “Offer to God a sacrifice of praise”.

⁹ This, indeed, is the sacrifice God seeks and loves above all burnt offerings: that through the works of righteousness, His name may be praised everywhere, and that He may be proven to be the true God by the deeds and conduct of His servants. Those are the ones who truly love God—who devote themselves entirely to that which glorifies His name.

Chapter 10: Love of neighbour; He both avoids doing harm and takes care to do good; A commendation of innocence #

¹ We have spoken, as best we could, about how God ought to be loved. Now, let us explain, as far as we are able, what it means to love one’s neighbour as oneself. This very principle is briefly discussed elsewhere, where it is said: “Do not do to another what you would not want done to you”. Our Lord and Saviour also says: “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them”. For there is no one who wishes evil to be done to himself by another. Therefore, the one who loves his neighbour as himself is the one who does not wish any harm to come to him—just as he would not want harm for himself—but instead willingly shares any good with him, in the way he himself would wish to receive and obtain good things from all people.

² For it is not enough for a Christian merely to avoid doing harm; he must also actively do good. Even if someone does no evil, but also does no good, he will not be admitted to the reward of eternal life. Instead, he will be consigned to the fires of Gehenna, as we read in the Gospel that the Lord said concerning those who neither do evil nor perform good: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”.

³ “For I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give me drink; I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and you did not visit me; in prison, and you did not come to me”. They are condemned not because they committed evil, but because they failed to do good. From this, any wise and prudent person may recognize how little hope there is for those who actively do evil—since even those who have done no harm are denied life if they have also failed to do good.

⁴ For God does not only require us to avoid evil; He calls us to become good. People are called “evil” because of their evil deeds; likewise, they are called “good” because of their good actions. There are two masters whom people are seen to serve—whether good or evil: the good God, whom all who live rightly serve; and the devil, who is evil, and anyone who does evil is his servant. It is not enough that we cease serving the devil by no longer living in sin; we must also be seen to serve God by living rightly. For anyone who neither seems to do evil nor to do good—whose servant he may be, I do not know. And how can he hope to receive eternal life from God, when he has not earned it by doing good?

⁵ Let no one deceive or delude himself in his own mind; let no one be misled by empty self-conceit. Whoever is not good does not have life. Whoever does not perform works of justice and mercy cannot reign with Christ. Whoever is not humane, compassionate, hospitable, kind, and merciful will not escape the fire of hell. God does not love the wicked; He does not take delight in sinners. Whoever commits evil is an enemy of God. Whoever is not without deceit cannot have a share with Christ.

⁶ For there is nothing greater that a Christian should seek, nothing more worthy of desire, nothing for which he should strive with all his strength, than to drive malice out of his heart, to not allow wickedness into the conscience of his soul, to cling to goodness, to uphold justice, and to guard the purity of his mind.

⁷ Be innocent, if you wish to live with God. Be simple and sincere, if you want to reign with Christ. What benefit is there in malice, which leads to death? What good is wickedness, which prevents one from reigning with Christ, and destroys the one who possesses it? As it is written: “An evil soul will destroy the one who possesses it.” If you want to live, listen to what the prophet says. If you love the kingdom of Christ, hear how you may be worthy to obtain it: “Who is the man who desires life and longs to see good days? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” For these are the kind of people God honours and loves—those who do not know evil, who do not lie, whose lips speak no deceit, and in whom there is seen only goodness and purity.

⁸ It is innocence that commends us to God; it is simplicity that allows us to reign with Christ. That God loves only the innocent and desires them to be united with Him is made clear by many testimonies. As it is written in the Psalms: “The innocent and the upright have adhered to me”. And elsewhere it is commanded and said: “Keep innocence, and observe righteousness, for the future belongs to those who seek peace”.

⁹ How much innocence benefits and enriches a person—even if it is acquired late—is confirmed by the testimony of the prophet David. Although he had sinned grievously in the past, he no longer feared judgment once he had come to know innocence, as he himself says: “Judge me, O God, for I have walked in my innocence”. He knew, therefore, that he no longer needed to fear judgment, because even if belatedly, he had come to understand innocence.

¹⁰ And elsewhere he says: “But as for me, because of my innocence, you have upheld me”. God later upheld the one whom He had previously rejected because of his wickedness—now on account of his innocence. It is also clear that the innocent cannot be put to shame before God, as it is said: “Righteousness guards the way of the blameless, but wickedness overthrows the sinner”. Nothing is more worthy of God, nothing more precious in His sight, than for innocence to be preserved in every way. Even if someone appears devout in other works, if they do not have innocence, they flatter themselves in vain with their devotion.

¹¹ If this command was given even to the Jews living under the old Law—at a time when it was still permitted for them to hate their enemy—how much more ought you, as a Christian who is commanded to love your enemy, to act accordingly? For when will you ever be innocent, or to whom can you be evil, if you are commanded to be good even to your enemies? Yet perhaps you even hate your neighbour, though you are not permitted to hate even a stranger; and you persecute your brother, though you are commanded to love your enemy. And you think yourself a Christian, though you keep neither the commandments of the New Testament nor of the Old?

¹² But so that you may not think yourself a Christian without cause, and flatter yourself on the name alone, listen to what kind of person you ought to be, as the Apostle says: “Let the one who was stealing steal no longer, but rather let him work, doing something useful with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with those in need. Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you can be sure of this: that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is greedy (which is idolatry), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God”.

¹³ Let the one rightly judge himself a Christian who keeps these commandments, who is holy, humble, chaste, and just, and who lives a life devoted to works of mercy and righteousness.

Chapter 11: Whose prayers God does not hear; The one who prays must be just #

¹ Do you really think that person is a Christian, in whom there is no evidence of Christian action, whose life shows no justice but only wickedness, impiety, and crime? Do you think that person is a Christian who oppresses the poor, burdens the needy, covets what belongs to others, and in seeking to make himself rich causes many to fall into poverty; who delights in unjust profits, who feeds on the tears of others, who grows wealthy from the ruin of the wretched; whose mouth is constantly filled with lies, whose lips speak nothing but shameful, obscene, and wicked things; who, when commanded to give from his own possessions, instead seizes what belongs to someone else? And yet such a person boldly approaches the church and rashly, without reverence, stretches out impious hands—hands stained with unlawful theft and the blood of the innocent. And with that defiled and sacrilegious mouth, with which just moments before he had spoken falsehoods or obscenities, he now pours out prayers to the Lord, as if he were unaware of any wrongdoing. What are you doing, shameless and miserable man? Why do you weigh yourself down further with the burden of even greater sins?

² What do you bring to God, except insult and contempt? What are you doing, provoking His anger all the more quickly, by lifting up to God those sinful hands of yours as if they could serve as a testimony on your behalf—hands which He does not even look upon, for He has commanded that only holy and spotless hands be offered to Him? Why do you pray to God with that same mouth which just a moment ago spoke evil? He detests such prayers, no matter how many there are, as it is written: “When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes”.

³ The one who lifts up his hands to God ought to be keenly aware of his own integrity, confident in his innocence, and trustful in his own purity, for the Apostle says, “I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands”. That person truly lifts up his hands to God and offers prayer with a clean conscience who can say: “You know, Lord, how holy, how innocent, how free from all deceit, injustice, and theft are the hands I stretch out to you; how just, how undefiled are the lips with which I pour out prayers to you, lips free from all lies, as I beg you to have mercy on me.” Such a person is quickly heard, and even before he fully completes his prayer, he may obtain what he asks for.

Chapter 12: Almsgiving from Unjust Gain #

¹ I know that there are some whom the deep darkness of wickedness and greed has so blinded, that when they have succeeded in things like overpowering the poor through their influence, crushing the innocent with false testimony, defeating the weak through force, committing theft, or carrying out robbery, they give thanks to God—believing that with His help they have accomplished such deeds—and judge God to be so unjust that they think He has been a partner in their crimes. These people are foolish and wretched, so blinded by their own wrongdoing that they do not understand that what God forbids cannot be pleasing to Him. And as if committing one crime were not enough, they add another by having such wicked thoughts about God. Others believe they justify themselves by giving a small alms from the property of the poor, and from what they have taken from many, they offer a tiny portion to one.

² One person is fed while many go hungry, and from the spoils taken from many, scarcely a few are clothed. This is not the kind of almsgiving God desires, nor does He want mercy to be shown to one person through the cruelty done to another. It is better for you not to give alms at all than to clothe a few by stripping many; better to refrain entirely than to rob the already clothed in order to dress another. God approves of that almsgiving which is given from just labour, as it is written: “honour the Lord with your righteous labours, and offer Him the firstfruits of your justice”. But He detests and rejects the alms that are given at the cost of another’s tears. For what good is it if one person blesses you, when many others curse you? Or what benefit is there for you in that kind of alms which is given from someone else’s property? Is it not truly something to fear, if God supposedly has no means to feed His poor unless you plunder what belongs to others?

Chapter 13: Faith Without Works is Useless; The Apostle’s Teaching on Faith without Works Explained; Another Passage from the Same Apostle; Faith Alone is Not Enough #

¹ But I know others who are so deceived and misled by the dark ignorance of foolishness and lack of discernment that they believe the faith they pretend to have will benefit them before God, even without works of righteousness. By this kind of error, they commit dreadful crimes without fear, because they believe that God punishes only unbelief, not sin itself. And such people are not only content to be lost themselves, but they also try to trap others—those who have no light of divine knowledge—into their snares. And in them is fulfilled the saying of our Saviour: “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit”. For if it is not sin but only unbelief that is condemned, then we may sin freely and without concern.

² And God gave the commandments of righteousness in vain if faith alone, without works of righteousness, is enough. We do not know where such a godless, wicked, and treacherous error of ignorance has crept in, unless perhaps from those who, as an example in the old Law, used to lead the people astray and hand them over with themselves to eternal death and everlasting ruin. Of these it is written: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, for they are deluding you. They speak visions from their own hearts and not from the mouth of the Lord. For they say to those who reject the word of the Lord, ‘Peace will be yours,’ and to everyone who follows his own desires, to everyone who walks in the error of his own heart, they say, ‘No harm will come upon you’".

³ Indeed, we had many—rather, countless—testimonies from the entire Law by which we could destroy and bury such a deadly error. But so as not to weary the reader further, let a few from among the many suffice. Let the one who holds such an opinion answer me this: Adam, the first man, created by God in the beginning of the world—was he condemned because of unbelief or because of sin? I find in him no trace of unbelief, only disobedience, for which he was condemned—and by whose example all are condemned. Likewise, Cain was not condemned for unbelief, but because he murdered his brother. What more? I read that the whole world was destroyed by the flood not because of unbelief, but because of their crimes. As for Sodom and Gomorrah, when they were suddenly consumed by fire, I find no cause of unbelief, only sin and wickedness. Scripture shows this plainly, saying: “The men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners before the Lord”. Was it not because of their sins that the Jewish people were so often destroyed and afflicted?

⁴ But someone might say, “I do not accept testimonies from the Old Law unless you also give me examples from the New Testament.” Then consider Ananias and Sapphira, whom the apostolic judgment condemned not for the crime of treachery, but because of theft and lying. Perhaps you will then say to me, “What, then, does the Apostle mean when he says, ‘For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law’?” The very same man who says this, I read, also condemned a man in his absence because he had taken his father’s wife. Scripture must be understood properly, and it seems to agree in everything for those who have understanding; it only appears to differ for those who least understand it.

⁵ The Apostle says that a person is justified by faith without works of the Law—but not without those works of which another apostle says, “Faith without works is dead”. For the Apostle Paul was speaking about the works of the Law—that is, about physical circumcision, the new moon festivals, the sabbath, and other such practices which the Law had previously commanded but which were no longer necessary in the time of Christ. The other apostle, however, speaks of works of righteousness, which, if a person fails to do, he is dead—even if he pretends to have faith.

⁶ But someone might bring up that word of the Apostle, where he says, “For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved”. Foolish man, this is fulfilled in the time of Baptism, when, in order for someone to be baptized, only faith and confession are required. For what benefit is the washing of Baptism itself to you, if faith alone is sought without righteousness? All believers hold that sins are washed away by faith in Baptism. But if one is going to sin afterwards, what good did the washing do?

⁷ Listen to what the Lord says to the man He once healed: “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you”. Blessed Peter the Apostle clearly teaches the same: that something worse happens to the one who sins after having known the way of righteousness. He says, “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them. What has happened to them is true according to the proverb: ‘The dog turns back to its own vomit,’ and, ‘The sow is washed only to wallow in the mud’”. Blessed Paul the Apostle also bears witness to this and says that a person who sins again after the sanctification of Baptism is not preserved without great repentance. He says, “For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away—since they are crucifying again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt”.

⁸ The evangelist testifies that someone came to the Saviour and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life, and the Lord answered him, “If you want to have life, keep the commandments”. He did not say, “Only keep the faith.” For if faith alone were required, then the commandments would be ordered to be kept in vain. But far be it from me to say that my Lord commanded anything in vain. Rather, it is those who, by sinning, have already become children of perdition who say such things; and they believe their only comfort is if they can drag others with them into eternal death. For if God does not punish the sinner, then where is that prophetic saying, “If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the sinner and the ungodly appear?”, and elsewhere, “For sinners shall perish”? And again, “Let sinners vanish from the earth, and the wicked be no more”, and again, “As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before God”. I do not hear that only the unbelieving or the faithless are condemned here, but sinners. And I read that our Saviour also said in another place, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”.

⁹ Surely, these people believed in Christ, for they even called Him “Lord”; yet the gate of the heavenly kingdom is not opened to them, because they confess Him with their mouths while denying Him by their deeds. But the Apostle has said that God can be denied by actions just as much as by words: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works”. And the Lord says in the Gospel: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’”. These people are said to have believed to such an extent that they even worked miracles in the name of the Lord; yet their faith will not benefit them, because they did not do works of righteousness.

¹⁰ Therefore, if faith alone were sufficient, why are they handed over to the everlasting fires of Gehenna with the angels of Satan—not because of unbelief, but because they did no good? As it is written, “Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food,’” and so on. He did not say, “because you did not believe in me”; from which it is understood that they are condemned not because of unbelief, but because of their lack of good works.

Chapter 14: Who is Truly a Christian #

¹ Let no one deceive another, let no one be led astray: unless a person is righteous, they do not have life. Unless someone keeps all the commandments of Christ, they cannot have any share with Him. Unless one despises earthly things, they will not grasp the heavenly; unless one scorns what is human, they cannot possess what is divine.

² No one should consider themselves a Christian unless they both follow Christ’s teaching and imitate His example. But do you consider that person a Christian whose bread never satisfies the hungry, whose drink never refreshes the thirsty, whose table no one knows, under whose roof neither stranger nor traveler is ever welcomed, whose clothes never cover the naked, whose help never lifts up the poor, whose goodness no one experiences, whose mercy is unknown, who imitates no good person in anything, but instead mocks and sneers, and never ceases to persecute the poor? Let this be far from the minds of all Christians—far be it that such a person should be called a Christian, far be it that someone like this could ever be called a child of God.

³ A Christian is one who follows the path of Christ, who imitates Him in everything, as it is written: “Whoever claims to abide in Christ must walk as He walked”. A Christian is one who shows mercy to everyone, who is never moved to anger by injury, who will not allow the poor to be oppressed in their presence, who helps the suffering, who supports those in need, who mourns with those who mourn, who feels another’s pain as though it were their own, who is brought to tears by the tears of others. Their home is open to all; their door is never closed to anyone. No poor person is a stranger at their table; their food is offered to everyone. Their goodness is known by all, and no one suffers harm from them.

⁴ They serve God day and night, constantly meditating on and reflecting upon His commandments. They become poor to the world so they may be rich toward God; they are thought of as insignificant among people so they may be glorious before God and the angels. Their heart holds nothing false or deceitful; their soul is pure and sincere; their conscience is faithful and clean. Their whole mind is fixed on God, and their entire hope is in Christ. They long more for what is heavenly than for what is earthly, and they scorn what is human in order to gain what is divine. For those who love this present world, who delight in its praise and take pride in the moment, listen to what Scripture says: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world makes themselves an enemy of God”.

Chapter 15: The Three Types of Widows; What Kind of Widow One Should Be in Christ #

¹ Most beloved sister, I have explained to you, as best I could, what it means to live a truly Christian life. If, therefore, this is how all who are called Christians ought to live in general, it is now up to your wisdom to discern what kind of widow you ought to be—one who must serve as an example to all who live uprightly. I trust you are not unaware that there are three types of widows. The first is the most perfect kind, destined for a heavenly reward: she serves God day and night with prayers and fasting, like the widow from the Gospel.

² The second is the one who is said to take care of her children and her household. This type is not as worthy as the first, yet she is not guilty of sin.

³ The third type is given over to feasting and luxury; she is destined for eternal death and punishment. As it is written: “honour widows who are truly widows.” These are the first kind—those who are called true widows and whom the great priest, that is, Timothy, is commanded to honour.

⁴ The second type are those for whom honour is no longer commanded, yet they are not denied life. Of them it is said: “If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents”. As for the third kind, it is written: “But she who lives in self-indulgence is dead even while she lives”. From this, it is clear that not all widows are equal; nor are those pleasing to God who seem to be widows in body only, and not in their actions.

⁵ As for what kind of woman a widow of Christ ought to be, the Apostle says: “But the true widow, left all alone, puts her hope in the Lord and continues in supplications and prayers night and day”. I do not want you to overlook this: when the Apostle refers to “true widows,” he shows that there are also false ones—that is, women who are widows not in body, but in their actions, their minds, and their way of life. Elsewhere, this same Apostle describes the conduct and character of true and chosen widows, saying: “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and well attested for her good works: if she has brought up children”—implied, brought up for God—“if she has shown hospitality, if she has washed the feet of the saints, if she has assisted the afflicted, if she has devoted herself to every good work”.

⁶ He judged this woman to be a true widow, one whose deeds reflect such virtue. But how can a woman claim to be a widow of Christ if she has never done any of these things? There are some, however—rich, noble, and powerful women—who perhaps think it beneath them to raise their children for God rather than for the world, to welcome strangers into their homes, or to wash the feet of the saints—feet that are weary, muddy, and unkempt—and to touch them with their soft and manicured hands. Yet such women will not be worthy in the age to come to be companions of the saints, whom they now scorn. Nor will they have any share with Christ, whom they refused to receive and whose feet they recoiled from touching with their hands. For whoever scorns His servants, scorns Christ Himself, as He says: “Whoever rejects you, rejects me”.

⁷ Mary had tears in such abundance that she could wash the feet of Christ with them. But the women of our time scarcely have even water with which to wash the feet of strangers. So you, most holy and wise woman, do not imitate such people—those who boldly commit evil without shame, but are embarrassed to do good; who are ashamed to live righteously, though they were not ashamed to sin; who once willingly offered themselves over to death, yet now, even when invited, refuse to return to life.

⁸ These are women who fear more the laughter, mockery, and gossip of men than the judgment of God, and who care more to please miserable mortals than to be pleasing to Christ. But you—be the kind of woman the Lord has called you to be, the kind the Apostle commands: as a widow of Christ, be holy, humble, and quiet. Practice the works of mercy and righteousness without ceasing. Let anyone consider you an object of scorn; let them mock and deride you—it does not matter. You must concern yourself only with pleasing God and bearing what is Christ’s. Above all, meditate continually on the commandments of your Lord. Be constant in prayer and in the Psalms, so that—if it is possible—no one may ever find you doing anything but reading or praying. And when you are such a woman, remember us—who love you so dearly that we wish to give you in our absence what we cannot offer you in person.