Opening the library…

Home Bible Corpus Discover You

Search the Bible

On Works and Alms

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 15

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

15. But you who are such as this, cannot labour in

‹ Section 14 Section 16 ›

the

Church

.

For

your

eyes

,

overcast

with

the

gloom

of

blackness

,

and

shadowed

in

night

,

do

not

see

the

needy

and

poor

.

You

are

wealthy

and

rich

,

and

do

you

think

that

you

celebrate

the

Lord’s

Supper

,

not

at

all

considering

the

offering

,

who

come

to

the

Lord’s

Supper

without

a

sacrifice

,

and

yet

take

part

of

the

sacrifice

which

the

poor

man

has

offered

?

Consider

in

the

Gospel

the

widow

that

remembered

the

heavenly

precepts

,

doing

good

even

amidst

the

difficulties

and

straits

of

poverty

,

casting

two

mites

,

which

were

all

that

she

had

,

into

the

treasury

;

whom

when

the

Lord

observed

and

saw

,

regarding

her

work

not

for

its

abundance

,

but

for

its

intention

,

and

considering

not

how

much

,

but

from

how

much

,

she

had

given

,

He

answered

and

said

,

“

Verily

I

say

unto

you

,

that

that

widow

hath

cast

in

more

than

they

all

into

the

offerings

of

God

.

For

all

these

have

,

of

that

which

they

had

in

abundance

,

cast

in

unto

the

offerings

of

God

;

but

she

of

her

penury

hath

cast

in

all

the

living

that

she

had

.

”

Greatly

blessed

and

glorious

woman

,

who

even

before

the

day

of

judgment

hast

merited

to

be

praised

by

the

voice

of

the

Judge

!

Let

the

rich

be

ashamed

of

their

barrenness

and

unbelief

.

The

widow

,

the

widow

needy

in

means

,

is

found

rich

in

works

.

And

although

everything

that

is

given

is

conferred

upon

widows

and

orphans

,

she

gives

,

whom

it

behoved

to

receive

,

that

we

may

know

thence

what

punishment

,

awaits

the

barren

rich

man

,

when

by

this

very

instance

even

the

poor

ought

to

labour

in

good

works

.

And

in

order

that

we

may

understand

that

their

labours

are

given

to

God

,

and

that

whoever

performs

them

deserves

well

of

the

Lord

,

Christ

calls

this

“

the

offerings

of

God

,

”

and

intimates

that

the

widow

has

cast

in

two

farthings

into

the

offerings

of

God

,

that

it

may

be

more

abundantly

evident

that

he

who

hath

pity

on

the

poor

lendeth

to

God

.

Notes

45
“Corban.” [The note of the Oxford translation is useful in this place, quoting from Palmer, Antiq., iv. 8. But see Pellicia, Polity, etc., p. 237, trans. London, Masters, 1883.]
46
Luke xxi. 3, 4.
47
This is differently read “a widow, a poor widow is found,” etc.; or, “a woman widowed and poor.”