The Promise of Paradise to the Thief
“You asked for a slow thing, but I give a swift grace; today you shall be with me in paradise.” Have you seen the salvation of God? Have you seen the benevolence of the Lord? Have you seen the great judge of the truth? “Today you shall be with me in paradise.” Before this, no one among the Jews or the patriarchs heard the promise of paradise from the time that Adam passed through and went out of it; even though God promised ten thousand things to the faithful humans; yet He promised paradise to no one, not even to the thief. Nowhere does the mouth of God appear promising paradise to man after Adam was cast out, or even to this one, the thief first.
Why did He not first say something about paradise to any of the patriarchs, or any of the prophets, or any of the apostles? But to the ancients He promised: “I will give you a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8); to the apostles He says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3); paradise is nowhere; He keeps the paradise in the midst as a promise first to the thief. For when Paul says: “I was caught up into paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4); but this happened after the thief.
Why then did he enter first, having cried out with one voice? For why? Often he sang psalms; often he struggled; often he glorified God; once, he says, “my God is righteous, the victor of salvation”; since He did not cast out the first man Adam from paradise because of many sins, but because of one disobedience; so the yoke of righteousness promised to let the thief enter into paradise first, not having confessed many things, but having brought forward one confession of faith. It is said of Adam's sin, that he touched the tree contrary to the commandment; what is the justification of the thief? That he touched the cross with faith, and entered into paradise. What then happens? The Savior indeed promised salvation; but the time was not, nor...
Greek
Σὺ βραδεῖαν ᾔτησας, ἐγὼ ταχεῖαν δίδωμι τὴν χάριν· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Εἶδες Θεοῦ σωτηρίαν; εἶδες ∆εσπότου εὐεργεσίαν; εἶδες τὸν μέγαν τῆς ἀληθείας δικαστήν; Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Πρὸ τούτου οὐδεὶς ἤκουσεν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἢ τῶν πατριαρχῶν ἐπαγγελίαν παραδείσου, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ Ἀδὰμ παρέβη, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ· καίτοι μυρία ὁ Θεὸς ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοῖς πιστοῖς· καὶ οὐδενὶ ἐπηγγείλατο παράδεισον, ἢ τῷ λῃστῇ· οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεται τὸ στόμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελλόμενον παράδεισον ἀνθρώπῳ μετὰ τὸ ἐκβληθῆναι τὸν Ἀδὰμ, ἢ τούτῳ πρῶτον τῷ λῃστῇ. ∆ιὰ τί μηδενὶ τῶν πατριαρχῶν πρῶτον εἶπε περὶ παραδείσου, οὐδενὶ τῶν προφητῶν, οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων; Ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις ἐπηγγείλατο· ∆ώσω σοι γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι· τοῖς ἀποστόλοις λέγει· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· παράδεισος οὐδαμοῦ· ἐν μέσῳ τηρεῖ τὸν παράδεισον εἰς ἐπαγγελίαν πρῶτον τῷ λῃστῇ. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃ Παῦλος· Ἡρπάγην εἰς τὸν παράδεισον· ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸν λῃστὴν τοῦτο ἐγένετο. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν πρῶτος εἰσῆλθεν ὁ μίαν ὁμοῦ φθεγξάμενος φωνήν; τί γάρ; πολλάκις ἔψαλλε; πολλάκις ἠγωνίσατο; πολλάκις ἐθεολόγησεν; Ἅπαξ, φησί· δίκαιος ὁ Θεός μου, ὁ βραβευτὴς τῆς σωτηρίας· ἐπειδὴ τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον Ἀδὰμ οὐ διὰ πολλὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐξέβαλε τοῦ παραδείσου, ἀλλὰ διὰ μίαν παρακοήν· οὕτως ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ζυγὸς πρῶτον εἰσελθεῖν ἐν παραδείσῳ τὸν λῃστὴν ἐπηγγείλατο, τὸν μὴ πολλά τινα ὁμολογήσαντα, ἀλλὰ μίαν ὁμολογίαν πίστεως προσενεγκόντα. Εἶπον τὸ ἁμάρτημα τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ὅτι ἥψατο τοῦ ξύλου παρὰ τὴν ἐντολήν· τίς ἡ δικαιολογία τοῦ λῃστοῦ; Ὅτι ἥψατο τοῦ σταυροῦ μετὰ πίστεως, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον. Τί λοιπὸν γίνεται; Ἐπηγγείλατο μὲν τὴν σωτηρίαν ὁ Σωτήρ· καιρὸς δὲ οὐκ ἦν, οὐδὲ