Tombs and Memories

Πολλοὶ γοῦν πολλάκις τοὺς τάφους τῶν οἰκιῶν λαμπροτέρους εἰργάσαντο. Ἢ γὰρ τοῖς πολεμίοις πονοῦσι καὶ ταλαιπωροῦνται, ἢ τῷ σκώληκι καὶ τῇ κόνει, εἰς οὐδὲν δέοντα ταῦτα ἀναλίσκοντες. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῶν οὐδεν περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπιζόντων ᾑ φρόνησις. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθά μοι στενάξαι ἔπεισιν, ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν τὰ μέλλοντα ἐλπιζόντων, κατὰ τοῦτο ἐκείνους μιμοῦνται, τοὺς οὐδεμίαν περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἔχοντας ἐλπίδα, τάφους οἰκοδομοῦντεσ, καὶ λαμπρὰ σήματα ποιοῦντεσς, καὶ χρυσίον κατορύττοντες, καὶ εἰς ἑτερους τὰ ὄντα παραπεμποντες, κατὰ τοῦτο ἐκείνων χείρους ὄντες. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν προσαδοκῶν μετὰ ταῦτα, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀλόγως, ἀλλ' ὅμως διὰ τὸ μηδὲν προσδοκᾷν, περὶ τὰ παρόντα φιλοπονεῖται· σὺ δὲ ὁ τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν εἰδὼς, ἄνθεωπε, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθα ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀπόῥῥητα, κατὰ τὴν ῥῆσιν ἐκείνην τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν, ὁτι 'Τότε οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος,' ποίαν δὲ οὐκ ἂν ὑποσταίης δικαίως κόλασιν, πάντα ἐνταῦθα καταδαπανῶν εἰς τὴν κόνεν, εἰς τὴν τέφραν, είς τὰ σήματα, είς τοὺς πολεμίους, εἰς τοὺς ἐχθρούς; 'Ἐπεκαλέσαντο τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν γαιῶν αὐτῶν.' Ἰδοὺ καὶ ἑτέρας ἀνοίας εἶδος, τὸ περιτιθέναι τὰς προσηγορίας αὐτῶν οἰκοδομήμασι, καὶ ἀγροῖς, καὶ λουτροῖς, καὶ μεγίστην ἐντεῦθεν καρποῦσθαι παραμυθίαν νομίζειν, καὶ τὴν σκιὰν διώκειν ἀντὶ τῆς ἀληθείας. Εἰ γὰρ μνήμης ἐρᾷς διηνεκοῦς, μὴ ὀνόματα περιθῆς οἰκοδομήμασιν, ἀνθρωπε, ἀλλ' ἀναστησον τρόπαια κατορθωμάτων, ἂ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι σοι βίῳ τὸ ὄνομα διατηρεῖ, καὶ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν ἀθάνατον κατασκευάζει σοι τὴν ἀναπαυσιν. Εἰ μνήμης ἐρᾷς καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἐγώ σε διδάσκω τὴν ἀληθῆ καὶ σαφεστάτην ὁδόν· ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελοῦ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀθάνατον ὄνομα ποιεῖ, ὡς ἀρετῆς φύσις. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλοῦσιν οἱ μάρτυρες, δηλοῖ τῶν ἀποστόλων τὰ λείψανα, δηλοῖ τῶν ἐν ἀρετῇ βεβιωκότων ἡ μνήμη. Πόσοι βασιλεῖς πόλεις ἀνέστησαν, λιμένας κατεσκεύασαν, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἐπιθέντες ἀπῆλθον; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἀπώναντο, ἀλλὰ σεσίγηνται, καὶ λήθῃ παραδέδονται. Ὁ δὲ αλιεὺς Πέτρος οὐδὲν τούτων ἐργὰσάμενος, ἐπειδὴ ἀρετὴν μετῆλθε, καὶ τὴν βασιλικωτάτην κατέλαβε πόλιν, ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον λάμπει καὶ μετὰ τελευτήν. Ὅ δὲ σὺ ποιεῖς, καταγέλαστον καὶ αἰσχύνης γέμον. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον σε λαμπρὸν ταῦτα οὐκ ἐργάσεται τὰ μνημεῖα, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταγέλαστον, καὶ τὰ πάντων ἀνοίξει στόματα, γὰρ οἰκοδομαὶ τῷ χρόνῳ δυναμένην σου τὴν πλεονεξίαν λήθῃ παραδοθῆναι, ὥσπερ στῆλαι, καὶ τρόπαιά σου τῆς πλεονεξίας ἐστήκασι πανταχοῦ. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος , Εἰς Τον ΜΗ' Ψαλμον,

For certainly many have built magnificent tombs as dwellings. Either for enemies working and suffering wretchedly, or for worms and dust. For such is the mind of those who have no hope in the future. But here it comes to me to deplore those many of us who having hope for future things imitate them in these matters, those who have not any hope in the future, building sepulchers and raising great memorials, and covering them in gold, that their deeds may be proclaimed to others, and we are certainly worse than them in it, for he who after this life expects nothing, even if he is unreasonable because he expects nothing, loves to expend his labor on present things, but you, O man, who would have our future life, and those ineffable goods, and what is said by the evangelist, 'Then the righteous shall blaze like the sun,' 1 what forgiveness will you seek, who will defend you, that you not justly suffer torment, who here consume everything in dust, ash, in tombs, for the enemy, for the foe? 'They have called their lands by their names.' 2 Behold some type of amenity, some parks and baths are inscribed with a man's name and he thinks to receive great comfort from it, and he pursues a shadow for the truth. If indeed you want a perpetual memorial, O man, do not inscribe your name on buildings but raise up a trophy of righteous deeds, which shall preserve a name for you in this present life, and in the future immortal life rest will be given to you. If you desire remembrance, I shall teach you the way true and clear: Have care for virtue. For nothing makes a name immortal but the possession of virtue. This the Martyrs show, this the relics of the Apostles show, it proclaims their memory that they lived rightly in virtue. How many kings have established cities, fashioned harbours, and on them imposed their own names but they pass away and it does not profit them, but to oblivion they are consigned. Peter was a fisherman and he did not act like them because he sought virtue, and he came to to take the rule of the greatest city, even after death shining more brightly than the sun. But what you do is ridiculous and full of disgrace. These tombs shall not only not give you glory but make you laughable and open the mouths of all against you. For such dwellings in the course of time cast your avarice into oblivion, and they stand like columns and trophies raised against your greed. Saint John Chrysostom, Exposition of the Psalms, Psalm 48 1 Mt 13.43 2 Ps 48.12