Scandal Within

Μὴ δὴ σκανδαλιζώμεθα ἐπὶ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς.  Ὅρα γὰρ ἐν προοιμίοις τοῦ κηρύγματος πόσα σκάνδαλα·  οὐ λέγω τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν·  ταῦτα γὰρ οὐδὲν ἦν·  ἀλλὰ τὰ ἔνδον.  Οἷον πρῶτον, ὁ Ἀνανίας, ἔπειτα ὁ γογγυσμὸς, ἔπειτα Σίμων ὁ Μάγος, ἔπειτα οἱ ἐγκαλοῦντες Πέτρῳ διὰ Κορνήλιον, ἔπειτα ὁ λιμὸς, ἔπειτα αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν κακῶν.  Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔνι καλοῦ τινος γινομένου μὴ συνυφεστάναι καὶ πονηρόν.  Μὴ δὴ θορυβώμεθα, εἴ τινες σκανδαλίζονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων εὐχαριστῶμεν τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι εὐδοκιμωτέρους ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ.  Οὐ γὰρ δὴ αἱ θλίψεις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ πειρασμοὶ λαμπροτέρους ἡμᾶς ἐργάζονται.  Ὁ μὲν γὰρ, μηδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ πλανῶντος, τῆς ἀληθείας ἐχόμενος, οὐκ ἂν εἴη σφοδρὸς ἐραστὴς τῆς ἀληθείας·  ὁ δὲ πολλῶν ἀφελκόντων, οὗτος εὐδόκιμος.  Τί οὖν;  διὰ τοῦτο γίνεται τὰ σκάνδαλα;  Οὐ λέγω, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα ποιοῦντος·  μὴ γένοιτο·  ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκείνων πονηρίας εὐεργετοῦντος ἡμᾶς·  ἐπεὶ αὐτὸς οὐδέποτε ἐβούλετο γενέσθαι.  Δὸς αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἵνα ἓν ὦσιν·  ἐπειδὴ δὲ γίνεται τὰ σκάνδαλα, οὐδὲν τούτους βλάπτει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφελεῖ.  Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοὺς μάρτυρας ἄκοντες ὠφελοῦσιν οἱ ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτύριον ἕλκοντες, οὐ μὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὠθοῦνται πρὸς τοῦτο·  οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, μὴ ἴδωμεν ὅτι σκανδαλίζονται. Τοῦτο αὐτὸ τεκμήριον τοῦ σπουδαῖον εἶναι τὸ δόγμα, τὸ πολλοὺς ὑποκρίνεσθαι καὶ μιμεῖσθαι·  οὐ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ καλὸν ἦν, ὑπεκρίνοντο.  Καὶ τοῦτο ἤδη ποιήσω ὑμῖν φανερόν. Τὰ μύρα τὰ εὐώδη ταῦτα ἔχει τοὺς νοθεύοντας αὐτὰ, οἷον φύλλον ἄμωμον.  Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σπάνιά ἐστι καὶ ἀναγκαῖα, πολλὰ καὶ νόθα γίνεται.  Οὐδεὶς οὖν ἂν ἕλοιτο ἄλλο τι τῶν εὐτελῶν νοθεῦσαι.  Ὁ βίος ὁ καθαρὸς πολλοὺς ἔχει τοὺς νοθεύοντας· οὐδεὶς δὲ ἂν ἕλοιτο ὑποκρίνεσθαι τὸν ἐν φαυλότητι. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὑπομηνα Ἐις Τας Πραξεις Των Αποστολων, Ὀμιλια ΛΓ'

Let us not then be scandalised on account of heretics. For see how many scandals there were at the outset of the preaching. I do not speak about those which were without, for these were nothing, but about things within. For instance, first Ananias, 1 then the murmuring, 2 then Simon the magician, 3 and then they who accused Peter on account of Cornelius, 4 then the famine, 5 then this, the head of evils. 6 For no good thing happens but some evil comes along with it. Let us not then be troubled if some are offended, but let us thank God even on account of this, because it makes us more approved. For it is not tribulations alone but even temptations that render us more illustrious. He is no great lover of the truth for holding to it when there is none to lead him astray, but he is proved when many try to draw him away. What then? Is this why scandals come? I do not say that God is creator of them, let it not be, but that even out of wickedness He works good to us. It was never His wish that they should arise: 'Grant to them,' He says, 'that they may be one'; 7 but since scandals do come, they do no harm to these but even benefit them. It is just as the persecutors unwillingly benefit the martyrs by dragging them away to martyrdom, and yet they are not driven to this by God, and so let us not observe here that men are scandalised. And this is itself a proof of the excellence of the doctrine, that many simulate and mimic it, for they would not do so, if it were not good. And this I will now make plain to you. The fragrant spices of perfumes are they which people counterfeit, like the amomum leaf. Since these are rare and necessary, so many spurious imitations arise. Nobody would care to counterfeit any common thing. The pure life has many counterfeits, but no one would want to counterfeit the vicious man. Saint John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles, Homily 33 1 Acts 5. 1-6 2 Acts 6.1 3 Acts 8 4 Acts  10-11 5 Acts 11.28 6 Acts 15 1-5 7 Jn 17:21