The Glory Of A Man

Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἢ ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀποθνήσκειν αὐτὸν λήψεται τὰ πάντα. Εἶδες ἀκρίβειαν λέξεως καὶ διαίρεσιν σαφεστάτην; Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ', Ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἕτερον δόξα ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἕτερον δόξα οἴκου. Τί τοίνυν δόξα ἀνθρώπου, καὶ τί δόξα οἴκου; ∆εῖ γὰρ ταῦτα εἰδέναι σαφῶς, ὥστε μὴ τὰ ὀνείρατα πρὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀσπάσασθαι. Οἴκου μὲν οὖν δόξα στοαὶ, περίπατοι, χρυσοῦς ὄροφος, ἔδαφος ψηφίσι καλλωπισθὲν, λειμῶνες, παράδεισοι, ἀνδραπόδων ἀγέλαι, τὰ ἔπιπλα τὰ πολυτελῆ, ὧν οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ἀνθρώπου δόξα, πίστις ὀρθὴ, ζῆλος ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν, ἀγάπη, πραότης, ἐπιείκεια, ἡ ἐν εὐχαῖς ἐκτένεια, ἡ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης φιλοσοφία, σωφροσύνη, κοσμιότης, τὰ λοιπὰ ἅπαντα τῆς ἀρετῆς μέλη. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, ὁ μὲν ἐκεῖνα κεκτημένος οὐ καρποῦται τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν δόξαν, οὐδ' ἂν κληθείη τις καλὸς, ἐπειδὴ οἰκίαν ἔχει καλὴν, ἢ παράδεισον, ἢ λειμῶνα, ἢ πλῆθος ἀνδραπόδων, ἢ ἱματίων πολυτέλειαν. Τὸ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν ἅπαν περὶ τὸ κτῆμα ἵσταται, οὐ διαβαῖνον πρὸς τὸν ἔχοντα. Τὴν γὰρ οἰκίαν θαυμάζομεν, καὶ τὸν παράδεισον, καὶ τὸν λειμῶνα, καὶ τῶν ἱματίων τὸ κάλλος, ἃ τῶν ἐργασαμένων τῆς τέχνης ἐστὶν ἐγκώμιον, οὐ τῆς τῶν κεκτημένων ἀρετῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν τῆς κακίας ἀπόδειξις. Τοσοῦτον γοῦν ἀπέχει τούτων ἡ φύσις τῶν κτημάτων τοὺς ἔχοντας δόξῃ περιβαλεῖν, ὅτι καὶ λυμαίνεται αὐτὴν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς. Καὶ γὰρ ὡς ὠμοὺς καὶ ἀπανθρώπους καὶ βαναύσους καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἀλλοτρίους, οὕτως ἅπαντες κωμῳδοῦσι τοὺς ἐν τούτοις τὴν περιουσίαν ἐπιδεικνυμένους· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου δόξα ταῦτα, καθὼς εἶπον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ οἴκου· τοὺς μέντοι ἐν σωφροσύνῃ ζῶντας, κοσμιότητι, πραότητι, ἐπιεικείᾳ, τῷ Θεῷ μετ' ἀκριβείας ἀνακειμένους, αὐτοὺς θαυμάζομεν, ἐπαινοῦμεν, ἀνακηρύττομεν, ἐπειδήπερ αὕτη ἀνθρώπου μάλιστά ἐστιν ἡ δόξα. Ταῦτα γοῦν εἰδότες, μηδένα ζηλωτὸν εἶναι νομίζετε τῶν ἐκεῖνα περιβεβλημένων, ἃ μηδὲν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔχει κοινόν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Εἰς Τον ΜΗ' Ψαλμον Source: Migne PG 55.513-514

Do not wonder when man is made rich, or when the glory of his house is multiplied; because when he dies he takes none of it. 1 Observe how carefully the words here make a wise distinction. For it does not say: 'When his glory is multiplied' but 'the glory of his house,' indicating that the glory of a man is one thing and the glory of his house is another. What, then, is the glory of a man and what is the glory of a house? It is necessary to know these things clearly least we embrace a dream for the truth. The glories of a house are porches, colonades, golden ceilings, floors adorned with precious stones, meadows, gardens, flocks of servants, expensive furnishings, of which nothing pertains to a man. The glory of a man is correct faith, zeal for God, love, meekness, mercy, perserverance in prayers, impartial liberality in alms, chastity, modesty, and all the other parts of virtue. And so learn that these things have their place, that he who possesses the former, gains no glory from them, nor is he called eminent, when he has fine buildings, or gardens, or fields, or crowds of servants, or precious garments. For all wonder being for what is possessed, it is not given to the possessor. For we praise a house, a garden, a meadow, a beautiful piece of clothing, and by that we commend the art of it, by which it was fashioned, but it is not a work of his virtue, but all that is his is a revelation of evil. For these things which are possessed do not take away the nature of him who has them but rather it impairs it with pride. For they are cruel, inhumane, vile, and utter strangers to philosophy, and so by what they possess they expose themselves as perfect targets for ridicule. So a man's glory is not in these things, as I said, but that is the glory of a house. Those who pass their lives in chastity, modesty, meekness and mercy , who devote all things to God, we wonder at them, we praise them, we preach them, for certainly this is the glory of a man. Think him not blessed, then, who has the former things and has nothing in common with the latter. Saint John Chrysostom, On The Psalms, from Psalm 48 1 Ps 48.17