Power And Corruption

Ὡς ὁ πλοῦτος τοὺς οὐ προσέχοντας ἐκτραχηλίζειν εἲωεν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἀρχή. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ εἰς πλεονεξίαν, αὕτη δὲ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἄγει. Ὄρα γοῠν τὸ ἀρχόμενον πλῆθος τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὑγιαῖον, τοὺς δὲ ἄρχοντας διεφθαρμένους. Ὅτι γὰρ οὕτοι αὐτῷ ἐπίστευον, λέγουσι μὲν συνεχῶς οἱ εὐαγγελισταὶ, ὅτι Πολλοὶ ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου ἐπίστευσαν αὐτῷ. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἠπίστουν. Καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγουσιν, οὐχὶ ὁ ὄχλος, Μὴ τις τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν; Ἀλλὰ τί φησι; Τὸ πλῆθος, οἱ μὴ εἰδότες τὸν Θεὸν, ἐπικατάρατοί εἰσι. Τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἐπικαταράτους ἔλεγον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ ἀναιροῦντας, συνετούς. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία ΞϚ’ Source: Migne PG 59.365

As wealth will ruin those who are not prudent, so it is with power. The first leads into covetousness, the second into pride. See how the subject multitude of the Jews is sound and the rulers are corrupt. For the Evangelists continually tell us that the former believed in Christ, saying, 'Many of the multitude believed in Him,' 1 but the rulers did not believe. And it is they themselves, not the multitude, who say, 'Has any of the rulers believed in Him?' But what says one of them? 'The multitude do not know God, they are accursed.' 2 They call the believers accursed, and themselves, the slayers, wise. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, from Homily 66 1 Jn 7.31 2 Jn 7.48-49