Rejection And Reception

Εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθε, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον. Ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτὸν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι... Πόθεν ἦλθεν ὁ πάντα πληρῶν, καὶ πανταχοῦ παρών;ποῖον κενώσας τόπον τῆς αὑτοῦ παρουσίας, ὁ πάντα τῇ χειρὶ συνέχων καὶ διακρατῶν; Τόπον μὲν οὐδένα ἤμειψεν, πῶς γάρ; τῇ δὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς καταβάσει τοῦτο εἰργάσατο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὢν, οὐκ ἐδόκει παρεῖναι, τῷ μήπω γνωρίζεσθαι, ὕστερον δὲ ἑαυτὸν ἐφανέρωσε, τὴν ἡμετέραν ὑποδῦναι σάρκα καταξιώσας, τὴν φανέρωσιν ταύτην καὶ τὴν κατάβασιν, παρουσίαν καλεῖ. Θαυμάσαι ἄξιον τὸν μαθητὴν μὴ αἰσχυνόμενον ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ διδασκάλου ἀτιμίᾳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν γεγενημένην ἀναγράφοντα ὕβριν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ οὐ μικρὸν τοῦ φιλαλήθους αὐτοῦ τρόπου τεκμήριον. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ τὸν αἰσχυνόμενον ὑπὲρ τῶν ὑβρικότων οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοῦ παροινηθέντος αἰσχύνεσθαι χρή. Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ ταύτῃ μᾶλλον ἔλαμψε, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ὕβριν, τοσαύτην τῶν ὑβρικότων ποιούμενος πρόνοιαν· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀγνώμονες καὶ μιαροὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐφάνησαν, τὸν ἐπὶ τοσούτοις παραγενόμενον ἀγαθοῖς, ὡς ἐχθρὸν ἀπωσάμενοι καὶ πολέμιον. Οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον ἐβλάβησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μὴ τυχεῖν ὧν ἔτυχον οἱ λαβόντες αὐτόν. Οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον ἐβλάβησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μὴ τυχεῖν ὧν ἔτυχον οἱ λαβόντες αὐτόν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία Ι´ Source: Migne PG 59.74-75

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him, but those who did receive Him, He gave power to be sons of God... 1 From where did He come who fills all things and is present everywhere? What place did He leave empty of His presence, He who holds and grasps everything in His hand? He did not exchange one place for another. How could that be? But with His descent to us He did this. For since He was in the world and did not seem to be there because He was not yet known, later He showed Himself by lowering Himself to take up our flesh, which manifestation and descent John calls 'presence.' One may indeed wonder at the disciple who does not blush because of the dishonouring of his Teacher, and that he even candidly sets down the insolence which was directed toward Him. But this is not a little proof of his truth-loving character. And then he who feels shame here, should feel it for those who insult, not for the one insulted. For because of this He shone all the brighter, even after insult, having so much care for those who offered it, while they appeared ignorant and uncouth in all eyes, because they thrust away as an enemy and as one hostile Him who came to bring them such great goods. And not only were they harmed by this, but also in not obtaining what they did obtain who received Him. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, from Homily 10 1 Jn 1.11-12

Considering The Dead

Ἀλλ' ἢ ὅτι οὐδὲ τὸν τυχόντα καιρὸν παραπολλύναι χρὴ, κἂν μυρία τὰ κατεπείγοντα ᾖ, ἀλλὰ πάντων καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων τὰ πνευματικὰ προτιθέναι, καὶ εἰδέναι, τί μὲν ζωὴ, τί δὲ θάνατος. Πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ζῇν δοκούντων νεκρῶν οὐδὲν διαφέρουσιν, ὅταν ἐν κακίᾳ ζῶσι· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνων οὗτοι χείρους. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀποθανὼν, φησὶ, δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας· οὗτος δὲ δουλεύει τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο εἴπῃς, ὅτι Ὑπὸ σκωλήκων οὐ κατεσθίεται, οὐδὲ ἐν λάρνακι κεῖται, οὐδὲ ἀπέκλεισε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, οὐδὲ κειρίαις δέδεται. Καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα χαλεπώτερα ὑπομένει τοῦ τετελευτηκότος, οὐ σκωλήκων αὐτὸν κατεσθιόντων, ἀλλὰ θηρίων σφοδρότερον τῶν παθῶν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτὸν σπαραττόντων. Εἰ δὲ ἀνεῴγασιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ, καὶ τοῦτο πολὺ χεῖρον πάλιν τοῦ μεμυκέναι. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ νεκροῦ οὐδὲν ὁρῶσι πονηρόν· οὗτος δὲ μυρίας ἑαυτῷ συνάγει νόσους, ἀνεῳγμένων αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν λάρνακι κεῖται, πρὸς πάντα ἀκίνητος ὤν· οὗτος δὲ ἐν τῷ τάφῳ τῶν μυρίων κατορώρυκται νοσημάτων. Ἀλλὰ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ σηπόμενον οὐχ ὁρᾷς; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ διέφθαρται καὶ ἀπόλωλε, καὶ πλείονα ὑπομένει τὴν σηπεδόνα. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δέκα ὄδωδεν ἡμέρας· οὗτος δὲ ἅπαντα τὸν βίον δυσωδίας ἀποπνεῖ, στόμα ἔχων ὀχετῶν ἀκαθαρτότερον. Ὥστε τοσοῦτον αὐτοῦ διενήνοχεν ἐκεῖνος, ὅσον ὁ μὲν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως ὑπομένει μόνον φθορὰν, οὗτος δὲ μετ' ἐκείνης καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀσωτίας ἐπεισάγει σηπεδόνα, μυρίας καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐπινοῶν ὑποθέσεις διαφθορᾶς. Ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἵππου φέρεται; Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ κλίνης· καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπὸν, λυόμενον μὲν ἐκεῖνον καὶ σηπόμενον οὐδεὶς ὁρᾷ, ἀλλ' ἔχει τὴν λάρνακα παραπέτασμα· οὗτος δὲ ὀδωδὼς πανταχοῦ περίεισι, καθάπερ ἐν τάφῳ τῷ σώματι νενεκρωμένην ψυχὴν περιφέρων. Καὶ εἴγε ἦν ψυχὴν ἀνδρὸς ἰδεῖν τρυφῇ καὶ κακίᾳ συζῶντος, εἶδες ἂν ὅτι πολὺ βέλτιον ἐν τάφῳ κεῖσθαι δεδεμένον, ἢ ταῖς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν σφίγγεσθαι σειραῖς· καὶ λίθον ἔχειν ἐπικείμενον, ἢ τὸ βαρὺ τῆς ἀναισθησίας πῶμα. ∆ιὸ δὴ μάλιστα τοὺς τούτοις προσήκοντας τοῖς νεκροῖς, ἐπειδὴ οὗτοι ἀναλγήτως διάκεινται, προσιέναι δεῖ περὶ αὐτῶν τῷ Ἰησοῦ, καθάπερ ἡ Μαρία τότε ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τοῦ Λαζάρου. Κἂν ὀδωδὼς ᾖ, κἂν τεταρταῖος ᾖ, μὴ ἀπογνῷς, ἀλλὰ πρόσελθε, καὶ τὸν λίθον ἄνελε πρῶτον. Καὶ γὰρ τότε ὄψει κείμενον, ὥσπερ ἐν τάφῳ, καὶ ταῖς κειρίαις δεδεμένον. Καὶ εἰ βούλεσθε, τῶν μεγάλων τινὰ καὶ περιφανῶν εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. Ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσητε· ἀνωνύμως γὰρ ἐρῶ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα· μᾶλλον δὲ, εἰ καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔλεγον, οὐδὲ οὕτω δεδοικέναι ἐχρῆν. Τίς γάρ ποτε νεκρὸν δέδοικε; Καὶ γὰρ ὅσα ἂν πράξῃ, μένει νεκρὸς ὤν· νεκρὸς δὲ ζῶντα οὐ μικρὸν, οὐ μέγα ἀδικῆσαι δύναται. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν δεδεμένην. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν μεθύωσι διηνεκῶς, καθάπερ οἱ νεκροὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐπιβλήμασιν ἐκείνοις καὶ ταῖς κειρίαις, οὕτω πάντα τὰ αἰσθητήρια ἀποκλείεται καὶ δεσμεῖται. Εἰ δὲ βούλει καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἰδεῖν, ὄψει καὶ ταύτας τῇ γαστρὶ προσδεδεμένας, καθάπερ τῶν οἰχομένων, καὶ περιεσφιγμένας, οὐ κειρίαις, ἀλλ' ὃ πολλῷ χαλεπώτερόν ἐστι, τοῖς τῆς πλεονεξίας δεσμοῖς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀφίησιν αὐτὰς ἐκταθῆναι πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην ἐκείνη, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων κατορθωμάτων, ἀλλὰ τῶν νενεκρωμένων ἀχρηστοτέρας ἐργάζεται. Βούλει καὶ τοὺς πόδας ἰδεῖν συνδεδεμένους; Ὅρα αὐτοὺς πάλιν περιεσφιγμένους φροντίσι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐδέποτε δυναμένους εἰς οἶκον Θεοῦ δραμεῖν. Εἶδες τὸν νεκρόν; βλέπε καὶ τὸν ἐνταφιαστήν. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ ἐνταφιαστὴς τούτων; Ὁ διάβολος, ὁ ἀκριβῶς αὐτοὺς περισφίγγων, καὶ οὐκ ἀφιεὶς λοιπὸν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄνθρωπον φαίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ ξύλον ξηρόν. Ὅπου γὰρ οὐκ ὀφθαλμὸς, οὐ χεῖρες, οὐ πόδες, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδὲν, πῶς ἂν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἄνθρωπος φανείη; Οὕτω καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν ἐσπαργανωμένην ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, καὶ εἴδωλον μᾶλλον ἢ ψυχὴν οὖσαν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν Ἅγιον Ματθαίον Εὐαγγέλιον, Ὁμιλία ΚΖ´ Source: Migne PG 59.348-9

It is needful that no time be lost, though a thousand things press, but before everything, before even the most necessary things, let us attend to what is spiritual, even that we might know both what is life and what is death. For many, even though they seem to live, are no different from the dead, since they live in wickedness. Or rather they are worse than the dead, 'For he that is dead,' it is said, 'is freed from sin,' 1 but this man is a slave to sin. For do not say this to me, that he is not worm-eaten, nor does he lie in a coffin, nor are his eyes closed, nor is he bound in cerements. He suffers these things more wretchedly than the dead, for though no worms devour him, yet the passions of his soul tear him to pieces more fiercely than beasts. And if his eyes are open, this again is much worse than having them closed up. For the eyes of the dead man see no evil, but this man, with his eyes wide open, gathers to himself a thousand infections. And while one man lies in a coffin, unmoved by anything, this man is buried in a tomb of countless diseases. You do not see his body rotting? What of that? Before his body his soul is corrupted and destroyed, and it suffers from a worse rottenness. The body stinks for several days, but for the whole of his life his soul breathes out evil odors, with a mouth more unclean than any sewer. So the one differs from the other, by just so much as this, that the one man suffers that decay that comes of nature, but the other, along with that, brings in that rottenness born of intemperance, every day fashioning a thousand causes of corruption. Is he carried along on horseback? What of that? So the other man is carried along on a bier. And this is worse, that while the one man is not seen by anyone in his rotting state and his decay, but he has a coffin covering him up, the other is going about everywhere with his foul stench, bearing about, as in a tomb, a dead soul in his body. If you could see the soul of a man who is living amid luxury and vice, you would know that it is far better to lie bound up in a tomb than to be wrapped tightly in the chains of sins, and to have a stone laid over you rather than the heavy weight of senselessness. Therefore, above all things, it very much befits the associates of these dead folk who have themselves passed beyond feeling, to approach Jesus on their behalf, as Mary once did for the sake of Lazarus. 2 Though he stinks, though he has been dead for four days, do not despair, but approach and first remove the stone, for then you will see him lying as in a tomb, and bound in cerements. And if you will have it, let it be someone who is great and celebrated whom we present to you in such a manner. But do not fear, for I will speak the example without a name, or rather, if I may mention a name, there need be no fear, for who fears a dead man? Whatever one may do, he remains dead, and the dead cannot harm the living, neither a little or much. Let us then behold the head which has been bound up. For indeed when such folk are always drunk, so are all their senses closed and bound up, just as the dead with their many cloths and cerements. And if you will look to their hands, you shall see these again fixed to their belly, like the departed, and fastened not by the cerements, but with what is far worse, the bonds of covetousness, for they have no allowance to reach their hands out for the giving of alms, or for any other good deed, but rather their hands are made more useless than the hands of the dead. Will you also look to see their feet tied together? See them again fastened with cares, because of which they are never able to hurry to the house of God. Do you see the dead? Look also to the embalmer. Who embalms these folk? It is the devil who carefully binds them up, he who does not allow a man to seem to be a man, but a dried up lump of wood. For where there are no eyes, nor hands, nor feet, nor any other such thing, how can one appear to be a man? Thus see the soul bound up, or rather an image, not a real soul. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, from Homily 27 1 Rom 6.7 2 Jn 11.17-

Wisdom Without Number

Καὶ τῆς συνέσεως αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός... Μὴ ζήτει τοίνυν πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ· καὶ γὰρ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτοῦ ἄπειρος. Διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγε. Τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστι πέρας. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη ἄπειρος, οὕτω καὶ ἡ σύνεσις. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰπὼν, Μέγας ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν, ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ τῆς συνέσεως αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. Καὶ ἡ γνῶσις δὲ αὐτοῦ θαυμαστή· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ· ἐκραταιώθη, οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι πρὸς αὐτήν. Καὶ τὰ κρίματα δὲ αὐτοῦ πάλιν ἁνεξερεύνητα· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Τὰ κρίματά σου ἄβυσσος πολλὴ. Ὅταν τοίνυν καὶ μέγας καὶ δυνατὸς ᾗ καὶ συνετὸς, μὴ περιεργάζου, πῶς ταῦτα ἔσται. Ἀμαλαμβάνων πραεῖς ὁ Κύριος, ταπεινῶν δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἕως γῆς. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσί τινες τῶν ἀνοήτων. Τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅτι τὰ ἄστα οἴδε μετὰ ἀκριβείας; λέγει καὶ τὴν ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων κηδεμονίαν οὕτω γενομένην· καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, βοηθῶν πραέσιν ὁ Κύριος, ἀλλ' ὅ πολλῷ μεῖζων, Ἀναλαμβάνων· ὠς περὶ πατρὸς φιλοστόρψου διαλεγόμενος. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἀναλαμβάνων; Ἀνακτώμενος, φέρων, διαβαστάζων. Εἶδες πάλιν ἐφ' ἐκάτερα τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ἀπηρτισμένην, ἐπὶ τε τὸ αἵρειν τοὺς ταπεινοὺς, καὶ ταπεινοῦν τοὺς ἀπονενοημένους; Οὐχ ἀπλῶς δὲ ταπεινοῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ὑπερβολῆς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἕως γῆς. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Εἰς Τον ΡΜϚ´ Ψαλμον Source: Migne PG 55.476-477

And His wisdom is without number.... 1 Do not seek then how and in what way, for His greatness is without end. So it is said, 'His greatness has no end' 2 And as His greatness is without end, so even His wisdom, and therefore when he says, 'Great is our Lord,' he adds, 'and His wisdom is without number.' And His knowledge is indeed wonderous, therefore he said: 'Your knowledge is too wonderful for me, I am overcome, I cannot grasp it.' 3 And again His judgements are inscrutable, and therefore he has said: 'Your judgments are a great abyss.' 4 When, then, He is great and powerful and wise, do not meddle with how it could be. 'The Lord lifts up the meek, and He crushes down sinners into the earth.' 5 And this lest some say, 'What is it to us that he has flawless knowledge of all the stars?' 6 For he says that He has care for men. And he does not say 'The Lord brings aid to the meek,' but what is much greater,' He lifts them up,' as if he were speaking of a loving father. What is it 'To lift up?' To restore, to bear, to carry. You see again how His power is perfect in both ways? Certainly He lifts up the humble, but He also crushes down those who are mindless. Not only does He crush them down, but he does so utterly, which is expressed by: 'Into the earth.' Saint John Chrysostom, On The Psalms, from Psalm 146 1 Ps 146.5 2 Ps 144.3 3 Ps 138.6 4 Ps 35.7 5 Ps 146.6 6 Ps 146.4

The Need Of Flesh And Blood

Eἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς: ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Ὅταν περὶ πνευματικῶν διαλογώμεθα, μηδὲν ἔστω βιωτικὸν ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς, μηδὲν γὴῖνον· ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀναχωρείτω, πάντα ἐξοριζέσθ τὰ τοιαῦτα, καὶ ὅλοι γινώμεθα τῆη τῶν θείων λογίων ἀκροάσεως μόνης. Εἰ γὰρ βασιλέως ἐπιβαίνοντος πόλει, ἄπας ἀπελαύνεται θόρυβος· πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡμῖν διαλεγομένου, μετὰ πολλῆς μὲν ἠσυχίας, μετὰ πολλῆς δὲ τῆς φρίκης ἀκούειν ἡμᾶς δεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ φρίκης ἄξια τὰ λεγόμενα σήμερον. Καὶ πῶς, ἄκουε. Ἀμὴν, γὰρ, φησὶ, λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ τις μου φάγῇ τὴν σάρκα, καὶ πίῃ μου τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχει ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Ἐπειδὴ ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγον, ὅτι ἀδύνατον τοῦτό ἐστι, δείκνυσιν αὐτὸς οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀδύνατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἀναγκαῖον. Διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει· ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ὁ τρώγων ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου τούτου οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· εἰκος δὲ ἦν αὐτοῖς προσστῆναι τοῦτο, καθώς καὶ πρότερον ἒλεγον, Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανε, καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἀπέθανον, καὶ πῶς σὺ λέγεις, οὐ μὴ γεύσεται θανάτον; τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἔθηκε, λύων τὸ ζητούμενον, καὶ δηλῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἀποθανεῖται εἰς τέλος. Συνεχῶς δὲ στρέφει τὸν περὶ τῶν μυστηρίων λόγον, δεικνὺς τοῦ πραγματος τὸ ἀνακαῖον, καὶ ὅτι αὐτὸ πάντως γενεσθαι δεῖ. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία ΜΖ’ Source: Migne PG 59.261-363

Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.' 1 When we converse of spiritual things, let there be nothing worldly in our souls, nothing of the earth, let all such thoughts be gone and be banished, and let us be completely attentive to the Divine words alone. For if for the coming of a king to a city all disorder is put away, so much more do we have need of great stillness and great awe for hearing when the Spirit speaks. And what is said today is worthy of awe. Hear how it is so: 'Truly I say to you, if a man does not eat my flesh and drink my blood, he has no life in him.' Since they had said that it is impossible, He shows not only that it is not impossible but indeed that it is absolutely necessary. Thus He adds, 'He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.' For since He had said, 'He that eats of this bread shall not die forever,' 2 and it was likely that this would be obstacle for them, as before they said, 'Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead; and how can you say that he shall not taste of death?' 3 so He brings forward the resurrection to solve the question, and to show that such a man shall not die at the end. He continually attends to the reason of the Mysteries, showing the necessity of the deed, and that it must by all means be done. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 47 1 Jn 6.54-55 2 Jn 6.50-52 3 Jn 8.52

An Angel Was Sent

Τῷ μην τῷ ἕκτῳ, φησὶν, ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς παρθένον μεμνηστευμένην ἀνδρί. Ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ τὴν παγκόσμιον μηνῦσαι σωτηρίαν· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ, φέρων τῷ Ἀδὰμ ὑπογραφὴν ἀνακλήσεως· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ πρὸς παρθένον, ἵνα τὴν ἀτιμίαν τοῦ θήλεος εἰς τιμὴν μεταβάλλῃ· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ, ἄξιον εὐτρεπίσαι τῷ καθαρῷ νυμφίῳ τὸν θάλαμον· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ νυμφεύσασθαι τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ πρὸς τὸ ἔμψυχον τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν ἀγγέλων παλάτιον· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ πρὸς παρθένον μεμνηστευμένην μὲν τῷ Ἰωσὴφ, τηρουμένην δὲ τῷ Υἱῷ· ἀπεστάλη δοῦλος ἀσώματος πρὸς παρθένον ἀμόλυντον· ἀπεστάλη ὁ ἁμαρτίας ἐλεύθερος πρὸς τὴν φθορᾶ, ἀνεπίδεκτον· ἀπεστάλη λύχνος μηνῦσαι τὸν ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης· ἀπεστάλη ὄρθρος προτρέχων τοῦ φωτὸς τῆς ἡμέρας· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ δηλῶν τὸν ἐν κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ἐν ἀγκάλαις τῆς μητρός· ἀπεστάλη Γαβριὴλ, δεικνὺς τὸν ἐν θρόνῳ καὶ ἐν σπηλαίῳ· ἀπεστάλη στρατιώτης, βοῶν τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως μυστήριον· μυστήριον γνωριζόμενον πίστει, οὐκ ἐρευνώμενον πολυπραγμοσύνῃ· μυστήριον προσκυνούμενον, οὐ ζυγοστατούμενον· μυστήριον θεολογούμενον, οὐκ ἐρευνώμενον· μυστήριον ὁμολογούμενον, οὐ μετρούμενον. Ψευδο Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Τoν Εὐαγγελισμόν Τῆς ὑπερενδόξου Δεσποίνης ἡμῶν Θεοτόκου Source: Migne PG 50.793

'In the sixth month,' it says, 'the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a virgin betrothed to a man.' 1 Gabriel was sent to make known universal salvation. Gabriel was sent bearing the writ for the recall of Adam. Gabriel was sent to the Virgin so that the dishonor of womanhood might be transformed into honor. Gabriel was sent, as is worthy, to rejoice in the chamber of the pure Bridegroom. Gabriel was sent to betrothe the Creator to creation. Gabriel was sent to the spiritual palace of the King of the angels. Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, who though betrothed to Joseph, will bear the Son. The bodiless servant was sent to the spotless Virgin. He who was free of sin was sent to her untouched by corruption. The lamp was sent to announce the sun of righteousness. The dawn was sent as a herald of the light of day. Gabriel was sent to tell of Him who is in the bosom of the Father, and in the arms of the Mother. Gabriel was sent to show Him who is on the throne and in the cave. This soldier was sent to cry out the secret of the King. The mystery is to be known through faith, not sought out by the inquisitive. The mystery is to be revered, not weighed in the scales. The mystery is to be revealed by Divine contemplation, not by investigation. The mystery is to be confessed, not measured. Pseudo John Chrysostom, On The Annunciation 1 Lk 1.26-27

Noah And Faith

Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ· δι' ἧς κατέκρινε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος. Πίστει, φησὶ, χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε. Καθάπερ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ παρουσίας διαλεγόμενος ἔλεγεν· Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ Νῶε ἐγάμουν καὶ ἐγαμίσκοντο· οὕτω καὶ οὗτός φησιν. Εἰκότως δὲ αὐτοὺς οἰκείας εἰκόνος ἀνέμνησε· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑπόδειγμα τοῦ Ἐνὼχ πίστεως ἦν ὑπόδειγμα μόνον, τὸ δὲ τοῦ Νῶε καὶ ἀπιστίας. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἀπηρτισμένη παράκλησις καὶ προτροπὴ, ὅταν μὴ μόνον οἱ πιστεύσαντες εὑρίσκωνται εὐδοκιμοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ ἀπιστοῦντες τἀναντία πάσχοντες. Τί γάρ φησι; Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Προλεχθὲν ἦν αὐτῷ, φησί. Χρηματισμὸν δὲ τὴν προφητείαν καλεῖ· καὶ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ οὕτως εἶπε· Καὶ ἦν αὐτῷ κεχρηματισμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος· καὶ πάλιν· Καὶ τί λέγει ὁ χρηματισμός; Ὁρᾷς τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸ ἰσότιμον; ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς χρᾷ, οὕτω καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὕτως εἶπεν; Ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι ὁ χρηματισμὸς προφητεία ἐστί. Περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, φησί· τουτέστι, τοῦ ὑετοῦ· Εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτόν. Ὁ μὲν λογισμὸς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ὑπέβαλλεν· ἐγάμουν γὰρ καὶ ἐγαμίσκοντο, ἀὴρ ἦν καθαρὸς, σημεῖα οὐκ ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐφοβήθη ἐκεῖνος· διὸ καὶ οὕτως εἶπε· Πίστει χρηματισθεὶς Νῶε περὶ τῶν μηδέπω βλεπομένων, εὐλαβηθεὶς κατεσκεύασε κιβωτὸν εἰς σωτηρίαν τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ. Πῶς; ∆ι' ἧς κατέκρινε τὸν κόσμον. Ἔδειξεν αὐτοὺς ἀξίους ὄντας κολάσεως, οἵ γε οὐδὲ διὰ τῆς κατασκευῆς ἐσωφρονίζοντο. Καὶ τῆς κατὰ πίστιν, φησὶ, δικαιοσύνης ἐγένετο κληρονόμος· τουτέστιν, ἀπὸ τούτου δίκαιος ἐφάνη, ἀπὸ τοῦ πιστεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐστι γνησίως πρὸς αὐτὸν διακειμένης, καὶ μηδὲν πιστότερον τῶν αὐτοῦ ῥημάτων εἶναι κρινούσης, ὡσπεροῦν ἡ ἀπιστία τοὐναντίον. Ἡ δὲ πίστις εὔδηλον ὅτι δικαιοσύνην ἐργάζεται. Ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς ἐχρηματίσθημεν περὶ γεέννης, οὕτω κἀκεῖνος. Καίτοι γε ἐγελᾶτο τότε, καὶ ὠνειδίζετο καὶ ἐχλευάζετο· ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸς οὐδὲν τούτων εἶδε. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς τὴν πρὸς Ἑβραίους Ἐπιστολὴν, Ὁμιλια ΚΓ' Source: Migne PG 63.159-160

By faith, Noah, being warned of things not yet seen, made fearful, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 1 'By faith,' he says, 'Noah, being warned by God.' As the Son of God, speaking of His own coming, said, 'In the days of Noah they married and were given in marriage,' 2 therefore he here also speak to recall to them an appropriate image. For the example of Enoch was an example only of Faith, 3 but that of Noah, on the other hand, also of unbelief. And this is a complete consolation and exhortation, when not only believers find approval but the faithless suffer the opposite. For what does he say? 'By faith, Noah, being warned...' What is this? He says that it was foretold to him. But why does he call it a Divine communication? 4 For in another place it is also said that it was foretold to him by the Spirit, and again, what does the Divine communication say? 5 Do you see the equal dignity of the Spirit? For as God declares, so also does the Holy Spirit. But for what reason did He speak so? The Divine communication is shown to be a prophecy. Of things not yet seen, he says, that is, of the rain. '...made fearful, prepared an ark...' It was not reason that suggested anything like this, for they were marrying and being given in marriage, the air was clear, there were no signs of anything, but nevertheless Noah feared. He says, 'By faith, Noah, being warned by God of things not yet seen, being moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house.' And then how is it that '...by which he condemned the world?' He showed them to be worthy of punishment, since they were not made sensible even by this preparation. And it says he '...became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith,' which is that he was shown to be righteous by believing God. For this is a soul truly inclined to Him, which judges nothing more worthy of belief than His words, just as unbelief is its opposite. Faith, it is obvious here, works righteousness. For as we have been warned of hell by God, so he was, and yet at that time he was mocked, and he was despised and ridiculed, but he cared not at all for such things. Saint John Chrysostom, On Saint Paul's Letter to The Hebrews, from Homily 23 1 Heb 11.7 2 Luke 17.26-27 3 Heb 11.5, Gen 5.22 4 Lk 2.26 5 Rom 11.4

Trials And Relief

Ἀναμνήσθητί μοι ἐνταῦθα, ἀγαπητὲ, τῆς ἀξίας ἦς ἀπήλαυεν ὁ πρωτόπλαστος πρὸ τῆς τῆς παρακοῆς, καὶ λογίζου τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀγαθότητα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ παράβασις ἐκείνου ἠκρωτηρίασε τὴν δεδομένην ἐξουσίαν, εὗρε δὲ ὁ ἀγαθὸς Δεσπότες ἕτερον ἄνδρα δυνάμενον ἀνακαλέσασθαι τὴν ἀρχαίαν εἰκονα, καὶ διασωζώοντα τῆς ἀρετῆς τοὺς χαρακτῆρας, καὶ πολλὴν περὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἐπιδεικνυμενον, πάλιν εἰς την ἀρχαίαν τιμὴν αὐτὸν ἀνάγει, μονονουχὶ διδάσκων ἡμᾰς δι αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τὸ μέγεθος, ἤν εἶχε πρὸ τῆς παρακοῆς. Ἡ ἀρετὴ τοίνυν τοῦ δικαίου ἐπιλαβομένη της τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, ἀνεκαλέσατο τὴν προτέραν ἀρχὴν, καὶ πάλιν τὰ θηρία τὴν ὑποραγὴν ἑπεγίνωσκον. Ἔνθα γὰρ ἂν ἴδῃ θηρία δίκαιον, ἐπιλανθάνεται τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλὰ τῆς θηριωδίας, καὶ μένεοντα ἐν τῇ φύσει τὴν θηριωδίαν εἰς τὴν ἡμερότητα μεταβάλλει. Καὶ ὅρα τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ Δανιὴλ γινόμενον. Ὑπ γὰρ τῶν λεὸντων κυκλούμενος, ὡσπερ ὑπὸ προβάτων δορυφορούμενος, οὕτως ἁδεως διῆγεν· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ δικαίου παῥῥησία ἐχαλίνου τῶν θηρίων τὴν φύσιν, καὶ οὐκ εἴα τὰ τῶν θηρίων αὐτοὺς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ τρόπον ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος τὴν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων διαγωγὴν μετ' εὐκολίας ἔφερε, καὶ οὔτε ἡ στενοχωρία, οὕτε ἡ τοῦ χρόνου παράτασις, οὔτε τὸ οὕτως ἐγκεκλεῖσθαι, καὶ μήτε τὸν ἀέρα ἀναπνεῖν ναρκῆσαι αὐτὸν παρεσκεύασεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει τῇ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἂπαντα κοῦφα αὐτῷ ἐφαίνετο, καὶ οὕτω διῆγεν ἐν τῷ χαλεπῷ ἐκείνῳ δεσμωτηρίῳ, ὡσανεὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν λειμῶσι, καὶ δενδρικοῖς τόποις. Τὸ γαρ ἐπιταγμα τοῦ Δεσπότου τὰ δυσχερῆ ῥᾴδια αὐτῷ φαίνεσθαι παρεσκεύατε. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τῶν δικαίων τὸ ἔθος· ὅταν τι δι' αὐτὸν ὑπομένουσιν, οὐ τῇ ὅψει τῶν γινομένων προσέχουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑποθεσιν λογιζόμενοι μετ' εὐκολίας ἄπαντα φέρουσιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ Παῦλος, ὁ τῶν ἐθνῶν διδάσκαλος, τὰ δεσμωτήρια, τὰς ἀπαγωγὰς, τοὺς καθημερινοὺς κινδύνους, τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας καὶ ἀφορήτους θλίψεις ἐλαφρὰς ἐκάλει, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τῇ φύσει τοιαῦται ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ ὑπόθεσις τῶν γινομένων τοσαύτην αὐτῷ τὴν γνωμην κατεσκεύαζεν, ὡς μηδὲ ἐπιστρέφεσθαι πρὸς τὰ ἐπίοντα δεινά. Ἂκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ' ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης ἡμῖν κατεργάζέται. Ἡ προσδοκία, φησὶ, τῆς μελλούσης καταλήψεσθαι δόξης, καὶ τῆς διηβεκοῦς ἐκείνης ἀνέσεως κούφως ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ φέρειν τὰς ἐπαλλήλους ταύτας θλίγεις, καὶ ἐλαφράς αὐτὰκ ἡγεῖσθαι. Εἰδες ὅπως ὑποτέμνεται ὁ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν πόθος τὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἐπίτασιν, καὶ οὐδὲ αἴσθησιν συγχωρεῖ λαβεῖν τῶν ἐπιόντων; Διά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος πάντα πράως ἔφερε, τῇ πίστει τῇ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τῇ ἐλπίδι τρεφόμενος. Καὶ ἔκελισε, φησὶ, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ τὴν κιβωτόν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ὁμιλια ΚΕ’ Source: Migne PG 53.225-226

Remember here, beloved, I beg, how much dignity the first formed had before disobedience, and think on the goodness of God. For after his transgression the virtue given to us diminished, but God then found another man, Noah, whom He was able to restore to the original image, in the guarding of the state of the virtues and manifesting great obedience in the commandments of God, whom again He sends him to the first honour of work, to teach us with works how great was the power of Adam before his disobedience. Thus by the help of the Divine mercy the virtue of the righteous man is restored to its first state, and the beasts are again subject. For when they see the righteous man, they forget their nature, or rather not their nature, but their ferocity, for the innate wildness of their nature is turned into meekness. See how this happened to Daniel, for when he was surrounded by lions, like sheep surrounded, even so he acted fearlessly, 1 and likewise the faith of the righteous man binds the nature of wild creatures, not permitting them to act wildly as they are accustomed to do. In a similar way, this marvellous one who subdues wild creatures with great ease, is not cast down by difficult place, nor long time, nor by such a narrow enclosing that he can hardly breath, but because of faith in God all things seem easy to him, for even if thrown into the darkness of a prison, so we are as in meadows and groves. For when he works the commandments of the Lord difficult things seem easy to him. Such is the way of the righteous man, so that when he suffers on account of God, he does not look to the things that are done, but considering the cause, bears them all easily. Just as Paul, the teacher of the Gentiles, called chains light, and the dragging off before tribunals, and daily dangers, and many difficult afflictions, it was not because they had such a nature, but because of the cause for which they happened, and such was his understanding, that he was not bewildered if such fearful things befell him. Hear what he says: 'For our slight and momentary afflictions are wondrously working a weight of glory in us for eternity.' 2 The hope of glory which we pursue, he says, and the happiness of that eternity, make us endure continual afflictions easily and bear them lightly. You see how love for God diminishes grave troubles, and does not allow us to be afflicted with any sense of them? Certainly, because of this, blessed is he who endures all things meekly, being fed on faith and hope in God. 'And the Lord God closed up,' it is said 'the ark from the outside.' 3 Saint John Chrysostom, On Genesis, from the Twenty Fifth Homily 1 Dan 6.22 2 2 Cor 4.17 3 Gen 7.16

Doubting Understanding

Ὁρᾷς εὐγνωμοσύνην οἰκέτου; Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, φησί, διὰ τοῦτο ὅτι ἀκατάληπτον ἔχω ∆εσπότην, οὐ περὶ οὐσίας ἐνταῦθα λέγων· ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὡς ὡμολογημένον ἀκατάληπτον εἶναι παρῆκε· περὶ δὲ τοῦ πανταχοῦ παρεῖναι τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτά φησι δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο οἶδε, πῶς πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν. Ὅτι γὰρ περὶ τούτων φησίν, ἄκουε τῶν ἑξῆς· Ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ· ἐὰν καταβῶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάρει. Εἶδες πῶς πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν; Ἀλλ' ὁ προφήτης οὐκ οἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἰλιγγιᾷ καὶ διαπορεῖ καὶ θορυβεῖται μόνον εἰς νοῦν αὐτὸ λαβών; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας τοὺς τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοντας τῆς ἐκείνου χάριτος αὐτὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολυπραγμονεῖν τὴν οὐσίαν; Καίτοι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης ὁ λέγων· Τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας σου ἐδήλωσάς μοι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ μαθών, περὶ αὐτῆς φησι ταύτης ὅτι ἀπρόσιτός ἐστι καὶ ἀκατάληπτος· Μέγας γὰρ Κύριος, φησί, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς συνέσεως αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός, τοῦτ' ἔστι οὐκ ἔστι κατάληψις. Τί λέγεις; ἡ σοφία ἀκατάληπτος τῷ προφήτῃ καὶ ἡ οὐσία ἡμῖν καταληπτή; ἆρα οὐ φανερὰ αὕτη ἡ μανία; ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχει πέρας καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ περιγράφεις; Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Περὶ Ἀκαταληπτου, Λόγος Πρῶτος Source: Migne PG 48.705

Do you see how prudent the servant is? He says, 'I give thanks to you because of this, that I have a Lord I cannot comprehend.' He is not speaking of God's essence here, for he passes over the incomprehensibility of His essence as something everyone admits, but what he is speaking of here is the omnipresence of God, and he is showing that this is the very thing he does not understand, that is, how He is present everywhere. That he is speaking of this, listen to what follows: 'If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to hell you are present.' 1 Do you see how He is present everywhere? The prophet does not know how this is but he shudders, he is at a loss, he groans when he tries to grasp it with his mind. How, then, is it not utter mindlessness that men who are so far interior to the prophet in grace are busy about the essence of God? And this is the same prophet who says, 'You have shown me the secret and hidden things of your wisdom.' 2 But even so, after learning the secret and hidden things of God's wisdom, he says that it is inaccessible and incomprehensible. 'The Lord is great and mighty in power, and there is no end to His wisdom.' 3 That is, there is no grasping it. And what are you saying? Is that wisdom beyond the grasp of the prophet and yet we comprehend His essence? Is this not patent madness? His greatness has no limit, and you are defining His essence? Saint John Chrysostom, On The Incomprehensible Nature Of God, from the First Homily 1 Ps 138.8 2 Ps 50.8 3 Ps 146.5

Promises And Rewards

Ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐξανθήσει τὸ ἁγίασμα μου. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτὸν; Ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν. Τὸ ἁγίασμα ἕτερος Τὸ κέρας εἶπεν. Ἄλλος Ἀφόρισμα αὐτοῦ. Ἄλλος, Τὸ ἀφωρισμένον αὐτοῦ. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ τὴν εὐπραγίαν λέγειν, τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, τὴν ἰσχὺν.Ἄπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀφώρισα αὐτῷ, ταῦτα μενεῖ ἀνθοῦντα, φησὶ, βρύοντα, οὐ μαραινόμενα, οὐδε καταπίπτοντα· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἔσται, τοῦ διορισμοῦ τοῦ ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένου μένοντος. Ποίου δὴ τούτου; Ἐὰν φυλάξωνται οἱ υἱοί σου τὴν διαθήκην μου. Οὐ γαρ μόναι αἱ ὑποσχέσεις τοῦ Θεου παρέχουσαιν ἡμῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἂν μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ποιῶμεν, οὐδὲ χρὴ τούτοις προσέχοντας ἀναπεπτωκέναι, καὶ ὑπτίους εἶναι. Πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὦν ἐπηγγείλατο ὁ Θεὸς οὐ ποιεῖ, τῶν τὰς ἐπαγγελίας δεξαμένων ἀναξίων εὑρισκομένων· ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ κακὰ, ἂ ἠπείλησεν, εἰς ἔργον οὐκ ἄγει, τῶν παροξυνάντων αὐτὸν ὕστερον μεταβαλλομένων, καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀποκρουσαμένων. Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδότες, μήτε διὰ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ῥᾳθυμῶμεν, ἵνα μὴ καταπέσωμεν, μήτε διὰ τὰς ἀπειλὰς ἀπογινώσκωμεν, ἀλλὰ μεταβαλλώμεθα. Οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Εἰς Τον ΡΛΑ´ Ψαλμον Source: Migne PG 55.384

Over him my sanctification shall flourish. 1 What is this, 'Over him?' Over the people. That which is called sanctification is also named a horn. 2 Otherwise His separated ones. What then is said here? It seems to me that it speaks of prosperity, security, and strength. Those which I separated from the beginning, these, He says, shall continue to flourish, prospering, not withering, not falling away. But all these things shall be only if the first condition spoken of shall remain. What is this? 'If your sons guard my testament.' 3 God does not only give promises of good things to us, but we must also do things for them, not neglecting our care for them and turning away. For God does not bring about the many goods promised if those who received the promises are then found to be unworthy, just as when evils are threatened against the doing of some deed, if those who had vexed later change, then the anger is put aside. Thus knowing these things, let us not be neglectful of those things which have been promised, lest we be ruined. Nor let us dismiss threats, but change. Thus we shall be able to come to future goods. Saint John Chrysostom, On The Psalms, from Psalm 131 1 Ps 131.18 2 Ps 131.17 3 Ps 131.12

Living Witnesses

Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν τί φησιν, Αἴνει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν Κύριον. Ταῦτα καὶ ἡμεῖς μετὰ τοῦ Δαυῒδ ψάλλωμεν σημερον. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ τῷ σώματι πάρεστιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ πνεύματι πάρεστι. Καὶ ὅτι πάρεισιν ἡμῖν οἱ δίκαιοι, καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν ψάλλουσιν, ἄκουσον τι φησιν ὁ Ἀβραὰμ πρὸς τὸν πλουσιον. Λέγοντος γὰρ ἐκείνου, Πέμψον Λάζαρον, ἵνα οἱ ἀδελφοι μου, μαθόντες τὰ ἐν ᾅδουν, διορθώνται τὰ καθ' ἑαυτούς· λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἔχουσι Μωϋσέα καὶ τοὺς προφήτας. καὶ μὴν Μωϋσῆς καὶ οἱ προφῆται πάντες πάλαι τεθνήκεσαν τῷ σώματι, διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων δὲ εἶχον αὐτούς. Εἰ γὰρ εἰκόνα τις ἄψυχον ἀναθεὶς παιδὸς ἤ φίλου, νομίζει παρεῖναι ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἀπελθόντα, καὶ διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος αὐτὸν φαντάζεται τῆς ἀψύχου· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς διὰ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἀπολαύομεν συνουσίας, οὐχὶ τῶν σωμάτων αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ψυχῶν τὰς εἰκόνακ ἔχοντες. Τὰ γὰρ παρ' αὐτῶν εἰρημένα τῶν ψυχῶν αὐτῶν εἰκόνες εἰσί. Βούλει μαθεῖν, ὅτι ζῶσιν οἱ δίκαιοι καὶ πάρεισιν; Οὐδεὶς τοὺς τεθνεῶτας μάρτυρας καλεῖ· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς μάρτυρας αὐτοὺς ἐκάλεσε τῆς οἰκείας θεότητος, καὶ πρὸ τούτων αὐτὸν τὸν Δαυῒδ, ἵνα σε διδάξῃ ὅτι ζῇ. Τῶν γὰρ Ἰουδαίων ἀμφισβητούντων περὶ αὐτοῦ, λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς· Τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; τίνος ἐστὶν υἱός; Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Τοῦ Δαυῒδ. Λέγει αυτοῖς· Πῶς οὖν Δαυῒδ ἐν Πνεύματι Κύρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεχιῶν μου; Εἶδες πῶς ζῇ ὁ Δαυῒδ; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἔζη, οὐκ ἂν ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν μάρτυρα τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Πώς οὖν ὁ Δαυῒδ ἐν Πνεύματι Κύριον αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν ἄλλὰ, Κύριον αὐτὸν καλεῖ; ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι πάρεστιν ἔτι, καὶ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων φθέγγεται. Ἔψαλλέ ποτε ὁ Δαυῒδ ἐν ψαλμοῖς, καὶ ἡμεῖς μετὰ τοῦ Δαυῒδ σήμερον. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Εἰς Τον ΡΜΕ' Ψαλμον Source: Migne PG 55.521

Let us see why he says, 'Praise, my soul, the Lord.' 1 Today we sing this with David. For even if he is not near in the body, yet he is near in the spirit. And that it is the case that the righteous are near and they sing with us, listen to what Abraham says to the rich man. For when the latter said, 'Send Lazarus, so that my brothers, learning I am in hell, might amend their ways,' he replies, 'They have Moses and the prophets.' 2 For though Moses and the prophets were all long dead in the body, yet through their writings they had them. If an inanimate image of a child or of a friend is set up, we judge them to be near us who are far away, and by the inanimate image they appear, and much more do we enjoy the company of the saints through Divine Scripture, which are not images of their bodies, but of their souls. Their words are the images of their souls. You wish to learn that the righteous live and are near? No one calls the dead as witnesses, but Christ calls them as witnesses of His Divinity, and among others, David, that He might teach that he lives. For to the Jews who doubted Him, He said, 'What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?' They said to him, 'David.' He said: 'How is it then that David calls out in the spirit, saying, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand?' 3 You see how David lives? For if he did not live, He would not have called him as a witness to His Divinity. For He did not say, 'David called out in the spirit' but 'David calls out.' So He shows him to be yet near, and to speak with these words. Once David sung Psalms, and today with David we sing. Saint John Chrysostom, On The Psalms, from Psalm 145 1 Ps 145.2 2 Lk 16.24-29 3 Mt 22.42-44, Ps 109.1

Endurance And Freedom

Ἔλεγεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους: ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς μαθηταί μού ἐστε, καὶ γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς. Πολλῆς ὑπομονῆς δεῖται τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἀγαπητοί. Ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ γίνεται, ὅταν κατὰ βάθους ἐῤῥιζωμένα τὰ δόγματα ᾖ. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὴν δρῦν τὴν εἰς τοὺς κάτω κόλπους ἀφιεῖσαν τὰς ῥίζας καὶ περισφιγγομένην μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οὐδεὶς ἄνεμος προσπεσὼν ἀνασπάσαι δυνήσεται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν καθηλωμένην τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβῳ, οὐδεὶς περιτρέψαι δυνήσεται· τοῦ γὰρ ἐῤῥιζῶσθαι, τὸ καθηλῶσθαι πλέον ἐστί. Τοῦτο γοῦν ὁ Προφήτης εὔχεται, λέγων· Καθήλωσον ἐκ τοῦ φόβου σου τὰς σάρκας μου. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ καθήλωσον καὶ σύναψον, ὡσανεὶ ἥλῳ προσπεπερονημένῳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὗτοι δυσάλωτοι, οὕτως οἱ ἐναντίοι εὐάλωτοι γίνονται καὶ καταῤῥιπτοῦνται ῥᾳδίως· ὅπερ καὶ τότε ἔπασχον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. Ἀκούσαντες γὰρ καὶ πιστεύσαντες, πάλιν ἐξετράπησαν. Βουλόμενος οὖν ἐμβαθῦναι τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστὸς, ὥστε μὴ ἐπιπολαίαν εἶναι, διασκάπτει τὴν ψυχὴν πληκτικωτέροις λόγοις. Τῶν γὰρ πιστευόντων ἦν καὶ ἐλέγχων ἀνέχεσθαι· οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἠγρίαινον. Πῶς δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Πρῶτον παραγγέλλει· Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς μείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ὄντως μαθηταί μού ἐστε, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς· μονονουχὶ λέγων, Μέλλω βαθεῖαν διδόναι τομὴν, ἀλλὰ μὴ σαλεύεσθε. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτῶν τὸν τύφον αὐτῶν τῆς διανοίας κατέστειλε. Τίνος ἐλευθερώσει, εἰπέ μοι; Ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία NΔ´ Source: Migne PG 59.295-296

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, 'If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' 1 Beloved, we have much need of endurance, and endurance is produced when teachings are deeply rooted. For as by its assaults no wind can cast down the oak which having sent down its roots into the depths is firmly fixed there, so there shall be no overthrowing the soul which is nailed by the fear of God, for to be nailed is more than to be rooted. Thus the Prophet prays, saying, 'Nail my flesh by your fear. So fix and join me, as by a nail driven in.' 2 For as men like this are hard to be seize, so the opposite sort are easy prey, and with little effort they are thrown down. As then happened with these Jews, for having heard and believed, they again turned aside. Thus wishing to deepen their faith, that it might not be merely superficial, Christ digs into their souls with more piercing words. For it was the part of believers even to endure reproofs, but they were immediately upset. And how does He do this? First He tells them, 'If you continue in My word, you are truly my disciples, and the truth shall make you free.' All but saying, 'I am about to make a deep incision, but do not be moved.' Or rather by these things He put a stop to the pride of their minds. And from what will He free one, tell me? From sins. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 54 1 Jn 8.31-32 2 Ps 119.120 Sept

Worthy Of Communion

Πολλοὺς ὁρῶ τοὺς σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ μετέχοντας ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε, καὶ συνηθείᾳ μᾶλλον καὶ νόμῳ, ἢ λογισμῷ καὶ διανοίᾳ. Ἂν ἐπιστῇ, φησὶν, ὁ τῆς ἁγίας Τεσσαρακοστῆς καιρὸς, οἷος ἐὰν ᾖ τις, μετέχει τῶν μυστηρίων, ἂν ἐπιστῇ ἡ τῶν Ἐπιφανίων ἡμέρα. Καίτοι καιρὸς οὐ τοῦτο προσόδου· οὐ γὰρ Ἐπιφάνια, οὐδὲ Τεσσαρακοστὴ ποιεῖ ἀξίους τοῦ προσιέναι, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς εἰλικρίνεια καὶ καθαρότης. Μετὰ ταύτης ἀεὶ πρόσιθι, χωρὶς ταύτης μηδέποτε. Ὁσάκις γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῦτο ποιεῖτε, τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Κυρίου καταγγέλλετε· τουτέστιν, Ὑπόμνησιν ποιεῖτε τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, τῆς εὐεργεσίας τῆς ἐμῆς. Ἐννόησον, οἱ τῆς θυσίας μετέχοντες τῆς παλαιᾶς πόσῃ ἐκέχρηντο τῇ φειδοῖ. Τί γὰρ οὐκ ἔπραττον; τί δὲ οὐκ ἐποίουν; Πάντοτε ἐκαθαίροντο· σὺ δὲ θυσίᾳ προσιὼν ἣν καὶ ἄγγελοι φρίττουσι, καιρῶν περιόδοις τὸ πρᾶγμα ὁρίζεις; καὶ πῶς παραστήσῃ τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μιαραῖς χερσὶ καὶ χείλεσι κατατολμῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦ σώματος; Καὶ βασιλέα μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιο καταφιλῆσαι, ὀδωδότος σου τοῦ στόματος· τὸν δὲ Βασιλέα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ψυχῇ καταφιλεῖς ὀδωδυίᾳ; Ὕβρις τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν. Εἰπέ μοι, ἆρα ἂν ἕλοιο χερσὶν ἀνίπτοις τῇ θυσίᾳ προσελθεῖν; Οὐκ ἔγωγε οἶμαι· ἀλλ' ἐθέλοις ἂν μηδὲ ὅλως προσελθεῖν, ἢ ῥυπαραῖς χερσίν. Εἶτα ἐν τῷ μικρῷ οὕτως ὢν εὐλαβὴς, ψυχὴν ἔχων ῥυπαρὰν προσέρχῃ, καὶ ἅπτεσθαι τολμᾷς; Καίτοι ὑπὸ μὲν τῶν χειρῶν πρὸς καιρὸν κατέχεται, εἰς δὲ ἐκείνην ὁλόκληρος ἀναλύεται. Τί δέ; οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὰ σκεύη οὕτω περικλυζόμενα; οὕτως ἀπολάμποντα; Τούτων καθαρωτέρας ἡμῖν εἶναι δεῖ τὰς ψυχὰς, τούτων ἁγιωτέρας καὶ λαμπροτέρας. Τί δήποτε; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνα δι' ἡμᾶς τοιαῦτα γίνεται. Ἐκεῖνα οὐ μετέχει τοῦ ἐνόντος, οὐκ αἰσθάνεται· ἡμεῖς δὲ, ναί. Νῦν δὲ ῥυπαρῷ μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιο χρήσασθαι σκεύει, ῥυπαρᾷ δὲ ψυχῇ προσέρχῃ; Πολλὴν ὁρῶ τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν. Ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις καιροῖς οὐδὲ καθαροὶ πολλάκις ὄντες προσέρχεσθε, ἐν δὲ τῷ Πάσχα, κἂν ᾖ τι τετολμημένον ὑμῖν, πρόσιτε.Ὢ τῆς συνηθείας! ὢ τῆς προλήψεως! εἰκῆ θυσία καθημερινὴ, εἰκῆ παρεστήκαμεν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ, οὐδεὶς ὁ μετέχων. Ταῦτα οὐχ ἵνα ἁπλῶς μετέχητε, λέγω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀξίους ἑαυτοὺς κατασκευάζητε.Οὐκ εἶ τῆς θυσίας ἄξιος, οὐδὲ τῆς μεταλήψεως; Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τῆς εὐχῆς. Ἀκούεις ἑστῶτος τοῦ κήρυκος, καὶ λέγοντος· Ὅσοι ἐν μετανοίᾳ, ἀπέλθετε πάντες. Ὅσοι μὴ μετέχουσιν, ἐν μετανοίᾳ εἰσίν. Εἰ τῶν ἐν μετανοίᾳ εἶ, μετασχεῖν οὐκ ὀφείλεις· ὁ γὰρ μὴ μετέχων, τῶν ἐν μετανοίᾳ ἐστί. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν λέγει, Ἀπέλθετε, οἱ μὴ δυνάμενοι δεηθῆναι, σὺ δὲ ἕστηκας ἰταμῶς; Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἶ τούτων, ἀλλὰ τῶν δυναμένων μετέχειν, καὶ οὐδὲν φροντίζεις; οὐδὲν ἡγῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα; Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Ὁμῖλία Γ' Ὑπόμνημα Εἰς την προς Ἐπέσιους Ἐπιστολή Source: Migne PG 62.28-29

I see many partaking of Christ's Body thoughtlessly and as chance has it, and from custom and form, not with consideration and understanding. However a man may be, it is said, he knows that when it is the holy time of Lent he partakes of the mysteries, or when the day of the Epiphany comes. But this is not the right time to approach, for neither the Epiphany, nor Lent, make men worthy to come near, but it is given by honesty and purity of soul. Always approach with this, without it never. 'For as often,' he says, 'as you do this, you proclaim the Lord's death,' 1 that is, 'you make a remembrance of the salvation for you, and of my good work.' Think of those who partook of the sacrifices under the old Covenant, how often did they abstain? What did they not perform? What did they not do? They were always purifying themselves. And do you, approaching the sacrifice, at which even the angels tremble, do you value it by the turnings of the seasons? How shall you set yourself before the tribunal of Christ, who dare take his body with defiled hands and lips? You would not choose to kiss a king with a mouth that reeks, but you would kiss the King of heaven with an unclean soul? It is an outrageous deed. Tell me, would you choose to come to the Sacrifice with unwashed hands? No, I think not. But you would rather choose not to come at all than come with dirty hands. And though you are careful in this little matter, you come with a soiled soul and dare to touch? Yet the hands hold it but for a time, whereas it is entirely dissolved into the soul. What then? Do you not see the holy vessels are washed all over and thus resplendent? It is necessary that our souls be purer than them, more holy and more brilliant. And why? Because the vessels are made so for us. They do not partake of Him that is in them, they do not know Him. But, yes, we do. You would not choose to use a dirty vessel, and you approach with a dirty soul? Observe the great inconsistency of it. At the other times, not often being clean, you do not come, but at Easter, whatever your outrages, you come. Oh, custom! O, prejudice! In vain is the daily Sacrifice, in vain we stand before the sacrificial altar; there are none to partake. I say these things not that you partake thoughtlessly but that you make yourselves worthy. Are you not worthy of the sacrifice, nor to participate? Then you are not of the prayer. You hear the herald, standing and saying, 'As many as are in penitence, let them all depart.' As many as there are in penitence, they do not partake. If you are one of those who are in a state of penitence, you should not partake, for he who does not partake is one of those in penitence. For what reason does he say, 'Depart, those unable to pray,' and you brazenly stand there? You are not of their number, you are one of those who are able to partake, and yet you think little of it, and treat the matter as nothing. Saint John Chrysostom, from Homily 3 on the Epistle to the Ephesians 1 1 Cor 11.26

The Word And The Earth

Καὶ ἐξήνεγκε, φησὶν, ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, σπεῖρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος, καὶ καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα, καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπὸν, οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἐννόει μοι ἐνταῦθα, ἀγαπητὲ, πῶς τῷ ῥήματι τοῦ Δεσπότου τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο τῇ γῇ. Οὔτε γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁ ἐργαζόμενος, οὐκ ἄροτρον, οὐ βοῶν συνεργία, οὐκ ἄλλη τις περὶ αὐτὴν ἐπι μέλεια, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἤκουσε τοῦ ἐπιτάγματος, καὶ εὐθέως τὰ παρ᾽ ἑαυτῆς ἐπεδείξατο. Ἐκ τούτου μανθάνομεν, ὅτι καὶ νῦν οὐ τῶν γηπόνων ἡ ἐπιμέλεια, οὐδὲ ὁ πόνος, καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ ταλαιπωρία ἡ κατὰ τὴν γεωργίαν γινομένη τῶν καρπῶν ἡμῖν τὴν φορὰν χαρίζεται, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τού των ἁπάντων τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥῆμα, τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρὸς αὐτὴν γενόμενον. Ἄλλως τε δὲ καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα ἀγνωμοσύνην τῶν ἀνθρώπων διορθουμένη ἡ θεία Γραφὴ, ἀκριβῶς ἡμῖν ἅπαντα διηγεῖται κατὰ τὴν τάξιν τῶν γεγονότων, ἵνα ἀναστείλῃ τῶν μάτην φθεγγομένων τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν ληρωδίας τῶν λέγειν ἐπιχειρούντων, ὅτι τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου συνεργίας δεῖ πρὸς τὴν τῶν καρπῶν τελεσφόρησιν. Εἰσὶ δέ τινες οἳ καὶ τῶν ἄστρων τισὶ ταῦτα ἐπιγράφειν ἐπιχειροῦσι. Διὰ τοῦτο διδάσκει ἡμᾶς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὅτι πρὸ τῆς τῶν στοιχείων τούτων δημιουργίας, τῷ λόγῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ προστάγματι εἴκουσα ἡ γῆ πάντα τὰ σπέρματα ἐκδίδωσιν, οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου δεηθεῖσα πρὸς συνεργίαν. Ἤρκεσε γὰρ αὐτῇ ἀντὶ πάντων τὸ ῥῆμα ἐκεῖνο τὸ λέγον· Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου. Κατακολουθοῦντες τοίνυν τῇ θείᾳ Γραφῇ, μηδέποτε ἀνεχώμεθα τῶν ἁπλῶς τὰ παριστάμενα λεγόντων. Κἂν γὰρ ἄνθρωποι τὴν γῆν ἐργάζωνται, κἂν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλόγων συνεργίαν ἔχωσι, καὶ πολλὴν τῇ γῇ ἐπιμέλειαν ἐπιδείξωνται, κἂν ἀέρων εὐκρασία γένη ται, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἄλλα συνδράμῃ, εἰ μὴ τὸ νεῦμα τοῦ Δεσπότου γένοιτο, πάντα εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔσται πλέον τῶν πολλῶν πόνων καὶ καμάτων, μὴ τῆς ἄνωθεν χειρὸς συνεφαπτομένης, καὶ τὴν τελεσφόρησιν χαριζομένης τοῖς γινομένοις. Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη καὶ θαυμάσειεν ἐννοῶν, ὅπως τοῦ Δεσπότου τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ λέγον, Βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου, εἰς αὐτὰς τῆς γῆς τὰς λαγόνας κατελθὸν, καθάπερ πέπλῳ τινὶ θαυμαστῷ, οὕτω τῇ τῶν ἀνθῶν ποικιλίᾳ τῆς γῆς τὸ πρόσωπον κατεκόσμησε; Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν ἀθρόον τὴν πρότερον ἄμορφον καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστον τοσοῦτον δεξα μένην τὸ κάλλος, ὡς μικροῦ δεῖν ἁμιλλᾶσθαι τῷ οὐρανῷ. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺ μέλλει κοσμεῖσθαι τῇ τῶν ἄστρων ποικιλίᾳ, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὴ τῇ διαφορᾷ τῶν ἀνθῶν οὕτως ἐκαλλωπίσατο Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ὁμιλια E' Source: Migne PG 53.51-52

'And the earth produced,' it says, 'plants which bore their seed according to their kind, and fruit trees which contained their seed in themselves, each according to its kind.' 1 Think with me here, beloved, how the Divine word has done everything on earth. For there was no man who worked the land, no plough, no help of oxen, nor anything else for such care, but the earth alone heard the command and immediately brought forth these things from itself. From this we learn that even today it is not the care of farmers, or labour alone, or any other agricultural work, which grants the bringing forth of fruits, but before all these things the word of God, which from the beginning made it so. So to correct the future ungrateful minds of men, Holy Scripture carefully tells us everything according to the order of creation, lest rise up the vain things of the speech of those who manufacture such things from their own nonsensical thoughts, that the assistance of the sun is necessary for the bringing forth of fruits. And there are some who ascribe influence to the stars. But the Holy Spirit teaches us that before the formation of those elements, the earth, obedient to the word and command of God, produced all its seeds, having nothing else to assist it. The speech: 'Let the earth bring forth verdant plants' was enough for it for everything. Following, then, the Divine Scripture, let us not bear those who stand against these things. For even though men cultivate the land, and make use of the help of animals, and have great care for the earth, although the seasons may be agreeable, and all things happen as they wish, without the Lord's approval, everything else is in vain and falls into emptiness, and no labour nor sweat profits unless the hand of the Lord aids from above and brings all these things to their end. Who would not wonder and admire, thinking how this word: 'Let the earth produce verdant plants,' penetrates into the depths of the earth and, as with some wondrous garment, adorns the face of the earth with the variety of flowers that cover it. See that suddenly the earth, which before was without beauty and order, receives such beauty that it almost rivals the heavens. For as heaven was soon to be adorned with the variety of stars, the earth was embellished with the variety of flowers. Saint John Chrysostom, On Genesis, from the Fifth Homily 1 Gen 1.12

John And Philosophy

Οὗτος δὴ οὖν ὁ ἁλιεὺς, ὁ περὶ λίμνας στρεφόμενος καὶ δίκτυα καὶ ἰχθῦς, ὁ ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, ὁ πατρὸς ἁλιέως πένητος, καὶ πένητος πενίαν τὴν ἐσχάτην, ὁ ἰδιώτης ἰδιωτείαν καὶ ταύτην τὴν ἐσχάτην, ὁ γράμματα μήτε πρότερον μαθὼν, μήτε ὕστερον μετὰ τὸ συγγενέσθαι τῷ Χριστῷ, ἴδωμεν τί φθέγγεται, καὶ περὶ τίνων ἡμῖν διαλέγεται. Ἆρα περὶ τῶν ἐν ἀγροῖς; περὶ τῶν ἐν ποταμοῖς; περὶ συμβολαίων ἰχθύων; ταῦτα γὰρ ἴσως παρὰ ἁλιέως ἀκούσεσθαι προσδοκᾷ τις. Ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσητε· τούτων μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἀκουσόμεθα· τὰ δὲ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ἃ μηδεὶς μηδέπω ἔμαθε πρὸ τούτου. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν ὑψηλὰ δόγματα, καὶ πολιτείαν ἀρίστην, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν ἥκει κομίζων, ὡς εἰκὸς τὸν ἀπ' αὐτῶν φθεγγόμενον τῶν τοῦ Πνεύματος θησαυρῶν, ὡς ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἄρτι παραγενόμενος τῶν οὐρανῶν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ τοὺς ἐκεῖ πάντας εἰκὸς ἦν εἰδέναι, ὅπερ καὶ ἔφθην εἰπών. Ταῦτα οὖν ἁλιέως, εἰπέ μοι; ῥήτορος δὲ ὅλως; σοφιστοῦ δὲ ἢ φιλοσόφου; παντὸς δὲ τοῦ τὴν ἔξωθεν πεπαιδευμένου σοφίαν; Οὐδαμῶς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνης ἁπλῶς ψυχῆς περὶ τῆς ἀκηράτου καὶ μακαρίας ἐκείνης φύσεως τοιαῦτα φιλοσοφεῖν, περὶ τῶν μετ' ἐκείνην δυνάμεων, περὶ ἀθανασίας καὶ ζωῆς ἀπείρου, περὶ φύσεως σωμάτων θνητῶν τε καὶ ἀθανάτων ὕστερον ἐσομένων, περὶ κολάσεως, περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος δικαστηρίου, περὶ τῶν ἐσομένων εὐθυνῶν, τῶν ἐν ῥήμασι, τῶν ἐν πράξεσι, τῶν ἐν λογισμοῖς καὶ διανοίᾳ· καὶ τί μὲν ἄνθρωπος, εἰδέναι, τί δὲ κόσμος· καὶ τί μὲν ὁ ὄντως ἄνθρωπος, τί δὲ ὁ δοκῶν μὲν εἶναι, οὐκ ὢν δέ· τί κακία, καὶ τί ἀρετή. Τούτων γὰρ ἔνια ἐζήτησαν μὲν οἱ περὶ Πλάτωνα καὶ Πυθαγόραν· τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς μνημονευτέον ἡμῖν φιλοσόφων· οὕτω καταγέλαστοι ἐντεῦθεν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς γεγόνασιν ἅπαντες. Οἱ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων θαυμασθέντες πλέον παρ' αὐτοῖς, καὶ πιστευθέντες εἶναι κορυφαῖοι τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἐκείνης, οὗτοι μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων εἰσίν· οἳ καὶ πολιτείας μὲν ἕνεκεν καὶ νόμων συνθέντες τινὰ ἔγραψαν· ὅμως δὲ ἐν ἅπασι παίδων αἰσχρότερον κατεγελάσθησαν. Τάς τε γὰρ γυναῖκας κοινὰς ἅπασι ποιοῦντες, καὶ τὸν βίον αὐτὸν ἀνατρέποντες, καὶ τὸ σεμνὸν διαφθείροντες τοῦ γάμου, καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα καταγέλαστα νομοθετοῦντες, οὕτω πάντα τὸν βίον αὐτῶν ἀνάλωσαν. Δογμάτων δὲ ἕνεκεν τῶν περὶ ψυχῆς, οὐδὲ ὑπερβολήν τινα κατέλιπον αἰσχύνης λοιπὸν, μυίας, καὶ κώνωπας, καὶ θάμνους τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων λέγοντες γίνεσθαι ψυχὰς, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν αὐτὸν ψυχὴν εἶναι φάσκοντες, καὶ ἕτερα ἄττα τινὰ τοιαῦτα ἀσχημονοῦντες. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ κατηγορίας ἄξιον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πολὺς αὐτῶν τῶν λόγων εὔριπος. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν εὐρίπῳ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε περιφερόμενοι, οὕτως οὐδέποτε ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἑστήκεσαν, ἅτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδήλων καὶ ἐπισφαλῶν λογισμῶν πάντα φθεγγόμενοι. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ ἁλιεὺς οὗτος οὕτως· ἀλλ' ἅπαντα μετὰ ἀσφαλείας φθέγγεται, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ πέτρας ἑστηκὼς, οὐδαμοῦ περιτρέπεται. Ἐν αὐτοῖς γὰρ τοῖς ἀδύτοις γενέσθαι καταξιωθεὶς, καὶ τὸν πάντων Δεσπότην ἐν ἑαυτῷ λαλοῦντα ἔχων, οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον ἔπασχεν·ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ὥσπερ οἱ τῶν μὲν βασιλείων οὐδὲ ὄναρ ἐπιβῆναι καταξιωθέντες, ἔξω δὲ ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων διατρίβοντες ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας διανοίας καταστοχαζόμενοι τῶν ἀοράτων, τὴν πολλὴν ἐπλανήθησαν πλάνην, περὶ τῶν ἀῤῥήτων διαλεχθῆναι θελήσαντες, καὶ καθάπερ τυφλοὶ καὶ μεθύοντες, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πλάνῃ ἀλλήλοις προσέῤῥηξαν·οὐκ ἀλλήλοις δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς, πολλαχοῦ καὶ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀεὶ μετατιθέμενοι.Ὁ δὲ ἀγράμματος οὗτος, ὁ ἰδιώτης, ὁ ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδὰ, ὁ Ζεβεδαίου παῖς· κἂν μυριάκις καταγελῶσιν Ἕλληνες τῆς τῶν ὀνομάτων ἀγροικίας, οὐδὲν ἧττον μετὰ πλείονος αὐτὰ τῆς παῤῥησίας ἐρῶ· ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν τὸ ἔθνος αὐτοῖς βάρβαρον φαίνηται καὶ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς ἀπέχον παιδεύσεως, τοσούτῳ λαμπρότερα τὰ ἡμέτερα φανεῖται. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ βάρβαρος καὶ ἀμαθὴς τοιαῦτα φθέγγηται, ἃ μηδεὶς τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώπων συνεῖδέ ποτε, καὶ μὴ φθέγγηται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πείθῃ·καίτοι εἰ καὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἦν, μέγα τὸ θαῦμα ἦν· νῦν δὲ πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ ἕτερον τούτου μεῖζον παρέχῃ τεκμήριον, τοῦ θεόπνευστα εἶναι τὰ λεγόμενα, τὸ τοὺς ἀκούοντας πείθειν ἅπαντας διὰ τοῦ χρόνου παντὸς, τίς οὐ θαυμάσεται τὴν ἐνοικοῦσαν αὐτῷ δύναμιν; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο μέγιστον, ὅπερ ἔφην, τεκμήριον τοῦ μηδὲν οἴκοθεν αὐτὸν νομοθετεῖν. Οὗτος δὴ οὖν ὁ βάρβαρος, τῇ μὲν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου γραφῇ τὴν οἰκουμένην κατέλαβεν ἅπασαν, τῷ δὲ σώματι μέσην κατέσχε τὴν Ἀσίαν, ἔνθα τὸ παλαιὸν ἐφιλοσόφουν οἱ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς συμμορίας ἅπαντες, κἀκεῖθεν τοῖς δαίμοσίν ἐστι φοβερὸς, ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν διαλάμπων, καὶ τὸν ζόφον αὐτῶν σβεννὺς, καὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τῶν δαιμόνων καταλύων· τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ πρὸς τὸν χῶρον ἀνεχώρησεν ἐκεῖνον, τὸν ἁρμόττοντα τῷ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐργασαμένῳ. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία Β´ Source: Migne PG 59.30-31

This fisherman, then, whose business concerned lakes and nets and fish, this man of Bethsaida of Galilee, this son of a poor fisherman, even poor to the last degree, this uneducated man, even ignorant to the last degree, who never learned letters before or after he accompanied Christ, let us see what he speaks and what he converses with us about. Is it things of the field? Is it things of rivers? It is about the fish-trade? For these things, perhaps, one expects to hear from a fisherman. But do not fret, we shall hear nothing of such things from this man but rather the things of heaven, even what no one had ever learned before. For he has come bringing to us sublime teaching and the best way of life and philosophy, as might be expected from one who speaks from the very treasures of the Spirit, as though just come from those heavens, and indeed things which not even all there would have known, as I have said. Tell me, are these the things of a fisherman? Do they belong to a orator at all? To a sophist or philosopher? To all those educated in the wisdom apart from us? Not at all. The human soul is utterly unable thus to philosophize on that pure and blessed nature, on the powers that it possesses, on immortality and endless life, on the nature of mortal bodies that shall later be immortal, on punishment and future judgment, on the examinations that there shall be of deeds and words, and of thoughts and meditations, on what is man and what the world, on what is man in truth and what seems to be man but is not, what is the nature of virtue and what of vice. For some of these things the disciples of Plato and Pythagoras looked into, and the other philosophers we need not call to mind at all, since they have all on this point been so excessively ridiculous, and those who have been in greater esteem among them than the rest and who have been considered the leading men in this discipline, more than the others, they have composed and written somewhat on the subject of politics and law, and all  have been more shamefully ridiculous than children. For they have spent their time in making women common to all men, in overthrowing the order of life, and in destroying the honor of marriage, and likewise with every activity of life. As for their teaching on the soul, there is nothing excessively shameful that they have not said, saying that the souls of men become flies and gnats and bushes, and that God Himself is a soul, and other similar disgraceful things. And it is not this alone in them which is worthy of reproof, but most of their works are like the Euripos strait; 1 for as those carried here and there by the Euripos, so they stand firm on nothing, but propose everything on obscure and deceitful arguments. But not so this fisherman, for all he says is steadfast, and as if standing on a rock, he never moves. For since he has been deemed worthy of the innermost chambers and has the Lord of all speaking within him, he is not oppressed by that which is human, whereas they, just as those who are not held worthy to enter the royal palace, even in a dream, must spend their time outside in the marketplace with other men, and from their own imagination guess at things unseen, and they are gravely deceived by that, yet wishing to speak of things unspeakable, they crash against one other in their delusions like blind or drunken men, and not only against each other, but even against themselves, because they continually shift their opinion concerning the same things. But not this unlettered man, this ignorant man, this native of Bethsaida, the son of Zebedee. And though the Greeks mock ten thousand times the rusticity of these names, I shall speak them with greater boldness. For the more barbarous his nation seems to them and the more removed from Greek teaching, so much more the brighter does what we have appear. For when a barbarian and an untaught person speaks such things that no man on earth ever knew, and does not only speak them, though if this were the only thing it would be a great marvel, but with this gives another and a greater proof that what he says is divinely inspired, namely, the persuasion of those who hear him through the ages, who will not wonder at the power that dwells in him? For this is the greatest proof, as I said, that he lays down no laws from himself. This barbarian then, with his writing of his Gospel, has taken possession of all the civilised world, and with his body he has taken possession of the centre of Asia, where the Greek party of old philosophised, 2 becoming a bane to those spirits, in the midst of his enemies shining forth, scattering their darkness, and casting down the stronghold of demons, though in soul he has withdrawn to that place that befits one who has done such things. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 2 1 A narrow strait subject to strong tidal currents separating the island of Euboea from Boeotia in mainland Greece 2 The Presocratic Ionic Philosophers

The Mountain and Rest

Ἀνῆλθεν δὲ εἰς τὸ ὄρος Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐκάθητο μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ. Τί δήποτε δὲ τὸ ὄρος καταλμβάνει νῦν, καὶ ἐκεὶ κάθηται μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν; Διὰ τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι συμεῖον. Τὸ δὲ τοὺς μαθητὰς ἀναβῆναι μόνους, κατηγορία τοῦ πλήθους ἦν οὐκ ἀκολουθήσαντος αὐτῷ. Οὐ τούτο δὲ ἕνεκεν μόνον τοῦτο ποιεῖ, τὸ ὄρος καταλαμβάνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ παιδεύων ἡμᾶς ἀεὶ διαναπαύεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν θορύβων, καὶ τῆς ἐν μέσῳ ταραχῆς· ἐπιτήδειον γὰρ πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν ἐρημία. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μόνος αὐτὸς τὸ ὄρος καταλμβάνει, καὶ διανυκτερεύει καὶ εὔχεται, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς ὅτι τὸν μάλιστα Θεῷ προσιόντα πάσης ἀπηλλάχθαι δεῖ ταραχῆς, καὶ καιρὸν καὶ τόπον θορύβου καθαρὸν ἐπιζητεῖν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία ΜΒ´ Source: Migne PG 59.239

So Jesus went up the mountain and there sat down with His disciples. 1 And why does He seek the mountain now, and sit there with His disciples? Because of the miracle which was about to take place. And that only the disciples went up with Him, was a charge against the multitude which did not follow Him. Yet not for this alone did He go up the mountain, but to teach us ever to rest at intervals from the tumults and confusion of common life. For solitude is a thing that befits the study of wisdom. And often He goes up the mountain alone, and spends the night there, and prays, to teach us that the man who will come nearest to God must be free from all disturbance, and must seek times and places free of disturbance. Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 42 1 Jn 6.3

Miracles And Teaching

Καὶ ἠκολούθει, φησὶν, αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολὺς, ὅτι ἑώρων τὰ σημεῖα ἆ ἐποίει. Οὐ σφόδρα βεβαίας διανοίας ἡ ἀκολούθησις. Τοσαύτης γὰρ διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύσαντες, ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων ἐνήγοντο μᾶλλον· ὅ παχυτέτας γνώμης ἦν. Τὰ γὰρ σημεῖα, φησὶ, τοῖς ἀπίστοις οὐ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνος ὁ δῆμος ὁ παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἄκουε πῶς· Ἐξεπλήσσοντο πάντες ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐδίδασκεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Υπόμνημα Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπόστολον και Εὑαγγελιστην, Ὁμιλία ΜΒ´ Source: Migne PG 59.239

'A great crowd followed Him beholding the miracles that He did.' 1 Those who were following had not a very wise state of mind, for having enjoyed such teaching, they were more attracted by the miracles, which indicates a duller state. For it is said that 'miracles are not for believers but for unbelievers.' 2 The people noted by Matthew were not like this, but hear how: 'They all were astonished at His teaching '  he says, 'because He taught as one having authority.' 3 Saint John Chrysostom, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint John, Homily 42 1 Jn 6.2 2 1 Cor 14.22 3 Mt 7.28-29

Consoling The Afflicted

Ὁ ἰώμενος τοὺς συντετριμμένους τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ δεσμεύων τὰ συντρίμματα αὐτῶν. Ἄλλος, Τὰ κατεαγμένα αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ βίου παῤῥησίαν οὐκ εἶχεν εἰπεῖν, προβάλλεται πάλιν τὴν συμφορὰν, καὶ τὸ τῷ Θεῷ σύνηθες. Ἔργον γὰρ αὐτῷ, τὸ τοὺς τεταπεινωμένους παρακαλεῖν, καὶ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ τοῦτο· ὥσπερ ὅταν λέγῃ καὶ Παῦλος, Ὁ ζωοποιῶν τοὺς νεκρούς· καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ καλῶν τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ὡς ὄντα, τὸ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ λέγων ἔργον· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὗτος, Ὁ ἰώμενος τοὺς συντετριμμένους, λέγει, δεικνὺς ὅτι κἂν ἀνάξιοι ὦμεν, ἐπειδὴ ἔργον αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν, τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψει, τὸ εἰωθὸς αὐτῷ οὐκ ἀφήσει. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος, Ἀλλ' ὁ παρακαλῶν τοὺς ταπεινοὺς, παρεκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὁ διδοὺς τοῖς ὀλιγοψύχοις μακροθυμίαν. Καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς οὗτος προφήτης ἀλλαχοῦ, Καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει. Ὅταν τοίνυν βουληθῇς παρακλήσεως ἀπολαῦσαι, ταπεινοῦ σαυτὸν, σύντριψόν σου τὴν διάνοιαν. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν περὶ τῆς βουλήσεως αὐτοῦ, περὶ τῆς χρηστότητος καὶ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ὅτι ἔργον αὐτοῦ τοῦτο, τὸ τοὺς ἐν συμφοραῖς παραμυθεῖσθαι. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Εἰς Τον ΡΜϚ' Ψαλμον Source: Migne PG 55.513-514

He who heals the contrite of heart and binds up their wounds, or 'their broken bones' 1 Since he says he does not have confidence in his own life, again he is thrown into calamity, and to association with God. For it is His gift, and His especially, to console those who are cast down and afflicted, as when Paul says: 'He who brings the dead to life.' And again, 'He who calls on things which are not, and they are,' 2 speaking of His own work. Thus here indeed He heals the contrite of heart, he says, showing that even if we are unworthy, because we are His work, He shall not forsake His own, He will not withdraw from His own custom. So indeed Paul says: 'But He who consoles the humble, has consoled us.' 3 And again: 'He who gives endurance to those who are weak of soul.' 4 And this a Prophet says elsewhere: 'The Lord does not despise a contrite and humble heart.' 5 When, then, you wish to receive consolation, humble yourself and grind down your soul. This, then, he says, is from His own will and kindness and mercy, that is, it is His work to console those who have fallen into calamity. Saint John Chrysostom, On The Psalms, from Psalm 146 1 Ps 146.3 2 Rom 4.17 3 2 Cor 7.6 4. Isaiah 57.15 5 Ps 50.19

Animals And Passions

Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ Θεία Γραφὴ πρὸς τὰ πάθη τὰ ἐνοχλοῦντα οὕτω και τάς τῶν ἀλόγων προσηγορίας, πολλαχοῦ δὲ καὶ τῶν θηρέων τοῖς λόγῳ τετιμημένοις ἐπιτίθησι· ποτὲ μὲν κύνας καλοῦσα διὰ τὸ ἀναίσχυτον καὶ ἰταμόν· Κύνες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐνεοὶ, οὐ δυνάμενοι ὑλακτεῖν· ποτὲ δὲ ἵππους διὰ τὸ λάγνον· Ἵπποι γὰρ θηλυμανεῖς ἐγένοντο, ἔκαστος ἐπὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον χρεμετίζοντες· ποτὲ δὲ ὄνους, διὰ τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ τὴν ἂνοιαν· Παρασυνεβλήθη γὰρ, φησὶ, τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοὴτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς· ποτὲ δὲ λέοντας καὶ παρδάλεις, διὰ τὸ ἁρπακτικὸν καὶ πλεονεκτικόν· ποτὲ δὲ ἀσπίδας, διὰ τὸ δολερόν· Ἰὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν· ποτὲ δὲ ὄφεις καὶ ἔχεις, διὰ τὸν ἰὸν καὶ τὴν πονηρίαν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰωάννης ἐβόα, λέγων· Ὄφεις, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς; καὶ ἕτερα δὲ κατάλληλα τοῖς πάθεσιν ὀνόματα ἐπάγει, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως αἰδεσθέντες ὀψέ ποτε πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγένειαν ἐπανέλθωσι, καὶ σπείσωνται πρὸς τὸ ὁμογενὲς, καὶ τοὺς τοὐ Θεοῦ νόμους προτιμοτέρους ἡγήσωνται τῶν οἰκείων παθῶν, οἴς διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδεδώκασιν. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ὁμιλια ΙΒ' Source: Migne PG 53.102

Because of this Scripture refers to the various passions that trouble as irrational things, often as beasts which oppress those honoured with reason, sometimes naming them dogs for shamelessness and recklessness: 'Dumb dogs,' it says, 'unable to bark;' 1 sometimes horses for lust: 'They have become like horses mad for females, each one neighing after the wife of his neighbour,' 2 sometimes donkeys for senselessness and stupidity: 'Man is like the irrational beasts, and he is made like them;' 3 sometimes lions and leopards for their grasping and overreaching appetites, and sometimes asps because of deceit: 'The poison of asps,' it says, 'is beneath their lips;' 4 sometimes the serpent and viper, because of their venom and malignancy, as the blessed John cried out, saying: 'Serpents, brood of vipers, who showed you to flee from the coming wrath?' 5 And other names are given to describe different passions, so that men might be ashamed at last and return to their good birth and make treaty with their origin, and make choice for the laws of God against the occupations of the passions, by which they so carelessly cast themselves down. Saint John Chrysostom, On Genesis, from the Twelfth Homily 1 Isaiah 56.10 2 Jerem 5.8 3 Ps 48.13 4 Ps 139.4 5 Mt 3.7

An End Of Speech

Ὑπάρχων δὲ πλήρης πνεύματος ἁγίου ἀτενίσας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶδεν δόξαν θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦν ἑστῶτα ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν, ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς διηνοιγμένους καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ δεξιῶν ἑστῶτα τοῦ θεοῦ. κράξαντες δὲ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ συνέσχον τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν, καὶ ὥρμησαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπ' αὐτόν, καὶ ἐκβαλόντες ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐλιθοβόλουν. Καὶ μὴν εἰ ἑψεύδετο, ὡς μαινόμενον ἔδει ἀφεῖναι. Ὁ δὲ οὕτως εἴπε, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς ἐπαγαγέσθαι. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἰπὼν περι τοῦ θανάτου μόνον, περὶ ἀναστάσεως οὐδὲν διελέχθη, καὶ τοῦτο λοιπὸν εὐκαίρως προστίθησι τὸ δόγμα. Οὕτω δὲ αὐτῷ λέγει φανῆναι, ὥς που διέξεισιν, ἵνα κἂν οὕτω δέξωνται τὸν λόγον, ὃς, ἐπεὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν καθῆσθαι φορτικὸν αὐτοῖς ἧν, τέως τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως κινεῖ λόγον, καί φησιν αὐτὸν ἴστασθαι. Ἀπὸ τούτου στοχάζομαι καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ δεδοξάσθαι. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς φιλάνθρωπος ὤν, δῐ ὤν ἐπεβουλεύοντο ἐκεῖνοι, δι' αὐτῶν ἐβούλετο αὐτοὺς ἐκκαλέσασθαι, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν πλέον ἐγένετο, Καὶ ἐκβαλόντες ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐλιθοβόλουν. Πάλιν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ὁ ὁ θάνατος, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ θανάτῳ ἡ ὁμολογία καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα διαγγελόμενον. Καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες ἀπέθεντο τὰ ἰμάτια αὐτῶν παρὰ πόδας νεανίου καλομένου Σαύλου, καὶ ἐλιθοβόλουν τὸν Στέφανον ἐπικαλοὺμενον τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ λέγοντα· Κύριε Ἰησου Χριστὲ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμα μου. Δεικνύοντος ὁμοῦ τοῦτο καὶ διδασκοντος αὐτούς ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπόλλυται. Καὶ θεὶς τὰ γόνατα, ἔκραζε φωνῇ μεγάλῇ· Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Ὥσπερ ἀπολογούμενος, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὰ πρότερα θυμοῦ ἧν, φησί· Κύριε, ἤ καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς ταύτῃ ἐπισπάσασθαι. Τὸ γὰρ ἀφεῖναι μὲν τὸν θυμὸν καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν τῷ φόνῳ, καθαρὰν δεῖξαι δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ πάθους, εὐπαράδεκτον ἐποίει τὸν λόγον. Ἅγιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος Ὑπομηνμα εἰς τας Πραξεις των Ἀποστολων, Ὁμολια ΙΗ' Source: Migne PG 60.141

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.' Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed on him as one, and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. 1 And yet, if he lied, as one who is mad, they should have let him go. But he spoke as one who wished to bring them to him. And since he had spoken of the death and had said nothing of the resurrection, he would appropiately add this teaching. And thus he says He appeared to him like this, that as He was shown, they might receive the word; for since His sitting was offensive to them, for the present he brings forward only what concerns the resurrection. Because of this his face was glorified. For God, loving men, amid their plotting wished to call them to Himself, and if nothing else were done: 'They cast him out of the city and stoned him.' Again, 'outside the city,' there was death, as with Christ and on account of Him, and in death the giving of confession and preaching. 2 'And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, who called upon God, saying, Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit.' This is meant to show and teach them that he is not perishing. 'And kneeling, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, charge them not with this sin.' To clear himself, that he show that his former words were not from passion, he says, 'Lord,' and then the rest, wishing to win them over by it. For to show that he forgave them their wrath and rage in murder, and that his own soul was free from passion, was to make his speech more acceptable. Saint John Chrysostom, On The Acts Of The Apostles, from Homily 18 1 Acts 7.55-58 2 Heb 13.11-15

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