John Chrysostom, On Judas's Betrayal

In proditionem Judae

OF THE SAME AUTHOR ON THE BETRAYAL OF JUDAS.

50.715 Now Daphne is delightful and God-beloved, not only gushing forth the clearest streams, not only nurturing the most graceful foliage of trees, but also having received a foreign plant, the cross; now a truly chaste spring and fearsome to the Pythian demon. No longer opening 50.716 up her ground to the feet of impious men, but offering the grove to you, the pious, an image of that desired place, I mean the garden, in which the betrayal of the Savior was dared, and the affairs of our salvation were planted.

But I do not know what to say for the 50.717 present festival; for the festival moves my tongue toward the accusation of Judas, but the love for mankind of the Savior turns my mouth back to Himself. And I am constrained by these two things, hatred for the betrayer, longing for the Master; but longing conquers hatred, being greater and more powerful. Therefore, leaving aside the betrayer, I praise the benefactor; not as much as he is worthy, but as much as I am able, I praise him. How did he bend the heavens and come down to the earth? how did he who fills all creation come to me, becoming for me, like me? how did he take as a disciple this one whom he knew would be a betrayer, and command the enemy to follow him as a friend? how did he not care about the betrayal, but was concerned for the salvation of the one betraying? For when evening had come, he says, Jesus was reclining with his twelve disciples, and as they were eating he said: Amen, amen I say to you, that one of you will betray me.

He foretold the betrayal, so that he might prevent the transgression; he made the prophecy impersonal, so that it would not publicly expose the disciple's transgression, which was hidden from those reclining with him. Who has seen such love for mankind in a Master? He is both betrayed and loves the betrayer. Who is despised and shows mercy? Is sold and receives the wicked merchant as a table-companion, and spares the one who plotted against him? And as they were eating, he said: Amen, amen I say to you that one of you will betray me. As a man he was eating, and as God he was proclaiming the future; he pursues the things befitting my nature for my sake. But when all the disciples were struck by the saying, and were lashing their own consciences terribly, and making the time of the supper a time of despondency, each one saying, Is it I, Lord? and wishing to find, by the word of the question, freedom from the care of evil suspicion, the Savior, healing the souls of those struck unseasonably, makes plain the unknown one through his answer: He who dipped his hand with me, he says, in the dish, this one will betray me; and the Son of man indeed goes, as it is written concerning him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed; it would have been good for him if that man had not been born. He has mercy on the one not willing to have mercy on himself, he spares the one who did not spare his own soul.

He declined to expose the one who had long ago exposed himself, both giving that man a time for repentance, and healing the other disciples who were despondent; but the betrayer became no better from these things. For it was necessary for him to rise up immediately from the supper after those most dreadful words, necessary to take his fellow disciples as intercessors, necessary to embrace the knees of the Savior, and to propitiate him with such words. I have sinned, O lover of mankind, I have sinned, I have transgressed, selling to men for a small price the priceless pearl, I have transgressed against the inexhaustible

In proditionem Judae

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΟ∆ΟΣΙΑΝ ΤΟΥ ΙΟΥ∆Α.

50.715 Νῦν ∆άφνη τερπνὴ καὶ θεοφιλὴς, οὐ μόνον διειδέ στατα βλύζουσα νάματα, οὐ κόμας δένδρων χαριεστά τας ἐκτρέφουσα, ἀλλὰ προσλαβοῦσα ξένον φυτὸν τὸν σταυρόν· νῦν σώφρων ἀληθῶς πηγὴ καὶ τῷ Πυθίῳ δαίμονι φοβερά. Οὐκ ἔτι ποσὶν ἀνδρῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνα 50.716 πεταννῦσα τὸ ἔδαφος, ἀλλ' ὑμῖν τοῖς εὐσεβέσι παρ έχουσα τὸ ἄλσος, εἰκόνα ποθουμένου χωρίου ἐκείνου, τοῦ κήπου φημὶ, ἐν ᾧ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡ προδοσία τε τόλμηται, καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐφυτεύθη τὰ πράγματα.

Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐκ ἔχω τί φράσαι πρὸς τὴν 50.717 παροῦσαν πανήγυριν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ πανήγυρις πρὸς κατηγορίαν τοῦ Ἰούδα τὴν ἐμὴν γλῶσσαν κινεῖ, ἡ δὲ φιλ ανθρωπία τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἐπιστρέφει μου τὸ στόμα πρὸς αὐτήν. Καὶ δύο τούτοις συνέχομαι, μίσει προδότου, πόθῳ ∆εσπότου· νικᾷ δὲ πόθος τὸ μῖσος, μείζων ὑπάρ χων καὶ δυνατώτερος. ∆ιὸ τὸν προδότην καταλιπὼν τὸν εὐεργέτην ὑμνῶ, οὐχ ὅσον ἐστὶν ἄξιος, ἀλλ' ὅσον εἰμὶ δυνατὸς ἀνυμνῶ. Πῶς ἔκλινεν οὐρανοὺς καὶ κατ έβη πρὸς τὴν γῆν; πῶς ὁ πᾶσαν κτίσιν πληρῶν ἦλθε πρός με, γενόμενος δι' ἐμὲ, κατ' ἐμέ; πῶς ὃν ᾔδει προδότην ἐσόμενον τοῦτον ἔλαβεν μαθητὴν, καὶ τὸν πολέμιον ὡς φίλον ἐνεκελεύσατο ἀκολουθεῖν αὐτῷ; πῶς οὐκ ἔμελεν αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς προδοσίας, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς τοῦ προδιδόντος σωτηρίας ἐφρόντιζεν; Ὀψίας γὰρ, φησὶ, γενομένης, ἀνέκειτο ὁ Ἰησοῦς μετὰ τῶν δώδεκα μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με.

Προεῖπεν τὴν προδοσίαν, ἵνα κωλύσῃ τὸ παρανόμημα· ἀπρόσωπον τὴν πρόῤῥησιν ἐποιή σατο μὴ δυναμένην θριαμβεῦσαι τοῦ μαθητοῦ τὴν παρανομίαν τοὺς συνανακειμένους λανθάνουσαν. Τίς ∆εσπότου τοιαύτην φιλανθρωπίαν ἐθεάσατο; Καὶ προδίδοται καὶ τὸν προδότην φιλεῖ. Τίς καταφρονεῖ ται καὶ ἐλεεῖ; πιπράσκεται καὶ λαμβάνει τὸν κακὸν ἔμπορον ὁμοτράπεζον, καὶ τοῦ ἐπιβουλεύσαντος φεί δεται; Καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με. Ὡς ἄν θρωπος ἤσθιεν, καὶ ὡς Θεὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐφώνει· τὰ τῇ ἐμῇ φύσει πρέποντα μετέρχεται δι' ἐμέ. Πάντων δὲ τῶν μαθητῶν πληγέντων ὑπὸ τοῦ ῥήματος, καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν συνειδήσεις μαστιζόντων δεινῶς, καὶ τὸν τοῦ δείπνου καιρὸν ποιουμένων ἀθυμίας καιρὸν, ἑκάστου λέγοντος, Μήτι ἐγώ εἰμι, Κύριε; καὶ βουλομένων τῷ διὰ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως ῥήματι τὴν ἀμεριμνίαν τῆς κακῆς ὑπονοίας εὑρεῖν, θεραπεύων τὰς τῶν ἀκαίρως πληττομένων ψυχὰς ὁ Σωτὴρ, φανερὸν τὸν ἀγνοούμενον διὰ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως καθίστησιν· Ὁ ἐμβάψας μετ' ἐμοῦ, φησὶν, τὴν χεῖρα ἐν τῷ τρυβλίῳ, οὗτός με παραδώσει· καὶ ὁ μὲν Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑπάγει, καθὼς γέγραπται περὶ αὐτοῦ. Οὐαὶ δὲ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ, δι' ὃν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται· καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος. Ἐλεεῖ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἐλεεῖν μὴ ἐθέλοντα, φείδεται τοῦ μὴ φεισαμένου τῆς οἰκείας ψυχῆς.

Παρητεῖτο γυμνῶσαι τὸν ἑαυτὸν πάλαι γυμνώσαντα, κἀκείνῳ καιρὸν μετανοίας διδοὺς, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς μαθητὰς ἀθυμοῦντας ἰώμενος· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐκ τούτων βελτίων ὁ προδότης ἐγένετο. ∆έον γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ εὐθέως ἐξαναστῆναι τοῦ δείπνου μετ' ἐκεῖνα τὰ φρικωδέστατα ῥήματα, δέον τοὺς συμμαθητὰς παραλαβεῖν πρεσβευτὰς, δέον περιπλακῆναι τοῖς γόνασι τοῦ Σωτῆρος, καὶ τοιούτοις αὐτὸν ἐκμειλίξασθαι ῥήμασιν. Ἥμαρτον, φιλάνθρωπε, ἥμαρτον, ἠνόμησα, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πωλήσας ὀλίγου τιμήματος τὸν ἀτίμητον μαργαρίτην, ἠνόμησα τὸν ἀδαπάνητον