John Chrysostom, To Demetrius on Repentance I

we spend, and we show endurance, and we do not desist beforehand, doing everything, until we might put away what is grieving us; but of the soul being pricked every day, being torn by the passions of the body, being burned, being cast down, and in every way destroying itself, we have not even a brief account. And the reason is that the disease has seized everyone; and just as with those whose bodies are sick, if it should happen that no one healthy is present with them, there is nothing to prevent all from falling into utter destruction, with no one restraining their irrational desires; so also with us, because there is no one who is purely healthy in the faith, but all are sick, some to a greater, others to a lesser degree, there is no one who will be sufficient for those who lie prostrate. For if someone from outside were to stand over us and properly observe the commands of Christ and the confusion of our way of life, I do not know if he would suppose any others to be greater enemies of Christ than us; for just as if we had been zealous to go the opposite way to his commandments, so have we traveled this road.

2. And lest anyone think that our words are an exaggeration, I will now attempt to bring forward the proof, not from any other source, but from the very commandments of Christ. What then does Christ say? It was said to the ancients: You shall not murder. But I say to you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, Raca, 47.396 shall be in danger of the council; and whoever says, You fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire. These things, then, Christ says. But we have trampled this law more than those who disbelieve in him, washing our brothers with countless insults every day. And what is more ridiculous, is that while avoiding the name 'fool', we often bring other insults more bitter than this, as if that word alone carried the punishment. But it is not so, but in punishing the reviler altogether, he has set this penalty; and this is clear from what Paul also says, speaking thus: Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God. But if he who calls his brother a fool is worthy of the ultimate punishment, he who speaks ill of him as an evildoer and envious and fickle and vainglorious, and a thousand other such things, how much of the fire of hell will he gather for himself? For 'You fool' and 'Raca' are much lighter than the things mentioned; wherefore having omitted that, Christ has set this, that you may learn that, if the more tolerable thing, when said, draws down hell upon the one who says it, much more will the heavier and more intolerable things do this. But if some condemn the saying as an exaggeration (for I know some who have felt this, and think that this threat was spoken only to frighten), it is time for them to release the adulterers, the abusers of themselves with mankind, the effeminate, the idolaters from the stated punishment. For if he threatened the revilers only for the sake of fear, it is clear that he did so to them also; for having gathered them all together, he thus brought on the exclusion from the kingdom. What then, he says? Will the reviler lie with the adulterer and the effeminate and the covetous and the idolater? Whether he will pay the same penalty as them is a question for another time; but that he will likewise be cast out of the kingdom with them, I am persuaded by Paul when he says, or rather by Christ who works through him, that neither these nor those will inherit the kingdom of God. And not only in this matter, but in many others also, many have felt this, and they think that things which will certainly come to pass have been spoken hyperbolically; but this is a diabolical snare. For in order to dissolve the fear of future punishment in those who are pierced by the love of God, and to make them more lax concerning obedience to the commandment, he has introduced the consolation that comes from exaggeration, which for the present is able to grant enough to the more indolent

ἀναλίσκομεν, καὶ καρτερίαν ἐπιδεικνύμεθα, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀφιστάμεθα, ἅπαντα πράττοντες, ἕως ἂν ἀποθώμεθα τὸ λυποῦν· τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν κεντουμένης, σπαραττομένης τοῖς πάθεσι τοῖς σωματικοῖς, καιομένης, κρημνιζομένης, καὶ πάντα τρόπον ἀπολλυούσης ἑαυτὴν, οὐδὲ βραχὺν ἔχομεν λόγον. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι ἅπαντας ἡ νόσος κατείληφε· καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν καμνόντων τὰ σώματα, εἰ συμβαίη μηδένα παρεῖναι τῶν ὑγιαινόντων αὐτοῖς, οὐδὲν τὸ κωλύον ἅπαντας εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην καταπεσεῖν φθορὰν, μηδενὸς αὐτῶν τὰς ἀλόγους ἐπιθυμίας κατέχοντος· οὕτω καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν διὰ τὸ μηδένα εἶναι τὸν ὑγιαίνοντα καθαρῶς ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἀῤῥωστεῖν, τοὺς μὲν ἐκ πλείονος, τοὺς δὲ ἐξ ἐλάττονος μοίρας, οὐδεὶς ὁ τοῖς κειμένοις ἐξαρκέσων ἐστίν. Εἰ γάρ τις ἔξωθέν ποθεν ἡμῖν ἐπιστὰς, καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ προστάγματα, καὶ τῆς πολιτείας τῆς ἡμετέρας τὴν σύγχυσιν καταμάθοι καλῶς, οὐκ οἶδα εἴ τινας ἑτέρους μᾶλλον ἡμῶν ἐχθροὺς ὑπολήψεται εἶναι τοῦ Χριστοῦ· καθάπερ γὰρ ἐσπουδακότες τὴν ἐναντίαν αὐτοῦ ἐλθεῖν τοῖς ἐπιτάγμασιν, οὕτω ταύτην ὡδεύσαμεν τὴν ὁδόν.

βʹ. Καὶ ἵνα μή τις ὑπερβολῆς εἶναι νομίσῃ τὰ ῥήματα τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν, τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἐπαγαγεῖν ἤδη πειράσομαι, ἑτέρωθεν μὲν οὐδαμόθεν, ἀπὸ δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ Χριστός; Ἐῤῥέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις· Οὐ φονεύσεις. Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῆ, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει· ὃς δ' ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Ῥακὰ, 47.396 ἔνοχος ἔσται τῷ συνεδρίῳ· ὃς δ' ἂν εἴπῃ, Μωρὲ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὁ Χριστός. Ἡμεῖς δὲ τῶν ἀπιστούντων αὐτῷ μᾶλλον τὸν νόμον τοῦτον κατεπατήσαμεν, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μυρίαις τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς πλύνοντες λοιδορίαις. Καὶ τὸ δὴ καταγελαστότερον, ὅτι τὸ μωρὸς ὄνομα παραφυλαττόμενοι, πολλάκις ἑτέρας τούτου ὕβρεις πικροτέρας ἐπάγομεν, ὡς ἐκείνου μόνου τοῦ ῥήματος τὴν κόλασιν ἔχοντος. Τὸ δὲ οὐ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὑβριστὴν καθάπαξ κολάζων, τοῦτο τέθεικε τὸ ἐπιτίμιον· καὶ δῆλον ἐξ ὧν καὶ Παῦλός φησιν, οὑτωσὶ λέγων· Μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι, οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι, οὐ μοιχοὶ, οὐ μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται, οὐ κλέπται οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες, βασιλείαν Θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσι. Εἰ δὲ ὁ μωρὸν λέγων τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐσχάτης κολάσεώς ἐστιν ἄξιος, ὁ κακοῦργον καὶ βάσκανον καὶ εὐχερῆ καὶ κενόδοξον, καὶ μυρία ἄλλα τοιαῦτα κακηγορῶν, πόσον ἑαυτῷ τὸ τῆς γεέννης συνάξει πῦρ; Τὸ γὰρ, Μωρὲ, καὶ Ῥακὰ, τῶν εἰρημένων πολλῷ κουφότερον· διόπερ ἐκεῖνο παρεὶς, τοῦτο τέθεικεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι, εἰ τὸ φορητότερον λεχθὲν τὴν γέενναν ἐπισπᾶται κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ λέγοντος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ βαρύτερα καὶ ἀφορητότερα τοῦτο ἐργάσεται. Εἰ δέ τινες ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ λόγου καταγινώσκουσι (καὶ γάρ τινας οἶδα τοῦτο παθόντας ἐγὼ, καὶ νομίζοντας ὑπὲρ τοῦ φοβῆσαι μόνον ταύτην εἰρῆσθαι τὴν ἀπειλὴν), ὥρα αὐτοὺς τοὺς μοιχοὺς, τοὺς ἀρσενοκοίτας, τοὺς μαλακοὺς, τοὺς εἰδωλολάτρας τῆς εἰρημένης ἀπαλλάττειν κολάσεως. Εἰ γὰρ φόβου μόνον ἕνεκεν τοῖς λοιδόροις ἠπείλησε, δῆλον ὅτι κἀκείνοις· ὁμοῦ γὰρ ἅπαντας συναγαγὼν, οὕτως ἐπήγαγε τῆς βασιλείας τὴν ἔκπτωσιν. Τί οὖν, φησίν; ὁ λοίδορος μετὰ τοῦ μοιχοῦ καὶ μαλακοῦ καὶ πλεονέκτου καὶ εἰδωλολάτρου κείσεται; Εἰ μὲν τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτοῖς δώσει δίκην, ἑτέρου τοῦτο ζητῆσαι καιροῦ· ὅτι δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ὁμοίως ἐκπεσεῖται ἐκείνοις, τῷ Παύλῳ πείθομαι λέγοντι, μᾶλλον δὲ τῷ ἐνεργοῦντι δι' αὐτοῦ Χριστῷ, ὅτι οὔτε οὗτοι, οὔτε ἐκεῖνοι βασιλείαν Θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσιν. Οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτου δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἑτέρων πολλοὶ τοῦτο πεπόνθασι, καὶ τὰ πάντως ἐκβησόμενα ὑπερβολικῶς εἰρῆσθαι νομίζουσι· διαβολικὴ δέ ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ παγίς. Ἵνα γὰρ τὸν φόβον τῆς μελλούσης ἐκλύσῃ κολάσεως τῶν κατανυγέντων ἐν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγάπῃ, καὶ χαυνοτέρους ἐργάσηται περὶ τὴν ὑπακοὴν τῆς ἐντολῆς, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς παραμυθίαν εἰσήγαγεν, εἰς μὲν τὸ παρὸν ἱκανὴν χαρίσασθαι ταῖς ῥᾳθυμοτέραις