John Chrysostom, Against Heretics

Consider, Arius, what authority you reject; hear him command masterfully in various ways to various people; To you I will give, he says, the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and, Today you will be with me in paradise. You, having left the tax booth, follow me; You, do not be afraid, but speak, for I am with you; To you I say, leper, be cleansed; You, run and wash in Siloam, and regain your 60.746 sight; You, paralytic, your sins are forgiven you; You, sea, be silent, be muzzled; You, come after me, and I will make you fishers of men; You, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up; You, make disciples of all the nations. And behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age. He said none of these things: To you the Father will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven; the Father will bring you into paradise; you, leper, by the will of the Father be cleansed; you, command the sea on behalf of the Father: Be silent, be muzzled; you, come after me, and the Father will make you fishers of men; but the sayings are from sovereign authority. And if somewhere the words of authority are more modest, as in, I thank you, Father, that you heard me, he adds the reason according to nature; For the sake of the crowd, he says, standing around I said it, so that they may believe that you sent me; but those who gaped at him crowned every lofty word to him.

A centurion approached concerning his servant, praising him with words of acclaim with all his might; For Lord, he says, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed; and being applauded, he received the gift. For amen, he says, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. But go, and as you have believed, let it be done for you. Again a certain woman with a hemorrhage, bringing an honor of doxologies to the Lord's tunic, let alone to his divinity, received the gift with praises. And the thief was honored in paradise, because he called him king while being crucified. A greater faith than these is owed by us to the Lord Christ, inasmuch as we have also partaken of greater knowledge. But nevertheless, Arius, let it at least be something similar to what it was then. Do you not want me to think anything loftier of the aforementioned things concerning Christ? Evil is the opinion, but let it stop at this point. Why do you dictate even humbler words to those who call upon him? I have the words of that time as models for prayer. I do not say to Christ, Lord, remember me in your ministry, but I say the word by which the thief was heard: Lord, remember me in your kingdom. I do not say to God the Word, Lord, minister of the Father's gifts; for the centurion does not allow me, crying out that, The Lord, only say the word, and my servant will be healed. I do not say to him, Lord, if you ask from the Father, I will be saved, for I do not offer a smaller faith than a woman's token to the divinity, Arius. Thus I call the Son, as he rejoices to be called; I approach with such words, with which those who approached him, returned having received. But if the thief and the woman and the faithful soldier are unacceptable for the teaching of faith, be ashamed at least of the choir of the apostles, where Christ had to be invoked for gifts beyond nature. What did Peter say as he raised the paralytic? Aeneas, he says, Jesus Christ heals you; and again working another healing, there is not, he says, salvation in any other name. What did Ananias say when he cured Paul? Saul, brother, the Lord sent me, Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. For whose power did Paul pray for himself? Most gladly, he says, will I boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Whom did James and John beseech for the punishment of the Samaritans? Lord, he says, do you want us to say that fire should come down from heaven and consume them? And what did the choir of angels deliver to men concerning him? He, it says, will save his people from their sins.

Σκόπησον, Ἄρειε, ποίαν ἀθετεῖς αὐθεντίαν· ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ ἄλλοις ἄλλως δεσποτικῶς διατάττοντος· Σοὶ δώσω, φησὶ, τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ, Σὺ σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Σὺ τὸ τελώνιον ἀφεὶς, ἀκολούθει μοι· Σὺ μὴ φοβοῦ, ἀλλὰ λάλει, διότι ἐγώ εἰμι μετὰ σοῦ· Σοὶ λέγω, λεπρὲ, καθαρίσθητι· Σὺ δραμὼν νίψαι εἰς τὸν Σιλωὰμ, καὶ ἀνάβλε 60.746 ψον· Σὺ, παράλυτε, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου· Σὺ, θάλαττα, σιώπα, πεφίμωσο· Ὑμεῖς, δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων· Ὑμεῖς, λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγείρω αὐτόν· Ὑμεῖς, Μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. Οὐδὲν τούτων ἔφη· Σοὶ δώσει τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ὁ Πατήρ· σὲ εἰς παράδεισον ἄξει ὁ Πατήρ· σὺ, λεπρὲ, τῷ θελήματι τοῦ Πατρὸς καθαρίσθητι· σὺ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπίταττε τῇ θαλάττῃ· Σιώπα, πεφίμωσο· ὑμεῖς δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, καὶ ποιήσει ὑμᾶς ὁ Πατὴρ ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων· ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐθεντούσης ἐξουσίας εἰσὶν αἱ ῥήσεις. Εἰ δέ που τῆς αὐθεντίας αἱ φωναὶ μετριώτεραί εἰσιν, ὡς τὸ, Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, Πάτερ, ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου, τὸ τῆς κατὰ φύσεως προστίθησιν αἴτιον· ∆ιὰ τὸν ὄχλον, φησὶ, τὸν περιεστῶτα εἶπον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας· τῶν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν κεχηνότων πᾶσαν φωνὴν ὑψηλὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐστεφάνουν.

Προσῄει περὶ παιδὸς ἑκατόνταρχος, ὅσον εἶχε δυνάμεως, ἐν εὐφημίαις ἐπαίρων· Κύριε γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς ἵνα ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην μου εἰσέλθῃς, ἀλλ' εἰπὲ λόγῳ μόνον, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου· καὶ κροτούμενος τὸ δῶρον ἐλάμβανεν. Ἀμὴν γὰρ, φησὶ, λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τοσαύτην πίστιν εὗρον. Ἀλλ' ὕπαγε, καὶ ὡς ἐπίστευσας, γενηθήτω σοι. Πάλιν γυνή τις αἱμόῤῥους τῷ τοῦ ∆εσπότου χιτῶνι δοξολογίας προσάγουσα τιμὴν, μήτι γε δὴ τῇ θεότητι, σὺν εὐφημίαις τὸ δῶρον ἐλάμβανεν. Ἐτετίμητο δὲ καὶ ὁ λῃστὴς ἐν παραδείσῳ, ὅτι δὴ βασιλέα κέκληκε σταυρούμενον. Τούτων μείζων μὲν παρ' ἡμῶν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ Χριστῷ κεχρεώστηται πίστις, ὅσῳ καὶ μείζονος μετεσχήκαμεν γνώσεως. Ἔστω δὲ ὅμως, Ἄρειε, τὶ κἂν γοῦν τότε παραπλήσια. Οὐ βούλει μέ τι φρονεῖν τῶν προῤῥηθέντων εἰς Χριστὸν ὑψηλότερον; Πονηρὰ μὲν ἡ γνώμη, μέχρι δὲ τούτου στήτω. Τί καὶ ταπεινοτέρας ὑπαγορεύεις τοῖς αὐτὸν ἐπικαλουμένοις φωνάς; Ἔχω τῶν τότε τοὺς λόγους εἰς εὐχὴν χαρακτῆρας. Οὐ λέγω τῷ Χριστῷ, Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου ἐν τῇ ὑπουργίᾳ σου, ἀλλὰ λέγω φωνὴν, δι' ἧς ὁ λῃστὴς εἰσηκούσθη· Κύριε, μνήσθητί μου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Οὐ λέγω τῷ Θεῷ Λόγῳ, Κύριε, τῶν τοῦ Πατρὸς δωρεῶν ὑπηρέτα· ὁ γὰρ ἑκατόνταρχος οὐ συγχωρεῖ μοι, βοῶν, ὅτι, Ὁ Κύριος, εἰπὲ λόγῳ μόνον, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου. Οὐ λέγω πρὸς αὐτὸν, Κύριε, ἐὰν αἰτήσῃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, σωθήσομαι, γυναικικῆς γὰρ εἰσημάτιον πίστεως σμικροτέραν οὐ προσφέρω θεότητι, Ἄρειε. Οὕτω καλῶ τὸν Υἱὸν, ὡς χαίρει καλούμενος· πρόσειμι μετὰ τοιούτων φωνῶν, μεθ' ὧν αὐτῷ προσελθόντες, ἐπανῆλθον τυχόντες. Εἰ δὲ ὁ λῃστὴς καὶ γυνὴ καὶ στρατιώτης πιστὸς εἰς διδασκαλίαν ἀπαράδεκτοι πίστεως, αἰδέσθητι κἂν τὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸν, ἔνθα δώρων τῶν ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἐχρῆν ἐπιβοωμένων Χριστόν. Τί φθεγγόμενος Πέτρος ἀνίστησι παράλυτον; Αἰνέα, φησὶν, ἰᾶταί σε Ἰησοῦς Χριστός· καὶ πάλιν ἑτέραν ἐργαζόμενος ἴασιν, Οὐκ ἔστι, φησὶν, ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ὀνόματι ἡ σωτηρία. Τί λέγων Ἀνανίας ἐθεράπευσε Παῦλον; Σαοὺλ, ἀδελφὲ, ὁ Κύριος ἀπέστειλέ με Ἰησοῦς, ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὅπως ἀναβλέψῃς, καὶ πλησθήσῃ Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Τὴν τίνος ἑαυτῷ Παῦλος ἐπηύχετο δύναμιν; Ἥδιστα, φησὶ, καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τίνα κατὰ τῆς Σαμαρειτῶν τιμωρίας Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης ἱκέτευε; Κύριε, φησὶ, θέλεις εἴπωμεν καταβῆναι πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἀναλώσει αὐτούς; Ὁ δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων χορὸς τί τοῖς ἀνθρώποις περὶ αὐτοῦ παρεδίδου; Αὐτὸς, φησὶ, σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν.