John Chrysostom, On Susanna

having drawn it in with pornographic songs, destroys it. And taste, having been filled with gluttony and much wine, corrupts the soul towards drunkenness and bedchambers. And smell, having been bound by the elaborate perfumes of the young, has also bound the soul along with itself. Thus therefore, like a certain virgin, the soul is captured by foolish handmaidens, the senses, being betrayed to the sin of licentiousness. For sin, having stupefied all the senses, like a thief secretly enters into the storehouse of the heart; then having entered, it strips it all bare, having plundered the repository of chastity. That blessed woman, at any rate, secured her gaze, her appearance, her step, her hearing, her sight, her smell, her taste, her touch; and she was truly, according to the wisdom that says, A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed. For the blessed one happened to be like a garden, with no one able to plunder it, sending forth the perfumes of chastity, and she was like a fountain sealed by faith, from which none of the disorderly could draw out the beauty of chastity.

Two elders of the people, who seemed to govern the flock, came to be in desire for her, and each of them, burning with the flame of desire, was ashamed to reveal to the other the hidden fire of his heart. And on one of the days, each of them went away secretly from his companion to spy on Susanna; and having found one another, and having examined each other, they confessed to one another the reason for which they were present; then, having made a partnership in the act of sin, they made a careful search for wickedness, and they watched for an opportunity, how they might happen upon her alone. It happened, therefore, on one of the days, that Susanna went into her husband's garden according to her custom, to bathe because of the heat; and when she had sent her maids away to bring soap, the elders suddenly running up to her, like wolves, seized the lamb, wishing to tear her apart with the frenzy of licentiousness; and Susanna was alone between the two lions, and there was no one to help, no maid, no servant, no relative, no friend, no neighbor, except that God alone from heaven was watching, able to prevent it, but allowing the struggle to happen so that he might expose hidden intentions, and might make public the chastity of Susanna and the licentiousness of the elders, and at the same time might show to women the greatest lesson, the virtuous contest of Susanna. Great was the battle, a violent contest was laid before Susanna, greater than Joseph's. For he, being a man, fought with one woman; but she, being a woman, wrestled with two men. It was a very great and delightful spectacle, a woman boxing with two men; and the wonderful thing, if you hear where the wrestling pit was opened: in a garden, where the serpent deceived Eve. So when the struggle was ready, the heavens were opened, the trumpet cried out, the contest is ready, the judge of the contest from heaven was watching the struggle, and the host of angels, bending over, was observing; the serpent in the lawless ones, but faith in the chaste one. There was much concern for both about the victory: for the elders, not to be defeated by a woman, but for Susanna, not to lose her chastity; for them, demons were preparing the wages of victory, but for Susanna, angels were preparing the prizes of chastity. The lawless men seize Susan 56.592 na; and first they wrestled with her through words; what were they saying? We are elders of the people, the law has been entrusted to us, we have received authority to loose and to bind.

No one is here as a spy; Be with us; for we are in desire for you. But if you are not willing, we will testify against you, that a young man was with you, and for this reason you sent the girls away from you. And see how many things were constraining Susanna: slander of licentiousness, fear of death, condemnation before so great a people, hatred of her husband, hatred of relatives, grief of servants, and simply of the whole household

πορνικοῖς ᾄσμασι συνελκύσασα καταστρέφει. Ἡ δὲ γεῦσις ἀδηφαγίᾳ καὶ οἴνῳ πολλῷ ἐμφορηθεῖσα πρὸς μέθην καὶ κοίτας τὴν ψυχὴν καταφθείρει. Ἡ δὲ ὄσφρησις τοῖς περιέργοις μυρίσμασι τῶν νέων ἀποδεθεῖσα, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν μεθ' ἑαυτῆς συναπέδησεν. Οὕτως οὖν ὡς παρθένος τις ἡ ψυχὴ ὑπὸ ἀφρόνων θεραπαινίδων, τῶν αἰσθήσεων, ἁλίσκεται πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀκολασίας ἁμαρτίαν προδιδομένη. Ἡ γὰρ ἁμαρτία πάσας τὰς αἰσθήσεις καρώσασα, δίκην κλέπτου λαθραίως εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖον τῆς καρδίας ἐπεισέρχεται· εἶτα εἰσελθοῦσα ὅλην αὐτὴν γυμνοῖ τὴν ἐνθήκην τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀποσυλήσασα. Ἠσφαλίζετο γοῦν ἡ μακαρία ἐκείνη τὸ βλέμμα, τὸ σχῆμα, τὸ βῆμα, τὴν ἀκοὴν, τὴν ὅρασιν, τὴν ὄσφρησιν, τὴν γεῦσιν, τὴν ἁφήν· καὶ ἦν ἀληθῶς, κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν τὴν λέγουσαν, Κῆπος κεκλεισμένος, πηγὴ ἐσφραγισμένη. Ὥσπερ γὰρ κῆπος, μηδενὸς αὐτὸν συλαγωγῆσαι δυναμένου, ἐτύγχανεν ἡ μακαρία, πηγάζουσα τὰ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀρώματα, καὶ ὥσπερ πηγὴ ἦν τῇ πίστει ἐσφραγισμένη, ἐξ ἧς οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀτάκτων τὸ τῆς σωφροσύνης κάλλος ἀντλῆσαι ἠδύνατο.

Ταύτης ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ γεγόνασι δύο πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ, οἱ δοκοῦντες κυβερνᾷν τὸ ποίμνιον, καὶ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν φλογὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας καιόμενος, θάτερος θατέρῳ τὸ ἔγκρυφον τῆς καρδίας πῦρ φανερῶσαι ᾐσχύνετο. Καὶ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν λάθρα τοῦ ἑταίρου αὐτοῦ ἀπῄει κατασκοπεῦσαι τὴν Σουσάνναν· καὶ εὑρηκότες ἀλλήλους, καὶ ἀνετάσαντες ὡμολόγησαν ἀλλήλοις δι' ἣν παρῆσαν αἰτίαν· τότε κοινωνίαν θέμενοι ἐν τῇ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πράξει, τῆς κακίας ἐποιοῦντο ἔρευναν ἐκμελῆ, καὶ παρετήρουν καιρὸν, ὅπως αὐτῆς κατατύχωσι μόνης. Συνέβη οὖν ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς τὴν Σουσάνναν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, λούσασθαι κατὰ τὸ καῦμα· καὶ ἐξαποστειλάσης αὐτῆς τὰς παιδίσκας ἐπὶ τὸ κομίσαι σμῆγμα, ἐπιδραμόντες αὐτῇ ἄφνω οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὥσπερ λύκοι ἀμνάδα κατεῖχον, τῷ οἴστρῳ τῆς ἀκολασίας σπαράξαι βουλόμενοι· καὶ ἦν μόνη Σουσάννα ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο λεόντων, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ βοηθῶν, οὐ παιδίσκη, οὐ δοῦλος, οὐ συγγενὴς, οὐ φίλος, οὐ γείτων, εἰ μὴ μόνος οὐρανόθεν προσεῖχε Θεὸς ὁ κωλύειν μὲν δυνάμενος, συγχωρῶν δὲ γίνεσθαι τὴν πάλην ἵνα κρυπτομένας γνώμας ἐλέγξῃ, καὶ τῆς μὲν Σουσάννης τὴν σωφροσύνην, τῶν δὲ πρεσβυτέρων τὴν ἀκολασίαν δημοσιεύσῃ, ὁμοῦ δὲ ταῖς γυναιξὶ παιδευτήριον μέγιστον τὴν Σουσάννης ἐνάρετον ἄθλησιν ἐπιδείξῃ. Μεγάλη ἦν μάχη, σφοδρὸς ἀγὼν τῇ Σουσάννῃ ἀπέκειτο, μείζων τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ ἀνὴρ ὢν μετὰ μιᾶς ἐμάχετο γυναικός· αὕτη δὲ γυνὴ οὖσα μετὰ δύο ἀνδρῶν ἐπάλαιεν. Θέατρον ἦν μέγιστον καὶ τερπνὸν, γυνὴ μετὰ δύο ἀνδρῶν ἐπύκτευεν· καὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ἐὰν ἀκούσητε ποῦ τὸ σκάμμα ἠνέῳκτο· ἐν παραδείσῳ, ὅπου ὁ ὄφις τὴν Εὔαν ἠπάτησεν. Ὡς οὖν ἕτοιμος γέγονεν ἡ πάλη, ἠνοίχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, ἡ σάλπιγξ ἐβόα, ὁ ἀγὼν ἕτοιμος, ὁ ἀγωνοθέτης οὐρανόθεν προσεῖχε τῇ πάλῃ, καὶ ὁ δῆμος τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐπικεκυφὼς ἐθεώρει· ὁ ὄφις ἐν τοῖς παρανόμοις, ἡ δὲ πίστις ἐν τῇ σώφρονι. Πολλὴ ἦν φροντὶς ἀμφοτέροις περὶ τῆς νίκης· τοῖς μὲν πρεσβυτέροις τὸ μὴ ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἡττηθῆναι, τῇ δὲ Σουσάννῃ τὸ μὴ ἀπολέσαι τὴν σωφροσύνην· ἐκείνοις τὰ ὀψώνια τῆς νίκης οἱ δαίμονες ἡτοίμαζον, τῇ δὲ Σουσάννῃ τὰ ἔπαθλα τῆς σωφροσύνης ἡτοίμαζον ἄγγελοι. Κατέχουσι τὴν Σουσάν 56.592 ναν οἱ παράνομοι· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν διὰ λόγων ἐπάλαιον αὐτῇ· τί λέγοντες; Πρεσβύτεροί ἐσμεν τοῦ λαοῦ, ἡμῖν νόμος πεπίστευται, τοῦ λύειν καὶ δεσμεῖν ἐξουσίαν εἰλήφαμεν.

Οὐδείς ἐστιν ἐνθάδε κατάσκοπος· Γενοῦ μεθ' ἡμῶν· ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ σου γάρ ἐσμεν. Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ βουληθῇς, καταμαρτυρήσομέν σου, ὅτι ἦν μετὰ σοῦ νεανίσκος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέστειλας τὰ κοράσια ἀπὸ σοῦ. Καὶ ὅρα πόσα ἦν τὰ συνέχοντα τὴν Σουσάνναν· συκοφαντία ἀκολασίας, φόβος θανάτου, κατάγνωσις ἐπὶ τοσούτου λαοῦ, μῖσος ἀνδρὸς, μῖσος συγγενῶν, πένθος οἰκετῶν, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς παντὸς τοῦ οἴκου