John Chrysostom, On Earthquake

God saying to Moses: For the place on which you stand is holy ground. You have sanctified the ground, the marketplace; you have made the city a church for us. And just as a torrent flowing by; and carried along by its strong current overturns everything, so indeed the spiritual torrent, the river of God, which makes glad the city of God, was filled with water, and cleansed the filth of impiety. No one is licentious, or rather if anyone is licentious, he is changed. He hears the voice, and his mind is reformed, the melody enters, and impiety is transformed, the passions of avarice flee.

For even if it does not flee, yet just as wild beasts lie in their dens in winter, so the licentious mind is buried, and just as snakes, when the frost stiffens their bodies, go down below, so indeed these passions, servile and slavish, are covered over as if in a certain abyss. Indeed, even they who carry them around are ashamed of them; for they carry them, but they are dead. For your melody becomes winter for them. The voice enters the hearing of the avaricious man, and even if it does not cast out the passion, yet it deadens the passion; it enters into the hearing of the licentious and proud man, and even if it does not kill licentiousness and pride, it buries his licentiousness and pride. And it is no small thing for wickedness not to be openly practiced. I also said yesterday that great is the fruit from the earthquakes. Have you seen the Master's love for mankind, shaking the city and strengthening the mind? unsettling foundations, and fixing resolutions? making the city unsound, and making the will strong? Consider His love for mankind: He shook it a little, and fixed it perpetually; the earthquake was for two days, but let piety remain for all time; for a short time you were grieved, but you were rooted perpetually. For I know well that by the fear of God your piety has taken root; even if there should be a respite, the fruit remains.

No longer do thorns choke, nor does a flooding rain wash away; fear has cultivated you well, it has become an ally of my words. I am silent and the foundations speak; I keep silent and the earthquake sends forth a voice brighter than a trumpet, saying these things: The Lord is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and full of mercy; I came not to bury you, but to strengthen you. These things the earthquake says, and sends forth a voice: I frightened you, not to grieve you, but to make you more diligent. Attend carefully to the word; since the word grew weak, punishment cried out; since the teaching grew weary, 50.715 fear fought alongside. Discussing these things with you I come for a short time, and I do my part; when I tighten you, then I hand you over to the word, so that the word may not grow weary; finding stones and growing thorns, I make the field clean, so that the word may cast the seeds with a lavish hand. How have you been harmed by being grieved for a little while? You became angels instead of men; you were transferred to heaven, if not in place, at least in manner. And that I do not say these things to flatter, the facts bear witness. For what were you lacking in the matter of repentance? You cast out envy, you banished servile passions, you planted virtue, invigorating yourselves the whole night with holy vigils, with much love and an intense disposition.

No one remembers interest, no one discourses about avarice, and not only are hands clean of sins, but the tongue is also free from lawlessness and slander; no one insults his neighbor, no one goes off to Satanic banquets; the houses are clean, the marketplace is wiped clean; evening arrives, and nowhere are there choirs of young men singing the songs of the theater. But there are choirs, not of licentiousness, but choirs of righteous deeds; and it is possible to hear hymnody in the marketplace, and of those sitting at home, one singing psalms, another singing hymns; night falls, and all

λέγοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Μωϋσῇ· Ὁ γὰρ τόπος ἐν ᾧ ἕστηκας γῆ ἁγία ἐστίν. Ἡγιάσατε τὸ ἔδαφος, τὴν ἀγορὰν, τὴν πόλιν ἡμῖν ἐκκλησίαν ἐποιήσατε. Καὶ καθάπερ χείμαῤῥος παραῤῥέων· καὶ πολλῷ τῷ ῥείθρῳ φερόμενος ἅπαντα ἀνατρέπει, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ χείμαῤῥος ὁ πνευματικὸς, ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ εὐφραίνων τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπληρώθη ὑδάτων, καὶ τὸν βόρβορον τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐξεκάθαρεν. Οὐδεὶς ἀσελγὴς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ εἴ τις ἀσελγής ἐστι μεταβάλλεται. Ἀκούει τῆς φωνῆς, καὶ μεταῤῥυθμίζεται ἡ διάνοια, εἰσέρχεται ἡ μελῳδία, καὶ μεταβάλλεται ἡ ἀσέβεια, δραπετεύει τῆς πλεονεξίας τὰ πάθη.

Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ δραπετεύει, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ τὰ θηρία τὰ ἄγρια χειμῶνι φωλεύει, οὕτως ἡ διάνοια ἡ ἀσελγοῦσα κατορύττεται, καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ὄφεις, τοῦ κρυμοῦ πηγνύντος αὐτῶν τὰ σώματα ἐπὶ τὰ κάτω δύνουσιν, οὕτω δὴ τὰ πάθη ταῦτα, τὰ ἀνελεύθερα καὶ ἀνδραποδώδη, καθάπερ εἰς βυθόν τινα οὕτω συγκαλύπτεται. Ἀμέλει καὶ αὐτοὶ αἰσχύνονται οἱ περιφέροντες αὐτά· περιφέρουσι μὲν γὰρ, νεκρὰ δέ. Ἀντὶ γὰρ χειμῶνος αὐτοῖς ἡ μελῳδία ὑμῶν γίνεται. Εἰσέρχεται εἰς ἀκοὴν τοῦ πλεονέκτου ἡ φωνὴ, κἂν μὴ ἐκβάλλῃ τὸ πάθος, ἀλλὰ νεκροῖ τὸ πάθος· εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὴν ἀκοὴν τοῦ ἀσελγοῦς καὶ ὑπερηφάνου, κἂν μὴ ἀποκτείνῃ τὴν ἀσέλγειαν καὶ τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν, κατορύττει τὴν ἀσέλγειάν τε καὶ τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τὸ μὴ παῤῥησιάζεσθαι τὴν κακίαν. Εἶπον καὶ χθὲς ὅτι μέγας ὁ καρπὸς ὁ ἀπὸ τῶν σεισμῶν. Εἴδετε ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν σείοντος πόλιν καὶ στηρίζοντος διάνοιαν; σαλεύοντος θεμέλια, καὶ πηγνύοντος φρονήματα; σαθρὰν ἐργαζομένου τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἰσχυροποιοῦντος τὴν γνώμην; Ἐννόησον αὐτοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν· ἔσεισεν ὀλίγον, καὶ διηνεκῶς ἔπηξεν· ὁ σεισμὸς εἰς δύο ἡμέρας, ἡ δὲ εὐλάβεια μενέτω εἰς πάντα τὸν χρόνον· πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐλυπήθητε, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς ἐῤῥιζώθητε. Εὖ γὰρ οἶδα ὅτι τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ εὐλάβεια ὑμῶν ῥίζαν ἔλαβε· κἂν γένηται ἄνεσις, μένει ὁ καρπός.

Οὐκέτι ἄκανθαι αἱ πνίγουσαι, οὐδὲ βροχὴ ἐπικλύζουσα ἀποπλύνει· καλῶς ἐγεώργησεν ὑμᾶς ὁ φόβος, σύμμαχός μου τῶν λόγων γέγονεν. Ἐγὼ σιγῶ καὶ τὰ θεμέλια φθέγγεται· ἐγὼ σιωπῶ καὶ ὁ σεισμὸς σάλπιγγος λαμπροτέραν ἀφίησι φωνὴν, ταῦτα λέγων· Οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων ὁ Κύριος, μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος· παρεγενόμην, οὐχ ἵνα ὑμᾶς καταχώσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμᾶς νευρώσω. Ταῦτα ὁ σεισμὸς λέγει, καὶ φωνὴν ἀφίησιν· ἐφόβησα ὑμᾶς, οὐχ ἵνα λυπήσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀκριβεστέρους ἐργάσωμαι. Προσέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ· ἐπειδὴ ἠτόνησεν ὁ λόγος, ἐβόησεν ἡ τιμωρία, ἐπεὶ ἔκαμεν ἡ διδασκαλία, 50.715 συνεμάχησεν ὁ φόβος. Ταῦτα διαλεγόμενος ὑμῖν πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔρχομαι, καὶ ποιῶ τὸ ἐμαυτοῦ· ὅταν ὑμᾶς σφίγξω, τότε παραδίδωμι τῷ λόγῳ, ἵνα μὴ κάμνῃ ὁ λόγος· λίθους εὑρίσκων καὶ ἀκάνθας φυομένας, καθαρὰν ποιῶ τὴν ἄρουραν, ἵν' ὁ λόγος δαψιλεῖ τῇ χειρὶ καταβάλλῃ τὰ σπέρματα. Τί ἐβλάβητε πρὸς ὀλίγον λυπηθέντες; Ἄγγελοι ἀντὶ ἀνθρώπων ἐγένεσθε· πρὸς οὐρανὸν μετέστητε, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῷ τόπῳ, ἀλλὰ τῷ τρόπῳ. Καὶ ὅτι οὐ κολακεύων λέγω ταῦτα, μαρτυρεῖ τὰ πράγματα. Τί γὰρ ἐνελείπετε εἰς τὸν τῆς μετανοίας λόγον; Φθόνον ἐξεβάλετε, τὰ ἀνελεύθερα πάθη ἐξωρίσατε, τὴν ἀρετὴν κατεφυτεύσατε, ὁλόκληρον τὴν νύκτα παννυχίσιν ἁγίαις εὐτονήσαντες, ἀγάπῃ πολλῇ καὶ ἐπιτεταμένῃ διαθέσει.

Οὐδεὶς τόκων μέμνηται, οὐδεὶς περὶ πλεονεξίας διαλέγεται, οὐδ' αἱ χεῖρες ἁμαρτημάτων καθαραὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα ἀπηλλαγμένη παρανομίας καὶ λοιδορίας· οὐδεὶς ὑβρίζει τὸν πλησίον, οὐδεὶς ἐπὶ συμπόσια ἀπέρχεται Σατανικά· αἱ οἰκίαι καθαραὶ, ἡ ἀγορὰ ἀπεσμηγμένη· ἑσπέρα καταλαμβάνει, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ χοροὶ νεανίσκων τὰ τοῦ θεάτρου ᾄδοντες ᾄσματα. Ἀλλ' εἰσὶ χοροὶ μὲν, οὐκ ἀσελγείας δὲ, χοροὶ μὲν, ἀλλὰ κατορθωμάτων· καὶ ἔστιν ἐν ἀγορᾷ ὑμνῳδίας ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ οἴκοι καθημένων, τοῦ μὲν ψάλλοντος, τοῦ δὲ ὑμνοῦντος· καταλαμβάνει νὺξ, καὶ πάντες