John Chrysostom, Sermon on the Captive Eutropius

it receives wounds, and does not fall from the ulcers; it is tossed by waves, but 52.398 is not sunk; it is storm-tossed, but does not suffer shipwreck; it wrestles, but is not defeated; it boxes, but is not conquered. Why then did he permit the war? In order to show a more brilliant trophy. You were present on that day, and you saw how many weapons were moved, and a soldier's anger fiercer than fire, and we were hurrying to the imperial courts. But what? By the grace of God none of those things struck us with terror. 2. But I say these things, so that you too may imitate. But why were we not terrified? Because we feared none of the present terrors. For what is terrible? Death? This is not terrible; for we are quickly departing to the waveless harbor. But confiscations? Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall depart. But exiles? The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. But slanders? Rejoice and be glad, when they speak all manner of evil against you falsely, for your reward is great in heaven. I saw the swords, and I thought of heaven; I was expecting death, and I was contemplating the resurrection; I saw the sufferings below, and I counted the prizes above; I looked at the plots, and I thought of the crown above; for the subject of the contests was sufficient for exhortation and comfort. And I was led away, but what was happening was not an outrage to me; for there is only one outrage, sin. For even if the whole world insults you, but you do not insult yourself, you have not been insulted. The only betrayal is that of the conscience. Do not betray your conscience, and no one betrays you. I was led away, and I saw the events, or rather my words becoming events, my homily, through words, being proclaimed in the marketplace through events. Which homily? The one I was always saying. A wind blew, and cast down the leaves. The grass withered, and the flower fell. The night departed, and the day appeared; the shadow was refuted, and the truth appeared. They went up to the heavens, and they came down to the plains. For the waves above were stilled by human affairs. How? The things that happened were a lesson. And I said to myself: Will those who come after this be made wise? Will not two days pass, and the events be handed over to forgetfulness? The reminders were still ringing in their ears. Again I will say, again I will speak. What is the use? Or rather, there is a use. For even if not all listen, half will listen; and if not half listen, a third part; and if not the third, the fourth; and if not the fourth, even ten; and if not ten, even five; and if not five, even one; and if not one, I have my reward complete. The grass withered, and the flower fell; but the word of God remains forever. 3. Have you seen the worthlessness of human affairs, have you seen the transitory nature of power? have you seen wealth, which I always called a runaway, and not only a runaway, but also a murderer? For it not only abandons those who have it, but also slaughters them; for whenever someone serves it, then it especially betrays him. Why do you serve the wealth that is with you today, and with another tomorrow? why do you serve wealth, that can never be held? Do you want to serve it? Do you want to hold it? Do not bury it 52.399, but give it into the hands of the poor. Wealth is a wild beast; if it is held, it flees; but if it is scattered, it remains. For he has scattered, it says, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. Scatter it, so that it may remain; do not bury it, so that it may not flee. Where is wealth? I would gladly ask those who have departed. But I say these things not reproaching, God forbid, nor tearing open the wounds, but making the shipwrecks of others a harbor for you. When the soldiers, and the swords, when the city was burning, when the diadem had no strength, when the purple was insulted, when everything was full of madness, where was wealth? where

δέχεται τραύματα, καὶ οὐ καταπίπτει ὑπὸ τῶν ἑλκῶν· κλυδωνίζεται, ἀλλ' 52.398 οὐ καταποντίζεται· χειμάζεται, ἀλλὰ ναυάγιον οὐχ ὑπομένει· παλαίει, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡττᾶται· πυκτεύει, ἀλλ' οὐ νικᾶται. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν συνεχώρησε τὸν πόλεμον; Ἵνα δείξῃ λαμπρότερον τὸ τρόπαιον. Παρῆτε κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, καὶ ἐβλέπετε ὅσα ἐκινεῖτο ὅπλα, καὶ θυμὸς στρατιωτικὸς πυρὸς σφοδρότερος, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τὰς βασιλικὰς αὐλὰς ἐπειγόμεθα. Ἀλλὰ τί; Τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς ἐκείνων κατέπληξε. βʹ. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς μιμῆσθε. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐ κατεπλάγημεν; Ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν παρόντων δεινῶν ἐδεδοίκαμεν. Τί γάρ ἐστι δεινόν; Θάνατος; Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο δεινόν· ταχέως γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα ἀπερχόμεθα τὸν ἀκύμαντον. Ἀλλὰ δημεύσεις; Γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι. Ἀλλ' ἐξορίαι; Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Ἀλλὰ συκοφαντίαι; Χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅταν εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἑώρων τὰ ξίφη, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐλογιζόμην· προσεδόκων τὸν θάνατον, καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἐνενόουν· ἑώρων τὰ κάτω πάθη, καὶ ἠρίθμουν τὰ ἄνω βραβεῖα· ἔβλεπον τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς, καὶ ἐλογιζόμην τὸν ἄνω στέφανον· ἡ γὰρ ὑπόθεσις τῶν ἀγώνων ἀρκοῦσα ἦν εἰς παράκλησιν καὶ παραμυθίαν. Ἀπηγόμην δὲ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν ὕβρις ἐμοὶ τὸ γινόμενον· ὕβρις γὰρ ἓν μόνον ἐστὶν, ἡ ἁμαρτία. Κἂν γὰρ ἡ οἰκουμένη πᾶσά σε ὑβρίζῃ, σὺ δὲ σαυτὸν μὴ ὑβρίσῃς, οὐχ ὑβρίσθης. Προδοσία μόνη ἡ τοῦ συνειδότος. Μὴ προδῷς σου τὸ συνειδὸς, καὶ οὐδείς σε προδίδωσιν. Ἀπηγόμην, καὶ ἑώρων τὰ πράγματα, μᾶλλον δὲ τὰ ῥήματά μου πράγματα γινόμενα, τὴν ὁμιλίαν μου, τὴν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων κηρυττομένην. Ποίαν ὁμιλίαν; Ἣν ἔλεγον ἀεί. Ἄνεμος ἔπνευσε, καὶ τὰ φύλλα κατέβαλεν. Ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν. Ἀπῆλθεν ἡ νὺξ, καὶ ἐφάνη ἡ ἡμέρα· ἠλέγχθη ἡ σκιὰ, καὶ ἐφάνη ἡ ἀλήθεια. Ἀνέβησαν ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ κατέβησαν ἕως τῶν πεδίων. Τὰ κύματα γὰρ ἄνω κατεστάλη διὰ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων. Πῶς; ∆ιδασκαλία ἦν τὰ γινόμενα. Καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἐμαυτόν· Ἆρα σωφρονίσονται οἱ μετὰ ταῦτα; ἆρα οὐ παρέρχονται δύο ἡμέραι, καὶ λήθῃ τὰ γινόμενα παραδίδοται; Ἔναυλα τὰ ὑπομνήματα ἦν. Πάλιν εἴπω, πάλιν λαλήσω. Τί ὄφελος; Μᾶλλον δὲ ὄφελος. Κἂν γὰρ μὴ πάντες ἀκούσωσι, οἱ ἡμίσεις ἀκούσονται· κἂν μὴ οἱ ἡμίσεις ἀκούσωσι, τὸ τρίτον μέρος· κἂν μὴ τὸ τρίτον, τὸ τέταρτον· κἂν μὴ τὸ τέταρτον, κἂν δέκα· κἂν μὴ δέκα, κἂν πέντε· κἂν μὴ πέντε, κἂν εἷς· κἂν μὴ εἷς, ἐγὼ τὸν μισθὸν ἀπηρτισμένον ἔχω. Ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσε· τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα τοῦ Θεοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. γʹ. Εἴδετε τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων τὴν εὐτέλειαν, εἴδετε τῆς δυναστείας τὸ ἐπίκηρον; εἴδετε τὸν πλοῦτον, ὃν ἀεὶ δραπέτην ἐκάλουν, οὐ δραπέτην δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνδροφόνον; Οὐ γὰρ καταλιμπάνει τοὺς ἔχοντας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφάζει αὐτούς· ὅταν γάρ τις αὐτὸν θεραπεύῃ, τότε μάλιστα αὐτὸν παραδίδωσι. Τί θεραπεύεις τὸν πλοῦτον τὸν σήμερον πρός σε, καὶ αὔριον πρὸς ἄλλον; τί θεραπεύεις πλοῦτον, τὸν μηδέποτε κατασχεθῆναι δυνάμενον; Βούλει θεραπεῦσαι αὐτόν; βούλει αὐτὸν κατασχεῖν; Μὴ κατορύξῃς αὐ 52.399 τὸν, ἀλλὰ δὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τῶν πενήτων. Θηρίον ἐστὶν ὁ πλοῦτος· ἂν μὲν κατέχηται, φεύγει· ἂν δὲ σκορπίζηται, μένει. Ἐσκόρπισε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Σκόρπισον, ἵνα μείνῃ· μὴ κατορύξῃς, ἵνα μὴ φύγῃ. Ποῦ ὁ πλοῦτος; ἡδέως ἂν ἐροίμην τοὺς ἀπελθόντας. Λέγω δὲ ταῦτα οὐκ ὀνειδίζων, μὴ γένοιτο, οὐδὲ ἀναξαίνων τὰ ἕλκη, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἑτέρων ναυάγια ὑμῖν λιμένα κατασκευάζων. Ὅτε οἱ στρατιῶται, καὶ τὰ ξίφη, ὅτε πόλις ἐκαίετο, ὅτε διάδημα οὐκ ἴσχυεν, ὅτε πορφύρα ὑβρίζετο, ὅτε μανίας πάντα ἔγεμε, ποῦ ὁ πλοῦτος; ποῦ