John Chrysostom, On Eutropius

she runs past, wishing to snatch you from the nets. 52.393 2. And I say these things now, not to trample on the fallen, but wishing to make those who are standing more secure; not reopening the wounds of the injured man, but to keep in safe health those who have not yet been wounded; not casting into the sea the man tossed by the waves, but instructing those who sail with a fair wind, so that they may not be submerged. But how could this happen? If we would consider the changes of human affairs. For if this man had feared change, he would not have undergone change; but since this man was made better neither by himself, nor by others, you at least who take pride in wealth, profit from his misfortune; for nothing is weaker than human affairs. Therefore, whatever name of worthlessness one might give them, he will say less than the truth; whether he call them smoke, or grass, or a dream, or spring flowers, or anything else; so perishable are they, and more worthless than things that are nothing; but that along with their worthlessness they also have much that is precipitous, is clear from this.

For who has become higher than this man? Did he not surpass the whole world in wealth? Did he not ascend to the very summits of dignities? Did not all tremble before him, and fear him? But behold, he has become more wretched than prisoners, more pitiable than slaves, and more destitute than the poor who are wasted by hunger, seeing sharpened swords every day, and the pit, and executioners, and the leading away to death; and he does not even know if he was ever in that pleasure, nor does he perceive the sunbeam itself; but at high noon, as if in the thickest night, this man, being surrounded, has had his sight destroyed. Rather, however much we may strive, we shall not be able to represent in words the suffering, which it is likely he endures, expecting to be killed every hour. But why is there need of words from us, when he himself has clearly sketched these things for us as in a picture? For on the previous day, when they came to him from the royal courts, wishing to drag him away by force, and he ran to the sacred vessels, his face was, and is now, no better disposed than that of one already dead; and a chattering of teeth, and a rattling and trembling of his whole body, and a broken voice, and a paralyzed tongue, and such a state, as a soul of stone would likely have.

3. And I say these things, not reproaching, nor trampling on his misfortune,

but wishing to soften your mind, and to draw you to pity, and to persuade you to be content with the punishment that has already occurred. For since there are many inhuman people among us, who even accuse us for receiving him at the altar; wishing to soften their hard-heartedness with these accounts, I make a show of his sufferings. For what reason are you angry, tell me, beloved? Because, he says, the one who constantly warred against the church has taken refuge in the church. For this very reason, then, one ought most of all to glorify God, because He allowed him to fall into such necessity, as to learn both the power of the Church 52.394 and its love for humanity; its power, from the fact that he underwent such a change from his wars against it; and its love for humanity, from the fact that though warred against, she now puts forth her shield, and has received him under her wings, and has placed him in all safety, not bearing a grudge for any of the past things, but spreading her bosom for him with much tender affection. For this is more brilliant than any trophy, this is a glorious victory, this puts the Greeks to shame, this confounds the Jews, this shows her face to be radiant; that having taken her enemy captive, she spares him, and when all had overlooked him in his desolation, she alone like a loving mother, hid him under her veils, and stood against the imperial wrath, against the fury of the people, and against unbearable hatred; this is an ornament for the altar.

παρατρέχει, τῶν δικτύων σε ἐξαρπάσαι βουλομένη. 52.393 βʹ. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω νῦν, οὐκ ἐπεμβαίνων τῷ κειμένῳ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἑστῶτας ἀσφαλεστέρους ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος· οὐκ ἀναξαίνων τὰ ἕλκη τοῦ τετρωμένου, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μηδέπω τετρωμένους ἐν ὑγείᾳ διατηρῆσαι ἀσφαλεῖ· οὐ καταποντίζων τὸν κλυδωνιζόμενον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐξ οὐρίας πλέοντας παιδεύων, ὥστε μὴ γενέσθαι ὑποβρυχίους. Πῶς δ' ἂν τοῦτο γένοιτο; Εἰ τὰς μεταβολὰς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐννοώμεθα πραγμάτων. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος εἰ ἔδεισε μεταβολὴν, οὐκ ἂν ὑπέμεινε μεταβολήν· ἀλλ' ἐπείπερ οὗτος οὔτε οἴκοθεν, οὔτε παρ' ἑτέρων ἐγίνετο βελτίων, ὑμεῖς γοῦν οἱ κομῶντες τῷ πλούτῳ, ἀπὸ τῆς τούτου κερδάνατε συμφορᾶς· οὐδὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων ἀσθενέστερον. ∆ιόπερ οἷον ἂν εἴποι τις ὄνομα τῆς εὐτελείας αὐτῶν, ἔλαττον τῆς ἀληθείας ἐρεῖ· κἂν καπνὸν αὐτὰ, κἂν χόρτον, κἂν ὄναρ, κἂν ἄνθη ἐαρινὰ, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ὀνομάσῃ· οὕτως ἐστὶν ἐπίκηρα, καὶ τῶν οὐδὲν ὄντων οὐδαμινώτερα· ὅτι δὲ μετὰ τῆς οὐθενείας καὶ πολὺ ἔχει τὸ ἀπόκρημνον, δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν.

Τίς γὰρ τούτου γέγονεν ὑψηλότερος; οὐ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην παρῆλθε τῷ πλούτῳ; οὐ πρὸς αὐτὰς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἀνέβη τὰς κορυφάς; οὐχὶ πάντες αὐτὸν ἔτρεμον, καὶ ἐδεδοίκεισαν; Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ γέγονε καὶ δεσμωτῶν ἀθλιώτερος, καὶ οἰκετῶν ἐλεεινότερος, καὶ τῶν λιμῷ τηκομένων πτωχῶν ἐνδεέστερος, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ξίφη βλέπων ἠκονημένα, καὶ βάραθρον, καὶ δημίους, καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ἀπαγωγήν· καὶ οὐδὲ εἴποτε γέγονεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἡδονῆς οἶδεν ἐκείνης, οὐδὲ αὐτῆς αἰσθάνεται τῆς ἀκτῖνος· ἀλλ' ἐν μεσημβρίᾳ μέσῃ, καθάπερ ἐν πυκνοτάτῃ νυκτὶ, περιεστοιχισμένος οὗτος τὰς ὄψεις πεπήρωται. Μᾶλλον δὲ ὅσα ἂν φιλονεικήσωμεν, οὐ δυνησόμεθα τῷ λόγῳ παραστῆσαι τὸ πάθος, ὅπερ ὑπομένειν αὐτὸν εἰκὸς, καθ' ἑκάστην ὥραν ἀποκτείνεσθαι προσδοκῶντα. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ τί δεῖ τῶν λόγων τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν, αὐτοῦ ταῦτα καθάπερ ἐν εἰκόνι σαφῶς ὑπογράψαντος ἡμῖν; Τῇ γὰρ προτεραίᾳ, ὅτε ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἦλθον ἐκ τῶν βασιλικῶν αὐλῶν πρὸς βίαν ἀφελκύσαι βουλόμενοι, καὶ τοῖς σκεύεσι προσέδραμε τοῖς ἱεροῖς, ἦν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ τανῦν, νεκρωθέντος ἅπαξ οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείμενον· κτύπος δὲ τῶν ὀδόντων, καὶ πάταγος καὶ τρόμος παντὸς τοῦ σώματος, καὶ φωνὴ διακοπτομένη, καὶ γλῶττα διαλυομένη, καὶ σχῆμα τοιοῦτον, οἷον εἰκὸς τὴν λιθίνην ἔχειν ψυχήν.

γʹ. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐκ ὀνειδίζων, οὐδὲ ἐπεμβαίνων αὐτοῦ τῇ συμφορᾷ,

ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν διάνοιαν μαλάξαι βουλόμενος, καὶ εἰς ἔλεον ἐπισπάσασθαι, καὶ πεῖσαι ἀρκεσθῆναι τῇ τιμωρίᾳ τῇ γεγενημένῃ. Ἐπειδὴ γάρ εἰσι πολλοὶ παρ' ἡμῖν ἀπάνθρωποι, ὥστε ὁμοίως καὶ ἡμῖν ἐγκαλεῖν, ὅτι αὐτὸν ἐδεξάμεθα τῷ βήματι· τὸ ἄστοργον αὐτῶν τοῖς διηγήμασι μαλάξαι βουλόμενος, ἐκπομπεύω τὰ τούτου πάθη. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἀγανακτεῖς, εἰπέ μοι, ἀγαπητέ; Ὅτι, φησὶν, εἰς ἐκκλησίαν κατέφυγεν ὁ πολεμήσας αὐτὴν διηνεκῶς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὖν μάλιστα δοξάζειν ἐχρῆν τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν ἐν τοσαύτῃ καταστῆναι ἀνάγκῃ, ὥστε καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας 52.394 καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν μαθεῖν· τὴν δύναμιν μὲν, ἀφ' ὧν τοσαύτην ὑπέμεινε μεταβολὴν ἐκ τῶν πρὸς ἐκείνην πολέμων· τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν δὲ, ἐξ ὧν πολεμηθεῖσα νῦν τὴν ἀσπίδα προβάλλεται, καὶ ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας ἐδέξατο τὰς αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ πάσῃ κατέστησεν, οὐ μνησικακήσασα ὑπὲρ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν οὐδενὸς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κόλπους αὐτῷ μετὰ πολλῆς ἁπλώσασα τῆς φιλοστοργίας. Τοῦτο γὰρ τροπαίου παντὸς λαμπρότερον, τοῦτο νίκη περιφανὴς, τοῦτο Ἕλληνας ἐντρέπει, τοῦτο καὶ Ἰουδαίους καταισχύνει, τοῦτο φαιδρὸν αὐτῆς τὸ πρόσωπον δείκνυσιν· ὅτι τὸν πολέμιον αἰχμάλωτον λαβοῦσα, φείδεται, καὶ πάντων αὐτὸν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ παριδόντων, μόνη καθάπερ μήτηρ φιλόστοργος, ὑπὸ τὰ παραπετάσματα αὐτῆς ἔκρυψε, καὶ πρὸς βασιλικὴν ὀργὴν ἔστη, πρὸς δήμου θυμὸν, καὶ πρὸς μῖσος ἀφόρητον· τοῦτο τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ κόσμος.