John Chrysostom, On the Beginning of Acts

seeing it enjoying greater zeal? And yet even if it enjoyed equal zeal, there was no excuse for us, nor any defense. But when it has the advantage, what reason is left for us? Theaters call every day, and no one hesitates, no one shrinks back, no one puts forward the excuse of business; but just as if well-girded and free from all care, so they all run. The old man does not respect his gray hair, the young man does not shrink from the flame of his nature and his desire, the rich man does not consider it a disgrace to his own dignity. But if it is necessary to go to church, as if descending from some high place and dignity, so he is sluggish and hesitant, and after this is puffed up, as if having done some favor to God; but when hastening to the theater, where there are licentious sights and sounds, he does not think he disgraces himself, or his wealth, or his noble birth. I would like to know, where are they now who troubled us on that day; for their presence was a trouble; I would like to know what they are doing, what more necessary thing of those at hand has kept them busy. But there is no business, only arrogance. And what could be more manic? For why, O man, are you high-minded, and think you are doing us a favor, if by coming here you pay attention, and hear the things for the salvation of your soul? For what reason, tell me, and why are you boastful? Because of your wealth? Because of your silk garments? Then do you not consider that those are the threads of worms, and the inventions of barbarian men? 51.69 that harlots use them, and effeminate men, and grave-robbers, and bandits? Recognize true wealth, and come down at last from that high and empty conceit; consider the lowliness of your nature. You are earth and dust, ashes and powder, smoke and shadow, grass and the flower of grass. With such a nature are you high-minded, tell me? And what could be more ridiculous than this? But you rule over many men? And what is the benefit of this, when you rule over men, but are a captive and slave to your passions? Just as if someone at home were beaten and wounded by his servants, but going out into the marketplace were proud of his authority over others; so vainglory strikes you, licentiousness inflicts wounds on you, you are a slave of all the passions, and are you proud because you rule over your fellow men? If only you ruled over them, if only you were their equal. 2. I say these things not to accuse the rich, but those who use their wealth badly. For wealth is not an evil, if we wish to use it for what is needed, but despair and arrogance are. If wealth were an evil, we would not all pray to depart into the bosom of Abraham, who had three hundred and eighteen home-born servants. Therefore, wealth is not an evil, but the unlawful use of it is an evil. And just as before when speaking about drunkenness, I was not slandering wine (for every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused, if it is received with thanksgiving), so also now I do not accuse the rich, nor do I slander money, but the evil use of money, spent on debauchery. For this reason it is called money, so that we might use it, and not it us; for this reason they are called possessions, so that we might possess them, and not they us. Why then do you have the slave as master? Why have you inverted the order? But I would like to learn what those who have abandoned the assembly are doing now, and what things they are engaged in. But either they are dicing, or they are certainly stirring up worldly affairs, filled with turmoil. Here if you were present, O man, you would be in calm and in a harbor; no steward entering would disturb you, no overseer would make a noise, no servant would bother you about worldly affairs, no one else would provoke you; but abiding in quiet you would enjoy divine hearings. Nowhere are there waves here, nowhere turmoil; but blessing, and prayers, and spiritual discourse, and a removal to heaven; and from here you would have departed, having already received the pledge of the kingdom of heaven. For what reason have you left this rich table, and moved yourself to another more burdensome one, and having left the harbor, turmoil

πλείονος ἀπολαύοντα σπουδῆς ὁρῶν; Καίτοι εἰ καὶ ἴσης ἀπήλαυσεν, οὐδεμία ἡμῖν ἦν ἡ συγγνώμη, οὐδὲ ἀπολογία ὅταν δὲ καὶ πλεονεκτῇ, τίς ἡμῖν ἐλλείπεται λόγος; Θέατρα καθ' ἑκάστην καλεῖ τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ ὀκνῶν, οὐδεὶς ὁ ἀναδυόμενος, οὐδεὶς ἀσχολίαν προβάλλεται πραγμάτων· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ εὔζωνοι καὶ λελυμένοι φροντίδος ἁπάσης, οὕτω τρέχουσιν ἅπαντες· οὐχ ὁ γέρων τὴν πολιὰν αἰδεῖται, οὐχ ὁ νέος ὑφορᾶται τὴν φλόγα τῆς φύσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, οὐχ ὁ πλούσιος τὸ ἀξίωμα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ καταισχύνειν ἡγεῖται. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν μὲν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἀπαντῆσαι δέῃ, καθάπερ ἐξ ὑπεροχῆς τινος καὶ ἀξιώματος καταβαίνων, οὕτω ναρκᾷ καὶ ὀκνεῖ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα φυσᾶται, ὥσπερ τι τῷ Θεῷ χαρισάμενος· εἰς δὲ θέατρον σπεύδων, ἔνθα ἀσελγῆ θεάματα καὶ ἀκούσματα, οὐ νομίζει καταισχῦναι ἑαυτὸν, οὐ τὸν πλοῦτον, οὐδὲ τὴν εὐγένειαν. Ἐβουλόμην εἰδέναι, ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἡμῖν ἐνοχλήσαντες· ἐνόχλησις γὰρ ἦν αὐτῶν ἡ παρουσία· ἐβουλόμην εἰδέναι τί πράττουσι, τί τῶν παρόντων αὐτοὺς ἀναγκαιότερον ἀπεσχόλησεν. Ἀλλ' ἀσχολία οὐδεμία, τῦφος δὲ μόνος. Καὶ τί γένοιτ' ἂν μανικώτερον; Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν, ἄνθρωπε, μεγαλοφρονεῖς, καὶ νομίζεις ἡμῖν χαρίζεσθαι, ἐὰν παραγενόμενος ἐνταῦθα προσέχῃς, καὶ ἀκούσῃς τὰ πρὸς σωτηρίαν τῆς σῆς ψυχῆς; τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ διὰ τί ἀλαζονεύῃ; διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον; διὰ τὰ ἱμάτια τὰ σηρικά; Εἶτα οὐκ ἐννοεῖς, ὅτι σκωλήκων εἰσὶν ἐκεῖνα νήματα, καὶ βαρβάρων ἀνθρώπων εὑρέματα; 51.69 ὅτι πόρναι ἐκείνοις κέχρηνται, καὶ μαλακοὶ, καὶ τυμβωρύχοι, καὶ λῃσταί; Ἐπίγνωθι τὸν δίκαιον πλοῦτον, καὶ κατάβηθί ποτε ἀπὸ τοῦ φυσήματος ἐκείνου τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ καὶ κενοῦ· διάσκεψαι τῆς φύσεως τὸ εὐτελές. Γῆ καὶ σποδὸς εἶ, τέφρα καὶ κόνις, καπνὸς καὶ σκιὰ, χόρτος καὶ ἄνθος χόρτου. Τοιαύτῃ φύσει μεγαλοφρονεῖς, εἰπέ μοι; Καὶ τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν καταγελαστότερον; Ἀλλὰ πολλῶν ἄρχεις ἀνθρώπων; Καὶ τί τοῦτο ὄφελος, ὅταν ἀνθρώπων μὲν ἄρχεις, τῶν δὲ παθῶν αἰχμάλωτος εἶ καὶ δοῦλος; Ὥσπερ ἄν τις οἴκοι μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκετῶν τύπτοιτο καὶ τραύματα λαμβάνοι, ἔξω δὲ εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλλων μέγα φρονῇ ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχῇ· οὕτω τύπτει σε κενοδοξία, τραύματά σοι ἐπάγει ἡ ἀσέλγεια, πάντων τῶν παθῶν δοῦλος εἶ, καὶ μέγα φρονεῖς ὅτι τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἄρχεις; Εἴθε ἐκείνων ἦρχες, ἐκείνων ἦς ἰσότιμος. βʹ. Οὐ τῶν πλουτούντων κατηγορῶν ταῦτα λέγω, ἀλλὰ τῶν κακῶς τῷ πλούτῳ κεχρημένων. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ πλοῦτος κακὸν, ἐὰν εἰς δέον βουλώμεθα αὐτῷ χρήσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀπόνοια, καὶ ἡ ἀλαζονεία. Εἰ κακὸν ἦν ὁ πλοῦτος, οὐκ ἂν πάντες ηὐξάμεθα εἰς κόλπους Ἀβραὰμ ἀπελθεῖν τοῦ ἔχοντος τριακοσίους δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ οἰκέτας οἰκογενεῖς. Οὐ τοίνυν ὁ πλοῦτος κακὸν, ἀλλ' ἡ παράνομος αὐτοῦ χρῆσις κακόν. Καὶ ὥσπερ πρῴην περὶ μέθης λέγων, οὐ τὸν οἶνον διέβαλλον (πᾶν γὰρ κτίσμα Θεοῦ καλὸν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον, μετ' εὐχαριστίας λαμβανόμενον), οὕτω καὶ νῦν οὐ τῶν πλουτούντων κατηγορῶ, οὐδὲ τὰ χρήματα διαβάλλω, ἀλλὰ τὴν κακὴν τῶν χρημάτων χρῆσιν, καὶ εἰς ἀσωτίαν δαπανωμένην. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο χρήματα λέγεται, ἵνα ἡμεῖς αὐτοῖς χρησώμεθα, καὶ μὴ ἐκεῖνα ἡμῖν· διὰ τοῦτο κτήματα λέγεται, ἵνα ἡμεῖς αὐτὰ κτησώμεθα, καὶ μὴ ἐκεῖνα ἡμᾶς. Τί οὖν τὸν δοῦλον ἔχεις δεσπότην; τί ἀντέστρεψας τὴν τάξιν; Ἀλλ' ἐβουλόμην μαθεῖν, τί νῦν ποιοῦσιν οἱ τὴν σύναξιν ἐγκαταλείψαντες, καὶ ἐν τίσιν εἰσίν. Ἀλλὰ ἢ κυβεύουσιν, ἢ πάντως πράγματα ἀνακινοῦσι βιωτικὰ, ταραχῆς ἐμπεπλησμένα. Ἐνταῦθα εἰ παρῆς, ἄνθρωπε, ἐν γαλήνῃ ἦς καὶ ἐν λιμένι· οὐκ οἰκονόμος εἰσελθὼν ἐτάραττεν, οὐκ ἐπίτροπος ἐθορύβει, οὐκ οἰκέτης ὑπὲρ πραγμάτων βιωτικῶν ἠνόχλει, οὐκ ἄλλος τις παρώξυνεν· ἀλλ' ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ διάγων ἀπήλαυες θείων ἀκροάσεων. Οὐδαμοῦ κύματα ἐνταῦθα, οὐδαμοῦ ταραχή· ἀλλ' εὐλογία, καὶ εὐχαὶ, καὶ ὁμιλία πνευματικὴ, καὶ μετάστασις εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν· καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν λαβὼν ἀπῄεις. Τίνος ἕνεκεν τὴν πλουσίαν ταύτην τράπεζαν ἀφεῖς, εἰς ἑτέραν φορτικωτέραν ἑαυτὸν μετήγαγες, καὶ τὸν λιμένα καταλιπὼν, ταραχὴν