John Chrysostom, On the Beginning of the Indiction

she will break the bond of the harsh sickness, how she will shake off the twelve-year suffering, how she will loose the unceasing pains, how she will stop the unbridled streams, how she will end the madness of her veins; traveling by night and dragging herself, she was worn out at the doors of all the physicians; for she shunned the light, lest the descending drops of blood, making a 59.576 path, should expose the hidden shame of her as she walked. As payment to those willing to heal, she had exhausted all the substance she had, with necessity compelling the giving; for the desire for health persuades one not to spare money. And so all the physicians, warring against the disease, were powerless; various contrivances of drugs were not strong enough to tame the wildness of the affliction; for like some deaf beast it remained heedless of the enchanters’ art, as if seeming to say such futile things in reply to those who compelled it: Why do you fight a stronger beast? So much time has not robbed me of my pasture in the body, I do not yield to the knowledge of healers, with money no one will buy off my power, no one on earth will check my course; one physician alone, born of a virgin, will put me to flight; I too am kept for His glory; I am preserved as a witness, with the others, of His power. Why then do you display fruitless labors, you slaves, trying to snatch away the victory of the master? I will not spare the creature, unless I see the Creator. Oh, how many things fought against the woman! Length of time, unceasing pains, useless confiscations, the grief of a wasting body, reason spent on empty hopes. But so many enemies did not plunder the weapon of her endangered faith; so many mighty waves of terrible things did not work a shipwreck for the woman; so many assaults of temptations did not cast down the enduring woman.

She saw, it says, Jesus. The perishing one saw the one who saves, the bound one saw the redeemer, the storm-tossed one saw the anchor of the world, she saw the king of sufferings who came from above, she saw an unexpected hope of joy, she saw a power invincible by treatments, she saw a fount of healings distributing streams without charge, she saw life dwelling among the dying; she saw, and she turned over such a thought of good cheer. I have found, she said, a suitable healer; this physician will not demand a payment of gold; one payment, I think, he will demand: a genuine mind; he will seek from me one gift of faith. But I have it; for of this alone the sickness has not deprived me. But I am pulled apart by the difficulties of my thoughts. For what? Shall I run up and take hold? I shrink from the danger from the crowd. Shall I cry out my circumstances? They will pursue me as unclean. Shall I hide my misfortune? But I cannot bear the pain. Shall I run to him as a physician of nature? But I fear him as a king. Will he receive me as a suppliant? May he not flee me as one who defiles. Will he pity the suffering? May he not condemn me when I am revealed.

b. What then shall I do? What thought shall I undertake? Shall I appear shameless? I am ashamed,

lest I remain unhealed again. Let me not fear the crowd, let me despise the dread, let me become a spectacle, let me flee the laughter from without; I will heal the war within. The law hates me as one defiled, the lawgiver pities me as one who is sick. Eagerness and hesitation were dividing the woman's soul; but she found faith as a mediator for the undertaking. For coming up, it says, behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his garment. For she said within herself, If I only touch the fringe of his garment, I will be saved. O theft that possessed faith as a mother! O theft, which he himself praised who punishes thefts! O theft that delights the one stolen from! O plunderings crowned by the judge! And see the wondrous thing. Having plundered the gain, she is admired as one who has bestowed a favor. For she said within herself. God, it says, is a Master who is ignorant of nothing; a Master, needing no bodily eyes, he is a physician who heals souls, he is an eye that searches thoughts; he sees me even when hidden, he hears even when not

τὸν δεσμὸν διαῤῥήξει τοῦ χαλεποῦ ἀῤῥωστήματος, πῶς τὸ δωδεκάετες ἀποτινάξεται πάθος, πῶς λύσει τὰς ἀνενδότους ὠδῖνας, πῶς στήσει τὰ ἀχαλίνωτα ῥεῖθρα, πῶς παύσει τῶν φλεβῶν τὴν μανίαν· πάντων ἰατρῶν νυκτοποροῦσα καὶ συρομένη κατετρίβετο θύραις· παρῃτεῖτο γὰρ τὸ φῶς, μὴ αἱ τῶν αἱμάτων κατιοῦσαι σταγόνες ἀτραπὸν 59.576 ἐργασάμεναι, στηλιτεύσωσι τὴν λανθάνουσαν τῆς βαδιζούσης αἰσχύνην. Μισθὸν τοῖς θεραπεύειν ἐθέλουσι, πᾶσαν ἣν εἶχε περιουσίαν ἐξήντλησε, τῆς ἀνάγκης βιαζομένης τὴν δόσιν· ἡ γὰρ ἐπιθυμία τῆς ὑγιείας πείθει χρημάτων μὴ φείδεσθαι. Καὶ οὕτως ἰατροὶ πάντες τῇ νόσῳ πολεμοῦντες, ἠτόνουν· ποικίλαι φαρμάκων ἐπίνοιαι τὴν τοῦ πάθους οὐκ ἴσχυον ἐξημεροῦν ἀγριότητα· ὥσπερ γάρ τι δύσκωφον θηρίον τῆς τῶν ἐπᾳδόντων τέχνης ἀνήκοον ἔμενεν, ὥσπερ ἀντιλέγειν τοιαῦτα δοκοῦν τοῖς βιαζομένοις ἀνόνητα· Τί μάχεσθε δυνατωτέρῳ θηρίῳ; χρόνος με τοσοῦτος τῆς ἐν σώματι νομῆς οὐκ ἐσύλησεν, ἰατρευόντων ἐπιστήμαις οὐκ εἴκω χρήμασιν οὐδεὶς ἐξαγοράσει τὴν δύναμιν, οὐδείς μου τὴν φορὰν τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνακόψει· εἷς με μόνος ἐκ παρθένου γεννηθεὶς ἰατρὸς φυγαδεύσει· ἐκείνου κἀγὼ πρὸς δόξαν φυλάττομαι· μάρτυς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῆς ἐκείνου τηροῦμαι δυνάμεως. Τί οὖν ἀπράκτους ἐπιδείκνυσθε πόνους, δεσπότου προαρπάζειν οἱ δοῦλοι βιαζόμενοι νίκην; Οὐ φείσομαι τοῦ πλάσματος, ἂν μὴ τὸν πλάστην θεάσωμαι. Ὢ πόσα τῇ γυναικὶ τὰ μαχόμενα! χρόνου μῆκος, ἀλγηδόνες ἀνένδοτοι, δημεύσεις ἀνωφέλητοι, μαραινομένου σώματος λύπη, λογισμὸς κεναῖς ἐλπίσι δαπανηθείς. Ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτοι πολέμιοι τὸ τῆς πίστεως τῆς κινδυνευούσης οὐκ ἐσύλησαν ὅπλον· τοσαῦται τῶν δεινῶν τρικυμίαι τῇ γυναικὶ ναυάγιον οὐκ εἰργάσαντο· τοσαῦται πειρασμῶν προσβολαὶ τὴν ὑπομένουσαν οὐ κατέβαλον γυναῖκα.

Εἶδε, φησὶ, τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Εἶδεν ἡ ἀπολλυμένη τὸν σώζοντα, εἶδεν ἡ δεδεμένη τὸν λυτρωτὴν, εἶδεν ἡ χειμαζομένη τοῦ κόσμου τὴν ἄγκυραν, εἶδε τὸν ἄνωθεν ἐλθόντα τῶν παθῶν βασιλέα, εἶδεν ἐλπίδα χαρᾶς ἀπροσδόκητον, εἶδε θεραπείαις ἀκαταγώνιστον δύναμιν, εἶδε πηγὴν ἰαμάτων ἀμισθὶ μερίζουσαν νάματα, εἶδε ζωὴν νεκρουμένοις ἐνδημήσασαν· εἶδε, καὶ τοιαύτην εὐθυμίας ἀνέστρεφεν ἔννοιαν. Εὗρον, λέγουσα, θεραπευτὴν ἐπιτήδειον· οὗτος ὁ ἰατρὸς μισθὸν οὐκ ἀπαιτήσει χρυσίου· ἕνα μισθὸν, ὡς οἶμαι, γνώμην ἀπαιτήσει γνησίαν· μίαν πίστεως ἐπιζητήσει με δόσιν. Ἀλλ' ἔχω· ταύτης γάρ με μόνης ἡ νόσος οὐκ ἀπεστέρησεν. Ἀλλὰ λογισμῶν ἀπορίαις ἀνθέλκομαι. Τί γάρ; προσδραμοῦσα κατάσχω; Τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους ὑποστέλλομαι κίνδυνον. Βοήσω τὰ κατ' ἐμαυτήν; ∆ιώξουσιν ὡς ἀκάθαρτον. Κρύψω τὴν συμφοράν; Ἀλλὰ τὴν ὀδύνην οὐ φέρω. Ὡς ἰατρῷ προσδράμω τῆς φύσεως; Ἀλλ' ὡς βασιλέα φοβοῦμαι. Ὡς ἱκετεύουσαν δέξεται; Μὴ ὡς μολύνουσαν φύγῃ. Ἐλεήσει τὸ πάθος; Μὴ κατακρίνῃ φανεῖσαν.

βʹ. Τί οὖν δράσω; ποῖον ἀναδέξομαι λογισμόν; ἀναίσχυντος φανῶ; Αἰδοῦμαι,

μὴ πάλιν ἀθεράπευτος μείνω. Μὴ δειλιάσω τὸ πλῆθος, καταφρονήσω τοῦ δέους, θέατρον γένωμαι, φύγω τὸν ἔξωθεν γέλωτα· ἰάσομαι τὸν ἔνδοθεν πόλεμον. Ὁ νόμος ὡς ἐῤῥυπωμένην μισεῖ, ὁ νομοδότης ὡς νοσοῦσαν οἰκτείρει. Προθυμία καὶ ὄκνος τῆς γυναικὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐμερίζοντο· ἀλλ' εὗρε πίστιν μεσῖτιν τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως. Προσελθοῦσα γὰρ, φησὶν, ὄπισθεν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, Ἥψατο τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ. Ἔλεγε γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ, ὅτι Μόνον ἐὰν ἅψωμαι τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ, σωθήσομαι. Ὢ κλοπῆς πίστιν κτησαμένης μητέρα! ὢ κλοπῆς, ἣν αὐτὸς ἐπῄνεσεν ὁ τὰς κλοπὰς τιμωρούμενος! ὢ κλοπῆς τὸν κλαπέντα τερπούσης! ὢ σύλων στεφανουμένων ἐκ δικαστοῦ! Καὶ ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστόν. Λῃστεύσασα τὸ κέρδος, ὡς χαρισαμένη θαυμάζεται. Ἔλεγε γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ. Ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, ∆εσπότης ἐστὶν οὐδὲν ἀγνοῶν· ∆εσπότης, σωματικῶν ὀφθαλμῶν οὐ δεόμενος, ἰατρός ἐστι ψυχὰς ἰώμενος, ὀφθαλμός ἐστι λογισμοὺς ἐμβατεύων· ὁρᾷ καὶ κρυπτομένην ἐμὲ, ἀκούει καὶ μὴ