John Chrysostom, On Saints Peter and Elijah

they might become towards others. For if they had not sinned themselves, they would have had no sympathy to give to those who sin, but having become inhuman, they would have uprooted everyone from the Church. And that these things are this way, and I say this not by conjecture, let us speak from the theory itself: Peter was about to be entrusted with the keys of the Church, or rather, he was entrusted with the keys of the heavens, and he was about to be entrusted with the multitude of the people. For what does the Master say to him? Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Now Peter was somewhat mild and abrupt; but if he had been sinless, what sympathy would those taught by him have received? But for this reason divine grace arranged for him to fall into a certain sin, so that from what he himself suffered, he might become compassionate towards others. And see who he allows to fall into sin: that Peter, the head of the apostles, the unshakeable foundation, the unbreakable rock, the first of the Church, the unconquerable harbor, the immovable tower. That Peter who said to Christ: Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you; Peter who by divine revelation confessed the truth: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God; this man, having entered in on that night on which Christ was betrayed, and standing by the fire warming himself, a certain girl, it says, approached and said to him, You also were with this man yesterday; but Peter said: I do not know this man. Just now you were saying, Even if I must die with you; now you deny and say, I do not know this man? O Peter, is this all that you promised? not yet knowing tortures, not yet scourgings, but simply hearing the word of a little girl, you resorted to denial. You deny, Peter? not yet torture chambers, not yet scourges, not yet blows, not yet rages, not yet rulers, not yet sharpened swords, not yet decrees set forth, not yet threatening kings, not yet expected deaths, not yet prisons and cliffs and the sea, not yet any of such things, and you already denied, I do not know the man? Again the girl said to him: You also were with this man yesterday. But he said to her: I do not know the man you are talking about. Who is it that is telling you that you deny? None of the important people, but a woman, and a doorkeeper at that, an outcast, a captive, worthy of no account, she speaks, and you deny? Oh, what strange events! a girl troubled that Peter, a harlot approaching troubled Peter's faith; Peter, the pillar, the bulwark, did not bear the threat of a girl, but she only spoke, and the pillar was shaken, and the bulwark itself was battered by the storm. Whom did you see, Peter, that you deny? A lowly girl, and a contemptible doorkeeper; you saw these things and you deny? Again then the third time: You also were with this man yesterday; nevertheless he denied 50.728 for the third time. And so then Jesus, having looked upon him, brought him to remembrance of what had been said; and he, understanding, began to weep and repent for his sin.

But nevertheless the merciful one forgave him the sin; for he knew that as a man he suffered something human; but, as I said before, for this reason it was arranged. and it was permitted for Peter to sin, since he was about to be entrusted with a great people, so that he, being abrupt and sinless, might not be unforgiving towards his own brothers. He fell into sin, so that considering his own sin and the forgiveness of the Master, he might also forgive others out of loving-kindness according to a divine dispensation befitting God. For he was permitted to sin, he who was about to be entrusted with the Church, the pillar of the Churches, the harbor of the faith, Peter the teacher of the world was permitted to sin, so that his forgiveness might become an occasion of loving-kindness for others. But why have these things been said by me? Because we priests also, who sit upon the throne and teach, are bound with sins.

γένωνται περὶ τοὺς ἄλ λους. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἡμάρτανον αὐτοὶ, οὐδεμίαν συγ γνώμην εἶχον δοῦναι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἀλλ' ἀπάν θρωποι γενόμενοι πάντας ἐκθερίζειν εἶχον τῆς Ἐκ κλησίας. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, καὶ τοῦτο οὐ στοχαζόμενος λέγω, φέρε ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς θεωρίας εἴπωμεν· Πέτρος ἔμελλε πιστεύεσθαι τὰς κλεῖς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπιστεύθη τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ἤμελλε πιστεύεσθαι τὸ πλῆ θος τοῦ λαοῦ. Τί γάρ φησι πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ ∆εσπότης; Ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἦν μὲν οὖν ὁ Πέτρος ἠρέμα πως καὶ ἀπότομος· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔσχε τὸ ἀν αμάρτητον, ποίαν ἂν συγγνώμην οἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ διδα σκόμενοι ἐλάμβανον; Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο πραγματεύεται ἡ θεία χάρις ἁμαρτήματί τινι περιπεσεῖν αὐτὸν, ἵνα ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς ἔπαθε, φιλάνθρωπος γένηται περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους. Καὶ βλέπε τίνα συγχωρεῖ περιπεσεῖν ἁμαρ τίᾳ· Πέτρον ἐκεῖνον, τὴν κορυφὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων, τὴν κρηπῖδα τὴν ἀσάλευτον, τὴν πέτραν τὴν ἀῤῥαγῆ, τὸν πρῶτον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὸν λιμένα τὸν ἀκατα μάχητον, τὸν πύργον τὸν ἀσάλευτον. Πέτρος ἐκεῖνος ὁ λέγων τῷ Χριστῷ· Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθα νεῖν, οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσομαι· Πέτρος ὁ ἐκ θείας ἀποκαλύψεως τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὁμολογήσας· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος· οὗτος εἰσελ θὼν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ᾗ παρεδόθη ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ στὰς ἐπὶ τῆς πυρκαϊᾶς θερμαινόμενος, καί τις, φησί, κόρη προσελθοῦσα λέγει αὐτῷ, Καὶ σὺ χθὲς μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου ἦς· ὁ δὲ Πέτρος· Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον. Ἄρτι ἔλεγες· Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθανεῖν· νῦν ἀρνῇ καὶ λέγεις, Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον; Ὦ Πέτρε, τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅλον ὃ ἐπηγγείλω; οὔπω βασάνους, οὔπω μάστιγας εἰδὼς, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς μικρᾶς κόρης ῥῆμα ἀκούσας, εἰς ἄρνησιν ἐχώρησας. Ἀρνῇ, Πέτρε; οὔπω βασανιστήρια, οὔπω μάστιγες, οὔπω πληγαὶ, οὔπω θυμοὶ, οὔπω ἄρχον τες, οὔπω ξίφη ἠκονημένα, οὔπω διατάγματα κείμενα, οὔπω βασιλεῖς ἀπειλοῦντες, οὔπω θάνατοι προσδοκώμενοι, οὔπω φυλακαὶ καὶ κρημνοὶ καὶ θά λασσα, οὔπω οὐδὲν τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ ἤδη ἠρνήσω, Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον; Πάλιν ἡ κόρη πρὸς αὐ τόν· Καὶ σὺ χθὲς μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου ἦς. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτήν· Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν λέ γεις. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι, ὅτι ἀρνῇ; Οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἀλλὰ γυνὴ, καὶ αὐτὴ θυρωρὸς, ἀπεῤῥιμμένη, αἰχμάλωτος, μηδενὸς λόγου ἀξία, αὕτη λέγει, καὶ σὺ ἀρνῆσαι; Ὢ καινῶν πραγμάτων! κόρη τὸν Πέτρον ἐκεῖνον, πόρνη προσελθοῦσα τοῦ Πέτρου τὴν πίστιν ἐτάραξε· Πέτρος, ὁ στῦλος, ὁ πρό βολος, οὐκ ἐβάστασεν ἀπειλὴν κόρης, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἐλάλησε, καὶ ὁ στῦλος ἐσαλεύθη, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ πρό βολος ἐχειμάζετο Τίνα εἶδες, Πέτρε, ὅτι ἀρνῇ; κόρην εὐτελῆ, καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον θυρωρόν· ταῦτα εἶδες καὶ ἀρνῇ; Πάλιν οὖν τὸ τρίτον· Καὶ σὺ χθὲς μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου ἦς· ὅμως ἠρνήσατο 50.728 τὸ τρίτον. Καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν ἐμβλέψας ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς ἀνάμνησιν αὐτὸν ἤνεγκε τῶν λεχθέντων· ὁ δὲ συνιεὶς ἤρξατο κλαίειν καὶ μετανοεῖν ἐπὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ.

Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ φιλάνθρωπος συνεχώρησεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν· ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπινόν τι ὑπ έστη· ἀλλ', ὡς προεῖπον, διὰ τοῦτο ᾠκονομήθη. καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ συνεχωρήθη ἁμαρτῆσαι, ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλε πι στεύεσθαι λαὸν πολὺν, ἵνα μὴ ἀπότομος ὢν καὶ ἀνα μάρτητος, ἀσύγγνωστος εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀδελφοὺς ᾖ. Ὑπέπεσεν ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἵνα ἐννοῶν τὸ ἴδιον ἁμάρτημα καὶ τὸ τοῦ ∆εσπότου συγχώρημα, συγχω ρήσῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φιλανθρωπίας χάριν κατὰ διοίκησιν θείαν Θεῷ ἁρμόζουσαν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ συνεχω ρήθη ἁμαρτῆσαι ὁ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν μέλλων πι στεύεσθαι, ὁ στῦλος τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν, ὁ λιμὴν τῆς πίστεως, Πέτρος ὁ διδάσκαλος τῆς οἰκουμένης συν εχωρήθη ἁμαρτῆσαι, ἵνα ἡ συγχώρησις τούτου ὑπό θεσις φιλανθρωπίας τοῖς ἄλλοις γένηται. Ταῦτα δέ μοι διὰ τί εἴρηται; Ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἱερεῖς οἱ ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενοι καὶ διδάσκοντες, ἁμαρτίαις συνδε δέμεθα.