John Chrysostom, On Blessed Abraham

cooperating. You go up to slay your son, and you say, We will return? As he seeks to hide it from the servants, he becomes a prophet. And he laid the wood on the shoulders of Isaac, and taking fire and a knife, he went up to the mountain. And what does Isaac say to his father? Father. And he, what is it, child? And he says: behold the fire and the wood; where is the sheep for the whole burnt offering? And he to him: God will provide himself a sheep for a whole burnt offering, child. Behold also a second prophecy; I cannot bear either to pass over the words, or to run past what has happened. Consider names about to be deprived of their reality. Thus the one calls him father, and the other again his son, and for a time the names existed, but they were about to be stripped 50.740 bare. For consider what Abraham suffered when called "father" by Isaac, whom he was about to slay. How were his knees not crushed? how were his limbs not broken? how was his mind not affected, hearing these things from his son Isaac? Nevertheless he brought him up, and bound Isaac, and took the knife in his right hand, that he might slay his son. O that right hand armed against the son; I do not know how to represent in words what happened. How did his hand not grow numb? how did the sword not fall from his hand? how was he not wholly undone, and crushed? how did he manage to stand and see Isaac bound? how did he not suddenly drop dead? how did his nerves serve him? how did his will suffice, I do not know how to represent in words what happened. As many of you as are fathers or mothers, come together, lend a hand, assist my speech; for I am unequal to the events; forgive me, but you must aid me. Often someone has five or even six sons and daughters; and when one of them falls ill, the father goes all around the bed, kissing the child's eyes, embracing his hands, considering the day as night, and the light as darkness, not changing the elements, but because of the unpleasantness of grief not rejoicing in them; soft beds are spread, doctors sit beside, great is the retinue of the one who is unwell, the father is completely consumed through and through; and if he has an abundance of money, it is abominable to him, and if he has ten thousand cares, he dismisses them all, unable to become sober, being drunk with grief; and the whole world for him is incurable of the evil. Likewise also the mother goes about, distraught, aflame, and all kindled, seeking the strength to share in the pain; or rather, to take it all upon herself, so that the suffering child might be delivered from the sickness. The present life is nothing to her, nor the future, but she considers it more precious than all these things to take upon herself all the sickness of the child. I do not know how to represent this suffering. Consider also Abraham, suffering these same things, yet philosophizing, and obeying the command; he trampled upon nature, and the commandment became more powerful than his affections. For he suffered these things, as I said before, as a man, but he philosophized as a lover of God. And it was possible to see Isaac as a martyr living and not living, dead and not dead. For as far as the father's purpose was concerned, he died; but as far as God's love for mankind was concerned, he did not die; for he was a type and image of the Lord; but the type served its purpose, and awaits the reality. Then Isaac is bound, and is not sacrificed; for a voice came from above, full of mercy and loving-kindness, and it stays the patriarch who was wholly set upon it and ready for the slaughter, and says: Abraham, Abraham, do not lay your hand upon the little boy. Why not "upon the boy," but "Upon the little boy"? Why does he use a diminutive? For he was a man; but there was need of a Son, not a little boy; not a servant, but a true only-begotten Son, sent to us from the Father. Do not lay your hand upon the little boy. You were satisfied with the type, await the real- 50.741 ity. And Abraham prophesies while deceiving the servants; and he sees the truth coming to pass in what was said; for what does he say? Sit here with the donkey; and I and the little boy will go yonder, and having worshipped we will return to you.

συνεργούσης. Σφάξαι ἀνέρχῃ τὸν υἱόν σου, καὶ λέγεις, Ἀναστρέψομεν; Ὡς ζητεῖ κρύψαι τοὺς παῖδας, προφήτης καθίσταται. Καὶ ἔθηκε τὰ ξύλα ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ λαβὼν πῦρ καὶ μάχαιραν ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος. Καὶ τί φησιν ὁ Ἰσαὰκ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα; Πάτερ. Ὁ δὲ, τί ἐστι, τέκνον; Καί φησιν· ἰδοὺ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὰ ξύλα· ποῦ ἐστι τὸ πρόβατον τὸ εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν; Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· ὁ Θεὸς ὄψεται ἑαυτῷ πρόβατον εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν, τέκνον. Ἰδοὺ καὶ δευτέρα προφητεία· οὐ στέγω οὔτε τὰ ῥήματα παρελθεῖν, οὔτε παραδραμεῖν τὰ γεγενημένα. Ἐννόησον ὀνόματα μέλλοντα πραγμάτων ἐρημοῦσθαι. Οὕτως ἐκεῖνος τὸν πατέρα καλεῖ, κἀκεῖνος πάλιν τὸν υἱὸν, καὶ πρὸς ὥραν μὲν ἦν τὰ ὀνόματα, ἤμελλον δὲ γυ 50.740 μνοῦσθαι. Ἐννόησον γὰρ, τί ἔπασχεν ὁ Ἀβραὰμ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, ὃν ἤμελλε σφάττειν, πάτερ. Πῶς οὐ διεθρύβη τὰ γόνατα; πῶς οὐ συνεκλάσθη τὰ μέλη; πῶς τὴν διάνοιαν οὐκ ἔπαθε ταῦτα ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ἰσαάκ; Ὅμως ἀνήνεγκε, καὶ συνεπόδισε τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν μάχαιραν τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ, ἵνα σφάξῃ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ. Ὢ τῆς δεξιᾶς ἐκείνης τῆς κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ὁπλιζομένης· οὐκ ἔχω πῶς παραστήσω τῷ λόγῳ τὰ γεγενημένα. Πῶς οὐκ ἐνάρκησεν ἡ χείρ; πῶς οὐκ ἔπεσε τὸ ξίφος ἀπὸ τῆς χειρός; πῶς οὐ διελύθη ὅλος, καὶ διεθρύβη; πῶς δὲ ἤρκεσε στῆναι καὶ ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἰσαὰκ δεδεμένον; πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἔμεινε νεκρὸς ἄφνω; πῶς δὲ τὰ νεῦρα αὐτῷ ὑπηρέτησαν; πῶς δὲ ἡ γνώμη ἤρκεσεν, Οὐκ ἔχω, πῶς παραστήσω τῷ λόγῳ τὸ γεγενημένον. Ὅσοι πατέρες ἢ μητέρες, συνέλθετε, χεῖρα ὀρέξατε, βοηθήσατε τῷ λόγῳ· ἀτονῶ γὰρ πρὸς τὰ πράγματα· σύγγνωτε, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς συμμαχήσατε. Πολλάκις πέντε ἢ καὶ ἓξ υἱοὺς ἔχει τις καὶ θυγατέρας· καὶ ἐπὰν εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀῤῥωστήσῃ, περιέρχεται ὅλην τὴν κλίνην ὁ πατὴρ, φιλῶν τοῦ παιδὸς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, τὰς χεῖρας περιπτυσσόμενος, τὴν ἡμέραν νύκτα λογιζόμενος, καὶ τὸ φῶς σκότος, οὐ τὰ στοιχεῖα μεταβάλλων, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀηδίᾳ τῆς λύπης οὐκ εὐφραινόμενος ἐπ' αὐτοῖς· κλῖναι ἐστρωμέναι ἁπαλαὶ, ἰατροὶ παρακαθεζόμενοι, πολλὴ ἡ δορυφορία τοῦ ἀνωμαλοῦντος, τήκεται ὅλος δι' ὅλου ὁ πατήρ· κἂν περιουσίαν ἔχῃ χρημάτων, ἀπευκτέα αὐτῷ ἐστι, κἂν μυρίας ἔχῃ φροντίδας, πάσας διώκει, οὐ δυνάμενος ἀνανῆψαι, ἐκ τῆς λύπης μεθύων· καὶ ὁ πᾶς αὐτῷ κόσμος ἀνίατος τοῦ κακοῦ. Ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ μήτηρ περιέρχεται διακοπτομένη, ἐμπυριζομένη, καὶ ἀναπτομένη ὅλη, ζητοῦσα δύναμιν, ἵνα συμμερίσηται τὸν πόνον· μᾶλλον δὲ ἵνα καὶ ὅλον ἀναδέξηται, ἵνα τὸ κακούμενον τέκνον ἀπαλλαγῇ τῆς νόσου. Οὐδὲν αὐτῇ ὁ παρὼν βίος, οὐδὲν αὐτῇ ὁ μέλλων, ἀλλὰ πάντων τούτων τιμιώτερον ἡγεῖται τὸ πᾶσαν ἀναδέξασθαι τὴν νόσον τοῦ τέκνου. Οὐκ ἔχω πῶς παραστήσω τὸ πάθος τοῦτο. Ἐννόησον καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχοντα μὲν, φιλοσοφοῦντα δὲ, καὶ τῷ προστάγματι πειθόμενον· κατεπάτει τὴν φύσιν, καὶ ἡ ἐντολὴ τῶν σπλάγχνων ἐγίνετο μᾶλλον δυνατωτέρα. Ἔπασχε μὲν γὰρ ταῦτα, ὡς προεῖπον, ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἐφιλοσόφει δὲ ὡς φιλόθεος. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τὸν Ἰσαὰκ μάρτυρα ζῶντα καὶ οὐ ζῶντα, ἀποθανόντα καὶ οὐκ ἀποθανόντα. Ὅσον μὲν γὰρ τῇ προθέσει τοῦ πατρὸς, ἀπέθανεν· ὅσον δὲ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, οὐκ ἀπέθανε· τύπος γὰρ ἦν τοῦ ∆εσπότου καὶ εἰκών· ἐχρησίμευσε δὲ ὁ τύπος, καὶ ἐκδέχεται τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Εἶτα συμποδίζεται ὁ Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ οὐ σφαγιάζεται· ἦλθε γὰρ ἄνωθεν φωνὴ ἐλέου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας γέμουσα, καὶ ἐπέχει τὸν πατριάρχην ὅλον ἐγκείμενον ὄντα καὶ ἕτοιμον πρὸς τὴν σφαγὴν, καί φησιν· Ἀβραὰμ, Ἀβραὰμ, μὴ ἐπιβάλῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸ παιδάριον. ∆ιὰ τί οὐχὶ ἐπὶ τὸν παῖδα, ἀλλ' Ἐπὶ τὸ παιδάριον; διὰ τί εὐτελίζει; Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἦν· Υἱοῦ δὲ ἦν χρεία, οὐ παιδαρίου· οὐ δούλου, ἀλλ' Υἱοῦ ἀληθινοῦ μονογενοῦς, παρὰ Πατρὸς ἀπεσταλμένου πρὸς ἡμᾶς. Μὴ ἐπιβάλῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸ παιδάριον. Ἠρκέσθης τῷ τύπῳ, ἐκδέχου τὴν ἀλή 50.741 θειαν. Καὶ προφητεύει μὲν Ἀβραὰμ παραλογιζόμενος τοὺς παῖδας· ὁρᾷ δὲ ἀποβαίνουσαν ἐν τοῖς ῥηθεῖσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· τί γάρ φησι; Καθίσατε αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς ὄνου· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὸ παιδάριον διελευσόμεθα ἕως ὧδε, καὶ προσκυνήσαντες ἀναστρέψομεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.