John Chrysostom, On Almsgiving

is Jesus, and another calls him from heaven. For the Jews were saying this, that Jesus was not taken up, but that his disciples stole him. For this reason he said, Jesus the Nazarene; so that he might know that it is he, then and now. So Paul entered Damascus being led by the hand, and he went to Ananias, and he laid his hands on the eyes of Paul, and healed him. The story is long, but I want to relate it to you briefly. And having regained his sight he immediately was teaching in the name of Jesus. And when the Jews heard that Paul was teaching in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, they sought to seize him. But the disciples of Paul, seeing this, put him into a basket, and let him down through the wall, and thus he escaped and went up to Jerusalem. O that blessed basket, which sent such a provision to the world. Likewise also the blessed John, did he not dwell in the desert, and after this did he not become a citizen of heaven? did he not eat locusts and wild honey? were not all poor, both prophets and apostles? and through these poor men did he accomplish the salvation of men? How many kings, how many tyrants, or how many consuls, how many rulers, how many leaders from the age have died, and all have been handed over to oblivion? and these pitiful ones, the cast-offs, the lowly and despicable, have not been handed over to oblivion. But this king, wearing the purple robe and having the diadem, glory and golden helmets and soldiers as defenders, goes to the tomb of the fisherman, the poor man, the pitiful, the despicable, and embraces and weeps and prays to the one who glorified him. Who persuades the king to do these things? Who? I say. Apply yourselves to me, I beg you, pay attention to what is being said. He who said to them, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and I will be with you all the days of your life, and until the end of the age; this is he who bestowed such a craft on them. Do you see how powerful the poor are? Not only this, 60.710 but even those possessed by demons go to their tombs, and are interrogated. Do you see that the dead are more powerful than the living? No longer cast out the poor. The poor man enters your courtyard seeking alms, and spends two hours receiving nothing, and sometimes you order your servant to throw him out. Do you not know that if you throw the beggar out, you have driven out Christ? For he himself said that, Insofar as you have done it to one of the least of these, you have done it to me. Do you see that if you insult the poor man, you dishonor Christ? For whatever you do to the poor man, refers back to Christ, as he himself said. I say these things, and I will not cease saying them; For me to speak is not tedious, but for you it is safe. I will not cease instructing you, until you become better; for it is written, Blessed is he who speaks into the ears of those who listen. Disobedience works death. You see a poor man, and you do not show mercy? how do you go into the church, and pray? how do you open your mouth, and call upon God? do you not blush? do you not tremble? do you not shudder? You enter the church of God to pray? Give alms, so that your alms and your supplication may be written down. Sometimes some people present a petition to the earthly king, and they spend two hundred gold pieces, and often nothing proceeds for them, but they hold it as a draft, and you are not willing for your petition to be signed for two obols? Here the earthly king signs, and often the signature is contrary; but if the King of kings signs, it is ratified and confirmed. You saw a petition of two

ἐστιν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἄλλος δὲ καλεῖ αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἔλεγον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνελήφθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἔκλεψαν αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν, Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος· ἵνα γνῷ, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τότε καὶ νῦν. Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν χειραγωγούμενος ὁ Παῦλος εἰς ∆αμασκὸν, καὶ ἀπῆλθε πρὸς Ἀνανίαν, καὶ ἐπέθηκε τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ Παύλου, καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτόν. Πολλὴ μὲν ἡ ἱστορία, ἀλλὰ διὰ βραχέων βούλομαι διηγήσασθαι ὑμῖν. Ἀναβλέψας δὲ αὐτὸς εὐθὺς ἐδίδασκεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ὅτι ὁ Παῦλος διδάσκει ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν πιάσαι. Οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Παύλου ἰδόντες ἐνέβαλλον αὐτὸν εἰς σπυρίδα, καὶ ἐχάλασαν διὰ τοῦ τείχους κάτω, καὶ οὕτως ἔφυγε καὶ ἀνῆλθεν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. Ὢ μακαρίας ἐκείνης σπυρίδος, ἥτις τοιοῦτον ὀψώνιον τῇ οἰκουμένῃ ἔπεμψεν. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰωάννης οὐ τὴν ἔρημον οἰκεῖ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐρανοπολίτης ἐγένετο; οὐκ ἀκρίδας ἤσθιε καὶ μέλι ἄγριον; οὐ πάντες πένητες ἦσαν καὶ προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι; καὶ διὰ τῶν πενήτων τούτων κατεσκεύασε τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν; Πόσοι βασιλεῖς, πόσοι τύραννοι, ἢ πόσοι ὕπατοι, πόσοι ἄρχοντες, πόσοι προηγούμενοι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐτελεύτησαν, καὶ πάντες λήθῃ παρεδόθησαν; καὶ οὗτοι οἱ οἰκτροὶ, οἱ ἀπεῤῥιμμένοι, οἱ εὐτελεῖς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητοι λήθῃ οὐ παρεδόθησαν. Ἀλλ' οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὁ τὴν πορφυρίδα περικείμενος καὶ τὸ διάδημα ἔχων, δόξαν καὶ περικεφαλαίας χρυσᾶς καὶ στρατιώτας ὑπερασπιστὰς, ἀπέρχεται εἰς τὸν τάφον τοῦ ἁλιέως, τοῦ πένητος, τοῦ οἰκτροῦ, τοῦ εὐκαταφρονήτου, καὶ περιπτύσσεται καὶ κλαίει καὶ εὔχεται εἰς τὸν δοξάσαντα αὐτόν. Τίς πείθει τὸν βασιλέα ταῦτα ποιεῖν; τίς; Ἐγὼ λέγω. Συντείνατέ μοι ἑαυτοὺς, παρακαλῶ, προσέχετε τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ὁ εἰπὼν αὐτοῖς, Πορευθέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· κἀγὼ ἔσομαι μεθ' ὑμῶν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς ὑμῶν, καὶ ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος· οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τοιαύτην αὐτοῖς χαρισάμενος τέχνην. Ὁρᾷς πόσον ἰσχύουσιν οἱ πένητες; Οὐ μόνον τοῦτο, 60.710 ἀλλὰ καὶ δαιμονιῶντες ἀπέρχονται εἰς τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀνακρίνονται. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι οἱ νεκροὶ τῶν ζώντων δυνατώτεροί εἰσι; Μὴ ἔτι ἀπόῤῥιπτε τοὺς πένητας. Εἰσέρχεται ὁ πένης εἰς τὴν αὐλήν σου ζητῶν ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ ἀναλίσκει δύο ὥρας μηδὲν λαμβάνων, καὶ ἐνίοτε ἐπιτάττεις τῷ δούλῳ σου βάλλειν αὐτὸν ἔξω. Οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι ἐὰν βάλῃς τὸν πτωχὸν ἔξω, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐδίωξας; Αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐφ' ὅσον ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων ἐποιήσατε, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐὰν ὑβρίζῃς τὸν πένητα, τὸν Χριστὸν ἀτιμάζεις; Ὅσα γὰρ τῷ πένητι ποιήσεις, εἰς Χριστὸν ἀνατρέχει, καθὼς αὐτὸς εἶπε. Ταῦτα λέγω, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι· Ἐμοὶ μὲν τὸ λέγειν οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές. Οὐ παύσομαι ὑμᾶς παιδεύων, ἕως ἂν βελτίους γένησθε· γέγραπται γὰρ, Μακάριος ὁ λαλῶν εἰς ὦτα ἀκουόντων. Παρακοὴ θάνατον κατεργάζεται. Βλέπεις πένητα, καὶ οὐκ ἐλεεῖς; πῶς ἀπέρχῃ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ εὔχῃ; πῶς τὸ στόμα σου ἀνοίγεις, καὶ ἐπικαλῇ τὸν Θεόν; οὐκ ἐρυθριᾷς; οὐ τρέμεις; οὐ φρίττεις; Εἰσέρχῃ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ εὔξασθαι; Ποίησον ἐλεημοσύνην, ἵνα ἐγγραφῇ σου ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη καὶ ἡ δέησις. Ἐνίοτέ τινες ἐκβάλλουσι δέησιν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ἐπιγείου, καὶ ἀναλίσκουσι διακοσίους χρυσίνους, καὶ πολλάκις οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς προχωρεῖ, ἀλλὰ ὡς σχεδάριον κατέχουσιν αὐτὸ, καὶ σὺ δύο ὀβολῶν οὐ θέλεις ὑπογραφῆναί σου τὴν δέησιν; Ἐνταῦθα ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ ἐπίγειος ἐπιγράφει, καὶ πολλάκις ἐναντία ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπογραφή· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων ἐὰν ὑπογράψῃ, κεκύρωται καὶ βεβαίωται. Εἶδες δέησιν δύο