John Chrysostom, On Saint Hieromartyr Babylas

to divine something about his future. What then did the prophet say, the great god of the Hellenes? “The dead prevent me from speaking,” he says; “but break open the coffins, dig up the bones, move the dead.” What could be more impious than these commands? The demon introduces strange laws of tomb-robbing, and devises new ways of driving out strangers. Who ever heard of the dead being driven out? who has seen lifeless bodies ordered to be moved, as this one commanded, overturning from their foundations the common laws of nature? For there are common laws of nature among all men, that the departed be hidden in the earth, and be given over to burial, and be enfolded in the bosom of the earth, the mother of all. And these laws no Hellene, no barbarian, no Scythian, nor anyone wilder than they, has ever disturbed, but all respect and guard them, and thus they are sacred, and revered by all. But the demon, having lifted his mask, with a bare head stands against the common doctrines of nature; “For the dead,” he says, “are a defilement.” Not the dead are a defilement, most wicked demon, but a wicked will is an abomination. And if I must say something astonishing, the bodies of the living, being more full of wickedness than those of the dead, are defiled; for the former are servants to the commands of the soul; but the latter lie motionless; and that which is motionless and devoid of all sensation, would also be free from all accusation. But still I for my part would not say that the bodies of the living are by nature defiled, but that everywhere the wicked and perverse will is responsible for the accusations from all. A dead body is not a defilement, Apollo, but to pursue a maiden who wishes to be chaste, and to violate the purity of a virgin, and having failed in the shameless deed, to lament, this is worthy of both accusation and punishment. At any rate, there have been among us many wonderful and great prophets, who foretold many things about the future, and nowhere did they command those who asked to dig up the bones of the departed; but Ezekiel, standing near the bones themselves, was not only not hindered by them in any way, but having put flesh and sinews and skin upon them, he brought them back to life again. And the great Moses, not 50.532 standing near the bones of the dead, but carrying the entire dead body of Joseph with him, so foretold the future; and very reasonably so. For their words were the grace of the Holy Spirit; but these were deceit, and a falsehood that could in no way be concealed. For that this was a pretext, and a pretense, and that he feared the blessed Babylas, is clear from what the emperor did; for leaving all the other dead, he moved that martyr alone. And yet if he did these things loathing him, and not fearing him, he ought to have commanded the coffin to be shattered, to be sunk into the sea, to be carried away into the desert, to be destroyed by some other manner of destruction. For this would be the act of one who loathes. Thus God did, when he spoke to the Hebrews about the abominations of the nations; he commanded their pillars to be shattered, not to bring the defilements from the suburbs into the cities. 3. The martyr, therefore, was being moved, but the demon did not even so enjoy security; but straightway he learned that it is possible to move the bones of a martyr, but impossible to escape the hands of a martyr. For at the same time as the coffin was being dragged to the city, a thunderbolt from above came down upon the head of the idol, and burned everything. And yet, if not before, it was at least likely then for the impious emperor to have become angry, and to have let loose his wrath upon the shrine of the martyr; but not even then did he dare; so great a fear possessed him; but although he saw the fire was unbearable, and knew the cause precisely, he kept quiet. And not only is this wonderful, that he did not tear down the shrine, but that he did not even place the roof on

μαντεύσασθαί τι περὶ τῶν μελλόντων αὐτῷ. Τί οὖν ὁ μάντις, ὁ μέγας τῶν Ἑλλήνων θεός; Νεκροί με κωλύουσι φθέγγεσθαι, φησίν· ἀλλὰ ἀνάῤῥηξον τὰς θήκας, ἀνόρυξον τὰ ὀστᾶ, μετάστησον τοὺς νεκρούς. Τί τούτων ἀνοσιώτερον γένοιτ' ἂν τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων; Ξένους ὁ δαίμων τυμβωρυχίας εἰσάγει νόμους, καὶ καινοὺς ξενηλασίας ἐπινοεῖ τρόπους. Τίς ἤκουσε νεκροὺς ἐλαυνομένους ποτέ; τίς εἶδε σώματα ἄψυχα κελευόμενα μετανίστασθαι, καθάπερ οὗτος ἐπέταττε, τοὺς κοινοὺς τῆς φύσεως ἐκ βάθρων ἀνατρέπων νόμους; Κοινοὶ γάρ εἰσι τῆς φύσεως νόμοι παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, τὸν ἀπελθόντα τῇ γῇ κρύπτεσθαι, καὶ ταφῇ παραδίδοσθαι, καὶ τοῖς κόλποις τῆς πάντων μητρὸς περιστέλλεσθαι γῆς. Καὶ τούτους οὐχ Ἕλλην, οὐ βάρβαρος, οὐ Σκύθης, οὐκ εἴ τις ἐκείνων ἀγριώτερος ἐκίνησε τοὺς νόμους ποτὲ, ἀλλ' αἰδοῦνται, καὶ φυλάττουσιν ἅπαντες, καὶ οὕτως εἰσὶν ἱεροὶ, καὶ πᾶσιν αἰδέσιμοι. Ἀλλ' ὁ δαίμων ἐπάρας τὸ προσωπεῖον, γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ πρὸς τὰ κοινὰ τῆς φύσεως ἵσταται δόγματα· Μίασμα γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰσὶν οἱ νεκροί. Οὐχ οἱ νεκροὶ μίασμα, πονηρότατε δαῖμον, ἀλλὰ προαίρεσις πονηρὰ μύσος ἐστίν. Εἰ δὲ χρή τι καὶ θαυμαστὸν εἰπεῖν, τὰ τῶν ζώντων μᾶλλον μεστὰ κακίας, ἢ τὰ τῶν τετελευτηκότων, εἰσὶ σώματα μιαρά· τὰ μὲν γὰρ διακονεῖται τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιτάγμασι· τὰ δὲ κεῖνται ἀκίνητα· τὸ δὲ ἀκίνητον καὶ πάσης αἰσθήσεως ἔρημον, καὶ κατηγορίας ἂν εἴη πάσης ἐλεύθερον. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὰ τῶν ζώντων εἴποιμι ἂν ἔγωγε σώματα εἶναι τῇ φύσει μιαρὰ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ τὴν πονηρὰν καὶ διεστραμμένην προαίρεσιν ταῖς παρὰ πάντων κατηγορίαις εἶναι ὑπεύθυνον. Οὐκ ἔστι σῶμα νεκρὸν μίασμα, Ἄπολλον, ἀλλὰ τὸ κόρην διώκειν σωφρονεῖν βουλομένην, καὶ σεμνότητα διορύττειν παρθένου, καὶ τῆς ἀναισχύντου πράξεως ἀποτυχόντα θρηνεῖν, τοῦτο καὶ κατηγορίας καὶ κολάσεως ἄξιον. Πολλοὶ γοῦν παρ' ἡμῖν ἐγένοντο προφῆται θαυμαστοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι, καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων προειπόντες, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ τοὺς ἐρωτῶντας ἐκέλευον τὰ τῶν ἀπελθόντων ἀνορύττειν ὀστᾶ· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ἰεζεκιὴλ αὐτῶν τῶν ὀστῶν πλησίον ἑστὼς, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ἐνεποδίζετο παρ' ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ σάρκας αὐτοῖς καὶ νεῦρα καὶ δέρματα περιθεὶς, εἰς ζωὴν ἐπανήγαγεν αὐτὰ πάλιν. Ὁ δὲ μέγας Μωϋσῆς οὐ 50.532 πλησίον ὀστῶν εἱστήκει νεκρῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ὅλον νεκρὸν ἐπιφερόμενος τὸν Ἰωσὴφ, οὕτω τὰ μέλλοντα προὔλεγε· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνων ῥήματα Πνεύματος ἁγίου χάρις ἦν· τὰ δὲ τούτων ἀπάτη, καὶ ψεῦδος οὐδαμόθεν συσκιασθῆναι δυνάμενον. Ὅτι γὰρ σκῆψις ταῦτα, καὶ πρόφασις ἦν, καὶ τὸν μακάριον ἐδεδοίκει Βαβύλαν, δῆλον ἐξ ὧν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔπραξε· τοὺς γὰρ ἄλλους ἅπαντας νεκροὺς ἀφεὶς, ἐκεῖνον τὸν μάρτυρα μόνον ἐκίνει. Καίτοι γε εἰ βδελυττόμενος αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ μὴ φοβούμενος ταῦτα ἔπραττεν, ἐχρῆν κελεῦσαι συντριβῆναι τὴν λάρνακα, καταποντισθῆναι, εἰς ἐρημίαν ἀπαχθῆναι, ἑτέρῳ τινὶ ἀπωλείας ἀφανισθῆναι τρόπῳ. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν βδελυττομένου. Οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, ὅτε περὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῶν ἐθνῶν τοῖς Ἑβραίοις διελέγετο· συντριβῆναι τὰς στήλας αὐτῶν ἐκέλευσεν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν προαστείων ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις ἄγειν τὰ μιάσματα. γʹ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν μάρτυς ἐκινεῖτο, ὁ δὲ δαίμων οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀδείας ἀπέλαυεν· ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐμάνθανεν, ὅτι ὀστᾶ μὲν μάρτυρος μετακινῆσαι δυνατόν ἐστιν, χεῖρας δὲ μάρτυρος διαφυγεῖν ἀδύνατον. Ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἡ λάρναξ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν εἵλκετο, καὶ κεραυνὸς ἄνωθεν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἤρχετο τοῦ ξοάνου, καὶ τὰ πάντα κατέφλεγε. Καίτοι γε, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, τότε γοῦν εἰκὸς ἦν ὀργισθῆναι τὸν ἀσεβῆ βασιλέα, καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀφεῖναι εἰς τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ μάρτυρος· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τότε ἐτόλμησε· τοσοῦτος αὐτὸν κατεῖχε φόβος· ἀλλὰ καίτοι τὸν ἐμπρησμὸν ὁρῶν ἀφόρητον ὄντα, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς, ἡσύχαζε. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι τὸ μαρτύριον οὐ κατέσκαψεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι μηδὲ τὴν στέγην ἐπιθεῖναι