John Chrysostom, On Psalm 50 Homily 1

how he was healed, and what medicine he applied. And I do not say: Go into the narrow street, ask this man, or that woman. There is no need for toil, no need for labor, nor is it necessary for you to step over a threshold, but for you to receive the medicine while standing here. Only pay attention to what is said. For it is necessary to introduce the account, and to state the time when he sinned, and the place, and the person, and the repentance, and the correction, and the medicine, so that having learned everything with exactness, you may thus depart. This David, then, being young and quite a lad, and of an obscure father, and attending to the earth and the flocks, fled cities and countries and tumults, and in the wilderness he displayed his philosophy, having nothing in common with worldly affairs, but from his earliest age living with tranquility, the companion of virtue, and as if sitting in a harbor in the wilderness, through the care of the sheep he contemplated the kingdom of heaven. This one, then, was young, quite a lad, young in age, but gray-haired in mind; and the immaturity of his age was no hindrance to such great virtue; but being very young he conquered not by the power of the body, but by the power of faith. But pay close attention to the account. It was once necessary for the Jews to have a king, since the first one had become unworthy. God sends Samuel immediately to his father.

When Samuel, then, came to Jesse the father of David, the child was among the flocks, very small. I do not cease constantly speaking of his youth, so that no one may slander a young person, nor praise an old one. For neither is gray hair virtue, nor youth vice. Many have shown philosophy in youth, and many have been tripped up in old age. For the three children were in the fire, and they extinguished the flame. And Daniel, being twelve years old, made the lions like sheep, not by changing their nature, but by bridling their ferocity with faith; and having convicted the 55.568 foolish elders, he is revealed as a judge of Israel. And Stephen, the chief of the deacons, full of grace, and filled with power from his youth, reasoned with the Hebrew people; But Paul was aged and gray-haired, and at first he had become a plunderer of the Churches, but after this he seized the prize of faith, and became a sheep of goodness.

3. Do not, therefore, slander the young, nor praise the aged. For not in the

difference of age is virtue and vice, but in the difference of will; and if you are sober, the immaturity of your age does not harm you at all; and if you are lazy, old age will not benefit you at all. For gray hair is not white hairs, but virtue of soul. This one, then, being young possessed the ripe fruit of virtue. Samuel came to Jesse, not arrayed with a multitude of bodies, but having the horn, where the holy oil was. And what does he say? God sent me to make a king from your sons. Jesse, hearing "king," thinking the dignity was suitable for that one, brings his first son. Bring him forth, he says. God was not pleased in him. The second; not this one either. The third, the fourth, the fifth. The company of sons was exhausted, and the one being sought was not found.

He says to him: Do you have another? The father was ashamed. I have one, he says, a smaller and insignificant one, a shepherd. You seek to make a small and insignificant one a king? Man despises, but God crowns. For God will not see as man will see; man looks at the face, but God looks at the heart. For do we seek much flesh? We long for nobility of soul. Pay close attention to the account. God did not say to him, "Go, anoint David for me;" but, "Go, anoint for me one of the sons of Jesse." And why is he at a loss? and why does He not say the name? So that David might not suffer what Joseph suffered. For just as they, having learned who was the sought-after king among them, plotted against him,

πῶς ἐθεραπεύθη, καὶ ποῖον φάρμακον ἐπέθηκεν. Καὶ οὐ λέγω· Ἄπελθε ἐπὶ τὸν στενωπὸν, ἐρώτησον τόνδε, ἢ τήνδε. Οὐ χρεία καμάτου, οὐ χρεία πόνου, οὔτε ὑπερβῆναί σε προθύρων ἀναγ καῖον, ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα ἑστῶτα δέξασθαί σε τὸ φάρμακον. Μόνον πρόσεχε τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸν λόγον εἰσαγαγεῖν, καὶ τὸν χρόνον εἰπεῖν, καθ' ὃν ἥμαρτε, καὶ τὸν τόπον, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ τὴν μετάνοιαν, καὶ τὴν διόρθωσιν, καὶ τὸ φάρμακον, ἵνα πάντα μαθόντες μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οὕτως ἀπέλθητε. Οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ ∆αυΐδ, νέος ὢν καὶ μειράκιον κομιδῇ, καὶ πατρὸς ἀσήμου, καὶ τῇ γῇ προσέχων καὶ τοῖς ποι μνίοις, πόλεις μὲν ἔφυγε καὶ χώρας καὶ θορύβους, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐρημίᾳ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐπεδείκνυτο, οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἔχων μετὰ τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας τῇ συντρόφῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἡσυχίᾳ συζῶν, καὶ καθάπερ ἐν λιμένι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καθήμενος, τῇ τῶν προβάτων ἐπιστασίᾳ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐμελέ τησεν. Οὗτος τοίνυν νέος ἦν, κομιδῇ μειράκιον, νέος μὲν τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, πεπολιωμένος δὲ τῇ διανοίᾳ· καὶ τὸ ἀτελὲς τῆς ἡλικίας οὐδὲν ἐνεπόδιζε τῇ τοσαύτῃ ἀρετῇ· ἀλλὰ νέος ὢν σφόδρα ἐνίκα οὐ δυνάμει σώματος, ἀλλὰ δυνάμει πί στεως. Ἀλλὰ πρόσεχε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ· Ἐδέησέ ποτε γενέσθαι βασιλέα τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, ἐπειδὴ ὁ πρῶτος γενόμενος ἀνάξιος ἦν. Πέμπει ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Σαμουὴλ εὐθέως πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ.

Ἐλθόντος τοίνυν τοῦ Σα μουὴλ πρὸς τὸν Ἰεσσαὶ τὸν πατέρα ∆αυῒδ, τὸ παιδίον ἦν ἐν τοῖς ποιμνίοις, μικρὸν πάνυ. Οὐ παύομαι συνεχῶς τὴν νεότητα λέγων, ἵνα μηδεὶς μήτε νέον διαβάλλῃ, μήτε γέροντα ἐγκωμιάζῃ. Οὔτε γὰρ ἡ πολιὰ ἀρετὴ, οὔτε ἡ νεότης κακία. Πολλοὶ καὶ ἐν νεότητι φιλοσοφίαν ἐπεδεί ξαντο, καὶ πολλοὶ καὶ ἐν γήρει ὑπεσκελίσθησαν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἐν τῷ πυρὶ ἦσαν, καὶ τὴν φλόγα ἔσβεσαν. Καὶ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ δωδεκαετὴς ὢν, τοὺς λέοντας πρόβατα ἐποίησεν, οὐ τὴν φύσιν αὐτῶν μεταβαλὼν, ἀλλὰ τὴν θηριωδίαν αὐτῶν τῇ πίστει χαλινώσας· καὶ τοὺς 55.568 ἀσυνέτους πρεσβυτέρους διελέγξας, κριτὴς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἀναδείκνυται. Καὶ Στέφανος ὁ τῶν διακόνων πρόκριτος, πλήρης χάριτος, καὶ δυνάμεως ἐκ νεότητος πλησθεὶς, τῷ δήμῳ τῷ Ἑβραϊκῷ διελέγετο· Παῦλος δὲ γεγηρακὼς ἦν καὶ πεπολιωμένος, καὶ τὸ μὲν πρότερον σκυλευτὴς τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν γέγονε, ἀλλὰ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς πίστεως ἥρπασε, καὶ πρόβατον γέγονεν ἀγαθότη τος.

γʹ. Μὴ οὖν τὸν νέον διάβαλλε, μηδὲ τὸν γεγηρακότα ἐπαίνει. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐν τῇ

διαφορᾷ τῆς ἡλικίας ἡ ἀρετὴ καὶ ἡ κακία, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ διαφορᾷ τῆς γνώμης· κἂν ᾖς νηφάλιος, οὐδέν σε καταβλάπτει τὸ ἄωρον τῆς ἡλικίας· κἂν ᾖς ῥᾴθυμος, οὐδέ[ν] σε ὠφελήσει τὸ γῆρας. Πολιὰ γὰρ οὐ τρίχες λευκαὶ, ἀλλὰ ψυχῆς ἀρετή. Οὗτος τοίνυν νέος ὢν ὥριμον τὸν καρπὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκέκτητο. Ἦλθεν ὁ Σαμουὴλ πρὸς τὸν Ἰεσσαὶ, οὐ πλημμύραν σωμάτων περιβεβλημένος, ἀλλὰ τὸ κέρας, ἔνθα ἦν τὸ ἔλαιον τὸ ἅγιον, ἔχων. Καὶ τί φησιν; Ἔπεμψέ με ὁ Θεὸς ποιῆσαι βασιλέα ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν σου. Ὁ Ἰεσσαὶ ἀκούσας βασιλέα, νομίσας ἐκείνῳ ἐπιτήδειον εἶναι τὸ ἀξίωμα, ἄγει τὸν πρῶ τον υἱόν. Πάραγε αὐτὸν, φησίν· οὐκ εὐδόκησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ. Τὸν δεύτερον· οὐδὲ οὗτος. Τὸν τρίτον, τὸν τέ ταρτον, τὸν πέμπτον. Ἀνηλώθη ὁ χορὸς τῶν παίδων, καὶ ὁ ζητούμενος οὐχ εὑρίσκετο.

Λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἔχεις ἄλ λον; Ἠσχύνθη ὁ πατήρ. Ἔχω ἕνα, φησὶ, μικρότερον καὶ εὐτελῆ, ποιμένα. Βασιλέα ζητεῖς μικρὸν καὶ εὐτελῆ ποιῆ σαι; Ἄνθρωπος ἐξουθενεῖ, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς στεφανοῖ. Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ὄψεται ἄνθρωπος, ὄψεται Θεός· ἄνθρωπος εἰς πρόσωπον, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς εἰς καρδίαν. Μὴ γὰρ πολυσαρ κίαν ζητοῦμεν; Ψυχῆς εὐγένειαν ἐπιποθοῦμεν. Πρόσεχε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ. Οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς, Ἄπελθε, χρῖσόν μοι τὸν ∆αυΐδ· ἀλλ', Ἄπελθε, χρῖσόν μοι ἕνα τῶν υἱῶν Ἰεσσαί. Καὶ διὰ τί ἀπορεῖ; καὶ διὰ τί οὐ λέγει τὸ ὄνομα; Ἵνα μὴ πάθῃ ∆αυῒδ, ὅπερ ἔπαθεν Ἰωσήφ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μαθόντες ἐκεῖνοι τὸν ζητούμενον αὐτῶν βασιλέα, ἐπεβούλευσαν,