John Chrysostom, On the Cross and the Thief I

saying; Look there, and you will not cast a condemning vote, nor will you stand with the corrupt judges below, but you will accept the judgment made from above. Have you seen the philosophy of a robber? Have you seen his understanding and teaching? Suddenly from the cross he leaped up to heaven. Then, silencing him with abundance, Do you not fear, he says, that we are under the same condemnation? What is, "That we are under the same condemnation?" In the same punishment. For are you not also on the cross? Therefore, in reproaching that man, you put yourself forward before him. For just as one who is in sin, accusing another, accuses himself before that other, so also one who is in misfortune and reproaches another for misfortune, reproaches himself before that other. "That we are under the same condemnation." He reads to him an apostolic law, evangelical words that say: "Judge not, that you be not judged." "That we are under the same condemnation." What are you doing, O robber? In attempting to defend him, have you made yourself a partner of the robber? No, he says; I correct this suspicion by what follows. For lest, because of the sharing in the punishment, you might think that he made him a partner in the sin, he added the correction, saying: "And we indeed justly; for we have suffered things worthy of what we have done."

Have you seen a perfected confession? Have you seen how on the cross he stripped off his sins? "For tell," he says, "your sins first, that you may be justified." No one compelled, no one forced, but he himself paraded his own deeds, saying: "And we indeed justly; for we have suffered things worthy of what we have done; but this man has done nothing wrong." And after this he says: "Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom." He did not dare to say before, "Remember me in your kingdom," until he had laid aside the burden of his sins through confession. Do you see how great a thing confession is? He confessed, and opened paradise; he confessed, and received such boldness as to ask for a kingdom from a life of robbery. Do you see how many good things the cross is the cause of for us? You speak of a kingdom? For what do you see of that sort, tell me? Nails and a cross are what is seen; but this cross itself, he says, is a symbol of the kingdom. And for this reason I call him king, because I see him being crucified; for it is the part of a king to die for his subjects. He himself said: "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Therefore also the good king lays down his life for his subjects. Since therefore he laid down his life, for this reason I call him king. "Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom."

4. Have you seen how the cross is also a symbol of a kingdom? Do you wish to learn this also from another source

to learn? He did not leave it to be on the earth, but snatched it up, and raised it to heaven. From where is this clear? Because he is to come with it in his second and glorious coming, that you may learn what a venerable thing the cross is, for which reason he also called it glory. But let us see 49.404 how he comes with the cross; for it is necessary to bring back the proof. "If they say," he says, "'Look, Christ is in the inner rooms,' 'Look, he is in the desert,' do not go out;" speaking of his second and glorious coming, because of the false Christs, because of the false prophets, because of the Antichrist, lest anyone being deceived fall into his hands. For since the Antichrist comes before Christ, lest someone seeking the shepherd fall in with the wolf, for this reason I tell you the sign of the shepherd's coming. For since his first coming happened in secret, lest you think that the second also happens in such a way, he has given this sign. For this one fittingly happened in secret; for he came seeking what was lost; but that one not so; but how, tell me? "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." He will appear suddenly to all, and no one will need to ask whether Christ is here or there. For just as when lightning appears we do not need to examine

λέγων· Ἐκεῖ βλέπε, καὶ οὐκ οἴσεις τὴν κατακρίνουσαν ψῆφον, οὐδὲ στήσῃ μετὰ τῶν κάτω διεφθαρμένων κριτῶν, ἀλλ' ἀποδέξῃ τὴν ἄνω γενομένην κρίσιν. Εἶδες φιλοσοφίαν λῃστοῦ; εἶδες σύνεσιν καὶ διδασκαλίαν; Ἀθρόον ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεπήδησεν. Εἶτα καὶ ἐκ περιουσίας αὐτὸν ἐπιστομίζων, Οὐ δέδοικας, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματί ἐσμεν; Τί ἐστιν, Ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματί ἐσμεν; Ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ κολάσει. Μὴ γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ σὺ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ εἶ; Ἐκεῖνον τοίνυν ὀνειδίζων, ἑαυτὸν πρὸ ἐκείνου προβάλλῃ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἐν ἁμαρτήμασιν ὢν, ἕτερον κατηγορῶν, ἑαυτὸν πρὸ ἐκείνου κατηγορεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἐν συμφορᾷ ὢν καὶ ὀνειδίζων ἑτέρῳ συμφορὰν, ἑαυτὸν πρὸ ἐκείνου ὀνειδίζει. Ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματί ἐσμεν. Ἀποστολικὸν αὐτῷ νόμον ἀναγινώσκει, εὐαγγελικὰ ῥήματα λέγοντα· Μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε. Ὅτι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματί ἐσμεν. Τί ποιεῖς, ὦ λῃστά; ἀπολογήσασθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἐπιχειρῶν, κοινωνὸν σαυτὸν ἐποίησας τοῦ λῃστοῦ; Οὐχὶ, φησί· διορθοῦμαι τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ταύτην διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ διὰ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς τιμωρίας νομίσῃς ὅτι κοινωνὸν αὐτὸν ἐποίησε τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐπήγαγε τὴν διόρθωσιν, λέγων· Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμεν πεπόνθαμεν.

Εἶδες ἐξομολόγησιν ἀπηρτισμένην; εἶδες πῶς ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἀπεδύσατο; Λέγε γὰρ, φησὶ, σὺ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου πρῶτος, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Οὐδεὶς ἠνάγκασεν, οὐδεὶς ἐβιάσατο, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐξεπόμπευσεν, εἰπών· Καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως· ἄξια γὰρ ὧν ἐποιήσαμεν πεπόνθαμεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν πονηρὸν ἐποίησε. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτά φησι· Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Οὐκ ἐτόλμησε πρότερον εἰπεῖν, Μνήσθητί μου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου, ἕως ὅτε διὰ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως ἀπέθετο τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὸ φορτίον. Ὁρᾷς πόσον ἐστὶν ἐξομολόγησις; Ἐξωμολογήσατο, καὶ τὸν παράδεισον ἠνέῳξεν· ἐξωμολογήσατο, καὶ παῤῥησίαν ἔλαβε τοσαύτην, ὡς ἀπὸ λῃστείας βασιλείαν αἰτῆσαι. Ὁρᾷς πόσων ἀγαθῶν ἡμῖν αἴτιος ὁ σταυρός; Βασιλείας μέμνησαι; Τί γὰρ ὁρᾷς τοιοῦτον, εἰπέ μοι; Ἧλοι καὶ σταυρὸς τὰ ὁρώμενα· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς οὗτος ὁ σταυρὸς, φησὶ, τῆς βασιλείας ἐστὶ σύμβολον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸν βασιλέα καλῶ, ἐπειδὴ βλέπω αὐτὸν σταυρούμενον· βασιλέως γάρ ἐστι τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀρχομένων ἀποθνήσκειν. Αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ εἶπεν· Ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ καλὸς τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀρχομένων. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ ἔθηκεν, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν βασιλέα καλῶ. Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου.

δʹ. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ βασιλείας ὁ σταυρὸς σύμβολον; Βούλῃ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν τοῦτο

μαθεῖν; Οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλ' ἀνέσπασεν αὐτὸν, καὶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνήγαγε. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἐπειδὴ μετ' αὐτοῦ μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ καὶ ἐνδόξῳ αὐτοῦ παρουσίᾳ, ἵνα μάθῃς πῶς σεμνὸν πρᾶγμα ὁ σταυρὸς, διὸ καὶ δόξαν αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν. Ἀλλ' ἴδω 49.404 μεν πῶς μετὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἔρχεται· ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ ἐπαναγαγεῖν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ἐὰν εἴπωσι, φησὶν, ἰδοὺ ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐστὶ, μὴ ἀπέλθητε· περὶ τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ παρουσίας λέγων τῆς ἐνδόξου διὰ τοὺς ψευδοχρίστους, διὰ τοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας, διὰ τὸν Ἀντίχριστον, ἵνα μή τις πλανηθεὶς ἐκείνῳ περιπέσῃ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ Ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται, ἵνα μὴ ζητῶν τις τὸν ποιμένα τῷ λύκῳ περιπέσῃ, διὰ τοῦτό σοι λέγω γνώρισμα τῆς τοῦ ποιμένος παρουσίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ πρώτη αὐτοῦ παρουσία λανθάνουσα γέγονεν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς, ὅτι καὶ ἡ δευτέρα τοιαύτη γίνεται, τοῦτο δέδωκε τὸ σημεῖον. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ λανθάνουσα εἰκότως γέγονεν· ἦλθε γὰρ ζητῶν τὸ ἀπολωλός· ἐκείνη δὲ οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ πῶς, εἰπέ; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐξέρχεται ἡ ἀστραπὴ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, καὶ φαίνεται ἕως δυσμῶν, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Ἀθρόον ἅπασι φανήσεται, καὶ οὐ δεήσεται οὐδεὶς ἐρωτῆσαι, εἴτε ἐνταῦθα, εἴτε ἐκεῖ ὁ Χριστός. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀστραπῆς φαινομένης οὐ δεόμεθα ἐξετάζειν