John Chrysostom, Sermon on Patience 2

he who shut heaven for three years and six months, how was this man, who raised the dead through prayer, fed by a raven? For could not he who shut heaven bring down bread for himself? But that it might show you that the Old [Testament] overthrew the things of the law. And this man, having contended through long-suffering and patience, lived on, and we find all the saints having contended through patience. Behold for me, if you please, also the blessed David, who was the last of men and of his brothers, but later reigned over his brothers; and he struck down so great an enemy with a stone, and destroying his phalanx, and tearing apart his power like a spider's web; and though he contended so, he was so warred against by Saul. And yet David was his benefactor, and when he played the psaltery the demon fled, and many times David found him ready for slaughter, but still again he overlooks him with forbearance; and many times when Saul came upon him to kill him, again David gave the whole matter to God.

See for me also the blessed Joseph, the champion of self-control, how he too philosophized through patience; for first he was plotted against by his brothers because of the dreams. And see the envy of brothers.

If the dreams are true, what contrivance is there that the things foreseen should not come to pass in every way? but if the visions of the dreams are false, why do you envy the one who is deceived? And see the wondrous thing, beloved: He saw himself being worshipped by the sun and moon and eleven stars. His brothers heard this, or rather the disciples of the devil, who were taught envy and murder by their father the devil, their sister iniquities, which Paul also yoked together, saying: Full of envy, murder. They heard of the kingdom that was to succeed theirs, and they were pricked to kill him.

But the blessed Joseph endured the contest, and when his brothers had gone to pasture sheep in Shechem, his father said: Behold, are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, I will send you, and see if your brothers and the sheep are well, and bring me word. And as he was going, they saw him coming from afar, and said to one another: Behold, that dreamer comes; come, let us kill him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams. Have you seen the counsel of those wishing to commit fratricide? Again the devil became their counselor, and they learned their lessons more sharply. The brother came to them, and they stripped him of his tunic; but he was not made naked of patience. For though he put off the covering of the flesh, yet he did not put off his self-control and his hope in God, which also brought up his case. They slaughtered a kid, filled his tunic with blood, and brought it to their father, saying: Recognize whose tunic this is. The father recognized the multi-colored tunic of his son, he began to mourn and to lament, and wailing he said: An evil beast has devoured Joseph. For truly evil beasts were they who did this, or rather even wilder than beasts, since they took counsel to kill their own brother and wished to commit fratricide. But nevertheless the blessed Joseph contended with patience; he was cast into the pit, and he endured this. But tell me, O defiled ones, why did you cast so much inhumanity upon your own brother? Was the stripping of the tunic not enough for you, but you also cast him into the pit? Did you not reckon that God in heaven sees all things? Did not your body shudder? Did not your heart cower, having dared to do this? Do you not know that the first commandment of the law is, You shall not murder, and this you hastened to do first of all, especially to a brother? Then, having taken counsel, they attempted to sell him into slavery.

οὐρανὸν κλείσας ἐπὶ ἔτη τρία καὶ μῆνας ἓξ, πῶς οὗτος ὁ δι' εὐχῆς ἐγείρας νεκροὺς, ὑπὸ κόρακος ἐτρέφετο; οὐκ ἠδύνατο γὰρ ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν κλείσας ἄρτους ἑαυτῷ κατενεγκεῖν; Ἀλλ' ἵνα σοι δείξῃ, ὅτι ἡ Παλαιὰ τὰ τοῦ νόμου ἀνέτρεπε. Καὶ οὗτος διὰ μακροθυμίας καὶ ὑπομονῆς ἀθλήσας διῆγε, καὶ ἅπαντας τοὺς ἁγίους εὕρομεν δι' ὑπομονῆς ἀθλήσαντας. Θέασαι δέ μοι, εἰ δοκεῖ, καὶ τὸν μακάριον ∆αυῒδ τὸν ἔσχατον τῶν ἀνθρώπων γενόμενον καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ, ὕστερον δὲ βασιλεύσαντα τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸν τηλικοῦτον πολέμιον λίθῳ κατέβαλε, καὶ τὴν φάλαγγα αὐτοῦ καταστρέψας, καὶ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀράχνην διασπάσας· καὶ τούτου τοῦ οὕτως ἀθλήσαντος, οὕτως ἐπολεμεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ Σαούλ. Καίτοι εὐεργετῶν ἦν αὐτὸν ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ψάλλοντος αὐτοῦ τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐδραπέτευε, καὶ πολλάκις εὑρόντος αὐτὸν τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἰς σφαγὴν ἕτοιμον, ἀλλ' ὅμως πάλιν τῇ ἀνεξικακίᾳ ὑπερορᾷ· καὶ πολλάκις αὐτῷ ἐπελθόντος τοῦ Σαοὺλ ὥστε αὐτὸν θανατῶσαι, πάλιν ∆αυῒδ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸ πᾶν ἐδίδου.

Ὅρα δέ μοι καὶ τὸν μακάριον Ἰωσὴφ, τὸν τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀγωνιστὴν, πῶς καὶ οὗτος τῇ ὑπομονῇ ἐφιλοσόφησε· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἐπιβουλευόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν διὰ τὰ ὀνείρατα. Καὶ ὅρα βασκανίαν ἀδελφῶν.

Εἰ μὲν ἀληθῆ τὰ ἐνύπνια, τίς μηχανὴ πῶς οὐχὶ πάντως ἐκβῆναι τὰ προοραθέντα; εἰ δὲ ψευδεῖς αἱ τῶν ὀνειράτων ὄψεις, τί βασκαίνετε τῷ σφαλλομένῳ; Καὶ ὅρα τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ἀγαπητέ· Εἶδεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὸ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης καὶ ἕνδεκα ἀστέρων προσκυνούμενον. Ἤκουσαν τοῦτο οἱ τούτου ἀδελφοὶ, μᾶλλον δὲ οἱ τοῦ διαβόλου μαθηταὶ, οἱ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν τοῦ διαβόλου διδαχθέντες φθόνον καὶ φόνον, τὰς ἀδελφὰς αὐτῶν ἀνομίας, ἃς καὶ Παῦλος συνέζευξεν, εἰπών· Μεστοὺς φθόνου, φόνου. Ἤκουσαν τὴν μέλλουσαν διαδέχεσθαι αὐτῶν βασιλείαν, καὶ ἐνύττοντο τοῦ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν.

Ὁ δὲ μακάριος Ἰωσὴφ τὴν ἄθλησιν ὑπέμεινε, καὶ ἀπελθόντων βόσκειν τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ πρόβατα εἰς Συχὲμ, εἶπεν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ· Οὐκ ἰδοὺ οἱ ἀδελφοί σου βόσκουσιν εἰς Συχέμ; ∆εῦρο ἀποστείλω σε, καὶ βλέπε εἰ ὑγιαίνουσιν οἱ ἀδελφοί σου καὶ τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ ἀνάγγειλόν μοι. Πορευομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, εἶδον αὐτὸν μακρόθεν ἐρχόμενον, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς ἀλλήλους· Ἴδε ὁ ἐνυπνιαστὴς ἐκεῖνος ἔρχεται· δεῦτε ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἴδωμεν τί ἔσται τὰ ἐνύπνια αὐτοῦ. Εἶδες συμβουλίαν ἀδελφοκτονίαν βουλομένων ἐργάσασθαι; Πάλιν ὁ διάβολος τούτοις σύμβουλος ἐγένετο, κἀκεῖνοι τὰ μαθήματα ὀξύτερον ἐμάνθανον. Ἦλθεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀπέκδυσαν αὐτοῦ τὸν χιτῶνα· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐγένετο γυμνὸς τῆς ὑπομονῆς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ κάλυμμα τῆς σαρκὸς ἀπέθετο, ἀλλὰ τὴν σωφροσύνην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἀπέθετο, ἣ καὶ ἀνέφερεν αὐτοῦ τὴν δίκην. Ἔσφαξαν ἔριφον, ἔπλησαν τὸν τούτου χιτῶνα αἵματος, καὶ προσήνεγκαν τῷ πατρὶ λέγοντες· Ἐπίγνωθι τίνος ὁ χιτὼν οὗτος Ἐπέγνω ὁ πατὴρ τὸν τοῦ υἱοῦ ποικίλον χιτῶνα, ἤρξατο πενθεῖν καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι, καὶ θρηνῶν ἔλεγε· Θηρίον πονηρὸν κατέφαγε τὸν Ἰωσήφ. Θῆρες γὰρ ἀληθῶς καὶ πονηροὶ οἱ τοῦτο ποιήσαντες, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τῶν θηρίων ἀγριώτεροι, ἅτε τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφὸν θανατῶσαι συμβουλευσάμενοι καὶ ἀδελφοκτονίαν βουλόμενοι ἐργάσασθαι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ μακάριος Ἰωσὴφ ἠγωνίζετο τῇ ὑπομονῇ· ἐβλήθη ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ, καὶ τοῦτο ὑπέμεινεν. Εἴπατε δέ μοι, ὦ μιαροὶ, διὰ τί τοσαύτην ἀπανθρωπίαν ἐβάλεσθε εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφόν; οὐκ ἤρκεσεν ὑμῖν ἡ τοῦ χιτῶνος ἀπόδυσις, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐῤῥίψατε ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ; οὐκ ἐλογίζεσθε, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ὁρᾷ τὰ πάντα; οὐκ ἔφριξεν ὑμῶν τὸ σῶμα; οὐκ ἐδειλίασεν ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία τοῦτο πρᾶξαι τολμήσασα; οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ἡ πρώτη ἐντολὴ τοῦ νόμου, Οὐ φονεύσεις, καὶ τοῦτο ἐν πρώτοις ἐσπουδάσατε ποιῆσαι μάλιστα εἰς ἀδελφόν; Εἶτα συμβούλιον ποιησάμενοι ἐπειρῶντο τοῦτον εἰς δουλείαν πωλῆσαι.