John Chrysostom, On Eutropius

faces, and the fountains of tears. Since, then, the rock has become for you deep soil and a fertile land, come now, and having caused the fruit of mercy to sprout, and having shown the rich ear of compassion, let us fall down before the emperor, or rather, let us entreat the philanthropic God, to soften the emperor’s wrath, and to make his heart tender, so that he may grant us the favor in its entirety. And indeed, from that day on which he took refuge here, no small change has taken place; for when the emperor learned that he had fled to this place of asylum, while the army was present, and enraged on account of the offenses committed against him, and demanding him for slaughter, he delivered a long speech, calming the soldiers' wrath, asking that not only his sins, but also if any good deed was done by him, this too should be taken into account, acknowledging gratitude for some things, but forgiving what was otherwise as for a human being. But when they again pressed on for vengeance for the insulted emperor, shouting, leaping, mindful of death, and shaking their spears, he then, releasing floods of tears from his most gentle eyes, and reminding them of the holy table to which he had fled, thus quelled their anger.

5. But nevertheless, let us also add what is from ourselves. For what would you be

worthy of pardon, if, when the insulted emperor does not bear a grudge, you who have suffered no such thing have shown such anger? And how, when this theater is dismissed, will you partake of the mysteries, and say that prayer by which we are commanded to say: Forgive us as we also forgive our debtors, when you are demanding justice for your debtor? Did he do great wrong and insult? We do not deny it. But now is not a time for a court, but for mercy; not for accountability, but for philanthropy; not for examination, but for forgiveness; not for a verdict and justice, but for pity and grace. Let no one, therefore, be inflamed or vexed, but rather let us beseech the philanthropic God to grant him a period of life, and to snatch him from the threatened slaughter, so that he may put off his offenses, and let us approach the philanthropic emperor together, on behalf of the Church, on behalf of the altar, beseeching that one man be granted to the holy table. If we do this, the emperor himself will approve, and God, before the emperor, will praise us, and will give us a great reward for our philanthropy. For just as He turns away from and hates the cruel and inhuman man, so He accepts and loves the merciful and philanthropic man; and if such a man is righteous, He weaves for him more brilliant crowns; but if he is a sinner, He overlooks his sins, giving him this as a reward for his compassion toward his fellow servant.

For I desire mercy, He says, and not sacrifice; and everywhere in the Scriptures you see Him always seeking this, and saying that this is the remission of sins. Thus, therefore, we shall make Him merciful to us, thus we shall resolve our offenses, thus we shall adorn the Church, thus also the philanthropic emperor will praise us, as I have already said, and the whole populace will applaud, and the ends of the earth will marvel at the philanthropy and gentleness of the city, and those everywhere on earth, having learned what has happened, will proclaim us.

In order, therefore, that we may enjoy so many good things, let us fall down, let us entreat, let us beseech, let us snatch from danger the captive, the fugitive, the suppliant, so that we ourselves may also obtain the good things to come, by the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

πρόσωπα, καὶ αἱ τῶν δακρύων πηγαί. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ὑμῖν ἡ πέτρα γέγονε βαθύγειος, καὶ λιπαρὰ χώρα, φέρε δὴ καὶ καρπὸν ἐλεημοσύνης βλαστήσαντες, καὶ τὸν στάχυν κομῶντα τῆς συμπαθείας ἐπιδειξάμενοι, προσπέσωμεν τῷ βασιλεῖ, μᾶλλον δὲ παρακαλέσωμεν τὸν φιλάνθρωπον Θεὸν, μαλάξαι τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἁπαλὴν αὐτοῦ ποιῆσαι τὴν καρδίαν, ὥστε ὁλόκληρον ἡμῖν δοῦναι τὴν χάριν. Καὶ ἤδη μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης, ἧς οὗτος κατέφυγεν ἐνταῦθα, οὐ μικρὰ γέγονεν ἡ μεταβολή· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔγνω, ὅτι εἰς τὸ ἄσυλον τοῦτο χωρίον κατέδραμε, τοῦ στρατοπέδου παρόντος, καὶ παροξυνομένου ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῷ πεπλημμελημένων, καὶ εἰς σφαγὴν αὐτὸν αἰτούντων, μακρὸν ἀπέτεινε λόγον, τὸν στρατιωτικὸν καταστέλλων θυμὸν, ἀξιῶν μὴ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τι αὐτῷ γέγονε κατόρθωμα, καὶ τοῦτο λογίζεσθαι, καὶ τοῖς μὲν εἰδέναι χάριν ὁμολογῶν, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν ἑτέρως ἐχόντων ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ συγγινώσκων. Ὡς δὲ ἐπέκειντο πάλιν εἰς ἐκδικίαν τοῦ ὑβρισμένου βασιλέως, βοῶντες, πηδῶντες, θανάτου μεμνημένοι, καὶ τὰ δόρατα σείοντες, πηγὰς λοιπὸν ἀφεὶς δακρύων ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμερωτάτων ὀφθαλμῶν, καὶ ἀναμνήσας τῆς ἱερᾶς τραπέζης, εἰς ἣν κατέφυγεν, οὕτω τὴν ὀργὴν κατέπαυσε.

εʹ. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν προσθῶμεν. Τίνος γὰρ ἂν ἦτε

συγγνώμης ἄξιοι, εἰ τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ ὑβρισμένου μὴ μνησικακοῦντος, ὑμεῖς οἱ μηδὲν τοιοῦτον παθόντες τοσαύτην ὀργὴν ἐπεδείξασθε; πῶς δὲ τοῦ θεάτρου τούτου λυθέντος, ὑμεῖς μυστηρίων ἅψεσθε, καὶ τὴν εὐχὴν ἐρεῖτε ἐκείνην, δι' ἧς κελευόμεθα λέγειν· Ἄφες ἡμῖν καθὼς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν, τὸν ὑμῶν ὀφειλέτην ἀπαιτοῦντες δίκην; Ἠδίκησε μεγάλα καὶ ὕβρισεν; Οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς ἀντεροῦμεν. Ἀλλ' οὐ δικαστηρίου καιρὸς νῦν, ἀλλ' ἐλέους· οὐκ εὐθύνης, ἀλλὰ φιλανθρωπίας· οὐκ ἐξετάσεως, ἀλλὰ συγχωρήσεως· οὐ ψήφου καὶ δίκης, ἀλλὰ οἴκτρου καὶ χάριτος. Μὴ τοίνυν φλεγμαινέτω τις, μηδὲ δυσχεραινέτω, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον δεηθῶμεν τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ, δοῦναι αὐτῷ προθεσμίαν ζωῆς, καὶ τῆς ἀπειλουμένης ἐξαρπάσαι σφαγῆς, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀποδύσασθαι τὰ πεπλημμελημένα, καὶ κοινῇ προσέλθωμεν τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ βασιλεῖ, ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὑπὲρ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ἕνα ἄνδρα τῇ τραπέζῃ τῇ ἱερᾷ χαρισθῆναι παρακαλοῦντες. Ἂν τοῦτο ποιήσωμεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀποδέξεται, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπαινέσεται, καὶ μεγάλην ἡμῖν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἀποδώσει τὴν ἀμοιβήν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸν ὠμὸν καὶ ἀπάνθρωπον ἀποστρέφεται καὶ μισεῖ, οὕτω τὸν ἐλεήμονα καὶ φιλάνθρωπον προσίεται καὶ φιλεῖ· κἂν μὲν δίκαιος ὁ τοιοῦτος ᾖ, λαμπροτέρους αὐτῷ πλέκει τοὺς στεφάνους· ἂν δὲ ἁμαρτωλὸς, παρατρέχει τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, τῆς πρὸς τὸν ὁμόδουλον συμπαθείας ἀμοιβὴν αὐτῷ ταύτην ἀποδιδούς.

Ἔλεον γὰρ, φησὶ, θέλω, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν· καὶ πανταχοῦ τῶν Γραφῶν ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν τοῦτο ἀεὶ ἐπιζητοῦντα, καὶ ταύτην λύσιν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων εἶναι λέγοντα. Οὕτω τοίνυν αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἵλεων ἐργασόμεθα, οὕτω τὰ ἡμέτερα διαλύσομεν πλημμελήματα, οὕτω τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν κοσμήσομεν, οὕτω καὶ βασιλεὺς ἡμᾶς ὁ φιλάνθρωπος ἑπαινέσεται, καθάπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καὶ ἅπας ὁ δῆμος κροτήσει, καὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ ἥμερον τῆς πόλεως θαυμάσεται, καὶ μαθόντες οἱ πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς τὰ γενόμενα κηρύξουσιν ἡμᾶς.

Ἵνα οὖν ἀπολαύσωμεν τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν, προσπέσωμεν, παρακαλέσωμεν, δεηθῶμεν, ἐξαρπάσωμεν τοῦ κινδύνου τὸν αἰχμάλωτον, τὸν φυγάδα, τὸν ἱκέτην, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτύχωμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.