John Chrysostom, On Psalm 118

Elias also was left, as we have already said, having withdrawn for a short time from the face of Ahab and of Jezebel; but something else was being arranged for him to go to Zarephath of Sidon, and to be hospitably received by a widow woman, and to provide food for her. For the handful of meal shall not fail, he says, nor the oil in the cruse; and so that, because of the wickedness of the Jews, he might shut up the heaven for three years and six months so it would not rain. For he says: As the Lord lives, there shall be no rain upon the earth, except by the word of my mouth. To be utterly abandoned by God, this is a terrible thing, just as Saul and Absalom were abandoned, no longer turning back to salvation; for they were stripped of the providence of God. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed to your words. Youth is prone to sin, being led away into pleasures and passions of dishonor; but if it is held by the keeping of the commandments of God, it remains unharmed; for what a bridle and a horse-trainer are to a wild colt, this the divine word becomes to the young. Since Daniel also was young; but he kept the commandments of God, and was deemed worthy of prophetic grace, and became an interpreter of secret mysteries. Likewise also the three youths, being young, changed the fire by their faith and works into an opposite nature; for they were cooled in the midst of it, and refreshed by the boldness of their faith and by the breeze of the Spirit. So therefore it is also with us. Those who are young, let them adorn themselves through the keeping of the commandments of God, and not become idle peers, like Absalom, who lived with wickedness; who also, accompanying this, had a head of long hair, he who was senseless in his mind. For hair is a symbol of deadness. And for him, indeed, his hairs became the causes of his destruction, when he was hung by them on the oak tree, as the history of the kings narrates. But it is grievous that even now some, imitating this one, dangle very long curls and tresses, spreading the works of the women's quarters over their skin in their folly, being puffed up in vain in their own mind; and they do not know that they rather bring dishonor upon themselves, as the Apostle says: If a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him. But the Greeks in Homer are recorded as doing this; for he says, "long-haired Achaeans." Since also the wise among the physicians say so. For the seemliness of the head, therefore, having our hair trimmed according to the adornment of the ancient men, we shall be content, and not wish it to hang over the skin, nor upon the back; for it is a dishonor for one who does such a thing, as we have heard the Apostle admonishing, With my whole 55.679 heart I have sought you, do not thrust me away from your commandments. 3. For many seek God, but not with their whole heart; for they divide it not only into cares of worldly matters, but also into unseemly desires and envies and deceits and plots against their neighbors. But the lover of divine things consecrates his whole mind to God, and enjoys providence from thence, not falling from His commandments into the abyss of destruction, but conforming to the living God, and dedicating his whole mind to Him. In my heart I have hidden your words, that I might not sin against you. He who has possessed gold or silver or precious stones does not set these things forth outside, but hides them away inside in the storerooms and chambers, so as to escape the hands of burglars; so he who has the wealth of virtue, hides it in the soul, so that the robbers of souls might not plunder it through vainglory. And in another way: I did not hide, he says, gold or silver or soft and flowing clothing, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break through and

Κατελείφθη καὶ Ἠλίας, ὡς φθάσαντες εἰρήκαμεν, πρὸς βραχὺ ὑποχωρήσας ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ καὶ τῆς Ἰεζάβελ· ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τι ᾠκονομεῖτο πρὸς τὸ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς Σαρεφθὰ τῆς Σιδῶνος, καὶ φιλο φρονηθῆναι ὑπὸ γυναικὸς χήρας, καὶ ταύτῃ παρέξαι τροφήν. Οὐ μὴ γὰρ ἐκλείψει, φησὶν, ἡ δρὰξ τοῦ ἀλεύ ρου, οὐδὲ τὸ ἔλαιον τοῦ καμψάκου· καὶ ἵνα διὰ τὴν κα κίαν τῶν Ἰουδαίων στήσῃ τὸν οὐρανὸν τρία ἔτη καὶ μῆνας ἓξ μὴ βρέξαι. Φησὶ γάρ· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ διὰ λόγου στόματός μου. Τὸ ἕως σφόδρα καταλειφθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦτο δεινὸν, ὥσπερ κατελείφθη ὁ Σαοὺλ καὶ ὁ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ μηκέτι πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἀναστρέψαντες· ἐγυμνώθησαν γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προμηθείας. Ἐν τίνι κατορθώσει νεώτερος τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ; Ἐν τῷ φυλάξασθαι τοὺς λόγους σου. Ὀξύῤῥοπον πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν ἡ νεότης, εἰς ἡδονὰς καὶ πάθη ἀτιμίας ἀπαγομένη· ἐὰν δὲ τῇ φυλακῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κρατῆται, μένει ἀβλαβής· ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ἀγελαίῳ πώλῳ χαλινὸς καὶ πωλοδάμνης, τοῦτο τοῖς νέοις γίνεται ὁ θεῖος λόγος. Ἐπειδὴ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ νέος ἦν· ἀλλ' ἐφύλαττε τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ προφητικῆς χά ριτος ἠξιώθη, καὶ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων μυστηρίων εἰσηγητὴς γέγονεν. Ὡσαύτως καὶ οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες νέοι ὄντες τὸ πῦρ τῇ πίστει καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτῶν εἰς ἐναντίαν φύσιν με τήγαγον· ἀνεψύχοντο γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ τούτου, καὶ ἐδροσί ζοντο τῇ παῤῥησίᾳ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῇ αὔρᾳ τοῦ Πνεύ ματος. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡμῖν πρόσεστιν. Οἵτινες νέοι ὑπάρχουσι, διὰ τῆς συντηρήσεως τῶν ἐν τολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ κοσμήσωσιν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ μὴ γένωνται ἥλικες ἀργοὶ, ὡς Ἀβεσσαλὼμ, ὁ τῇ κακίᾳ συζῶν· ὅστις καὶ συνεπομένην ταύτῃ εἶχε κομῶσαν τὴν κεφαλὴν, ὁ ἀναίσθητος ἐν ταῖς φρεσίν. Ἡ γὰρ θρὶξ νεκρότητος σύμ βολον. Καὶ ἐκείνῳ μὲν αἰτίαι τῆς ἀπωλείας αἱ τρίχες γε γόνασι, κρεμασθέντι ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ δρυῒ, ὡς ἡ τῶν βασιλέων ἱστορία διηγεῖται. Ἀλλ' ἔστι χαλεπὸν, ὅτι καὶ νῦν τινες τοῦτον ζηλοῦντες, ἀπαιωροῦσι πολυμήκεις βοστρύχους καὶ πλοκαμῖδας, τὰ τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος ἔργα τῇ ψοιᾷ καθαπλοῦντες τῇ βλακείᾳ, εἰκῇ φυσιούμενοι ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ νοΐ· καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν, ὅτι μᾶλλον ἀτιμίαν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπάγουσι, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Ἀνὴρ ἐὰν κομᾷ, ἀτιμία αὐτῷ ἐστιν. Ἕλληνες δὲ παρ' Ὁμήρῳ ἱστόρηνται τοῦτο ποιοῦντες· φησὶ γὰρ, Καρηκομόωντες Ἀχαιοί. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ τῶν ἰατρῶν σοφοί φασι. Πρὸς οὖν εὐπρέ πειαν τῆς κεφαλῆς μεμετρημένας τὰς τρίχας ἔχοντες κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἀρχαίων ἀνδρῶν κόσμησιν ἀρκεσθησώμεθα, καὶ μὴ ὑπερκεῖσθαι ταύτας τῇ ψοιᾷ θελήσωμεν, μηδὲ τοῖς μεταφρένοις· ἀτιμία γάρ ἐστι τῷ τοιοῦτο ποιοῦντι, ὡς ἠκούσαμεν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου παραινοῦντος, Ἐν ὅλῃ 55.679 καρδίᾳ μου ἐξεζήτησά σε, μὴ ἀπώσῃ με ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τολῶν σου. γʹ. Ζητοῦσι μὲν γὰρ πολλοὶ τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ· μερίζουσι γὰρ ταύτην οὐ μόνον εἰς φροντίδας πραγμάτων βιωτικῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἐπιθυμίας ἀτόπους καὶ φθόνους καὶ δόλους καὶ τὰς τῶν πλησίον ἐπιβουλάς. Ὁ δὲ τῶν θείων ἐραστὴς πᾶσαν ἀφιεροῖ τῷ Θεῷ τὴν διά νοιαν, καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἀπολαύει προνοίας, μὴ καταπί πτων ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐντολῶν εἰς βάραθρον ἀπωλείας, ἀλλὰ στοιχῶν τῷ ζῶντι Θεῷ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διά νοιαν αὐτῷ ἀνατιθέμενος. Ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου ἔκρυψα τὰ λόγιά σου, ὅπως ἂν μὴ ἁμάρτω σοι. Ὁ χρυσὸν κε κτημένος ἢ ἄργυρον ἢ λίθους τιμίους οὐκ ἔξω ταῦτα προ τίθησιν, ἀλλ' ἔνδον ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις καὶ τοῖς θαλάμοις ἐναποκρύπτει, ὥστε διαφυγεῖν τῶν τοιχωρύχων τὰς χεῖ ρας· οὕτω ὁ τὸν πλοῦτον ἔχων τῆς ἀρετῆς, κρύπτει τοῦ τον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, ὡς ἂν μὴ διὰ δόξης κενῆς τοῦτον οἱ τῶν ψυχῶν συλήσαιεν λωποδύται. Καὶ ἄλλως· οὐ κατέκρυψα, φησὶ, χρυσὸν ἣ ἄργυρον ἢ ἐσθῆτα μαλακήν τε καὶ περιῤῥέουσαν, ὅπου σὴς καὶ σκώληξ ἀφανίζει, καὶ κλέ πται διορύσσουσι καὶ