John Chrysostom, On the Repentance of the Ninevites

lest you destroy the innocent with the guilty. Have pity on mothers who, on account of your wrath, are not providing milk to their beloved ones; they have denied their parents pity, so that they might draw forth your pity. All men are subject to the same evils as we are; if you do not receive us who are repenting, you have cut off the hopes of the whole world, Such were the words, as is likely, that the Ninevites used in the beginning; and their deeds were a match for their words: fasting, sackcloth, earnest prayer, tears, a flight from wickedness. For they cried out, he says, to God earnestly, and each one turned from his wicked way, and from the injustice that was in their hands. They lay hold of philosophy from the very heights of philosophy, and make the crown of virtue the foundation of virtue; for whatever work is most beautiful, and most dear to God, this each one practiced. They saw a heavenly war being raised against them, and they fortified themselves with good works, as with a wall. They put on a certain marvelous panoply: their sackcloths. From below they arrayed prayers and supplications against the thunderbolts carried from above. Against the crash of thunder they set the sound of hymnody.

Fasting became a manifest tower for them. With streams of tears they extinguished the phalanx of their sins. They made their enemies friends, so that they might reconcile God to themselves. They themselves let go of their anger against those who had grieved them, so that they might put an end to the Master's anger against them. They tore up the bill of debts below, so that they might receive the remission of their trespasses from above. They gave freedom to slaves, so that they themselves might receive freedom from punishment. They added their possessions to the needy, so that they might securely possess their own substance. Casting away luxury, they pursued self-control. Fleeing licentiousness, they embraced moderation. Hating the pomp of high offices, all were transformed into a humble and mournful state. Abstaining from purchases, and contracts, and all business, they served God. The criminals confessed their robberies with no one compelling them. The judges did not exact penalties from those who confessed. All confessed as if they were dead to this life. Wealth lay cast aside unguarded, and the thief was nowhere to be seen. Gold was supplied to the needy, and each one fled from possession as from a loss. One thing only was eagerly sought by all: salvation. One course lay before both rich and poor: the struggle for life. And everything not leading to this was cast out as useless and worthless. Salvation was uncertain, yet it was eagerly sought by them as if it were assured. They could not be confident in the outcome of their repentance, yet as if they would surely live, they applied themselves to every good deed. O barbarian philosophers! O wise, unlearned men! They knew what was needful without being taught, they were reformed without a lawgiver, they were made sober-minded without teachers, from the depths of wickedness they ran up to the heavenly citizen 64.433 ship. This is the changing of the right hand of the Most High. One shower of threat, and the Ninevites sprouted forth a crop of a myriad good things; they were recast like some old statues.

They were transformed by repentance; from sinners they have become righteous, lovely to angels, longed for by God. They steadied the shaking city, they set upright the falling city, they established the trembling city. They were converted, and were not overthrown; they were changed, and were not destroyed. For God saw, it says, their works, that they turned from their wicked ways, and he repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them. O paradoxical events! The judge retried the case, he annulled the deadly sentence, and voted for the one that saves. The Ninevites repented, and God repented. Repentance tore up the decree of destruction. They tore away their wickedness, God tore up the sentence. O all-powerful repentance!

συνδιαφθείρῃς τοὺς ἀναιτίους τοῖς αἰτίοις. Οἰκτείρησον μητέρας γάλα διὰ τὴν σὴν ὀργὴν τοῖς φιλτάτοις οὐ παρεχούσας· ἠρνήσαντο γονεῖς ἐκείνους ἐλέων, ἵνα τὸ σὸν ἔλεος ἐπισπάσωνται. Πάντες ἄνθρωποι τοῖς αὐτοῖς, οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀνέχονται πονηρεύμασιν· ἂν ἡμᾶς μετανοοῦντας μὴ δέξῃ, τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐξέκοψας, Τοιούτοις παρὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς, ὡς εἰκὸς, Νινευῖται λόγοις ἐχρῶντο· ἦν δὲ καὶ τὰ ἔργα τοῖς λόγοις ἐφάμιλλα, νηστεία, σάκκος, ἐκτεινὴς προσευχὴ, δάκρυα, πονηρίας φυγή. Ἀνεβόησαν γὰρ, φησὶ, πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐκτενῶς, καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὑτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀδικίας τῆς ἐν χερσὶν αὐτῶν. Ἅπτονται τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀπὸ τῶν ἄκρων αὐτῶν τῆς φιλοσοφίας, καὶ τὴν κορωνίδα τῆς ἀρετῆς κρηπῖδα ποιοῦνται τῆς ἀρετῆς· πᾶν γὰρ ὅ τι κάλλιστον ἔργον, καὶ Θεῷ προσφιλέστατον, τοῦτο ἕκαστος ἐπιτηδεύετο. Ἴδον πόλεμον οὐράνιον κατ' αὐτῶν ἐγειρόμενον, καὶ ὠχύρωσαν ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς ἑαυτοὺς, ὥσπερ τεῖχος [τείχει]. Ἐνεδύσαντο θαυμαστήν τινα πανοπλίαν τοὺς σάκκους. Ἀντέταξαν κάτωθεν εὐχὰς, καὶ δεήσεις τοῖς ἄνωθεν κεραυνοῖς φερομένοις. Τῷ πατάγῳ τῶν βροντῶν τὸν ἦχον τῆς ὑμνῳδίας ἀντέστησαν.

Νηστεία πύργος αὐτοῖς γέγονεν ἐναργής. Κρουνοῖς δακρύων τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἔσβεσαν φάλαγγα. Φίλους ἐποιήσαντο τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἵνα τὸν Θεὸν ἑαυτοῖς καταλλάξωσιν. Ἀφῆκαν αὐτοὶ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῖς λελυπηκόσιν, ἵνα τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ὀργὴν παύσωσι τοῦ ∆εσπότου. Ὀφλημάτων κάτω γραμματεῖον διέῤῥηξαν, ἵνα τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐπταισμένων ἀφέσεως τύχωσιν. Ἔδωκαν δούλοις ἐλευθερίαν, ἵνα λάβωσιν αὐτοὶ τῆς τιμωρίας ἐλευθερίαν. Προσέθηκαν τὰς κτήσεις τοῖς ἐνδεέσιν, ἵνα κτήσωνται βεβαίως τὰς ἰδίας οὐσίας. Τρυφὴν ῥίψαντες, ἐγκράτειαν μετεδίωκον. Ἀκολασίαν φυγόντες, σωφροσύνην ἠσπάζοντο. Ἀξιωμάτων ὄγκον μισήσαντες, εἰς ταπεινὸν καὶ πενθηρὲς σχῆμα ἅπαντες μετεσκευάσθησαν. Ὠνίων, καὶ συμβολαίων, καὶ πάντων ἔργων σχολάσαντες τὸν Θεὸν ἐθεράπευον. Οἱ κακοῦργοι τὰς λῃστείας οὐδενὸς ἀναγκάζοντος ὡμολόγουν. Οἱ δικασταὶ τοὺς ὁμολογοῦντας οὐκ ἐπράττοντο δίκας. Ὡς τεθνεῶτες τοῦ βίου πάντες ὡμολόγουν. Ὁ πλοῦτος ἀφύλακτος ἔῤῥιπτο, καὶ ὁ κλέπτης οὐδαμόθεν ἐφαίνετο. Χρυσὸς τοῖς ἐνδεέσιν ἐχορηγεῖτο, καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν ἕκαστος ὡς ζημίαν ἔφυγεν. Ἓν μόνον ἐσπουδάζετο πᾶσιν, ἡ σωτηρία. Εἷς δρόμος καὶ πλουσίοις, καὶ πένησιν, ὁ περὶ τῆς ζωῆς προύκειτο πόνος. Πᾶν δὲ τὸ μὴ εἰς τοῦτο φέρον, ὡς ἀνόνητον καὶ φαῦλον ἐκβέβλητο. Ἄδηλος ἦν ἡ σωτηρία, καὶ ὡς ὁμολογουμένη παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐσπουδάζετο. Οὐκ εἶχον θαῤῥεῖν τῷ τέλει τῆς μετανοίας, καὶ ὡς ζησόμενοι πάντως ἀγαθῆς πάσης ἐπεμελοῦντο πράξεως. Ὢ φιλοσόφων βαρβάρων! ὢ σοφῶν ἀπαιδεύτων! Ἔγνωσαν ἀδιδάκτως τὰ δέοντα, ἄνευ νομοθέτου μετεῤῥυθμίσθησαν, ἄνευ διδασκάλων ἐσωφρονίσθησαν, ἐκ τῆς ἐσχάτης κακίας εἰς τὴν οὐράνιον πολι 64.433 τείαν ἀνέδραμον. Αὕτη ἡ ἀλλοίωσις τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου. Εἷς ὄμβρος ἀπειλῆς, καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν φορὰν ἐβλάστησαν Νινευῖται· ἀνεχωνεύθησαν ὡς παλαιοί τινες ἀνδριάντες.

Μετεσκευάσθησαν ἐκ τῆς μετανοίας· ἐξ ἁμαρτωλῶν γεγόνασι δίκαιοι, ἀγγέλοις ἐράσμιοι, Θεῷ ποθεινοί. Ἔστησαν σαλευομένην τὴν πόλιν, καταπίπτουσαν ὤρθωσαν, δονουμένην ἐστήριξαν. Μετεστράφησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἀντεστράφησαν· μετεβλήθησαν, καὶ οὐ διεφθάρησαν. Ἴδε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἀπεστράφησαν ἀπὸ τῶν ὁδῶν αὐτῶν πονηρῶν, καὶ μετενόησεν ἐπὶ τῇ κακίᾳ, ᾗ ἐλάλησε τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς. Ὢ παραδόξων πραγμάτων! Ἀνεδίκασε τὴν δίκην ὁ δικαστὴς, τὴν φονεύουσαν ἔλυσε ψῆφον, καὶ τὴν σώζουσαν ἐψηφίσατο. Μετενόησαν Νινευῖται, καὶ μετενόησεν ὁ Θεός. Ἔσχισεν ἡ μετάνοια τῆς ἀπωλείας τὸ πρόσταγμα. ∆ιέῤῥηξαν ἐκεῖνοι τὴν πονηρίαν, διέῤῥηξεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἀπόφασιν. Ὢ πάντα δυναμένης μετανοίας!