John Chrysostom, On the Second Coming of the Lord

a tragedy those terrible things, and that no war ever like it seized a nation. I say these things, not to grieve you, but to make you secure, and not by vainly cheering you up, prepare you to endure worse things. For why, tell me, do you complain of being punished for sinning? Did He not tell you everything beforehand? Did He not threaten? Did He not make you afraid? Did He not do countless things for your salvation? Did He not grant the washing of regeneration, and forgive all your former sins? Did He not, after this forgiveness and the washing, also give you the help of repentance when you sinned again? Did He not make the way of forgiveness of sins easy for you even after this?

Hear then also what He commanded. If you forgive your neighbor, I also will forgive you, He says. What difficulty does this have? Judge the orphan, and justify the widow, and come, let us reason together, He says, and though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. What toil does this have? You, He says, declare your sins first, that you may be justified. What difficulty does this have? Redeem your sins with alms. What sweat is this? The publican said, 'Be merciful to me, a sinner,' and he went down justified. What labor is it to imitate the publican? But are you not willing to be persuaded even after so many 59.624 proofs that there is punishment and vengeance? Then you would not say that the devil is punished either. For, 'Depart,' He says, 'into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' For if there is no Gehenna, neither is he punished; it is clear that we also who do his works will [not] be punished; for we too have disobeyed, even if not in the same things. And how are you not afraid, O man, uttering bold things, when you say, 'God is a lover of mankind, and does not punish'? And if He does punish, is He found, according to you, to be no longer a lover of mankind? Do you see to what words the devil leads you? And what of this? The monks who have occupied the mountains, and shown forth countless ascetic labors in mountains and caves and holes of the earth, will they depart un-crowned? For if the wicked are not punished, nor is there any requital for anything, another will perhaps say in turn that the good are not crowned either. No, he says; but this is what is fitting for God, that there should be only a kingdom with Him, and not Gehenna. Therefore will the fornicator and the adulterer and the one who has done countless evil things enjoy the same things as the one who has shown forth soberness and holiness and self-control and every angelic way of life? For if there is no Gehenna, but there will certainly be a resurrection, then the wicked will obtain the same good things as the righteous. And who would say this, even of men utterly out of their minds? Or rather, what demon would say this? But even the demons themselves confess that there is a Gehenna; wherefore they also cried out, saying, 'Have you come here to torment us before the time?' How then are you not afraid and do you not shudder, O man, denying what the demons confess? how do you not perceive the teacher of these wicked doctrines? For he who deceived man from the beginning, both by the proposal of greater hopes, and by casting him out from the good things in his hands, this is the one who even now suggests these things to say and to think; and for this reason he persuades some to suspect that there is no Gehenna, so that he may cast them into Gehenna. For God for the opposite reason threatens Gehenna, and has prepared Gehenna, so that we, learning this, might live so piously as not to fall into Gehenna. And yet, if when Gehenna exists the devil persuades you of these things, how would the demons have confessed it, if it did not exist, for whom it is a matter of great concern that we suspect no such thing, so that becoming more careless by this security, we might fall with them into that fire? And how then, you ask, did the demons confess it? Because they could not bear the constraint that was upon them. Therefore, let those who say these things, considering all this, cease from deceiving both themselves and others. For 'God,' it says, 'will come manifestly, our God, and will not keep silent.' 'A fire will be kindled before Him, and round about Him a mighty tempest.' A fire will go before Him, and will burn up round about the

τραγῳδίαν ἐκεῖνα τὰ δεινὰ, καὶ ὅτι πόλεμος οὐδεὶς οὐδέποτε τοιοῦτος ἔθνος κατέλαβε. Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα ὑμᾶς λυπήσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὑμᾶς ἀσφαλίσωμαι, καὶ μὴ ψυχαγωγήσας ὑμᾶς περιττὰ, παρασκευάσω χαλεπώτερα ὑπομεῖναι. ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, ἀξιοῖς κολάζεσθαι ἁμαρτάνων; οὐχὶ προεῖπέ σοι ἅπαντα; οὐχὶ ἠπείλησεν; οὐχὶ ἐφόβησεν; οὐχὶ μυρία εἰργάσατο ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς σῆς; οὐχὶ λουτρὸν παλιγγενεσίας ἐδωρήσατο, καὶ τὰ πρότερα πάντα ἀφῆκεν; οὐχὶ μετὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν ταύτην καὶ τὸ λουτρὸν, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς μετανοίας βοήθειαν πάλιν ἁμαρτάνοντί σοι δέδωκεν; οὐχὶ εὔκολόν σοι ἐποίησε τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφέσεως;

Ἄκουε τοίνυν καὶ οἷα ἐπέταξεν. Ἐὰν ἀφῇς τῷ πλησίον, ἀφίημί σοι κἀγὼ, φησί. Ποίαν τοῦτο δυσκολίαν ἔχει; Κρίνατε ὀρφανὸν, καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν, καὶ δεῦτε, καὶ διαλεχθῶμεν, φησὶ, καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ. Ποῖον τοῦτο ἔχει μόχθον; Λέγε σὺ, φησὶ, τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου πρῶτος, ἵνα δικαιωθῇς. Τίνα τοῦτο δυσκολίαν ἔχει; Τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι. Ποῖος τοῦτο ἱδρώς; Εἶπεν ὁ τελώνης, Ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ, καὶ κατῆλθε δεδικαιωμένος. Ποῖος πόνος μιμήσασθαι τὸν τελώνην· Ἀλλ' οὐ βούλῃ πεισθῆναι οὐδὲ μετὰ τὰς τοσαύτας ἀπο 59.624 δείξεις, ὅτι κόλασίς ἐστι καὶ τιμωρία; Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τὸν διάβολον εἴποις ἂν κολάζεσθαι. Πορεύεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ αἰώνιον τὸ ἡτοιμασμένον τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ γέεννα οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος κολάζεται· δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ τὰ τούτου ἔργα ἐπιτελοῦντες [οὐ] κολασθησόμεθα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς παρηκούσαμεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς. Πῶς δὲ οὐ δέδοικας, ἄνθρωπε, τολμηρὰ φθεγγόμενος, ὅταν λέγῃς, ὅτι Φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐ κολάζει; Καὶ ἐὰν κολάσῃ, εὑρίσκεται κατὰ σὲ οὐκ ἔτι φιλάνθρωπος ὤν; Ὁρᾷς εἰς οἷα ῥήματα ὑμᾶς ὁ διάβολος ἄγει; Τί δέ; οἱ τὰ ὄρη κατειληφότες μοναχοὶ, καὶ μυρίαν ἄσκησιν ἐπιδειξάμενοι ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς, ἆρα ἀστεφάνωτοι ἀπελεύσονται; Εἰ γὰρ οἱ πονηροὶ μὴ κολάζονται, μηδὲ ἔστι μηδενὸς ἀντίδοσις, ἐρεῖ πάλιν ἄλλος ἴσως, ὅτι οὔτε οἱ ἀγαθοὶ στεφανοῦνται. Οὐχὶ, φησίν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τῷ Θεῷ πρέπον ἐστὶ, τὸ βασιλείαν μόνην εἶναι παρ' αὐτῷ, καὶ μὴ γέενναν. Οὐκοῦν ὁ πόρνος καὶ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ ὁ μυρία κακὰ ἐργασάμενος τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπολαύσεται τῷ σωφροσύνην καὶ ἁγιωσύνην καὶ ἐγκράτειαν καὶ πᾶσαν ἀγγελικὴν πολιτείαν ἐπιδειξαμένῳ; Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔστι γέεννα, ἀνάστασις δὲ πάντως ἔσται, καὶ οἱ πονηροὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀγαθῶν τεύξονται τοῖς δικαίοις. Καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι καὶ τῶν σφόδρα ἐξεστηκότων ἀνθρώπων; μᾶλλον δὲ τίς ἂν τοῦτο εἴποι δαίμων; Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ δαίμονες γέενναν ὁμολογοῦσιν εἶναι· διὸ καὶ ἐβόων λέγοντες, Ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς; Πῶς οὖν οὐ δέδοικας καὶ φρίττεις, ἄνθρωπε, τῶν δαιμόνων ὁμολογούντων αὐτὸς ἀρνούμενος; πῶς οὐ συνορᾷς τὸν διδάσκαλον τῶν πονηρῶν τούτων δογμάτων; Ὁ γὰρ τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀπατήσας ἄνθρωπον, καὶ προτάσει μειζόνων ἐλπίδων, καὶ τῶν ἐν χερσὶν ἐκβαλὼν αὐτὸν ἀγαθῶν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ νῦν ταῦτα ὑποβάλλων λέγειν τε καὶ νοεῖν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πείθει τινὰς ὑποπτεύειν μὴ εἶναι γέενναν, ἵνα ἐμβάλῃ εἰς γέενναν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπεναντίας ἀπειλεῖ γέενναν, καὶ ἡτοίμασε γέενναν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς μαθόντες, οὕτως εὐσεβῶς βιώσωμεν, τοῦ μὴ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς γέενναν. Καίτοι γε εἰ γεέννης οὔσης ὁ διάβολός σε ταῦτα ἀναπείθει, πῶς ἂν, μὴ οὔσης ὡμολόγησαν οἱ δαίμονες, οἷς περισπούδαστόν ἐστι μηδὲν τοιοῦτον ὑποπτεύειν ἡμᾶς, ἵνα τῇ ἀδείᾳ γενόμενοι ῥᾳθυμότεροι, μετ' αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο ἐμπέσωμεν; Καὶ πῶς, φησὶ, τότε ὡμολόγουν οἱ δαίμονες; Τὴν ἀνάγκην οὐ φέροντες τὴν ἐπικειμένην αὐτοῖς. Ἅπερ οὖν ἐννοοῦντες ἅπαντα, παυέσθωσαν καὶ ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἑτέρους ἀπατῶντες οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες. Ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐμφανῶς ἥξει, ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐ παρασιωπήσεται. Πῦρ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καυθήσεται, καὶ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ καταιγὶς σφοδρά. Πῦρ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προπορεύσεται, καὶ φλογιεῖ κύκλῳ τοὺς