John Chrysostom, Against the Anomoeans

long, nor do you have teaching? Just be present, and you have accomplished the whole thing. For the presence of the body becomes an addition to the flock, and gives great eagerness to your brothers, and casts shame upon your enemies. For if someone, stepping upon these sacred portals, sees few gathered, he extinguishes even the eagerness he has, and grows numb and shrinks back and becomes more sluggish and departs; then thus, little by little, our whole multitude becomes more listless and more indolent. But if he sees them running together, being zealous, streaming in from all sides, the zeal of the others becomes a source of eagerness even for the one who is very sluggish and lax. For if a stone rubbed against a stone has often caused sparks to leap forth—and yet what is colder than a stone, and what is hotter than fire?—but nevertheless, persistence conquered nature; and if this happens with a stone, how much more so with souls being rubbed against one another and being warmed by the fire of the spirit. Have you not heard that in the time of our ancestors all the faithful were one hundred and twenty, or rather, before the one hundred and twenty, there were only twelve, and not even all of these remained, but one of them, Judas, was lost, and there were eleven in all? But nevertheless, from those eleven they became48.802 one hundred and twenty, and from the one hundred and twenty, three thousand, then five thousand, then they filled the whole world with the knowledge of God. And the reason is that they never forsook the assembling of themselves, but were always with one another in the temple, spending the day, and giving attention to prayers and readings; for this reason they kindled a great fire, for this reason they were never scattered, but drew the whole world to themselves. Let us also imitate these men. For how is it not absurd, not to show as much care for this Church as women show for their neighbors? For when they see a certain virgin who is poor and destitute of all protection, they all contribute what they have, taking the place of relatives, and one might see a great bustle and crowd there when the virgin is being married; and some have often contributed money, others the presence of their body; and this is no small thing; for their zeal becomes a veil for their humble state, and thus they hide their poverty through their eagerness. Do this, then, for this Church as well. Let us all run together from all sides and cover her poverty, or rather, let us put an end to her poverty by continually being present here. The husband is the head of the wife; the wife is the helper of the husband. Therefore, let not the head endure to step upon these holy thresholds without the body, nor let the body appear without the head, but let the whole person enter here, bringing the children with them. For if it is delightful to see a tree with a sapling rising from its root, how much more delightful to see a person, more delightful than any olive tree, standing nearby with their child like a sapling from their own root; and not only delightful, but also profitable. For, as I said before, the reward is greater here for those who gather; since we admire a farmer most, not when he tends land that has often been farmed, but when, having taken unsown and unplowed fields, he deems them worthy of great care. Thus also did Paul, making it his ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, but where he was not named. Let us also imitate him, both for the income of the Church and for our own benefit; therefore let us run to every gathering here. Even if desire burns, you will be able to extinguish it easily, just by seeing this house; even if you are angry, you will easily put the beast to sleep; even if some other passion besieges you, you will be able to put an end to the entire storm, and work a calm, and great peace for the soul; which may it be granted for all of us to enjoy, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord

μακρὸν, οὐδὲ ἔχεις διδασκαλίαν; παραγίνου μόνον, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπετέλεσας. Τοῦ γὰρ σώματος ἡ παρουσία προσθήκη τῆς ποίμνης γίνεται, καὶ πολλὴν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς σου δίδωσι τὴν προθυμίαν, καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου περιβάλλει τὴν αἰσχύνην. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐπιβάς τις τῶν ἱερῶν τούτων προθύρων ὀλίγους ἴδῃ τοὺς συνειλεγμένους, καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν οὖσαν κατασβέννυσι προθυμίαν, καὶ ναρκᾷ καὶ ἀναδύεται καὶ ὀκνηρότερος γίνεται καὶ ἀναχωρεῖ· εἶθ' οὕτω κατὰ μικρὸν ἅπαν ἡμῖν τὸ πλῆθος χαυνότερόν ἐστι καὶ ῥᾳθυμότερον. Ἂν δὲ ἴδῃ συντρέχοντας, σπουδάζοντας, πανταχόθεν συῤῥέοντας, ἡ τῶν ἄλλων σπουδὴ καὶ τῷ σφόδρα νωθρῷ καὶ παρειμένῳ προθυμίας ὑπόθεσις γίνεται. Εἰ γὰρ λίθος πρὸς λίθον τριβόμενος πολλάκις σπινθῆρας ἐκπηδῆσαι παρεσκεύασε, καίτοι τί λίθου ψυχρότερον, τί δὲ πυρὸς θερμότερον; ἀλλ' ὅμως τὴν φύσιν ἐνίκησεν ἡ συνέχεια· εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ λίθου τοῦτο συμβαίνει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ ψυχῶν ἀλλήλαις συντριβομένων καὶ τῷ πυρὶ τοῦ πνεύματος διαθερμαινομένων. Οὐκ ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ἡμετέρων εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν ἦσαν οἱ πιστοὶ πάντες, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ τῶν εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν δώδεκα μόνοι, καὶ οὐδὲ οὗτοι διέμειναν ἅπαντες, ἀλλ' εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπώλετο Ἰούδας, καὶ ἦσαν ἕνδεκα πάντες; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀπὸ τῶν ἕνδεκα ἐκείνων εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν ἐγέ48.802 νοντο, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν τρισχίλιοι, εἶτα πεντακισχίλιοι, εἶτα τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν ἐνέπλησαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ γνώσεως. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον οὐδέποτε τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν κατελίμπανον, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ μετ' ἀλλήλων ἦσαν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ διημερεύοντες, καὶ εὐχαῖς καὶ ἀναγνώσεσι προσέχοντες· διὰ τοῦτο πολλὴν ἐξῆψαν τὴν πυρὰν, διὰ τοῦτο οὐδέποτε διεῤῥύησαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν ἐπεσπάσαντο. Τούτους δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμησώμεθα. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, μηδὲ τοσαύτην ἐπιδείκνυσθαι περὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ταύτην πρόνοιαν, ὅσην αἱ γυναῖκες περὶ τὰς γείτονας τὰς ἑαυτῶν; Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖναι ἐπειδὰν ἴδωσί τινα παρθένον πενιχρὰν καὶ ἔρημον προστασίας ἁπάσης οὖσαν, τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν πᾶσαι εἰσφέρουσιν ἐν τάξει τῶν προσηκόντων γινόμεναι, καὶ πολὺν ἴδοι τις ἂν ἐκεῖ θόρυβόν τε καὶ ὄχλον τῆς παρθένου νυμφευομένης· καὶ αἱ μὲν χρήματα πολλάκις εἰσήνεγκαν, αἱ δὲ τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ σώματος· οὐ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο· γίνεται γὰρ παρακάλυμμα τῆς εὐτελείας τούτων ἡ σπουδὴ, καὶ τὴν πενίαν ἀποκρύπτουσιν οὕτω διὰ τῆς αὐτῶν προθυμίας. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτης ποιήσατε τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Πάντες πανταχόθεν συντρέχωμεν καὶ συγκαλύψωμεν αὐτῆς τὴν πενίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ λύσωμεν αὐτῆς τὴν πενίαν συνεχῶς ἐνταῦθα παραγινόμενοι. Κεφαλὴ τῆς γυναικός ἐστιν ὁ ἀνήρ· βοηθός ἐστιν ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἀνδρός. Μὴ τοίνυν μήτε ἡ κεφαλὴ χωρὶς τοῦ σώματος ἀνεχέσθω τῶν οὐδῶν ἐπιβαίνειν τῶν ἁγίων τούτων, μήτε τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς τῆς κεφαλῆς φαινέσθω, ἀλλ' ὁλόκληρος ἐνταῦθα εἰσίτω ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἔχοντες καὶ τὰ παιδία μεθ' ἑαυτῶν. Εἰ γὰρ δένδρον τερπνὸν ἰδεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς ῥίζης αὐτῆς νεόφυτον ἔχον ἀνεστηκὸς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἄνθρωπον τερπνὸν ἰδεῖν, καὶ ἐλαίας ἁπάσης τερπνότερον, ἀπὸ τῆς ῥίζης αὐτῆς τὸ παιδίον ὥσπερ νεόφυτον ἔχοντα πλησίον ἑστώς· οὐ τερπνὸν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπικερδές. Καὶ γὰρ, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, πλείων ἐνταῦθα μισθὸς τοῖς συλλεγομένοις· ἐπεὶ καὶ γεωργὸν τότε μάλιστα θαυμάζομεν, οὐχ ὅταν τὴν πολλάκις γεωργηθεῖσαν γῆν θεραπεύῃ, ἀλλ' ὅταν τὰ ἄσπαρτα καὶ ἀνήροτα χωρία λαβὼν, πολλῆς ἀξιώσῃ προνοίας. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίει, φιλοτιμούμενος εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, οὐχ ὅπου ὠνομάσθη Χριστὸς, ἀλλ' ὅπου οὐκ ὠνομάζετο. Τοῦτον καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμησώμεθα, καὶ εἰς πρόσοδον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ εἰς ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἡμετέραν· καθ' ἑκάστην οὖν τρέχωμεν ἐνταῦθα σύναξιν. Κἂν ἐπιθυμία φλέγῃ, κατασβέσαι ῥᾳδίως αὐτὴν δυνήσῃ, τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον μόνον ἰδών· κἂν ὀργίζῃ, μετ' εὐκολίας κοιμίσεις τὸ θηρίον· κἂν ἄλλο τι πάθος πολιορκῇ, πάντα δυνήσῃ καταλῦσαι τὸν χειμῶνα, καὶ γαλήνην ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ εἰρήνην πολλὴν τῇ ψυχῇ· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀπολαύειν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν