John Chrysostom, On Eleazar and the Seven Boys

and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God; because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men; calling the cross the foolishness of God and the weakness of God, not because it is foolish; for what is wiser than this? nor because it is weak; for what is stronger than this? but reporting the suspicion of the unbelievers, which they had concerning the matter. Wherefore he also said above: For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing 63.529 foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. But one must not derive judgments of things from those who are perishing; since even those who are sick think honey is bitter, but this is the fault of the sickness, not the accusation against the honey. So also the cross seems to be a foolish thing to those outside, but it is not. Then, proving that not only is it not foolish, but the thing is also exceedingly wise, nor only not weak, but also exceedingly strong, he compares its accomplishments both with creation and with the old [covenant] and with outside wisdom; and he shows that what neither the wisdom from within nor from without discovered, nor what many men learned from creation, nor what they gained from the old [covenant], this that seemed to be foolish and weak prevailed, what seemed to be, not what was. Wherefore, having the proof from the facts, he strips for action with great boldness, first against the outside wisdom, saying, Where is the wise man? What is, Where is the wise man? As if he said: Where are the things of the philosophers? where the things of the orators? where the things of the sophists? where the things of the speechwriters? All have gone and perished and are out of the way. For so glorious has the victory become, that theirs no longer even appear. For this reason, since these things have become so obscure, and as if some dust had been stirred up, he asks thus and says: Where is the wise man? The cross appeared, and all those things were dissolved; the preaching sounded, and it was torn apart more easily than a spider's web. Where is the wise man? Where is the boast of words? where the beauty of eloquence? where the cleverness of sophisms? where the force of arguments? where the sharpened tongue? where the assemblies and the councils? All those things were swept away and perished and were destroyed and are gone and have turned their backs. Where is the scribe? Where are the things of the Jews, he says? the preaching prevailed over them also, and as the sun, hid the shadow. For what the law was not able to do in so much time in one nation, this the cross has accomplished everywhere with greater abundance, having loosed sins, granted righteousness, made men holy, taught the knowledge of God, led them by the hand to heaven. Then again, leaving the Jewish things, he comes to the Greek things: Where is the debater of this age? Here he hints at the heretics and the reasoners, who before these things were sharper than swords, but when the cross appeared, they were cut through more weakly than any clay. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? Again he strips for action against the Greek [wisdom]. What is, Made foolish? He showed it to be foolish; for it was so. And their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more. But the prophet outlines for us the brightness of the Old [Covenant]; but the apostle, since he was contending against the Jews, places both side by side; having said above, Not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of fleshly hearts; and here, Not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 5. On the sabbath a certain man gathered wood, and he was stoned. 63.530 Did you see how the letter kills, that is, the law punished? learn how the Spirit gives life. Someone enters, full of countless evils, having fornicated, plundered, been covetous, committed adultery, having gone through every evil, already deadened by sin; he receives

καὶ Ἕλληνες σοφίαν ζητοῦσιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ κηρύττομεν Χριστὸν ἐσταυρωμένον, Ἰουδαίοις μὲν σκάνδαλον, ἔθνεσι δὲ μωρίαν, αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς κλητοῖς, Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησι, Χριστὸν Θεοῦ δύναμιν καὶ Θεοῦ σοφίαν· ὅτι τὸ μωρὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφώτερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶ, καὶ τὸ ἀσθενὲς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἰσχυρότερον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστί· μωρὸν Θεοῦ καὶ ἀσθενὲς Θεοῦ τὸν σταυρὸν ὀνομάζων, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ μωρόν· τί γὰρ τούτου σοφώτερον; οὐδὲ ἐπειδὴ ἀσθενές· τί γὰρ τούτου ἰσχυρότερον; ἀλλὰ τὴν τῶν ἀπίστων ὑπόνοιαν ἀπαγγέλλων, ἣν εἶχον περὶ τοῦ πράγματος. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγεν· Ὁ λόγος γὰρ ὁ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῖς μὲν ἀπολλυμένοις 63.529 μωρία ἐστὶ, τοῖς δὲ σωζομένοις δύναμις Θεοῦ ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπολλυμένων δεῖ φέρειν τῶν πραγμάτων τὰς κρίσεις· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ νοσοῦντες τὸ μέλι πικρὸν εἶναι νομίζουσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τῆς νόσου τὸ ἔγκλημα, οὐ τοῦ μέλιτος ἡ κατηγορία. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς μωρὸν πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ τοῖς ἔξωθεν εἶναι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν. Εἶτα ἀποδεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔστι μωρὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα σοφὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα, οὐδὲ μόνον οὐκ ἀσθενὲς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἰσχυρὸν, παραβάλλει τὰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κατορθώματα καὶ τῇ κτίσει καὶ τῇ παλαιᾷ καὶ τῇ ἔξωθεν σοφίᾳ· καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι ἅπερ οὔτε ἡ ἔσωθεν σοφία εὗρεν ἢ ἡ ἔξωθεν, οὔτε παρὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἔμαθον πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὔτε παρὰ τῆς παλαιᾶς ἐκέρδαναν, ταῦτα τὸ δοκοῦν εἶναι τοῦτο μωρὸν καὶ ἀσθενὲς ἴσχυσε, τὸ δοκοῦν, οὐ τὸ ὄν. ∆ιόπερ, ἔχων τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπόδειξιν, μετὰ πολλῆς ἀποδύεται τῆς παῤῥησίας, πρῶτον κατὰ τῆς ἔξω σοφίας, λέγων, Ποῦ σοφός; Τί ἐστι, Ποῦ σοφός; Ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν· Ποῦ τὰ τῶν φιλοσόφων; ποῦ τὰ τῶν ῥητόρων; ποῦ τὰ τῶν σοφιστῶν; ποῦ τὰ τῶν λογογράφων; Οἴχεται πάντα καὶ ἀπόλωλε καὶ ἐκποδὼν γέγονεν. Οὕτω γὰρ λαμπρὰ γέγονεν ἡ νίκη, ὡς μηδὲ φαίνεσθαι λοιπὸν τὰ ἐκείνων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τούτων οὕτως ἀφανῶν γενομένων, καὶ καθάπερ κόνεώς τινος ἀναῤῥιπισθείσης, οὕτως ἐρωτᾷ καί φησι· Ποῦ σοφός; Ἐφάνη σταυρὸς, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἐλύθη· ἤχησε τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ ἀράχνης εὐτελέστερον διεσπάσθη. Ποῦ σοφός; Ποῦ τῶν ῥημάτων ὁ κόμπος; ποῦ τῆς εὐγλωττίας τὸ κάλλος; ποῦ τῶν σοφισμάτων ἡ δεινότης; ποῦ τῶν λόγων ἡ ῥύμη; ποῦ ἡ γλῶττα ἡ ἠκονημένη; ποῦ οἱ σύλλογοι καὶ τὰ συνέδρια; Πάντα ἐκεῖνα παρεσύρη καὶ ἀπώλετο καὶ διεφθάρη καὶ οἴχεται καὶ νῶτα ἔδωκε. Ποῦ γραμματεύς; Ποῦ τὰ Ἰουδαίων, φησί; κἀκείνων ἐκράτησε τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ καθάπερ ἥλιος σκιὰν ἀπέκρυψεν. Ἃ γὰρ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ὁ νόμος ἐν ἔθνει ἑνὶ, ταῦτα μετὰ πλείονος τῆς περιουσίας ὁ σταυρὸς πανταχοῦ κατώρθωσεν, ἁμαρτήματα λύσας, δικαιοσύνην χαρισάμενος, ἁγίους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους κατασκευάσας, θεογνωσίαν παιδεύσας, πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν χειραγωγήσας. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀφεὶς τὰ Ἰουδαϊκὰ, ἐπὶ τὰ Ἑλληνικὰ ἔρχεται· Ποῦ συζητητὴς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου; Τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεται καὶ συλλογιστικοὺς, οἳ πρὸ μὲν τούτων ξιφῶν ἦσαν ὀξύτεροι, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ σταυρὸς ἐφάνη, πηλοῦ παντὸς ἀσθενέστερον διεκόπησαν. Οὐχὶ ἐμώρανεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου; Πάλιν πρὸς τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ἀποδύεται. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐμώρανεν; Μωρὰν οὖσαν ἀπέφηνεν· ἦν μὲν γάρ. Καὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἀνομιῶν αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ ἔτι. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν προφήτης τῆς Παλαιᾶς τὴν φαιδρότητα ἡμῖν ὑπογράφει· ὁ δὲ ἀπόστολος, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἐμάχετο, παράλληλα ἑκάτερα τίθησιν· ἄνω μὲν εἰπὼν, Οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶ λιθίναις, ἀλλ' ἐν πλαξὶ καρδίας σαρκίναις· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, Οὐ γράμματος, ἀλλὰ πνεύματος· τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτείνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ. εʹ. Ἐν σαββάτῳ συνέλεξέ τις ξύλα, καὶ ἐλιθάσθη. 63.530 Εἶδες πῶς τὸ γράμμα ἀποκτείνει, τουτέστιν, ὁ νόμος ἐκόλαζε; μάθε πῶς τὸ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ. Εἰσέρχεταί τις μυρίων γέμων κακῶν, ἡταιρηκὼς, ἁρπάσας, πλεονεκτήσας, μοιχεύσας, πᾶσαν ἐπελθὼν κακίαν, νεκρωθεὶς ἤδη τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· λαμβάνει