John Chrysostom, Sermon on Patience 2

The Ishmaelites went down to Egypt; they saw them, and they brought him up out of the pit, and they sell their own king, as if a slave would never be a king. They went down to Egypt. And see how temptation followed 60.734 temptation. An Egyptian woman was added to him; with a harmful word she tried to plunder the just man, saying. Sleep with me, and I will give you honors and gifts; and my servants shall be under your hands; I will fill you with various riches, and I will place my whole house under your hands, and I will become your handmaid; only be persuaded by me, Joseph, condescend to our wound, quench the flame burning within, cool my heart that is despondent with passion, condescend to my wretched soul. But he answering said: O woman, I have never been a slave; but because of envy and slander I came down into slavery here.

You will not defile my chastity, you will not plunder my nobility; I will not betray my spirit, I will not cast myself into the mouth of death, I will not destroy the worth of my kinsmen. I am a descendant of Abraham who spoke with God with boldness, to whom God speaking said: Surely in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed, as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is on the seashore. My grandfather is Isaac, he who readily offered himself for a sacrifice; my father is Jacob who wrestled with an angel, he who saw the heavenly ladder fixed from the earth up to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending. I am his son; I am not a runaway nor unmerciful; I was not sold here because I was condemned, but through envy and slander I am here. And when with such words she was not able to trip him up into adultery, nor to weaken his chastity with her much speaking, she caught him by his garment; but he, having stripped off his garments, went out naked. Have you seen patience? The chaste athlete went out, saying, that because of the serpent we were clothed, because of chastity we are stripped; through disobedience we received the covering, through the commandment of God that says, You shall not commit adultery, we put this off. And he went out naked, or rather clothed with Christ. Then the sea foamed, it raged, wanting to raise its waves, to sink the vessel with all its men, and it was not able, but in such a storm it sailed as if in a calm. How many things it stirred up, and did not harm him! The vessel was troubled, and did not receive the cargo. How many things it troubled, and did not plunder the treasure! Then, looking around, and nowhere finding her desire, she then begins to slander, and says to her husband: You brought a Hebrew servant here to me to mock me.

He heard, and was kindled to anger, and put him in prison. For the lamp was fitting for those in darkness, and a giver of grain for those wasting away in famine. Then behold for me another contest here. For the loss of his father, and the plot of his brothers, and the estrangement from his land were not enough for him, but also the rising up of a woman, and the confinement of the prison. Then, beloved, he lay in prison. The chief cupbearer and the chief baker were cast into his place. They both saw dreams, and their faces were sad. Joseph saw them, and said to them: Why are your faces sad? And they said: We have seen a dream, and there is no one to interpret it. He says to them: Tell me, each of you, what you saw. What do you say, Joseph? Have you seen a dream? Their outcome did not happen. You saw yourself being worshipped by the sun and moon, and behold you were sold as a slave; you saw the sheaves of your brothers turn and worship your sheaf, and behold you are shut up in the prison.

Why then do you inquire about the misfortune of your brothers? why are you so mad? I am not mad, he says; I know the crown of my patience, I know the profit of these

Κατῆλθον οἱ Ἰσμαηλῖται εἰς Αἴγυπτον· εἶδον αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀνήνεγκαν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου, καὶ πωλοῦσι τὸν ἑαυτῶν βασιλέα, ὡς μηδέποτε δούλου βασιλεύσοντος. Κατῆλθον εἰς Αἴγυπτον. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς πειρασμὸς πειρασμὸν δι 60.734 εδέχετο. Προσετέθη αὐτῷ Αἰγυπτία· βλαβερῷ τῷ λόγῳ τὸν δίκαιον ἐπειρᾶτο συλᾷν λέγουσα. Κοιμήθητι μετ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ τιμὰς καὶ δῶρά σοι παράσχωμαι· οἱ δὲ ἐμοὶ οἰκέται ὑπὸ τὰς σὰς χεῖρας ἔστωσαν· χρήμασί σε ποικίλοις ἐμπλήσω, ὅλον δέ μου τὸν οἶκον ὑπὸ τὰς σὰς χεῖρας παραθήσομαι, κἀγὼ δέ σου θεράπαινα γένωμαι· μόνον πείσθητί μοι, Ἰωσὴφ, συγκατάβηθι τῷ τραύματι τῷ ἡμετέρῳ, σβέσον τὴν ἔνδον ἐκκαιομένην φλόγα, δρόσισόν μου τὴν καρδίαν τὴν ἀθυμοῦσαν τῷ πάθει, συγκατάβηθι τῇ ἐμῇ δυστήνῳ ψυχῇ. Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Ὦ γύναι, δοῦλος μὲν γέγονα οὐδεπώποτε· διὰ δὲ φθόνον καὶ βασκανίαν εἰς δουλείαν κατῆλθον ἐνθάδε.

Οὐ μιάνῃς μου τὴν σωφροσύνην, οὐ συλᾷς μου τὴν εὐγένειαν· οὐ προδιδῶ μου τὸ φρόνημα, οὐ ῥίπτω ἐμαυτὸν εἰς τὸ στόμα τοῦ θανάτου, οὐκ ἀπόλλυμι τὴν τῶν συγγενῶν μου ἀξίαν. Ἔγγονός εἰμι τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ τῷ Θεῷ διαλεγομένου μετὰ παῤῥησίας, ᾧ διαλεγόμενος Θεὸς εἶπεν· Ἡ μὴν εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου, ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τὴν παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης. Πάππος μου τυγχάνει Ἰσαὰκ, ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἐπὶ θυσίαν ἑαυτὸν ἀνενεγκὼν προθύμως· πατήρ μού ἐστιν Ἰακὼβ ὁ μετὰ ἀγγέλου παλαίσας, ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεασάμενος τὴν οὐράνιον κλίμακα καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐστηριγμένην ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας καὶ καταβαίνοντας. Τούτου εἰμὶ υἱός· οὐκ εἰμὶ δραπέτης οὐδὲ ἀμείλικτος· οὐ καταγνωσθεὶς ἐνθάδε ἐπράθην, ἀλλὰ διὰ φθόνου καὶ βασκανίας ἐνθάδε εἰμί. Ὡς δὲ τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις οὐκ ἠδυνήθη σκελίσαι τοῦτον πρὸς μοιχείαν, οὐδὲ χαυνῶσαι αὐτοῦ τὴν σωφροσύνην τῇ πολυλογίᾳ, κατέσχεν αὐτὸν τοῦ ἱματίου· ὁ δὲ ἀποδυσάμενος τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐξῄει γυμνός. Εἶδες ὑπομονήν; Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σώφρων ἀθλητὴς λέγων, ὅτι ∆ιὰ τὸν ὄφιν ἐνεδυσάμεθα, διὰ σωφροσύνης ἀποδυόμεθα· διὰ παρακοὴν ἐδεξάμεθα τὸ κάλυμμα, διὰ ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ τὴν λέγουσαν, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, τοῦτο ἀποτιθέμεθα. Καὶ ἐξῄει γυμνὸς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐνδεδυμένος τὸν Χριστόν. Ἤφριζε λοιπὸν ἡ θάλασσα, ἐμαίνετο τὰς τρικυμίας ἐγεῖραι βουλομένη, τὸ σκάφος αὔτανδρον καταποντίσαι, καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν, ἀλλὰ ἐν τοσαύτῃ ζάλῃ ὡς ἐν γαλήνῃ ἔπλεε. Πόσα ἐκίνησε, καὶ τοῦτον οὐκ ἔβλαψε! Τὸ σκάφος ἔτρεσε, καὶ τὸν φόρτον οὐκ ἐδέξατο. Πόσα ἐνώχλησε, καὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν οὐκ ἐσύλησε! Λοιπὸν περιβλεψαμένη, καὶ μηδαμόθεν εὑροῦσα τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐπιθυμίαν, ἄρχεται λοιπὸν συκοφαντεῖν, καὶ τῷ αὑτῆς ἀνδρὶ λέγει· Εἰσήνεγκάς μοι ὧδε παῖδα Ἑβραῖον ἐμπαίζειν μοι.

Ἤκουσεν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἐξεκαύθη πρὸς ὀργὴν, καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν εἰς φυλακήν. Ἔπρεπε γὰρ τοῖς ἐν σκότει ὁ λύχνος, καὶ τοῖς ἐν λιμῷ τηκομένοις σιτοδότης. Λοιπὸν καὶ ἕτερον σκάμμα θέασαί μοι ἐνταῦθα. Οὐκ ἤρκει γὰρ αὐτῷ ἡ τοῦ πατρὸς στέρησις, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιβουλὴ, καὶ ἡ τῆς γῆς ἀλλοτρίωσις, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναικὸς ἐπανάστασις, καὶ ἡ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου κατάκλεισις. Λοιπὸν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ κατέκειτο. Ἐβλήθη εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀρχιοινοχόος καὶ ὁ ἀρχισιτοποιός. Εἶδον ἀμφότεροι ἐνύπνια, καὶ σκυθρωπὰ ἦν τὰ τούτων πρόσωπα. Εἶδεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· ∆ιὰ τί τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν σκυθρωπά; Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Ἐνύπνιον εἴδομεν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ κρίνων. Λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς· ∆ιηγήσασθέ μοι ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τί εἶδε. Τί λέγεις, Ἰωσήφ; ἆρα εἶδες ἐνύπνιον; Οὐκ ἀπέβη αὐτῶν τὸ τέλος. Εἶδες σαυτὸν ὑπὸ ἡλίου καὶ σελήνης προσκυνούμενον, καὶ ἰδοὺ δοῦλος ἐπράθης· εἶδες τὰ δράγματα τῶν σῶν ἀδελφῶν περιστραφέντα, καὶ προσκυνοῦντα τὸ σὸν δράγμα, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ κατακέκλεισαι.

Τί οὖν ἐπερωτᾷς καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν συμφοράν; τί τοσοῦτον μαίνῃ; Οὐ μαίνομαι, φησίν· οἶδα τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου τὸν στέφανον, οἶδα τὸ κέρδος τούτων τῶν