John Chrysostom, Sermon on the Captive Eutropius

do not take; I do not mean persons, but things. But if someone's conscience takes hold of him, he himself is the cause, not my word. Why do you seize, where there is envy? Seize, where there is a crown. Do not seize the earth, but heaven. The kingdom of heaven is for the violent, and the violent take it by force. Why do you seize the poor man who brings charges against you? Seize Christ who praises you. Have you seen such ingratitude and madness? Do you seize a poor man who has little? Christ says: Seize Me, I am grateful to you for the seizure; seize and take by force My kingdom. If you wish to seize the kingdom below, or rather, even if you wish to think of it, you are punished; but if you do not seize the one above, then you are punished. Where there are worldly things, there is envy; but where there are spiritual things, there is love. Meditate on these things each day, and do not again, after two days, upon seeing another being carried in a chariot, clothed in a silken garment, at the height of honor, be disturbed, be troubled. Do not praise a rich man, but only the one in righteousness. Do not revile a 52.402 poor man, but learn to have a correct and unerring judgment of things. Do not stay away from the Church; for nothing is stronger than the Church. Your hope is the Church, your salvation is the Church, your refuge is the Church. She is higher than heaven, she is broader than the earth. She never grows old, but is always in her prime. For this reason, to show her firmness and unshakeableness, Scripture calls her a mountain; to show her incorruptibility, it calls her a virgin; her preciousness, it calls her a queen; her kinship with God, it calls her a daughter; her fruitfulness, it calls her a barren woman who bears seven; myriad names, to represent her noble birth. For just as her Master has many names: He is called Father, and is called the way, and is called the life, and is called the light, and is called the arm, and is called the propitiation, and is called the foundation, and is called the door, and is called the sinless one, and is called the treasure, and is called Lord, and is called God, and is called Son, and is called the Only-begotten, and the form of God, and is called the image of God; is not one name enough to represent the whole? By no means; but for this reason there are myriad names, so that we may learn something about God, even if a little. So too the Church is called many things. She is called a virgin, and yet before this she was a harlot; for the wonderful thing about the bridegroom is that He took a harlot and made her a virgin. O new and paradoxical things! Marriage among us dissolves virginity, marriage with God restores virginity. Among us, she who is a virgin, being married, is not a virgin; with Christ, she who is a harlot, being married, has become a virgin. 7. Let the heretic explain only this, he who meddles with the generation from above, and says: How did the Father beget? Tell him: How did the Church, being a harlot, become a virgin? and how did she who gave birth remain a virgin? For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, Paul says, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. O wisdom and understanding. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. What is this? I am jealous, he says. You are jealous, you spiritual man? For I am jealous, he says, as God is. And is God jealous? Yes, He is jealous, not with passion, but with love and jealousy. For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. Shall I tell you how He is jealous? He saw the earth being corrupted by demons, and He gave up His Son. For words spoken of God do not have the same force; for example, God is jealous, God is angry, God repents, God hates. These words are human, but the meanings are befitting of God. How is God jealous? For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. Is God angry? O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger. So does God also sleep? Arise, why do you sleep, O Lord? Does God repent? I repent that I have made man. Does God hate? Your feasts and your new moons my soul hates. But do not pay attention to the lowliness of the words, but receive the meanings as befitting of God. God is jealous, for He loves. God is angry, not with passion, but with punishment and chastisement.

μὴ λάβῃς· οὐ λέγω πρόσωπα, ἀλλὰ πράγματα. Εἴ τινος δὲ ἐπιλαμβάνεται τὸ συνειδὸς, αὐτὸς αἴτιος, οὐχ ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος. Τί ἁρπάζεις, ὅπου φθόνος; Ἅρπασον, ὅπου στέφανος. Μὴ ἅρπαζε τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ τὸν οὐρανόν. Βιαστῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν. Τί ἁρπάζεις τὸν πένητα τὸν ἐγκαλοῦντα; Ἅρπασον τὸν Χριστὸν τὸν ἐπαινοῦντα. Εἶδες ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ μανίαν; Ἁρπάζεις πένητα τὸν ἔχοντα ὀλίγον; Ὁ Χριστὸς λέγει· Ἐμὲ ἅρπασον, χάριν σοι ἔχω τῆς ἁρπαγῆς· τὴν ἐμὴν βασιλείαν ἅρπασαι καὶ βίασαι. Τὴν κάτω βασιλείαν ἐὰν θελήσῃς ἁρπάσαι, μᾶλλον δὲ κἂν θελήσῃς ἐννοῆσαι, κολάζῃ· τὴν ἄνω δὲ ἐὰν μὴ ἁρπάσῃς, τότε κολάσῃ. Ὅπου τὰ βιωτικὰ, φθόνος ὅπου δὲ τὰ πνευματικὰ, ἀγάπη. Ταῦτα μελέτα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ μὴ πάλιν ἰδὼν μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας ἄλλον ὀχήματι φερόμενον, σηρικὸν περιβεβλημένον ἱμάτιον, κορυφούμενον, θορυβηθῇς, ταραχθῇς. Μὴ ἐπαίνει πλούσιον, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ μόνον. Μὴ κάκιζε 52.402 πένητα, ἀλλὰ μάθε τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν κρίσιν ἔχειν ὀρθὴν καὶ ἀδιάπτωτον. Μὴ ἀπέχου Ἐκκλησίας· οὐδὲν γὰρ Ἐκκλησίας ἰσχυρότερον. Ἡ ἐλπίς σου ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἡ σωτηρία σου ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἡ καταφυγή σου ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὑψηλοτέρα ἐστὶ, τῆς γῆς πλατυτέρα ἐστίν. Οὐδέποτε γηρᾷ, ἀεὶ δὲ ἀκμάζει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὸ στεῤῥὸν αὐτῆς καὶ ἀσάλευτον δηλοῦσα ἡ Γραφὴ ὄρος αὐτὴν καλεῖ· τὸ ἄφθορον, αὐτὴν καλεῖ παρθένον· τὸ πολυτελὲς, βασίλισσαν αὐτὴν καλεῖ· τὸ συγγενὲς τὸ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, θυγατέρα αὐτὴν καλεῖ· τὸ πολύγονον, στεῖραν αὐτὴν καλεῖ τίκτουσαν ἑπτά· μυρία ὀνόματα, ἵνα παραστήσῃ αὐτῆς τὴν εὐγένειαν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης αὐτῆς πολλὰ ὀνόματα ἔχει· καὶ Πατὴρ καλεῖται, καὶ ὁδὸς καλεῖται, καὶ ζωὴ καλεῖται, καὶ φῶς καλεῖται, καὶ βραχίων καλεῖται, καὶ ἱλασμὸς καλεῖται, καὶ θεμέλιος καλεῖται, καὶ θύρα καλεῖται, καὶ ἀναμάρτητος καλεῖται, καὶ θησαυρὸς καλεῖται, καὶ Κύριος καλεῖται, καὶ Θεὸς καλεῖται, καὶ Υἱὸς καλεῖται, καὶ Μονογενὴς καλεῖται, καὶ μορφὴ Θεοῦ, καὶ εἰκὼν Θεοῦ καλεῖται· μὴ ἀρκεῖ ἓν ὄνομα παραστῆσαι τὸ ὅλον; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο μυρία ὀνόματα, ἵνα μάθωμέν τι περὶ Θεοῦ, κἂν μικρόν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία πολλὰ καλεῖται. Παρθένος λέγεται, καὶ μὴν πόρνη ἦν πρὸ τούτου· τὸ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν τοῦ νυμφίου, ὅτι ἔλαβε πόρνην, καὶ ἐποίησε παρθένον. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων. Γάμος παρ' ἡμῖν παρθενίαν λύει, γάμος παρὰ Θεῷ παρθενίαν ἀνέστησε. Παρ' ἡμῖν ἡ οὖσα παρθένος, γαμουμένη, οὐκ ἔστι παρθένος· παρὰ Χριστῷ ἡ οὖσα πόρνη, γαμουμένη, παρθένος γέγονεν. ζʹ. Ἑρμηνευέτω ὁ αἱρετικὸς τοῦτο μόνον, ὁ περιεργαζόμενος τὴν ἄνω γέννησιν, καὶ λέγων· Πῶς ἐγέννησεν ὁ Πατήρ; Εἰπὲ αὐτῷ· Πῶς ἡ Ἐκκλησία, πόρνη οὖσα, παρθένος ἐγένετο; πῶς δὲ ἡ γεννήσασα, παρθένος ἔμεινε; Ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς Θεοῦ ζήλῳ, ὁ Παῦλός φησιν ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ. Ὢ σοφία καὶ σύνεσις. Ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς Θεοῦ ζήλῳ. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Ζηλῶ, λέγει. Ζηλοῖς, ὁ πνευματικός; Ζηλῶ γὰρ, λέγει, ὡς ὁ Θεός. Καὶ Θεὸς ζηλοῖ; Ναὶ, ζηλοῖ, οὐ πάθει, ἀλλὰ ἀγάπῃ, καὶ ζηλοτυπίᾳ. Ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς Θεοῦ ζήλῳ. Εἴπω σοι, πῶς ζηλοῖ; Εἶδεν ὑπὸ δαιμόνων διαφθειρομένην τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐξέδωκε. Τὰ γὰρ ῥήματα ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ λεγόμενα οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει ἰσχύν· οἷον, ζηλεύει Θεὸς, ὀργίζεται Θεὸς, μετανοεῖ Θεὸς, μισεῖ Θεός. Τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἀνθρώπινα, ἀλλὰ τὰ νοήματα θεοπρεπῆ. Πῶς ζηλεύει Θεός; Ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς Θεοῦ ζήλῳ. Ὀργίζεται Θεός; Κύριε, μὴ τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐλέγξῃς με. Ὥστε καὶ καθεύδει Θεός; Ἀνάστηθι, ἵνα τί ὑπνοῖς, Κύριε; Μετανοεῖ Θεός; Μετενόησα, ὅτι ἐποίησα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Μισεῖ ὁ Θεός; Τὰς ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν καὶ τὰς νεομηνίας μισεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου. Ἀλλὰ μὴ πρόσεχε τῇ εὐτελείᾳ τῶν λέξεων· ἀλλὰ λάβε θεοπρεπῆ τὰ νοήματα. Ζηλεύει ὁ Θεὸς, ἀγαπᾷ γάρ. Ὀργίζεται ὁ Θεὸς, οὐ πάθει, ἀλλὰ τιμωρίᾳ καὶ κολάσει.