John Chrysostom, Against Theater

brings on the pain, for this reason He says, Take your son, and adds, The beloved, and again, Whom you have loved, so that by these good titles, having lifted up the child-loving old man into hopes of good promises, then by suddenly bringing on the destruction of the beloved one, He might strike more heavily the heart of the one who begot him with unexpected commands, not hating the just man, but wishing his faith to appear more resplendent to the world. Therefore, before He says, Offer him up as a whole burnt offering, from the first auspicious words He makes the just man imagine many good things. For upon hearing God calling and saying, Abraham, Abraham, the God-loving man immediately rejoiced at the call, was overjoyed at the voice, thinking, as is likely: Does God again consider me worthy of wondrous conversation with him? does he wish to sanctify me with his divine words? or does he want to move me again to a better land? or does he wish to destroy the wicked Canaanites, like the Sodomites, and not wish his own servant, as in the case of Sodom, to be ignorant of the counsel of his judgment? Is he graciously providing me the good news of a second child after Isaac, wishing to give my old age the sight of two children? And when he heard, Take, before he heard, Your son, he thought God would speak to him about sacrifices, asking from him an honor of blessings in return for the gift of the child. But hearing, Your son, for a time he thought of Ishmael, supposing that Sarah's jealousy had been dissolved, and for this reason he was being restored by the merciful God to his paternal hearth. But when he clearly heard, Your beloved whom you have loved, Isaac, his heart immediately leapt, his soul rejoiced, thinking that He would give him instructions about a betrothal, fitting, as God, a woman to the young man, fertile for the bearing of a child, for the increase of the race. And God calls him to the high land. Why? Either so that from a conspicuous and lofty place He might show him, as the heir of the promise, the whole land, or surely he wishes to anoint him as patriarch, while I am living, or to speak face to face, and with a living voice to hand down laws of a God-loving life, by which walking he will please the Creator.

4. So the blessed man expected to hear these and such things from God; but God, what? Offer him up, He says, as a whole burnt offering. A burdensome command even for an ordinary man, let alone a father, and a child-loving one at that. But, O the insuperable faith! O the God-loving soul! God had not yet ceased calling, and Abraham was prepared for obedience, making the end of the command already the beginning of the journey. Who then of the other fathers would have borne such a voice, and not immediately fallen to the ground, his limbs loosened by despondency? or perhaps he would have perished at the command itself, being consumed by paternal affection? For hear the inconsolable nature of the command. God did not simply ask for the young man to be slaughtered, so that the old man might have the remains as a consolation for his suffering, sitting by the tomb; but for a whole burnt offering, for incineration, for complete annihilation, so that he might not even be able to pour out the pain of his heart by weeping over the body. But nevertheless, even if the command was unbearable, and able to strike one down merely by being spoken, it did not drive the man from his divine mindset; for he knew that everything God commands is advantageous and good. Therefore he readily endures the command, and with unspoken pleasure performs the sacrifice, reasoning these things, as is likely: childless from now on, but I become a child of God through obedience; I lose the heir, but I inherit the things to come; I will not see the son, but I will see God; a child will not care for my old age, but God will provide for my old age; I will be blamed by the foolish, but I will be accepted by the All-Wise; I will grieve Sarah, but I will please the Creator; I have much consolation; he grieves me by dying, but he makes me a priest of the Most High; he renders me childless, but a father of a protomartyr. For does he perish

ἐπάγει τὴν ἀλγηδόνα, διὰ τοῦτό φησι, Λάβε τὸν υἱόν σου, καὶ προστίθησι, Τὸν ἀγαπητὸν, καὶ πάλιν, Ὃν ἠγάπησας, ἵνα ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς ταύταις ἐπωνυμίαις εἰς χρηστῶν ὑποσχέσεων ἐλπίδας μετεωρίσας τὸν φιλόπαιδα γέροντα, ἀθρόαν αὖθις ἐπαγαγὼν τοῦ ἀγαπημένου τὴν ἀναίρεσιν, τοῖς παρ' ἐλπίδα προστάγμασι πλήξῃ τὰ σπλάγχνα τοῦ γεγεννηκότος βαρύτερον, οὐ μισῶν τὸν δίκαιον, φανῆναι δὲ λαμπρότερον τῷ κόσμῳ τὴν τούτου πίστιν βουλόμενος. Τοιγαροῦν πρὶν εἴπῃ, Ἀνένεγκε αὐτὸν εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν, ἐκ τῶν πρώτων ῥημάτων τῶν εὐφήμων πολλὰ ποιεῖ χρηστὰ τῷ δικαίῳ φαντάζεσθαι. Ἀκούσας γὰρ καλοῦντος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ λέγοντος, Ἀβραὰμ, Ἀβραὰμ, εὐθὺς ἐγήθησεν ὁ φιλόθεος πρὸς τὴν κλῆσιν, διεχύθη πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν, ἐνθυμούμενος, ὡς εἰκός· Ἆρά με ὁ Θεὸς ἄξιον πάλιν ἡγεῖται τῆς θαυμαστῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁμιλίας· ἆρά με τοῖς θείοις αὐτοῦ καθαγιάσαι θέλει ῥήμασιν; ἢ μεταστῆσαι πάλιν εἰς χώραν βούλεται κρείσσονα; ἢ τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀπολέσαι θέλει Χαναναίους, ὡς Σοδομίτας, καὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον δοῦλον, ὡς ἐπὶ Σοδόμων, ἀγνοεῖν οὐ θέλει τὸ τῆς κρίσεως βούλημα; ἆρά μοι δευτέρου τέκνου μετὰ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ χρηστὰ φιλοτιμεῖται παρασχεῖν εὐαγγέλια, ὀφθαλμοῖς δύο τέκνων τὸ ἐμὸν θέλων ὀμματῶσαι γῆρας; Ὡς δὲ ἤκουσε, Λάβε, πρὶν ἀκούσῃ, Τὸν υἱόν, ᾠήθη περὶ θυσιῶν αὐτῷ τὸν Θεὸν διαλέξεσθαι, αἰτοῦντα παρ' αὐτοῦ τιμὴν εὐλογιῶν ἀντὶ τῆς δόσεως τοῦ παιδός. Ἀκούσας δὲ, Τὸν υἱόν σου, τέως τὸν Ἰσμαὴλ ἐνενόει, οἰόμενος λελύσθαι τὴν ζηλοτυπίαν τῆς Σάῤῥας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τοῦ φιλανθρώπου ἀποκαθίστασθαι πάλιν εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν ἑστίαν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ σαφῶς ἤκουσε, Τὸν ἀγαπητὸν ὃν ἠγάπησας τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, ἔζεσεν εὐθὺς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἠγαλλιάσατο τῇ ψυχῇ, νομίσας ὅτι περὶ μνηστείας αὐτῷ διατάξεται, ἁρμόζων ὡς Θεὸς εἰς ἐπίδοσιν τοῦ γένους γυναῖκα τῷ νέῳ εὔφορον εἰς τέκνου φυήν. Εἰς δὲ τὴν γῆν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς καλεῖ τὴν ὑψηλήν. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἢ πάντως ἵνα ἐξ ἀπόπτου καὶ μετεώρου τόπου πᾶσαν ὡς κληρονόμῳ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀποδείξῃ τὴν γῆν, ἢ πάντως αὐτὸν εἰς πατριάρχην θέλει χρῖσαι, ζῶντος ἐμοῦ, ἢ ἐνώπιος ἐνωπίῳ διαλεχθῆναι, καὶ φωνῇ ζώσῃ παραδοῦναι νόμους θεοφιλοῦς βίου, οἷς ὁδεύων εὐαρεστήσει τῷ κτίσαντι.

δʹ. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν καὶ τοιαῦτα ἀκούσεσθαι παρὰ Θεοῦ προσεδόκησεν ὁ μακάριος· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τί; Ἀνένεγκε, φησὶν, αὐτὸν εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν. Φορτικὸν τὸ ἐπίταγμα καὶ τῷ τυχόντι ἀνδρὶ, μήτιγε πατρὶ, καὶ ταῦτα φιλόπαιδι. Ἀλλ', ὢ τῆς ἀνυπερβλήτου πίστεως! ὢ τῆς φιλοθέου ψυχῆς! Οὐδέπω Θεὸς ἐπαύσατο καλῶν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑπακοὴν Ἀβραὰμ ὑπῆρχεν εὐτρεπὴς, τὸ τέλος τοῦ προστάγματος ἀρχὴν ἤδη τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ποιούμενος. Τίς οὖν τῶν ἄλλων πατέρων ἤνεγκεν ἂν τὴν τοιαύτην φωνὴν, καὶ οὐ παραχρῆμα κατέπεσεν εἰς γῆν, ἀθυμίᾳ τὰ μέλη λυθείς; ἢ τάχα παρ' αὐτῷ διεφθάρη τῷ προστάγματι, ὑπὸ πατρικῆς διαθέσεως πυρπολούμενος; Τὸ γὰρ τοῦ προστάγματος ἀπαραμύθητον ἄκουε. Οὐκ εἰς σφαγὴν ἁπλῶς ᾔτησε τὸν νέον ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα ἔχοι τὸ λείψανον ὁ γέρων παραμυθίαν τοῦ πάθους τῷ τάφῳ παρακαθήμενος· ἀλλ' εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν, εἰς ἐμπρησμὸν, εἰς ἀφανισμὸν παντελῆ, ὅπως μηδὲ προχέειν ἔχῃ τῆς καρδίας τὴν ἀλγηδόνα ἐπιδακρύων τῷ σώματι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως εἰ καὶ ἀφόρητον ἦν τὸ πρόσταγμα, καὶ μόνῳ τῷ ῥηθῆναι πλῆξαι δυνάμενον, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξέστησε τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦ θείου φρονήματος· πᾶν γὰρ ἠπίστατο συμφέρον εἶναι καὶ ἀγαθὸν, ὃ προστάσσει Θεός. Τοιγαροῦν προθύμως ὑπομένει τὸ πρόσταγμα, καὶ μεθ' ἡδονῆς ἀφράστου τὴν θυσίαν ἐργάζεται, ταῦτα λογισάμενος, ὡς εἰκός· ἄτεκνος ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, ἀλλ' ἐγὼ τέκνον Θεοῦ δι' ὑπακοῆς γίνομαι· ἀπολλύω τὸν κληρονόμον, ἀλλὰ κληρονομῶ τὰ μέλλοντα· οὐκ ὄψομαι τὸν υἱὸν, ἀλλ' ὄψομαι τὸν Θεόν· οὐ γηροβοσκήσει με παῖς, ἀλλὰ γηροτροφήσει Θεός· μεμφθήσομαι παρὰ τῶν ἀνοήτων, ἀλλ' ἀποδεχθήσομαι παρὰ τοῦ Πανσόφου· λυπήσω τὴν Σάῤῥαν, ἀλλ' εὐαρεστήσω τῷ κτίσαντι· ἔχω πολλὴν παραμυθίαν· λυπεῖ με θανὼν, ἀλλ' ἱερέα τοῦ Ὑψίστου ποιεῖ· ἄπαιδα καθίστησιν, ἀλλὰ πατέρα πρωτομάρτυρος. Μὴ γὰρ ἀπόλλυται