John Chrysostom, On Blessed Abraham

How did he respect some like servants, but in others imitate the manner of barbarians? Explain this to me, O Jew, you who disbelieve in the cross, how the same water drowned those, and saved these. The water was one, the sea one, and of the one group it did not wet a foot, while of the other it left not a trace, but taking them all, it covered them with water, and the sea wrought a common tomb for the whole people of the Egyptians. Tell me, therefore, how this happened. Do you see how the shadow went before, so that the truth might be believed? how those things are shadow, but these things truth? those things shadow, but these things realities? Do you see, as I said, that when God is about to arrange some strange matter, he first prefigures and foreshadows it, so that when the truth thus comes forth it might be well-received? For it is necessary for the image to be inferior to the truth; for if it were complete in itself, it would no longer be a shadow, but the truth. The shadow came first, and the truth of the colors came and showed the image clearly. Those things are types, these things are realities; such as 50.744 also happened in the case of the lamb. The inhabited world was about to be set free by the blood of Christ and to be released from a curse. Since, therefore, this was again a great and unbelievable wonder to the ungrateful soul of the Jews, God pre-arranges and prefigures it through the lamb; for being about to destroy the firstborn of the Egyptians, so that those of the sons of Israel might not be destroyed with them; what then? 'Lest it happen,' says Moses, 'that the destroying angel should destroy along with them the firstborn of the sons of Israel;' what then? God says to him: 'Command the sons of Israel, and let them take a lamb without blemish, a male, a year old, according to their kindred; and if they are not well-off,' he says, 'neighbor will call neighbor, and kinsman will call kinsman, and so having taken the lamb, a lamb without blemish, a male, a year old, sacrifice it,' he says, 'according to kindred and according to the houses of their fathers.' 'And its flesh you shall eat roasted with fire; nothing of it shall be left over; but its blood you shall smear on your doorposts.' 'But you shall eat it,' he says, 'with your loins girt; your sandals on your feet;' and this as the attire of a traveler; 'your lamps burning;' why? For evening was coming on. And why did you eat thus as travelers? Why? I say. Both for the sake of the type, and for the sake of the truth; since Pharaoh was struck many times, and did not let them go; and Moses said to them: 'He is struck today and will let them go;' he was struck and did not let them go; he was struck a ninth time and did not let them go; but on the tenth he was about to let them go. 'Take on the appearance of travelers,' he says; 'for after you have eaten, you have nothing in common with Egypt; take therefore,' he says, 'a lamb without blemish, a male, a year old, and sacrifice it; and smear its blood on your doorposts, so that when the angel comes, even if he does not spare them for their own sakes, he will spare them for the sake of the type of the blood.' These things happened not on account of the angel, but on account of the blood that saved me; for was the angel not able to distinguish between the Egyptians and the Jews? He who knew the firstborn, was he not able to distinguish Egyptians and Hebrews? When, therefore, he reproaches you, saying, 'Do you hope in blood?' say to him, 'And you too; are you not ashamed, shameless one? You were saved by the blood of a lamb, and am I not saved by the blood of the Lord?' A Jew, therefore, when he eats, hastens to be rid of Egypt; a Christian, when he eats, should hasten to be rid of the world. For Paul also gives you this oracle: 'Put on the breastplate of righteousness; having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.' There sandals, and here sandals; there a staff, here a breastplate; Moses as to travelers, Paul as to soldiers; they from land to land, therefore travelers; I from earth to heaven, therefore a soldier; why? Because my road is beset by robbers through the air, demons meet me. For this reason I have my confidence laid bare, for this reason the breastplate of righte- 50.745 -ousness, for this reason the belt of truth; for I am not only a traveler, but also a soldier. Narrow and afflicted is the way that leads to life. See, therefore, how Paul gives oracles and how Moses gives form, how the

πῶς τοὺς μὲν δούλων δίκην ᾐδέσθη, ἐν ἐκείνοις δὲ βαρβάρων τρόπον ἐμιμήσατο; Ἑρμήνευσόν μοι τοῦτο, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, ὁ ἀπιστῶν τῷ σταυρῷ, πῶς τὸ αὐτὸ ὕδωρ ἐκείνους ἔπνιξε, καὶ τούτους ἔσωσεν. Ἓν ἦν τὸ ὕδωρ, μία ἡ θάλασσα, καὶ τῶν μὲν οὔτε πόδα ἔβρεξε, τῶν δὲ οὔτε ἴχνος ἀφῆκεν, ἀλλ' ἅπαντας λαβοῦσα ἐκάλυψε τῷ ὕδατι, καὶ κοινὸν τάφον εἰργάσατο ἡ θάλασσα παντὶ τῷ δήμῳ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων. Εἰπέ μοι οὖν τοῦτο πῶς ἐγένετο. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἡ σκιὰ προῆλθεν, ἵνα πιστευθῇ ἡ ἀλήθεια; πῶς ἐκεῖνα μὲν σκιὰ, ταῦτα δὲ ἀλήθεια; ἐκεῖνα σκιὰ, ταῦτα δὲ πράγματα; Ὁρᾷς, ὡς εἶπον, ὅταν μέλλῃ ὁ Θεὸς διοικεῖν πρᾶγμά τι ξένον, προδιατυποῖ πρῶτον καὶ σκιαγραφεῖ, ἵνα οὕτως προελθοῦσα ἡ ἀλήθεια εὐπρόσδεκτος γένηται; Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὴν εἰκόνα ὑποδεεστέραν εἶναι τῆς ἀληθείας· εἰ δὲ αὐτοτελὴς ἦν, οὐκ ἔτι σκιὰ, ἀλλὰ ἀλήθεια. Προέλαβέ τε ἡ σκιὰ, καὶ ἦλθεν ἡ ἀλήθεια τῶν χρωμάτων καὶ ἔδειξε καθαρὰν τὴν εἰκόνα. Ἐκεῖνα τύποι, ταῦτα πράγματα· οἷον 50.744 καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ προβάτου γέγονεν. Ἤμελλε τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐλευθεροῦσθαι ἡ οἰκουμένη καὶ κατάρας ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοῦτο πάλιν μέγα ἦν τὸ θαῦμα καὶ ἄπιστον παρὰ τῇ ἀγνώμονι ψυχῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, προδιοικεῖ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ προδιατυποῖ διὰ τοῦ προβάτου· τῶν γὰρ Αἰγυπτίων τὰ πρωτότοκα μέλλων ἀπολλύειν, ἵνα μὴ συναναιρεθῶσι καὶ τὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· τί οὖν· ἵνα γένηται, φησὶν ὁ Μωϋσῆς, μήποτε ὁ ὀλοθρεύων ἄγγελος συνολοθρεύσῃ τὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ πρωτότοκα· τί οὖν; λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός· παράγγειλον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ λαβέτωσαν πρόβατον ἄμωμον, ἄρσεν, ἐνιαύσιον, κατὰ συγγενείας αὐτῶν· κἂν μὴ εὐπορῶσι, φησὶ, γείτων γείτονα συγκαλέσει, καὶ συγγένεια συγγένειαν συγκαλέσει, καὶ οὕτω λαβόντες τὸ πρόβατον, πρόβατον ἄμωμον, ἄρσεν, ἐνιαύσιον, θύσατε, φησὶ, κατὰ συγγενείας καὶ κατ' οἴκους πατριῶν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν κρέα αὐτοῦ φάγεσθε ὀπτὰ πυρί· μηδὲν ἐξ αὐτῶν καταλείψεται· τὸ δὲ αἷμα αὐτοῦ χρίσατε εἰς τὰς φλιὰς ὑμῶν. Φάγεσθε δὲ αὐτὸ φησὶ, περιεζωσμένοι τὴν ὀσφύν· τὰ ὑποδήματα ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν· καὶ τοῦτο ὡς ὁδοιπόρου σχῆμα· οἱ λύχνοι ὑμῶν καιόμενοι· διὰ τί; Ἑσπέρα γὰρ ἦν καταλαμβάνουσα. Καὶ διὰ τί οὕτως ἔδεσθε ὡς ὁδοιπόροι; ∆ιὰ τί; ἐγὼ λέγω. Καὶ διὰ τὸν τύπον, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις ἐπλήγη ὁ Φαραὼ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτούς· καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Μωϋσῆς· πλήττεται σήμερον καὶ ἀπολύει· ἐπλήσσετο καὶ οὐκ ἀπέλυεν· ἔννατον ἐπλήγη καὶ οὐκ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτούς· τῇ δεκάτῃ δὲ ἤμελλεν αὐτοὺς ἀπολύειν· ὁδοιπόρων, λέγει, λάβετε σχῆμα· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ φαγεῖν ὑμᾶς, οὐδὲν κοινὸν ὑμῖν πρὸς τὴν Αἴγυπτον· λάβετε οὖν, φησὶ, πρόβατον ἄμωμον, ἄρσεν, ἐνιαύσιον, καὶ θύσατε αὐτό· καὶ χρίσατε τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰς φλιὰς ὑμῶν, ἵνα ἐλθὼν ὁ ἄγγελος, κἂν δι' ἐκείνους μὴ φείσηται, διὰ τὸν τύπον τοῦ αἵματος φείσηται. Ταῦτα οὐ διὰ τὸν ἄγγελον ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἐμὲ σῶσαν· οὐ γὰρ ἠδύνατο ὁ ἄγγελος τὸ παράλληλον τῶν Αἰγυπτίων καὶ Ἰουδαίων διαγνῶναι; ὁ τὰ πρωτότοκα εἰδὼς, Αἰγυπτίους καὶ Ἑβραίους διαγνῶναι οὐκ ἴσχυσεν; Ὅταν οὖν ὀνειδίσῃ σε λέγων, εἰς αἷμα ἐλπίζεις; εἰπὲ αὐτῷ, καὶ σύ· οὖκ αἰσχύνῃ, ἀναίσχυντε; σὺ εἰς αἷμα προβάτου ἐσώθης, κἀγὼ εἰς αἷμα ∆εσπότου οὐ σώζομαι; Ἰουδαῖος οὖν ἐσθίων, ἐπείγεται ἀπαλλαγῆναι Αἰγύπτου· Χριστιανὸς ἐσθίων, ἐπειγέσθω ἀπαλλαγῆναι τοῦ κόσμου. Καὶ γάρ σοι ὁ Παῦλος οὕτω χρηματίζει· Ἐνδύσασθε θώρακα δικαιοσύνης· ὑποδήσασθε τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης. Ἐκεῖ ὑποδήματα, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὑποδήματα· ἐκεῖ βακτηρία, ἐνταῦθα θώραξ· ὁ Μωϋσῆς ὡς ὁδοιπόροις, ὁ Παῦλος ὡς στρατιώταις· ἐκεῖνοι ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς γῆν, διὰ τοῦτο ὁδοιπόροι· ἐγὼ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν, διὰ τοῦτο στρατιώτης· διὰ τί; Ὅτι ἡ ὁδός μου λῃστεύεται κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα, δαίμονές μοι ἀπαντῶσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχω τὴν παῤῥησίαν γεγυμνωμένην, διὰ τοῦτο τὸν θώρακα τῆς δικαιο 50.745 σύνης, διὰ τοῦτο τὴν ζώνην τῆς ἀληθείας· οὐ γάρ εἰμι ὁδοιπόρος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατιώτης. Στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν. Ὅρα οὖν πῶς χρηματίζει Παῦλος καὶ πῶς σχηματίζει Μωϋσῆς, πῶς τὰ