John Chrysostom, On the Resurrection of the Dead

endurance, hope; but hope does not put to shame. And again another says: A man untried is unapproved, and he that is unapproved is worthy of no account. So we reap no small fruit from affliction even before the resurrection, in having the soul more approved and wiser and more understanding, and delivered from all cowardice. For this reason he says: For though our outward man is decaying, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. How is it renewed, tell me? By all unmanliness being driven out, by unseemly desire being extinguished, by love of money, vainglory, and simply all other corrupt reasonings being done away with. For just as the soul that enjoys idleness and security is easily captured by these passions; so the one that is perpetually occupied with the contests for piety does not even have the leisure ever to think of these things, as the concern for the struggles keeps it from all those things. For this reason he said: It is renewed day by day. Then again, consoling the souls that are pained at the terrible things brought upon them, and do not know how to be philosophical, he raises them up through the hope of things to come, saying thus: For this momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And what he says is something like this: Most of all, then, affliction benefits us even here, making our soul wiser and more philosophical; and after this it also provides for us countless good things in the future, not as a counterbalance to the labors, but far greater than the struggles both in quantity and in quality. Paul, I say, signifying both these things, makes the comparison of both the pre-eminence over the dangers and of the prizes, and contrasts the momentary with the eternal, the light with the weight, the affliction with the glory. For the affliction, he says, is temporal and light, but the rest—or rather he did not say, rest, but, glory, which is much greater than rest—is eternal and perpetual and great. And by weight here, he meant not that which is laborious and burdensome, but that which is costly and honorable, according to the custom of the many, who are accustomed thus to ca50.425ll things very valuable and of great price. Therefore when he says a weight of glory, he means a greatness of glory. Do not then consider this only, he says, that you are scourged and persecuted, but also the crowns and the rewards, that they are much greater and more splendid than the present things, and have no end, nor limit. But these things, he says, are in experience, while those are in hope; and these things are manifest, but those do not appear, but are suspended and in the air; but even if they are unseen, they are more manifest than the things which are seen. What do I say, more manifest? You are more able to see those things, than these. For these things pass away, but those things remain. Wherefore he added, saying: While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 5. But if you should say: And how shall I be able to see the unseen things, and not see the present things? I will try to lead you to this faith from worldly examples. For not even of these perishable matters in the world would one easily take hold, without having seen the unseen things before the seen. For example: The merchant endures many storms and risings of waves and shipwrecks and countless difficulties, but he also enjoys wealth after the storms, by disposing of his cargo, and working out a great trade. But the storms are first, and the cargo afterwards; and the seas and the waves are seen when he has departed from the harbor, but the merchandise is not seen; for it is still in hope. But nevertheless, unless he first looks to that which is unseen and not present, nor in his hands, but in hope, he would not take hold of these things that are present and seen.

δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει Καὶ πάλιν ἄλλος τίς φησιν· Ἀνὴρ ἀπείραστος ἀδόκιμος, ὁ δὲ ἀδόκιμος οὐδενὸς ἄξιος λόγου. Ὥστε οὐ μικρὰ ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως καρπούμεθα καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, τὸ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχειν δοκιμωτέραν καὶ σοφωτέραν καὶ συνετωτέραν, καὶ πάσης ἀπηλλάχθαι δειλίας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Εἰ καὶ ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ. Πῶς ἀνακαινοῦται, εἰπέ; Ἀνανδρίας ἐξελαυνομένης ἁπάσης, ἐπιθυμίας σβεννυμένης ἀτόπου, φιλοχρηματίας, κενοδοξίας, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπλῶς τῶν διεφθαρμένων λογισμῶν ἀναιρουμένων ἁπάντων. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ ἀργίας καὶ ἀδείας ἀπολαύουσα ψυχὴ εὐκόλως ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν ἁλίσκεται τούτων· οὕτως ἡ διηνεκῶς τοῖς ἀγῶσι τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐσχολακυῖα, οὐδὲ σχολὴν ἄγει ταῦτα ἐννοῆσαί ποτε, τῆς περὶ τὰ παλαίσματα μερίμνης πάντων αὐτὴν ἀπαγούσης ἐκείνων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· Ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ. Εἶτα πάλιν παραμυθούμενος τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ὀδυνωμένας ἐπὶ τοῖς δεινοῖς τοῖς ἐπαγομένοις, καὶ οὐκ εἰδυίας φιλοσοφεῖν, διὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος τῶν μελλόντων αὐτὰς ἀνίστησιν, οὕτω λέγων· Τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως, καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν, μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα. Τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα, πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα, αἰώνια. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡμᾶς ὀνίνησιν ἡ θλῖψις, σοφωτέραν ἡμῶν ποιοῦσα τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ φιλοσοφωτέραν· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ μυρία ἡμῖν προξενεῖ κατὰ τὸ μέλλον ἀγαθὰ, οὐκ ἀντίῤῥοπα τῶν πόνων, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μείζονα τῶν παλαισμάτων καὶ κατὰ τὴν ποσότητα καὶ κατὰ τὴν ποιότητα. Ταῦτα ἀμφότερα, λέγω, δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τῶν κινδύνων, καὶ τῶν ἄθλων ποιεῖται τὴν σύγκρισιν, καὶ ἀντιτίθησι τῷ παραυτίκα τὸ αἰώνιον, τῷ ἐλαφρῷ τὸ βάρος, τῇ θλίψει τὴν δόξαν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ θλῖψις πρόσκαιρος, φησὶ, καὶ κούφη, ἡ δὲ ἄνεσις μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν, ἄνεσις, ἀλλὰ, δόξα, ὃ πολλῷ μεῖζον τῆς ἀνέσεως αἰώνιος καὶ διηνεκὴς καὶ μεγάλη. Βάρος δὲ ἐνταῦθα, οὐ τὸ ἐπίπονον καὶ φορτικὸν εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πολυτελὲς καὶ ἔντιμον, κατὰ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν ἔθος, οἳ τὰ πολύτιμα οὕτω καὶ βαρύτιμα κα50.425 λεῖν εἰώθασιν. Ὅταν οὖν εἴπῃ βάρος δόξης, μέγεθος δόξης λέγει. Μὴ τοίνυν τοῦτο μόνον λογίζου, φησὶν, ὅτι μαστίζῃ καὶ ἐλαύνῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους καὶ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, ὅτι πολλῷ μείζους καὶ λαμπρότεραι τῶν παρόντων ἐκεῖναι, καὶ τέλος οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οὐδὲ πέρας. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα, φησὶν, ἐν πείρᾳ, ἐκεῖνα δὲ ἐν ἐλπίσι· καὶ ταῦτα μὲν φανερὰ, ἐκεῖνα δὲ οὐ φαίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐκκρεμῆ καὶ μετέωρά εἰσιν· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἀφανῆ, ἀλλὰ τῶν φαινομένων ἐστὶ φανερώτερα. Τί λέγω φανερώτερα; Ἐκεῖνα δύνασαι μᾶλλον ὁρᾷν, ἢ ταῦτα. Ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ παρέρχεται, ἐκεῖνα δὲ μένει. ∆ιὸ ἐπήγαγε, λέγων· Μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα· τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια. εʹ. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις· Καὶ πῶς δυνήσομαι τὰ ἀφανῆ βλέπειν, τὰ δὲ παρόντα μὴ βλέπειν; ἀπὸ τῶν βιωτικῶν σε εἰς ταύτην ἐναγαγεῖν πειράσομαι τὴν πίστιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πραγμάτων τῶν ἐπικήρων τούτων ἅψαιτό τις ἂν ῥᾳδίως, μὴ τὰ ἀφανῆ πρὸ τῶν φανερῶν ἰδών. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὁ ἔμπορος ὑπομένει μὲν χειμῶνας πολλοὺς καὶ κυμάτων ἐπαναστάσεις καὶ ναυάγια καὶ μυρίας δυσκολίας, ἀπολαύει δὲ καὶ πλούτου μετὰ τοὺς χειμῶνας, τὰ φορτία διατιθέμενος, καὶ πολλὴν ἐργαζόμενος πραγματείαν. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν χειμῶνες πρότεροι, τὰ δὲ φορτία ὕστερα· καὶ τὰ μὲν πελάγη καὶ τὰ κύματα φαίνεται ἐξελθόντι τοῦ λιμένος, ἡ ἐμπορία δὲ οὐ φαίνεται· ἐν ἐλπίσι γάρ ἐστιν ἔτι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἂν μὴ πρὸς ἐκείνην ἴδῃ πρῶτον τὴν ἀφανῆ καὶ μὴ παροῦσαν, μηδὲ ἐν χερσὶν οὖσαν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐλπίσιν, οὐκ ἂν ἅψαιτο τούτων τῶν παρόντων καὶ φαινομένων.