John Chrysostom, On Priesthood

and it would be just for those who wish to be well-disposed to accept the one who deceives. For timely deceit, when practiced with right intent, has so much profit that many have often been punished for not using it. And if you wish to examine the generals who have been famous throughout the ages, you will find that most of their trophies are the achievements of deceit, and that these are praised more than those who conquer openly. For the latter win their wars with greater expenditure of both money and men, so that nothing more comes to them from their victory, but the victors are scarcely less unfortunate than the vanquished, with their armies consumed and their treasuries emptied. And in addition to this, they are not allowed to enjoy all the glory of their victory; for it happens that the fallen also reap no small part of it, because, conquering in spirit, they were defeated in body alone, so that if it were possible for them not to fall when struck, and death had not come upon them and stopped them, they would never have ceased from their zeal. But he who has been able to conquer by deceit envelops his enemies not only in disaster but also in ridicule; for it is not as in the former case, where both sides equally carry off praises for their strength, so also in this case for their wisdom, but the entire prize belongs to the victors and, no less than this, they preserve the pleasure of the victory intact for their city. For the wisdom of the soul is not like the wealth of money and the multitude of bodies; but whereas the former, when one uses them continually in wars, happen to be spent and to leave their possessors, the latter is of such a nature as to grow the more one stirs it up. And not only in wars, but also in peace one might find the use of deceit to be great and necessary; and not only in the affairs of the city, but also at home, for a husband toward his wife, a wife toward her husband, a father toward his son, a friend toward a friend, and even children toward a father. For Saul's daughter would not have been able otherwise to rescue her husband from the hands of Saul, except by deceiving her father; and her brother, wishing to save the man who had been saved by her when he was again in danger, used the same weapons as the woman had. And Basil said: But none of these things applies to me; for I am not an enemy nor a foe, nor one of those who attempt to do wrong, but entirely the opposite; having entrusted my own affairs to your judgment, I have always followed where you have commanded.

1.7 7. That such a thing ought not to be called deceit but management. {ΙΩ.} But, my wonderful and best of men, it was for this very reason that I said before that it is good to use this not only in war, nor against enemies, but also in peace and against those who are dearest. For that this is useful not only to those who deceive, but also to those who are deceived, go and ask one of the physicians how they deliver the sick from their disease, and you will hear from them that they are not content with their art alone, but sometimes they have also taken up deceit and mixed in its help, and thus have restored the weak to health. For when the peevishness of the sick and the intractability of the disease itself do not admit the counsels of the physicians, then it is necessary to put on the mask of deceit, that they may be able, as on the stage, to hide the truth of what is being done. If you wish, I too will relate to you one trick out of many that I have heard the sons of physicians contrive. A fever once fell upon someone suddenly with great severity, and the flame rose up, and the sick man turned away from the things that could quench the fire, but he desired and was very insistent, beseeching all who came in to him to offer him much unmixed wine and to allow him to be filled with the deadly

καὶ ἀποδέχεσθαι τὸν ἀπατῶντα δίκαιον ἂν εἴη τούς γε εὐγνωμόνως διακεῖσθαι βουλομένους. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἔχει κέρδος εὔκαιρος ἀπάτη καὶ μετὰ τῆς ὀρθῆς γινομένη διανοίας ὡς πολλοὺς ὅτι μὴ παρεκρούσαντο καὶ δίκην δοῦναι πολλάκις. Καὶ εἰ βούλει γε τῶν στρατηγῶν τοὺς ἐξ αἰῶνος εὐδοκιμήσαντας ἐξετάσαι, τὰ πλείονα αὐτῶν τρόπαια τῆς ἀπάτης εὑρήσεις ὄντα κατορθώματα καὶ μᾶλλον τούτους ἐπαινουμένους ἢ τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ κρατοῦντας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ μετὰ πλείονος τῆς δαπάνης καὶ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων καὶ τῆς τῶν σωμάτων κατορθοῦσι τοὺς πολέμους, ὡς μηδὲν πλέον αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς νίκης γίνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ παρ' οὐδὲν ἧττον τῶν ἡττωμένων τοὺς κρατήσαντας δυστυχεῖν, καὶ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἀνηλωμένων καὶ τῶν ταμιείων κεκενωμένων. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις οὐδὲ τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ δόξης αὐτοὺς ἀφιᾶσιν ἀπολαῦσαι πάσης· μέρος γὰρ αὐτῆς οὐ μικρὸν συμβαίνει καὶ τοὺς πεπτωκότας καρποῦσθαι, διὰ τὸ ταῖς ψυχαῖς νικῶντας τοῖς σώμασιν ἡττηθῆναι μόνοις, ὡς εἴγε ἐνῆν βαλλομένους μὴ πίπτειν, μηδὲ ἐπελθὼν ὁ θάνατος αὐτοὺς ἔπαυσεν, οὐκ ἂν ἔστησαν τῆς προθυμίας ποτέ. Ὁ δὲ ἀπάτῃ κρατῆσαι δυνηθεὶς οὐ συμφορᾷ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ γέλωτι περιβάλλει τοὺς πολεμίους· οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ τοὺς ἐπαίνους ἐξ ἴσης ἀποφέρονται ἀμφότεροι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ ῥώμῃ, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ φρονήσει, ἀλλ' ὅλον τῶν νικώντων ἐστὶ τὸ βραβεῖον καί, τὸ τούτων οὐκ ἔλαττον, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς νίκης ἡδονὴν ἀκέραιον τῇ πόλει φυλάττουσιν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὥσπερ ὁ τῶν χρημάτων πλοῦτος καὶ τὸ τῶν σωμάτων πλῆθος, ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς φρόνησις· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν ὅταν τις αὐτοῖς ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις χρῆται συνεχῶς δαπανᾶσθαι συμβαίνει καὶ ἀπολείπειν τοὺς ἔχοντας, αὕτη δὲ ὅσῳπερ ἄν τις αὐτὴν ἀνακινῇ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αὔξεσθαι πέφυκεν. Οὐκ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ πολλὴν καὶ ἀναγκαίαν εὕροι τις ἂν τῆς ἀπάτης τὴν χρείαν· καὶ οὐ πρὸς τὰ τῆς πόλεως πράγματα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ πρὸς γυναῖκα ἀνδρὶ καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρα γυναικὶ καὶ πατρὶ πρὸς υἱὸν καὶ πρὸς φίλον φίλῳ, ἤδη δὲ καὶ πρὸς πατέρα παισί. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν τοῦ Σαοὺλ χειρῶν ἡ τοῦ Σαοὺλ θυγάτηρ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἂν ἑτέρως ἐξελέσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν αὑτῆς, ἀλλ' ἢ μετὰ τοῦ παραλογίσασθαι τὸν πατέρα· ὁ ταύτης δὲ ἀδελφὸς τὸν ὑπ' ἐκείνης διασωθέντα σῶσαι βουλόμενος κινδυνεύοντα πάλιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὅπλοις ἐχρῆτο οἷσπερ καὶ ἡ γυνή. Καὶ ὁ Βασίλειος· Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων πρὸς ἐμέ, φησίν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐχθρὸς ἐγὼ καὶ πολέμιος, οὔτε τῶν ἀδικεῖν ἐπιχειρούντων, ἀλλ' ἅπαν τοὐναντίον· τῇ σῇ γνώμῃ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιτρέψας ἀεὶ ταύτῃ εἱπόμην ᾗπερ ἐκέλευσας.

1.7 ζʹ. Ὅτι οὐδὲ ἀπάτην τὸ τοιοῦτο δεῖ καλεῖν ἀλλ' οἰκονομίαν {ΙΩ.} Ἀλλ' ὦ θαυμάσιε καὶ ἀγαθώτατε, διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς φθάσας εἶπον ὅτι οὐκ ἐν πολέμῳ μόνον, οὐδ' ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς φιλτάτους χρῆσθαι ταύτῃ καλόν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ τοῖς ἀπατῶσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀπατωμένοις τοῦτο χρήσιμον, προσελθών τινι τῶν ἰατρῶν ἐρώτησον πῶς ἀπαλλάττουσι τῆς νόσου τοὺς κάμνοντας, καὶ ἀκούσῃ παρ' αὐτῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἀρκοῦνται τῇ τέχνῃ μόνῃ, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅπου καὶ τὴν ἀπάτην παραλαβόντες καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτῆς βοήθειαν καταμίξαντες, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὴν ὑγίειαν τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας ἐπανήγαγον. Ὅταν γὰρ τὸ δυσάρεστον τῶν ἀρρωστούντων καὶ τῆς νόσου δὲ αὐτῆς τὸ δυστράπελον μὴ προσίηται τὰς τῶν ἰατρῶν συμβουλάς, τότε τὸ τῆς ἀπάτης ὑποδῦναι προσωπεῖον ἀνάγκη, ἵν' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τὴν τῶν γινομένων ἀλήθειαν κρύψαι δυνηθῶσιν. Εἰ δὲ βούλει, καὶ ἐγώ σοι διηγήσομαι δόλον ἕνα ἐκ πολλῶν ὧν ἤκουσα κατασκευάζειν ἰατρῶν παῖδας. Ἐπέπεσέ ποτέ τινι πυρετὸς ἀθρόως μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος καὶ ἡ φλὸξ ᾔρετο καὶ τὰ μὲν δυνάμενα σβέσαι τὸ πῦρ ἀπεστρέφετο ὁ νοσῶν, ἐπεθύμει δὲ καὶ πολὺς ἐνέκειτο, τοὺς εἰσιόντας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἅπαντας παρακαλῶν, ἄκρατον ὀρέξαι πολὺν καὶ παρασχεῖν ἐμφορηθῆναι τῆς ὀλεθρίου