John Chrysostom, On Isaiah

the mercy of God had come to pass, all would have been snatched away, so also at the time of Christ’s coming, if the things of grace had not appeared, all would have suffered things more grievous than these. But he left us a seed; he means those who were saved from the captivity. Hear the word of the Lord, rulers of Sodom, give heed to the law of our God, people of Gomorrah. Since he said that they were worthy to suffer the things of Sodom, he shows that they also dared to do the things of Sodom. Therefore he also calls them by the common appellation. For if this were not so, the saying would have had no occasion. For that he is not now addressing Sodomites, but Jews, calling them by the commonality of the appellation, is shown by the things said after this. For he makes mention of sacrifices and offerings and the rest of the legal worship, of which there was not even a trace among the Sodomites. By the law of our God, he means, for the reproof. What to me is the multitude, he says, of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats I do not desire. The forty-ninth psalm is entirely like this passage, though woven with different words, but with the same meanings. For in the psalm: 'He shall call to heaven above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people,' is equal to 'Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken'; and what follows is similar. For just as David says: 'I will not reprove you for your sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are continually before me'; so also Isaiah says: 'What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices, says the Lord.' And again David says: 'I will not take bullocks out of your house, nor he-goats out of your flocks'; and Isaiah: 'The burnt offerings of rams and the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats I do not desire.' For since they were continually accused of being destitute of other virtue, they put forth their sacrifices as their greatest defense, as they performed them continually, so each prophet, or rather all of them, rightly rejects this defense of theirs. From this it is clear that these were not given as a primary matter, but so that from them they might have a training for the rest of their conduct. But since they were occupied with these things while neglecting pressing necessities, God says that he no longer accepts even these. Neither should you come to appear before me. If you should come, he says, into the temple. For who has required these things at your hands? And yet a whole book is composed, called Leviticus, legislating concerning the exactness of the sacrifices. And in Deuteronomy and in many other books, many laws concerning these things are scattered. How then does he say: 'Who has required these things at your hands?' So that you may learn that it was not God's primary will to legislate such things, but the legislation concerning these things took its origin from their weakness. For just as he did not wish a woman once joined to a man to be put away, but cutting out a greater evil, that being unhindered in putting them away, they would be forced to slaughter them while they were inside and hated, he permitted the lesser evil; so also here, preventing them from sacrificing to demons, he accepted what he did not want, in order that he might establish what he did want. Therefore, Micah the prophet, indicating this very thing, said: 'Did you bring me slain beasts and sacrifices for forty years? says the Lord.' And Jeremiah says: 'These are not the things which I commanded your fathers.'

1.5 For since demons also were worshipped in this manner, he himself, so that no occasion for destruction might arise from this for the weaker ones, says these things continually through all the prophets. For they were vexed when these were not given, and continually insisted, demanding the savory smoke and vapor and saying: 'For this is the honor we have obtained by lot.' But he neither asked for them from the beginning and when he commanded them, he showed that he did not permit this willingly; not only in this way, but also by quickly abolishing them and, when they were performed, by not accepting them; and through all things he absolutely made it clear that of his greatness this worship the

τοῦ Θεοῦ γέγονεν ἔλεος, πάντες ἂν ἀνηρπάσθησαν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας, εἰ μὴ τὰ τῆς χάριτος ἐφάνη, χαλεπώτερα τούτων πάντες ἂν ἔπαθον. Ἐγκατέλιπε δὲ ἡμῖν σπέρμα· τοὺς σωθέντας ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας λέγει. Ἀκούσατε λόγον Κυρίου, ἄρχοντες Σοδόμων, προσέχετε νόμῳ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, λαὸς Γομόρρας. Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν, ὅτι τὰ Σοδόμων ἦσαν ἄξιοι παθεῖν, δείκνυσιν ὅτι καὶ τὰ Σοδόμων ἐτόλμων. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς κοινῆς αὐτοὺς ὀνομάζει προσηγορίας. Ἐπεὶ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐδὲ καιρὸν εἶχεν ὁ λόγος. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ πρὸς Σοδομηνοὺς ἀποτείνεται νῦν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς Ἰουδαίους, καλῶν αὐτοὺς τῇ τῆς προσηγορίας κοινωνίᾳ, δείκνυσι τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα λεγόμενα. Θυσιῶν γὰρ μέμνηται καὶ προσφορῶν καὶ τῆς ἄλλης τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας, ἧς οὐδὲ ἴχνος ἦν παρὰ Σοδομίταις. Νόμῳ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν, τῷ ἐλέγχῳ φησί. Τί μοι πλῆθος, φησί, τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει Κύριος. Πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων κριῶν, καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων οὐ βούλομαι. Ὁ ψαλμὸς ὁ τεσσαρακοστὸς ἔννατος ἅπας τῷ χωρίῳ τούτῳ προσέοικε, δι' ἑτέρων μὲν ῥημάτων, διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν δὲ ὑφαινόμενος νοημάτων. Τῷ γὰρ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ· Προσκαλέσεται τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω καὶ τὴν γῆν, τοῦ διακρῖναι τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, ἴσον ἐστὶ τὸ Ἄκουε, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησεν· καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς δὲ τοιαῦτα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ∆αυΐδ φησιν· Οὐκ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις σου ἐλέγξω σε, τὰ δὲ ὁλοκαυτώματά σου ἐνώπιόν μού ἐστι διαπαντός· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας φησί· Τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ μὲν ∆αυΐδ φησιν· Οὐ δέξομαι ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου σου μόσχους, οὐδὲ ἐκ τῶν ποιμνίων σου τράγους· ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας· Ὁλοκαυτώματα κριῶν καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων οὐ βούλομαι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐγκαλούμενοι συνεχῶς ἐπὶ τῷ τῆς ἄλλης ἀρετῆς εἶναι ἔρημοι, ἀντὶ μεγίστης ἀπολογίας τὰς θυσίας προεβάλλοντο, ὡς συνεχῶς αὐτὰς ἐπιτελοῦντες, εἰκότως ἑκάτερος ὁ προφήτης, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες, ταύτης ἐκβάλλουσιν αὐτοὺς τῆς ἀπολογίας. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὐ προηγουμένως αὐταὶ ἐδόθησαν, ἀλλ' ὥστε παιδαγωγίαν γενέσθαι τῆς ἄλλης ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοῖς πολιτείας. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν ἀναγκαίων κατεπειγόντων ἀμελοῦντες, ἐν τούτοις ἠσχόληντο, οὐδὲ ταύτας λοιπὸν προσίεσθαί φησιν ὁ Θεός. Οὐδὲ ἂν ἔρχησθε ὀφθῆναί μοι. Ἐὰν παραγένησθε, φησίν, εἰς τὸν ναόν. Τίς γὰρ ἐξεζήτησε ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν; Καὶ μὴν ὁλόκληρον σύγκειται βιβλίον τὸ Λευϊτικὸν λεγόμενον, περὶ τῆς τῶν θυσιῶν ἀκριβείας νομοθετοῦν. Καὶ ἐν τῷ ∆ευτερονομίῳ δὲ καὶ ἐν ἑτέροις πλείοσι πολλοὶ περὶ τούτων εἰσὶ διεσπαρμένοι νόμοι. Πῶς οὖν φησι· Τίς ἐξεζήτησε ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν; Ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐ προηγούμενον ἦν Θεοῦ θέλημα, τὸ τὰ τοιαῦτα νομοθετεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀσθενείας τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν ἡ περὶ τούτων νομοθεσία. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἐβούλετο γυναῖκα ἐκβάλλεσθαι τὴν ἅπαξ ἀνδρὶ συναφθεῖσαν, μεῖζον δὲ ἐκκόπτων κακόν, τὸ μὴ κωλυομένους ἐκβάλλειν, ἀναγκάζεσθαι σφάττειν ἔνδον οὔσας καὶ μισουμένας, τὸ ἔλαττον συνεχώρησεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, κωλύων τὸ δαίμοσι θύειν, κατεδέξατο ὅπερ οὐκ ἐβούλετο, ἵν' ὅπερ ἐβούλετο κατορθώσῃ. Τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ πάλιν Μιχαίας ὁ προφήτης ἐνδεικνύμενος ἔλεγε· Μὴ σφάγια καὶ θυσίας προσηνέγκατέ μοι ἔτη τεσσαράκοντα; λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ ὁ Ἱερεμίας δέ φησιν· Οὐ ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἃ ἐνετειλάμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν.

1.5 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ δαίμονες τοῦτον ἐθεραπεύθησαν τὸν τρόπον, καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος, ἵνα μηδεμία τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις ἐντεῦθεν ἀπωλείας γένηται πρόφασις, συνεχῶς διὰ πάντων ταῦτά φησι τῶν προφητῶν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ καὶ μὴ διδομένων ἠγανάκτουν, καὶ συνεχῶς ἐπέκειντο τὴν κνίσσαν καὶ τὸν καπνὸν ἀπαιτοῦντες καὶ λέγοντες· Τὸ γὰρ λάχομεν γέρας ἡμεῖς. Αὐτὸς δὲ οὔτε ἐξ ἀρχῆς ᾔτησεν καὶ ἡνίκα ἐκέλευσεν, ἔδειξεν, ὅτι οὐχὶ βουλόμενος τοῦτο ἐπέτρεψεν· οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ καταλῦσαι ταχέως αὐτὰς καὶ ἡνίκα ἐπετελοῦντο, μὴ προσίεσθαι· καὶ διὰ πάντων ἁπαξαπλῶς ἐδήλου ὅτι πολλῷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ τῆς λατρείας οὗτος ὁ