John Chrysostom, On John

at one time he became a bush, at another a maiden, at another a fish. Was it not with good reason that all those things were extinguished, and vanished completely? With good reason, and according to logic. But not so the things of the unlearned and illiterate man; but even Syrians, and Egyptians, and Indians, and Persians, and Ethiopians, and countless other nations, having translated into their own tongue the doctrines introduced by him, learned, though barbarians, to be philosophers. 3. Not in vain, then, did I say that the whole world has become his theater; for he did not, leaving aside his own kind, occupy himself in vain with the natures of irrational beings; which was a matter of excessive ambition and extreme folly; but, being pure from this passion among others, he was zealous for one thing only, that the whole world might learn something useful and able to transport it from the earth to heaven. For this reason, he did not hide his teaching in any gloom and darkness, as those men did, putting forward the obscurity of their language as a kind of curtain for the evils stored up within; but his doctrines are more manifest than the rays of the sun; wherefore they have also been unfolded to all men throughout the world. For he did not teach by commanding those who approached him to be silent for five years, as that man did, nor to sit by like senseless stones, nor did he mythologize, decreeing that the universe consists in numbers; but casting away all this satanic unpleasantness and corruption, he mixed so much simplicity into his words, that all that was said was clear not only to men and the intelligent, but also to women and youths. For he believed them to be both true and useful to all who would hear them; and all time after him bears witness. For he both drew the whole world to himself, and delivered our life from every strange tragedy, after the hearing of these words. For this reason, we who hear these things would rather choose to depart from our soul than from the doctrines delivered to us by him. And from this, then, and from every quarter it is clear that there is nothing human in his teachings, but that the doctrines that have come to us through this divine soul are divine and heavenly. For we shall not see a clatter of words nor a boastfulness of diction, nor a superfluous and unprofitable embellishment and composition of nouns and verbs (for these things are far from all philosophy), but an invincible and divine strength, and an irresistible power of right doctrines, and a supply of countless good things. For the over-elaboration in delivery was so superfluous and worthy of sophists, or rather, not even of sophists, but of foolish lads, that even the philosopher among them introduced his own teacher as being greatly ashamed of this art, and telling the 59.33 judges that they would hear from him words spoken simply and at random, not, however, beautified with phrases, nor adorned with verbs and nouns. For it would not be fitting, he says, O men, for one at this age to come before you like a youth molding phrases. And see the great absurdity. For that which he made him shun as shameful and unworthy of philosophy and the work of youths, this very thing he himself pursued more than anything. Thus everywhere there was only ambition; and in Plato there is nothing to admire, except this alone. And just as with tombs whitewashed on the outside, if you uncover them, you will see them full of ichor, and stench, and corrupted bones; so also the doctrines of the philosopher, if you strip them of the beauty of their diction, you will see them filled with much abomination, and especially when he philosophizes about the soul, honoring it and blaspheming it without measure. For this is the devil's trap, to observe no moderation anywhere, but by excesses on either side to lead those captured by it to ill repute. For at one time he says it is of the substance of God; and at another time, having thus immoderately and impiously exalted it, he insults it again with another excess, introducing it into swine and asses, and animals even more dishonorable than these. But enough of these things; or rather, even these are beyond measure. For if there is anything useful from

ποτὲ μὲν θάμνος ἐγίνετο, ποτὲ δὲ κόρη, ποτὲ δὲ ἰχθύς. Ἆρ' οὐκ εἰκότως πάντα ἐσβέσθη ἐκεῖνα, καὶ ἠφανίσθη τέλεον; Εἰκότως, καὶ κατὰ λόγον. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ τοῦ ἰδιώτου καὶ ἀγραμμάτου οὕτως· ἀλλὰ καὶ Σύροι, καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ Ἰνδοὶ, καὶ Πέρσαι, καὶ Αἰθίοπες, καὶ μυρία ἕτερα ἔθνη, εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν μεταβαλόντες γλῶτταν τὰ παρὰ τούτου δόγματα εἰσαχθέντα, ἔμαθον ἄνθρωποι βάρβαροι φιλοσοφεῖν. γʹ. Οὐκ ἄρα μάτην ἔλεγον, ὅτι αὐτῷ θέατρον γέγονε πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἀφεὶς περὶ τὰς τῶν ἀλόγων ἐματαιοπόνει φύσεις· ὃ περιττῆς φιλοτιμίας καὶ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας ἦν· ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τούτου καθαρεύων τοῦ πάθους, ἓν μόνον ἐσπούδασεν, ὅπως ἡ οἰκουμένη πᾶσα μάθοι τι τῶν χρησίμων καὶ δυναμένων αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς μεταστῆσαι πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ζόφῳ τινὶ καὶ σκότῳ ἔκρυψεν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν διδασκαλίαν, καθάπερ ἐποίουν ἐκεῖνοι, τῶν ἔνδον ἐναποκειμένων κακῶν τὴν ἐν τῷ λέγειν ἀσάφειαν καθάπερ τι παραπέτασμα προβαλλόμενοι· ἀλλὰ τὰ τούτου δόγματα τῶν ἡλιακῶν ἀκτίνων ἐστὶ φανερώτερα· διὸ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀνθρώποις ἀνήπλωται. Οὐ γὰρ πέντε ἔτη κελεύων τοὺς προσιόντας σιγᾷν, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος, οὐδὲ ὡς ἀναισθήτοις παρακαθῆσθαι λίθοις, οὕτως ἐδίδασκεν, οὐδὲ ἐν ἀριθμοῖς εἶναι τὸ πᾶν διοριζόμενος ἐμυθολόγει· ἀλλ' ἀποῤῥίψας τὴν σατανικὴν ταύτην ἀηδίαν ἅπασαν καὶ λύμην, τοσαύτην τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἐγκατέμιξεν εὐκολίαν, ὡς μὴ μόνον ἀνδράσι καὶ συνετοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναιξὶ καὶ νέοις ἅπαντα εἶναι τὰ λεγόμενα δῆλα. Ἐπίστευσε γὰρ αὐτὰ ἀληθῆ τε εἶναι καὶ χρήσιμα τοῖς ἀκουσομένοις ἅπασι· καὶ μαρτυρεῖ πᾶς ὁ μετ' ἐκεῖνον χρόνος. Ὅλην τε γὰρ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐφειλκύσατο τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ πάσης ἀλλοκότου τραγῳδίας τὸν ἡμέτερον ἀπήλλαξε βίον, μετὰ τὴν τῶν λόγων τούτων ἀκρόασιν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο τῆς ψυχῆς ἑλοίμεθα ἂν ἐκστῆναι μᾶλλον οἱ ταῦτα ἀκούοντες, ἢ τῶν δογμάτων τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνου παραδοθέντων ἡμῖν. Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τοίνυν καὶ πανταχόθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον τῶν τούτου, ἀλλὰ θεῖά τε καὶ οὐράνιά ἐστι διδάγματα τὰ διὰ τῆς θείας ταύτης εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλθόντα ψυχῆς. Οὐ γὰρ κτύπον ῥημάτων οὐδὲ λέξεως κόμπον, οὐδὲ ὀνομάτων καὶ ῥημάτων κόσμον καὶ συνθήκην ὀψόμεθα περιττὴν καὶ ἀνόνητον (πόῤῥω γὰρ ταῦτα φιλοσοφίας ἁπάσης), ἀλλ' ἰσχὺν ἄμαχον καὶ θείαν, καὶ δογμάτων ὀρθῶν ἀμήχανον δύναμιν, καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν χορηγίαν. Ἡ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν περιεργία οὕτω περιττὴ ἦν καὶ σοφιστῶν ἀξία, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ σοφιστῶν, ἀλλὰ μειρακίων ἀνοήτων, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν παρ' αὐτοῖς φιλόσοφον εἰσαγαγεῖν τὸν διδάσκαλον τὸν αὐτοῦ σφόδρα ἐπαισχυνόμενον ταύτῃ τῇ τέχνῃ, καὶ λέγοντα τοῖς 59.33 δικασταῖς, ὅτι ἀκούσονται παρ' αὐτοῦ ῥήματα ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε λεγόμενα, οὐ μέντοι κεκαλλιεπημένα λόγοις, οὐδὲ ῥήμασί τε καὶ ὀνόμασι κεκοσμημένα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν δήπου πρέποι, φησὶν, ὦ ἄνδρες, τῇδε τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, ὥσπερ μειρακίῳ πλάττοντι λόγους, εἰς ὑμᾶς αὐτὸν εἰσιέναι. Καὶ ὅρα τὸν πολὺν καταγέλωτα. Ὃ γὰρ ὡς αἰσχρὸν καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἀνάξιον καὶ μειρακίων ἔργον ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν φεύγοντα, τοῦτο μάλιστα πάντων αὐτὸς ἐπετήδευσεν. Οὕτω πανταχοῦ φιλοτιμίας ἦσαν μόνης· καὶ Πλάτωνος οὐδὲν ἔστι θαυμάσαι, ἢ τοῦτο μόνον. Καὶ καθάπερ τῶν τάφων τοὺς ἔξωθεν κεκονιαμένους, ἂν ἀπαμφιάσῃς, ἰχῶρος, καὶ δυσωδίας, καὶ διεφθορότων ὄψει γέμοντας ὀστῶν· οὕτω καὶ τὰ τοῦ φιλοσόφου δόγματα, ἂν τῆς κατὰ τὴν λέξιν ἀπογυμνώσῃς ὥρας, πολλῆς ὄψει τῆς βδελυγμίας πεπληρωμένα, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν περὶ ψυχῆς φιλοσοφῇ, ἀμέτρως τιμῶν τε αὐτὴν καὶ βλασφημῶν. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ διαβολικὴ παγὶς, μηδαμοῦ τὴν συμμετρίαν τηρεῖν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐφ' ἑκάτερα πλεονασμοῖς πρὸς δυσφημίαν ἐξάγειν τοὺς ἁλισκομένους αὐτῇ. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ αὐτὴν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φησιν οὐσίας εἶναι· νῦν δὲ αὐτὴν οὕτως ἀμέτρως καὶ ἀσεβῶς ἐπάρας, μεθ' ἑτέρας καθυβρίζει πάλιν ὑπερβολῆς, εἰς χοίρους καὶ ὄνους εἰσάγων, καὶ τὰ ἔτι τούτων ἀτιμότερα ζῶα. Ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν ἅλις· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ταῦτα πέρα τοῦ μέτρου. Εἰ μὲν γάρ τι χρήσιμον παρ'