John Chrysostom, On the Incomprehensible Nature of God

Christ? When we suppress our own reasonings that rage unseasonably, when we make our mind desolate and empty of external learning, so that, when it is necessary to receive the things of Christ, we may offer it at leisure and swept clean for the reception of the divine words. For when God declares something that must not be meddled with, it must be accepted with faith. For to investigate the causes in such matters and to demand the reasons and to seek the manner, is of a most audacious and reckless soul. And this again I will attempt to demonstrate from the Scriptures themselves. There was a certain Zacharias, a wonderful and great man, honored with the high priesthood, entrusted by God with the leadership of all the people; this Zacharias, having entered into the holy of holies, into the very inner sanctuary which it was lawful for him alone of all men then to see—consider how he was a counterweight for all the multitude, and offering up prayers on behalf of all the multitude to God and making the Master merciful to His servants, as if being a kind of mediator between God and men—saw an angel standing within, and, since the sight astounded the man, he says: “Do not be afraid, Zacharias; your prayer has been heard and you shall bear a son.” And what is the connection? He was entreating on behalf of the people, he was praying for their sins, he was asking pardon for his fellow servants, and He says: "Do not be afraid; for your prayer has been heard," and He makes the proof of its being heard the birth of his son John. And very reasonably. For since he was entreating on behalf of the sins of the people, and he was about to bear a son who would cry out: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," He reasonably says: "Your prayer has been heard and you shall bear a son." What then did he do? For this is the point in question: that to investigate the manner of divine oracles is unforgivable, but one must accept the declarations with faith. He looked at his own age, at his grey hair, at his weakened body; he looked at his wife's barrenness and he disbelieved and sought to learn the manner and said: "By what shall I know this?" How, he says, shall this be? Behold, I have grown old and grey, and my wife is barren, advanced in her days. The age is past season, nature is useless; how can the things promised be reasonable? I who sow am weak; the field is barren. Does he not seem to some worthy of pardon for seeking the sequence of events and appearing to say something reasonable? But to God he did not seem worthy. And very reasonably. For when God makes a declaration, one must not stir up reasonings, nor the sequence of events, nor put forward the necessity of nature, nor anything else of the sort; for the power of the declaration is superior to all these things, not hindered by any impediment. What are you doing, O man? God makes a promise, and you resort to age and put forward old age? Is old age stronger than the promise of God? Is nature more powerful than the creator of nature? Do you not know that the works of His words are powerful? His word established the heaven; His word brought forth creation; His word made angels, and you doubt concerning a birth? For these reasons the angel was indignant, and did not grant pardon even on account of the priesthood; indeed, on account of it he was punished more severely. For he who had greater claim to honor than others ought also to have excelled others in faith. And what was the manner of the punishment? "Behold, you shall be silent, and not able to speak." Your tongue, he says, which ministered to the disbelief of the words, this shall also receive the punishment for the disbelief: "Behold, you shall be silent and not speaking, until these things come to pass." Consider the Master's love for mankind. You disbelieve me, he says; now receive the punishment, and when I provide the proof through the events, then I will release the anger; when you learn that you were justly punished, then I will free you from the punishment. Let the Anomoeans hear how God is indignant when meddled with. If he, for disbelieving a mortal birth, is punished, how will you, who investigate the ineffable and heavenly one, escape punishment? tell me.

Χριστόν; Ὅταν τοὺς οἰκείους λογισμοὺς λυττῶντας ἀκαίρως καταστέλλωμεν, ὅταν ἔρημον καὶ κενὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν διάνοιαν τῆς ἔξωθεν ποιῶμεν παιδεύσεως, ἵνα, ὅταν δέῃ τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δέχεσθαι, σχολάζουσαν καὶ σεσαρωμένην αὐτὴν πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τῶν θείων λόγων παρέχωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ ὅταν ἀποφαίνηταί τι Θεὸς ὃ μὴ δεῖ πολυπραγμονεῖσθαι, πίστει παραδέχεσθαι χρή. Τὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων περιεργάζεσθαι τὰς αἰτίας καὶ ἀπαιτεῖν τὰς εὐθύνας καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἐπιζητεῖν, τολμηροτάτης καὶ ῥιψοκινδύνου ψυχῆς. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν Γραφῶν παραστῆσαι πειράσομαι. Ζαχαρίας τις ἦν ἀνὴρ θαυμαστὸς καὶ μέγας, ἀρχιερωσύνῃ τετιμημένος, παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν προστασίαν ἐμπεπιστευμένος τοῦ δήμου παντός· οὗτος ὁ Ζαχαρίας εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, εἰς αὐτὰ τὰ ἄδυτα ἃ μόνῳ τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐκείνῳ θέμις ἦν τότε ὁρᾶν-σκόπει πῶς τοῦ πλήθους παντὸς ἀντίρροπος ἦν, καὶ λιτὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλήθους παντὸς ἀναφέρων τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἵλεω ποιῶν τὸν ∆εσπότην τοῖς οἰκέταις, καθάπερ μεσίτης τις ὢν Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων- εἶδεν ἄγγελον ἔνδον ἑστῶτα καί, ἐπειδὴ ἐξέπληξεν ἡ ὄψις τὸν ἄνθρωπον, φησὶν ἐκεῖνος· «Μὴ φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία· εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν.» Καὶ ποία αὕτη ἀκολουθία; Ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ παρεκάλει, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐδεῖτο, συγγνώμην ᾔτει τοῖς συνδούλοις, καὶ λέγει· «Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἠκούσθη γὰρ ἡ δέησίς σου», καὶ τοῦ ἀκουσθῆναι ἀπόδειξιν ποιεῖται τὸ τεχθήσεσθαι παῖδα αὐτῷ τὸν Ἰωάννην. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τοῦ λαοῦ παρεκάλει, ἔμελλε δὲ τίκτειν υἱὸν βοῶντα· «Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου», εἰκότως φησίν· «Ἠκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν.» Τί οὖν ἐκεῖνος; Τὸ γὰρ ζητούμενον τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅτι τὸ περιεργάζεσθαι τρόπους χρησμῶν θείων ἀσύγγνωστόν ἐστι, τὰς δὲ ἀποφάσεις πίστει δέχεσθαι χρή. Εἶδεν εἰς τὴν ἡλικίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, εἰς τὴν πολιάν, εἰς τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἐξησθενηκός· εἶδεν εἰς τὴν στείρωσιν τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ διηπίστησε καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἐζήτησε μαθεῖν καὶ εἶπε· «Κατὰ τί γνώσομαι τοῦτο;» Πῶς, φησίν, ἔσται τοῦτο; Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ γεγήρακα καὶ πεπολίωμαι, καὶ ἡ γυνή μου στεῖρα προβεβηκυῖα ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῆς· ἡ ἡλικία ἄωρος, ἡ φύσις ἄχρηστος· πῶς ἔχει λόγον τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα; ἐγὼ ὁ σπείρων ἀσθενής· ἡ ἄρουρα ἄγονος. Ἆρ' οὐ δοκεῖ τισι συγγνώμης ἄξιος εἶναι πραγμάτων ἀκολουθίαν ἐπιζητῶν καὶ δοκῶν τι λέγειν εἰκός; Ἀλλ' οὐ τῷ Θεῷ ἔδοξεν ἄξιος εἶναι. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀποφαίνηται, λογισμοὺς κινεῖν οὐ χρή, οὐδὲ πραγμάτων ἀκολουθίαν, οὐδὲ φύσεως ἀνάγκην προβάλλεσθαι, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν· πάντων γὰρ τούτων ἀνωτέρα τῆς ἀποφάσεως ἡ δύναμις οὐδενὶ διακοπτομένη κωλύματι. Τί ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; Ὁ Θεὸς ἐπαγγέλλεται, καὶ ἐπὶ ἡλικίαν καταφεύγεις καὶ γῆρας προβάλλῃ; μὴ γὰρ ἰσχυρότερον τὸ γῆρας τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τοῦ Θεοῦ; μὴ γὰρ δυνατωτέρα ἡ φύσις τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῆς φύσεως; οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ἰσχυρὰ ἔργα λόγων αὐτοῦ; Ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔστησεν· ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ τὴν κτίσιν παρήγαγεν· ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ ἀγγέλους ἐποίησεν, καὶ σὺ περὶ γεννήσεως ἀμφιβάλλεις; ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ἠγανάκτησεν ὁ ἄγγελος, καὶ οὐδὲ διὰ τὴν ἱερωσύνην συνέγνω· δι' αὐτὴν μὲν οὖν ἐκολάζετο μειζόνως. Τὸν γὰρ πλέον τῶν ἄλλων εἰς τιμῆς ἔχοντα λόγον καὶ περὶ τὴν πίστιν τῶν ἄλλων πλεονεκτεῖν ἔδει. Καὶ τίς ὁ τρόπος τῆς κολάσεως; «Ἰδοὺ ἔσῃ σιωπῶν, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλεῖν.» Ἡ γλῶσσά σου, φησί, ἣ διηκόνησε πρὸς τὴν τῶν ῥημάτων ἀπιστίαν, αὕτη δέξεται καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ τιμωρίαν· «Ἰδοὺ ἔσῃ σιωπῶν καὶ μὴ λαλῶν, ἕως ἂν γένηται ταῦτα.» Ἐννόησον φιλανθρωπίαν ∆εσπότου. Ἀπιστεῖς μοι, φησί· νῦν δέχου τὴν κόλασιν, καὶ ὅταν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων παράσχω τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, τότε λύω τὴν ὀργήν· ὅταν μάθῃς ὅτι δικαίως ἐκολάσθης, τότε σε ἀπαλλάττω τῆς τιμωρίας. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ Ἀνόμοιοι πῶς ἀγανακτεῖ πολυπραγμονούμενος ὁ Θεός. Εἰ δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἀπιστήσας τῇ θνητῇ γεννήσει κολάζεται, σὺ ὁ τὴν ἀπόρρητον καὶ τὴν ἄνω περιεργαζόμενος πῶς διαφεύξῃ τιμωρίαν; εἰπέ μοι.