John Chrysostom, Sermon on the Captive Eutropius

evangelist, As the sun, because this star is familiar to us, and surpasses all the other stars. But, as I was saying, one so great and of such stature desired a harlot. Did God desire a harlot? Yes, a harlot; I mean our nature. Did God desire a harlot? And a man, if he desires a harlot, is condemned, but God desires a harlot? Indeed. Again, a man desires a harlot, so that he may become a fornicator. But God desires a harlot, that He might make the harlot a virgin; so that the desire of man is the destruction of the one desired; but the desire of God is salvation for the one desired. One so great and of such stature desired a harlot? And what for? That he might become the bridegroom. What does he do? He does not send any of his servants to her, he does not send the angel to the harlot, he does not send the archangel, he does not send the Cherubim, he does not send the Seraphim; but the lover himself comes. Again, when you hear of love, do not think of it as carnal. Pluck the thoughts from the words, just as the best bee flitting among the flowers, takes the honeycomb, but leaves the plants. He desired a harlot; and what does He do? He does not lead her up; for he did not wish to bring a harlot into heaven, but he himself comes down. Since she could not ascend up, he himself came down. He comes to the harlot, and is not ashamed; he comes into her hut. He sees her drunk. And how does he come? Not in his naked substance, but he becomes what the harlot was. not in mind, but in nature he becomes this, so that seeing him she might not be startled, that she might not leap away, that she might not flee. He comes to the harlot, and becomes a man. And how does he become so? He is carried in a womb, he grows little by little, and comes by the path of my age. Who? The economy, not the divinity; the form of the servant, not of the Lord; my flesh, not his 52.406 substance; he grows little by little, and mingles with men, although he finds her full of wounds, turned into a beast, burdened by demons; and what does he do? He approaches her. She saw and fled. He calls the magi. Why are you afraid? I am not a judge, but a physician; I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He immediately calls the magi. O new and wondrous things! The first-fruits are immediately magi. He who sustains the world lies in a manger, and he who encompasses all things is wrapped in swaddling clothes. The temple lies there, and God dwells within. And the magi come, and immediately worship; a tax collector comes, and becomes an evangelist; a harlot comes, and becomes a virgin; a Canaanite woman comes, and enjoys loving-kindness. This belongs to a lover, not to demand an account of sins, but to forgive the transgressions of offenses. And what does he do? He takes her, he betroths her. And what does he give her? A ring. What kind? The Holy Spirit. Paul says: Now it is God who makes us stand firm with you, who also sealed us, and gave the earnest of the Spirit. He gives her the Spirit. Then he says: Did I not plant you in paradise? She says: Yes. And how did you fall from there? The devil came, and took me from paradise. You were planted in paradise, and he cast you out; behold, I plant you in myself, I bear you. How? He does not dare to approach me. Nor do I lead you up into heaven; but here is something greater than heaven; in myself, the Lord of heaven, I bear you. A shepherd bears, and the wolf no longer comes; or rather, I will let him approach. And He bears our nature; and the devil approaches, and is defeated. I have planted you in myself. For this reason he says, I am the root, you are the branches; and he planted her in himself. And what then? But I am a sinner, she says, and unclean. Let it not trouble you, I am a physician. I know my vessel, I know how it was corrupted. It was of clay before this, and was corrupted.

εὐαγγελιστὴς, Ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ἄστρον τοῦτο γνώριμον ἡμῖν ἐστι, καὶ ἐν ὑπερβολῇ τῶν λοιπῶν ἄστρων ἁπάντων. Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔλεγον, ὁ τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ἐπεθύμησε πόρνης. Πόρνης ἐπεθύμει ὁ Θεός; Ναὶ, πόρνης· τῆς φύσεως ἡμετέρας λέγω. Πόρνης ἐπεθύμει ὁ Θεός; Καὶ ἄνθρωπος μὲν, ἐὰν ἐπιθυμήσῃ πόρνης, καταδικάζεται, Θεὸς δὲ πόρνης ἐπιθυμεῖ; Καὶ πάνυ. Πάλιν ἄνθρωπος ἐπιθυμεῖ πόρνης, ἵνα γένηται πόρνος. Θεὸς δὲ ἐπιθυμεῖ πόρνης, ἵνα τὴν πόρνην παρθένον ἐργάσηται· ὥστε ἡ ἐπιθυμία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἀπώλεια τῆς ἐπιθυμουμένης· ἡ δὲ ἐπιθυμία τοῦ Θεοῦ, σωτηρία τῇ ἐπιθυμουμένῃ. Ὁ τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ἐπεθύμησε πόρνης; Καὶ τί; Ἵνα γένηται ὁ νυμφίος. Τί ποιεῖ; Οὐ πέμπει πρὸς αὐτὴν οὐδένα τῶν δούλων, οὐ πέμπει τὸν ἄγγελον πρὸς πόρνην, οὐ πέμπει ἀρχάγγελον, οὐ πέμπει τὰ Χερουβὶμ, οὐ πέμπει τὰ Σεραφίμ· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς παραγίνεται ὁ ἐρῶν. Πάλιν ἔρωτα ἀκούσας, μὴ αἰσθητὸν νόμιζε. Ἔκλεγε τὰ νοήματα ἀπὸ τῶν λέξεων, καθάπερ ἀρίστη μέλιττα ἐφιπταμένη τοῖς ἄνθεσι, καὶ τὸ κηρίον λαμβάνουσα, τὰς δὲ βοτάνας ἐῶσα. Ἐπεθύμησε πόρνης· καὶ τί ποιεῖ; Οὐκ ἀνάγει αὐτὴν ἄνω· οὐ γὰρ ἐβούλετο πόρνην εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀγαγεῖν, ἀλλὰ καταβαίνει αὐτὸς κάτω. Ἐπειδὴ αὐτὴ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἀναβῆναι ἄνω, αὐτὸς κατέβη κάτω. Πρὸς τὴν πόρνην ἔρχεται, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνεται· ἔρχεται εἰς τὴν καλύβην αὐτῆς. Ὁρᾷ αὐτὴν μεθύουσαν. Καὶ πῶς ἔρχεται; Οὐ γυμνῇ τῇ οὐσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ γίνεται, ὅπερ ἦν ἡ πόρνη. οὐ τῇ γνώμῃ, ἀλλὰ τῇ φύσει γίνεται τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ ἰδοῦσα αὐτὸν πτοηθῇ, ἵνα μὴ ἀποπηδήσῃ, ἵνα μὴ φύγῃ. Ἔρχεται πρὸς τὴν πόρνην, καὶ γίνεται ἄνθρωπος. Καὶ πῶς γίνεται; Εἰς μήτραν κυοφορεῖται, αὔξεται κατὰ μικρὸν, καὶ ἔρχεται τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἡλικίας τῆς ἐμῆς. Τίς; Ἡ οἰκονομία, οὐχ ἡ θεότης· ἡ τοῦ δούλου μορφὴ, οὐχ ἡ τοῦ ∆εσπότου· ἡ σὰρξ ἡ ἐμὴ, οὐχ ἡ οὐσία ἐκεί 52.406 νου· αὔξεται κατὰ μικρὸν, καὶ μίγνυται ἀνθρώποις, καίτοι εὑρίσκει αὐτὴν ἑλκῶν γέμουσαν, ἐκτεθηριωμένην, ὑπὸ δαιμόνων πεφορτισμένην· καὶ τί ποιεῖ; Προσέρχεται αὐτῇ. Εἶδεν ἐκείνη καὶ ἔφυγε. Καλεῖ μάγους. Τί φοβεῖσθε; Οὐκ εἰμὶ κριτὴς, ἀλλ' ἰατρός· Οὐκ ἦλθον ἵνα κρίνω τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ' ἵνα σώσω τὸν κόσμον. Καλεῖ εὐθέως μάγους. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων. Αἱ ἀπαρχαὶ εὐθέως μάγοι. Κεῖται ἐν φάτνῃ ὁ τὴν οἰκουμένην βαστάζων, καὶ ἐσπαργάνωται ὁ πάντα περιέπων. Κεῖται ὁ ναὸς, καὶ ἐνοικεῖ ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ἔρχονται μάγοι, καὶ προσκυνοῦσιν εὐθέως· ἔρχεται τελώνης, καὶ γίνεται εὐαγγελιστής· ἔρχεται πόρνη, καὶ γίνεται παρθένος· ἔρχεται Χαναναία, καὶ ἀπολαύει φιλανθρωπίας. Τοῦτο ἐρῶντος, τὸ μὴ ἀπαιτῆσαι εὐθύνας ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ συγχωρῆσαι παρανομήματα πλημμελημάτων. Καὶ τί ποιεῖ; Λαμβάνει αὐτὴν, ἁρμόζεται αὐτήν. Καὶ τί αὐτῇ δίδωσι; ∆ακτύλιον. Ποῖον; Τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Λέγει Παῦλος· Ὁ δὲ βεβαιῶν ἡμᾶς σὺν ὑμῖν Θεὸς, ὁ καὶ σφραγισάμενος ἡμᾶς, καὶ δοὺς τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τοῦ Πνεύματος. Πνεῦμα αὐτῇ δίδωσιν. Εἶτά φησιν· Οὐκ εἰς παράδεισόν σε ἐφύτευσα; Λέγει· Ναί. Καὶ πῶς ἐξέπεσες ἐκεῖθεν; Ἦλθεν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἔλαβέ με ἀπὸ τοῦ παραδείσου. Ἐφυτεύθης ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, καὶ ἔβαλέ σε ἔξω· ἰδοὺ φυτεύω σε ἐν ἐμαυτῷ, ἐγώ σε βαστάζω. Πῶς; Οὐ τολμᾷ ἐμοὶ προσελθεῖν. Οὐδὲ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν σε ἀνάγω· ἀλλὰ μεῖζον ἐνταῦθα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ἐν ἐμαυτῷ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ βαστάζω σε. Ποιμὴν βαστάζει, καὶ ὁ λύκος οὐκέτι ἔρχεται· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀφῶ αὐτὸν καὶ προσελθεῖν. Καὶ βαστάζει τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν· καὶ προσέρχεται ὁ διάβολος, καὶ ἡττᾶται. Ἐφύτευσά σε ἐν ἐμαυτῷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει, Ἐγὼ ἡ ῥίζα, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα· καὶ ἐφύτευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Καὶ τί λοιπόν; Ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, φησὶ, καὶ ἀκάθαρτος. Μή σοι μελέτω, ἰατρός εἰμι. Οἶδα τὸ σκεῦος τὸ ἐμὸν, οἶδα πῶς διεστράφη. Πήλινον ἦν πρὸ τούτου, καὶ διεστράφη.