John Chrysostom, On Consubstantiality

to fear death and to shrink back and to be in agony belongs to it. Now therefore He leaves it desolate, and stripped of its own energy, so that by showing its weakness, He might confirm its nature as well; and now He hides it, that you may learn that He was not a mere man. For just as, if He had always displayed human things, this would have been thought; so, if He had always performed the things of the Godhead, the doctrine of the economy would have been disbelieved. For this reason He varies, and mixes both the words and the deeds, so that He might provide an occasion neither for the sickness and madness of Paul of Samosata, nor for that of Marcion and Manichaeus; for this reason He both foretells what is to come as God, and shrinks back again as man. 7. I wished to go through the other reasons as well, and to show from the facts themselves, that just as here He prayed, exposing the weakness of the flesh, so also elsewhere again, correcting the weakness of His hearers; for indeed one must not think that all the things spoken humbly were spoken only on account of the covering of the flesh, but also for the other reasons I have mentioned; but lest I should overwhelm the multitude of what has been said with the abundance of what is about to be said, stopping here my discourse to them, and postponing what remains to another day, I will turn again to the exhortation to prayer. For even if we have spoken many times about this subject, yet now it is also necessary to speak. For even with garments, those dyed once have a faded dye, but those which the dyers dip and draw out many times and continuously, preserve the bloom of the color fixed; this indeed also happens with our souls. For when we hear the same words many times, having received the teaching like some dye, we would not easily cast it off. Let us not then listen carelessly; for there is not, there is not anything more powerful than prayer, nor its equal. A king is not so splendid clothed in purple, as is the one who prays, adorned by communion with God. For just as if, with an army present, and with generals, rulers, and many consuls, someone should approach and converse privately with the king, he turns everyone's gaze to himself, and in this way becomes more venerable; so indeed would it be also in the case of 48.767 those who pray. For consider how great a thing it is, with angels present, archangels standing by, the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and all the other powers, for him, being a man, to be able to approach with much boldness, and to converse with the King of those powers; of how much honor would this not be worthy? And not only honor, but also the greatest benefit would come to us from prayer, even before we receive what we ask. For as soon as one has raised his hands to heaven, and called upon God, he has immediately stood apart from all human affairs, and has been transported in his mind to the future life, and henceforth imagines the things in the heavens, and has no concern for the present life, during the time of prayer, if he prays with exactness; but even if anger boils up, it is easily put to sleep; and if desire burns, it is extinguished; and if envy wastes away, it is driven out with great ease; and this happens, which the prophet says, at the rising of the sun. And what does he say? You made darkness, and it became night; in it all the beasts of the forest will roam, young lions roaring to seize and to seek their food from God; the sun arose, and they were gathered together, and will lie down in their dens. Therefore, just as when the sun's ray rises all the wild beasts are put to flight and sink down into their own dens; so indeed when prayer, like a ray appearing from our mouth and tongue, shines forth, the mind is enlightened, and all the irrational and beastly passions run away and are put to flight, and toward

φοβεῖσθαι θάνατον καὶ ἀναδύεσθαι καὶ ἀγωνιᾷν ἐκείνης ἐστι. Νῦν μὲν οὖν ἐρήμην αὐτὴν ἀφίησι, καὶ γυμνὴν τῆς οἰκείας ἐνεργείας, ἵνα αὐτῆς δείξας τὴν ἀσθένειαν, πιστώσηται αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν φύσιν· νῦν δὲ αὐτὴν ἀποκρύπτει, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ ψιλὸς ἄνθρωπος ἦν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, εἰ διὰ παντὸς τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἐνεδείκνυτο, τοῦτο ἂν ἐνομίσθη· οὕτως, εἰ διὰ παντὸς τὰ τῆς θεότητος ἐπετέλει, ἠπιστήθη ἂν ὁ τῆς οἰκονομίας λόγος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ποικίλλει, καὶ ἀναμίγνυσι καὶ τὰ ῥήματα καὶ τὰ πράγματα, ἵνα μήτε τῇ Παύλου τοῦ Σαμοσατέως, μήτε τῇ Μαρκίωνος καὶ Μανιχαίου νόσῳ καὶ μανίᾳ παράσχῃ πρόφασιν· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ προλέγει τὸ ἐσόμενον ὡς Θεὸς, καὶ ἀναδύεται πάλιν ὡς ἄνθρωπος. ζʹ. Ἐβουλόμην καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς αἰτίαις ἐπεξελθεῖν, καὶ δεῖξαι ἐπ' αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἐνταῦθα τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ἐλέγχων ηὔξατο, οὕτω καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πάλιν τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῶν ἀκουόντων διορθούμενος· οὐ γὰρ δὴ πάντα τὰ ταπεινῶς εἰρημένα διὰ τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς περιβολὴν εἰρῆσθαι χρὴ νομίζειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὰς ἄλλας ἃς εἶπον αἰτίας· ἵνα δὲ μὴ τῶν εἰρημένων ἐπικλύσω τὸ πλῆθος τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῶν ῥηθήσεσθαι μελλόντων, ἐνταῦθα τὸν πρὸς ἐκείνους στήσας λόγον, καὶ τὰ λειπόμενα εἰς ἑτέραν ἀναβαλλόμενος ἡμέραν, πρὸς παραίνεσιν εὐχῆς τρέψομαι πάλιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλάκις ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἱματίων τὰ μὲν ἅπαξ βαφέντα ἐξίτηλον ἔχει τὴν βαφὴν, ἃ δὲ πολλάκις καὶ συνεχῶς καθέντες ἀνασπῶσιν οἱ δευσοποιοὶ, ἀκίνητον διατηρεῖ τὸ τοῦ χρώματος ἄνθος· τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ψυχῶν συμβαίνει τῶν ἡμετέρων. Ὅταν γὰρ πολλάκις τῶν αὐτῶν ἀκούσωμεν ῥημάτων, καθάπερ τινὰ βαφὴν τὴν διδασκαλίαν ὑποδεξάμενοι, οὐκ ἂν ῥᾳδίως αὐτὴν ἀποπτύσαιμεν. Μὴ τοίνυν παρέργως ἀκούωμεν· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν εὐχῆς δυνατώτερον, οὐδὲ ἴσον. Οὐχ οὕτως ἐστὶ βασιλεὺς λαμπρὸς ἁλουργίδα περιβεβλημένος, ὡς ὁ εὐχόμενος τῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁμιλίᾳ κοσμούμενος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰ στρατοπέδου παρόντος, στρατηγῶν, ἀρχόντων, ὑπάτων πολλῶν, προσελθών τις κατ' ἰδίαν διαλεχθείη τῷ βασιλεῖ, τὰς πάντων ὄψεις ἐπιστρέφει πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ταύτῃ σεμνότερος γίνεται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ 48.767 τῶν εὐχομένων γένοιτ' ἄν. Ἐννόησον γὰρ πηλίκον ἔσται ἀγγέλων παρόντων, ἀρχαγγέλων παρεστώτων, τῶν Σεραφὶμ, τῶν Χερουβὶμ, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπασῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα μετὰ πολλῆς δύνασθαι προσιέναι τῆς παῤῥησίας, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν δυνάμεων ἐκείνων διαλέγεσθαι· πόσης τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν ἀντάξιον εἴη τιμῆς; Οὐ τιμὴ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠφέλεια μεγίστη γένοιτ' ἂν ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς, καὶ πρὶν ἢ λαβεῖν ὅπερ αἰτοῦμεν. Ὁμοῦ τε γάρ τις ἀνέτεινε τὰς χεῖρας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐκάλεσε, καὶ πάντων εὐθέως ἀπέστη τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων, καὶ μετέστη τῇ διανοίᾳ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν, καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς φαντάζεται λοιπὸν, καὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν ἔχει ζωὴν, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς εὐχῆς, ἐὰν μετὰ ἀκριβείας εὔχηται· ἀλλὰ κἂν θυμὸς ἀναζέῃ, κοιμίζεται ῥᾳδίως, κἂν ἐπιθυμία φλέγῃ, σβέννυται, κἂν φθόνος τήκῃ, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας ἀπελαύνεται· καὶ τοῦτο γίνεται, ὅπερ ὁ προφήτης λέγει, ἀνίσχοντος τοῦ ἡλίου. Τί δὲ ἐκεῖνός φησιν; Ἔθου σκότος, καὶ ἐγένετο νύξ· ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσεται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ, σκύμνοι ὠρυόμενοι τοῦ ἁρπάσαι καὶ ζητῆσαι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βρῶσιν αὐτοῖς· ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ συνήχθησαν, καὶ εἰς τὰς μάνδρας αὐτῶν κοιτασθήσονται. Ὥσπερ οὖν τῆς ἀκτῖνος ἀνισχούσης πάντα φυγαδεύεται τὰ θηρία, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς φωλεοὺς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν καταδύεται· οὕτω δὴ τῆς εὐχῆς, ὥσπερ τινὸς ἀκτῖνος ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ ἡμετέρου καὶ τῆς γλώττης ἀναφανείσης, φωτίζεται μὲν ἡ διάνοια, πάντα δὲ τὰ ἄλογα καὶ θηριώδη πάθη δραπετεύει καὶ φυγαδεύεται, καὶ πρὸς