John Chrysostom, On Timothy

for the sake of shameful gain. For if he has undertaken teaching, but is not able to contend with them nor to silence them in their shamelessness, he will become the cause of the ruin of those who are perishing in every case. For if someone advises, saying, "Do not seek to be a judge, unless you are able to root out injustice," much more might one say here, "Do not seek to be a teacher, if you fall short of the dignity of the matter, but even if you are dragged to it, flee away." Do you see everywhere that the love of money, shameful gain, is the cause of these things? Teaching, he says, what they ought not, for the sake of shameful gain. 3. For there is nothing which these passions do not corrupt; but just as some wild winds falling upon a calm sea, churn it all up from below, so that even the sand is mixed with the waves; so these passions, entering a soul, turn everything upside 62.674 down, and they cripple the discernment of the mind, and especially the madness for glory. For it is easy for one who wishes to despise money; but to look down upon the honor from the many requires much labor, great philosophy, a soul of angelic quality touching the very summit of heaven. For there is not, there is not any passion so tyrannical and everywhere prevailing, in greater or lesser measure, but everywhere nevertheless. How then might we overcome it, if not completely, then at least in some small part? If we look up to heaven, if we keep God before our eyes, if we adopt a reasoning greater than earthly things. Consider, when you desire glory, that you have attained it, and learn its end, and you will find nothing; consider what great loss the matter holds, of how many and what great goods it deprives you; for you will undergo the toils and the dangers, but you will be deprived of the fruits and the prizes; consider that the majority are wicked, and despise their glory. Consider each one of them individually, who he is, and you will see the matter is full of laughter; you will see that the matter is shame rather than glory; and after this, raise your thought to the theater above. When, doing something good, you consider that you must also show it to men, and you seek some spectators for the deed, and are in travail to be seen; consider that God sees, and you extinguish all that desire; withdraw from the earth, look to that theater which is in the heavens. Men, even if they praise, yet later they have found fault, and they envy, and they criticize; and even if they do not do this, they will in no way benefit the one who is praised; but with God it is not so, but He rejoices in praising our right actions. You have spoken rightly, and received applause? And what is the gain? For if those who applauded were benefited and changed and became better, and departed from their former evils, you ought truly to rejoice, not at the praises that were given, but at the good and wonderful change. But if they continually praise and make a noise and applaud, but reap no fruit from their applause, you should rather grieve, because these things become a judgment against them. But do you have a reputation for piety? If you are truly pious, and conscious of no evil in yourself, you ought to rejoice, not because you seem to be, but because you are; if, however, not being so, you desire the opinion of the many, consider that these will not be our judges on that day, but He who knows hidden things with accuracy. But if, being conscious of sins in yourself, you are supposed by all to be pure, not only should you not rejoice, but you should also grieve and groan bitterly, continually thinking of the day on which all things are revealed, on which the hidden things of darkness are brought to light. Do you enjoy honor? Thrust it aside, knowing that it makes you a debtor. Does no one offer you honor? You should rejoice in this; for God will also hold this against you with the other things, that you enjoyed honor. Or do you not see, how with the other benefits God also makes this accusation through the

αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν. Εἰ γὰρ τὴν διδασκαλίαν ἀνεδέξατο, οὐχ ἱκανὸς δέ ἐστιν ἐκείνοις μάχεσθαι οὐδὲ ἐπιστομίσαι αὐτοὺς οὕτως ἀναισχυντοῦντας, τῆς τῶν ἀπολλυμένων βλάβης καθ' ἕκαστον αἴτιος γενήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ παραινεῖ τις λέγων, Μὴ ζήτει γενέσθαι κριτὴς, εἰ μὴ ἰσχύεις ἐξᾶραι ἀδικίαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐνταῦθα ἂν εἴποι τις, Μὴ ζήτει γενέσθαι διδάσκαλος, εἰ τῆς τοῦ πράγματος ἀξίας ἀπέχεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑλκόμενος ἀποπήδα. Ὁρᾷς πανταχοῦ τὴν φιλαργυρίαν, τὴν αἰσχροκέρδειαν αἰτίαν τούτων οὖσαν; ∆ιδάσκοντες, φησὶν, ἃ μὴ δεῖ, αἰσχροῦ κέρδους χάριν. γʹ. Οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστιν, ὃ μὴ λυμαίνεται ταῦτα τὰ πάθη· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ πνεύματά τινα ἄγρια εἰς γαληνὸν ἐμπεσόντα πέλαγος, ὅλον αὐτὸ κάτωθεν ἀναμοχλεύει, ὡς καὶ τὴν ἄμμον τοῖς κύμασιν ἀναμίγνυσθαι· οὕτω ταῦτα τὰ πάθη εἰς ψυχὴν εἰσιόντα, πάντα ἄνω καὶ 62.674 κάτω ποιεῖ, πηροῖ τὸ διορατικὸν τῆς διανοίας, μάλιστα δὲ ἡ τῆς δόξης μανία. Χρημάτων μὲν γὰρ εὔκολον καταφρονῆσαι τῷ βουλομένῳ· τῆς δὲ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν τιμῆς ὑπεριδεῖν, πολλοῦ δεῖ πόνου, μεγάλης φιλοσοφίας, ψυχῆς τινος ἀγγελικῆς αὐτῆς ἁπτομένης τῆς κορυφῆς τῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν οὕτω πάθος τυραννικὸν καὶ πανταχοῦ κρατοῦν, ἐκ πλείονος μὲν καὶ ἐλάττονος μοίρας, πανταχοῦ δὲ ὅμως. Πῶς ἂν οὖν αὐτοῦ περιγενοίμεθα, εἰ καὶ μὴ κατὰ κράτος, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἐξ ἐλαχίστου μέρους; Ἂν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβλέπωμεν, ἂν τὸν Θεὸν σχῶμεν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν, ἂν μείζω τῶν γηίνων λάβωμεν λογισμόν. Ἐννόησον, ὅταν ἐπιθυμῇς δόξης, ὅτι αὐτῆς ἐπέτυχες, καὶ μάθε τὸ τέλος, καὶ οὐδὲν εὑρήσεις· ἐννόησον ὅσην ἔχει τὴν ζημίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὅσων καὶ ἡλίκων ἀποστερεῖ ἀγαθῶν· τοὺς μὲν γὰρ πόνους ὑποστήσῃ καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους, τῶν δὲ καρπῶν ἀποστερηθήσῃ καὶ τῶν ἐπάθλων· ἐννόει ὅτι οἱ πλεῖστοι κακοὶ, καὶ καταφρόνησον αὐτῶν τῆς δόξης. Καθ' ἕνα ἕκαστον ἀναλόγισαι τίς ἐστι, καὶ ὄψει τὸ πρᾶγμα γέλωτος γέμον· ὄψει ὅτι αἰσχύνη μᾶλλον, ἢ δόξα τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνάγαγε τὸν λογισμὸν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω θέατρον. Ὅταν ἀγαθόν τι πράττων ἐννοῇς, ὅτι δεῖ καὶ ἀνθρώποις δεῖξαι, καί τινας ἐπιζητῇς θεατὰς τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ ὠδίνῃς ὥστε ὀφθῆναι· ἐννόησον ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ὁρᾷ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκείνην σβεννύεις τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν· ἀναχώρησον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πρὸς ἐκεῖνο ἴδε τὸ θέατρον τὸ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἄνθρωποι κἂν ἐπαινέσωσιν, ἀλλ' ὕστερον ἐμέμψαντο, ἀλλὰ φθονοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπιλαμβάνονται· κἂν μὴ τοῦτο ποιῶσιν, οὐδὲν ὅλως ὠφελήσουσι τὸν ἐπαινούμενον· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ χαίρει ἐπαινῶν ἡμῶν τὰ κατορθώματα. Εἶπες ὀρθῶς, καὶ κρότων ἐπέτυχες; καὶ τί τὸ κέρδος; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελήθησαν οἱ κροτήσαντες καὶ μετεβάλοντο καὶ βελτίους ἐγένοντο, καὶ τῶν προτέρων κακῶν ἀπέστησαν, δεῖ χαίρειν ὄντως, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐπαίνοις τοῖς γενομένοις, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ μεταβολῇ τῇ καλῇ καὶ θαυμαστῇ. Εἰ δὲ διαπαντὸς μὲν ἐπαινοῦντες καὶ θορυβοῦντες καὶ κροτοῦντες διατελοῦσι, καρποῦνται δὲ οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῶν κρότων, ἀλγεῖν μᾶλλον χρὴ, ὅτι αὐτοῖς εἰς κρῖμα ταῦτα γίνεται. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ εὐλαβείᾳ δόξαν ἔχεις; Ἂν μὲν ὄντως ᾖς εὐλαβὴς, καὶ μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ σύνοιδας πονηρὸν, χαίρειν δεῖ, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ δοκεῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εἶ· ἂν μέντοι μὴ ὢν, τῆς τῶν πολλῶν δόξης ἐπιθυμῇς, ἐννόει ὅτι οὐχ οὗτοι κρινοῦσιν ἡμῖν κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἀλλ' ὁ τὰ λανθάνοντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐπιστάμενος. Εἰ δὲ συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ ἁμαρτήματα, καθαρὸς εἶναι παρὰ πᾶσιν ὑποπτεύῃ, οὐ μόνον οὐ χαίρειν δεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλγεῖν καὶ στένειν πικρὸν, τὴν ἡμέραν ἐννοοῦντα συνεχῶς, καθ' ἣν πάντα ἀποκαλύπτεται, καθ' ἣν τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους φωτίζεται. Τιμῆς ἀπολαύεις; διακρούου ταύτην, εἰδὼς ὅτι σε ὀφειλέτην καθίστησιν. Οὐδείς σοι παρέχει τιμήν; καὶ χαίρειν δεῖ ἐπὶ τούτῳ· καὶ γάρ σοι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς προβαλεῖται, ὅτι τιμῆς ἀπήλαυσας. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὡς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων εὐεργεσιῶν καὶ τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ