John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

only comparing his own misfortune with that man's prosperity, he had a greater sense of his own evils, but also by reasoning that the one living with cruelty and inhumanity prospers in all things, while he himself with virtue and gentleness suffers the most terrible extremities; and from this he again endured inconsolable despondency. For if the man were just, if he were gentle, if he were admirable, if he were full of all virtue, it would not have grieved him; but now, living with wickedness, having driven to the extreme of malice, displaying such inhumanity, and treating him as his very enemies would, and passing him by shamelessly and pitilessly like a stone, and after all this enjoying such great wealth; 48.977 consider how it was likely to overwhelm the soul of the poor man, as if with successive waves; consider Lazarus, what he was likely to be, seeing parasites, flatterers, servants going up, coming down, going out, coming in, running about, making noise, getting drunk, leaping, and displaying every other form of licentiousness. For as if he had come for this very reason, to be a witness of another's good things, so he was cast down at the gate, living only so much as to be sensible of his own evils alone, suffering shipwreck in the harbor, his soul choked with the most terrible thirst near a spring. Shall I say another evil in addition to these? He did not have another Lazarus to look to. For even if we suffer ten thousand evils, we can, by looking to him, receive sufficient consolation, and enjoy much comfort. For to find partners in one's own evils, whether in reality or in stories, brings great consolation to those who are in pain. But he had no one else to look to who had suffered the same things as he; rather, he had not even heard of any of his ancestors who had endured so much. And this is enough to darken a soul. There is also another thing to say in addition to these, that he was not able to philosophize at all about the resurrection, but thought that present matters were confined to the present life; for he was of those before grace. But if now in our time, with so much knowledge of God, and the good hopes of the resurrection, and the punishments laid up there for sinners, and the good things prepared for those who do right, some are so faint-hearted and miserable that they are not even set right by these expectations; what was he likely to suffer, deprived of this anchor too? For he was not yet able to philosophize about any such thing, because the time for these teachings had not yet arrived. There was also something else in addition to this, that his reputation was slandered among foolish men. For the many are accustomed, whenever they see some in famine and constant sickness and in the worst evils, to have no good opinion of them, but to judge their lives from their misfortune, and to think that they suffer so miserably entirely because of wickedness; and they say many other such things to each other, foolishly indeed, but they say them nonetheless: that this man, if he were a friend to God, He would not have allowed him to suffer in poverty and other evils. Thus it happened in the case of Job, and in the case of Paul. For to him they said, Has it not been often spoken to you in trouble? But who will bear the force of your words? For if you have admonished many, and comforted weak hands, and raised up the feeble with words, and put courage into failing knees; but now trouble has come upon you, and you are distressed. Is not your fear in folly? What he says is this: If, he says, you had done any good thing, you would not have suffered these things which you have suffered; but you are paying the penalty for sins and transgressions. And this was what most stung the blessed Job. And concerning Paul 48.978 the barbarians said this; for when they saw the viper hanging from his hand, they supposed nothing good about him, but thought he was one of those who had dared the worst evils; and this is clear from what they said. For this man, they said, whom justice has not allowed to live, though he has escaped from the sea. Not just by chance and

μόνον ταῖς εὐημερίαις ταῖς ἐκείνου συγκρίνων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δυσπραγίαν, μείζονα τὴν αἴσθησιν ἐλάμβανε τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λογιζόμενος, ὅτι ὁ μὲν μετ' ὠμότητος καὶ ἀπανθρωπίας ζῶν, ἐν ἅπασιν εὐοδοῦται, οὗτος δὲ μετὰ ἀρετῆς καὶ ἐπιεικείας τὰ ἔσχατα πάσχει δεινά· καὶ ἔνθεν ἀπαραμύθητον τὴν ἀθυμίαν πάλιν ὑπέμενεν. Εἰ γὰρ δίκαιος ἦν, εἰ γὰρ ἐπιεικὴς, εἰ γὰρ θαυμαστὸς ὁ ἀνὴρ, εἰ γὰρ πάσης γέμων ἀρετῆς, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐλύπησε· νυνὶ δὲ καὶ πονηρίᾳ συζῶν, καὶ πρὸς ἔσχατον κακίας ἐληλακὼς, καὶ τοσαύτην ἀπανθρωπίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν διατιθεὶς, καὶ ὥσπερ λίθον αὐτὸν παρατρέχων ἀναισχύντως καὶ ἀνιλέως, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα τοσαύτης ἀπολαύων εὐπορίας· 48.977 ἐννόησον πῶς εἰκὸς ἦν, ὥσπερ ἐπαλλήλοις κύμασι βαπτίζειν αὐτὸν τοῦ πένητος τὴν ψυχήν· ἐννόησον τὸν Λάζαρον, οἷον εἰκὸς ἦν εἶναι, ὁρῶντα παρασίτους, κόλακας, οἰκέτας ἀναβαίνοντας, καταβαίνοντας, ἐξιόντας, εἰσιόντας, κατατρέχοντας, θορυβοῦντας, μεθύοντας, πηδῶντας, καὶ πᾶσαν ἄλλην ἀσέλγειαν ἐπιδεικνυμένους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐλθὼν, ἵνα μάρτυς ᾖ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἀγαθῶν, οὕτως εἰς τὸν πυλῶνα ἔῤῥιπτο, τοσοῦτον ζῶν, ὅσον αἰσθάνεσθαι εἶχε τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν μόνον, ἐν λιμένι ναυάγιον ὑπομένων, πλησίον πηγῆς δίψῃ χαλεπωτάτῃ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγχόμενος. Εἴπω τι καὶ ἕτερον πρὸς τούτοις κακόν; Οὐκ εἶχεν εἰς ἕτερον Λάζαρον ἰδεῖν. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ κἂν μυρία πάθωμεν κακὰ, ἀλλ' ἔχομεν εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἰδόντες, ἱκανὴν δέχεσθαι παράκλησιν, καὶ πολλῆς ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς παραμυθίας. Τὸ γὰρ κοινωνοὺς εὑρίσκειν τῶν οἰκείων κακῶν ἢ ἐν πράγμασιν, ἢ ἐν διηγήμασι, πολλὴν φέρει τοῖς ὀδυνωμένοις παράκλησιν. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐδένα ἕτερον εἶχεν ἰδεῖν τὸν τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτῷ πεπονθότα· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδ' ἀκοῦσαί τινος ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ἑαυτοῦ τοσαῦτα ὑπομείναντος. Ἱκανὸν δὲ τοῦτο σκοτῶσαι ψυχήν. Ἔστι καὶ ἕτερον πρὸς τούτοις εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὐδέν τι περὶ ἀναστάσεως φιλοσοφεῖν ἠδύνατο, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος βίου τὰ παρόντα ἐνόμιζε συγκεκλεῖσθαι πράγματα· τῶν γὰρ πρὸ τῆς χάριτος ἦν. Εἰ δὲ νῦν ἐφ' ἡμῶν μετὰ τοσαύτην θεογνωσίαν, καὶ τὰς χρηστὰς τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐλπίδας, καὶ τὰς κειμένας τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι τιμωρίας ἐκεῖ, καὶ τὰ ἡτοιμασμένα τοῖς κατορθοῦσιν ἀγαθὰ, οὕτω μικροψύχως τινὲς καὶ ταλαιπώρως διάκεινται, ὡς μηδὲ ταύταις διορθοῦσθαι ταῖς προσδοκίαις· τί πάσχειν εἰκὸς ἦν ἐκεῖνον καὶ ταύτης ἀπεστερημένον τῆς ἀγκύρας; Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ οὐδὲν οὐδέπω τοιοῦτον φιλοσοφεῖν ἠδύνατο διὰ τὸ μηδέπω τὸν καιρὸν τούτων ἀφῖχθαι τῶν διδαγμάτων. Ἦν τι καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἄλλο, τὸ καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ διαβεβλῆσθαι παρὰ τοῖς ἀνοήτοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ γὰρ εἰώθασιν οἱ πολλοὶ, ἐπειδὰν ἴδωσί τινας ἐν λιμῷ καὶ νόσῳ διηνεκεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ὄντας κακοῖς, μηδὲ χρηστὴν περὶ αὐτῶν δόξαν ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς συμφορᾶς τὰ κατὰ τὸν βίον κρίνειν, καὶ διὰ πονηρίαν νομίζειν πάντως αὐτοὺς οὕτω ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι· καὶ πολλὰ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγουσιν, ἀνοήτως μὲν, λέγουσι δὲ ὅμως· ὅτι οὗτος, εἰ τῷ Θεῷ φίλος ἦν, οὐκ ἂν εἴασεν αὐτὸν ἐν πενίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις κακοῖς ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου συνέβη. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ ἔλεγον, Μὴ πολλάκις σοι λελάληται ἐν κόπῳ, ἰσχὺν δὲ ῥημάτων σου τίς ὑποίσει; Εἰ γὰρ σὺ ἐνουθέτησας πολλοὺς, καὶ χεῖρας ἀσθενεῖς παρεκάλεσας, ἀσθενοῦντας δὲ ἐξανέστησας ῥήμασι, γόνασι δὲ ἀδυνατοῦσι περιέθηκας θάρσος· νυνὶ δὲ ἥκει ἐπὶ σὲ πόνος, σὺ δὲ ἐσπούδακας. Πότερον οὐχ ὁ φόβος σού ἐστιν ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ; Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἴ τί σοι, φησὶν, ἀγαθὸν ἦν πεπραγμένον, οὐκ ἂν ταῦτα ἔπαθες ἅπερ ἔπαθες· ἀλλ' ἁμαρτημάτων τίνεις δίκας καὶ παρανομίας. Καὶ τοῦτο ἦν ὃ μάλιστα ἔδακνε τὸν μακάριον Ἰώβ. Καὶ περὶ τοῦ Παύλου δὲ 48.978 οἱ βάρβαροι τοῦτο ἔλεγον· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδον τὴν ἔχιν ἐκκρεμαμένην αὐτοῦ τῆς χειρὸς, οὐδὲν χρηστὸν περὶ αὐτοῦ ὑπενόησαν, ἀλλὰ τῶν τὰ ἔσχατα κακὰ τετολμηκότων αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐνόμιζον· καὶ δῆλον ἐξ ὧν ἔλεγον. Τοῦτον γὰρ, φασὶν, ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης σωθέντα ἡ δίκη ζῇν οὐκ εἴασεν. Οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε δὲ καὶ