John Chrysostom, On Fasting Sermons 1-7

is laid upon the law. But the time comes when the things become manifest, and the shadow withdraws, and the events confirm the writings. Once snakes came out in the desert, and were biting the people; and Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a cross, and commanded everyone who was bitten to approach and receive healing; God having preordained this in a type, so that when the truth should come, the shadow would depart and the type would show the truth. And that what was happening was a type of the truth, Moses said thus: This is not the truth; it is a type; the truth is to come. For you shall see your life hanging before your eyes night and day, and you will not believe in your life; speaking of Christ, the life hanging before the Jews, and the Jews not 60.722 believing that He Himself is the life. But why did Moses hang a serpent on the cross? As a type of Christ, since through a serpent and a tree sin came to be; and it was necessary for Christ through the tree to undo the sin that came through the tree, and to draw up to Himself the curse that came through the serpent and destroy it; so that having become a curse for us, He might grant us the righteousness of God. For He knew no sin, and was crucified for us, that we might become the righteousness of God. But the serpent hanging on the cross was not the truth; it was a type; and the shadow concealed the truth. The truth came, Christ; He went up on the tree. Then I read to the Jews the words of Moses, and I shut their mouths; And you shall see your life hanging before your eyes night and day, and you will not believe in your life. But how did the blessed David say to you concerning Him? He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, He gave gifts to men. He ascended on high upon the cross; He took the devil captive, He destroyed death, He nailed sin, He cast down the curse and the serpent from the tree. When the truth had come, the types are cast aside; He Himself erects a trophy against the devil, and also gives to those who are obedient to Him authority against the devil, saying to them: For your sake under a curse, for your sake under law, for your sake under testimony; for your sake war, for your sake victory. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

On Fasting. Sermon 7. Today also Jeremiah the prophet has come, he who prepares the temples of the great king, and he reasons with us, saying: Break up for yourselves fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. Now he speaks to all without distinction, having been taught by the Master. For long ago, not wanting to speak to a disobedient people, he suffered those things which he himself recounted. For seeing the race of men mired in sins, he did not wish to speak, saying: Indeed, murder and theft and adultery are poured out upon the earth, and for this reason I withhold the word, until they cleanse themselves. Just as a faithful servant entrusted with a precious ointment does not pour it into a filthy vessel, lest the ointment lose its fragrance; in the same way also the prophet, having the word more precious than ointment, seeing the people were filthy, refrains from sowing the word. To whom this indeed becomes as a burning fire in his inward parts, and he was beset on all sides, and could not bear it. For God said to him: You were sent to preach; why are you silent? You were sent to sow; why do you withhold the seed? Sow without distinction what I have entrusted to you, sow also upon the thorns, sow also upon the

νόμου ἐπίκειται. Ἔρχεται δὲ ὁ καιρὸς, ὅτε τὰ πράγματα φανερὰ γίνεται, καὶ ἡ σκιὰ ὑποχωρεῖ, καὶ τὰ πράγματα γράμματα συνιστῶσιν. Ἐξῆλθόν ποτε ὄφεις ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἔδακνον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· καὶ ἐποίησε Μωϋσῆς χαλκοῦν ὄφιν καὶ ἐσταύρωσε, καὶ προσέταξε πάντα τὸν δακνόμενον προσέρχεσθαι καὶ ἰάσεως τυγχάνειν· τοῦτο τοῦ Θεοῦ προοικονομήσαντος ἐν τύπῳ, ἵν', ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἡ σκιὰ ἀναχωρήσῃ καὶ τύπος δείξῃ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ὅτι δὲ τύπος ἦν τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ γινόμενον, οὕτως ἔλεγε Μωϋσῆς· Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο ἀλήθεια· τύπος ἐστί· μέλλει ἡ ἀλήθεια. Ὄψεσθε γὰρ τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν κρεμαμένην ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐ πιστεύσετε ἐπὶ τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν· Χριστὸν λέγων τὴν ζωὴν κρεμαμένην ἔμπροσθεν τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ μὴ 60.722 πιστεύοντας Ἰουδαίους ὅτι δὴ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ ζωή. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ ὄφιν ἐκρέμασε Μωϋσῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ; Εἰς τύπον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐπειδὴ δι' ὄφεως καὶ ξύλου ἁμαρτία ἐγένετο· ἔδει δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τοῦ ξύλου τὴν διὰ τοῦ ξύλου ἁμαρτίαν λῦσαι, καὶ τὴν κατάραν τὴν διὰ τοῦ ὄφεως εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνασπάσαντα ἀφανίσαι· ἵνα γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα, Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην ἡμῖν χαρίσηται. Καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἔγνω ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐσταυρώθη, ἵνα ἡμεῖς γενώμεθα Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνη. Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ κρεμάμενος οὐκ ἦν ἀλήθεια· τύπος ἦν· ἡ δὲ σκιὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἔκρυβεν. Ἦλθεν ἡ ἀλήθεια, Χριστός· ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον. Τότε Ἰουδαίοις ἀναγινώσκω τὸ Μωϋσέως, καὶ ἀποφράσσω αὐτῶν τὰ στόματα· Καὶ ὄψεσθε τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν κρεμαμένην ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐ πιστεύσετε ἐπὶ τὴν ζωὴν ὑμῶν. Ὁ δὲ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ πῶς ὑμῖν ἔλεγε περὶ αὐτοῦ; Ἀνέβη εἰς ὕψος, ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν, ἔδωκε δόματα ἐν ἀνθρώποις. Ἀνέβη εἰς ὕψος ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ· ᾐχμαλώτευσε τὸν διάβολον, ἔλυσε τὸν θάνατον, προσήλωσε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἔῤῥιψε τὴν κατάραν καὶ τὸν ὄφιν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου. Τῆς ἀληθείας ἐλθούσης, οἱ τύποι ῥίπτονται· αὐτὸς τρόπαιον ἱστᾷ κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ δίδωσι καὶ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ὑπηκόοις τὴν κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐξουσίαν, λέγων πρὸς αὐτούς· ∆ι' ὑμᾶς ὑπὸ κατάραν, δι' ὑμᾶς ὑπὸ νόμον, δι' ὑμᾶς ὑπὸ μαρτυρίαν· δι' ὑμᾶς πόλεμος, δι' ὑμᾶς νίκη. Ἰδοὺ, δέδωκα ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Ἐχθροῦ. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Περὶ νηστείας. Λόγος ζʹ. Ἧκε καὶ σήμερον Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης, ὁ τοὺς ναοὺς παρασκευάζων τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως, καὶ διαλέγεται ἡμῖν λέγων· Νεώσατε ἑαυτοῖς νεώματα, καὶ μὴ σπείρετε ἐν ἀκάνθαις. Νῦν ἀδιαφόρως τοῖς πᾶσι διαλέγεται, παιδευθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ ∆εσπότου. Πάλαι γὰρ πρὸς ἀπειθῆ λαὸν φθέγγεσθαι μὴ βουλόμενος, ἔπαθεν ἐκεῖνα, ἅπερ αὐτὸς διηγήσατο. Ὁρῶν γὰρ τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐμπεφυρμένον, οὐκ ἠβούλετο λαλεῖν, λέγων· Ἄρα φόνος καὶ κλοπὴ καὶ μοιχεία κέχυται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπέχω τὸν λόγον, ἕως αὑτοὺς ἐκκαθάρωσιν. Ὥσπερ δοῦλος πιστὸς ἐμπιστευθεὶς τὸ πολύτιμον μύρον, οὐ καταβάλλεται τοῦτο ἐν ἀγγείῳ βεβορβορωμένῳ, ἵνα μὴ τὸ μύρον τὴν εὐωδίαν ἀπολέσῃ· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἔχων τὸν λόγον τοῦ μύρου τιμιώτερον, ὁρῶν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους βεβορβορωμένους, ἐπέχει κατασπεῖραι τὸν λόγον. Ὧ δὴ τοῦτο γίνεται ὡς πῦρ καιόμενον ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ παρεῖτο πάντοθεν, καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο φέρειν. Ἔλεγε γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός· Ἀπεστάλης κηρύττειν· διὰ τί σιωπᾷς; ἀπεστάλης σπεῖραι· διὰ τί τὸν σπόρον ἐπέχεις; Σπεῖρον ἀδιαφόρως ὅ σοι ἐνεπίστευσα, σπεῖραι καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς ἀκάνθας, σπεῖραι καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ