John Chrysostom, Sermon on the Captive Eutropius

more philosophical. From where? He received the pledge, he wore the ring and carried it about. All were looking, that the King had betrothed our nature; the demon saw, and departed; he saw the pledge, and trembled, and withdrew; he saw garments, and fled. O power of the Spirit! He gave the authority not to the soul, not to the body, but even to a garment; not to a garment, but even to a shadow. Peter went about, and his shadow put diseases to flight, and drove out demons, and raised the dead. Paul went about the world, cutting up the thorns of impiety, casting down the seeds of piety, like an excellent plowman having the plow of teaching. And to whom did he come? To Thracians, to Scythians, to Indians, to Moors, to Sardinians, to Goths, to wild beasts, and he changed all things. From where? From the pledge. How did he last? From the grace of the Spirit. An ordinary man, naked, unshod; who also gave the pledge of the Spirit. For this reason he says: And for these things who is sufficient? But our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient ministers of a New Covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit. See what the Spirit did; He found the earth full of demons, and made it heaven. For do not consider the present things; but recall them to your mind. Then there was lamentation, then everywhere altars, everywhere smoke, everywhere the smell of sacrifices, everywhere fornications, everywhere rites, everywhere sacrifices, everywhere demons raging, everywhere an acropolis of the devil, everywhere fornication being crowned; and there was one Paul. How was he not drowned? how was he not torn apart? how did he open his mouth? He entered into the Thebaid, and took captives. He entered into the royal courts, and made the king a disciple. He entered into the court, and the judge says to him: Almost you persuade me to become a Christian; and the judge became a disciple. He entered into the prison, and took the jailer. He went to an island of barbarians, and made the viper a teacher. He went to the people of the Romans, and drew the senate to himself. He went to rivers, he went to desert places everywhere in the world. No land, no sea is without a share of his achievements; for he gave the pledge of the ring, and having given the pledge, he says: Some things I give you now, and others I promise. For this reason the Prophet says to her: The queen stood at your right hand in clothing interwoven with gold. He does not mean a garment, but virtue. For this reason the Scripture says elsewhere: How did you enter here not having a wedding garment? So he does not mean a garment, but fornication, and the filthy and unclean deed. Therefore, just as filthy garments are sin, so garments interwoven with gold are virtue. But this garment was the king's; he himself gave her the garment; for she was naked, naked and unseemly. The queen stood at your right hand in clothing interwoven with gold. He does not mean garments, but virtue; he did not say, in gold. Pay attention; even this word has a great nobility of meanings. He did not say, in gold, but, interwoven with gold. Listen with understanding. The golden garment is entirely of gold; but the one interwoven with gold has parts of gold, and parts of silk. Why then did he not say the bride wears a golden garment, but one interwoven with gold? Pay close attention. He means the way of life of the Church, the varied one. For since we are not all of one life, but one practices virginity, another widowhood, another piety; the garment of the Church is the way of life of the Church. 15. Since, therefore, our Master knew that if he should cut one path, many would hesitate, he cut various paths. Are you not able to enter through virginity? Enter through monogamy. Are you not able to through monogamy? Then through a second marriage. Are you not able to enter through self-control? Enter through almsgiving. Are you not able to through almsgiving? Enter through fasting. Not

φιλοσοφώτερος. Πόθεν; Ἔλαβε τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα, ἐβάσταζε τὸν δακτύλιον καὶ περιέφερεν. Ἔβλεπον πάντες, ὅτι Βασιλεὺς ἡρμόσατο τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν· εἶδεν ὁ δαίμων, καὶ ἀνεχώρει· εἶδε τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα, καὶ ἔτρεμε, καὶ ὑπεχώρει· ἱμάτια ἔβλεπε, καὶ ἐδραπέτευεν. Ὢ δύναμις Πνεύματος! οὐ ψυχῇ ἔδωκε τὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὐ σώματι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἱματίῳ· οὐχ ἱματίῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σκιᾷ. Περιῄει ὁ Πέτρος, καὶ ἡ σκιὰ αὐτοῦ νόσους ἐφυγάδευε, καὶ δαίμονας ἀπήλαυνε, καὶ νεκροὺς ἤγειρεν. Περιῄει Παῦλος τὴν οἰκουμένην, τὰς ἀκάνθας ἀνατέμνων τῆς ἀσεβείας, τὰ σπέρματα καταβάλλων τῆς εὐσεβείας, καθάπερ ἀροτὴρ ἄριστος τὸ ἄροτρον ἔχων τῆς διδασκαλίας. Καὶ πρὸς τίνας ἦλθε; Πρὸς Θρᾷκας, πρὸς Σκύθας, πρὸς Ἰνδοὺς, πρὸς Μαύρους, πρὸς Σαρδονίους, πρὸς Γοτθοὺς, πρὸς θηρία ἄγρια, καὶ μετέβαλε πάντα. Πόθεν; Ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀῤῥαβῶνος. Πῶς διήρκεσεν; Ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος. Ἰδιώτης, γυμνὸς, ἀνυπόδετος· ὁ καὶ δοὺς τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τοῦ Πνεύματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει· Καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανός; Ἀλλ' ἡ ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃς καὶ ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης, οὐ γράμματος, ἀλλὰ πνεύματος. Ἴδε τί τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐποίησεν· εὗρε τὴν γῆν δαιμόνων γέμουσαν, καὶ ἐποίησεν αὐτὴν οὐρανόν. Μὴ γὰρ τὰ παρόντα ἐννοῆτε· ἀλλὰ ἀναλάβετε τῷ λογισμῷ αὐτά. Τότε ἦν θρῆνος, τότε πανταχοῦ βωμοὶ, πανταχοῦ καπνὸς, πανταχοῦ κνῖσαι, πανταχοῦ πορνεῖαι, πανταχοῦ τελεταὶ, πανταχοῦ θυσίαι, πανταχοῦ δαίμονες βακχεύοντες, πανταχοῦ ἀκρόπολις τοῦ διαβόλου, πανταχοῦ πορνεία στεφανουμένη· καὶ εἷς ἦν ὁ Παῦλος. Πῶς οὐ κατεποντίσθη; πῶς οὐ διεσπάσθη; πῶς ἤνοιξε τὸ στόμα; Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς Θηβαΐδα, καὶ αἰχμαλώτους ἔλαβεν. Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὰς βασιλικὰς αὐλὰς, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα μαθητὴν ἐποίησεν. Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ δικαστής· Παρ' ὀλίγον με πείθεις Χριστιανὸν γενέσθαι· καὶ ὁ δικαστὴς μαθητὴς ἐγένετο. Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον, καὶ τὸν δεσμοφύλακα ἔλαβεν. Ἀπῆλθεν εἰς βαρβάρων νῆσον, καὶ τὴν ἔχιν διδάσκαλον ἐποίησεν. Ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν δῆμον τῶν Ῥωμαίων, καὶ τὴν σύγκλητον ἐπέσπασεν. Ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ποταμοὺς, ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ἐρήμους τόπους πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης. Οὐ γῆ, οὐ θάλασσα ἄμοιρος αὐτοῦ ἐστι τῶν κατορθωμάτων· ἔδωκε γὰρ τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τοῦ δακτυλίου, καὶ δοὺς τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα, λέγει· Τὰ μὲν ἤδη δίδωμί σοι, τὰ δὲ ἐπαγγέλλομαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Προφήτης· Παρέστη ἡ βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν σου ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ. Οὐχ ἱμάτιον λέγει, ἀλλ' ἀρετήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡ Γραφὴ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει· Πῶς εἰσῆλθες ὧδε μὴ ἔχων ἔνδυμα γάμου; Ὥστε οὐκ ἔνδυμα λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν πορνείαν, καὶ τὴν ῥυπαρὰν πρᾶξιν καὶ ἀκάθαρτον. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὰ ῥυπαρὰ ἱμάτια, ἁμαρτία· οὕτω τὰ διάχρυσα, ἀρετή. Ἀλλὰ τὸ ἱμάτιον τοῦτο τοῦ βασιλέως ἦν· αὐτὸς αὐτῇ καὶ ἱμάτιον ἔδωκεν· γυμνὴ γὰρ ἦν, γυμνὴ καὶ ἀσχημονοῦσα. Παρέστη ἡ βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν σου ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ. Οὐχ ἱμάτια λέγει, ἀλλ' ἀρετήν· οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐν χρυσῷ. Πρόσεχε· καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ λέξις πολλὴν ἔχει εὐγένειαν νοημάτων. Οὐκ εἶπε, ἐν χρυσῷ, ἀλλὰ, ∆ιαχρύσῳ. Ἄκουε συνετῶς. Τὸ χρυσοῦν ἱμά 52.410 τιον ὅλον ἐστὶ χρυσοῦν· τὸ δὲ διάχρυσον μέρη μὲν ἔχει χρυσᾶ, μέρη δὲ σηρικά. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν μὴ χρυσοῦν ἱμάτιον εἶπε φορεῖν τὴν νύμφην, ἀλλὰ διάχρυσον; Πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς. Τὴν πολιτείαν λέγει τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὴν ποικίλην. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐ πάντες βίου ἑνός ἐσμεν, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν παρθενίαν, ὁ δὲ χηρείαν, ὁ δὲ εὐσέβειαν ἀσκεῖ· ἱμάτιον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολιτεία τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. ιεʹ. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν ᾔδει ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἂν μίαν ὁδὸν τέμῃ, πολλοὶ ἔχουσιν ὀκνῆσαι, ποικίλας ἔτεμεν ὁδούς. Οὐ δύνασαι διὰ παρθενίας εἰσελθεῖν; Εἴσελθε διὰ μονογαμίας. Οὐ δύνασαι διὰ μονογαμίας; Κἂν διὰ δευτερογαμίας. Οὐ δύνασαι διὰ σωφροσύνης εἰσελθεῖν; Εἴσελθε δι' ἐλεημοσύνης. Οὐ δύνασαι δι' ἐλεημοσύνης; Εἴσελθε διὰ νηστείας. Οὐ