John Chrysostom, On John

for we are persuaded of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation. But however persuaded we may be, we will by no means abstain from cautionary words; so that having ascended to the very summit of virtues, we may obtain the promised good things; of which may we all be deemed worthy, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. 59.37 HOMILY 3. In the beginning was the Word. 1. As to attention in hearing, then, it is superfluous to exhort you; so quickly have you shown the exhortation in your deeds. For both your running together, and the intentness of your posture, and your pushing one another, hastening to occupy the inner space, and from where our voice might become clearer to you, and your not wishing to depart though being pressed, until this spiritual theater is dismissed, and the applause, and the cheers, and simply all such things, would be a proof of the warmth in your soul and of your love of hearing. Wherefore it is also superfluous to give instructions about this; it is necessary, however, for us to say and exhort this, that you continue to have this zeal; and not only to show it here, but also, when you have gone home, for the husband to converse with the wife, the father with the child, about these things; and to speak what is from himself, and to ask for what is from them, and for all to contribute this goodly subscription. For let no one say to me, that it is not right for our children to be occupied with these things; for it were right not only for them to be occupied, but even to have their zeal in these things alone. But yet on account of your weakness I do not say this, nor do I lead them away from outside schooling, just as I do not drag you away from civil affairs. But of these seven days I ask you to dedicate one to the common Master of us all. For how is it not absurd, to command our servants to serve us all the time, but for us not even to allot the lesser leisure to God, and this when all our service adds nothing to Him (for the Godhead is without need), but results in our own advantage? But when you take them to the theaters, you make no excuse of their lessons, or anything else of that sort; but if it is necessary to gain and gather some spiritual thing, you call the matter a distraction. And how do you not provoke God, when for all other things you have leisure and allot time, but consider handling His affairs to be troublesome and inopportune for your children? Not so, not so, brethren. For this age especially needs these lessons. For being tender, it quickly lays up the things which are said, as the hearing is impressed like some seal upon their mind as if in wax. And besides, their life then has its beginning, to incline toward vice or virtue. If then one leads them away from wickedness from the very beginnings and entrances, and guides them towards the best path, he will then establish them as in a certain habit and nature; 59.38.10 and not even willingly will they easily change for the worse, since this habit draws them to the practice of good things. Thus they will become more venerable to us than the aged, and more useful in civil affairs, displaying in their youth the qualities of their elders. For it is not possible, as I said before, for those enjoying such a hearing, and associating with such an apostle, not to depart having received some great and noble good, whether it be a man, or a woman, or a youth who partakes of this table. For if we tame the beasts among us by disciplining them with speech, how much more shall we accomplish this for men by this spiritual teaching, since there is a great difference both in the remedy and in the one being healed? For neither is the wildness in us so great as that in them; for the one is of nature, the other of choice; nor is the power of the words the same. For that one is of human intellect, but this of the power of the Spirit and of grace. He therefore who despairs of himself, let him consider the tame beasts, and never this

πεπείσμεθα γὰρ περὶ ὑμῶν τὰ κρείττονα καὶ ἐχόμενα σωτηρίας. Ἀλλ' ὅσῳ πεπείσμεθα, τοσούτῳ τῶν προφυλακτικῶν οὐδὲν ἧττον ἀποστησόμεθα λόγων· ἵνα πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀνελθόντες τὴν κορυφὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν, τύχωμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 59.37 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Γʹ. Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος. αʹ. Προσοχῆς μὲν ἕνεκεν τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀκρόασιν, περιττὸν λοιπὸν ὑμῖν παραινεῖν· οὕτω ταχέως τὴν παραίνεσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ἐδείξατε. Ἥ τε γὰρ συνδρομὴ, τό τε ἀτενὲς τῆς στάσεως, καὶ τὸ συνωθοῦντας ἀλλήλους τὸν ἐνδοτέρω τόπον ἐπείγεσθαι καταλαβεῖν, καὶ ὅθεν ἂν εὐσημοτέρα γένοιτο ὑμῖν ἡ παρ' ἡμῶν φωνὴ, καὶ τὸ πιεζομένους μὴ θέλειν ἀναχωρεῖν, ἕως ἂν τὸ πνευματικὸν τοῦτο διαλυθῇ θέατρον, καὶ οἱ κρότοι, καὶ οἱ θόρυβοι, καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς τὰ τοιαῦτα, τεκμήριον τῆς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ θερμότητος ἂν εἴη καὶ τῆς φιληκοΐας ὑμῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ περιττὸν περὶ τούτου παρεγγυᾷν· ἐκεῖνο μέντοι εἰπεῖν καὶ παρακαλέσαι ἀναγκαῖον ἡμῖν, ὥστε μεῖναι ταύτην ἔχοντας τὴν σπουδήν· καὶ μὴ μόνον ἐνταῦθα αὐτὴν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἴκοι γενομένους, τὸν ἄνδρα πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα, τὸν πατέρα πρὸς τὸν παῖδα περὶ τούτων διαλέγεσθαι· καὶ λέγειν μὲν τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀπαιτεῖν δὲ τὰ παρ' ἐκείνων, καὶ τὸν καλὸν τοῦτον εἰσφέρειν ἅπαντας ἔρανον. Μὴ γάρ μοι λεγέτω τις, ὅτι τὰ παιδία πρὸς ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἀπησχολῆσθαι οὐ χρή· ἐχρῆν μὲν γὰρ οὐ μόνον ἀπησχολῆσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τούτοις μόνοις ἔχειν τὴν σπουδήν. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν ὑμῶν οὐ λέγω τοῦτο, οὐδὲ αὐτὰ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἀπάγω σχολῆς, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ὑμᾶς τῶν πολιτικῶν ἀφέλκω πραγμάτων. Ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπτὰ τούτων ἡμερῶν μίαν ἀξιῶ τῷ κοινῷ πάντων ἡμῶν ἀναθεῖναι ∆εσπότῃ. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, τοὺς μὲν οἰκέτας ἡμῖν κελεύειν ἅπαντα δουλεύειν τὸν χρόνον, ἡμᾶς δὲ μηδὲ τὴν ἐλάττω σχολὴν ἀπονέμειν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ταῦτα τῆς δουλείας ἁπάσης ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὐδὲν προστιθείσης (ἀνενδεὲς γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον), εἰς τὸ συμφέρον δὲ περιισταμένης ἡμῖν; Ἀλλ' εἰς θέατρα μὲν αὐτοὺς ἄγοντες, οὔτε μαθήματα, οὔτε ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων προβάλλεσθε· ἂν δέ τι τῶν πνευματικῶν κερδᾶναι δέοι καὶ συναγαγεῖν, ἀσχολίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ὀνομάζετε. Καὶ πῶς οὐ παροξυνεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν, πᾶσι μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις σχολάζοντες καὶ καιρὸν ἀπονέμοντες, τὸ δὲ τὰ αὐτοῦ μεταχειρίζειν, ὀχληρὸν καὶ οὐκ εὔκαιρον εἶναι νομίζοντες τοῖς παισίν; Μὴ ταῦτα, μὴ, ἀδελφοί. Καὶ γὰρ αὕτη μάλιστα ἡ ἡλικία τούτων δεῖται τῶν ἀκουσμάτων. Ἁπαλὴ γὰρ οὖσα, ταχέως ἐναποτίθεται τὰ λεγόμενα, καθάπερ τινὸς σφραγῖδος τῆς ἀκροάσεως ἐν κηρῷ τῇ διανοίᾳ τῇ τούτων ἐντυπουμένης. Ἄλλως τε καὶ ὁ βίος αὐτοῖς τότε ἀρχὴν ἔχει πρὸς κακίαν ἀποκλῖναι ἢ ἀρετήν. Ἂν οὖν τις αὐτοὺς ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἀρχῶν καὶ τῶν προθύρων ἀπαγάγῃ μὲν τῆς πονηρίας, χειραγωγήσῃ δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀρίστην ὁδὸν, ὥσπερ εἰς ἕξιν τινὰ καὶ φύσιν αὐτοὺς καταστήσει λοιπόν· 59.38.10 καὶ οὐδὲ ἑκόντες μεταβαλοῦνται ῥᾳδίως πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον, τῆς συνηθείας ταύτης ἑλκούσης αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐργασίαν. Οὕτως ἡμῖν τῶν γεγηρακότων αἰδεσιμώτεροι γενήσονται, καὶ τοῖς πολιτικοῖς χρησιμώτεροι πράγμασιν, ἐν νεότητι τὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἐπιδεικνύμενοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, ὥσπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, τοιαύτης ἀπολαύοντας ἀκροάσεως, καὶ ἀποστόλῳ τοιούτῳ συγγινομένους, μὴ μέγα τι καὶ γενναῖον ἀγαθὸν λαβόντας ἀπελθεῖν, κἂν ἀνὴρ, κἂν γυνὴ, κἂν νέος ὁ ταύτης μετέχων τῆς τραπέζης ᾖ. Εἰ γὰρ τὰ θηρία τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν λόγῳ ῥυθμίζοντες ἡμεροῦμεν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τῇ πνευματικῇ ταύτῃ διδασκαλίᾳ τοὺς ἄνδρας τοῦτο ἐργασόμεθα, ὅταν καὶ τοῦ φαρμάκου καὶ τοῦ θεραπευομένου πολὺ τὸ μέσον ᾖ; Οὔτε γὰρ ἡ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγριότης τοσαύτη, ὅση ἡ ἐν ἐκείνοις· ἡ μὲν γὰρ φύσεως, ἡ δὲ προαιρέσεώς ἐστιν· οὔτε τῶν λόγων ἡ ἰσχὺς ἡ αὐτή. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνης ἐστὶ διανοίας, αὕτη δὲ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος δυνάμεως καὶ τῆς χάριτος. Ὁ τοίνυν ἀπογινώσκων ἑαυτοῦ, τὰ θηρία ἐννοείτω τὰ ἥμερα, καὶ οὐδέποτε τοῦτο