John Chrysostom, On Anna I

sitting in council, and doing anything whatsoever, to call upon God with a vehement cry, the inward one I mean, and to make it manifest to none of those present. This is what this woman then did. For her voice was not heard, it says; and God heard her. Such was her inward cry. And the servant of Eli said to her: How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine from you, and depart from the presence of the Lord. Here especially one can see the wisdom of the woman. At home her rival reproached her; she came to the temple, and the priest's servant insulted her, and the priest 54.647 rebuked her. She fled the storm at home, she came to a harbor, and again found waves; she came to receive a remedy, but not only did she not receive it, but she also gained a blow through the reproaches, and the wound was rather inflamed by them. For you know how grieving souls are disposed towards railings and insults. For just as the greater wounds, not enduring the casual touch of the hand, become worse; so also the troubled soul is both hard to please and is vexed at everything, and is stung by any chance word. But nevertheless the woman suffered nothing of the sort, and this, while the servant was reviling her. If, then, it had been the priest who insulted her, her forbearance would not have been so admirable; for the greatness of his dignity, and the weight of his office would have persuaded her to be sober even against her will. But as it was, she was not even vexed at the priest's servant; for this reason she drew God's favor to herself even more. So too, if we, when we are reviled and suffer countless terrible things, bear our reproachers nobly, we shall draw greater favor from God. From where is this clear? From what happened to David. What then did he suffer? He was once driven from his country, and was in danger for his freedom and his very life, and when his army had gone over to that licentious youth, that tyrant and parricide, he wandered in the desert, and was not vexed, nor did he despair before God, nor did he say: What is this? Has he permitted the son to rise up against his own father? And yet, even if he had just cause for complaint, not even so should this have happened; but now, having been wronged by me neither in small nor in great measure, he goes about desiring to stain his right hand with his father's blood, and God endures seeing these things. But he said none of these things. And what is greater and more wonderful, is that while he was wandering and cast out from everything, a certain Shimei, a wicked and foul man, set upon him, calling him a murderer and impious, and washing him with countless other reproaches; but not even so was he enraged. But if someone should say: 'Yes, what is so wonderful, that he did not defend himself, being weak and having no strength?' first I would say this, that I would not have admired him so much if, holding the diadem and the kingdom, and sitting on the throne, he had then borne being reviled, as I now praise and am amazed at him for showing wisdom in the time of his misfortune. For then the weight of his office, and the baseness of the one insulting him would often persuade him to be contemptuous. And many other kings have often shown such wisdom, taking the excess of the insolent men's madness as an apology. For reproaches are not wont to lay hold of us in the same way when we are enjoying prosperity and when we are in distress; but when we stumble, then it reaches us more greatly, and stings more sharply. But in his case, besides what has been said, there is also something else to say, that he was also able to defend himself, but he did not 54.648 defend himself. And so that you may learn that his wisdom was not of weakness, but of forbearance, when his general at that time asked to be permitted to go over and cut off that man's head, not only did David not permit it, but he was also displeased, saying: What have I to do with you, son of Zeruiah? Let him curse, that the Lord may see my humiliation, and repay me with good for his cursing on this day; which indeed also came to pass. 4. Do you see how the just man knows that to bear railings nobly becomes an occasion for greater favor? For this reason once also Saul inside the double

συνεδρεύοντας, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ποιοῦντας μετὰ σφοδρᾶς τῆς βοῆς καλεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, τῆς ἔνδον λέγω, καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν παρόντων κατάδηλον ταύτην ποιεῖν. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὕτη τότε ἐποίησε. Φωνὴ γὰρ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἠκούετο, φησί· καὶ εἰσήκουσεν αὐτῆς ὁ Θεός. Τοιαύτη ἦν αὐτῆς ἔνδοθεν ἡ κραυγή. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ τὸ παιδάριον Ἠλεί· Ἕως πότε μεθυσθήσῃ; Περιελοῦσα τὸν οἶνόν σου ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἄπελθε ἐκ προσώπου Κυρίου. Ἐνταῦθα μάλιστα ἔστι τὴν φιλοσοφίαν τῆς γυναικὸς ἰδεῖν. Ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἡ ἀντίζηλος ὠνείδιζεν· ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν ναὸν, καὶ τὸ παιδάριον τοῦ ἱερέως ὕβρισε, καὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς 54.647 ἐπετίμησεν. Ἔφυγε τὸν οἴκοι χειμῶνα, ἦλθεν εἰς λιμένα, καὶ κύματα πάλιν εὗρεν· ἦλθε φάρμακον λαβεῖν, ἡ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἔλαβεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πληγὴν διὰ τῶν ὀνειδῶν προσεκτήσατο, καὶ τὸ ἕλκος μᾶλλον δι' αὐτῶν ἀνεξαίνετο, Ἴστε γὰρ πῶς αἱ ὀδυνώμεναι ψυχαὶ πρὸς τὰς λοιδορίας καὶ τὰς ὕβρεις διάκεινται. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὰ μείζονα τῶν τραυμάτων, οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐπιβολὴν τῆς χειρὸς ἀνεχόμενα, χείρονα γίνεται· οὕτω καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ τεταραγμένη δυσάρεστός τέ ἐστι, καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντα δυσχεραίνει. καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ τυχόντος δάκνεται ῥήματος. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔπαθεν ἡ γυνὴ, καὶ ταῦτα, τοῦ παιδὸς λοιδορουμένου. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ὁ ἱερεὺς ἦν ὁ ὑβρικὼς, οὐχ οὕτω θαυμαστὴ ἦν ἡ ἀνεξικακία· τὸ γὰρ μέγεθος τοῦ ἀξιώματος, καὶ ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄγκος καὶ ἄκουσαν αὐτὴν ἔπειθε σωφρονεῖν. Νυνὶ δὲ οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ παιδάριον τοῦ ἱερέως ἐδυσχέρανε· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μᾶλλον τὸν Θεὸν εἰς εὔνοιαν ἐπεσπάσατο. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἂν λοιδορηθέντες, καὶ μυρία παθόντες δεινὰ, τοὺς ὀνειδίζοντας φέρωμεν γενναίως, μείζονα παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν εὔνοιαν ἐπισπασόμεθα. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἀπὸ τῶν τῷ ∆αυῒδ συμβάντων. Τί δὴ οὖν οὗτος ἔπαθεν; Ἐξέπεσέ ποτε τῆς πατρίδος, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῆς ἐκινδύνευσε, καὶ τοῦ στρατοπέδου πρὸς τὸν ἀκόλαστον νεανίσκον τὸν τύραννον ἐκεῖνον καὶ πατραλοίαν μεταταξαμένου, ἐπλανᾶτο κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον, καὶ οὐκ ἐδυσχέρανεν, οὐδὲ ἀπεδυσπέτησε πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, οὐδὲ εἶπε· Τί ποτε τοῦτό ἐστι; συνεχώρησε τῷ παιδὶ κατεξαναστῆναι τοῦ γεγεννηκότος; καίτοι καὶ εἰ δίκαια ἐγκαλεῖν εἶχεν, οὐδὲ οὕτω τοῦτο γενέσθαι ἔδει· νυνὶ δὲ οὐ μικρὸν, οὐ μέγα ἠδικημένος παρ' ἡμῶν, περιέρχεται τὴν δεξιὰν ἐπιθυμῶν αἵματι μολῦναι πατρικῷ, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἀνέχεται ταῦτα ὁρῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπε. Καὶ τὸ δὴ μεῖζον καὶ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι πλανωμένῳ, καὶ πάντων ἐκπεπτωκότι, Σεμεεί τις ἄνθρωπος πονηρὸς καὶ μιαρὸς ἐπέθετο αὐτῷ, μιαιφόνον ἀποκαλῶν καὶ ἀσεβῆ, καὶ ἑτέροις μυρίοις αὐτὸν πλύνων ὀνείδεσιν· ὁ δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἠγρίανεν, Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις· Ναὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι οὐκ ἠμύνατο ἀσθενὴς ὢν, καὶ οὐκ ἰσχύων; πρῶτον μὲν ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμι, ὅτι οὐχ οὕτως αὐτὸν ἐθαύμασα εἰ τὸ διάδημα καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔχων, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθήμενος, εἶτα λοιδορούμενος ἤνεγκεν, ὡς νῦν αὐτὸν ἐπαινῶ καὶ ἐκπλήττομαι ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς συμφορᾶς φιλοσοφήσαντα. Τότε μὲν γὰρ ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄγκος, καὶ τὸ εὐτελὲς τοῦ ὑβρίζοντος καταφρονῆσαι αὐτὸν πολλάκις ἔπειθε. Πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι βασιλεῖς πολλάκις τοιαῦτα ἐφιλοσόφησαν, τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς μανίας τῶν ὑβρικότων εἰς ἀπολογίαν λαβόντες. Οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίως ἡμῶν εὐημερίας ἀπολαυόντων, καὶ κακουμένων, τὰ ὀνείδη καθάπτεσθαι πέφυκεν· ἀλλ' ὅταν πταίσωμεν, τότε καθικνεῖται μειζόνως ἡμῶν, καὶ δάκνει σφοδρότερον. Ἐπὶ δὲ τούτου, καὶ ἕτερόν τι πρὸς τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι καὶ κύριος ἦν ἀμύνασθαι, ἀλλ' οὐκ 54.648 ἠμύνατο. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλ' ἀνεξικακίας ἦν ἡ φιλοσοφία, τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τότε ἀξιοῦντος ἐπιτραπῆναι διαβῆναι, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμεῖν τὴν ἐκείνου, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐδυσχέρανε, λέγων· Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ, υἱὲ Σαρουία; Ἄφετε αὐτὸν καταρᾶσθαι, ὅπως ἴδοι τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου Κύριος, καὶ ἀνταποδῷ μοι ἀγαθὰ ἀντὶ τῆς κατάρας αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐγένετο. δʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς οἶδεν ὁ δίκαιος, ὅτι τὸ φέρειν γενναίως τὰς λοιδορίας, ἀφορμὴ πλείονος εὐδοκιμήσεως γίνεται; ∆ιὰ τοῦτό ποτε καὶ τὸν Σαοὺλ εἴσω διπλοῦ