John Chrysostom, On the Tempting Devil

but one useful both for me and for all these; beseech the common Master of us all, to extend your life 49.258 to the long old age of Isaac. For this, to me and to these, is more precious and necessary than the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth. But it is now time to set the table; what then is it? The remnants of what was formerly said to your love; for still, still we stir up the discourse concerning the devil, which we began two days before this; which we also spoke this morning to those being initiated, when we were discoursing to them concerning renunciation and commitment. We do this, not because the discourse about the devil is pleasant to us, but because the teaching concerning him is a safeguard for you; for he is an enemy and a foe; and it is a great security to know the enemy's affairs clearly. We have said before that he does not prevail by violence, nor by tyranny, nor by compelling, nor by forcing; since if this were so, he would have destroyed everyone. And as proof of this we brought forward the swine, which the demons did not have the power to dare attack before the permission of the Master; the herds of Job and his flocks; for not even these did the devil dare to destroy, until he received the authority from above. This, then, we learned first, that he does not prevail over us by violence, nor by necessity; second, after that, we added that even when he prevails by deceit, not even so does he overcome everyone; and again we brought into our midst the athlete Job, against whom, though he set in motion countless devices, he still did not prevail, but even retreated, defeated. One question remains, then. What 49.259 is that? That if he does not prevail by violence, one says, yet he does by deceit; and for this reason it were better for him to have been annihilated. For though Job prevailed, yet Adam was deceived and was tripped up; but if he had been removed from the midst entirely, not even Adam would ever have been tripped up; but as it is, remaining, he is defeated by one, but overcomes many; ten prevail over him, but he himself prevails over and subdues ten thousand; but if He had removed him from the midst, not even the ten thousand would have perished. What then shall we say to this? That, in the first place, the victors are much more precious than the vanquished, even if the latter be more numerous, and the former fewer. For one, he says, who does the will of God is better than ten thousand transgressors. And second, that when the antagonist is removed, the victor himself is wronged on his account. For if you let the adversary remain, the more indolent are wronged not because of the more earnest, but because of their own indolence; but if you take away the antagonist, the more earnest have been conspired against on account of the indolent, and have not shown their own power, nor have they obtained their crowns. 2. Perhaps you have not yet understood what was said; it is necessary, therefore, to say it again more clearly: Let there be one antagonist; and let there be two athletes about to wrestle against him, and of these two athletes let one be corrupted by gluttony, negligent, weakened, enervated, but the other diligent, in good condition, spending time in the wrestling-school, in many exercises, displaying all the training that pertains to athletics; if, then, you take away the antagonist, which of these have you wronged? The indolent and negligent one, or the diligent one who has labored so much? It is clear that it is the diligent one; for he has been wronged on account of the indolent one by the removal of the antagonist; while the indolent one, if the antagonist remains, is no longer wronged on account of the diligent one; for he fell from his own indolence. Let me state another solution to this problem, so that you may learn that it is not the devil who harms, but one's own indolence that everywhere trips up those who are not paying attention. Let the devil be, who is exceedingly wicked not by nature, but by choice and will; for that the devil is not wicked by nature, learn from his very names; for he is called slanderer from slandering; for he slandered man to God; Does he not reverence you for nothing

ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐμοὶ καὶ τούτοις πᾶσι χρησίμην· παρακάλεσον τὸν κοινὸν ἡμῶν ἁπάντων ∆εσπότην, εἰς τὸ μακρὸν γῆρας τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ τὴν ζωὴν 49.258 τὴν σὴν ἐξαγαγεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐμοὶ καὶ τούτοις τῆς δρόσου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς πιότητος τῆς γῆς τιμιώτερον καὶ ἀναγκαιότερον. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὥρα λοιπὸν παραθεῖναι τὴν τράπεζαν· τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη; Τὰ λείψανα τῶν πρώην εἰρημένων πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην· ἔτι γὰρ, ἔτι τὸν περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου λόγον ἀνακινοῦμεν, ὃν πρὸ τούτων τῶν δύο ἡμερῶν ἐκινήσαμεν· ὃν καὶ ἕωθεν πρὸς τοὺς μυσταγωγουμένους εἴπαμεν, ὅτε περὶ ἀποταγῆς καὶ συνταγῆς διελεγόμεθα τούτοις. Ποιοῦμεν δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ἡδὺς ἡμῖν ὁ περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου λόγος, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀσφαλὴς ὑμῖν ἡ περὶ τούτου διδασκαλία· ἐχθρὸς γάρ ἐστι καὶ πολέμιος· μεγάλη δὲ ἀσφάλεια τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εἰδέναι σαφῶς. Εἰρήκαμεν πρώην, ὅτι βίᾳ οὐ κρατεῖ, οὐδὲ τυραννίδι, οὐδὲ ἀναγκάζων, οὐδὲ βιαζόμενος· ἐπεὶ εἰ τοῦτο ἦν, πάντας ἂν ἀπώλεσε. Καὶ τούτου τεκμήριον παρηγάγομεν τοὺς χοίρους, ὧν οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν κατατολμῆσαι οἱ δαίμονες πρὸ τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς τοῦ ∆εσπότου· τὰ βουκόλια τοῦ Ἰὼβ καὶ τὰ ποίμνια· οὐδὲ γὰρ ταῦτα διαφθεῖραι ἐτόλμησεν ὁ διάβολος, ἕως ἄνωθεν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔλαβεν. Ἓν τοίνυν τοῦτο πρῶτον ἐμάθομεν, ὅτι βίᾳ ἡμῶν οὐ κρατεῖ, οὐδὲ ἀνάγκῃ· δεύτερον μετ' ἐκεῖνο προσεθήκαμεν, ὅτι καὶ ἀπάτῃ κρατῶν, οὐδὲ οὕτω πάντων περιγίνεται· καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸν τὸν ἀθλητὴν εἰς μέσον παρηγάγομεν τὸν Ἰὼβ, καθ' οὗ μυρία κινήσας μηχανήματα, οὐδὲ οὕτω περιεγένετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡττηθεὶς ἀνεχώρησεν. Ἓν ὑπολείπεται ζήτημα λοιπόν. Ποῖον 49.259 δὴ τοῦτο; Ὅτι εἰ καὶ μὴ βίᾳ, φησὶ, κρατεῖ, ἀλλ' ἀπάτῃ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο βέλτιον ἦν αὐτὸν ἀφανισθῆναι. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ περιεγένετο ὁ Ἰὼβ, ἀλλ' ἠπατήθη ὁ Ἀδὰμκαὶ ὑπεσκελίσθη· εἰ δὲ ἀνῃρέθη ἐκ μέσου καθάπαξ, οὐδὲ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἂν ὑπεσκελίσθη ποτέ· νῦν δὲ μένων ἡττᾶται μὲν ὑφ' ἑνὸς, περιγίνεται δὲ πολλῶν· δέκα αὐτοῦ κρατοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ μυρίων αὐτὸς κρατεῖ καὶ καταγωνίζεται· εἰ δὲ ἀνεῖλεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ οἱ μύριοι ἀπώλοντο. Τί οὖν πρὸς τοῦτο ἐροῦμεν; Ὅτι μάλιστα μὲν πολὺ τιμιώτεροι τῶν ἡττωμένων οἱ κρατοῦντες, κἂν οἱ μὲν πλείους, οἱ δὲ ἐλάττους ὦσι. Κρείσσων γὰρ εἷς, φησὶ, ποιῶν θέλημα Θεοῦ, ἢ μύριοι παράνομοι. ∆εύτερον δὲ ὅτι ἀναιρεθέντος τοῦ ἀνταγωνιστοῦ, αὐτὸς ὁ κρατῶν ἐπηρεάζεται δι' ἐκείνου. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἀφῇς μένειν τὸν ἀντίπαλον, οἱ ῥᾳθυμότεροι οὐχὶ διὰ τοὺς σπουδαιοτέρους, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐπηρεάζονται· ἂν δὲ ἀνέλῃς τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν, οἱ σπουδαιότεροι διὰ τοὺς ῥᾳθύμους ἐπεβουλεύθησαν, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν οὐκ ἐπεδείξαντο δύναμιν, οὐδὲ τῶν στεφάνων ἐπέτυχον. βʹ. Τάχα οὐδέπω συνήκατε τὸ λεχθέν· οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη σαφέστερον αὐτὸ πάλιν εἰπεῖν· Ἔστω ἀνταγωνιστὴς εἷς· ἔστωσαν δὲ καὶ ἀθληταὶ δύο πρὸς ἐκεῖνον παλαίειν μέλλοντες, καὶ τούτων τῶν δύο ἀθλητῶν ὁ μὲν ὑπὸ γαστριμαργίας ἔστω διεφθαρμένος, ἠμελημένος, ἐξῃσθενημένος, ἐκνενευρισμένος, ἕτερος δὲ σπουδάζων, εὐεκτῶν, ἐν παλαίστρᾳ διατρίβων, ἐν γυμνασίοις πολλοῖς, πᾶσαν τὴν ἄσκησιν τὴν περὶ τὴν ἄθλησιν ἐπιδεικνύμενος· ἂν τοίνυν ἀνέλῃς τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν, τίνι ἐπηρέασας τούτων; ἆρα τῷ ῥᾳθύμῳ καὶ ἀμελεῖ, ἢ τῷ σπουδαίῳ τῷ τοσαῦτα πεπονηκότι; Εὔδηλον ὅτι τῷ σπουδαίῳ· ὁ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὸν ῥᾴθυμον ἠδίκηται ἀναιρεθέντος τοῦ ἀνταγωνιστοῦ· ὁ δὲ ῥᾴθυμος μένοντος τούτου οὐκ ἔτι διὰ τὸν σπουδαῖον ἐπηρέασται· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς οἰκείας ῥᾳθυμίας κατέπεσεν. Εἴπω καὶ ἑτέραν λύσιν τοῦ ζητήματος τούτου, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ διάβολος ἐπηρεάζει, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκεία ῥᾳθυμία πανταχοῦ ὑποσκελίζει τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας. Ἀφείσθω ὁ διάβολος ὁ σφόδρα πονηρὸς οὐ φύσει, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσει καὶ γνώμῃ· ὅτι γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι φύσει πονηρὸς ὁ διάβολος, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ὀνομάτων μάνθανε· διάβολος γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ διαβάλλειν εἴρηται· διέβαλε γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· Οὐχὶ δωρεὰν σέβεταί σε