John Chrysostom, On False Prophets

the divine Scriptures; but you, see that you do not believe them. Much evil, much wickedness has been poured out upon the earth, many stumbling blocks; But you, watch, lest you be deceived; do not turn to the right, nor to the left, but walk the royal road. You have many faithful, beloved, if not on earth, yet in heaven, with whom you must hasten to be always. You have there assemblies of angels, you have patriarchs, prophets, apo 59.564 stles, evangelists; you have martyrs, holy confessors, and those who have excelled in the monastic life, a great multitude, whose names are in the book of life. Desire these, imitate these, do not be separated from these, have the memory of these in your heart night and day, always holding their books in your hands read them, so that you may find much benefit. Become a merchant of the word of righteousness, that you may be able to refute those who contradict, and to rebuke the storytellers, and to silence the heretics, and to admonish and convert those who fall away. Search the divine Scriptures, so that when you see disorder and confusion, you may not fall, but may take refuge in the divine Scripture. But see that you are not puffed up, nor shaken from your mind. When you see many acting without understanding, do not be surprised; these things must happen. When you see many false prophets, remember the Lord saying, "For false christs and false prophets will arise." When [you see] deceitful speakers, remember the prophet saying: Woe to those who write wickedness. When you see the devout and faithful and wise being despised, but the accursed and arrogant and traitors and fornicators being promoted, remember the Apostle saying, that "Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." When you see the Holy Scripture being abhorred by those who seem to be Christians, and those who speak the word of God being hated, remember the Lord saying: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." When you see peoples flocking to myth-tellers and amulet-writers, and genealogies, and divinations, and teachings of demons, and inquiries of unclean spirits, do not be disturbed, nor fall away. And if you see these things being done even by those who seem to be shepherds, do not despair, but weeping, remember the Apostle saying, that "In later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of unclean demons." And again he says: "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." 10. When you see lavish breakfasts, and dinners, and luxury, and deceit, and clamor, and disorderly voices, remember the Lord saying: "Woe to you who are full, for you shall be hungry; woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn." When you see people dancing, and playing, and reciting the songs of demons, groan, and weeping remember David saying: "They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness;" and the prophet Isaiah saying: "Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; who continue until night, with lyres, and harps, and tambourines, and flutes, they drink wine; but they do not regard the work of the Lord, nor consider the work of his hands." And simply, seeing every stumbling block that occurs, remember the Lord saying: "Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is impossible that stumbling blocks should not come, but woe to him through whom they come." But what do the hard-hearted say, those who seek what is false? It is not evil, they say, to be puffed up; for what harm does the

τὰς θείας Γραφάς· ὅρα δὲ σὺ, μὴ πιστεύσῃς αὐτοῖς. Πολλὴ κακία, πολλὴ πονηρία ἐκκέχυται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πολλὰ σκάνδαλα· Βλέπε δὲ σὺ, μὴ ἀπατηθῇς· μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ, μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερὰ, ἀλλ' ὁδῷ βασιλικῇ βάδιζε. Ἔχεις πολλοὺς πιστοὺς, ἀγαπητὲ, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐπὶ γῆς, ἀλλ' ἐν οὐρανῷ, μεθ' ὧν πάντοτε συνεῖναι σπεῦσον. Ἔχεις ἐκεῖ πανηγύρεις ἀγγέλων, ἔχεις πατριάρχας, προφήτας, ἀπο 59.564 στόλους, εὐαγγελιστάς· ἔχεις μάρτυρας, ὁσίους ὁμολογητὰς, καὶ τοὺς ἐν μοναχικῷ βίῳ διαπρέψαντας, πλῆθος πολὺ, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν βιβλίῳ ζωῆς. Τούτους πόθησον, τούτους μίμησαι, τούτων μὴ χωρίζου, τούτων τὴν μνήμην ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἔχε νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, πάντοτε ἐν ταῖς χερσί σου τὰς τούτων βίβλους κατέχων ἀναγίνωσκε, ὅπως εὕρῃς πολλὴν ὠφέλειαν. Γίνου ἔμπορος λόγου δικαιοσύνης, ἵνα δύνῃ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἐλέγχειν, καὶ τοῖς μυθολόγοις ἐπιτιμᾷν, καὶ τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς ἐπιστομίζειν, καὶ τοὺς παραπίπτοντας νουθετεῖν καὶ ἐπιστρέφειν. Ἐρεύνα τὰς θείας Γραφὰς, ἵνα ὅταν ἴδῃς ἀκαταστασίαν καὶ σύγχυσιν, μὴ καταπέσῃς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν καταφύγῃς. Ὅρα δὲ, μὴ χαυνωθῇς, μηδὲ σαλευθῇς ἀπὸ τοῦ νοός σου. Ὅταν ἴδῃς πολλοὺς ἀσυνετοῦντας, μὴ ξενίζου· δεῖ ταῦτα γενέσθαι. Ὅταν ἴδῃς πολλοὺς ψευδοπροφήτας, ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ ∆εσπότου λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐγερθήσονται ψευδόχριστοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται. Ὅταν πλανολόγους, ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Οὐαὶ τοῖς γράφουσι πονηρίαν. Ὅταν ἴδῃς τοὺς εὐλαβεῖς καὶ πιστοὺς καὶ σοφοὺς ἐξουδενουμένους, τοὺς δὲ ἐναγεῖς καὶ ἀλαζόνας καὶ προδότας καὶ πόρνους προχειριζομένους, ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Πονηροὶ ἄνθρωποι καὶ γόητες προκόψουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον, πλανῶντες καὶ πλανώμενοι. Ὅταν ἴδῃς τὴν ἁγίαν Γραφὴν βδελυχθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν εἶναι δοκούντων Χριστιανῶν, καὶ τοὺς λαλοῦντας τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ μισηθέντας, ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Εἰ ὁ κόσμος ὑμᾶς μισεῖ, γινώσκετε, ὅτι ἐμὲ πρῶτον ὑμῶν μεμίσηκεν. Εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν. Ὅταν ἴδῃς λαοὺς ἐπισυντρέχοντας πρὸς τοὺς μυθολόγους καὶ φυλακτογράφους, καὶ γενεαλογίας, καὶ μαντείας, καὶ διδασκαλίας δαιμόνων, καὶ ἐπερωτήσεις πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων, μὴ θορυβηθῇς, μηδὲ καταπέσῃς. Κἂν ἐκ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι ποιμένων ἐὰν ἴδῃς ταῦτα πράσσοντας, μὴ ἀπογνώσῃς, ἀλλὰ δακρύσας ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀποστήσονταί τινες τῆς πίστεως, προσέχοντες πνεύμασι πλάνης, καὶ διδασκαλίαις δαιμόνων ἀκαθάρτων. Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Ἔσται καιρὸς, ὅτε τῆς ὑγιαινούσης διδασκαλίας οὐκ ἀνέξονται, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας ἐπισωρεύσουσι ἑαυτοῖς διδασκάλους, κλυθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν· καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἀκοὴν ἀποστρέψουσιν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς μύθους ἐκτραπήσονται. ιʹ. Ὅταν ἴδῃς ἄριστα πολυτελῆ, καὶ δεῖπνα, καὶ τρυφὴν, καὶ ἀπάτην, καὶ θόρυβον, καὶ ἀτάκτους φωνὰς, ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐμπεπλησμένοι, ὅτι πεινάσετε· οὐαὶ οἱ γελῶντες νῦν, ὅτι πενθήσετε. Ὅταν ἴδῃς χορεύοντας, καὶ παίζοντας, καὶ τὰ ᾄσματα τῶν δαιμόνων καταλέγοντας, στέναξον, καὶ δακρύσας ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ ∆αυῒδ λέγοντος· Οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οὐδὲ συνῆκαν, ἐν σκότει διαπορεύονται· καὶ τοῦ προφήτου Ἡσαΐου λέγοντος· Οὐαὶ οἱ ἐγειρόμενοι τὸ πρωῒ, καὶ τὸ σίκερα διώκοντες, οἱ μένοντες ὀψὲ, μετὰ κιθαρῶν, καὶ ψαλτηρίων, καὶ τυμπάνων, καὶ αὐλῶν, τὸν οἶνον πίνοντες· τὰ δὲ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐ βλέπουσι, καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ οὐ κατανοοῦσι. Καὶ ἁπλῶς πᾶν σκάνδαλον θεωρῶν γινόμενον, ὑπομνήσθητι τοῦ ∆εσπότου λέγοντος· Οὐαὶ τῷ κόσμῳ ἀπὸ τῶν σκανδάλων· ἀνένδεκτον δέ ἐστι μὴ ἐλθεῖν τὰ σκάνδαλα· οὐαὶ δὲ δι' οὗ ἔρχεται. Ἀλλὰ τί φασιν οἱ βαρυκάρδιοι, οἱ ζητοῦντες τὸ ψεῦδος; οὐκ ἔστι κακὸν, λέγοντες, τὸ μετεωρίζεσθαι· τί γὰρ βλάπτει ἡ