John Chrysostom, On Judas's Betrayal

Couches. For this very reason 49.388 his disciples say to him: Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover? What Passover? The Jewish one, which had its beginning from Egypt; for there they celebrated it for the first time. And for what reason does Christ celebrate it? Just as he fulfilled all the other legal precepts, so also this one. For this reason he also said to John: For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Therefore, it was not our Passover, but the Jewish one that the disciples wanted to prepare. For they prepared that one, but he himself prepared ours, but he himself also became the Passover through his precious passion. For what reason, then, does he come to the passion? So that he might redeem us from the curse of the law. Wherefore Paul also cried out: God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law. Therefore, lest anyone say that he abolished it for this reason, because he was unable to fulfill it, as being burdensome and oppressive and difficult to achieve, for this reason, having fulfilled it all, he then abrogated it. For this reason he also kept the Passover; for the feast of the Passover was a command of the law for them. Listen: The Jews were ungrateful to their benefactor, and they immediately forgot their benefactor. And that you may learn precisely, they came out of Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea, they saw it divided, and again joined together; and not long after they say to Aaron: Make for us gods who will go before us. What are you saying, O ungrateful Jew? you saw such wonders, and you forgot God who feeds you, and you do not even remember your benefactor? Since, therefore, they were forgetting his good deeds, God bound the memorials of his gifts to the institution of the feasts, so that both willingly and unwillingly they might have a living memory. And they indeed thus; why? So that when your son asks you, What is this, you may say that they smeared this blood of the lamb on the doorposts, and they escaped the death which the destroyer brought upon all throughout Egypt; and because of this blood he had no power to rush in and inflict the plague. They therefore unwillingly, but here Christ is sacrificed willingly. Why? Because that was a type of the spiritual. And that you may learn, see how great the kinship is; A lamb and a lamb, but the one irrational, the other rational; a sheep and a sheep, a shadow and a truth; but the sun of righteousness has appeared, and the shadow has ceased; for when the sun is present the shadow is hidden. For this reason a lamb is also on the mystical table, that we may be sanctified by his blood. Because the sun has come, let the lamp no longer appear; for the things that happened were types of the things to come.

εʹ. These things I say to the Jews, so that they may not, deceiving themselves, think they are celebrating Passover, since with shameless mind they take the unleavened bread beforehand, and put forward a feast, they who are always uncircumcised in heart, and hear heavily with their ears. How, tell me, do you celebrate Passover, O Jew? The temple has been dug down; the altar has been taken away, the Holy of holies has been trodden upon, every sacrifice has been abolished; for what reason then do you dare to transgress the law? You once went to Babylon, you heard those who took you captive saying, Sing for us the song of the Lord; and you did not endure it. And why do you celebrate the Passover outside of Jerusalem? You said: How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? And declaring these things 49.389 the blessed David said: By the river of Babylon, there we sat down and wept; on the willows in the midst of it we hung up our instruments, that is, the psaltery, the cithara, the lyre; for in old times they used these, and through these they sang the psalms. For there, he says, those who took us captive asked us for the words of songs; and we said: How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? What are you saying, tell me? you do not sing the Lord's song in a foreign land, and you celebrate the Passover in a foreign land? Have you seen the insensibility of the Jews? When enemies were compelling them, they chose not to say a psalm in a foreign land; and now of themselves, with no one compelling them, they bring war against the

κλῖναι. ∆ιά τοι 49.388 τοῦτο λέγουσιν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταί· Ποῦ θέλεις ἑτοιμάσωμέν σοι φαγεῖν τὸ Πάσχα; Ποῖον Πάσχα; Τὸ Ἰουδαϊκὸν, τὸ ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκός· ἐκεῖ γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπετέλεσαν. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐπιτελεῖ αὐτὸ ὁ Χριστός; Ὥσπερ πάντα τὰ ἄλλα νόμιμα ἐπλήρωσεν, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην ἔλεγεν· Οὕτω γὰρ πρέπον ἡμῖν ἐστι πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Οὐ τοίνυν τὸ ἡμέτερον Πάσχα, ἀλλὰ τὸ Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἑτοιμάσαι ἐβούλοντο οἱ μαθηταί. Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἡτοίμασαν, τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον αὐτὸς παρεσκεύασεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς Πάσχα ἐγένετο διὰ τοῦ τιμίου πάθους. Τίνος οὖν ἕκενεν ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἔρχεται; Ἵνα ἡμᾶς λυτρώσηται ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου. ∆ιὸ καὶ Παῦλος ἐβόα· Ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικὸς, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ. Ἵνα οὖν μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο ἔπαυσεν, ἐπειδὴ πληρῶσαι αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠδύνατο, ὡς φορτικὸν καὶ ἐπαχθῆ καὶ δυσκατόρθωτον, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν πληρώσας ἅπαντα, τότε αὐτὸν ἔλυσε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Πάσχα ἐποίησε· νόμου γὰρ ἐπίταγμα αὐτοῖς ἦν ἡ τοῦ Πάσχα ἑορτή. Ἄκουσον· Ἀγνώμονες ἦσαν περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ παραυτὰ ἐπελανθάνοντο τοῦ εὐεργέτου. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ἀκριβῶς, ἐξῆλθον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, διέβησαν τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν, εἶδον αὐτὴν διαιρεθεῖσαν, καὶ πάλιν συναπτομένην· καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ λέγουσι τῷ Ἀαρών· Ποίησον ἡμῖν θεοὺς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν. Τί λέγεις, ὦ ἀγνῶμον Ἰουδαῖε; εἶδες τοιαῦτα θαύματα, καὶ ἐπελάθου Θεοῦ τοῦ τρέφοντός σε, καὶ οὔτε μνήμην ποιεῖς τοῦ εὐεργέτου; Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐπελανθάνοντο τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν αὐτοῦ, τῇ ὑποθέσει τῶν ἑορτῶν ἐγκατέδησε τῶν δωρεῶν τὰ ὑπομνήματα ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα καὶ ἑκόντες καὶ ἄκοντες ἔναυλον ἔχωσι τὴν μνήμην. Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὕτω· διὰ τί; Ἵν', ὅταν ἐπερωτήσῃ σε ὁ υἱός σου, Τί ἐστι τοῦτο, εἴπῃς, ὅτι τοῦτο τοῦ προβάτου τὸ αἷμα ἐπέχρισαν ταῖς φλιαῖς τῶν θυρῶν, καὶ διέφυγον τὸν θάνατον ὃν ὁ ὀλοθρεύων ἐπήγαγε τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἅπασι· καὶ διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦτο οὐκ ἴσχυσεν εἰσπηδῆσαι καὶ τὴν πληγὴν ἐπαγαγεῖν. Ἐκεῖνοι οὖν ἄκοντες, ὧδε δὲ ἑκὼν θύεται Χριστός. ∆ιὰ τί; Ἐπειδὴ τύπος ἦν ἐκεῖνο τοῦ πνευματικοῦ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅρα ὅση ἡ συγγένεια· Ἀμνὸς καὶ ἀμνὸς, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἄλογος, ὁ δὲ λογικός· πρόβατον καὶ πρόβατον, σκιὰ καὶ ἀλήθεια· ἀλλ' ἐπέφανεν ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος, καὶ ἡ σκιὰ πέπαυται· ἡλίου γὰρ ὄντος κρύπτεται ἡ σκιά. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀμνὸς καὶ ἐν τῇ τραπέζῃ τῇ μυστικῇ, ἵνα τῷ αἵματι αὐτοῦ ἁγιαζώμεθα. ∆ιὰ τοῦ ἡλίου ἐλθόντος λύχνος μηκέτι φαινέτω· τύποι γὰρ ἦσαν τῶν μελλόντων τὰ γεγονότα.

εʹ. Ταῦτα πρὸς Ἰουδαίους λέγω, ἵνα μὴ ἀπατῶντες ἑαυτοὺς, δοκῶσι Πάσχα ἐπιτελεῖν, ἐπειδὴ γνώμῃ ἀναισχύντῳ τὰ ἄζυμα προλαμβάνουσι, καὶ προβάλλονται ἑορτὴν, οἱ ἀεὶ ἀπερίτμητοι τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶ βαρέως ἀκούοντες. Πῶς, εἰπέ μοι, Πάσχα ἐπιτελεῖς, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε; Ὁ ναὸς κατέσκαπται· ὁ βωμὸς ἀνῄρηται, τὰ Ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων πεπάτηται, πᾶσα θυσία καταλέλυται· τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τολμᾷς παρανομεῖν; Ἀπῆλθές ποτε εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, ἤκουσας τῶν αἰχμαλωτευσάντων ὑμᾶς λεγόντων, Ἄσατε τὴν ᾠδὴν ἡμῖν τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ οὐκ ἠνέσχου. Καὶ διὰ τί ἔξωθεν Ἱεροσολύμων ποιεῖς τὸ Πάσχα; Σὺ εἶπας· Πῶς ᾄσωμεν τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας; Καὶ ταῦτα 49.389 δηλῶν ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ ἔλεγεν· Ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν· ἐπὶ ταῖς ἰτέαις ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ἐκρεμάσαμεν τὰ ὄργανα ἡμῶν, τουτέστι, τὸ ψαλτήριον, τὴν κιθάραν, τὴν λύραν· τούτοις γὰρ τὸ παλαιὸν ἐκέχρηντο, καὶ διὰ τούτων τοὺς ψαλμοὺς ᾖδον. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐπηρώτησαν ἡμᾶς οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες ἡμᾶς λόγους ᾠδῶν· καὶ εἴπαμεν· Πῶς ᾄσωμεν τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας; Τί λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; τὴν ᾠδὴν Κυρίου οὐκ ᾄδεις ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας, καὶ τὸ Πάσχα ἐπιτελεῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας; Εἶδες ἀναισθησίαν Ἰουδαίων; Ὅτε πολέμιοι ἦσαν οἱ καταναγκάζοντες, οὔτε ψαλμὸν εἵλοντο εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ γῆς ἀλλοτρίας· καὶ νῦν ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν, οὐδενὸς ἀναγκάζοντος, πόλεμον εἰσάγουσι πρὸς τὸν