John Chrysostom, Against the Jews

taking place? Are you not afraid that the woman might return from there having received a demon? Have you not heard in the previous discourse the argument clearly proving to us that demons inhabit the very souls of the Jews and the places in which they gather? How then, tell me, do you dare, after dancing with demons, to return to the assembly of the apostles? And how do you not shudder, having gone away and communed with those who shed the blood of Christ, to come and commune at the holy table, and to partake of the precious blood? Do you not shudder, are you not afraid, committing such lawless deeds? Do you not reverence the table itself? These things I have discussed with you, these things you discuss with them, and they with their own wives: Build one another up. And if the one who is sick with such things is a catechumen, let him be barred from the vestibules; but if he is one of the faithful and initiated, let him be driven away from the holy table. For not all sins require exhortation and counsel, but there are some which are naturally corrected by a swift and very sharp incision. And just as with wounds, the more tolerable ones yield to gentler medicines, but those that have putrefied and are incurable and spread over the rest of the body, require the point of a sword and flame; so 48.862 indeed also with sins, some have need of longer exhortation, but others of sharp rebukes. Wherefore Paul also commanded not to exhort all, but also to rebuke sharply, saying thus: For which cause rebuke them sharply. Let us therefore rebuke them sharply now, so that, being ashamed of what they have done and condemning themselves, they may no longer receive the harm from the lawless fast. For these reasons I too, now leaving aside exhortation, testify and cry out: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema; and what greater proof could there be of not loving the Lord, than when someone has as partners in the festival those who killed him? Not I have anathematized these, but Paul; or rather, not even Paul, but Christ, who speaks through him, and who said before, that You who are justified by the law have fallen from grace. Say these words to them, and read to them the decrees, and with all diligence having saved them, and having snatched them from the throat of the devil, bring them to us on the day of the fast, so that having also fulfilled the remaining promise to you, we may with one accord in one mouth with our brothers glorify God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for to him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

48.861 AGAINST THOSE WHO FAST ON THE FIRST PASSOVER. The Third Discourse.

1. Again a certain necessary and urgent need, having interrupted the sequence of what was said before, draws the discourse to itself, and leads us away today from the struggles against the heretics. For we were preparing again to discourse to your love concerning the glory of the Only-begotten; but the untimely contentiousness of those wishing to fast on the first Passover compels us today to occupy all our teaching for their cure. For the good shepherd not only drives away the wolves, but also heals the sick sheep with all care; for what is the gain, when the flocks escape the mouths of the beasts, but are consumed by sickness? So also the best general not only repels the siege engines, but before these things he brings together the city that is in rebellion against itself, knowing that there will be no advantage from the external victory, as long as the internal civil wars remain. And that you may learn that nothing is equal to sedition and contentiousness for destruction, hear what Christ says: A kingdom divided against itself will not stand. And yet what is more powerful than a kingdom, where there is an income of money, and weapons, and walls, and fortifications, and soldiers

γινομένας; οὐ δέδοικας μὴ δαίμονα λαβοῦσα ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανέλθῃ ἡ γυνή; οὐκ ἤκουσας ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ διαλέξει σαφῶς ἀποδείξαντος ἡμῖν τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτὰς τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τοὺς τόπους, ἐν οἷς συλλέγονται, δαίμονες κατοικοῦσι; Πῶς οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, τολμᾷς μετὰ δαιμόνων χορεύσας πρὸς τὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων σύλλογον ἐπανελθεῖν; πῶς δὲ οὐ φρίττεις ἀπελθὼν καὶ κοινωνήσας ἐκείνοις τοῖς τὸ αἷμα ἐκχέασι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐλθεῖν καὶ κοινωνῆσαι τῆς ἱερᾶς τραπέζης, καὶ τοῦ αἵματος μετασχεῖν τοῦ τιμίου; οὐ φρίττεις, οὐ δέδοικας τοιαῦτα παρανομῶν; τὴν τράπεζαν αὐτὴν οὐκ αἰδῇ; Ταῦτα πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐγὼ διελέχθην, ταῦτα πρὸς ἐκείνους ὑμεῖς, κἀκεῖνοι πρὸς τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας· Εἷς τὸν ἕνα οἰκοδομεῖτε. Κἂν μὲν κατηχούμενος ᾖ ὁ τὰ τοιαῦτα νοσῶν, τῶν προθύμων εἰργέσθω· ἂν δὲ πιστὸς καὶ μεμυημένος, τῆς ἱερᾶς τραπέζης ἀπελαυνέσθω. Οὐ γὰρ πάντα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα παραινέσεως δεῖται καὶ συμβουλῆς, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἃ τομῇ συντόμῳ καὶ ὀξυτάτῃ διορθοῦσθαι πέφυκε. Καὶ καθάπερ τῶν τραυμάτων τὰ μὲν ἀνεκτότερα προσηνεστέροις εἴκει φαρμάκοις, τὰ δὲ σεσηπότα καὶ ἀνίατα καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπινεμόμενα σῶμα, αἰχμῆς σιδήρου δεῖται καὶ φλογός· οὕ48.862 τω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ μὲν παραινέσεως μακροτέρας χρείαν ἔχοντα, τὰ δὲ ἐλέγχων ἀποτόμων. ∆ιόπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐκέλευσε μὴ πάντα παραινεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλέγχειν ἀποτόμως, οὕτω λέγων· ∆ι' ἣν αἰτίαν ἔλεγχε αὐτοὺς ἀποτόμως. Ἐλέγξωμεν οὖν αὐτοὺς ἀποτόμως νῦν, ἵνα ἐπὶ τοῖς φθάσασιν αἰσχυνθέντες καὶ καταγνόντες ἑαυτῶν, μηκέτι τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς παρανόμου νηστείας δέξωνται λύμην. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐγὼ τὴν παραίνεσιν λοιπὸν ἀφεὶς, μαρτύρομαι καὶ βοῶ· Εἴ τις οὐ φιλεῖ τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ἔστω ἀνάθεμα· τοῦ δὲ μὴ φιλεῖν τὸν Κύριον τί μεῖζον ἂν γένοιτο τεκμήριον, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅταν τοὺς ἀποκτείνοντας αὐτὸν κοινωνοὺς ἔχῃ τις τῆς ἑορτῆς; Τούτους οὐκ ἐγὼ ἀνεθεμάτισα, ἀλλὰ Παῦλος· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ Παῦλος, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς, ὁ δι' ἐκείνου λαλῶν, καὶ ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἐν νόμῳ δικαιούμενοι τῆς χάριτος ἐξέπεσον. Ταῦτα εἴπατε πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ τὰς ἀποφάσεις αὐτοῖς ἀνάγνωτε, καὶ μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς αὐτοὺς διασώσαντες, καὶ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου φάρυγγος ἐξαρπάσαντες, ἀγάγετε τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς νηστείας ἡμῖν, ἵνα καὶ τὴν λείπουσαν ὑμῖν ὑπόσχεσιν ἀποδόντες, ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐν ἑνὶ στόματι μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων δοξάσωμεν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

48.861 ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΤΑ ΠΡΩΤΑ ΠΑΣΧΑ ΝΗΣΤΕΥΟΝΤΑΣ. Λόγος τρίτος.

αʹ. Πάλιν χρεία τις ἀναγκαία καὶ κατεπείγουσα, τῶν πρῴην εἰρημένων τὴν

ἀκολουθίαν διακόψασα, πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐπισπᾶται τὸν λόγον, καὶ τῶν πρὸς τοὺς αἱρετικοὺς ἡμᾶς ἀπάγει παλαισμάτων τήμερον. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ πάλιν περὶ τῆς τοῦ Μονογενοῦς δόξης διαλεχθῆναι πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην παρεσκευαζόμεθα· ἡ δὲ τῶν τὰ πρῶτα πάσχα νηστεύειν βουλομένων ἄκαιρος φιλονεικία πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν θεραπείαν πᾶσαν ἡμῖν ἀσχοληθῆναι καταναγκάζει τὴν διδασκαλίαν τήμερον. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς οὐχὶ τοὺς λύκους ἀπελαύνει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πρόβατα νενοσηκότα θεραπεύει μετ' ἐπιμελείας ἁπάσης· ἐπεὶ τί τὸ κέρδος, ὅταν τῶν μὲν θηρίων τὰ στόματα διαφεύγῃ τὰ ποίμνια, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας κατεσθίηται; Οὕτω καὶ στρατηγὸς ἄριστος οὐχὶ τὰ μηχανήματα ἀποκρούεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τούτων τὴν πόλιν στασιάζουσαν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν συνάγει, εἰδὼς ὅτι τὸ πλέον οὐδὲν ἔσται τῆς ἔξωθεν νίκης, ἕως ἂν οἱ ἔνδοθεν ἐμφύλιοι μένωσι πόλεμοι. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι στάσεως καὶ φιλονεικίας ἴσον οὐδὲν εἰς καθαίρεσιν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Βασιλεία μερισθεῖσα ἐφ' ἑαυτὴν οὐ σταθήσεται. Καίτοι τί βασιλείας δυνατώτερον, ὅπου χρημάτων πρόσοδος, καὶ ὅπλα, καὶ τείχη, καὶ ὀχυρώματα, καὶ στρατιωτῶν