John Chrysostom, On "Do not fear"

reason, what cause will you state? what manner? Is sleep sweeter from such a bed? But you could not say so; but if I must say something paradoxical, even more unpleasant: for there is more care, and greater anxiety. But is the building safer because of the gold? Not even this. But is the horse better because of the bridle? Or the servant? On the contrary, everything here is the opposite. For what reason, then, do you display such bad taste through all these things? You will certainly say that you are preparing a more splendid reputation for yourselves. Then did you not hear also at the beginning of the discourse, that these things are not a man's glory, but entirely the opposite, dishonor and reproach, and accusation and laughter? From these things are born envy and malice, and countless terrible things; and the more lasting the possessions, the more enduring the accusation; and these great and splendid houses stand, uttering a voice, even after the death of their owners, of the bitterest accusers; and the body is given over to the earth, but the sight of the buildings does not allow the memory of greed to be buried with the flesh; but each one passing by, and looking at the height and size of the splendid and great house, will say either to himself, or to his 55.517 neighbor: From how many tears was this house built! How many orphans stripped bare! How many widows wronged! How many deprived of their wages! So that the opposite happens to you; wishing to enjoy glory in life, not even after you have departed this life are you rid of your accusers; but the house, as if carrying your name on a bronze pillar, causes even those who never saw you alive to cast countless reproaches upon you. 4. Since, therefore, this excessive ambition does not even have this profit, let us flee, beloved, let us flee this disease, and not become more beastly than the irrational beasts. For them all things are common, both earth, and springs, and pastures, and mountains, and glens, and one has nothing more than the other; but you, being a man, the most gentle of creatures, become more savage than a wild beast, shutting up the food of countless poor people, and often of myriads, in a single house. And yet not only is our nature common, but also other things far more than nature; heaven is common, and sun, and moon, and the chorus of the stars, and air, and sea, and fire, and water, and earth, and life, and death, and growth, and old age, and sickness, and health, and need of food and clothing; and spiritual things again are common, and this holy table, the Lord's body, the precious blood, the promise of the kingdom, the bath of regeneration, the cleansing of sins, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, the ineffable good things, which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man. How is it not absurd that those who share 55.518 with one another in so many things, both by nature, and by grace, and by promises, and by laws, should be so greedy in matters of money, and not maintain the same equality, but surpass the wildness of irrational beasts, and this when they are about to depart from them a little later, and not only to depart, but also to be in danger of the last things on account of them? For death leads away from enjoyment, but leads one then to the accountings, and the immortal punishments. That this may not happen, therefore, let us use almsgiving abundantly. For this is the queen of virtues, which will both stand by us there with confidence, and will deliver us from the punishment and the retribution, and no one will stand against him who enters into heaven with her. For her wing is light, and the abundance of her confidence is great, and she ascends to the very

λόγον, ποίαν ἐρεῖς αἰτίαν; ποῖον τρόπον; Ἡδίων ὁ ὕπνος ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης γίνεται κλίνης; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' εἰ χρή τι καὶ παράδοξον εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἀηδέστερος· φροντὶς γὰρ πλείων, καὶ ἀγωνία μείζων. Ἀλλ' ἀσφαλεστέρα ἡ οἰκοδομὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ χρυσίου; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο. Ἀλλ' ἀμείνων ὁ ἵππος ἀπὸ τοῦ χαλινοῦ; ἀλλ' ὁ οἰκέτης; Τοὐναντίον μὲν ἅπαν καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκα τοσαύτην ἀπειροκαλίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθε διὰ πάντων τούτων; Πάντως ἐρεῖτε, ὅτι δόξαν ὑμῖν λαμπροτέραν κατασκευάζοντες. Εἶτα οὐκ ἤκουσας καὶ ἐν προοιμίῳ τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι ταῦτα οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρώπου δόξα, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν, ἀτιμία καὶ ὄνειδος, καὶ κατηγορία καὶ γέλως; Ἐκ τούτων τίκτεται φθόνος καὶ βασκανία, καὶ τὰ μυρία δεινά· καὶ ὅσῳ μονιμώτερα τὰ κτήματα, τοσούτῳ καὶ ἡ κατηγορία διαρκής· καὶ αἱ μεγάλαι αὗται καὶ λαμπραὶ οἰκίαι ἑστήκασι φωνὴν ἀφιεῖσαι, καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν τῶν κτησαμένων, κατηγόρων πικροτάτων· καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα τῇ γῇ παραδίδοται, ἡ δὲ ὄψις τῶν οἰκημάτων οὐκ ἀφίησι συγκαταχωσθῆναι τῇ σαρκὶ τῆς πλεονεξίας τὴν μνήμην· ἀλλ' ἕκαστος παριὼν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ὕψος καὶ μέγεθος ἀφορῶν τῆς λαμπρᾶς καὶ μεγάλης οἰκίας, ἢ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, ἢ πρὸς τὸν πλη 55.517 σίον ἐρεῖ· Ἐκ πόσων δακρύων αὕτη ᾠκοδομήθη ἡ οἰκία! πόσων ὀρφανῶν γυμνωθέντων! πόσων χηρῶν ἀδικηθεισῶν! πόσων τὸν μισθὸν στερηθέντων! Ὥστε τοὐναντίον σοι συμβαίνει· βουλόμενος δόξης ἀπολαῦσαι ἐν τῷ ζῇν, οὐδὲ μετὰ τὸ καταλῦσαι τὸ ζῇν ἀπαλλάττῃ τῶν κατηγόρων· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν στήλῃ χαλκῇ τὸ ὄνομά σου περιφέρουσα ἡ οἰκία, καὶ τοὺς οὐδὲ ζῶντά σε ἑωρακότας παρασκευάζει μυρίοις βάλλειν ὀνείδεσιν. δʹ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔχει τὸ κέρδος ἡ περιττὴ αὕτη φιλοτιμία, φεύγωμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, φεύγωμεν τὸ νόσημα, καὶ μὴ γινώμεθα τῶν ἀλόγων θηριωδέστεροι. Ἐκείνοις πάντα κοινὰ, καὶ γῆ, καὶ πηγαὶ, καὶ νομαὶ, καὶ ὄρη, καὶ νάπαι, καὶ οὐδὲν θάτερον θατέρου πλέον ἔχει· σὺ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ὢν, τὸ ἡμερώτατον ζῶον, θηρίου γίνῃ χαλεπώτερος, μυρίων πενήτων τροφὰς, καὶ πολλάκις μυρίων μιᾷ κατακλείων οἰκίᾳ. Καίτοι γε οὐχ ἡ φύσις ἡμῖν μόνη κοινὴ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα πολλῷ τῆς φύσεως πλείονα· οὐρανὸς κοινὸς, καὶ ἥλιος, καὶ σελήνη, καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀστέρων χορὸς, καὶ ἀὴρ, καὶ θάλασσα, καὶ πῦρ, καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ γῆ, καὶ ζωὴ, καὶ τελευτὴ, καὶ αὔξησις, καὶ γῆρας, καὶ νόσος, καὶ ὑγεία, καὶ χρεία τροφῆς καὶ ἐνδυμάτων· καὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ πάλιν κοινὰ, καὶ ἡ τράπεζα αὕτη ἡ ἱερὰ, τὸ σῶμα τὸ ∆εσποτικὸν, τὸ αἷμα τὸ τίμιον, τῆς βασιλείας ἡ ἐπαγγελία, τὸ λουτρὸν τῆς παλιγγενεσίας, ὁ καθαρμὸς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ὁ ἁγιασμὸς, ἡ ἀπολύτρωσις, τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἀγαθὰ, Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη. Πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον τοὺς ἐν τοσούτοις 55.518 κοινωνοῦντας ἀλλήλοις, καὶ φύσει, καὶ χάριτι, καὶ ἐπαγγελίαις, καὶ νομοθεσίαις, τούτους ἐν τοῖς χρήμασιν οὕτως εἶναι πλεονέκτας, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν μὴ διατηρεῖν ἰσονομίαν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀλόγων παρέρχεσθαι τὴν θηριωδίαν, καὶ ταῦτα μέλλοντας αὐτῶν μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀφίστασθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἀφίστασθαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων, τούτων ἕνεκεν, κινδυνεύειν; Ὁ γὰρ θάνατος τῆς μὲν ἀπολαύσεως ἀπάγει, πρὸς δὲ τὰς εὐθύνας ἄγει λοιπὸν, καὶ τὰς ἀθανάτους κολάσεις. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, πολλῇ χρησώμεθα τῇ ἐλεημοσύνῃ. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασίλισσα τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἢ καὶ παραστήσεται μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐκεῖσε, καὶ ἐξαιρήσεται τῆς κολάσεως καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀντιστήσεται τῷ μετὰ ταύτης εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἰσιόντι. Καὶ γὰρ κοῦφον αὐτῆς τὸ πτερὸν, καὶ πολλὴ τῆς παῤῥησίας αὐτῆς ἡ ὑπερβολὴ, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναβαίνει τὸν