John Chrysostom, On John

powerful, so as to rule without their commands. For he who suffers this disease, even when no one commands, automatically does all things, whatever he thinks will please his masters. For he puts on fine garments for their sake, and adorns his appearance, practicing this not for himself, but for others, and leads followers around in the marketplace, so that he may be admired by others; and everything he does he endures for the sake of pleasing others alone. Could there be any passion more grievous than this? In order that others may admire him, he is continually cast down. Therefore, the things spoken by Christ are sufficient to show all its tyranny; however, it is also possible from this 59.44 to understand it. For if you should wish to ask one of those engaged in public life and spending costly expenditures, for what reason they empty out so much gold, and what this great expense means to them, you will hear nothing else from them but the pleasure of the people. But if you should ask again what the people are, they will say, A thing full of tumult and confusion, and for the most part composed of folly, carried along aimlessly, like the waves of the sea, often even composed of varied and conflicting opinion. When, therefore, someone has such a master, whose lot could be more pitiful? But for worldly men to be fluttered about these things is not so terrible—though it is terrible; but for those who say they have leaped away from the world to suffer the same things, or rather, worse things, this is most terrible. For to them the loss is one of money; but here the danger is to the soul. For when for the sake of glory they exchange right faith, and that they themselves may be glorified, they dishonor God, what excess of stupidity and madness would this not be? Tell me. For other passions, even if they have great harm, at least bring some pleasure, even if temporary and brief. For the lover of money, and the lover of wine, and the lover of women, have some pleasure with the harm, even if it is brief; but the captives of this passion live a life continually bitter and deprived of pleasure. For they do not obtain what they intensely desire, I mean glory from the many; but they seem to enjoy it, yet do not enjoy it, because the thing is not even glory. For this reason the passion is not called glory, but an empty thing of glory; and all the ancients rightly called it vainglory. For it is empty, having nothing brilliant and glorious within. But just as masks seem to be brilliant and desirable, but are empty within; for which reason, though being more seemly than physical faces, they have never drawn anyone to a love for them; so, or rather more wretchedly, has glory from the many fashioned for us this hard-to-conquer and tyrannical passion. For it has only a brilliant appearance, but its inner parts are no longer just empty, but also full of dishonor, and teeming with cruel tyranny. From where, then, is this passion born, being so irrational, and having no pleasure, he says? From where? From nowhere else but from a base and paltry soul. For it is not possible for one captured by glory to quickly think anything great and noble; but he must be shameful, and paltry, and dishonorable, and small. For he who does nothing for the sake of virtue, but to please men worthy of no account, and who everywhere esteems their mistaken and erring vote, how could he be worthy of anything? But consider. If someone were to ask him: And what do you think the many are? it is clear that he will say they are indolent and neglectful. What then? Would you choose to become like them? If someone were to ask him again, it does not seem to me he would wish to become so. How then is it not the utmost absurdity, to hunt for the glory 59.45 of these whom you would not ever choose to be like? 2. But if you should say, that they are many and somewhat united, for this reason especially one ought to despise them. For if when by themselves they are contemptible, when they become many, this will happen to a greater degree. For the folly of each one, when they are gathered together, becomes greater, having been increased by the multitude. Therefore, if one should take them one by one, one might at some time also correct them; but when they are together,

δυνατοὺς, ὡς χωρὶς ἐπιταγμάτων αὐτῶν κρατεῖν. Ὁ γὰρ τοῦτο νοσῶν τὸ νόσημα, καὶ μηδενὸς κελεύοντος, αὐτομάτως ποιεῖ πάντα, ὅσαπερ ἂν οἴηται τέρπειν αὐτοῦ τοὺς κυρίους. Καὶ γὰρ ἱμάτια καλὰ περιτίθεται δι' ἐκείνους, καὶ καλλωπίζει τὴν ὄψιν, οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἑτέροις ἐπιτηδεύων, καὶ ἀκολούθους περιάγει κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν, ἵνα θαυμάζηται παρ' ἑτέρων· καὶ πάντα ἃ ποιεῖ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ἕνεκεν ἀρεσκείας ὑπομένει μόνης. Ἆρα γένοιτ' ἄν τι τούτου χαλεπώτερον πάθος; Ἵνα ἕτεροι θαυμάσωσιν αὐτὸν, κατακρημνίζεται συνεχῶς. Ἱκανὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δεῖξαι πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν τυραννίδα· πλὴν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἔστιν αὐτὴν 59.44 συνιδεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐθελήσεις ἐρωτῆσαί τινα τῶν πολιτευομένων καὶ τὰ πολυτελῆ δαπανώντων δαπανήματα, τίνος ἕνεκεν τοσοῦτον κενοῦσι χρυσίον, καὶ τί βούλεται αὐτοῖς ἡ τοσαύτη δαπάνη, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀκούσῃ παρ' αὐτῶν, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦ δήμου τὴν ἀρέσκειαν. Εἰ δὲ πάλιν ἔροιο τί δήποτε ὁ δῆμός ἐστιν, ἐροῦσι, Πρᾶγμα θορύβου γέμον καὶ ταραχῶδες, καὶ ἐξ ἀνοίας τὸ πλέον συγκείμενον, ἁπλῶς φερόμενον, κατὰ τὰ τῆς θαλάττης κύματα, πολλάκις καὶ ἐκ ποικίλου καὶ μαχομένης συνιστάμενον γνώμης. Ὅταν οὖν τις τοιοῦτον ἔχῃ δεσπότην, τίνος ἐλεεινότερος οὐκ ἂν εἴη; Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἀνθρώπους βιωτικοὺς περὶ ταῦτα ἐπτοῆσθαι, οὐχ οὕτω δεινόν· καίπερ ὂν δεινόν· τὸ δὲ τοὺς τοῦ κόσμου λέγοντας ἀποπεπηδηκέναι τὰ αὐτὰ νοσεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ χαλεπώτερα, τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστι τὸ δεινόν. Ἐκείνοις μὲν γὰρ μέχρι χρημάτων ἡ ζημία· ἐνταῦθα δὲ μέχρι ψυχῆς ὁ κίνδυνος. Ὅταν γὰρ διὰ δόξαν πίστιν ἀμείβωσιν ὀρθὴν, καὶ ἵνα αὐτοὶ δοξάζωνται, τὸν Θεὸν ἀτιμάζωσι, τίνα ὑπερβολὴν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι βλακείας καὶ μανίας τὸ γινόμενον; εἰπέ μοι. Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα πάθη, κἂν πολλὴν τὴν βλάβην ἔχῃ, φέρει γοῦν τινα καὶ ἡδονὴν, εἰ καὶ πρόσκαιρον καὶ βραχεῖαν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ φιλοχρήματος, καὶ ὁ φίλοινος, καὶ ὁ φιλογύνης, ἔχουσί τινα μετὰ τῆς βλάβης καὶ ἡδονὴν, εἰ καὶ βραχεῖαν· οἱ δὲ τοῦ πάθους αἰχμάλωτοι τούτου, διαπαντὸς κατάπικρον ζῶσι βίον καὶ ἡδονῆς ἀπεστερημένον. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν οὗ σφόδρα ἐρῶσι, δόξης λέγω τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν· ἀλλὰ δοκοῦσι μὲν ἀπολαύειν αὐτῆς, οὐκ ἀπολαύουσι δὲ, διὰ τὸ μηδὲ εἶναι δόξαν τὸ πρᾶγμα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ δόξα, ἀλλὰ κενὸν δόξης πρᾶγμα εἴρηται τὸ πάθος· κενοδοξίαν δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ οἱ παλαιοὶ πάντες εἰκότως ἐκάλεσαν. ∆ιάκενος γάρ ἐστιν, ἔνδον οὐδὲν ἔχουσα λαμπρὸν καὶ ἐπίδοξον. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὰ προσωπεῖα δοκεῖ μὲν εἶναι λαμπρὰ καὶ ἐπέραστα, κενὰ δὲ ἔνδον ἐστί· διὸ καὶ τῶν σωματικῶν ὄψεων εὐπρεπέστερα ὄντα, οὐδένα οὐδέποτε πρὸς τὸν ἔρωτα εἷλε τὸν αὐτῶν· οὕτω, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀθλιώτερον, καὶ ἡ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν δόξα, τὸ δυσκαταγώνιστον τοῦτο καὶ τυραννικὸν πάθος ἡμῖν ἐσχημάτισεν. Ὄψιν γὰρ ἔχει μόνην λαμπρὰν, τὰ δὲ ἔνδον αὐτῆς οὐκ ἔτι κενὰ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀτιμίας ἀνάμεστα, καὶ ὠμῆς γέμει τῆς τυραννίδος. Πόθεν οὖν τίκτεται τοῦτο τὸ πάθος, οὕτως ἄλογον ὂν, καὶ ἡδονὴν οὐκ ἔχον, φησί; Πόθεν; Οὐχ ἑτέρωθεν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἀπὸ ψυχῆς ταπεινῆς καὶ εὐτελοῦς. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι τὸν ὑπὸ δόξης ἁλόντα, μέγα τι καὶ νεανικὸν ἐννοῆσαι ταχέως· ἀλλ' αἰσχρὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι δεῖ, καὶ εὐτελῆ, καὶ ἄτιμον, καὶ μικρόν. Ὁ γὰρ δι' ἀρετὴν μὲν μηδὲν ποιῶν, ἵνα δὲ ἀνδράσιν ἀρέσκῃ μηδενὸς ἀξίοις λόγου, καὶ πανταχοῦ τὴν ἐκείνων ψῆφον τιθέμενος τὴν ἐσφαλμένην καὶ πλανωμένην, πῶς ἂν ἄξιος εἴη τινός; Σκόπει δέ. Εἴ τις αὐτὸν ἔροιτο· Σὺ δὲ τί νομίζεις εἶναι τοὺς πολλούς; εὔδηλον ὅτι ῥᾳθύμους καὶ ἠμελημένους ἐρεῖ. Τί δέ; ἕλοιο ἂν γενέσθαι κατ' ἐκείνους; Εἴ τις αὐτὸν ἔροιτο πάλιν, οὐκ ἄν μοι δοκεῖ θελῆσαι γενέσθαι. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἔσχατος γέλως, τὴν τούτων δό 59.45 ξαν θηρεύειν, ὧν οὐκ ἂν ἕλοιο γενέσθαι παραπλήσιός ποτε; ʹ. Εἰ δὲ λέγοις, ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ συνεστηκότες τινές εἰσι, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτῶν καταφρονεῖν ἐχρῆν. Εἰ γὰρ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὄντες εἰσὶν εὐκαταφρόνητοι, ὅταν πολλοὶ γένωνται, μειζόνως τοῦτο συμβήσεται. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν καθ' ἕκαστον ἄνοια, συλλεγέντων ὁμοῦ, μείζων ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους αὐξηθεῖσα γίνεται. ∆ιὸ καὶ καθ' ἕνα μὲν αὐτῶν εἰ λάβοι, ποτὲ ἄν τις καὶ διορθώσειεν· ὁμοῦ δὲ ὄντας,