John Chrysostom, To the People of Antioch

that you were not present, nor did you prevent it, nor did you restrain the disorderly, nor did you risk yourself for the honor due to the emperor. You did not take part in the audacious acts? I praise this and approve of it; but you did not even stop what was happening; this is worthy of accusation. These are the words we will also hear from God, when we silently bear the insults and drunken outrages committed against him; since indeed he who buried that talent was not then accused for what concerned himself—for he returned the deposit whole—but because he did not increase it, because he did not instruct others, because he did not deposit the money 49.39 with the bankers, that is, he did not exhort, he did not counsel, he did not rebuke, he did not correct the neighbors who were disordered by evil things; for this reason he was sent without any pardon to those unbearable punishments. But that, even if not before, at least now you will work this correction, and will not overlook God being insulted, I am strongly convinced. For what has happened is sufficient, even if there were no one to exhort, to persuade even those who are very insensibly disposed to at last take hold of their own salvation. But it is now time for us to set before you the customary table from Paul, taking up the saying read today, and placing it in the midst for all. What then is it that was read today? Charge those who are rich in this present world not to be high-minded. By saying, To those who are rich in this present world, he showed that there are also other rich people, those of the world to come; such as that Lazarus was, poor in the present life, but rich in the one to come, not rich in gold and silver and some such corruptible and perishable matter, but in those ineffable good things, which Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man. For this is truly wealth and abundance, when the good things are also incorruptible, and admit of no change. But the rich man who overlooked him was not such, but became poorer than all. For after this, though deeming himself worthy to obtain a drop of water, he did not get possession even of it; so to extreme poverty had he been driven. For this reason he called them rich of the present world, that you may learn that with the present life their abundance is also dissolved; it does not go further, nor does it move with those who possess it when they depart, but often leaves them even before their end; which indeed he also made clear by saying, Nor to trust in uncertain riches. For nothing is so untrustworthy as wealth, which I have often said, and will not cease saying, that it is an ungrateful runaway, a servant having no faith, and though you put countless fetters on it, this thing departs, dragging the very fetters behind it. Often indeed its possessors have shut it up with bars and doors, setting servants around as guards; but it, having persuaded the servants themselves, has run away with its very guards, dragging along those who were watching it like a chain, and nothing more came of this guarding. What could be more untrustworthy than this? And what more pitiable than those who are zealous for it? when they attempt with all diligence to gather a thing so rotten and changeable, and do not listen to the prophet who says: Woe to those who trust in their power, and boast in the abundance of their wealth. Tell me, for what reason woe? He lays up treasure, he says, and knows not for whom he gathers it; because the labor is evident, but the enjoyment uncertain. Often you toil for enemies, and suffer hardship; often after your death the inheritance, having gone to those who wronged you and plotted countless things against you, has provided the sins for you, but the enjoyment for others.

5. But it is worthwhile to examine why he did not say, But to the rich in this present world charge them not to be rich, charge them to be poor, charge them to empty out their possessions, but Charge them not to be high-minded. He knows that of wealth 49.40 the root and foundation is arrogance, and if one knows how to be moderate, he will not make much effort concerning the matter. For what reason, tell me, do you lead about many servants, the

ὅτι μὴ παρῆς, μηδὲ ἐκώλυες, μηδὲ τοὺς ἀκοσμοῦντας κατεῖχες, μηδὲ ἐκινδύνευες ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα τιμῆς. Οὐ μετέσχες τῶν τετολμημένων; ἐπαινῶ τοῦτο καὶ ἀποδέχομαι· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐπέσχες τὰ γινόμενα· τοῦτο κατηγορίας ἄξιον. Ταῦτα καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα ἀκουσόμεθα, ὅταν σιγῇ φέρωμεν τὰς εἰς αὐτὸν ὕβρεις καὶ παροινίας γενομένας· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ τὸ τάλαντον ἐκεῖνο καταχώσας οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐνεκαλεῖτο τότε ὁλόκληρον γὰρ τὴν παρακαταθήκην ἀπέδωκεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὴν οὐκ ἐπλεόνασεν, ὅτι ἑτέρους οὐκ ἐπαίδευσεν, ὅτι τὸ ἀργύριον 49.39 τοῖς τραπεζίταις οὐ κατέβαλε, τουτέστιν, οὐ παρῄνεσεν, οὐ συνεβούλευσεν, οὐκ ἐπετίμησεν, οὐ διώρθωσε τοὺς πλησίον ἀκοσμοῦντας τῶν πονηρῶν· διὰ τοῦτο χωρὶς συγγνώμης ἁπάσης εἰς τὰς ἀφορήτους ἐπέμπετο κολάσεις ἐκείνας. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, νῦν γοῦν ταύτην ἐργάσεσθε τὴν διόρθωσιν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὑβριζόμενον οὐ περιόψεσθε, σφόδρα πεπίστευκα. Ἱκανὰ γὰρ τὰ συμβεβηκότα, εἰ καὶ μηδεὶς ὁ παραινῶν ἦν, καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα ἀναισθήτως διακειμένους πεῖσαι λοιπὸν τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιλαβέσθαι σωτηρίας. Ἡμῖν δὲ ὥρα λοιπὸν τὴν εἰωθυῖαν ὑμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ Παύλου παραθεῖναι τράπεζαν, τὴν σήμερον ἀναγνωσθεῖσαν ῥῆσιν προχειρισαμένους, καὶ εἰς μέσον καταθεμένους ἅπασι. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ σήμερον ἀναγνωσθέν; Τοῖς πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι παράγγελλε μὴ ὑψηλοφρονεῖν. Εἰπὼν, Τοῖς πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι, ἔδειξε καὶ ἑτέρους ὄντας πλουσίους τοὺς τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος· οἷος ἐκεῖνος ὁ Λάζαρος ἦν, κατὰ μὲν τὸν παρόντα βίον πένης, κατὰ δὲ τὸν μέλλοντα πλούσιος, οὐ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ τοιαύτῃ τινὶ φθαρτῇ καὶ ἐπικήρῳ πλουτῶν ὕλῃ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀποῤῥήτοις ἐκείνοις ἀγαθοῖς, ἃ Μήτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε, μήτε οὖς ἤκουσε, μήτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἀληθῶς πλοῦτος καὶ εὐπορία, ὅταν καὶ ἀκήρατα ᾖ τὰ καλὰ, καὶ μηδεμίαν δέχηται μεταβολήν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ παριδὼν αὐτὸν πλούσιος τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ πάντων πενέστερος ἐγένετο. Μετὰ ταῦτα γοῦν σταγόνος ἀξιώσας ἐπιτυχεῖν, οὔτε αὐτῆς ἐγένετο κύριος· οὕτω πρὸς ἐσχάτην ἐληλάκει πενίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πλουσίους τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος ἐκάλεσεν, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι μετὰ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς καὶ ἡ εὐπορία συγκαταλύεται· οὐ πρόεισι περαιτέρω, οὐδὲ συμμεθίσταται ἀποδημοῦσι τοῖς ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις αὐτοὺς καὶ πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς ἀφίησιν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸ δηλῶν ἔλεγε, Μηδὲ ἠλπικέναι ἐπὶ πλούτου ἀδηλότητι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἄπιστον, ὡς ὁ πλοῦτος, ὃ πολλάκις εἶπον, καὶ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι, ὅτι δραπέτης ἐστὶν ἀγνώμων, οἰκέτης πίστιν οὐκ ἔχων, κἂν μυρίας αὐτῷ περιβάλῃς πέδας, οὗτος καὶ τὰς πέδας αὐτὰς ἐπισυρόμενος ἄπεισι. Πολλάκις γοῦν μοχλοῖς καὶ θύραις ἀπέκλεισαν αὐτὸν οἱ κεκτημένοι, οἰκέτας περιστήσαντες φύλακας· ὁ δὲ τοὺς οἰκέτας αὐτοὺς ἀναπείσας, μετ' αὐτῶν ἀπέδρα τῶν φυλαττόντων, καθάπερ ἅλυσιν τοὺς τηροῦντας ἐπισυρόμενος, καὶ πλέον οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τῆς φυλακῆς ἐγένετο ταύτης. Τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἀπιστότερον; τί δὲ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐσπουδακότων ἐλεεινότερον; ὅταν πρᾶγμα οὕτω σαθρὸν καὶ εὐμετάπτωτον πάσῃ σπουδῇ συλλέγειν ἐπιχειρῶσι, καὶ μὴ ἀκούωσι τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Οὐαὶ οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχώμενοι. Εἰπὲ, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐαί; Θησαυρίζει, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ γινώσκει τίνι συνάξει αὐτά· ὅτι ὁ μὲν πόνος δῆλος, ἡ δὲ ἀπόλαυσις ἄδηλος. Πολλάκις ἐχθροῖς κάμνεις, καὶ ταλαιπωρεῖς· πολλάκις μετὰ τὴν σὴν τελευτὴν εἰς τοὺς ἠδικηκότας καὶ μυρία σοι ἐπιβουλεύσαντας, ὁ κλῆρος ἐλθὼν, σοὶ μὲν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, τὴν δὲ ἀπόλαυσιν παρέσχεν ἑτέροις.

εʹ. Ἀλλ' ἄξιον ἐκεῖνο ἐξετάσαι, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ εἶπε, Τοῖς δὲ πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι παράγγελλε μὴ πλουτεῖν, παράγγελλε πένεσθαι, παράγγελλε τὰ ὄντα κενοῦν, ἀλλὰ Παράγγελλε μὴ ὑψηλοφρονεῖν. Οἶδεν ὅτι τοῦ πλού 49.40 του ῥίζα καὶ ὑπόθεσίς ἐστιν ἡ ἀπόνοια, κἂν εἰδῇ τις μετριάζειν, οὐ πολλὴν περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιήσεται σπουδήν. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, τοὺς πολλοὺς οἰκέτας περιάγεις, τοὺς