John Chrysostom, On Anna I

heaven, of whose fragrance all throughout the world partake 54.656 until this day. So great a number of years, then, has passed, and the things of virtue concerning this fragrance are intensified, and it has not become weaker with the passage of time. For such is the nature of spiritual things. 3. This beautiful shoot, therefore, went up, transplanting, and just as industrious farmers first cast seeds of cypress and other such trees into the earth, then, when they see the seed has become a tree, they do not leave it in the same ground, but pulling it up from there, they graft it into another land, so that the earth, receiving it more freshly into its bosom, might display its pure and whole power for the nourishment of that root; so also did this woman. For the child, sown against all hope in that womb, she moved from the house, and planted him in the temple, where there were springs and spiritual and perpetual waterings. And one could see that prophetic word fulfilled in them, which David spoke, singing thus: Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he will meditate day and night; and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. For he did not come to the release from wickedness after the experience of wickedness, but chose virtue from his very swaddling clothes; he did not partake in councils having lawlessness, nor did he associate with assemblies filled with impiety, but from his first age, from his mother's breast, he came to another, a spiritual breast. And just as a tree enjoying continual watering runs up to a great height, so indeed he also reached the summit of virtue, being watered continually by the hearing of the divine oracles. But let us see how she planted him; let us follow the woman, let us enter into the temple with her. She went up, it says, with him to Shiloh with a three-year-old calf. The sacrifice, then, was twofold; and there was a calf, the one irrational, the other rational; and the one the priest sacrificed, but this one the woman dedicated; rather, the woman's sacrifice was better than the sacrifice which the priest offered; for she became a priestess of her own bowels, and she imitated the patriarch Abraham, and set herself in rivalry with him. But he, having taken his son, brought him down; but she left him in the temple to remain perpetually; rather, he too dedicated him completely. For do not see this, that she did not slay him, but that in her purpose she accomplished the whole thing. Did you see a woman contending with a man? Did you see her in no way hindered by nature from emulating the patriarch? But let us see how she dedicates him. Approaching the priest, she said to him: Upon me, my lord. What does it mean, "Upon me"? Pay close attention to what is said, she says. For since much time had passed, she wished to remind him again 54.657 of the things previously spoken; wherefore she says: Upon me, my lord; as your soul lives, I am the woman who stood before you to pray to the Lord concerning this child. I prayed to the Lord, and He gave me my petition, which I asked of Him. And I lend him to the Lord all the days that he lives, to be lent to the Lord. She did not say: I am the woman whom you reproached, whom you reviled, whom you mocked for drunken brawling and drunkenness; wherefore God has shown you that I am not drunk; but you simply accused me of this. She said none of these harsh words, but answers with much gentleness; although having the outcome of the events testifying for her, and being able now to reproach the priest, as having blamed her then rashly and in vain, she does none of these things, but speaks only of the beneficence of God. And consider the gratitude of a handmaid. When she was suffering ill, she did not reveal her misfortune to anyone, nor did she say to the priest: I have a rival wife, and while she, reproaching and reviling me, has a chorus of children, I, living in gentleness, not yet even to this day

οὐρανὸν, οὗ τῆς εὐωδίας ἅπαντες οἱ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀντι 54.656 λαμβάνονται μέχρι τήμερον. Τοσοῦτος οὖν ἐτῶν παρῆλθεν ἀριθμὸς, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν εὐωδίαν ταύτην ἐπιτείνεται, καὶ οὐ γέγονεν ἀσθενεστέρα τῷ πλήθει τοῦ χρόνου Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἡ φύσις. γʹ. Ἀνῆλθε τοίνυν τὸ καλὸν ἔρνος τοῦτο μεταφυτεύουσα, καὶ καθάπερ οἱ φιλόπονοι τῶν γηπόνων πρότερον σπέρματα εἰς τὴν γῆν καταβάλλουσι κυπαρίττων καὶ ἑτέρων τοιούτων, εἶτα, ἐπειδὰν ἴδωσι τὸ σπέρμα δένδρον γενόμενον, οὐκ ἀφιᾶσιν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς γῆς, ἀλλ' ἀνασπάσαντες ἐκεῖθεν, ἐφ' ἑτέραν μεταμοσχεύουσι χώραν, ὥστε νεαρώτερον τοῖς κόλποις ὑποδεξαμένην τὴν γῆν, ἀκραιφνῆ καὶ ὁλόκληρον τὴν ἑαυτῆς δύναμιν εἰς τὴν ἀνατροφὴν ἐκείνης ἐπιδεῖξαι τῆς ῥίζης· οὕτω καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἐποίησεν αὕτη. Τὸ γὰρ παιδίον τὸ παρ' ἐλπίδας σπαρὲν ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ ἐκείνῃ, μετέθηκεν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἐφύτευσεν, ἔνθα πηγαὶ καὶ ἀρδεῖαι πνευματικαὶ καὶ διηνεκεῖς. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν ἐκεῖνο τὸ προφητικὸν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς πληρούμενον, ὅπερ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἔλεγεν ᾄδων οὕτως· Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ἔστη, καὶ ἐπὶ καθέδραν λοιμῶν οὐκ ἐκάθισεν· ἀλλ' ἢ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ Κυρίου τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ μελετήσει ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός· καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον τὸ πεφυτευμένον παρὰ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὑδάτων, ὃ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν τῆς κακίας ἐπὶ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῆς κακίας ἦλθεν, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν σπαργάνων τὴν ἀρετὴν εἵλετο· οὐ μετέσχε συνεδρίων παρανομίαν ἐχόντων, οὐδὲ ἐκοινώνησε συλλόγων ἀσεβείας πεπληρωμένων, ἀλλ' ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἀπὸ τοῦ μαζοῦ τῆς μητρὸς ἐφ' ἕτερον ἦλθε μαζὸν πνευματικόν. Καὶ ὥσπερ δένδρον διηνεκοῦς ἀπολαῦον ἀρδείας, πρὸς ὕψος ἀνατρέχει μέγα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οὗτος πρὸς ἄκρον ἔφθασεν ἀρετῆς, τῇ τῶν θείων λογίων ποτιζόμενος ἀκροάσει διηνεκῶς. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν πῶς αὐτὸν ἐφύτευσεν· ἀκολουθήσωμεν τῇ γυναικὶ, εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς τὸν ναὸν μετ' αὐτῆς. Ἀνέβη, φησὶ, μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς Σηλὼμ ἐν μόσχῳ τριετίζοντι. ∆ιπλῆ λοιπὸν ἡ θυσία ἐγίνετο· καὶ ἦν μόσχος, ὁ μὲν ἄλογος, ὁ δὲ λογικός· καὶ τὸν μὲν ὁ ἱερεὺς κατέθυσε, τοῦτον δὲ ἡ γυνὴ ἀνέθηκε· μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς γυναικὸς ἦν βελτίων ἡ θυσία τῆς θυσίας, ἣν ὁ ἱερεὺς ἀνήνεγκε· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἱέρεια τῶν οἰκείων σπλάγχνων ἐγίνετο, καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην Ἀβραὰμ ἐμιμήσατο, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὴν ἅμιλλαν ἔθετο. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν λαβὼν τὸν υἱὸν, κατήγαγεν· αὕτη δὲ ἀφῆκεν ἐν τῷ ναῷ μένειν διηνεκῶς· μᾶλλον δὲ κἀκεῖνος ἀνέθηκε καθόλου. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο ἴδῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔσφαξεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι τῇ γνώμῃ τὸ πᾶν ἀπήρτισεν. Εἶδες γυναῖκα πρὸς ἄνδρα ἁμιλλωμένην; εἶδες οὐδὲν παρὰ τῆς φύσεως ἐμποδισθεῖσαν ζηλῶσαι τὸν πατριάρχην; Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν πῶς αὐτὸν ἀνατίθησι. Προσελθοῦσα τῷ ἱερεῖ, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἐν ἐμοὶ, κύριε. Τί ποτέ ἐστιν, Ἐν ἐμοί; Μετ' ἀκριβείας πρόσεχε τοῖς λεγομένοις, φησίν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ χρόνος παρῆλθε πολὺς, ἀναμνῆσαι βούλεται πά 54.657 λιν τῶν πρώην εἰρημένων· διό φησιν· Ἐν ἐμοὶ, κύριε· ζῇ ἡ ψυχή σου· ἐγὼ ἡ γυνὴ ἡ καταστᾶσα ἐνώπιόν σου ἐν τῷ προσεύξασθαι πρὸς Κύριον ὑπὲρ τοῦ παιδαρίου τούτου. Προσηυξάμην πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ ἔδωκέ μοι τὸ αἴτημά μου, ὃ ᾐτησάμην παρ' αὐτοῦ. Κἀγὼ κιχρῶ αὐτὸν τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἃς ζῇ αὐτὸς, χρήσειν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ ἡ γυνὴ, ἣν ὠνείδισας, ἣν ἐλοιδόρησας, ἣν ἔσκωψας εἰς παροινίαν καὶ μέθην· διὸ ἔδειξέ σοι ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι οὐ μεθύω· σὺ δὲ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο ἐνεκάλεις. Οὐδὲν τούτων τῶν τραχέων ῥημάτων εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ μετ' ἐπιεικείας ἀποκρίνεται πολλῆς· καίτοι τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔκβασιν ἔχουσα μαρτυροῦσαν αὐτῇ, καὶ δυναμένη ὀνειδίσαι νῦν τῷ ἱερεῖ, ὡς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην αὐτὴν μεμψαμένῳ τότε, οὐδὲν τούτων ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγει μόνον. Καὶ σκόπει δούλης εὐγνωμοσύνην. Ὅτε ἔπασχε κακῶς, οὐδενὶ τὴν συμφορὰν ἐξεκάλυψεν, οὐδὲ εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἱερέα· Ἀντίζηλον ἔχω γυναῖκα, κἀκείνη μὲν ὀνειδίζουσά με καὶ λοιδορουμένη χορὸν ἔχει παίδων, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν ἐπιεικείᾳ ζῶσα, οὐδέπω καὶ τήμερον