John Chrysostom, On the Tempting Devil

How then did some enter, but others did not enter? Because some were inhumane, and others were gentle and philanthropic. Do you see again how choice becomes the cause of the outcome, not the devil? did you see the judgments in parallel, and the verdict being passed from among equals? Fellow servants will judge fellow servants. Do you want me to show you a comparison made also from unequals? for it is also made from unequals, so that the condemnation might become clearer. The men of Nineveh, he says, will rise up and condemn this generation. The ones being judged are no longer similar; for the one group were barbarians, the other were Jews; the one enjoyed prophetic teaching, while the other never partook of a divine hearing. And this is not the only difference, but that in that case a servant went, but in this case the Master; and that one, when he came, preached destruction, but this one proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of heaven. Whom then was it more likely to believe, the barbarians and foolish ones who had never partaken of divine teaching, or those who from their earliest years had been brought up on the prophetic books? It is clear to everyone, that it was the Jews more so; but the opposite happened. And these disbelieved the Master who preached the kingdom of heaven, but those believed the fellow servant who threatened destruction, so that both the reasonableness of those and the ingratitude of these might appear greater. Was it some demon? some devil? some chance? some fate? Was not each one the cause to himself of both his vice and his virtue? For if they themselves were not going to be responsible, he would not have said, that They will condemn this generation; nor would he have said that the queen of the south condemns the Jews. For peoples will not just condemn peoples then, but often even one person will condemn an entire people, whenever those whom it was more possible to be deceived appear to have remained undeceived, while those who ought by every means to have overcome happen to have been defeated. For this reason we also mentioned Adam and Job; for it is necessary to return again to that subject, so as to give what remains to the discourse. To Adam, then, he attacked with bare words, but to Job also with deeds; for the one he stripped of all his wealth and deprived him of his children; but from this one he took away nothing, small or great, of his possessions. But rather let us also examine the words themselves, and the 49.269 manner of the attack. The serpent, it says, came and said to the woman: Why is it that God said, You shall not eat of every tree in paradise? Here a serpent, there a woman in the case of Job; for now the difference between the counselors is great. For the one is a servant, the other a partner in life; the one a helper, the other was subordinate. Do you see how inexcusable it is? For the subordinate and serving one deceived her, but not even the partner and helper was able to trip him up. But let us also see what he says: Why is it that God said, You shall not eat of every tree? And yet God did not say this, but the opposite. See, therefore, the malice of the devil; he said what was not said, in order to learn what was said. What then of the woman? When she should have silenced him, when she should not have given him a word, out of foolishness she blurted out the Master's decree; for this reason she gave him a strong hold. 4. See how great an evil it is simply to entrust oneself to enemies and plotters. For this reason Christ said: Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they turn and tear you to pieces. And this happened in the case of Eve; she gave what is holy to the dog, to the swine; he trampled the words underfoot, and turning, tore the woman to pieces. And see how he works malice: You will not surely die, he says. Pay attention to me here, that the woman was able to see through the deceit. For at once he proclaimed enmity and war against God, at once he spoke in opposition. So be it; before this you were speaking to one who wished to learn the decree; after this, why did you follow one who spoke in opposition? God said: You shall surely die; he spoke in opposition

Πῶς οὖν αἱ μὲν εἰσῆλθον, αἱ δὲ οὐκ εἰσῆλθον; Ὅτι αἱ μὲν ἀπάνθρωποι ἦσαν, αἱ δὲ ἥμεροι καὶ φιλάνθρωποι. Ὁρᾷς πάλιν τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ τέλους αἰτίαν γινομένην, οὐχὶ τὸν διάβολον; εἶδες ἐκ παραλλήλου τὰς κρίσεις, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὁμοίων φερομένην τὴν ψῆφον; Σύνδουλοι συνδούλους κρινοῦσι. Βούλει σοι δείξω καὶ ἐξ ἀνομοίων γινομένην σύγκρισιν; γίνεται γὰρ καὶ ἐξ ἀνομοίων, ὥστε τὴν κατάκρισιν γενέσθαι σαφεστέραν. Ἄνδρες Νινευῗται, φησὶν, ἀναστήσονται καὶ κατακρινοῦσι τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην. Οὐκέτι ὅμοιοι οἱ κρινόμενοι· οἱ μὲν γὰρ βάρβαροι, οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι· οἱ μὲν προφητικῆς ἀπήλαυσαν διδασκαλίας, οἱ δὲ οὐδέποτε μετέσχον θείας ἀκροάσεως. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐστὶ τὸ διάφορον, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκεῖ μὲν δοῦλος ἀπῆλθεν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὁ ∆εσπότης· κἀκεῖνος μὲν καταστροφὴν ἐκήρυττε παραγενόμενος, οὗτος δὲ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν εὐηγγελίζετο. Τίνας οὖν εἰκὸς ἦν πιστεῦσαι μᾶλλον, τοὺς βαρβάρους καὶ ἀνοήτους καὶ μηδέποτε μετασχόντας θείας διδασκαλίας, ἢ τοὺς ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας προφητικαῖς ἐντραφέντας βίβλοις; Παντὶ δῆλον, ὅτι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους μᾶλλον· ἀλλὰ γέγονε τοὐναντίον. Καὶ οὗτοι μὲν ἠπίστησαν τῷ ∆εσπότῃ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν κηρύττοντι, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ συνδούλῳ καταστροφὴν ἀπειλοῦντι, ἵνα μειζόνως κἀκείνων ἡ ἐπιείκεια καὶ τούτων ἡ ἀγνωμοσύνη φανήσηται. Μή τί δαίμων; μή τι διάβολος; μή τι τύχη; μή τι εἱμαρμένη; οὐχὶ ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ αἴτιος καὶ τῆς κακίας καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐγίνετο; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ αὐτοὶ ἔμελλον ὑπεύθυνοι ἔσεσθαι, οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν, ὅτι Κατακρινοῦσι τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην· οὐκ ἂν καὶ τὴν βασίλισσαν τοῦ νότου κατακρίνειν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἔφη. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ δῆμοι δήμους μόνον κατακρινοῦσι τότε, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἷς ἄνθρωπος δῆμον ὁλόκληρον πολλάκις, ὅταν οὓς μὲν ἐνεδέχετο μᾶλλον ἀπατηθῆναι, φαίνονται μείναντες ἀνεξαπάτητοι, οἱ δὲ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου περιγενέσθαι ὀφείλοντες, ἡττηθέντες τύχωσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐμνήσθημεν· ἀνάγκη γὰρ πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἐκείνην, ὥστε τὰ λείψανα ἀποδοῦναι τῷ λόγῳ. Τῷ μὲν οὖν Ἀδὰμ διὰ ῥημάτων προσέβαλε ψιλῶν, τῷ δὲ Ἰὼβ καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων· τὸν μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πλούτου παντὸς ἐγύμνωσε καὶ τῶν παίδων ἀπεστέρησε· τούτου δὲ οὐ μικρὸν, οὐ μέγα τι τῶν ὄντων ἀφείλετο. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα ἐξετάσωμεν, καὶ τῆς ἐπιβολῆς τὸν 49.269 τρόπον. Προσῆλθε, φησὶν, ὁ ὄφις, καὶ εἶπε τῇ γυναικί· Τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Οὐ μὴ φάγητε ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ; Ἐνταῦθα ὄφις, ἐκεῖ γυνὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰώβ· τέως πολὺ τῶν συμβούλων τὸ μέσον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δοῦλος, ἡ δὲ κοινωνὸς τοῦ βίου· ἡ μὲν βοηθὸς, ὁ δὲ ὑπετέτακτο. Εἶδες τὸ ἀσύγγνωστον ὅσον; τὴν μὲν γὰρ ὁ ὑποτεταγμένος καὶ δουλεύων ἠπάτησεν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ οὐδὲ ἡ κοινωνὸς καὶ βοηθὸς ὑποσκελίσαι ἴσχυσεν. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν καὶ τί φησι· Τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Οὐ μὴ φάγητε ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου; Καὶ μὴν οὐκ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐναντίον. Ὅρα οὖν κακουργίαν τοῦ διαβόλου· εἶπε τὸ μὴ εἰρημένον, ἵνα μάθῃ τὸ εἰρημένον. Τί οὖν ἡ γυνή; ∆έον ἐπιστομίσαι, δέον μὴ μεταδοῦναι λόγου, ὑπὸ ἀνοίας ἐξελάλησε τὴν γνώμην τὴν ∆εσποτικήν· διὰ τοῦτο παρέσχεν αὐτῷ λαβὴν ἰσχυράν. δʹ. Ὅρα ὅσον κακόν ἐστι τὸ ἁπλῶς τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐπιβούλοις ἑαυτοὺς ἐγχειρίζειν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγε· Μὴ δότε τὰ ἅγια τοῖς κυσὶ, μηδὲ ῥίψητε τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων, μήποτε στραφέντες ῥήξωσιν ὑμᾶς. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τῆς Εὔας· ἔδωκε τὰ ἅγια τῷ κυνὶ, τῷ χοίρῳ· κατεπάτησεν ἐκεῖνος τὰ ῥήματα, στραφεὶς ἔῤῥηξε τὴν γυναῖκα. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς κακουργεῖ· Οὐ θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε, φησί. Ἐνταῦθά μοι προσέχετε, ὅτι δυνατὴ ἦν ἡ γυνὴ συνιδεῖν τὴν ἀπάτην. Εὐθέως γὰρ τὴν ἔχθραν καὶ τὸν πόλεμον προεκήρυττε τὸν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, εὐθέως ἀπεναντίας ἐφθέγξατο. Ἔστω· πρὸ τούτου βουλομένῳ μαθεῖν τὴν γνώμην ἔλεγες· μετὰ ταῦτα ἐναντία εἰπόντι τί ἠκολούθεις; Εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε· ἀντεφθέγξατο