John Chrysostom, On "I saw the Lord"

you may see the patience of those sailing and learn precisely the intelligence of the pilot. 4.2 Let the Greeks hear, let the Jews hear our achievements and the leadership of the Church. By how many was the Church warred against, yet it was never conquered? how many tyrants? how many generals? how many kings? Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius, Nero, men honored in words, powerful, warred so much against it in its youthful prime, but they did not uproot it; but those who warred have been silenced and handed over to oblivion, while the one warred against soars above heaven. For do not see this, that the Church stands on earth, but that its citizenship is in heaven? From where is this clear? The proof of the facts shows it. Eleven disciples were warred against and the inhabited world warred against them; but those who were warred against conquered and those who warred against them were destroyed; the sheep overcame the wolves. Have you seen a shepherd sending sheep into the midst of wolves, so that they might not even find safety by fleeing? What shepherd does this? But Christ did this, to show you that the achievements happen not according to the sequence of events, but beyond nature and sequence. For the Church is rooted more in heaven. But perhaps the Greek condemns my madness; but let him await the proof of the facts and learn the strength of the truth. How? It is easier for the sun to be extinguished than for the Church to be obliterated. Who is it, he says, that proclaims these things? The one who founded it; "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." He not only said these things, but also fulfilled them; for why did he found it to be greater than heaven? For the Church is more honorable than heaven. Why heaven? For the sake of the Church, not the Church for the sake of heaven. And heaven is for the sake of man, not man for the sake of heaven. And it is clear from the things he himself has done. For Christ did not take up a heavenly body. But lest, by prolonging the discourse, we should again depart today as debtors—for you know what things we promised yesterday—we are ready to pay today. For on account of those who were absent I postponed it. Since, therefore, those who were absent have fulfilled their part and have graced us with their presence, a table filled with provisions, come now, let us set forth the dishes, dishes not stale; for even if they were from yesterday, yet they do not become stale. Why is that? It is not meat, that it should spoil, but thoughts perpetually flourishing. For meat spoils; for it is a body; but thoughts, remaining, become more fragrant. What then was it that we said yesterday? For we too enjoyed the table yesterday and those who were absent did not suffer loss. "And it came to pass in the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." Who says these things? Isaiah, the beholder of the Seraphim, who was joined in marriage and did not extinguish the grace. And you have paid attention to the prophet, but listen to the prophet also today; "Go forth, you and Jashub your son." It is necessary not to pass these things by. "Go forth, you and your son." Did the prophet have a son? Therefore if a son, also a wife, so that you may learn that marriage is not a base thing, but fornication is evil. But since we converse with many and say: Why do you not live rightly, why do you not display a precise life? How am I able, he says, unless I renounce a wife, unless I renounce children, unless I renounce affairs? Why? Is marriage a hindrance? The wife has been given to you as a helper, not a plotter. Did the prophet not have a wife? And marriage was not a hindrance to the Spirit; but he both lived with his wife and was a prophet. Did Moses not have a wife? But nevertheless he both split rocks and changed the air and conversed with God and checked the divine wrath. Did Abraham not have a wife? And he became the father of many nations and of the Church; for he had Isaac as a son. Was he not to him

πλεόντων τὴν ὑπομονὴν ἴδῃς καὶ τοῦ κυβερνῶντος τὴν σύνεσιν ἀκριβῶς καταμάθῃς. 4.2 Ἀκουέτωσαν Ἕλληνες, ἀκουέτωσαν Ἰουδαῖοι τὰκατορθώματα ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν προεδρίαν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. Ὑπὸ πόσων ἐπολεμήθη ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἀλλ' οὐδέποτε ἐνικήθη; πόσοι τύραννοι; πόσοι στρατηγοί; πόσοι βασιλεῖς; Αὔγουστος, Τιβέριος, Γάϊος, Κλαύδιος, Νέρων, ἄνθρωποι λόγοις τετιμημένοι, δυνατοί, τοσαῦτα ἐπολέμησαν ἀκμὴν νεάζουσαν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξερρίζωσαν· ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν πολεμήσαντες σεσίγηνται καὶ λήθῃ παραδέδονται, ἡ δὲ πολεμηθεῖσα τὸν οὐρανὸν ὑπεραίρει. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο ἴδῃς ὅτι ἐν γῇ ἕστηκεν ἡ Ἐκκλησία, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐν οὐρανῷ πολιτεύεται; Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; ∆είκνυσι τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ ἀπόδειξις. Ἐπολεμήθησαν ἕνδεκα μαθηταὶ καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη ἐπολέμει· ἀλλ' οἱ πολεμηθέντες ἐνίκησαν καὶ οἱ πολεμήσαντες ἀνῃρέθησαν· τὰ πρόβατα τῶν λύκων περιεγένοντο. Εἶδες ποιμένα τὰ πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν λύκων ἀποστέλλοντα, ἵνα μηδὲ τῇ φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν πορίσωνται; Ποῖος ποιμὴν τοῦτο ἐργάζεται; Ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ἵνα σοι δείξῃ ὅτι οὐ κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ φύσιν καὶ ἀκολουθίαν τὰ κατορθώματα γίνεται. Ἡ γὰρ Ἐκκλησία οὐρανοῦ μᾶλλον ἐρρίζωται. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἀπόνοιάν μου καταγινώσκει ὁ Ἕλλην· ἀλλ' ἀναμενέτω τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἀπόδειξιν καὶ μανθανέτω τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἰσχύν. Πῶς; εὐκολώτερον τὸν ἥλιον σβεσθῆναι ἢ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἀφανισθῆναι. Τίς ταῦτα, φησίν, ὁ κηρύττων; Ὁ θεμελιώσας αὐτήν· "Ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσιν." Ταῦτα οὐ μόνον εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν· διὰ τί γὰρ μᾶλλον οὐρανοῦ μείζονα αὐτὴν ἐθεμελίωσεν; Οὐρανοῦ γὰρ τιμιωτέρα ἡ Ἐκκλησία. ∆ιὰ τί οὐρανός; ∆ιὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, οὐχ ἡ Ἐκκλησία διὰ τὸν οὐρανόν. Ὁ οὐρανὸς δὲ διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τὸν οὐρανόν. Καὶ ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν, δῆλον. Οὐράνιον γὰρ σῶμα οὐκ ἀνέλαβεν ὁ Χριστός. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ μηκύναντες τὸν λόγον, πάλιν χρεωσταὶ ἀναχωρήσωμεν σήμερονἴστε γὰρ ὅσαπερ χθὲς ὑπεσχόμεθα, καταβαλεῖν ἕτοιμοι σήμερον. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας ἀνεβαλόμην. Ἐπειδὴ οὖν οἱ ἀπολειφθέντες τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἐπλήρωσαν καὶ τὴν παρουσίαν ἡμῖν τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐχαρίσαντο πεπληρωμένην τράπεζαν τῶν ἀναλωμάτων, φέρε δή, τὰ ὄψα παραθῶμεν, ὄψα οὐχ ἕωλα· εἰ γὰρ καὶ χθεσινὰ ἦν, ἀλλ' οὐ γίνονται ἕωλα. Τί δήποτε; Οὐκ ἔστι κρέα, ἵνα διαφθαρῇ, ἀλλὰ νοήματα διηνεκῶς ἀνθοῦντα. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ κρέα φθείρεται· σῶμα γάρ ἐστιν· τὰ δὲ νοήματα μένοντα εὐωδέστερα καθίστανται. Τί οὖν ἦν, ἃ χθὲς εἰρήκαμεν; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς χθὲς ἀπελαύσαμεν τραπέζης καὶ οἱ ἀπολειφθέντες οὐκ ἐζημιώθησαν. "Καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, οὗ ἀπέθανεν Ὀζίας ὁ βασιλεύς, εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπῃρμένου." Τίς ταῦτά φησιν; Ἡσαΐας, ὁ θεωρὸς τῶν Σεραφίμ, ὁ γάμῳ ὁμιλήσας καὶ τὴν χάριν μὴ σβέσας. Καὶ προσεσχήκατε τῷ προφήτῃ, ἀλλ' ἀκούσατε τοῦ προφήτου καὶ σήμερον· "Ἔξελθε, σὺ καὶ Ἰασοὺφ ὁ υἱός σου." Ἀναγκαῖον καὶ ταῦτα μὴ παραδραμεῖν. "Ἔξελθε, σὺ καὶ ὁ υἱός σου." Υἱὸν εἶχεν ὁ προφήτης; Οὐκοῦν εἰ υἱόν, καὶ γυναῖκα, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐ φαῦλον ὁ γάμος, ἀλλὰ κακὸν ἡ πορνεία. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλοῖς τισι διαλεγόμεθα καὶ λέγομεν· ∆ιὰ τί μὴ ὀρθῶς ζῇς, διὰ τί μὴ τὸν βίον ἀκριβῆ ἐπιδείκνυσαι; Πῶς δύναμαι, φησίν, ἐὰν μὴ ἀποτάξωμαι γυναικί, ἐὰν μὴ ἀποτάξωμαι παιδίοις, ἐὰν μὴ ἀποτάξωμαι πράγμασιν; ∆ιὰ τί; Μὴ κώλυμα ὁ γάμος; βοηθός σοι δέδοται ἡ γυνή, μὴ ἐπίβουλος. Ὁ προφήτης οὐ γυναῖκα εἶχεν; Καὶ οὐκ ἐγένετο κώλυμα τοῦ Πνεύματος ὁ γάμος· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡμίλει τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ προφήτης ἦν. Ὁ Μωϋσῆς οὐ γυναῖκα εἶχεν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ πέτρας διέρρηξεν καὶ ἀέρα μετέβαλεν καὶ Θεῷ διελέγετο καὶ θεήλατον ὀργὴν ἀνέστειλεν. Ὁ Ἀβραὰμ οὐχὶ γυναῖκα εἶχεν; Καὶ πατὴρ ἐγένετο ἐθνῶν πολλῶν καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· τὸν γὰρ Ἰσαὰκ υἱὸν εἶχεν. Οὐχ οὗτος αὐτῷ ἐγένετο