John Chrysostom, On Anna I

shaming their gray hair, making an example of their age, making old age itself ridiculous. And when they enter here, they are as though nauseous and think themselves annoyed, and they recline during the hearing of the divine words, putting forward as excuses confinement, and suffocation, and such things; but there, receiving the sun on their bare head, and being trampled, and being pushed, and being pressed with great vehemence, and suffering a thousand other terrible things, they are so disposed, as if reveling in a meadow. For this reason our cities are corrupted, because they are wicked teachers of the youth. For how will you be able to chasten a youth who is disorderly and licentious, when you yourself are puffed up with such things in your gray hair, when you yourself after so much time have not had your fill of that most joyless spectacle? how will you be able to discipline your son, how to punish a sinning servant, how to advise another who is negligent of his duties, when you yourself behave so shamefully in extreme old age? And if a young man insults an old one, he immediately puts forward his age, and has a thousand who are indignant with him; but when it is necessary to chasten the young man, and for him to be a certain rule of virtue, they have no regard for age, but they proceed to the lawless spectacle more madly than the young men themselves. I say these things, and I censure the old, not to free the young from accusation and slander, but through the former securing the latter. For if the old man ought not, much more so the young man. For in the one case, the ridicule is great, and the indecency greater; but in the other, the destruction is more grievous, the pit is deep, inasmuch as the passions are more vigorous in the young, and their flame is more vehement, and if it should only take hold of a little external material, it sets everything on fire. For the young man is more prone to anger and to desires; wherefore he needs more guarding, a stronger bridle, a more secure wall and restraint. 2. For do not tell me this, O man, that the spectacle has pleasure; but if it does not have harm along with the pleasure, teach me this. And why do I say harm? For that the thing does not even have pleasure, you will know clearly from this. As you are departing from that hippodrome, meet those departing from the church, and learn with exactness, who is in greater pleasure, he who has heard the prophets, and partaken of a blessing, and enjoyed teaching, and entreated God for his own sins, and made his conscience lighter, and has condemned himself for no such thing; or you, who has left your mother, and dishonored the prophets, and committed outrage against God, and danced with the devil, and heard blasphemies and revilings, and spent the time rashly and in vain, and having nothing to bring home, neither bodily nor spiritual gain from thence. So that for the sake of pleasure especially one ought to come here. For there, immediately there is condemnation, accusation of the 54.662 conscience, repentance for what has been done, shame, and reproach, and the having of one's eyes without boldness; but here, all the contrary, boldness, and freedom of speech, and conversing with all without fear about all the things heard here. Whenever, then, you enter the marketplace, and see all running to that spectacle, you take refuge immediately in the church, and having persevered for a short time, you may continually delight in the divine sayings. For if, carried away with the crowd, you go there, having been entertained for a little while, you will be in pain all day, and the next, and for many others, condemning yourself; but if you restrain yourself for a little, you will have delight all day long. For not in this case only, but also in all other things it is accustomed to happen so. For vice has a certain temporary pleasure, but continual pain; but virtue, has a brief toil, but continual gain with gladness. For example, someone prayed to God, he wept, he grieved for a short time during the prayer; another reveled all day long, then almsgiving

τὴν πολιὰν καταισχύνοντες, τὴν ἡλικίαν παραδειγματίζοντες, τὸ γῆρας αὐτὸ καταγέλαστον ποιοῦντες. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὲν εἰσιόντες, ναυτιῶντες ὥσπερ καὶ ἐνοχλεῖσθαι νομίζουσι, καὶ ἀναπεπτώκασιν ἐν τῇ τῶν θείων λόγων ἀκροάσει, στενοχωρίαν, καὶ πνιγμὸν, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα προβαλλόμενοι· ἐκεῖ δὲ καὶ ἥλιον γυμνῇ δεχόμενοι τῇ κεφαλῇ, καὶ πατούμενοι, καὶ ὠθούμενοι, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς πιεζόμενοι τῆς σφοδρότητος, καὶ μυρία ἕτερα πάσχοντες δεινὰ, καθάπερ ἐν λειμῶνι τρυφῶντες, οὕτω διάκεινται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡμῖν αἱ πόλεις εἰσὶ διεφθαρμέναι, ὅτι πονηροὶ τῆς νεότητός εἰσι διδάσκαλοι. Πῶς γὰρ δυνήσῃ τὸν νέον ἄκοσμον ὄντα καὶ ἀσελγαίνοντα σωφρονίσαι, αὐτὸς ἐν πολιᾷ τοιαῦτα μετεωρίζων, αὐτὸς μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον κόρον μὴ λαβὼν τῆς ἀτερπεστάτης θέας ἐκείνης; πῶς δυνήσῃ ῥυθμίσαι τὸν υἱὸν, πῶς κολάσαι τὸν οἰκέτην ἁμαρτάνοντα, πῶς ἑτέρῳ συμβουλεῦσαι τὰ δέοντα ἀμελοῦντι, τοιαῦτα αὐτὸς ἐν ἐσχάτῳ γήρᾳ ἀσχημονῶν; Κἂν μὲν ὑβρίσῃ νέος τὸν γεγηρακότα, τὴν ἡλικίαν εὐθέως προβάλλεται, καὶ μυρίους ἔχει συναγανακτοῦντας· ὅταν δὲ σωφρονίζειν δέῃ τὸν νέον, καὶ κανόνα τινὰ ἀρετῆς αὐτὸν γίνεσθαι, οὐδαμοῦ τῆς ἡλικίας αὐτοῖς λόγος, ἀλλ' αὐτῶν ἐκείνων μανικώτερον ἐπὶ τὴν παράνομον βαδίζουσι θεωρίαν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, καὶ τῶν γεγηρακότων καθάπτομαι, οὐχὶ τοὺς νέους ἀπαλλάττων κατηγορίας καὶ διαβολῆς, ἀλλὰ δι' ἐκείνων τούτους ἀσφαλιζόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν γεγηρακότα οὐ δεῖ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν νέον. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ πολὺς ὁ γέλως, καὶ μείζων ἡ ἀσχημοσύνη· ἐνταῦθα δὲ χαλεπώτερος ὁ ὄλεθρος, βαθὺ τὸ βάραθρον, ὅσῳ καὶ ἀκμαιότερα μᾶλλον τὰ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τοῖς νέοις, καὶ σφοδροτέρα αὐτοῖς ἡ φλὸξ, κἂν μικρᾶς ἐπιλάβηται μόνον ἔξωθεν ὕλης, τὰ πάντα ἐμπίπρησι. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸς θυμὸν καὶ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίας εὐέμπτωτος μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ὁ νέος· διὸ καὶ πλείονος δεῖται τῆς φυλακῆς, σφοδροτέρου τοῦ χαλινοῦ, ἀσφαλεστέρου τοῦ τειχίου καὶ τοῦ κωλύματος. βʹ. Μὴ γάρ μοι τοῦτο εἴπῃς, ἄνθρωπε, ὅτι ἡδονὴν ἔχει ἡ θεωρία· ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ μετὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ βλάβην ἔχει, τοῦτό με δίδαξον. Καὶ τί λέγω βλάβην; Ὅτι γὰρ οὐδὲ ἡδονὴν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔχει, ἐντεῦθεν εἴσῃ σαφῶς. Ἐκ τῆς ἱπποδρομίας ἀναχωρῶν ἐκείνης, ἀπάντησον τοῖς ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀναχωροῦσι, καὶ κατάμαθε μετὰ ἀκριβείας, τίς ἐστιν ἐν ἡδονῇ μείζονι, ὁ προφητῶν ἀκούσας, καὶ μετασχὼν εὐλογίας, καὶ διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύσας, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλέσας ὑπὲρ τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων, καὶ κουφότερον ποιήσας τὸ συνειδὸς, καὶ μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ κατεγνωκὼς τοιοῦτο· ἢ σὺ ὁ καταλιπὼν τὴν μητέρα, καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ἀτιμάσας, καὶ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐξυβρίσας, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ διαβόλου χορεύσας, καὶ βλασφημούντων ἀκούσας καὶ λοιδορουμένων, καὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἀναλώσας εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην, καὶ μηδὲν οἴκαδε ἔχων ἀπενεγκεῖν, μήτε σωματικὸν, μήτε πνευματικὸν κέρδος ἐκεῖθεν. Ὥστε ἡδονῆς ἕνεκεν μάλιστα ἐνταῦθα ἀπαντᾷν χρή. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ εὐθέως κατάγνωσις, κατηγορία τοῦ 54.662 συνειδότος, μετάνοια ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγενημένοις, αἰσχύνη, καὶ ὄνειδος, καὶ τὸ ἀπαῤῥησιάστους ἔχειν τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν, παῤῥησία, καὶ τὸ ἐλευθεροστομεῖν, καὶ τὸ μετὰ ἀδείας ἅπασι διαλέγεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἀκουσμάτων ἁπάντων. Ὅταν τοίνυν εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλῃς, καὶ πάντας ἴδῃς ἐπὶ τὴν θεωρίαν τρέχοντας ἐκείνην, κατάφυγε σὺ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εὐθέως, καὶ μικρὸν καρτερήσας χρόνον, τρύφα διηνεκῶς τῶν θείων ῥημάτων. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ παρασυρεὶς μετὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἀπέλθῃς ἐκεῖ, μικρὸν ψυχαγωγηθεὶς, διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας ἀλγήσεις, τῆς τε ἐπιούσης, καὶ πολλῶν ἑτέρων, καταγινώσκων σαυτοῦ· ἂν δὲ μικρὸν ἐπίσχῃς σαυτὸν, διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας ἕξεις τρυφᾷν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τούτου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων οὕτω συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ κακία πρόσκαιρόν τινα ἔχει τὴν ἡδονὴν, διηνεκῆ δὲ τὴν ὀδύνην· ἡ δὲ ἀρετὴ, βραχὺν μὲν τὸν πόνον, διηνεκὲς δὲ τὸ κέρδος μετὰ τῆς εὐφροσύνης. Οἷον, ηὔξατό τις πρὸς Θεὸν, ἐδάκρυσεν, ἤλγησεν ὀλίγον χρόνον κατὰ τὴν εὐχήν· ἕτερος διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας ἐτρύφα, εἶτα ἐλεημοσύνην