John Chrysostom, On John

the tongue; and the word will become a theme for philosophy for you and for him. But now for the sake of men we bear even the unbearable, and to those who insult us we often say: So-and-so insulted me, not you; and in the case of God shall we not have even this reverence? And what pardon will there be for us? Let us say also to our own soul: God insults us now, He who restrains our hands; let us not leap up, nor let God be less honored by us than men. Did you shudder at the word? But I want you to shudder not only at the words, but also at the deed. For God commanded that those who are slapped not only bear it, but also offer themselves to suffer something worse. But we oppose with such vehemence, as not only not to offer ourselves to suffer evil, but even to defend ourselves, and often to be the first to raise unjust hands, and to think we are worsted if we do not do the same things. For this is the terrible thing 59.53, that we think we are conquering, when we are being defeated with the utmost defeat and lying prostrate, and receiving countless blows from the devil, we think we are overcoming him. Therefore, I beseech you, let us learn what the manner of this victory is, and let us pursue this form of manner. For to suffer evil, this is to be crowned. If, therefore, we too wish to be proclaimed by God, let us observe not the law of external contests, but the law from God in these wrestling-matches 59.54, and to bear all things with long-suffering. For thus we shall both overcome those who wrestle with us, and obtain the good things here and those which are promised, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

59.53.10 HOMILY V. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

1. Moses, beginning the history and the writing in the Old Testament,

discourses to us about sensible things, and enumerates these at length. For, he says, "In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth;" then he adds that light also was made, and a second heaven, and the nature of the stars, and all kinds of living creatures, and all other things, so that we may not be tedious by going through them one by one. But this Evangelist, summarizing everything, embraces in one word both those things and things superior to them; reasonably so, since they were familiar to his hearers, and as he was hastening on to a greater subject, and having set up his entire treatise to speak not about the works, but about the Creator who brought all things into being. For this reason, that one, although he took the lesser part of creation (for he told us nothing about the invisible powers), dwells on these things; but this one, hastening to ascend to the Maker Himself, reasonably passes over all things, both these and the things passed over in silence by that one, embracing them in one short phrase, "All things were made through Him." And lest you think he means only all those things spoken of by Moses, he adds, "And without Him was not anything made that was made." that is, of things created, whether visible or intelligible, nothing was brought into being without the power of the Son. For we shall not place the full stop after "Not one thing," as the heretics do. For they, wishing to say the Spirit is a creature, say: "What was made, in Him was life." But in this way what is said becomes unintelligible. For in the first place, it was not the time here to make mention of the Spirit; and if he had wished to, for what reason did he put it so obscurely? For whence is it clear that this was said concerning the Spirit? Otherwise, according to this argument, we shall find not the Spirit, but the Son Himself through Himself

τὴν γλῶτταν· καὶ γενήσεται καὶ σοὶ κἀκείνῳ φιλοσοφίας ὑπόθεσις τὸ ῥῆμα. Νῦν δὲ ἀνθρώπων μὲν ἕνεκεν καὶ τὰ ἀφόρητα φέρομεν, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ὑβρικότας λέγομεν πολλάκις· Ὁ δεῖνά με ὕβρισεν, οὐ σύ· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδὲ ταύτην ἕξομεν τὴν εὐλάβειαν; Καὶ ποία ἡμῖν ἔσται συγγνώμη; Εἴπωμεν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν ψυχήν· Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμᾶς ὑβρίζει νῦν, ὁ κατέχων ἡμῶν τὰς χεῖρας· μὴ σκιρτῶμεν, μηδὲ ἔστω ὁ Θεὸς ἀνθρώπων ἀτιμότερος ἡμῖν. Ἐφρίξατε πρὸς τὸ ῥῆμα; Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ πρὸς τὰ ῥήματα βούλομαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν φρίττειν ὑμᾶς. Ἐκέλευσε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ῥαπιζομένους μὴ μόνον φέρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρέχειν ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὸ χεῖρόν τι παθεῖν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ μετὰ τοσαύτης σφοδρότητος ἐναντιούμεθα, ὡς μὴ μόνον μὴ παρέχειν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὸ κακῶς παθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀμύνασθαι, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἄρχειν χειρῶν ἀδίκων, καὶ ἐλαττοῦσθαι νομίζειν, ἂν μὴ πράξωμεν τὰ αὐτά. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ δεινὸν τοῦτο 59.53 ἐστιν, ὅτι καὶ νικᾷν οἰόμεθα, τὴν ἐσχάτην ἧτταν ἡττώμενοι καὶ κείμενοι κάτω, καὶ μυρίας δεχόμενοι πληγὰς παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, κρατεῖν αὐτοῦ νομίζομεν. ∆ιὸ, παρακαλῶ, μάθωμεν τίς τῆς νίκης ταύτης ὁ τρόπος, καὶ τοῦτο μετίωμεν τοῦ τρόπου τὸ εἶδος. Τὸ γὰρ παθεῖν κακῶς, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ στεφανοῦσθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν βουλόμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀναῤῥηθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μὴ τὸν τῶν ἔξωθεν ἀγώνων, ἀλλὰ τὸν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον φυλάττωμεν ἐν τοῖς παλαί 59.54 σμασι τούτοις, καὶ τὸ πάντα φέρειν μετὰ μακροθυμίας. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῶν παλαιόντων περιγινώμεθα, καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.53.10 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Εʹ. Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν ὃ γέγονεν.

αʹ. Μωϋσῆς μὲν ἀρχόμενος τῆς ἱστορίας καὶ τῆς συγγραφῆς τῆς ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ,

περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἡμῖν διαλέγεται, καὶ ταῦτα ἀπαριθμεῖται διὰ πολλῶν· Ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· εἶτα ἐπάγει ὅτι καὶ φῶς ἐγένετο, καὶ δεύτερος οὐρανὸς, καὶ ἀστέρων φύσις, καὶ παντοδαπὰ γένη ζώων, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ἵνα μὴ καθ' ἕκαστον ἐπεξιόντες παρέλκωμεν. Ὁ δὲ εὐαγγελιστὴς οὗτος, ἅπαντα συντεμὼν, ἐν ῥήματι περιλαμβάνει ἐκεῖνά τε καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων ἀνώτερα· εἰκότως, ἅτε καὶ γνώριμα ὄντα τοῖς ἀκούουσι, καὶ ἐπὶ μείζονα ἐπειγόμενος ὑπόθεσιν, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν πραγματείαν ἐνστησάμενος, οὐ περὶ τῶν ἔργων, ἀλλὰ περὶ τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ καὶ πάντα παραγαγόντος εἰπεῖν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ἐκεῖνος μὲν, καίτοι γε τὸ ἔλαττον μέρος τῆς κτίσεως ἀπολαβὼν (οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν ἀοράτων διελέχθη δυνάμεων), τούτοις ἐνδιατρίβει· οὗτος δὲ, ἅτε πρὸς αὐτὸν σπεύδων τὸν Ποιητὴν ἀνελθεῖν, εἰκότως ἅπαντα παρατρέχει, καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ ἐκείνῳ σεσιγημένα, ἑνὶ καὶ βραχεῖ λόγῳ περιλαβὼν, τῷ, Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς πάντα ἐκεῖνα λέγειν μόνον αὐτὸν τὰ καὶ Μωϋσεῖ εἰρημένα, ἐπάγει, ὅτι Καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἓν ὃ γέγονε· τουτέστι, τῶν γενητῶν κἂν ὁρατόν τι ᾖ, κἂν νοητὸν, οὐδὲν χωρὶς τῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ δυνάμεως εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθη. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὴν τελείαν στιγμὴν τῷ, Οὐδὲ ἓν, ἐπιθήσομεν κατὰ τοὺς αἱρετικούς. Ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ βουλόμενοι τὸ Πνεῦμα κτιστὸν εἰπεῖν, φασίν· Ὃ γέγονεν, ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν. Ἀλλ' οὕτως ἀπερινόητον γίνεται τὸ λεγόμενον. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ καιρὸς ἦν ἐνταῦθα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐπιμνησθῆναι· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐβούλετο, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὕτως ἀσαφῶς αὐτὸ τέθεικε; πόθεν γὰρ δῆλον, ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦτο εἴρηται; Ἄλλως δὲ εὑρήσομεν κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, οὐ τὸ Πνεῦμα, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν Υἱὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ