John Chrysostom, On Timothy

it is better to add. The one who takes omens, the one who practices divination, the one who does other such things, not with a simple command, but with all command. Do you see how he wants him to command these things with authority and with great power? Let no one despise you, but, Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable. What then? not even those who do evil, nor to revile them? But to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one. Let us hear the exhortation: To speak evil of no one, he says. Our mouth must be pure from reviling. For if the railings are true, it is not for us to say these things, but for the judge to examine them; For you, he says, why do you judge your brother? if they are not true, see how great the fire is; hear the robber saying to the other robber: For we are also in the same condemnation, we run the same contest. If you reproach others, you yourself will quickly fall into the same things. Therefore this blessed one exhorts, saying: Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. To be peaceable, he says. Gentle, showing all meekness to all men, both Greeks and Jews, both the wicked and the evil. For there he frightens by things to come, saying. So let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall; but here he shames not by things to come, but by things past, doing the same through what he adds, For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish; which he does in his letter to the Galatians, writing: When we were children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world. Therefore, reproach no one, he says; for you were also such a one. For we were, he says, sometimes also foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. So we must be such towards all, to be gentle. For he who was formerly such, and has been delivered, ought not to reproach such persons, but to pray and give thanks to Him who gave both to himself and to them deliverance from their former evils. Let no one boast; for all have sinned. When, therefore, you yourself being upright wish to reproach someone, considering your own former 62.692 life and the uncertainty of the future, restrain your anger. For even if you have lived virtuously from your earliest years, yet you would have many sins; but if you have none, as you think, consider that this has not come of your own virtue, but of the grace of God; for if He had not called your forefathers, you yourself would have been disobedient. See how he has gone through all malice. Did not God manage countless things through prophets, through all things? did we not listen? For we ourselves, he says, were also sometimes deceived; But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. How? Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Alas, how we were baptized in wickedness, so that we could not be cleansed, but needed to be born again! for this is regeneration. For just as with a house in a ruinous state, no one puts a support under it, nor patches it onto the old building, but having demolished it down to the foundations, so he raises it up from above and renews it; so also He did; He did not repair us, but He made us from above; for this is, And renewing of the Holy Spirit; He made us new from above. How? through the Spirit. And again, showing this in another way, he adds; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. So much mercy do we need. That being justified by his grace. Again, by grace, not by debt. We should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. At the same time it is an exhortation to humility, and a hope for the things to come. For if, when we were in such a state of despair,

βέλτιον δεῖ ἐπάγειν. τὸν οἰωνιζόμενον, τὸν κλῃδονιζόμενον, τὸν ἄλλα τοιαῦτα πράττοντα, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ἐπιταγῆς, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πάσης ἐπιταγῆς. Ὁρᾷς πῶς βούλεται καὶ μετὰ αὐθεντίας, καὶ μετὰ ἐξουσίας πολλῆς ταῦτα αὐτὸν ἐπιτάττειν; Μηδείς σου περιφρονείτω, ἀλλὰ, Ὑπομίμνησκε αὐτοὺς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ἐξουσίαις ὑποτάσσεσθαι, πειθαρχεῖν, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἑτοίμους εἶναι, μηδένα βλασφημεῖν, ἀμάχους εἶναι. Τί οὖν; μηδὲ τοὺς κακῶς πράττοντας, μηδὲ ἐκείνοις λοιδορεῖσθαι; Ἀλλὰ πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἑτοίμους εἶναι, μηδένα βλασφημεῖν. Ἀκούσωμεν τῆς παραινέσεως· Μηδένα, φησὶ, βλασφημεῖν. Καθαρὸν εἶναι δεῖ ἡμῖν τὸ στόμα ἀπὸ λοιδορίας. Εἴτε γὰρ ἀληθεῖς εἰσιν αἱ λοιδορίαι, οὐχ ἡμῶν ταῦτα λέγειν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κριτοῦ ἐξετάζειν· Σὺ γὰρ, φησὶ, τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; εἴτε οὐκ ἀληθεῖς, ὅρα ὅσον τὸ πῦρ· ἄκουσον τοῦ λῃστοῦ λέγοντος πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον λῃστήν· Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ κρίματί ἐσμεν, τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγῶνα τρέχομεν. Ἐὰν ὀνειδίζῃς ἑτέροις, ταχέως καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιπεσῇ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παραινεῖ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος λέγων· Ὁ δοκῶν ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ. Ἀμάχους εἶναι, φησίν. Ἐπιεικεῖς, πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνυμένους πραότητα πρὸς πάντας ἀνθρώπους, καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ Ἰουδαίους, καὶ μοχθηροὺς καὶ πονηρούς. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων φοβεῖ λέγων. Ὥστε ὁ δοκῶν ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν παρελθόντων ἐντρέπει, τὸ αὐτὸ ποιῶν, δι' ὧν ἐπάγει, Ἦμεν γάρ ποτε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνόητοι· ὅπερ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας ποιεῖ γράφων· Ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι. Οὐκοῦν μηδενὶ ὀνειδίσῃς, φησί· τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦς καὶ σύ. Ἦμεν γὰρ, φησὶ, ποτὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνόητοι, ἀπειθεῖς, πλανώμενοι, δουλεύοντες ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ἡδοναῖς ποικίλαις, ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ διάγοντες, στυγητοὶ, μισοῦντες ἀλλήλους. Ὥστε πρὸς πάντας τοιούτους εἶναι δεῖ, ἡμέρως ἔχειν. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ὢν πρότερον, καὶ ἀπαλλαγεὶς, οὐκ ὀνειδίζειν ὀφείλει πρὸς τοιούτους, ἀλλ' εὔχεσθαι καὶ χάριτας ἔχειν τῷ καὶ αὐτῷ κἀκείνοις δόντι τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν προτέρων κακῶν. Μηδεὶς καυχάσθω· πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον. Ὅταν οὖν ἐθέλῃς ὀνειδίσαι τινὰ κατορθῶν αὐτὸς, καὶ τὸν πρότερόν σου ἐννοῶν 62.692 βίον καὶ τὸ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἄδηλον τὴν ὀργὴν ἀναχαίτιζε. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἐναρέτως ἔζησας, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔχοις ἂν ἁμαρτήματα πολλά· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔχεις, ὡς νομίζεις, ἐννόησον ὅτι οὐ τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦτο γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος· εἰ γὰρ μὴ τοὺς προγόνους ἐκάλεσε τοὺς σοὺς, καὶ αὐτὸς ἂν ἦς ἀπειθής. Ὅρα πῶς πᾶσαν κακίαν διεξῆλθεν. Οὐχὶ μυρία διὰ προφητῶν, διὰ πάντων ὁ Θεὸς ᾠκονόμει; μὴ ἠκούσαμεν; Ἦμεν γάρ ποτε, φησὶ, καὶ ἡμεῖς πλανώμενοι· ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ. Πῶς; Οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ὧν ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν αὑτοῦ ἔλεον ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Βαβαὶ, πῶς ἦμεν ἐν τῇ κακίᾳ βεβαπτισμένοι, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι καθαρθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἀναγεννήσεως δεηθῆναι! τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι παλιγγενεσία. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ οἰκίας σαθρῶς διακειμένης, οὐδεὶς ὑποστήριγμα τίθησιν, οὐδὲ συῤῥάπτει ταῖς παλαιαῖς οἰκοδομαῖς, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τῶν θεμελίων αὐτὴν καταλύσας, οὕτως ἄνωθεν ἀνίστησι καὶ ἀνακαινίζει· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν· οὐκ ἐπεσκεύασεν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ἄνωθεν κατεσκεύασε· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, Καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως Πνεύματος ἁγίου· ἄνωθεν ἐποίησε καινούς. Πῶς; διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος. Καὶ πάλιν, ἑτέρως τοῦτο δεικνὺς, ἐπάγει· Οὗ ἐξέχεεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς πλουσίως διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Οὕτω πολλοῦ δεῖ ἡμῖν τοῦ ἐλέους. Ἵνα δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι. Πάλιν χάριτι, οὐκ ὀφειλῇ. Κληρονόμοι γενηθῶμεν κατ' ἐλπίδα ζωῆς αἰωνίου. Ἅμα καὶ προτροπὴ εἰς ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐστὶ, καὶ ἐλπὶς ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων. Εἰ γὰρ οὕτως ἀπεγνωσμένους,