John Chrysostom, On Anna I

he gave, he fasted, he did some other good thing, or having been insulted he did not revile in return; in one moment of time, at least, having persevered and restrained his anger, he is glad and rejoices for ever, reminding himself of those good deeds. But in the case of wickedness, the opposite; someone insulted him, he reviled in return; after this, having gone home, he consumes himself, considering the words, which often brought great harm. So if you pursue pleasure, Flee youthful lusts, and care for self-control, and pay attention to the hearing of the divine oracles. These things we say to you, so that you, speaking to them, and constantly pouring these words upon them, may draw them away from every evil habit, and persuade them to do everything with proper reasoning. For of such people who are carried along simply and randomly, one would not find even their zeal to be praiseworthy; and this I make clear from the upcoming gathering. For when the holy Pentecost is celebrated by us, such a multitude will run here, that all our space here will be crowded. But nevertheless I do not approve of this gathering; for it is a matter of habit, not of piety. What then could be more wretched than they, when both their laziness is full of so many faults, and their seeming zeal is destitute of praise? For he who partakes of this divine assembly with zeal and longing and sober reasoning must do these things continually, and not just appear with those at the feast, only to depart again with them, being led about simply like cattle. 3. I could indeed have extended the introduction of the discourse to a greater length; but since I know clearly that even before our exhortation you do what is fitting for yourselves, and will say more than what has been said, so as not to seem to be troublesome in the rebukes against them, leaving all the rest to you, I will take up the accustomed teaching, returning the discourse to the history of An 54.663 na. And do not be surprised, if we have not yet been released from this subject. For I am not able to cast this woman out of my mind; so much do I admire the beauty of her soul, and the fairness of her mind. For I love eyes weeping in prayers, meditating on it always. and lips, and a mouth not reddened with any cosmetics, but beautified by thanksgiving to God, such as was hers; whom I admire because she was a philosopher, but I admire her even more, because being a woman she was a philosopher, a woman, whom many have often accused. For from a woman, he says, is the beginning of sin, and because of her we all die; and again; All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman; and Paul; For Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. For this reason most of all I admire her, that she refuted these accusations, that she put aside the charge, that being of a slandered and accused gender, she wiped away all the reproaches, teaching by her works that those other women were not such by nature, but by choice and their own neglect, and that in this gender it is possible to attain the highest virtue. For this creature is contentious and vigorous, and if it inclines to wickedness, it works great evils; but if it lays hold of virtue, it will give up its soul sooner than it will depart from its purpose. So indeed this woman conquered nature, and forced necessity, and by the perseverance of her prayer she caused a child to spring forth from a disabled womb, For this reason she again has recourse to prayer, and after receiving says thus: My heart is strengthened in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God. Now then, what is meant by, My heart is strengthened in the Lord, I have formerly said to your charity, is clear to you; but now it is necessary to interpret the following saying. For having said, My heart is strengthened in the Lord, she added, My horn is exalted in my God. What is, My horn? For the Scripture continually uses this word, as when it says, His horn was exalted, and, The horn of his Christ was exalted. What then does 'horn' mean? The power, the

ἔδωκεν, ἐνήστευσεν, ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰργάσατο, ἢ ὑβρισθεὶς οὐκ ἀντελοιδόρησεν· ἐν μιᾷ γοῦν καιροῦ ῥοπῇ καρτερήσας καὶ κατασχὼν τὸν θυμὸν, διὰ παντὸς γάννυται καὶ εὐφραίνεται, τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἀναμιμνήσκων ἑαυτὸν ἐκείνων. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς κακίας τοὐναντίον· ὕβρισέ τις, ἀντελοιδόρησε· μετὰ ταῦτα οἴκοι γενόμενος, ἑαυτὸν κατεσθίει, τὰ ῥήματα ἀναλογιζόμενος, ἃ πολλάκις πολλὴν ἤνεγκε βλάβην. Ὥστε εἰ διώκεις ἡδονὴν, Φεῦγε τὰς νεωτερικὰς ἐπιθυμίας, καὶ σωφροσύνης ἐπιμελοῦ, καὶ ἀκροάσει θείων πρόσεχε λογίων. Ταῦτα πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγομεν, ἵνα ὑμεῖς πρὸς ἐκείνους λέγοντες, καὶ συνεχῶς τούτοις αὐτοὺς ἐπαντλοῦντες τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ἀφέλκητε πάσης πονηρᾶς συνηθείας, καὶ πείθητε λογισμῷ πάντα ποιεῖν τῷ προσήκοντι. Τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων καὶ ἁπλῶς καὶ εἰκῆ φερομένων οὐδὲ τὴν σπουδὴν ἐπαινετὴν εὕροι τις ἂν οὖσαν· καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιούσης συνάξεως δῆλον καθίστημι. Τῆς γὰρ ἁγίας ἡμῖν τελουμένης Πεντηκοστῆς, τοσοῦτον δραμεῖται πλῆθος, ὡς ἅπαντα ἡμῖν τὰ ἐνταῦθα στενοχωρεῖσθαι. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ ταύτην ἀποδέχομαι τὴν συλλογήν· συνηθείας γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ εὐλαβείας. Τί τοίνυν γένοιτ' ἂν ἐκείνων ἀθλιώτερον, ὅταν καὶ ἡ ῥᾳθυμία αὐτῶν τοσούτων ἐγκλημάτων γέμῃ, καὶ ἡ δοκοῦσα εἶναι σπουδὴ ἐγκωμίων ᾖ ἔρημος; Τὸν γὰρ ζήλῳ καὶ πόθῳ καὶ σώφρονι λογισμῷ τοῦ θείου τούτου μετέχοντα συλλόγου, διηνεκῶς ταῦτα ποιεῖν χρὴ, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ μετὰ τῶν ἐν ἑορτῇ μόνον φαινομένων, μετ' ἐκείνων ἀφίστασθαι πάλιν, θρεμμάτων δίκην ἁπλῶς ἀγόμενον. γʹ. Ἠδυνάμην μὲν οὖν καὶ πρὸς πλέον μῆκος ἐκτεῖναι τὸ προοίμιον τοῦ λόγου· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οἶδα σαφῶς, ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας παραινέσεως τὰ προσήκοντα ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ποιοῦντες, καὶ πλείονα τῶν εἰρημένων ἐρεῖτε, ὥστε μὴ δόξαι παρενοχλεῖν ἐν ταῖς κατ' ἐκείνων ἐπιτιμήσεσι, τὰ λειπόμενα ἅπαντα ὑμῖν ἀφεὶς, τῆς εἰωθυίας ἅψομαι διδασκαλίας, ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς Ἄν 54.663 νης ἱστορίαν ἐπαναγαγὼν τὸν λόγον. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσητε, εἰ μηδέπω τῆς ὑποθέσεως ταύτης ἀπηλλάγημεν. Καὶ γὰρ οὐ δύναμαι τὴν γυναῖκα ταύτην ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας ἐκβαλεῖν τῆς ἐμῆς· οὕτως αὐτῆς θαυμάζω τὴν εὐμορφίαν τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ τὸ κάλλος τῆς διανοίας. Φιλῶ γὰρ ὀφθαλμοὺς δακρύοντας ἐν εὐχαῖς, διὰ παντὸς μελετῶντας. καὶ χείλη, καὶ στόμα οὐκ ἐπιτρίμμασί τισιν ἐρυθραινόμενον, ἀλλ' εὐχαριστίᾳ τῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καλλωπιζόμενον, οἷον ἦν τὸ ταύτης· ἣν θαυμάζω μὲν ὅτι ἐφιλοσόφησε, θαυμάζω δὲ μειζόνως, ὅτι γυνὴ οὖσα ἐφιλοσόφησε, γυνὴ, ἧς πολλοὶ πολλάκις κατηγόρησαν. Ἀπὸ γὰρ γυναικὸς, φησὶν, ἀρχὴ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ δι' αὐτὴν ἀποθνήσκομεν πάντες· καὶ πάλιν· Μικρὰ πᾶσα κακία πρὸς κακίαν γυναικός· καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· Ἀδὰμ γὰρ οὐκ ἠπατήθη, ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἀπατηθεῖσα ἐν παραβάσει γέγονε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτὴν θαυμάζω, ὅτι τὰ ἐγκλήματα ταῦτα διεκρούσατο, ὅτι τὴν κατηγορίαν ἀπέθετο, ὅτι τοῦ διαβαλλομένου γένους οὖσα καὶ κατηγορουμένου, τὰ ὀνείδη πάντα ἀπετρίψατο, διὰ τῶν ἔργων παιδεύουσα, ὅτι κἀκεῖναι οὐ παρὰ τὴν φύσιν τοιαῦται γεγόνασιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ὀλιγωρίαν, καὶ ὅτι ἐν τῷ γένει τούτῳ δυνατὸν ἄκρας ἀρετῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι. Φιλόνεικον γάρ ἐστι τὸ ζῶον τοῦτο καὶ εὔτονον, κἂν εἰς πονηρίαν ἀποκλίνῃ, μεγάλα ἐργάζεται κακά· κἂν ἀρετῆς ἐπιλάβηται, τὴν ψυχὴν προήσεται πρότερον, ἢ τῆς προθέσεως ἀποστήσεται. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ αὕτη τὴν φύσιν ἐνίκησε, καὶ τὴν ἀνάγκην ἐβιάσατο, καὶ τῇ προσεδρίᾳ τῆς εὐχῆς ἀπὸ μήτρας πεπηρωμένης τέκνον βλαστῆσαι παρεσκεύασε, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν καταφεύγει, καὶ μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν οὕτω λέγουσα· Ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὑψώθη κέρας μου ἐν Θεῷ μου. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν, τί ἐστιν, Ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν Κυρίῳ, πρώην εἶπον πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, δῆλον ὑμῖν· νυνὶ δὲ ἀναγκαῖον τὴν ἑξῆς ἑρμηνεῦσαι ῥῆσιν. Εἰποῦσα γάρ· Ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν Κυρίῳ· ἐπήγαγεν· Ὑψώθη κέρας μου ἐν Θεῷ μου. Τί ἐστι, Κέρας μου; Καὶ γὰρ συνεχῶς ταύτῃ κέχρηται τῇ λέξει ἡ Γραφὴ, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ὑψώθη κέρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ, Ὑψώθη κέρας χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τί ποτ' οὖν λέγει κέρας; Τὴν δύναμιν, τὴν