John Chrysostom, On Timothy

hating one another. For it is absolutely necessary, whenever we subject the soul to every pleasure, that great hatred should arise. Why? Because where love is accompanied by virtue, no one takes advantage of another. See also what Paul says. Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, nor covetous, nor revilers, nor drunkards will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. Do you see how every form of wickedness was rampant, and there was a great mist, and justice was corrupted? For if 62.694 those who enjoyed prophecy, and saw so many evil things happening both among their enemies and among themselves, nevertheless did not endure, but wrought countless strange things; what of the others? But someone again among them commanded naked virgins to wrestle in the sight of men. May many good things be yours, because you cannot even bear to hear the word; but the philosophers were not ashamed of the deed itself. And another philosopher, their chief, both leads them out to wars, and commands them to be common, as if he were some pimp and procurer. Living in malice and envy, he says. For if those who philosophized among them legislated such things, what should we say about those who did not philosophize? If those with the deep beard and wearing the philosopher's cloak say such things, what should we say about others? Woman was not made for this, O man, to be set forth as common to all. O you who overturn all things; you who have intercourse with males as with females, and lead females out to war as men; for this is the work of the devil, to confuse and overturn all things, and to disturb and remove the boundaries set from the beginning which God established for nature. For to the woman God gave only to keep the house, but to the man to manage public affairs; but you bring the head down to the feet, and raise the feet to the head. You arm women, and are not ashamed? But why do I say these things? They introduce among them a certain woman who even murdered her children, and they are neither ashamed nor abashed to put such abominable stories into the ears of men. But when the goodness, he says, and loving-kindness of God our Savior appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. What is, "According to hope"? That is, As we have hoped, so we shall enjoy; or that, You are already heirs. This is a faithful saying. For since he spoke of things to come and not yet present, he added that which is worthy of belief. These things are true, he says, and it is clear from what has gone before. For He who delivered us from so much lawlessness and so many evils, it is quite clear that He will also share with us the things to come, if we persevere in His grace; for all things come from the same care. 5. Let us therefore give thanks to God, and reproach others in nothing, nor accuse them, but rather exhort them, pray for them, counsel them, advise them, even if they are insolent, even if they kick; for such are the sick. But those who are zealous for their health bear all things, do all things, even if they accomplish nothing, so that they may not blame themselves as though they had been neglectful. Or do you not know that often when a physician has given up on a sick person, one of his relatives says to him: "Apply the treatment again, and omit nothing, so that I may have nothing to blame myself for, so that I may find no fault, so that I may have no reason to accuse myself?" Do you not see how much forethought relatives show for their dear ones? how many things they do for this, both calling upon physicians, and constantly attending them? Let us at least imitate these; although our concern is not for things of equal value. 62.695 But now, when a child's body is sick, no one would refuse even

μισοῦντες ἀλλήλους. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ πάντως, ὅταν πάσας τῇ ψυχῇ ἐπαφῶμεν τὰς ἡδονὰς, πολὺ τὸ μῖσος γίνεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι οὗ μετὰ ἀρετῆς ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐδεὶς οὐδένα πλεονεκτεῖ. Ὅρα καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τί φησι. Μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι, οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι, οὔτε μοιχοὶ, οὔτε μαλακοὶ, οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται, οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐ μέθυσοι βασιλείαν Θεοῦ κληρονομήσουσι. Καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πᾶν κακίας εἶδος ἐπεπόλαζε, καὶ πολλή τις ἦν ἡ ἀχλὺς, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον διεφθείρετο; Εἰ γὰρ 62.694 οἱ προφητείας ἀπολαύοντες, καὶ τοσαῦτα ὁρῶντες γινόμενα κακὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ὅμως οὐκ ἠνείχοντο, ἀλλὰ μυρία καινὰ εἰργάζοντο· τί ἂν οἱ ἄλλοι; Ἀλλά τις πάλιν παρ' αὐτοῖς παρθένους γυμνὰς ἐκέλευε παλαίειν ἐπ' ὄψεσιν ἀνθρώπων. Πολλὰ ὑμῖν γένοιτο ἀγαθὰ, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὸ ῥῆμα ἀκοῦσαι φέρετε· αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα οἱ φιλόσοφοι οὐκ ᾐσχύνοντο. Ἕτερος δέ τις φιλόσοφος, ὁ κορυφαῖος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς πολέμους αὐτὰς ἐξάγει, καὶ κοινὰς εἶναι κελεύει, ὡς μαστροπός τις ὢν καὶ προαγωγός. Ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ διάγοντες, φησίν. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ φιλοσοφοῦντες παρ' αὐτοῖς τοιαῦτα ἐνομοθέτουν, τί ἂν εἴποιμεν περὶ τῶν μὴ φιλοσοφησάντων; εἰ οἱ τὸ γένειον ἔχοντες βαθὺ, καὶ τὸν τρίβωνα ἀναβεβλημένοι τοιαῦτα λέγουσι, τί ἂν εἴποιμεν περὶ ἑτέρων; Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο γέγονεν ἡ γυνὴ, ἄνθρωπε, ὥστε κοινῇ πᾶσι προκεῖσθαι. Ὦ πάντα ἀνατρέποντες ὑμεῖς· οἱ τοῖς μὲν ἄῤῥεσιν ὡς θηλείαις μιγνύμενοι, τὰς δὲ θηλείας ὡς ἄνδρας εἰς πόλεμον ἐξάγοντες· τοῦτο γὰρ ἔργον τοῦ διαβόλου, τὸ πάντα συγχέειν καὶ ἀνατρέπειν, καὶ τὰ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τεθέντα ὅρια διασαλεύειν καὶ μεταίρειν ἃ Θεὸς ἔθετο τῇ φύσει. Τῇ μὲν γὰρ γυναικὶ τὸ οἰκουρεῖν μόνον ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, τῷ δὲ ἀνδρὶ τὰ δημόσια πράττειν· σὺ δὲ τὴν κεφαλὴν εἰς τοὺς πόδας κατάγεις, καὶ τοὺς πόδας εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀνάγεις. Γυναῖκας ὁπλίζεις, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ; Τί δὲ ταῦτα λέγω; εἰσάγουσί τινα παρ' αὐτοῖς γυναῖκα καὶ παῖδας ἀνελοῦσαν, καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνονται οὐδὲ ἐντρέπονται τοιαῦτα μυσαρὰ διηγήματα εἰς τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀκοὰς ἐμβάλλοντες. Ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ὧν ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ ἔλεον, ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως Πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὗ ἐξέχεεν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς πλουσίως διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ἵνα δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι, κληρονόμοι γενηθῶμεν κατ' ἐλπίδα ζωῆς αἰωνίου. Τί ἔστι, Κατ' ἐλπίδα; Τουτέστι, Καθὼς ἠλπίσαμεν, οὕτως ἀπολαύσομεν· ἢ ὅτι Ἤδη καὶ κληρονόμοι ἐστέ. Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ μελλόντων διελέχθη καὶ οὔπω παρόντων, ἐπήγαγε τὸ ἀξιόπιστον. Ἀληθῆ ταῦτά ἐστι, φησὶ, καὶ δῆλον ἐκ τῶν φθασάντων. Ὁ γὰρ τοσαύτης ἡμᾶς ἀνομίας ἀπαλλάξας καὶ τοσούτων κακῶν, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἡμῖν μεταδώσει πάντως ἐπιμείνασι τῇ χάριτι· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς αὐτῆς κηδεμονίας ἅπαντα γίνεται. εʹ. Εὐχαριστῶμεν οὖν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ μηδὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ὀνειδίζωμεν, μηδὲν ἐγκαλῶμεν, ἀλλὰ παρακαλῶμεν μᾶλλον, εὐχώμεθα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, συμβουλεύωμεν, παραινῶμεν, κἂν ὑβρίζωσι, κἂν λακτίζωσι· τοιοῦτοι γάρ εἰσιν οἱ νοσοῦντες. Ἀλλ' οἱ πρὸς τὴν ὑγείαν ἐκείνων σπεύδοντες πάντα φέρουσι, πάντα πράττουσι, κἂν μηδὲν ἀνύωσιν, ἵνα μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ἐγκαλῶσιν ὥσπερ ἠμεληκόσιν. Ἢ οὐκ ἴστε ὅτι πολλάκις ἰατροῦ ἀπογνόντος τοῦ κάμνοντος, ἕτερός τίς φησι τῶν προσηκόντων πρὸς αὐτόν· Θεραπείαν πάλιν πρόσαγε, καὶ μηδὲν ἐλλίπῃς, ἵνα μηδὲν ἐμαυτῷ ἐγκαλῶ, ἵνα μηδὲν μέμφωμαι, ἵνα μὴ κατηγορεῖν ἔχω ἐμαυτοῦ; Οὐχ ὁρᾶτε πόσην οἱ προσήκοντες περὶ τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους ποιοῦνται τὴν πρόνοιαν; πόσα ὑπὲρ τούτου πράττουσι, καὶ ἰατροὺς παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ προσεδρεύοντες διαπαντός; Κἂν τούτους μιμώμεθα· καίτοι γε οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἴσων ἡ 62.695 φροντίς. Νῦν δὲ τὸ μὲν σῶμα κάμνοντος τοῦ παιδὸς οὐκ ἂν παραιτήσαιτό τις καὶ