John Chrysostom, Against the Jews

to Kedar, and see; send to the islands of Chittim, and know, if such things have happened. What things are these? If nations will change their gods, and they are not gods; but you have changed your glory, from which you will not be profited. He did not say: You have changed your God, but, your glory. What he says is something like this: They, he says, worshipping idols and serving demons, have such conviction in their error, as to not even choose to abandon those things and desert to the truth; but you, worshipping the true God, having abandoned the ancestral piety, have deserted to foreign things; and you have not shown as much conviction for the truth as they have for this error. For this reason he says: If such things have happened, if nations will change their gods, and they are not gods; but you have changed your glory, from which you will not be profited. He did not say, You have changed your God; for God is not changed; but, You have changed your glory. For you have not wronged me, he says; for no harm has come to me; you have dishonored yourselves; you have not diminished my glory, but your own. Allow me now to say this also to our own people, if indeed one should call our own those who think their thoughts. Go to the synagogues, and see if the Jews have changed their fast, if 48.876 they fasted the Passover with us, if they ever ate on this day. And this is not a fast, but a transgression and a sin and an offense; but nevertheless they have not changed. But you have changed your glory, from which you will not be profited, and have deserted to their ways. When did they fast the Passover? When did they celebrate a feast of martyrs with us? When did they receive communion with us on the day of the Epiphany? They do not run to the truth, and you run to transgression; and I call it transgression, because these things are done at the improper time. There was once a time when these things had to be observed, but now there is not. For this reason what was once lawful is now unlawful.

4. Allow me to say to them the words of Elijah. For he, seeing the Jews acting impiously, at one time attending to God, and at another serving idols, says something like this: How long will you limp on both your hams? If the Lord our God is with you, come and walk after him; but if Baal, walk after him. This I also now say to them: If you consider Judaism to be the truth, for what reason do you trouble the Church? but if Christianity is true, as indeed it is, remain, and walk after it. You partake of the mysteries, tell me, you worship Christ as a Christian, you ask for good things from him; and you celebrate with his enemies? and with what mind do you then come to the church? To those, then, who say they think our thoughts, and yet emulate theirs, this discourse is sufficient for us; but since I wish to address them as well, allow me to offer a longer teaching and to show how the Jews dishonor the law by fasting now, and trample upon the commandments of God, always doing everything contrary to what seems good to him. For instance, when he wanted them to fast, growing fat, they broadened themselves; but when he wants them not to fast, then they contentiously fast; when he wanted them to offer sacrifice, they ran to idols; when he does not want them to celebrate feasts, they are zealous to celebrate. For this reason Stephen said to them: You always resist the Holy Spirit. This one thing only, he says, you have been zealous for, to do the opposite of whatever God commands; just as they do now. How is this clear? From the law itself. For regarding the Jewish feasts, the law commanded to observe not only a time, but also a place. For indeed, speaking to them about this Passover, he says something like this: You will not be able to celebrate the Passover in any of the cities which the Lord your God gives you. But just as in the

Κηδὰρ, καὶ ἴδετε· ἀποστείλατε εἰς τὰς νήσους Χετιεὶμ, καὶ γνῶτε, εἰ γέγονε τοιαῦτα. Ποῖα ταῦτα; Εἰ ἀλλάξονται ἔθνη θεοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠλλάξασθε τὴν δόξαν ὑμῶν, ἐξ ἧς οὐκ ὠφεληθήσεσθε. Οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἠλλάξασθε τὸν Θεὸν ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ, τὴν δόξαν Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστίν· Ἐκεῖνοι, φησὶν, εἴδωλα προσκυνοῦντες, καὶ δαίμονας θεραπεύοντες, τοσοῦτον περὶ τὴν πλάνην ἔχουσι συνειδὸς, ὡς μηδὲ ἑλέσθαι καταλιπεῖν ἐκεῖνα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτομολῆσαι· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν ἀληθῆ Θεὸν προσκυνοῦντες, ἀφέντες τὴν πατρῴαν εὐσέβειαν, πρὸς τὰ ἀλλότρια ηὐτομολήσατε· καὶ οὐδὲ ὅσην ἔχουσιν ἐκεῖνοι περὶ τὴν πλάνην ταύτην συνείδησιν, τοσαύτην περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμεῖς ἐπεδείξασθε ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· Εἰ γέγονε τοιαῦτα, εἰ ἀλλάξονται ἔθνη θεοὺς αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοί· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠλλάξασθε τὴν δόξαν ὑμῶν, ἐξ ἧς οὐκ ὠφεληθήσεσθε. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἠλλάξασθε τὸν Θεὸν ὑμῶν· ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ οὐκ ἀλλάσσεται· ἀλλ', Ἠλλάξασθε τὴν δόξαν ὑμῶν. Μὴ γὰρ ἐμὲ, φησὶν, ἠδικήσατε· μὴ γὰρ ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο βλάβη· ὑμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς ἠτιμώσατε· τὴν ἐμὴν οὐκ ἠλαττώσατε δόξαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν. ∆ότε δὴ κἀμοὶ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἡμετέρους εἰπεῖν, εἴ γε ἡμετέρους χρὴ καλεῖν τοὺς τὰ ἐκείνων φρονοῦντας. Πορεύεσθε εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς, καὶ ἴδετε εἰ ἠλλάξαντο Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν νηστείαν αὐτῶν, εἰ 48.876 τὸ πάσχα μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐνήστευσαν, εἰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν ποτὲ ἔφαγον. Καὶ αὕτη οὐκ ἔστι νηστεία, ἀλλὰ παρανομία καὶ ἁμαρτία καὶ πλημμέλεια· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἤλλαξαν. Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠλλάξασθε τὴν δόξαν ὑμῶν, ἐξ ἧς οὐκ ὠφεληθήσεσθε, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐκείνων ηὐτομολήσατε. Πότε τὸ πάσχα ἐνήστευσαν ἐκεῖνοι; πότε μαρτύρων μεθ' ἡμῶν ἑορτὴν ἐπετέλεσαν; πότε κατὰ τὴν τῶν Ἐπιφανίων ἡμέραν ἡμῖν ἐκοινώνησαν; Ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐ τρέχουσι, καὶ ὑμεῖς πρὸς τὴν παρανομίαν τρέχετε· παρανομίαν δὲ λέγω, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τὸν προσήκοντα ταῦτα γίνεται καιρόν. Ἦν ποτε καιρὸς, ὅτε ταῦτα φυλάττεσθαι ἔδει, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκ ἔστι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τὸ ποτὲ ἔννομον παράνομόν ἐστι νῦν.

δʹ. ∆ότε μοι τὸ τοῦ Ἠλία πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁρῶν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἀσεβοῦντας, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν τῷ Θεῷ προσέχοντας, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ εἴδωλα θεραπεύοντας, οὕτω πως φησίν· Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις; Εἰ ἔστι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν μεθ' ὑμῶν, δεῦτε καὶ πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ ὁ Βαὰλ, πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐγὼ νῦν λέγω πρὸς αὐτούς· Εἰ τὸν Ἰουδαϊσμὸν νομίζετε ἀλήθειαν εἶναι, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐνοχλεῖτε τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ; εἰ δὲ ὁ Χριστιανισμός ἐστιν ἀληθὴς, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ ἔστι, μένετε, καὶ πορεύεσθε ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ. Τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνεῖς, εἰπέ μοι, τὸν Χριστὸν προσκυνεῖς ὡς Χριστιανὸς, παρ' ἐκείνου τὰ ἀγαθὰ αἰτεῖς· καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἑορτάζεις τῶν ἐκείνου; καὶ ποίᾳ γνώμῃ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀπαντᾷς λοιπόν; Πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς τὰ ἡμέτερα λέγοντας φρονεῖν, καὶ τὰ ἐκείνων ζηλοῦντας, ἀρκεῖ οὗτος ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀποτείνασθαι βούλομαι, δότε μοι μακροτέραν προσενεγκεῖν τὴν διδασκαλίαν καὶ δεῖξαι πῶς τὸν νόμον ἀτιμάζουσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι νηστεύοντες νῦν, καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατοῦσι προστάγματα, ἀπεναντίας τοῖς ἐκείνῳ δοκοῦσι πάντα ποιοῦντες ἀεί. Ὅτε γοῦν ἐβούλετο αὐτοὺς νηστεύειν, λιπαίνοντες ἐπλατύνοντο· ὅτε δὲ βούλεται αὐτοὺς μὴ νηστεύειν, τότε φιλονεικοῦσι νηστεύοντες· ὅτε ἤθελεν αὐτοὺς θυσίαν προσάγειν, πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα ἔτρεχον· ὅτε οὐ βούλεται αὐτοὺς ἑορτὰς ἐπιτελεῖν, σπουδάζουσιν ἑορτάζειν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Στέφανος ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὑμεῖς ἀεὶ τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀντιπίπτετε. Ἓν τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἐσπουδάκατε μόνον, ἐναντία ποιεῖν ὧν ἂν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιτάξῃ· καθάπερ οὖν καὶ νῦν ποιοῦσι. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ νόμου. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἑορτῶν τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν οὐ καιρὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τόπον παρατηρεῖν ἐκέλευσεν ὁ νόμος. Καὶ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ πάσχα τούτου πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαλεγόμενος, οὕτω πώς φησιν· Οὐ δυνήσεσθε ποιεῖν τὸ πάσχα ἐν οὐδεμιᾷ τῶν πόλεων ὧν Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου δίδωσί σοι. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ