John Chrysostom, On Anna I

she said. My heart has been strengthened in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God. She did not simply say, "In God," but, "In my God," claiming for herself the common Master of the world. And this she did, not to diminish His 54.665 lordship, but to show and to soothe her own love. For such is the custom of those who love; they cannot bear to love along with the many, but wish to show their affection exceptionally and particularly. Thus also David does, saying: O God, my God, to you I keep watch at dawn. For having spoken of His common lordship, he also spoke of the particular one over the saints. And again, O God, my God, attend to me; why have you forsaken me? And again: I will say to God: You are my helper; for these are the words of a soul fervent and warm and burning with longing. Thus also this woman did. But that men do this is nothing wonderful; but when you see God doing this, then be amazed. For just as they do not call upon him in common with the many, but also wish Him to be their God in a particular way; so also He, not only in common with others does He say He is their God, but also particularly theirs. For this reason He says, I am the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, not contracting his lordship, but rather extending it; for not so much the multitude of subjects, as the virtue of those who are ruled shows his sovereignty; nor does he so rejoice in being called God of heaven and earth, and of the sea, and of the things in them, as He rejoices in being called the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And what does not happen among men, this one can see happening with God. What I mean is this: among men, slaves are named after their masters, and so it is the custom for all to say, "So-and-so, steward of so-and-so," "so-and-so, administrator of so-and-so," of a general or a prefect; but no one says, "So-and-so the prefect of this steward," but we are accustomed always to name the lesser from the greater. But with God the opposite has happened; for not only is Abraham said to be of God, but God also is of Abraham, and the Master is named after the slave. At any rate, Paul, being amazed, said this very thing: For which cause God is not ashamed to be called their God. He is not ashamed, he says, the Master to be called after his slaves. Why is he not ashamed? Tell the reason. So that we too may imitate it. But they were strangers and sojourners, he says. And yet, for this reason one ought to be ashamed; for the stranger seems to be of no account and contemptible. But those saints were not strangers in this way that we think, but in another and paradoxical way. For we call those strangers who have left their own country and come to another land; but they were not strangers in this way, but having looked down upon the whole world, and having considered the earth to be small, they looked toward the city in the heavens, not through arrogance, but through greatness of soul, not through despair, but through philosophy. For since they considered all things on earth, and saw that it flows and perishes, and that nothing here is firm and immovable, not wealth, not power, not glory, not life itself, but that each thing has an end, and hastens toward its own limit, while the things in the heavens are not such, but are endless and immortal, they chose to become strangers to the things that flow and pass by, so that they might lay hold of those things that abide. Therefore they were strangers, not by not having a fatherland, but by desiring the fatherland which abides forever. Which indeed he himself 54.666 hinting at said: For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. What country, tell me? The former one, which they left? No, he says; For if they had been mindful of that, they would have had opportunity to return; but now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly one, whose builder and maker is God. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. 5. Let us then imitate them, I beseech you; let us despise the present things, let us desire the things to come, let us take this woman as our teacher, and to God always

ἔλεγεν. Ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν Κυρίῳ, ὑψώθη κέρας μου ἐν Θεῷ μου. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, Ἐν Θεῷ, ἀλλ', Ἐν Θεῷ μου, τὸν κοινὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ∆εσπότην ἁρπάζουσα πρὸς ἑαυτήν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ἐλαττοῦσα αὐτοῦ τὴν 54.665 δεσποτείαν, ἀλλὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἔρωτα ἐνδεικνυμένη τε καὶ παραμυθουμένη. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τῶν φιλούντων τὸ ἔθος· οὐκ ἀνέχονται μετὰ πολλῶν φιλεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐξαιρέτως καὶ ἰδιαζόντως βούλονται αὐτῶν ἐνδείκνυσθαι τὸ φίλτρον. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ποιεῖ λέγων· Ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός μου, πρὸς σὲ ὀρθρίζω. Εἰπὼν γὰρ τὴν κοινὴν αὐτοῦ δεσποτείαν, εἶπε καὶ τὴν ἰδιάζουσαν τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων. Καὶ πάλιν, Ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός μου, πρόσχες μοι· ἵνα τί ἐγκατέλιπές με; Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐρῶ τῷ Θεῷ· Ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ· ψυχῆς γὰρ ζεούσης καὶ θερμῆς καὶ διακαιομένης ὑπὸ τοῦ πόθου ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὕτη ἐποίησεν. Ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἀνθρώπους τοῦτο ποιεῖν, θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· ὅταν δὲ ἴδῃς τὸν Θεὸν τοῦτο ποιοῦντα, τότε ἐκπλάγηθι. Καθάπερ γὰρ οὗτοι οὐ κοινῇ μετὰ τῶν πολλῶν αὐτὸν καλοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰδιαζόντως ἑαυτῶν αὐτὸν βούλονται εἶναι Θεόν· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς, οὐ κοινῇ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων φησὶν αὐτῶν εἶναι Θεὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰδιαζόντως αὐτῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει, Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ, οὐ συστέλλων αὐτοῦ τὴν δεσποτείαν, ἀλλ' ἐκτείνων μᾶλλον· οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀρχομένων, ὡς ἡ ἀρετὴ τῶν βασιλευομένων δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρχήν· οὐδὲ οὕτω χαίρει καλούμενος Θεὸς οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, καὶ θαλάττης, καὶ τῶν ἐν τούτοις, ὡς χαίρει καλούμενος Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ. Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων οὐ γίνεται, τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ συμβαῖνον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Οἷόν τι λέγω· ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπὸ τῶν δεσποτῶν οἱ δοῦλοι καλοῦνται, καὶ οὕτως ἔθος ἅπασι λέγειν, Ὁ δεῖνα ἐπίτροπος τοῦ δεῖνος, ὁ δεῖνα οἰκονόμος τοῦ δεῖνος, στρατηγοῦ καὶ ὑπάρχου· οὐδεὶς δέ φησιν, Ὁ δεῖνα ὁ ὕπαρχος τοῦδε τοῦ ἐπιτρόπου, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐλάττονας ἀπὸ τῶν μειζόνων ἀεὶ καλεῖν εἰώθαμεν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὐναντίον γέγονεν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀπὸ τοῦ δούλου καλεῖται. Τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἐκπληττόμενος ἔλεγε· ∆ι' ἣν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται ὁ Θεὸς, Θεὸς καλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν. Οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται, φησὶν, ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀπὸ τῶν δούλων καλεῖσθαι. ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται; εἰπὲ τὴν αἰτίαν. Ἵνα μιμησώμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι ἦσαν, φησίν. Καὶ μὴν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπαισχύνεσθαι δεῖ· ὁ γὰρ ξένος εὐτελὴς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος εἶναι δοκεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι οἱ ἅγιοι οὐ τοῦτον ᾖσαν ξένοι τὸν τρόπον, ὃν ἡμεῖς νομίζομεν, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τινα καὶ παράδοξον. Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ξένους ἐκείνους καλοῦμεν τοὺς τὴν αὐτῶν πατρίδα ἀφέντας, καὶ εἰς ἑτέραν γῆν ἐλθόντας· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἦσαν ξένοι, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ὑπεριδόντες, καὶ μικρὰν εἶναι νομίσαντες τὴν γῆν, πρὸς τὴν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς πόλιν ἔβλεπον, οὐ δι' ἀλαζονείαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ μεγαλοψυχίαν, οὐ δι' ἀπόνοιαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ φιλοσοφίαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐσκέψαντο τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς ἅπαντα, καὶ εἶδον ὅτι ῥεῖ καὶ ἀπόλλυται, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνταῦθα βέβαιον καὶ ἀκίνητον, οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐ δυναστεία, οὐ δόξα, οὐκ αὐτὴ ἡ ζωὴ, ἀλλ' ἕκαστον ἔχει τέλος, καὶ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἐπείγεται πέρας, τὰ δὲ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς οὐ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ ἀτελεύτητα καὶ ἀθάνατα, εἵλοντο ξένοι τῶν ῥεόντων καὶ παρατρεχόντων γενέσθαι, ἵν' ἐκείνων τῶν μενόντων ἐπιλάβωνται. Ξένοι τοίνυν ἦσαν, οὐ τῷ μὴ ἔχειν πατρίδα, ἀλλὰ τῷ πατρίδος ἐφίεσθαι τῆς ἀεὶ μενούσης. Ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς 54.666 παραδηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Οἱ δὲ ταῦτα λέγοντες, ἐμφαίνουσιν ὅτι πατρίδα ζητοῦσι. Ποίαν, εἰπὲ, πατρίδα; ἆρα τὴν προτέραν, ἣν ἀπέλιπον; Οὐχὶ, φησί· Εἰ γὰρ ἐκείνης ἐμέμνηντο, εἶχον ἂν καιρὸν ἀνακάμψαι· νῦν δὲ κρείττονος ὀρέγονται, τουτέστιν, ἐπουρανίου, ἧς τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται ὁ Θεὸς καλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν Θεός. εʹ. Μιμησώμεθα δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τούτους, παρακαλῶ· ὑπερίδωμεν τῶν παρόντων, ἐπιθυμήσωμεν τῶν μελλόντων, λάβωμεν τὴν γυναῖκα ταύτην διδάσκαλον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀεὶ