John Chrysostom, On Matthew

to find the difference between a man and a beast. For what shall I call you? A beast? But beasts are possessed by one of these faults; but you, having gathered them all together, proceed further than their irrationality. But shall I call you a demon? But a demon neither serves the tyranny of the belly, nor loves money. When, therefore, you have more faults than both beasts and demons, how shall we call you a man, tell me? And if it is not possible to call you a man, how shall we address you as faithful? And what is more grievous is that, being so evilly disposed, we neither consider the deformity of our soul, nor do we perceive its ugliness. But while sitting in a barber's shop, and having your hair cut, taking a mirror you examine with exactness the arrangement of your hair, and you ask those standing by, and the barber himself, if he has arranged the hair on your forehead well; and often, though an old man, you are not ashamed to be mad for youthful fancies; but of our soul, which has become not only deformed, but beast-shaped, and like some Scylla or Chimaera, according to the pagan myth, we are not even slightly aware. And yet here too there is a spiritual mirror, and one much better and more useful than that one; for it not only shows the deformity, but also changes it to an unspeakable beauty, if we are willing. And this is the memory of good men, and the history of their blessed lives, the reading of the Scriptures, the laws given by God. And if you should be willing but once to look into the images of those saints, you will both see the ugliness of your own mind, and having seen it you will need no one else hereafter to be freed from this shamefulness. For the mirror is useful to us for this purpose, and makes the change easy. Let no one, therefore, remain in the form of irrational creatures. For if the servant does not enter the house of the father when he himself also becomes a beast, how will you be able to set foot on those portals? And why do I say a beast? Such a one is more grievous than any beast. For those creatures, although being wild by nature, having benefited from human art, often become tame; but you, who have changed their natural wildness into an unnatural tameness, what defense will you have, having led your own natural gentleness into an unnatural wildness? and showing what is by nature wild to be tame, but yourself, who are tame by nature, making wild against nature? and taming a lion and making it tractable, but making your own anger wilder than a lion? And yet there are two hindrances there, both that the beast is deprived of reason, and that it is the most passionate of all creatures; but nevertheless, by the abundance of the wisdom given to you by God, you overcome even nature. You, therefore, who conquer even nature in the case of beasts, how in your own case 57.50 do you betray the good of your will along with nature? And if I were bidding you to make another man gentle, not even so would I have seemed to command impossible things; but still, you could have alleged that you are not master of another's will, nor does the whole matter rest with you. But now it is your own beast, of which you are in every way master. 9. What defense, then, do you have, what plausible excuse will you be able to offer, you who make a lion a man, but overlook yourself becoming a lion from a man? and to that creature granting things beyond nature, but for yourself not even preserving what is according to nature? but striving to raise up wild beasts to our nobility, while casting yourself down from the throne of your kingdom, and thrusting yourself into their madness? For consider, if you wish, anger also to be a beast; and as much zeal as others show concerning lions, so much show you for yourself, and make such a thought-process tame and gentle. For this too has grievous teeth and claws, and if you do not tame it, it will destroy all things. For neither can a lion and a viper so tear apart the inward parts, as anger, continually doing this with its iron claws. For it does not just damage the body, but it also corrupts the very health of the soul, devouring, tearing,

ἀνδρὸς καὶ θηρίου εὑρεῖν διαφοράν. Τί γάρ σε εἴπω; Θηρίον; Ἀλλὰ τὰ θηρία ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἐλαττωμάτων κατέχεται· σὺ δὲ ὁμοῦ συμφορήσας πάντα, ποῤῥωτέρω τῆς ἐκείνων ἀλογίας ὁδεύεις. Ἀλλὰ δαίμονά σε προσείπω; Ἀλλὰ δαίμων οὔτε γαστρὸς δουλεύει τυραννίδι, οὔτε χρημάτων ἐρᾷ. Ὅταν οὖν καὶ θηρίων καὶ δαιμόνων ἐλαττώματα πλείονα ἔχῃς, πῶς σε ἄνθρωπον καλέσομεν, εἰπέ μοι; Εἰ δὲ ἄνθρωπόν σε οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, πῶς σε προσεροῦμεν πιστόν; Καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι οὕτω διακείμενοι κακῶς, οὐδὲ ἐννοοῦμεν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν τὴν ἀμορφίαν, οὐδὲ καταμανθάνομεν αὐτῆς τὸ δυσειδές. Ἀλλ' ἐν κουρείῳ μὲν καθήμενος, καὶ τὴν κόμην ἀποκείρων, τὸ κάτοπτρον λαβὼν περισκοπεῖς μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὴν τῶν τριχῶν σύνθεσιν, καὶ τοὺς παρεστῶτας ἐρωτᾷς, καὶ τὸν ἀποκείραντα αὐτὸν, εἰ καλῶς τὰ πρὸς τῷ μετώπῳ συνέθηκε· καὶ γέρων ὢν πολλάκις, οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ νεωτερικαῖς φαντασίαις ἐπιμαινόμενος· τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς ἡμῶν οὐκ ἀμόρφου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θηριομόρφου, καὶ Σκύλλης τινὸς ἢ Χιμαίρας, κατὰ τὸν ἔξω μῦθον, γεγενημένης, οὐδὲ μικρὸν αἰσθανόμεθα. Καίτοιγε καὶ ἐνταῦθα κάτοπτρον ἔστι πνευματικὸν, καὶ πολλῷ βέλτιον ἐκείνου καὶ χρησιμώτερον· οὐδὲ γὰρ δείκνυσι τὴν ἀμορφίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετατίθησιν αὐτὴν πρὸς κάλλος ἀμήχανον, ἂν θέλωμεν. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν μνήμη, καὶ τῆς μακαρίας ζωῆς αὐτῶν ἱστορία, ἡ τῶν Γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσις, οἱ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθέντες νόμοι. Κἂν βουληθῇς ἅπαξ μόνον ἰδεῖν εἰς τὰς τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων εἰκόνας, καὶ τὸ δυσειδὲς ὄψει τῆς διανοίας τῆς σῆς, καὶ ἰδὼν οὐδενὸς δεήσῃ λοιπὸν ἑτέρου εἰς τὸ ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς αἰσχρότητος ταύτης. Καὶ γὰρ εἰς τοῦτο χρήσιμον ἡμῖν τὸ κάτοπτρον, καὶ ῥᾳδίαν ποιεῖ τὴν μετάθεσιν. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀλόγων μενέτω μορφῇ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ δοῦλος εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ πατρὸς οὐκ εἰσέρχεται, ὅταν αὐτὸς καὶ θηρίον γένῃ, πῶς δυνήσῃ τῶν προθύρων ἐπιβῆναι ἐκείνων; Καὶ τί λέγω θηρίον; Θηρίου μὲν παντὸς χαλεπώτερος ὁ τοιοῦτός ἐστιν. Ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ, καίτοι κατὰ φύσιν ὄντα ἄγρια, ἀνθρωπίνης ἀπολαύσαντα τέχνης, πολλάκις ἥμερα γίνεται· σὺ δὲ ὁ τὴν ἐκείνων θηριωδίαν τὴν κατὰ φύσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν ἡμερότητα μεταβαλὼν, ποίαν ἕξεις ἀπολογίαν, τὴν σεαυτοῦ πραότητα τὴν κατὰ φύσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν θηριωδίαν ἐξαγαγών; καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄγριον φύσει δεικνὺς ἥμερον, σαυτὸν δὲ τὸν ἥμερον φύσει, παρὰ φύσιν ἄγριον ἱστάς; καὶ λέοντα μὲν τιθασσεύων καὶ χειροήθη ποιῶν, τὸν δὲ θυμὸν τὸν σὸν λέοντος ἀγριώτερον κατασκευάζων; Καίτοι δύο ἐκεῖ τὰ κωλύματα, καὶ τὸ λογισμοῦ ἐστερῆσθαι τὸ θηρίον, καὶ τὸ πάντων εἶναι θυμωδέστερον· ἀλλ' ὅμως τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθείσης σοι σοφίας, καὶ τῆς φύσεως κρατεῖς. Ὁ τοίνυν ἐπὶ θηρίων καὶ τὴν φύσιν νικῶν, πῶς ἐπὶ σαυτοῦ 57.50 μετὰ τῆς φύσεως καὶ τὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως προδίδως καλόν; Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἄλλον ἐκέλευον ἄνθρωπον ποιῆσαι πρᾶον, οὐδὲ οὕτω μὲν ἀδύνατα ἂν ἔδοξα ἐπιτάττειν· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐνῆν σοι προβαλέσθαι τὸ μὴ κύριον εἶναι τῆς ἑτέρου γνώμης, μηδὲ ἐπὶ σοὶ κεῖσθαι τὸ πᾶν. Νυνὶ δὲ τὸ σαυτοῦ θηρίον, καὶ οὗ πάντως κύριος εἶ. θʹ. Τίνα οὖν ἔχεις ἀπολογίαν, ποίαν δὲ πρόφασιν εὐπρόσωπον προβαλέσθαι δυνήσῃ, λέοντα μὲν ποιῶν ἄνθρωπον, σαυτὸν δὲ περιορῶν ἐξ ἀνθρώπου γινόμενον λέοντα; κἀκείνῳ μὲν τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν χαριζόμενος, σαυτῷ δὲ οὐδὲ τὰ κατὰ φύσιν τηρῶν; ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἀγρίους θῆρας εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν φιλονεικῶν ἀνάγειν εὐγένειαν, σαυτὸν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου τῆς βασιλείας καταστρέφων, καὶ εἰς τὴν μανίαν ἐξωθῶν τὴν ἐκείνων; Νόμισον γὰρ, εἰ βούλει, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν θηρίον εἶναι· καὶ ὅσην περὶ λέοντας ἕτεροι, τοσαύτην σὺ περὶ σαυτὸν ἐπίδειξαι τὴν σπουδὴν, καὶ ποίησον ἥμερον καὶ πρᾶον εἶναι τὸν τοιοῦτον λογισμόν. Καὶ γὰρ οὗτος χαλεποὺς ὀδόντας ἔχει καὶ ὄνυχας, κἂν μὴ ἡμερώσῃς αὐτὸν, πάντα ἀπολεῖ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω λέων καὶ ἔχις τὰ σπλάγχνα διασπαράξαι δύναται, ὡς θυμὸς, τοῖς σιδηροῖς ὄνυξι διηνεκῶς τοῦτο ποιῶν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὸ σῶμα λυμαίνεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν τῆς ψυχῆς διαφθείρει τὴν ὑγίειαν, κατεσθίων, σπαράττων,