John Chrysostom, Sermons on Genesis

He deceives the crowd. But the thief, not having heard prophets, not having seen miracles, seeing Him nailed upon the cross, did not pay attention to the dishonor, did not see the disgrace, but looking upon his very divinity, said, "Remember me in your kingdom." This is new and strange. You see a cross, and you remember a kingdom? What have you seen worthy of a kingdom? A crucified man, being struck, being mocked, being accused, being spat upon, being scourged; are these things worthy of a kingdom, tell me? Do you see that he looked with the eyes of faith, and did not scrutinize the things that appeared? For this reason God did not scrutinize the bare words, but just as this one looked upon the divinity, so God looked into the heart of the thief, and says: "Today you will be with me in paradise." Pay attention here; for no ordinary question arises. For the Manichees, those dogs, those dumb and raging madmen, display an appearance of gentleness, but within they have the harsh madness of dogs, and hide the wolf in the skin of the sheep. But do not see what is apparent, but examine the beast hidden within. These men, therefore, taking hold of this passage, say: Christ said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise;" therefore the reward of good things has already happened, and the resurrection is superfluous. For if on that day the thief received the good things, but his body has not yet been raised even today, there will be no resurrection of bodies hereafter. Have you understood what was said, or is it necessary to say it a second time? "Amen, amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." Therefore, he says, the thief entered into paradise not with his body; for how could he, since his body was not buried, nor did it dissolve and become dust? and nowhere is it said that Christ raised him. But if he brought the thief in, and without his body he enjoyed the good things, it is clear that there is no resurrection of the body. For if there were a resurrection of the body, he would not have said, "Today you will be with me in paradise," but, "at the time of the consummation, when there is a resurrection of bodies." But if he already brought in the 54.614 thief, but his body, having decayed, remained outside, it is clear that there is no resurrection of bodies. These things they say; but now receive also the things from us, or rather not from us, but from the divine Scripture; for we do not speak our own things, but the things of the Holy Spirit. What are you saying? Does the flesh not share in the crowns? But it shared in the labors, yet is deprived in the rewards? And when it was time to struggle, it received the greater part of the sweats; but when it is time for crowns, only the soul is crowned? Do you not hear Paul saying that we must stand before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad? Do you not hear him saying again: "This mortal must put on immortality, and this corruptible must put on incorruption?" The mortal, which? The soul, or the body? Clearly the body; for the soul is immortal by nature, but the body is mortal by nature. But they cut out many of these things; nevertheless, even from the things that are left we will refute the kinship of the things that were cut out. The thief entered into paradise, he says. And what of this? For are these the good things which God promises to us? 5. Do you not hear what Paul says concerning those good things? "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man;" but paradise both the eye of Adam saw, and the ear heard, and the heart of man received; for about it we have been discoursing for so many days; how then did the thief receive the good things? For God does not promise to bring us into paradise, but into heaven itself; nor did he preach a kingdom of paradise, but a kingdom of the heavens. For he began, it says, to preach and to say: "Repent, for it has drawn near," not the kingdom of paradise, but, the

Πλανᾷ τὸν ὄχλον· ὁ δὲ λῃστὴς μὴ προφητῶν ἀκούσας, μὴ θαύματα ἰδὼν, ἰδὼν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ προσηλωμένον, οὐ προσέσχε τῇ ἀτιμίᾳ, οὐκ εἶδε τὴν ἀδοξίαν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν θεότητα αὐτὴν ἰδὼν, Μνήσθητί μου, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου. Καινὸν τοῦτο καὶ παράδοξον. Σταυρὸν ὁρᾷς, καὶ βασιλείας μέμνησαι; Τί βασιλείας ἄξιον εἶδες; Ἐσταυρωμένον ἄνθρωπον, ῥαπιζόμενον, χλευαζόμενον, κατηγορούμενον, ἐμπτυόμενον, μαστιζόμενον· ταῦτα οὖν βασιλείας ἄξια, εἰπέ μοι; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τοῖς τῆς πίστεως ἔβλεπεν ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ οὐ τὰ φαινόμενα ἐξήταζε; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὔτε ὁ Θεὸς τὰ ῥήματα ἐξήταζε τὰ ψιλὰ, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ οὗτος εἶδεν εἰς τὴν θεότητα, οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς εἶδεν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ λῃστοῦ, καί φησι· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ἐνταῦθα προσέχετε· ζήτημα γὰρ οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ἐπιφύεται. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ Μανιχαῖοι, οἱ κύνες, οἱ ἐννεοὶ καὶ λυττῶντες, τὸ σχῆμα μὲν ἐπιδείκνυνται ἐπιεικείας, τὴν χαλεπὴν δὲ ἔνδον ἔχουσι τῶν κυνῶν μανίαν, καὶ κατακρύπτουσι τῇ δορᾷ τοῦ προβάτου τὸν λύκον. Ἀλλὰ μὴ τὸ φαινόμενον ἴδῃς, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔνδον κεκρυμμένον θηρίον ἐξέτασον. Οὗτοι τοίνυν ἐπιλαβόμενοι τοῦ χωρίου τούτου φασίν· Εἶπεν ὁ Χριστός· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ· οὐκοῦν ἀντίδοσις ἤδη γέγονε τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ περιττὴ ἡ ἀνάστασις. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπέλαβεν ὁ λῃστὴς τὰ ἀγαθὰ, τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀνέστη οὐδέπω καὶ τήμερον, οὐκ ἔσται σωμάτων λοιπὸν ἀνάστασις. Ἆρα ἐνοήσατε τὸ λεχθὲν, ἢ δεύτερον αὐτὸ πάλιν εἰπεῖν ἀνάγκη; Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν παράδεισον ὁ λῃστὴς οὐ μετὰ τοῦ σώματος· πῶς γὰρ, ὁπότε οὐκ ἐτάφη τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ διελύθη καὶ κόνις ἐγένετο; καὶ οὐδαμοῦ εἴρηται, ὅτι ἀνέστησεν ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτόν. Εἰ δὲ εἰσήγαγε τὸν λῃστὴν, καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ σώματος ἀπέλαυσε τῶν ἀγαθῶν, εὔδηλον ὅτι σώματος οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνάστασις. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν σώματος ἀνάστασις, οὐκ ἂν εἶπε· Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, ἀλλ', ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς συντελείας, ὅταν σωμάτων ἀνάστασις ᾖ. Εἰ δὲ ἤδη εἰσήγαγε τὸν 54.614 λῃστὴν, τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ φθαρὲν ἔμεινεν ἕξω, εὔδηλον ὅτι σωμάτων ἀνάστασις οὐκ ἔστι. Ταῦτα ἐκεῖνοι· δέχεσθε δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ τὰ παρὰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς· οὐ γὰρ τὰ ἡμέτερα λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Τί λέγεις; οὐ κοινωνεῖ τῶν στεφάνων ἡ σάρξ; Ἀλλ' ἐν μὲν τοῖς πόνοις ἐκοινώνησεν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς μισθοῖς ἀποστερεῖται; καὶ ὅτε μὲν ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἔδει, τὸ πλέον ἐδέξατο τῶν ἱδρώτων· ὅτε δὲ στεφάνων καιρὸς, μόνη ἡ ψυχὴ στεφανοῦται; Οὐκ ἀκούεις τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος, ὅτι Παραστῆναι ἡμᾶς δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα ἕκαστος κομίσηται τὰ ἴδια τοῦ σώματος, πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν, εἴτε κακόν; Οὐκ ἀκούεις αὐτοῦ λέγοντος πάλιν· ∆εῖ τὸ θνητὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀθανασίαν, καὶ τὸ φθαρτὸν τοῦτο ἐνδύσασθαι ἀφθαρσίαν; Τὸ θνητὸν, ποῖον; τὴν ψυχὴν, ἢ τὸ σῶμα; Εὔδηλον ὅτι τὸ σῶμα· ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ φύσει ἀθάνατος, θνητὸν δὲ φύσει τὸ σῶμα. Ἀλλὰ πολλὰ περικόπτουσι τούτων· πλὴν καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ὑπολελειμμένων τὴν συγγένειαν τῶν περικοπέντων ἐλέγξομεν. Εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν παράδεισον ὁ λῃστὴς, φησί. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; μὴ γὰρ ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἅπερ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν ἐπαγγέλλεται; εʹ. Οὐκ ἀκούεις τοῦ Παύλου περὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐκεῖνα τί φησιν; Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη· τὸν δὲ παράδεισον καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδε τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, καὶ οὖς ἤκουσε, καὶ καρδία ἀνθρώπου ἐδέξατο· περὶ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τοσαύτας ἡμέρας διαλεγόμεθα· πῶς οὖν ἀπέλαβε τὰ ἀγαθὰ ὁ λῃστής; Οὐ γὰρ εἰς παράδεισον ἐπαγγέλλεται εἰσαγαγεῖν ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανόν· οὐδὲ βασιλείαν παραδείσου, ἀλλὰ βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν ἐκήρυξεν. Ἤρξατο γὰρ, φησὶ, κηρύττειν καὶ λέγειν· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ, οὐχ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ παραδείσου, ἀλλ', ἡ