John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

did he wish? when, although none of these things exist, they are always imagining such things. For what does Athena, and Apollo, and Hera mean to them? There are kinds of demons among them. And there is a king among them for this reason thinking it right to die, that he might be considered equal to a god. But these men are not so, but the contrary. For hear what they said at the healing of the lame man: Men of Israel, why do you gaze at us, 60.50 as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? And elsewhere: We also are men of like passions with you. But there, there is much pride, much arrogance; all things for the sake of honors from men, nothing for the sake of philosophy. For whenever anything is done for glory, all things remain cheap. For even if one has all things, but does not master this, he has fallen away from all philosophy, being possessed by a more tyrannical and shameful passion. Contempt for this is able to teach all good things, and to banish every destructive passion from the soul. Therefore I advise you also to make great effort, so as to root out this passion completely; for it is not possible otherwise to be well-pleasing to God, and to draw to oneself the favor of that sleepless eye. Therefore let us make every effort, so that we may enjoy the inclination from thence, that we may both escape the experience of present sorrows, and be counted worthy of the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

60.49 HOMILY V. Men of Judaea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.

1. Those whom he called strangers above, here he directs his discourse to them;

and he seems indeed to be speaking to them, but he corrects those who were mocking. For it was so ordered that some should mock, that he might take a beginning for his defense, and in defending himself might teach. They considered it a great praise, then, even to dwell in Jerusalem. Let this, he says, be known to you, and give ear to my words. For the time, he makes them more attentive. Then he also defends himself. For these are not drunk, as you suppose. Do you see the defense, how gentle? And yet, although having the greater part of the people with him, he nevertheless speaks to them more gently; and first he removes the evil suspicion, and then he establishes that. Therefore he did not say, For not as you mock, nor, As you laugh, but, As you suppose, wishing to show that they did not say this on purpose, but for the time to attribute to them a charge of ignorance rather than of wickedness. For these are not drunk, as you suppose; for it is the third hour of the day. And what does this say? Is it not possible to be drunk even at the third hour? It is possible, but he did not dwell on this for long; for they were not so, as they themselves said in mocking. Therefore from this we learn that on things not necessary one should not spend much argument. Besides, the things that follow are confirmatory of this; and for the rest, the discourse is addressed in common to all. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, says the Lord God. Nowhere for the time being is the name of Christ, nor is the promise His promise, but the Father's. See his intelligence. He did not pass by and say immediately the things concerning Christ, that He promised these things after being crucified; for 60.50 he would have overturned everything by speaking thus. And yet, he says, these things were sufficient to show His divinity. But if believed (and the thing sought for the time was to be believed), but if not believed, it would have caused them to be stoned. I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh. He gives them also good hopes, if they should wish. And he does not allow the advantage to be theirs, which was also causing ill-will, and by this cutting off envy. And your sons, he says, shall prophesy.

ἠθέλησεν; ὅπου γε οὐδενὸς τούτων ὄντος τοιαῦτα φαντάζονται ἀεί. Τί γὰρ βούλεται αὐτοῖς Ἀθηνᾶ, καὶ Ἀπόλλων, καὶ Ἥρα; Γένη παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐστι δαιμόνων. Καὶ βασιλεύς ἐστι παρ' αὐτοῖς διὰ τοῦτο ἀξιῶν ἀποθανεῖν, ἵνα ἰσόθεος νομίζοιτο. Ἀλλ' οὗτοι οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον. Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτῶν λεγόντων ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας τοῦ χωλοῦ· Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται, τί ἡμῖν προσέχετε, 60.50 ὡς ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ εὐσεβείᾳ πεποιηκόσι τοῦ περιπατεῖν αὐτόν; Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Καὶ ἡμεῖς ὁμοιοπαθεῖς ὑμῖν ἐσμεν ἄνθρωποι. Ἐκεῖ δὲ πολὺς ὁ τῦφος, πολλὴ ἡ ἀλαζονεία· πάντα διὰ τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τιμὰς, οὐδὲν φιλοσοφίας ἕνεκεν. Ὅταν γάρ τι διὰ δόξαν γίνηται, πάντα μένουσιν εὐτελῆ. Κἂν γὰρ πάντα τις ἔχῃ, τούτου δὲ μὴ κρατῇ, πάσης φιλοσοφίας ἐξέπεσε, τῷ τυραννικωτέρῳ κατεχόμενος, καὶ αἰσχροτέρῳ πάθει. Ταύτης ἡ ὑπεροψία πάντα διδάξαι τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἱκανὴ, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξορίσαι πᾶν πάθος ὀλέθριον. ∆ιὸ παραινῶ καὶ ὑμῖν πολλὴν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν σπουδὴν, ὥστε τοῦτο τὸ πάθος πρόῤῥιζον ἐξελεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλως εὐδοκιμῆσαι παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀκοιμήτου ἐκείνου ὀφθαλμοῦ εὔνοιαν ἐπισπάσασθαι. Οὐκοῦν πᾶσαν σπουδὴν ποιώμεθα, ὥστε τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἡμᾶς ῥοπῆς ἀπολαύειν, ἵνα καὶ τῶν παρόντων λυπηρῶν διαφύγωμεν τὴν πεῖραν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν καταξιωθῶμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

60.49 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Εʹ. Ἄνδρες Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες Ἱερουσα λὴμ ἅπαντες, τοῦτο ὑμῖν γνωστὸν ἔστω, καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε τὰ ῥήματά μου.

αʹ. Οὓς ξένους εἶπεν ἀνωτέρω, ἐνταῦθα πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀποτείνει τὸν λόγον·

καὶ δοκεῖ μὲν ἐκείνοις διαλέγεσθαι, ὀρθοῖ δὲ τοὺς διαχλευάζοντας. Καὶ γὰρ ᾠκονομήθη τινὰς διαχλευάσαι, ἵνα ἀρχὴν τῆς ἀπολογίας λάβῃ, καὶ ἀπολογούμενος διδάξῃ. Μέγα ἄρα ἐγκώμιον ἡγοῦντο, καὶ τὸ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις οἰκεῖν. Τοῦτο ὑμῖν, φησὶ, γνωστὸν ἔστω, καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε τὰ ῥήματά μου. Προσεκτικωτέρους τέως αὐτοὺς ποιεῖ. Εἶτα καὶ ἀπολογεῖται. Οὐ γὰρ, ὡς ὑμεῖς ὑπολαμβάνετε, οὗτοι μεθύουσιν. Ὁρᾷς τὴν ἀπολογίαν, πῶς προσηνής; Καίτοι τὸ πλέον ἔχων τοῦ δήμου μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἐπιεικέστερον ὅμως αὐτοῖς διαλέγεται· καὶ πρότερον ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑποψίαν τὴν πονηρὰν, καὶ τότε ἐκείνην ἵστησι. ∆ιὸ καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Οὐ γὰρ ὡς ὑμεῖς χλευάζετε, οὔτε, Ὡς ὑμεῖς γελᾶτε, ἀλλ', Ὡς ὑπολαμβάνετε, βουλόμενος οὐκ ἐπίτηδες τοῦτο λέγοντας δεῖξαι, ἀλλὰ τέως αὐτοῖς περιθεῖναι ἀγνοίας μᾶλλον ἢ κακουργίας ἔγκλημα. Οὐ γὰρ, ὡς ὑμεῖς ὑπολαμβάνετε, οὗτοι μεθύουσιν· ἔστι γὰρ ὥρα τρίτη τῆς ἡμέρας. Καὶ τί φησι τοῦτο; οὐκ ἔνι καὶ ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ ὥρᾳ μεθύειν; Ἔνι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστη πρὸς τοῦτο ἐπὶ πολύ· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως εἶχον, ὡς διαχλευάζοντες αὐτοὶ ἔλεγον. Οὐκοῦν ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ὅτι πρὸς τὰ μὴ ἀναγκαῖα οὐ δεῖ πολὺν ἀναλίσκειν λόγον. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐπαγόμενα τούτου ἐστὶ συστατικά· καὶ λοιπὸν κοινῇ πρὸς πάντας ὁ λόγος γίνεται. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωήλ· Καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεός. Οὐδαμοῦ τέως ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐδὲ ἡ ἐπαγγελία, αὐτοῦ ἐπαγγελία, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Ὅρα σύνεσιν. Οὐ παρῆλθε καὶ εἶπεν εὐθέως τὰ κατὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐπηγγείλατο ταῦτα μετὰ τὸ σταυρωθῆναι· ἦ γὰρ ἂν 60.50 πάντα ἀνέτρεψεν οὕτως εἰπών. Καὶ μὴν ἱκανὰ ἦν δεῖξαι αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, τὴν θεότητα. Ἀλλὰ πιστευόμενα (τὸ δὲ ζητούμενον τέως πιστευθῆναι ἦν), μὴ πιστευόμενα δὲ, καὶ καταλευσθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἂν ἐποίησεν. Ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα. ∆ίδωσι καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐλπίδας χρηστὰς, εἴ γε θέλοιεν. Καὶ οὐκ ἀφίησιν αὐτῶν εἶναι τὸ πλεονέκτημα, ὅπερ καὶ βασκανίαν ἐποίει, καὶ ταύτῃ τὸν φθόνον ὑποτεμνόμενος. Καὶ προφητεύσουσι, φησὶν, οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν.