John Chrysostom, On Matthew

they have ceased to be men, they go about collecting for themselves from other sources a glory full of much laughter. But the noble and great servants of God did not shine from these things, but from those things from which it was most necessary. For being captives and slaves and young and strangers and destitute of all things from home, they then appeared much more venerable than he who was clothed in all these things. And for Nebuchadnezzar, not so great an image, not satraps, not generals, not countless armies, not a multitude of gold, not any other 57.52 pomp sufficed for his desire, and to show him to be great; but for these, who were stripped of all these things, philosophy alone sufficed, and it showed those who possessed none of these things to be more splendid than he who had the diadem and the purple and was clothed in such things, by as much as the sun is more splendid than a pearl. For they were led into the midst of the whole inhabited world, being young and captives and slaves, and when they appeared, immediately the king shot fire from his eyes, and generals and governors and local rulers and the whole theater of the devil stood around, and the sound of pipes from every side and of trumpets and of all music being carried up to heaven resounded in their ears, and a furnace was kindled to an infinite height, and its flame touched the clouds, and all things were filled with fear and astonishment. But none of these things astonished them; but as though laughing at playing children, they displayed their courage and gentleness, and sending forth a voice more clear than those trumpets, they said: Be it known to you, O king. For not even by a word did they wish to insult the tyrant, but only to display their piety. Wherefore they did not extend their words to great length, but in brief they show everything: For there is, he says, a God in heaven who is able to deliver us. Why do you show me the multitude? Why the furnace? Why the sharpened swords? Why the fearsome bodyguards? Our Master is superior to and more powerful than all these. Then, considering that it might happen that God should will and permit them to be burned, so that, should this happen, they would not seem to speak falsely, they add this also, saying, that But if not, be it known to you, that we do not serve your gods. 11. For if they had said that He does not deliver on account of sins, they would have been disbelieved, had He not delivered them. For this reason, they are silent about this here; but they say it in the furnace, bringing forward their sins again and again. But before the king, nothing of the sort, but that even if they are about to be burned, they will not betray their piety. For they did not do what they did for rewards and recompense, but from love alone; and yet they were in captivity, and in slavery, and had enjoyed no good thing. For they had been cast out from their fatherland and freedom and all their possessions. For do not tell me of the honors in the royal courts. For being holy and just, they would have chosen ten thousand times to beg at home, and to enjoy the good things in the temple. For I have chosen, he says, to be an outcast in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tents of sinners; and, One day in your courts is better than a thousand. Therefore they would have chosen ten thousand times to be cast away at home, than to reign in Babylon. And this is clear from what they reveal even in the furnace, being burdened by their sojourn there. For even if they themselves enjoyed great honor, seeing the misfortunes 57.53 of others, they were sorely grieved; which is especially characteristic of saints. not to prefer glory, not honor, nor anything else to the salvation of their neighbor. See, then, how while being in the furnace, they made supplication on behalf of the whole people. But we, not even when at ease, remember our brothers. And when they were seeking the dreams, they were not considering their own interest, but that of the many; for that they despised death, they showed by many things afterwards. And everywhere they put themselves forward, wishing to prevail upon God. Then, since they did not consider even themselves to be sufficient, they take refuge in the fathers; and they said that they themselves brought nothing more than a spirit

ἄνθρωποι εἶναι ἀπώλεσαν, περιέρχονται συλλέγοντες ἑαυτοῖς ἑτέρωθεν τὴν πολλοῦ γέλωτος γέμουσαν δόξαν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οἱ γενναῖοι καὶ μεγάλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ θεράποντες ἐντεῦθεν, ἀλλ' ἀφ' ὧν ἔδει μάλιστα, ἐκ τούτων ἔλαμπον. Καὶ γὰρ αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ δοῦλοι καὶ νέοι καὶ ξένοι καὶ πάντων τῶν οἴκοθεν ὄντες ἔρημοι, τοῦ πάντα περιβεβλημένου ταῦτα σεμνότεροι πολλῷ τότε ἐφάνησαν. Καὶ τῷ μὲν Ναβουχοδονόσορ οὐκ εἰκὼν τοσαύτη, οὐ σατράπαι, οὐ στρατηγοὶ, οὐ στρατόπεδα ἄπειρα οὐ χρυσίου πλῆθος, οὐκ ἄλλη 57.52 φαντασία πρὸς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἤρκεσε, καὶ τὸ δεῖξαι μέγαν· τούτοις δὲ τούτων πάντων γεγυμνωμένοις ἤρκεσεν ἡ φιλοσοφία μόνη, καὶ τοῦ τὸ διάδημα καὶ τὴν πορφυρίδα ἔχοντος καὶ τοιαῦτα περιβεβλημένου, τοὺς οὐδὲν τούτων κεκτημένους λαμπροτέρους ἀπέφηνε τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ὁ ἥλιός ἐστι μαργάρου λαμπρότερος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ἤγοντο, νέοι τε ὄντες καὶ αἰχμάλωτοι καὶ δοῦλοι, καὶ φανέντων εὐθέως ὁ βασιλεὺς πῦρ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἠφίει, καὶ στρατηγοὶ καὶ ὕπαρχοι καὶ τοπάρχαι καὶ ἅπαν τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ θέατρον περιειστήκει, καὶ φωνὴ συρίγγων πανταχόθεν καὶ σαλπίγγων καὶ πάσης μουσικῆς πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν φερομένη περιήχει τὰς ἐκείνων ἀκοὰς, καὶ κάμινος ἀνεκαίετο πρὸς ὕψος ἄπειρον, καὶ αὐτῶν ἡ φλὸξ ἥπτετο τῶν νεφελῶν, καὶ πάντα φόβου καὶ ἐκπλήξεως ἦν ἀνάμεστα. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνους οὐδὲν τούτων ἐξέπληξεν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ παίδων παιζόντων καταγελάσαντες, τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν ἐπεδείκνυντο, καὶ τῶν σαλπίγγων ἐκείνων λαμπροτέραν ἀφιέντες φωνὴν ἔλεγον· Γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι, βασιλεῦ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μέχρι ῥήματος ὑβρίσαι ἐβούλοντο τὸν τύραννον, ἀλλὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἐπιδείξασθαι μόνον. ∆ιόπερ οὐδὲ μακροὺς ἀπετείναντο λόγους, ἀλλ' ἐν βραχεῖ πάντα ἐπιδείκνυνται· Ἔστι γὰρ, φησὶ, Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ δυνατὸς ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς. Τί μοι τὸ πλῆθος δεικνύεις; τί μοι τὴν κάμινον; τί τὰ ξίφη τὰ ἠκονημένα; τί τοὺς φοβεροὺς δορυφόρους; Πάντων τούτων ἀνώτερος ἡμῶν ὁ ∆εσπότης καὶ δυνατώτερος. Εἶτα ἐννοήσαντες ὅτι συμβαίνει τὸν Θεὸν βουληθῆναι καὶ συγχωρῆσαι αὐτοὺς καυθῆναι, ἵνα μὴ τούτου γενομένου δόξωσι ψευδῆ λέγειν, προστιθέασι καὶ τοῦτο, λέγοντες, ὅτι Ἐὰν μὴ τοῦτο γένηται, γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι, ὅτι τοῖς θεοῖς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν. ιαʹ. Εἰ γὰρ εἶπον, ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτήματα οὐ ῥύεται, κἂν μὴ ῥύσηται, ἠπιστήθησαν ἄν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα μὲν τοῦτο σιγῶσι· λέγουσι δὲ αὐτὸ ἐπὶ τῆς καμίνου, ἄνω καὶ κάτω τὰ ἁμαρτήματα προβαλλόμενοι. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ἀλλ' ὅτι κἂν καίεσθαι μέλλωσι, τὴν εὐσέβειαν οὐ προδώσουσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀμοιβαῖς καὶ ἀντιδόσεσιν ἔπραττον ἅπερ ἔπραττον, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀγάπης μόνης· καίτοιγε καὶ ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἦσαν, καὶ ἐν δουλείᾳ, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀπολελαυκότες χρηστοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ πατρίδος καὶ ἐλευθερίας καὶ τῶν ὄντων πάντων ἐξέπεσον. Μὴ γάρ μοι τὰς ἐν ταῖς βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς εἴπῃς τιμάς. Ὅσιοι γὰρ ὄντες καὶ δίκαιοι, μυριάκις ἂν εἵλοντο προσαιτεῖν οἴκοι, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ ναῷ καλῶν ἀπολαύειν. Ἐξελεξάμην γὰρ, φησὶ, παραῤῥιπτεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ μου, μᾶλλον ἢ οἰκεῖν με ἐν σκηνώμασιν ἁμαρτωλῶν· καὶ, Κρείττων ἡμέρα μία ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς σου ὑπὲρ χιλιάδας. Μυριάκις οὖν ἂν εἵλοντο ἀπεῤῥίφθαι οἴκοι, ἢ βασιλεύειν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐξ ὧν καὶ ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ δηλοῦσι, βαρούμενοι τὴν αὐτόθι διατριβήν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ πολλῆς ἀπέλαυον τιμῆς, τὰς τῶν ἄλλων ὁρῶντες συμφορὰς 57.53 σφόδρα ἐδάκνοντο· ὅπερ μάλιστά ἐστιν ἁγίων ἴδιον. μὴ δόξαν, μὴ τιμὴν, μηδὲν ἄλλο προτιμᾷν τῆς τοῦ πλησίον σωτηρίας. Ὅρα γοῦν πῶς ἐν καμίνῳ ὄντες, ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου παντὸς τὴν ἱκετηρίαν ἐποιοῦντο. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ ἐν ἀνέσει ὄντες τῶν ἀδελφῶν μνημονεύομεν. Καὶ ἡνίκα δὲ τὰ ἐνύπνια ἐζήτουν, οὐ τὸ ἑαυτῶν ἐσκόπουν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν· ὅτι γὰρ θανάτου κατεφρόνουν, διὰ πολλῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἔδειξαν. Πανταχοῦ δὲ ἑαυτοὺς προβάλλονται, τὸν Θεὸν δυσωπῆσαι βουλόμενοι. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲ ἑαυτοὺς ἀρκεῖν ἡγοῦντο, ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας καταφεύγουσιν· αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐδὲν πλέον ἔφασαν εἰσφέρειν, ἀλλ' ἢ πνεῦμα