John Chrysostom, On Timothy

Thus to treat those who are incurably sick, is of folly and extreme madness for we make them more insolent. But let our people also, he says, learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. Do you see that he cares more for them than for those receiving? For it was perhaps possible to send these forth from many places, but of our own people, he says, I take care. For what is the benefit, tell me? For if others digging up treasures fed the teachers, there was still no profit for these; for they remained unfruitful. What then, tell me? Was not Christ, who fed five thousand from five loaves, and four thousand from seven, able to feed himself and those with him? For what reason then was he fed by women (for women, it says, followed him, who ministered to him)? Teaching us from the beginning that he cares for those who do this. Was not Paul, who was sufficient for others also through his own hands, able to receive from nowhere? But you see him both receiving and asking; and hear, for what reason: For I seek, he says, not the gift, but the fruit that abounds to your account. And at the beginning, when, selling all their possessions, they laid them at the apostles' feet, do you see the apostles caring more for them than for those receiving? For if they had somehow only cared for the poor, they would have made no 62.698 account of Sapphira and Ananias when they kept back the money, Paul would not have commanded, saying: Not out of grief, or of necessity. What do you say, Paul? Are you hindering the poor? No, he says; for I do not look at their interest, but that of the givers. See also the prophet, when he advised Nebuchadnezzar that best counsel, not caring for the poor alone; for he did not say, Give to the poor simply, but what? Redeem your sins by alms, and your iniquities by mercy to the poor. Empty out your wealth, he says, not only that others may be fed, but that you yourself may be delivered from punishment. And again Christ: Sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and come, follow me. Do you see that there too this was commanded for the sake of following? For since wealth is an impediment, for this reason he commanded to give to the poor, training the soul to be merciful and compassionate, training it to despise money, training it to abstain from covetousness. For he who is trained to give to one who has not, will in time be trained also not to take from those who have. This makes one like God. And yet virginity has a harder labor than it, and fasting, and sleeping on the ground; but nothing is so strong and powerful to quench the fire of our sins as almsgiving; this is the greatest of all things, it places its lovers beside the King himself; and very rightly. For virginity and fasting and sleeping on the ground concern only the one doing them, and have saved no one else; but almsgiving extends to all, and embraces the members of Christ; and the good deeds which extend to many are much greater than those which concern one person. 3. For this is the mother of love, of the love that characterizes Christianity, which is greater than all signs, by which the disciples of Christ are known; this is a medicine for our sins, a cleanser of the filth of our soul, a ladder fixed to heaven; this binds together the body of Christ. Do you wish to learn how great a good this is? In the time of the apostles all, selling their possessions, brought them to them, which were also distributed; For they distributed, it says, to each, according as any had need. For tell me, even apart from the things to come (for let us not now discuss the kingdom, but let us look at the present) who profits, those receiving, or those giving? For those men were murmuring, and quarreled with

οὕτω τὸ τοὺς ἀνίατα νοσοῦντας θεραπεύειν, ἀνοίας καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης παραπληξίας θρασυτέρους γὰρ ἐργαζόμεθα ἐκείνους. Μανθανέτωσαν δὲ, φησὶ, καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων προΐστασθαι εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας, ἵνα μὴ ὦσιν ἄκαρποι. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι αὐτῶν φροντίζει μᾶλλον, ἢ τῶν λαμβανόντων; Ἐνῆν γὰρ ἴσως πολλαχόθεν τούτους προπέμψαι, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων, φησὶ, φροντίζω. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, εἰπέ μοι; Εἰ γὰρ θησαυροὺς ἀνορύττοντες ἔτρεφον τοὺς διδασκάλους ἕτεροι, τούτοις οὐδὲν οὐδέπω κέρδος ἦν· ἄκαρποι γὰρ ἔμενον. Τί οὖν, εἰπέ μοι; οὐκ ἠδύνατο ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ ἀπὸ πέντε ἄρτων πεντακισχιλίους, καὶ ἀπὸ ἑπτὰ τετρακισχιλίους θρέψας, θρέψαι ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῷ; τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ὑπὸ γυναικῶν ἐτρέφετο (Ἠκολούθουν γὰρ αὐτῷ, φησὶ, γυναῖκες, αἵτινες διηκόνουν αὐτῷ); ∆ιδάσκων ἡμᾶς ἄνωθεν ὅτι τῶν οὗ ποιούντων φροντίζει. Οὐκ ἠδύνατο ὁ Παῦλος ὁ καὶ ἑτέροις ἐπαρκῶν διὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ χειρῶν, μηδαμόθεν λαμβάνειν; Ἀλλ' ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν καὶ λαμβάνοντα καὶ αἰτοῦντα· καὶ ἄκουσον, διὰ τί· Ζητῶ γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐ τὸ δόμα, ἀλλὰ τὸν καρπὸν τὸν πλεονάζοντα εἰς λόγον ὑμῶν. Καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν δὲ, ὅτε τὰ αὑτῶν ἅπαντα πιπράσκοντες ἐτίθεσαν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὁρᾷς τοὺς ἀποστόλους αὐτῶν φροντίζοντας μᾶλλον, ἢ τῶν λαμβανόντων; Εἰ γὰρ ὁπωσδήποτε μόνον τῶν πενήτων ἐφρόντιζον, οὐδένα 62.698 ἂν λόγον ὑπὲρ τῆς Σαπφείρας καὶ τοῦ Ἀνανία ἐποιήσαντο, ἡνίκα ἐνοσφίσαντο τὰ χρήματα, οὐκ ἂν διετάξατο Παῦλος λέγων· Μὴ ἐκ λύπης, ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης. Τί λέγεις, Παῦλε; ἐμποδίζεις τοῖς πένησιν; Οὒ, φησίν· οὐ γὰρ τὸ ἐκείνων ὁρῶ, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν διδόντων. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ τὸν προφήτην, ἡνίκα τῷ Ναβουχοδονόσορ συνεβούλευε τὴν ἀρίστην ἐκείνην γνώμην, οὐχὶ τῶν πενήτων μόνον φροντίζοντα· οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, ∆ὸς τοῖς πένησιν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τί; Τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐν ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι, καὶ τὰς ἀδικίας σου ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς πενήτων. Κένωσον τὰ χρήματα, φησὶν, οὐχ ἵνα ἕτεροι τραφῶσι μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀπαλλαγῇς αὐτὸς τῆς τιμωρίας. Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χριστός· Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι κἀκεῖ διὰ τὴν ἀκολούθησιν τοῦτο ἐπετάγη; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐμπόδιόν ἐστι τὰ χρήματα, διὰ τοῦτο διδόναι πένησιν ἐπέταξε, παιδεύων τὴν ψυχὴν ἐλεήμονα εἶναι καὶ οἰκτίρμονα, παιδεύων χρημάτων καταφρονεῖν, παιδεύων πλεονεξίας ἀφίστασθαι. Ὁ γὰρ παιδευόμενος τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι δοῦναι, παιδευθήσεται τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ μὴ λαμβάνειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχόντων. Τοῦτο ὁμοίους ποιεῖ τῷ Θεῷ. Καίτοι γε ἡ παρθενία χαλεπώτερον αὐτῆς πόνον ἔχει, καὶ ἡ νηστεία καὶ τὸ χαμευνεῖν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν καὶ δυνατὸν πρὸς τὸ σβέσαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν τὴν πυρὰν, ὡς ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη· πάντων αὕτη μείζων ἐστὶ, παρ' αὐτὸν ἵστησι τὸν βασιλέα τοὺς αὐτῆς ἐραστάς· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Παρθενία μὲν γὰρ καὶ νηστεία καὶ χαμευνία περὶ τὸν ποιοῦντα ἵσταται μόνον, ἕτερον δὲ ἔσωσεν οὐδένα· ἡ δὲ ἐλεημοσύνη εἰς πάντας ἐκτείνεται, καὶ τὰ μέλη περιπλέκεται τοῦ Χριστοῦ· πολὺ δὲ τῶν εἰς τὸν ἕνα περιισταμένων τὰ πρὸς πολλοὺς ἐκτεινόμενα κατορθώματα μείζονα. γʹ. Αὕτη γὰρ μήτηρ ἀγάπης ἐστὶν, ἀγάπης τῆς τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν χαρακτηριζούσης, τῆς τῶν σημείων ἁπάντων μείζονος, δι' ἧς οἱ μαθηταὶ φαίνονται τοῦ Χριστοῦ· αὕτη φάρμακόν ἐστι τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων, σμῆγμα τοῦ ῥύπου τῆς ἡμετέρας ψυχῆς, κλῖμαξ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐστηριγμένη· αὕτη τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ σῶμα συνδεῖ. Βούλεσθε μαθεῖν ὅσον ἀγαθὸν αὕτη ἐστίν; Ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων πάντες τὰ ἑαυτῶν πωλοῦντες ἔφερον πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ἃ καὶ διεδίδοτο· ∆ιεδίδοσαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἑκάστῳ, καθότι ἄν τις χρείαν εἶχεν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, καὶ χωρὶς τῶν μελλόντων (μήπω γὰρ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας νῦν κινήσωμεν. ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἴδωμεν) τίνες κερδαίνουσιν, οἱ λαμβάνοντες, ἢ οἱ δόντες; Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐγόγγυζον, καὶ διεπληκτίζοντο πρὸς