John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

God commanded you to love your enemies; but do you turn away from the God who loves you? 48.1002 to speak well of those who insult you, to bless those who revile you; but do you speak evil of your benefactor and protector, having been wronged in no way? For was He not able to end the temptation? But He permitted it, so that you might become more proven. But behold, he says, I am falling down and perishing. Not on account of the nature of the temptation, but on account of your own indolence. For what is easier, tell me, blasphemy or thanksgiving? Does not the one make even your hearers your enemies and adversaries, and cast you into despondency, and after this work much pain; while the other brings you countless crowns of philosophy, and myriad wonders from all, and great rewards from God? Why then, leaving aside what is beneficial and easy and pleasant, do you pursue instead that which is harmful and grievous and consuming? Besides, if the affliction of temptation and poverty were the cause of blasphemies, all who are in poverty ought to blaspheme; but as it is, many of those living in extreme poverty give thanks continually, while others, enjoying wealth and luxury, do not cease from blaspheming; so it is not the nature of things, but our own choice that produces both the one and the other. For on account of this we also read this parable, so that you may learn that wealth does not benefit the indolent, but poverty is not able to harm the attentive. And why do I say poverty? even if all human evils should come together at once, it will never convict the soul of one who loves God and is a philosopher, nor persuade it to depart from virtue (and of these things Lazarus is a witness); just as, therefore, neither wealth, nor health, nor continual prosperity, nor anything else will ever be able to benefit the one who is lax and dissolute. 8. Let us not then say that poverty and sickness and the infliction of dangers compel us to blaspheme. Not poverty, but foolishness; not sickness, but contempt; not the infliction of dangers, but a destitution of piety, both leads into blasphemy and into all wickedness those who do not pay attention. But for what reason, he says, are some punished here, and others there, and not all here? For what reason? Because if this were so, we would all have perished; for we all are under penance. Again, if no one were punished here, the majority would have become more indolent, and many would have said that there is no providence. For if now, seeing many of the wicked being punished, they utter many such blasphemies, if this were not so, what would they not have said? and to what depths of wickedness would they not have gone? For this reason God punishes some here, and does not punish others; for He punishes some, cutting off their wickedness, and making their punishment there lighter, or even completely delivering them, and making those who live in wickedness more sober-minded by their punishment; and again He does not punish others, so that if they pay attention to themselves, repenting and revering the long-suffering of God, they might be delivered both from the punishment here and from the retribution there; but if they persist, 48.1003 being in no way benefited by the forbearance of God, they might undergo a greater punishment on account of their excessive contempt. But if one of those who are well-informed should say that those who are punished are wronged (for they were able to repent), we would say this, that if God had foreknown that they would repent, He would not have punished them. For if He spares those whom He knows will remain incorrigible, much more would He have left in the present life those whom He knew would profit from His long-suffering, so that they might enjoy the appointed time for repentance. But as it is, by snatching them away beforehand, He both renders the justice there lighter for them, and makes these others more sober-minded by their punishments. And for what reason does He not do this for all the wicked? So that by fear and the punishments of others, those who remain may become more sober-minded, and having praised the long-suffering of God and revered His clemency, they may depart from wickedness. But they do none of these things, he says. But God is not the cause, then, but their indolence in not being willing to make use of so many medicines for their own

Τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς φιλεῖν· σὺ δὲ τὸν φιλοῦντά σε 48.1002 ἀποστρέφῃ Θεόν; τοὺς ἐπηρεάζοντας εὐφημεῖν, τοὺς λοιδοροῦντας εὐλογεῖν· σὺ δὲ τὸν εὐεργέτην καὶ προστάτην λέγεις κακῶς μηδὲν ἠδικημένος; Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδύνατο λῦσαι τὸν πειρασμόν; ἀλλὰ συνεχώρησεν, ἵνα γένῃ δοκιμώτερος. Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ, φησὶ, καταπίπτω καὶ ἀπόλλυμαι. Οὐ παρὰ τὴν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τὴν σήν. Τί γὰρ εὐκολώτερον, εἰπέ μοι, βλασφημία ἢ εὐχαριστία; οὐχὶ τὸ μὲν καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐχθρούς σοι καὶ πολεμίους καθίστησι, καὶ εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἐμβάλλει, μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ πολλὴν ἐργάζεται τὴν ὀδύνην· τὸ δὲ μυρίους σοι φέρει φιλοσοφίας στεφάνους, καὶ μυρία παρὰ πάντων θαύματα, καὶ μεγάλας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἀμοιβάς; Τί τοίνυν τὸ ὠφελοῦν καὶ εὔκολον καὶ ἡδὺ ἀφεὶς, τὸ βλάπτον καὶ λυποῦν καὶ κατατῆκον ἀντ' ἐκείνου διώκεις; Ἄλλως δὲ, εἰ ἡ τοῦ πειρασμοῦ καὶ τῆς πενίας θλῖψις αἰτία τῶν βλασφημιῶν ἐγίνετο, πάντας ἔδει τοὺς ἐν πενίᾳ βλασφημεῖν· νυνὶ δὲ τῶν ἐν πενίᾳ ζώντων ἐσχάτῃ πολλοὶ διηνεκῶς εὐχαριστοῦσιν, ἕτεροι δὲ, ἀπολαύοντες πλούτου καὶ τρυφῆς, οὐ διαλιμπάνουσι βλασφημοῦντες· οὕτως οὐχ ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων φύσις, ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις ἡ ἡμετέρα καὶ τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο ἐργάζεται. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ταύτην ἀνέγνωμεν τὴν παραβολὴν, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τὸν μὲν ῥᾳθυμοῦντα οὐδὲ ὁ πλοῦτος ὀνίνησι, τὸν προσέχοντα δὲ οὐδὲ ἡ πενία καταβλάψαι δύναται. Καὶ τί λέγω, πενία; κἂν ἅπαντα ὁμοῦ συνέλθῃ τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακὰ, τὴν τοῦ φιλοθέου καὶ φιλοσόφου ψυχὴν οὐδέποτε ἐλέγξει, οὐδ' ἀποστῆναι πείσει τῆς ἀρετῆς (καὶ τούτων μάρτυς ὁ Λάζαρος)· ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν χαῦνον καὶ διαλελυμένον οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐχ ὑγίεια, οὐ διηνεκὴς εὐημερία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ὠφελῆσαι δυνήσεταί ποτε. ηʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγωμεν ὅτι πενία καὶ νόσος καὶ κινδύνων ἐπαγωγαὶ βλασφημεῖν ἀναγκάζουσιν. Οὐ πενία, ἀλλὰ ἄνοια· οὐ νόσος, ἀλλὰ καταφρόνησις· οὐ κινδύνων ἐπαγωγαὶ, ἀλλ' εὐλαβείας ἐρημία, καὶ εἰς βλασφημίαν καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν ἄγει κακίαν τοὺς μὴ προσέχοντας. Ἀλλὰ τίνος ἕνεκεν, φησὶν, οἱ μὲν ἐνταῦθα κολάζονται, οἱ δὲ ἐκεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἐνταῦθα πάντες; Τίνος ἕνεκεν; ὅτι εἰ τοῦτο ἦν, πάντες ἂν ἀπωλόμεθα· πάντες γάρ ἐσμεν ἐν ἐπιτιμίοις. Πάλιν εἰ μηδεὶς ἐνταῦθα ἐκολάζετο, ῥᾳθυμότεροι οἱ πλείους ἐγένοντο, καὶ πολλοὶ ἂν εἶπον μὴ εἶναι πρόνοιαν. Εἰ γὰρ νῦν ὁρῶντες τῶν πονηρῶν πολλοὺς κολαζομένους, πολλὰ τοιαῦτα βλασφημοῦσιν, εἰ μηδὲ τοῦτο ἦν, τί οὐκ ἂν εἶπον; ποῦ δὲ οὐκ ἂν ἦλθον κακίας; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς μὲν ἐνταῦθα κολάζει, τοὺς δὲ οὐ κολάζει· κολάζει μὲν γάρ τινας, τὴν κακίαν αὐτῶν ἐκκόπτων, καὶ κουφοτέραν τὴν ἐκεῖ ποιῶν τιμωρίαν, ἢ καὶ τέλεον ἀπαλλάττων αὐτοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἐν πονηρίᾳ ζῶντας σωφρονεστέρους ποιῶν τῇ τούτων τιμωρίᾳ τοὺς δὲ οὐ κολάζει πάλιν, ἵνα ἂν μὲν προσέχωσιν ἑαυτοῖς, μετανοήσαντες καὶ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμίαν αἰδεσθέντες, καὶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα κολάσεως ἀπαλλαγῶσι καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ τιμωρίας· ἂν δὲ ἐπιμείνωσιν, μηδὲν 48.1003 ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνεξικακίας ὠφελούμενοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, μείζονα ὑποστῶσι τὴν τιμωρίαν διὰ τὴν ἄγαν αὐτῶν καταφρόνησιν. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις τῶν εὖ εἰδότων ὅτι οἱ κολαζόμενοι ἐπηρεάζονται (ἠδύναντο γὰρ μετανοῆσαι), ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμεν, ὅτι εἰ προῄδει μετανοήσοντας αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἂν ἐκόλασεν. Εἰ γὰρ οὓς οἶδεν ἀδιορθώτους μένοντας, ὅμως ἀφίησι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οὓς ᾔδει κερδανοῦντας ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ μακροθυμίας εἴασεν ἂν ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ, ὥστε ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς προθεσμίας εἰς μετάνοιαν. Νυνὶ δὲ προαναρπάζων αὐτοὺς, κἀκείνοις κουφοτέραν τὴν ἐκεῖ δίκην καθίστησι, καὶ τούτους σωφρονεστέρους ταῖς ἐκείνων τιμωρίαις κατεργάζεται. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐπὶ πάντων τοῦτο ποιεῖ τῶν πονηρῶν; Ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ καὶ ταῖς ἑτέρων τιμωρίαις μένοντες σωφρονέστεροι γένωνται, καὶ τὴν μακροθυμίαν ἐπαινέσαντες τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὴν ἐπιείκειαν αἰδεσθέντες, τῆς πονηρίας ἀποστῶσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ποιοῦσι, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς αἴτιος λοιπὸν, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκείνων ῥᾳθυμία μὴ βουληθέντων τοσούτοις φαρμάκοις εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀποχρήσασθαι