John Chrysostom, To the People of Antioch

we will make our sins more grievous by this, depriving ourselves of all defense. For he who bitterly scrutinizes the faults of others will never enjoy any pardon in his own transgressions. For God will deliver His sentence not only from the nature of our transgressions, but also from your judgment concerning others. For this reason He advised, saying: Judge not, that you be not judged; for the sin will not appear there then as it was committed, but it will receive a great and inexcusable addition from the judgment made by you against your fellow servant. For just as the loving, and gentle, and forgiving man diminishes the greater bulk of his sins; so the bitter, and cruel, and inexorable man adds great magnitude to his own sins. Let us therefore banish all slander from our mouth, knowing that even if we should eat ashes, there is no benefit to us from this harsh discipline, if we do not refrain from slander. For not what goes in defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth. If someone were to stir up mud as you pass by, tell me, would you not revile and insult the one doing this? Do this also in the case of slanderers. For mud stirred up does not so strike the senses of those who receive that stench, as the sins of others being stirred up, and an unclean life being uncovered, grieves and disturbs the soul of the hearers. Let us therefore refrain from slander, filthy speech, blasphemy. And let us speak evil of neither our neighbor, nor God. For many of the slanderers have run aground on this madness, so as to raise their tongue from their fellow servants against the Master. But how great an evil this is, learn from the events which now hold us. For behold, a man was insulted, and we are all afraid and trembling, both those who committed the insult and those conscious of no such thing themselves; but God is insulted every day; what am I saying, every day? indeed, every hour, by the rich, by the poor, by those at ease, by those in affliction, by those who are insolent, by those who are treated insolently, and nowhere is there any account taken. For this reason He permitted the fellow servant to be insulted, so that from the danger that came about through this insult you might learn the love for mankind of the Master. And yet this has happened now for the first and only time. But nevertheless not even for this do we expect to enjoy any pardon or defense; but we provoke God every day, and we make no repentance, and still He bears it with all long-suffering. Do you see how great is the love for mankind of the Master? And yet in this transgression those who transgressed were caught, and fell into prison, and paid the penalty, but nevertheless we are still afraid; for he who was insulted has not yet heard what has happened, nor has he delivered a sentence, and we are all trembling; but God hears every day the insults directed at Him, and no one repents, and this though God is so gentle and loving toward mankind. For in that case it is enough only to confess the sin, and to do away with the charge; but with men it is all the contrary; when the sinners have confessed, then they are punished more severely; which is indeed what has happened now. And some having been handed over to the sword, some to fire, some to beasts, perished, not only men, but also children. And not the immaturity of their age, not the rush of the populace, not having done these things filled with the madness of demons, not the demand that seemed to be unbearable, not poverty, not sinning in common with everyone, not the promise never to dare such things again, nothing else at all delivered them; but without any pardon they were led away to the pit of execution, with armed soldiers on either side leading them around and watching, lest anyone should snatch away the condemned; and mothers were following, watching their children from afar being cut down, but not daring to lament the calamity; for fear conquered their suffering, and dread overcame nature. And just as

ἡμέτερα ἁμαρτήματα χαλεπώτερα ταύτῃ ποιήσομεν, πάσης ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστεροῦντες ἀπολογίας. Ὁ γὰρ πικρῶς τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐξετάζων, ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἑαυτὸν πλημμελήμασιν οὐδεμιᾶς ἀπολαύσεται συγγνώμης ποτέ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως τῶν πεπλημμελημένων ἡμῖν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς κρίσεως τῆς σῆς περὶ ἑτέρων οἴσει τὴν ψῆφον ὁ Θεός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παρῄνεσε λέγων· Μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε· οὐ γὰρ οἷον γέγονε τὸ ἁμάρτημα, τοιοῦτον ἐκεῖ φανεῖται λοιπὸν, ἀλλὰ πολλήν τινα καὶ ἀπαραίτητον προσθήκην λήψεται ἀπὸ τῆς εἰς τὸν σύνδουλόν σου παρὰ σοῦ γεγενημένης κρίσεως. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, καὶ ἥμερος, καὶ συγγνωμονικὸς ὑποτέμνεται τὸν πλείονα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὄγκον· οὕτως ὁ πικρὸς, καὶ ὠμὸς, καὶ ἀπαραίτητος πολὺ τοῖς οἰκείοις ἁμαρτήμασι προστίθησι μέγεθος. Ἐξορίσωμεν τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν κακηγορίαν ἅπασαν, εἰδότες ὅτι κἂν τέφραν ἐσθίωμεν, οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἡμῖν τῆς σκληραγωγίας ταύτης, ἂν κακηγορίας μὴ ἀποσχώμεθα. Οὐ γὰρ τὰ εἰσερχόμενα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐξερχόμενα ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος. Εἴ τις ἀνακινήσειε βόρβορον σοῦ παριόντος, εἰπέ μοι, οὐ λοιδορεῖς, καὶ ὑβρίζεις τὸν τοῦτο ποιοῦντα; Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κακηγόρων ποίησον. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἀνακινούμενος βόρβορος πλήττει τὴν μήνιγγα τῶν τὴν δυσωδίαν δεχομένων ἐκείνην, ὡς ἁμαρτήματα ἀλλότρια ἀνα 49.56 κινούμενα, καὶ βίος ἀκάθαρτος ἐκκαλυπτόμενος λυπεῖ τῶν ἀκουόντων τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἐξίστησιν. Ἀπεχώμεθα τοίνυν κακηγορίας, αἰσχρολογίας, βλασφημίας. καὶ μήτε τὸν πλησίον, μήτε τὸν Θεὸν λέγωμεν κακῶς. Πολλοὶ γὰρ εἰς τοῦτο μανίας ἐξώκειλαν τῶν κακηγόρων, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν συνδούλων ἐπὶ τὸν ∆εσπότην ἀναστῆσαι τὴν γλῶτταν τὴν ἑαυτῶν. Ὅσον δὲ τοῦτό ἐστι κακὸν, ἀπὸ τῶν κατεχόντων νῦν ἡμᾶς μάνθανε πραγμάτων. Ἰδοὺ γοῦν ἄνθρωπος ὑβρίσθη, καὶ πάντες δεδοίκαμεν καὶ τρέμομεν, οἵ τε ὑβρικότες οἵ τε μηδὲν ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες τοιοῦτον· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ὑβρίζεται· τί λέγω καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν; καθ' ἑκάστην μὲν οὖν ὥραν, παρὰ πλουτούντων, παρὰ πενήτων, παρὰ τῶν ἐν ἀνέσει, παρὰ τῶν ἐν θλίψει, παρὰ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων, παρὰ τῶν ἐπηρεαζομένων, καὶ οὐδεὶς οὐδαμοῦ λόγος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο συνεχώρησεν ὑβρισθῆναι τὸν ὁμόδουλον, ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ κινδύνου τοῦ διὰ τὴν ὕβριν γενομένου ταύτην τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν μάθῃς. Καίτοι τοῦτο νῦν πρῶτον καὶ μόνον γέγονεν. ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ διὰ τοῦτο προσδοκῶμεν ἀπολαύσεσθαι συγγνώμης τινὸς οὐδὲ ἀπολογίας· τὸν δὲ Θεὸν καθ' ἑκάστην παροργίζομεν τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ οὐδεμίαν ποιούμεθα τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν, καὶ ἔτι φέρει μετὰ μακροθυμίας ἁπάσης. Εἶδες πόση ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ ∆εσπότου; Καίτοι γε ἐπὶ τῆς παρανομίας ταύτης οἱ πεπλημμεληκότες ἑάλωσαν, καὶ εἰς δεσμωτήριον ἐνέπεσον, καὶ δίκην ἔδοσαν, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔτι δεδοίκαμεν· καὶ γὰρ οὔπω ἤκουσε τὰ γεγενημένα ὁ ὑβρισθεὶς, οὐδὲ ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκε, καὶ πάντες τρέμομεν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καθ' ἑκάστην ἀκούει τὴν ἡμέραν τὰς εἰς αὐτὸν γινομένας ὕβρεις, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπιστρέφεται, καὶ ταῦτα οὕτως ὄντος ἡμέρου καὶ φιλανθρώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τὸ ἁμάρτημα μόνον εἰπεῖν, καὶ λῦσαι τὸ ἔγκλημα· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὐναντίον ἅπαν· ὅταν ὁμολογήσωσιν οἱ ἡμαρτηκότες, τότε μειζόνως κολάζονται· ὃ δὴ καὶ νῦν γέγονε. Καὶ οἱ μὲν σιδήρῳ, οἱ δὲ πυρὶ, οἱ δὲ θηρίοις παραδοθέντες ἀπώλοντο, οὐκ ἄνδρες δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παῖδες. Καὶ οὐ τὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἄωρον, οὐχ ἡ τοῦ δήμου ῥύμη, οὐ τὸ μανίᾳ δαιμόνων ἐμπλησθέντας ταῦτα ποιῆσαι, οὐχ ἡ δοκοῦσα ἀπαίτησις ἀφόρητος εἶναι, οὐ πενία, οὐ τὸ κοινῇ μετὰ πάντων ἁμαρτεῖν, οὐ τὸ ὑποσχέσθαι μηδέποτε τοιαῦτα τολμήσειν λοιπὸν, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν αὐτοὺς ὅλως ἐξείλετο· ἀλλὰ συγγνώμης χωρὶς ἁπάσης ἐπὶ τὸ βάραθρον ἀπήγοντο, στρατιωτῶν ἐνόπλων ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτοὺς περιαγόντων καὶ παρατηρούντων, μή τις ἐξαρπάσῃ τοὺς καταδίκους· καὶ παρηκολούθουν μητέρες πόῤῥωθεν μὲν ὁρῶσαι τοὺς παῖδας ἀποτεμνομένους, ὀδύρεσθαι δὲ τὴν συμφορὰν οὐ τολμῶσαι· ἐνίκα γὰρ τὸ πάθος ὁ φόβος, καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἐκράτει τὸ δέος. Καὶ καθάπερ