John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

you may provide of virtue. But do you have a noble and wonderful friend? Not even he will stand by you then. How then does he say, “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail they may receive you into the eternal dwellings?” It is not friendship here that protects, but almsgiving. For if friendship alone protected, he should have simply said, “Make friends for yourselves;” but now, showing that it is not friendship alone that protects, he added, “By means of unrighteous mammon.” And yet someone might perhaps say, “I can make a friend without mammon, and a better one, rather than by means of mammon.” But so that you might learn that almsgiving is what protects, and your own work and achievement, he has persuaded you to be confident, not simply in the friendships of the saints, but in the friendships made by means of mammon. Knowing all these things, therefore, beloved, let us attend to ourselves with all exactness; and if we are punished, let us give thanks; and if we live in prosperity, let us secure ourselves, and being sobered by the punishments of others, let us give thanks through repentance and compunction and continual confession; and if anything has been done amiss by us in the present life, having put it away, and with much zeal having wiped away every stain from our soul, let us beseech God to deem us all worthy, being released from here, to depart to that place in such a way, that not with the rich man, but with Lazarus, having enjoyed the patriarch's bosom, we may delight in the immortal good things; of which may it be granted to all of us to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

On the rich man and Lazarus, the fourth discourse; and that the conscience is accustomed to remind us of old sins, and on Joseph.

1. It is necessary today to render the conclusion of the parable of Lazarus. You

for you perhaps think that the whole has been completed by us; but I indeed will not use your ignorance for deception, nor will I desist before I have departed having taken all that is apparent; since 48.1006 a husbandman, when the whole vine has been harvested, does not depart before he also cuts off the remaining grapes. Since, therefore, I see even now, as if under leaves, meanings still hidden away in the letters, come then, let us, using our discourse instead of a sickle, harvest these too again with exactness. For a vine, once harvested, stands bare of fruit, having only leaves; but the spiritual vine of the divine Scriptures is not so, but if we should take all that is apparent, the greater part remains behind aga48.1007 in. Many indeed have spoken on this subject before us, and many perhaps will speak after us; but no one will be able to empty out all the wealth. For such is the nature of this abundance; the deeper you dig, the more the divine thoughts will gush forth; for it is a spring that never fails. And I ought to have paid this debt to you at the previous assembly, but we did not think it safe to pass over the achievements of the blessed Babylas and the pair of holy martyrs with him. Therefore we postponed the payment, keeping the whole settlement for you for the present day. Come then, since we have also rendered praises to the fathers, not those according to their worth, but those according to our ability, let us also render to you the remainder of this narrative. But do not grow weary until we arrive at the end, taking up the discourse from where we previously left it. And where did we leave it? At the chasm that separates the righteous from the sinners. For when the rich man said, "Send Lazarus,"

παράσχῃς ἀρετῆς. Ἀλλὰ φίλον ἔχεις γενναῖον καὶ θαυμαστόν; Οὐδὲ οὗτός σοι παραστήσεται τότε. Πῶς οὖν φησι, Ποιήσατε ὑμῖν φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας, ἵν' ὅταν ἐκλίπητε, δέξωνται ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους σκηνάς; Οὐχ ἡ φιλία ἐστὶν ἐνταῦθα ἡ προϊσταμένη, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἡ φιλία μόνη προΐστατο, ἔδει ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, Ποιήσατε ὑμῖν φίλους· νυνὶ δὲ δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐχ ἡ φιλία μόνη προΐσταται, προσέθηκεν, Ἐκ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας. Καίτοι ἴσως εἴποι τις ἂν, ὅτι ∆ύναμαι χωρὶς τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ ποιῆσαι φίλον, καὶ σπουδαιότερον μᾶλλον, ἢ διὰ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἐλεημοσύνη ἐστὶν ἡ προϊσταμένη, καὶ τὸ ἔργον τὸ σὸν καὶ τὸ κατόρθωμα, οὐκ ἐν ταῖς φιλίαις ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς φιλίαις ταῖς διὰ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ γινομέναις ἔπεισέ σε θαῤῥεῖν. Ἅπερ οὖν ἅπαντα εἰδότες, ἀγαπητοὶ, προσέχωμεν ἑαυτοῖς μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης· κἂν κολαζώμεθα, εὐχαριστῶμεν· κἂν ἐν εὐημερίᾳ διάγωμεν, ἀσφαλιζώμεθα ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ταῖς ἑτέρων τιμωρίαις σωφρονιζόμενοι, διὰ μετανοίας καὶ κατανύξεως καὶ συνεχοῦς ἐξομολογήσεως εὐχαριστῶμεν· καὶ εἴ τι πεπλημμέληται κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἡμῖν, ἀποθέμενοι, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς πᾶσαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ἀποσμήξαντες τὴν κηλῖδα, παρακαλῶμεν τὸν Θεὸν καταξιῶσαι πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐντεῦθεν διαλυσαμένους, οὕτως ἀπελθεῖν ἐκεῖσε, ἵνα μὴ μετὰ τοῦ πλουσίου, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ Λαζάρου τῶν τοῦ πατριάρχου κόλπων ἀπολαύσαντες, τοῖς ἀθανάτοις ἐντρυφῶμεν ἀγαθοῖς· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Εἰς τὸν πλούσιον καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον λόγος τέταρτος· καὶ ὅτι τὸ συνειδὸς εἴωθεν ἡμᾶς ἀναμιμνήσκειν παλαιὰ ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ εἰς τὸν Ἰωσήφ.

αʹ. Τῆς τοῦ Λαζάρου παραβολῆς τὸ τέλος ἀνάγκη τήμερον ἀποδοῦναι. Ὑμεῖς

μὲν γὰρ ἴσως τὸ πᾶν ἡμῖν ἀπηρτίσθαι νομίζετε· οὐ μὴν ἔγωγε χρήσομαι ὑμῶν εἰς ἀπάτην τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ, οὐδὲ ἀποστήσομαι πρότερον, ἕως ἂν τὸ φαινόμενον ἅπαν ἀπέλθω λαβών· ἐπεὶ 48.1006 καὶ γεωργὸς τῆς ἀμπέλου τρυγηθείσης ἁπάσης, οὐ πρότερον ἀφίσταται, ἕως ἂν καὶ τὰς ῥᾶγας ἐκτέμῃ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ νῦν ἐνορῶ, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ φύλλοις, τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐναποκεκρυμμένα νοήματα ἔτι, φέρε δὴ καὶ ταῦτα, ἀντὶ δρεπάνης τῷ λόγῳ χρησάμενοι, πάλιν μετ' ἀκριβείας ἀποτρυγήσωμεν. Ἄμπελος μὲν γὰρ τρυγηθεῖσα καθάπαξ, ἕστηκε γυμνὴ τοῦ καρποῦ, φύλλα ἔχουσα μόνον· ἡ δὲ ἄμπελος ἡ πνευματικὴ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἂν τὸ φαινόμενον ἅπαν ἀνελώμεθα, τὸ πλέον ἐναπομένει πά48.1007 λιν. Πολλοὶ γοῦν μὲν καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν εἰς ταύτην εἰρήκασι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, πολλοὶ καὶ μεθ' ἡμᾶς ἴσως ἐροῦσιν· ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς τὸν ἅπαντα πλοῦτον κενῶσαι δυνήσεται. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς περιουσίας ταύτης ἡ φύσις· ὅσῳπερ ἂν διασκάψῃς ἐν τῷ βάθει, τοσούτῳ πλέον ἀναβλύσει τὰ θεῖα νοήματα· πηγὴ γάρ ἐστιν οὐδέποτε ἐπιλείπουσα. Καὶ ἔδει μὲν τῇ προτέρᾳ συνάξει τοῦτο ὑμῖν ἀποδοῦναι τὸ χρέος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι ἐνομίσαμεν, τοῦ μακαρίου Βαβύλα καὶ τῆς ξυνωρίδος τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων τῶν μετ' ἐκεῖνον παρελθεῖν τὰ κατορθώματα. ∆ιὸ τὴν καταβολὴν ὑπερεθέμεθα, τηροῦντες εἰς τὴν παροῦσαν ὑμῖν ἡμέραν ὁλόκληρον τὴν ἔκτισιν. Φέρε οὖν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῖς πατράσι τὰς εὐφημίας ἀποδεδώκαμεν, οὐ τὰς κατ' ἀξίαν τὴν ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ τὰς κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἀποδῶμεν καὶ ὑμῖν τοῦ διηγήματος τούτου τὸ λείψανον. Ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀποκάμητε, ἕως ἂν πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἀφικώμεθα, ἐκεῖθεν ἀναλαβόντες τὸν λόγον, ἔνθα αὐτὸν κατελίπομεν πρώην. Ποῦ δὲ αὐτὸν κατελίπομεν; Ἐν τῷ χάσματι τῷ διείργοντι τοὺς δικαίους ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. Εἰπόντος γὰρ τοῦ πλουσίου, Πέμψον Λάζαρον,