John Chrysostom, Sermons on Genesis

it does not see its own, but sees its neighbor's before its own, so that through those it may see its own. For I now am not making such a long discourse for my own sake, but for yours. And you, therefore, do not listen only for yourselves, but also for others who are to be instructed by you. For according to the interconnection of the members, the body of the Church is also nourished. Just as, then, a member, if it keeps all the nourishment for itself, and does not share it with its neighbor, both injures itself and corrupts the rest of the body; for example the stomach, if it keeps the nourishment for itself alone, it both wastes away the rest of the body 54.624 with famine, and corrupts itself by its excess; but if, having taken what is sufficient according to the natural sequence, it sends the rest on to the other members, it keeps both itself and the rest of the body in health; so also you now, if after hearing from us you keep it for yourself, and do not share with another, you have both harmed that person and corrupted yourself, drawing upon yourself the most grievous diseases, sloth and envy. For it is either through wickedness, or through idleness and carelessness that we do not share with others. And whichever of these it may be, it is sufficient to destroy the one who has it. But if you send the nourishment on to others ungrudgingly, you have benefited both yourself and that person. But concerning these things, what has been said is sufficient. 3. But it is necessary now to come to the sequence of what was said before. What then were those things? We were then investigating concerning Saul and Paul, why at one time he was called Saul, and at another, Paul; then we digressed from this sequence into a long account of names. And since we had digressed from them, it did not seem right to us to pass over that merchandise. For even if it was on account of Paul that we came to this subject, nevertheless we decided to trade also in the finding of other names. So also do those who sail the sea for trade often do, having come ashore for the business of a few things; when, having come to the city to which they were sent, they see that it also has an abundance of other goods, they make their trade much greater than that for which they had prepared. And if anyone should complain, they say these words: "We have come a long way," they say, "we have endured many storms, many dangers, we have undertaken a journey across the sea; what then prevents our business from becoming more abundant?" Let us too make this defense. For we too, while seeking concerning the names of Paul, found in the course of things another trade in names, such as that Peter was called Simon before this, and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, were named sons of thunder. We found also in the Old Testament that Abraham before this was called Abram, and after this Abraham, and Jacob was renamed Israel, and Sarai, Sarah. We found in addition to these that certain others were not renamed, like these, but received their names from the beginning, such as John the Baptist, as Isaac, as Adam. Therefore it seemed to us strange and of the utmost folly to cast so great a treasure from our hands. For this reason we made the discourse longer, and having spoken previously about those named from the beginning, today we intend to speak about those with two names, of whom Abraham is one. For Adam was called by this name throughout, and did not have another; and so Isaac likewise did not receive a second appellation, but from beginning to end was called Isaac; but Isaac's father was called Abram before this, and after this Abraham. For God said to him, it says, "Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name shall be called Abraham." For he was called Abram formerly, but this name is not Greek, nor in our language, but is so said in that of the Hebrews. What then does this name mean when interpreted? A sojourner. For Abram in the 54.625 Syriac tongue means "the other side," and those who are skilled in this language know this. And much to the

οὐ βλέπει, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τῶν αὑτῆς τὰ τοῦ πλησίον ὁρᾷ, ἵνα δι' ἐκείνων τὰ αὑτῆς ἴδῃ. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐγὼ νῦν οὐχὶ δι' ἐμαυτὸν ἀποτείνω τοσούτους λόγους, ἀλλὰ δι' ὑμᾶς. Καὶ ὑμεῖς τοίνυν μὴ δι' ἑαυτοὺς ἀκούετε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἑτέρους τοὺς παρ' ὑμῶν παιδεύεσθαι μέλλοντας. Κατὰ γὰρ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῶν μελῶν καὶ τὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τρέφεται σῶμα. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ μέλος, ἐὰν κατάσχῃ παρ' ἑαυτῷ τὴν τροφὴν πᾶσαν, καὶ μὴ μεταδῷ τῷ πλησίον, καὶ ἑαυτὸ λυμαίνεται, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν διαφθείρει σῶμα· οἷον ὁ στόμαχος, ἐὰν τὴν τροφὴν αὐτὸς κατάσχῃ μόνος, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα 54.624 τῷ λιμῷ κατατήκει, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμετρίας διαφθείρει· ἂν δὲ τὸ ἀρκοῦν λαβὼν κατὰ τὴν φυσικὴν ἀκολουθίαν, τὸ λοιπὸν τοῖς ἑτέροις παραπέμψῃ μέλεσι, καὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν σῶμα ἐν ὑγιείᾳ διατηρεῖ· οὕτω καὶ σὺ νῦν, ἂν ἀκούσας τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν κατάσχῃς, ἑτέρῳ δὲ μὴ μεταδῷς, κἀκεῖνον ἐζημίωσας καὶ σεαυτὸν διέφθειρας, χαλεπώτατα νοσήματα ἐπισπασάμενος, νωθείαν καὶ φθόνον. Ἢ γὰρ διὰ πονηρίαν, ἢ δι' ἀργίαν καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν οὐ μεταδίδωμεν ἑτέροις. Ὁπότερον δὲ ἂν ᾖ τούτων, ἱκανὸν ἀπολέσαι τὸν ἔχοντα. Ἂν δὲ ἀφθόνως καὶ εἰς ἑτέρους παραπέμψῃς τὴν τροφὴν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἐκεῖνον ὠφέλησας. Ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων ἱκανὰ τὰ εἰρημένα. γʹ. ∆εῖ δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἐλθεῖν τῶν πρώην λεχθέντων. Τίνα οὖν ἦν ἐκεῖνα; Περὶ Σαύλου καὶ Παύλου τότε ἐζητοῦμεν, διὰ τί ποτὲ μὲν Σαῦλος, ποτὲ δὲ Παῦλος ἐλέγετο· εἶτα ἐξέβημεν ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας ταύτης εἰς ὀνομάτων ἱστορίαν πολλήν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐξέβημεν ἀπ' αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἔδοξεν ἡμῖν ἄξιον εἶναι παραδραμεῖν τὴν ἐμπορίαν ἐκείνην. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διὰ Παῦλον ἤλθομεν ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην, ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ὀνομάτων εὕρεσιν ἐμπορεύσασθαι ἔγνωμεν. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ τὴν θάλατταν πλέοντες κατ' ἐμπορίαν ποιοῦσι πολλάκις, ὑπὲρ πραγματείας ὀλίγων τινῶν ἐπιδημήσαντες· ἐπειδὰν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐλθόντες, εἰς ἣν ἐστέλλοντο, ἴδωσι καὶ ἑτέρων ἀγωγίμων ἔχουσαν ἀφθονίαν, πολλῷ πλείονα τῆς παρεσκευασμένης ποιοῦνται τὴν ἐμπορίαν. Κἂν ἐγκαλέσῃ τις, ταῦτα λέγουσι τὰ ῥήματα· Μακρὰν, φασὶν, ἤλθομεν ὁδὸν, πολλοὺς χειμῶνας ὑπεμείναμεν, πολλοὺς κινδύνους, διαπόντιον ἀποδημίαν ἐστειλάμεθα· τί δὴ κωλύει ἀφθονωτέραν γενέσθαι τὴν πραγματείαν ἡμῖν; Ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀπολογώμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ζητοῦντες περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων τοῦ Παύλου, εὕρομεν ἐκ τῆς ἀκολουθίας καὶ ἑτέραν ἐμπορίαν ὀνομάτων, οἷόν τι ὁ Πέτρος Σίμων ἐκαλεῖτο πρὸ τούτου, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ζεβεδαίου Ἰάκωβος καὶ Ἰωάννης υἱοὶ βροντῆς ὠνομάσθησαν. Εὕρομεν καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ πρὸ τούτου μὲν Ἄβραμ καλούμενον, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ Ἰσραὴλ μετακληθέντα, καὶ τὴν Σάῤῥαν Σάραν. Εὕρομεν πρὸς τούτοις, ὅτι ἕτεροί τινες οὐ μετωνομάσθησαν, ὥσπερ οὗτοι, ἀλλ' ἐξαρχῆς ἔλαβον τὰ ὀνόματα, ὥσπερ Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς, ὡς ὁ Ἰσαὰκ, ὡς ὁ Ἀδάμ. Ἄτοποντοίνυν ἡμῖν ἔδοξεν εἶναι καὶ βλακείας ἐσχάτης, τοσοῦτον ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν ῥῖψαι θησαυρόν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μακρότερον ἐποιήσαμεν τὸν λόγον, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐξαρχῆς ὀνομασθέντων πρώην εἰπόντες, σήμερον διανοούμεθα περὶ τῶν διωνύμων εἰπεῖν, ὡς εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Ἀβραάμ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀδὰμ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη διαπαντὸςτὸ ὄνομα, καὶ οὐκ ἔσχεν ἕτερον· καὶ ὁ Ἰσαὰκ οὕτω πάλιν οὐκ ἐδέξατο δευτέραν προσηγορίαν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀρχῆς μέχρι τέλους Ἰσαὰκ ἐλέγετο· ὁ δὲ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ πατὴρ Ἄβραμ πρὸ τούτου μὲν ἐλέγετο· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἀβραάμ. Εἶπε γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶν, Οὐκέτι ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου Ἄβραμ, ἀλλὰ Ἀβραὰμ κληθήσεται τὸ ὄνομά σου. Καὶ γὰρ Ἄβραμ ἐκαλεῖτο τὸ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα οὐκ ἔστιν Ἑλληνικὸν, οὐδὲ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ γλώττῃ, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν Ἑβραίων οὕτω λέγεται. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ἑρμηνευόμενον τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο; Περάτης. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ Ἄβραμ τῇ 54.625 Σύρων φωνῇ τὸ πέραν λέγεται, καὶ ἴσασιν ὅσοι τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης εἰσὶν ἔμπειροι. Πολλὴ δὲ τῇ