John Chrysostom, On Repentance

the prophecy through word; the one through deeds, the other through words. Shall I tell you a prophecy through a deed and through a word concerning him? As a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer. This is a prophecy through a word. For when Abraham offered up Isaac, then seeing a ram caught by its horns, he led it to the sacrifice in deed, as if in a type proclaiming to us beforehand the saving passion. 5. What I was saying then, do you wish me to show you these two covenants through deeds? Just as you saw the sheep in the word, learn also in the deed. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law. He well said, "Desiring to be"; for they were not; for if they had been under the law, they would not have been under the law. Perhaps what is said is a riddle. For the law sent those who paid attention to Christ; he who dishonors the teacher is ignorant also of the schoolmaster. Therefore, he says, Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law, that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman, which things are allegorized. Did you see the prophecy through the 49.321 deed? For to have wives is not a word, but a deed; and I have shown you slave and free through words, that of two covenants there is one lawgiver; learn this same thing also through the types. Abraham had two wives; and these are two covenants, and one lawgiver. Just as there, a sheep and a sheep, the one in word, the other in deed, and great is the harmony of both the deeds and the words; so also here, two covenants, and Jeremiah foretold these through a word, but Abraham typified them through deeds in having two wives. For just as there is one man and two wives, so there is one lawgiver and two covenants. But what I was saying, and because of which all these things have been set in motion—for it is not right to fall away from the subject—Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Yes; but, for the reason we set all these things in motion, for what reason does he read to them an old law? For he says to them: You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' He understood that the command is difficult, not on account of its own nature, but on account of the laziness of the hearers. For many things that are by nature easy become hard to accomplish when we are lazy; just as, then, things that are difficult become light and very easy when we are diligent. For the difficulty is not in the nature of the things, but in the will of those who pursue them. And that this is true is clear from this: honey has a sweet and most pleasant nature, but to the sick it is both bitter and unpleasant, not on account of its own nature, but on account of their illness; so also if the law seems burdensome, it is not on account of its own nature, but on account of our laziness. It is not a great labor for me to show that it is easy, so that it might be accomplished; for what would make it difficult would have been to say the other thing. For now he says, Flee the sight of a woman, stand away from licentiousness; but the difficult thing would have been to say the opposite: Study women, scrutinize the beauties of others, and so control your desire. This indeed would have been difficult; but for him to say, Flee the furnace, stand away from the fire, do not approach the flame, that you may remain unharmed, has great ease; for the command is according to nature. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' For what reason then does he remind us of the old law, when he is about to introduce another? So that from the comparison you may learn that there is no conflict between this one and that one; for when there is a comparison, then the judgment becomes more manifest. For since some were about to accuse him, that he says these things legislating in opposition: Behold, he says, I place both laws side by side; test and learn the harmony; and not for this reason only, but also that he might show it is both easy and opportunely introduced. For this reason he says, You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery'; for so long a time you have practiced the old law. Like a teacher

ἡ διὰ λόγου προφητεία· ἡ μὲν διὰ πραγμάτων, ἡ δὲ διὰ ῥημάτων. Εἴπω σοι διὰ πράγματος προφητείαν καὶ διὰ ῥήματος εἰς αὐτόν; Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείροντος αὐτόν. Τοῦτο διὰ ῥήματος προφητεία. Ὅτε γὰρ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἀνήνεγκεν ὁ Ἀβραὰμ,τότε πρόβατον ἰδὼν ἐκκρεμάμενον ἐκ τῶν κεράτων, πρὸς τὴν θυσίαν ἤγαγεν ἔργῳ, καθάπερ ἐν τύπῳ προαναφωνῶν ἡμῖν τὸ σωτήριον πάθος. εʹ. Ὅπερ οὖν ἔλεγον, βούλει σοι δείξω τὰς δύο διαθήκας ταύτας διὰ τῶν ἔργων; Ὥσπερ εἶδες τὸ πρόβατον ἐν τῷ ῥήματι, μάνθανε καὶ ἐν τῷ πράγματι. Λέγετέ μοι οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι. Καλῶς εἶπε, Θέλοντες εἶναι· οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν· εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν ὑπὸ νόμον, οὐκ ἂν ἦσαν ὑπὸ νόμον. Τάχα αἴνιγμά ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον. Ὁ γὰρ νόμος τῷ Χριστῷ παρέπεμπε τοὺς προσέχοντας· ὁ τὸν διδάσκαλον ἀτιμάζων, ἀγνοεῖ καὶ τὸν παιδαγωγόν. ∆ιὸ, φησὶ, Λέγετέ μοι οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι, τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε, ὅτι ὁ Ἀβραὰμ δύο υἱοὺς ἔσχεν, ἕνα ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης, καὶ ἕνα ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας, ἅτινά ἐστιν ἀλληγορούμενα. Εἶδες διὰ τοῦ 49.321 πράγματος προφητείαν; Τὸ γὰρ γυναῖκας ἔχειν οὐ ῥῆμα, ἀλλὰ πρᾶγμα· καὶ δούλην καὶ ἐλευθέραν ἔδειξά σοι διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων, ὅτι δύο διαθηκῶν εἷς ἐστι νομοθέτης· μάνθανε καὶ διὰ τῶν τύπων τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο. Ἀβραὰμ δύο γυναῖκας ἔσχεν· αὗται δέ εἰσι δύο διαθῆκαι, καὶ εἷς νομοθέτης· ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ πρόβατον καὶ πρόβατον, τὸ μὲν ἐν ῥήματι, τὸ δὲ ἐν πράγματι, πολλὴ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἔργων καὶ τῶν λόγων ἡ συμφωνία· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα διαθῆκαι δύο, καὶ ταύτας ὁ μὲν Ἱερεμίας διὰ ῥήματος προεῖπεν, ὁ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐτύπωσεν ἐν τῷ δύο γυναῖκας ἔχειν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἷς ἀνὴρ καὶ δύο γυναῖκες, οὕτως εἷς νομοθέτης καὶ δύο διαθῆκαι. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον, καὶ δι' ὃ πάντα ταῦτα κεκίνηται· οὐδὲ γὰρ χρὴ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐκπεσεῖν· Ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτῆς, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Ναί· ἀλλὰ, δι' ὃ ταῦτα πάντα ἐκινήσαμεν, τίνος ἕνεκεν αὐτοῖς παλαιὸν ἀναγινώσκει νόμον; λέγει γὰρ αὐτοῖς· Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις. Συνεῖδεν ὅτι δύσκολόν ἐστι τὸ ἐπίταγμα, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τῶν ἀκουόντων. Πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ φύσει εὔκολα ὄντα δυσκατόρθωτα γίνεται, ὅταν ῥᾳθυμῶμεν· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ δύσκολα ὄντα, κοῦφα καὶ ῥᾷστα γίνεται σπουδαζόντων ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ φύσει τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ δυσκολία, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν μετιόντων. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν· τὸ μέλι φύσιν ἔχει γλυκεῖαν καὶ ἡδίστην, ἀλλὰ τοῖς νοσοῦσι καὶ πικρόν ἐστι καὶ ἀηδὲς, ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν ἐκείνων· οὕτω καὶ ὁ νόμος ἂν δοκῇ φορτικὸς εἶναι, οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ῥᾳθυμίαν. Οὐ πολύς μοι πόνος δεῖξαι εὔκολον ὄντα, ἵνα κατορθωθῇ· τὸ γὰρ δύσκολον αὐτὸν ποιοῦν τὸ ἕτερον ἦν εἰπεῖν. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ λέγει, Φύγε τὴν ὄψιν τῆς γυναικὸς, ἀπόστηθι τῆς ἀσελγείας· τὸ δὲ χαλεπὸν τὸ ἐναντίον ἦν εἰπεῖν· Καταμάνθανε τὰς γυναῖκας, περιεργάζου τὰ κάλλη τὰ ἀλλότρια, καὶ οὕτω τῆς ἐπιθυμίας κράτει. Τοῦτο δὴ δύσκολον ἦν· τὸ δὲ εἰπεῖν αὐτὸν, Φύγε τὴν κάμινον, ἀπόστηθι τοῦ πυρὸς, μὴ προσεγγίσῃς τῇ φλογὶ, ἵνα μείνῃς ἀσινὴς, πολλὴν ἔχει τὴν εὐκολίαν· κατὰ φύσιν γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἐπίταγμα. Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἡμᾶς ὑπομιμνήσκει τοῦ παλαιοῦ νόμου, ἕτερον μέλλων εἰσάγειν; Ἵνα ἀπὸ τῆς συγκρίσεως μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι μάχη τούτου κἀκείνου· ὅταν γὰρ σύγκρισις ᾖ, τότε φανερωτέρα ἡ κρίσις γίνεται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλον ἐγκαλεῖν τινες, ὅτι ἀντινομοθετῶν ταῦτα λέγει· Ἰδοὺ, φησὶν, ἑκατέρους παράλληλα τίθεμαι τοὺς νόμους· δοκίμασον καὶ μάθε τὴν συμφωνίαν· οὐ τούτου δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ καὶ εὔκολον ὄντα, καὶ εὐκαίρως εἰσαγόμενον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν, Ἠκούσατε, ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις· τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐμελετήσατε τὸν παλαιὸν νόμον. Ὥσπερ διδάσκαλος