John Chrysostom, On John

only, but also useful to all others. Which is what I most expect this church to be, judging from this great love of hearing. Come then, let us deposit the Lord's silver in your souls as in a safe treasury, and let us unfold what has been set before us today, as the grace of the Spirit may provide. He said, that The world knew Him not, speaking of the times of old. He descends then in his discourse to the times of the preaching, and says, He came unto His own, and His own received Him not; calling the Jews His own now, as a peculiar people, or even all men as having been made by Him. And just as above, being perplexed at the folly of the many, and being ashamed for our common nature, he said that the world, having been made through Him, did not recognize its Creator; so here again, being indignant at the ingratitude of the Jews and of the many, he puts the accusation more forcefully, saying that His own received Him not, and this, when He came to them. And not he alone, but the prophets also, marveling, said this very same thing; and Paul later was astonished at the same things. And the prophets cried out thus, speaking in the person of Christ: A people whom I knew not served me; at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me. Strange children lied to me; strange children have grown old and have become lame in their paths. And again, They to whom it was not told of Him shall see, and they that have not heard shall understand; and, I was found by those who did not seek me; I became manifest to those who did not ask for me. And Paul, writing to the Romans, said, What then? That which Israel sought for, he did not obtain; but the election obtained it. And again, What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. For it is truly a matter of astonishment how those who were brought up on the prophetic books, and heard Moses every day speaking countless things about the coming of Christ, and the rest 59.70.10 of the prophets after him, and moreover saw Christ Himself working wonders for them every day, and speaking to them alone, and not yet allowing his disciples to go into the way of the Gentiles or to enter a city of the Samaritans, nor doing this Himself, but saying again and again that He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; nevertheless, though enjoying the signs, and hearing the prophets daily, and having Him constantly reminding them, they so completely blinded and deafened themselves, as to be unable to be led by any of these things to faith in Christ. But those from the Gentiles, having enjoyed none of these things, nor ever having heard the divine oracles, not even in a dream, so to speak, but always being occupied with the myths of madmen (for such is the philosophy of the outsiders), and unrolling the trifles of poets, and being nailed to wood and stones, and knowing nothing good and sound for the sake of either doctrines or conduct (for their life was more impure and more accursed than their doctrines. And why not? They were about to see their gods delighting in all wickedness, and being served through shameful words, and through more shameful deeds, considering this a festival and an honor; and what is more, being honored through impure murders and child-slaughters, and they emulated them in these things); but nevertheless, having fallen to the very bottom of wickedness, they suddenly, as if by some device from above, appeared to us shining forth from the very summit of the heavens. How then did this happen, and from where? Hear Paul saying. For that blessed one, seeking these things diligently, did not desist until he found the cause, and revealed it to all others. What then is this cause? And from where came such hardness of heart for them? Hear him who was entrusted with this economy saying these things. What then does he say, the

μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι χρήσιμος. Ὅπερ μάλιστα ταύτην ἔσεσθαι προσδοκῶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἀπὸ τῆς πολλῆς ταύτης τεκμαιρόμενος φιληκοΐας. Φέρε οὖν ὡς ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ θησαυροφυλακίῳ ταῖς ὑμετέραις ψυχαῖς τὸ ἀργύριον τοῦ Κυρίου παρακαταθώμεθα, καὶ τὰ σήμερον ἡμῖν προτεθέντα ἀναπτύξωμεν, ὡς ἂν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος παρέχῃ χάρις. Εἶπεν, ὅτι Ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω, περὶ τῶν ἄνω χρόνων λέγων. Κάτεισι λοιπὸν τῷ λόγῳ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ κηρύγματος χρόνους, καί φησιν· Εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθε, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ περιέλαβον· ἰδίους Ἰουδαίους λέγων νῦν, ὡς λαὸν περιούσιον, ἢ καὶ πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγενημένους. Καὶ καθάπερ ἀνωτέρω διαπορῶν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνοίᾳ τῶν πολλῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς αἰσχυνόμενος φύσεως ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ γενόμενος, τὸν δημιουργὸν οὐκ ἐγνώρισεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν, ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τῇ τῶν πολλῶν δυσανασχετῶν ἀγνωμοσύνῃ, πληκτικώτερον τίθησι τὴν κατηγορίαν, λέγων, ὅτι Οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον, καὶ ταῦτα αὐτὸν ἐλθόντα πρὸς αὐτούς. Καὶ οὐχ οὗτος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ προφῆται θαυμάζοντες ἔλεγον τὸ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο· καὶ Παῦλος δὲ ὕστερον ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐκπληττόμενος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν προφῆται οὕτως ἐβόων, ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντες· Λαὸς, ὃν οὐκ ἔγνων, ἐδούλευσέ μοι, εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ὑπήκουσέ μου· υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐψεύσαντό με, υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐπαλαιώθησαν, καὶ ἐχώλαναν ἀπὸ τῶν τρίβων αὐτῶν. Καὶ πάλιν· Οἷς οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὄψονται, καὶ οἳ οὐκ ἀκηκόασι, συνήσουσι· καὶ, Εὑρέθην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν· ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσι. Παῦλος δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγε· Τί οὖν; ὃ ἐπεζήτει Ἰσραὴλ, τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν· ἡ δὲ ἐκλογὴ ἐπέτυχε. Καὶ πάλιν· Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; Ὅτι ἔθνη τὰ μὴ διώκοντα δικαιοσύνην, κατέλαβε δικαιοσύνην· Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον δικαιοσύνης, εἰς νόμον δικαιοσύνης οὐκ ἔφθασε. Καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ὄντως ἐκπλήξεως ἄξιον, πῶς οἱ μὲν ἐν ταῖς προφητικαῖς ἀνατραφέντες βίβλοις, καὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως καθ' ἑκάστην ἀκούοντες τὴν ἡμέραν, μυρία περὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος παρουσίας, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν 59.70.10 μετὰ ταῦτα προφητῶν, ἔτι τε αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν θεώμενοι, καθ' ἑκάστην αὐτοῖς θαυματουργοῦντα, καὶ μόνοις αὐτοῖς ὁμιλοῦντα, καὶ μήτε τοῖς μαθηταῖς συγχωροῦντα τέως εἰς ὁδὸν ἐθνῶν ἀπελθεῖν ἢ εἰς πόλιν Σαμαρειτῶν εἰσελθεῖν, μήτε αὐτὸν τοῦτο ποιοῦντα, ἀλλ' ἄνω καὶ κάτω λέγοντα, πρὸς τὰ πρόβατα ἀπεστάλθαι τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ· ὅμως καὶ τῶν σημείων ἀπολαύοντες, καὶ τῶν προφητῶν καθ' ἡμέραν ἀκούοντες, καὶ αὐτὸν συνεχῶς αὐτοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκοντα ἔχοντες, οὕτω καθάπαξ ἐπήρωσαν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἐκώφωσαν, ὡς μηδενὶ τούτων ἐναχθῆναι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ πίστιν ἰσχῦσαι. Οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἐθνῶν τούτων μὲν οὐδενὸς ἀπολαύσαντες, οὔτε θείων ποτὲ λογίων ἀκούσαντες, οὐδὲ ὅσον ὄναρ εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τοῖς τῶν παραπαιόντων ἐνστρεφόμενοι μύθοις (τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἔξωθεν φιλοσοφία), καὶ ποιητῶν λήρους ἀνελίττοντες, καὶ ξύλοις καὶ λίθοις προσηλωμένοι, καὶ οὔτε δογμάτων οὔτε πολιτείας ἕνεκεν εἰδότες τι χρηστὸν καὶ ὑγιὲς (καὶ γὰρ ὁ βίος αὐτοῖς τῶν δογμάτων ἀκαθαρτότερος ἦν καὶ ἐναγέστερος. Πῶς δὲ οὔκ; Ἔμελλον τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν πάσῃ κακίᾳ χαίροντας ὁρῶντες, καὶ δι' αἰσχρῶν μὲν ῥημάτων, δι' αἰσχροτέρων δὲ θεραπευομένους πραγμάτων, καὶ τοῦτο νομίζοντας ἑορτὴν καὶ τιμήν· ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ δι' ἀκαθάρτων φόνων καὶ παιδοκτονιῶν τιμωμένους, κἀκείνους εἰς ταῦτα ζηλοῦντες)· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν πυθμένα τῆς κακίας καταπεσόντες, ἐξαίφνης ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος μηχανῆς ἄνωθεν ἡμῖν καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῶν οὐρανῶν τῆς κορυφῆς ἀνεφάνησαν διαλάμποντες. Πῶς οὖν τοῦτο γέγονε, καὶ πόθεν; Ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα ἀκριβῶς ζητῶν, οὐκ ἀπέστη ἕως οὗ τὴν αἰτίαν εὗρε, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ταύτην ἐδήλωσεν ἅπασι. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη; καὶ πόθεν ἡ τοσαύτη πώρωσις αὐτοῖς; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ταύτην ἐμπιστευθέντος ταῦτα λέγοντος. Τί οὖν οὗτος λέγει, τὴν