John Chrysostom, Expositions on the Psalms

but neither could any other iniquity, he says, be found in my hands. And he says these things, not boasting, but having fallen into the necessity of speaking of his own good deeds. But not even so is this a great thing compared to what is about to be said. And what is this? If I have rendered evil to those who rendered evil to me, he says. Pay attention with exactness. For what has been said is not an ordinary thing. For it is a good thing not to do wrong; but much greater, and of a philosopher's soul, is not to avenge oneself on the one who does wrong. And yet the law permitted this, commanding an eye for an eye, and to knock out a tooth for a tooth; and what was done was not a transgression of the law; but this man was so much a philosopher as not only not to transgress the law, but also to surpass it by a great abundance, and to leap beyond the wrestling ground. For he did not think it sufficient for virtue, unless he also outstripped the commandments. Just as Paul also did, being commanded to live from the Gospel, and not living so, but making the Gospel without charge; so then also the blessed David, when the law allowed him to avenge himself on the one who did wrong, did not remain within this measure, but even outstripped it. But we are required not only not to render in return, but also to do good. For pray, he says, for those who mistreat you, do good to those who hate you. But in David's case, not to avenge oneself was no small thing, but also much greater than the legal precept. Wherefore he says, If I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands; if I have rendered evil to those who rendered evil to me. For in the case of his son, nature also prevented it; but if I wronged others, he says, or even avenged myself. What pardon, then, should we have, and what defense, if after the coming of Christ we do not reach the measures of those who lived in the Old Testament, and this when we are required to have great abundance? For unless your righteousness, he says, exceeds that of the Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven. For just as he who in the law accomplishes the same things is not equal to one before the law; so neither is he who is in grace equal to one who is in the law, but from the time itself there comes a great difference. Paul, showing this both in the case of wickedness and in the case of virtue, see how he admires the former more greatly, and declares the latter to be worthy of greater punishment, saying thus: For when Gentiles who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves. εʹ. Did you see how he praises and proclaims those who do right without the law? See again how he shows that those who sin in grace are worthy of greater punishment 55.87 than those who sin in the law, saying thus: Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses; of how much worse punishment, do you think, will he be thought worthy who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant as a common thing? And again, showing that those before the law are worthy of lesser punishment than those who transgressed in the law, For as many, he says, as have sinned without law will also perish without law; that is, more gently, not having the law as an accuser, but only nature; and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law; that is, more severely, having the law as an accuser along with nature. Then may I fall away from my enemies empty. Then may the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; and trample my life to the ground, and lay my glory in the dust. Did you see the boldness of a righteous man, and an excellent conscience? For if he were not exceedingly confident in himself, he would not have uttered such curses. And what he says is something like this: If I have done wrong, if I have taken revenge, may I suffer such and such things; and he passes sentence against himself, and does not think it right to be judged according to the measure, but rather to pay the penalty far beyond what is deserved; and he makes himself liable to a punishment, of which the

ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἑτέρα ἂν εὑρεθείη, φησὶν, οὖσα ἐν χερσί μου ἀδικία. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, οὐ μεγαληγορῶν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀνάγκην ἐμπεσὼν τοῦ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κατορθώματα εἰπεῖν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ οὕτω που μέγα τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ῥηθήσεσθαι. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀνταποδιδουσί μοι κακὰ, φησί. Προσέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ τυχόν ἐστι τὸ εἰρημένον. Καλὸν μὲν γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἀδικεῖν· πολλῷ δὲ μεῖζον, καὶ φιλοσόφου ψυχῆς, τὸ τὸν ἀδικοῦντα μὴ ἀμύνεσθαι. Καίτοι γε ὁ νόμος τοῦτο παρεῖχεν, ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ κελεύων, καὶ ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος ἐκκόπτειν· καὶ οὐκ ἦν παράβασις νόμου τὸ γινόμενον· ἀλλ' οὕτω φιλόσοφος ἦν οὗτος, ὡς μὴ μόνον μὴ παραβαίνειν τὸν νόμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ὑπερβαίνειν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὰ σκάμματα πηδᾷν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐνόμιζεν ἀρκεῖν εἰς ἀρετὴν, εἰ μὴ καὶ ὑπερακοντίσειε τὰ προστάγματα. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ Παῦλος ἐποίει, κελευόμενος ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν, καὶ μὴ ζῶν, ἀλλ' ἀδάπανον τιθεὶς τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ, τοῦ νόμου διδόντος ἀμύνεσθαι τὸν ἀδικοῦντα, οὐκ ἔμεινεν ἐν τῷ μέτρῳ τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερηκόντισεν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τοῦτο ἀπαιτούμεθα μόνον τὸ μὴ ἀνταποδιδόναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ εὐεργετεῖν. Εὔχεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, καλῶς ποιεῖτε τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ οὐ μικρὸν τὸ μὴ ἀμύνεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μεῖζον τοῦ νομικοῦ παραγγέλματος. ∆ιό φησιν, Εἰ ἐποίησα τοῦτο, εἰ ἔστιν ἀδικία ἐν χερσί μου· εἰ ἀνταπέδωκα τοῖς ἀνταποδιδοῦσί μοι κακά. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ παιδὸς καὶ ἡ φύσις ἐκώλυεν· ἀλλ' εἰ ἑτέρους, φησὶν, ἠδίκησα, ἢ καὶ ἠμυνάμην. Ποίαν οὖν σχοίημεν συγγνώμην ἡμεῖς, ποίαν δὲ ἀπολογίαν, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν μὴ φθάνοντες εἰς τὰ μέτρα τῶν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ πολιτευομένων, καὶ ταῦτα πολλὴν περισσείαν ἀπαιτούμενοι; Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ περισσεύσῃ, φησὶν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ἴσος ὁ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τὰ αὐτὰ κατορθῶν τῷ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου· οὕτως οὔτε ὁ ἐν τῇ χάριτι τῷ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ πολλὴ γίνεται ἡ διαφορά. Τοῦτο δεικνὺς ὁ Παῦλος καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κακίας, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς, ὅρα κἀκείνους πῶς μειζόνως θαυμάζει, καὶ τούτους μείζονος τιμωρίας ἀξίους ἀποφαίνει εἶναι, οὕτω λέγων· Ὅταν γὰρ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ νόμον ἔχοντα, φύσει τὰ τοῦ νόμου ποιῇ, οὗτοι νόμον μὴ ἔχοντες, ἑαυτοῖς εἰσι νόμος. εʹ. Εἶδες πῶς τοὺς χωρὶς νόμου κατορθοῦντας ἐπαινεῖ καὶ ἀνακηρύττει; Ὅρα πάλιν καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ χάριτι ἁμαρτάνοντας πῶς μείζονος κολάσεως ἀξίους εἶναι 55.87 δείκνυσι τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ διαμαρτόντων, οὕτω λέγων· Ἀθετήσας τις νόμον Μωϋσέως, χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἢ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνήσκει· πόσῳ, δοκεῖτε, χείρονος ἀξιωθήσεται τιμωρίας ὁ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατήσας, καὶ τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος; Καὶ πάλιν τοὺς πρὸ τοῦ νόμου ἐλάττονος δεικνὺς τιμωρίας ἀξίους ὄντας τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ παραβάντων, Ὅσοι, φησὶν, ἀνόμως ἥμαρτον, ἀνόμως καὶ ἀπολοῦνται· τουτέστιν, ἡμερώτερον, οὐκ ἔχοντες τὸν νόμον κατήγορον, ἀλλὰ τὴν φύσιν μόνον· Ὅσοι δὲ ἐν νόμῳ ἥμαρτον, διὰ νόμου κριθήσονται· τουτέστι, βαρύτερον, ἔχοντες μετὰ τῆς φύσεως καὶ τὸν νόμον κατήγορον. Ἀποπέσοιμι ἄρα ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου κενός. Καταδιώξαι ἄρα ὁ ἐχθρὸς τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ καταλάβοι, καὶ καταπατήσαι εἰς γῆν τὴν ζωήν μου, καὶ τὴν δόξαν μου εἰς χοῦν κατασκηνώσαι. Εἶδες παῤῥησίαν δικαίου, καὶ ἄριστον συνειδός; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ σφόδρα ἑαυτῷ ἐθάῤῥει, οὐκ ἂν τοιαῦτα ἐπηρᾶτο. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Εἰ ἠδίκησα, εἰ ἠμυνάμην, τὰ καὶ τὰ πάθοιμι· καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ψῆφον ἐκφέρει, καὶ οὐκ ἀξιοῖ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον κριθῆναι, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀξίαν διδόναι τὴν δίκην· καὶ ὑπεύθυνον ἑαυτὸν ποιεῖ κολάσει, ἧς ὁ