John Chrysostom, On Repentance

a fornicator and a profane person, as the Apostle says? not a matricide and a patricide? not a murderer of his brother, as far as his intention went? not hated by God? Scripture testifies, saying: Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. If, then, he is a fornicator and a fratricide and profane and hated, why is he not destroyed? why is he not cut off? why does he not immediately receive the punishment he deserves? Why? It is truly good to state the reason as well. If he had been cut off, the world would have lost a very great fruit of righteousness; and what sort, listen. Esau begot Raguel, Raguel begot Zerah, Zerah begot Job. Do you see how great a flower of patience would have been destroyed, if God had exacted punishment on the root beforehand? 2. Therefore, in all matters, understand this principle. For this reason he is long-suffering with the Egyptians who blaspheme intolerably, for the sake of the now flourishing Churches in Egypt, for the sake of the monasteries and those who have undertaken an angelic life. For indeed, as those experienced in common laws say, and as the laws of the Romans command, a pregnant woman, if she should ever commit an offense that brings the penalty of death, is not to be executed before she gives birth to the child she is carrying; and very reasonably; for those who have laid down the laws well did not deem it right for the innocent one to be destroyed together with the one who sinned. But if human laws spare those who have sinned in no way, will God not much more reasonably preserve the root, storing up for the fruits the benefit that comes from repentance? Consider for me, then, also in the case of the sinners themselves the benefit that comes from repentance; for also in 49.325 their case the same principle of loving-kindness is given. If justice anticipated correction, the world would have utterly perished and been destroyed; if God were swift to punish, the Church would not have gained Paul, it would not have received such a one and so great a one. Therefore, for this reason, he postponed punishing him while he was blaspheming, that he might show him repenting. The long-suffering of God made the persecutor a preacher; the long-suffering of God changed the wolf into a shepherd; the long-suffering of God made the tax-collector an evangelist; the long-suffering of God had mercy on us all, changed us all, converted us all. If you see one who was once a drunkard, now a faster, if you see one who was once a blasphemer, now a theologian, if you see one who once polluted his mouth with shameful songs, now cleansing his soul with divine hymns, marvel at the long-suffering of God, and praise repentance, and from the change take up and say: This is the change of the right hand of the Most High. God is good to all, but He shows his long-suffering especially towards sinners. And if you wish to hear a strange saying, strange as regards custom, but true as regards piety, listen. God appears everywhere severe to the righteous, but gracious to sinners, and swift to loving-kindness; he raises up the one who sins and has fallen, and says to him: Does not he who falls rise again? Or he who turns away, does he not turn back? And, Why has the foolish daughter of Judah turned away with a shameless turning? and again: Return to me, and I will return to you. And elsewhere, through much loving-kindness, he confirms by an oath the salvation that comes from repentance. For as I live, says the Lord: I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live. But to the righteous man he says: If a man does all righteousness and all truth, and turning away, sins, I will not remember his righteousness, but in his sin he will die. Oh, the great strictness towards the righteous! Oh, the great bounty towards the sinner! Thus he contrives in various and diverse ways, not changing himself, but usefully apportioning the dispensations of his goodness; and how, listen. The sinner who persists in his sins, if you frighten him, you bring him to despair and renunciation of hope; but the righteous man, if you call him blessed,

πόρνος καὶ βέβηλος, ὥς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος; οὐ μητρολοίας καὶ πατρολοίας; οὐκ ἀδελφοῦ φονεὺς ὅσον εἰς πρόθεσιν; οὐχ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ μισούμενος; ἡ Γραφὴ μαρτυρεῖ λέγουσα· Τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἡσαῦ ἐμίσησα. Εἰ τοίνυν πόρνος καὶ ἀδελφοκτόνος καὶ βέβηλος καὶ μεμισημένος, διὰ τί μὴ ἀφανίζεται; διὰ τί μὴ ἐκκόπτεται; διὰ τί παραχρῆμα τὴν προσήκουσαν τιμωρίαν οὐ δέχεται; ∆ιὰ τί; καλὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν. Εἰ ἐξεκόπη, μέγιστον καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης ὁ κόσμος ἀπώλεσεν ἄν· καὶ ὁποῖον, ἄκουε. Ἡσαῦ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ῥαγουὴλ, Ῥαγουὴλ τὸν Ζαρὰ, Ζαρὰ τὸν Ἰώβ. Ὁρᾷς πηλίκονὑπομονῆς ἄνθος ἠφανίζετο, εἰ προλαβὼν ὁ Θεὸς δίκην ἀπῄτησε τὴν ῥίζαν; βʹ. Καθ' ὅλων οὖν τῶν πραγμάτων ταύτην ἐκλάμβανε τὴν θεωρίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μακροθυμεῖ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἀνύποιστα βλασφημοῦσι, διὰ τὰς νῦν ἀνθούσας Ἐκκλησίας ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, διὰ τὰ μοναστήρια καὶ τοὺς ἀγγελικὸν ἐπανῃρημένους βίον. Καὶ γὰρ, ὥς φασιν οἱ τῶν νόμων τῶν κοινῶν ἔμπειροι, καὶ ὡς οἱ Ῥωμαίων παρακελεύονται νόμοι, τὴν κυοφοροῦσαν, εἴ ποτε περιπέσοι πταίσματι θανάτου δίκην ἐπάγοντι, μὴ πρότερον ἀναιρεῖσθαι, πρὶν ἂν τέκῃ τὸ κυοφορούμενον· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ ἐδικαίωσαν οἱ καλῶς τεθεικότες τοὺς νόμους συναφανισθῆναι τὸ ἀναμάρτητον τῇ ἁμαρτησάσῃ. Εἰ δὲ οἱ ἀνθρώπινοι νόμοι φείδονται τῶν μηδὲν ἡμαρτηκότων, ὁ Θεὸς οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἰκότως φυλάξει τὴν ῥίζαν, τοῖς καρποῖς ταμιευόμενος τὴν ἐκ τῆς μετανοίας εὐεργεσίαν; Λάβε μοι λοιπὸν καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων τὴν ἐκ μετανοίας εὐεργεσίαν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ 49.325 τούτων ὁ αὐτὸς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἀποδίδοται λόγος. Εἰ προελάμβανεν ἡ δίκη τὴν διόρθωσιν, ὁ κόσμος παντελῶς ἀπώλλυτο καὶ διεφθείρετο· εἰ ὀξὺς ἦν πρὸς τιμωρίαν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἂν ἐκτήσατο Παῦλον ἡ Ἐκκλησία, οὐκ ἐδέχετο τὸν τοιοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὖν ὑπερέθετο βλασφημοῦντα, ἵνα δείξῃ μετανοοῦντα. Ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία τὸν διώκτην ἐποίησε κήρυκα· ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία τὸν λύκον μετέβαλεν εἰς ποιμένα· ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία τὸν τελώνην ἐποίησεν εὐαγγελιστήν· ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία πάντας ἡμᾶς ἠλέησε, πάντας μετέβαλε, πάντας μετέστρεψεν. Ἐὰν ἴδῃς τόν ποτε μέθυσον, νηστευτὴν, ἐὰν ἴδῃς τόν ποτε βλάσφημον, θεολόγον, ἐὰν ἴδῃς τόν ποτε αἰσχραῖς ᾠδαῖς τὸ στόμα μολύναντα, νῦν τοῖς θείοις ὕμνοις τὴν ψυχὴν καθαίροντα, θαύμαζε τὴν μακροθυμίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπαίνει τὴν μετάνοιαν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀλλοιώσεως λέγε ἀναλαβών· Αὕτη ἡ ἀλλοίωσις τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ Ὑψίστου. Ἀγαθὸς μὲν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς πάντας, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μακροθυμίαν ἐνδείκνυται πρὸς τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας. Καὶ εἰ βούλει ξένον ἐπακοῦσαι λόγον, ξένον μὲν ὅσον εἰς συνήθειαν, ἀληθινὸν δὲ ὅσον εἰς εὐσέβειαν, ἄκουσον. Βαρὺς ὁ Θεὸς πανταχοῦ φαίνεται τοῖς δικαίοις, χρηστὸς δὲ τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς, καὶ ταχὺς εἰς φιλανθρωπίαν· τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα καὶ πεσόντα διανίστησι, καί φησι πρὸς αὐτόν· Μὴ ὁ πίπτων οὐκ ἀνίσταται; ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέφει; καὶ Ἱνατί ἀπέστρεψεν ἀποστροφὴν ἀναιδῆ ἡ ἀσύνετος θυγάτηρ Ἰούδα; καὶ πάλιν· Ἐπιστράφητε πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Καὶ ἑτέρωθι δὲ ὅρκῳ βεβαιοῖ τὴν ἐκ μετανοίας σωτηρίαν διὰ πολλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν. Ζῶ γὰρ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος· οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. Πρὸς δὲ τὸν δίκαιον λέγει· Ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἄνθρωπος πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην καὶ πᾶσαν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ στραφεὶς ἁμάρτῃ, οὐ μὴ μνησθῶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖται. Ὢ πολλῆς ἀκριβείας τῆς πρὸς τὸν δίκαιον! ὢ πολλῆς δαψιλείας τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα! Οὕτω δὲ ποικίλως καὶ διαφόρως μηχανᾶται, οὐκ αὐτὸς μεταβαλλόμενος, ἀλλὰ χρησίμως μερίζων τῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐτοῦ τὰς οἰκονομίας· καὶ ὅπως, ἄκουε. Τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν καὶ ἐμμένοντα ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, ἐὰν φοβήσῃ, εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπαγόρευσιν τῆς ἐλπίδος φέρει· τὸν δὲ δίκαιον ἐὰν μακαρίσῃ,