John Chrysostom, On Matthew

he says, before men, and I also will deny him before my Father. And yet such a denial is involuntary, but nevertheless it does not escape punishment, but for this too we give an account; both for what we know, and for what we do not know; For I am not conscious of anything against myself, he says, but I am not justified by this. And for those things done in ignorance, and those done in knowledge; For I bear them witness, he says, that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; but nevertheless this is not sufficient for their defense. And writing to the Corinthians he said: I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. When you are about to give an account for so many things, do you sit laughing, and telling jokes, and giving yourself to luxury? For if I do not do these things, he says, but mourn, what is the benefit? The greatest, indeed, and so great that it is not possible even to express in words. For in the secular courts, however much you may weep, you will not escape the punishment after the sentence; but here, if you are only of a sad countenance, you have dissolved the verdict, and have obtained forgiveness. For this reason Christ says much to us about mourning, and blesses those who mourn, and declares woe to those who laugh. For this is not a theater for laughter, nor have we come together for this purpose, to laugh aloud, but that we may groan, and from this groaning inherit a kingdom. But you, when standing before a king, do not endure even to smile slightly; but having the Lord of angels as an indweller, do you not stand with fear and the appropriate sobriety, but laugh, while He is often angered? and do you not consider that by this you provoke Him more than by your sins? For God is not so accustomed to turn away from those who sin, as from those who are not humbled after their sin. But nevertheless some are so insensitively disposed, as even after these words to say: 'May it never be my lot to weep, but may God grant me to laugh and play all the time.' And what could be more childish than this way of thinking? For it is not God who gives us to play, but the devil. Listen, then, what happened to those who were playing: The people, it says, sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Such were those in Sodom, such were those at the time of the flood. For concerning them also it says, That in pride, and in abundance, and in fullness of bread they lived wantonly. And those who were at the time of Noah, seeing the ark being built for so many years, made merry insensibly, foreseeing none of the things to come. For this reason also the flood came upon and swept them all away, and then worked the common shipwreck of the world. 7. Do not, then, ask from God these things, which you receive from 57.71 the devil. For it is of God to give a heart that is broken and humbled, sober, temperate and self-controlled, repentant and contrite. These are His gifts, since we have the greatest need of this. For a difficult contest is at hand, and our wrestling is against the invisible powers, the battle against the spiritual forces of wickedness, the war against the principalities, against the authorities; and it is a great thing if, being earnest and sober and watchful, we are able to bear that fierce phalanx. But if we laugh and play, and are always idle, even before the engagement we shall fall through our own idleness. It is not for us, then, to laugh continually and be effeminate and live in luxury, but for those on the stage, for prostituted women, for men shaved for this purpose, for parasites, for flatterers; not for those called to heaven, not for those enrolled in the city above, not for those who bear spiritual weapons, but for those who are initiated into the devil's rites. For it is he, it is he, who has even made the thing an art, in order to unnerve the soldiers of Christ, and to make the sinews of their zeal more slack. For this reason he has also built theaters in the cities, and having trained those buffoons, through their corruption he inflicts such a plague upon the whole city; which the

φησὶν, ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κἀγὼ ἀρνήσομαι αὐτὸν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Πατρός μου. Καίτοιγε ἀκούσιος ἡ τοιαύτη ἄρνησις, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ διαφεύγει τὴν κόλασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτης διδόαμεν εὐθύνας· καὶ ὧν ἴσμεν, καὶ ὧν οὐκ ἴσμεν· Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι. Καὶ ὧν κατὰ ἄγνοιαν, καὶ ὧν κατὰ γνῶσιν· Μαρτυρῶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ὅτι ζῆλον Θεοῦ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο εἰς ἀπολογίαν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ Κορινθίοις δὲ ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγε· Φοβοῦμαι μήπως ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὔαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὕτω φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἁπλότητος τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστόν. Τοσούτων τοίνυν μέλλων διδόναι εὐθύνας, κάθῃ γελῶν, καὶ ἀστεῖα λέγων, καὶ τρυφῇ προσέχων; Ἂν γὰρ μὴ ταῦτα ποιήσω, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ πενθήσω, τί τὸ ὄφελος; Μέγιστον μὲν οὖν, καὶ τοσοῦτον ὅσον οὐδὲ τῷ λόγῳ παραστῆσαι δυνατόν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν δικαστηρίων, ὅσα ἂν δακρύσῃς, οὐκ ἐκφεύξῃ τὴν κόλασιν μετὰ τὴν ἀπόφασιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἂν στυγνάσῃς μόνον, ἔλυσας τὴν ψῆφον, καὶ συγγνώμης ἀπέλαυσας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλὰ περὶ πένθους ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστὸς διαλέγεται, καὶ μακαρίζει τοὺς πενθοῦντας, καὶ ταλανίζει τοὺς γελῶντας. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι τὸ θέατρον τοῦτο γέλωτος, οὐδὲ διὰ τοῦτο συνήλθομεν, ἵνα ἀνακαγχάζωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα στενάζωμεν, καὶ βασιλείαν ἐκ τοῦ στεναγμοῦ τούτου κληρονομήσωμεν. Σὺ δὲ βασιλεῖ μὲν παρεστὼς, οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς μειδιᾶσαι ἀνέχῃ· τὸν δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότην ἔχων ἔνοικον οὐχ ἕστηκας μετὰ τρόμου καὶ σωφροσύνης τῆς προσηκούσης, ἀλλὰ γελᾷς, αὐτοῦ πολλάκις ὀργιζομένου; καὶ οὐκ ἐννοεῖς ὅτι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ταύτῃ μειζόνως παροξύνεις αὐτόν; Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, ὡς τοὺς μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν μὴ συστελλομένους ἀποστρέφεσθαι εἴωθεν ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὕτως εἰσὶν ἀναισθήτως τινὲς διακείμενοι, ὡς καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα λέγειν· ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο δακρῦσαί ποτε, ἀλλὰ δῴη μοι γελᾷν καὶ παίζειν ὁ Θεὸς πάντα τὸν χρόνον. Καὶ τί ταύτης τῆς διανοίας παιδικώτερον γένοιτ' ἄν; οὐ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς δίδωσι παίζειν, ἀλλ' ὁ διάβολος. Ἄκουσον γοῦν, οἱ παίζοντες τί ἔπαθον· Ἐκάθισε, φησὶν, ὁ λαὸς φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν, καὶ ἀνέστησαν παίζειν. Τοιοῦτοι ἦσαν οἱ ἐν Σοδόμοις, τοιοῦτοι οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων φησὶν, Ὅτι ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ, καὶ ἐν εὐθηνίαις, καὶ ἐν πλησμονῇ ἄρτων ἐσπατάλων. Καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὸν Νῶε ὄντες τὴν κιβωτὸν ἐπὶ τοσούτοις ὁρῶντες κατασκευαζομένην ἔτεσιν, ἀναλγήτως εὐφραίνοντο, μηδὲν τῶν μελλόντων προορώμενοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πάντας αὐτοὺς ἐπελθὼν παρέσυρεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς, καὶ τὸ κοινὸν τῆς οἰκουμένης ναυάγιον τότε εἰργάσατο. ζʹ. Μὴ τοίνυν αἴτει παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ταῦτα, ἃ παρὰ 57.71 τοῦ διαβόλου λαμβάνεις. Τοῦ γὰρ Θεοῦ, δοῦναι καρδίαν συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην, νήφουσαν, σωφρονοῦσαν καὶ κατεσταλμένην, μετανοοῦσαν καὶ κατανενυγμένην. Ταῦτα ἐκείνου τὰ δῶρα, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τούτου ἡμῖν χρεία μάλιστα. Καὶ γὰρ ἀγὼν ἐφέστηκε χαλεπὸς, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἀοράτους ἡμῖν δυνάμεις ἡ πάλη, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἡ μάχη, πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας ὁ πόλεμος· καὶ ἀγαπητὸν σπουδάζοντας ἡμᾶς καὶ νήφοντας καὶ διεγηγερμένους, δυνηθῆναι τὴν ἀγρίαν ἐκείνην φάλαγγα ἐνεγκεῖν. Ἂν δὲ γελῶμεν καὶ παίζωμεν, καὶ διαπαντὸς ῥᾳθυμῶμεν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς συμβολῆς ὑπὸ τῆς οἰκείας καταπεσούμεθα ῥᾳθυμίας. Οὐ τοίνυν ἡμέτερον τὸ γελᾷν διηνεκῶς καὶ θρύπτεσθαι καὶ τρυφᾷν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐπὶ σκηνῆς, τῶν πορνευομένων γυναικῶν, τῶν εἰς τοῦτο ἐξυρημένων ἀνδρῶν, τῶν παρασίτων, τῶν κολάκων· οὐ τῶν ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν κεκλημένων, οὐ τῶν εἰς τὴν ἄνω πόλιν ἐγγεγραμμένων, οὐ τῶν ὅπλα βασταζόντων πνευματικὰ, ἀλλὰ τῶν τῷ διαβόλῳ τελουμένων. Ἐκεῖνος γάρ ἐστιν, ἐκεῖνος, ὁ καὶ τέχνην τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιήσας, ἵνα τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκλύσῃ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ μαλακώτερα αὐτῶν ποιήσῃ τῆς προθυμίας τὰ νεῦρα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ θέατρα ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι, καὶ τοὺς γελωτοποιοὺς ἐκείνους ἀσκήσας, διὰ τῆς ἐκείνων λύμης κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ἁπάσης τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐνσκήπτει λοιμόν· ἃ φεύγειν ὁ