Dialogus de vita Joannis Chrysostomi

 honor, but he who is called by God. Thus 5 also Aaron, he says, did not glorify himself to become high priest. For although there were six hundred

 the flight of concord, most of us who are active and eager for it have become fugitives from the country, being unable to live safely and without trou

 he met with us, he did not share in words, nor in prayer, nor in communion but disembarking from the ship and running past the doors of the church, h

 to share in the suffering and to do everything, so as to stop these evils. For he put a stop to none of their lawlessness here, but even after this he

 and lamentations and fountains of tears in the marketplaces and the houses and in the desolate places and the whole part of the city was filled with

 you are exhorted to contribute zeal from yourselves. For thus you will gratify not only us, 16 but also the community of the churches, and you will re

 had fled on account of the threat contained in the imperial decree, that If anyone is not in communion with Theophilus and Arsakius and Porphyry, let

 of Bishop John of the Constantinopolitans and, as it seems, it has not been accomplished. Therefore, I wrote again through the bishops and presbyters

 savagery. This also the Savior God did, illuminating them with various revelations, so that also to Paul, the deacon of Saint Emilius, a most gentle

 He who speaks a lie is not of God, and again from David, Because the mouth of those who speak unjust things was stopped. For he who lies truly wro

 by his own choice, he was trained in the discourses for the ministry of the divine oracles. From there, being in the eighteenth year of his physical a

 of those who have believed in him will be bound. {THE DEACON} But where did they recognize the presence of the Savior? {THE BISHOP} When they cried ou

 of the rich, cutting away the abscesses of the soul, teaching them humility, to be of a humble mind towards other people, obeying the apostolic word,

 she gives one thousand gold pieces, having made him swear by the table of the Savior that he would buy clothes and clothe the poorer women of the Alex

 with his own hands on his neck, and after inflicting blows on his jaws, with clenched fingers he bloodied his nostrils, shouting 38 with a loud voice:

 by an excess of conceit. But those men, driven by great necessity because they were changing places from place to place, arrive at the camp, where Bis

 of the church, Dioscorus the bishop, who had grown old in the church but to the bishop John he writes: I think you are not ignorant of the decree of

 of John for unlawful offenses, he took advantage of their fickleness and persuades them to submit bills of accusation against John, promising them to

 Elijah was taken up did not Elisha prophesy? Paul was beheaded did he not leave behind Timothy, Titus, Apollos and ten thousand others? After these

 these of the council but if as accusers, set them up for the trial, so that I may know how I should contend, whether as against adversaries or as jud

 (for he is impetuous by nature, and rash and bold and exceedingly contentious—for there is nothing that appears to him by sight, <towards> which he do

 brother Acacius and Antiochus whom they put forward as canons of the orthodox, because We are of the faith of those who set them forth, and our doub

 reading the oracles, and others baptizing the catechumens, as was fitting because of Easter. These very things the corruptors of minds and deceivers o

 a proof of the diligence of teachers, unceasingly setting right the unconquerable quality of their resolve. Theodore said: {THE DEACON} You have spoke

 near him to the west), but in the western part, where the gate of the church is, the mule-team, on which he was accustomed to sit, having ordered it t

 of a hierophant, a man more silent than a fish and more idle than a frog (for there are times when even action speaks, especially when the good is don

 terrifying, just as bogeymen do children? Alas! Those who are clothed in worldly powers and ecclesiastical wealth with authority, with command even of

 on the one hand, that he ate alone but I did not wish you, most harmonious Theodore, to ask about the things of gluttonous infants. For being a man,

 he says, urging us to imitation Do not forget hospitality, he says, for by this some have entertained angels unawares. But the host must have the

 fell from blessing? was it not when he served his belly, deceived by the food? When did Saul fall from the kingdom? was it not when he ate the best of

 to eat bread and to put on a garment, all that you give me, I will tithe a tenth of it to you -he did not say, I will consume it at tables. That sp

 to give glory to God <in> persecutions. in the refutations of error, is there any mention of a table? But again to Titus, the bishop of Crete, let us

 they were seeking luxury. It was absurd to squander the food of the sick or the poor on the intemperance of the healthy. And what sort of law is this,

 from seeing evil. For many of the so-called bishops, wishing to cut off the reasonable hatred directed at them on account of their own ways and their

 First, that having melted down treasures he fashioned a silver object in the name of his son second, that having taken marbles from the entrance of t

 love of money is a source of evils. For he who took bribes against the innocent and thought to sell the distribution of the Holy Spirit for silver,

 Antoninus dies, with whom Eusebius had the lawsuit. Again a decree comes from Asia, this one from the clergy of the church of the Ephesians, and this

 to buy the priesthood. They say that the ravager and falsely-named patriarch of the Jews changes the rulers of the synagogue every year, or even more

 of those who deposed him and concluded the trial. <CHAPTER 19> {THE DEACON.} Forgive me, father, such things surpass drunkenness and madness and sport

 ambidextrous (for even his so-called left hand was better than the right hand of others) who at first, having served in letters, was found blameles

 slandering their life, waiting to have help from God. To these things Theodore, being astonished, said: {Ο ∆ΙΑΚ.} I see the facts as contrary to the n

 Or is it proper at all to cast out any disciple, much less a monk? 100 {THE DEACON} Because they provoked him or spoke ill of him. {THE BISHOP} And ou

 having led them back from vice to virtue, it will be clear that their persecutor deserves not to be persecuted, but to be pitied, as one who always ab

 having provoked the physician and enchanter of souls and removed his interpreter from the workshop of salvation, 105 they were handed over to the phys

 imitating him who, having found the one crushed by robbers, half-dead, on the way down to Jericho, placed him on his own beast of burden, having broug

 did he give? And when Optimus died in Constantinople, he closed his eyes with his own hands. In addition to these things, he also refreshed in no smal

 desiring to chasten the herd of men for their various desires towards the more austere part of life, he became his own judge and lawgiver, being stren

 toward the north, and each man's axe in his hand and one man in the midst of them, clothed in a full-length robe, and a sapphire belt on his loins a

 in many ways Who will boast that he has a pure heart? Or who will boldly claim to be pure from sin? but yet the blessed John did not know how to us

 happen to us anonymously and beneficially? sifting the reasons, not obeying him who said: Eat whatever is sold in the meat-market, asking no question

 two? {THE BISHOP} Especially if it is an unprofitable and charlatan crowd such as the one who said to Jesus: Teacher, I will follow you wherever you

 an intemperate old man, and an old man who loves learning above an unlearned younger man, and a poor layman above an educated lover of money, and a vi

 enjoying his disease nor raging with the same desires. For this is a fitting way of life for a teacher, not to linger with the crowds, but in quiet an

 having subjected his body to shameful tortures by the cruelty of judges, to the point of knocking out his teeth, as the story goes, 127 they confined

 knocking, they made the two-day journey into one, arriving late in the evening and departing in the dark of dawn, so that the stomach could not even k

 and that these things are done and are prolonged and are strong, and that the good are afflicted and plundered, brings me to shudder at his approachin

 Why shall I not be angry? looking upon me, marvel, and lay your hand upon your jaw. For if I remember, I am troubled, and pains take hold of my flesh.

 when reviled, we bless when persecuted, we endure when slandered, we entreat we have become as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all thi

 sleepless or troubled in sleep, he suspects plots even from his own family, not trusting even himself, distrusting everyone as liars. Being such a per

 each other, for which it was also fitting, having learned something, did you not decide to be quiet and remain still by yourselves even for the future

 to his father and to his mother, I have not seen you, and his brothers he did not acknowledge he guarded your oracles, and kept your covenant. He d

 foot-soldiers' machinations for the hindering of those who travel for the truth). How then do they dare to say: By God's economy John has been cast o

"ambidextrous" (for even his so-called left hand was better than the right hand of others); who at first, having served in letters, was found blameless of shameful gain and of gifts; but afterwards, having attained to the rank of lector and deacon, he effortlessly mastered the pleasure of women that reigns among men, as the Proverbist says: "The hand of the chosen shall rule easily." For to have self-control is perhaps also possible for the most wicked who through either fear or shame restrain the activity of the body with much constraint, but not to be defeated by things below through love for things above is only for those who love God, whom the Scripture also called "chosen," saying, "The hand of the chosen shall rule easily." For he is gentle, if anyone else is, an ascetic, discerning, quick to understand, slow to punish, prudent, always hinting at the need for reflection, merciful, no lover of money, just in his judgments, long-suffering in insults, vigorous in persuading, often extending his fasts until evening, in order to set free those who were oppressed, venerable in appearance, piercing in his gaze, quick in his step, unmarried, as is fitting, preserving the flower of a smile on his face even in his very illnesses. This man, therefore, being of such a character, he arranges for him to be exiled by means of money in this manner: sending to the camp to those in charge of the bishops he has him exiled to Oasis 96 by an imperial letter as an inciter of the people. who, learning of it immediately, is saved by his friends and taken to Cyprus. But Porphyry himself, having brought Cyriacus and Diophantus the presbyters and the other clergy under his order, watches for an opportunity, when the whole city was moved to the suburbs of the city, having with him Acacius, Severian, and Antiochus in hiding, during one of the notable festivals among the pagans, celebrated every four years, the Herculean games, called the Olympian games, at which—so to speak—even the wandering troops of women along with the people stream out to Daphne to see the contestants. Having rushed into the church with the aforementioned bishops and a few clergy, he is ordained secretly, with the doors locked, with great haste, so that they did not even have time to complete the prayer, for fear of being caught (for such is adultery, both begetting and doing spurious things). But Severian and his party, "having received satisfaction," fled through mountains and trackless ways, having escaped human fear, but being ensnared by the divine fear, which they ignored. When the public spectacle was over and the people had entered the city, the passion concerning Porphyry and the drama concerning Acacius was announced to them. Having waited, therefore, that evening until the next day, as if struck by adultery, they rose up and all flocked together with fire and brushwood, wishing to destroy Porphyry along with his rooms. But Porphyry, not ignorant of the hatred with which he was hated, having forsaken God, flees to the commander of the army and having filled his hands, he campaigns 97 against the hearers of the Savior, having turned away from the Isaurian wars. And while the most piratical Isaurians were sacking Rhosus and Seleucia, Porphyry and Valentinus the count with their soldiers were plundering the church of the orthodox, the most awful sign of the cross, which, carrying on their shoulders instead of a teacher they had carried in procession on the feast of the Unsown, they trampled with their own feet. When some days had passed, he sends zealously to the camp and arranges with such rulers for a certain one of his own, a cruel old man, ill-tempered, and crooked, to be appointed commander of the night watch, so that having license to blackmail the virtuous, he might subdue the city, imitating the ways of Nero the God-fighter. For it is not in him to persuade by reason, but to oppress by irrationality and ill-will, having no aim to please God by bringing wandering souls to him, but to fill a serpent's belly that goes upon its breast. Therefore the people, even unwillingly, in appearance are gathered in the church for fear of tortures, but in truth

"ἀμφοτεροδεξίου" (καὶ ἡ νομιζομένη γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἀριστερὰ τῆς ἄλλων δεξιᾶς ἀμείνων ὑπῆρχεν)· ὃς τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐν ἐπιστολαῖς ὑπηρετήσας, ἄμεμπτος ἀπὸ κέρδους αἰσχροῦ καὶ δώρων εὑρέθη· μετέπειτα δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν ἀναγνώστην καὶ διάκονον φθάσας, ἀκόπως ἐκράτησεν τῆς ἐν ἀνθρώποις βασιλευούσης τῶν γυναικῶν ἡδονῆς, ὡς λέγει ὁ παροιμιαστής· "Χεὶρ ἐκλεκτῶν κρατήσει εὐχερῶς." τὸ μὲν γὰρ κρατεῖν ἔστιν ἴσως καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον φαύλων ἢ φόβῳ ἢ αἰσχύνῃ τὴν διὰ σώματος ἐνέργειαν κωλυόντων μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀνάγκης, τῷ δὲ ἔρωτι τῶν ἄνω μὴ ἡττηθῆναι τοῖς κάτω μόνον ἐστὶ τῶν φιλο θέων, οὓς καὶ "ἐκλεκτοὺς" ὠνόμασεν ἡ Γραφή, τό, "Χεὶρ ἐκ λεκτῶν κρατήσει εὐχερῶς," εἰποῦσα. πραῢς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος, ἀσκητής, διορατικός, ὀξὺς συνιδεῖν, βραδὺς εἰς κόλασιν, σύνους, τὸ σκεπτικὸν ἀεὶ αἰνιττόμενος, ἐλεήμων, ἀφιλ άργυρος, δίκαιος εἰς τὰς κρίσεις, μακρόθυμος εἰς τὰς ὕβρεις, εὔτονος εἰς τὸ πεῖσαι, παρατείνας πολλάκις νήστης ἕως ἑσπέρας, ἵν' ἐλευθερώσῃ καταπονουμένους, σεμνὸς ἰδεῖν, δριμὺς τὸ βλέμμα, ὀξὺς τὸ βάδισμα, ἄγαμος, ὡς εἰκός, ἄνθος μειδιῶν ἐπὶ προσώπου σώζων καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς νόσοις. τοῦτον οὖν τὸν τοιοῦτον παρασκευάζει διὰ χρημάτων φυγαδευθῆναι τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ· ἀποστείλας εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον πρὸς τοὺς κρατοῦντας τῶν ἐπι σκόπων ποιεῖ αὐτὸν ἀπὸ γράμματος βασιλικοῦ εἰς Ὄασιν 96 ἐξορισθῆναι ὡς ἀναστάτην τῶν δήμων. ὃς ἐξαυτῆς γνοὺς διασώ ζεται παρὰ τῶν φίλων ἐπὶ τὴν Κύπρον. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Πορφύριος τοὺς περὶ Κυριακὸν καὶ ∆ιόφαντον τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους καὶ λοιποὺς κληρικοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν τάξιν ποιήσας, ἐπιτηρεῖ καιρόν, ἐν ᾧ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις μεθωρμίζετο ἐν τοῖς τῆς πόλεως προαστείοις, ἔχων παρ' ἑαυτῷ τοὺς περὶ Ἀκάκιον καὶ Σευηριανὸν καὶ Ἀντίοχον κεκρυμμένους, μιᾶς τῶν παρὰ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐπισήμων ἑορτῶν διὰ τετραετίας ἐπιτελουμένων τῶν Ἡρακλείων ἄθλων, Ὀλυμπίων καλουμένων, ἐν ᾗ- ὡς εἰπεῖν-καὶ γυναικῶν αἱ νομάδες σὺν τοῖς δήμοις ἐκριπίζονται ἐπὶ τὴν ∆άφνην ἐπὶ θέᾳ τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων. ἐπεισπηδήσας τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ μετὰ τῶν προει ρημένων ἐπισκόπων καὶ κληρικῶν ὀλίγων χειροτονεῖται λάθρᾳ, θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς, ὡς μηδὲ τὴν εὐχὴν αὐτοὺς φθάσαι ἐπιτελέσαι, φόβῳ τοῦ καταληφθῆναι (τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ μοιχεία, τὰ σπούρια καὶ γεννῶσα καὶ δρῶσα). οἱ δὲ περὶ Σευηριανὸν "λαβόντες τὸ ἱκανὸν" δι' ὀρέων καὶ ἀνοδιῶν ἔφυγον, τὸν ἀνθρώπινον διαδράσαντες φόβον, τῷ δὲ θείῳ, ὃν ἠγνόησαν, περιπαρέντες. λυθέντος δὲ τοῦ δημοτικοῦ θεάτρου καὶ τῶν δήμων εἰσελθόντων εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἠγγέλθη αὐτοῖς τὸ κατὰ τὸν Πορφύριον πάθος καὶ τὸ κατὰ Ἀκάκιον δρᾶμα. διακαρτερήσαντες οὖν τὴν ἑσπέραν ἐκείνην ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον, ὡς ἐπὶ μοιχείᾳ πληγέντες, διαναστάντες συνέῤῥευσαν πάντες μετὰ πυρὸς καὶ φρυγάνων, συναφανίσαι τὸν Πορφύριον τοῖς δωματίοις βουληθέντες. ὁ δὲ Πορφύριος οὐκ ἀγνοῶν ὃ μεμίσηται μῖσος, καταλείψας τὸν Θεόν, καταφεύγει ἐπὶ τὸν στρατοπεδάρχην καὶ πληρώσας αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας ἀντιστρα 97 τεύει τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἀποστρέψας τῶν Ἰσαυρικῶν πολέμων. καὶ οἱ μὲν λῃστρικώτατοι Ἴσαυροι Ῥωσὸν καὶ Σελεύκειαν ἐπόρθουν, Πορφύριος δὲ καὶ Οὐαλεντῖνος ὁ κόμης μετὰ τῶν ὁπλιτῶν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἐλεηλάτουν, τὸ φρικωδέστατον τοῦ σταυροῦ σημεῖον, ὃ ἀντὶ διδασκάλου ἐπ' ὤμων φέροντες ἐπὶ τῆς ἀσπόρου ἐλιτάνευον, τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ποσὶ συμπατήσαντες. διαγενομένων δὲ ἡμερῶν, ἀποστέλλει ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ σπουδαίως καὶ παρασκευάζει πρὸς τοῖς τοιούτοις ἄρχουσιν ἴδιόν τινα ὠμογέροντα, δύστροπον, σκολιόν, χειροτο νηθῆναι νυκτέπαρχον, ἵνα ἐπ' ἀδείας ἔχων τοῦ συκοφαντεῖν τοὺς σπουδαίους χειρώσηται τὴν πόλιν, Νέρωνος τοῦ θεομάχου ἀπομιμούμενος τοὺς τρόπους. οὐ γὰρ πάρεστιν αὐτῷ τὸ λόγῳ πείθειν, ἀλλὰ ἀλογίᾳ καὶ δυσμενείᾳ θλίβειν, οὐκ ἔχοντι σκοπὸν ἀρέσαι Θεῷ, πλανωμένας προσάγοντι ψυχάς, ἀλλ' ἐμπλῆσαι ὀφιώδη γαστέρα ἐπὶ τῷ στήθει βαδίζουσαν. εἰσὶν οὖν καὶ ἄκοντες οἱ λαοὶ τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν συναγόμενοι φόβῳ τῶν αἰκισμῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ