John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

simplicity but prudence? For when you suspect nothing evil, you can contrive no evil; when you harbor no resentments, you will not be able to bear a grudge. Has someone insulted you? you were not pained; has he spoken ill of you? you have suffered nothing; has he been envious? not even so have you suffered anything. Simplicity is a kind of path to philosophy. 60.67 No one is so beautiful in soul as the simple man. For just as in the body, the gloomy and dejected and sullen man, even if he is handsome, diminishes the greater part of his comeliness; but the one who is relaxed and gently smiling in countenance, increases his comeliness; so indeed in the case of the soul, the sullen man, even if he has ten thousand achievements, has made them disappear; but the relaxed and simple man, the contrary. And one might make such a man a friend with security, and reconcile him if he became an enemy. For there is no need of guarding and precaution, nor of bonds and fetters in the case of such a one, but there will be much ease for him, and much also for those who are with him. What then, he says, if such a man should fall among evil men? God, who commanded us to be sincere, will stretch out a hand. What was more sincere than David? and what more wicked than Saul? Who then prevailed? And what about Joseph? Did he not approach his mistress with sincerity, while she did so maliciously? In what then, tell me, was he wronged? And what was more sincere than Abel? And what more malicious than Cain? And did not Joseph again deal sincerely with his brothers? Did he not prosper for this reason, that he spoke all things without suspicion, while they received them maliciously? And he told the dreams once, and told them again, and was not on his guard; and again he went to them to bring food, and was on his guard about nothing, entrusting the whole matter to God; but by as much as they were disposed toward him as toward an enemy, so was he toward them as toward brothers. And God was able to not let him fall into it, but He allowed it, so that the wonder might be shown, and that even if they should show their own devices, he would be superior. So that even if he receives a blow, he receives it not from himself, but from another. But the wicked man strikes himself first, and no other; thus he is an enemy to himself as well. The soul of such a man is always full of despondency, his thoughts always bound up; whether he must hear or say something, he does all things with accusations, all things with blame. Friendship and concord for such men are pitched far and away; but among them are battles and enmities and unpleasantnesses, and such men suspect even themselves. For these men, not even sleep is sweet, nor anything else. And if they also have a wife. Alas, they become hateful and hostile to all; ten thousand jealousies, continuous fear; And "wicked" is so called from "to toil". Thus, at least, Scripture also always calls wickedness "toil," as when it says, "Under his tongue is mischief and toil"; and elsewhere again, "And the greater part of them is trouble and toil." But if anyone should wonder why in the beginning they became such as these, but now are not such, let him learn that the cause is affliction, the teacher of philosophy, the mother of piety. When there was a renunciation of possessions, then there was not even wickedness. Yes, he says; for I ask this very thing; but now, whence is so much wickedness? whence did it come to those three thousand and five thousand to choose virtue at once, and together they became philosophers in this way, but now scarcely one is found? and then they were so in accord? what was it that made them vehement and aroused? What suddenly set them on fire? Because they approached with much piety; because matters of honors were not as they are now; because they transferred their thought to the things to come, and expected nothing of present things. This is the mark of a soul on fire, to be occupied with terrible things; this 60.68 they thought to be Christianity. But not we; for now we seek our comforts here. For this reason not even, when we ought, shall we obtain them. What shall we do? they asked, despairing of themselves. But you, on the contrary, "What shall we do?" we say, showing off before those present, and thinking great things of ourselves. They did what ought to have been done, but we, the contrary. They condemned themselves, they despaired of their salvation; for this reason they have become such. They knew

ἁπλότης ἀλλ' ἢ φρόνησις; Ὅταν γὰρ μηδὲν ὑποπτεύῃς πονηρὸν, οὔτε τεκτῆναι δύνασαι πονηρόν· ὅταν μηδὲν ἔχῃς τῶν δεινῶν, οὐδὲ μνησικακῆσαι δυνήσῃ. Ὕβρισέ τις; οὐκ ἤλγησας· ἐκακηγόρησεν; οὐδὲν ἔπαθες· ἐβάσκηνεν; οὐδὲ οὕτως ἔπαθές τι. Ὁδός τίς ἐστιν ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίαν ἡ ἁπλότης. 60.67 Οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἐστὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καλὸς, ὡς ὁ ἁπλοῦς. καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ σώματι ὁ μὲν στυγνὸς καὶ κατηφὴς καὶ σύννους, κἂν καλὸς ᾖ, τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὡραιότητος ὑποτέμνεται· ὁ δὲ ἀνειμένος καὶ ἠρέμα μειδιῶν τὴν ὄψιν, ἐπιτείνει τὴν ὡραιότητα· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, ὁ μὲν σύννους κἂν μυρία ἔχῃ κατορθώματα, ἠφάνισεν αὐτά· ὁ δὲ ἀνειμένος καὶ ἁπλοῦς, τοὐναντίον. Καὶ φίλον τὸν τοιοῦτον μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ἄν τις εἰργάσαιτο, καὶ ἐχθρὸν γενόμενον καταλλάξειεν. Οὐ γὰρ δεῖ φυλακῆς καὶ προφυλακῆς, οὐδὲ δεσμῶν καὶ συνδέσμων ἐπὶ τοῦ τοιούτου, ἀλλὰ πολλὴ μὲν αὐτῷ ἔσται ἡ ἄνεσις, πολλὴ δὲ καὶ τοῖς συνοῦσιν αὐτῷ. Τί οὖν, ἂν εἰς πονηροὺς, φησὶν, ἄνδρας ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐμπέσῃ; Ὁ Θεὸς ὁ προστάξας εἶναι ἀπλάστους, ὀρέξει χεῖρα. Τί τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἀπλαστότερον ἦν; τί δὲ τοῦ Σαοὺλ πονηρότερον; Τίς οὖν περιεγένετο; Τί δαὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ; οὐχ ὁ μὲν ἀπλάστως προσῄει τῇ δεσποίνῃ, ἡ δὲ κακούργως; Τί οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, ἐκεῖνος ἠδίκηται; Τί δαὶ τοῦ Ἄβελ ἀπλαστότερον ἦν; τί δαὶ τοῦ Κάϊν κακουργότερον; Ὁ Ἰωσὴφ δὲ πάλιν οὐκ ἀπλάστως ἐκέχρητο τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς; οὐ διὰ τοῦτο εὐδοκίμησεν, ὅτι ὁ μὲν ἀνυπόπτως πάντα ἐφθέγγετο, οὗτοι δὲ κακούργως ἐδέχοντο; Καὶ ἅπαξ εἶπε τὰ ὀνείρατα, καὶ πάλιν εἶπε, καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξατο· καὶ πάλιν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπῄει τροφὰς ἀποίσων, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐφυλάττετο, τὸ πᾶν ἐπιτρέπων τῷ Θεῷ· ἀλλ' ὅσῳ ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς αὐτὸν οὕτω διέκειντο ὡς πρὸς πολέμιον, οὕτως ἐκεῖνος ὡς πρὸς ἀδελφούς. Καὶ ἠδύνατο ὁ Θεὸς μὴ ἀφεῖναι αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀφῆκεν, ἵνα δειχθῇ τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ ὅτι κἂν τὰ αὐτῶν ἐπιδείξωνται, ἐκεῖνος ἀνώτερος ἔσται. Ὥστε κἂν λάβῃ πληγὴν, οὐ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρ' ἑτέρου λαμβάνει. Ὁ δὲ πονηρὸς ἑαυτὸν μὲν πλήττει πρότερον, ἕτερον δὲ οὐδένα· οὕτως ἐστὶ καὶ ἑαυτῷ πολέμιος. Τοῦ τοιούτου ἀεὶ ἀθυμίας ἡ ψυχὴ μεστὴ, τῶν λογισμῶν ἀεὶ συνδεδεμένων· κἂν ἀκοῦσαι, κἂν εἰπεῖν τι δέῃ πάντα μετὰ ἐγκλημάτων ποιεῖ, πάντα μετὰ αἰτίας. Φιλία τῶν τοιούτων καὶ ὁμόνοια πόῤῥω καὶ μακρὰν ἐσκήνωνται· μάχαι δὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ ἔχθραι καὶ ἀηδίαι, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ὑποπτεύουσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι. Τούτοις οὐδὲ ὕπνος ἡδὺς, οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδέν. Ἂν δὲ καὶ γυναῖκα ἔχωσι. βαβαὶ, πρὸς πάντας ἐχθροὶ γίνονται καὶ πολέμιοι· ζηλοτυπίαι μυρίαι, φόβος διηνεκής· πονηρὸς δὲ παρὰ τὸ πονεῖν εἴρηται. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἡ Γραφὴ πόνον ἀεὶ τὴν πονηρίαν καλεῖ, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ, Ὑπὸ τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ κόπος καὶ πόνος· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ πάλιν, Καὶ τὸ πλεῖον αὐτῶν κόπος καὶ πόνος. Εἰ δὲ θαυμάζοι τις, πόθεν μὲν παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοιοῦτοι γεγόνασι, νῦν δὲ οὐ τοιοῦτοι, μαθέτω τὴν θλῖψιν αἰτίαν, τὴν διδάσκαλον τῆς φιλοσοφίας, τὴν μητέρα τῆς εὐλαβείας. Ὅτε χρημάτων ἀναίρεσις ἦν, τότε οὐδὲ πονηρία ἦν. Ναὶ, φησίν· αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐρωτῶ· νῦν δὲ πόθεν ἡ τοσαύτη πονηρία· πόθεν ἐκείνοις μὲν ἐπῆλθε τοῖς τρισχιλίοις καὶ πεντακισχιλίοις εὐθέως ἑλέσθαι τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ ὁμοῦ οὕτως ἐγένοντο φιλόσοφοι, νῦν δὲ μόλις εἷς εὑρίσκεται; τότε δὲ οὕτω συνεφώνουν; τί τὸ ποιῆσαν αὐτοὺς σφοδροὺς καὶ διεγηγερμένους; τί αὐτοὺς ἄφνω ἐπύρωσεν; Ἐπειδὴ μετὰ πολλῆς προσῆλθον τῆς εὐλαβείας· ἐπειδὴ τὰ τῶν τιμῶν οὐκ ἦν καθάπερ νῦν· ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα μετέστησαν αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν παρόντων προσεδόκων. Τοῦτό ἐστι πεπυρωμένης ψυχῆς, τὸ τοῖς δεινοῖς ἐνστρέφεσθαι· τοῦτο ἐνόμιζον 60.68 ἐκεῖνοι χριστιανισμὸν εἶναι. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡμεῖς· νῦν γὰρ τὰς ἀνέσεις ἐνταῦθα ζητοῦμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ, ὅταν δέῃ, τούτων ἐπιτευξόμεθα. Τί ποιήσωμεν, ἠρώτων ἐκεῖνοι, ἀπογινώσκοντες ἑαυτῶν; Ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον, Τί ποιήσομεν; λέγομεν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας, καὶ μέγα φρονοῦντες ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς. Ἅπερ ἔδει γενέσθαι ἐποίουν ἐκεῖνοι, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοὐναντίον. Κατέγνωσαν ἑαυτῶν ἐκεῖνοι, ἀπέγνωσαν αὐτῶν τῆς σωτηρίας· διὰ τοῦτο τοιοῦτοι γεγόνασιν. Ἔγνωσαν