John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

what a gift they received. 4. But how will you be such, doing everything contrary to them? They at once heard and were baptized; they did not say these cold words, which we do now, nor did they devise delay; and yet they had not heard all the commandments, but only this, ‘Be saved from this generation.’ It did not make them hesitant, but they received the words; and that they received them, they declared by their actions, and showed who they were. For as soon as they entered the contest, they stripped off their garments; but we, when entering, wish to wrestle with our garments on. For this reason the antagonist does not need to toil, but entangled in these we have often been brought down. For we do the same thing as if someone, seeing an athlete covered with dust, dark, stripped naked, covered with much mud from the sand and sun, and stained with oil, and sweat, and with mud, should himself, smelling of perfumes, taking up silken garments and golden sandals, and a robe hanging down to the ankles, and gold about his head, enter to wrestle with him. For such a one will not only be hindered, but also having all his care on not soiling nor tearing his robes, he will fall at the very first attack, and what he fears, he will immediately suffer this, having taken the loss in those critical matters. The time of contest is at hand; and you are putting on silks? a time of training, a time for the stadium; and you are adorning yourself as in a procession? And how will you overcome? Do not look for me at outward things, but at inward. For by the cares for these things, as by harsh ropes, the soul is bound on all sides, not allowing it to lift up its hand, nor to raise it against the enemy, making men soft and delicate. It is a thing to be desired, to be freed from all things and be able to overcome that unclean power. For this reason Christ also, as if the putting away of money alone were not sufficient, see what He says. Sell what you have, and give to the poor, and come, follow me. But if, not even when we have stripped ourselves of our possessions, we do not yet stand in safety, but we are in need of some other art and exactness; much more when we have them, we shall accomplish nothing great, but shall become ridiculous both to the spectators and to the evil one himself. For even if there be no devil, even if there be no one wrestling, countless roads from all sides lead the lover of money to hell. Where now are those who say, Why was the devil made? Behold, here the devil does nothing, but we do it all. And yet those in the mountains ought to say these things, those who after temperance and contempt for money and disdain for other things, have chosen ten thousand times to leave father, and houses, and fields, and wife, and children. But they especially do not say these things; but those things which they ought never to say, these men say. Those 60.69 are truly the devil's wrestlings; but it is not even worth descending into these. But the devil himself, he says, injects the love of money. And flee, and do not receive it, O man. But now, if you see someone making mud from a balustrade, then see him standing there having it poured over him and receiving it all on his head, not only do you not pity him, but you are also indignant, and say that he has suffered justly, and, ‘Do not be a fool,’ each one says to him; and you do not so much blame the one throwing it, but the one receiving it. But now you know that the love of money is of the devil; you know that this is the cause of ten thousand evils; you see him preparing the vile and shameful reasonings as if they were mud; and receiving his uncleanness on your bare head, do you not understand, that by turning aside a little you might have been freed from it all? Just as that man, by turning from the place, was set free; so you too, do not receive such reasonings, and you will flee from sin, thrust away the desire. And how shall I thrust it away? he says. If you were a Greek, and admired only present things, perhaps the matter would be of great difficulty, although even they have accomplished this; but a man expecting heaven and the things in the heavens, you say, How 60.70 shall I thrust it away? If I were saying the opposite, then it would be necessary

ὅσον ἔλαβον δῶρον. δʹ. Πῶς δὲ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθε τοιοῦτοι, ἀπεναντίας ἐκείνοις ἅπαντα πράττοντες; Ἐκεῖνοι ἅμα ἤκουσαν καὶ ἐβαπτίσαντο· οὐκ εἶπον ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα τὰ ψυχρὰ, ἅπερ ἡμεῖς νῦν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀναβολὴν ἐπραγματεύσαντο· καίτοι γε οὐ πάντα ἤκουσαν τὰ δικαιώματα, ἀλλὰ μόνον, τὸ, Σώθητε ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης. Οὐκ ὀκνηροὺς αὐτοὺς ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ ἀπεδέξαντο τοὺς λόγους· καὶ ὅτι ἀπεδέξαντο, διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐδήλωσαν, καὶ ἔδειξαν ἑαυτοὺς τίνες ἦσαν. Ἅμα γὰρ ἐνέβησαν εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα, ἀπεδύσαντο τὰ ἱμάτια· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐμβαίνοντες, μετὰ ἱματίων παλαίειν βουλόμεθα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ δεῖται πόνων ὁ ἀνταγωνιστὴς, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπλακέντες πολλάκις κατηνέχθημεν. Ταὐτὸν γὰρ ποιοῦμεν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἄνδρα ἀθλητὴν κεκονιμένον. μέλανα, γυμνούμενον ἰδὼν, πολὺν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἄμμου καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου πηλὸν ἔχοντα, καὶ ἀνακεχρωσμένον τῷ ἐλαίῳ, καὶ τῷ ἱδρῶτι, καὶ τῷ πηλῷ, αὐτὸς μύρων ὄζων, σηρικὰ λαβὼν ἱμάτια καὶ χρυσᾶ ὑποδήματα, καὶ στολὴν μέχρι σφυρῶν καθιεμένην, καὶ χρυσία περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν, συμπλέκοιτο εἰσιών. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος οὐκ ἐμποδισθήσεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν φροντίδα περὶ τὸ μὴ μολῦναι μηδὲ διαῤῥῆξαι τοὺς χιτῶνας ἔχων, ἐκ πρώτης εὐθέως προσβολῆς πεσεῖται, καὶ ὅπερ δέδοικεν, εὐθέως τοῦτο πείσεται, περὶ ἐκεῖνα τὰ καίρια τὴν ζημίαν λαβών. Καιρὸς ἀγῶνος ἐνέστηκε· σὺ δὲ περιβάλλῃ σηρικά; καιρὸς γυμνασίας, καιρὸς σταδίου· σὺ δὲ καθάπερ ἐν πομπῇ κοσμεῖς σαυτόν; Καὶ πῶς περιέσῃ; Μή μοι πρὸς τὰ ἔξω ἴδῃς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ ἔσω. Ταῖς γὰρ τούτων φροντίσι, καθάπερ σχοινίοις χαλεποῖς, πάντοθεν ἡ ψυχὴ συνδέδεται, χεῖρα οὐκ ἐῶσα ἀντᾶραι, οὐδὲ ἐπανατείνασθαι τῷ πολεμίῳ, μαλακοὺς ἐργαζομένη καὶ ἁπαλούς. Ἀγαπητὸν, πάντων ἀπαλλαγέντα δυνηθῆναι περιγενέσθαι τῆς ἀκαθάρτου δυνάμεως ἐκείνης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς, ὡς οὐκ ἀρκούσης τῆς τῶν χρημάτων μόνον ἀποβολῆς, ὅρα τί φησι. Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι. Εἰ δὲ, οὐδὲ ὅταν ἀποδυσώμεθα τὰ χρήματα, οὐδέπω ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ἑστήκαμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρας τινὸς τέχνης καὶ ἀκριβείας ἡμῖν δεῖ· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔχοντες, οὐδὲν ἐργασόμεθα μέγα, ἀλλὰ καταγέλαστοι καὶ τοῖς θεαταῖς καὶ αὐτῷ γενησόμεθα τῷ πονηρῷ. Κἂν γὰρ διάβολος μὴ ᾖ, κἂν ὁ παλαίων μηδεὶς ᾖ, μυρίαι πάντοθεν ὁδοὶ πρὸς τὴν γέενναν τὸν φιλοχρήματον ἄγουσι. Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ λέγοντες, ∆ιατί ὁ διάβολος γέγονεν; Ἰδοὺ ἐνταῦθα ὁ διάβολος οὐδὲν ἐργάζεται, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν ἡμεῖς. Καὶ μὴν οἱ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι ταῦτα λέγειν ὤφειλον, οἱ μετὰ σωφροσύνην καὶ χρημάτων ὑπεροψίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων καταφρόνησιν, πατέρα, καὶ οἰκίας, καὶ ἀγροὺς, καὶ γυναῖκα, καὶ παιδία ἀφεῖναι μυριάκις ἑλόμενοι. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μάλιστα ταῦτα οὐ λέγουσιν· ἃ δὲ οὐδέποτε λέγειν ἐχρῆν, οὗτοι λέγουσιν. Ἐκεῖνα 60.69 ὄντως τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ παλαίσματα· εἰς ταῦτα δὲ οὐδὲ καθεῖναι ἄξιον. Ἀλλὰ αὐτὴν, φησὶ, τὴν φιλοχρηματίαν ὁ διάβολος ἐνίησι. Καὶ ἀπόφυγε, καὶ μὴ καταδέξῃ, ἄνθρωπε. Νῦν δὲ, ἂν μέν τινα ἴδῃς τινὸς ἀπὸ δρυφάκτου κατασκευάζοντα βόρβορον, εἶτα τὸν ὁρῶντα καταχεόμενον αὐτοῦ ἑστῶτα καὶ τὸ πᾶν δεχόμενον τῇ κεφαλῇ, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐλεεῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγανακτεῖς, καὶ φὴς αὐτὸν δικαίως πεπονθέναι, καὶ, Μὴ μωρὸς ἴσθι, ἕκαστος πρὸς αὐτὸν φθέγγεται· καὶ οὐ τὸν βάλλοντα τοσοῦτον αἰτιᾷ, ἀλλὰ τὸν δεχόμενον. Νυνὶ δὲ οἶδας, ὅτι τοῦ διαβόλου ἡ φιλοχρηματία· οἶδας, ὅτι μυρίων κακῶν τοῦτο αἴτιον· ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν καθάπερ βόρβορον κατασκευάζοντα τοὺς συρφετοὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ αἰσχρούς· καὶ γυμνῇ τῇ κεφαλῇ δεχόμενος τὴν ἀκαθαρσίαν τὴν ἐκείνου οὐ νοεῖς, δέον μικρὸν ἐκκλίναντα τοῦ παντὸς ἀπηλλάχθαι; Καθάπερ ἂν ἐκεῖνος τὸν τόπον ἐκκλίνας ἀπηλλάγη· οὕτω καὶ σὺ μὴ δέχου τοὺς τοιούτους λογισμοὺς, καὶ φεύξῃ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀπόκρουσαι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. Καὶ πῶς ἀποκρούσομαι; φησίν. Εἰ μὲν Ἕλλην ἦς, καὶ τὰ παρόντα ἐθαύμαζες μόνα, τάχα πολλῆς ἦν δυσκολίας τὸ πρᾶγμα, καίτοι γε ἐκεῖνοι κατώρθωσαν τοῦτο· ἄνθρωπος δὲ τὸν οὐρανὸν προσδοκῶν καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, λέγεις, Πῶς 60.70 ἀποκρούσομαι; Εἰ τοὐναντίον ἔλεγον, τότε ἐχρῆν