John Chrysostom, On 2 Timothy

All the righteous are afflicted, so that you might not think vice is praiseworthy, but virtue. These are canons, and rules; whatever you wish, bring to them, and you will not be at a loss. For just as among grammarians there is the number of six thousand, and under this all things are brought, and it is possible to divide and multiply everything by the canon of six thousand, and through this number all things are turned, and those who have learned letters know these things; so if anyone knows these canons, which I will state again more briefly, he is never scandalized. What then are these? That virtue is good, that vice is evil, that diseases, poverty, plots, slanders, and such things are indifferent; that the righteous are afflicted here; but if some also fare well, it is so that virtue might not seem to be hateful; that the 62.648 wicked rejoice, so that they may be punished there; but if some are also punished, it is so that vice might not seem to be good, nor matters go unpunished; that not all are punished, so that the time of the resurrection might not be disbelieved; that even among the good there are some who have evil works, and here they put them away, and among the wicked those who have good ones, and here they receive their reward, so that there they may be punished; that most of the works of God are incomprehensible; that the distance between us and Him is great, and more than one can say. If we reflect on these things, nothing will be able to trouble us. If we listen to the Scriptures continually, we will find many such examples; Which are able, he says, to make you wise for salvation. For the Scriptures suggest what must be done, and what must not be done; for hear this blessed man saying elsewhere, You are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants. Do you see that the law is a light to those in darkness? But if the letter which points is a light, the letter that kills, what then is the Spirit that gives life? if the Old is a light, what is the New, where so many things have been unveiled? where the distance is as great as if one were to open heaven to those who know nothing more than the earth, and make them behold all things. We have learned about Gehenna, about the kingdom, about the judgment. Let us not believe in irrational things; all those things are sorcery. What then, he says, that they speak, and it comes to pass? Because you believe, if indeed it does come to pass. He has taken you captive, he is lord of your life, he manages it as he wishes. Tell me, if a robber chief had a king's son under his hands and authority, who had fled to him and loved the wilderness and his company, would he be able to tell him if he will die, if he will live? And indeed he will be very able. Why so? Not because he foresees the future, but because he becomes lord of both outcomes, of destroying, and of saving the boy, since the other made him lord. For he will be able to kill him, if he wishes, and likewise he will be able to release him, if he desires; for he has come under him. If he should say, that you will be rich or poor, he himself is lord of both. Most of the world has given themselves into the hands of the devil. 6. And in another way, when a man is accustomed to believe, this too will contribute much to those deceivers; for no one pays attention to the failures, but only if they should somewhere succeed. But if they have some prognostic power, bring them to me, the faithful one. I do not speak boastfully; for to have been delivered from these things is not a matter for boasting. For I am full of sins; but on account of these things I would not be humble; by the grace of God I laugh at them all. Bring to me the magician, if he has any prognostic power, let him say what will happen to me, what will be for me tomorrow. But he will not say; for I am under the authority of the King, and he does not have my rule nor my submission; I am far from his dens and his caves, I serve as a soldier for the King. But so-and-so stole, he says, and so-and-so informed on him. Certainly then this is not true everywhere, but laughter and a lie; for they know nothing; but if they know anything, they ought rather to say their own things, how the

πάντες οἱ δίκαιοι θλίβονται, ἵνα μὴ τὴν κακίαν ἐπαινετὴν εἶναι νομίσῃς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀρετήν. Οὗτοι κανόνες εἰσὶ, καὶ ὅροι· ὃ βούλει ἄγε ἐπ' αὐτοὺς, καὶ οὐ διαπορήσεις. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἐστι παρὰ τοῖς γραμματισταῖς ὁ τῶν ἑξακισχιλίων ἀριθμὸς, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦτον ἅπαντα ἄγεται, καὶ πάντα μερίζειν καὶ πολυπλασιάζειν δυνατὸν ἐν τῷ κανόνι τῶν ἑξακισχιλίων, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τούτου πάντα στρέφεται, καὶ ἴσασι ταῦτα ὅσοι γράμματα μεμαθήκασιν· οὕτω τοὺς κανόνας τούτους, οὓς πάλιν ἐρῶ συντομώτερον, ἄν τις εἰδῇ, οὐδέποτε σκανδαλίζεται. Τίνες οὖν εἰσιν οὗτοι; Ὅτι ἀγαθὸν ἀρετὴ, ὅτι φαῦλον κακία, ὅτι ἀδιάφορα νόσοι, πενία, ἐπιβουλαὶ, συκοφαντίαι, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ὅτι οἱ δίκαιοι θλίβονται ἐνθάδε· εἰ δέ τινες καὶ εὖ πάσχουσιν, ἵνα μὴ ἡ ἀρετὴ δόξῃ μισητὴ εἶναι· ὅτι οἱ 62.648 πονηροὶ εὐφραίνονται, ἵνα ἐκεῖ κολασθῶσιν· εἰ δέ τινες καὶ κολάζονται, ὥστε μὴ τὴν κακίαν δόξαι εἶναι καλὸν, μηδὲ ἀτιμώρητα τὰ πράγματα· ὅτι οὐ κολάζονται πάντες, ἵνα μὴ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὁ καιρὸς διαπιστηθῇ· ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰσί τινες οἱ φαῦλα ἔχοντες ἔργα, καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὐτὰ ἀποτίθενται, καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν οἱ χρηστὰ ἔχοντες, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαμβάνουσιν, ἵνα ἐκεῖ τιμωρηθῶσιν· ὅτι ἀκατάληπτα τὰ πλείονα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔργα· ὅτι πολὺ τὸ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅσον οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Ἂν ταῦτα ἀναλογιζώμεθα, οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς θορυβῆσαι δυνήσεται. Ἂν τῶν Γραφῶν ἀκούωμεν συνεχῶς, εὑρήσομεν καὶ παραδείγματα τοιαῦτα πολλά· Τὰ δυνάμενά σε, φησὶ, σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ πρακτέα ὑποτίθενται αἱ Γραφαὶ, καὶ τὰ μὴ πρακτέα· ἄκουε γὰρ τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου ἀλλαχοῦ λέγοντος, Πέποιθας σεαυτὸν ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τυφλῶν, φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει, παιδευτὴν ἀφρόνων, διδάσκαλον νηπίων. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει ὁ νόμος; Εἰ δὲ ὁ τὸ γράμμα δεικνὺς φῶς, τὸ γράμμα τὸ ἀποκτεῖνον, τί ἄρα ὁ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ζωοποιοῦν; εἰ ἡ Παλαιὰ φῶς, τί ἡ Καινὴ, ἔνθα τοσαῦτα ἀνεπετάσθη; ἔνθα τοσοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ μέσον, ὅσον εἰ τοῖς οὐδὲν πλέον τῆς γῆς εἰδόσι τὸν οὐρανόν τις ἀνοίξειε, καὶ πάντα ποιήσοι κατοπτεῦσαι. Περὶ γεέννης ἐμάθομεν, περὶ βασιλείας, περὶ κρίσεως. Μὴ πιστεύωμεν ἀλόγοις πράγμασι· γοητεία πάντα ἐκεῖνα. Τί οὖν ὅτι λέγουσι, φησὶ, καὶ ἐκβαίνει; Ἐπειδὴ σὺ πιστεύεις, εἴ γε καὶ ἐκβαίνει. Αἰχμάλωτόν σε ἔλαβε, κύριός ἐστι τοῦ βίου τοῦ σοῦ, ὡς θέλει αὐτὸν οἰκονομεῖ. Εἰπέ μοι, εἴ τις λῄσταρχος υἱὸν βασιλέως αὐτῷ προσφυγόντα, καὶ ἐρημίαν καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου συνοίκησιν ἀγαπήσαντα ὑπὸ χεῖρας ἔχοι καὶ ἐξουσίαν, δυνήσεται αὐτῷ εἰπεῖν, εἰ τελευτᾷ, εἰ ζῇ; Καὶ σφόδρα γε δυνήσεται. Τί δήποτε; Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ προοῖδε τὸ μέλλον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἑκατέρου κύριος γίνεται, τοῦ ἀφανίσαι, καὶ σῶσαι τὸν παῖδα, ἐκείνου ποιήσαντος αὐτὸν κύριον. Καὶ γὰρ ἀνελεῖν, ἐὰν θέλῃ, δυνήσεται, καὶ ἀφεῖναι, ἂν βουληθῇ, ὁμοίως δυνήσεται· ὑπὸ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ γέγονεν. Ἂν εἴπῃ, ὅτι πλούσιος ἔσῃ ἢ πένης, ἀμφοτέρων κύριος αὐτός ἐστι. Τὸ πλέον τοῦ κόσμου ὑπὸ τὰς τοῦ διαβόλου χεῖρας ἑαυτοὺς ἔδωκαν. ςʹ. Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ, ὅταν ἐθισθῇ ἄνθρωπος πιστεύειν, πολὺ καὶ τοῦτο συμβαλεῖται ἐκείνοις τοῖς ἀπατεῶσιν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ταῖς ἀποτυχίαις προσέχει, ἀλλ' εἴ που ἐπιτύχοιεν. Εἰ δέ τινα ἔχουσι δύναμιν προγνωστικὴν, ἐμοὶ τῷ πιστῷ τούτους ἄγε. Οὐ μεγαληγορῶν λέγω· τὸ γὰρ τούτων ἀπηλλάχθαι, οὐ μεγαληγορίας. Ἁμαρτημάτων μὲν γάρ εἰμι μεστός· τούτων δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἂν ταπεινοφρονήσαιμι· πάντων τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι καταγελῶ. Ἄγε πρὸς ἐμὲ τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν μάγον, εἴ τινα ἔχει δύναμιν προγνωστικὴν, εἰπάτω τί μοι συμβήσεται, αὔριον τί ἔσται μοι. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐρεῖ· ὑπὸ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξουσίαν εἰμὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει τὴν ἐμὴν ἀρχὴν οὐδὲ τὴν ὑποταγήν· πόῤῥω τῶν καταδύσεων αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν σπηλαίων τυγχάνω, τῷ βασιλεῖ στρατεύομαι. Ἀλλ' ὁ δεῖνα ἔκλεψε, φησὶ, καὶ ὁ δεῖνα αὐτὸν κατεμήνυσε. Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ πανταχοῦ τοῦτο ἀληθὲς, ἀλλὰ γέλως καὶ ψεῦδος· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἴσασιν· εἰ δέ τι ἴσασι, μᾶλλον τὰ ἑαυτῶν ὤφειλον λέγειν, πῶς τὰ