John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

Correct what has been done amiss, make the best change. In this we differ from the unbelievers, in having different judgments about things. The unbeliever sees the heaven, and worships it; for he thinks it is a god. He sees the earth, and serves it, and gapes at sensible things. But we are not so; but we see the heaven, and we marvel at Him who made it; for we have believed it to be not a god, but a work of God. I see all creation, and through it I am led by the hand to the Creator. He sees wealth, and gapes and is astounded; I see wealth, and I laugh. He sees poverty, and laments; I see poverty, and I rejoice. I see things one way, and he another. So also do we in the case of death. He sees a dead person, and thinks it is a dead person; I see a dead person, and I see sleep instead of death. And just as in the case of letters, we who know letters and those who are ignorant of them see them with the same eyes, but not with the same mind; but those who do not know letters think that what they see is simply what it is, while those who understand, with great skill, gather the meaning 48.1021 laid up within them; so also in the case of things, we see what happens with the same eyes, but not with the same mind and judgment. Shall we then, who differ from them in all other things, agree with their votes concerning death? 3. Consider to whom he has departed, and take comfort: where Paul is, where Peter is, where the whole choir of the saints is; consider how he will rise again, with how much glory and splendor; consider that by mourning and lamenting you will neither be able to correct what has happened with your lamentations, and you will injure yourself in the extreme; consider whom you are imitating by doing this, and flee the fellowship of sin. Whom then do you imitate and emulate? The unbelievers, those who have no hope, just as Paul also said: 'That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.' And pay attention to the precision of the saying; for he did not say, 'Those who have no hope of resurrection,' but simply, 'Those who have no hope.' For he who has no hope of the judgment there, has no hope at all, nor does he know that God exists, nor that He provides for present things, nor that some divine justice oversees all things. He who does not know or believe these things is more irrational than any beast, having banished laws and courts and ordinances and simply all good things from his own soul; for he who does not expect to give an account for his deeds will abstain from all virtue and will embrace all wickedness. Therefore, considering these things, and taking into account the folly and madness of the Greeks, with whom we associate through our laments, let us flee our agreement with them. For this reason Paul also mentioned them, so that by considering the dishonor into which you are falling, you may become sober from your agreement with them, and return to your own nobility. And not only here, but in many places the blessed Paul does this continually. For whenever he wishes to lead us away from sins, he shows with whom we associate through our sins, so that, being stung by the quality of the person, you may flee the association. At any rate, writing to the Thessalonians, he said this: 'Let each one possess his own body in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of dishonor, like the nations that do not know God.' And again: 'Do not walk as the rest of the nations walk, in the futility of their mind.' So also here: 'But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.' For it is not the nature of things, but our own will that is accustomed to grieve us; not the death of the departed, but the weakness of those who mourn. At any rate, nothing of the present things will be able to grieve the faithful, but even before the good things to come and in the present time he differs from the unbelievers, receiving no small goods from the philosophy according to Christ, and reaping from this the greatest cheerfulness and continual joy. Wherefore Paul also says: 'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.' So that even before the resurrection

διόρθωσον τὰ ἡμαρτημένα, ἀρίστην ποίησον μεταβολήν. Τούτῳ διεστήκαμεν τῶν ἀπίστων, τῷ κρίσεις ἑτέρας περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔχειν. Ὁρᾷ τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁ ἄπιστος, καὶ προσκυνεῖ· θεὸν γὰρ εἶναι νομίζει· ὁρᾷ τὴν γῆν, καὶ θεραπεύει, καὶ πρὸς τὰ αἰσθητὰ κέχηνεν. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλ' ὁρῶμεν τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ τὸν πεποιηκότα αὐτὸν θαυμάζομεν· οὐ γὰρ θεὸν αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἔργον εἶναι Θεοῦ πεπιστεύκαμεν. Ὁρῶ τὴν κτίσιν ἅπασαν, καὶ δι' αὐτῆς χειραγωγοῦμαι πρὸς τὸν δημιουργόν. Ὁρᾷ πλοῦτον ἐκεῖνος, καὶ κέχηνε καὶ ἐκπέπληκται· ὁρῶ πλοῦτον ἐγὼ, καὶ καταγελῶ. Ὁρᾷ πενίαν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ὀδύρεται· ὁρῶ πενίαν ἐγὼ, καὶ ἀγάλλομαι. Ἑτέρως ἐγὼ βλέπω τὰ πράγματα, καὶ ἑτέρως ἐκεῖνος. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ θανάτου ποιοῦμεν· ὁρᾷ νεκρὸν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ νομίζει νεκρὸν εἶναι· ὁρῶ νεκρὸν ἐγὼ, καὶ ὕπνον ἀντὶ θανάτου βλέπω. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν γραμμάτων τοῖς μὲν αὐτοῖς ὁρῶμεν αὐτὰ ὀφθαλμοῖς οἵ τε εἰδότες, οἵ τε ἀγνοοῦντες τὰ γράμματα, οὐ τῇ αὐτῇ δὲ διανοίᾳ, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες γράμματα, ἁπλῶς εἶναι νομίζουσι τὰ βλεπόμενα, οἱ δὲ ἐπιστάμενοι μετὰ πολλῆς τέχνης τὸν ἐναποκείμενον 48.1021 νοῦν ἀναλέγονται· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων τοῖς μὲν αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρῶμεν τὰ συμβαίνοντα, οὐ τῇ αὐτῇ δὲ διανοίᾳ καὶ γνώμῃ. Οἱ τοίνυν ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων διεστηκότες αὐτῶν, ἐν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ θανάτου συμπέσωμεν ψήφοις, γʹ. Ἐννόησον πρὸς τίνα ἀπῆλθε, καὶ λαβὲ παραμυθίαν· ἔνθα Παῦλός ἐστιν, ἔνθα Πέτρος, ἔνθα τῶν ἁγίων ὁ χορὸς ἅπας· ἐννόησον πῶς ἀναστήσεται, μεθ' ὅσης δόξης καὶ λαμπρότητος· ἐννόησον ὅτι πενθῶν καὶ ὀδυρόμενος οὔτε τὸ γεγενημένον δυνήσῃ διορθώσασθαι τοῖς ὀδυρμοῖς, καὶ σαυτὸν καταβλάψεις τὰ ἔσχατα· ἐννόησον τίνας μιμῇ τοῦτο ποιῶν, καὶ φεῦγε τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Τίνας οὖν μιμῇ καὶ ζηλοῖς; Τοὺς ἀπίστους, τοὺς οὐκ ἔχοντας ἐλπίδα, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος εἶπεν· Ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Καὶ πρόσεχε τῇ τοῦ ῥήματος ἀκριβείᾳ· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα ἀναστάσεως, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς, Οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Ὁ γὰρ ἐλπίδα τῆς ἐκεῖ κρίσεως μὴ ἔχων, οὐδεμίαν ἐλπίδα ἔχει, οὐδ' ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν οἶδεν, οὐδ' ὅτι προνοεῖται τῶν παρόντων πραγμάτων, οὐδ' ὅτι τὰ πάντα θεία τις ἐφορᾷ δίκη. Ὁ ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ εἰδὼς οὐδὲ νομίζων, θηρίου παντός ἐστιν ἀλογώτερος, καὶ νόμους καὶ δικαστήρια καὶ θεσμοὺς καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἐξορίσας ψυχῆς· ὁ γὰρ μὴ προσδοκῶν εὐθύνας ὑφέξειν τῶν πεπραγμένων, πάσης μὲν ἀρετῆς ἀφέξεται, πάσης δὲ κακίας ἀνθέξεται. Ταῦτ' οὖν ἐννοήσαντες, καὶ τὴν ἄνοιαν καὶ τὴν παραπληξίαν τῶν Ἑλλήνων, οἷς κοινωνοῦμεν διὰ τῶν θρήνων, λογισάμενοι, φεύγωμεν τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς συμφωνίαν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος αὐτῶν ἀνεμνήσθη, ἵνα τὴν ἀτιμίαν ἐννοήσας πρὸς ἣν καταπίπτεις, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς ἐκείνους συμφωνίας ἀνανήψῃς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγένειαν ἐπανέλθῃς. Καὶ οὐκ ἐνταῦθα μόνον, ἀλλὰ πολλαχοῦ τοῦτο ποιεῖ καὶ συνεχῶς ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀπαγαγεῖν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων βούληται, δείκνυσι τίσι κοινωνοῦμεν διὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἵνα τῇ ποιότητι τοῦ προσώπου δηχθεὶς, τὴν κοινωνίαν φύγῃς. Θεσσαλονικεῦσι γοῦν γράφων, οὕτως ἔλεγεν· Ἕκαστος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα κτᾶσθε ἐν ἁγιασμῷ καὶ τιμῇ, μὴ ἐν πάθει ἀτιμίας, καθάπερ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα Θεόν. Καὶ πάλιν· Μὴ καθὼς τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη περιπατεῖτε ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα· Οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, περὶ τῶν κεκοιμημένων, ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε, καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ φύσις τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ἡ προαίρεσις ἡ ἡμετέρα λυπεῖν ἡμᾶς εἴωθεν· οὐχ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ ἀπελθόντος, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀσθένεια τῶν θρηνούντων. Τὸν γοῦν πιστὸν οὐδὲν τῶν παρόντων λυπῆσαι δυνήσεται, ἀλλὰ πρὸ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι διέστηκε τῶν ἀπίστων, οὐ μικρὰ ἀπολαμβάνων ἐκ τῆς κατὰ Χριστὸν φιλοσοφίας ἀγαθὰ, καὶ μεγίστην ἐκ τούτου καρπούμενος εὐθυμίαν καὶ διηνεκῆ χαράν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησι· Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε. Ὥστε καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀναστάσεως