John Chrysostom, On Repentance

the Master, despaired of the benefactor, and says to Aaron: Make us gods. If gods, why "make"? how can things that are made be gods? Thus wickedness, blinding, fights with itself, and destroys itself. One calf was made, and ungrateful Israel cries out: These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. These are the gods; he sees one calf, one idol that was made, why then, "These are the gods"? To show that he does not worship only what he sees, but imagines polytheism; he interprets his intention, he does not judge the appearance. But so that we may return again to the subject at hand, what Israel heard, who was surrounded by so many wonders and instructed by so great a law, and yet denied, these things Rahab, shut up in the brothel, proclaims; for she says to the spies: We have known what your God did to the Egyptians. The Jew says: These are your gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and the harlot, not to gods, but to God she ascribes the salvation. We have known what your God did to the Egyptians in the wilderness, and we heard, and our heart melted, and there is no strength in us. We have known what your God did. Do you see how she takes up the word of the lawgiver through faith? And I know that your God is in heaven above, and on the earth beneath, and besides him there is no other God. Rahab is an image of the Church, once defiled by the fornication of demons, but now receiving the spies of Christ, not those from Jesus son of Nun, but the apostles sent from Jesus the true Savior. I knew, she says, that your God is in heaven above, and on the earth beneath, and besides him there is no other God. These things the Jews received, and did not keep; these things the Church heard, 49.331 and preserved. Therefore Rahab, the image of the Church, is worthy of all praise. For this reason also the noble Paul, having understood the dignity of her faith, and not considering her unworthy because of her former state, but worthy because of her godly change, numbers her with all the saints, and having said: By faith Abel offered a sacrifice; by faith Abraham did this and that; by faith Noah built an ark; by faith Moses did and accomplished this and that; and after mentioning many saints in succession, he added at the last: By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies and sent them out by another way. And see how with much wisdom she mixed her own good sense. For when they were sent from the king seeking the spies, they say to her: Did men come in to you? And she to them: Yes, she says, they came in. First she builds up the truth, and then she brings in the lie. For a lie is never believed on its own, unless it has first shown the truth; for this reason those who lie persuasively first say true and universally acknowledged things, and then they bring in the false and doubtful things. Did spies come in to you? She says, Yes; for if she had said from the beginning, No, she would have provoked those who came to a search; but, They did come in, she says, and they went out by this road, pursue them, and you will overtake them. O noble lie! O noble deceit that does not betray divine things, but preserves piety. If, then, repentance deemed that Rahab worthy of so great a salvation, and she is proclaimed by the mouth of saints, with Jesus son of Nun crying in the wilderness: Let Rahab the harlot live, and Paul saying, By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, how much more shall we, if we offer repentance, receive salvation? Now is the present time for repentance; for great is the fear of the sins that hang over us, unless repentance should prevent the punishment. Let us come before his face with thanksgiving; let us extinguish the fire of sins, not with much water, but with small tears. Great is the fire of sin, and

τὸν ∆εσπότην, ἀπέγνω τὸν εὐεργέτην, καὶ λέγει τῷ Ἀαρών· Ποίησον ἡμῖν θεούς. Εἰ θεοὺς, διὰ τί ποίησον; πῶς θεοὶ τὰ γινόμενα; Οὕτως ἡ κακία τυφλώττουσα, αὐτὴ ἑαυτῇ μάχεται, καὶ ἑαυτὴν ἀφανίζει. Εἷς ἐγένετο μόσχος, καὶ βοᾷ ὁ ἀχάριστος Ἰσραήλ· Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, Ἰσραὴλ, οἱ ἐξαγαγόντες σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί· ἕνα βλέπει μόσχον, ἓν τὸ γινόμενον εἴδωλον, διὰ τί οὖν, Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί; Ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι οὐχ ὃ βλέπει μόνον προσκυνεῖ, ἀλλὰ πολυθεΐαν φαντάζεται· τὴν γνώμην ἑρμηνεύει, οὐ τὸ φαινόμενον κρίνει. Ἵνα δὲ εἰς τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν πάλιν, ἃ ἤκουσεν Ἰσραὴλ, ὁ τοσούτοις περιστοιχιζόμενος θαύμασι, καὶ τοσούτῳ νόμῳ παιδαγωγούμενος, καὶ ἠρνήσατο, ταῦτα ἡ Ῥαὰβ ἀποκεκλεισμένη ἐν τῷ πορνείῳ κηρύττει· λέγει γὰρ τοῖς κατασκόποις· Ἔγνωμεν ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις. Ὁ Ἰουδαῖος λέγει· Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου οἱ ἐξαγαγόντες σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ἡ πόρνη, οὐ θεοῖς, ἀλλὰ Θεῷ ἐπιγράφει τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ἔγνωμεν ὅσα ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ἐποίησε τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ ἠκούσαμεν, καὶ ἐτάκη ἡμῶν ἡ καρδία, καὶ ἰσχὺς ἐν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἔγνωμεν ὅσα ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ἐποίησε. Βλέπεις πῶς ἀναλαμβάνει τοῦ νομοθέτου τὸ ῥῆμα διὰ πίστεως; Καὶ οἶδα, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ Θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν. Εἰκὼν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ Ῥαὰβ τῆς ποτε πεφυρμένης τῇ πορνείᾳ τῶν δαιμόνων, δεχομένης δὲ νῦν τοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατασκόπους, οὐ τοὺς παρὰ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀποστόλους τοὺς παρὰ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Σωτῆρος ἀπεσταλμένους. Ἔγνων, φησὶν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ Θεὸς οὐκ ἔστι. Ταῦτα παρέλαβον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ οὐκ ἐφύλαξαν· ταῦτα ἤκουσεν ἡ Ἐκκλησία, 49.331 καὶ διετήρησεν. Ἀξία τοίνυν ἐπαίνου παντὸς Ῥαὰβ, ἡ εἰκὼν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ γενναῖος Παῦλος, καταμαθὼν αὐτῆς τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς πίστεως, καὶ οὐκ ἀδόκιμον ἡγησάμενος διὰ τὴν προτέραν κατάστασιν, ἀλλὰ δόκιμον διὰ τὴν ἔνθεον μεταβολὴν, συναριθμεῖ αὐτὴν τοῖς ἁγίοις πᾶσι, καὶ εἰρηκώς· Πίστει Ἄβελ θυσίαν προσήνεγκε· πίστει Ἀβραὰμ τὸ καὶ τὸ ἐποίησε· πίστει Νῶε κιβωτὸν εἰργάσατο· πίστει Μωϋσῆς τὰ καὶ τὰ ἐποίησε καὶ κατώρθωσε· καὶ πολλῶν ἐφεξῆς μνησθεὶς ἁγίων, τὸ τελευταῖον ἐπήγαγε· Πίστει Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐ συναπώλετο τοῖς ἀπειθήσασι, δεξαμένη τοὺς κατασκόπους, καὶ ἑτέρᾳ ὁδῷ ἐκβαλοῦσα. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς μετὰ πολλῆς σοφίας ἐκέρασε τὴν ἑαυτῆς εὐγνωμοσύνην. Ὅτε γὰρ ἀπεστάλησαν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ζητοῦντες τοὺς κατασκόπους, λέγουσιν αὐτῇ· Εἰ εἰσῆλθον πρὸς σὲ ἄνδρες; Ἡ δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Ναὶ, φησὶν, εἰσῆλθον. Πρῶτον οἰκοδομεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ οὕτως ἐπάγει τὸ ψεῦδος. Οὐδέποτε γὰρ καθ' αὑτὸ τὸ ψεῦδος πιστεύεται, ἐὰν μὴ προλαβὸν ἐνδείξηται τὴν ἀλήθειαν· διὰ τοῦτο οἱ πιθανῶς ψευδόμενοι πρῶτον λέγουσι τἀληθῆ καὶ πᾶσιν ὡμολογημένα, καὶ τότε ἐπάγουσι τὰ ψευδῆ καὶ ἀμφιβαλλόμενα. Εἰσῆλθον πρὸς σὲ κατάσκοποι; Λέγει, Ναί· εἰ γὰρ εἶπεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, Οὒ, προεκαλεῖτο εἰς ἔρευναν τοὺς ἐπελθόντας· ἀλλὰ, Καὶ εἰσῆλθον, φησὶ, καὶ ἐξῆλθον τῇδε τῇ ὁδῷ, καταδιώξατε, καὶ καταλήψεσθε αὐτούς. Ὢ καλοῦ ψεύδους· ὢ καλοῦ δόλου οὐ προδιδόντος τὰ θεῖα, ἀλλὰ φυλάττοντος τὴν εὐσέβειαν. Εἰ τοίνυν τὴν Ῥαὰβ ἐκείνην ἡ μετάνοια σωτηρίας τοσαύτης ἠξίωσε, καὶ διὰ στόματος ἁγίων κηρύττεται, Ἰησοῦ μὲν τοῦ Ναυῆ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Ζήτω Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη, Παύλου δὲ λέγοντος, Πίστει Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐ συναπώλετο τοῖς ἀπειθήσασι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς, ἐὰν προσάγωμεν τὴν μετάνοιαν, δεξόμεθα τὴν σωτηρίαν; Μετανοίας νῦν ὁ παρὼν καιρός· πολὺς γὰρ ὁ φόβος τῶν ἐπικειμένων ἡμῖν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἂν μὴ προλάβοι τὴν τιμωρίαν ἡ μετάνοια. Προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει· σβέσωμεν τὴν πυρκαϊὰν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, οὐχ ὕδασι πολλοῖς, ἀλλὰ μικροῖς δάκρυσι. Πολὺ τὸ πῦρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ