John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

to be at a loss. If I said, "Desire money." And how shall I desire money? you might say, seeing such things. Tell me, if while gold and precious stones were set before you, I said, "Desire lead," would there not be perplexity? For you would have said, "How can I?" But if I said, "Do not desire," this was easier. I do not marvel at those who despise, but at those who do not despise; this is a sign of a soul exceedingly filled with sluggishness, no different from flies and gnats, trailing on the ground, wallowing in the mire, imagining nothing great. What do you say? You are about to inherit eternal life, and you say, "How shall I despise the present life for the sake of that one?" For are the matters in dispute? You are about to receive a royal robe; and you say, "How shall I despise these rags?" You are about to be brought into the king's house; and you say, "How shall I despise this poor one at present?" Truly we are the cause everywhere, we who are not willing to be roused up a little. For those who were willing, all succeeded; and they succeeded with much vehemence and ease. And may it be that you, persuaded by our exhortation, may succeed, and become emulators of those who have succeeded, by the grace and loving-kindness of His only-begotten Son, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

60.69 HOMILY 8. Now Peter and John went up together into the

temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 1. Everywhere these men appear having great harmony with one another.

To this one Peter beckons; together these men come to the tomb; concerning him he says to Christ, "But what about this man?" The writer of the book, then, passed over the other signs; but that which caused great astonishment and amazed all, he relates. And see again how they do not come to it with any preliminary announcement; so pure were they from ambition, and they imitated their teacher. Why then did they go up into the temple? Were they still living in a Jewish manner? No; but they do this for a useful purpose. For a sign occurs again, both confirming them and drawing the others; and a sign such as they had not yet performed. The affliction was from birth, and beyond medical art. Rather, he had been lame for forty years, as he says further on, and no one had healed him in all that time. And you know that these things are especially more difficult which are from birth. So great was the affliction that he was not even able to provide necessary food for himself. And he was well-known both from the place and from the affliction; and how, listen. And a certain man lame, it says, from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask for alms from those entering into the temple. He sought to receive alms, then, and did not know who the men were. Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive alms. But Peter, fastening his eyes 60.70 upon him with John, said, "Look on us." He hears this, but not even so does he rise up, but still remains, being troublesome. For such is poverty; it persists and compels even those who refuse to give. Let us be ashamed, who in our prayers jump away. But observe for me the gentleness Peter showed by immediately saying, "Look on us." Thus their bearing at once showed their character. And he gave heed to them, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have, this I give you." He did not say, "I give you something much better than silver," but what? "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." And taking him by the right hand, he raised him up. Thus Christ also did. Often he healed by a word, often by a deed, often he also brought his hand to them, where there were

ἀπορεῖν· εἰ ἔλεγον, Ἐπιθύμησον χρημάτων. Καὶ πῶς ἐπιθυμήσω χρημάτων; ἔφης ἂν, τοιαῦτα ὁρῶν. Εἰπέ μοι, εἰ χρυσοῦ προκειμένου καὶ λίθων τιμίων ἔλεγον, Ἐπιθύμησον μολύβδου· ἆρα οὐκ ἦν ἀπορίας; Εἶπες γὰρ ἂν, Πῶς δύναμαι; Εἰ δὲ ἔλεγον, Μὴ ἐπιθυμήσῃς, τοῦτο εὐκολώτερον ἦν. Οὐ θαυμάζω τοὺς καταφρονοῦντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὴ καταφρονοῦντας· σφόδρα ψυχῆς τοῦτο νωθείας πεπληρωμένης, μυιῶν καὶ κωνώπων οὐδὲν διαφερούσης, χαμαὶ συρομένης, ἰλυσπωμένης ἐν τῷ βορβόρῳ, οὐδὲν μέγα φανταζομένης Τί λέγεις; ζωὴν μέλλεις κληρονομεῖν αἰώνιον, καὶ λέγεις, Πῶς καταφρονήσω τῆς παρούσης ὑπὲρ ἐκείνην; μὴ γὰρ ἀμφήριστά ἐστι τὰ πράγματα; Ἱμάτιον μέλλεις λαμβάνειν βασιλικόν· καὶ λέγεις, Πῶς καταφρονήσω τῶν ῥακίων; εἰς τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως μέλλεις ἄγεσθαι οἰκίαν· καὶ λέγεις, Πῶς καταφρονήσω τῆς πενιχρᾶς τῆς παρούσης; Ὄντως ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν αἴτιοι πανταχοῦ, οἱ μὴ θέλοντες διεγερθῆναι μικρόν. Οἱ γὰρ θελήσαντες, πάντες κατώρθωσαν· καὶ κατώρθωσαν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος καὶ τῆς εὐκολίας. Γένοιτο δὲ καὶ ὑμᾶς πεισθέντας τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ παραινέσει κατορθῶσαι, καὶ ζηλωτὰς γενέσθαι τῶν κατωρθωκότων, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ Υἱοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

60.69 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ηʹ. Ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀνέβαινον εἰς τὸ

ἱερὸν, ἐπὶ τὴν ὥραν τῆς προσευχῆς τὴν ἐννάτην. αʹ. Πανταχοῦ φαίνονται οὗτοι πολλὴν ἔχοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμόνοιαν.

Τούτῳ νεύει ὁ Πέτρος· ὁμοῦ εἰς τὸν τάφον ἔρχονται οὗτοι· περὶ αὐτοῦ φησι τῷ Χριστῷ, Οὗτος δὲ τί; Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα σημεῖα παρεῖδεν ὁ τὸ βιβλίον συγγράφων· ὃ δὲ πολλὴν εἶχε τὴν ἔκπληξιν καὶ πάντας ἐξένιζε, λέγει. Καὶ ὅρα πάλιν αὐτοὺς οὐ προηγουμένως ἐπ' αὐτὸ ἐρχομένους· οὕτω φιλοτιμίας ἦσαν καθαροὶ, καὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον ἐμιμοῦντο τὸν αὐτῶν. Τί δαὶ ἀνῄεσαν εἰς τὸ ἱερόν; ἆρα ἔτι Ἰουδαϊκῶς ἔζων; Οὐχί· ἀλλὰ χρησίμως τοῦτο ποιοῦσι. Γίνεται γὰρ σημεῖον πάλιν ἐκείνους τε βεβαιοῦν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐφελκόμενον· καὶ σημεῖον, οἷον οὔπω ἦσαν ποιήσαντες. Φυσικὸν τὸ πάθος ἦν, καὶ κρεῖττον τέχνης ἰατρικῆς. Μᾶλλον δὲ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ἦν πεποιηκὼς ἐν τῇ χωλείᾳ, καθὼς προϊών φησι, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτὸν ἐν παντὶ τῷ χρόνῳ ἐθεράπευσεν. Ἴστε δὲ, ὅτι ταῦτα μάλιστα δυσκολώτερα, ἅπερ ἂν ἐκ γενετῆς εἴη. Τοσοῦτον ἦν τὸ δεινὸν, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τροφὴν πορίζεσθαι δυνατὸς ἦν ἑαυτῷ. Καὶ ἐπίσημος δὲ ὑπῆρχεν ἀπό τε τοῦ τόπου, ἀπό τε τοῦ πάθους· καὶ πῶς, ἄκουε. Καί τις ἀνὴρ χωλὸς, φησὶν, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχων ἐβαστάζετο, ὃν ἐτίθουν καθ' ἡμέραν εἰς τὴν θύραν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὴν λεγομένην Ὡραίαν, τοῦ αἰτεῖν ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὸ ἱερόν. Ἐλεημοσύνην λαβεῖν ἄρα ἐζήτει, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει, τίνες ἦσαν οἱ ἄνδρες Ὃς ἰδὼν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην μέλλοντας εἰσιέναι εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, ἠρώτα ἐλεημοσύνην λαβεῖν. Ἀτενίσας δὲ Πέτρος εἰς 60.70 αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ, εἶπεν· Βλέψον εἰς ἡμᾶς. Τοῦτο ἀκούει· ὁ δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀνίσταται, ἀλλ' ἔτι μένει διενοχλῶν. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ πενία, καὶ δοῦναι ἀπαγορεύοντας ἐπιμένει καὶ ἀναγκάζει. Αἰσχυνθῶμεν οἱ ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἀποπηδῶντες. Ὅρα δέ μοι τὴν ἐπιείκειαν πῶς ἔδειξε Πέτρος εὐθὺς εἰπὼν, Βλέψον εἰς ἡμᾶς. Οὕτως αὐτῶν τὸ σχῆμα αὐτόθεν ἐδείκνυ τὸν τρόπον. Ὁ δὲ ἐπεῖχεν αὐτοῖς, προσδοκῶν τι παρ' αὐτῶν λαβεῖν. Εἶπε δὲ Πέτρος· Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι· ὃ δὲ ἔχω, τοῦτό σοι δίδωμι. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Τοῦ ἀργυρίου πολλῷ βέλτιόν σοι δίδωμι· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου ἔγειραι καὶ περιπάτει. Καὶ πιάσας αὐτὸν τῆς δεξιᾶς χειρὸς, ἤγειρεν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησε. Πολλάκις λόγῳ ἐθεράπευσε, πολλάκις ἔργω, πολλάκις καὶ τὴν χεῖρα προσήγαγεν, ὅπου ἦσαν