John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

We have received this no small reward, in not being cast down by any of the terrible things that befall us, but in enjoying much comfort from the hope of things to come. Just as, then, we gain on both sides, so the unbeliever is harmed on both sides, both by being punished later for his unbelief in the resurrection, and by being cast down by present affairs, because he expects nothing good after this. Therefore, we ought to give thanks to God not only for the resurrection, but also for the hope of the resurrection, which is able to comfort the grieving soul, and to persuade us to be of good courage concerning those who have departed, as they will rise again and be with us. For if one must grieve and mourn, one must mourn and lament for those living in sins, not for those who have departed with virtue. Thus also Paul does; for writing to the Corinthians he says: Lest, when I come to you, God should humble me, and I should mourn for many. He did not say of the dead, but of those who have sinned before, and have not repented of the licentiousness and impurity which they committed; these one must mourn. Thus also another exhorts, saying: Weep for a dead man, for he has lost the light; and weep for a fool, for he has lost his understanding. Weep little for a dead man, for he has found rest, but the life of a fool is worse than death. But if he who is deprived of understanding would be worthy of being lamented continually, much more he who is destitute of righteousness, and has fallen away from the hope that is in God. Let us, therefore, mourn for these; for this mourning has profit. For often, by lamenting for such men, we have corrected them. But that for those who have departed, is at once unprofitable and harmful. Let us not, therefore, reverse the order, but let us lament for sin alone; and all other things, whether poverty, or sickness, or untimely death, or insolence, or slander, or whatever of human evils may befall, let us bear them all nobly. For to us these terrible things are the occasion of more crowns, if we are sober. 4. And how is it possible, he says, for one who is a man not to feel pain? On the contrary, I say; how is it possible for one who is a man to feel pain, who has been honored with speech and reason, and with the hopes of things to come? And who is there, he says, who has not been captured by this suffering? Many, and in many places, both in our own time, and in the time of our forefathers. Job, at least, when the entire company of his children departed, listen to what he says: The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; as it seemed good to the Lord, so also it has come to pass. Now these things are wonderful even when simply heard; but if you also examine them with precision, then you will see the wonder more greatly. For consider, that the devil did not take half and leave half, nor did he take the greater part and leave the lesser; but he harvested the entire fruit, and did not cast down the tree; he brought on the whole sea with its waves, and did not sink the ship; he emptied out all his power, and did not shake the tower. But he stood, being struck from all sides, and remaining unbent, and snow-storms of arrows were brought on, and he was not struck; or rather, they were sent, but they did not wound. Consider how great a thing it is, to see so many children lost. For what was there not sufficient to sting? That all were snatched away, that all were taken at once and in a single day, that it was in the very flower of their age, that they had displayed great virtue, that they ended their life by such a manner of punishment, that this was inflicted as the last of so many blows, that their father was affectionate, that those who departed were beloved? 48.1023 For when someone loses wicked children, he is stung by the suffering, but yet not with much vehemence; for the wickedness of the departed does not allow the pain to become sharper; but when they are also virtuous, the wound becomes permanent, the memory unforgotten, the evil inconsolable, the sting double, the one from nature, the other from the virtue of the departed. And that they were virtuous is clear from this: Their father took great care of them, and rising up he offered sacrifices for them, fearing also for their unknown sins, and

οὐ μικρὰν ταύτην ἐλάβομεν ἀμοιβὴν, τῷ μὴ καταπίπτειν ἐπὶ μηδενὶ τῶν συμπιπτόντων δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδι παραμυθίας ἀπολαύειν πολλῆς. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἑκατέρωθεν ἡμεῖς κερδαίνομεν, οὕτως ὁ ἄπιστος ἑκατέρωθεν κα48.1022 ταβλάπτεται, καὶ τῷ κολάζεσθαι ὕστερον διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀπιστίαν, καὶ τῷ καταπίπτειν ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσι πράγμασι, διὰ τὸ μηδὲν προσδοκᾷν μετὰ ταῦτα χρηστόν. Οὐ τοίνυν διὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν μόνον ὀφείλομεν εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἣ καὶ τὴν ὀδυνωμένην δύναται παραμυθήσασθαι ψυχὴν, καὶ πεῖσαι περὶ τῶν ἀπελθόντων θαῤῥεῖν, ὡς ἀναστησομένων πάλιν καὶ συνεσομένων ἡμῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ἀλγεῖν χρὴ καὶ πενθεῖν, τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ζῶντας πενθεῖν δεῖ καὶ ὀδύρεσθαι, οὐ τοὺς ἀπελθόντας μετ' ἀρετῆς. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ποιεῖ· Κορινθίοις γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων φησί· Μή πως ἐλθόντα με πρὸς ὑμᾶς ταπεινώσῃ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πενθήσω πολλούς. Οὐκ εἶπε τῶν ἀποθανόντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν προημαρτηκότων, καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ καὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν· τούτους δεῖ πενθεῖν. Οὕτω καὶ ἄλλος παραινεῖ λέγων· Κλαῦσον ἐπὶ νεκρῷ, ἐξέλιπε γὰρ φῶς· καὶ ἐπὶ μωρῷ κλαῦσον, ἐξέλιπε γὰρ σύνεσις. Ὀλίγον κλαῦσον ἐπὶ νεκρῷ, ὅτι ἀναπέπαυται, τοῦ δὲ μωροῦ ὑπὲρ τὸν θάνατον ἡ ζωὴ πονηρά. Εἰ δὲ ὁ συνέσεως ἀπεστερημένος διαπαντὸς ἄξιος ἂν εἴη θρηνεῖσθαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ δικαιοσύνης ἔρημος, καὶ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ἐλπίδος ἐκπεπτωκώς. Τούτους οὖν πενθῶμεν ἡμεῖς· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ ἔχει κέρδος τὸ πένθος. Πολλάκις γοῦν τοὺς τοιούτους θρηνοῦντες διωρθωσάμεθα. Τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀπελθοῦσιν, ἀνόνητον ὁμοῦ καὶ βλαβερόν. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀντιστρέψωμεν τὴν τάξιν, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτίαν θρηνῶμεν μόνον· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα, κἂν πενία, κἂν νόσος, κἂν θάνατος ἄωρος, κἂν ἐπήρεια, κἂν συκοφαντία, κἂν ὁτιοῦν προσπίπτῃ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων κακῶν, πάντα γενναίως φέρωμεν. Ὑπόθεσις γὰρ ἡμῖν τὰ δεινὰ ταῦτα στεφάνων εἰσὶ πλειόνων, ἂν νήφωμεν. δʹ. Καὶ πῶς ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, φησὶ, μὴ ἀλγεῖν; Τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν λέγω· πῶς ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα ἀλγεῖν, λόγῳ τιμηθέντα καὶ λογισμῷ, καὶ ταῖς περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίσι; Καὶ τίς ἐστιν, ὃς οὐχ ἑάλω τῷ πάθει τούτῳ; φησί. Πολλοὶ καὶ πολλαχοῦ, καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ἡμετέρων. Ὁ γοῦν Ἰὼβ, ὁλοκλήρου τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν παίδων ἀπελθόντος, ἄκουσον τί φησιν· Ὁ Κύριος ἔδωκεν, ὁ Κύριος ἀφείλετο· ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο. Θαυμαστὰ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα καὶ ἁπλῶς ἀκουόμενα· ἂν δὲ καὶ μετ' ἀκριβείας ἐξετάσῃς αὐτὰ, τότε μειζόνως ὄψει τὸ θαῦμα. Ἐννόησον γὰρ, ὅτι οὐχὶ τοὺς ἡμίσεις ἔλαβεν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ τοὺς ἡμίσεις ἀφῆκεν, οὐδὲ τοὺς πλείονας ἔλαβε, καὶ τοὺς ἐλάττους ἀφῆκεν· ἀλλὰ ὁλόκληρον ἐτρύγησε τὸν καρπὸν, καὶ τὸ δένδρον οὐ κατέβαλε· πᾶσαν ἐπήγαγε τὴν θάλατταν μετὰ τῶν κυμάτων, καὶ τὸ σκάφος οὐ κατεπόντισεν· ὅλην τὴν δύναμιν ἐκένωσε, καὶ τὸν πύργον οὐκ ἔσεισε. Ἀλλὰ εἱστήκει πάντοθεν βαλλόμενος, καὶ ἀκλινὴς μένων, καὶ νιφάδες ἐφέροντο βελῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπλήττετο· μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπέμποντο μὲν, οὐκ ἐτίτρωσκον δέ. Ἐννόησον ὅσον ἐστὶ, τοσούτους παῖδας ἰδεῖν ἀπολωλότας. Τί γὰρ οὐκ ἦν ἱκακὸν δάκνειν; τὸ πάντας ἀναρπασθῆναι, τὸ πάντας ἀθρόον καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ, τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ τῆς ἡλικίας τῷ ἄνθει, τὸ πολλὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδεδειγμένους, τὸ τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ τιμωρίας καταλῦσαι τὸν βίον, τὸ μετὰ τοσαύτας πληγὰς ἐσχάτην ἐπενεχθῆναι ταύτην, τὸ φιλόστοργον εἶναι τὸν γεγεννηκότα, τὸ ποθεινοὺς εἶναι τοὺς ἀπελθόντας; 48.1023 Ὅταν γὰρ πονηροὺς ἀποβάλῃ τις παῖδας, δάκνεται μὲν τῷ πάθει, πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σφοδρότητος· ἡ γὰρ πονηρία τῶν ἀπελθόντων δριμυτέραν οὐκ ἀφίησι γενέσθαι τὴν ὀδύνην· ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἐνάρετοι ὦσι, μόνιμον τὸ τραῦμα γίνεται, ἄληστος ἡ μνήμη, ἀπαραμύθητον τὸ κακὸν, διπλοῦν τὸ κέντρον, τὸ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν ἀπελθόντων. Ὅτι δὲ ἦσαν ἐνάρετοι, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν· Πολλὴν αὐτῶν ὁ πατὴρ ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ ἀνιστάμενος θυσίας προσέφερεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδήλων ἁμαρτημάτων δεδοικὼς, καὶ