John Chrysostom, Fragments on Jeremiah

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the punishment of the wicked. Why is it that the way of the ungodly prospers? He says all these things about those still entangled in sins. But then he was distressed at these things, but now no longer. David indeed says this; Job says this too; but see when. When their mind was disturbed. So that things from a disturbed mind, one must not hold 64.873 as doctrines. For he, when he was being reproached by his friends; and this one, when he was suffering terrible things from those who were well-off; and David, when he was in great despair, says: I said in my ecstasy, I am cast out from the presence of your eyes. But also in my ecstasy I said: Every man is a liar. And again: I said in my prosperity, I shall not be moved for ever. So that perhaps. as all those who suffer, their reasonings, not even so perhaps. nor do they endure at all the punishment of their enemies, but they even hasten it. And again: Why is it that the way of the ungodly prospers? and yet this was promised to the righteous; as when he says elsewhere concerning the righteous man: And whatever he does shall prosper. Why the way of the ungodly; here he wishes to learn the cause. All the transgressors have prospered; the greater difficulty is that all suffer this, even the Jews. But not so, but with wickedness, as when they say: Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he is pleased with them. Do you see that even if a righteous man does not suffer some affliction, seeing another suffer, he despairs as if he himself were suffering? they were perplexed by this. Why is it that the way of the ungodly prospers? He speaks about the lawless ones of the people; for having known the conspiracy against him, he curses them, hastening the punishment against them. You planted them, and they have taken root. You hear all of them immediately, and their prayers, but you do not bring a scourge. For they are not in the trouble of men, says David, and they will not be scourged with men. But Job says it differently: Why do the ungodly live? and they have grown old in wealth. But it is worthwhile to inquire from this, for what reason these things happened. For now, it is reasonable, since the resurrection is destined to be manifest perhaps. it is clear. But then what comfort was there, when the wicked prospered? And do all say the same things? For what reason does one say, I have seen the ungodly highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by, and lo, he was not. On the contrary he says: He planted them and they have taken root? and Job: Their cow has not miscarried. How did you pass by, and lo, he was not? These things also happened; he speaks of his sudden destruction, that God destroyed them most easily, but not little by little, as in the case of the Assyrian. Thus quickly I turned, and I did not find him. And you, Lord, know me, you have tested my heart. When someone brings God as a witness of his own virtue, what could be equal to this? So the difficulty is twofold, both from their prospering on the one hand, and these being in adversity on the other; and yet even if it were from one part, and the good man was to be perplexed Aliquid deesse videtur. F. and the good man was unfortunate, it was necessary to be perplexed; but now from the contrary what could one say? or rather 64.876 one must not be perplexed. For it does not happen simply, nor by some chance; for it would not be so. But let us say for what reason the ungodly prospered in ancient times; it seems to me, lest of necessity perhaps. lest anyone should say virtue is of necessity; or so that even sinners might recognize the power of God, that He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Consecrate them for the day of slaughter. Do you see that he desired this, that all should be destroyed at once? Murderous, he says, is the intention; may it not be so. For when he heard from God, when he was forbidden to pray for them, then, he says, he sees these things, and awaits the time. How long will the land mourn, and all the grass of the field wither. Great is the wickedness, and it has touched the land itself. You see, whence famines. From the wickedness of the inhabitants. For what reason does he always curse those things? For their sake they came to be, therefore for their sake they will be destroyed. Your feet run, and

πονηρῶν τὴν δίκην. Τί ὅτι ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν εὐοδοῦται; Ταῦτα πάντα περὶ τῶν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἔτι ἐνστρεφομένων λέγει. Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀλύει, νῦν δὲ οὐκέτι. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ∆αυΐδ φησι· τοῦτο καὶ Ἰώβ· ἀλλ' ὅρα πότε. Ὅταν αὐτῶν ἐθορυβήθη ἡ διάνοια. Ὥστε τὰ ἐκ τεθορυβημένης διανοίας, οὐ 64.873 δεῖ ὡς δόγματα ἔχειν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὅτε ὠνειδίζετο παρὰ τῶν φίλων· καὶ οὗτος ὅτε δεινὰ ἔπασχεν παρὰ τῶν εὐπαθούντων· καὶ ∆αυῒδ, ὅτε ἐν πολλῇ ἀθυμίᾳ ἦν, φησίν· Ἐγὼ εἶπα ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου, Ἀπέῤῥιμμαι ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου εἶπα· Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐγὼ εἶπα ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου, Οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ὥστε ἴσ. ὡς πᾶς τῶν πασχόντων οἱ λογισμοὶ αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἴσ. οὐδὲ ὅλως ἀνέχονται τῆς τιμωρίας τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατεπείγουσιν αὐτήν. Καὶ πάλιν· Τί ὅτι ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν εὐοδοῦται; καὶ μὴν τοῖς δικαίοις τοῦτο ἐπηγγέλη· ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ ἀλλαχοῦ περὶ τοῦ δικαίου· Καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ποιῇ κατευοδωθήσεται. ∆ιατί ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν· ἐνταῦθα τὴν αἰτίαν βούλεται μαθεῖν. Εὐθήνησαν πάντες οἱ ἀθετοῦντες· τὸ μεῖζον ἄπορον, ὅτι πάντες πάσχουσιν αὐτὸ, καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. Ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ μετὰ κακίας, ὡς ὅταν λέγωσι· Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὸ πονηρὸν, καλὸν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς εὐδόκησεν. Εἶδες, ὅτι κἂν μὴ πάσχῃ δίκαιός τι πάθος ἰδὼν ἕτερον πάσχοντα, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς πάσχων ἀθυμεῖ; τοῦτο ἠπόρουν. Τί ὅτι ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν εὐοδοῦσαι; Περὶ τῶν παρανόμων τοῦ λαοῦ λέγει· γνοὺς γὰρ τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ συσκευὴν, κατεύχεται αὐτῶν, ἐπείγων τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν τιμωρίαν. Ἐφύτευσας αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐῤῥιζώθησαν. Ἀκούεις πάντων εὐθέως, καὶ τῶν εὐχῶν αὐτῶν, μάστιγα δὲ οὐκ ἐπάγεις. Ἐν πόνῳ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων οὐκ εἰσὶ, φησὶν ὁ ∆αυΐδ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων οὐ μαστιγωθήσονται. Ὁ δὲ Ἰὼβ ἑτέρως· ∆ιατί ἀσεβεῖς ζῶσι; πεπαλαίωνται δὲ ἐν πλούτῳ. Ἀλλ' ἄξιον ἐντεῦθεν ζητῆσαι, τίνος ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ἐγίνετο. Τανῦν μὲν γὰρ εἰκότως, ἅτε τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὀφειλούσης γενέσθαι δήλης ἴσ. δῆλον. Τότε δὲ τίς ἦν παραμυθία, τῶν φαύλων εὐθυνουμένων; Καὶ πάντες τὰ αὐτὰ λέγουσιν; Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ μὲν φησὶν, Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπερυψούμενον· καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον, ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου, καὶ παρῆλθον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν μὲν οὗτος. Τοὐναντίον φησίν· Ἐφύτευσεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐῤῥιζώθησαν; καὶ ὁ Ἰώβ· Ἡ βοῦς αὐτῶν οὐκ ὠμοτόκησε. Πῶς παρῆλθες, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν; Ἐγένετο καὶ ταῦτα· τὴν ἀθρόαν αὐτοῦ λέγει ἀναίρεσιν, ὅτι αὐτοὺς μάλιστα εὐκόλως ἀνεῖλεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ μικρὸν, οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου. Οὕτω ταχέως ἐστράφην, καὶ οὐχ εὗρον αὐτόν. Καὶ σὺ, Κύριε, γινώσκεις με, δεδοκίμακας τὴν καρδίαν μου. Ὅταν τις τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς μάρτυρα τὸν Θεὸν φέρῃ, τούτου τί ἂν γένοιτο ἴσον; Ὥστε ἡ ἀπορία διπλῆ, καὶ ἑκατέρωθεν τοῦ εὐπραγεῖν ἐκείνους, καὶ τούτους ἐν δυσπραγίᾳ εἶναι· καί τοι καὶ εἰ ἐξ ἑνὸς μέρους ἦν, καὶ ὁ ἀγαθὸς διαπορεῖν Aliquid deesse videtur. F. καὶ ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἐδυστύχει, διαπο. ἔδει· νῦν δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου τί ἄν τις εἴποι; μᾶλλον δὲ 64.876 οὐκ ἀπορεῖν χρή. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς, οὐδὲ συντυχίᾳ τινὶ γίνεται· οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὕτως ἦν. Ἀλλ' εἴπωμεν τίνος ἕνεκεν τὸ παλαιὸν οἱ ἀσεβεῖς εὐθήνουν· ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἵνα μὴ ἀνάγκης ἴσ. ἵνα μή τις εἶποι ἀνάγκης εἶναι τὴν ἀρετήν· ἢ ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐπιγνῶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι Ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. Ἅγνισον αὐτοὺς εἰς ἡμέραν σφαγῆς. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τοῦτο ἐπεθύμει ὑφ' ἓν ἀναιρεθῆναι ἅπαντας; Φονικὴ, φησὶν, ἡ προαίρεσις· μὴ γένοιτο. Ὅτε γὰρ ἤκουσε τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτε ἐκωλύθη εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, τότε αὐτὰ, φησὶν, ὁρᾷ, καὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἀναμένει. Ἕως πότε πενθήσει ἡ γῆ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ χόρτος τοῦ ἀγροῦ ξηρανθήσεται. Πολλὴ ἡ κακία, καὶ αὐτῆς ἥψατο τῆς γῆς. Ὁρᾷς, πόθεν λιμοί. Ἀπὸ κακίας τῶν κατοικούντων. Τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐκεῖνα καταρᾶται ἀεί; ∆ιὰ τούτους γεγόνασιν, οὐκοῦν διὰ τούτους ἀναιρεθήσονται. Σοῦ οἱ πόδες τρέχουσι, καὶ