John Chrysostom, Expositions on the Psalms

and goes forth. Therefore each day we are worthy of being punished. For if this were not so, he would not have set it down as something great, that he is not angry every day. But he says this because, while our deeds demand this, the loving-kindness of God holds back the deserved punishment, he says this. Do you see here also how he shows the clemency of God, and calls punishment wrath? For no one brings wrath upon another, but has the wrath himself, and brings the punishment upon the other. Therefore he indicates nothing else but the punishment by saying, "And not bringing on wrath each day." And how does he say, "each day"? Let each one enter into his own conscience, and then he will see. For, to pass over the secret sins of each person, who shall escape these common ones? What are these? What day is there, in which we do not pray lazily and with much carelessness? That this is worthy of wrath is clear from this. For tell me: if you came before a judge yawning, and were convicted of it, would he not immediately have demanded satisfaction from you, and sent you into exile? Yes, you say; for he is a man. And what of that? For a man who has been insulted would not be right to be angry; for he was insulted by his equal. But God, being insulted, would rightly bring on the punishment. For this sin is greater than that against a man. And the man does this seeking his own interest; but God, yours. So on this account, this is more worthy of indignation. For it is not the same thing to despise those who seek their own interests, and Him who seeks yours. For this is worthy of greater wrath, when, even when you are about to ask for things profitable for you, you are not sober, Who is there who has not insulted his brother without a cause? For do not tell me that he insulted a servant; For in Christ there is neither male nor female, neither slave nor free. Again, who is there who has not accused, nor lied? who has not 55.97 looked at a woman with licentious eyes? who has not envied? who has not been vainglorious? who has not uttered an idle word? And all these things are liable to punishment. And if, while not being zealous about the things of this life, we were not so in spiritual things either, we would be worthy of pardon; but now we are deprived even of this defense. For in those things we are vigilant, but in these we are remiss. So that we, hearing that He is long-suffering, might not become more careless, he added: If you do not turn, he will whet his sword. Another says, He will sharpen his sword. He has bent his bow, and made it ready. Another says, He will stretch it. And in it he has prepared instruments of death. He has made his arrows for those who burn. Another says, For to burn. 11. What will they say here, those who say God is anthropomorphic, because it is said that he has hands and feet and eyes? Are there then bows above, and arrows, and a whetstone, and a sword, and a quiver? And indeed another says: "When you look, the mountains will be shaken before you." And this one himself: "He who looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble." But if by merely seeing the earth, he melts the nature of stones, much more will he be able to do this to men. For what reason then, he who is able to destroy the inhabited world by merely seeing—or rather by merely willing (for he who made it by will alone, it is quite clear that he can also destroy it by will alone)—is he said to have a sword and a bow? For if "In his hand are the ends of the earth," and "those who dwell in it are as locusts," and "all the nations will be counted as a drop from a bucket, and as the turn of a scale;" and his angel, going out, in a short moment of time destroyed one hundred and eighty-five thousand; why do I say angel? flies and caterpillars and worms destroyed the camp of the Egyptians; where is the need of a bow there? where of a sword? For what reason then are these things said? Because of the denseness of the hearers, and so that with the familiar names of weapons he might shake their mind. For in whose hand is the breath of us all, and from whose face a chill

καὶ ἐπεξέρχεται. Ἄρα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν τοῦ κολάζεσθαί ἐσμεν ἄξιοι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἦν, ὡς μέγα τι τέθεικε τὸ, Μὴ ὀργὴν ἐπάγων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Ἀλλ' ὡς τῶν πραγμάτων μὲν τοῦτο ἀπαιτούντων, τῆς δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐπεχούσης τὴν ἀξίαν κόλασιν, τοῦτό φησιν. Εἶδες καὶ ἐνταῦθα πῶς τὸ ἀνεπαχθὲς τοῦ Θεοῦ δείκνυσι, καὶ τὴν κόλασιν ὀργὴν λέγει; Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὀργὴν ἐπάγει ἄλλῳ, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ὀργὴν αὐτὸς ἔχει, τὴν δὲ κόλασιν ἐπάγει ἑτέρῳ. Οὐδὲν οὖν ἄλλο, ἢ τὴν κόλασιν δηλοῖ τῷ εἰπεῖν, Καὶ μὴ ὀργὴν ἐπάγων καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Καὶ πῶς φησι, Καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν; Εἰσελθέτω ἕκαστος εἰς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ συνειδὸς, καὶ τότε ὄψεται. Ἵνα γὰρ παρῶ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἑκάστου ἁμαρτήματα, ταῦτα δὴ τὰ κοινὰ τίς διαφεύξεται; Ποῖα δὴ ταῦτα; Ποία ἐστὶν ἡμέρα, ᾗ μὴ ῥᾳθύμως εὐχόμεθα καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ὀλιγωρίας; Ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο ὀργῆς ἄξιον, δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι· εἰ δικαστῇ χασμώμενος προσῆλθες, καὶ διηλέγχθης, οὐκ ἄν σε εὐθέως δίκην ἀπῄτησε, καὶ εἰς τὴν ὑπερορίαν μετέστησε; Ναὶ, φησίν· ἄνθρωπος γάρ ἐστι. Καὶ τί τοῦτο; Ἄνθρωπος μὲν γὰρ ὑβρισθεὶς, οὐκ ἂν εἴη δίκαιος ἀγανακτεῖν· παρὰ γὰρ τοῦ ὁμοτίμου ὑβρίσθη· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ὑβριζόμενος. δικαίως ἂν ἐπαγάγοι τὴν δίκην. Μείζων γὰρ αὕτη ἡ ἁμαρτία τῆς εἰς ἄνθρωπον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἄνθρωπος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ζητῶν τοῦτο ποιεῖ· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τὸ σόν. Ὥστε κατὰ τοῦτο, ἄξιον τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἀγανακτήσεως. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἴσον καταφρονεῖν τῶν τὰ ἑαυτῶν ζητούντων, καὶ τοῦ τὰ σά. Τοῦτο γὰρ μείζονος ὀργῆς ἄξιον, ὅταν μηδὲ αἰτεῖν μέλλων τὰ σοὶ συμφέροντα, νήφῃς, Τίς δέ ἐστιν, ὃς οὐχ ὕβρισε τὸν ἀδελφὸν εἰκῆ; Μὴ γάρ μοι εἴπῃς, ὅτι οἰκέτην ὕβρισεν· Ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ οὐκ ἄρσεν, οὐ θῆλυ, οὐ δοῦλος, οὐκ ἐλεύθερός ἐστι. Τίς πάλιν ὃς οὐ κατηγόρησεν, οὐδὲ ἐψεύσατο; ὃς οὐκ 55.97 εἶδεν ἀκολάστοις ὀφθαλμοῖς γυναῖκα; ὃς οὐκ ἐβάσκηνεν; ὃς οὐκ ἐκενοδόξησεν; ὃς οὐκ ἐφθέγξατο ῥῆμα ἀργόν; Πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ὑπὸ κόλασιν κεῖται. Καὶ εἰ μὲν περὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ μὴ ὄντες σπουδαῖοι, μηδὲ ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἦμεν, συγγνώμης ἂν ἦμεν ἄξιοι· νῦν δὲ καὶ ταύτης ἀπεστερήμεθα τῆς ἀπολογίας. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἐκείνοις μὲν ἐγρηγορότες ἐσμὲν, ἐν τούτοις δὲ ἀναπεπτωκότες. Ὥστε δὲ μὴ ἀκούοντας, ὅτι μακρόθυμος, ῥᾳθυμοτέρους γενέσθαι, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιστραφῆτε, τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ στιλβώσει. Ἕτερος δέ φησι, Τὴν μάχαιραν αὐτοῦ ἀκονήσει. Τὸ τόξον αὐτοῦ ἐνέτεινε, καὶ ἡτοίμασεν αὐτό. Ἄλλος φησὶν, Ἐκτενεῖ. Καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἡτοίμασε σκεύη θανάτου. Τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ τοῖς καιομένοις ἐξειργάσατο. Ἄλλος φησὶν, Εἰς τὸ καίειν. ιαʹ. Τί ἐνταῦθα ἐροῦσιν οἱ ἀνθρωπόμορφον τὸν Θεὸν λέγοντες, ἐκ τοῦ λέγεσθαι χεῖρας καὶ πόδας καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχειν; Ἆρα τόξα ἄνω, καὶ βέλη, καὶ ἀκόνη, καὶ μάχαιρα, καὶ φαρέτρα; Καὶ μὴν ἄλλος φησίν· Ἐν τῷ ἐπιβλέψαι σε, ταραχθήσονται ἐπὶ σοῦ ὄρη. Καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος· Ὁ ἐπιβλέπων ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὴν τρέμειν. Εἰ δὲ ὁρῶν μόνον τὴν γῆν, καὶ λίθων τήκει φύσιν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο δυνήσεται. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ μόνον ἰδεῖν καταστρέψαι δυνάμενος τὴν οἰκουμένην, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθελῆσαι μόνον ὁ γὰρ θελήματι μόνον ποιήσας αὐτὴν, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ θελήματι μόνῳ ἀνελεῖν δύναται, λέγεται ῥομφαίαν ἔχειν καὶ τόξον; Εἰ γὰρ Ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, Καὶ οἱ ἐνοικοῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ, ὡς ἀκρίδες· καὶ Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὡς σταγὼν ἀπὸ κάδου, καὶ ὡς ῥοπὴ ζυγοῦ λογισθήσεται· καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐξελθὼν, ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας ἀνεῖλε· τί λέγω ἄγγελος; μυῖαι καὶ κάμπαι καὶ σκώληκες τὸ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων στρατόπεδον ἀπώλεσαν· ποῦ τόξου αὐτόθι χρεία; ποῦ δὲ μαχαίρας; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ταῦτα εἴρηται; ∆ιὰ τὴν τῶν ἀκουόντων παχύτητα, καὶ ὥστε τοῖς ὀνόμασι τοῖς συντρόφοις τῶν ὅπλων κατασεῖσαι αὐτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν. Οὗ γὰρ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ἡ πνοὴ πάντων ἡμῶν, καὶ οὗ κατὰ πρόσωπον ψύχους