John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

having a child, and having shown the same or even greater courage, remember the patriarch Abraham, who did not see Isaac die, but, what was much more bitter and painful, was commanded to slay him himself, and he did not speak against the command, nor was he distressed, nor did he utter any such thing: Did you make me a father for this reason, that you might make me a child-killer? It would have been better not to give him in the first place, than having given him to take him away in such a manner. Do you wish to take him? For what reason do you command me also to slay him, and to defile my own right hand? Did you not promise me that from this child you would fill the world with descendants? How then do you give the fruits while destroying the root? How do you promise descendants while commanding me to slay my son? Who has seen these things, who has heard these things? I have been deceived, I have been deluded. He said nothing of the sort, nor did he think it, nor did he speak against the one who commanded, nor did he demand an accounting, but having heard: Take your beloved son, whom you love, Isaac, and offer him up on one of the mountains which I shall tell you, he fulfilled the command with such eagerness, as to do even more than what was commanded. For he concealed it from his wife, and leaving the servants he secretly told them to remain below, and taking only the victim he went up; thus not unwillingly, but with much eagerness he did what was commanded. Consider then how great it was, to converse with the child alone with alone, with no one present, when his affections were more inflamed, and his love became stronger, and this not for one or two, but even for several days. For to do the command quickly is wonderful and great, but not so wonderful as 48.1025 for his soul to be tormented and 48.1025 tested for many days and yet feel nothing human towards the child. For for this very reason God also set longer contests, and extended the stadium, that you might see the athlete more precisely. For he was truly an athlete, wrestling not with a man, but with the very tyranny of nature. What word will be able to represent his courage? He led the child up, bound him, placed him upon the wood, seized the knife, was about to inflict the blow. How I should say it and in what manner, I do not know; only He who brought these things about knows; for no word will be able to represent how his hand did not grow numb, how the tension of his sinews was not loosened, how the desired sight of the child did not confound him. It is worthy here to marvel also at Isaac. For just as that one obeyed God, so also this one obeyed his father; just as that one, when God commanded him to sacrifice, did not demand an accounting; so also this one, when his father was binding him and leading him up to the altar, did not say: For what reason are you doing these things? but he submitted to his father's hand. And it was possible to see the same man become father and priest, and a sacrifice being offered without blood, a whole burnt offering without fire, a type of death and resurrection taking place upon the altar. For he both slew his son, and did not slay him; he did not slay him with his hand, but with his will. Since God also commanded this for this reason, not wishing to see the shedding of blood, but wanting to show you his resolve, and to proclaim that noble man in the midst of the whole world, and to teach all those after him, that one must prefer the commands of God to children, and nature, and all existing things, and one's very soul. He went down, therefore, taking the living Isaac as a witness. What pardon then shall we have, tell me, or what defense, if we see that noble man obeying God with such eagerness, and yielding all things to him, and we are distressed? Do not tell me of grief, nor of the unbearableness of the calamity, but consider this, that even though the grief was grievous, he was superior to it. The command was sufficient to disturb his reasoning, and to cast him into perplexity, and to undermine his faith in past events. For who among the many would not have thought that the things said concerning the multitude of descendants, which He had 48.1026 promised him, were a deception? But not Abraham. And Job also in his calamity

παῖδα ἔχοντα, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἢ καὶ πλείονα ἀνδρείαν ἐπιδειξάμενον, ἀναμνήσθητι τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἀβραὰμ, ὃς οὐκ εἶδε τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἀποθανόντα, ἀλλ', ὃ πολλῷ πικρότερον ἦν καὶ ὀδυνηρότερον, αὐτὸς αὐτὸν κατασφάξαι ἐπετάττετο, καὶ οὐκ ἀντεῖπε πρὸς τὸ ἐπίταγμα, οὐδὲ ἐδυσχέρανεν, οὐδὲ ἐφθέγξατό τι τοιοῦτον· ∆ιὰ τοῦτό με πατέρα ἐποίησας, ἵνα παιδοκτόνον ἀπεργάσῃ; βέλτιον ἦν μὴ δοῦναι τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἢ δόντα τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ αὐτὸν ἀφελέσθαι. Βούλει λαβεῖν; τίνος ἕνεκεν κἀμὲ κατασφάξαι κελεύεις, καὶ τὴν δεξιὰν μιᾶναι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ; Οὐκ ἀπὸ τούτου μοι τοῦ παιδίου τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐμπλῆσαι τῶν ἀπογόνων ὑπέσχου; πῶς οὖν τοὺς καρποὺς δίδως τὴν ῥίζαν ἀναιρῶν; πῶς δὲ ἀπογόνους ἐπαγγέλλῃ τὸν υἱὸν κατασφάττειν κελεύων; τίς ταῦτα εἶδε, τίς ταῦτα ἤκουσεν; Ἠπάτημαι, παρελογίσθην. Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο οὐκ εἶπεν, οὐκ ἐνενόησεν, οὐκ ἀντεῖπε τῷ κελεύσαντι, οὐκ ἀπῄτησεν εὐθύνας, ἀλλὰ ἀκούσας· Λαβὲ τὸν υἱόν σου τὸν ἀγαπητὸν, ὃν ἠγάπησας, τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ἀνάγαγε αὐτὸν ἐφ' ἓν τῶν ὀρέων ὧν ἄν σοι εἴπω, μετὰ τοσαύτης προθυμίας τὸ ἐπίταγμα ἐπλήρωσεν, ὡς καὶ πλείονα τῶν ἐπιταχθέντων ποιῆσαι. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ γύναιον ἔκρυψε, καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἔλαθε κάτω μένειν ἀφεὶς, καὶ μόνον τὸ ἱερεῖον λαβὼν ἀνῄει· οὕτως οὐκ ἄκων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ προθυμίας πολλῆς τὸ κελευσθὲν ἔπραττεν. Ἐννόησον τοίνυν ἡλίκον ἦν, μόνον μόνῳ διαλέγεσθαι τῷ παιδὶ, μηδενὸς παρόντος, ὅτε μᾶλλον τὰ σπλάγχνα διαθερμαίνεται, καὶ σφοδρότερον τὸ φίλτρον γίνεται, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν μιᾷ ἢ δυσὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πλείοσιν ἡμέραις. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ταχέως ποιῆσαι τὸ ἐπιταχθὲν, θαυμαστὸν καὶ μέγα, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω θαυμαστὸν ὡς 48.1025 τὸ διὰ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν βασανιζομένης αὐτοῦ καὶ 48.1025 γυμναζομένης τῆς ψυχῆς μηδὲν παθεῖν πρὸς τὸ παιδίον ἀνθρώπινον. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο αὐτὸ καὶ μακρότερα σκάμματα ἐπέθηκεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τὸ στάδιον ἐξέτεινεν, ἵνα ἀκριβέστερον ἴδῃς τὸν ἀθλητήν. Καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἀθλητὴς ὄντως, οὐκ ἀνθρώπῳ παλαίων, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ τῇ τῆς φύσεως τυραννίδι. Ποῖος λόγος παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται τὴν ἀνδρείαν; Ἀνήγαγε τὸ παιδίον, συνεπόδισε, τοῖς ξύλοις ἐπέθηκε, τὴν μάχαιραν ἥρπασεν, ἐπάγειν τὴν πληγὴν ἔμελλε. Πῶς εἴπω καὶ ποίῳ τρόπῳ, οὐκ ἔχω· μόνος αὐτὸς οἶδεν ὁ ταῦτα ἐργασάμενος· λόγος γὰρ οὐδεὶς παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται, πῶς οὐκ ἐνάρκησεν ἡ χεὶρ, πῶς οὐκ ἐλύθη τῶν νεύρων ὁ τόνος, πῶς οὐ συνέχεεν αὐτὸν ἡ ποθουμένη τοῦ παιδίου ὄψις. Ἄξιον ἐνταῦθα θαυμάσαι καὶ τὸν Ἰσαάκ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τῷ Θεῷ, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἐπείθετο τῷ πατρί· καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος, τοῦ Θεοῦ κελεύοντος θῦσαι, οὐκ ἀπῄτησεν εὐθύνας· οὕτω καὶ οὗτος, τοῦ πατρὸς δεσμεύοντος καὶ ἀνάγοντος ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν, οὐκ εἶπε· Τίνος ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ποιεῖς; ἀλλ' ὑπέκειτο τῇ χειρὶ τῇ πατρικῇ. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν πατέρα καὶ ἱερέα γινόμενον τὸν αὐτὸν, καὶ θυσίαν χωρὶς αἵματος ἀναφερομένην, ὁλοκαύτωμα χωρὶς πυρὸς, θανάτου καὶ ἀναστάσεως τύπον ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ γινόμενον. Καὶ γὰρ ἔσφαξε τὸν υἱὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἔσφαξεν· οὐκ ἔσφαξε χειρὶ, ἀλλὰ τῇ προθυμίᾳ. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσεν, οὐχ αἵματος χύσιν βουλόμενος ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ προαίρεσίν σοι δεῖξαι θέλων, καὶ τὸν γενναῖον ἐκεῖνον ἐν μέσῳ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀνακηρῦξαι πάσης, καὶ παιδεῦσαι τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα πάντας, ὅτι καὶ παίδων, καὶ φύσεως, καὶ τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων, καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ προστάγματα προτιμᾷν χρή. Κατῄει τοίνυν ζῶντα λαβὼν μάρτυρα τὸν Ἰσαάκ. Τίνα οὖν ἕξομεν συγγνώμην, εἰπέ μοι, ποίαν δὲ ἀπολογίαν, εἰ τὸν γενναῖον ἐκεῖνον μετὰ τοσαύτης εἴδομεν προθυμίας τῷ Θεῷ πειθόμενον, καὶ πάντων αὐτῷ παραχωροῦντα, καὶ ἡμεῖς δυσχεραίνομεν; Μὴ δή μοι τὸ πένθος εἴπῃς, μηδὲ τὸ τῆς συμφορᾶς ἀφόρητον, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο σκόπησον, ὅτι καὶ τοῦ πένθους χαλεποῦ ὄντος ἀνώτερος ἦν. Ἱκανὸν ἦν τὸ ἐπιταχθὲν θορυβῆσαι αὐτοῦ τὸν λογισμὸν, καὶ εἰς ἀπορίαν αὐτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν, καὶ τὴν πίστιν ὑπορύξαι τὴν ἐν τοῖς παρελθοῦσι. Τίς γὰρ τῶν πολλῶν οὐκ ἂν ἐνόμιζεν ἀπάτην εἶναι τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἐγγόνων, ὧν αὐτῷ 48.1026 ἐπηγγείλατο; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ Ἀβραάμ. Καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβδὲ τῆς ἐπὶ τῇ συμφορᾷ