John Chrysostom, On John

and the devil, covering his face, withdrew, and death itself for a time stood aside, and after these things completely vanished; and every kind of sickness was undone, and the tombs released the dead, the demons the possessed, and the diseases the sick; and one could see paradoxical and wonderful things, and what prophets reasonably desired to see, and did not see. For one could see eyes being formed, and that desired thing, which all would have desired to see, how God formed Adam from the earth, showing this in brief to all, and in the better part of the body; both paralyzed and disjointed limbs being glued together, and fitted to one another, dead hands moving, paralyzed feet suddenly leaping, stopped ears being opened, and a tongue sounding out loud, that was previously bound by speechlessness. For just as some excellent craftsman, taking up a house decayed by time, so then taking up the common nature of men, He both filled in its broken parts, and bound together the parts that were separated and dissolved, and raised up what had completely fallen. What might one say of the fashioning of the soul, being much more wonderful than that in bodies? For the health of bodies is a great thing, but that of souls is much greater, and greater by as much as the soul is better than the body; but not only in this way, but because the nature of bodies, in whatever way the Creator wishes to lead it, follows in that way, and there is nothing that resists; but the soul, having become master of itself, and having authority over its actions, does not obey God in all things, unless it wishes. For He does not wish to make it good and virtuous when it is unwilling and somehow forced by violence, since this is not even virtue; but it is necessary to persuade it, when it is willing and of its own accord, to become such; whence this is more difficult than that healing. But nevertheless this too was accomplished, and every kind of evil was driven out. And just as He transformed the bodies that were healed not only to health, but also to the highest state of well-being; so also He not only freed souls from the utmost evil, but also led them to the very summit of virtue; and the tax collector became an apostle, and the persecutor and blasphemer and insolent man was shown to be the herald of the world; and magi became teachers of the Jews; and a robber appeared as a citizen of paradise; and a prostitute shone with great faith; and a Canaanite woman and a Samaritan woman, the latter also a prostitute, the one took up the preaching to her own people, and having ensnared a whole city, thus brought it to Christ; 59.84 while the other by faith and persistence caused an evil demon to be driven out from her daughter's soul. And others much worse than these were immediately enrolled in the rank of the disciples. And all things were transformed at once, the sufferings of bodies, the diseases of souls, and were remolded towards health and the most exact virtue, and of these, not two and three people, nor five, and ten, and twenty and a hundred only, but whole cities and nations were reformed with great ease. What might one say of the philosophy of the commandments, the excellence of the heavenly laws, the good order of the angelic polity? For He introduced such a life to us, He set such laws for us, He established such a polity, that those who use these things immediately become angels, and like God according to our ability, even if they happen to be the worst of all men. 3. Therefore the evangelist, gathering together all these wonders, those in bodies, those in souls, those in the elements, the commandments, those ineffable gifts, and higher than the heavens, the laws, the polity, the persuasion, the future promises, His sufferings, uttered this wonderful voice, full of high doctrines, saying: We have seen his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. For not only for the miracles do we admire him, but also for the sufferings; for instance, because he was nailed to the

τε διάβολος ἐγκαλυψάμενος ὑπεχώρει, αὐτός τε ὁ θάνατος ὑπεξίστατο τέως, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τέλεον ἠφανίζετο· καὶ πάσης ἀῤῥωστίας εἶδος ἐλύετο, καὶ τοὺς μὲν νεκροὺς ἠφίει τὰ μνήματα, τοὺς δὲ μεμηνότας οἱ δαίμονες, τοὺς δὲ ἀῤῥώστους αἱ νόσοι· καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν πράγματα παράδοξα καὶ θαυμαστὰ, καὶ ἅπερ εἰκότως ἐπεθύμησαν προφῆται ἰδεῖν, καὶ οὐκ εἶδον. Ἦν γὰρ ἰδεῖν ὀφθαλμοὺς διαπλαττομένους, καὶ τὸ ποθεινὸν ἐκεῖνο, ὃ πάντες ἐπεθύμησαν ἂν ἰδεῖν, πῶς τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἔπλασεν ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτο ἐν βραχεῖ πᾶσιν ἐπιδεικνύντα, καὶ ἐν τῷ βελτίονι τοῦ σώματος μέρει· τά τε παραλελυμένα καὶ διῳκισμένα συγκολλώμενα μέλη, καὶ ἀλλήλοις συναρμοττόμενα, χεῖρας νεκρὰς κινουμένας, πόδας παραλελυμένους ἀθρόον ἁλλομένους, ὦτα βεβυσμένα ἀναπεταννύμενα, καὶ γλῶτταν ἠχοῦσαν μέγα, τὴν πρότερον ἀφωνίᾳ δεδεμένην. Καθάπερ γάρ τις τεχνίτης ἄριστος, οἰκίαν ὑπὸ χρόνου σαθρωθεῖσαν ἀναλαβὼν, τὴν κοινὴν τότε τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν, οὕτω ταύτης τά τε ἀποκλασθέντα ἀνεπλήρωσε μέρη, τά τε διεστῶτα καὶ διαλελυμένα συνέσφιγξε, καὶ τὰ τέλεον πεπτωκότα ἀνέστησε. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν διάπλασιν, πολλῷ θαυμαστοτέραν τῆς ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν οὖσαν; Μέγα μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἡ τῶν σωμάτων ὑγεία, πολλῷ δὲ μεῖζον ἡ τῶν ψυχῶν, καὶ τοσούτῳ μεῖζον, ὅσῳ ψυχὴ σώματος ἄμεινον· οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἡ μὲν τῶν σωμάτων φύσις, ᾗπερ ἂν αὐτὴν ὁ ∆ημιουργὸς ἄγειν βούληται, ταύτῃ ἕπεται, καὶ τὸ ἀντιπίπτον οὐδέν· ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ κυρία ἑαυτῆς γενομένη, καὶ τῶν πρακτέων τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχουσα, οὐ πάντα, ἂν μὴ βούληται, πείθεται τῷ Θεῷ. Ἄκουσαν γὰρ αὐτὴν καὶ βίᾳ που κατηναγκασμένην, οὐ βούλεται ποιῆσαι καλὴν καὶ ἐνάρετον, ἐπειδήπερ μηδὲ ἔστι τοῦτο ἀρετή· ἀλλὰ χρὴ βουλομένην καὶ ἑκοῦσαν πεῖσαι γενέσθαι τοιαύτην· ὅθεν χαλεπώτερον τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐκείνης τῆς ἰατρείας. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοῦτο κατωρθοῦτο, καὶ πᾶν εἶδος κακίας ἠλαύνετο. Καὶ ὥσπερ τὰ σώματα τὰ θεραπευόμενα, οὐ πρὸς ὑγίειαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς εὐεξίαν τὴν ἀνωτάτω μετεῤῥύθμιζεν· οὕτω καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς, οὐ τῆς κακίας τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀπήλλαξε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν κορυφὴν ἤγαγε· καὶ ὁ τελώνης ἀπόστολος ἐγίνετο, καὶ ὁ διώκτης καὶ βλάσφημος καὶ ὑβριστὴς, κῆρυξ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀπεδείκνυτο· καὶ μάγοι, διδάσκαλοι Ἰουδαίων ἐγίνοντο· καὶ λῃστὴς, παραδείσου πολίτης ἀνεφαίνετο· καὶ πόρνη, πολλῇ τῇ πίστει διέλαμπε· καὶ Χαναναία καὶ Σαμαρεῖτις γυνὴ, ἑτέρα πόρνη καὶ αὐτὴ, ἡ μὲν τὸ κήρυγμα τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἀνεδέξατο, καὶ πόλιν ὁλόκληρον σαγηνεύσασα, οὕτω προσήγαγε τῷ Χριστῷ· 59.84 ἡ δὲ τῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ προσεδρείᾳ δαίμονα πονηρὸν ἀπελαθῆναι τῆς τοῦ θυγατρίου ψυχῆς παρεσκεύασε. Καὶ ἕτεροι δὲ πολλῷ τούτων χείρους εἰς τὴν τῶν μαθητῶν εὐθέως κατελέγοντο τάξιν. Καὶ πάντα ἀθρόον μετεσχηματίζετο, τῶν σωμάτων τὰ πάθη, τῶν ψυχῶν τὰ νοσήματα, καὶ πρὸς ὑγείαν καὶ τὴν ἀκριβεστάτην ἀρετὴν μετεπλάττοντο, καὶ τούτων, οὐ δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἄνθρωποι, οὐδὲ πέντε, καὶ δέκα, καὶ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ πόλεις ὁλόκληροι καὶ ἔθνη μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας μετεῤῥυθμίζοντο. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τῶν προσταγμάτων τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, τῶν οὐρανίων νόμων τὴν ἀρετὴν, τῆς ἀγγελικῆς πολιτείας τὴν εὐταξίαν; Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν εἰσηγήσατο βίον, τοιούτους ἡμῖν ἔθηκε νόμους, τοιαύτην κατεστήσατο πολιτείαν, ὡς τοὺς τούτοις χρωμένους ἀγγέλους εὐθέως γίνεσθαι, καὶ ὁμοίους Θεῷ κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, κἂν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων κακίους τύχωσιν ὄντες. γʹ. Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα συναγαγὼν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς τὰ θαύματα, τὰ ἐν σώμασι, τὰ ἐν ψυχαῖς, τὰ ἐν τοῖς στοιχείοις, τὰ προστάγματα, τὰ δῶρα τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἐκεῖνα, καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ὑψηλότερα, τοὺς νόμους, τὴν πολιτείαν, τὴν πειθὼ, τὰς μελλούσας ὑποσχέσεις, τὰ παθήματα αὐτοῦ, τὴν θαυμαστὴν ταύτην καὶ ὑψηλῶν γέμουσαν δογμάτων ἀφῆκε φωνὴν λέγων· Ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς Μονογενοῦς παρὰ Πατρὸς, πλήρη χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τὰ θαύματα μόνον αὐτὸν θαυμάζομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὰ παθήματα· οἷον, ἐπειδὴ προσηλώθη τῷ