John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

no less of philosophy, and for this most of all one must admire him, that after such great virtue, after almsgiving and love for mankind, after being conscious of no evil, neither in himself nor in his children, seeing so great a grief so new and unexpected and which had happened to none of those who had dared the most extreme things, he did not suffer the things of the many, nor did he think that virtue was unprofitable, nor that he had ill-advised in times past. So for both these things, one must not only admire them, but also emulate and imitate their virtue. And let no one say, that they were some admirable people. For admirable they were, and great; but from us now is required more philosophy than from them and from all who lived in the Old Testament. For unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, he says, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, being sobered on every side, and having collected these things, and the things said by us concerning the resurrection, and concerning these saints, let us continually chant to our souls, not only at the time of mourning, but also when we are free from pain. For this reason I too, although no one is in despondency, have now stirred up these words, so that, when we fall into any such calamity, remembering what has been said, we may enjoy sufficient comfort; since soldiers also, when there is peace, practice the things of war, so that when the battle comes, and the occasion demands their experience, they may opportunely display the skill which they perfected in peacetime. So let us too prepare for ourselves weapons and medicines in time of peace, so that if ever a war of irrational passions, or of mourning, or of pain, or of any other such thing should arise, being well-armed and fortified on all sides, we may repel the attacks of the Evil One with much experience, and with right reasonings, and with the decrees of God, and with the examples of good men, and in every way fortify ourselves on all sides. For thus we shall be able both to pass the present life with cheerfulness, and to attain the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and power, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

On the earthquake and on the Rich Man and on Lazarus, and

from whence slavery arose. 1. Have you seen the power of God, have you seen the love of God for mankind? Power, because He shook

the world; love for mankind, because He steadied it when it was falling; or rather in both, both power and love for mankind. For to shake is of power, and to steady is of love for mankind; that He shook the earth and established the world, that He raised it up when it was being shaken and about to fall. But the earthquake has passed, yet let the fear remain. That shaking has run its course, but let not reverence run its course. We made supplication for three days, but let us not put an end to our earnestness. For on this account was the earthquake, because of our indolence. We were indolent, and we summoned the earthquake. We were earnest, and we repelled the wrath. Let us not be indolent again, so that we do not again summon the wrath and the punishment. For God does not desire the death of the sinner, as that he should turn and live. Have you seen the precarious state of the human race? When the earthquake occurred, I thought within myself, saying: Where are the robberies? where the acts of greed? where the acts of tyranny? where the acts of folly? where the dominions? where the oppressions? where the plunderings of the poor? where the arrogance of the rich? where the powers of the rulers? where the threats? where the fears? One moment in time and everything was torn apart more easily than a spider's web, all those things were undone,

φιλοσοφίας οὐχ ἧττον, καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου μάλιστα αὐτὸν θαυμάζειν χρὴ, ὅτι μετὰ τοσαύτην ἀρετὴν, μετὰ ἐλεημοσύνας καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, μετὰ τὸ μηδὲν μήτε ἑαυτῷ, μήτε τοῖς παισὶ συνειδέναι πονηρὸν, τοσοῦτον πένθος ἰδὼν οὕτω καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον καὶ μηδενὶ τῶν τὰ ἔσχατα τετολμηκότων συμβεβηκὸς, οὐκ ἔπαθε τὰ τῶν πολλῶν, οὐδὲ ἐνόμισεν ἀνόνητον εἶναι τὴν ἀρετὴν, οὐδὲ κακῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι τοῖς παρελθοῦσιν. Ὥστε δι' ἀμφότερα αὐτοὺς ταῦτα οὐ θαυμάζειν χρὴ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζηλοῦν καὶ μιμεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρετήν. Καὶ μὴ λεγέτω τις, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι θαυμαστοί τινες ἦσαν. Θαυμαστοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν καὶ μεγάλοι· ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς τανῦν πλείονα ἐκείνων ἀπαιτούμεθα φιλοσοφίαν καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ βεβιωκότων ἁπάντων. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, φησὶν, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Πάντοθεν τοίνυν σωφρονισθέντες, καὶ ταῦτα συλλέξαντες, καὶ τὰ περὶ ἀναστάσεως ἡμῖν εἰρημένα, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἁγίων τούτων, συνεχῶς ἐπᾴδωμεν ταῖς ψυχαῖς, μὴ μόνον κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πένθους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡνίκα ἂν καθαρεύωμεν ὀδύνης. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐγὼ, καίτοι μηδενὸς ὄντος ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ, νῦν τούτους ἐκίνησα τοὺς λόγους, ἵν', ὅταν ἐμπέσωμεν εἴς τινα τοιαύτην συμφορὰν, μεμνημένοι τῶν εἰρημένων, ἱκανῆς ἀπολαύωμεν παραμυθίας· ἐπεὶ καὶ στρατιῶται, εἰρήνης οὔσης, τὰ τοῦ πολέμου μελετῶσιν, ἵνα τῆς μάχης ἐπιστάσης, καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν ἀπαιτοῦντος, εὐκαίρως ἐπιδείξωνται τὴν τέχνην, ἣν ἐν τῇ εἰρήνῃ κατώρθωσαν. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν καὶ ὅπλα καὶ φάρμακα κατασκευάσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εἰρήνης, ἵνα, εἴ ποτε πόλεμος ἐπιστῇ παθῶν ἀλόγων, ἢ πένθους, ἢ ὀδύνης, ἢ ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν τοιούτου, καθωπλισμένοι καλῶς καὶ πεφραγμένοι πάντοθεν, τὰς τοῦ Πονηροῦ προσβολὰς μετὰ πολλῆς ἀποκρουσώμεθα τῆς ἐμπειρίας, καὶ λογισμοῖς ὀρθοῖς, καὶ ταῖς ἀποφάσεσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοῖς ὑποδείγμασι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ πάντοθεν ἑαυτοὺς τειχίσωμεν. Οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν μετὰ εὐθυμίας διενεγκεῖν, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος ἅμα τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Εἰς τὸν σεισμὸν καὶ εἰς τὸν Πλούσιον καὶ εἰς τὸν Λάζαρον, καὶ

πόθεν ἡ δουλεία ἐγένετο. αʹ. Εἴδετε Θεοῦ δύναμιν, εἴδετε Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν; δύναμιν, ὅτι ἐτίναξε

τὴν οἰκουμένην· φιλανθρωπίαν, ὅτι πίπτουσαν αὐτὴν ἔστησε· μᾶλλον δὲ ἐν ἑκατέρῳ καὶ δύναμιν καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ σεῖσαι δυνάμεως, καὶ τὸ στῆσαι φιλανθρωπίας· ὅτι ἔσεισε τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐστήριξε τὴν οἰκουμένην, ὅτι σαλευομένην καὶ μέλλουσαν αὐτὴν πίπτειν ἤγειρεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν σεισμὸς παρῆλθεν, ὁ δὲ φόβος μενέτω· ὁ σάλος ἐκεῖνος παρέδραμεν, ἡ δὲ εὐλάβεια μὴ παραδραμέτω· ἐλιτανεύσαμεν τρεῖς ἡμέρας, ἀλλὰ μὴ καταλύσωμεν τὴν σπουδήν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ὁ σεισμὸς, διὰ τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν· ἐῤῥᾳθυμήσαμεν, καὶ ἐκαλέσαμεν τὸν σεισμόν· ἐσπουδάσαμεν, καὶ ἀπεκρουσάμεθα τὴν ὀργήν· μὴ πάλιν ῥᾳθυμήσωμεν, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν καλέσωμεν τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν. Οὐ γὰρ βούλεται ὁ Θεὸς τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. Εἴδετε τὸ ἐπίκηρον τοῦ γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων; Ὅτε ὁ σεισμὸς ἐγένετο, ἐνενόουν ἐν ἑαυτῷ λέγων· Ποῦ αἱ ἁρπαγαί; ποῦ αἱ πλεονεξίαι; ποῦ αἱ τυραννίδες; ποῦ αἱ ἀπόνοιαι; ποῦ αἱ δυναστεῖαι; ποῦ αἱ καταπονήσεις; ποῦ αἱ λεηλασίαι τῶν πενήτων; ποῦ αἱ ὑπερηφανίαι τῶν πλουτούντων; ποῦ τῶν ἀρχόντων αἱ δυναστεῖαι; ποῦ αἱ ἀπειλαί; ποῦ οἱ φόβοι; Μία καιροῦ ῥοπὴ καὶ ἀράχνης εὐτελέστερον πάντα διεσπᾶτο, πάντα ἐκεῖνα παρελύετο,