John Chrysostom, Commentary on the Letter to the Galatians

of the visitation of the Spirit, but it is not necessary for this reason to remain with the schoolmaster. Then, reasonably, we were under the law, that by fear we might restrain our desires, the Spirit not yet having appeared; but now that grace has been given, which not only commands to abstain from them, but also withers them, and leads up to a greater way of life, what need is there of the law? For to one who by his own nature accomplishes greater things, what need is there of a schoolmaster? for one who is a philosopher does not need a grammarian.

Why then do you debase yourselves, having previously given yourselves to the Spirit, and now sitting by the law? Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, adultery, uncleanness, licentiousness, 61.673 sorcery, idolatry, enmities, strife, jealousies, fits of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and things like these, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I have told you in time past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Here then, you who accuse your flesh, tell me, you who think that these things are said as about an enemy and a foe (for let adultery and fornication be of the flesh, according to you), the enmities, and the strifes, and the jealousies, and the rivalries, and the heresies, and the sorceries (for these things are only of a corrupt choice, as indeed are the others) how could they be of the flesh? Do you see that he does not mean the flesh here, but earthly and groveling reasoning? For this reason he also inspires fear, saying, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But if these things are of a wicked nature, and not of a depraved choice, he said superfluously, "Doing," but rather, "Suffering." And for what reason do they fall from the kingdom? For neither the crowns nor the punishments are for things in nature, but for things in choice. For this reason also Paul made these threats. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. He did not say, the work of the Spirit, but, The fruit. Is then the soul superfluous? For if the argument is about flesh and spirit, where is the soul? Is he then speaking about soulless beings? For when the evil things are of the flesh, and the useful things are of the spirit, the soul is superfluous. Not at all; for the continence of the passions is of it and concerns it; and lying in the midst of vice and virtue, if it uses the body for what is needful, it has made it spiritual; but if it turns away from the spirit and gives itself over to wicked desires, it has made it more earthly. Do you see from every side how his argument is not now about the substance of the flesh, but about a depraved choice, and one that is not such? And why does he call it the fruit of the Spirit? Because the evil works are from us 61.674 alone; which is why he calls them works; but the good things require not only our diligence, but also the loving-kindness of God. Then, when he is about to recount them, he first sets down the root of good things, saying thus: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. For what would one command to him who has all things in himself, and has love as a perfected teacher of philosophy? For just as well-reined horses that do everything of their own accord would have no need of a whip; so also a soul that accomplishes virtue from the spirit has no need of the admonishing law. And here he has wonderfully cast out the law, not as being base, but as being inferior to the philosophy given by the Spirit. But they who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. For lest they should say: And who is such a one? he shows in their works those who accomplish such things, again calling the wicked practices flesh here. For they did not, of course, destroy the flesh; since how were they to live? For what has been crucified is dead and inactive; but it signifies exact philosophy. For the desires, even if they trouble us, rage in vain; since, therefore, the strength of the Spirit is so great, let us live by it, let us be content with it; which he himself adds

τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπιφοιτήσεως, οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο ἐναπομένειν χρὴ τῷ παιδαγωγῷ. Τότε μὲν εἰκότως ὑπὸ νόμον ἦμεν, ἵνα τῷ δέει κολάζωμεν τὰς ἐπιθυμίας, οὔπω τοῦ πνεύματος φανέντος· νῦν δὲ τῆς χάριτος δεδομένης τῆς οὐ κελευούσης μόνον αὐτῶν ἀπέχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαραινούσης αὐτὰς, καὶ πρὸς μείζονα πολιτείαν ἀναγούσης, τίς χρεία νόμου; Τῷ γὰρ οἴκοθεν κατορθοῦντι τὰ μείζω, ποῦ χρεία παιδαγωγοῦ; οὐδὲ γὰρ γραμματιστοῦ τις δεῖται φιλόσοφος ὤν.

Τί τοίνυν ἑαυτοὺς ἐξευτελίζετε, τῷ πνεύματι πρότερον ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδόντες, καὶ νῦν προσκαθήμενοι τῷ νόμῳ; Φανερὰ δέ ἐστι τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκὸς, ἅτινά ἐστι πορνεία, μοιχεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια, 61.673 φαρμακεία, εἰδωλολατρεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρεις, ζῆλοι, θυμοὶ, ἐρίθειαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις, φθόνοι, φόνοι, μέθαι, κῶμοι, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις, ἃ προλέγω ὑμῖν, καθὼς καὶ προεῖπον, ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες, βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν. Ἐνταῦθα λοιπὸν ὁ τῆς σαρκός σου κατηγορῶν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ νομίζων ὡς περὶ ἐχθρᾶς καὶ πολεμίας ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι (ἔστω γὰρ ἡ μοιχεία καὶ ἡ πορνεία τῆς σαρκὸς καθ' ὑμᾶς), αἱ ἔχθραι, καὶ αἱ ἔρεις, καὶ οἱ ζῆλοι, καὶ αἱ ἐρίθειαι, καὶ αἱ αἱρέσεις, καὶ αἱ φαρμακεῖαι (προαιρέσεως γὰρ ταῦτα διεφθαρμένης μόνον, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα) πῶς ἂν εἶεν σαρκός; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὔ φησι τὴν σάρκα ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ τὸν γεώδη λογισμὸν καὶ χαμαὶ συρόμενον; ∆ιὸ καὶ φοβεῖ λέγων, ὅτι Οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες, βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν. Εἰ δὲ φύσεως ταῦτα πονηρᾶς, καὶ οὐ προαιρέσεως μοχθηρᾶς, περιττῶς εἶπε, Πράσσουσιν, ἀλλὰ, Πάσχουσι. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ βασιλείας ἐκπίπτουσιν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν ἐν φύσει, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐν προαιρέσει καὶ οἱ στέφανοι καὶ αἱ κολάσεις. ∆ιὸ καὶ ταῦτα ἠπείλησεν ὁ Παῦλος. Ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος ἀγάπη, χαρὰ, εἰρήνη. Οὐκ εἶπε, τὸ ἔργον τοῦ πνεύματος, ἀλλ', Ὁ καρπός. Οὐκοῦν ἡ ψυχὴ περιττή· εἰ γὰρ περὶ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος ὁ λόγος, ποῦ ἡ ψυχή; Ἆρα περὶ ἀψύχων διαλέγεται; Ὅταν γὰρ τὰ μὲν πονηρὰ τῆς σαρκὸς, τὰ δὲ χρήσιμα τοῦ πνεύματος ᾖ, περιττὴ ἡ ψυχή. Οὐδαμῶς· καὶ γὰρ ἡ ἐγκράτεια τῶν παθῶν ταύτης καὶ περὶ αὐτῆς· καὶ ἐν μέσῳ κειμένης κακίας καὶ ἀρετῆς, ἂν μὲν εἰς δέον χρήσηται τῷ σώματι, πνευματικὸν αὐτὸ κατειργάσατο· ἂν δὲ ἀποστῇ μὲν τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐκδῷ δὲ αὑτὴν ταῖς πονηραῖς ἐπιθυμίαις, γεωδεστέραν αὐτὴν κατεσκεύασεν. Ὁρᾷς πάντοθεν πῶς οὐ περὶ οὐσίας αὐτῷ τῆς σαρκὸς νῦν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ περὶ προαιρέσεως μοχθηρᾶς, καὶ οὐ τοιαύτης; ∆ιὰ τί δὲ καρπὸν καλεῖ τοῦ πνεύματος; Ὅτι τὰ μὲν πονηρὰ ἔργα ἐξ ἡμῶν 61.674 γίνεται μόνων· διὸ καὶ ἔργα καλεῖ· τὰ δὲ καλὰ οὐ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπιμελείας δεῖται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας. Εἶτα μέλλων αὐτὰ διηγεῖσθαι, τὴν ῥίζαν τίθησι πρῶτον τῶν ἀγαθῶν, οὕτω λέγων· Ἀγάπη, χαρὰ, εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία, χρηστότης, ἀγαθοεργία, πίστις, πραότης, ἐγκράτεια. Κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστι νόμος. Τί γὰρ ἄν τις ἐπιτάξειε τῷ πάντα ἔχοντι παρ' ἑαυτῷ, καὶ διδάσκαλον ἀπηρτισμένην τῆς φιλοσοφίας τὴν ἀγάπην; Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τῶν ἵππων εὐήνιοι καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἅπαντα πράττοντες, οὐκ ἂν δεηθεῖεν μάστιγος· οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ κατορθοῦσα τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀπὸ πνεύματος, οὐ δεῖται τοῦ νουθετοῦντος νόμου. Πάνυ δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸν νόμον θαυμαστικῶς ἐξέβαλεν, οὐχ ὡς φαῦλον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐλάττονα τῆς δεδομένης παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος φιλοσοφίας. Οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασι καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσι· Καὶ τίς ἐστι τοιοῦτος; δείκνυσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα κατορθοῦντας, σάρκα πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὰς πονηρὰς πράξεις καλῶν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ τὴν σάρκα ἀνεῖλον· ἐπεὶ πῶς ἔμελλον ζῇν; Τὸ γὰρ ἐσταυρωμένον, νεκρόν ἐστι καὶ ἀνενέργητον· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκριβῆ φιλοσοφίαν δηλοῖ. Καὶ γὰρ αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι, κἂν ἐνοχλῶσι, κενὰ λυσσῶσιν· ἐπεὶ οὖν τοσαύτη τοῦ πνεύματος ἡ ἰσχὺς, ἐκείνῳ ζῶμεν, ἐκείνῳ ἀρκώμεθα· ὃ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπάγει