John Chrysostom, Expositions on the Psalms

he suffers terribly. He is filled with anger, he is torn apart by wrath, he stirs up countless waves of thoughts, he travels countless roads, fear comes upon him and anguish and trembling, with his anger tearing him apart, with his fear shaking him down, how he might succeed, how he might carry it out; and before the one he intends to wrong is wronged, he destroys himself. But the one who has cast out anger is rid of all these things; and very rightly so. For he is master of this, and has accomplished the whole thing; but the other is no longer, but there is also need of occasion, and place, and deceit, and malice, and weapons, and devices, and of collisions, and flattery, and servitude, and hypocrisy. Do you see how easy virtue is, but how difficult vice is? how the one is untroubled, but the other is full of disturbances? Sketching this out, then, the Prophet said: Behold, he was in travail with injustice, he conceived trouble, and brought forth iniquity. From this it is shown that injustice is not according to our nature, but something alien. Therefore it also weighs us down, and until we are delivered from it, it surrounds us with birth pangs. Since indeed the embryo, so long as it is being formed, lies in the womb according to nature; for this reason it both remains, and has no pain. But after it is completed, if it remains within, its stay is contrary to nature; whence also birth pangs occur. Wherefore nature, being troubled, is forced to push it out, since she has worked out and completed the whole, and is no longer able to bear it. But in that case, first there is a conception, and then a birth pang; but in this case, first he was in travail, and then he conceived and brought forth. What then is there to say? That in that case the birth pang is at the time of birth, but in this case the birth pang is from the beginning. For as soon as someone has devised some evil thing, and before he fixes it in his mind, there is confusion and disturbance in his mind. For in the 55.102 case of a woman, the seed once cast is itself also formed for the constitution of the child; but in the case of those who contrive deceits, today this thought was cast, and again tomorrow another; and there are countless castings of these evil things, and every day conceptions and birth pangs corrupting the mind that gives birth to them. For the birth is not such as it is with women; but as in the case of vipers, the young go forth tearing apart the womb and cutting through the sides; so it is also in the case of deceits and injustice. But even if we should contend ten thousand times, we will not be able to represent in speech the pain which the wicked endure. Wherefore someone also says: But the evil man alone will draw up evils. For what is more grievous and more painful than the one who is envious, the one who plots against, the one who covets the things of others? More grievous than any executioner, these passions lacerate the soul. 14. So he rightly called such thoughts birth pangs. But just as women give birth from intercourse, and if their bodies are healthy, their offspring are likely to be such; but if they are corrupt, it imitates the nature of the parents; so it is also in the case of thoughts. And if you associate with good things, such will be the offspring; but if with evil things, and you do not pay heed, you will receive great ruin from them. Hear, then, what the prophet says: Because of your fear we have conceived in the womb, and have been in travail, and have brought forth a spirit of salvation. But concerning those from the devil: They have broken the eggs of asps, and weave a spider's web. Let us flee, therefore, the wicked. For how is it not absurd, when it is possible to conceive and give birth from the commands of God, not to wish to, but to pursue intercourse with the wicked, doing the same thing as a woman who, having the power to be joined to a king, does not endure it, but instead of him chooses to take a robber and a housebreaker as a partner? He has dug a pit, and has excavated it, and he will fall into the ditch which he has made. Again he uses metaphors, just as by the birth pang he signifies the pain, so by the pit he indicates what is hard to escape. And he will fall into the ditch which he has made. Which another says: He who digs a pit for his neighbor will fall into it. And this too is of the philanthropy of God, that

πάσχει δεινά. Πληροῦται θυμοῦ, διακόπτεται ὑπὸ ὀργῆς, μυρία κύματα κινεῖ λογισμῶν, ὁδοὺς ἔρχεται μυρίας, φόβος ἔπεισι καὶ ἀγωνία καὶ τρόμος, τοῦ θυμοῦ διακόπτοντος, τοῦ φόβου κατασείοντος, πῶς ἐπιτύχῃ, πῶς ἐπεξέλθῃ· καὶ πρὸ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀδικεῖσθαι, ἑαυτὸν ἀπόλλυσιν. Ὁ δὲ ἐκβαλὼν τὴν ὀργὴν, ἁπάντων ἀπήλλακται τούτων· καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Τούτου γὰρ αὐτὸς κύριός ἐστι, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀπήρτισεν· ἐκείνου δὲ οὐκ ἔτι, ἀλλὰ καὶ καιροῦ χρεία, καὶ τόπου, καὶ δόλου, καὶ κακουργίας, καὶ ὅπλων, καὶ μηχανημάτων, καὶ προσκρουσμῶν, καὶ κολακείας, καὶ δουλείας, καὶ ὑποκρίσεως. Ὁρᾷς πῶς εὔκολον ἡ ἀρετὴ, δύσκολον δὲ ἡ κακία; πῶς τὸ μὲν ἀτάραχον, τὸ δὲ θορύβων γέμον; Ταύτην τοίνυν ὑπογράφων ὁ Προφήτης ἔλεγεν· Ἰδοὺ ὠδίνησεν ἀδικίαν, συνέλαβε πόνον, καὶ ἔτεκεν ἀνομίαν. Ἐντεῦθεν δείκνυται, ὅτι οὐ κατὰ φύσιν ἡμῖν ἡ ἀδικία, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλλότριόν τι. ∆ιὸ καὶ βαρύνει, καὶ ἕως ἂν ἀπαλλαγῶμεν, ὠδῖσι περιβάλλει. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ ἔμβρυον ἕως ἂν ἀπαρτίζηται, κατὰ φύσιν ἔγκειται τῇ γαστρί· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μένει, καὶ πόνον οὐκ ἔχει. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ τελεσθῆναι, ἐὰν ἔνδον μένῃ, παρὰ φύσιν ἐστὶν ἡ διατριβή· ὅθεν καὶ ὠδῖνες γίγνονται. ∆ιόπερ ἡ φύσις ἐνοχλουμένη βιάζεται ἐξωθήσασθαι, ἅτε ἐργασαμένη τὸ πᾶν καὶ ἀπαρτίσασα, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι δυναμένη φέρειν. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν πρῶτον σύλληψις γίνεται, καὶ τότε ὠδίς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ πρῶτον ὠδίνησε, καὶ τότε συνέλαβε καὶ ἔτεκε. Τί οὖν οὖν ἐστιν εἰπεῖν; Ὅτι ἐκεῖ μὲν ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ τόκου ἡ ὠδὶς, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡ ὠδίς. Ὁμοῦ τε γὰρ ἐβουλεύσατό τίς τι πονηρὸν, καὶ πρὶν ἢ πῆξαι τῇ διανοίᾳ, θόρυβος καὶ ταραχὴ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν. Ἐπὶ 55.102 μὲν γὰρ τῆς γυναικὸς τὸ καταβληθὲν ἅπαξ σπέρμα αὐτὸ καὶ διαπλάττεται πρὸς τὴν σύστασιν τοῦ τικτομένου· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν δόλους ῥαπτόντων σήμερον οὗτος κατεβλήθη ὁ λογισμὸς, καὶ πάλιν αὔριον ἕτερος· καὶ μυρίαι καταβολαὶ τῶν πονηρῶν τούτων πραγμάτων, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν συλλήψεις καὶ ὠδῖνες διαφθείρουσαι τὴν ταῦτα τίκτουσαν διάνοιαν. Οὐ γὰρ τοιοῦτος ὁ τόκος, οἷος ἐπὶ τῶν γυναικῶν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐχιδνῶν, τὴν μήτραν διασπῶσι, καὶ τὰ πλευρὰ διακόπτοντα τὰ παιδία πρόεισιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δόλων καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀδικίας. Ἀλλὰ κἂν μυρία φιλονεικήσωμεν, οὐ δυνησόμεθα παραστῆσαι τῷ λόγῳ τὴν ἀλγηδόνα, ἣν ὑπομένουσιν οἱ κακοί. ∆ιὸ καί τίς φησιν· Ὁ δὲ κακὸς μόνος ἀντλήσει τὰ κακά. Τί γὰρ χαλεπώτερον καὶ ἀλγεινότερον τοῦ βασκαίνοντος, τοῦ ἐπιβουλεύοντος, τοῦ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐφιεμένου; ∆ημίου παντὸς χαλεπώτερον τὰ πάθη ταῦτα τὴν ψυχὴν καταξαίνει. ιδʹ. Ὥστε εἰκότως ὠδῖνας ἐκάλεσε τοὺς τοιούτους λογισμούς. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ αἱ γυναῖκες ἀπὸ συνουσίας τίκτουσι, κἂν μὲν ὑγιεινὰ τὰ σώματα ᾖ, τοιαῦτα εἰκότως καὶ τὰ τικτόμενα· ἂν δὲ διεφθαρμένα, μιμεῖται τῶν γονέων τὴν φύσιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν λογισμῶν. Κἂν μὲν ἀγαθοῖς συγγένῃ, τοιαῦτα ἔσται καὶ τὰ ἔκγονα· ἂν δὲ πονηροῖς, καὶ μὴ προσέχῃς, πολλὴν ἐκεῖθεν λήψῃ τὴν λύμην. Ἄκουσον γοῦν ὁ προφήτης τί φησιν· Ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου σου ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν, καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν, καὶ ἐτέκομεν πνεῦμα σωτηρίας. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου· Ὠὰ ἀσπίδων ἔῤῥηξαν, καὶ ἱστὸν ἀράχνης ὑφαίνουσι. Φεύγωμεν τοίνυν τοὺς πονηρούς. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, ἐξὸν ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ προσταγμάτων καὶ συλλαβεῖν καὶ τεκεῖν, μὴ βούλεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὰς τῶν πονηρῶν συνουσίας διώκειν, ταὐτὸν ποιοῦντας, ὥσπερ ἂν γυναῖκα, ἔχουσαν ἐξουσίαν βασιλεῖ συναφθῆναι, μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀντ' ἐκείνου λῃστὴν καὶ τοιχωρύχον αἱρεῖσθαι λαβεῖν σύνοικον; Λάκκον ὤρυξε, καὶ ἀνέσκαψεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς βόθρον, ὃν εἰργάσατο. Πάλιν ταῖς μεταφοραῖς κέχρηται, ὥσπερ διὰ τῆς ὠδῖνος τὸν πόνον δηλῶν, οὕτω διὰ τοῦ λάκκου τὸ δυσαπάλλακτον ἐνδεικνύμενος. Καὶ ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς βόθρον, ὃν εἰργάσατο. Ὅπερ ἕτερός φησιν· Ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτόν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, τὸ