John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

you see another seized by dropsy, enjoying the hands of a physician, giving himself over to famine, being in much distress, persevering with bitter medicines, which have pain, but through the pain bring forth health, do you not count this one more blessed than that one? It is agreed; for the one is sick, and is not being treated; but the other is sick, and enjoys medical treatment. But the treatment is painful. But its end is beneficial. So it is also in the present life. But lead the argument away from bodies to souls, from diseases to sins, from the bitterness of medicines to the punishments and judgment of God. For what the medicine from the physician is, and the incision and the fire, this is the punishment from God. For just as fire, often applied, burns, and checks the spreading sore, and the iron removes the decay, having pain, but providing a benefit; so also famine and plagues and whatever things seem to be evils, are brought upon the soul in place of iron and fire, that it may check the spreading of diseases after the image of bodies and work a better result. Again, let there be two fornicators, and let the image be subject to the argument: two fornicators; but the one rich, the other poor. Who has more hopes of salvation? It is clearly agreed, the poor one. Therefore, do not say, "The rich man fornicates and is rich, and for this reason I count him blessed." Rather you should have counted him blessed, if while fornicating he became poor, if while fornicating he was starving; for he would have had poverty as a compelled teacher of philosophy. When you see an evil man prospering, weep; for there are two evils, both the disease and the incurability. When you see an evil man in calamities, be comforted, not only for this reason, that he is becoming better, but because many of his sins are dissolved here. Pay close attention to the argument. Many men are both dissolved here, and judged there; others only here, others only there. Grasp my teaching; for this argument, having been clarified, will cast out many disturbances from your mind. But, if it seems good, let us first bring into the middle the one punished there, but who enjoyed luxury here. Let both rich and poor pay attention to what is said; for the teaching is useful to both. For that many are judged both here and there, hear Christ saying: But whatever city or house you enter, when you enter the house, greet it, saying, "Peace to this house." And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Amen I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. And into whatever city or house you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till you go thence. From these things it is clear that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were both judged here, and are punished there. For when he says that it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for these48.1032, he shows that they are indeed punished, but not so much as these. 4. Again, there are those who are punished only here, like the one who committed fornication. For the blessed Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said thus: It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that has so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we are gathered together, and my spirit, to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Do you see how this man is punished here, and is not punished there? For since his body was punished here, he is not punished there. But I wish now to show the one who lived in luxury here, but is punished there. There was a certain rich man. But even if you anticipate the story of the

ἕτερον ἴδῃς ὑδέρῳ κατεχόμενον, ἰατρικῶν ἀπολαύοντα χειρῶν, λιμῷ ἑαυτὸν ἐκδιδόντα, ἐν ἀπορίᾳ πολλῇ ὄντα, φαρμάκοις προσκαρτεροῦντα πικροῖς, ἔχουσι μὲν ὀδύνην, τίκτουσι δὲ διὰ τῆς ὀδύνης ὑγείαν, οὐχὶ τοῦτον ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖνον μακαρίζεις; Ὡμολόγηται· ὁ μὲν γὰρ νοσεῖ, καὶ οὐ θεραπεύεται· ὁ δὲ νοσεῖ, καὶ ἀπολαύει ἰατρείας. Ἀλλ' ἐπίπονος ἡ ἰατρεία. Ἀλλ' ὠφέλιμον αὐτῆς τὸ τέλος. Οὕτως ἐστὶ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ. Ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν σωμάτων ἄπαγε τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὰς ψυχὰς, ἀπὸ τῶν νοσημάτων ἐπὶ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, ἀπὸ τῆς πικρίας τῶν φαρμάκων ἐπὶ τὰς τιμωρίας καὶ τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστι τὸ φάρμακον τὸ παρὰ τοῦ ἰατροῦ, καὶ ἡ τομὴ καὶ τὸ πῦρ, τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡ τιμωρία ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ πῦρ πολλάκις ἐπαγόμενον καίει, καὶ τὴν νομὴν κωλύει, καὶ τὸ σιδήριον ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν σηπεδόνα, ἔχον μὲν ὀδύνην, παρέχον δὲ ὠφέλειαν· οὕτω καὶ λιμὸς καὶ λοιμοὶ καὶ ὅσα κακὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι, ἀντὶ σιδήρου καὶ πυρὸς ἐπάγονται τῇ ψυχῇ, ἵνα τὴν νομὴν τῶν νοσημάτων κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν σωμάτων κωλύσῃ καὶ βελτίονα ἐργάσηται. Πάλιν ἔστωσαν δύο πόρνοι, καὶ ὑποκείσθω τῷ λόγῳ ἡ εἰκών· δύο πόρνοι· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν πλούσιος, ὁ δὲ πένης. Τίς μᾶλλον ἐλπίδας σωτηρίας ἔχει; Ὡμολόγηται δηλονότι ὁ πένης. Μὴ τοίνυν εἴπῃς, ὅτι ὁ πλούσιος πορνεύει καὶ πλουτεῖ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μακαρίζω αὐτόν. Μᾶλλον ἔδει σε μακαρίζειν αὐτὸν, εἰ πορνεύων ἐπένετο, εἰ πορνεύων ἐλίμωττεν· εἶχε γὰρ διδάσκαλον κατηναγκασμένον τῆς φιλοσοφίας τὴν πενίαν. Ὅταν ἴδῃς κακὸν εὐημεροῦντα, δάκρυσον· δύο γὰρ κακὰ, καὶ νόσος καὶ τὸ ἀνίατον. Ὅταν ἴδῃς κακὸν ἐν συμφοραῖς ὄντα, παραμυθοῦ, μὴ διὰ τοῦτο μόνον, ὅτι βελτίων γίνεται, ἀλλ' ὅτι πολλὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτοῦ ἐνταῦθα διαλύεται. Πρόσεχε μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ. Πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐνταῦθα διαλύονται, καὶ ἐκεῖ κρίνονται· οἱ δὲ ἐνταῦθα μόνον, οἱ δὲ ἐκεῖ μόνον. Κάτεχέ μου τὴν διδασκαλίαν· οὗτος γὰρ διευκρινηθεὶς ὁ λόγος πολλοὺς θορύβους ἐκβαλεῖ σου τοῦ λογισμοῦ. Ἀλλ', εἰ δοκεῖ, παραγάγωμεν εἰς μέσον πρῶτον τὸν ἐκεῖ μὲν κολαζόμενον, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἀπολαύσαντα τρυφῆς. Προσεχέτωσαν καὶ πλούσιοι καὶ πένητες τῷ λεγομένῳ· ἑκατέροις γὰρ χρήσιμος ἡ διδασκαλία. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐκεῖ πολλοὶ κρίνονται, ἄκουε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν πόλιν ἢ οἰκίαν εἰσέλθητε, εἰσερχόμενοι εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, ἀσπάσασθε αὐτὴν, λέγοντες· Εἰρήνη τῷ οἴκῳ τούτῳ. Κἂν μὲν ᾖ ἡ οἰκία ἐξία, εἰσελθέτω ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐπ' αὐτήν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ ἀξία, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑμῶν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἐπιστραφήτω. Καὶ ὃς ἂν μὴ δέξηται ὑμᾶς, μηδὲ ἀκούσῃ τοὺς λόγους ὑμῶν, ἐξερχόμενοι ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, ἐκτινάξατε τὸν κονιορτὸν τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν. Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ἢ τῇ πόλει ἐκείνῃ. Εἰς ἣν δ' ἂν πόλιν ἢ οἰκίαν εἰσέλθητε, ἐξετάσατε τίς ἐν αὐτῇ ἄξιός ἐστι, κἀκεῖ μείνατε, ἕως ἂν ἐξέλθητε. Ἀπὸ τούτων δῆλον ὅτι οἱ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥων καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐκρίθησαν, καὶ ἐκεῖ κολάζονται. Ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ, ὅτι ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται Σοδόμοις ἢ τού48.1032 τοις, δείκνυσιν, ὅτι κολάζονται μὲν, οὐχ οὕτω δὲ ὡς οὗτοι. δʹ. Πάλιν εἰσὶν οἱ ἐνταῦθα κολαζόμενοι μόνον, ὥσπερ ὁ πεπορνευκώς. Κορινθίοις γὰρ ἐπιστέλλων ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, οὕτως ἔλεγεν· Ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία, ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὀνομάζεται, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν. Καὶ ὑμεῖς πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστὲ, καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐπενθήσατε, ἵνα ἐξαρθῇ ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιήσας. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἀπὼν τῷ σώματι, παρὼν δὲ τῷ πνεύματι, ἤδη κέκρικα, ὡς παρὼν τὸν οὕτω τοῦτο κατεργασμένον, ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ συναχθέντων ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πνεύματος, παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ. Εἶδες πῶς οὗτος ὧδε κολάζεται, καὶ ἐκεῖ οὐ κολάζεται; Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὧδε ἐκολάσθη αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ οὐ κολάζεται. Θέλω δὲ λοιπὸν δεῖξαι τὸν ὧδε τρυφήσαντα, ἐκεῖ δὲ κολαζόμενον. Ἦν τις πλούσιος. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ προλαμβάνετε τὴν ἱστορίαν τοῦ