John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Colossians

the fruit; if in sandy and salty soil, it is of such a kind; if in sweet and rich soil, again it is similar. Thus the teachings are a kind of spring. Teach him to sing those psalms that are full of philosophy, such as concerning self-control immediately, or rather, before all things, concerning not consorting with the wicked, right from the very beginning of the book (for it was for this reason that the Prophet began from there, saying: Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly; And again, I have not sat with the assembly of vanity. And again; In his sight a vile person is despised; but he honors them that fear the 62.363 Lord); concerning consorting with the good (and you will find these things there; and many other things); concerning controlling the stomach, concerning restraining the hands, concerning not being greedy; that money is nothing, nor is glory, and all such things. When you have impassioned him with these things from childhood, little by little you will also lead him to higher things. The psalms have everything, but the hymns, again, have nothing human; when he learns in the psalms, then he will also know hymns, as a more divine thing. For the powers above sing hymns, they do not sing psalms; For praise is not seemly in the mouth, he says, of a sinner; and again, My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; and again, He that works pride shall not dwell within my house; and again, He that walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me. So take care not to mingle yourselves not only with friends, but not even with servants. For countless evils come to the free when we set corrupt slaves over them. For if enjoying such a father and affection and philosophy, they are scarcely saved; when we give them over to the carelessness of the servants, what will they become? They treat them as if they were enemies, thinking that their own authority is milder if they make them foolish and worthless and of no account. Before all other things, therefore, let us be zealous for these things. I have loved, he says, those that love your law. Let us, therefore, emulate him, and love them. And so that the children may be self-controlled, let them hear the Prophet saying, that My loins are filled with illusions; and again, You will destroy all who are unfaithful to you. And that it is necessary to control the stomach, let them hear again; And he slew, it says, the fattest of them, while their food was still in their mouths. And that it is necessary to have power over gifts, they will learn from this; If riches, he says, increase, set not your heart upon them; and that one must have power over glory, this too they will find; Nor shall his glory descend after him; not to envy the wicked; Fret not thyself because of evildoers; to consider powers as nothing; I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifting himself up like the cedars of Lebanon, and I passed by, and lo, he was not; to consider present things as nothing; They have called the people blessed, who have these things; blessed is the people, whose helper is the Lord God; that we do not sin without consequence, but there is a recompense; for You will render, he says, to every man according to his works. But why does he not render daily? God is a judge, he says, righteous and strong and long-suffering; that humility is a good thing; Lord, he says, my heart is not haughty; that pride is an evil thing; Therefore, he says, pride has held them fast to the end; and again, The Lord resists the proud; and again, Their iniquity shall come forth as from fatness. That almsgiving is a good thing; He has dispersed, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; that to show mercy is praiseworthy; A good man is he that shows mercy, and lends. And you will find there many more philosophical doctrines than these; such as that one must not speak evil; Whoso, he says, privily slanders his neighbor, him did I drive away. What the hymn of those above is, what the Cherubim say, the faithful know. What did the angels say below? Glory to God in the highest. For this reason, after the psalm-singing come hymns, as something more perfect 62.364 ; In psalms, he says, in hymns,

τὸν καρπόν· ἂν ἐν ἀμμώδει καὶ ἁλμυρᾷ, τοιοῦτον· ἂν ἐν γλυκείᾳ καὶ λιπαρᾷ, πάλιν ὅμοιον. Οὕτω πηγή τίς ἐστι τὰ διδάγματα. ∆ίδαξον αὐτὸν ᾄδειν ψαλμοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς φιλοσοφίας γέμοντας, οἷον περὶ σωφροσύνης εὐθέως, μᾶλλον δὲ πρὸ πάντων περὶ τοῦ μὴ συνεῖναι πονηροῖς, εὐθέως ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ βιβλίου (διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἤρξατο ὁ Προφήτης, λέγων· Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν· Καὶ πάλιν, Οὐκ ἐκάθισα μετὰ συνεδρίου ματαιότητος. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἐξουδένωται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πονηρευόμενος· τοὺς δὲ φοβουμένους τὸν 62.363 Κύριον δοξάζει)· περὶ τοῦ συνεῖναι ἀγαθοῖς (καὶ ταῦτα εὑρήσεις ἐκεῖ· καὶ ἄλλα πολλά)· περὶ τοῦ γαστρὸς κρατεῖν, περὶ τοῦ χεῖρας κατέχειν, περὶ τοῦ μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν· ὅτι οὐδὲν τὰ χρήματα, οὐδὲ ἡ δόξα, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Ὅταν τούτοις ἐκ παιδὸς ἐνάξῃς αὐτὸν, κατὰ μικρὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλότερα ἄξεις. Οἱ ψαλμοὶ πάντα ἔχουσιν, οἱ δὲ ὕμνοι πάλιν οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον· ὅταν ἐν τοῖς ψαλμοῖς μάθῃ, τότε καὶ ὕμνους εἴσεται, ἅτε θειότερον πρᾶγμα. Αἱ γὰρ ἄνω δυνάμεις ὑμνοῦσιν, οὐ ψάλλουσιν· Οὐ γὰρ ὡραῖος ὕμνος ἐν στόματι, φησὶν, ἁμαρτωλοῦ· καὶ πάλιν, Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐπὶ τοὺς πιστοὺς τῆς γῆς, τοῦ συγκαθῆσθαι αὐτοὺς μετ' ἐμοῦ· καὶ πάλιν, Οὐ κατῴκει ἐν μέσῳ τῆς οἰκίας μου ποιῶν ὑπερηφανίαν· καὶ πάλιν, Πορευόμενος ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ, οὗτός μοι ἐλειτούργει. Ὥστε μὴ μόνον φίλοις, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ οἰκέταις ἀναμιγνύναι ἑαυτοὺς ἀσφαλίζεσθε. Τὰ γὰρ μυρία κακὰ τοῖς ἐλευθέροις, ὅταν δούλους αὐτοῖς ἐπιστήσωμεν διεφθαρμένους. Εἰ γὰρ πατρὸς ἀπολαύοντες καὶ φιλοστοργίας καὶ φιλοσοφίας τοσαύτης, μόλις διασώζονται· ὅταν αὐτοὺς ἐκδῶμεν τῇ ἀφειδείᾳ τῶν οἰκετῶν, τίνες ἔσονται; Καθάπερ ἐχθροῖς αὐτοῖς κέχρηνται, νομίζοντες αὐτοῖς τὴν δεσποτείαν εἶναι ἡμερωτέραν, ἂν μωροὺς αὐτοὺς ἀπεργάσωνται καὶ φαύλους καὶ οὐδενὸς λόγου ἀξίους. Πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων οὖν ἁπάντων ταῦτα σπουδάζωμεν. Ἠγάπησα, φησὶ, τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας τὸν νόμον σου. Τοῦτον οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς ζηλώσωμεν, καὶ τούτους ἀγαπῶμεν. Ἵνα δὲ πάλιν σωφρονῶσιν οἱ παῖδες, ἀκουέτωσαν τοῦ Προφήτου λέγοντος, ὅτι Αἱ ψόαι μου ἐπλήσθησαν ἐμπαιγμάτων· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐξολοθρεύσεις πάντα τὸν πορνεύοντα ἀπὸ σοῦ. Καὶ ὅτι δεῖ κατέχειν γαστρὸς, ἀκουέτωσαν πάλιν· Καὶ ἀπέκτεινε, φησὶν, ἐν τοῖς πλείοσιν αὐτῶν, ἔτι τῆς βρώσεως οὔσης ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν. Καὶ ὅτι δεῖ δώρων κρατεῖν, ἐντεῦθεν μαθήσονται· Πλοῦτος, φησὶν, ἐὰν ῥέῃ, προστίθεσθε καρδίαν· καὶ ὅτι δόξης κρατεῖν, καὶ τοῦτο εὑρήσουσιν· Οὐδὲ συγκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ· τοὺς πονηροὺς μὴ ζηλοῦν· Μὴ παραζήλου ἐν πονηρευομένοις· τὰς δυναστείας ἡγεῖσθαι οὐδέν· Εἶδον τὸν ἀσεβῆ ὑπερυψούμενον καὶ ἐπαιρόμενον ὡς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου, καὶ παρῆλθον, καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν· μηδὲν τὰ παρόντα ἡγεῖσθαι· Ἐμακάρισαν τὸν λαὸν, ᾧ ταῦτά ἐστι· μακάριος ὁ λαὸς, οὗ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς βοηθὸς αὐτοῦ· ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἁμαρτάνομεν, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἀνταπόδοσις· ὅτι Σὺ ἀποδώσεις, φησὶν, ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ οὐ καθ' ἡμέραν ἀποδίδωσιν; Ὁ Θεὸς κριτὴς, φησὶν, δίκαιος καὶ ἰσχυρὸς καὶ μακρόθυμος· ὅτι ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη καλόν· Κύριε, φησὶν, οὐχ ὑψώθη ἡ καρδία μου· ὅτι ὑπερηφανία κακόν· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἐκράτησεν αὐτοὺς ἡ ὑπερηφανία εἰς τέλος· καὶ πάλιν, Κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐξελεύσεται ὡς ἐκ στέατος ἡ ἀδικία αὐτῶν. Ὅτι ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη καλόν· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν· ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ὅτι τὸ ἐλεεῖν ἐπαινετόν· Χρηστὸς ἀνὴρ ὁ οἰκτείρων, καὶ κιχρῶν. Καὶ πολλὰ τούτων πλείονα εὑρήσεις ἐκεῖ ἐμφιλόσοφα δόγματα· οἷον ὅτι κακῶς λέγειν οὐ δεῖ· Τὸν καταλαλοῦντα, φησὶ, λάθρα τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, τοῦτον ἐξεδίωκον. Τίς ὁ ὕμνος τῶν ἄνω, τί λέγει τὰ Χερουβὶμ, ἴσασιν οἱ πιστοί. Τί ἔλεγον οἱ ἄγγελοι κάτω; ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τὰς ψαλμῳδίας ὕμνοι, ἅτε τελειότερόν τι πρᾶ 62.364 γμα· Ψαλμοῖς, φησὶν, ὕμνοις,