John Chrysostom, Against the Jews

attempting to entice the more simple-minded. It would not have been such a great crime for them, if, not believing the prophets, they disobeyed Christ. But now they are deprived of all excuse, saying they obey those men, while insulting the one prophesied by them. 7. In general, if you think that because the law and the books of the prophets lie there, the place is holy, it is time for you then also to consider idols and the temples of idols to be holy. For when war once overtook the Jews, the men of Ashdod, prevailing, and taking the ark, brought it into their own temple. Was the temple therefore holy for this reason, because it had the ark? By no means, but also profane and unclean. And this was immediately shown through its deeds. For so that the enemies might learn that the defeat happened not through the weakness of God, but through the transgression of those who served him; and the ark, having been taken captive, demonstrated its own strength in a foreign land, twice casting the idol to the ground, and causing it to be broken in pieces. So far was it from hallowing the place, that it even made war on the place. Besides, what ark is there now among the Jews, where there is no mercy seat, where there is no anointing, no tablets of the covenant, no holy of holies, no veil, no high priest, no incense, no whole burnt offering, no sacrifice, nor the other things that made that ark venerable then? To me this ark seems to be in no better condition than the chests sold in the marketplace, but even much worse. For while those things can in no way harm passers-by, that one works great harm each day for those who approach it. Brothers, do not become children in your minds, but in malice be infants, and delivering those who are terrified of these things from this untimely anxiety, teach them what one must fear and be afraid of, not this ark, but destroying the temple of God through running there, through a conscience inclined toward Judaism, through this untimely observance. For whoever, it says, are justified by the law, you have fallen from grace. This you must fear, lest on that day you hear from the one who is to judge you: Depart, I do not know you; for you have communed with those who crucified me, and the feasts which I abolished, you have, in contention with me, reestablished, you have run to the synagogues of the Jews who transgressed against me. And I indeed tore down the temple, and made a ruin of that venerable place which held awesome things, but you have served buildings in no better condition than taverns, and dens of robbers. For if 48.915 then, when the cherubim were there, when the ark was, when the grace of the Spirit still flourished, now he said, You have made it a den of robbers, and now, a house of trade, because of their transgressions and their blood-guilt; now when the grace of the Spirit has forsaken them, and all those venerable things have been taken away, contending with God, they perform this lawless worship, what might one call their synagogues, to have found a fitting name? For if it was then a den of robbers, when the things of the commonwealth still prevailed, now whether a brothel, or a place of transgression, or a lodging of demons, or a fortress of the devil, or a destruction of souls, or a precipice and abyss of all perdition, or whatever one might call it, he will say less than it deserves. Do you desire to see a temple? Do not run to the synagogue, but become a temple yourself. God tore down one temple in Jerusalem, and raised up ten thousand much more venerable than that one; For you are the temple of the living God, he says. Adorn this house, drive out every evil thought, so that you may become a precious member of Christ, so that you may become a temple of the Spirit; make others such as well. And just as seeing the poor you would not pass them by readily, so too when you see one running to the synagogue, do not overlook him, but as if restraining him with a bridle of reason, lead him back to the Church. This almsgiving is greater than that one, and the profit greater than ten thousand talents. And 48.916 why do I say ten thousand talents? and of the whole world of the

τοὺς ἀφελεστέρους δελεάζειν ἐπιχειροῦντες. Οὐκ ἦν ἔγκλημα τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ πιστεύοντες τοῖς προφήταις, ἠπείθουν τῷ Χριστῷ. Νῦν δὲ πάσης ἀπεστέρηνται συγγνώμης, ἐκείνοις μὲν πείθεσθαι λέγοντες, καθυβρίζοντες δὲ τὸν προφητευόμενον ὑπ' ἐκείνων. ζʹ. Ὅλως δὲ εἰ νομίζεις, διότι νόμος ἐκεῖ κεῖται καὶ προφητῶν βιβλία, τὸν τόπον ἅγιον εἶναι, ὥρα σοι λοιπὸν καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα, καὶ τοὺς ναοὺς τῶν εἰδώλων ἁγίους εἶναι νομίζειν. Καὶ γὰρ πολέμου ποτὲ καταλαβόντος τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, κρατήσαντες οἱ Ἀζώτιοι, καὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν λαβόντες, εἰς τὸ ἑαυτῶν ἱερὸν εἰσήγαγον. Ἆρα οὖν διὰ τοῦτο ἅγιος ἦν ὁ ναὸς, ἐπειδὴ τὴν κιβωτὸν εἶχεν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ βέβηλος καὶ ἀκάθαρτος. Καὶ εὐθέως τοῦτο διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐδείκνυτο. Ἵνα γὰρ μάθωσιν οἱ πολέμιοι ὅτι οὐ δι' ἀσθένειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν παρανομίαν τῶν θεραπευόντων αὐτὸν ἡ ἧττα γέγονε· καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς ληφθεῖσα αἰχμάλωτος, ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ γῇ τὴν ἰσχὺν τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπεδείκνυτο, δὶς τὸ εἴδωλον χαμαὶ ῥίψασα, καὶ διακλασθῆναι παρασκευάσασα. Τοσοῦτον ἀπεῖχεν ἁγιάσαι τὸν τόπον, ὅτι καὶ ἐπολέμει τῷ τόπῳ. Ἄλλως δὲ, ποία κιβωτὸς νῦν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις, ὅπου ἱλαστήριον οὐκ ἔστιν, ὅπου οὐ χρισμὸς, οὐ διαθήκης πλάκες, οὐ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, οὐ τὸ καταπέτασμα, οὐκ ἀρχιερεὺς, οὐ θυμίαμα, οὐχ ὁλοκαύτωσις, οὐ θυσία, οὐ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ποιοῦντα σεμνὴν τὴν κιβωτὸν τότε ἐκείνην; Ἐμοὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς πωλουμένων κιβωτίων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον αὕτη ἡ κιβωτὸς διακεῖσθαι δοκεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ χεῖρον. Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς παριόντας οὐδὲν μὲν ταῦτα βλάψαι δύναται, ἐκείνη δὲ πολλὴν καθ' ἡμέραν τοῖς αὐτῇ προσιοῦσιν ἐργάζεται βλάβην. Ἀδελφοὶ, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσὶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε, καὶ τοὺς πρὸς ταῦτα ἐπτοημένους τῆς ἀκαίρου ταύτης ἀγωνίας ἀπαλλάττοντες, παιδεύσατε τί χρὴ φοβεῖσθαι καὶ δεδοικέναι, οὐχὶ τὴν κιβωτὸν ταύτην, ἀλλὰ τὸ καταφθείρειν τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ τῶν ἐκεῖ δρόμων, διὰ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Ἰουδαϊσμὸν συνειδότος, διὰ τῆς ἀκαίρου ταύτης παρατηρήσεως. Οἵτινες γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦσθε, τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσατε. Τοῦτο χρὴ δεδοικέναι, μὴ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἀκούσητε παρὰ τοῦ μέλλοντος κρίνειν ὑμᾶς· Ὑπάγετε, οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς· τοῖς γὰρ ἐμὲ σταυρώσασιν ἐκοινωνήσατε, καὶ τὰς ἑορτὰς, ἃς κατέλυσα, φιλονεικοῦντές μοι πάλιν ἀνεστήσατε, πρὸς τὰς συναγωγὰς ἐδράμετε τῶν εἰς ἐμὲ παρανομησάντων Ἰουδαίων. Κἀγὼ μὲν τὸν ναὸν καθεῖλον, καὶ ἐρείπιον ἐποίησα τὸν σεμνὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ φρικτὰ κατέχοντα πράγματα, ὑμεῖς δὲ οἰκήματα, καπηλείων οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείμενα, καὶ σπήλαια λῃστῶν ἐθεραπεύετε. Εἰ γὰρ 48.915 τότε, ὅτε τὰ χερουβὶμ ἦν, ὅτε ἡ κιβωτὸς, ὅτε ἔτι Πνεύματος ἐπήνθει χάρις, νῦν μὲν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐποιήσατε αὐτὸν σπήλαιον λῃστῶν, νῦν δὲ, ὅτι Οἶκον ἐμπορίου, διὰ τὰς παρανομίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς μιαιφονίας· νῦν ὅτε αὐτοὺς ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐγκατέλιπε χάρις, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ἀνῄρηται τὰ σεμνὰ, τῷ Θεῷ φιλονεικοῦντες, τὴν παράνομον ταύτην ἐπιτελοῦσι λατρείαν, τί ἄν τις προσειπὼν τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν, ἀξίαν ἔσται εὑρηκὼς ἐπωνυμίαν; Εἰ γὰρ τότε σπήλαιον λῃστῶν ἦν, ὅτε ἔτι τὰ τῆς πολιτείας ἐκράτει, νῦν κἂν πορνεῖον, κἂν παρανομίας χωρίον, κἂν δαιμόνων καταγώγιον, κἂν διαβόλου φρούριον, κἂν ψυχῶν ὄλεθρον, κἂν ἀπωλείας ἁπάσης κρημνὸν καὶ βάραθρον, κἂν ὁτιοῦν τις προσείπῃ, ἔλαττον τῆς ἀξίας ἐρεῖ. Ναὸν ἐπιθυμεῖς ἰδεῖν; μὴ δράμῃς εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν, ἀλλὰ γενοῦ σὺ ναός. Ἕνα καθεῖλε ναὸν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, καὶ μυρίους ἀνέστησεν ἐκείνου πολλῷ σεμνοτέρους· Ὑμεῖς γὰρ ναὸς Θεοῦ ἐστε ζῶντος, φησί. Καλλώπισον ταύτην τὴν οἰκίαν, ἀπέλασον πάντα λογισμὸν πονηρὸν, ἵνα γένῃ μέλος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τίμιον, ἵνα γένῃ ναὸς τοῦ Πνεύματος· ποίησον καὶ ἑτέρους τοιούτους. Καὶ καθάπερ πένητας ὁρῶντες οὐκ ἂν παραδράμοιτε ῥᾳδίως, οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν τρέχοντα βλέπων, μὴ παρίδῃς, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ χαλινῷ τινι τῷ λόγῳ κατασχὼν εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐπανάγαγε. Αὕτη πλείων ἐκείνης ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη, καὶ μυρίων ταλάντων μεῖζον τὸ κέρδος. Καὶ 48.916 τί λέγω μυρίων ταλάντων; καὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς τοῦ