John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Hebrews

God! For it is necessary for that man to sin who is not fully assured concerning the righteous judgment of God, and of the recompense from Him to each according to the desert of his deeds, and to say that God is unjust. So that he compelled them by all means to expect those future things. For one who has despaired of the present and given up, one will be able to restore from the future things; as he himself also said when writing to the Galatians, You were running well; who hindered you? and again, Have you suffered so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain. And just as here he places the encomium with a rebuke, saying, For when for the time you ought to be teachers; so also there, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting. With astonishment the 63.86 encomium; for concerning great things, when they fall away, we are astonished. Do you see the praise hidden in the accusation and the censure? And he says this not only concerning himself, but also concerning all; for he did not say, I am persuaded, but, We are persuaded of better things concerning you; that is, good things. He says these things either concerning conduct, or concerning recompense. Then, having said above, that it is rejected and near to a curse, and that it will be for burning, so that he might not seem to say this concerning them, he immediately added, For God is not unjust to forget your work and the labor of love; showing that though we speak thus, we do not at all say this concerning you. And if you do not speak concerning us, why then do you attack us, calling us dull, and remembering thorns, do you frighten us? Because we desire, he says, each one of you to show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end; that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 3. We desire, he says; we do not then wish this only as far as words. But what do you desire, say. We desire you to hold fast to virtue; not as condemning the former things, he says, but as fearing for the future. And he did not say, Not as condemning the former things, but the present; for you have been slackened, you have become more negligent. But see how gently he indicated it, and did not strike. For what does he say? But we desire each one of you to show the same diligence to the end. For this is the wonderful thing about Paul's wisdom, that he does not show that they have given in, that they have slackened. For to say, We desire each one of you, is this, as one might say, I want you to be diligent always, and as you were before, to be such both now and in the future. For this made the reproof more gentle and acceptable. And he did not say, I wish, which was of a teacher's authority, but what was of a father's affection and more than to wish, We desire; as if to say, Forgive us even if we should say something burdensome. For we desire each one of you to show the same diligence to the full assurance of your hope until the end. What is this? Hope, he says, sustains, this recovers again; do not be slack, nor despair, so that your hope may not be in vain; for he who does good things, also hopes for good things, and never despairs of himself. That you may not become sluggish, be at your peak. And yet above he said, Since you have become dull of hearing. But see how there he confined the dullness to the hearing; here, even if he says this very thing, he hints at something else; for instead of saying, Do not remain in negligence, he said, Do not become sluggish. Again he leads them out to the future, the time for which they are not accountable, by saying, That you may not become more sluggish; for of that which is not yet present we would not be responsible. For he who is exhorted to be diligent in the present, as being negligent, will perhaps be even more 63.87 hesitant; but he who is exhorted for the future, not so. But we desire, he says, each one of you. Great is the affection; he cares for great and small alike, and knows all, and overlooks none, but shows the same care for each, and equal honor to all; whence he also persuaded them more to accept the burden of his words. That you may not become sluggish, he says. For just as idleness harms the body, so also idleness of good things makes the soul more supine and

τὸν Θεόν! Ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἐκεῖνον ἁμαρτάνειν τὸν μὴ πεπληροφορημένον περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοκρισίας, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἑκάστῳ βεβιωμένων κατ' ἀξίαν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀνταποδόσεως, καὶ λέγειν ὅτι ἄδικος ὁ Θεός. Ὥστε συνηνάγκασεν αὐτοὺς πάντως προσδοκᾷν ἐκεῖνα τὰ μέλλοντα. Τὸν γὰρ ἀπεγνωκότα ἀπὸ τῶν παρόντων καὶ ἀπαγορεύσαντα, ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων ἀναῤῥῶσαι δυνήσεταί τις· ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς Γαλάταις γράφων ἔλεγεν, Ἐτρέχετε καλῶς· τίς ὑμᾶς ἐνέκοψε; καὶ πάλιν, Τοσαῦτα ἐπάθετε εἰκῆ; εἴ γε καὶ εἰκῆ. Ὥσπερ δὲ ἐνταῦθα μετὰ ἐπιπλήξεως τίθησι τὸ ἐγκώμιον, λέγων· Ὀφείλοντες εἶναι διδάσκαλοι διὰ τὸν χρόνον· οὕτω καὶ ἐκεῖ· Θαυμάζω ὅτι οὕτω ταχέως μετατίθεσθε. Μετ' ἐκπλήξεως τὸ 63.86 ἐγκώμιον· περὶ γὰρ μεγάλων, ὅταν ἐκπέσωσι, θαυμάζομεν. Ὁρᾷς ἐγκεκρυμμένον τὸν ἔπαινον τῇ κατηγορίᾳ καὶ τῇ διαβολῇ; Καὶ οὐ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ τοῦτο μόνον φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ πάντων· οὐ γὰρ εἶπε, Πέπεισμαι, ἀλλὰ, Πεπείσμεθα περὶ ὑμῶν τὰ κρείττονα· τουτέστι, τὰ χρηστά. Ἤτοι περὶ πολιτείας, ἢ περὶ ἀντιδόσεως ταῦτά φησιν. Εἶτα εἰπὼν ἀνωτέρω, ὅτι Ἀδόκιμος καὶ κατάρας ἐγγὺς, καὶ ὅτι εἰς καῦσιν ἔσται, ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ περὶ αὐτῶν τοῦτο λέγειν, ἐπήγαγεν εὐθέως τὸ, Οὐ γὰρ ἄδικος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιλαθέσθαι τοῦ ἔργου ὑμῶν, καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης· δηλῶν, ὅτι εἰ καὶ οὕτω λαλοῦμεν, οὐ πάντως περὶ ὑμῶν τοῦτο λέγομεν. Καὶ εἰ περὶ ἡμῶν οὐ λέγεις, τί δήποτε καθάπτῃ νωθροὺς καλῶν, καὶ μεμνημένος ἀκανθῶν ἐκφοβεῖς; Ἐπειδὴ ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, φησὶν, ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐνδείκνυσθαι σπουδὴν πρὸς τὴν πληροφορίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἄχρι τέλους· ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, μιμηταὶ δὲ τῶν διὰ πίστεως καὶ μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας. γʹ. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, φησίν· οὐκ ἄρα μέχρι ῥημάτων τοῦτο βουλόμεθα μόνον. Ἀλλὰ τί ἐπιθυμεῖς, εἰπέ. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν τῆς ἀρετῆς ὑμᾶς ἔχεσθαι· οὐχ ὡς τῶν προτέρων καταγινώσκοντες, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων δεδοικότες. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὐχ ὡς τῶν προτέρων καταγινώσκοντες, ἀλλὰ τῶν παρόντων· ἐξελύθητε γὰρ, ῥᾳθυμότεροι γεγόνατε. Ἀλλ' ὅρα πῶς προσηνῶς ἐνέφηνε, καὶ οὐκ ἔπληξε. Τί γάρ φησιν; Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν δὲ ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὴν αὐτὴν σπουδὴν ἐνδείκνυσθαι ἄχρι τέλους. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ θαυμαστόν ἐστι τῆς Παύλου συνέσεως, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνδείκνυται, ὅτι ἐνέδωκαν, ὅτι καθυφῆκαν. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν ἕκαστον ὑμῶν, τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις· Θέλω σε σπουδάζειν ἀεὶ, καὶ οἷος ἦς πρότερον, τοιοῦτον εἶναι καὶ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸ μέλλον. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸν ἔλεγχον προσηνέστερον καὶ εὐπαράδεκτον εἰργάζετο. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Θέλω, ὅπερ ἦν διδασκαλικῆς αὐθεντίας, ἀλλ' ὃ πατρικῆς ἦν φιλοστοργίας καὶ πλέον τοῦ θέλειν, Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν· μονονουχὶ λέγων· Σύγγνωτε κἂν φορτικόν τι φθεγξώμεθα. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν γὰρ ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐνδείκνυσθαι σπουδὴν πρὸς τὴν πληροφορίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑμῶν ἄχρι τέλους. Τί ἐστι τοῦτο; Ἡ ἐλπὶς, φησὶ, διαβαστάζει, αὕτη ἀνακτᾶται πάλιν· μὴ ἐκλυθῆτε, μηδὲ ἀπελπίσητε, ἵνα μὴ περιττὴ ὑμῶν ἡ ἐλπὶς ᾖ· ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὰ ἐργαζόμενος, καὶ ἀγαθὰ ἐλπίζει, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀπελπίζει ἑαυτόν. Ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, ἀκμὴν γένησθε. Καὶ μὴν ἀνωτέρω ἔλεγεν· Ἐπεὶ νωθροὶ γεγόνατε ταῖς ἀκοαῖς. Ἀλλ' ὅρα πῶς ἐκεῖ μέχρι τῆς ἀκοῆς τὴν νωθρότητα ἔστησεν· ἐνταῦθα εἰ καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο φθέγγεται, ἀλλ' ἕτερόν τι αἰνίττεται· ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν, Μὴ ἐναπομείνητε τῇ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ, Μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, εἶπε. Πάλιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα ἐξάγει καιρὸν τὸν ἀνεύθυνον, εἰπών· Ἵνα μὴ νωθρότεροι γένησθε· ἐκείνου γὰρ τοῦ μήπω παρόντος οὐκ ἂν εἴημεν ὑπεύθυνοι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸ παρὸν παρακαλούμενος σπουδάζειν, ὡς ῥᾳθυμῶν, ἴσως καὶ ὀκνηρότερος 63.87 ἔσται· ὁ δὲ εἰς τὸ μέλλον, οὐχ οὕτως. Ἐπιθυμοῦμεν δὲ, φησὶν, ἕκαστον ὑμῶν. Πολλὴ ἡ φιλοστοργία· καὶ μεγάλων καὶ μικρῶν ὁμοίως κήδεται, καὶ πάντας οἶδε, καὶ οὐδένα παρορᾷ, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτὴν περὶ ἕκαστον κηδεμονίαν ἐπιδείκνυται, καὶ τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν πρὸς πάντας· ὅθεν καὶ μᾶλλον ἔπειθε δέξασθαι τὸ φορτικὸν τῶν ῥημάτων. Ἵνα μὴ νωθροὶ γένησθε, φησί. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ ἀργία τὸ σῶμα βλάπτει· οὕτω καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡ ἀργία τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑπτιωτέραν ἐργάζεται καὶ