John Chrysostom, On Lazarus

of the softness of his clothing. 48.1049 And for a long time, all the time of his present life, he walked the wide road, having experienced nothing painful, but always carried along by a fair wind, and since he was always walking on a wide road, he ran along with great security. Nowhere were there reefs, nowhere cliffs, nowhere hidden ledges, nowhere shipwreck, nowhere uneven change, but continually traveling on solid and level ground, thus he ran through the present life, each day being submerged by the waves of wickedness, and not perceiving it; each day being torn apart by his unseemly desires, and rather taking pleasure in it; continually besieged by licentiousness, by gluttony, by the madness for money, and having no perception of these terrible things, nor being able to foresee the end of the road, but enjoying only the present pleasure, he had no thought of the continual pain, but deceived, so to speak, he walked the wide road, hastening to the very cliff, unable to see on account of his great drunkenness. For prosperity in all worldly things, having submerged his reason, blinded the eye of his mind, and as if maimed now in his sight, so he walked, not knowing where he was being carried; perhaps he did not even have a thought of human nature, seeing himself enduring no hardship. For not only did he live in luxury, but he was also rich; not only was he rich, but he also enjoyed health of body; not only did he enjoy health of body, but also attendance, and not only much attendance, but also seeing all things flowing to him as if from springs, he lived in continual pleasure. Do you see, beloved, the one who entered through the wide gate and walked the wide road his whole life, how much ease he enjoyed? But let none of those hearing these things presume to call him blessed before the end, but let him await the end of the matter, and then he will cast his vote. If it seems good, then, let us also bring forward the one who entered through the narrow gate and traveled the afflicted way, and thus having seen the end of both, we shall cast the appropriate vote concerning each. Whom else can we now bring forward, but Lazarus, lying at the rich man's gate, and besieged by those sores, and seeing the tongues of the dogs touching his wounds, and not even having the strength to drive them away? For just as that one, entering through the wide gate, walked the wide road; so too this blessed one (for I now call him blessed for having chosen to enter through the narrow gate) entered through the narrow gate which had all things opposite to that one. Just as that one lived in continual luxury, so this one continually wrestled with hunger. And that one, along with luxury, also enjoyed health of body and an abundance of money, and was consumed spending his days in gluttony and drunkenness; but this one, along with hunger and clothed in extreme poverty and continual sickness and unbearable sores, did not have even necessary food, but desired the crumbs from the rich man's table, and was not thought worthy even of these. Do you see how this man, having entered through the narrow gate, continually walked the afflicted way? do you see how 48.1050 that one journeyed through the wide gate and the wide road? But let us see, then, the end of each, and how that one came to a narrow end, but this one to a wide end full of much ease; so that, learning these things accurately, we may not by all means pursue the wide road, nor be eager to enter through the wide gate, but let us pursue the narrow gate, and walk the afflicted way, so that we may be able to arrive at a good end full of ease. For when the end of each one's life arrived, see what it says first about the one who traveled the afflicted way. And it came to pass, it says, that the poor man died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Perhaps the angels led him away, going before him

τῆς ἐν τῇ ἐσθῆτι βλακείας. 48.1049 Καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ πάντα τὸν χρόνον τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς τὴν εὐρύχωρον ὁδὸν ἐβάδισεν, οὐδενὸς λυπηροῦ πεῖραν λαβὼν, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ἐξ οὐρίας φερόμενος, καὶ ἅτε δὴ ἀεὶ δι' εὐρυχώρου βαδίζων ὁδοῦ, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀδείας διέτρεχεν. Οὐδαμοῦ σκόπελοι, οὐδαμοῦ κρημνοὶ, οὐδαμοῦ ὕφαλοι σπιλάδες, οὐδαμοῦ ναυάγιον, οὐδαμοῦ ἀνώμαλος μεταβολὴ, ἀλλὰ διηνεκῶς στερεὰν καὶ ἰσόπεδον ὁδεύων, οὕτω τὸν παρόντα βίον διέδραμε, καθ' ἑκάστην τὴν ἡμέραν ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων τῆς κακίας καταποντιζόμενος, καὶ οὐ λαμβάνων αἴσθησιν· καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν σπαραττόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀτόπων ἐπιθυμιῶν, καὶ μᾶλλον ἡδόμενος· διηνεκῶς πολιορκούμενος ὑπὸ ἀσελγείας, ὑπὸ γαστριμαργίας, ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν χρημάτων μανίας, καὶ οὐδεμίαν τῶν δεινῶν λαμβάνων τὴν αἴσθησιν, οὐδὲ προϊδεῖν δυνάμενος τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ τέλος, ἀλλὰ τὸ παρὸν ἡδὺ μόνον καρπούμενος, οὐδεμίαν ἔννοιαν ἐλάμβανε τῆς διηνεκοῦς ὀδύνης, ἀλλὰ ἀπατώμενος, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐβάδιζε τὴν εὐρύχωρον ὁδὸν, εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν κρημνὸν ἐπειγόμενος, ὑπὸ τῆς πολλῆς μέθης συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἔχων. Ἡ γὰρ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς βιωτικοῖς εὐημερία καταβαπτίσασα αὐτοῦ τὸν λογισμὸν, ἐτύφλωσε τὸ ὄμμα τῆς διανοίας, καὶ καθάπερ πεπηρωμένος λοιπὸν τὰς ὄψεις, οὕτως ἐβάδιζεν, οὐκ εἰδὼς ποῦ φέρεται· τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ ἔννοιαν ἐλάμβανε τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, ὁρῶν ἑαυτὸν οὐδεμίαν δυσκολίαν ὑπομένοντα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐτρύφα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπλούτει· οὐδὲ ἐπλούτει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑγείας σώματος ἀπήλαυεν· οὐδὲ ὑγείας σώματος ἀπήλαυε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεραπείας, καὶ οὐ θεραπείας μόνον πολλῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιῤῥέοντα ὥσπερ ἐκ πηγῶν αὐτῷ πάντα ὁρῶν, ἐν ἡδονῇ διῆγε διηνεκεῖ. Εἴδετε, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸν διὰ τῆς πλατείας πύλης εἰσελθόντα, καὶ τὴν εὐρύχωρον ὁδὸν δι' ὅλου βαδίσαντα, ὅσης ἀνέσεως ἀπήλαυεν; Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς τῶν ταῦτα ἀκουόντων πρὸ τοῦ τέλους μακαρίσαι αὐτὸν ἀνάσχηται, ἀλλὰ ἀναμεινάτω τῶν πραγμάτων τὸ τέλος, καὶ τότε οἴσει τὴν ψῆφον. Εἰ δοκεῖ τοίνυν, καὶ τὸν διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης εἰσελθόντα, καὶ τὴν τεθλιμμένην ὁδὸν ὁδεύσαντα παραγάγωμεν εἰς μέσον, καὶ οὕτω τὸ τέλος ἀμφοτέρων θεασάμενοι, τὴν προσήκουσαν περὶ ἑκάστου ψῆφον οἴσομεν. Τίνα δὲ ἄλλον ἔχομεν νῦν παραγαγεῖν, ἢ τὸν Λάζαρον, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ πυλῶνος τοῦ πλουσίου κατακείμενον, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἑλκῶν ἐκείνων πολιορκούμενον, καὶ ὁρῶντα τὰς γλώσσας τῶν κυνῶν ψαυούσας αὐτοῦ τῶν τραυμάτων, καὶ μηδὲ ἀπελάσαι τούτους ἰσχύοντα; Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος διὰ τῆς πλατείας εἰσελθὼν, τὴν εὐρύχωρον ἐβάδιζεν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος (μακάριον γὰρ αὐτὸν ἤδη καλῶ διὰ τῆς στενῆς εἰσελθεῖν ἑλόμενον) εἰσῆλθε διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης τῆς ἀπεναντίας ἐκείνης πάντα ἐχούσης. Καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος διηνεκῶς ἐτρύφα, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος λιμῷ παλαίων διετέλει. Καὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν μετὰ τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ ὑγείας σώματος ἀπήλαυε καὶ χρημάτων περιουσίας, καὶ ἐν γαστριμαργίᾳ καὶ μέθῃ διημερεύων κατεδαπανᾶτο· οὗτος δὲ μετὰ τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ ἐσχάτῃ πενίᾳ περιβεβλημένος καὶ νόσῳ διηνεκεῖ καὶ ἕλκεσιν ἀφορήτοις, οὐδὲ τῆς ἀναγκαίας ηὐπόρει τροφῆς, ἀλλὰ τῶν ψιχίων ἐπεθύμει τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τοῦ πλουσίου, καὶ οὐδὲ τούτων ἠξίωτο. Εἶδες πῶς διὰ τῆς στενῆς πύλης οὗτος εἰσελθὼν, τὴν τεθλιμμένην ὁδὸν διηνεκῶς ἐβάδιζεν; εἶδες πῶς 48.1050 ἐκεῖνος διὰ τῆς πλατείας πύλης καὶ τῆς εὐρυχώρου ὁδοῦ ἐπορεύετο; Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν λοιπὸν ἑκατέρων τὸ τέλος, καὶ πῶς μὲν ἐκεῖνος εἰς στενὸν κατέστρεψε τέλος, πῶς δὲ οὗτος εἰς πλατὺ καὶ πολλῆς ἀνέσεως γέμον· ἵνα ταῦτα μαθόντες ἀκριβῶς, μὴ τὴν εὐρύχωρον ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου διώκωμεν ὁδὸν, μηδὲ διὰ τῆς πλατείας πύλης εἰσέρχεσθαι σπουδάζωμεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν στενὴν πύλην μεταδιώκωμεν, καὶ τὴν τεθλιμμένην ὁδὸν βαδίζωμεν, ἵνα εἰς χρηστὸν καὶ ἀνέσεω, γέμον τέλος καταντῆσαι δυνηθῶμεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ τέλος τῆς ἑκάστου ζωῆς ἔφθασεν, ὅρα τί φησι περὶ τοῦ τὴν τεθλιμμένην ὁδεύοντος πρότερον. Ἐγένετο δὲ, φησὶν, ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτωχὸν, καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἰς τὸν κόλπον Ἀβραάμ. Τάχα οἱ ἄγγελοι ἀπῆγον αὐτὸν προηγούμενοι