John Chrysostom, Against the Jews

By the grace of God we have pursued the Jews, arming the prophets against them; now returning from every side let us see, if any of our brethren have fallen, if any have been led astray from the fast, if any have communed with them during the festival; and let us give none over to burial, but let us take up all and heal them. For in external wars, it is impossible for a soldier to recover again one who has once fallen and given up his soul, and to bring him back to life; but in this war and battle, even if one has received a mortal wound, it is possible, if we are willing, with the grace of God touching us, to lead him back to life again. For this death is not of nature, as that one is, but of choice and will; and it is possible to raise again a choice that has died, and to persuade a soul that has been put to death 48.929 to return to its proper life, and to recognize its Master. 2. But let us not grow weary, brethren, nor be faint, nor fall back, nor let anyone say to me those words, that it was necessary to make them secure before the fast, and to do everything, but now after fasting, after the sin has happened, after the iniquity has been fulfilled, what is the benefit from now on? For if anyone knows what the care of brethren is, he knows this also, that now especially one must apply oneself, and show all diligence. For one must not only make them secure before the sin, but also extend a hand after the falls. For if God had done this from the beginning, and had only made things secure before the sin, but after the sin had despaired and left them lying in their fall continually, not even one of us would ever have been saved. But He does not do this, being a lover of mankind and gentle, and desiring our salvation most of all, but even after the sins He shows great care; since He also made Adam secure even before the sin, and said to him: Of every tree which is in paradise, you shall eat for food, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in whatever day you eat of it, you shall surely die. Behold, both by the ease of the law, and by the abundance of what was permitted, and by the punishment of the coming retribution, and by the swiftness of its infliction—for He did not say after one, or two, or three days, but in the very day you eat, you shall surely die—and in every way that it was necessary to make the man secure, He made him secure. But nevertheless, since after so much foresight and teaching and exhortation and beneficence he fell, and did not listen to the commands, God did not say this: What more, what is the benefit? He has eaten, he has fallen, he has transgressed the law, he has trusted the devil, he has dishonored my commandment, he has received the wound, he has become dead, he was handed over to death, he has come under the sentence, what need is there to converse with him anymore? He said none of these things, but both came to him immediately, and conversed, and comforted, and again applied another medicine, that of toils and of sweats, and did not cease doing and contriving all things, until He raised up the fallen nature, and delivered it from death, and led it by the hand to heaven, and gave greater goods than those that were lost, teaching the devil by the deeds themselves that nothing more came to him from this plot; but having cast men out of paradise, he will see them a little later in the heavens mingled with the angels. This He also did in the case of Cain; for He also made him secure before the sin, and foretold, saying, You have sinned, be still; to you shall be his turning, and you shall rule over him. See the wisdom and understanding. For this reason you are afraid, He says, lest he take from you the precedence of the firstborn because of the honor from me, lest he seize the rule that belongs to you; for it was necessary for the firstborn to be more honored than the second-born. Take courage, He says, and do not be afraid, nor be anxious about this: To you shall be his turning, and you 48.930 shall rule over him. And what He says is this: remain in the honor of the firstborn, and become

Θεοῦ χάριτι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐδιώξαμεν, τοὺς προφήτας αὐτοῖς ἐφοπλίσαντες, πανταχόθεν ἐπανιόντες νῦν ἴδωμεν, μή τινες τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἔπεσον, μή τινες ἀπὸ τῆς νηστείας παρεσύρησαν, μή τινες αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐκοινώνησαν· καὶ ταφῇ μὲν μηδένα παραδῶμεν, πάντας δὲ ἀνελόμενοι θεραπεύσωμεν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν πολέμων, τὸν πεσόντα ἅπαξ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀφέντα ἀδύνατον στρατιώτῃ πάλιν ἀνακτήσασθαι καὶ πρὸς ζωὴν ἐπαναγαγεῖν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ πολέμου τούτου καὶ τῆς μάχης, κἂν καιρίαν τις ᾖ εἰληφὼς πληγὴν, δυνατὸν, ἂν θέλωμεν, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος συνεφαπτομένης ἡμῖν, πρὸς ζωὴν αὐτὸν χειραγωγῆσαι πάλιν. Οὐ γὰρ φύσεως οὗτος ὁ θάνατος, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσεως καὶ γνώμης· προαίρεσιν δὲ ἀποθανοῦσαν δυνατὸν ἀναστῆσαι πάλιν, καὶ ψυχὴν νεκρωθεῖσαν πεῖσαι 48.929 πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ζωὴν ἐπανελθεῖν, καὶ τὸν αὐτῆς ἐπιγνῶναι ∆εσπότην. βʹ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ ἀποκάμωμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, μηδὲ ἐκλυθῶμεν, μηδὲ ἀναπέσωμεν, μηδέ μοι τὰ ῥήματα ἐκεῖνά τις λεγέτω, ὅτι πρὸ τῆς νηστείας ἀσφαλίσασθαι ἀναγκαῖον ἦν, καὶ πάντα ποιῆσαι, νῦν δὲ μετὰ τὸ νηστεῦσαι, μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, μετὰ τὸ πληρωθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν, τί τὸ ὄφελος λοιπόν; Εἰ γάρ τις οἶδε, τί ποτέ ἐστι πρόνοια ἀδελφῶν, οἶδε καὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι νῦν μάλιστα ἐπιθέσθαι δεῖ, καὶ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀσφαλίσασθαι χρὴ, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὰ πτώματα χεῖρα ὀρέγειν. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, εἰ τοῦτο ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐποίει, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἠσφαλίζετο μόνον, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀπεγίνωσκε καὶ ἠφίει κεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ πτώματι διηνεκῶς, οὐδεὶς ἂν οὐδὲ ἡμῶν ἐσώθη ποτέ. Ἀλλ' οὐ ποιεῖ τοῦτο, φιλάνθρωπος ὢν καὶ ἥμερος, καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας μάλιστα ἐφιέμενος τῆς ἡμετέρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα πολλὴν ἐπιδείκνυται πρόνοιαν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἠσφαλίσατο μὲν καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ βρώσει φάγῃ, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ· ᾗ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Ἰδοὺ καὶ τῇ εὐκολίᾳ τοῦ νόμου, καὶ τῇ δαψιλείᾳ τῶν συγκεχωρημένων, καὶ τῇ τιμωρίᾳ τῆς μελλούσης κολάσεως, καὶ τῷ τάχει τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς οὐ γὰρ εἶπε μετὰ μίαν, καὶ δύο, καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ᾗ ἂν φάγητε, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ, ᾧπερ ἐχρῆν ἀσφαλίσασθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἠσφαλίζετο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ μετὰ τοσαύτην πρόνοιαν καὶ διδασκαλίαν καὶ παραίνεσιν καὶ εὐεργεσίαν κατέπεσε, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσε τῶν ἐπιταγμάτων, οὐκ εἶπε τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς, Τί λοιπὸν τὸ πλέον, τί τὸ ὄφελος; ἔφαγεν, ἔπεσε, παρέβη τὸν νόμον, ἐπίστευσε τῷ διαβόλῳ, ἠτίμωσέ μου τὴν ἐντολὴν, ἐδέξατο τὴν πληγὴν, νεκρὸς ἐγένετο, παρεδόθη τῷ θανάτῳ, ὑπὸ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ἦλθε, τί δεῖ λοιπὸν αὐτῷ διαλέγεσθαι; Οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐθέως, καὶ διελέχθη, καὶ παρεμυθήσατο, καὶ πάλιν ἕτερον ἐπέθηκε φάρμακον, τὸ τῶν πόνων καὶ τῶν ἱδρώτων, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστη πάντα ποιῶν καὶ πραγματευόμενος, ἕως τὴν φύσιν τὴν πεσοῦσαν ἀνέστησε, καὶ ἀπήλλαξε τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐχειραγώγησε, καὶ μείζονα τῶν ἀπολωλότων ἔδωκεν ἀγαθὰ, διὰ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν τὸν διάβολον διδάξας, ὅτι οὐδὲν αὐτῷ πλέον ἐγένετο ἐκ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ταύτης· ἀλλ' ἐκβαλὼν τοῦ παραδείσου τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὄψεται αὐτοὺς μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀναμεμιγμένους τοῖς ἀγγέλοις. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Κάϊν ἐποίησε· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖνον πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἠσφαλίζετο, καὶ προδιηγόρευε, λέγων, Ἥμαρτες, ἡσύχασον· πρὸς σὲ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ σὺ ἄρξεις αὐτοῦ. Ὅρα σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δέδοικας, φησὶ, μή σε τῆς προεδρίας τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἀφέληται διὰ τὴν παρ' ἐμοῦ τιμὴν, μὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἁρπάσῃ τήν σοι προσήκουσαν· τοὺς γὰρ πρωτοτόκους τῶν δευτεροτόκων σεμνοτέρους εἶναι ἐχρῆν. Θάῤῥει, φησὶ, καὶ μὴ φοβοῦ, μηδὲ ἀγωνία περὶ τούτου· Πρὸς σὲ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ σὺ 48.930 αὐτοῦ ἄρξεις. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· μένε ἐπὶ τῆς τιμῆς τῆς τοῦ πρωτοτόκου, καὶ γενοῦ