John Chrysostom, To the People of Antioch

filling all things? But He put such a sensation in Adam, that he might restrain himself, that he might not be dissolute, that he might put forward the act of fleeing and hiding as a part of his defense even before his words. 49.99 For just as those about to be brought into a court of law, and to be held accountable for their misdeeds, appear to the judges squalid, filthy, gloomy, downcast, so as to draw them to benevolence and mercy and pardon even by their appearance; so also it happened in the case of Adam. For it was necessary for him to be brought into this court downcast; for this reason God, anticipating, restrained him. But that someone was walking about, he perceived; but from where did he think that God was walking about? Such is the habit of sinners; they suspect everything, they tremble at shadows, they fear every sound, and think that each one is coming against them. For indeed, often seeing many people running for another service, sinners have thought they were coming for them, and when others are discussing other things with one another, those conscious of sin in themselves think that those people are talking about them.

2. For such is sin; it betrays when no one is reproving, it condemns when no one is accusing, and makes the one who has sinned fearful of sounds and a coward; just as righteousness, therefore, does the opposite. Hear, at any rate, how Scripture has described the cowardice of the one, and the boldness of the other: The wicked flees, it says, when no one pursues. How does he flee when no one pursues? He has within him the one driving him, the accuser of his conscience, and he carries this one everywhere; and just as he could not flee himself, so neither can he flee the one driving him from within, but wherever he might go, he is scourged and has an incurable wound; but the righteous man is not so, but of what sort, listen: The righteous is confident as a lion. Such was Elijah; for he saw the king coming towards him, and when that one said, Why do you trouble Israel? It is not I who trouble, he said, but you and your father's house. Truly, the righteous is confident as a lion. For like a lion he rose up against the king as against some paltry little dog; and yet that one had a purple robe, but this one had a sheepskin, a garment more venerable than that purple robe. For that purple robe brought forth the harsh famine, but this sheepskin put an end to the terrible things; this parted the Jordan, this made Elisha a double Elijah. Oh how great is the virtue of the saints! not only their words, nor their bodies, but also their very garments are always venerable to all creation. The sheepskin of this one parted the Jordan, the shoes of the three youths trampled the fire, the wood of Elisha changed the waters, and made iron to be borne upon the surface; the rod of Moses parted the Red Sea, shattered the rock, the garments of Paul drove away diseases, the shadow of Peter put death to flight. The ash of the holy martyrs drives out wicked demons. For this reason they do all things with authority, just as Elijah did; for indeed he did not see the diadem and the outward show of the king, but he saw the soul clothed in rags, squalid, filthy, and in a more wretched state than any convict; and seeing him to be a captive and a slave of the passions, he despised his rule. For it seemed as though he were looking at a king on a stage, but not in reality. What 49.100 is the benefit of outward abundance, when there is such poverty within? and what harm is there in outward poverty, when so much wealth is stored up within? Such a lion was also the blessed Paul; for having entered into the prison and only cried out, he shook all the foundations, he devoured the bonds, not using teeth, but words; wherefore one must call them not only lions, but also something more than lions. For the lion, often falling into nets, is caught; but the saints, when bound, then become stronger; just as this blessed one also did then in the prison, freeing the prisoners, the walls

τὰ πάντα πληρῶν; ἀλλὰ τοιαύτην αἴσθησιν ἐνέθηκε τῷ Ἀδὰμ, ἵν' ἑαυτὸν συστείλῃ, ἵνα μὴ διακεχυμένος ᾖ, ἵνα τὸ φυγεῖν καὶ κρυβῆναι μέρος τι τῆς ἀπολογίας προβάληται καὶ πρὸ τῶν ῥημάτων αὐ 49.99 τῶν. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ μέλλοντες εἰς δικαστήριον εἰσάγεσθαι, καὶ εὐθύνας τῶν πεπλημμελημένων ὑπέχειν, αὐχμῶντες, ῥυπῶντες, στυγνοὶ, κατεσταλμένοι τοῖς δικάζουσι φαίνονται, ὥστε καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σχήματος αὐτοὺς εἰς φιλανθρωπίαν ἐπισπάσασθαι καὶ ἔλεον καὶ συγγνώμην· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ γέγονε. Καὶ γὰρ ἔδει κατεσταλμένον εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον εἰσαχθῆναι τοῦτο· διὰ τοῦτο προλαβὼν ὁ Θεὸς, αὐτὸν συνέστειλεν. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μέν τις περιεπάτει ᾔσθετο· πόθεν δὲ ἐνόμισεν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς περιεπάτει; Τοιοῦτον τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων τὸ ἔθος ἐστί· πάντα ὑποπτεύουσι, τὰς σκιὰς τρέμουσι, πάντα ψόφον δεδοίκασι, καὶ ἕκαστον ἐπ' αὐτοὺς βαδίζειν νομίζουσι. Πολλοὺς γοῦν πολλάκις ἰδόντες ἐφ' ἑτέραν τρέχοντας διακονίαν, ἐνόμισαν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἥκειν οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες, καὶ ἄλλων ἄλλα πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαλεγομένων, οἱ συνειδότες ἑαυτοῖς ἁμαρτίαν, περὶ αὐτῶν ἐκείνους διαλέγεσθαι νομίζουσι.

βʹ. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία· οὐδενὸς ἐλέγχοντος προδίδωσιν, οὐδενὸς κατηγοροῦντος καταδικάζει, καὶ ψοφοδεῆ ποιεῖ καὶ δειλὸν τὸν ἡμαρτηκότα· ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ δικαιοσύνη τὸ ἐναντίον. Ἄκουσον γοῦν πῶς καὶ τούτου τὴν δειλίαν, κἀκείνου τὴν παῤῥησίαν ὑπέγραψεν ἡ Γραφή· Φεύγει ὁ ἀσεβὴς, φησὶν, οὐδενὸς διώκοντος. Πῶς οὐδενὸς διώκοντος φεύγει; Ἔνδον ἔχει τὸν ἐλαύνοντα, τὸν τοῦ συνειδότος κατήγορον, καὶ τοῦτον πανταχοῦ περιφέρει· καὶ καθάπερ ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἂν δυνηθείη φεύγειν, οὕτως οὐδὲ τὸν ἔνδοθεν αὐτὸν ἐλαύνοντα, ἀλλ' ὅπουπερ ἂν ἀπῄει, μαστίζεται καὶ τραῦμα ἀνίατον ἔχει· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ δίκαιος τοιοῦτος, ἀλλ' ὁποῖος, ἄκουε· ∆ίκαιος ὡς λέων πέποιθε. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ἠλίας· εἶδε γοῦν τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐρχόμενον, καὶ εἰπόντος ἐκείνου, Ἵνα τί διαστρέφεις τὸν Ἰσραήλ; Οὐκ ἐγὼ διαστρέφω, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου. Ἀληθῶς δίκαιος ὡς λέων πέποιθε. Καθάπερ γὰρ λέων κυνιδίου τινὸς εὐτελοῦς κατεξανέστη τοῦ βασιλέως· καίτοι πορφυρίδα εἶχεν ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλ' εἶχε μηλωτὴν οὗτος, ἱμάτιον τῆς πορφυρίδος ἐκείνης σεμνότερον. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ πορφυρὶς ἐκείνη τὸν λιμὸν ἔτεκε τὸν χαλεπὸν, ἡ μηλωτὴ δὲ αὕτη τὰ δεινὰ ἔλυσεν· αὕτη τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἔσχισεν, αὕτη τὸν Ἑλισσαῖον διπλοῦν Ἠλίανἐποίησεν. Ὢ πόση τῶν ἁγίων ἡ ἀρετή! οὐχὶ τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν μόνα, οὐδὲ τὰ σώματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ἱμάτια τῇ κτίσει πάσῃ πάντοτέ ἐστιν αἰδέσιμα. Ἡ μηλωτὴ τούτου τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἔσχισε, τὰ ὑποδήματα τῶν τριῶν παίδων τὸ πῦρ κατεπάτησαν, τὸ ξύλον τοῦ Ἑλισσαίου τὰ ὕδατα μετέβαλε, καὶ σιδήριον ὑπὲρ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν βαστάζειν ἐποίησεν· ἡ ῥάβδος Μωϋσέως τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν ἔσχισε θάλασσαν, τὴν πέτραν ἔῤῥηξε, τὰ ἱμάτια Παύλου νοσήματα ἤλασεν, ἡ σκιὰ Πέτρου θάνατον ἐφυγάδευσεν. Ἡ τέφρα τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων πονηροὺς ἀπελαύνει δαίμονας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μετ' ἐξουσίας ἅπαντα πράττουσι, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ Ἠλίας· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἑώρα τὸ διάδημα καὶ τὴν ἔξωθεν φαντασίαν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀλλ' ἑώρα τὴν ψυχὴν ῥάκια περιβεβλημένην, αὐχμῶσαν, ῥυπῶσαν, καὶ καταδίκου παντὸς ἀθλιώτερον διακειμένην· καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν αἰχμάλωτον καὶ δοῦλον ὄντα τῶν παθῶν, κατεφρόνησεν αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐδόκει βασιλέα βλέπειν. Τί 49.100 γὰρ ὄφελος τῆς ἔξωθεν εὐπορίας, ὅταν ἔνδον πενία τοσαύτη ᾖ; τί δὲ βλάβος τῆς ἔξωθεν πενίας, ὅταν ἔνδον τοσοῦτος ἀποκέηται πλοῦτος; Τοιοῦτος ἦν λέων καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος· εἰσελθὼν γὰρ εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον καὶ βοήσας μόνον, τὰ θεμέλια πάντα ἔσεισε, τὰ δεσμὰ κατέφαγεν, οὐκ ὀδοῦσι χρησάμενος, ἀλλὰ ῥήμασι· διόπερ οὐχὶ λέοντας αὐτοὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερόν τι πλέον λεόντων χρὴ καλεῖν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ λέων εἰς δίκτυα πολλάκις ἐμπεσὼν ἁλίσκεται· οἱ δὲ ἅγιοι δεθέντες, τότε ἰσχυρότεροι γίνονται· καθάπερ καὶ ὁ μακάριος οὗτος ἐπὶ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου τότε ἐποίησε, τοὺς δεσμώτας λύσας, τοὺς τοίχους