John Chrysostom, On John

you have practiced apologies, although they are of all things the most shameful; but concerning the miracles of Christ, although they drew the whole world, you do not endure even to think or be concerned about them. We believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; in the resurrection of bodies, in eternal life. If, then, one of the Greeks should ask: Who is this Father? And who the Son? And who the Holy Spirit? or how can you, who speak of three gods, accuse us of polytheism? what will you say? and what will you answer? how will you repel the attack of these words? What then, if while you are silent he should again bring forward the other question, asking, What at all is resurrection? For shall we be raised again in this body? or in another besides this one? and if in this one, what need for it to be destroyed? what will you say to these things? What then, if he should say: Why did Christ come now, and not in former times? for did it seem good to him to take thought for men now, but all the other time he despised us? or if he should examine yet other things in addition to these, and more than these? For it is not necessary to set forth many questions in a row, while keeping silent about the solutions, so as not to harm the more simple-minded in this way. For what has been said is sufficient to 59.113 shake off your sleep. What then? if they should examine these things, and you are not even able to simply understand these words, shall we undergo a small penalty, tell me, for becoming the cause of so great an error to those sitting in darkness? I could wish, if indeed you had much leisure, to bring into your midst a book written against us by some foul Greek philosopher, and again of another older than this one, so that I might at least rouse you up and lead you away from your great sluggishness. For if they, in order to speak against us, kept such vigils, what pardon should we be worthy of, if we do not even know how to repel the attacks against us? And for what reason were we brought forth? Do you not hear the Apostle saying: Be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you? And Paul also exhorts the same things, saying: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. But what do those who are more irrational than drones say to this? 59.114 Every simple soul is blessed; and, He who walks simply, walks confidently. For this is the cause of all evils, that the many do not even know how to bring forward the testimonies of the Scriptures as is needful. For here he does not mean the unintelligent, nor the one who knows nothing, but the one without wickedness, the one who does no evil, the prudent one. Since if this were so, it would have been superfluous to hear, Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But why is it necessary to say these things, when this reasoning leads to nothing needful? For in addition to what has been said, the other things have not been set right for us, I mean the things of our conduct and life, but from all sides we are wretched and ridiculous, and always ready to accuse one another, but lazy to correct ourselves in those things for which we are accused and blamed. Therefore I entreat you, now at least becoming masters of yourselves, not to stop at accusation only; for this is not sufficient to propitiate God; but let us also be zealous to show a most excellent change in all things, so that by living for the glory of God, we ourselves may enjoy the glory to come; of which may we all be counted worthy to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

59.113 HOMILY 18. The next day again John was standing, and of his

two disciples. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God.” And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed him.

1. Human nature is somehow sluggish, and prone to rush towards destruction, not

on account of the constitution of its nature, but on account of sluggishness from choice; for which reason it needs much reminding. And Paul also for this reason writing to the

ἀπολογίας μεμελετήκατε, καίτοι γε πάντων αἰσχροτέρων ὄντων· ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ θαυμάτων, καίτοι γε τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπισπασαμένων, οὐδὲ ἐννοῆσαί τι καὶ μεριμνῆσαι ἀνέχεσθε. Πιστεύομεν εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· εἰς ἀνάστασιν σωμάτων, εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ἂν τοίνυν ἔρηταί τις Ἑλλήνων· Τίς ποτέ ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ Πατήρ; τίς δὲ ὁ Υἱός; τίς δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; ἢ πῶς καὶ ὑμεῖς τρεῖς λέγοντες θεοὺς, ἡμῖν ἐγκαλεῖ πολυθεΐαν; τί ἐρεῖτε; τί δὲ ἀποκρινεῖσθε; πῶς ἀποκρούσεσθε τὴν προσβολὴν τῶν λόγων τούτων; Τί δὲ, ἂν σιγώντων ὑμῶν πάλιν ἐπενέγκῃ τὸ ἕτερον ζήτημα, Τί δέ ἐστιν ὅλως ἀνάστασις, ἐρωτῶν; ἆρα γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ σώματι πάλιν ἀναστησόμεθα; ἆρα ἐν ἑτέρῳ παρὰ τοῦτο; καὶ εἰ ἐν τούτῳ, τίς χρεία αὐτὸ καταλυθῆναι; τί πρὸς ταῦτα ἐρεῖτε; Τί δὲ, ἂν λέγῃ· ∆ιατί νῦν, καὶ μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν παρεγένετο χρόνοις ὁ Χριστός; νῦν γὰρ ἔδοξεν αὐτῷ προνοῆσαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὸν δὲ ἄλλον ἅπαντα χρόνον ἡμῶν κατεφρόνει; ἢ καὶ ἄλλα ἔτι ἂν πρὸς τούτοις τούτων πλείονα ἐξετάζῃ; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον πολλὰ ἐφεξῆς ζητήματα τιθέντας, τὰς λύσεις ἀποσιγᾷν, ὥστε μὴ τοὺς ἀφελεστέρους ταύτῃ παραβλάψαι. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα πρὸς τὸ 59.113 ἀποτινάξαι ὑμῶν τὸν ὕπνον. Τί οὖν; ἂν ταῦτα ἐξετάζωσιν, ὑμεῖς δὲ μηδὲ τῶν ῥημάτων ὑπακούειν δύνησθε ἁπλῶς τούτων, ἆρα μικρὰν ὑποστησόμεθα δίκην, εἰπέ μοι, τοσαύτης πλάνης αἴτιοι γινόμενοι τοῖς ἐν τῷ σκότῳ καθημένοις; Ἐβουλόμην, εἴ γε σχολῆς ἀπελαύετε πολλῆς, εἰς μέσον ἁπάντων ὑμῶν μιαροῦ τινος Ἕλληνος φιλοσόφου βιβλίον καθ' ἡμῶν εἰρημένον ἀγαγεῖν, ἑτέρου πάλιν πρεσβυτέρου τούτου, ἵν' οὕτω γοῦν ὑμᾶς διανέστησα, καὶ τῆς πολλῆς νωθείας ἀπήγαγον. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν, ὥστε καθ' ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν, τοσαῦτα ἠγρύπνησαν, τίνος ἂν εἴημεν συγγνώμης ἡμεῖς ἄξιοι, εἰ μηδὲ τὰς προσβολὰς τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν εἰσόμεθα ἀποκρούεσθαι; Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν καὶ παρήχθημεν; Οὐκ ἀκούεις τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Ἕτοιμοι γίνεσθε πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντι ὑμᾶς λόγον περὶ τῆς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐλπίδος; Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ τὰ αὐτὰ παραινεῖ λέγων· Ὁ λόγος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνοικείτω ἐν ὑμῖν πλουσίως. Ἀλλὰ τί φασι πρὸς ταῦτα οἱ κηφήνων ἀλογώτεροι; 59.114 Ψυχὴ εὐλογημένη πᾶσα ἁπλῆ· καὶ, Ὁ πορευόμενος ἁπλῶς, πορεύεται πεποιθώς. Τοῦτο γὰρ πάντων αἴτιον τῶν κακῶν, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὰς μαρτυρίας τῶν Γραφῶν πρὸς τὸ δέον ἐπίστανται παράγειν οἱ πολλοί. Οὐ γὰρ τὸν ἀνόητον ἐνταῦθα λέγει, οὐδὲ τὸν οὐδὲν εἰδότα, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀπόνηρον, τὸν μὴ κακοῦργον, τὸν συνετόν. Ἐπεὶ εἰ τοῦτο ἦν, περιττὸν ἦν ἀκούειν, Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί. Ἀλλὰ τί ταῦτα χρὴ λέγειν, εἰς οὐδὲν δέον ἀπαντῶντος τούτου τοῦ λόγου; Πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς εἰρημένοις, οὐδὲ τὰ ἄλλα ἡμῖν κατώρθωται, τὰ τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς ζωῆς λέγω, ἀλλὰ πάντοθεν ἄθλιοι καὶ καταγέλαστοί ἐσμεν, καὶ αἰτιᾶσθαι μὲν ἀλλήλους ἀεὶ πρόχειροι, διορθοῦσθαι δὲ ἐφ' οἷς αἰτιώμεθα καὶ ἐγκαλούμεθα, ὀκνηροί. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, νῦν γοῦν ἡμῶν αὐτῶν γενομένους, μὴ μέχρι τῆς κατηγορίας ἵστασθαι μόνον· οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ τοῦτο ἐξιλεώσασθαι τὸν Θεόν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρίστην εἰς πάντα σπουδάσωμεν ἐπιδείξασθαι μεταβολὴν, ἵνα εἰς δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ βιώσαντες, καὶ αὐτοὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἀπολαύσωμεν δόξης· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.113 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΗʹ. Τῇ ἐπαύριον πάλιν εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰωάννης, καὶ ἐκ τῶν

μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ δύο. Καὶ ἐμβλέψας τῷ Ἰησοῦ περιπατοῦντι, λέγει· «Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ ἤκουσαν αὐτοῦ οἱ δύο μαθηταὶ λα λοῦντος, καὶ ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.

αʹ. Ῥᾴθυμόν πως ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις, καὶ ὀξύῤῥοπον πρὸς ἀπώλειαν, οὐ

παρὰ τὴν τῆς φύσεως κατασκευὴν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἐκ προαιρέσεως ῥᾳθυμίαν· διὸ πολλῆς δεῖται τῆς ὑπομνήσεως. Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ διὰ τοῦτο γράφων τοῖς