John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Ephesians

which has been made through and through, or should a crack the size of a hair happen to occur, this dissolves and destroys everything; so also in the case of the devil. As long as we are closely packed and fitted together, 62.102 he introduces none of his own things at all; but when he makes us even a little bit slack, he pours in like some winter torrent. For everywhere he needs only a beginning, and this is the thing hard to set right; but when this has happened, he himself makes everything broad for himself. For then the ears are opened to slanders, and those who speak falsehoods are more believable; for they have enmity as their judge, not truth as their arbiter. And just as when there is friendship, even the true things of evil men appear false; so when there is enmity, even false things appear true; a different mind, a different tribunal, not hearing on equal terms, but with much partiality and bias. For just as on a balance, lead being added has drawn down the whole thing; so also here, the weight of enmity, being more grievous than lead. Wherefore, I beseech you, let us do all things, so as to extinguish enmities before the sun sets. For if you do not master it on the first day and on the next, you have often extended it even for a year, and the enmity then increases itself, and needs no one. For it makes one suspect words spoken in one way to mean another, and it makes savage and brutalizes gestures and everything whatsoever, and puts one in a worse state than madmen, enduring neither to speak the name nor to hear it, but uttering everything from revilings. How then shall we soften our anger? How shall we extinguish the flame? If we consider our own sins, and how much we are accountable to God; if we consider that we are not defending ourselves against the enemy, but against ourselves; if we consider that we are pleasing the devil, that it is our enemy, the true enemy, on whose account we wrong our own member. Do you wish to be resentful and an enemy? Be an enemy, but to the devil, not to your own member. For this reason God armed us with anger, not that we should use the sword against our own bodies, but that we should plunge the whole blade into the breast of the devil. There thrust in the sword up to the hilt, if you wish, and the hilt itself, and never draw it out, but add another too. And this will be, when we spare ourselves, when we are peacefully disposed towards one another. Away with money, away with glory and good repute; my own member is more precious to me than all. Let us say these things to ourselves; let us not wrong our own nature, in order to acquire money, in order to attain glory. He that stole, let him steal no more, he says. Do you see what are the members of the old man? Lying, resentfulness, theft. Why did he not say, Let the thief be punished, let him be tortured, let him be racked, but, Let him steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needs it? Where are those called Cathari, who are full of all filth, and dare to call themselves this? For it is possible, it is possible to put off the charge, not only by stopping the sin, but also by working something good. Do you see how sins must be absolved? They stole, this is to commit the sin; they did not steal, this is not to absolve the sin 62.103; but how? If they have labored, and have given to others; thus they have absolved the sin. He does not want us simply to work, but to labor, so as to give to others; for the thief also works, but at what is evil. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. What is corrupt? That which elsewhere he also calls idle, slander, filthy language, jesting, foolish talking. Do you see how he cuts out the roots of anger, lying, theft, unseasonable talk? And the saying, Let him steal no more, he says not so much as pardoning them, as making those who have been wronged gentle, and exhorting them to be content with no longer suffering the same things. And he also teaches well concerning words. For not only of deeds, but also of words we pay the penalty. But that which is good, he says, to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. That is, whatever edifies your neighbor, speak this only, and nothing superfluous. 3. For for this purpose He gave you a mouth and a tongue

διαμπὰξ γεγενημένην, ἢ ῥαγάδα τριχὸς ἐπέχουσαν τόπον συμβῇ γενέσθαι, τοῦτο πάντα καταλύει καὶ ἀπόλλυσιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ διαβόλου· ἕως μὲν ἂν ὦμεν πεπυκνωμένοι καὶ συνηρμοσμένοι, 62.102 οὐδὲν ὅλως ἐπεισάγει τῶν αὑτοῦ· ἐπειδὰν δὲ μικρὸν ἡμᾶς διαχαυνώσῃ, καθάπερ τις χειμάῤῥους ἐπιχέεται. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ ἀρχῆς αὐτῷ χρεία μόνης, καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ δυσκατόρθωτον· τούτου δὲ γενομένου, αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ τὰ πάντα εὐρύνει· λοιπὸν γὰρ διαβολαῖς τὰ ὦτα ἀνέῳγε, καὶ οἱ τὰ ψευδῆ λέγοντες, πιστότεροι· τὴν γὰρ ἔχθραν ἔχουσι δικάζουσαν, οὐ τὴν ἀλήθειαν κρίνουσαν. Καὶ ὥσπερ φιλίας οὔσης, καὶ τὰ ἀληθῆ ψευδῆ φαίνεται τῶν κακῶν· οὕτως ἔχθρας οὔσης, καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ ἀληθῆ· ἕτερος νοῦς, ἕτερον δικαστήριον, οὐκ ἐξ ἴσης ἀκοῦον, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς προσκλίσεως καὶ ἐπιῤῥεπείας. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν ζυγῷ μόλυβδος προστεθεὶς τὸ πᾶν εἵλκυσεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, τὸ τῆς ἔχθρας βάρος, μολύβδου χαλεπώτερον ὄν. ∆ιὸ, παρακαλῶ, πάντα πράττωμεν, ὥστε πρὸ τοῦ ἡλίου σβεννύναι τὰς ἔχθρας. Ἂν γὰρ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ μὴ κρατήσῃς καὶ τῇ ἑξῆς, πολλάκις καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν αὐτὴν ἐξέτεινας, καὶ αὐτὴ ἑαυτὴν ηὔξησε λοιπὸν ἡ ἔχθρα, καὶ οὐ δεῖταί τινος. Καὶ ῥήματα γὰρ ἑτέρως λεγόμενα ἑτέρως ὑποπτεύειν ποιοῦσα, καὶ σχήματα καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἐκθηριοῖ καὶ ἐξαγριοῖ, καὶ τῶν μαινομένων χείρω διατίθησιν, οὔτε τὸ ὄνομα εἰπεῖν, οὔτε ἀκοῦσαι ἀνεχομένη, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν λοιδοριῶν ἅπαντα φθεγγομένη. Πῶς οὖν μαλάξομεν τὸν θυμόν; πῶς σβέσομεν τὴν φλόγα; Ἂν τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτήματα ἐννοήσωμεν, καὶ ὅσον ἐσμὲν ὑπεύθυνοι τῷ Θεῷ· ἂν ἐννοήσωμεν, ὅτι οὐ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἀμυνόμεθα, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς αὐτούς· ἂν ἐννοήσωμεν, ὅτι τὸν διάβολον εὐφραίνομεν, ὅτι τὸν ἐχθρὸν τὸν ἡμέτερον, τὸν ὄντως ἐχθρὸν, δι' ὃν τὸ μέλος τὸ ἡμέτερον ἀδικοῦμεν. Βούλει εἶναι μνησίκακος καὶ ἐχθρός; Ἐχθρὸς ἔσο, ἀλλὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, μὴ τοῦ μέλους τοῦ σοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ὥπλισε τῷ θυμῷ ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχ ἵνα τὸ ξίφος κατὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων σωμάτων, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὁλόκληρον τὴν μάχαιραν εἰς τὸ τοῦ διαβόλου στῆθος βαπτίζωμεν. Ἐκεῖ τὸ ξίφος ἔγκλεισον μέχρι τῆς λαβῆς, εἰ βούλει, καὶ τὴν λαβὴν αὐτὴν, καὶ μηδέποτε ἐκσπάσῃς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον πρόσθες. Τοῦτο δὲ ἔσται, ὅταν ἡμῶν φειδώμεθα, ὅταν εἰρηνικῶς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διακεώμεθα. Ἐῤῥέτω χρήματα, ἐῤῥέτω δόξα καὶ εὐδοκίμησις· πάντων τὸ μέλος τὸ ἐμὸν ἐμοὶ τιμιώτερον. Ταῦτα λέγωμεν πρὸς ἑαυτούς· μὴ τὴν φύσιν ἀδικῶμεν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἵνα χρήματα κτησώμεθα, ἵνα δόξης ἐπιτύχωμεν. Ὁ κλέπτων, μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, φησίν. Ὁρᾷς τίνα τὰ μέλη τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀνθρώπου; ψεῦδος, μνησικακία, κλοπή. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ εἶπεν, Ὁ κλέπτων κολαζέσθω, βασανιζέσθω, στρεβλούσθω, ἀλλὰ, Μηκέτι κλεπτέτω· μᾶλλον δὲ κοπιάτω ἐργαζόμενος τὸ ἀγαθὸν ταῖς χερσὶν, ἵνα ἔχῃ μεταδιδόναι τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι; Ποῦ οἱ Καθαροὶ λεγόμενοι, οἱ παντὸς ῥύπου γέμοντες, καὶ τοῦτο ἑαυτοὺς ὀνομάζειν τολμῶντες; Ἔστι γὰρ, ἔστιν ἀποδύσασθαι τὸ ἔγκλημα, οὐ τῷ στῆναι μόνον τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἀγαθόν τι ἐργάσασθαι. Ὁρᾶτε πῶς ἀπολύεσθαι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα δεῖ; Ἔκλεψαν, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἁμάρτημα πρᾶξαι· οὐκ ἔκλεψαν, τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι τὸ ἁμάρ 62.103 τημα λῦσαι· ἀλλὰ πῶς; Εἰ ἐκοπίασαν, καὶ ἑτέροις μετέδωκαν· οὕτως ἔλυσαν τὸ ἁμάρτημα. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἡμᾶς ἐργάζεσθαι βούλεται, ἀλλ' ὥστε κοπιᾷν, ὥστε ἑτέροις μεταδιδόναι· καὶ γὰρ ὁ κλέπτων ἐργάζεται, ἀλλὰ κακόν. Πᾶς λόγος σαπρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω. Τίς ἐστι σαπρός; Ὅν φησιν ἀλλαχοῦ καὶ ἀργὸν, καταλαλιὰ, αἰσχρολογία, εὐτραπελία, μωρολογία. Ὁρᾷς πῶς τὰς ῥίζας ἐκκόπτει τῆς ὀργῆς, τὸ ψεῦδος, τὴν κλοπὴν, τὴν ἄκαιρον διάλεξιν; Τὸ δὲ, Μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, οὐκ ἐκείνοις συγγινώσκων τοσοῦτόν φησιν, ὅσον τοὺς ἠδικημένους πράους καθιστῶν, καὶ τῷ μηκέτι τὰ αὐτὰ παθεῖν ἀρκεῖσθαι παραινῶν. Καλῶς δὲ καὶ περὶ λόγων διδάσκει. Οὐ γὰρ πραγμάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ῥημάτων τίνομεν δίκας. Ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς, φησὶ, πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Τουτέστιν, Ὅπερ οἰκοδομεῖ τὸν πλησίον, τοῦτο φθέγγου μόνον, περιττὸν δὲ μηδέν. γʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γάρ σοι στόμα καὶ γλῶσσαν ἔδωκεν