John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

of a woman makes the tribunal fearsome. But if He had not demanded such a penalty from both of them for having sinned unpardonably, how great a contempt for God would not have resulted from this? And that it was for this reason is clear from the fact that He did not come immediately to punishment, but first exposed the sin. Therefore no one groaned, no one lamented, but all were afraid. And reasonably so, for as their faith was intensified, the signs also became more numerous, and the fear was great even among their own people, since we are not so disturbed by the things of outsiders as by those of our own. If, therefore, we are united with one another, no one will be at war with us; just as, if we are divided from one another, on the contrary, all will attack us. From this they too then took courage, and with boldness went even into the marketplace, and prevailed in the midst of their enemies; and that which was said was fulfilled, "Rule in the midst of your enemies;" which was also proof of a greater power, that while being arrested and bound, they did such things. If then those who only lied suffered such things, what will those who also perjure themselves not suffer? Or rather, if the woman, by simply saying, "Yes, for so much," paid such a penalty and did not escape; consider, you who swear and perjure yourselves, what punishment you would be worthy of? It is timely today to show also from the Old Testament the grievousness of perjury. "A sickle," it says, "was flying, ten cubits in breadth." The flying signifies the swiftest assault of the punishment that attends oaths; and that this is ten cubits in breadth and length, signifies the vehemence and the magnitude of the evils; and its flying from heaven, that the sentence is brought from the tribunal above; and its sickle-shape, the inescapability of the punishment. For just as a sickle falling on a neck could not be drawn back by itself, but somehow remains even after the head is cut off; so also the justice that comes upon those who swear is something fearsome, and would not depart without first 60.104 having done its work. But if we escape when we swear, let us not be confident; for this happens for our own harm. For what do you think? How many after Ananias and Sapphira have dared the same things as they, and have not suffered the same things? And how, one says, did they not suffer? Not because they were forgiven, but because they are being kept for a greater evil. 4. So that those who stumble much, when they are not punished, ought to fear and be afraid more than when they are punished; for their punishment is increased through the lack of punishment and the long-suffering of God. Let us not, therefore, look to this, that we are not punished, but whether we have not sinned; but if we sin and are not punished, we ought to tremble all the more. Tell me, if you have a slave, and you only threaten him and do not beat him, when is he more afraid, when does he flee, when does he run away? Is it not when you only threaten? For this reason we also exhort one another not to threaten continually, so as not to shake the soul more with fear, so as not to tear him apart more than with blows. Besides, there the punishment is temporary, but here it is perpetual. Therefore, do not now look at this, if no one suffers the things of the sickle, but consider that, if one does such things; for many things happen now like those at the time of the flood, but a flood has not occurred; for Gehenna has been threatened, and punishment. Many sin in the same way as those of Sodom, but a rain of fire has not come; for a river of fire has been prepared. Many have dared the things of Pharaoh; but they have not suffered the things of Pharaoh, nor have they been drowned in the Red Sea; for the sea of the abyss awaits them, where the punishment is not with insensibility, nor is it possible to be choked, but to be consumed while being punished longer, roasted, and strangled. Many have dared the things of the Israelites; but serpents have not eaten them; for the undying worm awaits them. Many have dared the things of Gehazi; but they have not become leprous; for instead of leprosy, being cut in two awaits them, and to be placed with the hypocrites. Many have both sworn and perjured themselves; but even if they have escaped, let us not be confident; for the gnashing of teeth awaits them. And perhaps they will suffer here also, and they will not escape, even if not

γυναικὸς φοβερὸν ποιεῖ τὸ δικαστήριον. Εἰ δὲ ἀσύγγνωστα ἁμαρτόντας μὴ τοιαύτην δίκην ἀπῄτησεν ἀμφοτέρους, πόση ἐντεῦθεν καταφρόνησις Θεοῦ οὐκ ἂν γέγονεν; Ὅτι δὲ διὰ τοῦτο, δῆλον ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ εὐθέως ἐπὶ τιμωρίαν ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλὰ δεῖξαι πρῶτον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν. Ὅθεν οὐδεὶς ἐστέναξεν, οὐδεὶς ἀνῴμωξεν, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἐφοβήθησαν. Εἰκότως δὲ, τῆς πίστεως αὐτῶν ἐπιτεινομένης, καὶ τὰ σημεῖα πλείω ἐγίνετο, καὶ πολὺς καὶ παρὰ τοῖς οἰκείοις ὁ φόβος ἦν, ἐπειδὴ οὐχ οὕτω τὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἡμᾶς θορυβεῖ, ὡς τὰ τῶν οἰκείων. Ἂν οὖν ὦμεν πρὸς ἀλλήλους συγκεκροτημένοι, οὐδεὶς ἔσται ἡμῖν πολεμῶν· ὥσπερ, ἂν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διιστώμεθα, τὸ ἐναντίον πάντες ἡμῖν ἐπιθήσονται. Ἀπὸ τούτου κἀκεῖνοι λοιπὸν ἐθάῤῥουν, καὶ μετὰ παῤῥησίας καὶ εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐνέβαλλον, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ ἐκράτουν· καὶ ἐπληροῦτο ἐκεῖνο τὸ εἰρημένον, Κατακυρίευε ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου· ὃ καὶ μείζονος ἀπόδειξις δυνάμεως ἦν, ὅτι κατεχόμενοι, δεσμούμενοι, τοιαῦτα ἔπραττον. Εἰ οὖν οἱ μόνον ψευσάμενοι τοιαῦτα ἔπαθον, οἱ καὶ ἐπιορκοῦντες τί οὐ πείσονται; Μᾶλλον δὲ εἰ ἁπλῶς εἰποῦσα ἡ γυνὴ, Ναὶ τοσούτου, τοιαύτην ἔδωκε δίκην, καὶ οὐκ ἐξέφυγεν· ἐννοήσατε οἱ ὀμνύοντες καὶ ἐπιορκοῦντες, τίνος ἂν εἴητε ἄξιοι κολάσεως; Εὔκαιρον καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς δεῖξαι τὸ χαλεπὸν τῆς ἐπιορκίας τήμερον. ∆ρέπανον, φησὶ, πετόμενον ἦν, πλάτους πήχεων δέκα. Τὸ πετόμενον τὴν ταχίστην ἔφοδον τῆς τιμωρίας δηλοῖ τὴν τοῖς ὅρκοις παρεπομένην· τὸ δὲ πήχεων τοῦτο δέκα εἶναι τὸ πλάτος καὶ τὸ μῆκος, τὸ σφοδρὸν σημαίνει καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν κακῶν· τὸ δὲ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ πέτεσθαι, τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἄνωθεν δικαστηρίου τὴν ψῆφον φέρεσθαι· τὸ δὲ δρεπανοειδὲς, τὸ ἄφυκτον τῆς τιμωρίας. Καθάπερ γὰρ δρέπανον εἰς τράχηλον ἐμπεσὸν οὐκ ἂν καθ' ἑαυτὸ ἀνελκυσθείη, μένει δέ πως ἔτι καὶ ἀποτεμνομένης τῆς κεφαλῆς· οὕτω καὶ ἡ δίκη τοῖς ὀμνύουσιν ἐπιοῦσα, φοβερά τίς ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀποσταίη μὴ πρότερον 60.104 ἐργασαμένη τὸ αὐτῆς. Εἰ δὲ διαφεύγομεν ὀμνύοντες, μὴ θαῤῥῶμεν· ἐπὶ γὰρ κακῷ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ τοῦτο γίνεται Ἐπεὶ τί νομίζετε; πόσοι μετὰ Ἀνανίαν καὶ Σάπφειραν τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνοις ἐτόλμησαν, καὶ οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ ἔπαθον; Καὶ πῶς, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔπαθον; Οὐκ ἐπειδὴ συνεχωρήθη αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μείζονι τηροῦνται κακῷ. δʹ. Ὥστε οἱ πολλὰ πταίοντες, μὴ κολαζόμενοι, μᾶλλον ἢ κολαζόμενοι, φοβεῖσθαι καὶ δεδοικέναι ὀφείλουσιν· αὔξεται γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὰ τῆς τιμωρίας διὰ τῆς ἀτιμωρησίας καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Μὴ τοῦτο τοίνυν ἴδωμεν, ὅτι οὐ κολαζόμεθα, ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ ἡμάρτομεν· εἰ δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες οὐ κολαζόμεθα, μᾶλλον τρέμειν ὀφείλομεν. Εἰπέ μοι, ἄν τινα δοῦλον ἔχῃς, καὶ ἀπειλῇς αὐτῷ μόνον, καὶ οὐ τύπτῃς, πότε μᾶλλον φοβεῖται, πότε φεύγει, πότε δραπετεύει; οὐχ ὅταν ἀπειλῇς μόνον; Ὅθεν καὶ ἀλλήλοις παραινοῦμεν, μὴ ἀπειλεῖν συνεχῶς, ὥστε μὴ τῷ φόβῳ μᾶλλον κατασεῖσαι τὴν ψυχὴν, ὥστε μὴ σπαράττειν αὐτὸν πλέον τῶν πληγῶν. Ἄλλως δὲ καὶ ἐκεῖ μὲν πρόσκαιρος ἡ τιμωρία, ἐνταῦθα δὲ διηνεκής. Μὴ τοίνυν εἰ μηδεὶς τὰ τοῦ δρεπάνου πάσχει, νῦν τοῦτο ἴδῃς, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο ἐννόησον, εἰ τοιαῦτα ποιεῖ· ἐπεὶ πολλὰ γίνεται νῦν οἷα ἐπὶ τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, ἀλλὰ κατακλυσμὸς οὐ γέγονε· γέεννα γὰρ ἠπείληται, καὶ τιμωρία. Πολλοὶ ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἷα τὰ ἐπὶ τῶν Σοδόμων, ἀλλὰ πῦρ οὐκ ἦλθεν ὑετοῦ· πύρινος γὰρ ἡτοίμασται ποταμός. Πολλοὶ τὰ τοῦ Φαραὼ ἐτόλμησαν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπαθον τὰ τοῦ Φαραὼ, οὐδὲ κατεποντίσθησαν εἰς Ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν· τὸ γὰρ πέλαγος αὐτοὺς μένει τὸ τῆς ἀβύσσου, ἔνθα οὐ μετὰ ἀναισθησίας ἡ τιμωρία, οὐδὲ ἀποπνιγῆναι ἔνι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πλέον κολαζομένους, τηγανιζομένους, ἀπαγχονιζομένους ἀναλίσκεσθαι. Πολλοὶ τὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ἐτόλμησαν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔφαγον αὐτοὺς ὄφεις· μένει γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὁ σκώληξ ὁ ἀτελεύτητος. Πολλοὶ τὰ τοῦ Γιεζῆ ἐτόλμησαν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐλεπρώθησαν· μένει γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀντὶ τῆς λέπρας τὸ διχοτομηθῆναι, καὶ τεθῆναι μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν. Πολλοὶ καὶ ὤμοσαν καὶ ἐπιώρκησαν· εἰ δὲ καὶ διέφυγον, μὴ θαῤῥῶμεν· μένει γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὲ τάχα πείσονται, καὶ οὐ φεύξονται, εἰ καὶ μὴ