John Chrysostom, To the People of Antioch

Because 49.104 after eating and drinking it is necessary also to come to the assembly, in every way and often unwillingly you will take care for sobriety, and you will never be carried away into either drunkenness or gluttony; for the care and expectation of coming to the church teaches you to partake of both food and drink with fitting decorum, so that you do not, having entered and mingled with the brethren, then reeking of wine and belching disorderly, be laughed at by all who are present. These things I do not say to you now, but to those of you who have been left behind, so that through you they may learn these things. For eating is not a hindrance to hearing, but being lazy is; but you, thinking it is a cause for condemnation not to have fasted, add another charge much greater and more grievous, that of not partaking of this sacred table, and having nourished your body, you waste away your soul with hunger; and what defense will you have? For in the case of fasting, perhaps you have the weakness of your body to put forward; but in the case of hearing, what could you have to say? For surely the weakness of the body does not hinder one from partaking of the divine oracles. For if I were to say: 'Let no one who has lunched join in, let no one who has eaten listen,' you would have some excuse; but now when we draw you, and pull you in, and call you to ourselves, what defense will you have for leaping away? For that hearer would be unsuitable, not the one who has eaten and drunk, but the one not paying attention to what is being said, the one who is yawning and enervated, and has his body here, but his mind wandering elsewhere; this one, even if he is fasting, is useless for hearing; but the one who is aroused and sober and concentrating his mind, even if he has eaten and drunk, would be for us the most suitable hearer of all. For in the case of the external courts and council-chambers this law has rightly prevailed; for they do not know how to be temperate; for this reason they do not eat in order to be nourished, but in order to burst; for they often drink to excess; for this reason making themselves useless for the management of affairs, they close both courts and council-chambers in the afternoon and at midday. But here there is nothing of the sort; may it never be; but the one who has eaten will be a rival to the one who fasts in the sobriety of his soul; for he does not eat and drink in order to burst his stomach, nor to darken his reason, but to restore his weakened body.

2. But enough of this exhortation, it is time now to take up the subject; and yet my thought shrinks back and hesitates from this teaching because of those who are not present. And just as a loving mother, having a table to set, grieves and is pained when not all of her children are present; this indeed is what I am suffering now, and thinking on the absence of our brethren, I shrink back from the exposition; but you have the power to cast out this hesitation. For if you would promise me to convey everything with accuracy to them, 49.105 we will lay everything down for you with eagerness; for thus the teaching of your love will be a consolation for their absence, and you will listen to us more attentively, knowing that it is necessary for you to report these things to others. Therefore, so that our discourse may become clearer, let us take it up from the beginning and speak. We were investigating, then, previously, for what reason after so many years the Scriptures were given; for not in the time of Adam, nor in the time of Noah, and of Abraham, but in the time of Moses was this book given; and I hear many saying that, if it was useful, it ought to have been given from the beginning; but if it was useless, neither ought it to have been given afterwards. But this reasoning is stale; for surely not in every case, if something is useful afterwards, ought it to be given from the beginning; nor if something was given at the beginning, ought this in every case to remain afterwards also. Since milk too is useful, but it is not given continually, but is given only when we are children; and solid food is useful, but no one gives it to us in the beginning, but when we have passed out of the age of childhood; again the summer is useful, but not

ὅτι 49.104 μετὰ τὸ φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν ἀνάγκη καὶ πρὸς σύναξιν ἀπαντῆσαι, πάντως καὶ ἄκων πολλάκις ἐπιμελήσῃ τῆς σωφροσύνης, καὶ οὔτε εἰς μέθην, οὔτε εἰς ἀδηφαγίαν κατενεχθήσῃ ποτέ· ἡ γὰρ φροντὶς καὶ ἡ προσδοκία τῆς εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀφίξεως παιδεύει μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης εὐκοσμίας, καὶ τροφῆς καὶ ποτοῦ μεταλαμβάνειν, ἵνα μὴ εἰσελθὼν καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἀναμιχθεὶς, εἶτα ἀποπνέων οἴνου καὶ ἐρευγόμενος ἀτάκτως, καταγελασθῇς παρὰ τῶν παρόντων ἁπάντων. Ταῦτα οὐ πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγω νῦν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας ὑμῶν, ἵνα δι' ὑμῶν ταῦτα μάθωσιν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ φαγεῖν κώλυμα ἀκροάσεως, ἀλλὰ τὸ ῥᾳθυμεῖν· σὺ δὲ κατάγνωσιν εἶναι νομίζων τὸ μὴ νηστεῦσαι, καὶ ἕτερον προστίθης ἔγκλημα πολλῷ μεῖζον καὶ χαλεπώτερον, τὸ μὴ τῆς ἱερᾶς ταύτης μετασχεῖν τραπέζης, καὶ θρέψας σου τὸ σῶμα, κατατήκεις λιμῷ τὴν ψυχήν· καὶ ποίαν ἕξεις ἀπολογίαν; Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς νηστείας ἴσως ἔχεις σώματος ἀσθένειαν προβαλέσθαι· ἐπὶ δὲ ἀκροάσεως τί ἂν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν; οὐ γὰρ δὴ σώματος ἀσθένεια κωλύει τῶν θείων λογίων μετασχεῖν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔλεγον· Μηδεὶς ἠριστηκὼς συμμιγέσθω, μηδεὶς φαγὼν ἀκροάσθω, εἶχές τινα συγγνώμην· νυνὶ δὲ ὅταν ἡμεῖς ἕλκωμεν, καὶ ἐπισπώμεθα, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς καλῶμεν, ποίαν ἕξετε ἀπολογίαν ἀποπηδῶντες; Καὶ γὰρ ἀνεπιτήδειος ὁ ἀκροατὴς ἐκεῖνος ἂν γένοιτο, οὐχ ὁ φαγὼν καὶ πιὼν, ἀλλ' ὁ μὴ προσέχων τοῖς λεγομένοις, ὁ χασμώμενος καὶ ἐκλελυμένος, καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἐνταῦθα ἔχων, τὴν δὲ διάνοιαν ἀλλαχοῦ πλανωμένην· οὗτος κἂν νηστεύῃ, πρὸς ἀκρόασίν ἐστιν ἄχρηστος· ὁ μέντοι διεγηγερμένος καὶ νήφων καὶ συντείνων ἑαυτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, κἂν φαγὼν καὶ πεπωκὼς ᾖ, πάντων ἐπιτηδειότατος ἀκροατὴς ἂν ἡμῖν γένοιτο. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν δικαστηρίων καὶ βουλευτηρίων εἰκότως ὁ νόμος οὗτος ἐκράτησεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἴσασι φιλοσοφεῖν· διὸ οὐδὲ ἐσθίουσιν ὥστε τραφῆναι, ἀλλ' ὥστε διαῤῥαγῆναι· πίνουσι γὰρ ὑπὲρ κόρον πολλάκις· διὰ τοῦτο ἑαυτοὺς ἀχρήστους πρὸς τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων οἰκονομίαν καθιστῶντες, καὶ δικαστήρια καὶ βουλευτήρια ἀποκλείουσι δείλης καὶ μεσημβρίας. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον· μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ὁ φαγὼν τῷ νηστεύοντι κατὰ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς σωφροσύνην ἐφάμιλλος ἔσται· οὐ γὰρ ὥστε διαῤῥῆξαι τὴν γαστέρα, οὐδὲ ὥστε σκοτῶσαι τὸν λογισμὸν ἐσθίει καὶ πίνει, ἀλλ' ὥστε τὸ σῶμα ἠσθενηκὸς ἀνακτήσασθαι.

βʹ. Ἀλλὰ τῆς μὲν παραινέσεως ταύτης ἅλις, ὥρα δὲ λοιπὸν τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἅψασθαι· καίτοι γε ἀναδύεται καὶ ὀκνεῖ πρὸς τὴν διδασκαλίαν ταύτην ἡμῖν ὁ λογισμὸς διὰ τοὺς μὴ παραγενομένους. Καὶ καθάπερ μήτηρ φιλόστοργος τράπεζαν ἔχουσα παραθεῖναι, τῶν παίδων μὴ παρόντων ἁπάντων ἀλγεῖ καὶ ὀδυνᾶται· τοῦτο δὴ κἀγὼ πάσχω νῦν, καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐννοῶν τὴν ἀπουσίαν, ἀναδύομαι πρὸς τὴν ἔκτισιν· ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς κύριοι τὸν ὄκνον τοῦτον ἐκβαλεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ὑπόσχοισθέ μοι μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἅπαντα πρὸς ἐκείνους διαπορθμεύσειν, 49.105 μετὰ προθυμίας ἡμεῖς ἅπαντα καταβαλοῦμεν ὑμῖν· οὕτω γὰρ ἐκείνοις τε ἔσται τῆς ἀπουσίας παραμυθία τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης ἡ διδασκαλία, ὑμεῖς τε προσεκτικώτερον ἡμῶν ἀκούσεσθε, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους ὑμῖν ἀπαγγεῖλαι ταῦτα ἀνάγκη. Ἵνα οὖν σαφέστερος ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος γένηται, ἄνωθεν ἀναλαβόντες αὐτὸν εἴπωμεν. Ἐζητοῦμεν τοίνυν πρώην τίνος ἕνεκεν μετὰ ἔτη τοσαῦτα ἐδόθησαν αἱ Γραφαί· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ Νῶε, καὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη τοῦτο τὸ βιβλίον· καὶ πολλῶν ἀκούω λεγόντων, ὅτι, εἰ χρήσιμον ἦν, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔδει δοθῆναι· εἰ δὲ ἄχρηστον ἦν, οὐδὲ μετὰ ταῦτα δοθῆναι ἐχρῆν. Ἀλλ' ἕωλος οὗτος ὁ λογισμός· οὐ γὰρ δὴ πάντως, εἴ τι χρήσιμον μετὰ ταῦτα, ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὀφείλει δίδοσθαι· οὐδὲ εἴ τι παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐδόθη, τοῦτο πάντως ὀφείλει καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μένειν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ γάλα χρήσιμον, ἀλλ' οὐ διηνεκῶς δίδοται, ἀλλὰ παισὶν οὖσιν ἡμῖν δίδοται μόνον· καὶ ἡ στερεὰ τροφὴ χρήσιμος, ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν ἐν ἀρχῇ μεταδίδωσιν αὐτῆς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν τὴν παιδικὴν ἐξέλθωμεν ἡλικίαν· πάλιν τὸ θέρος χρήσιμον, ἀλλ' οὐ