John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Philippians

regulate yourself according to that. Innumerable are the images in the Scriptures set forth of virtuous lives; for instance, if you wish, come also after the teacher among the disciples; the one through poverty 62.274 shone, the other through riches; for instance Elijah through poverty, Abraham through riches; whichever you think is lighter and more suitable, come that way. Again, one through marriage, the other through virginity; Abraham through marriage, the other through virginity; whichever you wish, walk; for each leads to heaven. One through fasting, John, the other without fasting, Job. Again, this one, caring for a wife and sons and daughters and a house, and having much wealth; the other possessed nothing, except his garment of hair. And why do I speak of a house and wealth and possessions, when it is possible to attain virtue even while in royalty? For the royal household would be found more full of business than any private household. Therefore David shone in royalty, and the purple and the diadem did not weaken him at all; another was entrusted with the leadership of a whole people, I mean Moses, which happens to be more difficult. For here the authority was greater, hence the difficulty also became greater. You have seen those approved in wealth, you have seen them also in poverty, you have seen them in marriage, you have seen them also in virginity; behold the opposite again, those who have been lost both in marriage and in virginity, and in wealth and in poverty; for instance in marriage many men have been lost, such as Samson, but not because of marriage, but because of their own choice; in virginity, such as the five virgins; in wealth, the rich man who overlooked Lazarus; in poverty countless poor people are still perishing even now. In royalty I show many who have perished, in popular leadership. Do you wish to see men saved even in military rank? see Cornelius; and in the management of a household? look at the Ethiopian eunuch. Thus from all quarters if we use wealth for what is needful, nothing will destroy us; but if not, everything will destroy us, both royalty, and poverty, and wealth. However, nothing will be able to harm the sober man. For tell me, what harm did captivity do? None; for consider for me Joseph, who became a slave, and preserved his virtue; consider for me Daniel, and the three young men who became captives, and how much more they shone. For everywhere virtue shines, and is invincible, and nothing is able to hinder it. Why do I speak of poverty and captivity and slavery? neither famine, nor ulceration, nor sickness is able to harm; for sickness is worse than slavery. Such was Lazarus, such was Job, such also was Timothy who was afflicted by frequent infirmities. Do you see that nothing can overcome virtue? not wealth, not poverty, not rule, not being ruled, not presiding over affairs, not sickness, not disgrace, not being cast off; but leaving all these things below and on the earth, it reaches to heaven; only let there be a noble soul, and nothing hinders it from being virtuous. For when the workman is strong, nothing from without hinders. For indeed also in the arts, when the craftsman is experienced and steadfast and knows the whole art, even if sickness comes upon him, he has it, even if he is poor, he has it, even if he has the tool in his hands, or does not have it, whether he is working, or not working, 62.275 he is in no way diminished; for the knowledge is within him. So also the virtuous man and the one dedicated to God, whether you cast him into wealth, he displays his virtue, or into poverty likewise, or into sickness, or into health, or into glory, or into disgrace. 4. Did not the apostles come through all things? Through glory, he says, and dishonor, through slander and praise. This is what makes an athlete, to be fit for all things; such also is the nature of virtue. But if you should say, I am not able to preside

πρὸς ἐκείνην ῥύθμισον σαυτόν. Μυρίαι εἰσὶν αἱ εἰκόνες ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς κείμεναι βίων ἐναρέτων· οἷον, ἐὰν θέλῃς, ἐλθὲ καὶ μετὰ τὸν διδάσκαλον ἐν τοῖς μαθηταῖς· ὁ μὲν δι' ἀκτημοσύνης 62.274 ἔλαμψε, ὁ δὲ διὰ χρημάτων· οἷον ὁ Ἠλίας δι' ἀκτημοσύνης, ὁ Ἀβραὰμ διὰ χρημάτων· οἵαν νομίζεις κουφοτέραν καὶ εὐεπιτηδειοτέραν, ταύτην ἐλθέ. Πάλιν ὁ μὲν διὰ γάμου, ὁ δὲ διὰ παρθενίας· ὁ Ἀβραὰμ διὰ γάμου, ἐκεῖνος διὰ παρθενίας· ἣν θέλεις, βάδισον· ἑκατέρα γὰρ φέρει πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν. Ὁ μὲν διὰ νηστείας, ὁ Ἰωάννης, ὁ δὲ χωρὶς νηστειῶν, ὁ Ἰώβ. Πάλιν αὐτὸς οὗτος καὶ γυναικὸς φροντίζων καὶ παίδων καὶ θυγατέρων καὶ οἰκίας, καὶ πολὺν ἔχων πλοῦτον· ὁ ἄλλος οὐδὲν ἐκέκτητο, πλὴν τοῦ ἱματίου τοῦ τριχίνου. Καὶ τί λέγω οἰκίαν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ χρήματα, ὅπου γε καὶ ἐν βασιλείᾳ ὄντα δυνατὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπιλαβέσθαι; Πάσης γὰρ οἰκίας ἰδιωτικῆς ἂν εὑρεθείη πολυπραγμονέστερος ὁ οἶκος ὁ βασιλικός. Ὁ τοίνυν ∆αυῒδ ἔλαμψεν ἐν βασιλείᾳ, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἐξέλυσεν ἡ ἁλουργὶς καὶ τὸ διάδημα· ἄλλος ὁλοκλήρου δήμου προστασίαν ἐμπεπιστευμένος, ὁ Μωϋσῆς λέγω, ὅπερ καὶ δυσκολώτερον τυγχάνει. Ἐνταῦθα γὰρ μείζων ἡ ἐξουσία ἦν, ὅθεν καὶ πλείων ἡ δυσκολία ἐγίνετο. Εἶδες ἐν πλούτῳ εὐδοκιμηκότας, εἶδες καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ, εἶδες ἐν γάμῳ, εἶδες καὶ ἐν παρθενίᾳ· θέα τοὐναντίον πάλιν καὶ ἐν γάμῳ καὶ ἐν παρθενίᾳ ἀπολωλότας, καὶ ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ· οἷον ἐν γάμῳ μὲν πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπώλοντο, οἷον Σαμψὼν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ γάμου, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς ἰδίας προαιρέσεως· ἐν παρθενίᾳ δὲ, οἷον αἱ πέντε παρθένοι· ἐν πλούτῳ, ὁ πλούσιος ὁ τὸν Λάζαρον περιορῶν ἐν πενίᾳ μυρίοι ἔτι καὶ νῦν πένητες ἀπόλλυνται. Ἐν βασιλείᾳ δείκνυμι πολλοὺς ἀπολωλότας, ἐν δημαγωγίᾳ. Θέλεις δὲ καὶ ἐν στρατιωτικῇ τάξει ἰδεῖν σωζομένους; ὅρα τὸν Κορνήλιον· καὶ ἐν προστασίᾳ οἰκίας; βλέπε τὸν εὐνοῦχον τῆς Αἰθιοπίσσης. Οὕτω πάντοθεν ἐὰν εἰς δέον τῷ πλούτῳ χρώμεθα, οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς ἀπολεῖ· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ, ἅπαντα ἀπολεῖ, καὶ βασιλεία, καὶ πενία, καὶ πλοῦτος. Τὸν μέντοι νήφοντα οὐδὲν βλάψαι δυνήσεται. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, αἰχμαλωσία τί ἔβλαψεν; Οὐδέν· ἐννόει γάρ μοι τὸν Ἰωσὴφ δοῦλον γενόμενον, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν διασώζοντα· ἐννόει μοι τὸν ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ τοὺς τρεῖς παῖδας αἰχμαλώτους γενομένους, καὶ πῶς πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἔλαμψαν. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ ἡ ἀρετὴ λάμπει, καὶ ἀκαταγώνιστός ἐστι, καὶ οὐδὲν ταύτην ἐμποδίσαι δύναται. Τί λέγω πενίαν καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ δουλείαν; οὐδὲ λιμὸς, οὐδὲ ἕλκωσις, οὐδὲ νόσος δύναται βλάψαι· δουλείας γὰρ νόσος χαλεπώτερον. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Λάζαρος, τοιοῦτος ἦν ὁ Ἰὼβ, τοιοῦτος ἦν καὶ ὁ Τιμόθεος πυκναῖς ἀσθενείαις συνεχόμενος. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τῆς ἀρετῆς οὐδὲν δύναται περιγενέσθαι; οὐ πλοῦτος, οὐ πενία, οὐκ ἀρχὴ, οὐ τὸ ἄρχεσθαι, οὐ τὸ τῶν πραγμάτων προΐστασθαι, οὐ νόσος, οὐκ ἀδοξία, οὐ τὸ ἀπεῤῥῖφθαι· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα κάτω καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἀφεῖσα, φθάνει πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν· μόνον ἔστω γενναία ψυχὴ, καὶ τὸ κωλύον οὐδὲν εἶναι ἐνάρετον. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ ἐργάτης ἔῤῥωται, οὐδὲν τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐμποδίζει. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τεχνῶν, ὅταν ὁ τεχνίτης ἔμπειρος ᾖ καὶ καρτερικὸς καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τέχνην ἐπιστάμενος, κἂν νόσος ἐπέλθῃ, ἔχει αὐτὴν, κἂν πένηται, ἔχει αὐτὴν, κἂν ἔχῃ τὸ ὄργανον μετὰ χεῖρας, κἂν μὴ ἔχῃ, κἂν ἐργάζηται, κἂν μὴ ἐργάζηται, 62.275 οὐδὲν ἠλάττωται· ἡ γὰρ ἐπιστήμη ἔνεστιν ἐν αὐτῷ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἐνάρετος καὶ Θεῷ ἀνακείμενος, κἂν εἰς πλοῦτον αὐτὸν ἐμβάλῃς, ἐπιδείκνυται τὴν ἀρετὴν, κἂν εἰς πενίαν ὁμοίως, κἂν εἰς νόσον, κἂν εἰς ὑγείαν, κἂν εἰς δόξαν, κἂν εἰς ἀδοξίαν. δʹ. Οὐχὶ διὰ πάντων ἦλθον οἱ ἀπόστολοι; ∆ιὰ δόξης, φησὶ, καὶ ἀτιμίας, διὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ποιοῦν ἀθλητὴν, τὸ πρὸς πάντα εἶναι ἐπιτήδειον· τοιαύτη καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀρετῆς φύσις. Ἂν δὲ εἴπῃς, ὅτι Οὐ δύναμαι προεστάναι