John Chrysostom, On John

the soul. We have utterly relaxed its desire and appetite for these things. For this reason it is not strong for the appetite of spiritual food. And this is a great proof of sickness, along with the others, not to hunger, nor to thirst, but to be ill-disposed toward both. And if this, when it happens in bodies, is a proof of a grievous disease and productive of sickness; much more so in the case of the soul. How then shall we be able to restore it when it has fallen back and is relaxed? By doing what, he says, and by saying what? By taking up the divine words, prophetic, apostolic, evangelic, and all the others. For then we shall know that it is much better to feed on these than on unclean foods; for so one ought to call untimely trifles and gatherings. For what is better, tell me, to converse about things in the marketplace, about things in the law courts, about things in the army camp, or about things in the heavens and about things after our departure from here? What is better, to talk about a neighbor and a neighbor's affairs, and to meddle in other people's business, or to seek out the things of the angels and things that concern us? For the things of your neighbor are not entirely yours; but the things of heaven are yours. But it is possible, he says, having said these things once, to satisfy the whole matter. But why, concerning the things you discuss vainly and at random, do you not consider this, but spending your whole life on this, you have never exhausted the subject concerning these things? And I do not yet speak of things much more burdensome than these. For the more decent people discuss these things with each other; but the more idle and more negligent carry about mimes and dancers and charioteers in their conversations, polluting their hearing, corrupting their soul, driving their nature to a frenzy with these tales, introducing every kind of evil into their own mind through this conversation. For as soon as the 59.120 tongue uttered the name of the dancer, the soul immediately pictured his appearance, his hair, his soft clothing, he himself being softer than these things. Another from another direction fanned the flame, introducing a prostitute into the conversation, and her words, her gestures, the rollings of her eyes, the wantonness of her look, the braids of her hair, the cosmetics on her cheeks, the painted lines. Were you not affected at all, even by my narrating these things? But do not be ashamed, nor blush; for the necessity of nature demands this, and so disposes the soul, according as the power of the things reported may be. But if, while I was speaking, if while standing in church, if while abstaining from those things you were affected at all by the hearing; consider how those seated in the theater itself are likely to be disposed, those who have great license, those outside this solemn and awful assembly, those with great shamelessness both seeing and hearing those things; And why then, someone who is not paying attention might perhaps say, if the necessity of nature so disposes the soul, do you leave that aside and accuse us? Because, to be softened by hearing such things is the work of nature; but to hear such things is no longer of nature, but a sin of the will. Since he who associates with fire must be corrupted, and this the weakness of nature wills; but nature no longer leads us to the fire and the corruption from there; for this would be of perversity according to choice alone. This therefore I ask to abolish and correct, so that we do not willingly cast ourselves down a precipice, nor push ourselves towards the abysses of evil, nor run of our own accord to the pyre; that we may not also make ourselves liable to the flame prepared for the devil. And may it be that all of us, being delivered from this and that, may go to the very bosom of Abraham, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

ψυχήν. Τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν αὐτῆς τὸ περὶ ταῦτα καὶ ὀρεκτικὸν ἐξελύσαμεν ἅπαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔῤῥωται πρὸς τὴν τῆς πνευματικῆς τροφῆς ὄρεξιν. Μέγα δὲ καὶ τοῦτο μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀῤῥωστίας τεκμήριον, τὸ μὴ πεινῇν, μηδὲ διψῇν, ἀλλὰ δυσαρέστως πρὸς ἀμφότερα ἔχειν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ σωμάτων τοῦτο συμβαῖνον, νοσήματος χαλεποῖ τεκμήριον καὶ ἀῤῥωστίας ποιητικόν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς. Πῶς οὖν αὐτὴν ἀναπεπτωκυῖαν καὶ ἐκλελυμένην ἀναῤῥῶσαι δυνησόμεθα; τί ποιοῦντες, φησὶ, καὶ τί λέγοντες; Ἁπτόμενοι τῶν λόγων τῶν θείων, προφητικῶν, ἀποστολικῶν, εὐαγγελικῶν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων. Τότε γὰρ εἰσόμεθα, ὅτι πολλῷ βέλτιον ταῦτα σιτεῖσθαι, ἢ τὰς ἀκαθάρτους τροφάς· οὕτω γὰρ χρὴ τὰς ἀκαίρους φλυαρίας καὶ συνόδους καλεῖν. Τί γὰρ ἄμεινον, εἰ τέ μοι, περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν, περὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις, περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ διαλέγεσθαι, ἢ περὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ περὶ τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν; Τί βέλτιον, περὶ τοῦ γείτονος λαλεῖν καὶ τῶν τοῦ γείτονος πραγμάτων, καὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια πολυπραγμονεῖν, ἢ τὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τὰ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς διαφέροντα ἀναζητεῖν; Τὰ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ γείτονος, οὐ πάντως σά· τὰ δὲ τῶν οὐρανῶν, σά. Ἀλλ' ἔνεστι, φησὶν, ἅπαξ εἰπόντα ταῦτα, πληρῶσαι τὸ πᾶν. Τί δὲ περὶ ὧν διαλέγεσθε μάτην καὶ εἰκῆ, οὐκ ἐννοεῖτε τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὸν βίον εἰς τοῦτο καταναλίσκοντες, τὴν ὑπόθεσιν τὴν περὶ τούτων οὐδέποτε κατεδαπανήσατε; Καὶ οὔπω λέγω τὰ πολλῷ τούτων φορτικώτερα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐπιεικέστεροι, ταῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαλέγονται· οἱ δὲ ῥᾳθυμότεροι καὶ μᾶλλον ἠμελημένοι, μίμους καὶ ὀρχηστὰς καὶ ἡνιόχους ἐν τοῖς αὐτῶν περιφέρουσι λόγοις, τὴν ἀκοὴν μολύνοντες, τὴν ψυχὴν διαφθείροντες, τὴν φύσιν ἐκβακχεύοντες τούτοις τοῖς διηγήμασιν, ἅπαν κακίας εἶδος εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν διάνοιαν διὰ ταύτης εἰσάγοντες τῆς διαλέξεως. Ἅμα γὰρ ἐφθέγξατο ἡ 59.120 γλῶττα τοῦ ὀρχουμένου τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ εὐθέως ἀνετύπωσεν ἡ ψυχὴ τὴν ὄψιν, τὴν κόμην, τὴν ἐσθῆτα τὴν ἁπαλὴν, αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τούτων μαλακώτερον ὄντα. Ἕτερος πάλιν ἑτέρωθεν ἀνεῤῥίπισε τὴν φλόγα, γυναῖκα πόρνην εἰς τὴν διάλεξιν εἰσαγαγὼν, κἀκείνης τὰ ῥήματα, τὰ σχήματα, τῶν ὀμμάτων τὰς διαστροφὰς, τῆς ὄψεως τὸ ὑγρὸν, τῶν τριχῶν τὰς στρεβλώσεις, τῶν παρειῶν τὰ ἐπιτρίμματα, τὰς ὑπογραφάς. Ἆρα οὐκ ἐπάθετέ τι καὶ ἐμοῦ ταῦτα διηγουμένου; Ἀλλὰ μὴ αἰσχυνθῆτε, μηδὲ ἐρυθριάσητε· ἡ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως ἀνάγκη τοῦτο ἀπαιτεῖ, καὶ οὕτω διατίθησι τὴν ψυχὴν, ὡς ἂν ἡ τῶν ἀπαγγελλομένων δύναμις ἔχῃ. Εἰ δὲ ἐμοῦ φθεγγομένου, εἰ δὲ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἑστῶτες, εἰ δὲ ἐκείνων ἀπέχοντες ἐπάθετέ τι πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόασιν· ἐννόησον πῶς εἰκὸς διακεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ θεάτρῳ καθημένους, τοὺς ἄδειαν πολλὴν ἔχοντας, τοὺς ἐκτὸς τοῦ σεμνοῦ τούτου καὶ φρικτοῦ συνεδρίου, τοὺς μετὰ πολλῆς ἀναισχυντίας καὶ ὁρῶντας ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἀκούοντας· Καὶ τί δήποτε, φήσειεν ἂν ἴσως τις τῶν οὐ προσεχόντων, εἰ τῆς φύσεως ἡ ἀνάγκη τὴν ψυχὴν οὕτω διατίθησιν, ἐκείνην ἀφεὶς, ἡμῖν ἐγκαλεῖς; Ὅτι τὸ μὲν, ἀκούοντα τοιαῦτα μαλάττεσθαι, τῆς φύσεως ἔργον· τὸ δὲ τοιαῦτα ἀκούειν, οὐκ ἔτι τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλὰ τῆς προαιρέσεως ἁμάρτημα. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν ὁμιλοῦντα πυρὶ, διαφθείρεσθαι δεῖ, καὶ τοῦτο ἡ τῆς φύσεως ἀσθένεια βούλεται· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔτι καὶ πρὸς τὸ πῦρ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἄγει διαφθορὰν ἡ φύσις· τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς κατὰ προαίρεσιν μόνης ἂν εἴη διαστροφῆς. Τοῦτο οὖν ἀνελεῖν ἀξιῶ καὶ διορθῶσαι, ὥστε μὴ ἑκόντας ἑαυτοὺς κατακρημνίζειν, μηδὲ πρὸς τὰ βάραθρα τῆς κακίας ὠθεῖν, μηδὲ αὐτομάτως τρέχειν ἐπὶ τὴν πυράν· ἵνα μὴ καὶ τῇ τῷ διαβόλῳ κατεσκευασμένῃ φλογὶ καταστήσωμεν ὑπευθύνους ἑαυτούς. Γένοιτο δὲ πάντας ἡμᾶς, καὶ ταύτης κἀκείνης ἀπαλλαγέντας, πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ χωρῆσαι τοὺς κόλπους, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.