John Chrysostom, On John

But then indeed each received different names; but now we all have one, that which is greater than all, to be called Christians, and sons of God, and friends, and body. For this title is sufficient more than all those to rouse us, and to make us more eager for the work of virtue. Let us not, therefore, do things unworthy of the honor of our title, considering the greatness of the dignity, we who are called of Christ. For so Paul has named us. Let us consider and reverence the greatness of the title. For if someone said to be of some distinguished general, or otherwise of some illustrious person, is proud when he hears he is of this man or that man, and considers the name a great dignity, and does everything so as not to bring blasphemy through his own indolence upon the one after whom he is named; shall we, who are called by the name not of a general, nor of any ruler on earth, not of an angel, nor of an archangel, nor of the Seraphim, but of the very King of these, not even give up our very soul, 59.123 so as not to insult the one who has honored us? Do you not know the royal squadrons of shield-bearers and spear-bearers around the king, how much honor they enjoy? So too let us, having been deemed worthy to be near him, and much closer, and as much nearer than those mentioned as the body is closer to the head than these, do all things by which we shall imitate Christ. What then does Christ say? The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. If, therefore, we were to require this of you, it would perhaps seem burdensome and grievous to the many; wherefore I leave aside this exactness, because of your weakness, but I ask you not to be nailed to riches, but just as I refrain from the excess of virtue because of the weakness of the many, so you too should abstain from vice, and much more. I do not blame those who have houses, and fields, and possessions, and slaves; but I want them to possess these things with security and with propriety. And what is it, with propriety? In the rank of masters, and not of slaves, so as to rule over them, and not be ruled by them, so as to use them, and not misuse them. Possessions are so called for this reason, that we might use them for necessary services, not that we might guard them; for the latter is the part of a servant, but the former of a master; it is of a slave, to keep, but of a lord who has much authority, to spend. You did not receive them for this, to bury them, but to distribute them. If God had wanted them to be guarded, He would not have given them to men, but would have allowed them to remain lying 59.124 in the earth. But since He wants them to be spent, for this reason He allowed us to have them, that we might share with one another. But if we keep them for ourselves, we are no longer masters of them. And if you wish to make them more, and for this reason you keep them, even in this case this is the best method of all, to scatter and distribute everywhere. For it is not possible for there to be income without expense, nor wealth without expenditures. One might see this happening also in worldly affairs. So the merchant, so the farmer, the one casting forth seeds, the other money; for the one sails the sea to scatter his own things, and the other toils for a whole year, casting down and tending the seeds. But here there is need of none of these things, not to build a ship, nor to yoke oxen and plow the land, not to worry about irregularities of the weather, not to fear the falling of hail; there are no waves here, nor a reef; this voyage and this sowing needs one thing only, to cast forth what you have; and that Farmer will do all the rest, of whom Christ says: My Father is the farmer. How then is it not absurd, where it is possible to receive all things without toil, to be supine and lazy; but where there are many sweats, and many toils and cares, and after these the uncertainty of hopes, to show all eagerness? Let us not, I beseech you, let us not be so foolish regarding our own salvation, but leaving aside the more burdensome things, toward the easiest and

Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν διάφορα ἕκαστος ἐλάμβανεν ὀνόματα· νῦν δὲ ἓν πάντες ἔχομεν, τὸ πάντων μεῖζον ἐκεῖνο, τὸ Χριστιανοὶ προσαγορεύεσθαι, καὶ υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ φίλοι καὶ σῶμα. Ἱκανὴ γὰρ αὕτη ἡ προσηγορία πασῶν μᾶλλον ἐκείνων ἡμᾶς διαναστῆσαι, καὶ ποιῆσαι προθυμοτέρους πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐργασίαν. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀνάξια πράττωμεν τῆς κατὰ τὴν προσηγορίαν τιμῆς, ἐννοήσαντες τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀξίας οἳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καλούμεθα. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡμᾶς Παῦλος ὠνόμασεν. Ἐννοήσωμεν καὶ αἰδεσθῶμεν τῆς προσηγορίας τὸ μέγεθος. Εἰ γὰρ στρατηγοῦ τινος ἐπισήμου, ἢ καὶ ἄλλως λαμπροῦ τινος εἶναι λεγόμενός τις, μέγα φρονεῖ τοῦ δεῖνος ἀκούων ἢ τοῦ δεῖνος, καὶ ἀξίωμα τὸ ὄνομα νομίζει μέγα, καὶ πάντα ποιεῖ ὥστε μὴ διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ῥᾳθυμίας βλασφημίαν τῷ ᾧ ἐστιν ἐπώνυμος προστρίψασθαι· ἡμεῖς οὐ στρατηγοῦ, οὐδὲ ἄρχοντός τινος τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς, οὐκ ἀγγέλου, οὐδὲ ἀρχαγγέλου, οὐδὲ τῶν Σεραφὶμ, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τούτων βασιλέως καλούμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας, οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτὴν προησόμεθα, 59.123 ὥστε μὴ ὑβρίσαι τὸν τιμήσαντα. Οὐκ ἴστε τὰ τάγματα τὰ βασιλικὰ τῶν ἀσπιδηφόρων καὶ λογχοφόρων τὰ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα, πόσης ἀπολαύει τιμῆς; Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐγγὺς αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι καταξιωθέντες καὶ πολλῷ πλησιαίτερον, καὶ τοσούτῳ ἐγγύτερον τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅσῳ τὸ σῶμα τῇ κεφαλῇ μᾶλλον τούτων πλησίον ἐστὶ, πάντα πράττωμεν δι' ὧν τὸν Χριστὸν μιμησόμεθα. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ Χριστός; Αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ. Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἂν ἀπαιτήσωμεν παρ' ὑμῶν, φορτικὸν ἴσως καὶ ἐπαχθὲς εἶναι δόξει τοῖς πολλοῖς· διὸ τὴν μὲν ἀκρίβειαν ταύτην ἀφίημι, διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀσθένειαν, ἀξιῶ δὲ μὴ προσηλῶσθαι τοῖς χρήμασιν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐγὼ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς ἀφίσταμαι τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τὴν τῶν πολλῶν, οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς τῆς κατὰ τὴν κακίαν ἀποστῆναι, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον. Οὐκ ἐγκαλῶ τοῖς οἰκίας ἔχουσι, καὶ ἀγροὺς, καὶ χρήματα, καὶ ἀνδράποδα· ἀλλὰ μετὰ ἀσφαλείας ταῦτα κεκτῆσθαι βούλομαι καὶ μετὰ τοῦ πρέποντος. Τί δέ ἐστι, μετὰ τοῦ πρέποντος; Ἐν τάξει δεσποτῶν, καὶ μὴ δούλων, ὥστε κρατεῖν αὐτῶν, καὶ μὴ κρατεῖσθαι ὑπ' αὐτῶν, ὥστε κεχρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς, καὶ μὴ παρακεχρῆσθαι. Χρήματα διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηται, ἵνα αὐτοῖς εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρώμεθα διακονίας, οὐχ ἵνα φυλάττωμεν· τοῦτο γὰρ οἰκέτου, δεσπότου δὲ ἐκεῖνο· δούλου, τὸ τηρεῖν, τὸ δὲ ἀναλίσκειν, κυρίου καὶ πολλὴν ἔχοντος τὴν ἐξουσίαν. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἔλαβες, ἵνα αὐτὰ καταχώσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα αὐτὰ διανείμῃς. Εἰ δὲ ἐβούλετο αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς φυλάττεσθαι, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὰ ἀνθρώποις ἔδωκεν, ἀλλ' εἴασεν ἂν ἐν τῇ γῇ κείμενα 59.124 μένειν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ βούλεται αὐτὰ δαπανᾶσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὰ ἡμᾶς εἴασεν ἔχειν, ἵνα ἀλλήλοις μεταδῶμεν. Ἂν δὲ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς κατέχωμεν, οὐκ ἔτι δεσπόται τούτων ἐσμέν. Εἰ δὲ βούλει αὐτὰ πλείω ποιῆσαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατέχεις, καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὕτη πασῶν ἀρίστη μέθοδος, τὸ σκορπίσαι καὶ πανταχοῦ διανεῖμαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔνι γενέσθαι πρόσοδον δαπάνης χωρὶς, οὐδὲ πλοῦτον ἄνευ ἀναλωμάτων. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς γινόμενον ἴδοι τις ἄν. Οὕτως ὁ ἔμπορος, οὕτως ὁ γεωργὸς, ὁ μὲν τὰ σπέρματα, ὁ δὲ τὰ χρήματα ἐκβάλλοντες· καὶ γὰρ θάλασσαν ὁ μὲν πλεῖ τοῦ σκορπίσαι τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, ὁ δὲ ἐνιαυτὸν ὁλόκληρον μοχθεῖ, τὰ σπέρματα καταβάλλων καὶ θεραπεύων. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδενὸς δεῖ τούτων, οὐ κατασκευάσαι πλοῖον, οὐ ζεῦξαι βοῦς καὶ ἀρόσαι γῆν, οὐκ ἀνωμαλίαν ἀέρων μεριμνᾷν, οὐ χαλάζης καταβολὴν φοβη θῆναι· οὐκ ἔνι κύματα ἐνταῦθα, οὐδὲ σκόπελος· οὗτος ὁ πλοῦς καὶ οὗτος ὁ σπόρος ἑνὸς δεῖται μόνου, τοῦ ῥῖψαι τὰ ὄντα· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ ἅπαντα ὁ γεωργὸς ἐκεῖνος ποιήσει, περὶ οὗ φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστι. Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἄτοπον, ἔνθα μὲν ἔστιν ἀπονητὶ πάντα λαβεῖν, ὕπτιον εἶναι καὶ ῥᾴθυμον· ἔνθα δὲ πολλοὶ μὲν ἱδρῶτες, πολλοὶ δὲ μόχθοι καὶ φροντίδες, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ τῶν ἐλπίδων ἄδηλον, πᾶσαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι προθυμίαν; Μὴ, παρακαλῶ, μὴ μέχρι τοσούτου ἀνοηταίνωμεν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ τὰ φορτικώτερα ἀφέντες, πρὸς τὰ ῥᾷστα καὶ