John Chrysostom, To the People of Antioch

This very thing, then, he says, is the greatest accusation: that God made the world so 49.115 beautiful and great; for if God had not made it beautiful and great, we would not have deified it; but as it is, being astonished at its size, and admiring its beauty, we considered it to be a god. But this argument is stale. For that neither the size nor the beauty is the cause of impiety, but their own foolishness, we show, who have never experienced any such thing. For why have we not deified it? Do we not see it with the same eyes? Do we not enjoy the same things of creation as they do? Do we not possess the same soul? Do we not have the same body, do we not tread the same earth? How have its beauty and size not persuaded us to think the same things as them? But this will be clear not only from this, but also from another point. For that they did not deify it because of its beauty, but because of their own foolishness—why did they worship the ape, the crocodile, the dog, the most worthless of animals? Truly, "They became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened; for claiming to be wise, they became fools." However, we will not only make our defense from these things, but we will also say something more.

4. For God, foreseeing these things from the beginning, also took away this excuse of theirs according to his wisdom; for this reason He made the world not only wonderful and great, but also perishable and mortal, and He placed within it many proofs of its weakness, and what He did in the case of the apostles, this He also did for the whole world. And what did He do in the case of the apostles? Since they performed many signs and wonders, both great and extraordinary, He allowed them to be continually scourged, persecuted, to dwell in prison, to fall into bodily weaknesses, to be in perpetual afflictions, so that the greatness of the signs might not cause them to be considered gods by men; for this reason, having given so much grace, He allowed the body to be mortal, and for many also sickly, and He did not change their weakness, in order to guarantee their nature. And this is not my own argument, but that of Paul himself, who says thus: "For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool; but I refrain, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me;" and again: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels." And what is, "In earthen vessels"? In this mortal and perishable body, he says. For just as the earthenware vessel is made of clay and fire, so also the body of those saints, being of clay and having received the energy of the spiritual fire, has become an earthenware vessel. And why has this happened, and why did He deposit so great a treasure and abundance of gifts in a mortal and perishable body? "So that the surpassing power may be of God, and not from us." For when you see the apostles raising the dead, but themselves being weak and unable to be rid of sickness, you will know clearly that the resurrection of the dead was not from the power of the one who raised him, but from the energy of the Spirit. For that they were constantly sick, hear what Paul says about Timothy: "Use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments;" and again about another: "But Trophimus I left in Miletus sick;" and writing to the Philippians he said that Epaphroditus was sick, 49.116 near to death. For if, even when these things were so, they considered them to be gods, and attempted to offer sacrifices, saying, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men," if these things had not happened, to what lengths of impiety would they not have gone, seeing the miracles then? Just as, therefore, in that case, because of the greatness of the signs, He both allowed their nature to remain in weakness and permitted successive temptations, so that they might not be thought to be gods, so also in the case of creation He did something similar to these things. For He constructed it both beautiful and great, and again perishable. And the Scriptures discourse on both these things; for one speaks of the

Αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο μάλιστά ἐστιν ἔγκλημα, φησὶν, ὅτι οὔτω 49.115 καλὸν καὶ μέγαν τὸν κόσμον ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεός· εἰ μὴ γὰρ αὐτὸν καλὸν καὶ μέγαν ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐθεοποιήσαμεν· νῦν δὲ ἐκπλαγέντες αὐτοῦ τὸ μέγεθος, καὶ θαυμάσαντες αὐτοῦ τὸ κάλλος, ἐνομίσαμεν αὐτὸν εἶναι θεόν. Ἀλλ' ἕωλος οὗτος ὁ λόγος ἐστίν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὔτε τὸ μέγεθος οὔτε τὸ κάλλος τῆς ἀσεβείας αἴτιον, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκείνων ἄνοια, δείκνυμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ μηδὲν τοιοῦτον παθόντες ποτέ. Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐθεοποιήσαμεν; οὐ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτὸν βλέπομεν; οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ τῆς κτίσεως ἀπολαύομεν ἅπερ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι; οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ψυχὴν κεκτήμεθα; οὐ τὸ αὐτὸ σῶμα ἔχομεν, οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν πατοῦμεν γῆν; πῶς ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἔπεισε τὸ κάλλος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τὰ αὐτὰ νοῆσαι ἐκείνοις; Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ τοῦτο ἔσται δῆλον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ διὰ τὸ κάλλος αὐτὸν ἐθεοποίησαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἄνοιαν, τὸν πίθηκον τίνος ἕνεκεν προσεκύνησαν, τὸν κροκόδειλον, τὸν κύνα, τὰ εὐτελέστατα τῶν ζώων; Ὄντως Ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία· φάσκοντες γὰρ εἶναι σοφοὶ ἐμωράνθησαν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τούτων ἀπολογησόμεθα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερόν τι πλέον ἐροῦμεν.

δʹ. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἄνωθεν ὁ Θεὸς προειδὼς, καὶ ταύτην αὐτῶν ἀνεῖλε τὴν πρόφασιν κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ σοφίαν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐ μόνον θαυμαστὸν καὶ μέγαν τὸν κόσμον ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φθαρτὸν καὶ ἐπίκηρον, καὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτοῦ πολλὰ δείγματα ἐγκατέθετο, καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐποίησε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κόσμου παντός. Τί δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐποίησεν; Ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ σημεῖα καὶ θαύματα ἐποίουν καὶ μεγάλα καὶ παράδοξα, εἴασεν αὐτοὺς συνεχῶς μαστίζεσθαι, ἐλαύνεσθαι, δεσμωτήριον οἰκεῖν, ἀσθενείαις περιπίπτειν σωματικαῖς, ἐν διηνεκέσιν εἶναι θλίψεσιν, ἵνα μὴ τῶν σημείων τὸ μέγεθος θεοὺς αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νομίζεσθαι ποιήσῃ· διὰ τοῦτο, τοσαύτην δοὺς χάριν, τὸ σῶμα ἀφῆκεν εἶναι θνητὸν, πολλοῖς δὲ καὶ ἐπίνοσον, καὶ οὐ μετέβαλεν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀσθένειαν, ἵνα ἐγγυήσηται τὴν φύσιν. Καὶ οὐκ ἐμὸς οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Παύλου οὕτω λέγοντος· Ἐὰν γὰρ καὶ θελήσω καυχήσασθαι, οὐκ ἔσομαι ἄφρων· φείδομαι δὲ, μή τις εἰς ἐμὲ λογίσηται ὑπὲρ ὃ βλέπει, ἢ ἀκούει τι ἐξ ἐμοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσι. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν; Ἐν τῷ σώματι τούτῳ, φησὶ, τῷ θνητῷ καὶ ἐπικήρῳ. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ ὄστρακον ἐκ πηλοῦ καὶ πυρὸς γίνεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων πήλινον ὂν, καὶ τοῦ πνευματικοῦ πυρὸς δεξάμενον τὴν ἐνέργειαν, γέγονεν ὄστρακον. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν τοῦτο γεγένηται, καὶ θησαυρὸν τοσοῦτον καὶ χαρισμάτων δαψίλειαν θνητῷ καὶ φθαρτῷ σώματι ἐναπέθετο; Ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃς τοὺς ἀποστόλους νεκροὺς μὲν ἀνιστῶντας, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἀσθενοῦντας καὶ μὴ δυναμένους ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, εἴσῃ σαφῶς ὅτι ἡ τοῦ νεκροῦ ἀνάστασις οὐ τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ ἀναστήσαντος, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐνεργείας τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος γέγονεν. Ὅτι γὰρ ἠῤῥώστουν συνεχῶς, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος περὶ Τιμοθέου· Οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχόν σου καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας· καὶ πάλιν περὶ ἑτέρου· Τρόφιμον δὲ ἀπέλιπον ἐν Μιλήτῳ ἀσθενοῦντα· καὶ Φιλιππησίοις ἐπιστέλλων ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Ἐπαφρόδιτος ἠσθένησε πα 49.116 ραπλήσιον θανάτῳ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τούτων ὄντων θεοὺς αὐτοὺς εἶναι ἐνόμισαν, καὶ θύειν ἐπεχείρησαν, λέγοντες, Οἱ θεοὶ ὁμοιωθέντες ἀνθρώποις κατέβησαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, εἰ μὴ ταῦτα ἐγένετο, ποῦ οὐκ ἂν ἐξέβησαν ἀσεβείας, τὰ θαύματα τότε ὁρῶντες; Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐνταῦθα διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν σημείων καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἀφῆκεν ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ μένειν, καὶ τοὺς ἐπαλλήλους συνεχώρησε πειρασμοὺς, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῶσιν εἶναι θεοὶ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως παραπλήσιόν τι τούτοις ἐποίησε. Καὶ γὰρ καλὴν αὐτὴν καὶ μεγάλην, καὶ φθαρτὴν πάλιν κατεσκεύασε. Καὶ ἀμφότερα ταῦτα αἱ Γραφαὶ φιλοσοφοῦσιν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὸ