John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Hebrews

63.121 a charge, that they sell their body for the sake of money; but they have some defense, poverty and compelling hunger; even though this is not a sufficient defense; for it was possible for them to support themselves by working. But here stands the greedy man, not in a house, but in the middle of the city, betraying not the body, but the soul to the devil, so that one may associate with and go in to him as if truly to a prostitute, and having fulfilled all his desire, he goes out; and the whole city sees, not two or three men. And this is a characteristic of prostitutes, that they belong to the one who gives gold; for whether he is a slave, or free, or a gladiator, or anyone at all, if he offers the fee, they accept him; but those who offer nothing, even if they are the most well-born of all, they do not admit without silver. This is what these men also do here; they turn away from right reasonings when they have no silver; but they associate with the defiled and those who are truly beast-fighters for the sake of gold, and they associate disgracefully, and destroy the beauty of the soul. For just as those women are by nature hideous and dark and rustic and fat and shapeless and ill-formed, and in every way ugly; so also do the souls of these men become, not even able to conceal their ugliness with external cosmetics. For when the ugliness is extreme, whatever they may contrive, they are not even able to disguise it. For that shamelessness makes prostitutes, hear the prophet saying: You were shameless toward all, the face of a prostitute became yours. This can also be said to the greedy: you were shameless toward all, not toward these and these, but toward all. How? Such a man respects not father, not son, not wife, not friend, not brother, not benefactor, simply no one. And why do I say friend and brother and father? He does not respect God himself, but all seems to him to be a myth, and he laughs, being drunk with great desire, not even admitting to his hearing anything of what could benefit him. But O the absurdity, and what things they utter: Woe to you, mammon, and to the one who does not have you! Here I am cut to the quick by anger; for woe to those who say these things, even if they say them in jest. For tell me, did not God make such a threat, saying: You cannot serve two masters? but you nullify the threat, daring to utter such things to your own harm? Does not Paul say it is idolatry, and call the greedy man an idolater? but you stand laughing like the worldly women, making jokes like those on the stage? 4. This has overturned all things, this has cast them down; our affairs have become laughter and civility and wit; nothing is stable, nothing is firm. I say these things not only to worldly men, but I know those to whom I allude; for the Church is filled with laughter. If so-and-so says something witty, laughter immediately arises among those sitting; and what is amazing, even at the very time of prayer many do not cease from laughing. Everywhere the devil dances, he has clothed himself in all, he rules over all; Christ is dishonored, he is pushed aside, the church is in no 63.122 account. Do you not hear Paul saying: Let filthiness, and foolish talking, and coarse jesting be put away from you? He places coarse jesting with filthiness; and you laugh? What is foolish talking? Things that have no use. Do you laugh at all, and do you relax your face, you who are a monk? you who are crucified, you who are mourning, do you laugh, tell me? Where did you hear of Christ doing this? Nowhere, but often being downcast. For when he saw Jerusalem, he wept, and when he thought of the traitor, he was troubled, and when he was about to raise Lazarus, he wept; but you laugh? If he who does not grieve over the sins of others is worthy of accusation; he who is unfeeling about his own and laughs, what pardon will he be worthy of? The present time is a time of mourning and affliction, of buffeting and bringing into subjection, of struggles and sweat; but you laugh? Do you not see how Sarah was rebuked? Do you not hear Christ saying: Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall weep? These things you chant every day. For what do you say, tell me? that

63.121 ἔγκλημα, ὅτι τὸ σῶμα πωλοῦσι χρημάτων ἕνεκεν· ἀλλ' ἔχουσί τινα ἀπολογίαν, τὴν πενίαν καὶ τὸν καταναγκάζοντα λιμόν· εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἱκανὸν εἰς ἀπολογίαν· ἐξῆν γὰρ ἐργαζομένας διατρέφεσθαι. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἕστηκεν ὁ πλεονέκτης, οὐκ ἐπὶ οἰκήματος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως μέσης, οὐ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ τὴν ψυχὴν προδιδοὺς τῷ διαβόλῳ, ὥστε καὶ συγγίνεσθαι καὶ εἰσέρχεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν ὥσπερ ὄντως πρὸς πόρνην, καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν πληρώσας ἐξέρχεται· καὶ ὁρῶσι πᾶσα ἡ πόλις, οὐ δύο ἄνδρες καὶ τρεῖς. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ τῶν πορνῶν ἴδιόν ἐστιν, ὅτι τοῦ τὸ χρυσίον διδόντος εἰσί· κἂν γὰρ δοῦλος ᾖ, κἂν ἐλεύθερος, κἂν μονομάχος, κἂν ὁστισοῦν, προτείνῃ δὲ τὸν μισθὸν, καταδέχονται· τοὺς δὲ μηδὲν προτείνοντας, κἂν πάντων ὦσιν εὐγενέστεροι, χωρὶς τοῦ ἀργυρίου οὐ προσίενται. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὗτοι ποιοῦσι· τοὺς μὲν ὀρθοὺς λογισμοὺς, ὅταν ἀργύριον μὴ ἔχωσιν, ἀποστρέφονται· τοῖς δὲ μιαροῖς καὶ ὄντως θηριομάχοις συγγίνονται διὰ τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ ἀσχημόνως συγγίνονται, καὶ τὸ κάλλος ἀπολλύουσι τῆς ψυχῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖναι φύσει μὲν εἰδεχθεῖς καὶ μέλαιναι καὶ ἀγροικίδες καὶ παχεῖαι καὶ ἄμορφοι καὶ κακόπλαστοι, καὶ πάντοθεν αἰσχραί· οὕτω καὶ αἱ τούτων γίνονται ψυχαὶ, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπιτρίμμασι τὴν ἀμορφίαν συγκαλύψαι δυνάμεναι. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐσχάτη ᾖ δυσείδεια, ὅσα ἂν ἐπινοήσωσιν, οὐδὲ ὑποκρίνασθαι δύνανται. Ὅτι γὰρ ἀναισχυντία πόρνας ποιεῖ, ἄκουσον τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Ἀπηναισχύντησας πρὸς πάντας, ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι. Τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πλεονέκτας ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἀπηναισχύντησας πρὸς πάντας, οὐ πρὸς τούσδε καὶ τούσδε, ἀλλὰ πρὸς πάντας. Πῶς; Οὐ πατέρα, οὐχ υἱὸν, οὐ γυναῖκα, οὐ φίλον, οὐκ ἀδελφὸν, οὐκ εὐεργέτην, οὐδένα ἁπλῶς αἰδεῖται ὁ τοιοῦτος. Καὶ τί λέγω φίλον καὶ ἀδελφὸν καὶ πατέρα; αὐτὸν οὐκ αἰδεῖται τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ πάντα μῦθος αὐτῷ εἶναι δοκεῖ, καὶ γελᾷ ὑπὸ τῆς πολλῆς ἐπιθυμίας μεθύων, καὶ οὐδὲ τῇ ἀκοῇ παραδεχόμενός τι τῶν ὠφελεῖν αὐτὸν δυναμένων. Ἀλλ' ὢ τῆς ἀτοπίας, καὶ οἷα φθέγγονται· Οὐαί σοι, μαμωνᾶ, καὶ τῷ μὴ ἔχοντί σε! Ἐνταῦθα διαπρίομαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ· οὐαὶ γὰρ τοῖς ταῦτα λέγουσι, κἂν ἐν γέλωτι λέγωσιν. Εἰπέ μοι γὰρ, οὐ τοιαύτην ἀπειλὴν ἠπείλησεν ὁ Θεὸς λέγων· Οὐ δύνασθε δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν; σὺ δὲ ἐκλύεις τὴν ἀπειλὴν, τοιαῦτα τολμῶν φθέγγεσθαι ἐπὶ κακῷ τῷ σεαυτοῦ; οὐκ εἰδωλολατρείαν αὐτὴν εἶναί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ τὸν πλεονέκτην εἰδωλολάτρην καλεῖ; σὺ δὲ ἕστηκας γελῶν κατὰ τὰς βιωτικὰς γυναῖκας, γελωτοποιῶν κατὰ τὰς ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ; δʹ. Τοῦτο πάντα ἀνέτρεψε, τοῦτο κατέβαλε· γέλως γέγονε τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ πολιτισμὸς καὶ ἀστειότης· οὐδὲν εὐσταθὲς, οὐδὲν στιβαρόν. Οὐ πρὸς τοὺς βιωτικοὺς ἄνδρας μόνον λέγω ταῦτα, ἀλλ' οἶδα οὓς αἰνίττομαι· γέλωτος γὰρ ἐμπέπλησται ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Ἂν ὁ δεῖνα ἀστεῖον εἴπῃ, γέλως εὐθέως ἐν τοῖς καθημένοις γίνεται· καὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ καιρῷ τῆς εὐχῆς οὐ παύονται πολλοὶ τοῦ γελᾷν. Πανταχοῦ χορεύει ὁ διάβολος, πάντας ἐνεδύσατο, πάντων κρατεῖ· ἠτίμασται ὁ Χριστὸς, παρέωσται, ἐν οὐδενός 63.122 ἐστι μέρει ἡ ἐκκλησία. Οὐκ ἀκούετε Παύλου λέγοντος· Αἰσχρότης, καὶ μωρολογία, καὶ εὐτραπελία ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν; Μετὰ τῆς αἰσχρότητος τὴν εὐτραπελίαν τίθησι· σὺ δὲ γελᾷς; Μωρολογία τί ἐστι; τὰ μηδὲν ἔχοντα χρήσιμον. Γελᾷς δὲ ὅλως, καὶ διαχεῖς τὸ πρόσωπον ὁ μονάζων; ὁ ἐσταυρωμένος, ὁ πενθῶν, γελᾷς, εἰπέ μοι; Ποῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦτο ἤκουσας ποιοῦντος; Οὐδαμοῦ, ἀλλὰ κατηφοῦντος μὲν πολλάκις. Καὶ γὰρ ὅτε τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἶδεν, ἐδάκρυσε, καὶ ὅτε τὸν προδότην ἐνενόησεν, ἐταράχθη, καὶ ὅτε τὸν Λάζαρον ἔμελλεν ἐγείρειν, ἔκλαυσε· σὺ δὲ γελᾷς; Εἰ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑτέρων ἁμαρτήμασιν ὁ μὴ ἀλγῶν, κατηγορίας ἄξιος· ὁ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ ἀναλγήτως διακείμενος καὶ γελῶν, ποίας ἔσται συγγνώμης ἄξιος; Πένθους ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς καὶ θλίψεως, ὑπωπιασμοῦ καὶ δουλαγωγίας, ἀγώνων καὶ ἱδρώτων· σὺ δὲ γελᾷς; Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐπετιμήθη Σάῤῥα; οὐκ ἀκούεις τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Οὐαὶ οἱ γελῶντες, ὅτι κλαύσονται; Ταῦτα ψάλλεις καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. Τί γὰρ λέγεις, εἰπέ μοι; ὅτι