John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Ephesians

of the one being sacrificed. For it is necessary for the one sacrificing to first be sacrificed, and thus he sacrifices, and the dead man sacrifices the one who was lately living. For when he speaks blasphemy, when he reviles, when he is vexed, are not these incurable wounds of the soul? Do you see that the saying is not an exaggeration? Do you want to hear another thing, and learn how covetousness is idolatry, and worse than idolatry? Idolaters worship the creatures of God; For "they worshipped," it says, "and served the creature rather than the Creator"; but you worship your own creature. For God did not create covetousness, but the immoderation of your insatiability devised it. And behold the madness and the laughter. Those who worship idols, also honor the things they 62.125 worship; and if anyone speaks ill of them, or reviles them, they defend them; but you, as if from some drunkenness, worship a thing which not only is not free from accusation, but is also full of impiety. So you are worse than they; for you could not have an excuse to say that it is not evil. Even if they too are most inexcusable, yet you are much more so, who countless times accuse covetousness, and malign all those who serve it and are slaves to it and obey it. But if you wish, let us examine whence idolatry entered. A certain wise man says that a certain rich man, worn out by untimely grief for a son, and having no consolation for his grief, consoling his passion in this way, made a lifeless image of the deceased, and by constantly looking at it, seemed to have the departed one through the image. But certain flatterers, whose God is their belly, honoring the image for his sake, advanced the custom into idolatry. Therefore it was introduced from a weakness of soul, from an irrational custom, from immoderation. But covetousness is not so; for it too is from a weak soul, but from a worse one; no one has lost a son, nor seeks consolation for grief, nor is drawn away by flatterers; but how? I will tell you. Cain was covetous against God; for what ought to have been given to Him, he kept for himself, and what he himself ought to have had, this he offered to Him, and the evil began with God. For if we belong to God, much more so the firstfruits of our possessions. Again, the impulse toward women came from covetousness; They saw the daughters of men, and were rolled down toward desire; from these things again to money. For the desire to have more than one's neighbor in the things of this life comes from nowhere else than from love having grown cold; the desire to have more comes from nowhere else than from desperation and misanthropy and arrogance. Do you not see how great the earth is? how much greater than our need is the air, the heaven? For in order that God might quench your covetousness, He produced creation in so great a measure; but you seize even so, and you hear that covetousness is idolatry, and not even so do you shudder? Do you wish to inherit the earth? But do you not have an inheritance in heaven, that you should deprive yourself? 4. Tell me, if someone gave you the power to take everything, would you not have wished it? It is possible now, if you wish. And yet some say that they are grieved when they pass on their inheritance to others, and would have preferred to have devoured it themselves, rather than see others become its masters. I do not even free you from this weakness; for this too is of a weak soul; nevertheless, let even this be done; in your testaments, leave Christ as heir. For you should have done it while living; for this would have been of a right choice; but nevertheless, be more generous even under necessity. For Christ for this reason commanded us to give to the poor, that He might make us philosophers while we are alive, that He might persuade us 62.126 to despise money, that He might teach us to look down upon earthly things. This is not contempt for money, for one who is dying and is no longer master to give to this one and that one; you are no longer giving from what is yours, but from necessity itself; the thanks are due to death, not to you; this is not of affection, but of spite. Nevertheless, let it be so, even then release your passion. Consider how many

θυομένου. Τὸν γὰρ θύοντα πρῶτον ἀνάγκη τυθῆναι, καὶ οὕτω θύει, καὶ ὁ νεκρὸς θύει τὸν τέως ζῶντα. Ὅταν γὰρ εἴπῃ βλάσφημα, ὅταν λοιδορῆται, ὅταν δυσχεραίνῃ, οὐχὶ αἱ πληγαὶ αὗται τῆς ψυχῆς εἰσιν ἀνίατοι; Εἶδες ὅτι οὐχ ὑπερβολῆς τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστι; Βούλει καὶ ἕτερον ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ μαθεῖν πῶς εἰδωλολατρεία ἡ πλεονεξία, καὶ χαλεπώτερον εἰδωλολατρείας; Οἱ εἰδωλολάτραι τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ κτίσμασι προσκυνοῦσι· Καὶ ἐσεβάσθησαν γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα· σὺ δὲ τῷ κτίσματι τῷ σαυτοῦ προσκυνεῖς. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς πλεονεξίαν οὐκ ἐδημιούργησεν, ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς σῆς ἀπληστίας ἐπεξεῦρεν ἀμετρία. Καὶ θέα μανίαν καὶ γέλωτα. Οἱ τὰ εἴδωλα προσκυνοῦντες, καὶ τιμῶσιν αὐτὰ ἃ προσ 62.125 κυνοῦσι· κἂν εἴπῃ τις κακῶς, κἂν λοιδορήσηται, προΐστανται· σὺ δὲ καθάπερ ὑπό τινος μέθης πρᾶγμα προσκυνεῖς, ὃ οὐ μόνον κατηγορίας οὐκ ἀπήλλακται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσεβείας ἐστὶ μεστόν. Ὥστε μᾶλλον αὐτῶν χείριστος εἶ· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἔχοις ἀπολογίαν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι οὐ κακόν. Εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα κἀκεῖνοί εἰσιν ἀναπολόγητοι, ἀλλὰ σὺ πολλῷ μᾶλλον μυριάκις πλεονεξίας κατηγορῶν, καὶ τοὺς θεραπεύοντας αὐτὴν καὶ δουλεύοντας καὶ πειθομένους ἅπαντας κακίζων. Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, ἐξετάσωμεν πόθεν ἐπεισῆλθεν ἡ εἰδωλολατρεία. Λέγει τις σοφὸς ἀνὴρ, ὅτι πλούσιός τις ἄνθρωπος ἀώρῳ πένθει τρυχόμενος υἱοῦ, καὶ παραμυθίαν οὐδεμίαν ἔχων τοῦ πένθους, ταύτῃ παραμυθούμενος τὸ πάθος, εἰκόνα ἄψυχον τοῦ τετελευτηκότος ποιήσας, καὶ διὰ παντὸς εἰς αὐτὴν ἐνορῶν, ἐδόκει τὸν ἀπελθόντα ἔχειν διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος. Κόλακες δέ τινες ἄνθρωποι, ὧν ὁ Θεὸς ἡ κοιλία, θεραπεύοντες εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου τιμὴν τὴν εἰκόνα, τὸ ἔθος εἰς εἰδωλολατρείαν προήγαγον. Οὐκοῦν ἀπὸ ἀσθενείας ἐπεισήχθη ψυχῆς, ἀπὸ συνηθείας ἀλόγου, ἀπὸ ἀμετρίας. Ἡ δὲ πλεονεξία οὐχ οὕτως· ἀπὸ ἀσθενοῦς μὲν γὰρ καὶ αὕτη ψυχῆς, πλὴν ἀλλ' ἀπὸ χείρονος· οὐκ ἀπέβαλέ τις υἱὸν, οὐδὲ πένθους παραμυθίαν ζητῶν, οὐδὲ ὑπὸ κολάκων ἐξελκόμενος· ἀλλὰ πῶς; Ἐγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐρῶ. Ὁ Κάϊν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπλεονέκτησεν· ἃ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ δοθῆναι ἐχρῆν, παρ' ἑαυτῷ κατασχὼν, ἅπερ αὐτὸν ἔχειν ἔδει, ταῦτα ἐκείνῳ προσήνεγκε, καὶ τὸ κακὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἤρξατο. Εἰ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσμεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ πρωτεῖα τῶν κτημάτων τῶν ἡμετέρων. Πάλιν εἰς γυναῖκας ἀπὸ πλεονεξίας ἡ ὁρμὴ γέγονεν· Εἶδον τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἐξεκυλίσθησαν πρὸς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν· ἀπὸ τούτων πάλιν εἰς χρήματα. Τὸ γὰρ πλέον ἔχειν θέλειν τοῦ πλησίον ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς, οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ψυγῆναι τὴν ἀγάπην· τὸ πλέον ἔχειν θέλειν οὐκ ἀλλαχόθεν γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἢ ἐξ ἀπονοίας καὶ μισανθρωπίας καὶ ὑπεροψίας. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τὴν γῆν ὅση ἐστί; πῶς πολλῷ μείζων τῆς χρείας ἐστὶν ὁ ἀὴρ, ὁ οὐρανός; Ἵνα γάρ σου τὴν πλεονεξίαν σβέσῃ ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τοσοῦτον μέτρον τὰ κτίσματα ἐξήγαγε· σὺ δὲ ἁρπάζεις καὶ οὕτω, καὶ ἀκούεις ὅτι εἰδωλολατρεία ἡ πλεονεξία, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτω φρίττεις; Κληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν θέλεις; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχεις ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ κληρονομίαν, ἵνα σαυτὸν ἀποστερήσῃς; δʹ. Εἰπέ μοι, εἴ τίς σοι παρεῖχεν ἐξουσίαν λαβεῖν ἅπαντα, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν ἠθέλησας; Ἔνεστι νῦν, ἐὰν βούλῃ. Καίτοι τινές φασιν, ὅτι ἀλγοῦσιν, ὅταν εἰς ἑτέρους τὸν κλῆρον παραπέμπωσι, καὶ ἐβούλοντο εἶναι κατεδηδοκότες αὐτὸν μᾶλλον, ἢ ἑτέρους ὁρᾷν κυρίους γενομένους. Οὐδὲ ἐγώ σε ταύτης ἀπαλλάττω τῆς ἀσθενείας· ἀσθενοῦς μὲν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ψυχῆς· πλὴν ἀλλ' ὅμως κἂν τοῦτο γινέσθω· ἐν ταῖς διαθήκαις τὸν Χριστὸν κατάλιπε κληρονόμον. Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ ζῶντα· τοῦτο γὰρ προαιρέσεως ὀρθῆς ἦν· ἀλλ' ὅμως κἂν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης γενοῦ φιλοτιμότερος. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τοῦτο προσέταξε διδόναι πένησιν, ἵνα ζῶντας ἡμᾶς φιλοσόφους ἐργάσηται, ἵνα πείσῃ 62.126 χρημάτων καταφρονεῖν, ἵνα ὑπερορᾷν διδάξῃ τῶν γηΐνων. Τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι χρημάτων ὑπεροψία, τὸ τελευτῶντα καὶ οὐκ ὄντα κύριον τῷ δεῖνι παρέχειν καὶ τῷ δεῖνι· οὐκ ἐκ τῶν σῶν δίδως λοιπὸν, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀνάγκης· τῷ θανάτῳ χάρις, οὐ σοί· τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι φιλοστοργίας, ἀλλ' ἐπηρείας. Πλὴν κἂν οὕτω γινέσθω, κἂν τότε λῦσον τὸ πάθος. Ἐννόησον ὅσα