John Chrysostom, To the People of Antioch

and which hold 49.132 our life together, are these: You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal. Wherefore he nowhere gives a reason here, nor introduces teaching, but is content with the bare prohibition.

4. Not only from this, but also from another source I will try to show you how man was self-taught in the knowledge of virtue. Adam sinned the first sin, and after the sin he immediately hid himself; but if he did not know he had done something evil, why did he hide himself? For there were no writings, no law, no Moses; whence then did he know the sin and hide himself? And not only did he hide himself, but also when he was accused, he tried to shift the blame to another, saying: The woman whom you gave to me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate; and she again transfers the charge to another, the serpent. And see the wisdom of God; for when Adam said, I heard your voice and was afraid, because I am naked and I hid myself, God did not immediately convict him of what had happened, nor did he say: Why did you eat from the tree? But how? Who told you, he says, that you are naked, unless from the tree from which alone I commanded you not to eat, from it you have eaten? He neither was silent, nor did he openly convict him; he was not silent, so that he might summon him to a confession of the sin; but he did not convict him openly, so that the whole matter might not be his, and the other be destitute of the forgiveness that comes to us from confession. For this reason he did not state openly the cause from which the knowledge had come, but puts forward his speech in the form of a question, leaving it to him to come to a confession. Again in the case of Cain and Abel the same thing can be seen. For first they offered to God from their own labors. For let us show not only from sin, but also from virtue, that man had scientific knowledge of both. That man, therefore, knew that sin was evil, Adam showed; but that he also understood virtue was good, Abel again made plain. For not having learned from anyone, nor having heard a law at that time speaking about firstfruits, but taught from within and by his conscience, he offered that sacrifice. For this reason I do not bring the argument down, but I exercise it on the first men, when there were not yet writings, nor law, nor prophets and judges, but only Adam with his children, so that you may learn that the knowledge of good and not-good things was laid up beforehand in nature. For whence did Abel learn that it is good to offer, that it is good to honor God and to give thanks in all things? What then? Did not Cain offer, you say? He also offered, but not in the same way. And from this again the knowledge of the conscience is shown; for since he was envious of the one who was honored and was planning murder, he hides his deceitful purpose. And what does he say? Come, let us go out into the field. The appearance is one thing, for it is the hypocrisy of friendship; and the intent is another, for the purpose is fratricide. And yet if he did not know the intention was evil, for what reason did he 49.133 conceal it? And after the murder had happened, being asked again by God, Where is Abel your brother? he says, I do not know; am I my brother's keeper? For what reason does he deny it? Is it not clear that he strongly condemns himself? For just as his father hid, so also he denies; and after the conviction he says again, My guilt is greater than to be forgiven. But the Greek does not accept these things. Come then, let us also reason with him, and what we did in the case of creation, not only from the Scriptures, but also from reasoning having stirred up our struggles against them, let us do this now also concerning conscience; for Paul also raised this main point when contending against them. What then is it that they say? There is not for us a self-taught law, he says, lying in the conscience, nor did God place this in nature. Whence then, tell me, whence did the lawgivers among them write laws about marriages, about murders, about wills, about deposits, about not taking advantage of one another, about countless other things? These indeed

καὶ συνέχουσαι 49.132 τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἐκεῖναί εἰσιν· Οὐ φονεύσεις, Οὐ μοιχεύσεις, Οὐ κλέψεις. ∆ιόπερ οὐδαμοῦ αἰτίαν ἐνταῦθα τίθησιν, οὐδὲ διδασκαλίαν εἰσάγει, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖται ψιλῇ τῇ ἀπαγορεύσει.

δʹ. Οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρωθεν ὑμῖν δεῖξαι πειράσομαι πῶς αὐτοδίδακτος ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς γνῶσιν. Ἥμαρτεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τὴν πρώτην, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εὐθέως ἐκρύπτετο· εἰ δὲ μὴ ᾔδει κακόν τι ἐργασάμενος, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐκρύπτετο; Οὐδὲ γὰρ γράμματα ἦν, οὐ νόμος, οὐ Μωσῆς· πόθεν οὖν ἔγνω τὴν ἁμαρτίαν καὶ κρύπτεται; Καὶ οὐ κρύπτεται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐγκαλούμενος, ἐφ' ἕτερον πειρᾶται μετατιθέναι τὴν αἰτίαν, λέγων· Ἡ γυνὴ ἣν ἔδωκάς μοι, αὕτη ἔδωκέ μοι ἐκ τοῦ ξύλου, καὶ ἔφαγον· κἀκείνη πάλιν ἐφ' ἕτερον μετάγει τὸ ἔγκλημα, τὸν ὄφιν. Καὶ ὅρα Θεοῦ σοφίαν· εἰπόντος γὰρ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, ὅτι Ἤκουσα τῆς φωνῆς σου καὶ ἐφοβήθην, ὅτι γυμνός εἰμι καὶ ἐκρύβην, οὐκ ἤλεγξεν εὐθέως ὁ Θεὸς τὸ γεγονὸς, οὐδὲ εἶπε· ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ ἔφαγες ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου; ἀλλὰ πῶς; Τίς σοι ἀνήγγειλε, φησὶν, ὅτι γυμνὸς εἶ, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοι τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν, ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἔφαγες; Οὔτε ἐσίγησεν, οὔτε φανερῶς αὐτὸν ἤλεγξεν· οὐκ ἐσίγησε μὲν, ἵνα αὐτὸν ἐκκαλέσηται πρὸς ὁμολογίαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· οὐκ ἤλεγξε δὲ φανερῶς, ἵνα μὴ αὐτοῦ τὸ πᾶν γένηται, κἀκεῖνος ἔρημος εἴη τῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως γινομένης συγγνώμης ἡμῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἶπε φανερῶς τὴν αἰτίαν ἀφ' ἧς γνῶσις γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐρωτήσεως τάξει προάγει τὸν λόγον, ἐκείνῳ καταλιμπάνων εἰς ἐξομολόγησιν ἐλθεῖν. Πάλιν ἐπὶ τοῦ Κάϊν καὶ τοῦ Ἄβελ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἔστιν ἰδεῖν. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἀπήρξαντο τῷ Θεῷ τῶν οἰκείων πόνων. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς δείξωμεν, ὅτι ἀμφοτέρων ἦν ἐπιστημονικὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ᾔδει τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κακὸν ὃν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἔδειξεν ὁ Ἀδάμ· ὅτι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἠπίστατο καλὸν ὂν, ἐδήλωσε πάλιν ὁ Ἄβελ. Οὐ γὰρ παρά τινος μαθὼν, οὐδὲ νόμου περὶ ἀπαρχῶν διαλεγομένου τότε ἀκούσας, ἀλλ' οἴκοθεν καὶ παρὰ τοῦ συνειδότος διδαχθεὶς τὴν θυσίαν ἐκείνην ἀνήνεγκε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐ καταφέρω κάτω τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων γυμνάζω, ὅτε οὔπω γράμματα, οὔτε νόμος, οὔτε προφῆται καὶ δικασταὶ, ἀλλὰ μόνος ὁ Ἀδὰμ μετὰ τῶν παίδων ἦν, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ἐν τῇ φύσει προαπέκειτο τῶν καλῶν καὶ τῶν οὐ τοιούτων ἡ γνῶσις. Πόθεν γὰρ ἔμαθεν ὅτι καλὸν τὸ προσφέρειν ὁ Ἄβελ, ὅτι καλὸν τὸ τιμᾷν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ εὐχαριστεῖν ἐν ἅπασι; Τί οὖν; ὁ Κάϊν, φησὶν, οὐ προσήνεγκε; Προσήνεγκε μὲν καὶ οὗτος, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁμοίως. Κἀντεῦθεν δὲ πάλιν ἡ τοῦ συνειδότος φαίνεται γνῶσις· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῷ τιμηθέντι βασκήνας περὶ σφαγῆς ἐβουλεύετο, κρύπτει τὴν δολερὰν γνώμην. Καὶ τί φησι; ∆εῦρο, ἐξέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον. Ἕτερον τὸ σχῆμα, φιλοφροσύνης γὰρ ἡ ὑπόκρισις· καὶ τὸ φρόνημα ἕτερον, ἀδελφοκτονίας γὰρ ἡ γνώμη. Καίτοι εἰ μὴ κακὸν ᾔδει τὸ βούλημα, τίνος ἕνεκεν 49.133 αὐτὸ συνεσκίαζε; Καὶ μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὸν φόνον, πάλιν ἐρωτώμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; φησίν· Οὐκ οἶδα· μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου εἰμὶ ἐγώ; Τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἀρνεῖται; οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι καταγινώσκων σφόδρα ἑαυτοῦ; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐκρύβη, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος ἀρνεῖται· καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἔλεγχον πάλιν φησί· Μείζων ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με. Ἀλλ' ὁ Ἕλλην οὐκ ἀνέχεται τούτων. Φέρε οὖν καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον διαλεχθῶμεν, καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως ἐποιήσαμεν, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν τοὺς πρὸς ἐκείνους κινήσαντες ἀγῶνας, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ συνειδότος ποιῶμεν νῦν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ κεφάλαιον ὁ Παῦλος ἐκίνησε πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀγωνιζόμενος. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγουσιν; Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν αὐτοδίδακτος νόμος ἐν τῷ συνειδότι, φησὶ, κείμενος, οὐδὲ τῇ φύσει τοῦτο ἐγκατέθηκεν ὁ Θεός. Πόθεν οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, πόθεν περὶ γάμων, περὶ φόνων, περὶ διαθηκῶν, περὶ παρακαταθηκῶν, περὶ τοῦ μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν ἀλλήλους, περὶ μυρίων ἑτέρων νόμους ἔγραψαν οἱ παρ' αὐτοῖς νομοθέται; Οὗτοι μὲν