John Chrysostom, On John

146

neglect, but being mistreated by others and suffering violence, and not even so did he grow weary; but if we persist earnestly for ten days asking for something, and do not obtain it, we hesitate thereafter to use the same earnestness. And we persist so long for men, serving as soldiers and enduring hardships, and performing slavish services, and often in the end falling short even of our hope itself; but for our Master, where it is altogether possible to receive the reward much greater than our labors (For hope, he says, does not disappoint), we do not endure to persist with the fitting earnestness. And of how much punishment are these things worthy? For even if there were nothing to receive, ought not this very thing, to converse with him continually, be considered worthy of countless good things? But is continuous prayer laborious? And what, tell me, of the things of virtue is not laborious? This very point, he says, is full of much difficulty, that with vice there is pleasure, but with virtue, toil is joined. And I think many people ask this. What then is the cause? God gave us from the beginning a life free from cares and delivered from toils; we did not use the gift as we ought, but were corrupted by idleness, and fell out of paradise. For this reason He made our life laborious thereafter, as if defending Himself to the race of men, and saying: I gave you luxury from the beginning, but you became worse through ease; for this reason I commanded thereafter that toils and sweats be laid upon you. But since not even that toil restrained us, He again gave a law having many commandments, just as one puts bits and fetters on a stubborn horse, so as to check its leaps; thus also do horse-breakers. For this reason life is laborious, since not toiling is accustomed to corrupt us. For our nature does not endure to be idle, but readily inclines towards vice. For let us suppose that the temperate man does not need toils, nor the one who achieves the other virtues, but that they accomplish everything while sleeping; how would we have used the ease? would it not have been for insolence and arrogance? But why, he says, is there much pleasure in vice, but much toil and sweat are yoked with virtue? And what credit would there be for you, or for what would you have received a reward, if the matter were not laborious? For even now I can show many who by nature hate to have relations with women, and flee from intercourse with them as an abomination; shall we then call these men temperate, or shall we crown them, tell me, and proclaim them victors? By no means. For temperance is self-control, and to overcome warring pleasures. And in wars, too, when the contests are fierce, then the trophies become more glorious, not when no one raises a hand against you. There are many who are also sluggish by nature; shall we then call these 59.206 gentle? By no means. For this reason Christ also, speaking of three types of eunuchs, leaves two of them uncrowned, but brings the one into the kingdom. And what need was there of vice, he says? I say this too. Who then is the creator of vice? Who else, but the slothfulness that comes from choice? But, he says, we ought to have been only good. And what is the special property of a good man? to be watchful and vigilant, or to sleep and snore? And why, he says, did it not seem to be a good thing, to succeed without toiling? You speak to me the words of cattle and of gluttons, and of those who consider the belly their god. For that these are the words of sluggishness, answer me: If there were a king and a general, and then the king were both sleeping and drunk, and the general, by his toil, set up the trophies, to whom would you have credited the victory? And who reaped the pleasure of the results? Do you see that the soul is more concerned with those things for which it has toiled? For this reason He also mixed toils with virtue, wishing to make it her own. For this very reason, virtue, even if we do not achieve it, we admire; but vice, even when it is most pleasant, we condemn. But if you say: Why do we not admire those who are good by nature more than those who are so by choice? Because it is just to prefer the one who toils over the one who does not toil. And for what reason, he says, now

146

ἀμέλειαν, ἀλλ' ἐπηρεαζόμενος παρ' ἑτέρων καὶ βίαν πάσχων, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐνάρκα· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐὰν δέκα ἡμέρας προσεδρεύσωμεν σπουδαίως ὑπέρ τινος παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ μὴ τύχωμεν, ὀκνοῦμεν λοιπὸν τῇ αὐτῇ κεχρῆσθαι σπουδῇ. Καὶ ἀνθρώποις μὲν τοσοῦτον προσεδρεύομεν χρόνον, στρατευόμενοι καὶ ταλαιπωρούμενοι, καὶ διακονοῦντες δουλοπρεπεῖς διακονίας, καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει πολλάκις καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐκπίπτοντες· τῷ δὲ ∆εσπότῃ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ, ἔνθα πάντως ἔστιν ἀπολαβεῖν τὴν ἀμοιβὴν πολλῷ μείζω τῶν πόνων (Ἡ γὰρ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει, φησὶν), οὐκ ἀνεχόμεθα προσεδρεύειν μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης σπουδῆς. Καὶ πόσης ταῦτα κολάσεως ἄξια; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μηδὲν λαβεῖν ἦν, αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ συνεχῶς αὐτῷ διαλέγεσθαι, οὐχὶ μυρίων ἄξιον ἀγαθῶν ἦν ἡγεῖσθαι; Ἀλλ' ἐπίπονον ἡ διηνεκὴς εὐχή; Καὶ τί, εἰπὲ, οὐκ ἐπίπονον τῶν τῆς ἀρετῆς; Αὐτὸ γοῦν τοῦτο, φησὶ, πολλῆς ἀπορίας ἐστὶ μεστὸν, ὅτι τῇ μὲν κακίᾳ ἡδονὴ, τῇ δὲ ἀρετῇ συγκεκλήρωται πόνος. Καὶ πολλοὺς οἶμαι τοῦτο ζητεῖν. Τί δήποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ αἴτιον; Ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ Θεὸς ἐλεύθερον φροντίδων βίον καὶ πόνων ἀπηλλαγμένον· οὐκ ἐχρησάμεθα εἰς δέον τῷ δώρῳ, ἀλλὰ διεστράφημεν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀργίας, καὶ ἐξεπέσομεν τοῦ παραδείσου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπίπονον ἐποίησεν ἡμῶν τὴν ζωὴν λοιπὸν, ὥσπερ ἀπολογούμενος τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ λέγων· Ἔδωκα τρυφᾷν ὑμῖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἀλλ' ἐγένεσθε χείρους τῇ ἀνέσει· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσα λοιπὸν πόνους ὑμῖν ἐπιτεθῆναι καὶ ἱδρῶτας. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνος κατεῖχεν ὁ πόνος, ἔδωκε πάλιν νόμον πολλὰς ἔχοντα ἐντολὰς, καθάπερ τινὶ ἵππῳ δυσηνίῳ ψέλλια καὶ πέδας ἐπιτιθεὶς, ὥστε αὐτοῦ τὰ σκιρτήματα ἐπισχεῖν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ πωλοδάμναι ποιοῦσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπίπονος ὁ βίος, ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὴ πονεῖν διαφθείρειν ἡμᾶς εἴωθεν. Ἡ γὰρ φύσις ἡμῶν ἀργεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχεται, ἀλλὰ πρὸς κακίαν ἀποκλίνει ῥᾳδίως. Θῶμεν γὰρ μὴ δεῖσθαι πόνων τὸν σωφρονοῦντα, μηδὲ τὸν τὴν ἄλλην ἀρετὴν κατορθοῦντα, ἀλλὰ καθεύδοντας πάντα ἀνύειν· ποῦ ἂν ἐχρησάμεθα τῇ ἀνέσει; ἆρα οὐκ ἂν πρὸς ἀπόνοιαν καὶ ἀλαζονείαν; Ἀλλὰ διατί, φησὶ, πολλὴ μὲν ἡ ἡδονὴ τῇ κακίᾳ, πολὺς δὲ τῇ ἀρετῇ συνέζευκται ὁ πόνος καὶ ὁ ἱδρώς; Καὶ ποία σοι χάρις ἂν ἦν, ἢ τίνος δ' ἂν ἔλαβες μισθὸν, εἰ μὴ ἐπίπονον τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦν; Καὶ γὰρ νῦν πολλοὺς ἔχω δεῖξαι φύσει τὸ μίγνυσθαι γυναιξὶ μισοῦντας, καὶ φεύγοντας ὡς βδελυρὰν τὴν πρὸς ἐκείνας ὁμιλίαν· τούτους οὖν σώφρονας καλέσομεν, ἢ στεφανώσομεν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ ἀνακηρύξομεν; Οὐδαμῶς. Σωφροσύνη γάρ ἐστιν ἐγκράτεια, καὶ τὸ μαχομένων περιγενέσθαι τῶν ἡδονῶν. Καὶ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις δὲ, ὅταν σφοδροὶ ὦσιν οἱ ἀγῶνες, τότε τὰ τρόπαια λαμπρότερα γίνεται, οὐχ ὅταν μηδεὶς ἀνταίρῃ τὰς χεῖρας. Εἰσὶ πολλοὶ καὶ νωθεὶς ἀπὸ φύσεως· τούτους 59.206 οὖν ἐπιεικεῖς προσεροῦμεν; Οὐδαμῶς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τρεῖς τρόπους εὐνουχισμοῦ λέγων, τοὺς μὲν δύο ἀφίησιν ἀστεφανώτους, τὸν δὲ ἕνα εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσάγει. Καὶ τί ἔδει κακίας, φησί; Καὶ ἐγὼ τοῦτο λέγω. Τίς οὖν ὁ τῆς κακίας δημιουργός; Τίς δὲ ἄλλος, ἀλλ' ἢ ἡ ῥᾳθυμία ἡ ἐκ τῆς προαιρέσεως; Ἀλλ' ἔδει, φησὶν, ἀγαθοὺς εἶναι μόνους. Καὶ τί ἴδιον ἀγαθοῦ; νήφειν καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι, ἢ καθεύδειν καὶ ῥέγχειν; Καὶ διατί, φησὶ, μὴ τοῦτο ἐδόκει εἶναι ἀγαθὸν, τὸ μὴ πονοῦντα κατορθοῦν; Βοσκημάτων μοι ῥήματα λέγεις καὶ γαστριζομένων, καὶ θεὸν τὴν κοιλίαν ἡγουμένων. Ὅτι γὰρ νωθείας ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα, ἀπόκριναί μοι· Εἰ βασιλέως ὄντος καὶ στρατηγοῦ, εἶτα τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ καθεύδοντος καὶ μεθύοντος, ταλαιπωρούμενος ὁ στρατηγὸς τὰ τρόπαια ἔστησε, τίνι ἂν ἐλογίσω τὴν νίκην; τίς δὲ ἐκαρπώσατο τῶν γιγνομένων τὴν ἡδονήν; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι περὶ ἐκεῖνα μᾶλλον ἡ ψυχὴ διάκειται, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἔκαμε; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πόνους ἀνέμιξε τῇ ἀρετῇ, οἰκειῶσαι αὐτῇ ταύτην βουλόμενος. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο τὴν μὲν ἀρετὴν, κἂν μὴ κατορθώσωμεν, θαυμάζομεν· τῆς δὲ κακίας, καὶ ἡδίστης οὔσης, καταγινώσκομεν. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις· ∆ιατί τοὺς φύσει καλοὺς μὴ θαυμάζομεν μᾶλλον τῶν προαιρέσει τοῦτο ὄντων; Ὅτι δίκαιον τὸν πονοῦντα τοῦ μὴ πονοῦντος προτιθέναι. Καὶ τίνος, φησὶν, ἕνεκεν νῦν