John Chrysostom, On Matthew

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just as also the three thousand then, and the five thousand. But if we do not believe, it is not because there are none who live aright, but because we are far from the reality of the matter. Therefore, just as a drunkard would not easily believe that there is a man who does not even taste water—and yet many monks among us have accomplished this—and he who has intercourse with ten thousand women, that it is easy to live in virginity; nor he who seizes what belongs to others, that someone will readily give away his own possessions; so also those who wear themselves out every day with ten thousand cares would not easily accept this. 57.299 That many, then, have accomplished this, it is possible for us to show from those very persons who practice this philosophy even in our own generation. But for you, for the time being, it is enough to learn not to be avaricious, and that almsgiving is a good thing, and to know that one must share what one has. For if you accomplish these things, beloved, you will quickly proceed to those other things as well. For the present, therefore, let us put away superfluous luxury, and let us endure moderation, and let us learn to acquire all that we are to have from just labors; since even the blessed John, when he was discoursing with those engaged in tax-collecting and with the soldiers, commanded them to be content with their wages. For he wished indeed to lead them on to another, greater philosophy; but since they were not yet fit for these things, he speaks of the lesser things, since if he had spoken of things higher than these, they would neither have paid attention to those, and would have fallen away from these. For this reason, we too train you in the more basic things. For for the time being we know that the burden of having no possessions is too great for you, and that philosophy of theirs is as far from you as heaven is from the earth. Therefore, let us at least take hold of the last commandments; for even this is no small consolation. And yet among the Greeks 57.300 some have accomplished this also, even if not with the proper mind, and have stripped themselves of all their possessions. But nevertheless, we are content in your case with abundant almsgiving being offered by you; for we shall quickly arrive at those other things too, if we so proceed. But if we do not do even this, what pardon could we be worthy of, we who are commanded to surpass those in the Old Testament, and are found to be less than the philosophers among the Greeks? What shall we say when, though we ought to be angels and sons of God, we do not even maintain our status as human beings? For to seize and to be greedy belongs not to the gentleness of men, but to the cruelty of wild beasts; or rather, those who attack what belongs to others are worse even than them. For in their case this is part of their nature; but we, who have been honored with reason, and who fall into an unnatural baseness, what pardon shall we enjoy? Considering, therefore, the standards of the philosophy set before us, let us at least reach the middle, so that we may both be delivered from the punishment to come, and by proceeding along the way, may arrive at the very summit of good things; which may it be granted to us all to attain by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

57.299 HOMILY 22. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil,

nor do they spin; but I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these.

1. Having spoken of necessary food, and having shown that not even for this should one

be anxious, He moves on from that point to what is easier. For clothing is not so necessary as food. For what reason, then, does He not use here also the same example of the birds, nor speak to us of the peacock, and the swan, and the sheep? For there were many such examples to be taken from there. Because He wishes to show the excess from both sides, both from the humble state of those who partook of such seemliness, and from the munificence of the adornment given to the lilies. For this reason, when

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καθάπερ καὶ οἱ τρισχίλιοι τότε, καὶ οἱ πεντακισχίλιοι. Εἰ δὲ οὐ πιστεύομεν, οὐ παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τοὺς κατορθοῦντας, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ πολὺ τοῦ πράγματος ἀπέχειν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ μεθύων οὐκ ἂν εὐκόλως πιστεύσειεν, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπός τις οὐδὲ ὕδατος ἀπογευόμενος· καίτοιγε καὶ τοῦτο πολλοὶ κατώρθωσαν ἐφ' ἡμῶν μοναχοί· καὶ ὁ μυρίαις γυναιξὶ μιγνύμενος, ὅτι εὔκολον παρθενεύειν· οὐδὲ ὁ τὰ ἀλλότρια ἁρπάζων, ὅτι καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ τις ῥᾳδίως προήσεται· οὕτως οὐδὲ οἱ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μυρίαις φροντίσιν ἑαυτοὺς κατατήκοντες οὐκ εὐκόλως ἂν τοῦτο παρα 57.299 δέξοιντο. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν πολλοὶ οἱ τοῦτο κατορθωκότες εἰσὶν, ἀπ' αὐτῶν δυνατὸν ἡμῖν δεῖξαι τῶν ταῦτα φιλοσοφούντων καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας γενεᾶς. Ἀλλ' ὑμῖν τέως ἀρκεῖ τὸ μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν μαθεῖν, καὶ ὅτι καλὸν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη, καὶ τὸ εἰδέναι ὅτι χρὴ τῶν ὄντων μεταδιδόναι. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἂν κατορθώσῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, ταχέως καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα βαδιεῖς. Τέως τοίνυν τὴν πολυτέλειαν ἀποθώμεθα τὴν περιττὴν, καὶ ἀνασχώμεθα τῆς συμμετρίας, καὶ μάθωμεν ἀπὸ δικαίων πόνων κτᾶσθαι ἅπαντα ἅπερ μέλλομεν ἔχειν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἰωάννης, ὅτε διελέγετο τοῖς περὶ τὴν τελωνείαν ἐσχολακόσι καὶ τοῖς στρατευομένοις, ἀρκεῖσθαι τοῖς ὀψωνίοις προσέταττεν. Ἐβούλετο μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέραν μείζονα αὐτοὺς ἀγαγεῖν φιλοσοφίαν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐδέπω πρὸς ταῦτα ἦσαν ἐπιτήδειοι, τὰ ἐλάττονα λέγει, ὡς εἰ τὰ ὑψηλότερα τούτων εἶπεν, οὔτ' ἂν ἐκείνοις προσέσχον, καὶ τούτων ἐξέπεσον ἄν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν τοῖς καταδεεστέροις ὑμᾶς γυμνάζομεν. Καὶ γὰρ τέως ἴσμεν, ὅτι μεῖζον ὑμῶν τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης τὸ φορτίον, καὶ ὅσον ἀφέστηκεν ὁ οὐρανὸς τῆς γῆς, τοσοῦτον ὑμῶν ἡ φιλοσοφία ἐκείνη. Οὐκοῦν κἂν τῶν ἐσχάτων ἐπιλαβώμεθα ἐπιταγμάτων· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὕτη μικρὰ παραμυθία. Καίτοιγε παρ' Ἕλλησί 57.300 τινες καὶ τοῦτο κατώρθωσαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης γνώμης, καὶ τὰ ὄντα ἅπαντα ἀπεδύσαντο. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡμεῖς ἀρκούμεθα ἐφ' ὑμῶν τῷ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνη δαψιλῆ παρέχεσθαι παρ' ὑμῶν· ταχέως γὰρ καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνα ἥξομεν, ἂν οὕτω προβαίνωμεν. Εἰ δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν, τίνος ἂν εἴημεν συγγνώμης ἄξιοι, οἱ τοὺς ἐν τῇ παλαιᾷ ὑπερβῆναι κελευόμενοι, καὶ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλοσόφων ἐλάττους φαινόμενοι; Τί ἂν εἴποιμεν ὅταν ὀφείλοντες εἶναι ἄγγελοι καὶ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ, μηδὲ τὸ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι διατηρῶμεν; Τὸ γὰρ ἁρπάζειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν οὐ τῆς ἀνθρώπων ἡμερότητος, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν θηρίων ὠμότητος· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐκείνων χείρους οἱ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπιτιθέμενοι. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ φύσεως τοῦτο πρόσεστιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ λόγῳ τιμηθέντες, καὶ πρὸς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν καταπίπτοντες δυσγένειαν, τίνος ἀπολαυσόμεθα συγγνώμης; Ἐννοήσαντες τοίνυν τὰ μέτρα τῆς προκειμένης ἡμῖν φιλοσοφίας, κἂν εἰς τὰ μέσα φθάσωμεν, ἵνα καὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἀπαλλαγῶμεν κολάσεως, καὶ ὁδῷ προβαίνοντες ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἔλθωμεν τὴν κορυφὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.299 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΒʹ. Καταμάθετε τὰ κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ, πῶς αὐξάνει· οὐ κοπιᾷ,

οὐδὲ νήθει· λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν, ὅτι οὐδὲ Σολο μῶν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ περιεβάλετο ὡς ἓν τούτων.

αʹ. Εἰπὼν περὶ τῆς ἀναγκαίας τροφῆς, καὶ δείξας ὅτι οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ ταύτης χρὴ

μεριμνᾷν, ἐπὶ τὸ κουφότερον μεταβαίνει λοιπόν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως ἀναγκαῖον ἔνδυμα, ὡς τροφή. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐ κέχρηται καὶ ἐνταῦθα τῷ αὐτῷ ὑποδείγματι τῷ τῶν ὀρνίθων, οὐδὲ λέγει τὸν ταῶνα ἡμῖν, καὶ τὸν κύκνον, καὶ τὸ πρόβατον; καὶ γὰρ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα παραδείγματα ἦν ἐκεῖθεν λαβεῖν. Ὅτι βούλεται ἑκατέρωθεν δεῖξαι τὴν ὑπερβολὴν, ἀπό τε τῆς εὐτελείας τῶν τῆς τοιαύτης μετασχόντων εὐπρεπείας, ἀπό τε τῆς φιλοτιμίας τοῦ καλλωπισμοῦ τῆς δοθείσης τοῖς κρίνοις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὅτε