John Chrysostom, On John

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rejoicing on the cross. For this was the salvation of the world. But they were throwing stones; so ready were they for murder. and they did these things of themselves, examining nothing. But why did He not say, Before Abraham was, I was; but, I am? Just as His Father uses this word, I Am; so also does He. For it signifies continuous being, separate from all time; for this reason also the saying seems to them to be blasphemous. But if they could not bear the comparison with Abraham, although it was a small one; if He continually made Himself equal to the Father, would they have ever stopped throwing stones at Him? Then He flees again in a human manner, and hides Himself, having set before them sufficient teaching; and having fulfilled His part, He went out of the temple, and departed for the healing of the blind man, confirming by His works that He is before Abraham. But perhaps someone will say: For what reason did He not paralyze their power? for so they would have believed. He healed a paralytic, and they did not believe; He worked countless other miracles, and even during His passion He threw them on their backs, and darkened their sight, and they did not believe; and how would they have believed, if He had paralyzed their power? For there is nothing worse than a desperate soul; even if it sees signs, even wonders, it remains in the same shamelessness. For even Pharaoh, receiving countless plagues, was chastened only while he was being punished, and remained such until the last day, pursuing those whom he had released. For this reason Paul says again and again: Lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For just as the limbs of the body become deadened, and have no feeling; so also the soul, when it is possessed by many passions, is deadened toward virtue. Even if you apply anything, it has no sense of the matter; but whether you threaten punishment, or anything else, it remains insensible. 59.305 3. Wherefore I beseech you, while we have hopes of salvation, while we are able to turn, to do all things. For those who have become callous, just like pilots who have given up, entrusting the vessel to the wind, contribute nothing of themselves; so also are these henceforth assailed. For the envious man looks to one thing only, to fulfill his own desire; even if he is about to be punished, even to be slain, he becomes the slave of his passion alone; and so the intemperate and the avaricious. But if the tyranny of the passions is so great, much more so is that of virtue. If for their sake we despise death, much more should we for the sake of this. If those men despise their own souls, much more ought we to do this for our own salvation. For what defense shall we have, when those who are perishing are so zealous for their own destruction, while we for our own salvation do not show even so much zeal, but continually remain wasting away with envy? For nothing is worse than envy; in order to destroy another, it also destroys itself. The eye of the envious man wastes away with grief, he lives with continual death, he considers all men his enemies, even those who have wronged him in nothing. He is grieved that God is honored, he rejoices at those things at which the devil rejoices. Has a certain man been honored by men? But this is not honor, do not be envious. But has he been honored by God? Be zealous and become like him. But you are not willing? Why then do you also destroy yourself? why do you also cast away what you have? Are you not able to become equal to that man, nor to receive some good thing? why do you also take on an evil? 59.306 You ought to rejoice with him, so that even if you are not able to share in the labors, you may gain from rejoicing with him. For in many cases even the will is sufficient to do a great good. At any rate, Ezekiel says that for this reason the Moabites are punished, because they rejoiced over the Israelites; and that certain others are saved, because they groaned over the evils of others. But if there is some comfort for those who groan over the evils of others, much more so for those who are pleased at the honors of others. He accused the Moabites, because they rejoiced over the Israelites; and yet God was punishing them; but not even when He Himself punishes, does He wish us to rejoice over those who are punished; for neither does He Himself wish to punish them. But if it is necessary to grieve with those who are punished, much more is it necessary not to envy those who are honored. Thus, at any rate, those with Korah and

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ἡσθέντα ἐπὶ τῷ σταυρῷ. Τοῦτο γὰρ σωτηρία τῆς οἰκουμένης ἦν. Οἱ δὲ λίθους ἔβαλλον· οὕτω πρὸς φόνους ἕτοιμοι ἦσαν. καὶ δι' ἑαυτῶν ταῦτα ἔπραττον, μηδὲν ἐξετάζοντες. ∆ιατί δὲ μὴ εἶπε, Πρὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγὼ ἤμην· ἀλλ' Ἐγώ εἰμι; Ὥσπερ ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ κέχρηται τῇ λέξει τῇ, Εἰμί· οὕτω καὶ αὐτός. Τοῦ διηνεκῶς γὰρ εἶναι σημαντικὴ αὕτη, παντὸς ἀπηλλαγμένη χρόνου· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ βλάσφημον αὐτοῖς εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ ῥῆμα. Εἰ δὲ τὴν πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ σύγκρισιν οὐκ ἤνεγκαν, καίτοι γε μικρὰν οὖσαν· εἰ συνεχῶς ἑαυτὸν ἐξίσου τῷ Πατρὶ, ἆρα ἂν διέλιπον αὐτὸν βάλλοντες; Εἶτα φεύγει πάλιν ἀνθρωπίνως, καὶ κρύπτεται, ἱκανὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῖς παραθέμενος· καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ πληρώσας, ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἴασιν τοῦ τυφλοῦ, διὰ τῶν ἔργων πιστούμενος, ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις· Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐξέλυσεν αὐτῶν τὴν δύναμιν; οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἐπίστευσαν. Παραλελυμένον ἐθεράπευσε, καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν· ἄλλα μυρία εἰργάσατο, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ πάθει ἔῤῥιψεν αὐτοὺς ὑπτίους, καὶ ἐσκότωσεν αὐτῶν τὰς ὄψεις, καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν· καὶ πῶς ἂν ἐπίστευσαν, εἰ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν ἐξέλυσε; Ψυχῆς γὰρ ἀπεγνωκυίας χεῖρον οὐδέν· κἂν σημεῖα ἴδῃ, κἂν τέρατα, μένει τὴν αὐτὴν ἀναισχυντίαν ἔχουσα. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Φαραὼ μυρίας δεχόμενος πληγὰς, ὅτε ἐκολάζετο μόνον, ἐσωφρονίζετο, καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἡμέρας τοιοῦτος ἔμεινε, διώκων οὓς ἀπέλυσε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἄνω καὶ κάτω ὁ Παῦλός φησι· Μὴ σκληρυνθῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπάτῃ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Καθάπερ γὰρ οἱ στῦλοι τοῦ σώματος νεκροῦνται λοιπὸν, καὶ οὐδεμίαν αἴσθησιν ἔχουσιν· οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ, ὅταν πολλοῖς κατασχεθῇ πάθεσι, νεκροῦται πρὸς τὴν ἀρετήν. Κἂν εἰτιοῦν προσενέγκῃς, οὐ λαμβάνει τοῦ πράγματος αἴσθησιν· ἀλλὰ κἂν κόλασιν, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἀπειλήσῃς, ἀνάλγητος μένει. 59.305 γʹ. ∆ιὸ δὴ δέομαι, ἕως ἐλπίδας ἔχομεν σωτηρίας, ἕως δυνάμεθα ἐπιτρέψαι, πάντα ποιεῖν. Οἱ γὰρ ἀπηλγηκότες, καθάπερ τῶν κυβερνητῶν οἱ ἀπογνόντες τῇ πνεούσῃ τὸ σκάφος παραδιδόντες, οὐδὲν παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέρουσιν· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι πειρῶνται λοιπόν. Ὅ τε γὰρ βάσκανος εἰς ἓν ὁρᾷ μόνον, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν πληρῶσαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ· κἂν κολάζεσθαι μέλλῃ, κἂν ἀναιρεῖσθαι, τοῦ πάθους γίνεται μόνου· καὶ ὁ ἀκόλαστος καὶ ὁ φιλοχρήματος. Εἰ δὲ τῶν παθῶν τοσαύτη ἡ τυραννὶς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῆς ἀρετῆς. Εἰ δι' ἐκεῖνα θανάτου καταφρονοῦμεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον διὰ ταύτην. Εἰ ἐκεῖνοι τῆς ψυχῆς καταφρονοῦσι τῆς ἑαυτῶν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας τοῦτο ποιεῖν χρή. Τίς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἔσται λόγος, ὅταν τῶν ἀπολλυμένων οὕτω σπουδαζόντων ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀπωλείας, ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας μηδὲ τοσαύτην ἐπιδειξώμεθα σπουδὴν, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ φθόνῳ τηκόμενοι διαμένωμεν; Οὐδὲν γὰρ βασκανίας χεῖρον· ἵνα ἕτερον ἀπολέσῃ, καὶ ἑαυτὸν προσαπολλύει. Βασκάνου ὀφθαλμὸς ἐκτήκεται λύπῃ, θανάτῳ συζῇ διηνεκεῖ, πάντας ἐχθροὺς ἡγεῖται, τοὺς οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότας. Ἀλγεῖ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς τιμᾶται, χαίρει ἐφ' οἷς ὁ διάβολος χαίρει. Ὁ δεῖνα τετίμηται παρὰ ἀνθρώποις; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη τιμὴ, μὴ βασκάνῃς. Ἀλλὰ παρὰ Θεῷ τετίμηται; Ζήλωσον καὶ γένου ὅμοιος. Ἀλλ' οὐ βούλει; Τί τοίνυν καὶ σαυτὸν προσαπολλύεις; τί καὶ ὃ ἔχεις, ῥίπτεις; Οὐ δύνασαι γενέσθαι ἴσος ἐκείνῳ, οὐδὲ λαβεῖν τι καλόν; τί καὶ κακὸν προσλαμβάνεις; 59.306 δέον συνήδεσθαι, ἵνα κἂν κοινωνῆσαι τῶν πόνων μὴ δυνηθῇς, ἐκ τοῦ συνήδεσθαι κερδάνῃς. Ἀρκεῖ γὰρ πολλαχοῦ καὶ προαίρεσις μέγα ποιῆσαι ἀγαθόν. Ὁ γοῦν Ἰεζεκιήλ φησι διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς Μωαβίτας κολάζεσθαι, διὰ τὸ ἐπιχαίρειν τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις· καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς σώζεσθαι, ὅτι ἔστενον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑτέρων κακοῖς. Εἰ δὲ τοῖς στενάζουσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑτέρων κακοῖς ἐστί τις παραμυθία, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἡδομένοις ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑτέρων τιμαῖς. Ἐνεκάλει τοῖς Μωαβίταις, ὅτι ἐπέχαιρον τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις· καίτοι γε ὁ Θεὸς ἐκόλαζεν· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὅταν αὐτὸς κολάζῃ, ἐφήδεσθαι ἡμᾶς βούλεται τοῖς κολαζομένοις· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς βούλεται αὐτοὺς κολάσαι. Εἰ δὲ συναλγεῖν χρὴ κολαζομένοις, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τιμωμένοις μὴ φθονεῖν. Οὕτω γοῦν οἱ περὶ Κορὲ καὶ