John Chrysostom, Against Jews, Gentiles, and Heretics

Contra Judaeos, gentiles et haereticos et in illud: Vocatus est Jesus ad nuptias Sp.

AGAINST THE JEWS and Greeks and heretics; and on the text, Jesus was called to a wedding.

48.1075 The nestlings of swallows sit in the nest, awaiting the arrival of their parents, who bring them their food; and when they see them coming, they flutter with the light wing of the mind. Likewise, I too, being about to approach this spiritual nest, cry out in advance and glorify God, because He has given me such affectionate children. But in the case of the swallows, the food is given from mouth to mouth, but in our case it is not so, but from mouth to ear. For those proceed to corruption, but these to incorruption; those nourish bodies, but these fatten the soul. And all these things have not been said by me simply or idly; but since the passage of the Gospel read today leads us to this teaching, it is necessary to instruct you. Jesus, it says, was called to a wedding. But compose yourselves, I beseech you, pay attention to what is being said; Since some use marriage as an excuse, others children, others military service, others commerce, others a trade, others slavery, others wealth, others poverty, and whatever other things there are; I wish therefore to show you that neither wealth is an impediment, nor poverty, nor military service, nor commerce, nor marriage, nor children, nor slavery, nor a trade, nor anything of the sort. Jesus was called to a wedding; did he go, or did he not go? It is clear that he went. If, then, he went, how is marriage evil? Do you have no defense? But I say not only that he went, but he also brought gifts; for he changed the water into wine. Do not, therefore, use marriage as an excuse. Your Master was present at a wedding, and glorified the wedding, and you dishonor the wedding, and say that marriage is an impediment? It is no impediment to piety. Do you wish to learn that having a wife and children does no harm? Did not Moses have a wife and children? Was not Elijah a virgin? 48.1076 Did not Moses bring down manna from heaven? Did not Elijah bring down fire from heaven? Did not Moses spread out the quail? Did not Elijah by his word shut up the heaven? Did not God speak with Moses? Did not God speak with Elijah also? Did not Moses part the sea, and lead the people through? Was not Elijah taken up in a chariot of fire? Did virginity harm him in any way? Did his wife and children hinder him in any way? You have seen Elijah the charioteer of the air, you have seen Moses the wayfarer of the sea; see also Peter the pillar of the Church, that he too had a wife. It is not written that Peter had a wife; whence then is it clear that he had a wife? I say: Jesus, it says, entered Peter's mother-in-law's house; and she was sick, and he touched her, and the fever left her, and she ministered. Do you see that Peter also had a wife? For where there is a mother-in-law, it is quite clear that there is also a wife. Do you see that Peter also had a wife? Do not slander marriage. And I say these things so that no one may use as an excuse either wife, or children, or military service, or commerce, or a trade, or slavery, or wealth, or poverty; these are pretexts, these are excuses, these are plots of the devil. You use military service as an excuse, and you say, "I am a soldier, and I cannot be pious." Was not the centurion a soldier? And he says to Jesus, "I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed."

Contra Judaeos, gentiles et haereticos et in illud: Vocatus est Jesus ad nuptias Sp.

ΠΡΟΣ ΙΟΥ∆ΑΙΟΥΣ καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ αἱρετικούς· καὶ εἰς τὸ, Ἐκλήθη

Ἰησοῦς εἰς γάμον.

48.1075 Οἱ νεοττοὶ τῶν χελιδόνων καθέζονται ἐν τῇ καλιᾷ προσδεχόμενοι τὴν τῶν γονέων παρουσίαν, φερόντων αὐτοῖς τὴν τροφήν· ἐπὰν δὲ ἴδωσιν αὐτοὺς ἐρχομένους, κούφῳ τῷ πτερῷ τῆς διανοίας πτεροῦνται. Ὁμοίως δὲ κἀγὼ μέλλων ἐγγίζειν τῇ καλιᾷ ταύτῃ τῇ πνευματικῇ, προαναφωνῶν δοξάζω τὸν Θεὸν, ὅτι τοιαῦτά μοι τέκνα δέδωκε φιλόστοργα. Ἀλλὰ μὴν ἐπὶ τῶν χελιδόνων ἀπὸ στόματος εἰς στόμα δίδοται ἡ τροφὴ, ἐπὶ δὲ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ στόματος εἰς ἀκοήν. Ἐκεῖνα γὰρ εἰς φθορὰν προχωροῦσι, ταῦτα δὲ εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν· ἐκεῖνα σώματα τρέφει, ταῦτα δὲ ψυχὴν πιαίνει. Ταῦτα δέ μοι πάντα οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὔτε εἰκῆ εἴρηται· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ σήμερον ἀναγνωσθέντος ἡ περιοχὴ εἰς ταύτην ἡμᾶς τὴν διδασκαλίαν χειραγωγεῖ, ἀναγκαῖον ὑμᾶς παιδεῦσαι. Ἐκλήθη, φησὶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς γάμον. Ἀλλὰ συντείνατε ἑαυτοὺς, παρακαλῶ, προσέχετε τοῖς λεγομένοις· Ἐπειδή τινες προφασίζονται γάμον, ἄλλοι τέκνα, ἄλλοι στρατείαν, ἄλλοι ἐμπορίαν, ἄλλοι τέχνην, ἄλλοι δουλείαν, ἄλλοι πλοῦτον, ἄλλοι πενίαν, καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ὅσα ἔστι· βούλομαι οὖν ὑμῖν δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὔτε πλοῦτος ἐμποδίζει, οὔτε πενία, οὔτε στρατεία, οὔτε ἐμπορία, οὔτε γάμος, οὔτε τέκνα, οὔτε δουλεία, οὔτε τέχνη, οὔτε τι τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν. Ἐκλήθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς γάμον· ἀπῆλθεν, ἢ οὐκ ἀπῆλθεν; ∆ῆλον ὅτι ἀπῆλθεν. Εἰ οὖν ἀπῆλθε, πῶς ὁ γάμος κακός; μὴ ἔχεις ἀπολογίαν; Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ μόνον λέγω, ὅτι ἀπῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δῶρα προσήνεγκε· τὸ γὰρ ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μετέβαλε. Μὴ τοίνυν προφασίζου τὸν γάμον. Ὁ ∆εσπότης σου παρεγένετο εἰς γάμον, καὶ ἐδόξασε τὸν γάμον, καὶ σὺ ἐνυβρίζεις τὸν γάμον, καὶ λέγεις ὅτι ἐμπόδισμά ἐστιν ὁ γάμος; Οὐδὲν ἐμπόδισμα πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. Βούλει μαθεῖν, ὅτι οὐδὲν παραβλάπτει ἔχειν γυναῖκα καὶ τέκνα; Μωϋσῆς οὐχὶ γυναῖκα καὶ τέκνα εἶχεν; Ἠλίας οὐχὶ παρθένος ἦν; 48.1076 οὐχὶ Μωϋσῆς μάννα κατήγαγεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; οὐχὶ Ἠλίας πῦρ κατήγαγεν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; οὐχὶ Μωϋσῆς ὀρτυγομήτραν ἐξεπέτασεν; οὐχὶ Ἠλίας τῷ λόγῳ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔκλεισεν; οὐχὶ Μωϋσῇ ὁ Θεὸς ὡμίλει; οὐχὶ καὶ Ἠλίᾳ Θεὸς ὡμίλει; οὐχὶ Μωϋσῆς θάλασσαν ἔσχισε, καὶ διήγαγε τὸν λαόν; οὐχὶ Ἠλίας ἐν ἅρματι πυρίνῳ ἀνελήφθη; μή τι παρέβλαψε τοῦτον ἡ παρθενία; μή τι παρενεπόδισε τοῦτον ἡ γυνὴ καὶ τὰ τέκνα; Εἶδες Ἠλίαν τὸν τοῦ ἀέρος ἡνίοχον, εἶδες Μωϋσῆν τὸν τῆς θαλάσσης ὁδοιπόρον· βλέπε καὶ Πέτρον τὸν στῦλον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς γυναῖκα εἶχεν. Οὐ γέγραπται, ὅτι Πέτρος γυναῖκα εἶχε· πόθεν οὖν δῆλον ὅτι γυναῖκα εἶχεν; Ἐγὼ λέγω· Εἰσῆλθε, φησὶν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τὴν πενθερὰν Πέτρου· καὶ ἦν ἐκείνη ἀῤῥωστοῦσα, καὶ ἥψατο αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔφυγεν ὁ πυρετὸς αὐτῆς, καὶ διηκόνει. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ Πέτρος γυναῖκα εἶχεν; ὅπου γὰρ πενθερὰ, εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ γυνή. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ Πέτρος γυναῖκα εἶχε; Μή τι διαβάλλῃς τὸν γάμον. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, ἵνα μή τις προφασίσηται μήτε γυναῖκα, μήτε τέκνα, μήτε στρατείαν, μήτε ἐμπορίαν, μήτε τέχνην, μήτε δουλείαν, μήτε πλοῦτον, μήτε πενίαν· ταῦτα προφάσεις, ταῦτα σκήψεις, αὗται ἐπιβουλαὶ τοῦ διαβόλου. Στρατείαν προφασίζῃ, καὶ λέγεις, ὅτι Στρατιώτης εἰμὶ, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι εὐλαβὴς εἶναι. Ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος οὐχὶ στρατιώτης ἦν; καὶ λέγει τῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὅτι Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς, ἵνα μου ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην εἰσέλθῃς· ἀλλ' εἰπὲ λόγον, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου.