John Chrysostom, Against Theater

Against the theaters

Concerning not approaching theaters, and that it makes men complete adulterers, and that this is a cause of despondency and war, and on Abraham.

56.541

1. I think many of those who formerly left us and deserted to the theaters of iniquity are present today. And I wished to know them clearly, so as to cast them out from the sacred vestibules, not that they should remain outside forever, but that having been corrected they might return again. Since fathers also often cast erring children out of the house, and keep them from the table, not that they might be deprived of these things for all time, but that, having become better by this admonition, they might return to their paternal inheritance with fitting glory and honor. This is what shepherds also do: they keep the sheep full of mange away from the healthy ones, so that, having put away their sickness, they may return again in safety to the healthy ones, and not, while being sick, infect the entire flock 56.542 with that sickness. For this reason we too wished to know them; but even if we cannot distinguish them with our physical eyes, the sermon will certainly recognize them, and taking hold of their conscience, it will easily persuade them to withdraw willingly, teaching that he alone is within who brings a disposition worthy of the time spent here; so that he who with a corrupt life partakes of this sacred assembly, even if he brings his body in here, has been cast out, and is driven away more than those shut out and not yet able to partake of the holy table. For those who have been cast out according to the laws of God, and remain outside, for the time being have good hopes; for if they wish to correct their transgressions, 56.543 through the Church from which they have fallen, they will be able to return again with a pure conscience. But those who have defiled themselves, and have been commanded not to enter before they have cleansed themselves of the stain from their sins, and then act shamelessly, make their wound more grievous and their ulcer greater. For it is not so grievous to sin, as is the shamelessness after the sin, and not obeying the priests who command such things. 'And what great sin have these men committed,' one says, 'that you should cast them out from these sacred precincts?' And what other sin greater than this do you seek, when having made themselves complete adulterers, they shamelessly, like rabid dogs, leap upon the holy table? And if you wish to learn also the manner of the adultery, I will tell you not my own word, but that of him who is to judge our whole life: 'For whosoever looketh,' he says, 'on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.' But if a woman met by chance in the marketplace, and dressed as it happens, has often captured the one who looked on her curiously by the sight of her appearance, how will those who—not simply, nor by chance, but with such earnestness as to even despise the Church, and for this reason have gone up there and spent the day, and have fixed their gaze on those dishonored women—how will they be able to say, that they did not look with desire, where there are both wanton words, and whorish songs, and a voice having great pleasure, and painted eyes, and powders of the cheek, and elaborately arranged dress, and a form full of sorcery, and many other enchantments prepared for the deception and bait of the onlookers, and the indolence of soul of the spectators, and much dissoluteness, and the incitement to licentiousness from the place, and that of the sounds that came before and those after, that through the pipes, that through the flutes and of the other

Contra theatra

Εἰς τὸ μὴ πλησιάζειν θεάτροις, καὶ ὅτι μοιχοὺς ἀπηρτισμένους ποιεῖ, καὶ ὅτι ἀθυμίας αἴτιον καὶ πολέμου τοῦτο, καὶ εἰς τὸν Ἀβραάμ.

56.541

αʹ. Πολλοὺς οἶμαι τῶν πρῴην καταλιπόντων ἡμᾶς καὶ πρὸς τὰ θέατρα τῆς παρανομίας αὐτομολησάντων παρεῖναι τήμερον. Καὶ ἐβουλόμην εἰδέναι τούτους σαφῶς, ὥστε αὐτοὺς τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκβαλεῖν προθύρων, οὐχ ἵνα μένωσιν ἔξω διηνεκῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα διορθωθέντες ἐπανέλθωσι πάλιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πατέρες παῖδας σφαλλομένους τῆς οἰκίας ἐκβάλλουσι πολλάκις, καὶ τῆς τραπέζης ἀπείργουσι, οὐχ ἵνα διὰ παντὸς τούτων ἐκπέσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα βελτίους τῇ νουθεσίᾳ ταύτῃ γενόμενοι, μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης δόξης καὶ τιμῆς ἐπὶ τὸν πατρῷον ἐπανέλθωσι κλῆρον. Τοῦτο καὶ ποιμένες ποιοῦσι· τὰ ψώρας ἐμπεπλησμένα πρόβατα τῶν ὑγιαινόντων ἀπείργουσιν, ἵνα ἀποθέμενα τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν, μετ' ἀσφαλείας πρὸς τὰ ὑγιαίνοντα ἐπανέλθῃ πάλιν, καὶ μὴ νοσοῦντα τὴν ἀγέλην 56.542 ἅπασαν ἐμπλήσῃ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἐκείνης. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐβουλόμεθα τούτους εἰδέναι· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοὺς διακρῖναι δυνάμεθα, ὁ λόγος αὐτοὺς ἐπιγνώσεται πάντως, καὶ τοῦ συνειδότος αὐτῶν ἐπιλαβόμενος, πείσει ῥᾳδίως ἑκόντας αὐτοὺς ὑπεξελθεῖν, διδάσκων ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἔνδον ἐστὶ μόνος, ὁ τῆς ἐνταῦθα διατριβῆς ἀξίαν παρέχων τὴν γνώμην· ὡς ὁ μετὰ πολιτείας διεφθαρμένης τοῦ ἱεροῦ τούτου μετέχων συλλόγου, κἂν τὸ σῶμα ἐνταῦθα εἰσάγῃ, ἐκβέβληται, καὶ τῶν ἀποκεκλεισμένων ἔξω καὶ μηδέπω δυναμένων τῆς ἱερᾶς μετασχεῖν τραπέζης μᾶλλον ἀπελήλαται. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ οἱ κατὰ τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμους ἐκβληθέντες, καὶ μένοντες ἔξω, τέως χρηστὰς ἔχουσι τὰς ἐλπίδας· κἂν γὰρ θέλωσι διορθώσασθαι τὰ παραπτώματα, 56.543 διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἧς ἐξέπεσον, δυνήσονται μετὰ καθαροῦ τοῦ συνειδότος πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν. Οἱ δὲ μολύναντες ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ κελευσθέντες μὴ πρότερον ἐπιβῆναι, ἕως ἂν ἀποκαθάρωνται τὴν κηλῖδα τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, εἶτα ἀναισχυντοῦντες, χαλεπώτερον τὸ τραῦμα ἐργάζονται καὶ μεῖζον τὸ ἕλκος. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐστὶ χαλεπὸν, ὡς ἡ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀναισχυντία, καὶ τὸ μὴ πείθεσθαι τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τὰ τοιαῦτα κελεύουσι. Καὶ τί τοσοῦτον ἡμάρτηται τούτοις, φησὶν, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἐκβαλεῖν τῶν ἱερῶν τούτων περιβόλων; Καὶ ποίαν ἑτέραν ταύτης ζητεῖς μείζονα ἁμαρτίαν, ὅταν μοιχοὺς ἑαυτοὺς ἀπηρτισμένους ποιήσαντες, ἀναιδῶς, καθάπερ κύνες λυττῶντες, ἐπιπηδῶσι τῇ ἱερᾷ τραπέζῃ; Καὶ εἰ βούλει μαθεῖν καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς μοιχείας, οὐκ ἐμὸν ἐρῶ σοι λόγον, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἡμῶν δικάζειν τὴν ζωὴν ἅπασαν· Ὁ γὰρ ἐμβλέψας, φησὶ, γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτῆς, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐντυχοῦσα γυνὴ, καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐσταλμένη, τὸν περιέργως ἰδόντα εἷλε πολλάκις τῇ τῆς ὄψεως θεωρίᾳ, οἱ μὴ ἁπλῶς, μηδὲ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ σπουδῆς τοσαύτης, ὡς καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπεριδεῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀναβάντες ἐκεῖ καὶ διημερεύσαντες, καὶ ταῖς ὄψεσι ἠτιμωμένων γυναικῶν ἐκείνων προσηλωμένοι, πῶς δυνήσονται λέγειν, ὅτι οὐ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν εἶδον, ὅπου καὶ ῥήματα διακεκλασμένα, καὶ ᾄσματα πορνικὰ, καὶ φωνὴ πολλὴν ἡδονὴν ἔχουσα, καὶ ὀφθαλμῶν ὑπογραφαὶ, καὶ ἐπιτρίμματα παρειᾶς, καὶ στολὴ περιέργως συγκειμένη, καὶ σχῆμα γοητείας γέμον, καὶ ἕτεραι πολλαὶ μαγγανεῖαι πρὸς ἀπάτην καὶ δέλεαρ τῶν ὁρώντων κατεσκευασμέναι, καὶ ῥᾳθυμία ψυχῆς τῶν θεωμένων, καὶ πολλὴ ἡ διάχυσις, καὶ ἡ παρὰ τοῦ τόπου πρὸς ἀσέλγειαν παράκλησις, καὶ ἡ τῶν φθασάντων καὶ ἡ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ἀκουσμάτων, ἡ διὰ τῶν συρίγγων, ἡ διὰ τῶν αὐλῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν