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On Vainglory and on the Education of Children

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ON VAINGLORY AND HOW PARENTS MUST BRING UP THEIR CHILDREN

Has anyone done what I asked? Has anyone prayed to God both for us and for the whole body of the church, so that the fire born of vainglory might be extinguished, which is corrupting the whole body, which divides one body into many members and tears apart love? For just as a wild beast falling upon a noble and tender body that is unable to defend itself, so has it fixed its foul teeth and injected its venom and filled it with great stench, and having cut some parts off, it has thrown them away, and others it has torn, and others it has even chewed up. And if it were possible to see with the eyes both vainglory and the church, one would see a pitiful sight and one far more grievous than those that happen in the stadiums; the body thrown down, and that beast standing over it, looking everywhere, and holding down those who have fallen, and never departing nor sparing them. Who then of us will scare away this beast? It is the work of the one who established the contest, when besought by us, to send his angels and, as if with some ropes, having muzzled its rash and shameless mouth, thus to lead it away. But the one who established the contest will do this then, when we do not seek it after it has been led away; but if he sends it away, ordering the dreadful beast to depart from us, but we, after being saved and after it has been led away to its own den, rising up with countless wounds, again seek it and knock and overturn things, so as to bring it out, he will no longer have mercy on us nor spare us; “For who will have mercy,” it says, “on a charmer bitten by a serpent, and on all who approach wild beasts?” What then? How might we be delivered from the evil and wicked demon? For it is truly a demon having a lovely appearance. For just as if some demon, having fashioned himself into a courtesan, and having put on much gold and dressed in soft garments and smelling of many perfumes, should take on the very bright image of a woman, concealing an excess of all beauty; and then should also appear at such an age as especially excites the souls of the young, bearing the very flower of youth, girded with a golden belt and showing locks of hair from her head variously braided, resembling a Persian top-knot; then should place a diadem around her head, placing much adornment on her bare tresses, and around her neck showing glittering gold and precious stones, and should stand, having assumed the very young age of some harlot, in a deserted place before the roof, then should also display great modesty, whom of those passing by would she not captivate? And after this, having led him into the house, she should put off all that beauty, but showing herself as some black and fiery and savage creature, as a demon is likely to be, she would drive the wretched one who had fallen into her clutches out of his mind, and leaping upon him and seizing his soul she would madden his mind, such a thing is the wicked demon of vainglory. For what seems more beautiful than it? What more lovely? But if we see that the thing is a phantasm and that it is hypocrisy, we shall not be caught in its nets nor fall into its tent; for what has been said about the harlot, this one might also reasonably say about this thing; “For honey drips from the lips of a harlot woman”; one would not err in saying the same thing also about vainglory. For just like the fruit of Sodom, such is vainglory; for that fruit has a brilliant appearance and gives to those who see it the impression of healthy fruits from

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De inani gloria et de educandis liberis

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΚΕΝΟ∆ΟΞΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΟΠΩΣ ∆ΕΙ ΤΟΥΣ ΓΟΝΕΑΣ ΑΝΑΤΡΕΦΕΙΝ ΤΑ ΤΕΚΝΑ

Ἆρά τις ἐποίησεν ὅπερ ἠξίωσα; ἆρά τις ἐδεήθη τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ παντὸς σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὥστε σβεσθῆναι τὴν πυρὰν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κενοδοξίας τεχθεῖσαν, τὴν τῷ σώματι παντὶ λυμαινομένην, τὴν ἓν σῶμα εἰς πολλὰ διαιροῦσαν μέλη καὶ διασχίζουσαν τὴν ἀγάπην; Καθάπερ γὰρ θηρίον ἐμπεσὸν εἰς σῶμα εὐγενὲς καὶ ἁπαλὸν καὶ ἀμύνασθαι μὴ δυνάμενον, οὕτω τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐνέπηξεν τοὺς μιαροὺς καὶ τὸν ἰὸν ἐναφῆκεν καὶ τῆς πολλῆς δυσωδίας ἐνέπλησεν καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀποκόψασα ἔρριψεν, τὰ δὲ διέξανεν, τὰ δὲ καὶ διεμασήσατο. Καὶ εἴ γε ἦν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν τήν τε κενοδοξίαν καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, εἶδεν ἄν τις θέαμα ἐλεεινὸν καὶ πολλῷ τῶν ἐν τοῖς σταδίοις γενομένων χαλεπώτερον· τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἐρριμένον, ἐκείνην δὲ ἄνωθεν ἐφεστῶσαν καὶ πανταχοῦ ἀποβλέπουσαν καὶ τοὺς ἐμπεσόντας κατέχουσαν καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀφισταμένην οὐδὲ φειδομένην. Τίς οὖν ἡμῶν τὸ θηρίον ἀποσοβήσει τοῦτο; Τοῦ τὸν ἀγῶνα θέντος ἐστὶν ἔργον ὑφ' ἡμῶν παρακαλουμένου πέμψαι τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ καὶ καθάπερ τισὶ σχοινίοις τὸ ἰταμὸν αὐτῆς καὶ ἀναίσχυντον στόμα ἐμφράξαντας, οὕτως ἀπαγαγεῖν. Ἀλλὰ τότε ὁ τὸν ἀγῶνα θεὶς τοῦτο ποιήσει, ὅταν αὐτὴν ἀπαχθεῖσαν μὴ ἐπιζητῶμεν· ἂν δὲ πέμψῃ μὲν κελεύων ἀποστῆναι τὸ δεινὸν ἡμῶν θηρίον, ἡμεῖς δὲ μετὰ τὸ διασωθῆναι καὶ εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἀπαχθῆναι φωλεὸν ἀναστάντες μετὰ μυρίων τραυμάτων πάλιν αὐτὸ ζητῶμεν καὶ κρούωμεν καὶ ἀνατρέπωμεν, ὥστε αὐτὸ ἐξαγαγεῖν, οὐκέτι ἡμᾶς ἐλεήσει λοιπὸν οὐδὲ φείσεται· «Τίς γὰρ ἐλεήσει, φησίν, ἐπαοιδὸν ὀφιόδηκτον καὶ πάντας τοὺς προσάγοντας θηρίοις;» Τί οὖν; πῶς ἂν ἀπαλλαγείημεν τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ δαίμονος; δαίμων γὰρ ὄντως ἐστὶν ὄψιν ἔχων ἐπέραστον. Καθάπερ γὰρ εἰ δαίμων τις εἰς ἑταίραν ἑαυτὸν διατυπώσας καὶ πολλὰ μὲν περιθέμενος τὰ χρυσία καὶ ἱμάτια ἐνδὺς μαλακὰ καὶ πολλῶν ὄζων τῶν ἀρωμάτων ὑπέλθοι πάνυ λαμπρὰν εἰκόνα γυναικὸς καὶ πάσης εὐμορφίας ὑπερβολὴν ἀποκρύψας· ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ φανείη τοιαύτῃ ἣ μάλιστα τὰς τῶν νέων ἀναπτεροῖ ψυχάς, αὐτὸ τῆς νεότητος φέρων τὸ ἄνθος, ζώνῃ χρυσῇ διαζωσάμενος καὶ βοστρύχους ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς δείξας ποικίλως ἐμπεπλεγμένους, κρωβύλῳ περσικῷ προσεοικότας· εἶτα διάδημα περιθοῖτο περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν γυμναῖς ταῖς θριξὶ πολὺν τὸν κόσμον ἐπιθεὶς καὶ περὶ τὸν τράχηλον ἀπαστράπτοντα χρυσὸν καὶ λίθους τιμίους δεικνύς, καὶ ἑστήκοι ὁ πόρνης τινὸς πολὺ νέαν ἡλικίαν ὑπελθὼν ἐπ' ἐρημίας πρὸ τοῦ τέγους, εἶτα καὶ πολλὴν τὴν αἰδῶ ἐπιδεικνύοιτο, τίνα οὐκ ἂν ἕλοι τῶν παριόντων; Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο εἰς τὸν οἶκον εἰσαγαγὼν πᾶσαν μὲν ἐκείνην τὴν ὥραν ἀποθοῖτο, δείξας δὲ ἑαυτὸν μέλανά τινα καὶ πυρώδη καὶ ἄγριον, οἷον εἰκὸς δαίμονα, ἐκστήσειεν μὲν τὸν ἄθλιον τὸν ἐμπεσόντα, ἐναλλόμενος δὲ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς κατασχὼν βακχεύοι τὴν ἐκείνου διάνοιαν, τοιοῦτόν τι τῆς κενοδοξίας ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐστίν. Τί γὰρ αὐτῆς ὡραιότερον εἶναι δοκεῖ; Τί δὲ ἐπεραστότερον; Ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἴδωμεν ὅτι φαντασία τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν καὶ ὅτι ὑπόκρισις, οὐχ ἁλωσόμεθα τοῖς δικτύοις οὐδὲ περιπεσούμεθα τῇ σκηνῇ· ὃ γὰρ περὶ τῆς πόρνης εἴρηται, τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τῆς ταύτης εἰκότως ἄν τις εἴποι· «Μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς πόρνης»· τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ περὶ τῆς κενοδοξίας οὐκ ἄν τις ἁμάρτοι λέγων. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ Σοδόμων καρπός, τοιοῦτον ἡ κενοδοξία· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τὴν μὲν ἐπιφάνειαν ἔχει λαμπρὰν καὶ καρπῶν ὑγιαινόντων τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἐντίθησιν ἀπὸ