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In illud: Apparuit gratia dei omnibus hominibus

A homily of Saint John Chrysostom on "The grace of God has appeared" and on the Theophany

1 Formerly we spoke to you concerning self-control, as you remember, and we read a law, as it were, that runs thus: "Everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The saying is fearful, for the passion is shameless; the decree is severe, for desire is grievous.

2 Just as, then, someone having a savage dog that leaps upon all who pass by, does not allow it to be loose and free, but binding it with an iron chain, hands it over to his servants to hold securely, so also God, our eyes, which leap upon the splendors of bodies more shamelessly than dogs, does not permit to be loose, but having bound them, as with an iron chain, by the fear of the law, has handed them over to reason to be held securely, having foretold and threatened that, if they should escape and seize one of those passing by, He will demand of him the punishment of adulterers. For "Everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

3 But he threatened this out of care for those who see. For in the case of dogs and men, it is not the biting dogs, but the bitten men who receive the sores; but in the case of eyes that look licentiously and the women who are looked upon, it is not the women who are looked upon, but the men who look who receive the wounds. There the one bitten was struck, here the one biting received the poison.

4 For this reason he secures them, for this reason he placed eyelids and eyelashes around the eyes, so that you might not always have the windows open. For when the doors are always open, the robber enters with great ease, with great power he plunders the treasure of self-control. For this reason the pupils of the eyes are called "korai" (maidens), so that you may learn that one must be modest and blush. For just as maidens who have not known marriage and are kept in their chambers would not endure to look even upon their own relatives with shamelessness, so also it is necessary for the pupils of the eyes, like unmarried maidens sitting in a chamber in the eye, not to shamelessly give themselves over to all sights, since they would no longer be "korai" (maidens), but shameless dogs. 5 But enough has been said concerning self-control, both then and now, for those who are paying attention; but the thing sought is not that our teaching be continuous and your hearing continuous, but that something more may come from our teaching and from your hearing for the account of your life, for our boast, for the glory and praise of God, so that I too on that day may be able to boast in your good deeds and say: "Behold, I and the children whom God has given me." 6 Let our words become deeds through you. For indeed in the case of farmers, the object is not this: to yoke plowing oxen and cut a deep furrow and cast the seeds, but to show the crops flourishing and the threshing floor filled with sheaves, so that, when he comes who will clear it, "whose winnowing fork is in his hand," he may find no chaff on the threshing floor, but everywhere wheat, everywhere ripe fruit able to be carried away to the royal storerooms. For he will come, he will surely come, who baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and with fire; and he will gather the wheat into the storehouses, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. The punishment is great, but if we are willing, we will not receive the punishment nor will we be chaff. 7 For sin is such a thing; just as chaff is food for irrational animals and for fire

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In illud: Apparuit gratia dei omnibus hominibus

ΤΟΥ ἉΓΙΟΥ ἸΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ὁμιλία εἰς τὸ Ἐπεφάνη ἡ χάρις τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ εἰς τὰ Θεοφάνια

1 Πρώην ὑμῖν περὶ σωφροσύνης διελέχθημεν καθάπερ μέμνησθε καὶ οἷον δὴ

νόμον ἀνέγνωμεν οὕτως ἔχοντα· Πᾶς ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναικὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Φοβερὸν τὸ ῥῆμα, καὶ γὰρ ἀναίσχυντον τὸ πάθος· δεινὴ ἡ ἀπόφασις, καὶ γὰρ χαλεπὴ ἡ ἐπιθυμία.

2 Καθάπερ οὖν κύνα τις ἔχων ἄγριον καὶ τοῖς παριοῦσιν ἐπιπηδῶντα πᾶσιν, οὐκ ἀνέχεται λελυμένον εἶναι καὶ ἄφετον, ἀλλὰ σιδηρᾷ ἁλύσει δήσας αὐτὸν παραδίδωσιν ταῖς χερσὶν τῶν οἰκετῶν μετὰ ἀσφαλείας κατέχειν, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τοὺς ἡμετέρους, κυνῶν ἀναιδέστερον ἐπιπηδῶντας τοῖς λαμπροῖς τῶν σωμάτων, οὐκ ἀφίησιν εἶναι λελυμένους, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ σιδηρᾷ ἁλύσει τῷ φόβῳ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἀποδήσας αὐτούς, παρέδωκεν μετὰ ἀσφαλείας κατέχειν τῷ λογισμῷ, προειπὼν καὶ ἀπειλήσας, εἰ διαφύγοιεν καί τινος τῶν παριόντων ἐπιλάβοιντο, τὴν τῶν μοιχῶν αὐτὸν ἀπαιτήσειν τιμωρίαν. Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναικὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ.

3 Τοῦτο δὲ ἠπείλησεν τῶν ὁρώντων κηδόμενος. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν κυνῶν καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐχ οἱ δάκνοντες κύνες, ἀλλ' οἱ δακνόμενοι ἄνθρωποι τὰ ἕλκη λαμβάνουσιν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀσελγῶς ὁρώντων ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων γυναικῶν, οὐχ αἱ ὁρώμεναι γυναῖκες, ἀλλ' οἱ ὁρῶντες ἄνθρωποι τὰ τραύματα δέχονται. Ἐκεῖ ὁ δηχθεὶς ἐπλήγη, ἐνταῦθα ὁ δάκνων τὸν ἰὸν ἔλαβεν.

4 ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἀσφαλίζεται, διὰ τοῦτο βλέφαρα καὶ βλεφαρίδας τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς περιέθηκεν, ἵνα μὴ διὰ παντὸς ἀνεῳγμένας ἔχῃς τὰς θυρίδας. Ὅταν γὰρ θύραι διὰ παντὸς ὦσιν ἀνεῳγμέναι, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας ὁ λῃστὴς ἐπεισέρχεται, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἐξουσίας τὸν θησαυρὸν τῆς σωφροσύνης συλᾷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κόραι καλοῦνται τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αἱ βολαί, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι αἰσχύνεσθαι χρὴ καὶ ἐρυθριᾶν· καθάπερ γὰρ αἱ ἀπειρόγαμοι καὶ θαλαμευόμεναι οὐκ ἀνέχοιντο οὐδὲ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους μετὰ ἀναιδείας ἰδεῖν, οὕτω καὶ τὰς κόρας τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν χρή, καθάπερ κόρας ἀπειρογάμους ἐν θαλάμῳ, τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ καθημένας, μὴ ἀναισχύντως ἁπάσαις ἐπαφιέναι ταῖς ὄψεσιν ἑαυτάς, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἂν κόραι λοιπόν, ἀλλὰ κύνες ἀναίσχυντοι. 5 Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν περὶ σωφροσύνης ἱκανῶς εἴρηται καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν τοῖς προσέχουσιν· τὸ δὲ ζητούμενον, οὐχ ἵνα συνεχὴς ἡ παρ' ἡμῶν διδασκαλία γένηται καὶ συνεχὴς ἡ παρ' ὑμῶν ἡ ἀκρόασις, ἀλλ' ἵνα τι καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας διδασκαλίας καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀκροάσεως γένηται πλέον εἰς λόγον ζωῆς τῆς ὑμετέρας, εἰς καύχημα ἡμέτερον, εἰς δόξαν καὶ ἔπαινον Θεοῦ, ἵνα δυνηθῶ κἀγὼ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην καυχᾶσθαι ἐκ τῶν κατορθωμάτων ὑμῶν καὶ εἰπεῖν· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἃ ἐμοὶ ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεός. 6 Γενέσθω τὰ ῥήματα τὰ ἡμέτερα πράγματα δι' ὑμῶν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν γεηπόνων οὐ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ζητούμενον ζεῦξαι βοῦς ἀροτῆρας καὶ βαθεῖαν αὔλακα τεμεῖν καὶ καταβαλεῖν τὰ σπέρματα, ἀλλὰ δεῖξαι κομῶντα τὰ λήϊα καὶ τὴν ἅλωνα τῶν δραγμάτων πεπληρωμένην, ἵνα, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ διακαθαίρων αὐτήν, οὗ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, μηδαμοῦ τῆς ἅλωνος ἄχυρον εὕρῃ, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ σῖτον, πανταχοῦ καρπὸν ὥριμον εἰς βασιλικὰς ἀποθήκας ἀπενεχθῆναι δυνάμενον. Ἥξει γάρ, ἥξει πάντως ἐκεῖνος ὁ βαπτίζων ὑμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί· καὶ τὸν μὲν σῖτον συνάξει εἰς τὰς ἀποθήκας, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ. Μεγάλη ἡ τιμωρία, ἀλλ' ἐὰν θέλωμεν, οὐ λημψόμεθα τὴν τιμωρίαν οὐδὲ ἐσόμεθα ἄχυρα. 7 Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία· καθάπερ τὰ ἄχυρα τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων ἐστὶ τροφὴ καὶ πυρὸς