John Chrysostom, On "The Jews gathered"

In illud: Collegerunt Judaei

On the text, "The Jews gathered a council and said, 'What shall we do?'" On Holy and Great Tuesday.

59.525

The most beloved children of the Church are like suckling infants, who draw the nourishment of milk each day from their mother's breast, and seek it each day. We also are like a poor mother whose springs of milk have been constricted by fasting. And just as, whenever one sees a loving mother, barren of milk, and being wept over by her own child, offering the breast, not to nourish the child, but to stop the wailing; so also we must see ourselves suffering the same things and doing similar things. For we too, seeing this new company of the children of the Church standing around us and awaiting the spiritual milk of the word, we offer the breast of our mind; not to nourish them (for we happen to be inexperienced and poor in word), but to stop their longing and ardor. But come, beloved, let us hasten to the herald of the sun, that we may see the treacherous ambush being practiced against the Lord by the Jews.

For the Jews, he says, gathered a council, and said: What shall we do? And these things the evangelist John just now declared to us. For even if he does not now speak to us with his mouth, yet in the spirit he cried out to the ears of those standing here. For they gathered, he says, the council, and said: What shall we do? Good is the, "They gathered"; but evil is the, "Council"; not for love, but for battle; not calling to peace, but inciting to war. They gathered the council, not to glorify God, but to dishonor Christ. They gathered the council, not to build up faith, but to cast away the cornerstone. They gathered the council, not to gather the straying sheep into the fold, but to kill the shepherd and scatter the flock. They gathered the council, not to receive in faith the snow-gleaming pearl, but to darken with unbelief the luminous stone, as they thought. They gathered the council, not to receive with goodwill the treasure hidden in the field, 59.526 but to destroy without understanding the temple of God. They gathered the council, not to harvest the honey-dripping clusters of the vine, but, having spread the true vine upon the tree of the cross, to make themselves vines of destruction, and make us vines of salvation. O council gathered by the devil against Christ; O council-chamber filled with evil; O council, rather of bloodthirsty wolves than of God-bearing men.

But why do I say, of savage wolves? For they are worse even than savage lions. For the lions in the time of Daniel, having seen no sign, but having observed the man, and having honored his piety, bridled their untamed mouths. But the Jews, having become spectators of such and so many signs, all the more out of envy armed themselves for murder, and said: What shall we do? O diligent inquiry of malice; O groaning and lamentation born of envy; O wailing and beating of the breast over evil things. Not even Rachel weeping for her children groaned so. What shall we do? Instead of the things for which the wretches ought to have rejoiced, instead of the things for which they ought to have celebrated a public day of gladness, that the dead have been revived, that life has been manifested, that death has been undone, that the devil has been put to shame, that of demons

In illud: Collegerunt Judaei

Εἰς τὸ, Συνήγαγον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι συνέδριον, καὶ ἔλεγον· "Τί ποιήσωμεν;"Τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ μεγάλῃ βʹ.

59.525

Ἐοίκασιν οἱ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας φίλτατοι παῖδες νηπίοις θηλάζουσι, τοῖς τοῦ γάλακτος τροφὴν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐκ τῆς μητρικῆς θηλῆς ὑφέλκουσι, καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ζητοῦσιν. Ἐοίκαμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς μητρὶ πενιχρᾷ ὑπὸ ἀσιτίας συσταλθείσῃ τὰς τοῦ γάλακτος πηγάς. Καὶ ὥσπερ, ὁπόταν τις ἴδῃ μητέρα φιλότεκνον ἄφορον γάλακτος, καὶ ὑπὸ ἰδίου τέκνου κατακλαυθμυριζομένην, καὶ προστιθεῖσαν τὴν θηλὴν, οὐχ ἵνα θρέψῃ τὸ παιδίον, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῦ κλαυθμυρισμοῦ καταπαύσῃ· οὕτω καὶ ἡμᾶς δεῖ σκοπεῖν τε πάσχοντας τὰ αὐτὰ, καὶ ποιοῦντας τὰ ὅμοια. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ὁρῶντες τὸ νέον τοῦτο σύστημα τῶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παίδων περιεστώτων κυκλόθεν, καὶ ἀπεκδεχομένων τὸ λογικὸν γάλα τοῦ λόγου, τὴν θηλὴν τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν χαλῶμεν· οὐχ ἵνα θρέψωμεν αὐτούς (ἄπειροι γὰρ καὶ πένητες τῷ λόγῳ τυγχάνομεν), ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν πόθον καὶ τὸν καύσωνα παύσωμεν. Ἀλλὰ δεῦτε, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου κήρυκα καταδράμωμεν, ἵνα ἴδωμεν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πραττομένην ἐπίβουλον ἐνέδραν.

Συνήγαγον γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι συνέδριον, καὶ ἔλεγον· Τί ποιήσωμεν; Ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης ἀρτίως ἐφθέγγετο. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῷ στόματι ἡμῖν νῦν οὐ διαλέγεται, ἀλλ' οὖν γε τῷ πνεύματι ταῖς τῶν ἑστώτων ἀκοαῖς ἐβόα. Συνήγαγον γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ συνέδριον, καὶ ἔλεγον· Τί ποιήσωμεν; Καλὸν τὸ, Συνήγαγον· ἀλλὰ κακὸν τὸ, Συνέδριον· οὐ πρὸς ἀγάπην, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μάχην· οὐ πρὸς εἰρήνην καλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ πρὸς πόλεμον παροξύναντες. Συνήγαγον τὸ συνέδριον, οὐχ ἵνα Θεὸν δοξάσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα Χριστὸν ἀτιμάσωσι. Συνήγαγον τὸ συνέδριον, οὐχ ἵνα πίστιν οἰκοδομήσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν ἀκρογωνιαῖον λίθον ἀποῤῥίψωσι. Συνήγαγον τὸ συνέδριον, οὐχ ἵνα τὰ πεπλανημένα πρόβατα μανδρεύσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν ποιμένα φονεύσαντες, τὸ ποίμνιον διαλύσωσι. Συνήγαγον τὸ συνέδριον, οὐχ ἵνα τὸν χιονόφεγγον μαργαρίτην πίστει ὑποδέξωνται, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν φεγγίτην λίθον, ὡς ἐνόμιζον, τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ σκοτίσωσι. Συνήγαγον τὸ συνέδριον, οὐχ ἵνα τὸν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ κεκρυμμένον θη 59.526 σαυρὸν εὐγνωμόνως ὑποδέξωνται, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγνωμόνως διαλύσωσι. Συνήγαγον τὸ συνέδριον, οὐχ ἵνα τῆς ἀμπέλου τοὺς μελισταγεῖς βότρυας τρυγήσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν ἀληθινὴν ἄμπελον ἐπὶ τὸ δένδρον τοῦ σταυροῦ ἐφαπλώσαντες, ἑαυτοὺς ἀναδενδράδας ἀπωλείας ποιήσωσιν, ἡμᾶς δὲ ἀναδενδράδας σωτηρίας ποιήσωσιν. Ὢ συνέδριον ὑπὸ διαβόλου κατὰ Χριστοῦ συνηγμένον· ὢ βουλευτήριον κακίας μεμεστωμένον· ὢ συνέδριον, μᾶλλον λύκων αἱμοβόρων, ἢ ἀνθρώπων θεοφόρων.

Τί δὲ λέγω, λύκων ἀνημέρων; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ λεόντων ἀνημέρων χείρους. Οἱ γὰρ λέοντες ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ μηδὲν θεωρήσαντες σημεῖον, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἄνδρα σκοπήσαντες, καὶ τὴν εὐλάβειαν τιμήσαντες, τὰ ἀτίθασσα αὐτῶν στόματα ἐχαλίνωσαν. Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ τοιούτων καὶ τοσούτων σημείων θεαταὶ γενόμενοι, μειζόνως ἐκ τοῦ φθόνου πρὸς τὸν φόνον ὡπλίζοντο, καὶ ἔλεγον· Τί ποιήσωμεν; Ὢ κακίας ἔρευνα ἐπιμελής· ὢ στεναγμὸς καὶ θρῆνος ὑπὸ φθόνου γενόμενος· ὢ ὀδυρμὸς καὶ κοπετὸς ἐπὶ κακοῖς γενόμενος. Οὔτε ἡ Ῥαχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς οὕτως ἀνεστέναξε. Τί ποιήσωμεν; Ἀνθ' ὧν ἔδει χαίρειν τοὺς τάλανας, ἀνθ' ὧν ἔδει εὐφροσύνης ἡμέραν πάνδημον ἐπιτελεῖν, ὅτι νεκροὶ ἀνεβίωσαν, ὅτι ζωὴ πεφανέρωται, ὅτι θάνατος λέλυται, ὅτι ὁ διάβολος κατῃσχύνθη, ὅτι δαιμόνων