John Chrysostom, Exhortatory Sermon on Temperance

Sermo exhortatorius de temperantia

3. By the same author, an exhortatory sermon concerning temperance.

64.17As many as attend to certain studies and show diligence, due to the imminent constraint of the teacher, the diligence of the children is considered to be from fear of the teacher; but whenever, in the absence of the teacher, they hold fast to the care of good things, the diligence is of pure choice. We too are students of the lessons of the fast; but while the fast is present we show philosophy, as if we are diligent from instruction; but now that it has withdrawn for a little while, those who are continent regarding immoderate satiety have the pure praise of their judgment, as philosophers without constraint, as steadfast according to their judgment, as knowing how to secure the good things which they treasured up by their previous labors. For he who goes out into immoderation of foods does not know what he gathered while fasting, does not know what resources he collected, but as having nothing laid up within, as having treasured up nothing in himself, he is opened to immoderation of food, he does not apply locks to his appetites, nor does he secure himself with doors of moderation; and no wonder at all. For every poor man is like this, he has no care for doors and locks, he is not beset with worries of plots, he sleeps with a carefree mind, as having nothing to provoke robbers, as being unable to be robbed because he is poor; but for those who possess a rich house, it is through guarding, since treasures are laid up, through doorkeepers protecting the entrance. We too have been enriched by the fast; and the proofs of this wealth are manifest; we have acquired pleasures as slaves, we have mastered the stomach, to which we were formerly enslaved; we have acquired an incorporeal life, we have put forward a new house of continence, of which we have just now laid the foundations. But the work requires construction, it needs a tightening tension; but drunkenness belongs to those who slacken, not those who tighten, to those who loosen, not those who give tone to the foundations.

No one, then, shakes a foundation he has properly secured; no one opens a storehouse of wealth unguardedly; but the soul of one who has fasted is a proven storehouse of some rich person, and in need of exact guarding, lest it somewhere fall victim to robbery; for the soul is robbed like a house. David had the house of his soul 64.18 full, but it was plundered by a robber's pleasure; for he left the entrance open, and did not secure it with the lock of sobriety. And what is this negligence concerning sobriety? The broad indulgence of the body; For it came to pass, it says, at evening time, that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house; in the evening, and he arose from his sleep and walked about; sleep, and after sleep a walk of one desiring relaxation. A walk broad with gluttony. What then was the harm? And he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. And sending, he dishonored her.

The act of seeing is blameless; for no one would blame the eyes, because they see what is seen; but the blameless thing becomes a charge when it has journeyed toward sin; for he did not see her form and look away, but was, as it were, nailed to her beauty; he fixed his gaze on her body, he plunged his pupils into the sight; he no longer had pupils in his eyes, but prostitutes. So great an evil is also the impulse of a glance, if you let it go unbridled. So also now we have authority over food, just as David then had over the use of his eyes; but the sidetrack of sin brings the blameless under accusation. What then? Let the body indeed be gratified with food; For the laborer is worthy of his food; but let Paul be present with us as we dine, even if he sees somewhere toward the food

Sermo exhortatorius de temperantia

Γʹ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγος παραινετικὸς περὶ ἐγκρατείας.

64.17Οσοι μαθήμασί τισι προσεδρεύοντες φιλοπονίαν ἐνδείκνυνται, τῆς τοῦ διδάσκοντος ἐπικειμένης ἀνάγκης, τοῦ διδασκαλικοῦ φόβου τὸ τῶν παίδων νενόμισται σπούδασμα· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀπόντος διδασκάλου τῆς τῶν καλῶν ἐπιμελείας ἀντέχονται, προαιρέσεως καθαρᾶς τὸ φιλόπονον. Τῶν τῆς νηστείας ἐσμὲν καὶ ἡμεῖς φοιτηταὶ μαθημάτων· ἀλλ' οτε μὲν τῆς νηστείας παρούσης φιλοσοφίαν ἐνδείκνυμεν, ωσπερ ἐκ παιδαγωγικῆς ἐσμεν φιλόπονοι· νῦν δὲ δὴ ταύτης πρὸς μικρὸν ὑπεκστάσης, οἱ περὶ τὸν αμετρον ἐγκρατευόμενοι κόρον, καθαρὸν εχουσι τῆς γνώμης τὸν επαινον, ὡς χωρὶς ἀνάγκης φιλόσοφοι, ὡς κατὰ γνώμην καρτερικοὶ, ὡς εἰδότες τὰ καλὰ περισφίγγειν, α τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν ἐθησαύρισαν κόποις. ̔Ο μὲν γὰρ εἰς ἀμετρίαν τῶν βρωμάτων ἐκβαίνων, οὐκ οιδεν α  νηστεύων συνήγαγεν, οὐκ οιδεν ους συνέλεξε πόρους, ἀλλ' ὡς οὐδὲν εχων ἀποκείμενον ενδον, ὡς οὐδὲν ἐν ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίσας, ἀνέῳκται πρὸς τροφῆς ἀμετρίαν, οὐκ ἐπιβάλλει ταῖς ὀρέξεσι κλεῖθρα, οὐ θύραις συμμετρίας ἑαυτὸν ἀσφαλίζεται· καὶ θαυμαστόν γε οὐδέν. Τοιοῦτο γὰρ ὁ πενόμενος απας, οὐκ εχει θυρῶν καὶ κλείθρων ἐπιμέλειαν, οὐκ εγκειται φροντίσιν ἐπιβουλῶν, ἀμερίμνῳ διανοίᾳ καθεύδει, ὡς οὐκ εχων τι τὸ λῃστὰς ἐρεθίζον, ὡς κλαπῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος απορος· τοῖς δὲ πλουσίαν οἰκίαν κεκτημένοις διὰ φυλακῆς, ὡς θησαυρῶν ἐγκειμένων, διὰ θυρωρῶν τηρούντων τὴν εισοδον. Πεπλουτήκαμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῇ νηστείᾳ· καὶ τὰ τοῦ πλούτου τεκμήρια πρόδηλα· ἡδονὰς ἐκτησάμεθα δούλας, ἐδεσπόσαμεν γαστρὸς, ῃ  τὸ πρὶν ἐδουλεύσαμεν· ἀσώματον ἐκτησάμεθα βίον, οἰκίαν ἐγκρατείας προεβαλόμεθα νέαν, ης τέως τοὺς θεμελίους ἐθέμεθα. ∆εῖται δὲ τὸ εργον συμπήξεως, χρῄζει περισφίγγοντος τόνου· τῶν χαυνούντων δὲ, οὐ σφιγγόντων, ἡ μέθη, τῶν παραλυόντων, οὐ τονούντων τὰς βάσεις.

Οὐδεὶς ον καλῶς εσφιγξε σαλεύει θεμέλιον· οὐδεὶς πλούτου ταμιεῖον ἀφυλάκτως ἀνοίγνυσι· νηστευτοῦ δὲ ψυχὴ πλουσίου τινός ἐστιν ἀποθήκη δοκίμου, καὶ φυλακῆς ἀκριβοῦς δεομένη, μήπου τινὶ περιπέσῃ λῃστείᾳ· λῃστεύεται γὰρ ὡς οἰκία ψυχή. Γέμουσαν ειχεν ὁ ∆αυῒδ 64.18 τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς οἰκίαν, ἀλλ' ἐκ λῃστρίδος ἡδονῆς ἐσυλήθη· ἀνεῳγμένην γὰρ ἀφῆκε τὴν εισοδον, καὶ νήψεως οὐκ ἠσφαλίσατο κλείθρῳ. Τίς δὲ ἡ περὶ τὴν νῆψιν ἀμέλεια; ̔Η πλατεῖα τοῦ σώματος ανεσις· ̓Εγένετο γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς δείλης, καὶ ἀνέστη ∆αυῒδ ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ, καὶ περιεπάτει ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος ἐν τῷ οικῳ τῶν βασιλείων· δείλης, καὶ ἀνέστη ἀπὸ τοῦ υπνου καὶ περιεπάτει· υπνος, καὶ μετὰ τὸν υπνον περίπατος ὀρεγομένου ἀνέσεως. Πλατὺς τῇ γαστριμαργίᾳ περίπατος. Τί ουν τὸ βλάβος; Καὶ ειδεν, ἀπὸ τοῦ δώματος γυναῖκα λουομένην· καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καλὴ τῷ ειδει σφόδρα. Καὶ ἀποστείλας κατῄσχυνεν αὐτήν.

Τὸ βλέπειν ἀνέγκλητον· οὐδεὶς γὰρ αν ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐγκαλέσειεν, οτι τὰ βλεπόμενα βλέπουσιν· ἀλλ' εχει τὸ ἀνέγκλητον εγκλημα πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν ὁδεῦσαν· οὐ γὰρ ειδε τὴν μορφὴν καὶ παρεῖδεν, ἀλλ' ωσπερ προσηλώθη τῷ κάλλει· ἐνέπηξε τὸ βλέμμα τῷ σώματι, ἐβάπτισε τῇ θεωρίᾳ τὰς κόρας· οὐκ ετι κόρας ειχεν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς, ἀλλὰ πόρνας. Τοσοῦτον κακὸν καὶ βλέμματος ὁρμὴ, ἐὰν ἀχαλίνωτον ἀφιῇς. Ουτω καὶ νῦν εστιν ἡμῖν πρὸς τροφὴν ἐξουσία, ωσπερ καὶ τότε τῷ ∆αυῒδ τοῦ χρῆσθαι τοῖς ομμασιν· ἀλλ' ἡ τῆς ἁμαρτίας παρέξοδος ὑπ' εγκλημα ποιεῖ τὸν ἀναίτιον. Τί ουν; Τροφῇ μὲν κολακευέσθω τὸ σῶμα·Αξιος γὰρ ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὐτοῦ ἐστι· συμπαρέστω δὲ ἡμῖν ἀριστῶσιν ὁ Παῦλος, καν ιδῃ που πρὸς τὴν τροφὴν