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Synopsis scripturae sacrae

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, SYNOPSIS Of the Old and New, as in the order of a commentary.

PREFACE.

It is called New from the time and from the nature of the things that happened in it, because all things were made new, and first of all man, for whom all things are. Lest anyone say: The heaven is the same, the earth, and the most important of all, man; and (he says new) a law was given, new commandments, new grace through the font, a new man, new promises. For no longer earth and the things from the earth; but heaven, and the things in heaven. New are the mysteries. For no longer those corporeal things, sheep and blood, and savor, and dung, but the rational and virtuous worship, the new precepts, a tree leading to the heavens and making men exalted.

The purpose of both Testaments is one, the correction of men. And why should we marvel at Scripture, when even the use of creation itself is for his sake? For He made a great heaven for his sake, and a vast earth, and a sea beyond what is needed, so that marvelling at the greatness of the things made, they might come to the knowledge of God. And so these things came to be for his sake. Since, therefore, there is one purpose for the Old and the New, Moses considered it necessary to write down ancient histories; not according to the external sequence. For they write histories simply, so as to make narratives of events, and to bring wars and battles into the midst, and to reap glory from their writings. But the lawgiver does not do so; but he always writes histories of great men who have acted rightly, so that for those who come after, the narrative of their lives may become the basis for good teaching. For this reason 56.314 he brings into the midst not only those who have acted rightly, but also those who have sinned, so that we may emulate the one, and flee from the other, and from both sides the things of virtue and of diligence may be set right. Let no one, therefore, think it is foreign to a lawgiver to narrate old histories and to write down laws.

For what the law avails, this also does the narrative of the life of the saints. Thus, of the Old Testament, the historical part is the Octateuch; Genesis narrates the things concerning creation, and concerning the life of those who pleased God; Exodus, the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt, that wondrous one, and the sojourn in the desert, and the giving of the law; Leviticus, the things concerning sacrifices and priestly rites; for this tribe of Levi was the one allotted the priesthood, and from the name of the tribe the book received its name. After that, Numbers; for after they came out of Egypt, God commanded the people of the Jews to be numbered, and there were six hundred thousand, having come from one man, Abraham. Then after that, Deuteronomy; for Moses interpreted the law to them a second time. Then after that, Joshua the son of Nun; for he, having become their leader after Moses, both brought them into the land of promise, and distributed the land by lot to the twelve tribes. After him, Judges; for when Joshua died, the affairs of the Jews changed to an aristocracy, and the tribes ruled. Then Ruth, a short book, having the history of a foreign woman, married to a certain Jew. After 56.315 that the four books of Kings, in which are the things concerning Saul, the things concerning David, the things concerning Solomon and Elijah and Elisha, and

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Synopsis scripturae sacrae

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΥ ΣΥΝΟΨΙΣ Τῆς Παλαιᾶς τε καὶ Καινῆς, ὡς ἐν τάξει ὑπομνηστικοῦ.

ΠΡΟΘΕΩΡΙΑ.

Καινὴ λέγεται ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ γενομένων, ὅτι πάντα ἀνεκαινίσθη, καὶ πρῶτον ἄνθρωπος, δι' ὃν τὰ πάντα. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις λέγῃ· Ὁ οὐρανὸς ὁ αὐτὸς, ἡ γῆ, καὶ τὸ κυριώτατον ἁπάντων ἄνθρωπος· καὶ (λ. καινὸς) νόμος ἐδόθη, καιναὶ ἐντολαὶ, καινὴ ἡ χάρις διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ, καινὸς ἄνθρωπος, καιναὶ ἐπαγγελίαι. Οὐκέτι γὰρ γῆ καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς· ἀλλ' οὐρανὸς, καὶ τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Καινὰ τὰ μυστήρια. Οὐκέτι γὰρ ἐκεῖνα τὰ σωματικὰ, πρόβατον καὶ αἷμα, καὶ κνίσσα, καὶ κόπρος, ἀλλ' ἡ λογικὴ καὶ ἐνάρετος λατρεία, τὰ παραγγέλματα καινὰ, ξύλον εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάγον καὶ ὑψηλοὺς ἐργαζόμενον.

Σκοπὸς δὴ ἑκατέρωθεν τῶν ∆ιαθηκῶν εἷς, τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ διόρθωσις. Καὶ τί δεῖ θαυμάζειν περὶ τῆς Γραφῆς, ὅπου γε καὶ τῆς κτίσεως αὐτῆς ἡ χρεία διὰ τοῦτον; Καὶ γὰρ οὐρανὸν μέγαν δι' αὐτὸν ἐποίησε, καὶ γῆν εὐθεῖαν, καὶ θάλασσαν ὑπὲρ τὴν χρείαν, ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν γενομένων θαυμάσαντες τὸν ∆ημιουργὸν, εἰς θεογνωσίαν ἔλθωσι. Καὶ ταῦτα οὖν διὰ τοῦτον γέγονεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν σκοπὸς εἷς τῆς Παλαιᾶς καὶ τῆς Καινῆς, ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι ἐνόμισεν ὁ Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἱστορίας ἀναγράψαι παλαιάς· οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἔξωθεν ἀκολουθίαν· ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἱστορίας γράφουσιν ἁπλῶς, ὥστε πραγμάτων διηγήσεις ποιεῖσθαι, καὶ πολέμους καὶ μάχας εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν, καὶ καρπώσασθαι δόξαν ἀπὸ τῶν γραμμάτων. Ὁ δὲ νομοθέτης οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ἱστορίας ἀναγράφει ἀνδρῶν μεγάλων κατωρθωκότων, ὥστε τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα τῶν ἐκείνοις βεβιωμένων τὴν διήγησιν γενέσθαι διδασκαλίας ἀγαθῆς ὑπόθεσιν. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐ 56.314 μόνον τοὺς κατωρθωκότας εἰς μέσον ἄγει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας, ἵνα τοὺς μὲν ζηλώσωμεν, τοὺς δὲ ἐκφύγωμεν, καὶ ἑκατέρωθεν ὀρθωθῇ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιμελείας. Μὴ τοίνυν νομιζέτω τις ξένον εἶναι νομοθέτου τὸ παλαιὰς ἱστορίας διηγεῖσθαι καὶ νόμους ἀναγράφειν.

Ὅπερ γὰρ ἰσχύει νόμος, τοῦτο καὶ ἡ διήγησις τοῦ βίου τῶν ἁγίων. Ἔστι τοίνυν τῆς Παλαιᾶς τὸ μὲν ἱστορικὸν, ὡς ἡ Ὀκτάτευχος· ἡ μὲν Γένεσις τὰ περὶ τῆς δημιουργίας διηγουμένη, καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ βίου τῶν εὐηρεστηκότων Θεῷ· ἡ δὲ Ἔξοδος τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὴνἐξ Αἰγύπτου, τὴν παράδοξον ἐκείνην, καὶ τὴν τῆς ἐρήμου διατριβὴν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ νόμου δόσιν· τὸ δὲ Λευιτικὸν τὰ περὶ θυσιῶν καὶ ἱερουργίας· ἡ γὰρ τοῦ Λευὶ φυλὴ αὕτη ἦν ἡ τὴν ἱερωσύνην κεκληρωμένη, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς φυλῆς τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔλαχε τὸ βιβλίον. Μετ' ἐκεῖνο οἱ Ἀριθμοί· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἐξελθεῖν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀριθμηθῆναι τὸν δῆμον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἦσαν ἑξακόσιαι χιλιάδες, ἀφ' ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γενόμεναι. Εἶτα μετ' ἐκεῖνο τὸ ∆ευτερονόμιον· τὸν γὰρ νόμον ἐκ δευτέρου ἡρμήνευσεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Μωϋσῆς. Εἶτα μετ' ἐκεῖνο Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ· οὗτος γὰρ μετὰ τὸν Μωϋσέα γενόμενος αὐτῶν δημαγωγὸς, εἴς τε τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας εἰσήγαγε, καὶ τὴν γῆν διένειμε κατὰ κλήρους ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς. Μετ' ἐκεῖνον οἱ Κριταί· τοῦ γὰρ Ἰησοῦ τελευτήσαντος, εἰς ἀριστοκράτειαν μετέπεσε τὰ πράγματα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ αἱ φυλαὶ ἐκράτουν. Εἶτα Ῥοὺθ, βιβλίον βραχὺ, ἱστορίαν ἔχον γυναικὸς ἀλλοφύλου, γαμηθείσης Ἰουδαίῳ τινί. Μετ' 56.315 ἐκεῖνο αἱ Βασιλεῖαι αἱ τέσσαρες, ἐν αἷς τὰ εἰς τὸν Σαοὺλ, τὰ εἰς τὸν ∆αυῒδ, τὰ εἰς Σολομῶντα καὶ τὸν Ἠλίαν καὶ τὸν Ἐλισσαῖον, καὶ