John of Damascus, Encomium on Saint John Chrysostom

and having taught condemnation? to be envied is best; for every good thing is subject to envy. But self-condemned, in addition to being most shameful, is envy, the most unjust and most random of all the passions, the rival of mercy; since mercy is to grieve at another's ills, but envy at another's goods, not for its own sake, but for the one who suffers it; and to make the increase of another's goods an increase of its own wasting away, first taking vengeance on the one who possesses it. And having taught not to judge a fellow servant, so that we might not be judged by the just scales of the only judge who weighs out justice for us; nor to usurp the Master's dignity. For there is one judge, who is not by nature judged, as he alone is free from sin, being master, not mastered. "Forgive," he cried out evangelically, "and you will be forgiven." Who pushed away the sorrow that leads to death and taught the sorrow that is the cause of joy? Of which the one, as mourning for sin against God, is salvific; since those skilled in these things have understood sinning to be a missing of the mark; but the other, which results from the deprivation of pleasures, is truly soul-destroying and utterly of good repute. For it is not, it is not possible for sorrow to occur, except upon the deprivation of desire. Of whatever kind, therefore, the desire is, of such a kind is also the sorrow of its failure; for a good one, it is best, but for one of another kind, it is of another kind. But the best of desires is the one inclining toward the only best thing. But of contraries, the desires are also contrary. And did he not invigorate the listlessness of acedia with the remembrance of death? teaching to shake off its power that severs the sinews of the soul, and having introduced in its place divine fear, and with longing urged the people to prayers, and that indolence be utterly shaken out of their souls, and to guard their own hearts with all their strength, so that death might not come up upon them as through certain windows of the senses. 12. He taught to search the Scriptures, having become an exegete and teacher of them, and with a prophetic spirit having searched out the hidden depths of the Spirit, and having torn apart the veil of the letter, and having made public the beauty stored within; and all these things with a mind free from pride and vainglory. For he knew, he knew how to trample on empty little glory, the empty expense of labors, that which ruins the harvest of virtues. For it knows how to pierce, like a jar, the soul's vessel of virtues, and taking inflow for outflow, it renders the vessel no less empty, granting unprofitable sweats, and causing toil 96.776 devoid of fruit. For he knew it was fitting, for God all glory and exaltation, but for man, humility, which becomes the best road to exaltation, and the ladder of Israel, leading man up to God, and making God the hearth-dweller of the heart. 13. He humbled himself to all creation for the sake of the Lord who created it, wherever Christ was not dishonored, and the divine law was not overlooked and overturned. He rejected everything haughty and grim and supercilious; giving a gentle eye to those he conversed with, and a word that was mild and divine, seasoned with salt. His character was graceful, his smile urbane, not dissolving into unrestrained laughter. For knowing that vices are fixed beside virtues, and are in a way next-door neighbors, obeying him who commands what is best, he paid attention to himself, becoming a discerning money-changer; sending away every counterfeit stamp, but accepting the drachma of the royal image, casting out every form of wickedness from his own heart like dust with the rush of the divine Spirit, being both watered and enriched by the virtues opposite to the vices, and being known as an ever-green, fruit-laden olive tree in the house of God, the Church, and bearing to God beautiful fruit, the multitude of those saved through him; or like some choice palm tree, being hedged about with the thorns of trials. And

καὶ κατάκρισιν διδάξας; τὸ φθονεῖσθαι ἄριστον· ἀγαθὸν γὰρ ἅπαν ἐπίφθονον. Αὐτοκατάκριτον δὲ πρὸς τῷ αἰσχίστῳ τὸ βάσκανον τὸ πάντων τῶν παθῶν ἀδικώτατον καὶ εἰκαιότατον τὸ τοῦ ἐλέους ἀντίπαλον· εἴπερ ἔλεος μὲν ἀλλοτρίοις κακοῖς ἐπαλγύνεσθαι, ἀγαθοῖς δὲ τὸ βάσκανον, οὐχ ἑαυτοῦ ἕνεκα, τοῦ δὲ πάσχοντος· καὶ αὔξησιν ποιεῖσθαι τῆς τηκεδόνος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων καλῶν τὴν ἐπαύξησιν, τὸν κεκτημένον ἀμυνόμενον πρότερον. Καὶ παιδεύσας μὴ κρίνειν τὸν σύνδουλον, ὡς ἂν μὴ κριθείημεν δικαίοις σταθμοῖς τοῦ μόνου κριτοῦ τὴν δίκην ἡμῖν ταλαντεύοντος· μηδὲ ἁρπάζειν τὸ τοῦ δεσπότου ἀξίωμα. Εἷς γὰρ κριτὴς, ὃς οὐ κρίνεσθαι πέφυκεν, ὡς μόνος ἁμαρτίας ἐλεύθερος, δεσπόζων, οὐ δεσποζόμενος. Ἄφετε, εὐαγγελικῶς ἐβόα, καὶ ἀφεθήσεσθε. Τίς λύπην ἀπώσατο τὴν πρὸς θάνατον ἄγουσαν καὶ λύπην ἐδίδαξε τὴν θυμηδίας πρόξενον; ὧν ἡ μὲν ὡς πένθος τῆς ἐκ Θεοῦ ἁμαρτίας, σωτήριος· εἴπερ ἁμαρτάνειν τὸ ἀποτυγχάνειν οἱ ταῦτα δεινοὶ διειλήφασιν· ἡ δὲ τῇ στερήσει τῶν ἡδονῶν ἐπισυμβαίνουσα, θυμόφθορος ὄντως καὶ ἄρδην εὐδόκιμος. Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστι λύπην συμβῆναι, ἢ ἐπὶ στερήσει ἐφέσεως. Οἵα τοίνυν ἡ ἔφεσις, τοιάδε καὶ τῆς ἀστοχίας ἡ λύπη· ἀγαθῆς μὲν ἀρίστη, ἄλλως δὲ ἐχούσης, ἄλλως ἔχουσα. Ἀρίστη δὲ τῶν ἐφέσεων μία πρὸς τὸ μόνον ἄριστον νεύουσα. Τῶν ἐναντίων δὲ καὶ αἱ ἐφέσεις ἀντίθετοι. Ἀκηδίας δὲ τὸ ἄτονον οὐκ ἐτόνωσε μνήμῃ θανάτου; διδάξας αὐτῆς τῆς ψυχῆς νευροτομοῦσαν τὴν δύναμιν ἀποσείεσθαι, καὶ ταύτην ἀντεισοικίσας θεῖον φόβον, καὶ πόθῳ τὸν λαὸν παροτρύνας πρὸς εὐχὰς, καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἄρδην τῶν ψυχῶν ἐκτινάττεσθαι, καὶ παντὶ σθένει τὰς ἑαυτῶν καρδίας τηρεῖν, ὡς ἂν μὴ ὡς διὰ θυρίδων τινῶν τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἀναβῇ θάνατος ἐπ' αὐτάς. ιβʹ. Ἐρευνᾷν τὰς Γραφὰς ἐδίδαξεν, ἐξηγητὴς καὶ παιδευτὴς τούτων γενόμενος, καὶ προφητικῷ πνεύματι τὰ κεκρυμμένα βάθη διερευνήσας τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ διαῤῥήξας τοῦ γράμματος τὸ προκάλυμμα, καὶ τὸ κάλλος δημοσιεύσας τὸ ἐναπόθετον· καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἀτύφῳ, καὶ ἀκενοδόξῳ τῷ φρονήματι. Ἤδει γὰρ, ᾔδει καταπατεῖν τὸ κενὸν δοξάριον, τὸ κενὸν τῶν πόνων ἀνάλωμα, τὸ τῶν ἀρετῶν λήϊον λυμαινόμενον. Τιθρᾷν γὰρ οἶδεν, οἷα πίθον, τὸ ψυχικὸν δοχεῖον τῶν ἀρετῶν, καὶ τῇ ἐκροῇ εἰσροὴν ἐκλαμβάνουσα, οὐδὲν ἧττον κενὸν τὸ δοχεῖον καθίστησιν, ἀκερδεῖς ἱδρῶτας χαριζομένη, καὶ πόνον προξενοῦσα 96.776 ἐπικαρπίας ἀμέτοχον. Πρέπειν γὰρ ᾔδει, Θεῷ μὲν πᾶν κλέος καὶ ἔπαρμα, ἀνθρώπῳ δὲ τὴν ταπείνωσιν, ὁδὸν ἀρίστῳ γινομένην ὑψώσεως, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ κλίματα, πρὸς Θεὸν μὲν ἀναβιβάζουσαν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ Θεὸν καρδίας τελοῦσαν ἐφέστιον. ιγʹ. Ἐταπεινοῦτο πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει διὰ τὸν κτίσαντα Κύριον, ᾗ μόνον οὐ Χριστὸς ἠτιμάζετο, καὶ νόμος θεῖος παρεωρᾶτο καὶ ἀνετρέπετο. Ἀπηνῄνατο σοβαρὸν ἅπαν καὶ βλοσυρὸν, καὶ ὑπεροφρυβλέφαρον· μειλίχιον μὲν τὸ ὄμμα τοῖς ὁμιλοῦσι διδοὺς, λόγον δὲ ἤπιον καὶ θεῖον ἠρτυμένον ἅλατι. Τὸ ἦθος μὲν χαρίεν, ἀστεῖον δὲ τὸ τοῦ προσώπου μειδίαμα, οὐ πρὸς ἔκλυτον διαχεόμενον γέλωτα. Εἰδὼς γὰρ ὡς ταῖς ἀρεταῖς αἱ κακίαι παραπεπήγασι, καί εἰσί πως ἀγχίθυροι, τῷ ἄριστα διακελευομένῳ πειθόμενος, προσεῖχεν ἑαυτῷ, τραπεζίτης εὐκρινὴς γινόμενος· κίβδηλον μὲν ἅπαν ἀποπεμπόμενος χάραγμα, τῆς δὲ βασιλικῆς εἰκόνος τὴν δραχμὴν προσιέμενος, κακίας μὲν ἅπαν εἶδος, ὡς χοῦν ἐκρίπτων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καρδίας ῥύμῃ θείου Πνεύματος, ταῖς ἀντιθέτοις δὲ τῶν κακιῶν ἀρεταῖς ἀρδευόμενός τε καὶ πιαινόμενος, καὶ ὡσεὶ ἐλαία κατάκαρπος ἐν οἴκῳ Θεοῦ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀειθαλὴς γινωσκόμενος, καὶ Θεῷ φέρων καρπὸν ὡραῖον τὴν τῶν δι' αὐτοῦ σωζομένων πληθύν· ἢ ὡς φοίνιξ τις τῶν ἀρίστων ἐλέγχων σφραττόμενος σκόλοψι. Καὶ