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ON THE PROPHET ELIAS, A SERMON
A Formerly the nation of the Jews was adorned with the possession of the prophets, and it was a prophetic vineyard; but now it has been despoiled of this boast by the Church. For behold, the bodies of the prophets are among us. For prophetic laborers did not befit a fruitless people; indeed, it did not befit those who crucified the One who spoke through them to possess these prophets—in favor, that is, of the dead whom He raised among them, of the blind whom He enabled to see among them, of the hungry whom He fed among them; and likewise in favor of the violence which the Lord God of all used against them through the blessed prophet Elias, in order to dissolve the decree issued against them. He who formerly instructed you leads me to blessed Elias. Blessed Elias, seeing the Jewish people exalting themselves against the gentle God, and seeing God perpetually enduring their stubbornness against Him—while they always used His patience for their own sloth—devised something of this sort against God’s kindness toward them: he passed sentence upon them. Then, because he knew that God reveres the zeal of the righteous, and because he wished to punish the Jews, fearing God’s kindness (which immediately applies a remedy for small tears), he decreed a punishment against them, which he even confirmed with an oath, so that God, having revered the oath, would not dissolve that sentence against them. B "God is kind toward them," he was saying, "and is placated by them with small tears; and this is what leads them to idolatry. The Lord lives," he says, "there shall be neither dew nor rain for these years" (3 Kings 17:1). Then, as if God were answering him in return: "What then, if they should humble themselves to Me through repentance, O Elias, if I see them weeping, if they repent of their sins, shall I not immediately grant rain?" "No, the Lord lives, except by my mouth. No, the Lord lives." "They," he says, "have addicted themselves to idols; but I, by thy deity, swear. Show me that the oath made through thee is stronger, so that through this they may also learn the vanity of shadows." "No, the Lord lives, there shall not be," he says, "for these years dew nor rain, except by the word of my mouth. Nor even when it seems good to you—for it always pleases you to act mercifully—will the punishment be lifted; but when I shall intercede for them while I am judging, when they shall have shown sufficient repentance of soul." God revered the prophetic sentence; He held in honor the oath made through Himself. God was therefore restrained both by reverence for the prophet and by pity for the people afflicted by famine. What therefore does He do? He punishes both the people and the prophet at once, so that he too, being affected by the punishment of famine, might think of something more humane regarding the sentence confirmed by an oath; and He indeed punishes the prophet at once with the people, but He softens the prophet’s punishment, having traversed that path of leniency not without wisdom. C For He feeds the prophet by means of birds, which possess an innate hatred of their offspring; for the crow hates its offspring and does not nourish what it brings forth. Indicating this, the prophet David was saying: "And to the young of the ravens that call upon Him" (Ps. 146:9). Because the young of the ravens, indeed any young, are too weak to provide food for themselves, but are nourished by others, by their parents—yet the young of the ravens are deprived of this support, as they are not nourished by their parents—and although the parents do not nourish them, the race of the ravens nevertheless remains, showing God's kindness; David ascribes their nourishment to God. For the young of the ravens, gaping into the air, with their parents providing no nourishment, have certain little creatures which the divine providence sending them ministers to them, and thus, receiving from the air, they are nourished and grow. Therefore he says, "To the young of the ravens that call upon Him." Because, therefore, Elias had taken up an hatred of offspring against the Jews—useless sons—God treats the matter with him through fathers who are haters of offspring, all but shouting to Elias, even if silently: "Do not be held by such hatred of offspring toward the Jews as ravens are toward their young. But see now the changed ravens: see, O Elias, their kindness; they who use none toward their own young are dutiful hosts to thee. It is absurd, O Elias, for ravens to be conciliators between thee and My kindness, thou being unwilling to be a conciliator to the Jews, so that punishment might not be inflicted upon them by Me. Take note of the change in the ravens, and be kinder toward the Jews; D for I have regard for thy sentence, and I pity the afflicted." But when God saw Elias not yielding, He again revokes the nourishment brought by the ravens, in order to lead him by force to reconciliation, and so that, compelled by famine, he might dissolve the sentence passed against them—if only for his own sake. But he, deprived of the ministry of the ravens, endured it, and says: "I will suffer famine, provided I see the impious punished; let my body perish with those punished by famine." The provision of the ravens therefore failing, and much time having elapsed, Elias is again taken away to another place, and oppressed by famine, he approaches as a suppliant a gentile, famished, and poor widow. But God, wishing him to be more indulgent—since at that time all commerce with gentiles was forbidden to the Jews—predicts to him what was going to happen: "Arise," He says, "and go into Sarephta of Sidonia, and I will command there a gentile widow woman to feed thee" (3 Kings 17:8); so that, upon hearing that, "Gentile," he might consider the nourishment loathsome, and might seek rain from God. But he was not made milder even at this word, but ran to the gentile woman’s sustenance; and what is greater, God excites the widow so that she speaks hard words to the hungry man, everywhere compelling him toward kindness. What therefore does the gentile say to him: "The Lord thy God lives" (Ibid. v. 12). Whence did it befall the woman to say, "The Lord thy God lives"? God had anticipated showing the prophet through a vision to the widow—for this is what God was saying to the prophet: "I will command that widow woman to feed thee." God had shown the woman the habit, the form, and the stature of the prophet, and his future petition. Whence, after the prophet stood by, the woman remembered the vision; she saw him as he had appeared to her. From here, therefore, recognizing that it was a divine revelation, with the prophet standing by and asking for food, she was crying out: "The Lord thy God lives: I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a cruet: and having entered, I will make this for myself and my children, and we shall eat, and die" (Ibid.). Immediately words of despair rather than of largesse. "I have not a cake, but a handful of meal: having entered this, I shall make it for myself and my children, and we shall eat, and we shall die." "Nothing," she says, "is left to us other than this, once the handful of meal is consumed, than to die." Elias began to be affected by this voice. "She is pressed," he says, "with greater famine than I; I alone am hungry, she with her children. Let me not be the author of my hostess's death." What therefore? At this voice, as I said, he is softened; he began at last to think of indulgence: "The cruet of oil," he says, "shall not fail, nor the jar of meal, until the Lord gives rain upon the earth" (Ibid. v. 14). Already at last he indicates that a little rain is to be granted. Before he was tamed by famine, he did not permit God to show His kindness in granting rain; but he was saying: "There shall not be in these years rain or dew upon the earth, except by the word of my mouth." Now, however, he permits it, and already indicates the beginning of liberation; but he only indicated it, and did not yet apply his petition. What then, that fountain of kindness? He again applies a third machine of mercy; for He orders the soul of the widow’s son to depart from his body. For since He held the prophet in honor, He did not abrogate the blessing, nor did He order the cruet to fail, so that the prophet might be reduced to a necessity of mercy. For it would have been of disgrace to the prophet if the blessing which he himself had given had turned out otherwise; and that would have injured the faith of the gentile widow, inasmuch as she indeed...
and received the blessing of his hospitality. For this reason God does not revoke the blessing, but brings a third contrivance before the prophet: he causes the widow’s child to die, pushing the prophet into the necessity of interceding with Him. For the widow, when the child was dead, surrounded the prophet with tears. "I wish," she said, "that I had perished by famine, and had died before your blessing, or that I had not been a spectator of my son dead." The prophet was ashamed of what had happened. "Is this," he said to the widow, "the reward for your hospitality to me? Before my arrival, you had a son; after my arrival, lamentation over the child beloved by you." Elijah, ashamed at what had occurred, and turning the matter over within himself, perceived that what had come to pass was a piece of craftsmanship of the Lord of all; he perceived the divine craftsmanship. And what does he say? "Woe is me, O Lord, the witness of the widow, with whom I dwell." What is it that he wishes to say? "From you," he says, "comes the testimony regarding the woman to me; you," he says, "said: 'I will command a widow woman to feed you,' entirely bearing witness to the woman's pious intention. You moved me from those places to her, and the one whom you honored with your testimony, do you now punish with the death of her child? Woe is me, O Lord, A the witness of the widow, with whom I dwell — you have put her son to death!" "It is not," He says, "the death of nature—the event—it is the craftsmanship of your God, to contrive against me a necessity of philanthropy, so that when I say to you, 'O Lord, have mercy on the widow's son who has been deadened,' you may also answer back to me: 'Have mercy on my son, Israel.' You push me toward philanthropy; I perceive your devices, O Master, so that when I say to you, 'Save the widow's son who is dead,' you may yourself answer back to me: 'Compassionate Israel who has been deadened by famine.' You ask a favor of me, you are asked for a favor in return; dissolve the decree of the famine, and I will dissolve the sentence of death." Therefore, when God saw Elijah subdued by many things and become more philanthropic, then at last He brings the words of philanthropy before him more clearly. "Hear me then more clearly. I am in labor for the solution of the punishment, I am urged toward the accomplishment of reconciliation, I am ashamed of the tears of those being punished. All sinners, O prophet, hold a bond of my philanthropy; do not make me appear a liar in their eyes. B Hear also the very words of the writing, which you yourself also know: 'I do not desire the death of the sinner, as that he should turn and live.'" Elijah lowered his ears, he subjected his soul to the things spoken by God. "Go," He says, "and stand before Ahab. I am not being reconciled without you; do you confer the grace upon those being punished. I secretly intercede for them before you; do you be a manifest provider of the reconciliations. Go, and stand before Ahab, and I will give rain upon the earth. Do you announce the reconciliations, do you declare the provision of rain; I will subscribe to your findings." Elijah proceeded, therefore, both unwillingly and willingly, and brought the good news to the brothers; but again, seeing their impiety, he meditated upon a mournful decision of punishment against them. What then does God do? Seeing that he was not moving toward the philanthropy of those who had sinned, He separates Elijah from dwelling with the sinners. "I," He says, "O Elijah, know your zeal; I am constrained by your way of life; but I also pity sinners, whenever they are punished beyond measure; but you are a fierce avenger of piety, and the race of men is constantly sinning. I therefore separate you from one another's company. C Ascend as if into heaven, since you are unable to endure sinners; I, for my part, will dwell upon the earth. If," He says, "you continually remain with sinners, that race of men will be worn away, being constantly punished by you. What then? Withdraw as if into the heavens, O Elijah; for fire cannot dwell with straw. I give you the sinless to dwell with; I settle you with the choirs of angels. Withdraw yourself to heaven; I will dwell with sinners, I who am able to carry on my shoulders the sheep that has gone astray, who say to all sinners: 'Come to me, all you who labor, I will not punish you, but I will give you rest.' To Him be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.
CONCERNING THE SERMON ON THE BLESSED JOSEPH
Fronto Ducæus speaks as follows in the Notes concerning this sermon: "It is not only the Medicean Codex that attributes this sermon to Chrysostom, but also a certain manuscript catalogue of his homilies, sent to us from Milan, and inscribed thus: *Pinax homiliôn tês biblou tôn margaritôn* (Table of homilies from the book of Pearls), among which the fiftieth adds the title, *Eis ton Iosêph* (On Joseph). We have also found an old Latin translation on membranes collected from the ruins of a certain Abbey destroyed in the Tarbais region. To this is added the similarity, and as it were, the kinship of the beginning, and of many parts of it, and of the seventh oration of Basil of Seleucia newly published, *On Joseph*, p. 70, *Tois men ta makra pelagê diaperôsin* (To those who cross the great seas). D Since Photius rightly wrote in his *Bibliotheca* that for this reason this man (the Seleucian) seemed to be Chrysostom's colleague, rather than that bishop of Cæsarea: 'For many traces of his discourses and thoughts, and especially of those concerning divine Scripture, appear in the discourses of Basil.' Indeed, many traces of that man's discourses, and of his sentiments—especially those drawn from sacred Scripture—appeared in the orations of Basil. But the most illustrious author of the *Ecclesiastical Annals*, Vol. 4, thinks otherwise concerning the colleague of Chrysostom, maintaining that he was indeed different from the Seleucian.