they would not have suffered punishment. And let us too, if we fear the threat, not endure punishment. And may this not happen, but may the most benign God grant that all of us, having already been brought here to better behavior, might attain those ineffable goods: of which may it be granted that we all be held worthy by the grace and benignity of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom, to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, and honor, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. D
SPURIA
MONITUM
Nothing could fall to my lot more desirable than when I chance upon certain genuine works of John Chrysostom not yet published; for from so great a teacher nothing has ever proceeded that should not be received with applause. Hence, I could scarcely express in words how filled with joy I was when there were transmitted to me from Rome eleven homilies which Chrysostom had delivered in Constantinople, in a single series, and within a short space of time, which had heretofore been unknown, nor were they mentioned by the historians of the fourth and fifth centuries. In them we learn very many things pertaining to the history of that age not mentioned hitherto; so that scarcely anything comparable to these has emerged from the shadows for an entire century. These were transferred, a few years ago, from Greece to the Vatican Library, through the care of Mr. Peter Maloet, then Procurator General of our congregation, and Mr. Joseph Avril, his associate, and were transcribed for my use, and translated into Latin by me, to be brought to light in this collection of Chrysostom’s works. But because it is not permitted to interrupt the course of the commentaries on the Epistles of Paul, they were transmitted to be published in the following twelfth volume after the Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews. At the end of this eleventh volume, however, we subjoin, according to our custom, certain Spuria which had been sent forth to light by Savile, though they are worthy of perpetual shadow. And that nothing might seem to be lacking in this our collection, it seemed proper to publish at the end of the volumes all those things which that learned and accurate man had brought to light. At length that man of sound judgment discerned that it is not fitting to offer such trifles to the literary world; wherefore he restrained himself, although he had already brought forth many homilies of the same stamp; the rest, which were emerging day by day, he rejected, and consigned their titles to a catalog for the press; nor did he recall without weariness that jumble of Spurious works which he had already published. We, however, as we said, have placed at the end of the volume all the spurious homilies that Savile published under the name of Chrysostom. The rest, which Savile rejected, and others which we have discovered in vast numbers in libraries, we have consigned to be devoured permanently by moths and worms.
Furthermore, this great forest of Spurious works produced such men, who, when they would sell their scripts or orations, would prefix the name of Chrysostom, an author of such fame; and then also booksellers, for the sake of profit and to entice buyers, would permit everything, even with the author’s name erased, to be sold with impunity under the name of John Chrysostom. Hence it happens that works of Severian of Gabala, Theophylact, and other unknown writers bear the name of Chrysostom. Those which are truly Severian of Gabala’s, because he wrote in the same time as Chrysostom, we have published under the name of Severian: the others, however, we have relegated to their places in the books at the end of the individual volumes with the names of their authors, if known, or as spurious scripts if unknown, as Savile had provided.
ON THE SACRIFICES OF CAIN, ON THE GIFTS OF ABEL, AND ON THE GIANTS, ON THE FLOOD, ON THE STARS, AND ON FATE.
Continuing sequence is the mother of order, which offers a view of the subject matter and preserves the mind of the auditors without any confusion. Let us not, therefore, depart from the sequence; but let the readings complete their course, and let us preserve the sequence of the history. In the preceding sermons, it was handed down from the teaching of the Holy Spirit what was the formation of man, what honor, what order, what authority was given over created things. For onto these came the deceit brought in paradise, the judgment made with examination, the sentence pronounced, yet mercifully. These things that followed pertain to Cain and Abel, who seemed to pursue God with the same worship, but embraced him with a different affection. Both this one and that one offered; but the offering of the one had only the appearance of a gift; the other, however, exhibited the affection and honor that was fitting. After this followed envy: for envy always follows piety among the wicked, while for the rewarder it follows a crown. Abel was slain, the first herald of justice, the first lover and cultivator of piety, who first cultivated truth, and with truth loved and adored God, who in many things became an imitator of Christ. For I find that the holy Abel refers to many images of Christ. For just as the Savior of those who have been renewed after the law is the prince and the first righteous man: so among all the ancient men, Abel is the prince of justice. Nor in the renewal of human nature, made by the Lord of all, do you find anything prior to the Lord’s body; nor in the ancient order of men do you find justice that shone forth before Abel. He is the prince of the old righteous, this one the prince both of the new righteous and of the saints who are truly renewed. Therefore the Savior has cited the memory of Abel as the beginning of all righteousness. A “Amen I say to you,” he says, B “every righteous blood shed from the foundation of the world, from the blood of righteous Abel until the blood of Zacharias, whom you slew between the temple and the altar.” The beginning of blood is among men, crowned by God, Abel the righteous one. And is it not marvelous? Since Abel first contended for justice, he was adjudged worthy to suffer first for piety. For the icon of Christ is that of truth, having suffered, and the blood of Abel was found approaching the Lord’s blood, and having much confidence through faith. Thus the blood of Abel is the saving school for the whole world: for nothing teaches us piety as the Lord’s blood, C just as [he who spoke], using the truth. And the blood of Abel also cries out, and the blood of Christ cries out. But that one, crying out, brings propitiation to the world. For because the blood of the Lord, like a trumpet, sounded to the ends [of the earth], and the blood of Abel intercedes with God, the Apostle mentions D
and of that blood, by comparison it raised to a higher level the blood which is truly superior. For it says: "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel" (Hebr. 12. 22-24). For the one speaks as an intercessor for sinners, and brings propitiation to the world. For the blood of Christ is the sprinkling of the inhabited world; the blood of Christ is the ransom of men. It is better, he says, than that of Abel, in the sense that the one intercedes, while the other acts as an advocate. Furthermore, the blood of Abel had a likeness to the blood of the Master in this manner: Adam, having sinned, fell under the curse of death: "Earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou return" (Gen. 3. 19). He accepted the sentence; Abel, having become righteous and not having fallen into transgressions, but having also been testified to by the divine vote, lived his life honorably. Then the fratricide Cain, having opened the gates of death, caused a bad thoroughfare for death to come to pass, or rather a good one. For observe the philanthropy of God. The condemned were not yet dead, neither Adam nor Eve; Abel not having sinned, first A
ON HOLY AND GREAT FRIDAY, ON THE HOLY PASSION OF THE LORD.
I wish today to fulfill the debt of yesterday's promise, beloved. But I seek the point where we left off; we were saying that the Jews took counsel against Jesus, how they might destroy him. And when they were gathered together B for the same purpose, behold Judas came to them and said to them: "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" (Matt. 26. 15). And they arose with swords and staves and followed him. And he gave them a sign, saying: "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast." And when they had come to the place where Jesus was with his disciples, Judas approached and kissed him, saying: "Hail, Rabbi." But the Lord said to him: "Friend, wherefore art thou come? That which thou art come to do, do." O treacherous kiss, full of iniquity and destruction! O bitter kiss, loss of the soul, harbinger of Gehenna! The harlot who kissed the feet of the Lord called back her own soul from the mire; but this man, by kissing, was severed from the book of life. O the philosophy of the woman! O the folly of the disciple! While she was kissing the feet of the Lord, angels were rejoicing and preparing her crown; but when this man kissed, demons rejoiced and were weaving the rope for the noose. "Hail, Rabbi." He rejoices, but thou art mourning because thou wert cast out of the joy. "Hail, Rabbi," and he kissed him. C And they took him and led him to Annas and Caiaphas the high priests. And they sought false witness against him and found none. Then they led him and set him up. And Pilate asked him, saying: "Art thou the king of the Jews?" But the Lord was silent, according to that which is written: "And as a sheep before her shearer is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isai. 53. 7). Pilate sat judging, and he who is to judge the living and the dead stood by; and the Sun of Justice stood by, and endured. The Lord, therefore, was on trial for the salvation of the world. But Pilate, being persuaded by the very facts that they delivered him up out of envy, taking water, washed his hands, saying: "I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it" (Matt. 27. 24). But Judas, seeing that he was condemned, returned the pieces of silver to the chief priests, saying: "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." And having cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed and went and hanged himself. And that which was written was fulfilled: "His travail shall return upon his own head, and his iniquity shall come down upon his own pate" (Ps. 7. 17). And Pilate said to the Jews: "I find no cause in him." And wishing to release him, he saith unto them: "It is a custom with you at the feast to release one of the evildoers. Hearken then, and I will release unto you one in whom I find no cause." But they with voices demanded that the murderer be released, but the one who justifies the ungodly, they cried, "Crucify him." Then D having scourged him, Pilate delivered him to be crucified. The Lord was scourged so that he might deliver us from diabolical bonds and whips; he wore a crown of thorns so that he might undo the curse against us. The earth was commanded to bring forth thorns and thistles for us because of the transgression; he wears the crown of thorns upon his head so that he might dissolve the curse against us. He was crucified upon a tree so that he might undo the sin that was brought about through the tree. For because of the tree Satan cast Adam out of paradise, and through the tree the Lord manifested the thief as a citizen of paradise. And the wondrous thing, beloved: on the sixth day the Lord fashioned Adam and on the sixth day he was cast out of paradise. Therefore the Lord also on the sixth day opened paradise and brought in the thief. In the evening Adam was cast out of paradise, having disobeyed the commandment of the Lord; in the evening the thief, having obeyed the voice of the Master, was brought into paradise. When therefore the devil saw that all things happened according to the divine economy, and the signs that occurred on the cross, the sun being darkened, the earth shaking, the veil of the temple being rent, the rocks being split, and himself being mocked, he fled to Hades and says to it: "Woe is me, the wretch! I have been mocked. Help my lowliness; let us close the doors, lest he enter here; secure them with bolts, and with all our might let us resist, so that we may not receive him." Hades ran therefore and locked the doors, and secured them with iron bars. And behold, the Lord comes to Hades, pursuing the devil, and the Powers were running ahead. And behold, the gates were closed, and the Powers called out, saying: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in" (Ps. 23. 9, 10). And Hades says from within, answering: "Who is this King of glory?" And again the Powers say: "The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of glory" (Ps. 23. 10). Hades answering said: "Who is this, of whom ye speak? And if he is such, what does he seek here? Why did he leave heaven and descend here?" And the Powers say: "Because he is the King of glory, he came to bind the one who became a condemned prisoner through rebellion and deliver him to thee, and to pull his soldiers out from thee and to call them back." But Hades, answering, says to the devil: "Three-headed Beelzebub, fallen from the angels, laughing-stock of the saints, weakling, hidden from the light, did I not say to thee: 'Do not fight with him?' See now what I foretold thee; he is present, and what dost thou do, wretch? Why didst thou disobey my words? See, he has come to seek thee and to bind thee, and through thee I am being made a prisoner. Get out, if thou art able, and meet him. For I am not able to help thee." And the devil to him: "Have mercy on me for a while; do not open; sometimes he turns away; for now, strive on my behalf, even if I have been mocked." For who is not mocked by such words of his? For sometimes, fearing death, he was saying: "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death"; and sometimes he was offering a supplication to the Father, saying: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." These words baited me. The other, answering, said: "These things I also, the wretch, supposed, that fearing death he was sorrowing. While they were saying these things
[Latin column continues from previous page] with him? Behold, the things I foretold to you are now here. What are you doing, wretch? Why did you not listen to my words? Behold, he comes to seek you and bind you, and on your account I shall be a captive. Escape, if you can, meet him, and resist him. For I am not able to bring you aid." Then the devil said to him: "Pity me for now, do not open; perhaps he will turn away; meanwhile fight for me, even though I have been deceived." For who would not be deceived by words of this kind from him? For sometimes, fearing death, he said, "My soul is sorrowful even unto death"; at other times, he offered supplication to the Father, saying, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" (Matt. 26:38-39). These words snared me. The other replied: "I, too, wretch, suspected these things, that he was affected by sorrow, fearing death." while they were saying these things, the Virtues persisted, saying, "Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, O eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in." And the prophets, hearing the voice of the King of glory, rejoiced and exulted. John said, "Did I not tell you that he would come to lead us out?" All were rejoicing, and they said to hell: "Open your gates that the King of glory may enter." Hell was unwilling. David the prophet answering said: "Let him be: for it is necessary that my prophecy be fulfilled. For when I was on earth, I foresaw what has happened, namely that he would not open willingly, and I said: 'The Lord breaks the wars, the Lord has broken the brazen gates and smashed the iron bars' (Ps. 106:16). And immediately the Lord approaching, broke the gates, and smashed the bars, trampled the Virtues of hell, and loosed the pains of death, crushed the stings of hell: and that which is written was fulfilled: 'Where is thy victory, O hell? Where is thy sting, O death?' (1 Cor. 15:55). The prophets ran to meet him, rejoicing, exulting, singing hymns and saying: 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: hosanna in the highest' (Matt. 21:9)." Then the Lord, taking the devil, bound him with indissoluble chains, and led him down to the lowest parts of hell; and set under him unquenchable fire, immortal worms, and there he is shut up, weeping and gnashing his teeth. The Lord, however, having led all the prophets out of hell, said, "Go into paradise." They indeed exultingly leaped out of hell. David the first, striking his lyre, was saying joyfully: "Come, let us exult in the Lord, let us shout to God our Savior" (Ps. 94:1): because our King has conquered for us in the war. And all answered, "Alleluia." And again the same: "All nations, clap your hands, shout to God with a voice of exultation" (Ps. 46:2): because our King has conquered for us in the war. And thus A exaulting they ran into paradise: and having entered there, they found the thief, and were stupefied; and they themselves were saying: "Who led you here? Who opened the gates to you? What have you done, that you have entered here before us? Have you come to steal and plunder what is here? Was it not enough for you to have snatched earthly things, are you now also going to snatch heavenly things? Tell us, who led you here? We do not envy you that you have entered, but we seek the cause." He answered: "I was not worthy to enter here by my own works; but the clement and merciful Lord led me here. I had nothing good with me, for which reason the Jews condemned me to death with the immortal King: and when they wanted to kill me, they rather quickened me by crucifying me with Christ. I saw the signs made on the cross, and understanding him to be the Son of God, I cried out with a loud voice saying: 'Remember me, Lord, when you shall come into your kingdom' (Luke 23:42). And he looking at me said: 'Amen I say to you, this day you shall be with me in paradise.' And he gave me the sign of the cross, saying: 'Taking this, go into paradise, and if the flaming sword forbids you entrance, show him the royal sign, and he will open the gates to you.' I came, and the moment the flaming sword, which guards paradise, saw me, it closed the doors. I however said: 'The King who is now crucified has sent me,' and I showed the sign of the cross, and immediately it opened to me. Having entered, I found no one, and I was stupified in my mind, and I was saying to myself: 'Where are Abraham, Isaac, and the rest of the multitude of holy prophets?' While I was wondering and thinking these things, behold, there appeared to my right side two men aged in days, wondrous in form, and choice in countenance. And they asked me: 'Who are you? You are not Abraham; for his habit was priestly. You are not Moses; for he was of feeble voice and slow of tongue, but your tongue is fluent. Who are you? You seem to be a thief: for your habit smacks of a thief.' And I confessed that I was a thief, and that the Lord of paradise had led me here, because I was a companion to him in the death which he underwent for us. And I said to them: 'Who are you, I pray?' One of them answered me: 'I am Elias the Thesbite, and I was brought here in a fiery chariot, I have not yet seen death; this one who is with me is Enoch, who was translated here by the word of God.'" Hearing these things, the prophets glorified God for such a gift granted to sinners. The Lord, however, who despoiled death, trampled hell, and healed wood with wood, who broke the gates and smashed the bars, and bound the devil, and freed the world, led all into heaven after he had risen from the dead. Therefore let us celebrate the incarnate one, let us glorify the crucified one, let us give thanks to the risen one, so that he may also rescue us from the darkness of our sins, and make us heirs of his kingdom. For to him is due honor and adoration with the Father who is without beginning, and the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
CONCERNING THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE
The love of money tends toward avarice, but it is healed by almsgiving if it runs toward repentance. The disease of fornication leads to sin, but the mourning of repentance heals it and shows the soul purer than the sun, shining with the virtues of chastity. The inhumanity of robbery is healed when the robber changes his bloody works and cries out to Christ: "Do not deprive me, Christ, of your kingdom," and his soul enters into paradise. The error of idolatry also has its remedy when it faithfully receives Christ proclaimed and renounces the error of iniquity and embraces the grace of pious religion, through baptism which signifies the eternal Trinity in the threefold name of God. The mire of fraternal hatred is washed away when that evangelical oracle is accepted with a good spirit: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" (Matt. 5:9). Who does not rejoice when he is called a child of God and Father? Because God formed man and by a benign nod sustains the world, and all things yield to his will: out of the excess of his goodness he brought forth visible things from nothing and placed man as the steward of his creatures, so that remaining faithful he might receive the reward of five talents and rule over ten cities, which are mentioned in the Gospels. If, however, anyone is found lazy to whom one talent has been entrusted, and he hides it and does not bring double the price to the master; that is, the spiritual man along with the sensible man; and begins to say: "I feared because you are an austere man" (Luke 19:21), and the remaining ungrateful and wicked words, then that which he has will be taken away from him and he will be cast into the furnace of fire. For this world is in