the human nature, and commanded all to migrate to heaven; for when the law commanded "an eye for an eye," He Himself says, "If anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Mt. 5:39). He did not say, "merely endure the insolence bravely and gently," but go further in your philosophy, and be prepared to suffer greater things than he desires to do; with the abundance of your philosophy, overcome the rashness of his insolence, so that, shamed by your exceeding gentleness, he may withdraw. And again He says, "Pray for those who persecute you; pray for those who hate you; do good to those who hate you" (Mt. 5:44). Again, He introduced counsel concerning virginity, saying: "He who is able to receive it, let him receive it" (Mt. 19:12). For since that virtue had flown away from paradise, and after the disobedience it had departed, He, coming down from heaven, brought it back again, as if leading a fugitive back to its ancient fatherland, and releasing it from a long exile; and coming, He was first born of a virgin, and stirred the laws of nature, honoring it from the very beginning, and showing the virgin to be a mother. Since, therefore, upon arriving, He commanded such things, and was fashioning an exalted way of life, He also offered rewards worthy of the labors—or rather, much greater and more sublime. But these too were invisible, and in hope, and in faith, and in the expectation of things to come. Since, therefore, the commandments were arduous and sublime, but the rewards and the prizes were in faith, surely A in hope: one in our hands, the other in hope; and one He commanded to be the stadium, the other the prize; and to this one He assigns struggles, labors, and sweat, but to that one, crowns, rewards, and recompenses: the one He made a sea, the other a harbor; and the one He made short, the other ageless and immortal. Since, therefore, many men preferred these sensible things to those spiritual ones, He joined to them this transitory and short-lived nature, so that he might lead them away from present things, and attach them with great precision to the love of things to come. Then, since those things were invisible and spiritual, and placed in faith and hope, look at what He does. When He came here, and took upon Himself our flesh, and accomplished that wonderful dispensation, He brings the things to come before our eyes, and by this means He convinces our duller minds. For since He came bringing an angelic way of life, and making the earth heaven, and commanding such things as to liken those who pursue them to the incorporeal powers, and made men angels, and called them to the hopes above, and extended small training grounds, and commanded them to fly higher, and to ascend to the very vaults of the heavens, and to strip for battle against demons, and to be arrayed against the whole phalanx of the devil—having a body, being entwined with flesh, and yet mortifying the bodies, and banishing the tumult of the passions, and simply being clothed in flesh, yet striving in the contest against the incorporeal powers. 4. Since He commanded these things, see what He does; how He makes the contest easier. Or rather, if it seems good, let us first speak of the magnitude of the commandments, and how He fashioned the wing to be high, and almost driving it out from B human nature, He commanded all to migrate to heaven. For whereas the law commanded an eye for an eye, He Himself says, "If anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." He did not say, "bear the insolence only bravely and gently," but advance further in your philosophy, and be prepared to suffer greater things than he is eager to perform; with the abundance of your philosophy, win out over the rashness of his insolence, so that, shamed by your exceeding gentleness, he may withdraw. And again He says, "Pray for those who abuse you; pray for your enemies: do good to those who hate you." Again, He introduced counsel concerning virginity, saying, "He who is able to receive it, let him receive it." For since the thing had flown away from paradise, and after the disobedience it had withdrawn, He, having descended from heaven, brought it back again, as calling back a fugitive to its ancient fatherland, and releasing it from its long exile: coming, He was first born of a virgin, and stirred the laws of nature, honoring it from the beginning, and declaring the virgin a mother. Since, therefore, upon arriving, He commanded such things, and was working out a sublime way of life, He offered rewards worthy of the labors, or rather by far (greater) and higher. But these too were invisible, and in hope, and in faith, and in the expectation of C things to come. Since, therefore, the commandments were laborious and sublime, but the prizes and the rewards were in faith, surely D
see what he does, and in what manner he makes the struggle easy, and in what manner he makes the contests simple. In what manner, then? By two ways: one, that he himself performs the same; the other, that he shows the rewards and sets them before our eyes. For of the things said by him, some were a commandment, some were rewards. The commandment indeed: A *Pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you* (Matt. 5.44): the reward however: *That you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven* (Ibid. v. 45). Again, *Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for your reward is great in heaven* (Ibid. v. 11, 12). B Do you see that one is a commandment, the other a reward? Again, *If you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor, and come, follow me, and you shall have treasure in heaven* (Matt. 19.21). For he enjoined the one to them, and prepared the other for them, which was a wage and a recompense. And again: *Whoever has left houses, or brothers, or sisters*—this is the commandment: *He shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life* (Ibid. v. 29)—this is the reward and the crown.
C Since, therefore, the commandments were great, but the rewards were not visible, see what he does; he demonstrates them through his own works and brings the crowns into view. For just as one who is ordered to walk an untrodden path, if he sees someone else walking it first, tackles it more easily and gains greater enthusiasm in his soul: so, too, it happens with the commandments; those who see those who have gone before, follow easily. In order, therefore, that our nature might follow more easily, by taking on our flesh and our nature, he thus walked through it, and demonstrated the commandments by his deeds. For the statement, *If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also* (Matt. 5.39), he himself performed when the servant of the high priest struck him. D For he did not take vengeance on him, but showed such modesty as to say: *If I have spoken evil, bear witness to the evil; but if well, why do you strike me?* (John 18.23). Do you see his tremendous gentleness? Do you see his amazing humility? He was being struck, not by any free man, but by a servant, a slave, and a domestic, and he answers with such modesty. So too his Father used to say to the Jews: *My people, what have I done to you, or in what have I grieved you, or with what have I troubled you? Answer me* (Mic. 6.3). Just as he himself says, *Bear witness to the evil*, so too his Father, *Answer me*; and just as he himself says, *Why do you strike me?*, so also his Father, *What have I grieved you, or in what have I troubled you?* Again, teaching poverty, see in what manner he exhibits it by deed, saying: *The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head* (Matt. 8.20). Do you see his extreme poverty? He had no table, no lamp, no house, no seat, nor any other such thing. He was teaching that we should bear those who hear us badly with patience, and he exhibited this indeed by deed. For when they were calling him demon-possessed and a Samaritan, although he could have punished them again and exacted a penalty from them for the insults, he did nothing of the sort, but rather he was doing good to them, and casting out demons from them. And when he had said, *Pray for those who despitefully use you* (Matt. 5.44), when he had ascended the cross, he did it. For after they had crucified him and nailed him with nails, hanging there he said, *Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing* (Luke 23.34). These things were said by him, not because he was unable to forgive, but to teach us to pray for our enemies. For because he was not only teaching the doctrine by word, but also by deed, he therefore added the prayers as well. Let no one of the heretics, therefore, because of his excessive humanity, judge these words to be of infirmity. For he is the one who says, *But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins* (Matt. 9.6). But because he wished to teach (now he who teaches brings the doctrine into the midst not only by his words, but also by his facts), for this reason he added the prayers as well; for otherwise he even washed the feet of his disciples, not because he was inferior; but being God and Lord, he humbled himself to such great humility.
On the image of Christ’s future glory
And for this reason also he used to say: *Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart* (Matt. 11.29). By another way again, listen to how the very prizes and rewards are brought into the midst and subjected to the eyes. He had promised the resurrection of bodies, immortality, the meeting in the air, the being caught up in the clouds; he demonstrated these by the facts themselves. In what manner, then? Being dead he rose; and for this reason he lived with them for forty days, so as to render them more certain, and to show what kind our bodies will be after the resurrection. Again, he who said through Paul: *We shall be caught up in the clouds to meet him in the air* (1 Thess. 4.17), demonstrated this also by deed. For after the resurrection, when he was about to go into the heavens, in their presence, *He was taken up*, he says, *and a cloud received him out of their sight* (Acts 1.9); and they were looking intently as he was departing. Thus, surely, our body also will be of the same substance as that body, inasmuch as it is from the same mass; for as the head, so also the body; as the beginning, so also the end. And indicating this more clearly Paul said: *Who will transform the body of our humility, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory* (Phil. 3.21). If, therefore, it is conformed, it will also traverse the same path, and will be caught up in the clouds likewise. Expect this also in the resurrection. For because until that time the word of the kingdom of heaven had been obscure to the hearers, therefore when he had ascended the mountain, he was transfigured before his disciples (Matt. 17), and showed them the glory of things to come, and showed obscurely, as in a riddle, what our body was to be like. But truly he appeared then with garments; but not so in the resurrection. For our body will not need garments, nor roof, nor vaulting, nor any other such thing. For if Adam before the transgression, when he was naked, was not ashamed, being clothed with glory: much more our bodies, which will be transferred to a more excellent and better condition, will by no means
fare worse, but will be filled with unspeakable glory and blessedness. Knowing these things, therefore, beloved, and having been instructed by words and taught by our eyes, let us show such a manner of life, that, having been caught up in the clouds, we may always be dwelling with Him, being saved by His grace, and enjoying the good things to come, which may it be granted to us all to attain in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, and adoration, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
COMMENTARY ON THE HOMILY CONCERNING NOT PUBLISHING THE SINS OF BRETHREN
Tillemont made a fair calculation when he said that the discourse *On Not Publishing the Sins of Brethren* precedes by one day that which, in Morell’s edition, is placed before it and bears the title *That One Ought Not to Despair*. For in that discourse, Chrysostom speaks expressly of the former as having been delivered the day before, in no. 3: "But for what reason, then, did God hear the publican so quickly, yet permitted Isaac to pray for twenty years, and to supplicate Him on behalf of his wife, and only then assented to the prayers of the just man? For there remains for you the continuation of yesterday's teaching." And he expands upon these matters at length in the Homily *On Not Publishing the Sins of Brethren*, numbers 3 and 4, where he discourses much concerning the transformation of Rebecca’s twenty years of sterility into fecundity. Moreover, these things which are said concerning Rebecca lie almost in the same words in the 49th Homily on Genesis, and constitute almost the entire forty-ninth homily, with a few exceptions. Take care, however, not to think that the discourse on Genesis is mentioned in the second homily *On [That One Ought Not to Despair]*; for those things which are said at the beginning of this second homily cannot fit it; namely: "Which was also performed by you yesterday. I had scattered the word of contrition, and the groaning of confession has germinated, a groaning bearing with it many riches of good things." For in that homily on Genesis, there does not exist even a trace of anything that could move one to contrition. In the former homily *On Not Publishing the Sins of Brethren*, he speaks quite tenderly against those who pour out prayers against their enemies; namely, in numbers 5 and 6, especially before the *Amen*, where he says: "Collect your mind, humble your soul by the memory of the sins committed against you." Whence this doubt of Tillemont is also removed. Why, he asks, does he not expressly commemorate the contrition in the former homily, although in the latter he says that he had spoken of contrition in the former? But he does not say that in the former he had made mention of contrition specifically, but he says this: "I had scattered the word of contrition, and the groaning of confession has germinated." What else, then, are these, "Collect your mind, humble your soul by the memory of your faults," and many other things scattered here and there, other than the word of contrition? One can just as easily pull out another thorn of the same kind, which is of this sort: in the latter homily, no. 3, Chrysostom says: "But for what reason at last did God..." etc. [Note: The text continues to examine the chronology of these sermons and Tillemont's critique, concluding that there are no such discrepancies as Tillemont feared, and that both homilies concern perseverance in prayer and not praying against enemies. The translation of both homilies is by Fronto Ducaeus.]
THAT ONE OUGHT NOT TO PUBLISH THE SINS OF BRETHREN, NOR IMPRECATE AGAINST ENEMIES
1. I congratulate you, beloved, on the zeal with which you run to the paternal house. For from this zeal, I have reason to be confident also concerning our health, which is of the soul; for the place of instruction of the Church is a wonderful infirmary; an infirmary not of bodies, but of souls. For it is spiritual, and it rectifies not the wounds of the flesh, but the sins of the mind; and the medicine for these sins and wounds is the word. This medicine is not from herbs of the earth, but from A
the tongues of the prophets it is composed. A Wherefore it is perpetual, and is neither weakened by the long passage of time, nor overcome by the strength of diseases. For the medicines of physicians, indeed, suffer from both these defects; while they are fresh, they reveal their power: but when much time has elapsed, they become weaker, in the manner of bodies worn out by old age: nay, they are very often overcome by the difficulty of the diseases, inasmuch as they are human; but the divine medicine is not of this kind, but after much time has passed it retains all its strength. Indeed, from the time when Moses lived (for from him is the beginning of the Scriptures), it has healed so many people, and has not lost its own virtue: nor yet has it ever been overcome by any malady. This medicine cannot be received by counting out silver, but he who displays a sincere will and affection carries the whole of it away with him. B For this reason, rich and poor alike enjoy this medicine. For where it is necessary to expend money, he who is wealthy becomes a participant in the benefit: but the poor man often departs destitute of gain; since he does not have enough income to suffice for the preparation of the medicine. Here, however, since one is not permitted to count out silver, but faith and a will are to be shown, he who can count these out and pay with alacrity, he especially receives the benefit: since these are what are required as the price of this medicine. Both the rich and the poor equally participate in this utility: or rather, they do not participate equally, but the poor man departs having received more. Why so? Because, clearly, the rich man is preoccupied with various anxieties, swelling with pride, inflated by riches and haughtiness, given to sloth and negligence, and does not receive the medicine of the hearing of the Scripture with much attention, nor with great study: but the poor man, free from delicacies and gluttony and negligence, C and procuring much philosophy for his soul from thence, as he spends his whole time in the work of his hands and lawful labors, becomes more attentive and robust, and perceives what is said with greater diligence: whence it comes to pass that, having paid a greater price, he departs having carried off a greater utility.
But I do not speak these things to condemn any rich men whatsoever, nor to praise any poor men whatsoever: for neither are riches an evil, but using riches badly is; nor is poverty a good, but using poverty well is. That rich man who lived in the time of Lazarus was tormented, not because he had been rich, but because he had been cruel and inhuman. That poor man was praised in the bosom of Abraham, not because he had been poor, but because he had endured poverty with thanksgiving. For some things (attend diligently to what we say: for they will be able to instill sufficient philosophy and modesty into you, and to expel every vicious thought, and to cause you to render a right judgment concerning matters); D things, therefore, are by nature some good, others entirely contrary; others which are neither good nor evil, but hold a certain middle place. Piety is a good thing by its own nature, impiety an evil: virtue a good, wickedness an evil: furthermore, riches and poverty of themselves are neither this nor that: but according to the proportion of the purpose and will of those who use them, they become either this or that. For if you use riches for humanity, the matter will be handed over to you for an opportunity of good: but if for rapine, avarice, and injury, you will turn it to the contrary use: yet, nevertheless, riches are not the cause, but he who used riches for injury. One may say the same also about poverty: for if you have endured it patiently, giving thanks to the Lord, the matter becomes an occasion and material for crowns for you: but if you have for this reason been blasphemous against the Creator, and accused his providence, you have again translated the matter to an evil use. But just as there, riches are not the cause of avarice or fraud, but he who uses riches badly: so also we will not cast the blame of blasphemy upon poverty, but upon him who did not wish to bear the matter with moderation. For everywhere both praise and vituperation depend on our judgment and will. Riches are good, but not simply; rather, to him to whom there is no sin: and again, poverty is evil, but not simply; rather, in the mouth of the impious, because he bears it with difficulty, because he blasphemes, because he accuses the Creator. Let us not accuse riches, nor simply vituperate poverty, but those who do not wish to use these things rightly: for the things themselves are placed in the middle. But what I was saying (for it is good that we return to that first argument), both the rich and the poor enjoy these medicines of ours with the same confidence and liberty: and often even the poor man with greater study. This is not the chief praise of these medicines, that they heal souls, that they are not corrupted by the length of time, that they are not overcome by diseases, that their utility is proposed gratis, that the medicine is open to the rich and poor alike: but it has also some other thing, not less than these goods. What, then, is that? That we do not divulge those who come to this dispensary of medicine. For they indeed who go to the profane dispensaries of physicians have many spectators of their wounds: and unless the physician first uncovers the ulcer, he does not apply the medicine: here, however, it is not so, but when we see countless sick, we cure them in secret. For we do not, with sinners brought into the middle, thereupon divulge their sins: but with the doctrine proposed to all in common, we leave it to the conscience of the auditors, so that they may extract from what has been said the medicine suitable to their own wound. For there proceeds from the orator’s tongue a sermon of doctrine which contains the vituperation of vice, the praise of virtue, the reprehension of luxury, the commendation of chastity, the accusation of pride, the proclamation of modesty, like a varied and multifarious pharmacum composed of all kinds: furthermore, it is for each of the auditors to take what is suitable and useful to him. The sermon, therefore, proceeds openly, and, residing in everyone’s conscience, secretly displays its medicine, and before the malady is made public, it often restores health. You have heard then yesterday, how I praised the power of prayer, how I vituperated those who pray with negligence.
A Likewise, let those who are conscious of their own diligence accept the eulogy of prayer and become more diligent through these praises; let those who are conscious of their own sloth accept the rebuke in turn, and cast off their negligence. But we know neither the one nor the other; and this ignorance is useful for both. In what way? I shall say. He who heard the eulogies of prayer, and is conscious of his own diligence, if he had many witnesses to the praises, would have slipped into arrogance; but now, having received the praise secretly, he is set free from all vanity. Again, he who is conscious of his own sloth, having heard the accusation, became better from the accusation, having no one B cognizant 1 of the rebuke—but this itself benefited him not as chance would have it. For because of being fluttered by the opinion of the many, as long as we think we are hidden as evil, we are diligent to become better; once we become manifest to all, and lose the consolation that comes from being hidden, we become then more shameless and more slothful. And just as wounds, when bared and frequently exposed to the cold air, become more grievous; so also a soul that has sinned, if it is censured in the midst of many regarding those things in which it has transgressed, becomes more shameless. In order then that this might not happen, the discourse has healed you secretly. And so that you might learn that this hidden medicine possesses much gain, hear what Christ says: *If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone* (Matt. 18.15); and He did not say, between thee and the city, nor between thee and the public, but, *between thee and him alone*. Let the accusation be without witnesses, He says, so that the change toward correction might be easy. It is therefore a great good to make an admonition not public. The conscience suffices; that judge, the impartial one, suffices. You do not so much rebuke the one who has sinned as his own conscience does (that accuser is more bitter), nor know the transgressions more accurately. Do not, therefore, add wound to wounds by making known the one who has sinned, but make the admonition without witnesses. C This, therefore, we also do now, what Paul also did, making the accusation of the one who had sinned among the Corinthians without witnesses. And hear how: *For this cause, brethren*, he says, *I have in a figure transferred these things to myself and Apollos* (1 Cor. 4.6). And yet neither he himself, nor Apollos were the ones who split the public and rent the Church asunder; but nonetheless he shrouded the accusation, and as if with some masks, by his own name and that of Apollos, having concealed the faces of those responsible, he gave them authority to change from that wickedness. And again, *Lest, when I come, my God will humble me, and I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and lasciviousness which they have committed* (2 Cor. 12.21). See how even here he speaks of those who have sinned indefinitely, so that by not making the accusation manifest, he might not render the soul of those who have sinned more shameless. Just as, therefore, we make rebukes with so much sparing, so, I pray, do you also accept correction with all diligence, and pay attention to what is said with precision.
6. We discoursed to you yesterday concerning the power of prayer. D I showed how the devil then lies in wait, being a malefactor. For since he sees that the greatest gain is being made by us from prayer, then he attacks most—in order that he might strike us out of the petition, in order that he might send us home with empty hands. And just as with rulers, when those of the rank and those who are around the ruler himself are hostile to those who are petitioning, they drive them far away with rods, preventing them from approaching and lamenting and obtaining philanthropy; so also the devil, when he sees them approaching the judge, drives them far away, not with a rod, but with sloth. For he knows, he knows clearly, that if they approach soberly, and say the things wherein they have sinned, and lament with a burning soul, they depart having received much forgiveness; for God is a lover of mankind; and for this reason he anticipates, and leads them away from the petition, in order that they might not obtain any of the things they need. But the soldiers of the rulers drive away the petitioners with force; but he [does so] not with necessity, but by deceiving us and casting us into sloth. For this reason we are not worthy of pardon, depriving ourselves of good things of our own volition. Prayer is a light of the mind and soul, a light unquenchable and continuous. For this reason, he casts into our minds myriads of heaps of considerations 2, and things which we have never considered, collecting these at the time of prayer he pours them into our souls. And just as winds often falling upon us from an opposite direction, having fanned a lamp being kindled, have extinguished it; so also the devil, when he sees the flame of prayer being fanned in us, does not depart until he has extinguished the light that is being kindled, with myriads of cares from here and there. But let us do what those who light those lamps do. And what do they do? When they see a strong wind approaching, having placed a finger at the opening of the lamp, they wall off the entrance to the wind. For as long as it may strike from without, we shall be able to stand our ground; but when we open to it the doors of the mind, and receive the enemy within, no longer in the future are we able to stand against him even a little; but having extinguished our memory from everywhere, like a smoking lamp, he allows the mouth to utter empty words. But just as they place the finger at the opening of the lamp, thus let us place our faculty of reason at our mind; let us fence off the entrance of the wicked spirit, so that it may not extinguish our light of prayer. Remember both of these examples, both that of the soldiers and the ruler, and that of the lamp; for for this reason we say these things, so that even after departing from here and at home, we might take remembrance of the things said from the matters we have at hand. Prayer is a great weapon, and a great security.
6.