Tell me. Do they belong to a rhetorician at all? To a
sophist or philosopher? To every one trained
in the wisdom of the
Gentiles? By no means.
The human soul is
simply unable thus to
philosophize on that
pure and blessed nature; on the powers that come next to it; on
immortality and endless life; on the nature of mortal bodies which
shall hereafter be immortal; on punishment and the judgment to come;
on the enquiries that shall be as to deeds and words, as to thoughts
and imaginations.
See Tom Burgess use Chrysostom as authority for
instrumental music.
John i. 1.-"In the beginning
was the Word."
Were John about to converse
with us, and to say to us words of his own, we needs must describe
his family, his country, and his education.
But since it is not
he, but God by him, that speaks to mankind, it seems to me
superfluous and distracting to enquire into these matters.
And yet even thus it is not
superfluous, but even very necessary. For when you have learned who
he was, and from whence, who his parents, and what his character, and
then hear his voice and all his heavenly wisdom, then you shall know
right well that these (doctrines) belong not to him, but to the Divine power stirring his soul.
From what
country
then was he? From no
country; but from a poor
village, and from a
land little esteemed, and producing no good thing. For the
Scribes speak evil of
Galilee, saying,
"Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." (John vii.
52.) And "the Israelite indeed" speaks ill of it, saying, "Can any
good thing come out of Nazareth?" And being of this land, he was not
even of any remarkable place in it, but of one not even distinguished
by name. Of this he was, and his father a poor fisherman, so poor
that he took his sons to the same employment.
Now you all know that
no workman will choose
to bring up his son to succeed him in his trade, unless poverty press him very hard,
especially where the trade is a mean one. But nothing can be poorer, meaner, no, nor more
ignorant, than
fishermen. Yet even
among them there are some greater, some less; and even there our
Apostle occupied the lower rank, for he did not take his prey from
the sea, but passed his time on a certain little lake.
And as he was
engaged by it with his father and his brother James, and they mending
their broken
nets, a thing which of
itself marked extreme
poverty,
so Christ called
him.
As for worldly instruction, we may learn from these facts that he had none at all of it. Besides, Luke testifies this when he
writes not only that he was ignorant, but that he was absolutely unlettered. (Acts iv. 13.) As was likely.
For one who was so
poor, never
coming into the public
assemblies, nor falling
in with men of respectability, but as it were nailed to his fishing, or even if he ever did meet any one,
conversing with fishmongers and cooks, how, I say, was he likely to
be in a state better than that of the irrational animals? how could
he help imitating the very dumbness of his fishes?
This shows that the public
assemblies were schools and not pagan worship centers.
[2.] This fisherman then, whose
business was about lakes, and nets, and fish; this native of
Bethsaida of Galilee; this son of a poor fisherman, yes, and poor to
the last degree;
this man ignorant,
and to the last degree of ignorance too, who never learned letters
either before or after he accompanied Christ;
let us see what he utters, and
on what matters he converses with us. Is it of things in the field?
Is it of things in rivers? On the trade in fish? For these things,
perhaps, one expects to hear from a fisherman. But fear ye not; we
shall hear nought of these;
but we shall hear of things in
heaven, and what no one ever learned before this man. For, as might
be expected of one who speaks from the very treasures of the Spirit, he is come bringing to us
sublime
doctrines, and the best
way of life and wisdom, [as though just arrived from the very
heavens; yea, rather such as it was not likely that all even there
should know, as I said before. Do these things belong to a fisherman?
Tell me. Do they belong to a
rhetorician at all? To a sophist
or philosopher? To every one trained
in the wisdom of the
Gentiles? By no means.
The human soul is simply unable thus to philosophize on that pure and blessed nature; on the
powers that come next to it; on immortality and endless life; on the nature of mortal bodies which shall hereafter be immortal; on punishment and the judgment to come; on the enquiries that
shall be as to deeds and words, as to thoughts and imaginations.
It cannot tell what is man, what the world;
what is man indeed,
and what he who seems to be man, but is not; what is the nature of
virtue, what of vice.
[3.] Some of these things
indeed the disciples of Plato
and Pythagoras enquired into. Of the other philosophers we need
make no mention at all; they have all on this point been so
excessively
ridiculous; and those
who have been among them in greater esteem than the rest,
and who have been
considered the leading men in this science, are so more than the
others;
and they have composed and written
somewhat on the subject
of polity and doctrines, and in all have been more shamefully ridiculous than
children.
For they have spent their whole
life in making women
common to all, in
overthrowing the very
order of life, in doing
away the honor of marriage, and in making other the like ridiculous laws.
As for doctrines on the soul, there is nothing excessively shameful
that they have left unsaid; asserting that the souls of men become
flies, and gnats, and bushes, and that God Himself is a soul; with
some other the like indecencies.
And not this alone in them is
worthy of blame, but so is also their ever-shifting current of words; for since they assert everything on
uncertain and fallacious arguments,
they are like men
carried hither and
thither in Euripus, and
never remain in the same place.
Not so this fisherman; for all
he saith is infallible; and standing as it were upon a rock, he never
shifts his ground. For since he has been thought worthy to be in the
most secret places, and has the Lord of all speaking within him, he
is subject to nothing that is human.
But they, like
persons who are not held worthy even in a dream to set foot in the
king's palace, but who pass their time in the forum with other men, guessing from their own
imagination at what they cannot see, have erred a great error, and,
like
blind or
drunken men in their
wandering, have dashed
against each other; and
not only against each other, but against themselves, by continually
changing their opinion, and that ever on the same matters.
[4.] But this unlettered man, the ignorant, the native of Bethsaida, the son
of Zebedee, (though the Greeks mock ten thousand times at the
rusticity of the names, I shall not the less speak them with the
greater boldness.) For the more barbarous his nation seems to them,
and the more he seems removed from Grecian discipline, so much the
brighter does what we have with us appear.
For when a
barbarian and an untaught person utters things which no man on earth ever knew,
and does not only
utter, (though if this were the only thing it were a great marvel,)
but besides this,
affords another and
a stronger proof that what he says is divinely inspired, namely, the convincing all his hearers through all
time; who will not wonder at the power that dwells in him?
Since this is, as I said,
the strongest proof that
he lays down no laws of his own. This barbarian then, with his writing of the Gospel,
has occupied all the habitable world.
With his body he has taken
possession of the center of Asia, where of old philosophized all of the Grecian party, shining forth in the midst of his foes,
dispersing their
darkness, and
breaking down the
stronghold of devils:
but in soul he has retired to that place which is fit for one who has
done such things.
[5.] And as for the writings of
the Greeks, they are all put out and vanished, but this man's shine brighter day by day. For from
the time that he (was) and the other fishermen, since then the
(doctrines) of Pythagoras and of Plato, which seemed before to
prevail, have ceased to
be spoken of, and most
men do not know them even by name.
Yet Plato was, they say, the invited companion of kings, had
many friends, and sailed to Sicily. And
Pythagoras occupied Magna Graecia, and practiced there
ten thousand
kinds of
sorcery. For to converse with oxen, (which they say he did,) was nothing else but a
piece of
sorcery. As is most
clear from this. He that so conversed with brutes did not in anything
benefit the race of men, but even did them the greatest wrong. Yet
surely, the nature of men was better adapted for the reasoning of
philosophy; still he did, as they say, converse with eagles and oxen,
using sorceries. For he did not make their irrational nature rational, (this was impossible to man,)
- but by his magic tricks
he deceived the foolish.
- And neglecting to teach men
anything
useful,
- he taught that they might
as well eat the
heads
- of those who begot them, as beans.
And he persuaded those who
associated with him, that the soul of their teacher had actually been at one time a bush, at another a girl,
at another a fish.
Are not these things with good
cause extinct, and vanished utterly? With good cause, and reasonably.
But not so the words of him who was ignorant and unlettered; for
Syrians, and Egyptians, and Indians, and Persians, and Ethiopians,
and ten thousand other nations, translating into their own tongues
the doctrines introduced by him, barbarians though they be, have
learned to philosophize. I did not therefore idly say that all the
world has become his theater. For he did not leave those of his own
kind, and waste his labor on the irrational creatures, (an act of
excessive vainglory and extreme folly,) but being clear of this as
well as of other passions, he was earnest on one point only, that all
the world might learn somewhat of the things which might profit it,
and be able to translate it from earth to heaven.
For this reason too, he
did not
hide his teaching in
mist and darkness, as they did who threw obscurity of speech,
like a kind of veil, around the
mischiefs laid up within. But this man's doctrines are clearer than
the sunbeams, wherefore they have been unfolded to all men throughout
the world. For he did not teach as Pythagoras did, commanding those
who came to him to be silent for five years, or to sit like senseless
stones; neither did he invent fables defining the universe to consist of numbers; but casting away all this devilish
trash and mischief, he diffused such simplicity through his words,
that all he said was plain, not only to wise men, but also to women
and youths.
For he was persuaded that the words were true and profitable to all that should hearken to them. And all time
after him is his witness; since he has drawn to him all the world,
and
has freed our life when we have listened to these words
from all monstrous
display of wisdom;
wherefore we who hear them would prefer rather to give up our lives,
than the doctrines by him delivered to us.
[6.] From this then, and from
every other circumstance, it is plain, that nothing of this man's is
human, but divine and heavenly are the lessons which come to us by
this divine soul.
For we shall
observe not
sounding sentences, nor magnificent
diction, nor excessive and useless order and arrangement of words and sentences, (these things are far from all true wisdom,)
but strength invincible and
divine, and
irresistible force of right doctrines, and a rich supply of
unnumbered good things.
For their over-care
about expression was so excessive, so worthy of mere sophists, or rather not even of sophists,
but of silly striplings, that even their own chief philosopher
introduces his own master as greatly ashamed
of this art, and as saying to the judges, that what they hear from
him shall be spoken plainly and without premeditation,
not tricked out rhetorically nor ornamented with (fine) sentences and words; since, says he,
it cannot surely be
becoming, O men,
that one at my age
should come before you like a lad
inventing speeches. And observe the extreme absurdity of the thing; what he has described his master
avoiding as disgraceful, unworthy of philosophy and work for lads, this above all he himself has
cultivated. So entirely
were they given up to mere love of distinction.
And as, if you uncover those
sepulchers which are whitened without you will find them full of corruption, and stench,
and rotten
bones;
so too the
doctrines of the
philosopher, if you
strip them of their flowery diction, you will see to be full of much abomination, especially when he philosophizes on the
soul, which he both
honors and speaks ill of without measure.
Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye are like unto whited
sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead mens bones, and of all uncleanness. Mt.23:27
Even so ye also
outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy and iniquity. Mt 23:28
And this is the snare of the
devil, never to keep
due proportion, but by excess on either hand to lead aside those who are entangled by it into evil speaking. At one time he says, that
the soul is of the substance of God; at another, after having exalted
it thus immoderately and impiously, he exceeds again in a different
way, and treats it with insult, making it pass into swine and asses,
and other animals of yet less esteem than these.
But enough of this; or rather
even this is out of measure. For if it were possible to learn anything profitable from these things, we
must have been longer occupied with them; but if it be only to
observe their indecency and absurdity, more than requisite has been
said by us already. We will therefore leave their fables, and attach
ourselves to our own doctrines,
which have been
brought to us from above by the tongue of this fisherman, and which have nothing human in them.
See a modern philosophers treatment of the Word with
contempt.
[7.] Let us
then bring forward the words, having reminded you now, as I exhorted
you at the first, earnestly to attend to what is said. What then does
this Evangelist say immediately on his outset?
"In the beginning
was the Word,
and the Word was with
God." (Ver. 1.) Seest
thou the great boldness and power of the words, how he
speaks nothing doubting
nor conjecturing, but
declaring all things plainly?
For this is the
teacher's part, not to
waver in anything he says, since if he who is to be a guide to the rest
require another person who shall be able to establish him with
certainty, he would be rightly ranked not among teachers, but among
disciples.
But if any
one say, "What can be the reason that he has neglected the first cause, and spoken to us at once concerning the
second?"
we shall decline to
speak of "first" and "second,"
for the Divinity is
above number, and the
succession of
times.
Wherefore we decline these expressions; but we confess that the
Father is from none, and
that the Son is begotten of the Father. Yes, it may be said, but why then
does he leave the
Father, and speak
concerning the Son? Why? because the former was manifest to all, if
not as Father, at least as God;
but the
Only-Begotten was not
known; and therefore with reason did he immediately from the very beginning hasten to implant the
knowledge of Him in those who knew Him not.
Besides, he has not been silent as to the Father in his writings on
these points. And observe, I beg of you, his spiritual wisdom.
He knows that men most honor
the eldest of beings which was before all, and account this to be
God. Wherefore from this point first he makes his beginning, and as
he advances, declares that God is, and does not like Plato assert, sometimes that He is intellect,
sometimes that He is soul; for these things are far removed from that
divine and unmixed
Nature which has nothing common with us, but is separated from any
fellowship with created things, I mean as to substance, though not as
to relation.
And for this reason
he calls Him "The
Word." For since he is
about to teach that this "Word"
is the only-begotten Son
of God, in order that
no one may imagine that His generation is passible, by giving Him the
appellation of
"The Word," he
anticipates and removes
beforehand the evil
suspicion,
showing that the Son is
from the Father,
and that without His
suffering (change) (i.e. when I speak I am not diminished)
[8.] Seest thou then that as I
said, he has not been silent as to the Father in his words concerning the Son? And if these
instances are not sufficient fully to explain the whole matter,
marvel not, for our argument is God,
whom it is
impossible to describe,
or to imagine
worthily; hence this man nowhere assigns the name of His essence, (for it is not possible to say what God is, as to
essence,)
but everywhere he
declares
Him to us
by His
workings. For this
"Word" one may see shortly after called
"Light," and the "Light"
in turn named "Life."
Although not for this reason
only did he so name Him; this was the first reason, and the
second was because He was about to declare to us the things
of the Father. For "all things," He saith,
"that I have heard from my Father, I have made known unto you." (John
xv. 15.)
He calls Him
both "Light"
and "Life,"
for He hath freely given to us the light which proceeds from knowledge, and the life which follows it.
In short,
one name is not sufficient, nor two, nor three,
nor more, to teach us what belongs to God. But we must be content to
be able even by means of many to apprehend, though but obscurely,
His
attributes.
And he has not called Him
simply "Word," but with the addition of the
article, distinguishing Him from the rest in
this way also. Seest thou then that I said not without cause that
this Evangelist speaks to us from heaven? Only see from the very
beginning whither
he has drawn up the
soul, having given it wings, and has carried up with him the mind of his hearers.
For having set it higher than
all the things of sense, than earth, than sea, than heaven, he leads
it by the hand above the very angels, above cherubim and seraphim,
above thrones and principalities and powers; in a word,
persuades it to
journey beyond all created things.
[9.] What then? when he has
brought us to such a
height as this, is he
in sooth able to stop us there? By no means; but just as one by
transporting into the midst of the sea a person who was standing on
the beach, and looking on cities, and beaches, and havens, removes
him indeed from the former objects,
yet does not stay
his sight anywhere, but brings him to a view without bound; so this Evangelist, having
brought us above all
creation, and escorted
us towards
the eternal periods which lie beyond it, leaves the sight suspended,
not allowing it to arrive at any limit upwards, as indeed there is
none.
For the intellect, having ascended to "the beginning," enquires what "beginning";
and then finding
the "was" always outstripping its imagination,
has no point at which to stay
its thought; but looking intently onwards, and being unable to cease
at any point, it becomes wearied out, and turns back to things below.
For this "was in the beginning,"
is nothing else
than expressive of
ever being and
being
infinitely.
Seest thou true philosophy and
divine doctrines? Not like those of the Greeks, who assign times, and
say that some indeed of the gods are younger, some elder.
There is nothing of this with us.
For if God
Is, as certainly He Is, then
nothing was before
Him.
If He is Creator of all things, He must be first; if Master and Lord of all, then all, both creatures
and ages, are after
Him.
[10.] I had desired to enter
the lists yet on other difficulties, but perhaps our minds are
wearied out; when therefore I have advised you on those points which
are useful to us for the hearing, both of what has been said, and of
what is yet to be said, I again will hold my peace. What then are
these points?
I know that many
have become confused by reason of the length of what has been spoken.
Now this takes place when the
soul is heavy laden with
many burdens
of this
life. For as the eye
when it is clear and transparent is keen-sighted also, and will not
easily be tired in making out even the minutest bodies;
but when from some
bad
humor from the
head having poured into it, or some
smoke-like
fumes having ascended
to it from
beneath, a kind of
thick cloud is formed before the ball, this does not allow it clearly
to perceive even any larger object; so is naturally the case with the
soul.
For when it is
purified, and has no
passion to disturb
it, it looks steadfastly to the fit
objects of its regard; but when, darkened by many passions, it loses its proper excellence, then it is not
easily able to be sufficient for any high thing, but soon is wearied,
and falls back; and turning aside to sleep and sloth,
lets pass things that concern
it with a view to excellence and the life thence arising, instead of
receiving them with much readiness.
And that you may not suffer
this, (I shall not cease continually thus to warn you,) strengthen
your minds, that ye may not hear what the faithful among the Hebrews
heard from Paul. For to them he said that he had "many things to say,
and hard to be
uttered" (Heb. v. 11);
not as though they
were by
nature such, but
because, says he, "ye
are dull of hearing."
For it is the
nature of the weak
and infirm
man to be confused even by few words as by many, and what is clear
and easy he thinks
hard to be
comprehended. Let not any here be such an one, but having chased from
him all worldly
care, so let him hear
these doctrines.
For
when the
desire of
money possesses the
hearer,
the desire of
hearing cannot possess him as well;
since the soul, being one,
cannot suffice for many
desires; but one of the two is injured by the other, and, from
division, becomes weaker as its rival prevails, and expends all upon
itself.
And this is wont to happen in
the case of children. When a man has only one, he loves that one
exceedingly. But when he has become father of many, then also his
dispositions of affection being divided become weaker.
If this happens where there is
the absolute rule and power of nature, and the objects beloved are
akin one with another, what can we say as to that desire and
disposition which is according to deliberate choice; especially where
these desires lie directly opposed to each other;
for the love of
wealth is a thing opposed to the love of this kind of hearing.
We enter heaven when we
enter here; not in place, I mean, but in disposition;
for it is possible
for one who is on earth to stand in heaven, and to have vision
of the things that are there, and to hear the words from
thence.
[11.] Let none then introduce the things of
earth into heaven; let
no one standing here be careful about what is at his house. For he
ought to bear with him, and to preserve both at home and in his
business, what he gains from this place, not to allow it to be loaded
with the burdens of house and market.
Our reason for
entering in to the chair
of instruction is, that
thence we may cleanse
ourselves from the
filth of the
outer
world;
but if we are likely even in
this little space to be injured by things said or done without,
it is better for
us not to enter at all.
Let no one then in the
assembly be thinking
about domestic matters, but let him at home be stirring with what he
heard in the assembly. Let these things be more precious to us than
any.
These concern the
soul, but those the body; or rather what is said here concerns both body and
soul.
Wherefore let these
things be our leading business, and all others but occasional employments; for these belong both to the future and
the present life, but the rest neither to the one nor the other,
unless they be managed according to the law laid down for these.
Since from these it is impossible to learn not only what we shall
hereafter be, and how we shall then live, but how we shall rightly
direct this present life also.
For this house is a spiritual
surgery, that whatever
wounds we may have received without, here we
may heal,
not that we may
gather fresh ones to take with us hence. Yet if we do not give heed to the Spirit speaking
to us, we shall not only fill to clear ourselves of our former hurts,
but shall get others in addition.
Let us then with much
earnestness attend to the book as it is being unfolded to us; since
if we learn exactly its
first principles and
fundamental
doctrines,
we shall not
afterwards require much close study,
but after laboring a little at
the beginning, shall be able, as Paul says, to instruct others also. (Rom. xv. 14.) For this Apostle is
very sublime, abounding in many doctrines, and on these he dwells
more than on other matters.
Let us not then be
careless
hearers. And this is
the reason why we set them forth to you by little and little, so that
all may be easily intelligible to you, and may not escape your
memory. Let us fear then lest we come under the condemnation of that
word which says,
"If I
had not come and spoken
unto them, they had not had sin." (John xv. 22.) For what shall we be
profited more than those who have not heard, if even after hearing we
go our way home bearing nothing with us, but only wondering at what
has been said.
Allow us then to sow in good
ground; allow us, that you may draw us the more to you. If any man
hath thorns, let him cast the fire of the Spirit amongst them. If any hath a hard and stubborn heart,
let him by employing the same fire make it soft and yielding. If any
by the wayside is trodden down by all kind of thoughts, let him enter
into more sheltered places,
and not lie exposed
for those that will to invade for plunder: that so we may see your cornfields waving with
corn. Besides, if we exercise such care as this over ourselves, and
apply ourselves industriously to this spiritual hearing, if not at
once yet by degrees, we shall surely be freed from all the cares of
life.
Let us therefore take heed that
it be not said of us, that our ears are those of a deaf adder. (Ps. lviii. 4.) For tell me, in what does a hearer
of this kind differ from
a beast? and how could
he be otherwise than more irrational than any irrational animal, who
does not attend when God is speaking?
Their poison is
like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that
stoppeth her ear; Psalm 58:4
Which will not
hearken to the voice of charmers (using a little flute), charming
never so wisely. Psalm 58:5
And if to be well-pleasing to
God is really to be a
man, what else but a
beast can he be who will not even hear how he may succeed in this?
Consider then what a misfortune it would be for us to fall down of
our own accord from (the nature of) men to (that of) beasts,
when Christ is
willing of men to make
us equal to angels. For
to serve the belly, to be possessed by the desire of riches, to be
given to anger, to bite, to kick, become not men, but beasts. Nay,
even the beasts have each, as one may say, one single passion, and
that by nature.
But man, when he
has cast away the
dominion of reason, and
torn himself from the commonwealth of God's devising, gives himself up to all the passions,
is no longer
merely a
beast, but a kind of
many-formed motley
monster;
nor has he even the excuse from
nature, for all his wickedness proceeds from deliberate choice and
determination.
May we never have cause to
suspect this of the Church of Christ. Indeed, we are concerning you persuaded of better
things, and such as belong to salvation;
but the more we are
so persuaded, the more careful we will be not to desist from words of
caution.
In order that having mounted to
the summit of excellencies, we may obtain the promised goods. Which
may it come to pass that we all attain to,
through the grace
and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom and with whom,
to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory world without end.
Amen.
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