Homilies on John 3.6
Greek text: PG 59.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 14 (1889).
Chapter 3
3.6PG 59:19
Εἰ δὲ λέγοις, ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ συνεστηχότες τινές εἰσι, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα αὐτῶν καταφρονεῖν ἐχρῆν. Εἰ γὰρ καθ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς ὄντες εἰσὶν εὐχκαταφρόνητοι, ὅταν πολλοὶ γένωνται, μειζόνω; τοῦτο συμθδήσεται. Ἢ γὰρ τῶν καθ᾽ ἔκαστον ἄνοια, συλλεγέντων ὁμοῦ, μείξων ὑπὲ ποῦ πλήθους αὐξηθεῖσα γίνεται. Διὸ καὶ καθ᾽ ἕνα 6 μὲν αὐτῶν εἰ λάδοι, ποτὲ ἄν τις καὶ διορθώσειεν " ὁμοῦ δὲ ὄντας, οὐκ ἂν δυνηθείη ῥᾳδίως, διὰ τὸ τὴν ἄνοιαν ἐπιτείνεσθαι, καὶ δίκην θρεμμάτων ἄγεσθαι, καὶ πανταχοῦ παῖς παρ᾽ ἀλλήλων ἕπεσθαι δόξαις, Ταύτης οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, τῆς παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἀντιποιήσεσθε δόξης; Μὴ, δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ. Τοῦτο γὰρ πάντα ἄνω καὶ κάτω πεποίηκε" τοῦτο πλεονεξίαν ἕτεκε, βασκανίαν, κατηγορίαν, ἐπιδουλάς " τοῦτο τοὺς οὐδὲν ἠδικημένους κατὰ τῶν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότων ὁπλίζει καὶ ἐχθηριοῖ. Καὶ οὔτε φιλίαν οἷδεν ὁ τούτῳ τῷ νοσήματι περιπεσὼν, οὐ συνηθείας μέμνηται, οὐκ αἰδεῖσθαι οὐδένα ὅλως ἐπίσταται" ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ῥίψας τὰ χαλὰ, πρὸς πάντας ἐχπεπολέμωται, ἄστατος, ἄστοργος ὥν. Καὶ τὸ μὲν τῆς ὀργῆς πάθος, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸ τυραννικόν τί ἐστι καὶ ἀφόρητον, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἀεὶ διενοχλεῖν εἴωθεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν ἔχῃ τοὺς παροξύνοντας μόνον᾽ τὸ δὲ τῆς κενοδοξίας διαπαντὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι καιρὸς, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐν ᾧ λῆξαι δυνήσεται, μὴ λογισμοῦ κωλύοντος αὐτὴν καὶ χαταστέλλοντος, ἀλλ᾽ ἀεὶ πάρεστιν, οὐ μόνον ἀναπείθουσα ἀμαρτάνειν, ἀλλὰ κἂν τὐχωμέν τι κατορθοῦντες, καὶ τοῦτο ἀφαρπάζουσα τῶν χειρῶν, ἔστι δὲ ὅτε οὐδὲ ἀφιεῖσα » τὴν ἀρχὴν κατορθῶσαι. Εἰ δὲ τὴν πλεονεξίαν ὁ Παῦλος εἰδωλολατρείαν καλεῖ" τὴν ταύτης μητέρα καὶ ῥίζαν καὶ πηγὴν, τὴν κενοδοξίαν λέγω, τί δίκαιον ὀνομάσαι; Οὐδὲ γὰρ προσηγορίαν τῆς κακίας ἀξίαν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. ᾿Ανανήψωμεν τοίνυν, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ τὸ πονηρὸν ἀποδυσώμεθα τοῦτο ἱμάτιον, καὶ διαῤῥήξωμεν καὶ ἀποτέμωμεν ", καὶ γενώμεθά ποτε ἐλεύθεροι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τὴν ἀληθῆ, καὶ λάδωμεν αἴσθησιν τῆς εὐγενείας τῆς παρὰ ποῦ Θεοῦ δεδομένης ἡμῖν καταφρονήσωμεν τῆς τῶν πολλῶν δόξης, Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω καταγέλαστον καὶ ἄτιμον, ὡς τοῦτο τὸ πάθος " οὐδὲν οὕτως αἰσχύνης γέμον καὶ πολλῆς ἀδοξίας. Καὶ τοῦτο πολλαχόθεν ἴδοι τις ἂν, ὅτι τὸ μὲν δόξης ἐρᾷν, ἀδοξία, δόξα δὲ δυτω;, τὸ ταύτης ὑπερορᾷν, καὶ μηδένα αὐτῆς ποιεῖσθαι λόγον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν ἅπαντα καὶ λέγειν καὶ ποιεῖν. Οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα καὶ μισθὸν λαδεῖν παρὰ τοῦ τὰ ἡμέπερα ὁρῶντος ἀχριδῶς, ὅταν αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἀρκώμεθα θεατῇ. ἘΓ γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ ἑτέρων ὀφθαλμῶν δεξ, τοῦ τιμᾷν μέλλοντος ἃ ἡμᾶς ὁρῶντος ἀεὶ τὰ γινόμενα παρ᾽ ἡμῶν; Πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἄτοπον, τὸν μὲν οἰκέτην πάντα ὅσαπερ ἂν ποιῇ, εἰς ἀρέσκειαν τοῦ δεσπότου ποιεῖν, καὶ μηδὲν πλέον ἐπιζητεῖν τῆς θεωρίας τῆς τούτου, μηδὲ ἑτέρους ὁφθαλμοὺς ἐφέλκεσθαι πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν, κἂν μεγάλοι οἱ θεωροῦντες ὦσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἕν μόνον σκοπεῖν ὅπως ὁ δεσπότης θεάσηται " ἡμᾶς δὲ τοιοῦτον ἔχοντας Κύριον, ἑτέρους ἐπιζητεῖν θεατὰς τοὺς ὠφελῆσαι μὲν οὐδὲν, βλάψαι δὲ ἐκ τῆς θεωρίας δυναμένους, καὶ κενῶσαι πάντα τὸν πόνον ἡμῖν; Μὴ, παρακαλῶ " ἀλλ᾽ ὅθεν ἔχομεν τοὺς μιμένων, τοῦτον θεατήν. Μηδὲν ἡμῖν καὶ ἀνθρωπίνοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ἔστω. Εἰ γὰρ ἐθέλοιμεν καὶ ταύτης ἐπιτυχεῖν τῆς δόξης, τότε αὐτῆς ἐπιτευξόμεθα, ὅταν ε τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζητῶμεν μόνην. Τοὺς γὰρ δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσω, φησί. Καὶ ὥσπερ χρημάτων τότε μάλιστα εὐποροῦμεν, ὅταν καταφρονῶμεν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζητῶμεν πλοῦτον μόνον (Ζητεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν)" οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς δόξης, ὅταν ἡμῖν λοιπὸν ἀκίνδυνος ἡ δόσις ἦ { καὶ ἡ τῶν χρημάτων καὶ ἡ τῆς δόξης, τότε αὐτὴν ἐπιδαψιλεύσεται ὁ Θεός. ᾿Αχίνδυνος δὲ τότε ἐστὶν, ὅταν ἡμῶν μὴ κρατῇ, μηδὲ περιγίνηται, μηδὲ ὡς δούλοις αὐτὴ ἐπιτάττῃ,, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς δ:σπόταις καὶ ὡς ἐλευθέροις παραγίνηται. Διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐδὲ βούλεται αὑτῶν ἡμᾶς ἐρᾷν, ἵνα μὴ χρατώμεθα παρ' αὐτῶν. Κἂν τοῦτο κατορθώσωμεν, δίδωσιν ἡμῖν αὐτὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς δαψιλείας. Τί γὰρ Παύλου λαμπρότερον, εἰπέ μοι, τοῦ λέγοντος" Οὐ ζητοῦμεν παρὰ ἀνθρώπων δόξαν, οὔτε ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν, οὔτε ἀπ᾿ ἄλλων; κί δὲ εὐπορώτερον τοῦ μηδὲν ἔχοντος, καὶ πάντα κατέχοντος; Ὅταν γὰρ, ὅπερ ἔφην, μὴ χκρατώμεθα ὑπ᾽ αὖτῶν, τότε αὐτῶν χρατήσομεν, τότε αὐτὰ ληψόμεθα. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπιθυμοῦμεν ἐπιτυχεῖν δόξης, φεύγωμεν δόξαν" οὕτω γὰρ δυνησόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς νόμους ἀνύσαντες, τυχεῖν καὶ τῶν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι 5 τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ᾽ οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.
Ei de legois, hoti polloi kai synestēchotes tines eisi, dia touto malista autōn kataphronein echrēn. Ei gar kath᾽ heautous ontes eisin euchkataphronētoi, hotan polloi genōntai, meizonō? touto symthdēsetai. Ē gar tōn kath᾽ ekaston anoia, syllegentōn homou, meixōn hype pou plēthous auxētheisa ginetai. Dio kai kath᾽ hena 6 men autōn ei ladoi, pote an tis kai diorthōseien " homou de ontas, ouk an dynētheiē rhądiōs, dia to tēn anoian epiteinesthai, kai dikēn thremmatōn agesthai, kai pantachou pais par᾽ allēlōn hepesthai doxais, Tautēs oun, eipe moi, tēs para tōn pollōn antipoiēsesthe doxēs? Mē, deomai kai antibolō. Touto gar panta anō kai katō pepoiēke" touto pleonexian heteke, baskanian, katēgorian, epidoulas " touto tous ouden ēdikēmenous kata tōn ouden ēdikēkotōn hoplizei kai echthērioi. Kai oute philian hoiden ho toutǭ tǭ nosēmati peripesōn, ou synētheias memnētai, ouk aideisthai oudena holōs epistatai" alla panta apo tēs psychēs rhipsas ta chala, pros pantas echpepolemōtai, astatos, astorgos hōn. Kai to men tēs orgēs pathos, ei kai auto tyrannikon ti esti kai aphorēton, all᾽ ouk aei dienochlein eiōthen, all᾽ hotan echę̄ tous paroxynontas monon᾽ to de tēs kenodoxias diapantos, kai ouk esti kairos, hōs eipein, en hǭ lēxai dynēsetai, mē logismou kōlyontos autēn kai chatastellontos, all᾽ aei parestin, ou monon anapeithousa amartanein, alla kan tychōmen ti katorthountes, kai touto apharpazousa tōn cheirōn, esti de hote oude aphieisa » tēn archēn katorthōsai. Ei de tēn pleonexian ho Paulos eidōlolatreian kalei" tēn tautēs mētera kai rhizan kai pēgēn, tēn kenodoxian legō, ti dikaion onomasai? Oude gar prosēgorian tēs kakias axian estin heurein. ᾿Ananēpsōmen toinyn, agapētoi, kai to ponēron apodysōmetha touto himation, kai diarrhēxōmen kai apotemōmen ", kai genōmetha pote eleutheroi tēn eleutherian tēn alēthē, kai ladōmen aisthēsin tēs eugeneias tēs para pou Theou dedomenēs hēmin kataphronēsōmen tēs tōn pollōn doxēs, Ouden gar houtō katagelaston kai atimon, hōs touto to pathos " ouden houtōs aischynēs gemon kai pollēs adoxias. Kai touto pollachothen idoi tis an, hoti to men doxēs erąn, adoxia, doxa de dytō?, to tautēs hyperorąn, kai mēdena autēs poieisthai logon, alla pros to tǭ Theǭ dokoun hapanta kai legein kai poiein. Houtō gar dynēsometha kai misthon ladein para tou ta hēmepera horōntos achridōs, hotan autǭ monǭ arkōmetha theatę̄. EG gar hēmin kai heterōn ophthalmōn dex, tou timąn mellontos ha hēmas horōntos aei ta ginomena par᾽ hēmōn? Pōs de ouk atopon, ton men oiketēn panta hosaper an poię̄, eis areskeian tou despotou poiein, kai mēden pleon epizētein tēs theōrias tēs toutou, mēde heterous hophthalmous ephelkesthai pros tēn praxin, kan megaloi hoi theōrountes ōsin, all᾽ hen monon skopein hopōs ho despotēs theasētai " hēmas de toiouton echontas Kyrion, heterous epizētein theatas tous ōphelēsai men ouden, blapsai de ek tēs theōrias dynamenous, kai kenōsai panta ton ponon hēmin? Mē, parakalō " all᾽ hothen echomen tous mimenōn, touton theatēn. Mēden hēmin kai anthrōpinois ophthalmois estō. Ei gar etheloimen kai tautēs epitychein tēs doxēs, tote autēs epiteuxometha, hotan e tēn para tou Theou zētōmen monēn. Tous gar doxazontas me doxasō, phēsi. Kai hōsper chrēmatōn tote malista euporoumen, hotan kataphronōmen autōn, kai ton para tou Theou zētōmen plouton monon (Zēteite gar, phēsi, tēn basileian tou Theou, kai tauta panta prostethēsetai hymin)" houtō kai epi tēs doxēs, hotan hēmin loipon akindynos hē dosis ē { kai hē tōn chrēmatōn kai hē tēs doxēs, tote autēn epidapsileusetai ho Theos. ᾿Achindynos de tote estin, hotan hēmōn mē kratę̄, mēde periginētai, mēde hōs doulois autē epitattę̄,, all᾽ hōs d:spotais kai hōs eleutherois paraginētai. Dia gar touto oude bouletai hautōn hēmas erąn, hina mē chratōmetha par' autōn. Kan touto katorthōsōmen, didōsin hēmin auta meta pollēs tēs dapsileias. Ti gar Paulou lamproteron, eipe moi, tou legontos" Ou zētoumen para anthrōpōn doxan, oute aph᾽ hymōn, oute ap᾿ allōn? ki de euporōteron tou mēden echontos, kai panta katechontos? Hotan gar, hoper ephēn, mē chkratōmetha hyp᾽ autōn, tote autōn chratēsomen, tote auta lēpsometha. Ei toinyn epithymoumen epitychein doxēs, pheugōmen doxan" houtō gar dynēsometha tou Theou tous nomous anysantes, tychein kai tōn entautha kai tōn epēngelmenōn agathōn, chariti 5 tou Christou, meth᾽ hou tǭ Patri hē doxa, hama tǭ hagiǭ Pneumati, eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn.
And if you say that they are many and form a body, for this very reason you ought to despise them most. For if each by himself is contemptible, when they become many this will be so all the more. For the folly of each, when they are gathered together, grows greater, increased by their number. That is why, if one took them one by one, he might sometimes correct them; but when they are together he could not easily do so, because their folly is intensified, and they are driven along like cattle, and everywhere follow one another’s opinions. Will you, then, tell me, lay claim to this glory from the many? No, I beg and entreat you. This has turned everything upside down; this has given birth to greed, envy, slander, and plots; this arms and makes savage those who have suffered no wrong against those who have done none. The man who has fallen into this disease knows no friendship, remembers no intimacy, does not know how to respect anyone at all; but having cast every good thing out of his soul, he is at war with everyone, unstable and without affection. The passion of anger, though it too is tyrannical and unbearable, does not always trouble us, but only when it finds people to provoke it; but vainglory troubles us always, and there is no time, so to speak, when it can cease, unless reason checks and restrains it. It is always present, not only persuading us to sin, but even if we happen to do something good, snatching this too out of our hands, and sometimes not even letting us do good at all. If Paul calls greed idolatry, what would it be right to call its mother, root, and source, vainglory, I mean? One cannot even find a name worthy of the evil.
Let us come to our senses, then, beloved; let us strip off this evil garment, tear it apart and cut it away, and at last become free with the true freedom, and gain a sense of the nobility given us by God. Let us despise the glory that comes from the many. Nothing is so ridiculous and dishonorable as this passion; nothing so full of shame and great disgrace. One may see from many things that to love glory is disgrace, while true glory is to look down on it and take no account of it, but to say and do everything with a view to what seems good to God. For so we shall be able to receive a reward from him who sees our deeds exactly, when we are content with him alone as spectator. What need have we of other eyes, when he who is to honor us always sees what we do? Is it not absurd that a servant does everything he does to please his master, seeks nothing beyond his master’s gaze, and does not draw other eyes to what he does, however great those who watch may be, but looks to one thing only, that his master may see; while we, who have such a Lord, look for other spectators, who can do us no good, but can harm us by their watching and empty out all our toil? No, I beg you; but let us take as our spectator him from whom we expect our rewards. Let us have nothing to do with human eyes. For if we wish to obtain this glory too, we shall obtain it when we seek only the glory that comes from God. “For those who glorify me,” he says, “I will glorify.” And just as we are richest in money when we despise it and seek only the wealth that comes from God (“Seek the kingdom of God,” he says, “and all these things will be added to you”), so it is with glory too: when the gift both of money and of glory is no longer dangerous for us, then God will lavish it on us. And it is free of danger when it does not rule us or overcome us or give us orders as slaves, but comes to us as to masters and free men. For this is why he does not want us to love these things, that we may not be ruled by them. And if we achieve this, he gives them to us in great abundance. For tell me, who is more illustrious than Paul, who says, “We do not seek glory from men, neither from you nor from others”? Who is richer than the man who has nothing and possesses all things? For when, as I said, we are not ruled by them, then we shall rule them, then we shall receive them. If, then, we desire to obtain glory, let us flee glory; for so, having fulfilled God’s laws, we shall be able to obtain both the good things here and those that are promised, by the grace of Christ, with whom be glory to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, to the ages of ages.
Col 3:5 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Sam 2:30 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 6:33 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Thess 2:6 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 6:10 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 6:4 (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The opinion of the crowd is worthless and vainglory is the source of every evil, so Christians should seek God alone as their spectator, for he gives glory and wealth to those who do not love them.
- Greed as idolatry: Col 3:5. Quotations: 1 Sam 2:30 (LXX 1 Kgdms 2:30); Matt 6:33; 1 Thess 2:6; 2 Cor 6:10. The final doxology lacks “Amen” in this text; a Latin note giving a longer ending has been removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip; leaked Latin apparatus, marginal note or column marks removed; word rejoined across line break): ἐπιπείνεσθαι → ἐπιτείνεσθαι; ἀντιθολῶ → ἀντιβολῶ; χαλεζ → καλεῖ; ῥίξαν → ῥίζαν; χαταφρρονήσωμεν → καταφρονήσωμεν; 8 ϑαν, διὸ καὶ ἕνα. 56 το! 08 ΜΟΥ. οἱ καθ᾽ ἕνα. ΄ → ; ἀρχώμεθα θεατῇ → ἀρκώμεθα θεατῇ; κα-ἐχοντος → κατέχοντος; ἐπηγγελμένιυν → ἐπηγγελμένων; ἃ ΑἸΙΪ τοῦ τιμᾷ ς δ Μογ. ἀγαθῶν, ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι, εἰς. → .
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Chrysostom, Hom. Jo. 3.6 (PG 59:19; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/chrysostom-hom-ioannem/3-6). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/chrysostom-hom-ioannem/3-6
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Migne's Patrologia Graeca 59 (archive.org OCR; homily starts checked against Gaume 1834; corrections logged); compared afterwards with NPNF¹ 14.