This is a soul's food, this its ornament, this its security; even as not to hear is famine and wasting; for "I will give them," saith He, "not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but a famine of hearing the word of the Lord." [107]
What then can be more wretched? when the very evil, which God threatens in the way of punishment, this thou art drawing upon thine head of thine own accord, bringing into thy soul a sort of grievous famine, and making it the feeblest thing in the world? For it is its nature both to be wasted and to be saved by words. Yea, this leads it on to anger; and the same kind of thing again makes it meek: a filthy expression is wont to kindle it to lust, and it is trained to temperance by speech full of gravity.
But if a word merely have such great power, tell me, how is it thou dost despise the Scriptures? And if an admonition can do such great things, far more when the admonitions are with the Spirit. Yes, for a word from the divine Scriptures, made to sound in the ear, doth more than fire soften the hardened soul, and renders it fit for all good things.
11. In this way too did Paul, when he had found the Corinthians puffed up and inflamed, compose them, and make them more considerate. For they were priding themselves on those very things, touching which they ought to have been ashamed, and to have hid their face. But after they had received the letter, hear the change in them, of which the Teacher himself hath borne witness for them, saying on this wise: for "this very thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge." [108] In this way do we bring to order servants and children, wives, and friends, and make our enemies friends.
In this way the great men too, they that were dear to God, became better. David, for instance, after his sin, when he had had the benefit of certain words, then it was that he came unto that most excellent repentance; and the apostles also by this mean became what they did become, and drew after them the whole world.
"And what is the profit," one may say, "when any one hears, but doeth not what is said?" No little will the profit be even from hearing. For he will go on to condemn himself, [109] and to groan inwardly, and will come in time also to do the things that are spoken of. But he that doth not even know that he hath sinned, when will he cease from his negligence? when will he condemn himself?
Let us not therefore despise the hearing of the divine Scriptures. For this is of Satan's devising; not suffering us to see the treasure, lest we should gain the riches. Therefore he saith that the hearing the divine laws is nothing, lest he should see us from the hearing acquiring the practice also.
Knowing then this his evil art, let us fortify ourselves against him on all sides, that being fenced with this armor, we may both abide unconquered ourselves, and smite him on the head: and thus, having crowned ourselves with the glorious wreaths of victory, we may attain unto the good things to come, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might for ever and ever. Amen.
[72] [ka gr; but there is some variation in the readings.--R.]
[73] Heb. xii. 18. [Here the Greek text agrees more closely with that of the received text in Hebrews than with that of the earliest mss.--R.]
[74] [philosophan.]
[75] Heb. xii. 22, 23, 44. [The citation is free; but it is evident that Chrysostom accepts the view indicated in the R.V. margin: "the general assembly of angels."--R.]
[76] [t krothnia, "the chief spoils," see Heb. vii. 4.--R.]
[77] See 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20; iv. 6; St. Iren. iv. 45; iii. 23; iv. 39, 56, 66; v. 31; Orig. in Joan, t. ii. 30; contr. Cels. ii. 43; in Rom. lib. 5, l. t. iv. 551. B; Tert. de Anim. 7; St. Greg. Naz. Or. 42, p. 693. Ed. Morell; and others cited by Cotelerius on St. Hermas. iii. 16.
[78] Wisd. xviii. 15.
[79] [Literally, "for."]
[80] Isaiah liii. 8. [Here genen occurs; not the term used by Matthew, but in the phrase "that other generation," gnnesin, occurs.--R.]
[81] Baruch iii. 37.
[82] Or Unapproachable aprsito, according to some mss. Savil.
[83] [Chrysostom uses the imperative: "Because of this very thing especially marvel," etc.--R.]
[84] John i. 13.
[85] astrapn. [Used of a flash of lightning, or dazzling brightness.--R.]
[86] [ka gr.]
[87] Gen. ii. 4.
[88] John vii. 42.
[89] Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24; xxxvii. 24, 25; Jer. xxx. 9; Hos. iii. 5.
[90] 2 Kings xix. 34.
[91] 1 Kings ii. 11, 12, 13.
[92] [Ka.]
[93] Luke i. 27. [The words, "and lineage" occur in some mss. of the New Testament. But the citation here is probably made with freedom.--R.]
[94] Gen. xlix. 10, from LXX. Our translation preserving the Hebrew word renders it "until Shiloh come." [Comp. the marginal renderings of the R.V. in loco.--R.]
[95] [The labored argument here suggests that Chrysostom was not sure of his exegetical position. In Luke i. 27, the phrase "of the house of David" is most naturally joined with "Joseph," and so Chrysostom himself implies.--R.]
[96] paracharttein. [This word is the technical one for counterfeiting or forging.--R.]
[97] See Hom. iii. sec. 1.
[98] echarista.
[99] [philosophotra is rendered, "more endued with practical wisdom."--R.]
[100] Ps. cii. 3, LXX. [R.V., "My days consume away like smoke." The LXX. has the aorist, hence, "have failed" is the rendering here adopted. Some editions of Chrysostom read the imperfect here. The Oxford edition has a second note, the meaning of which is not clear: "Rather have failed, LXX."--R.]
[101] [eznou, "well-girded," then figuratively, "unencumbered."--R.]
[102] [parlkonta .]
[103] [parlkonta.]
[104] [en ms strephomnoi .]
[105] 1 Cor. x. 11.
[106] 1 Cor. xv. 33.
[107] Amos viii. 11.
[108] [2 Cor. vii. 11 is here cited, but in abridged form. All the mss. and editions of Chrysostom, except the Benedictine, give the briefer reading, but in Migne's edition, all phbon, ll pipthesin ("yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire") are supplied in brackets. In the New Testament passage there is no variation in text, so far as these phrases are concerned. Like most patristic authors, this great Homilist was quite free in his method of citing Scripture.--R.]
[109] [Literally, "will condemn himself."--R.]