What then, saith one, is the head of virtue? Humility. Wherefore Christ also begins with it, saying, "Blessed are the poor." [1867] This head hath not locks and ringlets, but beauty, such as to gain God's favor. For, "Unto whom shall I look," saith He, "but unto him that is meek and humble, and trembleth at my words?" [1868] And, "Mine eyes are upon the meek of the earth." [1869] And, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart." [1870] This head, instead of locks, and flowing hair, bears sacrifices acceptable to God. It is a golden altar, and a spiritual place of sacrifice; [1871] "For a contrite spirit is a sacrifice to God." [1872] This is the mother of wisdom. If a man have this, he will have the rest also.
Hast thou seen a head such as thou hadst never seen? Wilt thou see the face too, or rather mark it? Mark then for the present its color, how ruddy, and blooming, and very engaging; and observe what are its ingredients. "Well, and what are they?" Shame-facedness and blushing. Wherefore also some one saith, "Before a shamefaced man shall go favor." [1873] This sheds much beauty over the other members also. Though thou mix ten thousand colors, thou wilt not produce such a bloom.
And if thou wilt see the eyes also, behold them exactly delineated with decency and temperance. Wherefore they become also so beautiful and sharpsighted, as to behold even the Lord Himself. For, "Blessed," saith He, "are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." [1874]
And her mouth is wisdom and understanding, and the knowledge of spiritual hymns. And her heart, acquaintance with Scripture, and maintenance of sound doctrines, and benevolence, and kindness. And as without this last there is no living, so without that other is never any salvation. Yea, for from that all her excellencies have birth. She hath also for feet and hands the manifestations of her good works. She hath a soul too, godliness. She hath likewise a bosom of gold, and firmer than adamant, even fortitude; and all may be taken captive more easily than that bosom may be riven asunder. And the spirit that is in the brain and heart, is charity. [1875]
5. Wilt thou that in her actual deeds also I show thee her image? Consider, I pray thee, this very evangelist: although we have not his whole life in writing, nevertheless even from a few facts one may see his image shine forth.
First, as to his having been lowly and contrite, hear him, after his gospel, calling himself a publican; for his being also merciful, see him stripping himself of all and following Jesus; and as to his piety, it is evident from his doctrines. And his wisdom again it is easy to see from the gospel which he composed, and his charity [1876] (for he cared for the whole world); and the manifestation of his good works, from the throne on which he is to sit; [1877] and his courage too, "by his departing with joy from the presence of the council." [1878]
Let us imitate then this virtue, and most of all his humility and almsgiving, without which one cannot be saved. And this is shown by the five virgins, and together with them by the Pharisee. For without virginity indeed it is possible to see the kingdom, but without almsgiving it cannot be. For this is among the things that are essential, and hold all together. Not unnaturally then have we called it the heart of virtue. But this heart, unless it supply breath to all, is soon extinguished. In the same way then as the fountain also, if it confine its streams to itself, grows putrid; so it is with the rich also, when they keep their possessions to themselves. Wherefore even in our common conversation we say, "great is the consumption [1879] of wealth with such a man;" instead of saying, "great is the abundance, great the treasure." For in truth there is a consumption, not of the possessors only, but of the riches themselves. Since both garments laid by spoil, and gold is cankered, and corn is eaten up, and the soul too of their owner is more than they all cankered and corrupted by the cares of them.
And if thou be willing to produce in the midst a miser's soul; like a garment eaten by innumerable worms, and not having any sound part, even so wilt thou find it, perforated on all sides by cares; rotted, cankered by sins.
But not such the poor man's soul, the soul of him, I mean, that is voluntarily poor; but it is resplendent as gold, it shines like a pearl, and it blooms like a rose. For no moth is there, no thief is there, no worldly care, but as angels converse, so do they.
Wouldest thou see the beauty of this soul? Wouldest thou acquaint thyself with the riches of poverty? He commands not men, but he commands evil spirits. He stands not at a king's side, but he hath taken his stand near to God. He is the comrade, not of men, but of angels. He hath not chests, two, or three, or twenty, but such an abundance as to account the whole world as nothing. He hath not a treasure, but heaven. He needs not slaves, or rather hath his passions for slaves, hath for slaves the motives [1880] that rule over kings. For that which commands him who wears the purple, that motive shrinks before him. [1881] And royalty, and gold, and all such things, he laughs at, as at children's toys; and like hoops, and dice, and heads, and balls, so doth he count all these to be contemptible. For he hath an adorning, which they who play with these things cannot even see.
What then can be superior to this poor man? He hath at least heaven for his pavement; but if the pavement be like this, imagine the roof! But hath he not horses and chariots? Why, what need hath he of these, who is to be borne upon the clouds, and to be with Christ?
Having these things then impressed on our minds, let us, both men and women, seek after that wealth, and the plenty that cannot be rifled; that we may attain also unto the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and love towards man of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and might forever and ever. Amen.
[1836] [R.V., "nothing," following a reading accepted by Chrysostom, both here and in the comments. The received text has "not."--R. ]
[1837] [R.V., "things hidden."]
[1838] Comp. Ps. lxxviii. 2.
[1839] Matt. iv. 33.
[1840] Ezek. xii. 9, xxiv. 19, xxxvii. 18.
[1841] [R.V., "he left the multitudes." Compare the previous sentence. But Chrysostom, with the rec. text inserts "Jesus."--R.]
[1842] Matt. xiii. 36, the house (rec. text).
[1843] epilabsthai .
[1844] [Matt. xiii. 36, freely cited.]
[1845] Mark ix. 32.
[1846] This passage is translated according to a conjectural emendation of Mr. Field. [The Greek text seems to be corrupt here. The mss. readings yield no intelligible sense that can be considered correct.--R.]
[1847] Or, "produce lawlessness," to poionta tn noman, in which sense it seems more directly applicable to heretics, who may not be vicious in their own lives, but produce a contempt of God's law by their false doctrines. Transl.
[1848] Matt. xiii. 37-43. [The long citation presents few textual variations of any kind, none that affect the sense.--R.]
[1849] John iv. 35.
[1850] Matt. ix. 37; Luke x. 2.
[1851] John iv. 37.
[1852] hupakousnton .
[1853] 1 Thess. iv. 17.
[1854] Matt. xiii. 51. [R.V., omits "Lord," so the oldest mss. and the Vulgate.--R.]
[1855] Matt. xiii. 44-46. [Here also the Greek text presents few peculiarities; t is omitted before agr in verse 44, as in a few mss. of the New Testament.--R.]
[1856] Matt. xiii. 47, 48. [R.V., "which, when it was filled, they drew upon the beach," etc.]
[1857] Matt. xxv. 32.
[1858] pachteron.
[1859] Matt. xiii. 50.
[1860] aperchmenoi, rec. text, eserchmenoi .
[1861] Matt. vii. 13.
[1862] Matt. xiii. 51. [See note 7, p. 293.--R.]
[1863] [R.V., "hath been made a disciple to the Kingdom of Heaven." Chrysostom reads en, the received text has e with the accusative.--R.]
[1864] Matt. xiii. 52.
[1865] Matt. xxiii. 34.
[1866] i.e., in particular the Manichæans, and other sects which deny the divinity of the Old Testament.
[1867] Matt v. 3; Luke vi. 20.
[1868] Is. lxvi. 2.
[1869] Ps. ci. 6, comp. Ps. lxxvi. 9.
[1870] Ps. xxxiv. 18.
[1871] bmo, thusiastrion. These two words are commonly used, the former in a bad, the other in a good sense, of Heathen, and Christian, or Jewish, altars respectively. This seems to be an invariable rule, as to the word bmo, in the Greek Bible except that it is used of the Jewish altar in the following places of the Apocrypha: Ecclus. l. 12, 14; 2 Macc. ii. 19, xiii. 8, which may suffice to show that it was occasionally employed, as by St. Chrysostom here, with no unholy association.
[1872] Ps. li. 17.
[1873] Ecclus. xxxii. 10.
[1874] Matt. v. 8.
[1875] [agp ]
[1876] [agpen.]
[1877] Luke xxii. 30.
[1878] Acts v. 41.
[1879] spsi, q.d. "the wear and tear."
[1880] logismos.
[1881] [The translator has omitted a clause: "and dares not face him," ka ntiblpsai o tolm.]