Well, then, let us speak to you to-day from the Old Testament. What does it tell us? "Accustom not thy mouth to swearing; neither use thyself to the naming of the Holy One." And why? "For as a servant that is continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark, so he that sweareth." (Ecclus. xxiii. 10.) See the discernment of this wise man. He did not say, "Accustom not to swearing" thy mind, but "thy mouth"; because being altogether an affair of the mouth, thus it is easily remedied. For at last it becomes a habit without intention; as for instance, there are many who entering the public baths, as soon as they have passed the threshold, cross (Hom. in 1 Cor. xi. 7) themselves (sphragizontai). [269] This the hand has got to do, without any one's bidding, by force of habit. Again, at the lighting of a candle, often when the mind is intent on something else, the hand makes the sign. In the same way also the mouth, without concurrence of the mind, articulates the word, from mere habit, and the whole affair is in the tongue. "Neither use thyself," he says, "to the naming of the Holy One. For as a servant that is continually beaten shall not be without a blue mark, so he that sweareth." He speaks not here of false oaths, but he cuts down all oaths, and to them also assigns their punishment. Why then, swearing is a sin. For such in truth is the soul; full of all these ulcers, all these scars. But you do not see them? Yes, this is the mischief of it; and yet you might see if you wished; for God has given you eyes. With eyes of this kind did the Prophet see, when he said, "My wounds stink, and are corrupt, because of my foolishness." (Ps. xxxviii. 5.) We have despised God, we have hated that good Name, we have trodden Christ under foot, we have lost all reverence, none names the Name of God with honor. Yet if you love any one, even at his name you start to your feet; but God you thus continually invoke, and make nothing of it. Call upon Him for the benefit of your enemy; call upon Him for the salvation of your own soul; then he will be present, then you will delight Him; whereas now you provoke Him to anger. Call upon Him as Stephen did; "Lord," he said, "lay not this sin to their charge." (ch. vii. 59.) Call upon Him as did the wife of Elkanah, with tears and sobs, and prayers. (1 Sam. i. 10.) I prevent you not, rather I earnestly exhort you to it. Call upon him as Moses called upon Him, yea, cried, interceding for those [270] who had driven him into banishment. For you to make mention at random of any person of consideration, is taken as an insult: and do you bandy God about in your talk, in season, out of season? I do not want to hinder you from keeping God always in your mind: nay, this I even desire and pray for, only that you should do this, so as to honor Him. Great good would this have done us, if we had called upon God only when we ought, and for what we ought. And why, I would ask, were such miracles wrought in the Apostles' times, and not in ours? And yet it is the same God, the same Name. But no, the case is not the same. For then they called upon Him only for those objects which I have mentioned; whereas we call upon Him not for these, but quite other purposes.--If a man refuse to believe you, and that is why you swear, say to him, "Believe me:" however, if you will needs make oath, swear by yourself. I say this, not to set up a law against Christ's law; God forbid; for it is said. "Let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay (Matt. v. 37): but by way of coming down to your present level, that I may more easily lead you to the practice of this commandment, and divert you from this tyrannical habit. How many who have done well in other respects, have been undone by these practices! Shall I tell you why it was permitted the ancients to take oaths? (for to take false oaths, was not permitted to them either.) Because they swore by idols. But are you not ashamed to rest in laws, by which they in their infirmity were led on to something better? It is true, when I take a Gentile in hand, I do not immediately lay this injunction upon him, but in the first place I exhort him to know Christ; but if the believer, who has both learnt Him and heard Him, must needs crave the same forbearance with the Gentile, what is the use, what the gain (of his Christianity?)--But the habit is strong, and you cannot detach yourself from it? Well then, since the tyranny of habit is so great, transfer it into another channel. And how is this to be done? you will ask. What I have said often, I say also now; let there be many monitors (logistai), let there be many examiners and censors (exetastai, dokimastai). Say, if you chance to put on your [271] mantle inside out, you allow your servant to correct your mistake, and are ashamed to learn of him, although there is much to be ashamed of in this; and here when you are getting hurt to your soul, are you ashamed to be taught better by another? You suffer your menial to put your dress in order, and to fasten your shoes, and will you not endure him that would put your soul in order? Let even your menial, your child, your wife, your friend, your kinsman, your neighbor, be your teachers on this point. For as when a wild beast is hunted down from all sides, it is impossible for it to escape; so he that has so many to watch him, so many to reprove him, who is liable to be struck at from all sides, cannot help being on his guard. The first day he will find it hard to put up with, and the second, and the third; but after that it will come easier, and, the fourth passed, there will not even be anything to do. Make the experiment, if you doubt me; take it into consideration, I beseech you. It is not a trifling matter to be wrong in, nor yet to come right in; on both sides it is great for evil and for good. May the good be effected, through the grace and loving-mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, power, and honor, now and ever, world without end. Amen.
[246] It is more likely that katangelein en to 'Iesou ten anastasin k. t. l. means "to declare in (the case of) Jesus the resurrection," i.e. that the reference is specifically to the resurrection of Jesus instead of (as Chrys.) to the resurrection generally.--G.B.S.
[247] So A. C. N. Cat. but B. omits ouk. Edd. "They had their hands still reeking with the blood of their former victim and they were not chilled (enarkon), but again laid them upon others, to fill them with fresh blood. Or perhaps also they feared them as having now become a multitude, and for this reason the captain," etc. But the statement, ouk edeisan to plethos is explained in the Recapitulation: they led Christ to trial immediately, for fear of the multitude; but not so here.
[248] C. D. E. F. Ei gar ho staurotheis, phesi toiauta ergazetai, kai ton cholon anestesen, ou phoboumetha oude toutous. A. B. N. ergazetai, oude toutous phoboumetha; ton cholon anestese, and so Cat. which however has estesan. The meaning is obscure, especially the emphatic oude toutous: but perhaps it may be explained: "He was crucified; they did their worst to Him, to how little purpose! therefore neither need we fear these men, what they can do to us." But the report is otherwise so defective and confused, that perhaps what Chrys. actually said here was meant of the priests: "We were able to crucify the Master, therefore we do not fear these common men, His followers, though, as they say, it is He that does these works, that made the lame man walk."
[249] Something is wanting here: perhaps a remark on the mention of Annas as the high-priest, whereas elsewhere Caiaphas appears to have been high-priest shortly before.
[250] apo tou prooimiou diekomodesen, i.e. "You, the rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,--to make it a crime," etc. For this, which is the reading of the other mss. and the Catena, E. alone has kai diekodonise, mallon de autous kai anemnesen k. t. l. "And he rung them, nay, rather also reminded them," etc. Diakodonizein is a word elsewhere used by St. Chrys., and would suit the passage very well, either as "he put their unsoundness to the proof (like false metal, or cracked earthenware)," or "he sounded an alarm in their ears:" but the other is equally suitable, and better accredited here. Below, 'Epeide de kai krinometha k. t. l.--Cat. epei de. Edd. nun de.
[251] Otan gar me e ti katorthosai. Quando enim non est aliquid præclare agendum. Ben. Non est corrigendum aliquid, Erasm. But see the comment in the recapitulation. "Where need was to teach, they allege prophecies; where, to show boldness, they affirm peremptorily." katorthosai, "to carry their point," "to come off in the right;" viz. here, to convince by argument.
[252] anatrepsai (phesin) to genomenon ouk eni, A. B. C. Cat. A proverbial expression. Edd. anatrepsai to genomenon ouk ischusan, "Since then they had not power to undo," etc.
[253] We have supplied the text, instead of which C. inserts, "What shall we do to these men?" adopted by E. and Edd. Below, after the text 5. 28. E. inserts the latter part of v. 17. "Let us straitly threaten them," etc.
[254] All our mss. and Cat. peisthentos hoti aneste, kai touto (A. C. N. toutou, Cat. to) tekm. lab., hoti esti Theos, except that B. reads hoti an este Theos. Hence we read, hoti aneste. The repetition of these words may have led to the alteration.
[255] The modern text adds, "And marvel not that they again attempt what had been vainly essayed before."
[256] Kai men ano kai kato elegon. E. F. D. for the sake of connection insert dia touto before elegon, adopted in Edd.
[257] The same mss. and Edd. "And that in the Name of Jesus, this man stands before you whole." And below: "And besides, they themselves held, etc....: but now they disbelieve and are troubled, taking counsel to do something to them." Again, after "the wickedness of the many:"--"And pray why do they not deliver them up to the Romans? Already they were," etc. All these variations are due to the innovator, who did not perceive that the recapitulation began at the place marked above.
[258] The modern text inserts Kai ti depote ou paradidoasin autous Romaiois; "And why do they not deliver them over to the Romans? Already they were," etc. And after hoste mallon heautous ekakizon, the same adds, hupertithemenoi ten auton endeixin; and below, "But concerning these, they neither were bold, nor yet do they take them to Pilate."
[259] pos echei kai to baru ta rh& 208;mata; kai en toutois egumnazonto. i.e. "how their words have the rhetorical quality of to baru--grave and dignified impressiveness. Even in these, i.e. in the use of words," etc.
[260] Chrys. rightly remarks upon the great boldness and force of Peter's answer to the Sanhedrin (8-12). The ei anakrinometha, k. t. l. (9) is ironical: "If for doing a good deed a man must make answer." Then follow the bold declarations which are almost of the nature of a challenge (10) "Be it known to you all," etc., and the assertion that it was in the name which they despised--the "Nazarene"--that the miracle had been wrought and all this is pointed by the contrast: "Ye crucified" but "God raised" and the charge of opposition to the divine plan in that they had rejected the stone which God had made the head of the corner.--G.B.S.
[261] Ou gar ta rh& 208;mata monon, kai ta schemata edeiknunto to aphrontistos estanai peri toiouton krinomenous. A. C. but the former has edeiknuon, N. edeiknu. Our other mss. have, ou gar tois rh& 208;masi monon edeiknunto aphrontistountes p. t. krinomenoi: which is only an attempt to make the passage grammatical. The comment is on the word theorountes: they beheld the boldness, for not words only, their gestures also, declared it.--Below, ten parresian enephainon ten kata tou laou. 'Ex hon ephthengonto ethaumazon isos. Edd. ten parr. enephainon epi tou laou ex hon ephthengonto. 'Ethaumazon de isos.
[262] aph' hon elegon; Edd. and Erasm. take this affirmatively: but this can hardly be the Author's meaning; as he has just said that "from the things they uttered, they marvelled" that the speakers should be illiterate and common men. Something perhaps is wanting: e.g. "Not from the matter, but from the dialect, or from the brevity and abruptness of Peter's style, or, from the appearance of the men.--In the mss. the next sentence is, hoste epeskepsan an autois, Extrema auctoritate mandassent iis, Erasm. Acrius in eos egissent, Ben. Here and in what follows we have endeavored to restore the proper order. In the mss. in consequence, as it seems, of a confusion between the two clauses, ou dunametha arnesasthai, and ou dunametha gar...me lalein, the order of the comments is deranged: viz. "So that they would--been with them." "And they recognized--stopped their mouths:" "Whether it be right--judge ye.' When the terror--mere bravery. Whether it be right,' he says, and, We cannot deny it.' So that they would--better to let them go. Whether it be right--more than unto God.' Here by God--His Resurrection."