And let the matter of thine advice be brief, for there is no need of much teaching; but let the expressions of forbearance on the other hand be many and close upon one another. And continually have thou recourse to the topic of love; throwing into shade the painfulness of what thou sayest, and giving him his full power, and saying, "This is what I for my part advise and recommend; but about taking the advice thou art only judge: for I do not compel and force thee, but submit the whole thing to thine own discretion."
If we so manage our reproof, we shall easily be able in correct those in error: even as what we now do is surely more like the conduct of wild beasts or irrational creatures than of men. For if any persons now perceive any one committing errors of this kind, with the person himself they do not at all confer, but themselves, like silly old women who have drunk too much, whisper with another. And the saying, "Get love for nothing, but do not get hatred for nothing," hath not here any place in their opinion. But, when they have a fancy to speak evil, they mind not being "hated for nothing," rather I should say, "being punished;" since it is not hatred alone that is hereby produced, but also punishment. But when there is need of correction, they allege both this, and innumerable other pretexts. Whereas then would be the time to think of these things, when thou speakest evil, when thou calumniatest; I mean the saying, "Be not hated for nothing," and "I can do nothing," and "it is no care of mine." But as things are, in the former case, thou art vehemently and idly curious, and carest not for hatred and ills innumerable; but when thou shouldest be taking thought for the salvation of thy brother, then it is thy pleasure to be a sort of unofficious, inoffensive person. And yet from evil speaking arises hatred both on God's part and on men's; and this is no great care to thee: but by giving advice privately, and reproofs of that kind, both he and God will be made thy friends. And even should he hate thee, God goes on loving thee the rather on this account. Nay, in fact, not even so will he hate thee, as when his hatred came from thine evil speaking: but in that case he will avoid thee as a foe and an enemy, whereas now he will consider thee more venerable than any father. And if he apparently take it ill, inwardly and privately he will feel much obliged to thee.
[7.] Bearing in mind these things therefore let us have a care of our own members, and not sharpen the tongue against one another, nor speak words "which may do hurt, [355] " undermining the fame of our neighbor, and as in war and battle, giving and receiving blows. For what after all is the good of fasting or watching, when the tongue is drunken, and feasts itself at a table more unclean than of dog's flesh; when it is grown ravening after blood, and pours out filth, and makes the mouth a channel of a sewer, nay rather something more abominable than that? For that which proceeds from thence pollutes the body: but what comes from the tongue often suffocates the soul.
These things I say, not in anxiety about those who have an ill report falsely: for they are worthy even of crowns, when they bear what is said nobly; but in anxiety for you that so speak. For him that is evil reported of falsely, the Scriptures pronounce "blessed;" but the evil-speaker they expel from the holy Mysteries, nay even from the very precincts. For it is said, (Ps. ci. 5.) "Him that privily speaketh against his neighbor, this man did I chase out." And he saith too that such a one is unworthy to read the sacred books. For, "Why," saith He, (Ps. l. 16.) "dost thou declare My righteous laws, and takest My covenant in thy mouth?" Then, annexing the cause He saith (v. 20.) "Thou satest and spakest against thy brother." And here indeed he doth not distinctly add whether they be things true or false which he speaks. But elsewhere this too makes part of His prohibition: He implying, that even though thou speak truths, yet such things are not to be uttered by thee. For, "Judge not," saith He," that ye be not judged:" (Matt. vii. 1.) since he too who spoke evil of the publican was condemned, although it was true which he laid to his neighbor's charge.
"What then," you will say, "if any one be daring and polluted, must we not correct him? must we not expose him?" We must both expose and correct: but in the way which I mentioned before. But if thou do it upbraiding him, take heed lest thine imitation of that Pharisee cause thee to fall into his state. For no advantage accrues from hence; none to thee who speakest, none to him who hears thee, none to the person accused. But the latter, for his part, becomes more reckless: since as long as he is unobserved, he is sensible of shame; but as soon as he becomes manifest and notorious, he casts off the curb also which that feeling imposed on him.
And the hearer will in his turn be yet more injured. For whether he be conscious to himself of good deeds, he becomes puffed and swoln up with the accusation brought against another; or of faults, he then becomes more eager for iniquity.
Thirdly, the speaker too himself will both incur the bad opinion of the hearer, and will provoke God to more anger against himself.
Wherefore, I beseech you, let us cast from us every word that is unsavory. If there be any thing good unto edification, this let us speak.
But hast thou a fancy to avenge thyself on the other person? Why then punish thyself instead of him? Nay, do thou, who art so earnestly seeking redress from those who have annoyed thee, avenge thyself as Paul recommended to take vengeance. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink." (Rom. xii. 20.) But if thou do not so, but only plot against him, thou pointest the sword against thyself.
Wherefore if that other speak evil, answer him with praises and commendations. For so wilt thou be able both to take vengeance on him, and wilt deliver thyself from evil surmising. Since he that feels pain at hearing ill of himself, is thought to be so affected because of some consciousness of evil: but he that laughs to scorn what is said, exhibits a most unquestionable token of his not being conscious to himself of any evil thing. [356]
Seeing then that thou profitest neither thine hearer, nor thyself, nor him that is accused, and dost but point thy sword at thine own self, even from such considerations do thou learn more soberness. For one ought indeed to be moved by the thought of the kingdom of heaven, and of what pleases God: but since thou art of grosser disposition and bitest like a wild beast, hereby even be thou instructed; that these arguments having corrected thee, thou mayest be able to order thyself simply from consideration of what pleases God; and having come to be above every passion, mayest obtain the heavenly blessings:--which may God grant us all to obtain, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His mercy towards mankind; with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and henceforth, and unto everlasting ages. Amen.
[344] pros humas not in rec. text.
[345] pros kindunous en parembeblemenos.
[346] [It seems quite certain that the orator was incorrectly reported here. For this direction is found in the Second Epistle (xiii. 12), and also at the close of First Thessalonians (v. 26) and of Romans (xvi. 16). But his explication of the meaning is correct. Tertullian (de Oratione, xviii.) speaks of it as "the kiss of peace," and on this account it was eminently fitting that the distracted Church of Corinth should not omit a salutation so significant. The qualifying epithet "holy" was added, not as Chrysostom says in his Homily on the passage in Second Corinthians, in order to distinguish it from a hollow kiss such as Judas gave to our Lord, but to denote its religious and Christian character. It was not a mere expression of domestic kinship and friendliness, but a recognition of the tender relation existing between each believer and all the other members of Christ's mystical person. It required to be free from deceit and hypocrisy, but it also needed to be given and received as a pledge of mutual forgiveness and love, otherwise the whole object of the salutation failed. C.]
[347] That is, the kiss of peace, constantly used as part of the ceremonial of the holy Eucharist; as appears by all the Primitive Liturgies.
[348] [Chrysostom gives correctly the object of this solemn utterance. It was surely to strike terror into all who by contentiousness, by profligacy, by covetousness, by litigiousness, by idolatry, by arrogance, or in any other way showed that they were destitute of love to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. For such there is no outlook in the future but perdition. But the answers to the other questions proposed are not so happy. The use of the East Aramæan term Maran atha is hardly to be accounted for by supposing that the Apostle wished to cross the conceit of the Corinthians in their Hellenic language and wisdom, although it is harsh in Meyer to pronounce this "singularly absurd." In the absence of any direct clew to the purpose it is well to accept the opinion of Calvin that the Apostle roused by the gravity of the occasion could not satisfy himself without clothing in the older and more sacred dialect the tremendous truth which gave such solemn weight to the anathema. A similar feeling seems to lie at the root of the use of the corresponding terms, Abba in Mark xiv. 36, Rom. viii. 15, Gal. iv. 6, (Compare the Hebrew words Abaddon and Armageddon in the Apocalypse.) So in regard to the meaning of the words Maran atha. They can just as well bear the rendering "The Lord cometh" as that which Chrysostom gives, "The Lord has come" and the connection renders the latter far more likely, notwithstanding Jerome, Erasmus and Castalio agree with the Greek Fathers. Hence nearly all modern interpreters hold that there is a reference to the final Parousia. It is a solemn warning that the approaching advent of the Son of Man would bring about the execution of the dreadful curse, just as in the 25th chapter of Matthew the sentence of the cursed is said to be announced and put in force when "the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him." The reference to the incarnation has significance as emphasizing the greatness of the sin of those who love not the Lord, but the reference to the Second Advent has much more as it exhibits and enforces the certainty and severity of the doom that awaits all such sinners. C.]
[349] ex hon malista ta spermata tes anastaseos suntetheiken.
[350] tekomenos.
[351] St. Chrysostom "attacked in the first instance those ecclesiastics who, under pretence of charity, lived with virgins, whom they treated as adopted sisters, who they called subintroductæ' or adelphai agapetai. Their excuses were, to assist a maiden left desolate without relations or friends; to take care of her affairs, if rich, and to maintain her in charity, if poor....On the other hand, the clergy said they cast on them the burden of their household, and those trifling cares for which women are most proper, in order to be more at liberty for the offices of their ministry. For the rest, they affirmed that in this intimacy there was no sort of criminal liberty, not at all making the less profession of continence. So Chrysostom maintained the contrary; and we have two whole discourses of his on this subject, which seem to have been written about this time," the time of his promotion to the see of Constantinople. Fleury, E. H. b. 20. §. 38.
[352] The Areopagus, and other courts resembling it, which allowed no appeals to the passions.
[353] apo prosopou, "before the face."
[354] psoras.
[355] rhemata katapontismou. Ps. 52. 4. ap. lxx, 51. 4. "Words of swallowing up in the sea;" i.e., as St. Augustin on the place intimates, "words so sinful that they plunge the swimmer again in the deep, and complete his shipwreck, when by repentance he ought to lay hold of the cross."
[356] [It is impossible to read this Homily without being struck with the consummate skill of the great Christian orator. Nowhere in the literature that preceded or followed him is to be found a better exposition of the duty of reproof or of the manner in which it is to be performed. The disciple must have drunk deeply in the Spirit of the Master to be able to set forth a difficult and delicate obligation in such a wise and winning form. Nothing is overlooked, nothing carelessly stated. C.]