THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
But since the Apostle had said something great about the Son, and that He had shown such love, he then sends up glory to the Father also, lest anyone think that the Father is deprived of it. He says, “Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory unto the ages of ages. Amen” (v. 17).
For this, he says, we glorify not only the Son, but also the Father.
Let us therefore ask the heretics: here, speaking of the Father, the Apostle said, “the only God.” Is the Son, then, not God? He also said, “the only immortal.” Is the Son not immortal? Does the Son Himself not possess what He grants us in the life to come?
Yes, they say, the Son is both God and immortal, but not as the Father is. What are you saying? Not as He is? Is He less perfect in essence? Then is immortality in Him less perfect?
What do the expressions “more perfect” and “less perfect” immortality mean? Immortality is nothing other than freedom from corruption. Glory, indeed, may be greater or less. But immortality is neither greater nor less, just as health cannot be less or greater. A thing must either decay or not be subject to decay at all.
What then, you will say? Shall we also be immortal in the same measure? No, not at all. Why? Because the Father has this by nature, while it is given to us from without.
Perhaps the Son’s immortality is like this? Not at all. On the contrary, He too has it by nature. Where, then, is the distinction? In this, they say: the Father did not become (έγένετο) such from anyone else, while the Son is from the Father.
We confess the same. We do not deny that the Son is begotten incorruptibly from the Father. For this, they say, we glorify the Father, because He begot such a Son.
Do you not see that a father is especially glorified when the son does great things? What belongs to the son is referred to the father.
Therefore, since He begot one who is strong and the same as Himself, the glory of the Son is not greater than the glory of the Father. For He begot one self-existent, self-sufficient, and not lacking in power.
The words “King of the ages” are also spoken of the Son: “through whom He also made the ages” (Heb 1:2). The same applies here.
Among us, ordering and creating are separated from one another. One man orders, works, and labors, while another commands. Why so? Because among us the one who orders occupies a lower place.
But there it is not so at all. There dominion does not belong to one and the ordering to another.
Therefore, when I hear, “through whom He also made the ages,” I do not take creative power away from the Father. Likewise, when I hear that the Father is King of the ages, I do not take dominion away from the Son.
This belongs as much to the one as to the other, because both things belong to both. The Father created all things by begetting the Builder, the Son. The Son reigns because He is Lord of all creatures.
He does this not for a reward, as happens among us, nor from obedience to another, as others do, but according to His own goodness and love for mankind.
What then? Did the Son ever seem to be such? No one can say so. What then does “immortal, invisible, the only wise God” mean?
And what does this mean, when the Apostle says, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), and again, “there is salvation in no one else” (Acts 4:11)?
“Honor and glory,” he says, “unto the ages. Amen.” Honor and glory are not rendered by words. Therefore, since He also honored us not by words but by deed, let us also render Him honor by deed.
The honor by which God honored us has significance for us. The honor we render Him signifies nothing for Him, because He has no need of honor from us, while we have need of honor from Him.
Thus, if we render Him honor, we provide honor for ourselves through this.
A man who opens his eyes to see the sunlight benefits himself by marveling at the beauty of that luminary. He gives it nothing, because he does not make it brighter by this. It remains the same.
So also, and much more, it is when we turn to God. Whoever looks upon God with wonder and renders Him honor gains salvation for himself and receives the greatest benefit.
How? By appropriating virtue to himself, he is counted worthy of glory from Him. “I will glorify,” He says, “those who glorify Me” (1 Sam 2:30).
But how, they will ask, is He glorified if He receives nothing from the glory we render? In the same way it is said of Him that He hungers and thirsts.
He appropriates all that is ours to Himself, so that at least by this He may draw us: both honors and insults, so that at least by this He may instill fear in us. Yet even with this, we do not draw near to Him.
Let us therefore glorify God. Let us magnify God both in our body and in our spirit.
How, you will say, can one glorify Him in the body? And how in the spirit? Here “spirit” means the soul, set over against the body.
How then does someone glorify God in the body? And how in the soul? In the body, the one glorifies Him who does not give himself to fornication, drunkenness, or gluttony.
He glorifies Him who is not anxious about outward adornment, and who shows as much care for himself as is needed only for health. He glorifies Him who does not commit adultery.
So also does the woman who does not anoint herself with perfumes, does not paint her face with colors, and is content with the appearance God has given her, adding nothing artificial to it.
Tell me, why do you add something of your own to what has been created perfect by God? Is what God made not enough for you? Therefore, as though you were a more skillful artist, you undertake to correct God’s work.
This is not your intention, but you adorn yourself and insult the Creator in order to attract countless lovers to yourself.
What then am I to do, you say? I do not wish this, but am compelled to act so for my husband. Ordinarily, a woman who does not wish this is not loved for it.
God created you beautiful so that through this also He might arouse our wonder at Himself, not so that we should insult Him. Do not repay Him for this with such gifts, but with chastity and modesty.
God created you beautiful so that through this He might multiply for you the struggles of modesty. It is not equally difficult to preserve chastity for one who awakens love in everyone, and for one toward whom no one feels attraction.
Do you hear what Scripture says about Joseph? It says he was “beautiful in form and beautiful in face” (Gen 39:6).
What benefit comes to us when we hear that Joseph was beautiful? This: we marvel all the more at his beauty and modesty.
Did God create you beautiful? Why then do you make yourself ugly? Those who use cosmetics act like someone who smears a golden statue with filthy mud.
You variegate yourself with earth, now red, now white. But you will say that the ugly rightly do this. Why, tell me? To hide their ugliness? They labor in vain.
When, tell me, have art and contrivance surpassed nature? And why be grieved over ugliness at all, when it contains nothing shameful?
Listen to what a wise man says: “Do not praise a man for his beauty, and do not abhor a man for his appearance” (Sir 11:2). Therefore marvel more at God, the most skillful Artist, and not at the beautiful person at all, since what has happened was not arranged by him.
Tell me, what is the benefit of beauty? None. On the contrary, from it come great disputes, the greatest vexations, dangers, and suspicions.
Indeed, no one suspects a woman who is not so beautiful. But if a beautiful woman does not have especial and extraordinary modesty, she immediately becomes the object of an evil reputation. Even her husband treats her with mistrust. What could be more painful than this?
He does not experience as much pleasure from seeing her beauty as he suffers vexation from his suspicion. Even the pleasure loses its force through habit, when the soul itself gains a reputation for negligence, distraction, and willfulness.
When it becomes envious and is filled with great pride, beauty especially leads us to all these things. Meanwhile, we do not find that a woman who is not so beautiful has within herself so many obstacles to a virtuous life.
Nor do dogs attack her. Like a lamb beside which the shepherd is always present, she feeds in complete calm. No wolf troubles her or attacks her.
The harm is not that one woman is beautiful and another is not. The harm is that one commits fornication despite not being beautiful, and that another is evil.
Tell me, in what does the excellence of eyes consist? Is it that they are moist, lively, round, and blue, or that they are sharp and penetrating? I affirm the latter, and this is clear from the following.
In what does the excellence of a lamp consist? Is it that it shines brightly and illumines the whole house, or that it is beautifully made and round in form? Certainly in the first, we would say. The latter property has no significance for us, and we seek the former.
Therefore we always say to the maidservant entrusted with this: you have prepared the lamp badly. Thus the purpose of a lamp is to shine.
So also with the eye. Whether it is of one kind or another means nothing, provided it performs its function entirely well. Likewise it is called bad when it sees poorly and lacks proper construction.
For we say even of people who see nothing with open eyes that they have bad eyes. We call bad everything that does not accomplish what it is supposed to accomplish. This, then, is the defect of eyes.
In what does the excellence of the nose consist? Is it that it is straight, sharp on both sides, and has fitting proportion, or that it is capable of smell, quickly receives impressions, and transmits them to the brain? The latter is evident to everyone.
Let us continue the inquiry and explain the matter by examples. Tell me, which tongs and vessels shall we call well made: those that can seize a thing well and hold it well, or those beautifully crafted? Obviously the first.
And which teeth shall we call good? Those that are sharp and easily break up food, or those beautifully arranged? Obviously the first.
In general, if we carry this inquiry in thought through our whole body, we shall find that everything in it is sound and good when each member rightly performs its proper function.
So also we call every vessel, every animal, and every plant good not because of its appearance or color, but because of its service. Among servants also, we call good the one trained for service, not the one who is beautiful and delicate.
Do you see how you can become beautiful? Therefore, when we make equal use of the greatest and most admirable goods, we suffer no wrong in anything.
That is, whether we are beautiful or not, we all see this world, the sun, the moon, and the stars equally. We breathe the air equally and use water and food equally.
If something admirable must be said, it is precisely this: those who are not beautiful are often healthier than the beautiful. Indeed, the latter, in order to preserve their beauty, do not devote themselves to labors, but spend their time in idleness and softness. From this the activity of their members especially weakens.
The former behave simply and boldly. Since they have no concern for their appearance, they spend all their time in labors.
Therefore let us glorify God. Let us magnify Him in our body. Let us not adorn ourselves, for this is a superfluous and useless concern. Let us not train our husbands to love only outward appearance.
If you adorn yourself in this way, then he, having become accustomed to this, can easily be seduced by wantonness when he looks upon your face.
On the contrary, if you teach him to love good conduct and modesty, he will not quickly fall into adultery. With a harlot he will not find this, but he will find the contrary.
Therefore do not train him to be seduced by laughter or by free movements of the body, lest through this you prepare poison for yourself. Teach him to find pleasure in modesty. You can do this when you conduct yourself modestly.