THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
See: after touching their soul with the words, "He appointed a day," and frightening them, he then fittingly adds, "having raised Him from the dead."
See how he turns them away from the thought of particular gods. "For He has appointed," he says, "a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness."
See: again he points to the world, meaning mankind here. "By the Man whom He has ordained, giving assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."
See how, after mentioning the Resurrection, he again pointed to the Passion of Christ. That this judgment is righteous is evident from the Resurrection, since one confirms the other.
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That he said all this justly is evident from the same fact, that Christ rose. So the apostles preached faith in Christ to all, assuring them that He had risen. This, however, is known.
All this was said to the Athenians. Yet it is timely to say to us also that "all men everywhere" must "repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness."
See how Paul presents Him as Judge and Provider of the world, loving mankind and merciful, almighty and all-wise, and in general with all the properties belonging to the Creator.
He brought what was said as proof that Christ rose from the dead. Therefore let us repent, because we must be judged.
If Christ had not risen, we would not be judged. But if He has risen, then we shall certainly be judged.
For "Christ," Scripture says, "died and rose and lived again for this very purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living" (Rom 14:9).
Again: "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Rom 14:10). "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive according to what he has done" (2 Cor 5:10).
Do not think these are mere words. Here he also sets forth the teaching on the resurrection of all. Otherwise the world could not be judged.
The words, "having raised Him from the dead," refer to Christ's body. It was dead. It underwent death.
The Greeks reject the teaching both of creation and of judgment, asserting that it is an invention of children and drunken men. But we, knowing this surely, let us do all things for our benefit and seek to be reconciled to Christ.
How long shall we be at enmity with Him? How long shall we nourish a hostile feeling toward Him?
"May it not be!" you say. "Why do you say this?" I would not say it if you were not doing it.
But now what use is it that you do not express this in words, when your deeds cry out so plainly?
How, then, shall we love Him? I have spoken of this ten thousand times. Yet let us speak of it now as well.
I have found, I think, one very important and wondrous way. Let us reflect on God's benefits that concern all in common, so abundant that they cannot even be counted.
After giving Him thanks for all these, let each of us present to himself what He has done for him personally, and meditate on it every day. This has great power.
Therefore let each of us think within himself and carefully remember when he was in danger and escaped from the hands of enemies.
Let him keep God's benefits as though written in a book. For example, did he ever set out on a journey at an unfavorable time and escape danger?
Did he ever have dealings with wicked men and come out victorious? Did he ever fall into illness and, beyond all expectation, recover?
This greatly helps reconcile us to God. If Mordecai's good deeds, when remembered by the king, brought him so much benefit that he again attained his former greatness (Esth 6:1-12), how much more shall we benefit?
We shall benefit if we remember and carefully observe how we have sinned against God, and what good things He has bestowed on us. Then we shall be thankful and leave all sin.
But no one remembers anything of the kind. Just as we say about sins, "We are sinful," without examining in what specifically, so also we say of God's benefits, "He does us good," without examining where, in what, and when.
From now on, let us be more attentive. If anyone can remember even ancient benefits of God, let him carefully meditate on all of them. He will find a great treasure in this.
This is useful for us also so that we do not fall into despair. If we see that He has often done good to us, we shall not despair or think ourselves rejected.
Rather, we shall have a great pledge of His care for us, thinking that even when we sin, we are not punished, but still enjoy His benefits.
I will tell something I heard from a certain man. There was a boy, and it happened that he was with his mother outside the city, when he was not yet fifteen years old.
At that time bad weather came, and they both fell ill with fever. It was autumn.
The mother hastened to go to the city. The boy, whom the physicians had ordered to remain there, felt the heat of fever and began rinsing his mouth.
He reasoned and thought that by this he would destroy the fever sooner than if he used nothing. Thinking like a boy, through untimely stubbornness he did not stop.
When he arrived in the city, his tongue was paralyzed. For a long time he did not speak and could pronounce nothing distinctly.
He read, and for a long time went to teachers, but in vain and without success. No hope remained. His mother was filled with grief.
The physicians devised many things, and others devised many things, but no one helped, until the God who loves mankind loosed the bond of his tongue.
Then he recovered and received his former gift of speech and clarity of voice.
His mother also related that when he was still an infant, he had in his nose a disease called a polyp. The physicians likewise despaired.
His mother prayed that he might die, and his father, who was still alive then, wished the same for him. His condition was wholly hopeless.
But suddenly he sneezed. By the violent rush of air he expelled from his nostrils the said creature, and all his sufferings ceased.
When this illness had passed, a strong purulent discharge arose from his eyes. Continuing without interruption, it produced so thick a suppuration that it covered the pupil like a veil.
Unhappily, it threatened blindness, which everyone expected. But by the grace of God he was soon delivered from this illness as well.
This I heard. Now I will tell you what I know myself.
Once the magistrates became suspicious of our city, when I was still a youth. They surrounded it from outside with soldiers and searched to see whether magical and sorcerous books might be found anywhere.
A man who had written such a book and thrown it unfinished into the river was caught. Since he could not present it when demanded, he was bound and led through the whole city.
When suspicions against him increased, he was executed.
At that time, wishing to go to the temple of the martyrs, I was walking through the gardens beside the river with another man.
He saw a book floating on the surface. At first he thought it was a piece of cloth.
When he came closer, he saw that it was a book. He went down and took it.
I was still laughing and disputing with him that the find should be shared. "But let us see," he said, "what this is."
He unfolds part of the page and sees that it is a book of magic. It happened that at that very time a soldier was passing by.
Then the other man hid it and went on, numb with fear. Who could have believed that we had taken it from the river to destroy it, when even the most unsuspected people were being detained?
We did not dare throw it away, lest we be seen. It was also frightening to divide it between ourselves.
But God arranged it so that we both threw it away and were delivered from extreme danger.
I could tell you many such things, if I wished to recount them all. I have told this for your sake, so that each of you may always remember such events, or at least others.
For example, has it not happened that a stone was thrown and could have fallen on you, yet did not hit you? Keep this always in memory.
This greatly helps us nourish love for God. If, when we remember people who have delivered us from something, we are deeply grieved when we cannot thank them, how much more should we be thankful to God?
This is useful in another respect also. If we wish not to despond in misfortune, let us say, "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10).
Paul spoke of his deliverance from dangers for this reason, to remember his benefactors. See how Jacob kept everything in his mind.
Therefore he said, "The Angel who delivers me from every evil" from my youth (Gen 48:16).
We must remember not only that the Lord delivered us, but also how and in what circumstance. See, Jacob remembered the very particulars of the benefits.
"For with my staff," he says, "I crossed this Jordan" (Gen 32:10).
The Jews always remembered even the benefits shown to their fathers, repeating what happened in Egypt. How much more should we remember our own circumstances and what happened to us?
We should remember how often we fell into difficulties and misfortunes. If God had not stretched out His helping hand to us, we would long ago have perished.
Knowing this and repeating it every day, let us all constantly thank God. Let us all together send up praise to Him and glorify Him without ceasing.
Then, for our thanksgiving, we may receive great recompense, by the grace and compassions of His Only-begotten Son. With Him, to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
How? Will none of them be punished? None of those who desire to repent.
He is speaking of these, not of those who have died, but of those to whom he preaches. God does not, he says, require an account from you.
He did not say, "He overlooked," or, "He permitted," but, "You were in ignorance." He disregarded, that is, He does not punish those deserving punishment.
"You were in ignorance." He does not say, "You did evil voluntarily," since this is evident from what was said before.
"Everywhere to repent" points by these words to the whole universe. See how he turns them away from the thought of particular gods.
"For He has appointed," he says, "a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness." See: again he points to the world, meaning mankind here.
"By the Man whom He has ordained, giving assurance to all by raising Him from the dead." See how, after mentioning the Resurrection, he again pointed to the Passion of Christ.
That this judgment is righteous is evident from the Resurrection, since one confirms the other. That he said all this justly is evident from the same fact, that Christ rose.
So the apostles preached faith in Christ to all, assuring them that He had risen. This, however, is known.
Here he also sets forth the teaching on the resurrection of all. Otherwise the world cannot be judged.
The words, "having raised Him from the dead," refer to Christ's body. It was dead. It underwent death.
What are you doing, blessed Paul? Do you say nothing about the form of God, nor that Christ is equal to Him, nor about the radiance of His glory?
He does not say it, because it was not yet the time for these words. It was enough that they should first receive that He is Man.
Christ Himself did the same. They learned this from Paul.
For He did not reveal His Godhead to us immediately. At first He was thought to be a prophet and Christ, simply a man. Later He appeared as what He was.