THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
"To you first," he says, "God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you." This means that He was sent also to others, but first to you who crucified Him. "To bless you, in turning every one of you from your evil deeds."
He did not simply say, He sent His Servant to you, but specifically, after the Resurrection, after He had been crucified. So that they would not think the Son granted this and the Father did not, he added, "to bless you."
If He is your brother and blesses you, then this is the promise. That is, you not only have a share in these blessings, but He wills that you also become their cause for the rest. Therefore do not consider yourselves cast off and rejected.
"In turning every one," he says, "from your evil deeds." See in what case He blesses you, and not simply. What blessing is there here? A great one. Turning from sins is not sufficient even to loose them.
If this was not sufficient even for their remission, how could it give blessing? For one who has acted unjustly receives forgiveness for his sins, but is not yet blessed.
Having spoken thus, he rightly says afterward, "To you first He sent Him to bless you." He did not say, to save you, but what is greater, "to bless you," showing that the Crucified blesses those who crucified Him.
Let us also imitate Him. Let us cast away from ourselves a murderous and hostile disposition of soul. It is not enough not to take revenge, for this also existed in the Old Testament. Rather, let us do everything for those who have wronged us as for sincere friends, as for ourselves.
We are imitators, we are disciples of Him who, after being crucified, uses every measure for the salvation of those who crucified Him, and sends the Apostles to them. Besides, we often suffer justly, but they subjected Him to suffering not only unjustly, but impiously.
The Jews crucified their Benefactor, Him who had wronged them in nothing. For what, tell me? Was it because of glory? But He presented them as worthy of honor. How? "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do; but do not do according to their works, for they say and do not do" (Mt 23:2-3).
And again elsewhere: "Go, show yourself to the priest" (Mt 8:4). When He could have destroyed them, He saves them. Let us imitate Him, then. Let no one be anyone's enemy, no one an adversary, except to the devil.
Not swearing and not becoming angry contribute greatly to this. When we are not angry, we shall not have an enemy. Take the oath away from a man, and you have taken the wings from anger and extinguished all fury.
An oath is like wind for anger. Loosen the sails: the sail is of no use when there is no wind. Therefore, if we do not shout and swear, we shall take all strength away from anger.
If you do not believe this, test it, and then you will know that it is truly so. Set a law for an angry man never to swear, and you will have no need to speak to him about meekness.
In this case everything will succeed. You will not break oaths, and you will not swear at all. Do you not know into what absurdities you fall because of this?
You impose bonds upon yourselves, and then by every means you try to free your soul from them, as if this were some unavoidable evil. But since you cannot do this, you necessarily spend life in sorrow and quarrels, and give yourselves over to anger. Yet all this happens without need and in vain.
Therefore threaten, prescribe, do everything, but without an oath. Then, if you wish, what was said and done can be revoked.
Today it is necessary for me to speak with you more gently. Since you have obeyed my words, you have become much better. Therefore, if you wish, let us say whence the oath appeared and why it was permitted.
Having told of its first origin, when it arose, how, and from whom, by this account we shall thank you for your obedience. One who acts as he should must also love wisdom. But one who is not yet such is unworthy even to hear our word.
Abraham and those with him made many agreements, slaughtered sacrifices, and made offerings, but there was as yet no oath. Whence, then, did the oath appear?
When transgressions multiplied, when everything came into extreme disorder, when men inclined toward idolatry, then, when they had already shown themselves unworthy of trust, they began to call God as witness. They presented a faithful guarantor, as it were, for what they said.
For an oath consists precisely in this, in surety, because honesty is no longer trusted. Therefore, first of all, it serves as an accusation against the one who swears, if he is not believed without a guarantor, and indeed without a great guarantor. It comes from great distrust that they require as witness not a man, but God.
Secondly, the one who accepts the oath is equally guilty, if, while disputing about conditions, he drags God into surety and says that he will not believe unless he has Him as guarantor.
What extreme insensibility! What outrage! You, a worm, earth, ashes, and smoke, drag your Master into surety and compel Him to be guarantor.
Tell me, if, while your servants are disputing among themselves and do not trust one another, one slave said that he would not believe until he had the common master as guarantor, would he not receive thousands of blows? Would he not learn that a master must be used for other matters, and not for this?
Why do I speak of a slave and a master? Even if he chose some other honorable man, would not that man consider such a choice an insult to himself?
But I, you say, do not want this. Good. In that case do not compel God either, since even among men, if someone says, I will present this man as guarantor, you do not take that surety upon yourself.
What then, you will say, must I lose what I have given? I do not say this. Rather, I say that you insult God. Therefore the one who compels an oath will inevitably be punished even more than the one who swears, as will the one who swears when no one requires it.
And what is especially grievous, everyone swears for a single obol, for a small gain, for injustice. This is what I say about cases where there is no perjury. But if perjury follows, everything will be in extreme disorder, and the one who accepted the oath and the one who gave it will both be responsible for everything.
But sometimes, you say, something is unknown. Then foresee this and do nothing rashly. If you do something rashly, demand compensation for the harm from yourself. It is better to suffer harm in this way than in some other way.
Tell me, when you demand an oath from a man, what do you expect? That he will violate the oath? But this is extreme madness, because the punishment will turn upon your own head. It is better for you to lose money than for him to perish.
Why do you do this to your own harm and as an insult to God? This belongs to a beastly soul and an impious man. But I hope, you say, that he will not violate the oath. In that case, believe him even without the oath.
But many, you say, have resolved to deceive without an oath, but not after an oath. You deceive yourself, O man. One who is accustomed to steal and wrong his neighbor often resolves to trample upon the oath as well. One who reveres the oath will fear even more to inflict wrong.
But he will do this unwillingly? In that case he is worthy of forgiveness. But why do I speak of these oaths, leaving aside the oaths that occur in the marketplace?
There you cannot say anything of the sort, because oaths and perjuries occur for ten obols. Because lightning does not fall from heaven, because everything is not overthrown, you stand and hold God beside you.
For what purpose? To receive a few garden vegetables, to get shoes. For a few silver coins you call Him to witness. But if we are not punished, let us not think that we do not sin. This comes from God's love for mankind, not from our virtue.
Swear by your son. Swear by yourself. Say, let the executioner come to my sides. But you are afraid of this. Is God less honorable than your sides? Is He of less account than your head? Say, let me go blind.
But Christ so spares us that He forbids us to swear even by our own head. Yet we so fail to spare the glory of God that we drag Him in everywhere.
Do you not know what God is, and with what lips one must call upon Him? When speaking of some virtuous man, we say, wash your mouth and then remember him. Yet the venerable name, which is above every name, the name wondrous in all the earth, at the sound of which demons tremble, we pronounce everywhere thoughtlessly.
O habit! From it this name has come to be neglected. If you compelled someone to swear by the holy house, you would undoubtedly consider this a dreadful oath. Why does this seem so dreadful, if not because we use the former oath indiscriminately, and not this one?
Otherwise, should one not shudder at the utterance of God's name? Among the Jews this name was so sacred that they wrote it on tablets, and no one was allowed to wear these letters except the high priest alone. But now we pronounce this name everywhere as something ordinary.
If simply naming God is not permitted to everyone, then tell me, what audacity, what madness it is to call Him as witness. Even if everything had to be abandoned, should one not gladly agree to that?
Behold, I speak and insist: leave these oaths that occur in the marketplace, and bring to me all who disobey. Behold, in your presence, I command those who are appointed to serve the houses of prayer. I instruct them and announce that no one is permitted to swear thoughtlessly, or rather, to swear in any way at all.
Therefore bring to me the one who swears, whoever he may be. For this too must reach us, as if you were little children. But may God forbid that this happen. It is shameful if you still need to learn anything.
Would you dare, not being initiated into the Mysteries, to touch the holy table? Yet what is worse, you, who have been initiated into the Mysteries, dare to touch the holy table, which not even all priests are permitted to touch, and in this way you swear.
When you leave your house, you will not touch even the head of a child, yet you touch the table, and do not tremble or fear? Bring such people to me. I will conduct a judgment and release both with joy.
Do what you wish. I establish the law: do not swear at all. What hope of salvation is there, when we so dishonor everything? Are promissory notes and obligations made for this, that you should sacrifice your soul to them?
Do you gain as much as you lose? Will the man whom you have bound by oath violate it? You have destroyed both him and yourself. Will he not violate it? Even in this case you have destroyed him, by compelling him to transgress the commandment.
Let us remove this disease from the soul. First of all, let us drive it from the marketplace, from shops, and from all other places of trade. We shall have greater profit from this. Do not think that worldly affairs go better by transgressing the divine laws.
But they do not believe me, you say. Indeed, I have sometimes heard this from certain people: if I do not utter a thousand oaths, they do not believe me. You yourself are the cause of this, because you swear lightly.
If this were not so, and if everyone knew that you do not swear, then believe my words: you would only have to make a sign, and you would be believed more than those who use a thousand oaths.
Tell me, whom do you believe more: me, though I do not swear, or those who swear? But you, you will say, are a leader and bishop. What then, if I prove that you believe me not only because of this?
Answer me with all sincerity, I ask you. If I swore often and always, would my position as leader help? Not at all. Do you see that this is not why you believe me?
And what gain, tell me, do you finally acquire? Paul endured hunger. Resolve also to endure hunger rather than transgress any of God's commandments.