Whoever talks about theaters and actors does not give our soul the slightest benefit, on the contrary, he inflames it even more and makes it more frivolous. Whoever is occupied with other people's affairs and is curious to know them, often through such curiosity exposes her to danger. But he who speaks of hell is not exposed to any danger, and at the same time makes his soul more chaste. Perhaps you are afraid of such terrible speeches? Do you not think that you will quench hell if you do not speak of it? Or – that you will ignite it if you speak? Whether you speak or not, the fire (of Gehenna) will still burn. Talk about it constantly so that you never fall into it. It is impossible that a soul constantly occupied with the thought of Gehenna should soon sin. Hearken therefore to the excellent admonition: "In all thy deeds remember thy end, and thou shalt never sin" (Sir. 7:39). It is impossible that a soul that fears to be called to account for its actions should not be lazy to crimes. Fear, once established in our minds, leaves no room for anything worldly in it. If the speech about Gehenna, which only occasionally occupies us, humbles and tames us, then the thought of it, which is constantly abiding in souls, does not purify the soul better than any fire? Let us not so much remember the kingdom as hell, for fear has more power over us than promises, and I know that many would despise a thousand blessings, if only they remained free from punishment; so now it is enough for me only that I am not subjected to punishment, that I am not punished. He will never fall into hell who always has it before his eyes. He who despises it will never escape hell. Just as with us those people who fear the judgment seat are not drawn to the judgment seats, on the contrary, those who despise them are most often subjected to them, so it is there. If the Ninevites had not feared destruction, they would have perished; but because they were afraid, they did not perish. If those who lived under Noah had been afraid of the flood, they would not have perished in the flood. And the Sodomites, if they had been afraid, would not have been consumed by fire. It is a great evil to neglect threats. Whoever ignores threats will soon learn their consequences by experience. Nothing can be more useful than talking about Gehenna; it makes our souls purer than any silver. Listen to what the prophet says: "For all His commandments are before me, and I have not departed from His statutes" (Psalm 17:23). And Christ constantly talked about Gehenna, because, although it grieves the hearer, it also brings him the greatest benefit.

4. Everything that is useful has such (properties) – and do not be surprised at this. After all, both medicines and viands are unpleasant for the patient at first, but then they benefit him. If we cannot endure speeches that are unpleasant for us, then it is obvious that we will not be able to endure difficult trials in practice! If none of us is able to endure the words of hell, then it is obvious that if persecution should befall us, none of us| would not be able to stand against fire, against the sword. Let us exercise our ears, so that we do not become pampered: from words we can pass to deeds. If we get used to listening to the terrible, then we will get used to enduring the terrible. And if we are so pampered that we are not even able to endure words, then how can we stand against events? Do you see how Blessed Paul despised everything that happens in this world, even dangers? Why is this? Because he learned to despise even hell for those whom God loved. Out of love for Christ, he counted the endurance of torments in hell for nothing; and we, for our own benefit, cannot endure even the talk of it. Now, after listening a little, you will depart; but I beseech you, if there is any love in you, to be constantly engaged in conversations about such subjects. At least it will not harm you in the least, if it does not already benefit you; but, without a doubt, it will also be useful. Depending on what our conversation is, so does the soul. "Bad associations," it is said, "corrupt good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33). Consequently, good conversations are beneficial, and consequently, conversations that inspire fear make one chaste. Our soul is like wax. If you speak coldly, you will make it firm and harsh; but if they are fiery, then you will soften it. And having softened, you can give it such a form as you like, and inscribe on it the royal image. Let us therefore shield our ears from idle talk: they constitute no small evil, and from them all evil comes. If our mind learned to listen to the words of God, it would pay no attention to anything else; and if he did not pay attention to anything else, he would never dare to do evil. The word is the way to deeds – first we think, then we speak, then we act. Often many, even chaste people, passed from shameful words to shameful deeds. Our soul is by nature neither good nor evil; but both in it depend on free will. As a sail, where the wind blows, moves a ship, or rather, as a rudder guides a ship if a fair wind blows, so our mind, if a favorable wind brings good words to it, sails safely, and if contrary winds blow, it often sinks. As the winds are to ships, so are words to the soul. Wherever you want, you can move and direct it. That is why someone, teaching us, said: "And all thy conversation is in the law of the Highest" (Sir. 9:20). Therefore, I beseech you, weaning children from their mother's breasts, let us not teach them the fables of old women; but let (the child) learn from infancy what judgment is; let the thought that there is punishment take root in his mind; this fear, when it takes root in him, will be of great benefit. In fact, the soul, accustomed from an early age to tremble at the expectation of such a fate, cannot easily free itself from this fear, but, like a manageable horse, having the thought of hell as its guide, will walk rightly, will speak and take part in conversation only about useful things. Neither youth, nor wealth, nor orphanhood, nor anything else that will be able to harm her, so strong will her mind be, and so will she be able to resist everything. With such words let us edify ourselves, and our wives, and slaves, and children, and friends, and even, if possible, enemies. With the help of such words we will be able to stop a multitude of sins, and (we prefer) to live better in sorrowful than in favorable circumstances. This can be seen from the following. Tell me: if you were to enter a house where a wedding celebration is being celebrated, you would feel the pleasure of this sight for one hour; but then, when you came out of there, would you not be crushed with grief that you do not have the same? But if you were to enter the house of weeping people, even though they are very rich, then when you left it, you would rather feel peace. Thou wouldst have taken away from thence not envy, but consolation and encouragement for thy poverty.

You see from experience that wealth is not good, and poverty is not evil, but that both are indifferent in themselves. So it is in the present case: if you engage in conversation about pleasures, you will grieve your soul even more, which does not enjoy these pleasures; but if, in the midst of pleasures, you begin to speak of hell, it will be a source of joy and great consolation for you. For when you reflect that these pleasures can in no way help us against this fire, you will not seek them; and when you think that they usually kindle this fire even more, you will not only not seek them, but you will feel disgust for them and reject them. Let us, therefore, not avoid talking about Gehenna, in order to avoid Gehenna. Let us not avoid being reminded of the punishment, lest we be subjected to this punishment. If the rich man had thought of that fire, he would not have sinned; but since he never remembered it, he fell into it. Tell me, O man, when the time comes for you to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, will you also speak about everything, but not about this (not about hell)? When you have a case in court, which is often not even worth talking about, then you will not talk about anything else night and day, at any time and at all times, but about this case; whereas, having to give an account to God for the whole life and to be held accountable, you cannot even bear that others remind you of the judgment? That is why everything tends to perdition and corruption, that when we are preparing to stand before the judgment seat of man in connection with the affairs of life, we set everything in motion, we turn to everyone with a request, we constantly worry about it, we do everything that is necessary for this; meanwhile, having to appear before the judgment of Christ in the near future, we do nothing either personally or through others, we do not beseech the Judge. Yet He gives us much time (to prepare) and does not call us suddenly in the midst of sins; on the contrary, it enables us to be freed from them, and His goodness and love for mankind do not overlook anything that could be done on His part. We do nothing more on our part, and therefore we will be subjected to a great punishment. But let it not be! Therefore, I beg you, let us come to our senses at least now. Let us have hell before our eyes, let us think of the inevitable punishment to come, so that, in thinking about it, we may avoid evil, and acquire virtue, and be vouchsafed to receive the blessings promised to those who love Him by grace and love for mankind (our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever, Amen).

[1] What is translated "for" in the Synodal translation is actually translated "if." This is what Chrysostom speaks about further.

CONVERSATION 3

"Who shall suffer punishment, eternal destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his might, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to appear wondrous in that day among all those who believe, inasmuch as ye have believed our testimony" (2 Thess. 1:9,10).

1. There are many who place good hopes not on abstaining from sins, but on thinking that Gehenna is not so terrible as they say it is, but weaker than that which threatens us, and moreover is temporary, and not eternal, and they think much about it. Yet I can produce many proofs, and even deduce from the very words (of the Scriptures) concerning Gehenna, that it is not only no weaker than it is represented in threats, but much more terrible. However, I will not talk about it now. Enough is the apprehension that the mere words (about Gehenna) arouse in us, even if we do not reveal their meaning. And that it is not temporary, listen to what Paul says here about people who do not lead God and do not believe in the Gospel, namely, that they will be subject to punishment, eternal destruction. How, then, can the eternal be made temporary? On behalf of the Lord, he says. What does that mean? (The Apostle) wants to express by this that this can easily be accomplished. Since rich people were then very exalted, he says that no great effort is needed for this, but it will be enough just to come and appear to God, and punishment and torment will befall all (the guilty). His coming will bring joy to some, and torment to others. "And of the glory," he says, "of His might, when He comes to be glorified in His saints, and to appear wondrous in that day in all those who believe, because you have believed our testimony." What do you say? Will God be glorified? Yes, in all, he says, of His saints. How? When those who are now exalted see that those whom they have tormented, despised, and ridiculed have become close to Him, then His glory will be revealed, or, rather, this will be His glory and the glory of the latter, His glory, because He has not forsaken them, but has surrounded them with great splendour, their glory, because they have been so honored. Just as His riches consist in the fact that the faithful are found, so His glory consists in the fact that there are people who are made partakers of His blessings. The glory of the good is that He has someone to pour out His good deeds on. "And to appear wonderful," he says, "in all them that believed." That is, through believers. Here again "in" (έν) means the same as "through" (ǒτά). Through them (God) will manifest His wondrous (greatness). Indeed, when He vouchsafes such glory to the unfortunate, and to the humiliated, and to those who have endured a thousand sufferings, and to those who have kept the faith, then His power will be revealed, for although here believers have apparently been forsaken by Him, yet there they will be counted worthy of great glory. It is in this that all the glory and power of God is especially revealed. And how, listen to what (the apostle) says further: "For this reason we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of the calling, and accomplish all the favor of goodness and the work of faith in power" (v. 11). That is, when those stand in the midst (of the judgment seat) who have endured innumerable calamities, being compelled to depart from the faith, and have not departed, but have remained faithful, then God will be glorified; at the same time their glory will be revealed. Therefore, since many pretend to believe, do not please anyone before death: on this day it will be revealed who (truly) believed. "For this reason we always pray for you," he says, "that our God may make you worthy of the calling, and accomplish all the favor of goodness and the work of faith in power" (v. 11). Wherefore he added, "And hath done all good pleasure of goodness." He was also summoned dressed in filthy vestments, but did not remain among those who were called, on the contrary, for this reason most of all he was expelled from among those invited to the bridal chamber. The five virgins were also called: "Arise," it was said to them, "the bridegroom is coming" (Matthew 25:6), and they prepared, but did not enter. Therefore, explaining what calling he was talking about, (the apostle) added: "And he finished all the favor of goodness and the work of faith in power." Such a call, he says, we will pursue. See how imperceptibly he humbles them. In order that they, like men who have accomplished great feats, should not become proud from an abundance of praise and give themselves over to sloth, he says that as long as they are in this life, they lack something. Likewise, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, he says: "Ye have not yet fought unto blood, fighting against sin" (Hebrews 12:4). Everything, he says, is favor, assurance, satisfaction. As if to say this: so that God may be fully convinced that nothing more is lacking for you to become such as He wills. "And the matter," he says, "is faith in power." What does that mean? It is he who speaks of enduring persecution, so that we do not grow weary. "Let the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 12).

2. See: before (the Apostle) praised them, and now he also speaks of glorifying them. First he said that they are so glorified that he himself boasts of them; he said still more, that they glorify God (by their works); He said that they would become partakers of this glory – but here too He expresses (the same thing). For when a lord is glorified, then his slaves are glorified. Therefore (the slaves) who glorify the lord are much more glorified themselves, both because (they glorify the lord) and regardless of this. Glory consists in suffering for Christ, and (the Apostle) everywhere calls this kind of podvig glory. And the more we endure dishonor, the more glory we are vouchsafed. Then, again wishing to show that this also depends on God, he says: according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, God Himself gave us this grace in order to be glorified in us and so that we would be glorified in Him. In what way is He glorified in us? Such that we prefer nothing to Him. In what ways are we glorified in Him? Such that we receive from Him the strength not to weaken in the midst of the misfortunes that befall us. When any temptation happens to us, then both God and we are glorified at the same time. It is He who is glorified for making us so strong, and we are amazed that we have made ourselves worthy of it. But all this depends on the grace of God. "We beseech you, brethren, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, not to be hasty to waver in your minds (2:1). He did not say when the resurrection would be, but said that it would not follow now. "And our," he says, "is gathered to Him." And this is also important. Do you see how again He instructs (unites) with praise and encouragement (arising from the fact that the Lord and all the saints will certainly appear with us? Here he speaks of the coming of Christ and of our assembly; both will follow at the same time. (The Apostle) excites their attention, telling them not to be in a hurry to waver. "Do not be hasty to be shaken in mind, and be troubled, either by the spirit, or by the word, or by the message, as if sent by us, that the day of Christ is already at hand, v. 2. It seems to me that here he indicates that there were people among them who composed a false epistle as if it were from Paul, and, showing it, asserted that the day of the Lord had already come, in order thus to deceive many. Therefore, lest they be deceived, Paul warns them when he says and writes, "Be troubled neither by the spirit nor by the word." The meaning of these words is this: At least someone, having the spirit of prophecy, told you this, do not believe it. When I was with you, I explained to you everything (relating to this subject); Therefore, you should not change your beliefs about what you have been taught. Or in spirit. This is how he calls false prophets, who spoke what they said under the inspiration of an unclean spirit. They, wishing to inspire more confidence in themselves, tried to deceive others not only by persuasion, which is precisely what (the Apostle) points out when he says, "Below is the word," but they also showed a false epistle, allegedly from Paul, where the same thing was said. For this reason, pointing to this, (the Apostle) added: "Nor from an epistle, as if sent by us."

Thus guarding them on all sides, he sets forth his own thought in this way, and says: "Let no man deceive you in any way: [for that day shall not] [come] [come] until the apostasy first comes, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who resists and exalts himself above all that is called God or holiness, so that he shall sit in the temple of God as God, pretending to be God" (vv. 3, 4). Here he speaks of the Antichrist and reveals great mysteries. What is digression? He calls the Antichrist himself apostasy, since he has the power to destroy many and lead to apostasy: "In order to deceive," it is said, "if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:24). He also calls him a man of iniquity, because he will commit a thousand iniquities and cause others to commit them. And you call him the son of perdition because he himself will perish. Who will he be? Is it Satan? No, but a certain person who will receive all its power (ένέργεταν). "And he will be revealed," he says, "the man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or holiness." He will not lead to idolatry, but will be an opponent of God (άντίθες), will reject all gods and command them to worship themselves instead of God, and will sit in the temple of God, not only in Jerusalem, but everywhere in the churches. "Pretending," he says, "to himself as God." He didn't say that he would call himself God, but that he would try to show himself to be God. He will do great things and show wonderful signs. "Do you not remember that while I was with you, I told you these things" (v. 5)?

3. Do you see that it is necessary to constantly talk about the same subject and to recall the same words in your memory? So they heard him talk about it when he was with them, and again they needed to be reminded. Just as they, in spite of having heard of tribulations, "For even then," he says, "as we were among you, foretold you that we would suffer" (1 Thess. 3:4), forgot this, and he again encouraged them by means of an epistle, so now, in spite of the fact that they had heard of the coming of Christ, they again had need of an epistle that would enlighten them. Therefore he brings to their remembrance and shows them that he now says nothing extraordinary to them, but the same thing that he has always said. Just as it happens with farmers: they once throw seeds into the ground, but the seeds do not always remain there, on the contrary, they have need of great care, and if someone does not cover what is sown with ploughed earth, it means that he has sown for the birds that gather the seed, so we, if we do not warm what is sown in us by constant remembrance, then all (our words) will be thrown to the wind, as it were. the devil steals them, and our laziness destroys them, and the sun dries up, and the rain drowns, and chokes thorns. Therefore, it is not enough to sow once and then leave the seeds unattended; on the contrary, he who wants to gather fruit must have great care and solicitude, driving away birds, destroying thorns, crushing stony ground with a lot of earth, stopping, blocking and destroying everything that can harm. However, in the (ordinary) field, everything depends on the farmer, because it itself is soulless and prepared only to be directed to the activity of others; Meanwhile, in this spiritual field, it is not so. Not everything depends on the teachers, but if not more, then at least half – on the students. Our duty is to sow the seed, and yours is to fulfill what we have said, so that, remembering this, by means of deeds we may manifest fruit in ourselves, and uproot thorns from ourselves. Verily, wealth is thorns, which do not bear fruit at all, are ugly, unpleasant to eat, and hurt the one who touches them, and not only do they not bear fruit themselves, but also prevent the developing (plants) from bearing them. Such is wealth: not only does it not bear eternal fruit, but it is also an obstacle for those who wish to acquire it. Thorns serve as food for foolish camels – it is food for fire and a completely useless product (of nature). In the same way, wealth is not useful for anything, but serves only to kindle the furnace (of Gehenna), to inflame the day that will burn like a red-hot furnace – in order to nourish in you the insane passions of rancor and anger. Such is the camel that feeds on thorns. Knowledgeable people tell us that there is no animal so vicious, furious and vengeful as the camel. Wealth has the same (properties): it nourishes the senseless desires of the soul, and it hurts and wounds the rational like thorns. This plant is tough and thorny and grows by itself. Let us see where it grows in order to pluck it out. (It grows) in places that are steep, stony and dry, where there is no moisture. Therefore, if anyone is tough and tough, i.e. uncompassionate, thorns grow in him. But when farmers want to destroy thorns, they do not do it with iron, but how? They make a fire and thus extract from the ground all that is bad. Since it is not enough to cut off the thorns from above, while the root remains (unharmed) below, nor even to pluck out the root, because something harmful will still remain in the ground, just as from every plague that afflicts the body, harmful effects remain in it, then the fire, drawing into itself from above all the moisture with which the thorns are impregnated, as if it were some kind of poison, with the assistance of heat, it extracts from the bowels of the earth. Just as a jar used for letting blood flow, when attached, attracts to itself all that is harmful from the body, so fire sucks out (from the earth) all that is harmful in thorns and makes it pure. But why did I say all this? To the fact that it is necessary to exterminate everywhere the passion for wealth. And we have a fire that plucks out this evil from the soul – I mean spiritual fire. If we make this fire, we will be able not only to dry up the thorns, but also the moisture that is born from it, so that even if it took root (in us), it would also turn into nothing. Look, indeed, how does a rich man or a rich woman enter here? He does not care about listening to the word of God, but about how to show himself, how to take a place here with majesty and great pride, how to surpass all others in the splendor of his clothes, and by his appearance, look and step, to arouse in others greater respect for himself. And all her care and care consists in: has so-and-so seen her? Was she surprised at her? Am I well dressed? But this is not the only thing she cares about, but also about how her dress does not wrinkle, how she tears. And this is the only thing she cares about. In the same way, a rich man enters, intending to show himself to the poor, to make him frightened by the richness of his clothes and the fact that he has many servants who stand around him, driving away the crowd. He himself, out of excessive pride, does not deign to do even this, but to such an extent he considers this matter unworthy of a free man, that, in spite of his excessive pride, he does not dare to do it himself, but entrusts it to the slaves who accompany him – however, to do this is really characteristic only of people of a slavish, shameless disposition. Then, when he sits down, he is immediately seized by the care of the house, distracting his attention in all directions, he is seized by pride, which has enslaved his soul. He thinks that he has shown mercy to us, to the people, and, perhaps, to God Himself, by entering the temple of God. Can such a proud person ever be healed?

4. Tell me, if a man were to enter a hospital and not seek mercy from a physician, but thought that he himself was doing him mercy, and instead of asking for medicine for his wound, would he take care of his clothes, would he receive any benefit when he came out of it? I don't think. If you want, I'll tell you the reason for all this. When they come here, they think that they are coming to us, they think that they hear from us what they hear. They don't pay attention, they don't think that they're coming to God, that He's Himself speaking to them here. In fact, when the reader, rising, says: "This is what the Lord says," and when the deacon, standing, urges everyone to silence, then he says this not in order to do honor to the reader, but in order to give honor to Him Who through him addresses speech to all. If they had known that God was saying this through a prophet, they would have laid aside all pride. If they refrain from all inattention when the rulers speak to them, how much more (should they do so) when God speaks to them. Beloved! We are only ministers, we do not speak our own words, but the words of God. Here are read the messages sent down daily from heaven. Tell me, I beseech thee, if now that we are all assembled, a man adorned with a golden girdle came in, and menacingly and proudly announced that he had been sent by the king of the earth, and brought a message to the whole city on the most necessary matter, would not all of you turn to him? Would there not have been complete silence here, even without an invitation from the deacon? I think so, I have heard the royal epistles read here. Therefore, when anyone comes here from the king, you all listen to him attentively; yet a prophet comes from God, and speaks from heaven, and no one hears him? Don't you believe that everything is said from God? These messages are sent from God. Let us, therefore, come to the churches with due reverence, and let us listen with fear to what is said in them. Why, you say, should I come, if I do not hear any preacher? This is exactly what destroys and corrupts everything. Where did the need for a preacher come from? This need arose as a result of our negligence. What is the need for preaching? Everything is clear and simple what is said in the Divine Scriptures; Everything you need is clear. But since you like to listen only for your own entertainment, you are looking for it. For tell me, did Paul ever speak eloquently? And yet, he reversed the universe. Or Peter, who was unlearned?

But, you say, I do not know what is contained in the Holy Scriptures. Why don't you know this? Are they written in Hebrew, or in Roman, or in any other foreign language? Isn't it spoken in Greek? But it's not clear, you say. What is not clear there, tell me? Aren't these narratives? For you know what is clearly said there, in order to ask about what is not clear. There are many stories in the Scriptures: tell me one of them. But you won't tell. All this is just a pretext and empty words. Every day, you say, you have to listen to the same thing. What then? "Tell me.

Therefore, when you want to justify your laziness, you say that you hear all the same things; but when you are asked, you are as perplexed as if you had never heard it. If it is the same thing (read every time), then you should know, but you do not know. All this is worthy of tears, tears and lamentations, because the silversmith labors in vain. That is why it would be necessary to be careful that it is the same thing (you always hear it here) that we do not cause you the slightest trouble, we do not say anything new and different from the past. So, what then? Since you say that (in the books of Scripture it is always read) the same thing, at least what we preach is not always the same, on the contrary; Every time we say something new. Do you heed this last thing? Not at all. And if we ask, Why do you not remember what we have said? – You will answer: we hear only once, how is it possible for us to remember? But if we ask, Why do you not heed (what is read in the books of the Scriptures)? – You will answer: they repeat the same thing every time. And all this inspires you with laziness and there is one excuse. However, this will not always continue, but the time will come when we will weep over it in vain and without any benefit. May the Lord not allow this, but it is better for those who strive to change here, let us listen with due diligence and reverence to what is said here, with full care let us devote ourselves to good works and the correction of our lives, so that we may receive the blessings promised to those who love Him, through grace and love for mankind (our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen).

CONVERSATION 4