THE WORKS OF OUR HOLY FATHER JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE

Volume I

Book 1

I. Exhortations to Theodore the Fallen.

FIRST EXHORTATION. Sorrow for the fall of the soul of a friend. There is no need to despair of the possibility of an uprising. - Hope is like a chain that binds us to the sky. - Examples of the rebellion of fallen sinners. -Nebuchadnezzar. -Ahab. -Manasseh. - The Ninevites. "Good robber. - Repentance as an all-cleansing force. - The demon's efforts to plunge us into despair. - All repentance finds a reward for itself. - The joys of paradise. - The torments of hell. - Theodore's soul, sick with love for Hermione. - Curability of the disease. - Ease of repentance. - The example of young Phoenix. - An example of an elderly monk. - Hope in God's mercy.

SECOND EXHORTATION. The Return of Theodore and the Answer to It. - The impermissibility of caring for family affairs for a person who has devoted himself to the service of God. - Flight from the army of Christ. - The necessity of atonement for sin. - Weakness of human nature. - Fall and Rise. - David's example. - The vanity of the goods of this world. - Inconveniences related to kingdom, fame, wealth and marriage. - Marriage, for all its sacredness, is adultery in the case of Theodore. - Worries of family life. - Freedom of followers of Christ. - The only misfortune for a Christian is to offend God. -Conclusion.

II. To those who are hostile to those who attract them to the monastic life.

FIRST WORD. Punishment for those who resist God. An example is in the face of the peoples who prevented the restoration of the temple after the Babylonian captivity. - The same is true of the opponents of monasticism. - Details of the persecution of monks. - Regret for the foolishness of the persecutors. "They do more harm to themselves than to the persecuted. - An example of Ap. Paul and Nero. - The sinfulness of persecution. - Comparison of the persecutors of monasticism with the persecutors of the apostles. - The punishment that befell them. - Testimony of Josephus. - Faith alone is not enough for salvation; good deeds are also necessary. - The number of those to be convicted. - An example from the history of the Flood. - The perversity of the world.

SECOND WORD: To an unbelieving father. A truly rich man is one who despises everything. - We are glorified more by virtue than by wealth. "No one is inclined to harm the one who has left everything, and he cannot, if he wanted to. - Whoever despises all earthly things is more easily consoled in deprivation. - Christians thrive especially when they are oppressed. - Short-term pleasures. - The story of a hermit whose father was a pagan.

THIRD WORD: To a believing father. It is necessary to take care of the salvation of one's neighbor. - Neglect of children is evil. - The laws on the upbringing of children are given by God. - Virtue depends on the inner disposition. - Different degrees of rescue. - Corruption of morals. - The necessity of strict wisdom. - The need for laws and punishments in the state. - The life of monks is likened to that of angels. - The evil of wickedness combined with eloquence. - The words of Socrates in Plato at the beginning of his apology. "Holy men prospered without any eloquence. - The story of a young man instructed by a monk. - The superiority of monastic life over worldly life. The sameness of rules for monks and laymen. - It is more difficult for the laity to be saved. - A true father is one who cares about the salvation of his son. - The giver of money is a truer owner of it than the one who hoards it. - The need to be accustomed to the practice of virtue from a young age. - The benefits of a temporary stay of young men in a monastery. - The story of Anna and Samuel. - Exhortation to parents about the upbringing of their sons in piety.

III. Comparison of the power, wealth, and privileges of the Tsar with the true and Christian wisdom of monastic life.

The reason for writing this reasoning. - He who commands money and his own passions is more a king than he who commands the people and the army. - The battle of a monk is more glorious than the battle of a king. - Which of them is happier during the night. - The charity of a monk in comparison with the charity of the king. A king and a monk in the face of death and after it.

IV. On contrition.