But if the latter did not want (to be saved), then no one would blame those who tried to save them for their destruction. This is on our part; but we believe that what is due from you will follow by the grace of God, and we will again see you valiant in the flock of Christ. Oh, if only we, through the prayers of the holy things, would quickly receive you, dear head, in true health! If you have any attention to us, and if you have not completely banished us from your memory, deign to write to us; In this way you will greatly rejoice us.

TO THOSE WHO ARE AT WAR WITH THOSE

which attract to the monastic life.

Three words under this general title, of which the second has an inscription: to an unbelieving father, i.e., a pagan, and the third: to a believing father, i.e., a Christian, were written by St. John Chrysostom in the year 375 or 376, when he himself lived among hermits and when monastics were subjected to cruel persecution, and their well-wishers were subjected to various reproaches under the Arian emperor Valens.

FIRST WORD.

WHEN the descendants of the Jews, having returned from a long captivity, wanted to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, which had lain in ruins for many years (2 Ezra 4), then some rude and cruel people, not fearing God, to whom they were rebuilding the temple, were not moved by the calamity of these people, from which they had recently and with difficulty delivered, not fearing the punishment appointed by God for those who dare to undertake such deeds, at first they themselves tried to prevent them from building a temple; but since they had achieved nothing, they sent a letter to their king, in which they called that city (Jerusalem) rebellious, innovative, and scolding, and asked permission to stop the construction. Having received this permission from him, and attacking the Jews with a great number of cavalry, they interrupted the work for a time, were very proud of this victory, for which they should have wept, and thought that their evil design had succeeded (1 Ezra 4). But this was only a foreshadowing and the beginning of the calamities which were to befall them at once: for the work itself was prosperous, and had a brilliant end, and they, and through them all, knew that, as then Mithradates, so every one who dared to fight against men who were undertaking a good work, was not fighting against men, but, before them, against God Himself, whom they revere.

In the same way, these people were immediately beset by such calamities that overshadowed all other calamities in the greatness of their grief; for after the innumerable murders and massacres committed against them by the hands of the Jews, whom they then prevented (to build the temple), the blood of the slain soaked the ground to a considerable depth, and great dirt was formed from this blood; and from the bodies of horses and men, mingled together, and from their contiguous wounds, were born such a multitude of worms, that the earth was covered with a multitude of corpses, and the corpses themselves again with a multitude of worms. Seeing this field, anyone would have said that there were no corpses lying below, but many springs flowing, bringing this kind of animals from many sides: so from this rot a flood spread more than any flood! And this did not last ten or twenty days, but a long time. Such are the calamities here; and those who will befall them there are even more difficult than these. Then their newly revived bodies will endure unspeakable torments and sufferings, not for a thousand or ten thousand years, not even twice or three times against this, but for endless ages. Blessed Isaiah knows about both (punishments), as well as Ezekiel, the contemplator of wondrous visions, who, dividing among themselves, described the punishment of such people - one from here, and the other from there.

2. I now remembered this, not without reason, but because someone came to us and told us news that was bitter and painful, and even very offensive to God. There are (he said) even now people who dare to do the same as those barbarians, or even more iniquitous; for they drive out from everywhere those who come to our wisdom, and with great threats forbid them to say anything about it, or to teach it to any of the people. Hearing this, I immediately cried out, and repeatedly asked the speaker if he was not jokingly saying this. And he said, "No, I would never joke like that; not only would I not have said or invented it, but, on the contrary, I would have given much and would often pray that I would not even hear of this deed even now that it has been accomplished. Then, weeping even more bitterly, I said, "Surely this is a matter as much more impious than the insolence of Mithridates and all those (foreigners), as this temple (spiritual) is much more honorable and holy than that (Jerusalem). But who, tell me, and whence are those who have ventured to do such a thing? Why, for what reason, and for what purpose, do they throw stones upwards, throw arrows at heaven, and make war on the God of peace? Shemai and the Pharatheans, the princes of Assyria and all the rest (1 Ezra 4:9) were barbarians, as can be seen from their very names; in their way of life they were far from the Jews and did not want to see the peoples adjacent to them grow stronger, believing that the power of these (peoples) would finally eclipse their own strength. And why did these people dare to do such a thing? Is freedom constrained by them? Is their security violated? Does any of the rulers help them? Thus the Persian kings deigned in their enterprise; but our (kings), I am sure, desire and demand the opposite. Wherefore I am greatly astonished that under pious kings, among the cities, as you say, they dare to undertake such a deed. And what, he said, if you learn of a still greater strangeness, that those who do these things appear to be pious and call themselves Christians, and many of them are already among those who are initiated (into the sacraments)? Even one of them, under the strong suggestion of the devil, dared to say with his unclean tongue that he was ready to apostatize from the faith and offer sacrifice to the demons, because he (indignation) chokes him at the sight that people who are free, noble, and able to live in pleasure are attracted to such a harsh life. Hearing this, I was even more amazed, and considering how much evil would come from here, I wept over the whole world and cried out to God: "Take my soul and bring me out of my troubles" (1 Kings 19:4; Psalm 24:17); Release me from this temporal life and move to a country where no one else will say anything of the kind to me, and I will not hear it. I know that when I depart from here, utter darkness will embrace me, where there is great weeping and gnashing of teeth; but it is more pleasant for me to listen to the gnashing of teeth than to those who utter such speeches." When he saw that I was so much grieved, he said, "Now is not the time for this; with these words you can never convert the lost and those who are perishing; and evil, I think, will not stop, but we must take care to extinguish this fire and stop the infection; this is our duty; and if you wish to obey me, then, having ceased weeping, compose a word of admonition to these sick and restless, for the salvation of them as well as of all people in general; and I, taking this book, will put it, instead of any medicine, in the hands of the sick: since there are many friends of mine among these patients, they will allow me to come to them once, and twice, and many times, and, I am sure, they will soon be free from the infection." "You," I said, "measure our strength by the measure of your love; but I have no power of speech; and if it seems that there is, I am ashamed not to use it for such a subject, but of all the pagans, both present and subsequent. I have always condemned them as much for their teaching as well as for their careless life; and now I am compelled to acquaint you with our vices. If some of them learn that among the Christians there are people who are so hostile to virtue and wisdom that they not only themselves shy away from such feats, but do not even endure speeches in defense of them, they do not even stop there in their madness, but if anyone else begins to advise and talk about it, then he is expelled from everywhere; if they hear this, I am afraid that they will recognize us not as men, but as beasts and monsters, anthropoids, and some kind of demons, destroyers and enemies of all nature; and such a judgment will be pronounced not only about the guilty, but also about all our people." To this, he laughed and said: "

As some soldiers, having been in many battles and having won victories, cheerfully talk about their exploits, so these people boast of their riots. You will hear one say: "I was the first to lay hands on such and such a monk, and struck him;" another: "I myself found his cell before others"; "And I," says another, "have provoked the judge against him more than others"; another boasts of the prison and the horrors of the prison, and of the fact that he dragged those saints through the square; something else. Then everyone starts laughing about it. And this (is done) in the congregations of Christians, and the pagans laugh at them and at those whom they mock; over the former for their deeds, and over the latter for their sufferings; And everywhere there is some kind of internecine war, or rather, something much worse than this war. Those who have waged such a war, when they remember it afterwards, curse in every way the instigators of it, and attribute everything that happened in it to an evil demon, and those of them who did more than others in that war are more ashamed than others; on the contrary, these people still boast of their riots. And not only because this war is more impious than that (internecine) that is waged against holy and innocent people, but also because (it is waged) against people who do not even know how to do harm to anyone, but are only ready to endure.''

3. "Stop, I said, stop; these stories are enough for us not to completely lose my breath; let me go away with a little strength. Your command will certainly be carried out; only add no other story to us, but go away and pray that the cloud of my despondency may be dispelled, and that I may receive from God, against Whom this war is being waged, some help for the healing of those who rise up against Him; and He, of course, will grant as a lover of mankind and not desiring "the death of the sinner, but that the sinner turn from his way and live" (Ezekiel 33:11; Ezekiel 18:32). Having thus sent him away, I proceeded to this word. Of course, if the evil consisted only in the fact that God's holy and wondrous men are seized and tormented, dragged to judgment seats, and subjected to beatings and other sufferings, of which I have just spoken, and no harm is done to the head of the perpetrators of such a riot; then not only would I not grieve over what has happened, but I would laugh at it very much more, and with pleasure.

We would have done the same if we had seen in this matter a child's irritability and a child's stroke, which does not cause them much harm. But since these people, although now, in the heat of anger, do not have a premonition, yet after a while they will weep, moan and weep, not with the same weeping as little children, but in utter darkness, as in the unquenchable fire; then we, on our part, will do the same as mothers, with the only difference from them, that not with threat and abuse, as they do, but with tenderness and complete meekness, let us say to these children: "From this there is no harm to holy men, on the contrary, there is still a higher reward and greater boldness; if we begin to talk about future blessings, you will perhaps laugh a lot, since you are accustomed to always laugh at them; but the present, even if you love to laugh a thousand times more, you will certainly believe, because you cannot but believe, even if you wanted to, when the very deeds speak against you. You have certainly heard of Nero (this man was famous for his debauchery; he was the first and alone in his power to invent some new forms of debauchery and debauchery). This Nero, accusing the blessed Paul (who was his contemporary) for the same thing that you accuse these holy men (Paul, having persuaded his most beloved concubine to accept the teaching of the faith, at the same time persuaded her to break off her unclean relationship with him), accusing him for this, and calling him both a destroyer and a deceiver, and other such names as you give (to hermits), At first he put him in chains, and as he could not force him to cease giving advice to the maiden, he finally put him to death. What harm did the sufferer suffer from this? And what is the use of the villain? On the contrary, what benefit was there to the then murdered Paul, and what harm was there to the murderer Nero? Is not the former sung throughout the whole universe as an angel (I am speaking of the present one for the time being), and is not the latter cursed by all, as a destroyer and a fierce demon?"

4. "And what is there, if you do not believe, must be said for believers, although you also ought to believe on the basis of what is here. However, no matter how you react to this, we will say it and we will not hide it." What will it be like there? That wretched and wretched (Nero), overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, covered with shame and darkness, with downcast eyes, will be led away to where the undying worm and the unquenchable fire are, and the blessed Paul with great boldness will stand before the very throne of the King, shining brightly and clothed with such glory that he will in no way yield to angels and archangels, and will receive such a reward as befits a man, who gave up his body and soul for the command of God. Thus, a great reward is prepared for those who do good, but it is greater and more abundant when those who do this good are still exposed to dangers and great dishonor; let the good deed be the same, both for him who has done it without labor, and for him who has done it with labor; but honor and crowns will not be the same. In the same way, in war, (everyone) who wins, of course, is rewarded, but much more so - he who can still show in himself the wounds with which he gained victory. But what do I say about the living, when even those who have only declared themselves to have died bravely in war, and have done nothing more useful to their countrymen, are glorified throughout Greece as saviors and defenders!

"Blessed are you," He says, "when men hate you, and when they excommunicate you, and reproach you, and carry out your name as dishonorable for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day, and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven" (Luke 6:22,23). If, therefore, the endurance of suffering and backbiting brings reward to those who suffer and slander; then he who hinders them from suffering and listening to backbiting does not benefit them, but those who speak and do evil. On the contrary, it harms them, depriving them of the highest reward and depriving them of the basis of greater joy and exultation, so that it would be proper for them (we) to be silent and allow to be accomplished that which prepares for them a great abundance of blessings and the greatest boldness. But since we are members of one another, even though they themselves reject the gift, we should not, in this mutual relationship, neglect the other, taking care of one part. Those (hermits), if they do not suffer now, will have another opportunity to deserve good reputation, but these, if they do not cease enmity against them, will not be able to be saved. Therefore, leaving them, I stop at you, and beseech and beseech you to follow our exhortations, no longer to turn the sword against yourselves, not to go against the, and not to grieve by thinking to offend people, the Holy Spirit of God. I know, and I am sure, that you will, if not now, at least afterwards approve of this advice of ours; but I wish you to do it now, so that you do not do it in vain afterwards. So also the rich man (Luke 16:19 ff.)

Yet this rich man has done nothing of what you are doing. True, he did not give his estate to Lazarus; however, to others who wanted to give, he did not hinder or restrain them, as you do now. And not by this alone did you surpass him in cruelty, but also by another; For just as it is not all the same whether you yourself do not do any good, or whether others who wish to do it are hindered, so it is not the same whether you yourself suffer a lack of bodily food, or whether you are possessed by a strong hunger for wisdom to prevent you from eating from others. Thus you have doubly surpassed that cruel rich man, in preventing others from satisfying their hunger, and in showing such inhumanity at a time when the soul is perishing. The Jews once did the same. They forbade the apostles to tell people what was necessary for salvation (Acts 4:18; 5:40). And you are worse than them: they did all these things as open enemies, and you, putting on the guise of friends, act like an enemy. At that time they struck, reviled and dishonored the holy apostles, calling them sorcerers and deceivers: for this reason such a punishment befell them, that no misfortune can be compared with their misfortunes; for they are the first, and the one of all men who live under the sun, who have suffered as no one else. A reliable witness to this is Christ, who said: "There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, and never will be" (Matthew 24:21). This is not the time to recount all these sufferings, but it is necessary to say a little of many things. However, I will not speak in my own words, but in the words of a Jew who described their calamity in detail [1]. What does he say? After telling about the burning of the temple, and describing those extraordinary disasters, he says: