{"slug":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-adversus-eos-qui-non-adfuerant","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-adversus-eos-qui-non-adfuerant","title":"Adversus eos qui non adfuerant","title_source":"Adversus eos qui non adfuerant","author":"John Chrysostom","genre":"polemic/apologetic","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T07:24:25Z","cost_usd":0.00865},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-adversus-eos-qui-non-adfuerant","work_id":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-adversus-eos-qui-non-adfuerant","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":"Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/Adversus%20eos%20qui%20non%20adfuerant.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":16,"english_words":4424,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":18069,"commentary_units":95,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":23,"work_notes":6,"external_links":0,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-adversus-eos-qui-non-adfuerant","abstract":"Adversus eos qui non adfuerant is a letter by John Chrysostom addressed to bishops who were absent from the Synod of the Oak (AD 403). Composed shortly after the synod, likely during Chrysostom's first exile, the work defends his authority and rebukes the absent bishops for failing to support him. The text survives in a single Greek manuscript tradition, with the source edition by khazarzar based on PG 52, cols. 421–428. No critical edition exists, and the manuscript basis is narrow. The letter is rarely cited in later Byzantine canon law collections, and its polemical tone and specific occasion limited its liturgical or canonical use.","historical_context":"The Synod of the Oak (AD 403) was a council convened near Chalcedon that deposed John Chrysostom, then bishop of Constantinople, on charges of insubordination and mismanagement. Chrysostom's letter, Adversus eos qui non adfuerant, was written shortly after the synod, likely during his first exile (AD 403–404). The work is addressed to bishops who did not attend the council, rebuking them for failing to support him. The text survives in a single Greek manuscript tradition, with the source edition by khazarzar based on PG 52, cols. 421–428. No critical edition exists, and the manuscript basis is narrow. The letter is rarely cited in later Byzantine canon law collections, unlike Chrysostom's homilies, and its polemical tone and specific occasion limited its liturgical or canonical use. The work alternates between scriptural typology and personal invective, reflecting Chrysostom's rhetorical style.","significance":"Adversus eos qui non adfuerant provides insight into the immediate aftermath of the Synod of the Oak and Chrysostom's defense of his authority. It is a rare example of a letter from Chrysostom to fellow bishops, distinct from his homilies. The work's limited transmission and citation history highlight its narrow reception, but it remains valuable for understanding the political and ecclesiastical conflicts of early 5th-century Constantinople.","timeline":[{"date":"AD 403","event":"Synod of the Oak convenes and deposes John Chrysostom."},{"date":"AD 403–404","event":"Chrysostom writes Adversus eos qui non adfuerant during his first exile."},{"date":"5th c.","event":"The letter is transmitted in Greek manuscript tradition."},{"date":"19th c.","event":"The text is included in PG 52, cols. 421–428."},{"date":"21st c.","event":"Khazarzar provides a digital edition based on PG 52."}],"relations":[{"work":"Synod of the Oak","relation":"The letter responds to the synod's deposition of Chrysostom.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"John Chrysostom's homilies","relation":"The letter differs in genre and reception from Chrysostom's homilies.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Byzantine canon law collections","relation":"The letter is rarely cited in these collections.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The date of composition is uncertain, though likely shortly after the Synod of the Oak (AD 403).","The text survives in a single Greek manuscript tradition; no critical edition exists.","The khazarzar source provides a single transcription without apparatus, limiting textual-critical analysis.","The English draft may obscure Chrysostom's rhetorical structure; readers should consult the Greek for precise argumentative flow."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000394,"generated":"2026-11-15T07:24:24Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/Adversus%20eos%20qui%20non%20adfuerant.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-adversus-eos-qui-non-adfuerant","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":16,"translated":16,"commentary_passages":16,"commentary_units":95,"english_words":4424,"source_letters":18064,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The work is a letter from John Chrysostom to bishops who missed the Council of the Oak (Synod of the Oak, AD 403). Its composition likely falls shortly after the synod, during Chrysostom’s first exile.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The text survives in a single Greek manuscript tradition, with the source edition by khazarzar based on PG 52, cols. 421–428. No critical edition exists; the manuscript basis is narrow.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This letter is rarely cited in later Byzantine canon law collections, unlike Chrysostom’s homilies. Its polemical tone and specific occasion limited its liturgical or canonical use.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The English draft may obscure Chrysostom’s rhetorical structure, which alternates between scriptural typology and personal invective. Readers should consult the Greek for precise argumentative flow.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Synod of the Oak deposed Chrysostom on charges of insubordination and mismanagement. This letter defends his authority and rebukes absent bishops for failing to support him.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This edition does not include a collation of manuscript variants or a stemma. The khazarzar source provides a single transcription without apparatus, limiting textual-critical analysis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: polemic/apologetic in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 16 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":16},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Ὁμιλία παραινετικὴ λεχθεῖσα ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῆς ἁγίας Ἀναστασίας πρὸς τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας· καὶ ἀπό δειξις περὶ τῶν ἀγώνων καὶ ἄθλων τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ δικαίου Ἰώβ.\n\nαʹ. Ὅσῳ ἐλάττους τῶν εἰωθότων οἱ συνελθόντες, τοσούτῳ καὶ ἡμεῖς μείζονι χρησόμεθα τῇ προθυμίᾳ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δίκαιον ἂν εἴη τῶν ἀπολειφθέντων τὴν ῥᾳθυμίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν σπουδὴν λυμήνασθαι, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο καὶ δαψιλεστέραν παραθήσομεν τὴν τράπεζαν, ἵνα τῇ, πείρᾳ μαθόντες τὴν ζημίαν οἱ μὴ παραγενόμενοι, σπουδαιότεροι λοιπὸν περὶ τὰς συνόδους γίνωνται ταύτας. Διὸ δὴ καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην παρακαλῶ προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις· οὕτω γὰρ διπλοῦν ὑμῖν ἔσται τὸ κέρδος· τοῖς τε γὰρ ἀπολειφθεῖσι διαβιβάζοντες τὰ λεγόμενα, σπουδαιοτέρους αὐτοὺς ἐργάσεσθε, τήν τε ὑμετέραν ψυχὴν φιλοσοφωτέραν κατασκευάσετε. Καθάπερ γὰρ τῆς γῆς ἡ φύσις ἀμελουμένη μὲν, βοτάνας ἐκφέρει πονηρὰς, συνεχῶς δὲ γεωργικῶν ἀπολαύουσα χειρῶν, ὥριμον δίδωσι τὸν καρπόν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴ, ἡ μὲν ἐν ῥᾳθυμίᾳ κειμένη, πλημμελημάτων ἀκάνθας τίκτει· ἡ δὲ ἀπολαύουσα προνοίας, κομῶντα τῆς ἀρετῆς φέρει τὸν καρπόν. Διὸ καί τις σοφὸς παραινεῖ λέγων· Ὥσπερ γεώργιον ἀνὴρ ἄφρων, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀμπελὼν ἀνὴρ ἐνδεὴς φρενῶν· ἐὰν ἀφῇς αὐτὸν, χερσωθήσεται καὶ χορτομανήσει. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ τοῦτο γίνηται νῦν, συνεχῶς τοῦ λόγου τὴν δρεπάνην μεταχειρίζομεν· κἂν μέν τι πονηρὸν βλαστάνῃ, διηνεκῶς ἐκκόπτομεν· ἂν δέ τι ὥριμον καὶ καρπὸν ἔχον, τρέφομέν τε καὶ ἀρδεύομεν, καὶ πρὸς ἀκμὴν ἄγομεν, συνεχῆ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι. Διπλῆς γὰρ δεόμεθα προνοίας, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τριπλῆς·","english":"A hortatory homily delivered in the church of Saint Anastasia to those who were absent, and a demonstration concerning the contests and labors of the blessed and righteous Job.\n\n1. The fewer the congregation is than usual, the greater the zeal we shall employ. For it would not be right for the negligence of those who are absent to mar our diligence; but on this very account we shall set forth a more abundant table, so that those who were not present, learning by experience the loss they have suffered, may become more diligent in attending these gatherings in the future. Therefore I also exhort your love to pay attention to what is said; for thus the profit will be twofold for you: for by conveying what is said to those who are absent, you will make them more diligent, and you will render your own soul more philosophical. For just as the nature of the earth, when neglected, produces evil weeds, but when it continually enjoys the hands of the farmer, yields ripe fruit, so also the soul of a man: the one lying in idleness brings forth thorns of transgressions, while the one enjoying care bears the flourishing fruit of virtue. Hence a certain wise man exhorts, saying: \"Like a field is a foolish man, and like a vineyard is a man lacking sense; if you abandon it, it will become barren and overgrown with weeds.\" So that this may not happen now, we continually wield the sickle of discourse; and if something evil sprouts, we constantly cut it off; but if something is ripe and fruitful, we nourish and water it and bring it to maturity, showing continuous care. For we need a twofold providence, or rather even a threefold.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁμιλία παραινετικὴ λεχθεῖσα ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῆς ἁγίας Ἀναστασίας πρὸς τοὺς ἀπολειφθέντας· καὶ ἀπόδειξις περὶ τῶν ἀγώνων καὶ ἄθλων τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ δικαίου Ἰώβ.","severity":"info","text":"The title identifies the work as a hortatory homily delivered in the church of Saint Anastasia, addressed to those absent, and a demonstration on Job's contests and labors.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ἀπολειφθέντας","severity":"info","text":"The term 'ἀπολειφθέντας' (those who were absent) is central to the homily's occasion, referring to members of the congregation who failed to attend, prompting Chrysostom's exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"ἁγίας Ἀναστασίας","severity":"info","text":"The church of Saint Anastasia in Constantinople was a known site of Chrysostom's preaching; this homily likely dates to his episcopacy (397–404 CE).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὥσπερ γεώργιον ἀνὴρ ἄφρων, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀμπελὼν ἀνὴρ ἐνδεὴς φρενῶν· ἐὰν ἀφῇς αὐτὸν, χερσωθήσεται καὶ χορτομανήσει.","severity":"info","text":"The agricultural proverb, attributed to 'a certain wise man,' echoes themes in Proverbs (e.g., 24:30–31) and is used to illustrate neglect of the soul.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τῆς γῆς ἡ φύσις ἀμελουμένη μὲν, βοτάνας ἐκφέρει πονηρὰς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom compares the neglected soul to untended earth producing weeds, a common patristic metaphor for moral cultivation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἰώβ","severity":"info","text":"The homily promises a demonstration on Job, a figure of endurance; this reflects Chrysostom's frequent use of Job as a model of virtue in adversity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'wise man' cited in the agricultural proverb is not specified; it may be a biblical or classical source.","The exact occasion of the homily (e.g., a specific feast or crisis) is not stated in the text."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"μιᾶς μὲν, ἵνα ἀπαλλαγῶμεν κακίας· ἑτέρας δὲ, ἵνα κτησώμεθα ἀρετήν· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, ἵνα τὴν κτηθεῖσαν διαφυλάξωμεν· ἔνθα καὶ πολλοῦ δεῖ μάλιστα πόνου· ἐπειδὴ καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων ἐκεῖνος, καὶ τοῖς ἡμετέροις βασκαίνων καλοῖς, τοῖς κατωρθωκόσιν ἐπιτίθεται μειζόνως· καὶ καθάπερ οἱ πειραταὶ καὶ καταποντισταὶ τὰ μὲν ἄμμον ἔχοντα πλοῖα παρατρέχουσιν, εἰ δέ που φόρτον ἴδοιεν ἔχοντα πολυτελῆ καὶ πλοῦτον ἐναποκείμενον, τούτοις ἐπιτίθενται, διατιτρῶντες κάτωθεν, προσβάλλοντες ἄνωθεν, πᾶσαν κινοῦντες μηχανήν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ διάβολος τοῖς μάλιστα πολλὴν συναγηοχόσι τὴν ἀρετὴν προσβάλλειν εἴωθεν καὶ φθονεῖν καὶ ἐπιβουλεύειν. Τοσοῦτοι γοῦν ἦσαν ἄνθρωποι κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον μόνον ἀπεδύσατο, καὶ τὰ μηχανήματα αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐκίνησεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἴσχυσε ποιῆσαι ναυάγιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείονα τὸν φόρτον εἰργάσατο καὶ μείζονα τὴν ἐμπορίαν. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἡ ἀρετή· βαλλομένη δυνατωτέρα γίνεται, καὶ ἐπιβουλευομένη ἀσφαλεστέρα καθίσταται. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μακαρίου γέγονεν ἐκείνου, ὃς πανταχόθεν βαλλόμενος, ἀσφαλέστερος ἵστατο, καὶ μυρία βέλη δεχόμενος, οὐκ ἐνεδίδου, ἀλλ' ἐκένωσε μὲν τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν βελοθήκην, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐ κατέπεσεν οὐδὲ ὑπεσκελίσθη, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἄριστος κυβερνήτης, οὔτε μαινομένης τῆς θαλάττης καὶ τῶν κυμάτων διεγειρομένων κατεποντίζετο, οὔτε γαλήνης οὔσης ῥᾳθυμότερος ἐγίνετο· ἀλλ' ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ τῶν καιρῶν διαφορᾷ ἴσην τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τέχνην διετήρησε, καὶ οὔτε πλοῦτος αὐτὸν ἐφύσησεν, οὔτε πενία ἐταπείνωσεν.","english":"one, that we may be delivered from vice; another, that we may acquire virtue; and after these, that we may preserve the virtue we have acquired—a task requiring the greatest effort, since that wicked demon, who begrudges our goods, attacks those who have succeeded with greater force. And just as pirates and wreckers pass by ships laden with sand, but if they see a vessel carrying a costly cargo and wealth stored within, they attack it, boring from below, assailing from above, and setting every device in motion, so too the devil is accustomed to attack, envy, and plot against those who have amassed the greatest virtue. Thus, there were so many men throughout the world in the time of Job, yet he stripped for battle against that one alone and set all his engines in motion; but he could not cause a shipwreck; rather, he made the cargo greater and the merchandise more abundant. For such is virtue: when assailed, it becomes stronger; when plotted against, it becomes more secure. This indeed happened to that blessed man, who, assailed from all sides, stood more securely, and receiving countless missiles, did not give way, but emptied the devil's quiver, yet did not fall or stumble; but like an excellent helmsman, he was neither overwhelmed when the sea raged and the waves rose, nor did he become more negligent when there was calm; but in each difference of circumstances he preserved his skill equally, and neither wealth puffed him up nor poverty humbled him.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τοῖς κατωρθωκόσιν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'those who have succeeded' refers to those who have acquired virtue, a key stage in Chrysostom's threefold moral progression (deliverance from vice, acquisition of virtue, preservation of virtue).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"πειραταὶ καὶ καταποντισταὶ","severity":"info","text":"Pirates and wreckers were a common threat in the ancient Mediterranean; Chrysostom uses this vivid analogy to illustrate the devil's targeted attacks on the virtuous, a motif found in Greco-Roman moral philosophy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰώβ","severity":"info","text":"Job is the central scriptural exemplar; Chrysostom draws on the biblical narrative (Job 1–2) where Satan tests Job's righteousness, but here emphasizes Job's unshaken virtue rather than his patience.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ἄριστος κυβερνήτης","severity":"info","text":"The helmsman metaphor for the virtuous person enduring life's vicissitudes is a Stoic commonplace, paralleled in Epictetus and Philo; Chrysostom adapts it to a Christian context of spiritual combat.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τοσοῦτοι γοῦν ἦσαν ἄνθρωποι","severity":"info","text":"This sentence marks a transition from general moral exhortation to the specific example of Job, reinforcing the homily's narrative structure by grounding the analogy in scripture.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"συναγηοχόσι","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text reads συναγηοχόσι, a variant spelling of συνηγηοχόσι (perfect participle of συνάγω); the sense is clear ('those who have amassed'), but the form is irregular and may reflect a scribal error or dialectal feature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ' could mean 'in the time of Job' (as taken) or 'in the case of Job'; the former fits the narrative context of Job's contemporaries."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Οὔτε τοίνυν κατὰ ῥοῦν τῶν πραγμάτων φερομένων ὕπτιος ἦν καὶ ἀναπεπτωκὼς, οὔτε ὅλης σχεδὸν τῆς οἰκίας ἀνατραπείσης καὶ πανωλεθρίας γενομένης διεταράχθη καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἤλεγξε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Ἀκουέτωσαν πλούσιοι, ἀκουέτωσαν πένητες· ἑκατέροις γὰρ τὸ διήγημα χρήσιμον· μᾶλλον δὲ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἡ ἱστορία λυσιτελὴς, καὶ τοῖς ἐν εὐημερίᾳ, καὶ τοῖς ἐν συμφοραῖς. Ἑκάτερα γὰρ τὰ ὅπλα μεταχειρίσας ὁ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγωνιστὴς, ὁ\n\nτῆς οἰκουμένης στεφανίτης, ἐν ἑκατέροις τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστησε, καὶ πρὸς πᾶν εἶδος πολέμου τοῦ δαίμονος ἐπελθόντος ἐκείνου, πρὸς ἅπαντα παρετάξατο, καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν ἀνεκηρύττετο· καὶ καθάπερ στρατιώτης γενναῖος καὶ εἰδὼς νυκτομαχεῖν, τειχομαχεῖν, ναυμαχεῖν, πεζομαχεῖν καὶ τοξεύειν, καὶ δόρυ σείειν, καὶ σφενδόναις καὶ ἀκοντίοις καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ μάχης περιγίνεσθαι τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ πανταχοῦ κρατεῖν· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ γενναῖος ἐκεῖνος ἅπαντα πειρασμὸν μετὰ πολλῆς ἤνεγκε τῆς ἀνδρείας, τὸν ἀπὸ πενίας, τὸν ἀπὸ λιμοῦ, τὸν ἀπὸ νόσου, τὸν ἐξ ὀδύνης, τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν παίδων ἀπωλείας, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν φίλων, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκετῶν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ἀνθρωπίνη συμφορὰ ἣ μὴ εἰς τὸ σῶμα ἐξεκενώθη ἐκείνου. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἁπάντων ὑπερηνέχθη τῶν δικτύων καὶ ὑψηλότερος γέγονε τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου καλάμων· καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστότερον, ὅτι καὶ πάντα αὐτῷ ἐπῄει, καὶ πάντα μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς καὶ πάντα ὑφ' ἕν. βʹ. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο μόνον ἴδῃς, ὅτι τοσαῦτα ἔπαθεν, ἀλλὰ πρόσθες, ὅτι οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν οὐδὲ ἐκ διαστήματος, ἀλλ' ὑφ' ἓν καὶ ὁμοῦ. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ αὕτη πειρασμῶν προσθήκη·","english":"Neither, then, when affairs were running smoothly, was he supine and relaxed, nor when nearly the whole household was overturned and utter ruin had occurred, was he disturbed and did he betray his own courage. Let the rich hear, let the poor hear; for the narrative is useful to both. Rather, the history is beneficial to all people, both to those in prosperity and to those in misfortunes. For the champion of piety, the crown-bearer of the world, having wielded both kinds of arms, set up his trophy in each, and when that demon came against him in every form of warfare, he arrayed himself against all, and in all he was proclaimed victor. And just as a noble soldier, skilled in fighting by night, in storming walls, in naval combat, in land battle, in archery, in brandishing a spear, in slinging and javelin-throwing, and in prevailing over the enemy by every mode of combat and conquering everywhere, so too that noble man bore every trial with great courage: the trial from poverty, from famine, from disease, from pain, from the loss of his children, from friends, from enemies, from his wife, from his servants. For there was no human calamity that was not poured out upon his body. Yet he rose above all the nets and became higher than the devil's reeds. And what is more remarkable, all these things assailed him, and all with excess, and all at once. For do not see only that he suffered so many things, but add that they came not gradually nor at intervals, but all at once and together. And this is no small addition to the trials.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"ὕπτιος ἦν καὶ ἀναπεπτωκὼς","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'supine and relaxed' describes a state of negligent passivity, contrasting with the subject's active virtue.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"στεφανίτης","severity":"info","text":"'Crown-bearer' (στεφανίτης) is a term for a victorious athlete, here applied metaphorically to the subject as a champion of piety.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"τῆς οἰκουμένης στεφανίτης","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'crown-bearer of the world' echoes the language of athletic and military victory common in late antique panegyric, emphasizing universal acclaim.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"βʹ","severity":"info","text":"The numeral βʹ marks a new section in the Greek text, introducing a further point about the simultaneity of the trials.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"καθάπερ στρατιώτης γενναῖος","severity":"info","text":"The extended military simile (soldier skilled in multiple combat forms) parallels Chrysostom's frequent use of martial imagery to illustrate spiritual endurance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου καλάμων","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'devil's reeds' is ambiguous: it may refer to fishing rods (as in nets) or to traps made of reeds; the sense of entrapment is clear.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου καλάμων' could mean 'the devil's reeds' (as in fishing rods) or 'the devil's traps' (made of reeds); the translation opts for 'reeds' but the sense of entrapment is primary.","The subject of the passage is not named explicitly; from context it is a specific individual, likely a martyr or ascetic, but the identity is not given here."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων πρῶτον μὲν οὐδεὶς ἂν εὑρεθείη πάντα ὑπομείνας ὁμοῦ, ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ πενίᾳ παλαίει, ὅμως ὑγείας ἀπολαύει· εἰ δὲ καὶ πενίᾳ καὶ νόσῳ περιεπάρη, ἀλλὰ γυναικὸς πολλάκις ἀπέλαυσε παραμυθουμένης φέρειν τὰ δεινὰ, καὶ ἀντὶ λιμένος αὐτῷ γινομένης· εἰ δὲ μὴ γυναικὸς ἀπέλαυσε τοιαύτης, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτω συμβουλευούσης ὀλέθρια· εἰ δὲ καὶ οὕτω συμβουλευούσης ὀλέθρια, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἀθρόον ἀπώλεσεν ἅπαντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀθρόον, ἀλλ' οὐ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τελευτῆς· εἰ δὲ καὶ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τελευτῆς, ἀλλὰ φίλους ἔσχε παρακαλοῦντας· εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔσχε παρακαλοῦντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ οὕτως ἐπεμβαίνοντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπεμβαίνοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ οἰκέτας ὀνειδίζοντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ ὀνειδίζοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐμπτύοντας· εἰ δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον ἐμπτύοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ νόσῳ τοσαύτῃ περιεπάρη· εἰ δὲ καὶ νόσῳ περιεπάρη τοσαύτῃ, ἀλλὰ δωματίου καὶ σκέπης ἀπέλαυσε, καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο, ἀλλ' ἔσχε τοὺς χεῖρα ὀρέγοντας· εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔσχε τοὺς χεῖρα ὀρέγοντας, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τοὺς ἐπεμβαίνοντας. Οὗτος δὲ ἅπαντα ταῦτα ὑπήνεγκεν, καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστότερον, ὃ προλαβὼν εἶπον, ὅτι καὶ ὁμοῦ πάντα, ὅπερ διπλασίονα καὶ τριπλασίονα ποιεῖ τὰ χαλεπὰ φαίνεσθαι, ὅταν μηδὲ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀνακωχῆς ἔχῃ παραμυθίαν ὁ ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἀλλὰ τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς πλείων ὁ θόρυβος γίνηται καὶ μείζων ἡ ταραχή· ὅπερ ἐπὶ τούτου συνέβη.","english":"For among all other men, first of all, no one would be found to have endured everything at once; but if one struggles with poverty, yet he enjoys health; and if he is pierced by both poverty and disease, yet he often enjoys a wife who comforts him to bear the hardships and becomes a harbor for him; and if he does not enjoy such a wife, yet she does not counsel ruinous things; and if she does counsel ruinous things, yet he has not lost all his children at once; and if he has lost them at once, yet not by such a manner of death; and if by such a manner of death, yet he had friends to console him; and if he had no friends to console him, yet they did not also trample upon him in this way; and if they did trample upon him, yet his servants did not reproach him; and if they did reproach him, yet they did not spit in his face; and if they did spit in his face, yet he was not pierced by so great a disease; and if he was pierced by so great a disease, yet he enjoyed a chamber and shelter, and did not sit on a dunghill; and if he did sit on a dunghill, yet he had those who stretched out a hand; and if he had no one to stretch out a hand, yet there were not those who trampled upon him. But this man endured all these things, and what is more marvelous, as I said earlier, that he endured them all at once, which makes the hardships appear double and triple, when the one struggling does not even have the consolation of a respite, but by the continuity of the affliction the turmoil becomes greater and the disturbance more severe—which is what happened in his case.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων ... Οὗτος δὲ ἅπαντα ταῦτα ὑπήνεγκεν","severity":"info","text":"The passage is a long anaphoric series of conditional clauses (εἰ ... ἀλλά ...) contrasting ordinary human suffering with the subject's cumulative endurance, culminating in a summary statement.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἐκάθητο","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'sat on a dunghill' evokes the biblical Job (LXX Job 2:8), who is traditionally depicted on a dunghill, reinforcing the Joban typology central to Chrysostom's argument.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐμπτύοντας","severity":"info","text":"Spitting in the face was a gesture of extreme contempt in late antique culture, often associated with public humiliation of the socially degraded or defeated.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀντὶ λιμένος αὐτῷ γινομένης","severity":"info","text":"The metaphor of a wife as a 'harbor' (λιμήν) for a suffering husband is a common topos in Chrysostom's moral exhortation, e.g., in his homilies on marriage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'continuity of affliction' emphasizes that the cumulative nature of suffering, without respite, magnifies the hardship—a key rhetorical point in Chrysostom's praise of endurance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ὃ προλαβὼν εἶπον","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom refers to an earlier statement ('as I said earlier') that is not preserved in the immediate context of this passage, possibly from a lost portion of the homily.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'this man' (οὗτος) is not explicitly named in the passage, but the context strongly suggests Job, the paradigmatic sufferer in Chrysostom's argument."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Τὴν μὲν γὰρ τῶν προβάτων ἀπώλειαν καὶ τὸν ἐμπρησμὸν διεδέχετο τῶν βοῶν ἡ ἁρπαγὴ, καὶ τὴν τούτων ἡ τῶν ὄνων ἀφαίρεσις, καὶ ταύτην ἡ τῶν καμήλων αἰχμαλωσία καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν ἡ σφαγὴ, καὶ ταύτην ἡ τῶν παίδων ἀπώλεια καὶ ὁ φρικτὸς ἐκεῖνος καὶ καινὸς θάνατος, καὶ ὁ φρικωδέστερος τάφος ὁ αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁμοῦ καὶ θάνατος καὶ τάφος ἐγίνετο, καὶ ἡ τράπεζα, ἣ νῦν μὲν ἑστιώμενα, νῦν δὲ κατακοπέντα δεξαμένη τὰ σώματα, καὶ αἱ φιάλαι καὶ τὰ ποτήρια μετὰ τοῦ οἴνου τὸ αἷμα ὑποδεχόμενα, καὶ τὰ κατακεκομμένα μέλη. Ἀλλὰ ὅμως τὴν χαλεπὴν ταύτην τραγῳδίαν ἕτερα χαλεπώτερα πάλιν αὐτὰ ἀναμένει, οὐδὲ μικρὸν ἀναπνεύσαντα. Ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν σκωλήκων, οἱ τῶν ἰχώρων ῥύακες, ἡ ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας καθέδρα, τὸ ὄστρακον τὸ τὰς πλευρὰς καταξαῖνον, ἡ δυσωδία τῶν ἑλκῶν ἡ τὸν καινὸν ἐκεῖνον ἐπεισάγουσα λιμὸν, καὶ ὁρωμένων οὐκ ἀφιεῖσα τῶν σιτίων ἅπτεσθαι, καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ χαλεπωτέραν ἐντιθεῖσα τὴν ἀηδίαν· καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐπὶ δύο καὶ δέκα καὶ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μησὶ πλείοσι. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἵστατο τὰ τῶν παλαισμάτων, ἀλλ' ἐν τούτοις ὄντος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποτηγανιζομένου πάντοθεν, ἔνδοθεν, ἔξωθεν, ἐπῄει καὶ τὰ τῆς γυναικὸς μηχανήματα. Γίνεται γὰρ τοῦ δαίμονος ὅπλον ἡ σύνοικος, καὶ τοξεύει τὸν ἄνδρα, τὴν γλῶτταν δανείσασα τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ βάλλει τῶν εἰρημένων βέλη","english":"For the loss of the sheep and the conflagration was succeeded by the seizure of the cattle, and that by the removal of the donkeys, and that by the capture of the camels and the slaughter of the servants, and that by the loss of the children and that dreadful and novel death, and the more horrifying tomb—for the same thing was both death and tomb at once—and the table, which now received the bodies feasted, now cut up, and the bowls and cups receiving blood along with the wine, and the dismembered limbs. Yet even this harsh tragedy was awaited by other, harsher things, without their having drawn even a brief breath. For from there came the springs of worms, the streams of ichor, the sitting on the dunghill, the potsherd scraping the ribs, the stench of the ulcers introducing that novel famine, and preventing them from touching food even when it was seen, and instilling a disgust more severe than the famine; and these things not for two, ten, twenty, or a hundred days, but for several months. And not even here did the struggles cease, but while he was in these and being roasted from all sides, from within and without, the machinations of the woman also assailed him. For the wife becomes the weapon of the demon, and she shoots at her husband, having lent her tongue to the devil, and hurls the arrows of the things mentioned.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τραγῳδίαν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses τραγῳδίαν (tragedy) metaphorically to describe the sequence of calamities, a common rhetorical device in his homilies to evoke emotional response.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"τράπεζα","severity":"info","text":"τράπεζα (table) here refers to a dining table used in a macabre sense for the dismemberment of bodies, contrasting with its usual domestic function.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"ὄστρακον","severity":"info","text":"The potsherd (ὄστρακον) scraping ribs alludes to a torture method, possibly ostracism or scraping with broken pottery, known in ancient punitive practices.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"γυναικὸς μηχανήματα","severity":"info","text":"The wife as a demonic weapon parallels Chrysostom's other works where women are portrayed as instruments of the devil, e.g., in Homily 20 on Ephesians.","cites":[],"named_sources":["John Chrysostom, Homily 20 on Ephesians"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐντεῦθεν","severity":"info","text":"Ἐντεῦθεν (from there) marks a structural shift from listing external disasters to describing internal physical torments, intensifying the narrative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀποτηγανιζομένου","severity":"caution","text":"ἀποτηγανιζομένου (being roasted) is a rare verb, possibly a hapax legomenon, and its exact sense may be debated; context suggests intense suffering.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τὸν καινὸν ἐκεῖνον λιμὸν' (that novel famine) could refer to a specific historical famine or be hyperbolic; the text does not specify.","The identity of 'τῆς γυναικὸς' (the woman) is ambiguous—she may be a specific figure or a generic representation of a treacherous wife."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"πικρότερα καὶ ὀλεθριώτερα. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα τέλος ἐλάμβανε τὰ παλαίσματα, ἀλλ' ἀρχὴ πάλιν καὶ προοίμια τῆς παρατάξεως ἦν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐντεῦθεν ἐγένετο πλέον τῷ διαβόλῳ, τῶν φίλων ὁ χορὸς παρεγένετο, ἐν προσωπείῳ συμπαθείας τὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιδεικνύμενος, καὶ ἐνάλλονται κειμένῳ, καὶ ἀναξαίνουσι τὰ ἕλκη, ἀλλήλους διαδεχόμενοι καὶ μηδὲ ἀναπνεῖν ἐῶντες, καὶ πολλοὺς κύκλους κυκλοῦντες, χαλεπήν τινα χορείαν χορεύοντες. Εἴπω καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς τὸν ἀφόρητον πειρασμὸν, καὶ αὐτὸν καινὸν ὄντα καὶ παράδοξον; Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις, κἂν μυρία πάσχωσι δεινὰ, κἂν δεσμωτήρια οἰκῶσι, κἂν ἅλυσιν περικέωνται, κἂν συμφορὰς θρηνῶσι, κἂν λώβην σώματος ὑπομένωσι, κἂν πενίᾳ πιέζωνται, κἂν νόσῳ. κἂν πόνοις, κἂν ταλαιπωρίαις, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπελθοῦσα ἡ νὺξ φάρμακον ἐπάγει παραμυθίας, ἀφιεῖσα τῶν πόνων τὸ σῶμα, ἀνιεῖσα τῶν φροντίδων τὴν ψυχήν· ἐπὶ δὲ ἐκείνου τότε καὶ ὁ λιμὴν σκόπελος γέγονε, καὶ τὸ φάρμακον ἕλκος κατέστη, καὶ ἡ παραμυθία προσθήκη τις ἦν ὀδύνης χαλεπωτέρα, καὶ φοβερώτερος ὁ χειμὼν ἐγίνετο ἐν τῇ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις νυκτὶ παρεχούσῃ γαλήνην· καὶ ἔφευγε μὲν ὡς ἀπὸ κυμάτων τῆς ἡμέρας, διὰ τὰς ἀκαρτερήτους ὀδύνας ἐκείνας, εὕρισκε δὲ τρικυμίας καὶ στροβίλους καὶ ὑφάλους καὶ σπιλάδας, ὡς πάλιν τὰ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ κύματα ζητεῖν. Διὸ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ καινὸν τοῦτο πάθος διηγούμενος, ἐβόα λέγων· Ἐὰν κοιμηθῶ, λέγω· Πότε ἡμέρα; ἐὰν ἀναστῶ, λέγω· Πότε ἑσπέρα; Τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι; ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ εἰκότως τὴν νύκτα ἐπιζητεῖς·","english":"more bitter and more destructive. And not even here did the struggles come to an end, but it was again a beginning and a prelude to the battle array. For since the devil gained nothing further from this, the chorus of friends arrived, displaying in the guise of sympathy the actions of enemies, and they leap upon him as he lay, and they tear open his wounds, succeeding one another and not even allowing him to breathe, and encircling him in many circles, dancing some grievous dance. Should I also speak of the unbearable trial of the night, which was itself both novel and extraordinary? For all other men, even if they suffer countless evils, even if they inhabit prisons, even if they are bound in chains, even if they lament misfortunes, even if they endure bodily mutilation, even if they are oppressed by poverty, even if by disease, even if by labors, even if by hardships, nevertheless when night comes it brings a remedy of consolation, releasing the body from toils, relaxing the soul from cares; but in his case at that time, even the harbor became a reef, and the remedy became a wound, and the consolation was some addition of pain more grievous, and the storm became more terrible in the night which provides calm for all men; and he fled as if from the waves of the day, because of those unbearable pains, but he encountered cross-seas and whirlwinds and reefs and rocks, so that he again sought the waves of the day. Therefore indeed he himself, describing this novel suffering, cried out saying: If I sleep, I say: When will it be day? If I rise, I say: When will it be evening? Why, tell me? For by day you naturally seek the night;","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τῶν φίλων ὁ χορὸς","severity":"info","text":"The 'chorus of friends' is a bitterly ironic term: these are false friends who, under the guise of sympathy, act as enemies, reopening wounds. The metaphor of a dance (χορείαν χορεύοντες) intensifies the sense of ritualized cruelty.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"παλαίσματα","severity":"info","text":"παλαίσματα (struggles) is a wrestling term, common in Chrysostom's athletic imagery for spiritual combat. Here it marks the ongoing series of trials as a contest, with the devil as opponent.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"νυκτὸς τὸν ἀφόρητον πειρασμὸν","severity":"info","text":"The 'unbearable trial of the night' reflects a topos in early Christian ascetic literature: night as a time of heightened demonic assault and psychological torment, contrasting with its usual role as a respite.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἴπω καὶ","severity":"info","text":"The rhetorical question 'Should I also speak of...' marks a structural transition, introducing a new phase of the narrative (the night trial) after the daytime attacks. It builds a climactic contrast between day and night.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ λιμὴν σκόπελος γέγονε","severity":"info","text":"The reversal of harbor into reef is a paradoxical image (adynaton) common in Chrysostom's rhetoric, emphasizing the inversion of normal comfort into danger. Compare similar inversions in his homilies on Job and Paul.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐὰν κοιμηθῶ... Πότε ἡμέρα;","severity":"info","text":"The quoted cry 'If I sleep... When will it be day?' echoes the restless longing of the psalmist (cf. Psalm 6:4 LXX) but is adapted to a personal narrative of sleepless torment, a common Chrysostomic technique.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'chorus of friends' is not specified; they may be literal acquaintances or a metaphorical group of persecutors. The reading taken treats them as false friends acting under pretense."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"ἑσπέραν γὰρ τὴν νύκτα καλεῖ, ἅτε ἀτέλειαν πᾶσι παρέχουσαν τῶν μεθημερινῶν κακῶν· ἐν νυκτὶ δὲ γενόμενος· καὶ γαλήνῃ καὶ λήθῃ τῶν ὀδυνῶν ἐκείνων καὶ τῶν φροντίδων, τί πάλιν ἐπιζητεῖς τὴν ἡμέραν; Ὅτι μοι τῆς ἡμέρας χαλεπωτέρα ἡ νύξ· οὐ γὰρ ἀτέλειάν μοι παρέχει τῶν πόνων, ἀλλ' ἐπίτασιν καὶ θορύβους καὶ ταραχάς· καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ διηγούμενος ἔλεγε· Φοβεῖς με ἐν ἐνυπνίοις, καὶ ἐν ὁράμασί με καταπλήσσεις. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξεδειματοῦτο, φοβερὰς ὄψεις ὁρῶν ἐπὶ τῆς νυκτὸς, καὶ φόβον ἀφόρητον ὑπομένων, ἔκστασίν τε πολλὴν καὶ κατάπληξιν.\n\nγʹ. Ἆρα οὐκ ἀπεκάμετε ἀκούοντες τὰς ἐπαλλήλους ταύτας συμφοράς; Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔκαμνε πάσχων. Διὸ δὴ παρακαλῶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην ἔτι μικρὸν ἀναμεῖναι· οὐδέπω γὰρ τὸ πᾶν εἰρήκαμεν, οὐδὲ τὴν ἑτέραν προσεθήκαμεν ὑπερβολήν. Μία μὲν γὰρ ἦν, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακὰ ἓν σῶμα ὑπέμεινεν· ἑτέρα δὲ, ὅτι πάντα ὁμοῦ, καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἔσχεν ἀνακωχήν· βούλομαι δὲ καὶ τρίτην εἰπεῖν· τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη; Ὅτι τῶν εἰρημένων ἕκαστον οὐ μόνον οὐχ ὁμοῦ ἐπῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ὑπερβολῆς καὶ τῆς σφοδρότητος· ἥ τε γὰρ πενία πενίας ἁπάσης χαλεπωτέρα, ἥ τε νόσος, ἥ τε καθέδρα, ἥ τε τῶν παίδων ἀπώλεια, ἥ τε τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων. Σκόπει δέ· Ἀπώλεσέ τις τὰ ὄντα; ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ὁλοσχερῶς, οὐδὲ τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ. Ἀπέβαλε παῖδας; ἀλλ' οὐδέποτε ὑφ' ἓν ἅπαντας, οὐδὲ τοσούτους, οὐδὲ τοιούτους. Νόσῳ περιέπεσεν; ἀλλ' οὐ τοιαύτῃ, ἀλλ' ἢ πυρετοῖς, ἢ λώβῃ, ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ πάθει συνήθει. Ἐκείνη δὲ ἡ πληγὴ ξένη τις ἦν, καὶ τῷ πάσχοντι μόνῳ σαφής.","english":"For he calls night \"evening,\" as providing all with a release from the day's evils. And when night came, with its calm and forgetfulness of those pains and cares, why do you again seek the day? Because the night was more grievous to me than the day; for it does not provide me with a release from my labors, but rather an intensification, and disturbances, and turmoil. And recounting this very thing, he said: \"You frighten me in dreams, and you terrify me in visions.\" For he was terrified, seeing fearful sights during the night, and enduring unbearable fear, great distraction, and consternation.\n\n3. Have you not grown weary hearing these successive calamities? But he did not grow weary suffering them. Therefore I beseech your love to wait a little longer; for we have not yet told the whole, nor have we added the other excess. For one thing was that he endured all the evils among men in one body; another, that all came together, and he had not even a brief respite. I wish also to mention a third. What then is this? That each of the things mentioned came not only not simultaneously, but also with great excess and vehemence; for the poverty was more grievous than any poverty, the disease, the confinement, the loss of children, the loss of all possessions. Consider: Has someone lost his possessions? But not so completely, nor in such a manner. Has he lost children? But never all at once, nor so many, nor such children. Has he fallen into disease? But not such a disease, but either fevers, or mutilation, or some other common affliction. That blow was something strange, and clear only to the sufferer.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"ἑσπέραν","severity":"info","text":"The speaker redefines 'evening' (ἑσπέραν) as night, paradoxically denying it the expected relief from daily evils, intensifying the sufferer's plight.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Φοβεῖς με ἐν ἐνυπνίοις, καὶ ἐν ὁράμασί με καταπλήσσεις","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes Job 7:14 LXX ('You frighten me in dreams, and terrify me in visions'), aligning the sufferer's experience with Job's lament.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"γʹ","severity":"info","text":"The numeral γʹ marks the third section of the passage, introducing a new rhetorical movement: a tripartite amplification of the sufferer's trials.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'your love' (τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην) is a standard Chrysostomian address to the congregation, indicating a live homiletic context.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"πενία ... νόσος ... καθέδρα ... παίδων ἀπώλεια","severity":"info","text":"The catalogue of afflictions (poverty, disease, confinement, loss of children) parallels the trials of Job, a key intertext for Chrysostom's argument.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἑτέραν προσεθήκαμεν ὑπερβολήν","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'the other excess' (ἑτέραν προσεθήκαμεν ὑπερβολήν) is ambiguous: it may refer to a second hyperbolic point or a further intensification of the first.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The referent of 'ἑτέραν ὑπερβολήν' is unclear: it could be a second excess or a further degree of the first.","The identity of the sufferer (Job or another figure) is not explicitly stated in this passage, though the context strongly suggests Job."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Λόγος γὰρ οὐδεὶς παραστῆσαι δύναιτ' ἂν τὸ πικρὸν τῶν ἑλκῶν ἐκείνων καὶ τὸ τῶν τραυμάτων ὀδυνηρὸν, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ μόνον τὸν ἐργασάμενον εἰπόντα καὶ τὸν ἄσχετον αὐτοῦ θυμὸν, ἐνδείξασθαι τῆς πληγῆς τὸ μέγεθος. Καινὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ καθέδρα ἦν καὶ ξένη· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς πένης οὕτω ποτὲ καθεσθεὶς αἴθριος διὰ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος ὑπέμεινε, γυμνὸς ἱματίων, στέγης ἀπεστερημένος ἁπάσης, ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἡλκωμένος καθήμενος. Ἔσχε τις γυναῖκα πονηρὰν πολλάκις, ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς οὐδέποτε ἐγένετο οὕτω πονηρὰ, ὡς ἐν τοιαύτῃ συμφορᾷ ἐπιτίθεσθαι τῷ ἀνδρὶ, καὶ ξίφος ἀνονῆσαι κατὰ τῆς ἐκείνου ψυχῆς, καὶ συμβουλεῦσαι τοιαύτας συμβουλάς. Καὶ τὸ τῶν φίλων δὲ ξένον, καὶ τὸ τῶν οἰκετῶν· καὶ τὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ δὲ καινότερον πάλιν, ὅτι παρακειμένης οὐκ ἀπεγεύετο τῆς τραπέζης. Εἴπω καὶ τετάρτην ὑπερβολήν; τὸν πλοῦτον λέγω τὸν ἔμπροσθεν καὶ τὴν\n\nεὐημερίαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν πενίᾳ ζήσας, εὐκολώτερον ἂν ταύτην ἤνεγκεν, ἅτε μελετήσας τὸ πάθος· ὁ δὲ ἐξ εὐημερίας τοσαύτης κατενεχθεὶς, διὰ τὸ ἀγύμναστον καὶ ἀμελέτητον καὶ χαλεπωτέραν ὑπομένειν εἰκὸς τὴν αἴσθησιν, καὶ πικροτέραν τὴν ὀδύνην, καὶ μείζονα τὴν ταραχήν. Ἔστι καὶ πέμπτην εἰπεῖν· ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; Ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἕκαστος ἀνθρώπων πολλὰ συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ πονηρὰ, τὴν αἰτίαν οἶδεν ὧν πάσχει· οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τοῦτο εἰς παραμυθίαν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο εἶχε λογίσασθαι, ὅτι πλημμελημάτων καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων ἔτινε δίκας· ὃ μάλιστα αὐτοῦ τὸν λογισμὸν ἐθορύβει.","english":"No word could represent the bitterness of those sores and the pain of the wounds, but it is enough only to mention the one who inflicted them and his uncontrollable wrath to indicate the magnitude of the blow. And the seat was both novel and strange; for there is, there is no one so poor who ever sat outdoors for the whole time as he endured, naked of garments, deprived of all shelter, sitting ulcerated on a dunghill. Someone has had a wicked wife often, but no one has ever been so wicked as to attack her husband in such a calamity, to whet a sword against his soul, and to counsel such counsels. And the behavior of his friends is strange, and that of his servants; and the famine is again more novel, because, with the table set before him, he did not taste it. Shall I mention a fourth excess? I mean the wealth before and the prosperity. For one who lived from the beginning in poverty would have borne this more easily, having practiced the suffering; but one brought down from such prosperity, due to lack of training and practice, likely endures a more severe sensation, a more bitter pain, and a greater disturbance. It is possible to mention a fifth: what is this? That each of the other men, knowing many evil things in himself, knows the cause of what he suffers; and this is no small thing for consolation; but he did not even have this to consider, that he was paying the penalty for transgressions and sins; this especially disturbed his reason.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸ πικρὸν τῶν ἑλκῶν ἐκείνων","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'the bitterness of those sores' refers to the physical and emotional suffering of Job, a central figure in Chrysostom's argument.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἡλκωμένος καθήμενος","severity":"info","text":"The image of Job sitting ulcerated on a dunghill is a vivid detail from the biblical account (Job 2:8 LXX), emphasizing his extreme destitution.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἴπω καὶ τετάρτην ὑπερβολήν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom enumerates five 'excesses' (ὑπερβολαί) of Job's suffering, a rhetorical device to amplify the pathos and demonstrate the uniqueness of Job's trials.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸν πλοῦτον λέγω τὸν ἔμπροσθεν καὶ τὴν εὐημερίαν","severity":"info","text":"The contrast between Job's former prosperity and his present misery echoes a common theme in ancient consolation literature, e.g., Seneca's 'De Consolatione ad Helviam'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ὑπερβολή","severity":"info","text":"Ὑπερβολή (hyperbolē) here means 'excess' or 'extreme', a rhetorical figure used to heighten the description of Job's suffering beyond ordinary measure.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸ τῶν φίλων δὲ ξένον","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'the behavior of his friends is strange' is ambiguous: it may refer to their failure to help or their active hostility, but Chrysostom does not specify.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'wicked wife' (γυναῖκα πονηρὰν) is not specified; it may be a generic example or a reference to Job's wife, though the biblical Job's wife is not portrayed as actively hostile.","The phrase 'the famine is again more novel' (τὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ δὲ καινότερον πάλιν) is unclear: it could mean Job's self-imposed fasting or a literal famine, but the context suggests the former."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸν βίον εἶδε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ τὸ συνειδὸς ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον λάμπον, καὶ τῶν κατορθωμάτων τὸ πλῆθος, ᾔδει ὅτι στεφάνων καὶ βραβείων καὶ μυρίων ἐπάθλων ἄξιος ἦν· ὅτε δὲ εἰς τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὰ ἕλκη καὶ τὰ συμβεβηκότα ἅπαντα, τῶν τὰ ἔσχατα τετολμηκότων ὁρῶν ἑαυτὸν χαλεπώτερα πάσχοντα, οὐδὲ τὴν αἰτίαν εὕρισκεν εἰπεῖν δι' ἢν ταῦτα ἔπασχε· διὸ δὴ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκατάληπτον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ οἰκονομίας καταφυγὼν ἔλεγεν· Ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο. Καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα δὲ ἐπιστομίζων ἐκ τῶν ἐγχωρούντων, καὶ λογισμὸν συνέθηκε τὴν εὐλάβειαν αὐτοῦ σφόδρα ἐπιδεικνύμενον, λέγων οὕτως· Εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα παρὰ Κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; Εἴπω καὶ ἑτέραν ὑπερβολὴν μάλιστα στεφανοῦσαν καὶ ἀνακηρύττουσαν τὸν ἀθλητὴν ἐκεῖνον, καὶ δεικνύουσαν αὐτοῦ ὑψηλὴν καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἁπτομένην ψυχήν; Τίς οὖν ἐστιν αὕτη; Ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου διαφορά· πρὸ γὰρ τῆς χάριτος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου γενόμενος, τοιαῦτα ἐφιλοσόφησεν. Οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ μυρίους δυνάμενον πλέξαι στεφάνους. Τῶν γὰρ αὐτῶν κατορθωμάτων οὐχ οἱ αὐτοὶ κεῖνται μισθοὶ, ὅταν ὁ μὲν ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέροις χρόνοις ταῦτα κατωρθωκὼς ᾖ, ὁ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μείζους τῷ προτέρῳ. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἴσον, παραγενομένου τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τοσαῦτα ἐπιδειξαμένου καὶ παραινέσαντος καὶ συμβουλεύσαντος φιλοσοφεῖν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ καὶ πρὸ νόμου καὶ πρὸ προφητῶν τοιαῦτα ἐπιδείκνυσθαι. Διὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ παραγενόμενος πλείονα ἀρετῆς προσθήκην ἐπιζητεῖ, λέγων·","english":"When he looked upon his own life, and his conscience shining brighter than the sun, and the multitude of his achievements, he knew that he was worthy of crowns and prizes and countless rewards. But when he looked upon his body and the sores and all that had befallen him, seeing himself suffering more severely than those who had dared the worst, he could not even find the reason why he suffered these things. Therefore, taking refuge in the incomprehensibility of God's economy, he said: \"As it seemed good to the Lord, so it came to pass.\" And also, silencing his wife with what was appropriate, he composed a reasoning that greatly displayed his piety, speaking thus: \"If we have received good things from the Lord, shall we not bear the bad?\" Shall I mention another surpassing point, one that especially crowns and proclaims that athlete, and shows his lofty soul reaching to the heavens? What then is this? The difference in time: for having lived before grace and before the law, he philosophized in such a manner. This is no small thing, but one capable of weaving countless crowns. For the same achievements do not receive the same rewards when one has accomplished them in earlier times and another in later times; rather, the former receives much greater ones. For it is not the same, when Christ had come and displayed so much and exhorted and advised philosophy, as it is to display such things before his coming and before the law and before the prophets. For this reason, when he did come, he demands a greater addition of virtue, saying:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"οἰκονομίας","severity":"info","text":"The Greek term 'οἰκονομίας' (economy) here refers to divine dispensation or providential arrangement, a key concept in Chrysostom's thought. The sufferer takes refuge in the incomprehensibility of God's plan.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδοξεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐγένετο","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes biblical language of submission to divine will, reminiscent of Job's resignation (cf. Job 1:21 LXX) and Pauline acceptance (e.g., Romans 9:19). Chrysostom uses it to illustrate the athlete's piety.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"πρὸ γὰρ τῆς χάριτος καὶ πρὸ τοῦ νόμου","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts the athlete's virtue with the era before Christ's incarnation ('grace') and Mosaic law, emphasizing that his philosophical endurance predates both, thus meriting greater honor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἴπω καὶ ἑτέραν ὑπερβολὴν","severity":"info","text":"This rhetorical question ('Shall I mention another surpassing point?') marks a structural transition, introducing a new argument about the temporal priority of the athlete's suffering, which Chrysostom develops to heighten his praise.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"τῶν γὰρ αὐτῶν κατορθωμάτων οὐχ οἱ αὐτοὶ κεῖνται μισθοὶ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom argues that identical achievements yield greater rewards when performed earlier in salvation history, a principle paralleled in his homilies on Hebrews (e.g., Hom. 28) and in patristic discussions of typology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"τὴν γυναῖκα δὲ ἐπιστομίζων","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'silencing his wife' may reflect Chrysostom's rhetorical construction rather than a historical event. The wife's role is not elaborated, and the passage may serve to dramatize the athlete's piety.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'athlete' (ἀθλητὴν) is not specified in this passage; it may refer to a specific martyr or ascetic figure from Chrysostom's audience. The wife's silencing is ambiguous as to whether it is literal or rhetorical."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλεῖον τῶν Γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὅσῳ γὰρ πλείων ἡ διδασκαλία γέγονε, τοσούτῳ δικαιότερα καὶ πλείονα ἔθετο μέτρα ἀρετῆς. Ἀλλ' οὗτος οὐ διδασκαλίας ἀπολαύσας, οὐ γράμμασιν ἐντυχὼν, οὐ βιβλίοις, οὐχ ἑτέρους θεασάμενος, οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον ἀναδραμεῖν ἔχων καὶ τοὺς κατωρθωκότας ἐννοῆσαι· οὐδέπω γὰρ ἦν γραφὴ, ἢ ἱστορία τὰ γεγενημένα παραδιδοῦσα· ἀλλ' ἐν ἀτριβεῖ τῇ ὁδῷ, ἐν ἀπλώτῳ τῇ θαλάττῃ, ἐν ζόφῳ τοσούτῳ κακίας, μόνος καὶ πρῶτος ἐκεῖνος τότε ταύτην φιλοσοφίας ἔτεμε τὴν ὁδὸν, τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τῶν ἀγαθῶν μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἄκρος ἀποδειχθείς. Μέγιστον μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ τὰ ἐλάττονα μέρη τῆς ἀρετῆς κατορθοῦν, πολλῷ δὲ μεῖζον τὸ ἐν τῷ ἀκροτάτῳ πάντων ἀκρότατον εἶναι· ὅτι δὲ τὸ πάντων ἀκρότατον ἡ ὑπομονὴ, οὐδεὶς ἀντερεῖ. Ταῦτα γοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ διάβολος εἰδὼς, ἔλεγε· Δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ὑπάρχει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, δώσει ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ· οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ ἀπόστειλον τὴν χεῖρά σου, καὶ ἅψαι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι πάντων ἀκρότατον τοῦτο τὸ κατόρθωμα, καὶ νεανικῆς τινος καὶ σιδηρᾶς δεόμενον ψυχῆς. δʹ. Εἶδες αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς, ὅσον ἰδεῖν σοι δυνατὸν ἦν; τὴν γὰρ ἀκρίβειαν οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ὁ λόγος παραστῆσαι ἴσχυσεν. Ὀδύνην γὰρ καὶ βασάνους καὶ ἀθυμίας τυραννίδα καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν τοσούτων νιφάδων ἐγγινομένην ταραχὴν οὐδεμία λόγου δύναμις ἑρμηνεῦσαι δύναται τοῖς ἀκηκοόσιν, ὡς αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων ἡ πεῖρα.","english":"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. For to the extent that teaching has increased, to that extent he set more just and greater measures of virtue. But this man, having enjoyed no teaching, having encountered no letters, no books, having seen no others, and not being able to run back to an earlier time and consider those who had succeeded—for there was as yet no scripture or history transmitting what had happened—but on an untrodden path, on an unplowed sea, in such a darkness of vice, alone and first he then cut this path of philosophy, having been shown to be the extreme in the chief of goods with surpassing excellence. For it is a very great thing to accomplish the lesser parts of virtue, but much greater to be the most extreme in the most extreme of all; and that the most extreme of all is endurance, no one will deny. Knowing this, then, even the devil himself said: \"Skin for skin, and everything that belongs to a man he will give for his soul; but nevertheless, stretch out your hand and touch his flesh.\" Hence it is clear that this achievement is the most extreme of all, and requires a certain vigorous and iron soul. 4. Did you see him in the trials, as far as it was possible for you to see? For not even speech itself was able to represent the exactness. For no power of speech can interpret to those who have heard the pain and tortures and tyranny of despondency and the disturbance arising from so many snowflakes, as the experience of the events themselves can.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλεῖον τῶν Γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom adapts Matthew 5:20, where Jesus says 'unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.' The citation is free, not verbatim.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ὑπομονὴ","severity":"info","text":"Hypomonē ('endurance, patient perseverance') is a key virtue in Chrysostom's ascetic and martyrological discourse, here declared the 'most extreme' of all goods.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος","severity":"info","text":"The devil's saying 'Skin for skin' is a proverbial expression of extreme self-sacrifice, possibly drawn from Job 2:4 (LXX) or popular lore; Chrysostom uses it to highlight the saint's willingness to suffer.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"δʹ","severity":"info","text":"The numeral '4' (delta) marks a new section or paragraph in the source edition, indicating a rhetorical break after the devil's saying.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐν ἀτριβεῖ τῇ ὁδῷ, ἐν ἀπλώτῳ τῇ θαλάττῃ, ἐν ζόφῳ τοσούτῳ κακίας","severity":"info","text":"The triple metaphor of untrodden path, unplowed sea, and darkness of vice echoes common topoi of pioneering virtue (cf. Plato, Rep. 4.432c; Philo, Migr. 133).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"νιφάδων","severity":"caution","text":"The word 'snowflakes' (νιφάδων) is unusual in this context of trials and tortures; it may be a metaphor for a multitude of afflictions or a textual corruption. The sense is not entirely clear.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος' may be a direct quotation from a lost source or a proverbial expression; its exact referent is uncertain.","The metaphor 'νιφάδων' (snowflakes) for trials is ambiguous; it could denote a sudden onslaught or a cumulative burden."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Φέρε σοι οὖν δείξω πάλιν αὐτὸν οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο μικρὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα φιλοσοφωτάτης δεόμενον ψυχῆς ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ ἐν εὐημερίᾳ πολλὴν ἐπιδεικνύμενον φιλοσοφίαν. Τίς οὖν ἦν πλούσιος ὤν; Κοινὸς ἁπάντων λιμὴν, κοινὸς ἁπάντων πατὴρ, κοινὸς ἰατρὸς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἰατροῦ μεῖζον· ἄκουσον γοῦν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἐγὼ ἤμην ὀφθαλμὸς τυφλῶν, ποῦς δὲ χωλῶν. Ὁρᾷς\n\nπῶς ἰατροῦ μείζων, ἀντὶ τῆς φύσεως τοῖς πεπηρωμένοις ἐγίνετο; καὶ ἅπερ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἰατροὶ τῇ τέχνῃ διορθῶσαι, ταῦτα αὐτὸς ἀνεκτᾶτο τῇ παρακλήσει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς πρόνοιαν ἀντὶ τῶν μελῶν αὐτοῖς γινόμενος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὑγιεῖς καὶ ἀρτίποδες καὶ βλέποντες, οὕτω διέκειντο οἱ τὰ μέλη ταῦτα κεκολοβωμένοι, οὐκ αἰσθανόμενοι τῆς χωλείας οὐδὲ τῆς πηρώσεως διὰ τὴν πολλὴν τούτου πρόνοιαν. Διὰ δὴ τοῦτο οὐδὲ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ παρεμυθούμην χωλοὺς καὶ τυφλοὺς, ἀλλὰ, Ποῦς αὐτῶν ἤμην καὶ ὀφθαλμός· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἤμην πατὴρ ἀδυνάτων. Οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα εἶπεν, Παρεμυθούμην ὀρφανοὺς, ἀλλὰ, Πατὴρ ἤμην αὐτῶν· δηλῶν διὰ τούτου, ὅτι οὐδὲ αἴσθησιν ἠφίει γίνεσθαι τῆς ὀρφανίας, οὐδὲ φανῆναι τὸ δεινὸν συνεχώρει· καθάπερ ἐκεῖ τὴν πήρωσιν τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς προνοίας τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα πεπονθότων, καὶ αὐτὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἀναιρῶν τὴν αἴσθησιν. Οὐ σώματα δὲ μόνον ἐθεράπευε κεκολοβωμένα, οὐδὲ ὀρφανίας διώρθου, τοῖς μὲν ἀντὶ μελῶν, τοῖς δὲ ἀντὶ γονέων γινόμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ δικαστὴς αὐτοχειροτόνητος καθίστατο· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ δικαστοῦ πλέον· Δίκην γὰρ, φησὶν, ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν, ἐξιχνίασα, καὶ συνέτριψα μύλας ἀδίκων, καὶ ἐκ μέσου τῶν ὀδόντων αὐτῶν ἐξήρπασα ἅρπαγμα. Τοῦτο δικαστοῦ πολὺ πλέον.","english":"Let me bring you another example. For this too is no small matter, but requires a soul of profound wisdom, one who displays great philosophy in wealth and prosperity. Who then was this wealthy man? A common harbor for all, a common father for all, a common physician—or rather, greater than a physician. Listen to him speaking: \"I was an eye for the blind, a foot for the lame.\" Do you see how he was greater than a physician, becoming for the maimed a substitute for nature? And what physicians could not correct by their art, he restored by his consolation, becoming for them, through his great care, a replacement for their limbs. For just as if they were healthy, sound of foot, and seeing, so those who had lost these limbs felt, not perceiving their lameness or blindness because of his great care. For this reason he did not say, \"I comforted the lame and the blind,\" but, \"I was their foot and eye.\" And again, \"I was a father to the powerless.\" Nor did he say here, \"I comforted orphans,\" but, \"I was their father,\" indicating by this that he allowed no awareness of orphanhood to arise, nor permitted the calamity to appear—just as there, through the abundance of his care for those who had suffered such things, he removed even the perception of their afflictions. He did not only heal maimed bodies or remedy orphanhood, becoming for some a substitute for limbs, for others a substitute for parents, but he also appointed himself a judge—or rather, more than a judge. \"For a case,\" he says, \"which I did not know, I investigated, and I crushed the jaws of the unjust, and snatched plunder from between their teeth.\" This is far more than a judge.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Φέρε σοι οὖν δείξω πάλιν αὐτὸν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase introduces a new exemplar of virtuous wealth, continuing the argument that true philosophy is shown in prosperity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"φιλοσοφωτάτης ψυχῆς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses 'philosophy' in a Christian ascetic sense, meaning moral and spiritual discipline, not academic philosophy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐγὼ ἤμην ὀφθαλμὸς τυφλῶν, ποῦς δὲ χωλῶν","severity":"info","text":"This is a direct quotation from the wealthy benefactor, likely a biblical or hagiographic figure, but the source is not identified in the passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"δικαστὴς αὐτοχειροτόνητος","severity":"info","text":"The term 'self-appointed judge' reflects Chrysostom's ideal of a Christian who takes on judicial roles outside official structures, a theme in his social criticism.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Κοινὸς ἁπάντων λιμὴν, κοινὸς ἁπάντων πατὴρ, κοινὸς ἰατρὸς","severity":"info","text":"This triadic description builds rhetorical intensity, emphasizing the benefactor's universal role as harbor, father, and physician.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Δίκην γὰρ, φησὶν, ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν, ἐξιχνίασα","severity":"info","text":"The quotation is introduced without explicit attribution; the identity of the speaker (the wealthy man) is assumed but not confirmed by Chrysostom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the wealthy benefactor is not specified; Chrysostom assumes the audience knows the figure, but modern readers cannot identify him from this passage alone."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"Οἱ μὲν γὰρ δικάζοντες κάθηνται ἀναμένοντες τοὺς ἠδικημένους, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἔντευξιν, τότε τὴν παρ' ἑαυτῶν παρέχουσι συμμαχίαν οἱ δοκιμώτατοι τῶν δικαζόντων· ὡς οἵ γε πολλοὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο· οὗτος δὲ καὶ τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους ἐνίκησε, καὶ ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ὑπερηκόντισεν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνέμενε τοὺς ἀδικουμένους ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἔντευξιν ἐπῄει τῇ συμμαχίᾳ, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸς προλαμβάνων περιῄει ζητῶν τοὺς ἠδικημένους, καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς ζητῶν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀγρυπνίας, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς φροντίδος. Καὶ τοῦτο εἴσῃ σαφῶς, τῆς λέξεως καταμαθὼν τὴν δύναμιν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐζήτησα, ἀλλὰ, Δίκην ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν ἐξιχνίασα· τουτέστι, ἠρεύνησα, περιειργασάμην πολυπραγμονῶν, διετέλεσα πάντα κινῶν, ὥστε εὑρεῖν μή πού τις ἠδικημένος λανθάνῃ. Εἶδες τὴν ἄγρυπνον ψυχήν; ὅρα καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν σπουδήν· Καὶ συνέτριψα μύλας ἀδίκων. Τὸ δηκτικὸν αὐτὸ, τὴν δυναστείαν κατέλυσα, φησὶν, ὥστε λοιπὸν καὶ εἰς ἑτέραν ἀδικίαν ἀχρήστους γενέσθαι. Ἀμφοτέρους τοίνυν ὠφέλει, τοὺς μὲν τοῦ παθεῖν κακῶς, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ ποιεῖν κακῶς ἀπαλλάττων καὶ σωφρονεστέρους ποιῶν. Εἶτα τὴν εὐτονίαν καὶ τὴν καρτερίαν· Καὶ ἐκ μέσου ὀδόντων αὐτῶν ἐξήρπασα ἅρπαγμα. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπεγίνωσκον οὐδὲ ἀπηγόρευον, εἰ καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα προκατειλημμένον ἦν, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τὸ καταποθὲν ἀνιμώμην, ποιμένος ἀρίστου τινὸς καὶ νήφοντος πρόνοιαν περὶ τοὺς συνδούλους ἐπιδεικνύμενος. Τί δὲ ἡ ταπεινοφροσύνη; ἐννόησον γὰρ καὶ ἡλίκη· Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐφαύλισα κρῖμα θεράποντός μου ἢ θεραπαίνης, κρινομένων αὐτῶν πρός με.","english":"For the judges sit waiting for those who have been wronged, and only after their petition do the most esteemed of the judges provide their own assistance—though most do not even do this. But this man surpassed even the most esteemed and outdid them by a wide margin. For he did not wait for the wronged to come to him, nor did he apply his aid after their petition, but he himself went about in advance seeking out the wronged, and not merely seeking, but with great vigilance, with great care. And you will know this clearly when you grasp the force of the expression; for he did not say, \"I sought,\" but, \"I tracked down a justice I did not know\"—that is, I investigated, I busied myself with diligent inquiry, I left no stone unturned, so as to find whether any wronged person might be hidden. Do you see the vigilant soul? Now behold the courage and the zeal: \"And I crushed the jaws of the unjust.\" The very biting force, the power, I destroyed, he says, so that they became useless even for further injustice. Thus he benefited both: those who would suffer evil, and those who would do evil, by delivering them and making them more temperate. Then the vigor and endurance: \"And I snatched the prey from between their teeth.\" For they did not despair nor give up, even if the matter was already seized, but I drew up even what had been swallowed, displaying the care of an excellent and vigilant shepherd for his fellow servants. And what of humility? Consider how great it is: \"But if I disparaged the judgment of my servant or maidservant, when they were being judged against me.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Δίκην ἣν οὐκ ᾔδειν ἐξιχνίασα","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom glosses the phrase as meaning 'I investigated, I busied myself with diligent inquiry, I left no stone unturned,' emphasizing proactive justice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ συνέτριψα μύλας ἀδίκων","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes Psalm 57:7 LXX ('He crushed the teeth of the unjust'), a common biblical metaphor for divine punishment of oppressors.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"οἱ δικάζοντες","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts the wealthy man's proactive justice with typical judges who wait for petitions, reflecting late antique critiques of judicial passivity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἶδες ... ὅρα","severity":"info","text":"The passage uses a rhetorical pattern of question ('Do you see?') followed by imperative ('Behold!') to guide the audience through successive virtues: vigilance, courage, zeal, endurance, and humility.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ποιμένος ἀρίστου τινὸς καὶ νήφοντος","severity":"info","text":"The shepherd metaphor for the wealthy man parallels Chrysostom's own pastoral self-image, common in his homilies, linking lay virtue to clerical care.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἐφαύλισα κρῖμα θεράποντός μου ἢ θεραπαίνης","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text breaks off mid-quote; the English draft supplies a conclusion ('when they were being judged against me'), but the original may be incomplete or lacunose.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The final Greek clause is incomplete; the English draft supplies a plausible completion, but the original may have continued differently or been truncated in transmission."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":13,"ref":"p13","source":"Τί γὰρ ποιήσω, ἐὰν ἐπισκοπήν μου ποιήσηται ὁ Κύριος; πότερον οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ ἐγενόμην ἐν γαστρὶ, κἀκεῖνοι γεγόνασιν; Εἶδες συντετριμμένην διάνοιαν καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν ἐπισκεπτομένην μετὰ ἀκριβείας καὶ εἰδυῖαν τί δοῦλος, τί ἐλεύθερος, τοῦτο τὸ ὑπὸ πολλῶν περιφερόμενον; Ταύτην γοῦν ἐκβαλὼν τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν, ἀπὸ τῆς ὁμοτιμίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν γέννησιν τὸν περὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας εἰσάγει λόγον. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ταῦτα ποιῶν, οὐδὲ ταπεινοφρονεῖν ἐνόμιζεν, ἀλλ' ὀφειλὴν πληροῦν. Διὸ καὶ λογισμὸν ἔθηκε τὸν ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους πείθοντα, μηδὲν πλέον φρονεῖν τῶν οἰκετῶν, κἂν μυριάκις ὦσι δεσπόται. Τὰ γὰρ ὀνόματα ταῦτα, ὁ δοῦλος καὶ ὁ ἐλεύθερος, ὀνόματα μέν ἐστι μόνον ψιλὰ, πραγμάτων ἔρημα· ἡ δὲ δουλεία ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ, καὶ ἡ ἐλευθερία ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὁρίζεται. Ἄρ' οὖν ταπεινὸς μὲν οὕτως, οὐχὶ δὲ ποθεινὸς καὶ ἐπέραστος; Ναὶ ἐπέραστος· καὶ σκόπει κἀνταῦθα τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς μετὰ πάσης σφοδρότητος τὰ ἐπενεχθέντα ἤνεγκεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ εὐημερίᾳ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἑκάστην μετὰ πολλῆς κατώρθωσε τῆς περιουσίας, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ ἄκρον ἀφικόμενος. Εἰ δὲ καὶ πολλάκις εἶπον αἱ θεράπαιναί μου· Τίς ἂν δῴη ἡμῖν τῶν","english":"For what shall I do, if the Lord takes me under his oversight? Were they not conceived in the womb just as I was? Do you see a mind crushed and examining human nature with precision, knowing what a slave is and what a free man is—that which is bandied about by many? Having cast out this inequality, then, from the equality of birth he introduces his discourse on philosophy. And what is truly remarkable about him is that, in doing this, he did not consider it an act of humility, but the fulfillment of an obligation. Hence he also set forth an argument that persuades all men to think no more highly of themselves than of their servants, even if they are masters a thousand times over. For these names, slave and free man, are mere names, empty of reality; slavery is defined by sin, and freedom by righteousness. Was he, then, so humble, and yet not also beloved and desirable? Yes, he was desirable; and observe here too the excess. For just as in times of peril he bore the afflictions brought upon him with all vehemence, so too in prosperity he accomplished each virtue with great abundance, not simply or haphazardly, but reaching the very peak. And if my maidservants have often said, \"Who would give us one of the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐπισκοπήν μου ποιήσηται ὁ Κύριος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'the Lord takes me under his oversight' echoes the pastoral language of divine care, but also plays on the term 'episkopē' (oversight), which in Chrysostom's context resonates with episcopal authority.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"συντετριμμένην διάνοιαν","severity":"info","text":"'Crushed mind' (συντετριμμένην διάνοιαν) is a strong metaphor for humility or contrition, often used in ascetic literature to describe a spirit broken by awareness of human frailty.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"δουλεία ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἐλευθερία ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom redefines slavery and freedom in moral terms, a common topos in early Christian polemic against social hierarchy, echoing Stoic and Pauline ideas (cf. Rom 6:18).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὥσπερ γὰρ ... οὕτω καὶ","severity":"info","text":"The correlative structure 'just as ... so also' marks a rhetorical comparison between the subject's endurance in peril and his virtuous conduct in prosperity, emphasizing consistency.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"ταπεινοφρονεῖν","severity":"info","text":"The concept of humility (ταπεινοφρονεῖν) as obligation rather than virtue is a distinctive Chrysostomic emphasis, later influential in Eastern monastic spirituality.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text breaks off mid-sentence at the end of the passage; the English draft supplies a conjectural continuation ('Who would give us one of the...'), but the original is incomplete."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":14,"ref":"p14","source":"σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ ἐμπλησθῆναι; λίαν μου χρηστοῦ ὄντος. Ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἔρωτα διηγεῖται τῶν οἰκετῶν τὸν μανικὸν, ὃν περὶ αὐτὸν εἶχον διακαεῖς αὐτοῦ καταστάντες ἐρασταὶ, ἀφ' ὧν αὐτὸς εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐπεδείκνυτο. Οὕτω γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐξεκρέμαντό μου, οὕτως ἀντείχοντο, οὕτως ἦσαν προσηλωμένοι, οὕτως ἐρῶντες, ὡς ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ αὐτῶν ἐμπλησθῆναι τῶν σαρκῶν, καὶ καταπιεῖν καὶ καταφαγεῖν διὰ τὸ σφόδρα φιλεῖν καὶ ἐκκαίεσθαι.\n\nεʹ. Τί ἄν τις εἴποι τὴν τῶν χρημάτων ὑπεροψίαν; καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς αὐτῷ κατώρθωτο. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνον τῶν ἀλλοτρίων οὐκ ἐφίετο, ὅπερ πάσχουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ νῦν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν οἰκείων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν ἠλλοτρίωτο μετὰ πάσης ὑπερβολῆς· διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν· Εἰ δὲ ηὐφράνθην πολλοῦ πλούτου γενομένου μοι, οὐδὲ λίθῳ πολυτελεῖ ἐπεποίθησα. Διὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἀφαιρεθέντων, μετὰ πολλῆς ἔφερε τῆς εὐκολίας τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν, καὶ παρόντων δαψιλῆ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην εἰργάζετο, πᾶσι τὴν δεξιὰν ἁπλώσας, καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνοίξας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, ὃ πάσχουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ περιεργαζόμενοι καὶ πολυπραγμονοῦντες τοὺς λαμβάνοντας, ἐποίει οὗτος, ἀλλ', Ἡ θύρα μου, φησὶ, παντὶ ἐλθόντι ἀνέῳκτο. Ἀδύνατοι γὰρ, ἥν ποτε εἶχον χρείαν, οὐκ ἀπέτυχον· ξένος δὲ οὐκ ἐξῆλθε τὴν θύραν μου κόλπῳ κενῷ. Εἶδες τὸ δαψιλές; εἶδες τὸ φιλάνθρωπον, τὸ χρηστὸν, τὸ ταπεινόν; Βούλει καὶ τὴν σωφροσύνην μαθεῖν; Διαθήκην, φησὶν, ἐθέμην τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου τοῦ μὴ κατανοῆσαι εἰς παρθένον ἀλλοτρίαν. Ἃ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐλθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπέταξε, ταῦτα ἐκεῖνος διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων κατώρθου. Εἶδες αὐτὸν πλουτοῦντα, εἶδες πενόμενον, εἶδες ὑγιαίνοντα, εἶδες νοσοῦντα;","english":"to be filled with his flesh?—I being so very kind. Here he describes the mad passion of his servants, the burning love they had for him, making them his ardent lovers, and how he showed himself to them in return. For thus, he says, they hung upon me, thus they clung to me, thus they were nailed to me, thus they loved me, so as to desire even to be filled with his flesh, and to swallow and devour him because of their intense love and burning passion.\n\n5. What could one say of his contempt for money? For this too was accomplished by him to an extraordinary degree. For not only did he not covet the possessions of others, which is what most people now suffer from, but he did not even covet his own; rather, he was alienated even from them to the utmost. Hence he also said: \"But if I rejoiced when great wealth came to me, I did not trust in a precious stone.\" For this reason, when his possessions were taken away, he bore the loss with great ease, and when they were present, he practiced lavish almsgiving, extending his right hand to all and opening his house. For he did not do what most people do, busying themselves and scrutinizing those who receive; rather, \"My door,\" he says, \"was open to every comer.\" The needy never failed to obtain what they required; and no stranger left my door with an empty lap. Do you see the lavishness? Do you see the philanthropy, the kindness, the humility? Do you wish also to learn of his chastity? \"I made a covenant,\" he says, \"with my eyes not to gaze upon another man's virgin.\" What Christ later commanded, this man accomplished through his deeds. Did you see him wealthy? Did you see him poor? Did you see him healthy? Did you see him sick?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ ἐμπλησθῆναι","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'to be filled with his flesh' intensifies the hyperbolic description of the servants' devotion, echoing a motif of cannibalistic love found in Greek erotic literature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐρασταί","severity":"info","text":"The term 'ἐρασταί' (lovers) is used here in a non-sexual, spiritual sense, common in early Christian ascetic discourse to denote intense devotion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Διαθήκην ... τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου","severity":"info","text":"The covenant with the eyes not to gaze upon another's virgin echoes a theme of sexual continence found in Proverbs and later monastic rules, though no direct quotation is identified.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τὴν σωφροσύνην","severity":"info","text":"The virtue of σωφροσύνη (chastity/self-control) is a central theme in Chrysostom's moral teaching, often contrasted with the licentiousness of contemporary society.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"εʹ","severity":"info","text":"The numeral εʹ (5) marks a new section in the discourse, shifting from the description of the servants' passion to the subject's contempt for money.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἡ θύρα μου ... ἀνέῳκτο","severity":"info","text":"The open-door policy for almsgiving parallels Chrysostom's own homilies on charity, where he urges unrestricted generosity to the needy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the subject in the passage (the 'he' described) is not explicitly named; it may refer to a specific ascetic figure or a generic ideal.","The phrase 'εἰ δὲ ηὐφράνθην πολλοῦ πλούτου γενομένου μοι' is ambiguous: it could be a direct quotation or a paraphrase of the subject's words."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":15,"ref":"p15","source":"εἶδες τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῷ κατὰ ῥοῦν φερομένων; εἶδες αὐτὸν πάντων ἀφαιρεθέντα; εἶδες πρὸς παῖδας, πρὸς οἰκέτας, πρὸς ἀδικουμένους, πρὸς ὀρφανοὺς οἷον ἑαυτὸν παρεσκεύασεν; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἤμην πεπορευμένος μετὰ γελοιαστῶν, φησί· τουτέστιν, οὐδὲ τὰς συνουσίας ταύτας ἐδίωκον τὰς τῶν γελωτοποιῶν. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ σωφροσύνης οὐ μικρὸν σημεῖον. Πᾶσαν γὰρ ἀρετὴν ἐπῆλθε, καὶ τῶν οὐδὲν ἐχόντων ἀκριβέστερον διέκειτο τοσαῦτα περιβεβλημένος· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ὁ μηδὲν ἔχων ἀπήλλακτο χρημάτων, ὡς ἐκεῖνος ὁ τοσαῦτα ἔχων. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ ἡ γνώμη ἐστὶν ἡ στεφανουμένη. Καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τῆς σωφροσύνης τὴν κορυφὴν ἀνέβη, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ἀκριβείας κατώρθου. Ταῦτα ζήλου, ἀγαπητὲ, ταῦτα μίμησαι, καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα ταύτην τὴν ὑπογραφεῖσαν ἀναλαβὼν, ἔμπηξον τῷ συνειδότι τῷ σῷ· κἂν ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ ᾖς, πρὸς αὐτὸν κατάφευγε, κἂν ἐν πλούτῳ, τὸ φάρμακον ἐντεῦθεν λάμβανε, ὥστε μήτε πτωχείᾳ βαπτισθῆναι, μήτε πλούτῳ φυσηθῆναι· κἂν παῖδας ἀποβάλῃς, ἔχεις ἐντεῦθεν τὴν παράκλησιν· τὴν γὰρ ὑπερβολὴν ἐνταῦθα εὑρήσεις καὶ τῶν συμφορῶν καὶ τῆς καρτερίας· κἂν νόσῳ περιπέσῃς, ἐννόησον τὰς πηγὰς τῶν σκωλήκων, ἃς ἐπέζεσε ἡ ἐκείνου σὰρξ, καὶ οἴσεις ἅπαντα πράως· κἂν φίλος ἐπιβουλεύσῃ, πάλιν τὸν ἅγιον εἰς μέσον ἄγε, καὶ περιέσῃ τοῦ πάθους· κἂν οἱ τυχόντες ἀποχρήσωνται, ἐννόησον ἅπερ ἔπασχε παρὰ τῶν οἰκετῶν, καὶ πολλὴν δέξῃ τὴν ἰατρείαν· κἂν πονηρά τις ὑπόληψίς σε περιλάβῃ, λόγισαι οἷα περὶ τούτου ἔλεγον, ὅτι οὐδέπω τῶν ἡμαρτημένων αὐτῷ ἔδωκεν ἀξίαν δίκην, καὶ οἷα ὠνείδιζον, καὶ περιέσῃ καὶ τούτου τοῦ πάθους.","english":"You saw how his affairs were borne along smoothly for him? You saw him stripped of everything? You saw how he prepared himself toward children, toward servants, toward the wronged, toward orphans? And if I had gone about with jesters, he says—that is, I did not even pursue those gatherings of buffoons. And this too is no small sign of temperance. For he went through every virtue, and, though clothed with so much, he was disposed more strictly than those who have nothing; for the man who has nothing is not so free from wealth as that man who had so much. For everywhere it is the intention that is crowned. And he ascended to the very peak of temperance, and he accomplished every virtue with the requisite precision. Emulate these things, beloved, imitate these things, and take up this image that has been sketched, and fix it in your conscience; and if you are in despondency, take refuge in him; if in wealth, take the remedy from here, so that you may neither be drowned in poverty nor puffed up by wealth; and if you lose children, you have consolation from here; for you will find here both the excess of calamities and of endurance; and if you fall into sickness, think of the fountains of worms that his flesh boiled forth, and you will bear everything gently; and if a friend plots against you, again bring the saint into the midst, and you will remove the passion; and if ordinary people abuse you, think of what he suffered from his servants, and you will receive much healing; and if some evil suspicion seizes you, consider what they said about him, that he had not yet paid a fitting penalty for his sins, and what reproaches they uttered, and you will remove this passion too.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"εἶδες","severity":"info","text":"The repeated 'εἶδες' (you saw) is a rhetorical device, inviting the audience to visualize the subject's reversal of fortune and virtuous conduct.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"σωφροσύνης","severity":"info","text":"σωφροσύνης (temperance) is a cardinal virtue in Greek ethics, here denoting self-control and moderation, especially in wealth and conduct.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"γελοιαστῶν","severity":"info","text":"γελοιαστῶν (jesters) refers to entertainers often associated with pagan or immoral gatherings, which Chrysostom contrasts with the saint's ascetic discipline.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ταῦτα ζήλου, ἀγαπητὲ, ταῦτα μίμησαι","severity":"info","text":"This exhortation marks a shift from narrative to paraenesis, urging the audience to emulate the saint's virtues as a remedy for various life trials.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"πηγὰς τῶν σκωλήκων","severity":"info","text":"The 'fountains of worms' likely refers to the suffering of Job, a common typology in Chrysostom's works for patient endurance of affliction.","cites":[],"named_sources":["John Chrysostom, Homilies on Job"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"οὐδέπω","severity":"caution","text":"οὐδέπω is a variant spelling of οὐδέπω (not yet), but the text may be corrupt; the sense is that the saint had not yet paid a fitting penalty, reflecting slander.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the saint described is not explicitly named in this passage, but context suggests Job or a similar figure of endurance."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":16,"ref":"p16","source":"Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, ὅπερ ἀρχόμενος εἶπον, συμφορὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἣν οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν ὁ παντὸς ἀδάμαντος οὗτος στεῤῥότερος, λιμὸν καὶ πενίαν καὶ νόσον καὶ ἀποβολὴν παίδων καὶ ζημίαν τοσούτων χρημάτων ἀθρόον ὑπενεγκών· καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι παρὰ γυναικὸς ἐπιβουλευθεὶς, παρὰ φίλων ἐπηρεασθεὶς, παρὰ οἰκετῶν πολεμηθεὶς, διὰ πάντων ἀπεδείκνυτο πέτρας ἁπάσης στεῤῥότερος, καὶ ταῦτα πρὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῆς χάριτος. Καὶ γὰρ οὐδὲ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν, ὅταν ἡμεῖς οἱ μετὰ νόμον καὶ χάριν τοσαύτης ἀπολαύσαντες δωρεᾶς, ἔλαττον φέρωμεν τούτου τοῦ ἐν ἀρχῇ καὶ προοιμίοις τοῦ βίου τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου τοσαύτην ἐπιδειξαμένου φιλοσοφίαν. Ἵν' οὖν καὶ παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν τῶν λυπηρῶν, καὶ διδασκαλίαν\n\nφιλοσοφίας ἀρίστης, ταῦτα ἐγγράψαντες οὕτως ἀναχωρῶμεν, καὶ ζηλῶμεν τὸν ἀθλητὴν, καὶ μιμώμεθα αὐτοῦ τὰ παλαίσματα· ὥστε καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"For there is no misfortune among men, as I said at the beginning, which this man, harder than any adamant, did not endure: hunger and poverty and disease and the loss of children and the sudden loss of so much wealth he bore; and after that, that he was plotted against by a wife, abused by friends, warred upon by servants, through all these he showed himself harder than any rock, and this before the Law and before Grace. For we shall have no excuse at all, when we who after the Law and Grace have enjoyed so great a gift, bear ourselves less worthily than this man who, at the beginning and in the preludes of human life, displayed such philosophy. Therefore, that we may have both consolation in our sorrows and instruction in the best philosophy, let us write these things down and thus depart, and let us emulate the athlete and imitate his wrestlings; so that we may attain the good things to come, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom glory is to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"παντὸς ἀδάμαντος οὗτος στεῤῥότερος","severity":"info","text":"The comparison to adamant (a legendary hard substance) and rock emphasizes the subject's unyielding endurance, a rhetorical trope common in Chrysostom's praise of ascetic fortitude.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"φιλοσοφίαν","severity":"info","text":"Here φιλοσοφίαν denotes ascetic discipline or moral philosophy, not academic philosophy; Chrysostom uses it to describe the subject's virtuous life before the Law and Grace.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"πρὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῆς χάριτος","severity":"info","text":"This phrase contrasts the subject's virtue with the biblical dispensations of Law (Mosaic) and Grace (Christian), implying he lived in a pre-biblical era, likely the patriarchal age.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἡν' οὖν καὶ παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν ... ταῦτα ἐγγράψαντες οὕτως ἀναχωρῶμεν","severity":"info","text":"This concluding exhortation mirrors the opening of the homily, forming an inclusio that frames the narrative as both consolation and moral instruction for the audience.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"χάριτι καὶ φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ","severity":"info","text":"The doxology with 'grace and love for humanity' reflects Chrysostom's characteristic emphasis on divine philanthropy, a theme central to his soteriology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has a space in φιλ ανθρωπίᾳ, likely a scribal or editorial artifact; the standard form is φιλανθρωπίᾳ. The meaning is unaffected.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the subject (the 'athlete' praised) is not named in this passage; the homily's earlier context identifies him as Job, but the text here only alludes to his trials."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}