{"slug":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-de-oratione","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-de-oratione","title":"De oratione","title_source":"De oratione","author":"John Chrysostom","genre":"homily","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":"2026-11-15T06:36:05Z","cost_usd":0.0032},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-de-oratione","work_id":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-de-oratione","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/De%20oratione.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":5,"english_words":1346,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":5371,"commentary_units":30,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":7,"work_notes":5,"external_links":2,"timeline":5},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-de-oratione","abstract":"John Chrysostom's homily 'De oratione' (Concerning Prayer) is an exhortation on the necessity and power of prayer, framed as urgent preparation for divine judgment. Drawing on scriptural calls to repentance, Chrysostom employs vivid metaphors—treasure, harbor, healing-place—to praise prayer, then shifts to a diatribe against the sinner's excuses, labeling self-deprecation as satanic. The work reflects his Antiochene pastoral style, emphasizing parrhesia (boldness) before God. Surviving in medieval Greek manuscripts from the 10th century onward, it was excerpted in Byzantine prayer anthologies and cited by ascetic writers as a model of contemplative prayer, though it never entered the standard liturgical lectionary. No modern critical edition exists; the khazarzar edition lacks a critical apparatus and collation of variants.","historical_context":"The homily is traditionally assigned to Chrysostom's Antiochene period (c. 386–397), based on internal references to local liturgical practice, but no external witness fixes the year. Antioch was a major center of early Christianity, where Chrysostom served as a presbyter and renowned preacher before becoming bishop of Constantinople. The work belongs to the genre of the homily, a scriptural exposition delivered to a congregation, and its Greek text reflects the Koine of late antiquity. Transmission is indirect: the earliest surviving manuscripts date no earlier than the 10th century, and the khazarzar edition follows a single printed source without collation of variants. The homily was excerpted in Byzantine prayer anthologies and cited by later ascetic writers as a model of contemplative prayer, indicating its reception in monastic circles, though it never entered the standard liturgical lectionary. No modern critical edition exists, limiting its use for textual criticism.","significance":"De oratione exemplifies Chrysostom's pastoral rhetoric and his emphasis on prayer as a transformative spiritual practice. Its use in Byzantine prayer anthologies and citation by ascetic writers highlight its influence on contemplative traditions. The homily also illustrates the adaptation of scriptural calls to repentance in late antique preaching, and its survival in medieval manuscripts attests to its enduring value in Orthodox spirituality.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 386–397","event":"Probable composition during Chrysostom's Antiochene period, though no external witness fixes the year."},{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"Chrysostom's preaching and pastoral activity in Antioch and Constantinople."},{"date":"10th c.","event":"Earliest surviving Greek manuscripts of the homily."},{"date":"Medieval period","event":"Excerpted in Byzantine prayer anthologies and cited by ascetic writers."},{"date":"Modern","event":"No critical edition exists; khazarzar edition published without apparatus or collation."}],"relations":[{"work":"Matthew 3:2; 4:17","relation":"Echoes scriptural calls to repentance, adapted to paraenetic context.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Chrysostom's other homilies","relation":"Shares rhetorical style and pastoral themes typical of his Antiochene corpus.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Byzantine prayer anthologies","relation":"Excerpted as a model of contemplative prayer.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Ascetic writers (e.g., John Climacus)","relation":"Cited as a model of contemplative prayer.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"wikipedia:John Chrysostom","label":"John Chrysostom","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chrysostom","reason":"Biographical and historical context for the author."},{"key":"wikipedia:Antiochene School","label":"Antiochene School","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_of_Antioch","reason":"Theological and exegetical background of Chrysostom's preaching."}],"cautions":["Date is uncertain; only a range (c. 386–397) can be inferred from internal evidence.","Earliest manuscripts are no earlier than the 10th century, leaving a gap in transmission.","The khazarzar edition lacks a critical apparatus and does not collate variants, limiting its reliability for textual criticism.","No modern critical edition exists; the present edition provides no translation or commentary."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000449,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:36:05Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/De%20oratione.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-de-oratione","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":5,"translated":5,"commentary_passages":5,"commentary_units":30,"english_words":1346,"source_letters":5371,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The homily is traditionally dated to Chrysostom’s Antiochene period (c. 386–397), but no external witness fixes the year. Internal references to local liturgical practice are consistent with that setting.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Greek text survives in multiple medieval manuscripts, but the earliest witness is no earlier than the 10th century. The khazarzar edition follows a single printed source without collation of variants.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This homily was excerpted in Byzantine prayer anthologies and cited by later ascetic writers as a model of contemplative prayer, though it never entered the standard liturgical lectionary.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The khazarzar edition lacks a critical apparatus; readers cannot verify whether the printed text reflects a single manuscript or an eclectic reconstruction. Variant readings are not recorded.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"No modern critical edition of De oratione exists. The present edition does not provide a translation, commentary, or collation of the manuscript tradition, limiting its use for textual criticism.","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: homily in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 5 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":5},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Περὶ εὐχῆς.\n\nΔεῦτε πάντες, ἀδελφοὶ, γνωρίσωμεν τὸν ποιήσαντα ἡμᾶς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, τὸν ἀγαθὸν καὶ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ οἰκτίρμονα, τὸν μὴ θέλοντα τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. Οἱ πάντες γρηγορεῖτε καὶ γίνεσθε ἕτοιμοι, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἔρχεται· δεῦτε, ἀκούσατε αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Λοιπὸν, ἀδελφοὶ, ἐφ' ὅσον ἐπὶ θύραις ἡ κρίσις ἐστὶ, πολλῶν δακρύων, πολλοῦ ὀδυρμοῦ, πολλῆς εὐχῆς χρεία, εὐχῆς οὐ σήμερον καὶ αὔριον γενομένης. Εὐχὴ γὰρ θησαυρὸς ἀνέκλειπτος παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ, λιμὴν ἀχείμαστος, γαλήνης ὑπόθεσις, ψυχῆς ἰατρεῖον· εὐχὴ ψαλμῳδία, ἁγιασμὸς ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος· καὶ, ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, εὐχὴ πύλας οὐρανοῦ ἀνοίγουσα, Θεῷ προσάγει πάντα ἄνθρωπον μικρόν τε καὶ μέγαν, πλούσιον καὶ πένητα, τὸν ὁλόψυχον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν εὐχόμενον μείζονα ἀγγέλων ἐργάζεται. Ἀλλὰ τίς ὁ ψυχρὸς τῶν πολλῶν ὁ λόγος; Ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, φησὶ, καὶ ἀπαῤῥησίαστος, αἰσχύνης γέμων, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι ἀτενίσαι καὶ ἰδεῖν τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι πολλὰ ἥμαρτον καὶ ἐν λόγοις καὶ ἐν ἔργοις καὶ κατὰ διάνοιαν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν καὶ ὥραν ἐδαπάνησα ἐν ἀσωτίᾳ τὴν ζωήν μου, καὶ ποίῳ προσώπῳ ἢ παῤῥησίᾳ εἰσέλθω εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν; πῶς ἀνοίξω τὸ πονηρὸν καὶ ἀκάθαρτόν μου στόμα; πῶς τὰ χείλη μου κινήσω, ἢ παρακαλέσω ὑπὲρ ποίων μου πονηρῶν πράξεων πρῶτον τὸν Θεόν; Οὕτως οὖν σατανικὰ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα λέγεις; Μάθε, τίνας καλεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, δικαίους, ἢ ἁμαρτωλούς· λέγει γὰρ οὕτως·","english":"Concerning Prayer.\n\nCome, all brothers, let us acknowledge the one who made us, our Lord Jesus Christ, the good, philanthropic, and merciful one, who does not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he should turn and live. All of you, keep watch and be ready, for you do not know at what hour our Lord comes; come, hear him saying: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Therefore, brothers, since judgment is at the door, there is need of many tears, much lamentation, and much prayer—prayer not made today and tomorrow. For prayer is an inexhaustible treasure of every good, a harbor without storm, a foundation of calm, a healing-place for the soul; prayer is psalmody, a sanctification of soul and body; and, to speak simply, prayer opens the gates of heaven, brings every man—small and great, rich and poor—to God, and renders the one who prays with whole soul each day greater than angels. But what is the cold saying of the many? I am a sinner, one says, and without confidence, full of shame, and I cannot gaze and look upon the height of heaven, because I have sinned much in words and deeds and in thought, and I have spent every day and hour of my life in dissipation, and with what face or confidence shall I enter the church? How shall I open my wicked and unclean mouth? How shall I move my lips, or entreat God first concerning which of my evil deeds? Do you then speak these satanic words? Learn whom Christ called when he came upon the earth—the righteous or the sinners? For he speaks thus:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Περὶ εὐχῆς","severity":"info","text":"The title 'Concerning Prayer' introduces the homily's theme. The Greek text immediately shifts to an exhortation to acknowledge Christ, framing prayer as urgent preparation for judgment.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Matthew 3:2 and 4:17, where John the Baptist and Jesus call for repentance as the kingdom approaches. Chrysostom adapts the phrase to his own paraenetic context.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"εὐχὴ","severity":"info","text":"The Greek 'εὐχὴ' can mean both 'prayer' and 'vow'. Here Chrysostom uses it consistently for prayer, as shown by the series of metaphors (treasure, harbor, healing-place) and the contrast with the sinner's reluctance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀπαῤῥησίαστος","severity":"info","text":"The term 'without confidence' (ἀπαῤῥησίαστος) reflects the Greek concept of parrhesia, frankness or freedom of speech, which in Christian contexts denotes the boldness to approach God. The sinner's lack of it is a key obstacle.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀλλὰ τίς ὁ ψυχρὸς τῶν πολλῶν ὁ λόγος","severity":"info","text":"This rhetorical question marks a shift from Chrysostom's praise of prayer to a diatribe against the sinner's excuses. The 'cold saying' introduces a hypothetical objection, a common homiletic device.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"σατανικὰ ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom labels the sinner's self-deprecation as 'satanic words', a strong rhetorical move. This reflects his pastoral strategy to combat despair, but modern readers should note the hyperbolic style typical of his homilies.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text has a textual variant in 'ἀπαῤῥησίαστος' (with a diacritic mark that may be a scribal error or a breathing mark); the reading taken is 'without confidence'.","The phrase 'εὐχὴ ψαλμῳδία' could be parsed as 'prayer is psalmody' or as a list; the context supports the former."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν. Ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, φησὶ, καὶ πῶς εἰσέλθω εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἵνα γένωμαι δίκαιος; Καλὰ λέγεις· ὅτι ἀκούω, καὶ οὐ φυλάττω· καὶ τί μοι τὸ ὄφελος; Κἀγὼ πάλιν λέγω σοι· κἂν φυλάττῃς, κἂν οὐ φυλάττῃς, μόνον εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἀκούεις τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ἄκουε τῆς ἀναγνώσεως.\n\nΟἶδα ἀληθῶς, ὅτι ἐὰν εἰσέρχῃ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἀκούεις τῶν θείων Εὐαγγελίων, καὶ τῶν διδασκάλων τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ τῶν θείων πατέρων, κἂν λιθίνην καρδίαν ἔχῃς, κἂν θηρίου γνώμην καὶ ἀγριότητα, ὀψέ ποτε καὶ ῥᾳδίως κατανυγῆναι ἔχεις. Ἁμαρτωλὸς εἶ; εἴσελθε εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, πρόπεσον, κλαῦσον, θρήνησον, στέναξον, δάκρυσον. Ἥμαρτες; ἐξομολόγησαι Θεῷ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου· εἰπὲ μόνον τὸ, Ἥμαρτον· εἰπὲ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ εἰδότι πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτοῦ· εἰπὲ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ἐτάζοντι καρδίας καὶ νεφρούς· εἰπὲ ἐνταῦθα, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖ ὑπὸ μυριάδων ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων αἰσχυνόμενος ἐλεγχθῇς. Εἰπέ μοι, τί ἐστι κάλλιον ὧδε ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ τῷ Θεῷ μόνῳ ἐξομολογήσασθαι καὶ τῷ πνευματικῷ σου πατρὶ, ἢ ἐκεῖ ὑπὸ τοσούτων μυριάδων δημοσιεύεσθαι; Ἁμαρτωλὸς εἶ; εἰπὲ μόνον, οὐδὲν ἄλλο σε ἀπαιτῶ, μόνον στέναξον. Ποία ἀνάγκη τοῦτο; ποία θλῖψις; ποία χρημάτων δαπάνη; Ποία δυσκολία εἰπεῖν μόνον τὸ, Ἥμαρτον; Ἀλλὰ λέγεις, ὅτι Αἰσχύνομαι. Ἄθλιε καὶ ταλαίπωρε, ὅτε ἐποίεις τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, οὐκ ᾐσχύνου, καὶ ὅτε μετανοῆσαι καὶ σωθῆναι θέλεις, αἰσχύνῃ; ὅτε περιεπλέκου τὴν πόρνην τὴν πονηρὰν, καὶ πονηρὰν πρᾶξιν ποιῶν, οὐκ ᾐσχύνου, καὶ ἄρτι αἰσχύνῃ;","english":"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. \"I am a sinner,\" one says, \"and how shall I enter the church so that I may become righteous?\" You speak well: \"I hear, and I do not keep it; and what benefit is it to me?\" And I say to you again: whether you keep it or not, only enter the church; you hear the divine Scriptures, listen to the reading.\n\nI know truly that if you enter the church and hear the divine Gospels, and the teachers the apostles, and the divine fathers, even if you have a heart of stone, even if you have the mind and savagery of a beast, eventually and easily you will be moved to compunction. Are you a sinner? Enter the church, prostrate yourself, weep, lament, groan, shed tears. Have you sinned? Confess your sins to God; only say, \"I have sinned\"; say it to God who knew before your birth; say it to God who examines hearts and kidneys; say it here, so that you may not be put to shame and reproached there before myriads of angels and men. Tell me, what is more beautiful: to confess here in church to God alone and to your spiritual father, or to be exposed there before so many myriads? Are you a sinner? Only say it; I require nothing else from you, only groan. What necessity is this? What affliction? What expenditure of money? What difficulty is there in only saying, \"I have sinned\"? But you say, \"I am ashamed.\" Wretched and miserable one, when you committed the sin, you were not ashamed, and when you wish to repent and be saved, are you ashamed? When you entangled yourself with the wicked prostitute and did a wicked deed, you were not ashamed, and now are you ashamed?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom frames his mission as calling sinners, not the righteous, to repentance, emphasizing inclusivity and pastoral urgency.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"μετάνοιαν","severity":"info","text":"Metanoia denotes repentance, a core concept in Chrysostom's soteriology, implying a transformative change of heart.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"καρδίαν λιθίνην","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'heart of stone' echoes biblical imagery (e.g., Ezekiel 11:12, LXX) for hardness of heart, common in patristic homiletics.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐκκλησίαν","severity":"info","text":"The church building serves as a space for communal worship and confession, reflecting early Christian practice of public penance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐξομολόγησαι Θεῷ","severity":"info","text":"Confession to God alone, with a spiritual father, contrasts with public shaming, a theme paralleled in Chrysostom's other homilies on repentance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"πνευματικῷ σου πατρὶ","severity":"info","text":"The 'spiritual father' reflects emerging monastic and clerical guidance in confession, influential in later Eastern Orthodox practice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"ὅτε ἡμάρτανες, ὅτε ἐπόρνευες καὶ ἐμοίχευες, οὐκ ᾐσχύνου, καὶ ὅταν μετανοήσῃς καὶ θέλῃς σωθῆναι, τότε αἰσχύνῃ; ὅτε ἥρπαζες τὰ ἀλλότρια, ὅτε χήρας ἔθλιβες καὶ κατ εφρόνεις πένητας, οὐκ ᾐσχύνου, καὶ ἄρτι αἰσχύνῃ; ὅτε ὤμνυες τὸ φρικτὸν ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐψευδομαρτύρεις, ὅτε ἐπιώρκεις, ὅτε πᾶν κακὸν καὶ πονηρὰ ἔργα, ἃ μισεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, ἔπραττες, οὐκ ᾐσχύνου,\n\nκαὶ ἄρτι αἰσχύνῃ; Ὢ ποῖον, ἀγαθὲ, Δεσπότην ἔχοντες καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀμελοῦμεν καὶ οὐκ ἐπιστρέφομεν; Ὁ Χριστὸς συμβουλεύει, Μὴ κλέψῃς, μὴ πορνεύσῃς, μὴ μοιχεύσῃς, μὴ φονεύσῃς, μὴ ψευδομαρτυρήσῃς, τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀγάπα· γενοῦ ἥμερος, ἀγαθὸς, ἐλεήμων, μακρόθυμος· γενοῦ ἄμαχος, εἰρηνικὸς, ἵνα καταξιωθῇς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ οὐδείς ἐστιν ὁ συνιὼν, οὐδεὶς ὁ ὑπακούων, οὐδεὶς ὁ προσέχων, ἀλλὰ πάντες ῥᾳθυμοῦμεν. Συμβουλεύει δὲ ὁ διάβολος τὰ ἐναντία, λέγων· Γενοῦ μοιχὸς, φόνευσον, ἐπιόρκησον, κλέψον, γενοῦ ἀπάνθρωπος, βλάσφημος, ἀνελεήμων, ἄσπλαγχνος, φθορεύς· γενοῦ φιλάργυρος, μισάνθρωπος, μᾶλλον δὲ μισόθεος· γενοῦ πανοῦργος, ἀδικητὴς, πλεονέκτης· γενοῦ ἅρπαξ, κατάλαλος, μυθολόγος, λοίδορος, ἐπίορκος. Καὶ οἴδαμεν ὅσοι τὰ τοιαῦτα πράττοντες ὑπακούομεν· ὅτι ὥσπερ δοῦλοι δεδεμένοι χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, οὕτω τρέχομεν καὶ ὑποτασσόμεθα τὴν φύσιν. Ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς πᾶσαν τὴν νεότητα ἡμῶν μετὰ δαιμόνων ἀνηλώσαμεν· ἰδοὺ ἐγηράσαμεν, καὶ συνειθίσαμεν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις. Τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρᾶξαι μὲν οὐ δυνάμεθα, ὅπως τύχωμεν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν·","english":"When you were sinning, when you were fornicating and committing adultery, you were not ashamed, and when you repent and wish to be saved, then you are ashamed? When you were seizing others’ property, when you were oppressing widows and looking down on the poor, you were not ashamed, and now you are ashamed? When you were swearing the fearful name of God, and bearing false witness, when you were perjuring yourself, when you were doing every evil and wicked deed that God hates, you were not ashamed, and now you are ashamed? Oh, what a good Master we have, and yet we are negligent and do not turn back! Christ advises: Do not steal, do not fornicate, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself; be gentle, good, merciful, long-suffering; be peaceable, peaceful, that you may be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven. And there is no one who understands, no one who heeds, no one who pays attention, but we are all idle. The devil, on the contrary, advises the opposite, saying: Be an adulterer, murder, perjure yourself, steal, be inhuman, blasphemous, unmerciful, pitiless, a corrupter; be a lover of money, a hater of mankind, or rather a hater of God; be a knave, a wrongdoer, a covetous man; be a plunderer, a slanderer, a teller of tales, a reviler, a perjurer. And we know how many of us who do such things obey; for just as slaves bound hand and foot, so we run and submit by nature. Behold, we have spent all our youth with demons; behold, we have grown old, and have become accustomed to sins. We are unable to do good, so as to obtain the kingdom of heaven.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ὅτε ... οὐκ ᾐσχύνου ... καὶ ἄρτι αἰσχύνῃ","severity":"info","text":"The passage uses a threefold anaphora of 'when ... you were not ashamed, and now you are ashamed?' to contrast past sinful behavior with present shame at repentance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀγάπα","severity":"info","text":"The command 'love your neighbor as yourself' echoes Leviticus 19:18 and Matthew 22:39, a central ethical precept in Christian teaching.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ Χριστὸς συμβουλεύει ... Μὴ κλέψῃς, μὴ πορνεύσῃς, μὴ μοιχεύσῃς, μὴ φονεύσῃς, μὴ ψευδομαρτυρήσῃς","severity":"info","text":"This list of prohibitions reflects the Decalogue (Exodus 20) and early Christian catechetical summaries, common in Chrysostom's moral exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"μισόθεος","severity":"info","text":"The term 'μισόθεος' (hater of God) is rare and emphatic, intensifying the devil's counsel beyond misanthropy to outright hostility toward God.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ὥσπερ δοῦλοι δεδεμένοι χεῖρας καὶ πόδας","severity":"info","text":"The image of slaves bound hand and foot who still run to obey the devil parallels Chrysostom's frequent use of slavery as a metaphor for sin (cf. Homily 19 on Romans).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"μετὰ δαιμόνων ἀνηλώσαμεν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'spent our youth with demons' reflects Chrysostom's ascetic rhetoric, later influential in monastic literature as a warning against worldly dissipation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"ὁ δὲ διάβολος προξενεῖ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὴν κόλασιν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἡμεῖς πρὸς τὸν διάβολον τρέχομεν. Τί σοι ποιήσομεν, ἄνθρωπε; τί θέλεις; τί ἐπιθυμεῖς; τὸ εἶναι μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἢ τὸ εἶναι μετὰ τῶν δαιμόνων; Ἐπιθυμεῖς εἶναι μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ; κἂν τοῦ λοιποῦ παῦσαι τοῦ τρυφᾷν, παῦσαι τοῦ σπαταλᾷν, παῦσαι τοῦ πορνεύειν, παῦσαι τοῦ κλέπτειν, παῦσαι τοῦ μεθύσασθαι, παῦσαι τοῦ ἁρπάζειν τὰ ἀλλότρια, παῦσαι τοῦ καταγελᾷν, τοῦ ψεύδεσθαι, τοῦ μετεωρίζεσθαι. Μηδείς σε ἀπατάτω· οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπιθυμεῖς τοῦ εἶναι μετὰ τῶν δαιμόνων, εἰ τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς εἰσελθεῖν, κἂν πράττῃς ὡς θέλεις, πολιτεύου ὡς βούλῃ, ὁ κωλύων οὐδείς· ἀπόλαβε τὸν κόσμον, καὶ τὰς αἰσχρὰς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτοῦ, τὴν πορνείαν, μοιχείαν, μέθην, ἀκρασίαν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν δαιμονικήν· ὁ ἐμποδίζων οὐδείς. Σὲ γὰρ Εὐαγγέλια οὐ πείθει, νόμος οὐ σωφρονίζει, προφῆται οὐκ ἐπισκήπτουσιν, ἀπόστολοι οὐ δυσωποῦσι, πατέρων νουθεσίαι οὐκ ὠφελοῦσι, συνοδία ἀδελφῶν οὐκ ἀποτρέπει· ἀπανῃσχύντησας πάντως, ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι. Λοιπὸν ἀπόλαβε τὰ ἀγαθά σου ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου· ἐκεῖ μὲν οὖν μηδὲ σωτηρίαν, μηδὲ κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡμέρᾳ μὴ προσδόκησον. Ἐκφεύξεταί σοι γὰρ τότε ἡ ὥρα, ὅταν γυμνὸς καὶ τετραχηλισμένος παραστήσῃ τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐπὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀνθρώπων θεατριζόμενος. Ἐκεῖ φανήσῃ, οἷος εἶ· ἐκεῖ ἐλεγχθήσεταί σου πᾶσα ἡ ἀδικία· ὁ Θεὸς οὐ χλευάζεται· καὶ τότε ἀκούσεις τῆς ὀδυνηρᾶς ἐκείνης φωνῆς·","english":"The devil procures fire and eternal punishment, and we run to the devil. What shall we do with you, man? What do you want? What do you desire? To be with Christ, or to be with the demons? Do you desire to be with Christ? Then from now on cease from self-indulgence, cease from debauchery, cease from fornication, cease from stealing, cease from drunkenness, cease from seizing others’ property, cease from mocking, from lying, from being puffed up. Let no one deceive you; for none of such persons will enter into the kingdom of the heavens. But if you desire to be with the demons, if you desire to enter the gehenna of fire, then do as you wish, live as you please, no one hinders you; enjoy the world and its shameful desires, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, intemperance, and every demonic pleasure; no one impedes you. For the Gospels do not persuade you, the law does not discipline you, the prophets do not admonish you, the apostles do not shame you, the exhortations of the fathers do not benefit you, the company of brethren does not turn you away; you have become utterly shameless, your face has become that of a harlot. So then enjoy your goods in your life; but there, do not expect any salvation, nor any inheritance on the future day of Christ. For the hour will escape you then, when naked and with your neck stretched out you stand before the tribunal of Christ, made a spectacle to angels and men. There you will appear as you are; there all your injustice will be exposed; God is not mocked; and then you will hear that grievous voice.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"προξενεῖ","severity":"info","text":"The verb προξενεῖ (procures) implies the devil acts as a broker or agent of punishment, a metaphor drawn from social patronage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"γέενναν τοῦ πυρός","severity":"info","text":"γέενναν τοῦ πυρός (gehenna of fire) is the New Testament term for hell, derived from the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν","severity":"info","text":"βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν (kingdom of the heavens) echoes Matthew's phrase (e.g., Matt 19:23-24), a standard Chrysostomic contrast with gehenna.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἰ δὲ ἐπιθυμεῖς","severity":"info","text":"The passage is structured as a stark binary choice: life with Christ (vv. 1-6) or life with demons (vv. 7-14), each with a conditional protasis and apodosis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τετραχηλισμένος","severity":"info","text":"τετραχηλισμένος (with neck stretched out) describes a posture of judicial torture or execution, evoking Roman punishment of criminals before a tribunal.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀπανῃσχύντησας","severity":"info","text":"ἀπανῃσχύντησας (you have become utterly shameless) is a hapax or rare compound; the translation 'utterly shameless' is contextually sound but lexically uncertain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι' (your face has become that of a harlot) may be metaphorical for shamelessness or a literal accusation of prostitution; the homiletic context favors the former."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Δήσατε αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, καὶ ἐκβάλλετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Τίς λοιπὸν οὐ θρηνήσει τὸν τοιοῦτον; τίς οὐ κλαύσει τὸν διὰ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν πρόσκαιρον αἰωνίως βασανιζόμενον;\n\nΜὴ πλανᾶσθε; Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται· γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Οὔτε πόρναι, οὔτε μοιχοὶ, οὔτε λοίδοροι, οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὔτε μέθυσοι, οὔτε ἄδικοι, οὔτε μαλακοὶ, οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται, οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι, οὔτε βλάσφημοι, οὔτε φιλάργυροι, οὔτε τις τῶν τοιούτων ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ταῦτα πάντα ἐννοοῦντες, ἀδελφοὶ, τῶν τοιούτων πονηρῶν πράξεων ἀπεχώμεθα, καὶ ἐξ ὅλων τῶν ψυχῶν μετανοῆσαι μὴ βραδύνωμεν, ἵνα καὶ φύγωμεν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς, καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων καὶ αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἐφικώμεθα· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"Bind his hands and feet, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Who then will not mourn such a one? Who will not weep for him who, for the sake of temporary pleasure, is tormented eternally?\n\nDo not be deceived; God is not mocked. For it is written: Neither prostitutes, nor adulterers, nor revilers, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor unjust, nor effeminate, nor men who lie with men, nor idolaters, nor blasphemers, nor lovers of money, nor any such persons have an inheritance in the kingdom of the heavens. Considering all these things, brothers, let us abstain from such evil deeds, and let us not delay to repent with all our souls, so that we may both escape the coming wrath and attain the heavenly and eternal goods. May it be that we all obtain them, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι Οὔτε πόρναι, οὔτε μοιχοὶ, οὔτε λοίδοροι, οὔτε πλεονέκται, οὔτε μέθυσοι, οὔτε ἄδικοι, οὔτε μαλακοὶ, οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται, οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι, οὔτε","severity":"info","text":"The long list of excluded sinners is not a direct biblical quotation but a catena of vices condemned in the New Testament (e.g., 1 Cor 6:9–10; Rev 21:8). Chrysostom compiles them to intensify the moral warning.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀρσενοκοῖται","severity":"info","text":"The term ἀρσενοκοῖται (literally 'men who lie with men') is rare in early Christian literature; Chrysostom uses it to denote male same-sex activity, reflecting his ascetic condemnation of all non-procreative sex.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'outer darkness' (τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον) echoes a traditional image of hell as a place of exile beyond the cosmos, found in apocalyptic literature (e.g., 1 Enoch) and early Christian teaching.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Μὴ πλανᾶσθε; Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται·","severity":"info","text":"The rhetorical question 'Do not be deceived; God is not mocked' marks a shift from vivid description of punishment to direct exhortation, reinforcing the homily's paraenetic purpose.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ","severity":"info","text":"The closing doxology, with its emphasis on Christ's φιλανθρωπία (love for humanity), is characteristic of Chrysostom's pastoral theology, balancing the preceding threats of damnation with hope of grace.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"μαλακοὶ","severity":"caution","text":"The term μαλακοί (literally 'soft') is ambiguous: it can mean 'effeminate' or refer to moral weakness. In this context, it likely denotes those given to luxury or passive vices, but the exact referent is debated.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The list of vices is a composite; the source of the phrase 'neither prostitutes... nor any such persons have an inheritance' is not a single scriptural verse but a Chrysostomic compilation.","The term μαλακοί may be interpreted as 'effeminate' or more broadly as 'morally soft'; the precise connotation in this homily is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}