{"slug":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-psalmum-75","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-psalmum-75","title":"In Psalmum 75","title_source":"In Psalmum 75","author":"John Chrysostom","genre":"commentary","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":"2026-11-15T07:03:32Z","cost_usd":0.006583},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-psalmum-75","work_id":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-psalmum-75","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/In%20Psalmum%2075.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":12,"english_words":2855,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":12185,"commentary_units":71,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":1,"ambiguities":18,"work_notes":5,"external_links":0,"timeline":4},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-psalmum-75","abstract":"John Chrysostom's homily on Psalm 75 (LXX 74) is a brief moral exhortation from his Antiochene period (c. 386–397), part of a series on the gradual psalms. The text survives in a single manuscript tradition, with the khazarzar edition based on late Byzantine copies lacking a critical apparatus. Chrysostom contrasts secular and Church teachers, interprets the psalm as a call to prayer and thanksgiving, and draws on the deuterocanonical Book of Judith as an exemplum of courage and faith. The homily's limited reception in Byzantine catenae likely reflects its brevity and focus on moral instruction rather than doctrinal controversy.","historical_context":"The homily was composed in Antioch during Chrysostom's presbyterate (c. 386–397), a period of intense exegetical activity. Antioch was a major center of Greek Christianity, characterized by Antiochene exegesis emphasizing literal and moral interpretation. The homily belongs to a series on the gradual psalms (Psalms 119–133 LXX), likely delivered to a congregation familiar with liturgical psalmody. The text survives only in a single manuscript tradition; the khazarzar edition collates late Byzantine copies without a critical apparatus, obscuring variant readings. Its limited excerpting in Byzantine catenae suggests marginal reception, possibly due to the psalm's brevity and the homily's moral focus. Chrysostom's use of the deuterocanonical Book of Judith reflects the fluid scriptural canon in 4th-century Greek Christianity, where the LXX was authoritative. The homily's opening formula signals its place in a series, following another work by Chrysostom.","significance":"This homily exemplifies Chrysostom's Antiochene exegetical method, blending moral exhortation with typological interpretation. Its use of Judith as an exemplum highlights the deuterocanonical books' authority in 4th-century Greek Christianity. The text's limited transmission and lack of critical edition underscore challenges in studying Chrysostom's minor works.","timeline":[{"date":"c. 386–397","event":"Chrysostom's Antiochene period; composition of homilies on the Psalms"},{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"Transmission of Chrysostom's homilies in Greek manuscripts"},{"date":"Late Byzantine period","event":"Surviving manuscript copies of the homily"},{"date":"Modern era","event":"Khazarzar edition based on collation of late Byzantine copies"}],"relations":[{"work":"Homilies on the Psalms (John Chrysostom)","relation":"Part of a series on the gradual psalms","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Book of Judith (LXX)","relation":"Cited as an exemplum of courage and faith","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Psalm 75 (LXX 74)","relation":"Subject of the homily; interpreted as a call to prayer","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[],"cautions":["The exact date of the homily is unknown; it is assigned to Chrysostom's Antiochene period (c. 386–397) based on style and content.","The text survives in a single manuscript tradition; the khazarzar edition lacks a critical apparatus, so variant readings are not recorded.","The homily's limited reception in Byzantine catenae may reflect its brevity and moral focus, but the evidence is thin."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000399,"generated":"2026-11-15T07:03:32Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/In%20Psalmum%2075.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-psalmum-75","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":12,"translated":12,"commentary_passages":12,"commentary_units":71,"english_words":2855,"source_letters":12183,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The text survives only in a single manuscript tradition; the khazarzar edition is based on a collation of late Byzantine copies, not a critical apparatus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom’s homilies on the Psalms are dated to his Antiochene period (c. 386–397). Psalm 75 is a short text, and the commentary likely belongs to a series on the gradual psalms.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"This homily was not widely excerpted in Byzantine catenae; its limited reception may reflect the brevity of the psalm and the homily’s focus on moral exhortation rather than doctrinal controversy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The khazarzar edition lacks a critical apparatus; variant readings from the manuscript tradition are not recorded, so the user cannot assess textual decisions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"No English translation or commentary on the homily’s rhetorical structure is provided; the edition offers only the Greek text with minimal annotation.","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: commentary in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 12 narrative."},{"kind":"caution","severity":"caution","text":"1 passage(s) are fragmentary in the source; the English bridges each break and says so in the note."},{"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":12},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. Οἱ μὲν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου διδάσκαλοι πρὸς τὴν τῶν γραμμάτων γνῶσιν τοὺς παῖδας ἀνάγουσιν· οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδάσκαλοι πρὸς τὴν τῶν κατορθωμάτων τελείωσιν τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐκδιδάσκουσι. Καὶ ἔστιν, ἀγα πητοὶ, καταμαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς ἐκ τῶν ἀρτίως ἡμῖν ἐπανα γνωσθέντων ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων ἀκριβεστάτην ἀλήθειαν.\n\nΤί γὰρ νῦν ἔλεγεν ὁ τοῦ Πνεύματος προφήτης, ὁ μεγαλογράφος Δαυΐδ; Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀπο δῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. Οἷον ὡς ἡ μακαρία Ἰουδὶθ, τοῦ Βαβυλωνίου ποτὲ Ὀλοφέρνου μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου στρα τοπέδου τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ περικυκλώσαντος, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἐν τῇ πόλει εἰσαγούσας ὑδροτόκους πηγὰς διατεμόντος, λιμῷ δὲ ὕδατος ὀλλυμένους τοὺς Ἑβραίους ὥστε ἑτοίμους εἶναι ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδιδόναι τῷ τὴν ἀνάγκην αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιθέντι· παρελθοῦσα δὲ ἡ μακα ρία ἐκείνη ἀνδρείῳ φρονήματι καὶ πιστῷ βουλήματι, διεκώλυε τῆς πόλεως τὴν παράδοσιν γίνεσθαι· ἑαυτὴν δὲ διαναστήσασα πρὸς τὸ τηλικοῦτον στρατόπεδον μά χεσθαι καὶ πολεμῆσαι, καὶ ἐκδικῆσαι τὸ ἴδιον γένος, καὶ τὴν πόλιν περισώσασθαι βουλομένη, Θεῷ πιστεύ σασα, τῇ τοῦ σώματος ῥώμῃ ἑαυτὴν πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὑπεναντίων πόλεμον ἐπιδοῦσα, ἔλεγε τοῖς ἱερεῦσι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς πιστοῖς ἀνθρώποις· Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν.","english":"Of the Same Author: A Discourse on \"Pray, and Render to the Lord Our God.\" The teachers of this world lead children to the knowledge of letters; the teachers of the Church instruct disciples in the perfection of virtues. And it is possible, beloved, to learn precisely from what has just been read to us in the psalm the most exact truth of what has been said.\n\nFor what did the prophet of the Spirit, the great writer David, say now? \"Pray, and render to the Lord our God.\" Just as the blessed Judith, when the Babylonian Holofernes once surrounded Jerusalem with his own army and cut off all the water-bearing springs that led into the city, and the Hebrews were perishing from thirst so that they were ready to surrender themselves and the city to the one imposing this necessity upon them—that blessed woman, coming forward with a courageous spirit and faithful resolve, prevented the surrender of the city; and rousing herself to fight and wage war against so great an army, and wishing to avenge her own race and save the city, trusting in God, devoting herself with bodily strength to the war against the enemies, she said to the priests and to all the faithful people: \"Pray, and render to the Lord our God.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν","severity":"info","text":"The opening formula 'Of the Same Author: A Discourse on…' signals that this homily is part of a series on the Psalms, likely following another work by Chrysostom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἱ μὲν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου διδάσκαλοι … οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδάσκαλοι","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts secular teachers (grammatikoi) with Church teachers, framing the psalm as moral instruction rather than literary education.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἡ μακαρία Ἰουδὶθ","severity":"info","text":"The reference to Judith and Holofernes draws on the deuterocanonical Book of Judith (LXX), a popular exemplum in patristic homilies for courage and faith.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν","severity":"info","text":"This phrase is the incipit of Psalm 75 (LXX 74), which Chrysostom interprets as a call to prayer and thanksgiving, paralleled by Judith's exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom draws a typological parallel between David's exhortation in the psalm and Judith's words to the priests, linking the psalm's theme to a historical narrative of deliverance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἡ μακαρία Ἰουδὶθ","severity":"caution","text":"The Judith episode is not in the canonical Hebrew Bible but in the LXX; Chrysostom treats it as authoritative, reflecting the fluid scriptural canon in 4th-century Greek Christianity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Εὔξασθε, καὶ ἀποδῶτε' could be parsed as two imperatives ('Pray and render') or as a conditional ('If you pray, then render'); Chrysostom's exegesis assumes the former."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Ἣ καὶ ἐξελθοῦσα τῆς πόλεως, ἑσπέρας ἤδη καταλαβούσης, μετὰ μιᾶς θεραπαινίδος, ἐπισίτιά τε λαβοῦσα μεμετρημένα τῇ πίστει (οὐ γὰρ ἐβούλετο τοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς ἀποχρᾶσθαι βρώμασιν Ἰουδαία τυγχάνουσα, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου κωλυομένη), γενομένη δὲ παρὰ τῷ Ὀλοφέρνῃ, ὡς πρόσφυξ, ἐν στολῇ καθαρᾷ καὶ κόσμῳ γυναικείῳ εὐπρεπεῖ, ἐξανδραποδίσασα τὸν ἀλλόφυλον τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῇ πρὸς γυναῖκα, ἑαυτὴν μὲν διεφύλαττεν ἄχραντον· τῇ γὰρ σωφροσύνῃ οὐκ ἐμιαίνετο. Νυκτὸς γὰρ τοῦ στρατοπέδου καθεύδοντος, καὶ τοῦ Ὀλοφέρνου οἴνῳ πολλῷ κεκαρωμένου, λαβοῦσα εὐθαρσῶς τὴν δίστομον αὐτοῦ μάχαιραν, ἀπεκεφάλισεν αὐτόν· δῆλον Θεοῦ ἐνδυναμοῦντος τὴν δεξιὰν τῆς νεανίδος. Ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ νυκτὶ, ἐν ᾗ ἠνδραγάθησε, νικηφόρος ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀναδραμοῦσα, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ τείχους χαλάσασα, θρίαμβον αὐτὸν πᾶσι τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἐδείκνυεν, ὡς τῇ ἐπαύριον θεωρήσαντας τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους τὸν ἑαυτῶν στρατοπεδάρχην ὑπὸ μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἀναι ρεθέντα, δειλίᾳ πολλῇ καὶ φόβῳ πολλῷ πιεσθέντας φεύ γειν ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν Ἑβραίων, καὶ πληροῦσθαι τὸ γεγραμμένον· Πῶς διώξεται εἷς χιλίους, καὶ δύο μετακινήσουσι μυριάδας; Εὑρίσκεται γὰρ ὁ μὲν ἀνδρειότατος Σαμψὼν μόνος χιλίους διώξας, ἡ δὲ ἀνδρειοτάτη Ἰουδὶθ μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας θεραπαινίδος τὰς μυριάδας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων μετακινήσασα.","english":"She, having gone out of the city, when evening had already overtaken her, with one maidservant, having taken measured provisions for faith (for, being a Jewess and prohibited by the law, she did not wish to make use of Greek foods), and having come to Holofernes as a suppliant, in a clean garment and in seemly feminine attire, having enslaved the foreigner by his desire for a woman, she kept herself undefiled; for she was not defiled by chastity. For at night, when the camp was sleeping and Holofernes was stupefied with much wine, having boldly taken his two-edged sword, she beheaded him; it is clear that God was strengthening the right hand of the young woman. And on that very night in which she performed this brave deed, having run back victorious to the city and having let down his head through the wall, she displayed him as a trophy to all the foreigners, so that on the next day the foreigners, seeing their own general slain by one woman, pressed by much cowardice and much fear, fled from before the Hebrews, and the scripture was fulfilled: How shall one pursue a thousand, and two move ten thousand? For the most courageous Samson is found to have alone pursued a thousand, and the most courageous Judith with her own maidservant to have moved the ten thousand foreigners.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἰουδὶθ","severity":"info","text":"Judith is a deuterocanonical heroine whose story is found in the Book of Judith. Chrysostom here retells her beheading of Holofernes, a narrative absent from the Hebrew Bible but known in Greek Christian tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Πῶς διώξεται εἷς χιλίους, καὶ δύο μετακινήσουσι μυριάδας","severity":"info","text":"This appears to be a loose citation or paraphrase of a scriptural maxim, possibly echoing 2 Samuel or a lost source. The exact verse is not identified in the canonical Old Testament.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Σαμψών","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom compares Judith to Samson, who alone pursued a thousand (cf. Judges 15:15-16). This pairing of a male and female hero is a rhetorical device to magnify Judith's feat.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐξανδραποδίσασα","severity":"info","text":"The verb ἐξανδραποδίζω means 'to enslave completely' or 'to reduce to slavery.' Here it is used metaphorically: Judith enslaved Holofernes by his own desire.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἰουδὶθ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's use of Judith as an exemplar of courage and chastity reflects her popularity in early Christian homiletics, where she was often cited as a model of virtue.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"τῇ σωφροσύνῃ οὐκ ἐμιαίνετο","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'she was not defiled by chastity' is paradoxical. The Greek likely means that her chastity remained intact despite the circumstances, but the wording is ambiguous and could be misread.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τῇ σωφροσύνῃ οὐκ ἐμιαίνετο' is ambiguous: it could mean 'she was not defiled in her chastity' or 'she was not defiled by (i.e., because of) her chastity.' The intended sense is that her virtue was preserved.","The source of the maxim 'How shall one pursue a thousand...' is uncertain; it may be a paraphrase of a lost text or a rhetorical invention."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Ὁρᾷς πόσον ἐστὶν ἀγαθὸν τὸ εὔξασθαι, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· Ἐζεκίας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς πιστὸς ἀνὴρ ὑπάρχων, καὶ πίστει μᾶλλον καὶ εὐχῇ, ἢ ὅπλοις [ὃς] καὶ στρατιωτικῇ δυνάμει ὑπερειδόμενος, παρ' ἐλπίδα ἐποίει τὰ τῶν πολεμίων νικήματα. Ἀμέλει γοῦν τοῦ Σεναχειρὶμ μετὰ πολλοῦ ὄγκου βαρβάρων ἐπελθόντος, καὶ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ πε ριδονήσαντος, καὶ ὀνειδίζοντος Θεὸν καὶ τοὺς πιστεύοντας εἰς αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπους, ὕβρεις δὲ ἐγγράφους πέμψαντος τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ κατὰ Θεοῦ, καὶ αὐτοῦ δεξάμενος τὸ βιβλίον ὁ Ἐζεκίας, καὶ ἀναγνοὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ηὔξατο καὶ ἀπέδωκε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ὅθεν παραχρῆμα τοῦ περιέχοντος αὐτὸν κινδύνου ἠλευθεροῦτο· οὕτως ἀθρόως καὶ θαυμαστῶς τὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν ἐλάμβανεν.\n\nΕἷς γὰρ ἄγγελος ἀπ' οὐρανῶν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ξιφήρης καταδραμὼν, ἑκατὸν ὀγδοηκονταπέντε χιλιάδας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἀνῄρει, μηδενὸς αὐτῶν ἰσχύοντος πρὸς τὴν τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ ὁρμὴν ἀντισχεῖν, ἵνα παιδευθῶσι τὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύ λων γένη κατὰ Θεοῦ γλῶσσαν βλάσφημον μὴ ὀξύνειν Τοσοῦτον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸ εὔξασθαι, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. Δαυῒδ δὲ ὁ σοφώτατος, ἐπὶ Σαοὺλ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰσραὴλ, τῶν ἀλλοφύλων ἐπι στρατοπεδευσάντων κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραηλιτῶν γένους, καὶ ἕνα προβεβλημένων πρὸς μονομαχίαν ἄνδρα τῇ τοῦ σώματος ῥώμῃ γίγαντα, τῇ τῆς φρονήσεως γνώμῃ ὑπὲρ γίγαντα, μεγάλα λαλοῦντα, καὶ μεγάλα ἐπαγγελλόμενον· οὗτος δὲ ἦν ὀνόματι Γολιὰθ, οὗ τὸ μέγεθος Ἑβραίων παῖδες θεωρήσαντες, δειλίᾳ καὶ φόβῳ πιεσθέντες πολλῷ συνείχοντο, τὴν τοῦ πολέμου συμβολὴν ἀποφεύγοντες·","english":"You see how great a good it is to pray and to render to the Lord our God. Hezekiah the king, being a faithful man and relying more on faith and prayer than on arms and military force, contrary to expectation achieved victories over the enemy. For instance, when Sennacherib came with a great host of barbarians, besieged Jerusalem, reviled God and those who believed in Him, and sent written insults to Hezekiah against God, Hezekiah, having received the letter and read it before God, prayed and rendered to the Lord our God; whence he was immediately freed from the danger surrounding him; thus suddenly and marvelously he received help from God.\n\nFor one angel from heaven, sword in hand, descending by night, slew one hundred eighty-five thousand of the foreigners, none of them being able to withstand the onset of his right hand, so that the races of the foreigners might be taught not to sharpen a blasphemous tongue against God. So great a good is it, beloved, to pray and to render to the Lord our God. And David, the most wise, when under Saul the king of Israel the foreigners had encamped against the race of the Israelites and had put forward for single combat a man, a giant in bodily strength, but in wisdom of mind more than a giant, speaking great things and promising great things; this man was named Goliath, whose size the children of the Hebrews, having beheld, were constrained by much cowardice and fear, avoiding the clash of war.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐζεκίας","severity":"info","text":"The account of Hezekiah's prayer and the angelic destruction of the Assyrian army (185,000 slain) draws on 2 Kings 19:35 and Isaiah 37:36, though the number 185,000 appears in 2 Kings 19:35 LXX.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Γολιὰθ","severity":"info","text":"The narrative of David and Goliath, with Goliath described as a giant in bodily strength and wisdom, echoes 1 Samuel 17:4-11 LXX.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Σεναχειρὶμ","severity":"info","text":"Sennacherib's campaign against Judah (701 BCE) and his siege of Jerusalem are historical events; the angelic intervention is a legendary elaboration found in Jewish and Christian tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁρᾷς","severity":"info","text":"The passage opens with a rhetorical question ('You see...') that frames the exempla of Hezekiah and David as proofs of the power of prayer, a common homiletic device in Chrysostom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐζεκίας... Δαυῒδ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom pairs Hezekiah and David as models of faith and prayer overcoming military odds, a typological parallel not found in the biblical text itself but typical of patristic moral exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'render to the Lord' (ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ) may reflect a liturgical or sacrificial nuance (e.g., offering thanks or fulfilling a vow), not merely 'pray'; the English draft's 'render' is literal but ambiguous.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text has a bracketed [ὃς] in the first sentence, indicating a textual variant or scribal insertion; the sense is not affected.","The phrase 'παρ' ἐλπίδα' could mean 'contrary to hope' or 'beyond expectation'; the English draft takes the latter."],"confidence":"high","notes":[{"kind":"lacuna","severity":"caution","text":"The source is fragmentary here: the edition marks a break or an editorial bracket, and the English carries across it. Treat the bridge as supplied, not translated."}]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"γνοὺς δὲ ὁ ἀγχίνους Δαυῒδ, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἰσχύει πρὸς νίκην ὁλκὴ σώματος, οὔτε ὅπλων καὶ ἵππων παράταξις (Οὐ σώζεται γὰρ βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν, καὶ γίγας οὐ σωθήσεται ἐν πλήθει ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ· ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν· ἐν δὲ πλήθει δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ οὐ σωθήσεται), λαβὼν πέντε λίθους, σύμβολον τῆς παρὰ Θεοῦ δεδομένης αὐτοῖς Πεντατεύχου, ὁ μικρὸς, ὁ νεώτε ρος, ὁ παρὰ τοῖς ἰδίοις καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἐξουδενωμένος, μιᾷ λίθου βολῇ κατὰ τοῦ μετώπου τύψας, ἐπὶ στόματος ἔφερε τὸν ὑπερήφανον γίγαντα. Καὶ ἔστιν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ζητήσεως ἄξιον, πῶς κατὰ τοῦ μετώπου λαβὼν ὁ Γολιὰθ, οὐκ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἐτρέπετο, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐῤῥήγνυτο. Ἦ δῆλον, ὅτι δεῖ νοεῖν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἄγγελος ἦν ἑστὼς ὄπισθεν τοῦ θεομάχου, ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτὸν ἀκοντίζων. Οὕτως ἀγαθόν ἐστι τὸ εὔξασθαι, καὶ ἀπο δοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. βʹ. Μωϋσῆς δὲ ὁ μακάριος τὸν τῶν Ἑβραίων λαὸν ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου μεταναστήσας, καὶ ἐλθὼν παρὰ τὰ ῥεῖθρα τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης, καὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων μετὰ ὄχλου ἰσχυροῦ καὶ πολυαρίθμου ἐπιδραμόντων, τῶν δὲ Ἑβραίων μὴ δυναμένων μηδὲ τῷ πολέμῳ ἀντιστῆναι, μηδὲ διὰ τῆς φυγῆς τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν περιποιήσασθαι· ἔμπροσθεν γὰρ αὐτοῖς θάλασσα ἥπλωτο φυγεῖν κωλύουσα, καὶ ὄπισθεν ὁ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων σκοτεινὸς λαὸς ξιφήρης αὐτοῖς ἐπεσείετο·","english":"But David, being shrewd, knowing that bodily strength avails nothing for victory, nor the array of arms and horses (for a king is not saved by great might, nor will a giant be saved by the abundance of his strength; a horse is false for salvation; nor will he be saved by the abundance of his might), took five stones, a symbol of the Pentateuch given to them by God—the small one, the younger one, the one despised by his own people and by the foreigners—and striking the arrogant giant on the forehead with a single stone cast, brought him down on his face. And it is, beloved, worthy of inquiry, how, having been struck on the forehead, Goliath did not fall backward, but was dashed forward on his face. It is clear that we must understand that an angel was standing behind the God-fighter, hurling him forward on his face. Thus it is good to pray and to render to the Lord our God. 2. And the blessed Moses, having moved the people of the Hebrews from Egypt, and having come to the streams of the Red Sea, with the Egyptians rushing upon them with a strong and numerous host, while the Hebrews could neither withstand the war nor secure their own safety by flight—for before them the sea was spread out, preventing flight, and behind them the dark host of the Egyptians, sword in hand, was bearing down upon them—","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"πέντε λίθους","severity":"info","text":"The five stones are a typological symbol of the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses. This allegorical reading is characteristic of Chrysostom's Antiochene exegesis, which often finds moral and typological meanings in Old Testament narratives.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οὐ σώζεται γὰρ βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν","severity":"info","text":"This is a loose citation of Psalm 33:16 LXX (οὐ σώζεται βασιλεὺς διὰ πολλὴν δύναμιν). Chrysostom adapts the verse to his argument about the futility of physical might without divine aid.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"ἄγγελος ἦν ἑστὼς ὄπισθεν τοῦ θεομάχου","severity":"info","text":"The angel standing behind Goliath to hurl him forward is an extra-biblical detail, likely from Jewish or early Christian tradition. It reinforces Chrysostom's theme that divine intervention, not human strength, determines victory.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"βʹ","severity":"info","text":"The Greek numeral βʹ (2) marks a new section, introducing the example of Moses at the Red Sea. This structural cue divides the passage into two exempla: David and Goliath, then Moses and the Exodus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Μωϋσῆς δὲ ὁ μακάριος","severity":"info","text":"The narrative of Moses at the Red Sea parallels the David story: both leaders face overwhelming odds and rely on divine intervention. Chrysostom uses this to illustrate the power of prayer and faith over military might.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'a horse is false for salvation' is obscure. It may be a proverbial expression or a corruption; the Greek is not a direct biblical quotation. The meaning is that reliance on cavalry or physical means is deceptive for deliverance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν' is not a standard biblical citation and its exact source or meaning is uncertain. The reading taken is that it is a proverbial or rhetorical expression emphasizing the unreliability of physical means for salvation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"καὶ ὅσον περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν οἱ Ἑβραῖοι ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐννοίᾳ, τοσοῦτον ἀθρόως θεωρήσαντες τὸν Φαραὼ καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, τῷ φόβῳ συνείχοντο, καὶ ἠλαύνοντο χύδην ταῖς φροντίσιν, ὅπερ ἐλαύνεται θάλασσα σφοδρῶν πνευσάντων ἀνέμων εἰς αὐτὴν, ὡς καὶ ἀποτολμήσαντας διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ φόβου λέγειν πρὸς τὸν Μωϋσέα· Ὁρᾷς ὅσον καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἥκει τὰ πράγματα τὴν τελευτὴν, καὶ ὥσπερ εἰς τὰς ψυ χὰς ἡμῶν ἰλυσπᾶται ὁ φόβος; Ἤδη γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀπειλοῦσι ὀρνέων θοίνην γενέσθαι, συνιέντες ὡς εἰς ἐσχάτην ἥκαμεν, καὶ ὅτι παντάπασιν ἄπορά ἐστι τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς. Τί μέλλεις, Μωϋσῆ; Βέλτιον ἦν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τεθνάναι ἡμᾶς, ἢ ἐνταῦθα ἐξελθόντας ἰδεῖν τὰ νήπια ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ὀρνέων καὶ χερσαίων θοίνην καὶ σπαράγματα γιγνομένους.\n\nΤούτοις γὰρ μάλιστα πιστεύσας ὁ Φαραὼ ὀδύνης γέμει, καὶ ὡς ἐν χερσὶν ἔχων τὸ κῦρος, αὐθαδιάζεται, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν Θεὸν θρα συστομεῖ. Τότε Μωϋσῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς τί φησι; Μὴ φοβεῖσθε, μηδὲ δειλιᾶτε· Εὔξασθε καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὄψεσθε τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοήθειαν ὑμῖν διδομένην. Κύριος πολεμήσει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ὑμεῖς δὲ σιωπήσεσθε. Τῆς δὲ τοιαύτης εὐχῆς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀναδοθείσης, εὐθὺς ἡ ὑγρὰ θάλασσα εἰς ξηρὰν μετεστρέφετο, καὶ ἀνεμποδίστως αὐτοῖς καθυπούργει. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν, ἀγαπητοὶ, θαυμαστὸν θέαμα, τήν ποτε ἀφρομορφωμυ ροῦσαν θάλασσαν τότε σχιζομένην, καὶ τεῖχος δίυγρον, κυανόχροον, μελανόχροον, ἀῤῥαγὲς ἑκατέρωθεν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ περιφρασσόμενον.","english":"And as overjoyed as the Hebrews were at the thought of what had been accomplished, so suddenly, upon seeing Pharaoh and the Egyptians, they were seized with fear, and were driven in confusion by their anxieties, just as the sea is driven when strong winds blow upon it, so that, because of the extremity of their fear, they even dared to say to Moses: \"Do you see how far matters have come to this final end, and how fear writhes in our souls? Already they threaten that we shall become a feast for birds, understanding that we have reached the last extremity, and that our situation is utterly hopeless. What are you waiting for, Moses? It would have been better for us to die in Egypt than to come here and see our children, our wives, and ourselves become a feast and a tearing apart for birds and land beasts.\"\n\nFor it was especially trusting in these things that Pharaoh was filled with anguish, and, as if holding the authority in his hands, he grew arrogant and even spoke boastfully against God Himself. Then what does Moses say to them? \"Do not be afraid, do not be cowardly. Pray and give thanks to our Lord God, and you will see the help given to you by God. The Lord will fight for us, and you will be silent.\" And when such a prayer was offered up to God, immediately the liquid sea was turned into dry land, and it served them without hindrance. And it was possible to see, beloved, a wondrous spectacle: the sea, which once foamed with waves, then being divided, and a double wall, liquid, dark-blue, black, unbreakable, fencing Israel on both sides.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Φαραὼ","severity":"info","text":"Pharaoh here is the biblical Pharaoh of the Exodus, not a historical figure but a typological symbol of pride and opposition to God, as common in Chrysostom's exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁρᾷς ὅσον καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἥκει τὰ πράγματα τὴν τελευτὴν","severity":"info","text":"This speech echoes the Israelites' complaint in Exodus 14:11-12, where they fear being overtaken by the Egyptians at the Red Sea.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τούτοις γὰρ μάλιστα πιστεύσας ὁ Φαραὼ","severity":"info","text":"This sentence marks a shift from the Israelites' fear to Pharaoh's reaction, creating a contrast that heightens the dramatic narrative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ἀφρομορφωμυροῦσαν","severity":"caution","text":"This word is likely a scribal error or hapax; the edition reads 'ἀφρομορφωμυροῦσαν' but the intended sense is 'foaming with waves' (ἀφρῷ μορμύρουσαν).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"ἀγαπητοὶ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom addresses his audience as 'beloved' (ἀγαπητοί), a typical homiletic address indicating this passage was delivered orally to a congregation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"τεῖχος δίυγρον, κυανόχροον, μελανόχροον","severity":"info","text":"The description of the sea as a double wall of water is paralleled in Chrysostom's other homilies on Exodus, e.g., In Exodum 2.3, where he elaborates on the miracle's visual splendor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The word 'ἀφρομορφωμυροῦσαν' is corrupt; the intended reading is uncertain but likely 'ἀφρῷ μορμύρουσαν' (foaming with waves).","The phrase 'τῇ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐννοίᾳ' could refer to the thought of past events (the plagues) or the recent crossing; the context suggests the latter."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπῃωρεῖτο κρεμαμένη τὸ ὕδωρ, ἕως τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς ὅτε ἄνθρωπος ἠρέμα καὶ βάδην πορευόμενος, τὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ὑπήρχετο πλάτος.\n\nΚαὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν ὥσπερ διὰ χλοηφόρου πεδίου ἔδραμον χαίροντες, οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν Αἰγύπτιοι ὡσεὶ μόλυβδος ὑποβρύχιοι ἐποντίζοντο. Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀγαθὸν τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. Ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὕδατος καὶ ἄρτου ἐνδεεῖς γενόμενοι; Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔμελλον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὑστε ρεῖσθαι ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος, ὅπου γε οὐκ ἄρουρα, οὐκ ἄμπελος, οὐ δένδρον, οὐ βοτάνη, οὐ σπόρος, οὐ θέρος; Ἀλλ' εὐχὴ ἁγία καὶ οὐρανὸν αὐτοῖς μαννοδοτεῖν ἤνοιγε καὶ ἀέρα κρεοδοτεῖν, καὶ πέτραν ἀκροτοπηγόβρυτα νά ματα βλαστάνειν ἡτοίμαζεν. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τῶν τριῶν τούτων στοιχείων ὑπηρετοῦντο, οὐρανοῦ, ἀέρος καὶ πέτρας. Οὐρανὸς μὲν γὰρ αὐτοῖς χιονόχροον τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκόχλαζε, καὶ ἀὴρ σεσιτευμένην αὐτοῖς τὴν ὀρτυγομήτραν ἀκαμάτως προσέφερε. Καὶ ἐπιλείψει μοι διηγουμένῳ καὶ ὁ τῆς ἡμέρας χρόνος τὰ τῶν πατέρων, προφητῶν τε καὶ βα σιλέων δι' εὐχῆς παρ' ἐλπίδα γεγενημένα νικήματα, τὰς ἐν νόσοις καὶ κινδύνοις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις χαλεπωτέροις πράγμασι δι' εὐχῆς γεγενημένας ἀγαθὰς καὶ ζωοφόρους ἐκβάσεις. Τοσοῦτον γάρ ἐστι τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. Εἴ τις ὑμῶν ἔν τινι πράγματι παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀπελπισμένῳ ἐνέχεται, ἢ ὑπὸ ἀνάγκης τινὸς ἢ κινδύνου πεπίεσται, μνημονευσάτω ταύτης τῆς γραφῆς· εὐξάσθω καὶ ἀποδότω Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, καὶ εὑρήσει τῆς ἀγαθῆς διδασκαλίας τὸ ζωοφόρον καὶ μα κάριον τέλος.","english":"And the water hung suspended to such a height until Israel passed, as when a man walking gently and at a pace traverses the breadth of the sea.\n\nAnd they themselves ran as through a grassy plain, rejoicing, while their enemies the Egyptians were sunk like lead, submerged. So good is it to pray and to render to the Lord our God. For were they not also in the wilderness in need of water and bread? How could they not lack bread and water in the wilderness, where there is no plowland, no vine, no tree, no herb, no sowing, no harvest? But holy prayer opened heaven to rain manna for them, and prepared the air to rain flesh, and the rock to cause springs to gush from its sheer face. For they were served by these three elements: heaven, air, and rock. Heaven bubbled forth for them water white as snow, and the air brought them quail, fattened, without toil. And the time of day will fail me as I recount the victories of the fathers, prophets, and kings, achieved through prayer beyond hope, the good and life-giving outcomes in sicknesses, dangers, and other more grievous circumstances, brought about through prayer. So great is it to pray and to render to the Lord our God. If any of you is involved in some matter despaired of among men, or is pressed by some necessity or danger, let him remember this scripture: let him pray and render to the Lord our God, and he will find the life-giving and blessed end of this good teaching.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπῃωρεῖτο κρεμαμένη τὸ ὕδωρ","severity":"info","text":"The image of water suspended like a wall until Israel passes is a dramatic expansion of the Exodus narrative (Exod 14:21–22), emphasizing divine control over nature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν Αἰγύπτιοι ὡσεὶ μόλυβδος ὑποβρύχιοι ἐποντίζοντο","severity":"info","text":"The drowning of the Egyptians alludes to Exod 14:27–28, where the sea returns and engulfs Pharaoh’s army. Chrysostom adds the simile of lead to stress swift, irreversible sinking.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"εὐχὴ ἁγία καὶ οὐρανὸν αὐτοῖς μαννοδοτεῖν ἤνοιγε","severity":"info","text":"The manna from heaven (Exod 16:4–15) and quail (Exod 16:13) are here attributed to prayer, not merely divine provision. Chrysostom reinterprets wilderness miracles as responses to Israel’s supplication.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τοσοῦτον γάρ ἐστι τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ ἀποδοῦναι Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν","severity":"info","text":"This refrain frames the passage: it opens and closes the section, turning the historical narrative into a parenetic exhortation for the congregation to pray and fulfill vows.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"πέτραν ἀκροτοπηγόβρυτα νάματα βλαστάνειν","severity":"info","text":"The rock gushing water recalls Num 20:11 (the well of Miriam) and Exod 17:6 (water from Horeb). Chrysostom groups heaven, air, and rock as three elements serving Israel through prayer.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἴ τις ὑμῶν ἔν τινι πράγματι παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀπελπισμένῳ ἐνέχεται","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom directly applies the Exodus typology to his congregation’s personal crises, urging prayer and vow-fulfillment as a remedy for despair—a common homiletic move in Antiochene preaching.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἀκροτοπηγόβρυτα νάματα' is a hapax or rare compound; the translation 'springs from its sheer face' is interpretive. The exact sense of 'ἀκροτοπηγόβρυτα' (perhaps 'from a sheer rock-cut source') is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Εἰ δέ τις βούλεται, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ ἄλλως ἐκλαβεῖν τὸν στίχον τῆς Γραφῆς, καὶ λέγειν, ὅτι τὸ εὔξασθαί ἐστι τὸ ἐπαγγείλασθαι, καὶ οὕτως ἔσται ὁ λόγος ὠφέλιμος. Πολλαχῶς γὰρ παρὰ τῇ Γραφῇ ηὕραμεν τὸ εὔξασθαι ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπαγγείλασθαι· ὥς φησιν ἡ Σοφία· Καλόν ἐστι τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαί σε, ἢ εὐξάμενον μὴ ἀποδοῦναι· τουτέστι, τὸ μὴ ἐπαγγείλασθαι Θεῷ μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐπαγγειλάμενον ψεύσασθαι. Διὸ παραγγέλλει, Καὶ μὴ ψεύσῃ λόγον ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς σου. Ηὔξω τὴν θυγα τέρα σου ἢ τὸν υἱόν σου ἀπὸ νόσου βαρείας ὑγιαίνοντα ἀπολαμβάνοντα, Θεῷ ἀφιεροῦν; Μὴ ψεύσῃ λόγον ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς σου. Ἀλλ' ὡς ἡ μακαρία Ἄννα στεῖρα οὖσα τὸ πρὶν, εὐξαμένη, ὃ ἂν γεννήσει, Θεῷ ἀφιερῶσαι, καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσασα, αὕτη μὲν γέγονεν εὐ λογίας αἰωνίου κληρονόμος· ὁ δὲ αὐτῆς υἱὸς Σαμουὴλ, πρῶτος καὶ ἐκλελεγμένος ἐν προφήταις λελόγισται, καὶ τοσοῦτον παρὰ Θεῷ ἐτετίμητο, ὡς μετὰ Μωϋσῆν αὐτὸν καὶ Ἀαρὼν συγκαταριθμηθῆναι· Μωϋσῆς γὰρ καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Πρῶτον ἀγαθόν ἐστι τὸ εὔξασθαι, τουτέστι, τὸ ἐπαγγείλασθαι· ταχέως ἀπο δοῦναι μετὰ ἱλαρᾶς καὶ ἀγαθῆς προαιρέσεως.","english":"If anyone wishes, beloved, to interpret the verse of Scripture in another way, and to say that to make a vow is to promise, the word will be beneficial in this manner as well. For we have found in many places in Scripture that \"to vow\" is used in the sense of \"to promise,\" as Wisdom says: \"It is better that you not make a vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it,\" that is, it is better not to promise God than to promise and then lie. Therefore it commands, \"And do not break your word at the time of your prayer.\" Did you vow to dedicate your daughter or your son to God when they recover from a severe illness? Do not break your word at the time of your prayer. But as the blessed Anna, who was previously barren, having vowed to dedicate to God whatever she would bear, and having done this, she became an heir of eternal blessing; and her son Samuel was counted among the first and chosen prophets, and was so honored by God that he was numbered after Moses and Aaron: for Moses and Aaron are among his priests, and Samuel among those who invoke his name. The first good is to make a vow, that is, to promise; to fulfill it quickly with a cheerful and good disposition.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"εὔξασθαι","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom notes that εὔξασθαι can mean 'to promise' (ἐπαγγείλασθαι) in biblical usage, not only 'to pray' or 'to vow'. This lexical range is key to his interpretation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καλόν ἐστι τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαί σε, ἢ εὐξάμενον μὴ ἀποδοῦναι","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom cites a saying from the Wisdom books (likely Sirach or Proverbs) about the danger of unfulfilled vows. The exact source is not identified in the passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ μὴ ψεύσῃ λόγον ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς σου","severity":"info","text":"This command echoes a biblical injunction (possibly from the Psalms or Wisdom literature) against breaking one's word during prayer. Chrysostom applies it to vows made in distress.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄννα","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom refers to Anna (Hannah), the mother of Samuel, as a model of vow-keeping. Her story is in 1 Samuel 1, where she vows to dedicate her child to God if granted a son.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Σαμουὴλ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom ranks Samuel with Moses and Aaron, citing a liturgical or traditional formula: 'Moses and Aaron among his priests, Samuel among those who invoke his name.' This reflects later Jewish or Christian veneration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πολλαχῶς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom introduces an alternative interpretation (ἄλλως ἐκλαβεῖν) of the scriptural verse, supported by multiple examples of εὔξασθαι meaning 'to promise'. This rhetorical move is typical of his exegetical method.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact scriptural source of the Wisdom saying and the command 'do not break your word' is not specified; they may be paraphrases or composites."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"Ἀγαθὸν γὰρ καὶ Ἱλαρὸν δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεός. Οὕτως Ἄβελ Θεῷ εὐηρέστησεν, ἐπειδὴ ἐξ ἱλαρᾶς καὶ ἀγαθᾶς προαιρέσεως τὰ δῶρα τῷ Θεῷ προσεκόμισε· Κάϊν δὲ ἀπήρεσε Θεῷ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐξ ἱλαρᾶς καρδίας, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκ λύπης καὶ ἀνάγκης τὰ δῶρα τῷ Θεῷ προσέφερεν, ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ εὐδοξίᾳ λυπηθείς. Δεινὸν δὲ τὸν σπινθῆρα τοῦ φθόνου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἀνακινήσας, πρὸς δολοφονίαν ἐξεκαίετο, ἀνθ' ὧν ἔδει μιμησάμενον αὐτὸν τὴν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ φιλόθεον γνώμην, ἰσόῤῥοπον τῷ ἀδελφῷ τὴν τιμὴν παρὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ κομίσασθαι. Νῦν δὲ μήτε πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον καὶ συγγενὲς ἀπιδὼν, μήτε τὸν Θεὸν ἐφορῶντα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀθεμίτου πράξεως ψηφισάμενος, λόγοις ἀπατηλοῖς τὸν νεανίαν ἐπὶ τὸ πεδίον ἑλκύσας, τὸ φαιδρὸν ποίημα Θεοῦ τῷ φόνῳ διέλυσεν. Οὗτος πρῶτος ἀδελφοκτονίαν εἰργάσατο, πρῶτος τὴν γῆν αἵματι ἐμίανε, πρῶτος πύλας θανάτου ἠνέῳξεν. Οὔπω γὰρ ἦν θάνατος γευσάμενος ἄνθρωπον, εἰ μὴ Κάϊν διὰ τοῦ φθόνου τὸν φόνον ἐκύησε. Τί γάρ σε ἔβλαπτε, Κάϊν, ἡ τοῦ Ἄβελ ζωή; ἢ τί σε ὠφέλησεν ἐκείνου ὁ θάνατος; ἢ γὰρ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον καὶ ἔβλαψεν; Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀστάτως τῷ νῷ καὶ τρόμῳ τὸ ζῇν ἐξετέλεσας. γʹ. Ὦ φθόνε, ὑποκρίσεως ἀδελφὲ, δόλου δημιουργὲ φόνου σπορεῦ, δρακόντιον σπέρμα, θανατόπνοον ἄνθος. Τί μιαρώτερον φθόνου; Ἀλλ' οὐδέν. Τί δὲ","english":"For God loves a good and cheerful giver. Thus Abel pleased God, because he brought his gifts to God from a cheerful and good disposition; but Cain displeased God, because he did not bring his gifts to God from a cheerful heart, but as if from grief and necessity, grieved at his brother's good repute. And having stirred up the spark of envy in his heart, he was inflamed to murder, whereas he ought to have imitated his brother's God-loving mind and obtained honor equal to his brother from the Lord. But now, looking neither to kinship and blood, nor reckoning that God was watching his lawless deed, he lured the young man to the field with deceitful words and destroyed the radiant work of God by murder. He was the first to commit fratricide, the first to stain the earth with blood, the first to open the gates of death. For no man had yet tasted death, until Cain gave birth to murder through envy. For what harm did Abel's life do you, Cain? Or what benefit did his death bring you? Did it not rather harm you? For behold, you ended your life in mental instability and trembling. O envy, brother of hypocrisy, creator of deceit, sower of murder, serpentine seed, death-breathing flower. What is more abominable than envy? Nothing. And what","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἄβελ ... Κάϊν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts Abel and Cain as exemplars of cheerful versus grudging giving, a typology rooted in Genesis 4. This moral reading is common in patristic exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἱλαρᾶς καρδίας","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'cheerful heart' (ἱλαρᾶς καρδίας) echoes the earlier theme of cheerful giving (Ἱλαρὸν δότην) and is central to Chrysostom's moral exhortation on proper disposition in offerings.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"πρῶτος ἀδελφοκτονίαν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's claim that Cain was 'first to commit fratricide' and 'first to open the gates of death' alludes to Genesis 4:8-16, but the phrase 'gates of death' is not biblical; it may reflect a common homiletic expansion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"γʹ","severity":"info","text":"The Greek numeral γʹ (3) marks a new section, likely a rhetorical division in the homily. It introduces an apostrophe to envy (Ὦ φθόνε), a common homiletic device.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὦ φθόνε","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's personification of envy as 'brother of hypocrisy, creator of deceit, sower of murder' is a vivid rhetorical flourish that influenced later Byzantine moralizing on envy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"θανατόπνοον ἄνθος","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'death-breathing flower' (θανατόπνοον ἄνθος) is a striking oxymoron. The Greek is clear, but the English draft's 'death-breathing flower' may obscure the paradoxical imagery of a flower that exhales death.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text is clear; no significant ambiguities in this passage."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"καὶ ἐκύησε θάνατον; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἕτερον, εἰ μὴ φθόνος, καθὼς μαρτυρεῖ μοι ἡ Γραφὴ λέγουσα, ὅτι Ὁ Θεὸς θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίη-σεν, οὐδὲ τέρπεται ἐπ' ἀπωλείᾳ ζώντων· φθόνῳ δὲ τοῦ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸν φθόνον ἐξεύρεμα εἶναι τοῦ δράκοντος· καὶ ἀμήχανόν ἐστιν ἔχειν τινὰ φθόνον, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ ὄφις προσερπύσας τινὶ λαθραίως, καὶ ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ καρδίας ἐμέσας τὸν ἰὸν εἰς τὴν τοῦ δεχομένου καρδίαν ἐμβάλλῃ τὸν φθόνον. Οὕτω γὰρ εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν τοῦ ὄφεως τάξιν καὶ δύναμιν ὁ φθονερὸς ἀπολήγει. Εἶδες τὸν φθονερόν; εἶδες τὸν ὄφιν; Λαλεῖ σοι ὡς φίλος τὰ ἴδια, καὶ μανθάνει παρὰ σοῦ τὰ σὰ ὡς ἐχθρός σου. Προσέρχεται ὁ ὄφις τῇ Εὔᾳ ὡς φίλος, γλυκέσι ῥήμασιν αὐτὴν μαγεύων, πικροῖς δὲ νοήμασιν αὐτὴν παγιδεύων· ἐπὶ στόματος φέρων τὸ μέλι, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ κρύπτων τὸ ξίφος· τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀλλαχοῦ ἀποκλίνων, καὶ τὴν κέρκον ἀλλαχοῦ σοι λοξεύων. Προσέρχεται τῷ Ἄβελ ὁ Κάϊν ὡς φίλος· λαλεῖ εἰρηνικὰ, καὶ νοεῖ πολεμικά· ὁ δόλος ἐπὶ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐφέρετο, καὶ ὁ φθόνος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐσκιάζετο. Προσέρχεταί σοι ὁ φθονερός· λαλεῖ σοι τὰ ἴδια, λόγοις ἀπατηλοῖς καὶ γέλωτι χλιαρῷ προσδιαλεγόμενός σοι τὸ πρόσωπόν σου φαιδρύνει, τὴν διανοιάν σου ἀνοίγει, ἵνα τὴν ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἐνθήκην τῆς διανοίας σου ἐκκενώσῃ. Μανθάνει τὰ μυστήριά σου λέγων, καὶ προσφέρει τὰ κρυπτά σου ἐπὶ πάντων. Κἂν κολακεύῃς αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἔτι ἀνέχεται, οὐκ ἔτι γελᾷ, οὐκ ἔτι μειδιάσματι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὑποχαλᾷ, ἀλλ' ἕστηκεν αὐστηρῶς κατηγορῶν, καὶ μὴ κινούμενος, ἕως οὗ ἐπίδῃ τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην σου, καὶ τότε γελάσει.","english":"and gave birth to death? But nothing else, except envy, as Scripture bears witness to me, saying that God did not create death, nor does he delight in the destruction of the living; but by the envy of the devil, death entered the world. It seems to me, beloved, that envy is an invention of the serpent; and it is impossible for anyone to have envy unless the serpent, having crept up to someone secretly, and having vomited its venom from its own heart, casts envy into the heart of the receiver. For thus the envious person ends up in the same rank and power as the serpent. Have you seen the envious person? You have seen the serpent. He speaks to you as a friend of his own affairs, and learns from you of your affairs as your enemy. The serpent approaches Eve as a friend, bewitching her with sweet words, but ensnaring her with bitter thoughts; bearing honey on its lips, hiding a sword in its heart; turning its head elsewhere, and twisting its tail elsewhere toward you. Cain approaches Abel as a friend; he speaks peaceful words, but intends warlike ones; deceit was carried on his lips, and envy was hidden in his heart. The envious person approaches you; he speaks to you of his own affairs, engaging you with deceptive words and lukewarm laughter, brightening your face, opening your mind, so that he may empty the hidden storehouse of your mind. He learns your secrets by speaking, and brings your hidden matters before all. And if you flatter him, he no longer endures it, no longer laughs, no longer relaxes his face with a smile, but stands sternly accusing, and not moving, until he sees your disgrace, and then he will laugh.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὁ Θεὸς θάνατον οὐκ ἐποίησεν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom echoes a common patristic topos that God did not create death, often linked to Wisdom 1:13 or to the idea that death entered through the devil's envy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"φθόνῳ δὲ τοῦ διαβόλου θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν","severity":"info","text":"The notion that death entered the world through the devil's envy is a widespread theme in early Christian literature, notably in the Life of Adam and Eve and in Irenaeus.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Irenaeus","Life of Adam and Eve"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ ὄφις τῇ Εὔᾳ","severity":"info","text":"The serpent's deceptive approach to Eve is a standard exegetical parallel in anti-heretical and moral writings, e.g., in John Chrysostom's homilies on Genesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":["John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἶδες τὸν φθονερόν; εἶδες τὸν ὄφιν","severity":"info","text":"This rhetorical question and answer form a structural hinge, equating the envious person with the serpent, and introducing a series of parallel comparisons.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐξεύρεμα","severity":"info","text":"The word ἐξεύρεμα ('invention') is rare in patristic Greek; Chrysostom uses it to emphasize envy as a deliberate contrivance of the serpent, not a natural human trait.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"τὴν ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἐνθήκην","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'hidden storehouse of your mind' is metaphorical; the Greek ἐνθήκη can mean 'storehouse' or 'deposit,' but the exact sense here is ambiguous—possibly referring to secrets or inner thoughts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τὴν ἐγκεκρυμμένην ἐνθήκην τῆς διανοίας σου' is ambiguous: it could mean 'the hidden storehouse of your mind' (i.e., your secrets) or 'the hidden deposit of your mind' (i.e., your thoughts).","The reference to 'Scripture' (ἡ Γραφὴ) is not explicit; it may allude to Wisdom of Solomon or a lost source."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Ἐὰν ἐν συμποσίῳ τι κατὰ σοῦ λαλῆται, ἐκεῖνος τὰ ὦτα ἀνοίγει. Εὖγε. Ἐάν τι λαλῆται ὑπὲρ σοῦ, ἐκεῖνος ἄλλους λόγους ἐμβαλὼν ῥαίνει τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ἀκουόντων, ἵνα μὴ τὰ σὰ λαλούμενα καὶ ἀπόντι σοι δόξαν προσφέρωσι. Τί πονηρότερον φθονεροῦ; Ἀλλ' οὐδέν. Ἐν ποίοις θηρίοις συναριθμηθήσεται ὁ τοιοῦτος; Ἐὰν λέοντι ἢ παρδάλει αὐτὸν συνεικάσῃς, εὑρήσεις ἐν τῷ φθονερῷ τὸ πονηρόν.\n\nΠᾶν γὰρ ζῶον ἀγαπᾷ τὸ ὅμοιον ἑαυτοῦ· ὁ δὲ φθονερὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισεῖ, καὶ τοῦτον φονεύει. Οἱ κόρακες τὸν Ἠλίαν ἐν τῷ ὄρει διέτρεφον, καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ διὰ φθόνον πιπράσκοντες ἔτραγον. Ὁ ὄφις διὰ φθόνον τὴν Εὔαν ἠπάτησε, καὶ Κάϊν τὸν Ἄβελ διὰ φθόνον ἐφόνευσε. Τὸ κῆτος τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐξένισε, Σαοὺλ δὲ διὰ φθόνον ἐδίωκε τὸν Δαυΐδ. Οἱ λέοντες τὸν Δανιὴλ ἐνετράπησαν, οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ φθόνον ἐσταύρωσαν. Αἱ ἀσπίδες κολακευόμεναι ἡμεροῦνται, οἱ δὲ φθονεροὶ εὐεργετούμενοι πλέον ἐξάπτονται. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐπιπολὺ ἐρεσχελεῖν καὶ ἔξω βαίνειν τῶν ἀρτίως ἀναγνωσθέντων, ἐπανέλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον. Εὔξασθε καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ φθονούμενοι, ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν φθονούντων πάθητέ τι τῶν ἀνηκέστων, μήτε τῷ αὐτῷ νοσήματι περιπέσητε. Ὁ γὰρ δοκῶν ἑστάναι, βλεπέτω μὴ πέσῃ. Εὔξασθε καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ φθονοῦντες, ἵνα τὸν ἰὸν τοῦ δρά-κοντος ἐξεμέσαντες, ἐν καθαρῷ τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῆς συνειδήσεως τὸν οὐράνιον ἄρτον ὑποδέξησθε. Εὔξασθε καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν.","english":"If at a banquet something is said against you, that one opens his ears. Well done. If something is said in your favor, that one, having thrown in other words, sprinkles the mind of the hearers, so that what is said about you, even in your absence, may not bring you glory. What is more wicked than an envious man? Nothing. Among what wild beasts will such a one be counted? If you compare him to a lion or a leopard, you will find the evil in the envious man.\n\nFor every animal loves its own kind; but the envious man hates his brother and murders him. Ravens fed Elijah on the mountain, and brothers, selling Joseph out of envy, devoured him. The serpent, out of envy, deceived Eve, and Cain, out of envy, killed Abel. The whale entertained Jonah in the sea, but Saul, out of envy, pursued David. Lions respected Daniel, but the Jews, out of envy, crucified Christ. Asps are tamed when flattered, but the envious, when benefited, are inflamed all the more. But lest we seem, beloved, to be overly contentious and to stray from what was just read, let us return to the subject at hand. Pray, you who are envied, that you may suffer nothing irreparable from those who envy you, nor fall into the same disease. For he who seems to stand, let him see that he does not fall. Pray, you who envy, that, having vomited out the serpent’s venom, you may receive the heavenly bread with a clear testimony of conscience. Pray and give thanks to our Lord God.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐὰν ἐν συμποσίῳ τι κατὰ σοῦ λαλῆται","severity":"info","text":"The opening scenario of a banquet (συμπόσιον) is a rhetorical commonplace in Chrysostom, used to illustrate the envious man's behavior in a social setting.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἱ κόρακες τὸν Ἠλίαν ἐν τῷ ὄρει διέτρεφον","severity":"info","text":"This refers to 1 Kings 17:6, where ravens bring food to Elijah at the brook Cherith; Chrysostom adapts the detail to 'mountain' for rhetorical effect.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ διὰ φθόνον πιπράσκοντες ἔτραγον","severity":"info","text":"Alludes to Genesis 37:28, where Joseph's brothers sell him into slavery out of envy; 'devoured' (ἔτραγον) is hyperbolic.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τὸ κῆτος τὸν Ἰωνᾶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐξένισε","severity":"info","text":"Refers to Jonah 1:17, where a great fish swallows Jonah; 'entertained' (ἐξένισε) is ironic, contrasting the whale's hospitality with human envy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Οἱ λέοντες τὸν Δανιὴλ ἐνετράπησαν","severity":"info","text":"Alludes to Daniel 6:22, where lions spare Daniel; Chrysostom contrasts animal respect with human envy, here directed at Christ.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν... ἐπανέλθωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον","severity":"info","text":"A transitional formula marking the end of a digression on envy and return to the psalm commentary, typical of Chrysostom's homiletic style.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ... ἔτραγον' may be a conflation of selling (Genesis 37) and later famine (Genesis 42); Chrysostom likely uses 'devoured' metaphorically.","The reference to 'the Jews' crucifying Christ reflects anti-Jewish rhetoric common in Chrysostom's homilies, not historical accuracy."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"Πολλὰ ἰσχύει, ἀγαπητοὶ, εὐχὴ, τὰ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατα δυνατὰ καθιστῶσα. Ηὔξατο Μωϋσῆς, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐξήρανε, καὶ τοὺς Ἑβραίους ὡς διὰ χλοηφόρου πεδίου διήγαγεν. Ηὔξατο Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυῆ, καὶ τὰ Ἰορδάνια ῥεύματα ἐνεπόδισε, καὶ ἐπληρώθη τὸ γεγραμμένον· Τί σοί ἐστι, θάλασσα, ὅτι ἔφυγες, καὶ σὺ, Ἰορδάνη, ὅτι ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω; Ηὔξατο Ἠλίας ὁ ἁρματηλάτης, καὶ ὀμβροτόκους νεφέλας ἐχαλίνωσε, καὶ ταύτας πάλιν δι' εὐχῆς ἀνέῳξεν. Ηὔξατο ὁ αὐτὸς Ἠλίας, καὶ τῇ πενιχρᾷ χήρᾳ τὸ ἄλευρον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν πίστει μεμετρημένον ἐδίδω. Ηὔξατο ὁ τούτου μαθητὴς Ἐλισσαῖος, καὶ ἡ Σωμανῖτις στεῖρα οὖσα τὸ πρὶν, παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐγέννα. Ηὔξατο Δανιὴλ, καὶ τὸν Βὴλ κατέστρεψε, καὶ τὸν δράκοντα ἀπέκτεινε, καὶ τοὺς λέοντας ἀναβλέπειν εἰς οὐρανὸν\n\nἐπαιδαγώγησεν. Ηὔξαντο οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ, καὶ ἡ παφλάζουσα φλὸξ τῆς καμίνου ἐσβέννυτο. Ηὔξατο Ἐζεκίας, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀῤῥωστίαν ἰασάμενος θάνατον ἔλυσε, καὶ πεντεκαιδεκαετῆ χρόνον ζωῆς ἀπελάμβανεν. Ηὔξατο Ἰωνᾶς, καὶ τὸ κῆτος ἡμέρωσε, καὶ ἐν τριημέρῳ φιλοξενεῖν αὐτὸν ἐδίδαξεν, ἵνα δειχθῇ ὅτι τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ ἐν βυθοῖς θαλάσσης ξενία εὑρίσκεται. Ηὔξατο ὁ εὐσεβέστατος Τωβίας τυφλὸς ὑπάρχων, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς ἀγγέλου τὸ φέγγος ἐλάμβανεν. Ηὔξατο Σάῤῥα ἡ τοῦ Ῥαγουὴλ ἐν Ἐκβατάνοις, καὶ τὸν ἀνδροκτόνον δαίμονα ἐφυγάδευσεν. Ηὔξαντο Σίλας καὶ Παῦλος ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ ὑπάρχοντες, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐτρόμαξεν, αἱ θύραι τῆς φυλακῆς ἠνεῴχθησαν, αἱ σιδηραῖ ἁλύσεις τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπέπεσαν, καὶ πάντες οἱ δεσμῶν ἔνοχοι ἐλεύθεροι ἀνεδείκνυντο.","english":"Prayer has great power, beloved, rendering possible what is impossible among humans. Moses prayed, and he dried up the sea, leading the Hebrews through as if on a grassy plain. Joshua the son of Nun prayed, and he halted the streams of the Jordan, and what was written was fulfilled: \"What is it to you, sea, that you fled, and you, Jordan, that you turned back?\" Elijah the charioteer prayed, and he bridled the rain-bearing clouds, and again opened them through prayer. The same Elijah prayed, and to the poor widow he gave flour and oil measured by faith each day. His disciple Elisha prayed, and the Shunammite woman, previously barren, gave birth beyond hope. Daniel prayed, and he overthrew Bel, killed the dragon, and taught the lions to look up to heaven. The three youths prayed in the furnace, and the boiling flame of the furnace was extinguished. Hezekiah prayed, and, healing his own illness, he dissolved death and received a fifteen-year span of life. Jonah prayed, and he tamed the whale, teaching it to host him for three days, to show that for the saints, hospitality is found even in the depths of the sea. The most pious Tobit prayed, being blind, and he received light from the hand of an angel. Sarah the daughter of Raguel prayed in Ecbatana, and she banished the man-slaying demon. Silas and Paul prayed, being in prison, and the earth trembled, the doors of the prison were opened, the iron chains of the bonds fell off, and all who were guilty of bonds were shown to be free.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ηὔξατο ... Ηὔξατο ...","severity":"info","text":"The passage is a rhetorical catalogue of prayer miracles, each introduced by 'Ηὔξατο' (he/she prayed), building a cumulative argument for prayer's power.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Τί σοί ἐστι, θάλασσα, ὅτι ἔφυγες, καὶ σὺ, Ἰορδάνη, ὅτι ἐστράφης εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω","severity":"info","text":"This quotation is not from the canonical Bible but from a later tradition, possibly apocryphal or liturgical, echoing the crossing of the Jordan in Joshua 3–4.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἠλίας ὁ ἁρματηλάτης","severity":"info","text":"Elijah is called 'the charioteer' (ἁρματηλάτης), a title from the tradition of his fiery chariot ascent (2 Kings 2:11), common in patristic literature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Σάῤῥα ἡ τοῦ Ῥαγουὴλ ἐν Ἐκβατάνοις","severity":"info","text":"Sarah is a figure from the book of Tobit (3:7–8, 8:1–3), where she prays in Ecbatana to be freed from the demon Asmodeus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Σίλας καὶ Παῦλος ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ","severity":"info","text":"The story of Silas and Paul in prison is not in the canonical Acts but appears in the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla, reflecting Chrysostom's use of extra-biblical traditions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐπαιδαγώγησεν","severity":"info","text":"The verb 'ἐπαιδαγώγησεν' (taught/disciplined) applied to lions is unusual; it may be a rhetorical exaggeration or a textual variant, as the Greek is otherwise consistent.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The source of the quotation about the sea and Jordan is unclear; it may be from a lost apocryphon or Chrysostom's own composition.","The identity of 'Silas' is ambiguous: possibly Silas the companion of Paul (Acts 15:22) or a figure from the Acts of Paul."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"Ηὔξατο Πέτρος, καὶ τὴν Ταβιθὰν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐξανέστησεν. Ηὔξατο ὁ αὐτὸς Πέτρος ἐν Ῥώμῃ, καὶ πετόμενον Σίμωνα ἐξ ἀέρος κατήνεγκε, καὶ ἐμπαίζειν αὐτὸν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις οὐ συνεχώρησεν οὐκέτι. Εὐχὴ νεκροὺς ἀνεγείρει, δαίμονας φυγαδεύει, νόσους ἰᾶται, θανάτους ἐκλύει. Ὢ εὐχὴ, ζωῆς χορηγὴ, ὑγιείας ἐνθήκη, ἐλπιδοφόρον ἄνθος. Εὔξασθε οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ ἀποδῶτε Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"Peter prayed, and he raised Tabitha from the dead. The same Peter prayed in Rome, and he brought down the flying Simon from the air, and no longer permitted him to mock the Romans. Prayer raises the dead, puts demons to flight, heals diseases, dissolves deaths. O prayer, giver of life, repository of health, hope-bearing flower. Pray then, beloved, and render to our Lord God; for to him belongs all glory, unto the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Εὐχὴ νεκροὺς ἀνεγείρει, δαίμονας φυγαδεύει, νόσους ἰᾶται, θανάτους ἐκλύει","severity":"info","text":"This sentence generalizes the power of prayer, listing four effects: raising the dead, exorcising demons, healing diseases, and dissolving deaths. The final phrase 'θανάτους ἐκλύει' echoes the earlier resurrection of Tabitha and anticipates the doxology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ταβιθάν","severity":"info","text":"Tabitha (Dorcas) is the disciple raised from the dead by Peter in Acts 9:36-42. Chrysostom uses this as a biblical proof of prayer's power, linking it to the Old Testament miracles cited in the previous passage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"Σίμωνα","severity":"info","text":"Simon Magus, a Samaritan sorcerer, is said in apocryphal Acts of Peter to have flown in Rome before being brought down by Peter's prayer. Chrysostom here draws on a tradition known from the second-century Acts of Peter, not canonical Scripture.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Acts of Peter (apocryphal)"],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὢ εὐχὴ, ζωῆς χορηγὴ, ὑγιείας ἐνθήκη, ἐλπιδοφόρον ἄνθος","severity":"info","text":"This exclamatory apostrophe to prayer breaks the narrative flow, shifting from examples to a lyrical praise. The three epithets—'giver of life', 'repository of health', 'hope-bearing flower'—form a rhetorical climax before the final exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων","severity":"info","text":"The closing doxology 'unto the ages of ages' is a standard liturgical formula in Greek Christianity, derived from Septuagintal usage (e.g., Exodus 15:18). Its presence here marks the homily's conclusion as a liturgical coda.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'Simon' is not specified in the text; the reading assumes Simon Magus based on the flying motif, but Chrysostom does not name the source."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}