{"slug":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-sanctos-petrum-et-heliam","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-sanctos-petrum-et-heliam","title":"In sanctos Petrum et Heliam","title_source":"In sanctos Petrum et Heliam","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":"2026-11-15T07:46:02Z","cost_usd":0.011621},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-sanctos-petrum-et-heliam","work_id":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-sanctos-petrum-et-heliam","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%20sanctos%20Petrum%20et%20Heliam.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":21,"english_words":6070,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":23381,"commentary_units":124,"commentary_kinds":8,"derived_notes":3,"ambiguities":30,"work_notes":4,"external_links":2,"timeline":4},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-sanctos-petrum-et-heliam","abstract":"This homily, attributed to John Chrysostom, commemorates the apostles Peter and Elijah, though its focus is on the general commemoration of martyrs. The preacher rebukes the congregation for sparse attendance, contrasting their indifference (ῥᾳθυμία) with the martyrs' sacrifice. The text survives only in a single manuscript tradition, with no witnesses earlier than the 10th century, and is absent from the main CPG corpus. Its attribution to Chrysostom is traditional but unconfirmed, and its liturgical use appears limited to certain monastic circles. The khazarzar edition lacks a critical apparatus, obscuring variant readings.","historical_context":"The homily's date and place of composition are unknown; it is transmitted only in late Byzantine manuscripts (10th century or later) and is not attested in standard liturgical menologia. The attribution to John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) is traditional but unverified by external witnesses, and the homily is absent from the CPG corpus, suggesting it may be a later composition under his name. The text's survival in a single manuscript tradition and its limited use in monastic circles indicate a narrow transmission history. The khazarzar edition, based on a collation of late copies, provides no critical apparatus, leaving the user unable to assess editorial choices. The homily's focus on martyr commemoration and rebuke of indifference aligns with Chrysostom's known themes, but the evidence is too thin to confirm authorship or original setting.","significance":"This homily illustrates the fluidity of attribution in the Chrysostom corpus and the challenges of studying works transmitted only in late manuscripts. Its themes—rebuking indifference, linking liturgical practice to spiritual remedy—echo authentic Chrysostom, but its absence from early witnesses raises questions about its origin. It also highlights the role of monastic circles in preserving and possibly composing homiletic literature.","timeline":[{"date":"4th–5th c.","event":"John Chrysostom active as preacher in Antioch and Constantinople; many homilies attributed to him originate in this period."},{"date":"10th c. or later","event":"Earliest extant manuscripts of this homily; no earlier witnesses survive."},{"date":"Byzantine period","event":"Homily transmitted in a single manuscript tradition, likely within monastic circles."},{"date":"Modern","event":"Khazarzar edition published, based on collation of late Byzantine copies; no critical apparatus provided."}],"relations":[{"work":"CPG (Clavis Patrum Graecorum)","relation":"Absent from the main corpus, suggesting possible spurious attribution or late composition.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Homilies on the Martyrs (Chrysostom)","relation":"Shares themes of martyr commemoration and rebuke of indifference, but not part of the established corpus.","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Byzantine Menologia","relation":"Not attested in standard liturgical menologia for Peter and Elijah, indicating limited liturgical use.","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"wikipedia:John Chrysostom","label":"John Chrysostom","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Chrysostom","reason":"Provides background on the author to whom the homily is attributed."},{"key":"wikipedia:Clavis Patrum Graecorum","label":"Clavis Patrum Graecorum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavis_Patrum_Graecorum","reason":"Reference work for Greek patristic texts; the homily's absence from it is significant."}],"cautions":["Attribution to John Chrysostom is traditional but unconfirmed; the homily is absent from the CPG corpus and may be a later composition.","The homily survives only in a single manuscript tradition, with no witnesses earlier than the 10th century.","The khazarzar edition provides no critical apparatus or variant readings, limiting assessment of textual transmission.","Date and place of composition are unknown; the homily is not attested in standard Byzantine liturgical sources."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000402,"generated":"2026-11-15T07:46:02Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/John%20Chrysostom_PG%2047-64/In%20sanctos%20Petrum%20et%20Heliam.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-sanctos-petrum-et-heliam","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":21,"translated":21,"commentary_passages":21,"commentary_units":124,"english_words":6070,"source_letters":23378,"commentary_kinds":8},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The homily survives only in a single manuscript tradition; the khazarzar edition is based on a collation of late Byzantine copies, none earlier than the 10th century.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Attribution to Chrysostom is traditional but unconfirmed by external witnesses; the homily is absent from the main CPG corpus and may be a later composition under his name.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The homily is not attested in the standard Byzantine liturgical menologia for Peter and Elijah; its use appears to have been limited to certain monastic circles.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The khazarzar edition provides no critical apparatus or variant readings; the user cannot assess the editor's choices among manuscript witnesses.","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: 21 narrative."},{"kind":"caution","severity":"caution","text":"3 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":21},"term_index":[],"citations":{},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΠΕΤΡΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΝ Καὶ Ἠλίαν τὸν προφήτην. αʹ. Ὀλίγοι ἡμῖν σήμερον οἱ παραγενόμενοι· ἆρα τί τὸ αἴτιον; Μνήμην μαρτύρων ἐπιτελοῦμεν, καὶ οὐ δεὶς ἡμῖν ἀπήντησεν· ἆρα τὸ διάστημα τῆς ὁδοῦ εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐνέβαλε; μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τὸ διάστημα τῆς ὁδοῦ, ἀλλ' ἡ ῥᾳθυμία αὐτοὺς ἐνεπόδισεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸν σπουδαῖον καὶ διεγηγερμένον τῇ προαιρέσει οὐδὲν δύναται κωλῦσαι, οὕτω δὴ τὸν ῥᾴθυμον καὶ ἀνα πεπτωκότα πάντα δύναται κωλῦσαι. Οἱ μάρτυρες τὸ ἴδιον αἷμα ἐξέχεαν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας, σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ βραχείας ὁδοῦ καταφρονεῖς; Ἐκεῖνοι τὴν κε φαλὴν ἀπέθεντο διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν, σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἀπαντῆσαι θέλεις διὰ τὸν Δεσπότην; ὁ Δεσπότης διὰ σὲ ἀπέθανε, καὶ σὺ δι' αὐτὸν ὀκνεῖς; μνήμη μαρτύρων, καὶ σὺ ῥᾳθυμεῖς καὶ ἀναπέπτω κας; Δέον ἐστί σε παραγενέσθαι, καὶ ἰδεῖν τὸν διά βολον ἡττώμενον, καὶ μάρτυρα νικῶντα, καὶ Θεὸν δοξαζόμενον, καὶ Ἐκκλησίαν στεφανουμένην. Ἀλλ' ἡ πρόφασις αὐτῶν αὕτη· Ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι ἀπαντῆσαι. Αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο ὅτι ἁμαρ τωλὸς εἶ, ἀπάντησον ἵνα μὴ ἐκπέσῃς τῆς δικαιο σύνης. Τίς δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄνευ ἁμαρτίας, εἰπέ μοι; Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο θυσία καὶ Ἐκκλησία, διὰ τοῦτο εὐχαὶ καὶ νηστεῖαι, ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ τὰ τραύματα τῆς ψυχῆς· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ φάρμακα κατ' αὐτῶν εὕρηνται, καὶ πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν τραυμάτων τῆς ψυχῆς κατάλληλον φάρμακον κατεσκευάσθη. Ἔχεις Ἐκκλησίαν θυσίας ἐπιφερομένην, εὐχὰς Πατέρων, Πνεύματος ἁγίου χορηγίαν, μαρτύρων μνήμας, συναθροι σμὸν ἁγίων, καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα δυνάμενά σε ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας ἀνακαλέσασθαι εἰς δικαιοσύνην·","english":"A discourse on Peter the apostle and Elijah the prophet. 1. Few have come to us today; what, then, is the cause? We are celebrating a commemoration of martyrs, and no one has met us. Is it the distance of the journey that has cast them into indifference? Rather, it is not the distance of the journey, but their indifference that has hindered them. For just as nothing can hinder the zealous and alert man in his purpose, so everything can hinder the indifferent and prostrate man. The martyrs poured out their own blood for the truth, and do you not disregard even a short journey? They laid down their heads for Christ, and do you not wish to come even outside the city for the Master? The Master died for you, and do you hesitate for him? A commemoration of martyrs, and are you indifferent and prostrate? You ought to come, and see the devil defeated, the martyr victorious, God glorified, and the Church crowned. But their excuse is this: \"I am a sinner,\" one says, \"and I cannot come.\" For this very reason, that you are a sinner, come, so that you may not fall from righteousness. For who among men is without sin, tell me? But for this reason there is sacrifice and Church, for this reason prayers and fasts, because the wounds of the soul are many; for this reason also the remedies against them have been found, and a remedy suitable for each wound of the soul has been prepared. You have a Church offering sacrifice, prayers of the Fathers, the provision of the Holy Spirit, commemorations of martyrs, an assembly of saints, and many such things able to recall you from sin to righteousness.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ΛΟΓΟΣ ΕΙΣ ΠΕΤΡΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΟΝ Καὶ Ἠλίαν τὸν προφήτην. αʹ.","severity":"info","text":"The title and numeral αʹ indicate this is the first discourse in a series on Peter and Elijah, though the homily itself focuses on a martyr commemoration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"μνήμην μαρτύρων","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'commemoration of martyrs' sets the liturgical context; Chrysostom chides the congregation for sparse attendance, contrasting their indifference with martyrs' sacrifice.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ῥᾳθυμία","severity":"info","text":"Ῥᾳθυμία (indifference, laziness) is a key moral term in Chrysostom, often opposed to σπουδή (zeal); here it explains the congregation's absence.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ Δεσπότης διὰ σὲ ἀπέθανε","severity":"info","text":"Echoes of Christ's atonement (cf. 1 Cor 15:3, Gal 1:4) are implicit; Chrysostom uses the Master's death to shame the hearers into attending.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ἔξω τῆς πόλεως","severity":"info","text":"Martyr commemorations often occurred at extramural cemeteries or martyria; the distance 'outside the city' was a common excuse for non-attendance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Πνεύματος ἁγίου χορηγίαν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'provision of the Holy Spirit' reflects Chrysostom's sacramental theology, linking liturgical practice to spiritual remedy for sin.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the martyrs being commemorated is not specified; the homily's title pairs Peter and Elijah, but the content does not explicitly connect them to the martyrdom."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"οὐκ ἀπήν τησας εἰς εὐχὴν μαρτύρων, ποίαν ἔχεις συγγνώμην; Οὐδὲν τῶν δεινῶν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, καὶ ἐνεποδίσθης τῆς πρὸς τοὺς μάρτυρας ὁμονοίας; Ἀλλὰ φροντίς σε βιω τικὴ ἐκράτησεν; Ἔτι μεῖζον τὸ ἔγκλημα. Μικρὰν ὥραν οὐκ ἐδάνεισας τῷ Θεῷ, ἵνα λάβῃς ὁλόκληρον ἡμέραν; Ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι. Ἐπειδὴ ἁμαρτωλὸς εἶ, διὰ τοῦτο εἴσελθε· ἢ οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρεύοντες ἁμαρ τίαις εἰσὶ προσηλωμένοι; Σάρκας γάρ εἰσιν ἐνδεδυ μένοι, καὶ αἵματι συμπεπλεγμένοι, [καὶ ὀστέοις εἰσὶ συνδεδεμένοι, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡμεῖς, οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρό νου καθεζόμενοι καὶ διδάσκοντες, ἁμαρτίαις συμπεπλέγμεθα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπογινώσκομεν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας, οὐδὲ ἀπανθρωπίαν αὐτῷ περιάπτομεν· πάντες γὰρ ἄνθρωποί ἐσμεν ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν συμπεπλεγμένοι·] καὶ οὐ παραιτούμεθα τὴν διδασκαλίαν, εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ἀφορῶντες τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας. Καὶ ὑμεῖς ἁμαρτήσαντες ἐὰν εἰσέλθητε, οὐτοσοῦτον τὸ ἔγκλημα· ὑπὸ γὰρ διδασκαλίαν ἐστέ· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὅσῳ μᾶλλον τῷ ἀξιώματι ὑπερέχομεν, τοσούτῳ καὶ τῷ ἐγκλήματι ὑποκείμεθα· ἄλλο γάρ ἐστι τὸν διδασκόμενον ἁμαρτάνειν, καὶ ἄλλο τὸν διδάσκοντα· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐ παραιτούμεθα τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ προφάσει ταπεινοφροσύνης εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐμπέσωμεν.","english":"You did not come for the prayer of the martyrs; what excuse do you have? There is nothing terrible in the way, and you were hindered from concord with the martyrs? But worldly care detained you? That is an even greater accusation. You did not lend a small hour to God, so that you might receive an entire day? I am a sinner, one says, and I cannot. Because you are a sinner, for this reason enter; or do you not know that even those who attend the altar are nailed to sins? For they are clothed in flesh, and entwined with blood, [and bound with bones, and we ourselves, who sit on the throne and teach, are entangled with sins. But we do not despair of God’s philanthropy, nor do we ascribe inhumanity to him; for we are all human beings, entangled from the same things;] and we do not abandon teaching, looking out upon the sea of God’s philanthropy. And if you, having sinned, enter, the accusation is not so great; for you are under instruction; but we, the more we excel in rank, the more we are subject to accusation; for it is one thing for the one being taught to sin, and another for the one teaching; but nevertheless we do not abandon this, lest under the pretext of humility we fall into negligence.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"οὐκ ἀπήντησας εἰς εὐχὴν μαρτύρων","severity":"info","text":"The preacher rebukes the congregation for failing to attend a martyr shrine service, framing absence as a moral failing.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"φιλανθρωπίας","severity":"info","text":"Philanthropia here denotes God's benevolent love for humanity, a key concept in Chrysostom's soteriology, contrasting with human sinfulness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"σάρκας γάρ εἰσιν ἐνδεδυμένοι","severity":"info","text":"The phrase echoes Pauline anthropology (e.g., Romans 7:5-6) on the flesh as a source of sin, though no direct citation is given.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ παρεδρεύοντες","severity":"info","text":"Attending the altar refers to clergy serving at the sanctuary, a fixed liturgical role in late antique Constantinople.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, φησὶ, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom introduces a hypothetical objection from a congregant, a rhetorical device (diatribe) common in his homilies to engage the audience.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"καὶ ὀστέοις εἰσὶ συνδεδεμένοι","severity":"caution","text":"The bracketed passage (from 'and bound with bones' to 'entangled from the same things') may be a later interpolation; it disrupts the rhetorical flow and is absent in some manuscripts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text shows a possible interpolation (bracketed in the edition) that may not be original to Chrysostom; the reading here includes it for completeness."],"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":3,"ref":"p3","source":"Καὶ τοῦτο κατὰ θείαν διοίκησιν γέγονε, τὸ τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ αὐτοὺς ἁμαρτίαις ὑποπεσεῖν. Καὶ ἄκουσον πῶς ἐστιν· Οἱ διδάσκαλοι αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς, εἰ μὴ ἡμάρτανον, μηδὲ ὑπέκειντο τοῖς πάθεσι τοῦ βίου, ἀπάνθρωποι ἤμελλον εἶναι περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους καὶ ἀσύγγνωστοι· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς ἱερεῖς πάθεσι δουλεύειν παρεσκεύασε, καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, ἵνα ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ πάσχουσι, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συγγνώμην διδῶσι. Καὶ ἀεὶ οὕτως διῴκησεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐ μόνον νῦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάλαι, καὶ οἷς ἔμελλεν ἐμπι στεύειν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τὸν λαὸν, τούτους συν εχώρησεν ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑποπεσεῖν, ἵνα ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων πταισμάτων φιλάνθρωποι\n\nγένωνται περὶ τοὺς ἄλ λους. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἡμάρτανον αὐτοὶ, οὐδεμίαν συγ γνώμην εἶχον δοῦναι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν, ἀλλ' ἀπάν θρωποι γενόμενοι πάντας ἐκθερίζειν εἶχον τῆς Ἐκ κλησίας. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, καὶ τοῦτο οὐ στοχαζόμενος λέγω, φέρε ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς θεωρίας εἴπωμεν· Πέτρος ἔμελλε πιστεύεσθαι τὰς κλεῖς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπιστεύθη τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ἤμελλε πιστεύεσθαι τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ. Τί γάρ φησι πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Δεσπότης; Ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ἦν μὲν οὖν ὁ Πέτρος ἠρέμα πως καὶ ἀπότομος· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔσχε τὸ ἀναμάρτητον, ποίαν ἂν συγγνώμην οἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ διδασκόμενοι ἐλάμβανον; Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο πραγματεύεται ἡ θεία χάρις ἁμαρτήματί τινι περιπεσεῖν αὐτὸν, ἵνα ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς ἔπαθε, φιλάνθρωπος γένηται περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους. Καὶ βλέπε τίνα συγχωρεῖ περιπεσεῖν ἁμαρ τίᾳ·","english":"And this has happened by divine management, that the priests themselves have also fallen into sins. And hear how it is: The teachers themselves and the priests, if they did not sin, nor were subject to the passions of life, they would be inhuman toward others and unforgiving. But for this reason, he has arranged that even the priests themselves are enslaved to passions, and the rulers, so that from what they themselves suffer, they may also give pardon to others. And God has always managed it thus, and not only now, but also long ago, and those to whom he was about to entrust the Church and the people, these he permitted to fall into sin, so that from their own faults they might become compassionate toward others. For if they themselves did not sin, they would have no pardon to give to those who sin, but becoming inhuman, they would have reaped all from the Church. And that these things are so, and I say this not by conjecture, let us speak from the evidence itself: Peter was about to be entrusted with the keys of the Church, or rather he was entrusted with the keys of the heavens, and he was about to be entrusted with the multitude of the people. For what does the Lord say to him? Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in the heavens. Now Peter was somewhat harsh and severe; but if he also had sinlessness, what pardon would those taught by him receive? But for this reason, divine grace contrives that he fall into some sin, so that from what he himself suffered, he might become compassionate toward others. And see what sin he permits him to fall into.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ τοῦτο κατὰ θείαν διοίκησιν γέγονε","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom argues that divine management (θεία διοίκησις) permits priestly sin to foster compassion, a pragmatic theodicy for clerical fallibility.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς","severity":"info","text":"This saying attributed to Christ about Peter's binding and loosing power is not found in canonical Gospels; it echoes Matthew 16:19 and later ecclesiastical tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Πέτρος","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom refers to Peter's sin (likely the Galatians 2:11-14 incident with Paul at Antioch) as a divinely permitted fall to teach mercy, a common patristic trope.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ βλέπε τίνα συγχωρεῖ περιπεσεῖν ἁμαρτίᾳ","severity":"info","text":"This concluding sentence transitions to a specific example of Peter's sin, functioning as a rhetorical climax to the argument from divine economy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"θεία διοίκησις","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'divine management' (θεία διοίκησις) denotes God's providential arrangement, a key concept in Chrysostom's pastoral theology.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Πέτρος ... ἁμαρτήματί τινι περιπεσεῖν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's claim that Peter sinned by divine design was later controversial; it contrasts with later Orthodox views of Peter's sinlessness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The specific sin of Peter is not named; Chrysostom likely alludes to the Antioch incident (Gal 2:11-14) but leaves it vague for rhetorical effect."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":4,"ref":"p4","source":"Πέτρον ἐκεῖνον, τὴν κορυφὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων, τὴν κρηπῖδα τὴν ἀσάλευτον, τὴν πέτραν τὴν ἀῤῥαγῆ, τὸν πρῶτον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὸν λιμένα τὸν ἀκαταμάχητον, τὸν πύργον τὸν ἀσάλευτον. Πέτρος ἐκεῖνος ὁ λέγων τῷ Χριστῷ· Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθα νεῖν, οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσομαι· Πέτρος ὁ ἐκ θείας ἀποκαλύψεως τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὁμολογήσας· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος· οὗτος εἰσελ θὼν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ᾗ παρεδόθη ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ στὰς ἐπὶ τῆς πυρκαϊᾶς θερμαινόμενος, καί τις, φησί, κόρη προσελθοῦσα λέγει αὐτῷ, Καὶ σὺ χθὲς μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου ἦς· ὁ δὲ Πέτρος· Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον. Ἄρτι ἔλεγες· Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθανεῖν· νῦν ἀρνῇ καὶ λέγεις, Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦτον; Ὦ Πέτρε, τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅλον ὃ ἐπηγγείλω; οὔπω βασάνους, οὔπω μάστιγας εἰδὼς, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς μικρᾶς κόρης ῥῆμα ἀκούσας, εἰς ἄρνησιν ἐχώρησας. Ἀρνῇ, Πέτρε; οὔπω βασανιστήρια, οὔπω μάστιγες, οὔπω πληγαὶ, οὔπω θυμοὶ, οὔπω ἄρχον τες, οὔπω ξίφη ἠκονημένα, οὔπω διατάγματα κείμενα, οὔπω βασιλεῖς ἀπειλοῦντες, οὔπω θάνατοι προσδοκώμενοι, οὔπω φυλακαὶ καὶ κρημνοὶ καὶ θά λασσα, οὔπω οὐδὲν τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ ἤδη ἠρνήσω, Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον; Πάλιν ἡ κόρη πρὸς αὐ τόν· Καὶ σὺ χθὲς μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου ἦς. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτήν· Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃν λέ γεις. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι, ὅτι ἀρνῇ; Οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἀλλὰ γυνὴ, καὶ αὐτὴ θυρωρὸς, ἀπεῤῥιμμένη, αἰχμάλωτος, μηδενὸς λόγου ἀξία, αὕτη λέγει, καὶ σὺ ἀρνῆσαι; Ὢ καινῶν πραγμάτων! κόρη τὸν Πέτρον ἐκεῖνον, πόρνη προσελθοῦσα τοῦ Πέτρου τὴν πίστιν ἐτάραξε·","english":"That Peter, the summit of the apostles, the unshakable foundation, the unbreakable rock, the first of the Church, the invincible harbor, the unshaken tower. That Peter who said to Christ, \"Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you\"; Peter who confessed the truth by divine revelation, \"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.\" This man, entering on that night when Christ was betrayed, and standing by the fire warming himself, a certain girl, it is said, came up and says to him, \"And you were with this man yesterday?\" And Peter says, \"I do not know this man.\" Just now you were saying, \"Even if I must die with you\"; now you deny and say, \"I do not know this man\"? O Peter, is this the whole of what you promised? Not yet having seen tortures, not yet whips, but simply having heard the word of a little girl, you have gone into denial. Do you deny, Peter? Not yet instruments of torture, not yet whips, not yet blows, not yet rages, not yet rulers, not yet sharpened swords, not yet decrees laid down, not yet threatening kings, not yet expected deaths, not yet prisons and precipices and sea, not yet any such thing, and already you have denied, \"I do not know the man\"? Again the girl to him, \"And you were with this man yesterday.\" And he to her, \"I do not know the man you speak of.\" Who is it that says you deny? No one of consequence, but a woman, and a doorkeeper at that, cast off, a captive, worthy of no account; she says this, and you deny? O novel events! A girl that Peter, a prostitute coming up has disturbed the faith of Peter.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"Πέτρον ἐκεῖνον, τὴν κορυφὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων, τὴν κρηπῖδα τὴν ἀσάλευτον, τὴν πέτραν τὴν ἀῤῥαγῆ, τὸν πρῶτον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὸν λιμένα τὸν ἀκαταμάχητον, τὸν πύργον τ","severity":"info","text":"A chain of honorific epithets for Peter: 'summit of the apostles', 'unshakable foundation', 'unbreakable rock', 'first of the Church', 'invincible harbor', 'unshaken tower'. These reflect Chrysostom's high ecclesiology and rhetorical amplification.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθα νεῖν, οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσομαι","severity":"info","text":"A direct quotation of Peter's vow to Christ, not verbatim from any canonical Gospel but echoing the spirit of Matthew 26:35 and John 13:37. Chrysostom likely adapts a known oral tradition or apocryphal saying.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος","severity":"info","text":"Peter's confession of faith, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God', is not found in the New Testament but appears in early Christian literature (e.g., the Gospel of Peter or oral tradition). Chrysostom uses it to contrast Peter's earlier boldness with his later denial.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"κόρη ... θυρωρὸς, ἀπεῤῥιμμένη, αἰχμάλωτος","severity":"info","text":"The girl is described as a doorkeeper, cast off, a captive—terms that emphasize her low social status. This heightens the rhetorical shock that such a person could shake Peter's faith. The scene is not in the canonical Gospels but appears in apocryphal traditions about Peter's flight from Rome.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"οὔπω ... οὔπω ... οὔπω","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses anaphora (repetition of 'οὔπω', 'not yet') to list the escalating tortures Peter has not faced, building rhetorical intensity. The list climaxes with 'θάνατοι προσδοκώμενοι' (expected deaths), underscoring the irony of Peter's premature denial.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ὢ καινῶν πραγμάτων!","severity":"info","text":"The exclamation 'O novel events!' is a rhetorical device (apostrophe) that highlights the paradox of Peter's fall. This passage was influential in later Byzantine homiletics as an example of dramatic narrative and moral exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The source of the dialogue between Peter and the girl is unclear; it may derive from apocryphal Acts of Peter or oral tradition. The reading taken treats it as a rhetorical exemplum, not a canonical event."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":5,"ref":"p5","source":"Πέτρος, ὁ στῦλος, ὁ πρό βολος, οὐκ ἐβάστασεν ἀπειλὴν κόρης, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἐλάλησε, καὶ ὁ στῦλος ἐσαλεύθη, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ πρό βολος ἐχειμάζετο Τίνα εἶδες, Πέτρε, ὅτι ἀρνῇ; κόρην εὐτελῆ, καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον θυρωρόν· ταῦτα εἶδες καὶ ἀρνῇ; Πάλιν οὖν τὸ τρίτον· Καὶ σὺ χθὲς μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου ἦς· ὅμως ἠρνήσατο τὸ τρίτον. Καὶ οὕτω λοιπὸν ἐμβλέψας ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς ἀνάμνησιν αὐτὸν ἤνεγκε τῶν λεχθέντων· ὁ δὲ συνιεὶς ἤρξατο κλαίειν καὶ μετανοεῖν ἐπὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ.\n\nἈλλ' ὅμως ὁ φιλάνθρωπος συνεχώρησεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἁμαρ τίαν· ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπινόν τι ὑπ έστη· ἀλλ', ὡς προεῖπον, διὰ τοῦτο ᾠκονομήθη. καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ συνεχωρήθη ἁμαρτῆσαι, ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλε πιστεύεσθαι λαὸν πολὺν, ἵνα μὴ ἀπότομος ὢν καὶ ἀναμάρτητος, ἀσύγγνωστος εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀδελφοὺς ᾖ. Ὑπέπεσεν ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἵνα ἐννοῶν τὸ ἴδιον ἁμάρτημα καὶ τὸ τοῦ Δεσπότου συγχώρημα, συγχω ρήσῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φιλανθρωπίας χάριν κατὰ διοίκησιν θείαν Θεῷ ἁρμόζουσαν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ συνεχωρήθη ἁμαρτῆσαι ὁ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν μέλλων πιστεύεσθαι, ὁ στῦλος τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν, ὁ λιμὴν τῆς πίστεως, Πέτρος ὁ διδάσκαλος τῆς οἰκουμένης συνεχωρήθη ἁμαρτῆσαι, ἵνα ἡ συγχώρησις τούτου ὑπό θεσις φιλανθρωπίας τοῖς ἄλλοις γένηται. Ταῦτα δέ μοι διὰ τί εἴρηται; Ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἱερεῖς οἱ ἐπὶ θρόνου καθήμενοι καὶ διδάσκοντες, ἁμαρτίαις συνδεδέμεθα.","english":"Peter, the pillar, the bulwark, did not endure the threat of a girl, but only spoke, and the pillar was shaken, and the bulwark himself was stormed. Whom did you see, Peter, that you deny? A lowly girl, a contemptible doorkeeper. You saw these things and you deny? Then again the third time: \"And you were with this man yesterday.\" Yet he denied it the third time. And so then, looking at him, Jesus brought him to remembrance of what had been said; and understanding, he began to weep and repent of the sin.\n\nBut nevertheless, the lover of humanity forgave him his sin. For he knew that as a man he had undergone something human. But, as I said before, this was arranged. And Peter was permitted to sin, because he was about to be entrusted with a great people, so that, being severe and sinless, he might not be unforgiving toward his own brothers. He fell into sin, so that, reflecting on his own sin and the Lord's forgiveness, he might forgive others as well, for the sake of philanthropy, according to a divine administration befitting God. For he was permitted to sin—he who was about to be entrusted with the Church, the pillar of the Churches, the harbor of faith, Peter the teacher of the world—was permitted to sin, so that his forgiveness might become a foundation of philanthropy for others. Why have I said these things? Because we priests, who sit on the throne and teach, are also bound by sins.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"στῦλος","severity":"info","text":"στῦλος (pillar) is a standard epithet for Peter in Chrysostom, denoting his foundational role in the Church. The term recurs in the passage as a structural metaphor for apostolic authority.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"πρό βολος","severity":"info","text":"πρό βολος (bulwark) is a rare military metaphor for Peter, emphasizing his defensive role. The pairing with στῦλος reinforces the image of unshakeable strength, which the narrative then subverts.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Καὶ σὺ χθὲς μετὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου ἦς","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes the interrogation of Peter in the canonical Gospels (cf. Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72), where the servant of the high priest identifies Peter as a follower of Jesus. Chrysostom adapts the scene for rhetorical effect.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"κόρην εὐτελῆ, καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητον θυρωρόν","severity":"info","text":"The 'lowly girl' and 'contemptible doorkeeper' refer to the servant who accused Peter in the courtyard of Caiaphas. Chrysostom heightens the contrast between Peter's apostolic dignity and the insignificance of his accuser.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"συνεχωρήθη ἁμαρτῆσαι","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's claim that Peter was 'permitted to sin' is a distinctive theological argument: Peter's fall is providentially arranged to teach him mercy toward others. This idea influenced later Eastern Christian discussions on the sinlessness of the apostles.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ταῦτα δέ μοι διὰ τί εἴρηται","severity":"info","text":"This rhetorical question marks a transition from the narrative of Peter's denial to a parenetic application for the clergy. Chrysostom uses it to draw a parallel between Peter's fall and the sins of contemporary priests.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'girl' (κόρη) is ambiguous: she may be the servant of the high priest or a generic figure. The text does not specify whether she is the same as the doorkeeper (θυρωρός).","The phrase 'τὸ τρίτον' could refer to a third denial or a third interrogation; the syntax leaves the exact sequence unclear."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":6,"ref":"p6","source":"Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἄγγελος, οὔτε ἀρχάγγελος ἐπιστεύθη ἱερατεύειν (ἀναμάρτητοι γάρ εἰσιν), ἵνα μὴ διὰ ἀποτομίαν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας τοῦ λαοῦ ἀθρόον κεραυνοβολῶσιν· ἀλλὰ ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἀνθρώπου ἐπιστεύθη τὸν θρόνον τοῦτον, καὶ αὐτὸς ἡδονῇ καὶ ἁμαρτίᾳ συνδεδεμένος, ἵνα ὅταν λάβῃ τινὰ ἁμαρτάνοντα, ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων πλημμελημάτων φιλανθρωπότερος γένηται πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἄγγελος ἱερεὺς, καὶ ἔλαβέ τινα πορνεύ σαντα, εὐθὺς ἀνῄρει αὐτὸν, αὐτὸς τῷ πάθει τούτῳ οὐ συμπεπλεγμένος. Διὰ τοῦτο εἰ ἔλαβεν ἄγγελος τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ ἱερατεύειν, οὐκ ἐδίδασκεν, ἀλλ' εὐ θέως ἀνῄρει διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖνον μὴ εἶναι τοιοῦτον, εἰς ὀρ γὴν αὐτὸν ἔφερε κατὰ τοῦ τοιούτου. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἄνθρωπος ἐπιστεύθη, εἰδὼς τὰ πλημμελήματα ἑαυ τοῦ, καὶ ἐκ πείρας ἔχων, ἵνα συγγινώσκῃ τοῖς ἁμαρ τάνουσι, καὶ μὴ κινῆται διὰ τῆς ὀργῆς, καὶ σχολάζῃ ἡ Ἐκκλησία διὰ τῆς συναγωγῆς.\n\nβʹ. Τί δὲ μέχρι Πέτρου ἑστὼς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην τοιαύτην εἴρηκα, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέρχομαι μικρῷ τῷ λόγῳ ἐπὶ ἄλλο πρόσωπον; Φέρε μοι εἰς τὸ μέσον· λέγω δὴ Ἠλίαν, τὸν προφήτην ἐκεῖνον, τὸν ἐπίγειον ἄγγε λον καὶ ἐπουράνιον ἄνθρωπον, τὸν χαμαὶ βαδίζοντα καὶ τὰ οὐράνια ἡνιοχοῦντα, τὸν τρίπηχυν ἄνθρωπον καὶ ὑψηλοβατοῦντα, καὶ εἰς αὐτὰς ἀναπετασθέντα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὰς ἁψῖδας, τὸν τῶν ὑδάτων ταμίαν, οὗ ἡ γλῶττα θησαυρὸς ἐγένετο τῶν ὑδάτων καὶ κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὁ πένης καὶ πλούσιος, ὁ ἰδιώτης καὶ φιλόσοφος· πένης μὲν, ὅτι μηδὲν ἐκέκτητο, πλούσιος δὲ, ὅτι τὰ νέφη τοῦ ὑετοῦ ἐν τῇ γλώττῃ κατεῖχε.","english":"For this reason, neither an angel nor an archangel was entrusted to serve as priest (for they are sinless), lest they strike down the sinners among the people all at once with their severity; but a man from among men was entrusted with this throne, himself bound to pleasure and sin, so that when he takes hold of someone sinning, from his own failings he may become more compassionate toward that sinner. For if an angel were priest and caught someone committing fornication, he would immediately destroy him, not being entangled in that passion himself. Therefore, if an angel had received the authority to serve as priest, he would not teach, but would at once destroy, because that person was not like him, and it would drive him to anger against such a one. But for this reason a man was entrusted, knowing his own failings and having experience of them, so that he might pardon those who sin, and not be moved by anger, and the Church might have leisure through the gathering.\n\n2. But why have I stood on this subject up to Peter and spoken such a discourse, and not ascended with a brief word to another person? Bring him before me; I mean Elijah, that prophet, the earthly angel and heavenly man, the one walking on the ground and guiding the heavens, the three-cubit man who treads the heights and soared up to the very vaults of heaven, the steward of the waters, whose tongue became a treasury of waters and a key of the heavens; the poor and rich man, the layman and philosopher: poor, because he possessed nothing, rich, because he held the clouds of rain in his tongue.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἄγγελος, οὔτε ἀρχάγγελος ἐπιστεύθη ἱερατεύειν","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom argues that sinless angels would lack compassion toward sinners, so human priests are necessary. This grounds the priesthood in human fallibility.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ἱερατεύειν","severity":"info","text":"The verb ἱερατεύειν means 'to serve as priest' or 'to perform priestly duties'. It is a technical term for liturgical office, not simply 'to sacrifice'.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἠλίαν, τὸν προφήτην ἐκεῖνον","severity":"info","text":"Elijah is introduced as a type of the ideal priestly figure. His ascension to heaven (2 Kings 2:11) and control over rain (1 Kings 17–18) are alluded to in the hyperbolic description.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸν τρίπηχυν ἄνθρωπον","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'three-cubit man' is a proverbial expression for a person of small stature, used here paradoxically to emphasize Elijah's spiritual grandeur despite physical insignificance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"βʹ. Τί δὲ μέχρι Πέτρου ἑστὼς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην τοιαύτην εἴρηκα","severity":"info","text":"The numeral βʹ marks a new section. Chrysostom transitions from the general argument about priesthood to a specific exemplar, Elijah, using a rhetorical question to signal the shift.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"τὸν ἐπίγειον ἄγγελον καὶ ἐπουράνιον ἄνθρωπον","severity":"info","text":"This paradoxical epithet for Elijah became a standard topos in Byzantine homiletics and hymnography, influencing later liturgical texts such as the kontakia of Romanos the Melodist.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τὸν τρίπηχυν ἄνθρωπον' may be a textual corruption or a deliberate hyperbole; the exact meaning of 'three-cubit' as a measure of height is conventional but not precise.","The reference to 'τῶν ὑδάτων ταμίαν' (steward of waters) could be read as a direct allusion to 1 Kings 18 or as a general metaphor for Elijah's miracle of rain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":7,"ref":"p7","source":"Καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπότομος ἦν περὶ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας οὕτως ὡς εὔξασθαί ποτε ὑετὸν μὴ δοῦναι· καὶ τί λέγει; Ζῇ Κύριος, φησὶν, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου. Τί ποιεῖς, Ἠλία; τί ἀποφαίνῃ; κἂν εὖξαι τὸν Δεσπότην, καὶ οὕτω πλήρωσον τὸν λόγον· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου.\n\nΠοῦ εἰσὶν οἱ αἱρετικοὶ οἱ λέγοντες, ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ εὔχεται; Ἄθλιε καὶ ταλαίπωρε καὶ ἀναίσχυντε· Ἠλίας ἀποφαίνεται, καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς εὔχεται; ὁ δοῦλος κελεύει, καὶ ὁ Δεσπότης παρακαλεῖ; οὐδὲ ὡς τῷ Ἠλίᾳ χαρίζῃ αὐτῷ τὴν τι μήν; οὐ θέλεις ὡς τῷ δούλῳ οὕτω καὶ τῷ Δεσπότῃ τὴν ἰσομοιρίαν χαρίσασθαι; Οὐκ εὔχεται ἐκεῖνος, οὐ δὲ παρακαλεῖ, ἀλλὰ λόγον ἀληθείας προέβαλε, καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔκλεισεν. Εὖξαι πρῶτον, Ἠλία. Ἀλλὰ τί Ἠλίας; Οἶδα τὸν ἐμὸν Δεσπότην, ὅτι ὑπακούει μου· ἀπὸ γὰρ ζήλου τοῦτο ποιῶ. Ὢ καινῶν καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων! εἶδες Δεσπότην ὑπὸ εὐνοίας δούλου νενικημένον; Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἠλίας ἀπὸ ζήλου πολλοῦ τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. Ἔβλεπε γὰρ πολλὰ ἄτοπα γινόμενα· ἔβλεπε πορνείαν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς κακίας πολιτευομένην. Νὺξ γὰρ ἦν, δι' ὃ καὶ κατεῖχε τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν· νεφέλη πυκνοτάτη ἐκάλυπτε τὰ σύμπαντα. Πάντες γὰρ προέκοπτον ἐπὶ τὸ κακόν· οἰκουμενικὸν ἦν ναυάγιον, οὐχ ὑδάτων, ἀλλὰ ἀσελγείας· σωφροσύνη ἐκποδὼν, καὶ ἀκολασία ἐπομπεύετο· ἀρετὴ ἐδιώκετο, καὶ κακία ἐνηβρύνετο· βουνοὶ καὶ ὄρη, καὶ νάπαι, καὶ ὁδοὶ, καὶ ταμεῖα καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ ἐμολύνετο· ὁ ἥλιος ἐκαπνίζετο, ἡ γῆ ἐμιαίνετο, ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐξουθενεῖτο, ἡ κτίσις, πᾶσα ἐνόσει ἀπὸ εἰδωλολατρείας·","english":"And he himself was so severe toward sinners that he once prayed that no rain be given. And what does he say? \"As the Lord lives,\" he says, \"if there will be rain on the earth, it will not be except through my mouth.\" What are you doing, Elijah? What are you declaring? Even if you pray to the Master, then fulfill the word in this way: \"As the Lord lives, if there will be rain, it will not be except through my mouth.\"\n\nWhere are the heretics who say that the Son of God prays? Wretched, miserable, and shameless one! Elijah declares, and the Son prays? The slave commands, and the Master entreats? Do you not wish to grant him the same honor as Elijah? Do you not wish to grant equality to the slave and to the Master? That one does not pray, nor does he entreat, but he put forward a word of truth and shut the heaven. Pray first, Elijah. But what does Elijah say? \"I know my Master, that he obeys me; for I do this out of zeal.\" O new and paradoxical things! Have you seen a Master overcome by the goodwill of a slave? For Elijah did this out of great zeal. For he saw many improper things happening; he saw licentiousness being practiced with great wickedness. For it was night, through which it held the whole inhabited world; a very dense cloud covered everything. For all were advancing toward evil; it was a universal shipwreck, not of waters, but of licentiousness; modesty was out of the way, and debauchery was paraded about; virtue was persecuted, and vice was glorified; hills and mountains, and glens, and roads, and chambers, and the air were polluted; the sun was darkened, the earth was defiled, heaven was despised, the whole creation was sick from idolatry.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζῇ Κύριος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'Ζῇ Κύριος' ('As the Lord lives') is a strong oath formula, invoking the Lord's existence as a guarantee of the speaker's declaration.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζῇ Κύριος, φησὶν, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου","severity":"info","text":"This passage echoes 1 Kings 17:1, where Elijah declares a drought, though the exact wording is not a direct biblical quotation but a paraphrase by Chrysostom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"αἱρετικοὶ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom targets heretics who claim the Son of God prays, likely referring to Arian or Eunomian positions that subordinated the Son to the Father by depicting him as a supplicant.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ποῦ εἰσὶν οἱ αἱρετικοὶ","severity":"info","text":"This rhetorical question marks a shift from narrative to polemic, as Chrysostom directly addresses opponents, contrasting Elijah's boldness with the Son's dignity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"οἰκουμενικὸν ἦν ναυάγιον","severity":"info","text":"The metaphor of a 'universal shipwreck' of licentiousness is a common Chrysostom trope for moral decay, reflecting his rhetorical training in the Second Sophistic.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has a conditional construction that is ambiguous: it could mean 'if there will be rain, it will not be except through my mouth' or 'if there will be rain, it will be only through my mouth.' The English draft follows the former.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The exact biblical source of Elijah's oath is unclear; it may be a conflation of 1 Kings 17–18. The conditional syntax in the Greek is ambiguous regarding the scope of the negation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":8,"ref":"p8","source":"ὡς ἐν νυκτὶ πάντες περιεπάτουν, οὐδενὶ προσέχοντες τῶν κτισμά των, λίθον ἔβλεπον, καὶ ὡς θεὸν προσεκύνουν· ξύλον ἔβλεπον, καὶ τοῦτο ὁμοίως θεὸν ἐνόμιζον. Νὺξ αὐτοὺς εἶχε πυκνοτάτη· τὸν κτίστην ἔβλεπον, καὶ τοῖς κτί σμασι προσεκύνουν. Ἠλίας μόνος ἦν τὸν λύχνον ἔχων τῆς ἀρετῆς, καθάπερ ἐπὶ κορυφῆς ὄρους τῆς φιλο σοφίας καθεζόμενος καὶ ἀσκῶν, μόνος μὲν ἔχων τὸν λύχνον τῆς εὐσεβείας, οὐδένα δὲ ὠφέλει τὸ φώτισμα διὰ τὸ κάρῳ αὐτοὺς κατακεῖσθαι, καὶ εἰδωλολατρείᾳ αὐτοὺς κατέχεσθαι.\n\nἘμαίνετο οὖν ὁ Ἠλίας, ἐπρίζετο, ὠδύρετο, ῥήματα ἐλάλει, οὐδεὶς ἤκουε· παρεκά λει, οὐδεὶς ἠνέσχετο· λοιπὸν ἀπὸ ζήλου προσαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς θέλει καὶ\n\nπαιδεῦσαι, ἵνα κἂν οὕτω τῷ λιμῷ τηκόμενοι ἐπὶ τὸν Δημιουργὸν τῇ εὐχῇ φθάσωσιν, ἵνα ὁ λιμὸς ὑπόθεσις αὐτοῖς γένηται εὐσεβείας. Ἀλλ' οὐ δὲν δύναται αὐτοὺς, φησὶ, παιδεῦσαι ὁ λιμός· οὕτω γὰρ πανταχόθεν στενούμενοι ἐπὶ τὸν πάντων κτίστην χωρήσουσι. Τί οὖν Ἠλίας; Ζῇ, φησὶ, Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου. Ἐξῆλθεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ εὐθέως ὁ ἀὴρ μετεβλήθη, ὁ οὐρανὸς χαλκὸς ἐγένετο, οὐ τὴν φύσιν μεταβαλὼν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν χαλινωθείς· εὐθὺς τὰ στοιχεῖα μετεσχηματίζετο. Ἐνέπεσεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ προφήτου, καθάπερ πυρετὸς, εἰς τὰς λαγόνας τῆς γῆς, καὶ πάν τα εὐθὺς ἐξηραίνετο, πάντα ἐρημοῦτο, πάντα ἐξηφανίζετο· ἔβλεπον εὐθέως βοτάνας ξηραινομένας, καὶ φυτὰ, καὶ δένδρα κάρπιμα καὶ ἄκαρπα, τὰ ἐν πε δίοις, τὰ παρὰ θάλασσαν· πάντα ἀθρόως ξηραινό μενα, πᾶσαν ἔμψυχον ἡλικίαν ἀφανιζομένην, ὀδυρμὸν παιδίων καὶ κλαυθμὸν μητέρων, καὶ ἀπογνωσίαν πολ λήν.","english":"As if in night they all walked, paying no heed to any of the creatures; they saw a stone and worshipped it as a god; they saw a piece of wood and likewise considered it a god. A very thick night held them; they saw the Creator and worshipped the creatures. Elijah alone held the lamp of virtue, sitting as if on the peak of the mountain of philosophy and practicing asceticism; he alone held the lamp of piety, but the illumination benefited no one because they lay in a stupor and were possessed by idolatry.\n\nSo Elijah raged, he was vexed, he lamented, he spoke words—no one heard; he exhorted—no one heeded; so, out of zeal, he wishes to bring them to their senses and discipline them, so that, even thus, wasting away from famine, they might reach the Creator through prayer, so that the famine might become for them an occasion of piety. But the famine, it is said, can discipline them in no other way; for thus, hemmed in from all sides, they will proceed to the Creator of all. What then does Elijah do? \"As the Lord lives,\" he says, \"if there will be rain, it will not be except through my mouth.\" The word of the prophet went forth, and immediately the air was changed, the sky became bronze, not altering its nature but having its activity restrained; immediately the elements were transformed. The word of the prophet fell, like a fever, into the flanks of the earth, and immediately everything was dried up, everything was laid waste, everything was obliterated; they immediately saw herbs withering, and plants, and fruit-bearing and barren trees, those in the fields, those by the sea—all suddenly withering, every living age perishing, the wailing of children and the weeping of mothers, and great despair.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"ὡς ἐν νυκτὶ πάντες περιεπάτουν","severity":"info","text":"The metaphor of 'night' for spiritual ignorance is a common homiletic trope; Chrysostom intensifies it with 'πυκνοτάτη' (very thick) to stress total darkness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"κτίσμα","severity":"info","text":"κτίσμα (creature) is contrasted with κτίστης (Creator); the wordplay underscores the homily's theme of misdirected worship.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζῇ, φησὶ, Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου","severity":"info","text":"This oath echoes 1 Kings 17:1 (LXX) where Elijah swears by the Lord; Chrysostom adapts it to emphasize the prophet's zeal.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ὁ οὐρανὸς χαλκὸς ἐγένετο","severity":"info","text":"The sky becoming 'bronze' (χαλκός) is a biblical image of drought (cf. Deut 28:23); Chrysostom clarifies it as a restraint of activity, not a change of nature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐμαίνετο οὖν ὁ Ἠλίας","severity":"info","text":"This passage shifts from a static description of idolatry to a dynamic narrative of Elijah's emotional response and action, marked by a series of verbs (ἐμαίνετο, ἐπρίζετο, ὠδύρετο).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"καθάπερ πυρετὸς, εἰς τὰς λαγόνας τῆς γῆς","severity":"info","text":"The simile of the prophet's word as a 'fever' entering the earth's flanks is vivid and original to Chrysostom, reflecting his rhetorical training.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'οὐδενὶ προσέχοντες τῶν κτισμάτων' could mean 'paying no heed to any of the creatures' (as translated) or 'not attending to any of the created things'—the sense is the same.","The Coptic Vorlage (if any) is not extant; the Greek text is the source."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":9,"ref":"p9","source":"Εἷς λόγος τοῦ προφήτου ἐξῆλθε, καὶ βλέπε πόσα εἰργάσατο. Πάντα τοίνυν ἀπέθνησκον, τὰ θηρία, τὰ κτήνη, τὰ παιδία, οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τὰ ζῶα, τὰ πε τεινὰ ἅπαντα· οἰκουμενικὸν ναυάγιον ἦν, καὶ ἡ συμ φορὰ πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ κατέλαβε τὴν γῆν· οὐδεὶς ἀνεσώζε το, ἀλλὰ πάντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἀβροχίας ἀπέθνησκον, τὰ φυτὰ ἐξηραίνετο, πηγαὶ, ποταμοὶ, λίμναι, καὶ πάντα ἁπλῶς ἀπώλοντο. Οἰκουμενικὸν ναυάγιον κατεῖχε πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, οὐ δι' ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀβροχίας· ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐδέδετο, καὶ λοιπὸν ἐπείχετο, καὶ τὴν φύσιν ὅλην μετέβαλλε. Πάντα οὖν ἀπέθανε θεηλάτῳ ὀργῇ καὶ ἀπώλετο· οὐκ ἔμελε δὲ τῷ Ἠλίᾳ περὶ οὐδενός· ἐμέθυε γὰρ τῷ ζήλῳ.\n\nΠᾶσα οὖν ἄωρος ἡλικία ἐτελεύτα. Τί ποιεῖς, Ἠλία; ἔστω, οἱ νεανίσκοι ἥμαρτον· τί τὰ παιδία παιδεύονται; ἔστω, οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἥμαρτον, τί τὰ κτήνη συναποθνήσκουσι; τοσαύτην ἀσπλαγχνίαν περιβέβλησαι; οὐδενός σοι μέλει περὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· οὐ γυναῖκα ἔχεις, οὐ παιδίον· καταφρονεῖς τῶν ἀπολλυμένων. Τί οὖν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς αὐτόν; Ἄπελθε, φησὶν, ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ Χοῤῥὰθ, καὶ ἐντελοῦμαι κόραξι τοῦ διατρέφειν σε ἐκεῖ. Πάλιν ἂν ἡδέως ἐροίμην τὸν Ἰουδαῖον εἰς μέ σον ἀγαγὼν, ἵνα δείξω αὐτῷ ὅτι ὁ νόμος τὰ τοῦ νό μου ἀνέτρεπε, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς ἑαυτὸν οὔτε τὸ στάσιμον, οὔτε τὸ ὄρθιον εἶχεν· οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἀλήθεια, ἀλλὰ σκιά· ἐκεῖνα σκιὰ, ταῦτα ἀλήθεια· ἐκεῖνα τύπος, ταῦτα πράγματα. Ὃν σέβῃ Ἠλίαν, ὃν προσδοκᾷς ἔρχεσθαι, περὶ οὗ πολὺν ἔχεις τὸν λόγον, καὶ προφήτην αὐτὸν καλεῖς, οὗτος πῶς ὑπὸ κόρακος ἐτρέφετο; ὁ γὰρ κόραξ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀκάθαρτος, καὶ οὕτως ὁ νόμος διηγόρευσεν ἀκάθαρτον εἶναι τὸν κόρακα.","english":"One word of the prophet went forth, and see how much it accomplished. Everything was dying, then—the wild beasts, the cattle, the children, the people, the animals, all the birds; it was a universal shipwreck, and the calamity seized the whole earth at once; no one was saved, but all were dying from the drought, the plants were withering, springs, rivers, lakes, and everything simply perished. A universal shipwreck held the entire inhabited world, not through water, but through drought; the sky was bound, and then held back, and was altering the whole of nature. Everything, then, died by a god-sent wrath and perished; but Elijah cared about none of it; for he was drunk with zeal.\n\nEvery untimely age, then, was perishing. What are you doing, Elijah? Granted, the young men sinned; why are the children being punished? Granted, the people sinned; why do the cattle die along with them? Have you put on such pitilessness? You care for none of the people; you have no wife, no child; you despise those who are perishing. What, then, does God say to him? \"Go,\" he says, \"to the river Chorrath, and I will command ravens to feed you there.\" Again I would gladly ask the Jew, bringing him into the midst, to show him that the law was overturning the things of the law, and that it itself had neither stability nor uprightness; for it was not truth, but a shadow; those things were shadow, these are truth; those were type, these are reality. The Elijah whom you revere, whom you expect to come, about whom you have much to say, and whom you call a prophet—how was this man fed by a raven? For the raven, according to the law, is unclean, and thus the law declared the raven to be unclean.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"οἰκουμενικὸν ναυάγιον","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'universal shipwreck' is a rhetorical figure for total disaster, here paradoxically caused by drought, not water. Chrysostom intensifies the paradox by contrasting the usual maritime metaphor with the actual cause.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ Χοῤῥὰθ","severity":"info","text":"The river Chorrath (Κορρὰθ / Χοῤῥὰθ) is the Wadi al-Karith in 1 Kings 17:3–6, where Elijah is fed by ravens. Chrysostom uses this to challenge Jewish reverence for Elijah by noting the raven's legal impurity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"κόραξ","severity":"info","text":"In Leviticus 11:15, the raven is listed among unclean birds. Chrysostom exploits this to argue that the law contradicts itself: the prophet fed by an unclean bird undermines the law's own purity system.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πάλιν ἂν ἡδέως ἐροίμην","severity":"info","text":"This rhetorical question marks a shift from narrative to polemic, where Chrysostom directly addresses a Jewish interlocutor. The structure contrasts 'shadow' (σκιά) and 'type' (τύπος) with 'truth' (ἀλήθεια) and 'reality' (πράγματα).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰουδαῖον","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's imagined Jewish opponent reflects the anti-Jewish rhetoric common in his homilies. The argument that the law is self-contradictory is a standard polemical trope in early Christian literature.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐμέθυε γὰρ τῷ ζήλῳ","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'drunk with zeal' is ambiguous: it may mean Elijah was so consumed by righteous fervor that he ignored suffering, or it may imply a negative excess. The context suggests Chrysostom is criticizing Elijah's apparent indifference.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ἐμέθυε γὰρ τῷ ζήλῳ' could be read as either commendatory (intense devotion) or critical (excessive zeal). The surrounding rhetorical questions suggest the latter, but Chrysostom's overall portrayal of Elijah is positive.","The identity of the 'Jew' is a rhetorical construct, not a specific individual; the passage does not indicate a real interlocutor."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":10,"ref":"p10","source":"Καὶ πῶς οὖν ὁ προφήτης ἐτρέφετο ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀκαθάρτου κόρα κος; εἰ γὰρ ὁ νόμος ἀκάθαρτον τὸν κόρακα ἔλεγε, πάντως ὁ ἐκ τοῦ κόρακος τρεφόμενος ἀκάθαρτος ἂν εἴη. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἦν, ἄπαγε, μὴ γένοιτο! ἀλλ' ὁ Ἠλίας ὑπὸ κόρακος ἐτρέφετο, οὐδὲν ἀκάθαρτον τῶν ὑπὸ Κυρίου κτισθέντων νομίζων. Εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν, ἐπει δὴ χρόνος διῆλθε, καὶ λοιπὸν ὁ ποταμὸς ἐξηράνθη, ἐγείρει τὸν προφήτην εἰς τροφήν. Ἄπελθε, φησὶν, εἰς Σαρεφθὰ τῆς Σιδωνίας, καὶ ἐντελοῦμαι γυ ναικὶ χήρᾳ τοῦ διατρέφειν σε ἐκεῖ· τοῦτο δὲ κατά τινα οἰκονομίαν ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ᾔδει Ἠλίας τὰ γινόμενα (ἐν ἑνὶ γὰρ τόπῳ ἐκαθέζετο, οὐκ ἔβλεπε τὴν οἰκουμενικὴν συμφορὰν, πῶς πάντα ἐξηράνθη, πῶς αἱ λίμναι, πῶς οἱ ποταμοὶ, πῶς τὰ φυτὰ, πῶς τὰ δένδρα, πῶς τὰ ἄωρα, πῶς τὰ ὥριμα, πῶς τὰ ἔγκαρπα, πῶς τὰ ἄκαρπα, πῶς τὰ παρὰ πηγαῖς, τὰ παρὰ λίμναις τῶν ὑδάτων, τὴν ἅλωσιν τῶν πτηνῶν, τῶν κτηνῶν, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, τῶν παιδίων τὸν θάνατον, τῶν μητέρων τοὺς ὀλολυ γμοὺς, τὴν οἰκουμενικὴν ἐκείνην συμφοράν), ἐγεί ρει αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτὸν ἄπειρον γῆν ὁδεῦσαι ἐκεῖθεν ἕως Σιδῶνος, ἵνα κἂν οὕτως ἰδὼν Ἠλίας τὰ γινόμενα, ἀξιώσῃ τὸν Δεσπότην αὐτοῦ δοῦναι ὑετόν. Πέμπει οὖν αὐτὸν διὰ τοῦτο τὴν μακρὰν ὁδὸν ἐκείνην, οὐχ ὡς μὴ δυνάμενος αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ τρέφειν ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ὡς θέλων ἐπιδεῖξαι τῷ Ἠλίᾳ τὴν συμφορὰν, ἵνα ἀξιώσῃ αὐτὸν περὶ βροχῆς. Ἠδύνατο μὲν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς χωρὶς τούτου, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ὑβρίζειν τὸν ἴδιον οἰκέτην, τῶν","english":"And how then was the prophet nourished by the unclean raven? For if the law declared the raven unclean, surely the one nourished by the raven would be unclean. But this was not so—far from it, may it never be! Rather, Elijah was nourished by a raven, considering nothing created by the Lord to be unclean. Then from there, since time had passed and the river had dried up, the Lord rouses the prophet to seek food. \"Go,\" he says, \"to Sarepta of Sidon, and I will command a widow woman to sustain you there.\" This the Lord did according to a certain plan. For since Elijah did not know what was happening (for he sat in one place and did not see the universal calamity—how everything had dried up, how the lakes, how the rivers, how the plants, how the trees, how the unseasonable things, how the seasonable things, how the fruit-bearing things, how the barren things, how the things by springs, the things by lakes of water, the destruction of the birds, of the cattle, of all other creatures, the death of the children, the wailing of the mothers, that universal calamity), the Lord rouses him and makes him travel an endless land from there as far as Sidon, so that even thus, seeing what was happening, Elijah might deem it worthy to ask his Master to give rain. He sends him, then, on that long journey for this reason—not because the Lord was unable to sustain him there, but because he wished to show Elijah the calamity, so that he might deem it worthy to ask him for rain. For he could have done so even without this, but he did not wish to insult his own servant, of the","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ἀκαθάρτου κόρακος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'unclean raven' refers to Levitical dietary laws (Lev 11:15) classifying the raven as impure. Chrysostom addresses a potential contradiction: if the raven is unclean, how could Elijah eat from it without becoming unclean?","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Σαρεφθὰ τῆς Σιδωνίας","severity":"info","text":"Sarepta of Sidon is the biblical Zarephath (1 Kgs 17:9-10), where Elijah stays with a widow. Chrysostom here elaborates on the divine motive for sending Elijah there, expanding the biblical narrative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"οἰκονομίαν","severity":"info","text":"The term 'οἰκονομίαν' (economy) here denotes divine dispensation or plan. Chrysostom explains that God sent Elijah on a long journey not because God could not feed him locally, but to show him the drought's extent, prompting his prayer for rain.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ᾔδει Ἠλίας","severity":"info","text":"This passage is a narrative expansion within the homily, explaining Elijah's ignorance of the universal calamity. Chrysostom uses a long anaphoric list ('πῶς...') to emphasize the scope of the disaster, building rhetorical intensity before the divine intervention.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"οὐδὲν ἀκάθαρτον τῶν ὑπὸ Κυρίου κτισθέντων νομίζων","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's assertion that Elijah considered nothing created by God unclean reflects a theological stance that transcends Levitical purity laws, emphasizing the goodness of creation. This aligns with later Christian exegesis that spiritualizes or relativizes Old Testament purity codes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text breaks off mid-sentence at the end of the passage ('τῶν'), leaving the conclusion of Chrysostom's thought incomplete in this excerpt."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":11,"ref":"p11","source":"μὲν κακῶν ἐκεῖνον ἐάσας εἶναι πρόξενον, τῶν δὲ ἀγαθῶν ἑαυτόν· ἀλλ' ἐξεδέχετο τὴν τοῦ δούλου παράκλησιν. Εἶτα οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐκεῖνος ἐκάμπτετο, ἀλλὰ ἀπονοίᾳ τινὶ κεχρη μένος οὕτως ἐβάδιζε τὴν ὁδὸν, ἀσπλαγχνίαν περιβεβλημένος, οὐδενὸς λόγον ποιούμενος· ὥσπερ εἶπον γὰρ ἀπὸ ζήλου ἐμέθυε. Τί ἀπονενόησαι, Ἠλίᾳ; τί τοσαύτην ἐνεδύσω ἀπανθρωπίαν; ἔκδεξαι ὀλίγον, καὶ ἐλεγχθήσῃ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν ὤν. Διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῶν ἐνοικούντων αὐχμὸν ἐκάλεσας, καὶ οὐ ρανὸν ἔκλεισας, καὶ γῆν ἐχαλίνωσας, καὶ τὸν δρόμον τῆς φύσεως ἐκράτησας, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀξιῶσαι βούλει περὶ τῶν γεγενημένων; μετ' οὐ πολὺ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐλεγχθήσῃ ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν ὢν, καὶ φιλανθρωπίας τυχὼν παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου σου, ἵνα φιλανθρωπότερος γένῃ περὶ τοὺς συνδούλους σου. γʹ. Σήμερον δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν διὰ τοῦτο ἐξῆλθον τὸν λόγον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐγένετο ἄγγελος ἱερεὺς, ἀλλ' ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἀνθρώπου, ἵνα μὴ παρὰ ἀναμαρτήτου ἀναιρῶνται οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες. Εἰ γὰρ ἄγγελος ἦν μὴ ἁμαρτάνων ὁ ἱερεὺς, τοὺς ἁμαρτά νοντας παραχρῆμα ἂν ἐκόλαζεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἄν θρωπος γέγονεν, ἵνα συγγινώσκῃ τῷ ὁμοιοπαθεῖ, ὑπόμνησιν λαμβάνων ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων παθῶν τοῖς ὁμο φύλοις. Εἶτα παρηγάγομεν, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, οἷς ἔμελλε πιστεύειν λαὸν πολὺν, συνεχώρησεν ἁμαρ τίᾳ ὑποπεσεῖν, καὶ συγγνώμην αὐτοῖς δοῦναι ἵνα μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐξ ὧν ἐπαιδεύθησαν φιλαν θρωπότεροι γένωνται.","english":"having left that man as a promoter of evils, and himself of goods; but he awaited the servant's entreaty. Then not even thus was that man bent, but using some kind of madness, he walked the road in such a way, clad in pitilessness, making no account of anyone; for, as I said, he was drunk with zeal. Why are you mad, Elijah? Why have you put on such inhumanity? Wait a little, and you yourself will be proven to be under sin. You called a drought because of the sin of the inhabitants, and you did not shut the sky, and you reined in the earth, and you restrained the course of nature, and you do not even deign to speak about what has happened? Not long after, you yourself will be proven to be under sin, and having received philanthropy from your Master, so that you may become more philanthropic toward your fellow servants. 3. Today, however, I have come out to speak about these same things for this reason: that a priest was not made an angel, but a human from a human, so that sinners might not be destroyed by one who is sinless. For if the priest were an angel not sinning, he would immediately punish those who sin; but for this reason he has become a human, so that he may sympathize with one who shares the same passions, receiving a reminder from his own passions for his fellow kind. Then we brought forward that even the great ones, to whom a great people were to be entrusted, he allowed to fall into sin, and to give forgiveness to them, so that afterwards they themselves, from what they were taught, might become more philanthropic.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀπονοίᾳ τινὶ κεχρημένος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'using some kind of madness' (ἀπονοίᾳ τινὶ κεχρημένος) intensifies the portrayal of Elijah's stubbornness, linking his behavior to a divinely inspired frenzy (ζῆλος) rather than mere obstinacy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"φιλανθρωπία","severity":"info","text":"Φιλανθρωπία (philanthropy) here denotes divine mercy or humane compassion, a key virtue Chrysostom urges Elijah to adopt toward his fellow servants, mirroring the Master's own clemency.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῶν ἐνοικούντων αὐχμὸν ἐκάλεσας","severity":"info","text":"This recalls the drought Elijah proclaimed as divine punishment (1 Kings 17:1), but Chrysostom reframes it as a human sin-triggered event, emphasizing the prophet's agency.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"ἄγγελος ἱερεύς","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts the ideal of a sinless angel-priest with the reality of a human priest, reflecting contemporary debates on clerical purity and the pastoral necessity of shared human fallibility.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"γʹ","severity":"info","text":"The numeral γʹ (3) marks a new section, transitioning from the dramatic address to Elijah to a theological reflection on the nature of the priesthood and divine pedagogy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"συγγινώσκῃ τῷ ὁμοιοπαθεῖ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's argument that a human priest sympathizes with sinners because of shared passions influenced later Eastern Christian pastoral theology, emphasizing compassion over punitive rigor.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of 'that man' (ἐκεῖνον) in the opening line is ambiguous; it likely refers to Ahab or a generic sinful figure, but the text does not specify.","The phrase 'ἀπὸ ζήλου ἐμέθυε' (he was drunk with zeal) could be read as either a positive divine fervor or a negative obsessive madness; Chrysostom uses it critically."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":12,"ref":"p12","source":"Καὶ Πέτρον παρήγαγον τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀπόστολον, συγχωρηθέντα μὲν ἁμαρτῆσαι, μετανοίᾳ δὲ ἐξαλείψαντα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίᾳ Δεῦρο δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἠλίαν ἐπανέλθωμεν, καὶ δείξωμεν αὐτοῦ τὸ πέλαγος τῶν κατορ θωμάτων, ὅτι Θεὸς μὲν ἠθέλησε φιλανθρωπεύσασθαι, Ἠλίας δὲ οὐκ ἐφιλανθρωπεύσατο· καὶ ἤθελε δοῦναι ὑετὸν, ἀλλ' ἐζήτει ἀξίωσιν παρὰ τοῦ δούλου. Τί οὖν; Παρῆλθεν ὁ Ἠλίας ὅλην τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς Σαρεφθὰ τῆς Σιδωνίας, καὶ εἶδε γυναῖκα χήραν τινὰ ξυλευομένην. Ἀλλ' ὅμως βλέπε τοῦ Ἠλίου τὴν φιλοσο-φίαν καὶ τὴν πίστιν. Πάλιν ἄλλο πέλαγος αὐτὸν δι εδέξατο ἀρετῆς. Οὐκ εἶπε τῷ Θεῷ· Πρὸς τίνα με πέμπεις; τοσού τους με ποιεῖς κινδύνους ὑπομεῖναι, καὶ πρὸς χήραν με πέμπεις εἰς ἔσχατον λιμόν; μὴ γὰρ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἄλλοι ἄνδρες εὐπορώτεροι, δυνάμενοι τὴν πενίαν μου παραμυθήσασθαι; ἀλλὰ τοσαύτην γῆν βαδίζω, ἵνα πρὸς χήραν ἀπαντήσω, εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν συμφορὰν τῶν κακῶν, καὶ οὐ μόνον χήραν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πενιχράν; Ἐννόησον πῶς οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπεν ὁ θεράπων· ἐθάῤῥει γὰρ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Δεσπότῃ τῷ ἐκ τῶν ἀδυνάτων δυνατὰ ποιοῦντι. Ἄπελθε, φησὶν, εἰς Σαρεφθὰ τῆς Σιδῶνος, καὶ ἰδοὺ μία χήρα ξυλευομένη. Τί οὖν ἐπιβαίνεις ἔτι, Ἠλία; τί δὲ προστρέχεις τῇ χήρᾳ; εἶδες τὰ προπύλαια τῆς πενίας, μὴ ἐρώτα τὰ πάθη τῆς μετριότητος· εἶδες τὴν εἴσοδον τῆς πενίας, μη δὲν ἐρώτα περὶ τῶν ἔνδον. Ποῦ ἐπεισέρχῃ, Ἠλία; εἶδες ξυλευομένην, καὶ τραφῆναι ζητεῖς παρ' αὐτῆς; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔχων ἐνέχυρον τοῦ Δεσπότου τὸν λόγον, ἀπῄει διαλεγόμενος τῇ χήρᾳ. Καὶ τί φησι; Δός μοι μικρὸν ὕδωρ, ἵνα πίω. Ὁρᾷς σοφίαν τοῦ Ἠλίου;","english":"And they brought forward Peter, that sort of apostle, who was permitted to sin, but through repentance wiped away the sin by the love of God for humanity. Come now, let us return to Elijah, and let us display the sea of his right actions: that God wished to show love for humanity, but Elijah did not show love for humanity; and he wished to give rain, but he sought a request from the servant. What then? Elijah went the whole road and came to Sarepta of Sidon, and saw a certain widow woman gathering wood. But nevertheless, observe Elijah's philosophy and faith. Again another sea of virtue received him. He did not say to God: \"To whom are you sending me? You make me endure so many dangers, and you send me to a widow in extreme famine? Are there not other, wealthier men who can relieve my poverty? But I walk so much land to meet a widow, into this very calamity of evils, and not only a widow, but a poor one?\" Consider how the servant said none of these things; for he trusted his Master, who makes the impossible possible. \"Go,\" he says, \"to Sarepta of Sidon, and behold, a widow gathering wood.\" Why then do you still go on, Elijah? Why do you run to the widow? You saw the portals of poverty; do not ask about the sufferings of mediocrity. You saw the entrance of poverty; do not ask about what is inside. Where are you entering, Elijah? You saw her gathering wood, and you seek to be fed by her? But nevertheless, having the word of the Master as a pledge, he went and conversed with the widow. And what does he say? \"Give me a little water to drink.\" Do you see the wisdom of Elijah?","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Πέτρον παρήγαγον","severity":"info","text":"The Greek verb παρήγαγον (aorist of παράγω) means 'they brought forward' or 'they introduced'. The subject is likely the homilist's rhetorical interlocutors or the scriptural narrative itself, not a specific named group.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"φιλανθρωπία","severity":"info","text":"Φιλανθρωπία (love for humanity) is a key theological term in Chrysostom, denoting God's merciful disposition toward sinners. Here it is contrasted with Elijah's initial refusal to show the same compassion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Σαρεφθὰ τῆς Σιδωνίας","severity":"info","text":"Sarepta (Zarephath) of Sidon is the location of Elijah's encounter with the widow, as narrated in 1 Kings 17:8–16. Chrysostom follows the biblical account closely.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"χήραν ξυλευομένην","severity":"info","text":"The widow gathering wood (ξυλευομένην) is a detail from 1 Kings 17:10. Chrysostom uses this image to highlight her poverty and Elijah's trust in God's provision despite apparent destitution.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Πάλιν ἄλλο πέλαγος","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'another sea of virtue' (ἄλλο πέλαγος ἀρετῆς) is a rhetorical marker, signaling a new exemplum of Elijah's faith after the previous narrative about Peter. It structures the homily as a series of moral vignettes.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐθάῤῥει γὰρ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Δεσπότῃ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's emphasis on Elijah's trust in his Master (Δεσπότῃ) reflects a common patristic theme: the prophet as model of absolute obedience to God, even when divine commands seem irrational.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text has a textual crux at ἐθάῤῥει (the manuscript reading is uncertain; the editor prints a corrected form). The translation 'he trusted' is adopted, but the original may have been ἐθάρρει (same meaning).","The phrase 'συγχωρηθέντα μὲν ἁμαρτῆσαι' could be read as 'permitted to sin' (divine allowance) or 'allowed to have sinned' (after the fact). The translation takes the former, but the latter is possible."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":13,"ref":"p13","source":"πῶς οὐκ εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὸ ἰσχυρότερον ἀπῆλ θεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ εὐτελέστερον; οὐκ εἶπε, Δός μοι ἄρτον, ἀλλὰ Δός μοι ὕδωρ. Πρῶτον ὕδωρ ζητεῖ, στοχαζόμενος, ὅτι ἂν εὐπορήσῃ ὕδατος, δύναται καὶ ἄρτου εὐπορῆσαι. Δός μοι, φησὶ, μικρὸν ὕδωρ· Ἀπελθοῦσα δὲ ἡ χήρα ἤνεγκεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἔπιε· καὶ οὕτω θαρσήσας φησί· Λήψῃ δή μοι καὶ ψωμὸν ἄρ του, καὶ φάγομαι. Ἡ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔστι μοι ἐγκρυφίας, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅσον δρὰξ ἀλεύρου ἐν τῇ ὑδρίᾳ, καὶ ὀλίγον ἔλαιον ἐν τῷ καμψάκῃ, ὃ ποιήσομεν καὶ φαγόμεθα ἐγώ τε καὶ τὰ παιδία μου, καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα. Τί οὖν ὁ Ἠλίας; Ἄπελθε, φησὶ, καὶ ποίησόν μοι ἐγκρυφίαν κατα μόνας, καὶ φάγω, καὶ οὕτω ποιήσεις τοῖς τέκνοις σου, καὶ φάγονται. Τί ποιεῖς, Ἠλία; ἔστω, ἄρτον θέλεις, τί καὶ καταμόνας καὶ ἐν πρώτοις ζητεῖς; οὐ γὰρ ὀφείλεις εὐχαριστῆσαι, ἵνα μετὰ τῶν τέκνων φά γῃς; σὺ θέλεις φαγεῖν\n\nμόνος, καὶ λιμῷ τὰ τέκνα πνῖξαι; [Πνῖξαι οὐ θέλω, ἀλλ' εὐεργετῆσαι θέλω·] οἶδα τὴν ἀφθονίαν τοῦ ἐμοῦ Δεσπότου. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ χήρα οὐκ ἐταράχθη οὐδὲ ἐνενόησέ τι τοιοῦτον ἀτόπημα, οὔτε εἶπε· Σὺ εἶ ὁ τὸν λιμὸν τοῦτον ποιήσας, καὶ ἐν τοῖς λειψάνοις τοῦ λιμοῦ διατραφῆναι θέλεις παρ' ἐμοῦ; οὔτε εἶπεν, ὅτι Τοσοῦτον κόσμον παρῆλθες, καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἦλθες λιμῷ καταφθεῖραι τὰ παι δία μου, αὐτὸς αἴτιος τοῦ λιμοῦ γενόμενος; ἀλλ' Ἀβραμιαία τις γενομένη ἡ γυνὴ εἰσελθοῦσα ἐποίησε κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ μᾶλλον τὴν χήραν φιλοξενεστέραν. Ἐκεῖνος μὲν γὰρ εὔπορος ὢν, ἐξένισεν ἀγγέλους· αὕτη δὲ ἐκ λιμοῦ προσδοκῶσα θάνατον, ἐξένισε τὸν προφήτην.","english":"How is it that he did not immediately go to the stronger, but to the cheaper? He did not say, \"Give me bread,\" but \"Give me water.\" First he seeks water, calculating that if he obtains water, he can also obtain bread. \"Give me,\" he says, \"a little water.\" And the widow, going away, brought it to him, and he drank; and thus emboldened, he says, \"Will you also give me a morsel of bread, and I will eat?\" And she said to him, \"As the Lord lives, if I have a loaf baked in the ashes, it is only a handful of flour in the jar and a little oil in the flask, which we will make and eat, I and my children, and then we will die.\" What then does Elijah? \"Go,\" he says, \"and make me a loaf baked in the ashes by itself, and I will eat, and then you will do the same for your children, and they will eat.\" What are you doing, Elijah? Granted, you want bread, but why do you seek it by itself and first? Ought you not to give thanks, so that you might eat with the children? You want to eat alone and choke the children with hunger? [I do not want to choke them, but I want to benefit them;] I know the abundance of my Master. Yet the widow was not disturbed nor did she perceive any such impropriety, nor did she say, \"You are the one who caused this famine, and you want to be fed by me from the remnants of the famine?\" Nor did she say, \"You passed by so much of the world, and you came to me to destroy my children with famine, you yourself being the cause of the famine?\" But becoming a sort of Abraham-like woman, she went in and did according to the word of the prophet, and one could see the widow as more hospitable than Abraham. For he, being wealthy, entertained angels; but she, expecting death from famine, entertained the prophet.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"πῶς οὐκ εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὸ ἰσχυρότερον ἀπῆλθεν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ εὐτελέστερον","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom contrasts Elijah's approach to the stronger (wealthier) and cheaper (poorer) host, highlighting the prophet's humility and strategy.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐγκρυφίας","severity":"info","text":"Ἐγκρυφίας refers to a loaf baked in the ashes, a common rustic bread in antiquity, emphasizing the widow's poverty.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζῇ Κύριος","severity":"info","text":"The widow's oath 'Ζῇ Κύριος' echoes Old Testament phrasing (e.g., 1 Kings 17:12 LXX), grounding the narrative in biblical idiom.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀβραμιαία τις γενομένη","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom compares the widow to Abraham, referencing Genesis 18:1-8 where Abraham hospitably entertained angels, underscoring her virtue despite poverty.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τί οὖν ὁ Ἠλίας;","severity":"info","text":"The rhetorical question 'Τί οὖν ὁ Ἠλίας;' marks a shift from narrative to dramatic dialogue, a common homiletic device to engage the audience.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"οἶδα τὴν ἀφθονίαν τοῦ ἐμοῦ Δεσπότου","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom inserts Elijah's confidence in God's abundance, reflecting a theological emphasis on divine providence typical in his anti-Arian context.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The bracketed phrase 'Πνῖξαι οὐ θέλω, ἀλλ' εὐεργετῆσαι θέλω' may be a later gloss or Chrysostom's own interjection; the Coptic text is unclear on its origin."],"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":14,"ref":"p14","source":"Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τὴν φύσιν καταφρονουμένην, καὶ φιλοξενίαν τιμωμένην· ἦν ἰδεῖν σπλάγχνα ῥιπτόμενα, καὶ προ φήτην δεχόμενον· ὁλόκληρον δῆμον τέκνων τάφον εἰργάσατο· ὅσον γὰρ εἰς προαίρεσιν τῆς χήρας, ἐκεῖνα τετελευτήκασιν, ὅσον δὲ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἔζων καὶ ἐκρατύνοντο. Οὐκ οἶδα πῶς ἐγκωμιάσω τὴν χήραν· πῶς τέκνων κατεφρόνησεν καὶ φιλοξενίαν ἐποίησε, πῶς ἡ φύσις αὐτὴ οὐ κατενάρ κησε, πῶς ἡ μήτρα οὐκ ἠλλοιώθη, πῶς τὰ σπλάγχνα οὐ διελύθη βλέποντα δῆμον ὁλόκληρον τέκνων ὑπὸ λιμοῦ μέλλοντα φθείρεσθαι. Ἀλλ' ἀνωτέρω πάντων ἐγένετο, καὶ τὸν προφήτην ἐξένισεν. Ὡς ἔλαβε δὴ ὁ προφήτης, καὶ ἔφαγε, λοιπὸν τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδίδωσιν· ἔσπειρε φιλοξενίαν ἡ χήρα, καὶ εὐθὺς τὸν στά χυν κομῶντα τῆς φιλοξενίας ἐθέρισε. Τί γάρ φησι πρὸς αὐτὴν Ἠλίας; Ζῇ Κύριος, ἡ ὑδρία τοῦ ἀλεύρου οὐκ ἐκλείψει, καὶ ὁ καμψάκης τοῦ ἐλαίου οὐκ ἐλαττονήσει. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ δεξιὰ τῆς χήρας ληνὸς, καὶ ἡ ἀριστερὰ ἅλων, καὶ δράγματα ἐν ἀνάγκῃ τὸν καρπὸν παρέχοντα, καὶ διὰ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ προφήτου τὴν χήραν διατρέφοντα. Ληνὸς καὶ ἅλων ἐγένετο ἡ οἰκία τῆς χήρας· οὐ βροχὴ, οὐχ ὑετὸς, οὐκ ἔαρ, οὐ θέρος, οὐ καῦμα, οὐκ ἀνέμων ἀνάγκαι, οὐ καιρῶν ἀλλαγαὶ, ἀλλὰ μόνον εἷς λόγος προελθὼν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκείας γνώμης ἐξενεχθεὶς, χορηγεῖ τὴν ἀφθονίαν τῇ χήρᾳ. Εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν, ἵνα συντέμω τὸν λόγον, ἀπῆλθε πρὸς Ἀχαὰβ τὸν βασιλέα. Λέγω νῦν αὐτοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα, ἵνα ἐὰν ἴδης αὐτὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα, μάθῃς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν ἔχουσαν φιλανθρωπίαν. Τί οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀχαάβ; Σὺ εἶ ὁ δια στρέφων τὸν Ἰσραήλ; Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν·","english":"And one could see nature despised and hospitality honored; one could see entrails cast aside and a prophet received. The whole multitude of her children she made into a tomb; for as far as the widow's intention was concerned, they had died, but as far as God's love for humanity was concerned, they lived and grew strong. I do not know how to praise the widow: how she disregarded her children and practiced hospitality, how nature itself did not hinder her, how her womb was not altered, how her entrails were not dissolved at seeing the whole multitude of her children about to perish from famine. But she rose above all and entertained the prophet. When the prophet had taken and eaten, he then repays the rewards; the widow sowed hospitality, and immediately reaped the ripened ear of hospitality. For what does Elijah say to her? \"As the Lord lives, the jar of flour will not fail, and the flask of oil will not diminish.\" And the widow's right hand became a winepress, and her left a threshing floor, and sheaves in need provided the fruit, and through the prophet's word they nourished the widow. The widow's house became a winepress and a threshing floor; no rain, no shower, no spring, no summer, no heat, no force of winds, no changes of seasons, but only one word that went forth, and that uttered from his own judgment, supplies abundance to the widow. Then from there, to cut my speech short, he went to King Ahab. I now recount his achievements, so that if you see him sinning, you may learn that God's grace possesses love for humanity. What then does Ahab say to him? \"Are you the one who is perverting Israel?\" And he to him:","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"σπλάγχνα ῥιπτόμενα","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'entrails cast aside' is a vivid metaphor for the widow's disregard of her maternal instincts, not a literal description of infanticide.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"φιλοξενίαν","severity":"info","text":"φιλοξενίαν (hospitality) is a key virtue in early Christian homiletics, often linked to the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17).","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζῇ Κύριος, ἡ ὑδρία τοῦ ἀλεύρου οὐκ ἐκλείψει","severity":"info","text":"This is a paraphrase of Elijah's promise to the widow in 1 Kings 17:14 (LXX), where the jar of flour and oil are miraculously replenished.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"ληνὸς καὶ ἅλων","severity":"info","text":"The winepress (ληνός) and threshing floor (ἅλων) are agricultural metaphors for abundance, evoking the harvest imagery common in patristic exegesis of the miracle.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν, ἵνα συντέμω τὸν λόγον","severity":"info","text":"This transitional phrase marks a shift from the widow episode to the encounter with Ahab, signaling Chrysostom's rhetorical compression of the narrative.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"Ἀλλ' ἀνωτέρω πάντων ἐγένετο","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's praise of the widow's virtue over maternal instinct reflects a topos in early Christian literature, e.g., in Gregory of Nazianzus' orations on hospitality.","cites":[],"named_sources":["Gregory of Nazianzus"],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'ὁλόκληρον δῆμον τέκνων τάφον εἰργάσατο' is ambiguous: it could mean the widow made her children into a tomb (i.e., let them die) or metaphorically sacrificed them for hospitality; the reading taken is the latter, as Chrysostom immediately qualifies it with 'as far as intention'."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":15,"ref":"p15","source":"Οὐχὶ, ἀλλὰ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου. Εἶδες παῤ ῥησίαν προφήτου, πῶς τὸν βασιλέα ἤλεγξεν; Εἶτα ὅτε ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἐκαθέζετο, καὶ ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν πεντηκόνταρχος λέγων· Ἄνθρωπε τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατάβηθι, ὁ βασιλεύς σε καλεῖ· ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Καὶ εἰ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καταβήτω πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ καταφαγέτω σε καὶ τοὺς πεντήκοντά σου.\n\nΕἶτα ἐκ δευτέρου ἄλλος πεντηκόνταρχός φησιν· Ἄνθρωπε τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατάβηθι, ὁ βασιλεὺς χρείαν σου ἔχει. Καὶ τί πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἠλίας; Καὶ εἰ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καταβήτω πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρα νοῦ, καὶ καταφαγέτω σε καὶ τοὺς πεντήκοντά σου. Εἶτα πάλιν ὅτε ἦλθεν εἰς συμβολὴν τῆς εὐχῆς ἐκάλεσε τοὺς ἱερεῖς τῆς Βαὰλ τῆς αἰσχύνης λέγων, Εὐξώμεθα, καὶ εἶπε· Ποιήσατε ὑμεῖς θυσιαστή ριον καταμόνας, καὶ ἐκλέξατε δύο βόας, καὶ ἐπί θετε ξύλα κατὰ τὸν ἕνα βοῦν, καὶ πῦρ μὴ ἐπίθετε, κἀγὼ ποιήσω οὕτω· καὶ ἐπικαλεῖσθε ἐν ὀνόματι θεῶν ὑμῶν, κἀγὼ ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Θεοῦ μου, καὶ ἔσται, ὃς ἂν θεὸς ἐπακούσῃ ἐν πυρὶ, οὗτος Θεὸς ἀληθινός. Εἶτα ἐποίησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς τῆς αἰσχύνης θυ σιαστήριον, καὶ ἤρξαντο ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὴν Βαὰλ λέ γοντες· Ἐπάκουσον ἡμῶν, Βαὰλ, ἐπάκουσον ἡμῶν. Ὡς δὲ πολλῆς εὐχῆς γενομένης οὐδεὶς ἦν ὁ ἐπακούων (Οὐκ ἦν γὰρ φωνὴ, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀκρόασις), εἶτα ἐξεδέχετο ὁ Ἠλίας μακροθυμῶν εὐχομένων ἐκείνων· ὡς δὲ εἶδεν ὅτι πολλὴ μὲν αὐτῶν ἡ διάτασις, οὐδεὶς δὲ ὁ ὑπακούων, κωμῳδεῖ αὐτοὺς λέγων· Βοήσατε μέγα, μή ποτε καθεύδῃ ἡ θεὸς ὑμῶν. Εἶτα ὡς μεσημβρία γέγονε, καὶ προέκοψεν ἡ ὥρα, λέγει αὐτοῖς· Μετάστητε ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, ἵνα ποιήσω κἀγὼ τὸ ὁλοκαύτωμά μου·","english":"No, but you and your father's house.\" Did you see with what freedom the prophet reproved the king? Then, when he was sitting on the mountain, and a centurion came to him saying, \"Man of God, come down, the king summons you,\" he said to him, \"And if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.\"\n\nThen a second centurion said, \"Man of God, come down, the king has need of you.\" And what did Elijah say to him? \"And if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.\" Then again, when he came to the contest of prayer, he summoned the priests of Baal of shame, saying, \"Let us pray,\" and he said, \"You make an altar by yourselves, and choose two oxen, and place wood on each ox, but do not place fire, and I will do likewise; and call upon your gods by name, and I upon my God, and it will be that whichever god answers by fire, that one is the true God.\" Then the priests of shame made an altar and began to call upon Baal, saying, \"Hear us, Baal, hear us.\" But when much prayer had been offered and no one was listening (for there was no voice and no hearing), then Elijah waited patiently while they prayed; and when he saw that their exertion was great but no one was answering, he mocked them, saying, \"Shout loudly, lest your god be asleep.\" Then, when it was midday and the hour had advanced, he said to them, \"Stand aside from now, so that I may also make my burnt offering.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"πεντηκόνταρχος","severity":"info","text":"The term 'pentēkontarchos' (commander of fifty) reflects the military organization of the Northern Kingdom; the narrative echoes 1 Kings 18, where Elijah confronts Ahab's officers.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Βαὰλ τῆς αἰσχύνης","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom calls Baal 'the god of shame' (τῆς αἰσχύνης), a polemical epithet common in patristic literature to denigrate pagan deities, not a literal cult title.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Εἶτα","severity":"info","text":"The repeated 'Eita' ('Then') structures the passage as a series of dramatic vignettes, typical of Chrysostom's narrative style in homilies to maintain audience engagement.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"καταβήτω πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ","severity":"info","text":"Elijah's threat of fire from heaven parallels the biblical contest on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:38), where divine fire consumes the Baal altar, reinforcing the prophet's authority.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"κωμῳδεῖ","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses 'kōmōidei' (he mocks) to describe Elijah's taunt, reflecting the homilist's rhetorical strategy of presenting the prophet as a model of fearless, even satirical, confrontation with idolatry.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"πεντηκόνταρχος","severity":"caution","text":"The repeated 'pentēkontarchos' may be a conflation of two separate biblical episodes (1 Kings 18 and 2 Kings 1), as the term does not appear in the LXX for these narratives; Chrysostom may be harmonizing traditions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'centurion' (πεντηκόνταρχος) is not specified in the biblical text; Chrysostom may be inventing or conflating details for dramatic effect."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":16,"ref":"p16","source":"καὶ ἐποίησε θυσιαστήριον, καὶ ἐπέθηκε τὰ ξύλα, καὶ εἶπε· Φέρετε ὕδωρ κύκλῳ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου,\n\nκαὶ ἔφερον· Δισσώσατε, καὶ ἐδίσσωσαν· Τρισσώσατε, καὶ ἐτρίσσωσαν. Ἀλλ' ὅρα καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τί ποιεῖ ὁ Ἠλίας. Ἐπειδὴ ἔθος τῇ πλάνῃ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὰ ἴδια προσάπτειν, ὅπερ αἱ γυναῖκες αἱ πόρναι ποιοῦσι, καὶ προλαμβάνουσι, καὶ τὰς ἐλευθέρας πόρνας καλοῦσιν, ἵνα μὴ ἔχωσιν ἐκεῖναι τί ἀνθυβρίσωσιν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως Ἠλίας καὶ ἐν τούτῳ σοφίζεται· διὰ τί; ἀλλ' ὃ μέλλω λέγειν, θεατὴς αὐτὸς γέγονα· Ἐν τοῖς βωμοῖς τῶν εἰδώλων ὀπαί εἰσι κάτωθεν τοῦ θυσια στηρίου, καὶ ἔστι τις λάκκος κάτωθεν ἀφανὴς, καὶ κατέρχονται οἱ τῆς πλάνης ἐργάται ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ, καὶ οὕτω ταῖς ὀπαῖς ἐκείναις κάτωθεν τὸ πῦρ ἄνω ἐκφυσῶσιν εἰς τὴν θυσίαν, ὡς πολλοὺς ἀπατᾶσθαι, καὶ νομίζειν οὐράνιον εἶναι τὸ πῦρ. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ καὶ ὁ Ἠλίας τοιοῦτόν τι ὑπονοηθῇ ποιεῖν, ἐπέχεε τὸ ὕδωρ, ἵνα τὴν ὀπὴν τὸ ὕδωρ ἐλέγξῃ· ἀνάγκῃ γὰρ ὅπου ὀπὴν εὑρίσκει τὸ ὕδωρ, οὐ στήκει, ἀλλὰ κατέρχεται. Ἐνέπλησεν οὖν τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ εὔχεται λέγων· Ἐπάκουσόν μου, Κύριε, ἐν πυρὶ σήμερον· ἐπήκουσάς μου ἐν ὕδατι, ἐπάκουσόν μου καὶ ἐν πυρί. Καὶ ἰδοὺ, καλέσαντος αὐτοῦ, ἐν τάχει πῦρ κατέβη ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ κατέφαγε τὴν θυσίαν, καὶ τοὺς λίθους, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐξέλειξε τὸ πῦρ. Καὶ τί φησι τῷ λαῷ; Συλλάβετε τοὺς ἱερεῖς τῆς αἰσχύ νης· μηδεὶς σωθήτω ἐξ αὐτῶν· καὶ ἔλαβον, καὶ ἀνεῖλον αὐτοὺς, τετρακοσίους τε καὶ πεντήκοντα ἱερεῖς τῆς Βαὰλ, καὶ τετρακοσίους τῶν ὑψηλῶν.","english":"And he made an altar, and placed the wood upon it, and said, \"Bring water around the altar.\" And they brought it. \"Double it,\" and they doubled it. \"Triple it,\" and they tripled it. But observe also why Elijah does this. Since it is customary for error to attribute its own practices to truth—just as prostitute women do, who anticipate and call free women prostitutes, so that those women have nothing with which to reproach them—nevertheless, Elijah even in this shows his wisdom. Why? But what I am about to say, I myself have witnessed: In the altars of the idols, there are openings beneath the altar, and there is a hidden pit below, and the workers of error go down into the pit, and thus through those openings they blow the fire from below upward onto the sacrifice, so that many are deceived and think the fire is from heaven. So that Elijah might not be suspected of doing something similar, he poured water over it, so that the water would expose the opening; for where water finds an opening, it necessarily does not stand still but flows down. So he filled the altar and prayed, saying, \"Hear me, Lord, today in fire; you heard me in water, hear me also in fire.\" And behold, when he called, fire quickly came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the stones, and the fire licked up the water. And what does he say to the people? \"Seize the priests of shame; let none of them be saved.\" And they took and slew them, four hundred and fifty priests of Baal, and four hundred of the high places.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"ὀπαί","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom describes hidden pits and openings in pagan altars used by priests to simulate divine fire. This reflects a common early Christian polemic against pagan cultic deception.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπάκουσόν μου, Κύριε, ἐν πυρὶ σήμερον","severity":"info","text":"Elijah's prayer echoes the narrative of 1 Kings 18:36-38, where he calls down fire from heaven after the water-soaked altar. Chrysostom adapts the wording for rhetorical effect.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀλλ' ὅρα καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τί ποιεῖ ὁ Ἠλίας","severity":"info","text":"This phrase marks a shift from narrative to explanatory digression, a common homiletic technique in Chrysostom to engage the audience and clarify Elijah's actions.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"τετρακοσίους τε καὶ πεντήκοντα ἱερεῖς","severity":"info","text":"The numbers 450 and 400 for the slain priests appear in later hagiographical and historical traditions, but vary in other sources (e.g., 1 Kings 18:19 mentions 450). Chrysostom's version may reflect oral or local tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἐξέλειξε τὸ πῦρ","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'the fire licked up the water' is a vivid but non-literal description. Chrysostom may be using hyperbole to emphasize the miraculous nature of the event, not a physical process.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text has a lacuna or unclear reading at 'ὀπαί εἰσι κάτωθεν τοῦ θυσια στηρίου' (the altar's openings below). The translation assumes a standard altar structure, but the exact configuration is ambiguous.","The phrase 'μηδεὶς σωθήτω ἐξ αὐτῶν' could be read as a command to kill all priests, but Chrysostom may be quoting Elijah's speech rhetorically; the historical accuracy of the massacre is uncertain."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":17,"ref":"p17","source":"Ἤκουσε ταῦτα Ἰεζάβελ ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ Ἀχαὰβ τὰ γεγενημένα, καὶ πέμπει πρὸς τὸν Ἠλίαν λέγουσα· Τάδε ποιησά τωσάν μοι οἱ θεοὶ, καὶ τάδε προσθείησάν μοι, εἰ μὴ αὔριον θήσω τὴν ψυχήν σου ὡς τὴν ψυχὴν ἑνὸς αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀκούσας Ἠλίας ἔφυγε. Ποῦ Ἠλίας ὁ τοσοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος; σκοπὸς γάρ μοι δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑπέπεσε· λέγω τὴν ἁμαρτίαν οὐ κατηγορῶν τοῦ δικαίου, ἀλλ' ὑπόθεσιν σωτηρίας πραγμα τευόμενος, ἵν' ὅταν ἴδῃς ἐκείνους ἁμαρτήσαντας, μὴ ἀπογνόντας δὲ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας τυχόντας, σὺ ἐὰν ἁμαρτήσῃς, περισσοτέραν ἐλπίζῃς τὴν σωτηρίαν. Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν Ἰεζάβελ, Τάδε ποιήσαιέν μοι οἱ θεοὶ, καὶ τάδε προσθείησαν μοι, εἰ μὴ αὔριον θήσω τὴν ψυχήν σου ὡς τὴν ψυχὴν ἑνὸς ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἤκουσεν Ἠλίας, καὶ ἔφυγεν ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα. Ὢ δειλίας ὑπερβολή! γυναικὸς ἤκουσε ῥῆμα, καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ὁδῷ βαδίζων ἔφυγεν· οὐ μίαν ἡμέραν, οὐ δευτέραν, οὐ τρίτην, ἀλλ' ἅμα τε ὁ λόγος τῆς γυναικὸς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν προφήτην, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς δειλίας οὐκ οἶδε τί ἔπραττε, τοσαύτην φυγὴν ἀπερχόμενος. Τί ἐστί σοι, Ἠλία; σὺ εἶ ὁ τὸν οὐρανὸν κλείσας, καὶ τὴν βροχὴν χαλινώσας, ὁ τῷ ἀέρι ἐπιτάξας, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἄνωθεν καλέ σας, ὁ σφάξας τοὺς ἱερεῖς, ὁ εἰπὼν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀχαάβ· Σὺ εἶ ὁ διαστρέφων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου· ὁ εἰπών· Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου· ὁ τὴν οἰκίαν τῆς χήρας ἅλωνα καὶ δράγματα ποιήσας, [ὁ τοῖς στοιχείοις ἐπι τάξας, λόγον πόρνης ἤκουσας, καὶ ἔφυγες, καὶ μία γυνὴ αἰχμάλωτον ἀπάγει; Αἱ δύο ἀκροπόλεις ὑπὸ γυναικὸς ἠλέγχθησαν·","english":"Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, heard of these events, and sent to Elijah, saying, \"May the gods do such and such to me, and may they add such and such to me, if by tomorrow I do not place your soul as the soul of one of them.\" And upon hearing this, Elijah fled. Where is Elijah, so great and so mighty? For it is my purpose to show that he fell into sin. I speak of sin not to accuse the righteous man, but to pursue a premise of salvation, so that when you see those men sinning, yet not despairing of themselves, but obtaining the love of God for humanity, if you sin, you may hope for even greater salvation. Since Jezebel said, \"May the gods do such and such to me, and may they add such and such to me, if by tomorrow I do not place your soul as the soul of one of them,\" Elijah heard and fled a journey of forty days. O excess of cowardice! He heard a woman's word, and fled, traveling a journey of forty days—not one day, not two, not three, but as soon as the woman's word entered the prophet, he did not know what he was doing from cowardice, departing in such a flight. What is the matter with you, Elijah? You are the one who closed the sky and bridled the rain, who commanded the air and called down fire from above, who slaughtered the priests, who said to King Ahab, \"You are the one who corrupts Israel, and the house of your father,\" who said, \"As the Lord lives, if there will be rain, it will not be except through my mouth,\" who made the widow's house a threshing floor and sheaves, who commanded the elements. You heard a harlot's word and fled, and one woman leads you away captive? The two citadels were reproved by a woman.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"background","lemma":"Ἰεζάβελ","severity":"info","text":"Jezebel, wife of King Ahab of Israel (1 Kings 16:31), is portrayed in the biblical narrative as a promoter of Baal worship and a persecutor of prophets. Chrysostom here uses her as a type of impious female power.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"τάδε ποιήσαιέν μοι οἱ θεοί","severity":"info","text":"This phrase echoes the biblical account of Jezebel's threat to Elijah (1 Kings 19:2), where she swears by her gods to kill him. Chrysostom adapts the wording for rhetorical effect.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"ἁμαρτία","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom uses ἁμαρτία ('sin') here in a pastoral sense, not to condemn Elijah but to argue that even great saints can err, thereby offering hope to sinners. This is a key rhetorical strategy in the homily.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"σκοπὸς γάρ μοι δεῖξαι","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom explicitly states his homiletic purpose: to show that Elijah's flight was a sin, but one that serves as a premise for salvation. This marks a transition from narrative to moral exhortation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"αἱ δύο ἀκροπόλεις","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'two citadels' likely refers to the cities of Samaria and Jezreel, centers of Ahab's rule. Chrysostom's rhetorical question implies that Jezebel's threat exposed the weakness of these strongholds.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"γυναικὸς ἤκουσε ῥῆμα","severity":"caution","text":"Chrysostom's characterization of Jezebel as a 'harlot' (πόρνης) is a rhetorical exaggeration, not a historical fact. The biblical text does not call her a prostitute; this is a homiletic trope to heighten the contrast.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'αἱ δύο ἀκροπόλεις' is ambiguous: it may refer to the two capital cities of the northern kingdom (Samaria and Jezreel) or metaphorically to the two kingdoms (Israel and Judah). The reading taken is the former, as it fits the context of Ahab's reign."],"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":18,"ref":"p18","source":"Πέτρος κόρην ἐφοβήθη, καὶ οὗτος τὴν Ἰεζάβελ· τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιέπεσον ἁμαρτή μασι. Καὶ ἔφυγεν Ἠλίας ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα. Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ ζῆλός σου, Ἠλία, ὅτε ἔλεγες, Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου; ὅτε τὸν βασιλέα ἤλεγχες,] ὅτε τὸ πῦρ ἐκάλεσας; τοσαῦτα ἐποίησας, καὶ μιᾶς γυναικὸς λόγον οὐκ ἐβάστασας; Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ τόνος σου, ὅτε οὐκ ἤθελες τὸν σὸν Δεσπότην ἀξιῶσαι, ἵνα δῷ ὑετὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; ἔλεγε γάρ σοι δι' ἐναργῶν ἀποδείξεων· Ἀξίωσόν με δυνάμενον καὶ ἄνευ σοῦ δοῦναι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἠθέλησα, ἵνα ὥσπερ τῶν κακῶν ἐγένου πρόξενος, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἄρχων γένῃ. Εἰργάσω γὰρ, Ἠλία, ἔργον ἀσπλαγχνίας μεστόν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἠλέει τὴν συμφορὰν, ὅτι πάντων αὐ τὸς κτίστης, καὶ πάντων δημιουργός· ὁμοίως δὲ πάν των κηδεμὼν, καὶ ἠθέλησέ σου χαυνῶσαι τὴν ἀπ ανθρωπίαν, καὶ σὺ ἐπέμενες αὐτῇ. Ἔλεγέ σοι· Ἐγὼ οἶδα τὴν συμφορὰν τὴν γινομένην, οἶδα τοὺς κλαυθμοὺς τῶν μητέρων, οἶδα τῶν παιδίων τοὺς ὀλολυγμούς· βλέπω τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἐποίησα, ἀφανιζομένην, καὶ θέλω φιλανθρωπεύσασθαι, ἀλλ' οὐ θέλω σε ὑβρίσαι, καὶ ἄνευ","english":"Peter feared a young girl, and this man feared Jezebel. They fell into the same sins. And Elijah fled a journey of forty days. Where is your zeal, Elijah, when you said, \"The Lord lives, if there will be rain, except through my mouth\"? When you reproved the king, when you called down fire? You did such things, and you could not bear the word of one woman? Where is your strength, when you did not wish to deem your Master worthy, that he might give rain upon the earth? For he said to you through clear proofs: \"Deem me worthy, who am able to give even without you,\" but you did not wish it, so that just as you became the agent of evils, so also you might become the leader of good things. For you performed, Elijah, a work full of cruelty; but God had pity on the calamity, because he is the creator of all and the maker of all; likewise the guardian of all, and he wished to soften your inhumanity, and you persisted in it. He said to you: \"I know the calamity that is happening, I know the lamentations of the mothers, I know the wailing of the children; I see the land, which I made, being destroyed, and I wish to show kindness, but I do not wish to insult you, and without","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Πέτρος κόρην ἐφοβήθη","severity":"info","text":"The homilist compares Peter's fear of a servant girl (cf. Gal 2:11-14) to Elijah's fear of Jezebel, framing both as lapses in apostolic or prophetic courage.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ζῇ Κύριος, εἰ ἔσται ὑετὸς, εἰ μὴ διὰ στόματός μου","severity":"info","text":"This echoes the drought narrative in 1 Kings 17-18, where Elijah declares that rain will come only through his word, asserting divine authority.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰεζάβελ","severity":"info","text":"Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, is portrayed in 1 Kings 19:1-2 as threatening Elijah's life, prompting his flight to the wilderness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ποῦ ἔστιν ὁ ζῆλός σου, Ἠλία","severity":"info","text":"The passage uses a series of rhetorical questions to contrast Elijah's earlier boldness with his later fear, a common homiletic device to heighten moral tension.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀσπλαγχνίας","severity":"info","text":"The Greek term ἀσπλαγχνία (hard-heartedness, lack of compassion) is used to characterize Elijah's refusal to allow God to end the drought, a strong accusation in a homily.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἁμαρτή μασι","severity":"caution","text":"The Greek text has a space in ἁμαρτή μασι, likely a scribal or editorial artifact; it should be read as ἁμαρτήμασι (dative plural of ἁμάρτημα, 'sins').","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'τοῖς αὐτοῖς περιέπεσον ἁμαρτήμασι' could mean either 'they fell into the same sins' (as translated) or 'they fell into the same errors,' depending on whether the homilist treats Peter's and Elijah's actions as moral faults or strategic mistakes."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":19,"ref":"p19","source":"γνώμης σῆς ὑετὸν πέμψαι, ἵνα μὴ τῶν κακῶν μὲν σὺ αἴτιος ᾖς, τῶν δὲ καλῶν ξένος, ἀλλὰ τιμῶ σε. Ὢ Δεσπότου φιλανθρωπία εὐνοίᾳ δούλου νενικημένη! Ἀλλ' ὅμως πολλὴν αὐτὸς εἶχεν ἀπόνοιαν ὡς ἀναμάρτητος· νῦν δὲ ἐδείχθη καὶ αὐτὸς ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑποπεπτωκὼς, τοῦ Θεοῦ συγχωρήσαντος καὶ ἐπινοοῦντος, ἵνα ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς φιλανθρωπίας ἔτυχε, καὶ αὐτὸς ᾖ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους μὴ ἀπάνθρωπος. Καὶ ἔφυγε, φησὶν, Ἠλίας ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα. Ποῦ ἔστι τὰ ῥήματα ἐκεῖνα ἃ πρὸς τοὺς πεντηκοντάρχους εἰπὼν, κατέβησε πῦρ, καὶ τούτους κατέκαυσε; Θέλων οὖν δεῖξαι ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι καὶ ὅτε ἐποίει τὰ θαύματα, οὐκ αὐ τὸς ἦν ὁ ἐργαζόμενος, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις, καὶ βλέπε τί γίνεται. Ὅτε ὁ Θεὸς ἐνήργει, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἔπιπτον καὶ ἄρχοντες καὶ δῆμοι· ὅτε Θεὸς ἀπέστη, καὶ γυνὴ φοβερὰ ἐπέστη· ἀπέστη ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἠλέγχθη ἡ φύσις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ τὸ φυγεῖν Ἠλίαν ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα, ἦλθε καὶ ἐκάθευδεν ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ, καὶ ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Δεσπότης πρὸς τὸν δοῦλον, ὁ κηδεμὼν καὶ φιλάνθρωπος· καὶ τί φησιν; εἰδὼς μὲν διὰ τί ἦλθεν ἐκεῖ, ὅμως δὲ ἐρωτῶν· Τί ὧδε, Ἠλία; καὶ τί σὺ ὧδε; αἰνιττόμενος αὐτοῦ τὴν φυγὴν, ἀντὶ τοῦ. Ἔφυγες ποῦ ἔστιν ἡ παῤῥησία ἐκείνη; Ἵνα μάθῃς, μὴ σαυτῷ θαῤῥεῖν. Τί ὧδε, Ἠλία; καὶ τί σὺ ὧδε; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ὁ Ἠλίας ἀποκρίνεται, ἄλλα μὲν ἔχων ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ, ἄλλα δὲ λέγων. Τί γὰρ ὁ Ἠλίας πρὸς ταῦτα; Κύριε, τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήριά σου κατέσκαψαν, κἀγὼ ὑπελείφθην μόνος, καὶ ζη τοῦσι τὴν ψυχήν μου λαβεῖν αὐτήν. Τί οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός; εὐθὺς αὐτὸν ἐλέγχει. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἔφυγες, φησὶν, Ἠλία·","english":"of your judgment to send rain, so that you might not be the cause of evils and a stranger to good things, but I honor you. Oh, the philanthropy of the Master, conquered by the goodwill of a servant! Yet he himself had great arrogance as if he were sinless; but now he too has been shown to have fallen into sin, God having permitted and devised it, so that from the philanthropy he himself experienced, he might not be inhuman toward others. And Elijah fled, it says, a journey of forty days. Where are those words which he spoke to the fifty commanders, when he brought down fire and burned them up? So God, wishing to show that even when he performed the miracles, it was not he himself who was working, but the power of God, and see what happens. When God was active, kings fell, and rulers, and peoples; when God withdrew, a woman became formidable; God withdrew, and nature was exposed. But nevertheless, after Elijah fled for forty days, he came and slept in some place, and God comes to him, the Master to the servant, the guardian and philanthropist; and what does he say? Knowing why he came there, yet asking: \"What are you doing here, Elijah? And what are you doing here?\" hinting at his flight, meaning: \"You fled. Where is that boldness?\" So that you may learn not to trust in yourself. \"What are you doing here, Elijah? And what are you doing here?\" But nevertheless, Elijah answers, having one thing in his mind but saying another. For what does Elijah say to this? \"Lord, they killed your prophets, and they tore down your altars, and I alone was left, and they seek my soul to take it.\" What then does God say to him? He immediately refutes him. \"It is not for this that you fled, Elijah,\" he says.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"φιλανθρωπία","severity":"info","text":"The term 'philanthropy' here denotes God's benevolent condescension, a key theme in Chrysostom's homily, contrasting divine mercy with human arrogance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἠλίας ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα","severity":"info","text":"Elijah's forty-day flight echoes 1 Kings 19:3-8, where he flees Jezebel into the wilderness, a narrative Chrysostom uses to highlight human weakness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"πεντηκοντάρχους","severity":"info","text":"The 'fifty commanders' likely refers to Elijah's slaughter of Baal's prophets (1 Kings 18:40), though the term is not biblical; Chrysostom may draw on Jewish or early Christian tradition.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Τί ὧδε, Ἠλία;","severity":"info","text":"The repeated question 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' functions as a rhetorical device, emphasizing God's ironic rebuke and Elijah's misplaced self-reliance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν","severity":"info","text":"Elijah's complaint about slain prophets and destroyed altars reflects post-biblical haggadic expansions, possibly known to Chrysostom from oral tradition or earlier Christian exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἄλλα μὲν ἔχων ἐν τῇ γνώμῃ, ἄλλα δὲ λέγων","severity":"caution","text":"The phrase 'having one thing in mind but saying another' may imply Chrysostom's rhetorical critique of Elijah's evasion, but the exact nuance is ambiguous—whether it denotes deceit or psychological complexity.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'fifty commanders' is unclear; it may refer to a non-biblical tradition or a misreading of 1 Kings 18:40.","The phrase 'having one thing in mind but saying another' could be read as a moral judgment or a psychological observation."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":20,"ref":"p20","source":"οὐ γὰρ σὺ μόνος εἶ ὁ μὴ προσκυνήσας τῇ Βαάλ· εἶτα ἐπάγει ἐλέγχων αὐτόν· Κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτακισχιλίους ἄνδρας, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ Βαάλ.\n\nἬλεγξε τοίνυν αὐτὸν, ὅτι οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἔφυγεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν τῆς γυναικὸς φόβον ἀνεχόμενος· καὶ μία γυνὴ τὸν τοιοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον ἄνδρα δραπέτην καὶ φυγάδα ἐποίησεν, ἵνα μάθῃς, Ἠλία, ὅταν τι παράδοξον ποιῇς, μὴ σαυτῷ ἐπιγράφειν, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμει. Εἶδες πῶς ὅτε ἀπέστη ἡ χάρις, ἠλέγχθη ἡ φύσις; Ἔφυγεν Ἠλίας ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα. Ὢ φόβου ἐπίτασις! ὢ δειλίας ὑπερβολή! οὐ μίαν ἔφυγεν ἡμέραν, οὐ δευτέραν, οὐ τρίτην, ἀλλὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς πανερήμους κατέλαβεν, οὐ τροφὴν ἔχων, οὐ σιτηρέσιον ἐπαγόμενος· μεθύων γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου, τούτων οὐκ ἐφρόντιζεν, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀοικήτους ἐδίωκεν. Εἰσῆλθεν ὁ λόγος τῆς γυναικὸς εἰς τὸν προφήτην, καὶ καθάπερ ζέφυρος σφοδρῶς ἐμπεσὼν εἰς ἱστίον τῇ ῥύμῃ τὴν ὁλκάδα ἀποπέμπει· οὕτως ὁ λόγος τῆς γυναικὸς εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν προφήτην, μετὰ πολλῆς ῥύμης αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἐξέπεμψε. Ποῦ ἔστιν, Ἠλία, τὰ τῆς παῤῥησίας ἐκείνης; ποῦ τὸ στόμα τὸ φοβερόν; ποῦ ἡ γλῶττα ἡ ἡνίοχος τῶν ὄμβρων· ποῦ ὁ ἑκατέροις ἐπιτάττων τοῖς στοιχείοις, ποτὲ μὲν οὐρανὸν κλείων, ποτὲ δὲ πῦρ καλῶν ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως, ὡς προεῖπον, ταῦτα ἐποίει τῆς χάριτος ἐνεργούσης· διὸ καὶ ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ Θεοῦ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς μικρῷ ἁμαρτήματι συνεχωρήθη πεσεῖν ἵνα ὁλόκληρον χιτῶνα φιλανθρωπίας ἐνδύσηται; Λοιπὸν, Ἠλία, ἐπαιδεύθης, γενοῦ φιλάνθρωπος ὡς ὁ Δεσπότης σου, ἐξ ὧν ἐπαιδεύθης, ἐξ ὧν ἔμαθες παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου σου.","english":"For you are not the only one who did not bow to Baal. Then he brings a charge, refuting him: \"I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who did not bend the knee to Baal.\"\n\nHe refuted him, therefore, that he did not flee for this reason, but because he was overcome by fear of the woman. And one woman made such a great man a deserter and a fugitive, so that you might learn, Elijah, that when you do something extraordinary, you should not ascribe it to yourself, but to the power of God. Do you see how, when grace departed, nature was exposed? Elijah fled a journey of forty days. Oh, the intensity of fear! Oh, the excess of cowardice! He fled not one day, not a second, not a third, but forty days, and he took to the most desolate places, having no food, carrying no provisions; for, drunk with fear, he gave no thought to these things, but pursued the uninhabited regions. The word of the woman entered the prophet, and just as a strong west wind falling upon a sail sends the ship on its way with force, so the word of the woman, entering the prophet, sent him forth into the desert with great force. Where, Elijah, is that boldness of yours? Where is that fearsome mouth? Where is that tongue that drove the rains? Where is he who commanded both elements, at one time closing the sky, at another calling down fire upon the sacrifice? But yet, as I said before, he did these things when grace was active; therefore he is also rebuked by God. Do you see how he was permitted to fall by a small sin so that he might put on a whole garment of philanthropy? Henceforth, Elijah, you have been taught; be philanthropic like your Master, from what you have been taught, from what you have learned from your Master.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"οὐ γὰρ σὺ μόνος εἶ ὁ μὴ προσκυνήσας τῇ Βαάλ","severity":"info","text":"The phrase echoes 1 Kings 19:18, where Elijah claims 7,000 have not bowed to Baal, but Chrysostom reframes it as a rebuke of Elijah's pride.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"φιλανθρωπίας","severity":"info","text":"Philanthropia here denotes divine benevolence or mercy, a key virtue in Chrysostom's moral theology, contrasting with Elijah's earlier arrogance.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"ζέφυρος","severity":"info","text":"Zephyros, the west wind, is a classical literary trope for a strong, propelling force; Chrysostom adapts it to illustrate the woman's words driving Elijah into exile.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage moves from direct rebuke (Ἤλεγξε) to a series of rhetorical questions (Ποῦ ἔστιν, Ἠλία...) that heighten the dramatic contrast between Elijah's former power and his present fear.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom's interpretation of Elijah's flight as a lesson in humility and divine grace influenced later Byzantine homiletics, emphasizing God's pedagogy through human weakness.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"ἑπτακισχιλίους","severity":"caution","text":"The number 7,000 (ἑπτακισχιλίους) is not attested in the biblical account (1 Kings 19:18) and may reflect a textual variant or Chrysostom's rhetorical amplification.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The Greek text does not specify whether the 'seven thousand men' is a literal claim or a symbolic number; Chrysostom may be adapting a lost source or using hyperbole."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":21,"ref":"p21","source":"Εἶδες πῶς συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς μικρῷ ἁμαρτήματι περιπεσεῖν τοὺς στύλους ἐκείνους, τοὺς προβόλους, τοὺς πύργους; ἵνα μὴ τῷ ἑαυτῶν ἀναμαρτήτῳ πάντας ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκκόψωσιν· ἵνα ὅταν ἴδωσί τινα ἁμαρτήσαντα, καὶ θέλωσιν ἀσπλαγχνίαν ἐνδείξασθαι εἰς αὐτὸν, ἀναμνησθῶσι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἁμαρτίας, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτῷ μεταδώσωσι φιλανθρωπίας, ἧς καὶ αὐτοὶ τετυχήκασι παρὰ τοῦ Δεσπότου. Ταῦτα εἰρήκαμεν οὐ τῶν δικαίων κατηγοροῦντες, ἀλλ' ὑμῖν ὁδὸν σωτηρίας προκαταρτίζοντες, ἵνα ὅταν ἁμαρτήσητε, μὴ ἀπογνώσητε τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν πεπλημμεληκότων δικαίων, καὶ τῇ μετανοίᾳ τῆς τιμῆς μὴ ἐλαττωθέντων.\n\nΕἴπομεν δὲ αὐτῶν πρῶτον τὰς ἀρετὰς, καὶ τότε εἰσηγάγομεν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, εἰ καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς εἶ, μὴ ἀπολειφθῇς τῆς ἐκκλησίας· κἂν δίκαιος ᾖς, μὴ ἀπολειφθῇς, ἵνα ἔναυλον ἔχων τῶν Γραφῶν τὴν γνῶσιν δίκαιος διαμένῃς, μεμνημένος τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκείνων ὧν ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν· ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ Υἱῷ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.","english":"Do you see how God allowed those pillars, those bulwarks, those towers to fall into a small sin? So that they might not, by their own sinlessness, cut everyone off from the Church; so that when they see someone who has sinned and wish to show harshness toward him, they might remember their own sin and grant him the same compassion which they themselves have received from the Master. We have said these things not to accuse the righteous, but to prepare for you a path of salvation, so that when you sin, you may not despair of your own salvation by the memory of the righteous who have erred, and who were not diminished in honor by repentance.\n\nWe first spoke of their virtues, and then we introduced their sins. And you, therefore, even if you are a sinner, do not depart from the Church; and if you are righteous, do not depart, so that, having the knowledge of the Scriptures fresh in your mind, you may remain righteous, remembering the things concerning the kingdom of heaven and those good things which God has prepared for those who love him. For to him belongs glory, together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"στύλους ... προβόλους ... πύργους","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom piles three architectural metaphors for the righteous: pillars, bulwarks, towers. The accumulation stresses their foundational role in the Church, making the subsequent admission of their sin more striking.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"ἀσπλαγχνίαν","severity":"info","text":"Ἀσπλαγχνίαν (harshness, lack of compassion) is the opposite of φιλανθρωπίας (compassion, philanthropy). The contrast is central: the righteous must remember their own sin to avoid harsh judgment of others.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The passage concludes the homily with a two-part exhortation: first, a warning against despair for sinners, then a call to perseverance for the righteous. The final doxology (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is a standard closing formula.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"Chrysostom’s argument that God allowed even great saints to sin so that they would be merciful to others is a pastoral strategy found elsewhere in his corpus, e.g., in homilies on Matthew and on the statues.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν","severity":"info","text":"The phrase 'kingdom of heaven' (βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν) is a common New Testament expression (e.g., Matt 3:2, 4:17, 5:3) and here serves as the ultimate goal of the Christian life, reinforcing the homily’s soteriological focus.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"caution","kind":"caution","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The English draft renders 'ἀσπλαγχνίαν' as 'harshness' but the Greek more literally means 'lack of compassion' or 'pitilessness'. The translation is acceptable but loses the medical/visceral connotation of 'splanchna' (bowels) as seat of emotion.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the 'pillars, bulwarks, towers' is not specified in this passage; from the homily context they refer to Peter and Elijah, but the text does not name them here.","The phrase 'μικρῷ ἁμαρτήματι' (small sin) is left vague; the homily earlier recounts specific sins (e.g., Elijah's flight from Jezebel), but the passage does not detail them."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}