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In ingressum sanctorum jejuniorum

John Chrysostom · khazarzar

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machine-draft · no human review 3 passages · 516 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

This homily by John Chrysostom, titled 'On the Beginning of the Holy Fasts,' addresses the start of the Lenten season, likely delivered on the Sunday before Lent (Quinquagesima or Cheesefare Sunday). Chrysostom uses a genealogical metaphor to personify fasting, listing biblical figures as exemplars of asceticism, and contrasts true, law-abiding fasting with mere abstinence. The text emphasizes the eschatological rewards of fasting, such as the heavenly kingdom and eternal life. Surviving in multiple manuscripts, the homily was incorporated into Byzantine liturgical tradition as a reading for the preparatory period of Great Lent, influencing later monastic typika. The edition by khazarzar lacks critical apparatus, leaving textual decisions and manuscript divergences unassessed.

This homily is significant for its role in shaping Byzantine Lenten spirituality and liturgy, as it was read during the preparatory period for Great Lent. It exemplifies Chrysostom's rhetorical skill in using metaphor and biblical exempla to encourage ethical fasting. The text also highlights the 4th-century ascetic movement's influence on urban Christian practice, linking desert monastic ideals to congregational life.

Historical context

The homily is attributed to John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), a prominent Church Father known for his eloquent preaching. It was likely delivered in Antioch during his presbyterate (c. 386–397), a period when he produced many Lenten homilies. The text reflects the 4th-century Christian practice of Lenten fasting, which was becoming more structured in the Eastern Church. The community addressed was primarily urban, Greek-speaking Christians in Antioch, a major center of early Christianity. The homily survives in Greek manuscripts, but the specific manuscript family or recension used by the khazarzar edition is unspecified. Its incorporation into Byzantine liturgical books, such as the Triodion, ensured its transmission through monastic and ecclesiastical networks. The work relates to other Lenten homilies by Chrysostom and to broader patristic literature on asceticism, including writings by Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

17 commentary units 4 structure3 term3 scripture3 background3 reception1 sense 0 derived notes 3 open questions 3 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • coverageNo 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.
  • limitThe 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.
  • registerRegister: other in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 3 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-ingressum-sanctorum-jejuniorum:1 · narrativehigh
Source
Εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν. Ἀνέτειλεν ἡμῖν σήμερον, ἀγαπητοὶ, τὸ φαιδρὸν ἔαρ τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν, καὶ προθύμως παρασκευάζει συντρέχειν εἰς τὸν θεοπρεπῆ τοῦτον παράδεισον, ὥστε τοὺς τῆς ἐγκρατείας ἀποτρυγῆσαι καρποὺς, καὶ τὰ τερπνὰ τῆς ἁγνείας δρεψαμένους ἄνθη, πλέξαι τὸν τῆς σωφροσύνης στέφανον. Πάλιν ἡμᾶς καλεῖ ὁ ἀγγελικὸς βίος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχαίαν τρυφὴν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν θείαν ἐκείνην καὶ μακαρίαν ἀπόλαυσιν ἡμῖν ἐπανοίγει πύλας. Μεγάλην πρὸς Θεὸν παρέχει παῤῥησίαν ἡ ἑκούσιος νηστεία, καθαίρουσα μὲν τὰ σώματα διὰ τῆς ἐγκρατείας, ἁγιάζουσα δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν παῤῥησίας, καὶ τῶν μὲν γηΐνων ἁπάντων ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι ποιοῦσα, τῶν δὲ οὐρανίων ἐπιθυμεῖν παρασκευάζουσα. Νηστεία τοὺς ἑαυτῆς ἐραστὰς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάγουσα, τῷ Χριστῷ παρεστάναι ποιεῖ, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἔχειν τὴν κοινωνίαν. Ὁ πατὴρ τῆς νηστείας, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐστὶν ὁ νόμος τοῦ Θεοῦ· μήτηρ δὲ αὐτῆς ἐγκράτεια, ὑπομονὴ, ἀρετή· θυγατέρες αὐτῆς ἄσκησις, ἁγνεία, σωφροσύνη· υἱοὶ δὲ γνήσιοι Μωϋσῆς, Ἠλίας, Δανιὴλ, Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστὴς, καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς τῶν ἁγίων χορὸς, μάλιστα τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις ἀναχωρησάντων καὶ ἀσκητῶν· φίλαι δὲ αὐτῆς εἰσι πίστις, ἐλπὶς καὶ ἀγάπη· συνόμιλοι δὲ εἰρήνη, πραότης, ὁμόνοια· θεραπαινίδες δὲ αὐτῆς δοξολογία, ψαλμῳδία διηνεκὴς, εὐχὴ καθαρά· σύμβιος δὲ αὐτῆς ὁ φόβος τοῦ Θεοῦ· οἱ δὲ καρποὶ τῆς τούτων συμβιώσεώς εἰσιν ἁγιότης, ἀφθαρσία, παῤῥησία πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, βασιλεία οὐράνιος, ζωὴ αἰώνιος.
English
On the Entry of the Holy Fasts. The bright spring of the holy fasts has dawned for us today, beloved, and it eagerly prepares us to hasten into this godly paradise, so that we may pluck the fruits of temperance and, having gathered the pleasant flowers of chastity, weave the crown of self-control. Again the angelic life calls us to the ancient delight and opens gates for us to that divine and blessed enjoyment. Voluntary fasting provides great confidence before God, purifying the body through temperance and sanctifying the soul through confidence before God, causing us to forget all earthly things and preparing us to desire heavenly ones. Fasting, leading its lovers to the heavens, makes them stand before Christ and have communion with the saints. The father of fasting, beloved, is the law of God; its mother is temperance, patience, virtue; its daughters are asceticism, chastity, self-control; its true sons are Moses, Elijah, Daniel, John the Baptist, and the rest of the choir of saints, especially those who withdrew into the deserts and the ascetics; its friends are faith, hope, and love; its companions are peace, gentleness, harmony; its handmaidens are doxology, continuous psalmody, pure prayer; its spouse is the fear of God; and the fruits of this union are holiness, incorruptibility, confidence before God, the heavenly kingdom, eternal life.
khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-ingressum-sanctorum-jejuniorum:2 · narrativehigh
Source
Διὸ, ἀγαπητοὶ, οἱ μὲν ἐρασταὶ τῆς νηστείας, τὸν νόμον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἔχοντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, νηστεύουσιν εἰλικρινῶς, ἄνομοι δὲ οὐ νηστεύουσι. Καὶ οἱ μὲν δίκαιοι νηστεύουσι διαπαντὸς εὐσεβοῦντες, καὶ τὸν νόμον Θεοῦ μελετῶντες καὶ πληροῦντες, τήν τε ἁγνείαν ἀγαπῶντες, καὶ τὴν σωφροσύνην περιπτυσσόμενοι, μέθης ἐλευθερούμενοι, καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ προσκολλώμενοι· οἱ δὲ ἄνομοι οὐχὶ νηστεύουσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης κακίας καὶ σατανικῆς ἐνεργείας πεπληρωμένοι τυγχάνουσι· πᾶσα ἀσωτία καὶ ἀσέβεια καὶ παρανομία παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐμπορεύεται· παρ' αὐτοῖς λόγοι αἰσχροὶ, γέλωτες ἀκρατεῖς, καὶ σχήματα διαβολικά· παρ' αὐτοῖς γαστριμαργία καὶ μέθη καὶ ἀκαταστασία συντριβήσεται. Πολλὰ γὰρ ὄντως τὰ ἐκ τῆς μέθης κακά. Οἱ γὰρ καταμεθυσθέντες τῷ οἴνῳ, τὰς φρένας σκοτοδινιῶσιν, ὥσπερ οἱ παραπαίοντες καὶ τῶν φρενῶν ἐξιστάμενοι, καὶ ὧδε κἀκεῖσε περιφερόμενοι, τοίχῳ τε ἀπὸ τοίχου προσαρασσόμενοι, ἀπρεπῶς τε ἐνσειόμενοι τοῖς ἀπαντῶσι, καὶ ἀσχημόνως φερόμενοι κατὰ γῆς. Διὸ, ἀγαπητοὶ, φύγωμεν τὴν τοιαύτην αἰσχύνην, καὶ προθύμως νηστεύσωμεν μετὰ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ, πίστει βεβαιούμενοι, νόμῳ στηριζόμενοι, σωφροσύνῃ κοσμούμενοι, ἁγνείᾳ καλλωπιζόμενοι, ὄμμα σωφρονίζοντες, λογισμὸν ἁγιάζοντες, ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ καὶ καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ προσευχόμενοι, τὰ πρόσκαιρα ἀποκτώμενοι, καὶ τὰ αἰώνια ἀντικτώμενοι.
English
Therefore, beloved, those who are lovers of fasting, having the law of God in their hearts, fast sincerely, while the lawless do not fast. And the righteous fast continually, being pious, and studying and fulfilling the law of God, loving chastity and embracing temperance, being freed from drunkenness, and cleaving to Christ; but the lawless not only do not fast, but are also filled with every vice and satanic activity; all debauchery, impiety, and lawlessness are trafficked among them; among them are shameful words, unrestrained laughter, and diabolical postures; among them gluttony, drunkenness, and disorder will be shattered. For indeed many are the evils from drunkenness. For those who are intoxicated with wine have their minds darkened, like those who are deranged and out of their senses, and are carried here and there, dashed from wall to wall, indecently jostling those they meet, and behaving unseemly on the ground. Therefore, beloved, let us flee such shame, and eagerly fast with fear of God, being confirmed in faith, supported by law, adorned with temperance, beautified with chastity, disciplining the eye, sanctifying the mind, praying with great patience and a pure heart, acquiring the temporal, and gaining the eternal in exchange.
khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-ingressum-sanctorum-jejuniorum:3 · narrativehigh
Source
Εἴ τις γὰρ εἰλικρινῶς νηστεύει, Χριστὸν μιμεῖται, γενόμενος ἐπὶ γῆς ἀγγέλοις ὁμοιοῦται, προφήτας ζηλοῖ, ἀποστόλοις κοινωνεῖ, καὶ ὅλως ἐναλλαγεὶς τὴν φύσιν διὰ τῆς νηστείας γίνεται δίκαιος ἐξ ἀδίκου, ἀγαθὸς ἐκ πονηροῦ, ἐξ ἀσεβοῦς εὐσεβὴ, καὶ οὕτω Χριστὸν κληρονομεῖ, τὸν θησαυρὸν τῆς ζωῆς· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ ἀνάρχῳ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ζωοποιῷ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
English
For if someone fasts sincerely, he imitates Christ, becomes like the angels on earth, emulates the prophets, communes with the apostles, and altogether, having his nature transformed through fasting, becomes just from unjust, good from evil, pious from impious, and thus inherits Christ, the treasure of life. May it be granted to all of us to attain this, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and power, together with the Father who is without beginning and the life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Citation. Tergwame, “In ingressum sanctorum jejuniorum”, khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-ingressum-sanctorum-jejuniorum:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/khazarzar-john-chrysostom-in-ingressum-sanctorum-jejuniorum#s1
Colophon. Source: khazarzar · licence: Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0018 · generated 2026-11-15.