At the beginning of the indict

Amazing are the holidays of the Orthodox, solemn in memory of the martyrs, befitting the joy of the faithful! It is not time, changeable and impermanent, that we celebrate; We don’t honor a year, it’s a shortening of human life; we do not worship the movement that brings us closer to corruption; We do not serve the creature, because everything that exists is enslaved along with us; We do not honor substances, because the world was created from nothing. All this, just as it had a beginning of existence, is also subject to final decay. We do not revere the sky: we know that it is only a hardened king; we do not honor the firmament: we see in it only condensation (of air); We do not honor the light, because it was created by the word; we do not worship the moon because it is adorned with an image; we do not honor the earth because it arose from under the water; We do not honor fire, because it is a material element; we do not worship water, because it is flowing nature; we do not serve time because it is impermanent; We do not honor the day, because it is subject to order. Everything grows old with time, and time grows old along with everything; only God is not subject to time, as the last day will show. Pagans and Jews are brothers of iniquity, prey of the devil, descendants of sin, children of error, the darkness of godlessness, leaders of hell, serpents of wickedness, sons of destruction - let them celebrate wickedly, because they think ungodly. Let some serve error, let others flout the law, let both of them learn evil together - in mutual agreement. The Jews learned idolatry from the pagans, and the pagans learned propheticide from the Jews; After all, the Jews - under the law - adopted all the pagan errors. Are you indignant, Jew, hearing this? Remember the deeds, and do not consider this reproach to be heavy. Where have you not worshiped idols, tell me? In the desert you poured yourself a copper calf, after the victory you celebrated Beelphegor, in the land of the Moabites you worshiped Tamatz, in Palestine you sacrificed to Dagon, in Phenicia you served Ashtoreth, in captivity you honored Chemosh. It was rather the place that was lacking than the pagan abomination that you were not capable of. That is why your holidays are hated by the Lord. Listen to what the prophet says: Your holidays are hateful and disgusting to me, and your celebrations do not delight me (Is. 1:14). And it’s not surprising: after all, every Jewish holiday is accompanied by murder. While you were fasting, you stoned Naboth; while celebrating, he sawed Isaiah; rejoicing, he threw Jeremiah into the pit. In preparation for judgment and battles, you fasted wickedly; drunkenly, under Elijah, you delivered the ark of the covenant into the hands of foreigners; beheaded John. You should have cried rather than celebrate like that! And we celebrate divine and extraordinary events - the exploits of martyrs, the victories of the buried, the nets of the invisible, the healings of those who have departed, first of all the miracles of Christ and my God, which He performed, for the sake of my salvation, becoming a man, and then the suffering of His works: the crown of Stephen made of stones, the victory over the death of the glorious Lawrence, the virginity of Anna that did not lose its ruin. O trinity of preachers of the Trinity! Oh, remains, healing of the suffering! O dust, source of healing! O church that contains the beauty of the sky! Even the sea - a soulless element - silently cries out against you (heretics). To reprove my fellow servants [it says], I too will preach about the Master. The Creator’s foot does not burden me; Christ’s feet sanctify me. Moses divided me, but He sanctified me; I drown Jonah, but I tremble at Him; Noah I threaten with a flood, but I do not even dare to look at the One who created man with His hands. He sanctified the sea with His feet, glorified the sky with His throne, illuminated the earth with a manger, and enlightened hell with His tomb. I am not insensitive or ungrateful; as an element I acknowledge the Creator; I do not say with the Jews: “This man is not from God” (John 9:16), but I cry out with reverence: “He is my God, and I will glorify Him” (Exodus 15:2). I will show the properties of my nature, I will denounce the opinions of those defiled by murder, I will show the power of Him whose feet trampled me. They are my fellow servants, and He is the Master; With his fear I confuse them; The Lord walked on the sea with wet feet, and they, sailing on the ship, felt embarrassed; fear of danger forced them to scream, and the Lover of Mankind commanded not to be afraid: “It is I, do not be afraid” (Mark 6:50)! Take courage, having the anchor of faith: you have not been defiled by the filth of idolatry! Take heart: the Jewish storm did not drown you: Take heart: heretical agitation did not shake you! I am the co-beginning Word of the Father, the branch of the uncreated Beginning, the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, the Helmsman who preserves cities from destruction, the treasure of the Orthodox faith, who crowns the exploits of martyrs. "It's Me, don't be afraid"! Where God is, there is no danger - by the grace of God. To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria.