The message is that whoever does not harm himself cannot be harmed by anyone.

Treatise of St. John Chrysostom “The message that whoever does not harm himself cannot be harmed by anyone” (17 chapters) has the form of an epistle and was written in the winter of 406-407. in Kukus (now Goksun, a city in one of the provinces of Turkey). The work is closely related to the saint’s letters to Deaconess Olympias, addressed to her and all those who suffered due to the persecution of St. John. The saint says that nothing can harm a person without his consent. For a person’s will there is always the opportunity to avoid the only thing that can harm him - vice: “If someone suffers harm and insults, he certainly suffers from himself, and not from others, even if there are many people who offend and oppress him. And if someone does not suffer from himself, then, even if all the inhabitants of the whole earth and sea attack him, they cannot cause the slightest harm to one who is vigilant about the Lord and attentive.” The true value of human life lies not in health, position or wealth, for all these are easy to lose, but in the preservation of right teaching and righteous life. Saint John writes that the Holy Scripture has outlined for us a great and sublime picture of the life of the ancients - from Adam to Christ, describes the fallen and the crowned, so that by their example we can be convinced that whoever does not harm himself cannot harm anyone else. The saint gives the example of the three youths in the cave and the prophet Daniel, who were ready to suffer for the truth both in chains and in fire. Their victory began even when they, with courage and freedom, appeared before the king and denounced his wickedness: “But then God,” you say, “appeared to them and delivered them from the flames.” Exactly like that; but if you do everything on your part, then, of course, after that God will do everything on His part.” *The title of the work in Greek is ῞Οτι τὸν αυτὸν μὴ ἀδικοῦντα οὐδες παραβλάψαι δύναται. *The title of the essay in Latin is Quod nemo laeditur nisi a se ipso. 1. I know that for rude people, partial to the present, clinging to the earth and servile to sensual pleasures, and not very disposed towards spiritual objects, the real word will seem unusual and strange; they will laugh loudly and condemn us, as if we were saying incredible things from the very beginning of our speech. However, we will not abandon our intention, but for this very reason we will begin with great zeal to prove what we have proposed. And if such people want to wait until the end of the conversation without embarrassment or worry, then I am sure that they will agree with us, will condemn themselves for their previous error, will begin to say the opposite, apologize and ask for forgiveness for the fact that they had the wrong understanding of things, and will thank us a lot, just as patients thank doctors when they get rid of the diseases that tormented their body. Therefore, do not express to me the judgment you now have, but wait for the consequences of our words, and then you will be able to pronounce a true verdict, since nothing through ignorance will interfere with the true judgment. Likewise, in everyday matters, sitting judges, although they see that the first speaker speaks powerfully and drowns everything with his eloquence, do not dare pronounce a sentence before they listen with patience to another who contradicts him; but even if the first one seemed to be telling the truth, they retain impartial attention to the other. This is the dignity of judges: having learned the case from both sides with complete accuracy, they can then pronounce their own judgment. So now the general prejudice among people, which over time has taken root in the minds of many, like some orator, throughout the universe proclaims and says this: everything has degenerated in the human race, there is great confusion everywhere, every day many suffer insults, oppression, oppression, damage, the weak from the strong, the poor from the rich; and just as it is impossible to count the waves of the sea, so are the multitudes of the offended, the oppressed, the suffering; neither the effect of laws, nor the fear of judgment, and nothing stops this infection and disease, but evil increases every day; Everywhere there is groaning, crying, tears of the offended, and the judges appointed to correct this themselves increase the storm and intensify the disease. Therefore, many of the foolish and unfortunate, falling into extraordinary fury, blame the providence of God when they see that the humble are often dragged, tormented, tormented, and the daring, insolent, dishonest and descended from the dishonest are enriched, invested with power, are terrible for many, cause countless disasters to the humble, and these injustices happen in cities, and in villages, and in deserts, and on land, and at sea. So, we need to offer this word to refute the above, setting out on a feat, although unusual and terrible, as I said at the beginning, but beneficial, fair and useful for those who want to listen and learn. It will be proven (do not be afraid) that everyone who is offended suffers harm not from others, but from himself. 2. And so that our speech may be clearer, let us first of all examine what harm is and what kind of things it usually concerns; also, what is the perfection of a person, what harms him, and what harms him only apparently, but in fact does not harm him. For example, - you need to confirm the speech with examples, - every thing suffers harm from something: iron from rust, wool from moths, flocks of sheep from wolves. The quality of wine is lost when it changes taste and oxidizes; and the quality of honey is when it is deprived of its inherent sweetness and changes into a bitter liquid. Bread in the field is harmed by rot and drought, grape fruits, leaves and branches are harmed by an evil swarm of locusts, other trees are harmed by worms, and the bodies of the dumb are harmed by various diseases; but in order not to spread the word too much by counting everything, let’s say that our body is also harmed by fevers, relaxations and many other diseases. So, if for each of these objects there is something that damages its quality, then let’s see what harms the human race and what damages the perfection of man. Many see different and unusual reasons. We need to express erroneous opinions and, having refuted them, then point out what truly harms our dignity, and clearly prove that no one could do us injustice or cause harm if we did not give ourselves away. Many, in their erroneous opinions, consider different things harmful to our dignity - some poverty, others bodily illness, others loss of property, others slander, others death, and they constantly lament and cry about this, and pitying those who experience this, mourning them and being amazed, they say to each other: “What a misfortune happened to so-and-so - he suddenly lost all his property!” And another says about something else: “So-and-so suffered a severe illness, and the doctors visiting him despaired of his life!” One laments and cries about those imprisoned, another about those expelled from the fatherland and sent into exile, another about those deprived of freedom, another about those kidnapped by enemies and taken prisoner, another about someone drowned or burned, another about someone crushed by a collapsed building. But no one cries for those who live wickedly, but what is worse, they often even call them happy; this is the cause of all evil. So, - but do not be afraid, as I asked at the beginning - we will show that none of the above harms a cautious person and cannot harm his dignity. Truly, tell me, what harm is caused to the dignity of a person by the fact that he was deprived of all his property, or that everything was taken from him by slanderers, robbers, or domestic villains? However, if you wish, let us depict in advance what the dignity of man consists of, first pointing out other beings in order to make speech more intelligible and clearer for many. 3. What is the kindness of a horse? Is it that he has a golden bridle and the same girth, a lot of blankets made of silk fabrics, carpets of different colors and gold woven, plaques with precious stones and a mane intertwined with gold ribbons, or that he is fast on the run, strong in his legs, performs slenderly and has hooves, which a good horse should have, is gifted with strong strength to cover large spaces, to be fit for war, to stand in the ranks with great courage, and in case of flight to save the rider? Isn't it obvious that the horse's goodness lies in the latter, and not in the former? What would you also call the kindness of donkeys and hinnies? Is it not that they can easily carry heavy loads, travel comfortably and have feet as hard as stone? Shall we say that something externally placed upon them increases their own goodness? No. Which grapes do we praise: the one with many leaves and branches, or the one laden with fruit? In what way do we supply kindness and olives: is it when it has large branches and a lot of leaves, or when it bears abundant fruits and is all dotted with them? Let us do the same in relation to people: we will determine the dignity of a person, and we will consider only that which harms him to be harmful to him. What is human dignity? Not in wealth - so that you fear poverty; not in physical health - so as to be afraid of illness; not in the opinion of the people - so as to look at the bad rumors; not in an empty and aimless life - so that death would be terrible for you; and not in freedom - so as to escape slavery - but in strict observance of the true teaching and in a virtuous life. And the devil himself cannot take this away from someone who, having it, preserves it with due care. The most crafty and cruel demon knows about this. Therefore, he deprived Job of his property, not in order to make him poor, but in order to force him to utter some blasphemous word; and his body was struck not to make him sick, but to shake the virtue of his soul. But despite the fact that he used all his cunning, he turned from a rich man into a poor man (which seems the most terrible thing to us), from a man of many children into a childless man, and tore his whole body to pieces much worse than the executioners in the courts (after all, their claws did not tear the ribs of those who fell into their hands the way the mouths of worms gnawed at his flesh), and spread a bad rumor about him (after all, friends in his presence said that he was not sufficiently punished for his sins, and brought many accusations against him), and not only from the city or from the house he expelled him and moved him to another city, but the stinking litter made him both a home and a city - however, not only did it not harm him in the least, but with his machinations he made him even more glorious. He not only did not take any of Job’s property, although he took so much, but he gave him even greater wealth - virtues. Truly, Job began to have greater boldness after that, as if he had fought the most difficult feat. If the one who suffered so much, and, moreover, suffered not from a person, but from the most evil demon of all people, did not suffer any harm, then who after that can have an excuse when he says: “So-and-so did injustice and caused harm”? If the devil, filled with such malice, having used all his weapons and shot all the arrows and all the disasters that happen to people, turning in abundance on both the house and the body of the righteous, did not do any harm to this man, but, as I said, brought him even more benefit, then how can others blame one or the other, as if they suffered harm from them, and not from themselves? 4. How, you say, didn’t the devil harm Adam, bring him to his fall and expel him from paradise? No, it was not he who did this, but the negligence of the fallen, inattention to himself and lack of vigilance. The one who, having used so many and such means, could not defeat Job, could he have overcome Adam with less effort if he, through his negligence, had not betrayed himself? How? Is it possible that the one whose property was taken away through the machinations of slanderers did not suffer harm, having lost all his property, lost his paternal inheritance and fallen into extreme poverty? He did not suffer harm, but also received benefit if he is attentive to himself. Tell me, what harm did this cause to the apostles? Did they not ceaselessly struggle with hunger, thirst and nakedness? But that is why they themselves were very glorious and famous and received great help from God. What harm did illness, wounds, poverty, and helpless loneliness cause to Lazarus? Isn’t this especially why the crowns were woven for him? What harm was there for Joseph from the fact that there was a bad rumor about him both in his own land and in someone else's? He was considered both a libertine and a fornicator. Did slavery hurt him? Did being removed from your homeland hurt? Isn’t that why we especially admire him and are amazed at him? But what am I talking about being removed from the fatherland, about poverty, bad rumors and slavery? What harm did death itself cause to Abel, death both violent and untimely, and inflicted by a brother’s hand? Isn’t that why he is glorified throughout the universe? Do you see how my speech proved more than it promised? She showed that not only does no one suffer harm from anyone else, but those who are attentive to themselves receive even greater benefit. “Why,” you say, “punishment and torment? What is Gehenna for? Why so many threats if no one is harmed and no one is harmed?” What are you saying? Why do you mix expressions? I did not say that no one does harm, but that no one suffers harm. “How,” you say, “can it be that no one suffers harm when many do harm?” Just like I just said. Joseph was harmed by his brothers, but he himself was not harmed; and Cain plotted against Abel, but he received no harm from the malice. That's what punishment and torment are for. God does not abolish punishment for the virtue of the afflicted, but for the wickedness of the wicked God determines torment. Although those who suffer from attackers become more glorious, this does not depend on the intentions of those who are malicious, but on the courage of those who are being attacked. Therefore, the latter determines and prepares rewards for wisdom, and the first punishes for malice. Are you deprived of wealth? Say: “naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I will return” (“naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I will depart”) (Job 1:21); Add also the apostolic saying: “We brought nothing into the world; It is obvious that we cannot take anything out of it "("For we have brought nothing into this world: surely we can bring forth anything that we can") (1 Tim. 6:7). Is there a bad rumor about you and they shower you with countless slander? Remember the following saying: "Woe to you when all people speak well of you!" (“Woe to you, when all men speak good to you.”) (Luke 6:26); and again: “when... they call your name dishonored... Rejoice in that day and be glad” (“Rejoice... and leap... when... they call your name evil”) (Luke 6:22, 23). Have you been exiled outside your fatherland? Imagine that you do not have a fatherland here, but if you want to be wise, then you are commanded to consider the whole land alien. Have you been exposed to a cruel illness? Say the apostolic words: “even if our outer man decays, yet our inner man is renewed day by day” (“even if... our outer man decays, yet the inner man is renewed all the days”) (2 Cor. 4:16). Has anyone suffered a violent death? Imagine John and his head, cut off in prison, brought on a platter and given as a reward for the dance of a harlot. Imagine and the rewards for this: all these sufferings, when they are inflicted on someone unjustly, cleanse sins and bring righteousness. So great is the benefit from them for those who endure them courageously! 5. So, if neither deprivation of wealth, nor slander and slander, nor exile, nor illness and suffering, nor death itself, which seems most terrible, does not harm those experiencing this, but still brings benefit, then from what, show me, can someone suffer harm when from this he does not suffer any harm? On the contrary, I will try to prove that those who especially suffer harm, experience torment and suffer incurably are those who inflict this on others. Who could be more unfortunate than Cain, who did this to his brother? Who is more pitiful than the wife of Philip, who cut off John’s head, or Joseph’s brothers, who sold him and sent him abroad? Who is more unfortunate than the devil, who subjected Job to such calamities? After all, he will suffer a great punishment not only for other deeds, but also for this malice. Do you see how here, too, our word showed more than what was promised, i.e., that not only the oppressed do not suffer any harm from the evildoers, but even everything turns to the benefit of the evildoers? Truly, if it is not wealth, and not freedom, and not life in the fatherland, and not any of the above that constitutes the dignity of a person, but the virtues of the soul, then it follows that when harm concerns those goods, then human dignity does not suffer harm at all. What if someone were to lose spiritual wisdom? And in this case, when receiving harm, he suffers it not from another, but actually from himself. How, you say, on your own behalf? When, experiencing scourging from someone, or confiscation of property, or other grave oppression, he utters a blasphemous word, then here he suffers harm and very great harm, but not from the oppressor, but from his own cowardice. I said before, and now I will say: no man, even if he was a thousand times evil, can attack anyone more fiercely and with greater rage than the evil demon and our implacable enemy the devil, however, this evil demon could not overcome and overthrow a man who lived before the law and before grace, although he shot so many stinging arrows at him from all sides. Such is the nobility of the soul! And Pavel? Did he not suffer so many disasters that it is difficult to count? He lived in prisons, was bound in chains, led from place to place, suffered scourging from the Jews, was stoned, was tormented on the back not only with belts, but also with rods, drowned in the sea, often fell into the hands of robbers, suffered persecution from fellow citizens, was constantly struck by enemies and acquaintances, was subjected to countless attacks, struggled with hunger and nakedness, and other constant and incessant sufferings and sorrows. But why talk too much? He died every day, and yet, enduring so many such calamities, he not only did not utter a single blasphemous word, but rejoiced and boasted about it. In one place he says: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings” (“I rejoice in my sufferings”) (Col. 1:24); in another: “And not only this, but we also boast in our sorrows” (“Not exactly, but we also boast in our sorrows”) (Rom. 5:3). If, during such suffering, he rejoiced and boasted, then what excuse, what justification will you have when you cannot bear even the slightest part of them, but blaspheme? 6. “But,” you say, “I suffer harm in another way - in that, if I do not blaspheme, then, having lost my wealth, I become unfit to give alms.” This is an excuse and an excuse! If you grieve about this, then know for sure that poverty is not an obstacle to almsgiving. Even if you were a thousand times poor, you are still no poorer than the one who had only a handful of flour (1 Kings 17:12), and the one who had only two mites (Luke 21:2), of which both, having spent all their property on the poor, received wondrous praise; and great poverty was not an obstacle to such great love of mankind, but alms, consisting of two mites, was so rich and significant that it eclipsed all the rich, and in wealth of disposition and excess of zeal it surpassed those who gave many staters. Consequently, here too you do not suffer harm, but you receive even greater benefit, through a small offering acquiring crowns more brilliant in comparison with those who put in a lot. However, even if we have said this a thousand times, carnal souls who love worldly pleasures and are addicted to real blessings will not easily agree to leave these fading flowers (such are the pleasures of real life) and will not dare to leave these shadows, but even the best of people strive for these and other blessings, and the most unfortunate and pitiful mostly pursue the blessings here, and very little after those there. Let us tear off the shiny and beautiful mask from the vile and ugly face of these objects and show the abomination of the fornicator. After all, this is precisely the life spent in voluptuousness, love of money and ambition: it is vile, ugly, filled with great abomination, unpleasant, painful and full of bitterness. Truly, those captivated by it are completely devoid of excuse, especially because for them this life is dear and desirable, full of troubles and great bitterness, consisting of countless evils, dangers, bloodshed, abysses, pitfalls, murders, fear, trembling, envy, hatred, deceit, and incessant worries and worries, which does not bring any benefit and does not bring any fruit from such disasters, except torment, punishment and eternal suffering. Despite the fact that it is such, it seems to many to be blissful and desirable, which, however, serves as a sign of the madness of those captured, and not of the bliss of possessing it itself. Likewise, small children chase after toys and admire them, but have no idea about objects characteristic of adults. But for those, the excuse is imperfect age, and these have no excuse, having a childish mind at a perfect age and acting even more senselessly than children. Why, tell me, is wealth coveted? I need to start talking about it, because for many infected with this cruel disease, it seems more precious than health, and life, and popular praise, and good opinion, and the fatherland, and family, and friends, and relatives, and everything else. The flames of this fire reach to the very clouds; both land and sea were embraced by the fire of this furnace. No one extinguishes this flame, but everyone fans it - both those who have already been captured and those who have not yet been captured, in order to be captured. Everyone can see how everyone, man and woman, slave and free, rich and poor, each according to his own strength, day and night, bears the burden that provides great food to this fire, a burden not of wood and brushwood (that is not what this flame is), but of souls and bodies, unrighteousness and lawlessness. This is what usually maintains such a flame. The rich never abandon this insane passion, even if they have mastered the entire universe, and the poor try to catch up with them, and some kind of incurable competition, unbridled rage and incurable disease engulfs the souls of everyone. This love overcame all other love and drove it out of the soul; they do not look at friendship or kinship - what I say: “friendship and kinship” - even at wife and children, than whom nothing can be more amiable for husbands; but everything was abandoned and trampled underfoot, because this cruel and inhuman mistress took possession of the souls of all those captives. Truly, she, like an inhuman mistress, like a cruel mistress, like a ferocious barbarian, like a popular and greedy harlot, shames, torments and exposes to countless dangers and torments those who surrendered to her slavery; but no matter how terrible and stern she is, no matter how rude and fierce, although she has a barbaric face, or rather, brutal and fiercer than that of a wolf and a lion, to those captivated by her she seems meek, gracious and sweeter than honey. She daily forges swords and weapons for them, digs abysses, drags them to abysses, rapids and pitfalls and weaves for them countless nets of torment; and yet her captives and those who want to be captives think that she makes them happy. Just as a pig, wallowing in uncleanness and dirt, is comforted and delighted, just like beetles, constantly digging in manure, so those devoted to the love of money are more unhappy than these animals: the abomination here is greater and the dirt is more fetid. Indulging in passion, they think to receive great pleasure from it - which depends not on the property of the object itself, but on the soul suffering from such madness. And this is worse than bestial madness. Just as the reason that animals remain in mud and dung is not the dirt and dung, but the senselessness of the animals that end up there, so think about people. 7. But how can we heal such people? For this it is necessary that they want to open their ears to us and dispose their minds to accept our words. Dumb animals cannot be corrected and diverted from an unclean life, because they are without reason; and the noblest creatures, gifted with both reason and speech, that is, people, if they want, can conveniently and very easily be turned away from this filth, stench, uncleanness and abomination. Why does wealth seem precious to you, man? Of course, by the pleasure received from meals? By honor and the multitude of servants who please you for him? Because you can take revenge on those who insult you and be terrible to everyone? You cannot imagine any other reasons other than pleasure, flattery, fear and revenge, because usually wealth does not make anyone wiser, more chaste, humble, or more prudent, does not make anyone kind or philanthropic, does not place anger, the womb, or pleasures above, does not teach moderation or humility, and does not instill or implant any other virtue in the soul. You cannot say that you sought and desired it for any of these reasons, because not only is it not capable of planting or growing anything good, but even if it finds good that is already in a person, it damages, stops and dries him up; and others completely destroy and introduce the opposite of that - immeasurable intemperance, obscene irritability, unjust anger, pride, arrogance, madness. However, I will not talk about this, because those suffering from such a disease, having completely given themselves over to pleasure and become its slaves, do not tolerate hearing about virtue and vice and seeing themselves at the same time condemned and exposed. Let us leave the conversation about this and put something else into perspective; let us see whether wealth gives any pleasure or any honor. I see everything the opposite. And first, if you wish, let us pay attention to the meals of the rich and the poor, and ask those who eat: which of them especially receives pure and true pleasure? Those who recline on benches all day long, combine dinners with lunches, fill their stomachs, dull their senses, sink their boat with excessive weight of food and burden their ship, sinking their body, as if in a shipwreck, bind their feet, and hands, and tongue, and their whole body with chains of drunkenness and satiety, which are heavier than iron chains, do not have proper and clean sleep, there are are not free from terrible dreams, they become more miserable than those who are raging, arbitrarily taking some demon into their souls, they become a laughing stock for slaves, or, better, an object of pity and tears for the meekest of them, they do not recognize anyone present, they cannot say or listen to anything, but are carried in the arms of others from the bench to the bed? Or those who are sober and watchful, determine the measure (of food and drink) by need, sail with a fair wind, and find the greatest pleasure in food and drink in hunger and thirst? After all, nothing gives such pleasure and health as taking food and drink when hungry and thirsty, measuring satiety by one need, not transgressing its limits and not burdening the body beyond its strength. 8. If you do not believe my words, then look at the body of both of them and at the soul of each of them. Is it not those who live in moderation (do not point out to me the rare cases when someone is in poor health due to some other circumstance, but judge by what always and incessantly happens) - is it not in those who live in moderation that the body is healthy, the senses are bright and carry out their work with great ease, but among those who are immoderate it is weak, softer than any wax and susceptible to many diseases? They soon have gout, and unpleasant shaking of the body, and untimely old age, and headaches, and relaxation and indigestion, and loss of appetite, and they constantly need doctors, constant medications and daily treatment. Is this, tell me, pleasure? Who would call it that among those who know what pleasure is? Pleasure occurs when satisfaction follows appetite; if satisfaction is achieved, but there is no appetite at all, then pleasure is lost and disappears. That is why the sick, even if the most pleasant food lies in front of them, eat it with disgust and, as it were, with unpleasantness, because they do not have the appetite that makes satisfaction pleasant. After all, it is not the quality of food and drink, but the appetite of those who partake that usually produces desire and gives pleasure. Therefore, one good man, who knew pleasure exactly and knew how to judge it, said: “A well-fed soul tramples on the honeycomb” (“The soul in the fullness of its existence swears at the honeycomb”) (Prov. 27:7), expressing that pleasure lies not in the nature of the meal, but in the disposition of those who partake. Therefore, the prophet, counting the miracles that happened in Egypt and in the desert, among other things, said that God would “satisfy them with honey from the rock” (“from the stone would satisfy them with honey”) (Ps. 81:17), although nowhere is it visible that the stone would exude honey for them. What do these words mean? Since the Jews, tired from work and travel and greatly tormented by thirst, fell down to the cold streams, receiving great pleasure as a result of thirst, he, wanting to represent this pleasure from drinking water, called the water honey, not because it changed into honey, but because the pleasantness of the water was equal to its sweetness, since those who drank the water then approached it with thirst. If this is so, and no one can contradict this, even if it were the most senseless, then isn’t it obvious that at the meals of the poor there is pure, true and great pleasure, and, as the wise man said, “every bitter thing is sweet” (Prov. 27:7), and at the meals of the rich there is unpleasantness, disgust and disgust. 9 . “But wealth,” you say, “gives respect to those who have it and convenience to take revenge on their enemies.” So, tell me, does wealth seem dear and desirable to you because it fuels the strongest passions in us, activates anger, raises the love of fame to the highest degree, puffs us up and drives us to madness? But this is why we especially need to run away from it without looking back, because it instills in our minds some wild and ferocious animals, deprives everyone of true respect, and gives the deceived a different kind of respect, tinted only with its colors, and makes us consider this respect true, although it is not such in its nature, but only in appearance it seems so. Just as the beauty of obscene women produced by rubbing and embellishment, without constituting beauty, makes a vile and ugly face seem good and handsome to those who are seduced, although it is in fact not good, so wealth also makes one mistake flattery for respect. Do not look at the praises uttered openly out of fear and flattery - these are paints and embellishments; but delve into the conscience of everyone who flatters you so much, and you will see thousands of accusers who internally speak against you, turn away and hate you more than evil enemies and enemies. If someday a change of circumstances happened to remove and expose this mask formed out of fear, as the sun reveals those faces with its hot rays, then you would clearly see that in all previous times you were in extreme disrespect from your saints and considered yourself revered by those who greatly hate you, shower you with countless slander in their thoughts and want to see you in extreme disasters. And nothing gives such respect as virtue does, respect that is not forced, respect that is not feigned and not covered by any mask of deception, but true, sincere, and not changed by any difficult circumstances. 10. Do you want to take revenge on those who insulted you? But that is why, as I have already said, you especially need to avoid wealth. It usually forces you to raise a sword against yourself, subjects you to the strictest judgment in the future and prepares unbearable punishments. Vengeance is such a great evil that God’s love for mankind ceased from it and the forgiveness already given for countless sins was canceled through it. So the one who was forgiven ten thousand talents and given such great mercy for a simple request, when he began to demand from a slave like himself one hundred denarii, that is, he began to demand punishment for misconduct in relation to him, then by cruelty to his comrade he pronounced a sentence against himself; and not for anything else, but only for this, he was handed over to the tormentors, and was punished, and had to pay many talents, and did not receive any forgiveness or justification, but suffered the most severe torment, and it was ordered to collect from him the entire debt, which God’s love for mankind had previously forgiven him. So, tell me, is it because wealth is desirable to you because it easily leads you to such sin? On the contrary, this is why we must turn away from him, as from an enemy, an adversary and a terrible killer. “But poverty,” you say, “produces sorrows, often forces you to utter blasphemous words and decide to do base things.” No, not poverty, but cowardice. So Lazarus was poor, and very poor; Poverty was accompanied by illness, which, being more bitter than any poverty, made this poverty even more unbearable; to illness - an even more helpless state and lack of benefactors, which made both poverty and illness even more bitter. Each of these disasters is painful in itself, and when there are no benefactors, the disaster becomes even greater, the flame is stronger, the pain is more painful, the storm is more fierce, the excitement is more terrible, the oven is hotter. If we look more precisely, then a fourth disaster will be added to this - the intemperance and luxury of the rich man living next door. If you want to find something fifth to intensify the flame, then you will clearly see that he had this too. After all, the rich man not only lived luxuriously, but saw twice, thrice, or rather, many times a day (Lazarus) - since he lay at the door, presenting a pitiful spectacle of misfortune, and with one look could soften even a stony soul - and despite this, the rich man, due to his inhumanity, did not bend to help the poor, but he himself had a sybaritic meal, full cups, abundantly poured wine, brilliant crowds cooks, parasites and flatterers from the very morning, and choirs of singers, (crowds of) cupbearers and laughers; he invented all kinds of intemperance, drank and got drunk, was luxurious in clothes, in meals, and in many other things, spending all his time like this; but I didn’t even think about this poor man, seeing every day how he suffered from severe hunger, from a serious illness, from many wounds, from a helpless state and the evils that resulted from this. The parasites and flatterers burst from satiety, and the poor man, so poor and suffering so much, did not receive even a grain from the meal with all his desire; and yet all this did not harm him at all; he did not express indignation, did not utter a blasphemous word, but just as gold, purified in the strongest fire, becomes brighter, so he, overwhelmed by suffering, stood above everything - both passions and the many sorrows that arise from this. If the poor, looking at the rich, are tormented by envy and tormented by hatred, and consider their life not to be life, despite having sufficient necessary food and benefactors; then this poor man, being poor like no one else, and not only poor, but also sick, and not having any benefactor or comforter, but lying in the middle of the city, as if in the most desolate desert, wasting away from severe hunger and seeing that everything flows from the rich man as if from springs, and he does not receive any human consolation, but serves as a constant meal for the tongues of dogs (his body was so flabby and relaxed that he could not drive away and them), - what would you not have tolerated if you had not been very courageous and wise? Do you see that whoever does not harm himself does not tolerate anything bad, even if everyone insults him? I repeat the same words again. 11. Truly, what harm did illness, lack of benefactors, the attack of dogs, the bad neighborhood of the rich man, his great luxury, arrogance and pride cause to this warrior? Has this made him weaker in his deeds of virtue? Has his firmness wavered? Not at all; on the contrary, such a multitude of disasters and such cruelty of the rich man strengthened him even more, became the reason for countless crowns for him, multiplied his rewards, aggravated his retribution, and served to bring about greater retribution. He was crowned not only for poverty, and not for hunger, and not for wounds, and not for licking dogs; but because, having such a neighbor who saw him every day and constantly despised him, he endured this temptation courageously and with great patience, which not a little, but greatly increased his poverty, his illness, and his helpless state. And what happened, tell me, with blessed Paul? Nothing prevents me from mentioning this husband again. Didn't he endure countless trials? What harm did you suffer? Isn’t it especially because he suffered hunger, suffered from cold and nakedness, was repeatedly scourged, was stoned and drowned? “But Paul,” you say, “was the chosen one of Christ.” And Judas was one of the twelve disciples, and he was called by Christ; but neither the fact that he was among the twelve, nor the calling itself brought him any benefit, since he did not have a heart disposed to virtue. Paul, struggling with hunger, and not having the necessary food, and enduring so many calamities every day, ran with great courage the path leading to heaven; and Judas, having been called before him, using the same things as he, having been initiated into the mysteries of the highest wisdom, having partaken of the sacred meal and the terrible supper, having received such grace that he could raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons, having repeatedly heard the teaching about non-covetousness, having treated Christ himself for so long and having the money of the poor entrusted to him, so that by this he would tame his passion (since he was thief), despite all this, did not become the best, although he enjoyed such leniency. Christ, knowing that he was a lover of money and would perish for the love of money, not only did not punish him for this then, but, in order to tame his passion, entrusted him with money for the poor, so that he, having something to satisfy his self-interest, would not fall into a terrible abyss, turning away the greater with lesser evils. 12. So everywhere, no one else can harm someone who does not want to harm himself; and on the contrary, whoever does not want to stay awake and do his part will never benefit anyone. Therefore, the wondrous history of the Scriptures, as if in some lofty, great and broad picture, describes for you the life of the ancients, continuing the narrative from Adam to the coming of Christ, and presents to you both those who fell and those who were crowned, in order to instill in you in every possible way that no one else can harm the one who does no harm to himself, even if the whole universe raises a cruel war against him. Neither the difficulty of circumstances, nor the changes of time, nor the oppression of the strong, nor the clouds of evil intentions, nor the multitude of misfortunes, nor the totality of all human disasters can in the least shake a courageous, attentive and vigilant person; on the contrary, nothing will make a careless, careless person who does not care about himself better, even if thousands of aids are used. The same thing is shown to us by the parable of those people, one of whom built his house on stone, and the other on sand (Matthew 7:24 et seq.); this is not so that we imagine sand and stone, or a building of stones and a roof, or rivers and rain, and strong winds rushing against buildings, but so that from them we can infer virtue and vice, and see from here that whoever does not harm himself, no one will harm him. So, neither the rain that fell impetuously, nor the rivers that rushed with great speed, nor the cruel winds that struck with a strong gust, shook that house in the least, but it remained firm and motionless, so that you know that whoever does not betray himself cannot be shaken by any trial. And the other’s house soon collapsed, not from the force of the trials (otherwise the same would have happened to the other), but from (the builder’s) own madness; he fell not because the wind blew, but this happened to him because he was built on sand, that is, on negligence and evil. After all, even before the storm rushed towards him, he was weak and ready to fall. Such buildings, even if no one touches them, collapse on their own, because their foundation is torn apart and completely crumbles. Just as a web breaks by itself, even if no one touches it, and adamant remains intact even under blows, so those who do not harm themselves, even if they experience countless blows, become harder; and those who betray themselves, even if no one touches them, are carried away by themselves, become lost and perish. This is how Judas perished, who not only was not subjected to any such test, but also enjoyed great care (of the Lord). 13. Do you want me to show you how these words are justified among entire nations? What kind of industry did the Jewish people deserve? Was not all visible creation ready to serve the Jews? Wasn’t their way of life new and unusual? They did not send to the market, and used food supplies without spending silver; they did not make any furrows, they did not drag the plow, they did not cultivate the land, they did not throw seeds, they did not need rain, nor the winds, nor the seasons, nor the rays of the sun, nor the course of the moon, nor the goodness of the air, nor any other similar thing; They didn’t prepare a threshing floor, they didn’t thresh bread, they didn’t need winnowing to separate the grain from the chaff, they didn’t turn millstones, they didn’t build drying sheds, they didn’t bring firewood or fire into the house, they didn’t need the art of baking bread, they didn’t pick up a spade, they didn’t sharpen a sickle, and they didn’t need any other art - for example, weaving, architecture or shoemaking, but everything was delivered to them by the word of God. They had a ready meal, without sweat or labor - such was the property of manna; it was always new, fresh, did not cause them any trouble and did not exhaust them with labor. Even their clothes, shoes, and the body itself were not subject to their characteristic perishability; for such a long time, their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not become covered with calluses, although they walked so much. They did not even remember about doctors and medicines, or anything else related to this art, any illness was so far from them! “And he brought out the Israelites,” says the Scripture, “with silver and gold, and there was no one sick in their knees” (“I brought them out with silver and gold: and there was no pain in their knees”) (Ps. 104:37). They ate and drank as if they had left this world and moved to another better universe; and the fiery rays of the sun did not hit their heads, because the flame was obscured by a cloud that hung everywhere above them and, moving, served as a cover for the whole people. And during the night they had no need for a lamp that would dispel the darkness, but the pillar of fire was for them a source of indescribable light, providing them with two services - both illuminating and showing them the way; he not only shone, but more accurately than any guide, he led this numerous people through the desert. They walked not only on land, but also on the sea, as if on land, overcoming the limits of nature, walking on the terrible sea, as if on a hard and strong stone. When this element was under their feet, then it was like dry land, level fields and fields; and when the enemies entered it, then it had the effects characteristic of the sea, for them it was a chariot, and for their enemies it was a coffin; she transported those with ease, and drowned those with great ferocity. The disorderly flows of water showed order and obedience, characteristic of rational and wise people, fulfilling the position of either a guard or an executioner, revealing opposite actions on the same day. What can we say about the stones that emitted streams of water? What about the clouds of birds that covered the whole earth with their multitude of bodies? What about the miracles that happened in Egypt and in the desert? What about trophies and victories achieved without shedding blood? After all, they, as if playing, and not fighting, defeated their opponents. And they prevailed over their rulers (the Egyptians) without weapons, and overcame those who fought with them after leaving Egypt with the sound of trumpets and singing, so that these actions were more rejoicing than war, more a ceremony than a battle. Truly, all these miracles were not only to do what was necessary for them, but so that they would more accurately preserve the doctrine of the knowledge of God, which Moses taught them. Voices were heard from everywhere proclaiming the Lord. The sea announced this, now becoming passable for pedestrians, now becoming the sea again; and the streams of the Nile said the same thing, changing into blood; and the toads, and the swarms of locusts, and the scourges, and the pestilence, spoke this to all the people; and miracles in the wilderness, and manna, and a pillar, and a cloud, and quails, and everything else was for them then instead of a book and writings, never erased, constantly serving them every day as a reminder and echoing in their hearts. However, after such providence for them, after unspeakable good deeds, after great miracles, after ineffable care, after incessant teaching, after indoctrination by words, after persuasion by deeds, after famous victories, after glorious trophies, after an abundance of meals, after an abundance of water, after the inexplicable glory with which they were distinguished before the entire human race, they were ungrateful and insensitive, they bowed to the calf, they became serve the head of an ox, and sought gods for themselves, while they had in their fresh memory the good deeds of God accomplished in Egypt and benefited from Him in many other ways. 14. On the contrary, the Ninevites, a barbarian and foreign people, who were not worthy of anything like that, neither small nor great, neither teaching, nor miracles, nor deeds, nor words, as soon as they saw a man saved from a shipwreck, who had never been with them before, but appeared for the first time, came and said: “Another forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed!” (“Three more days, and Nineveh will be transformed”) (Jonah 3:4), then from these simple words they changed, corrected themselves and, leaving their former wickedness, turned through repentance to virtue, so that they changed God’s definition about them, supported the wavering city, rejected heavenly wrath and got rid of all evil. “And God saw,” says the Scripture, “their deeds, that they turned from their evil way to the Lord” (“God saw... that each one had returned from his evil way, and was turned”) (Jon. 3:10). How, tell me, did they turn? Their vices were great, their wickedness unspeakable, their wounds incurable, which the prophet expressed by saying: “His atrocities have reached to heaven” (“the cry of their wickedness has gone up”) (John 1:2), meaning by the distance of the place the greatness of their vices. And yet such great wickedness, so increased and rising so high that it reached to the very sky, they in three days, in such a short time, after a few words heard from an unknown, foreign, shipwrecked man, so blotted out, so destroyed, so removed from themselves that they were worthy of the following words: “And God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, and God regretted the calamity that said that he would bring them upon them” (“God saw... that each one had returned from his evil way, and God repented of the evil he said he would do to them”) (Jon. 3:10). You see that the attentive and vigilant not only does not suffer any harm from people, but also rejects heavenly wrath; and whoever betrays himself and harms himself does not receive much benefit, even though he has received many benefits? Neither the Jews were benefited by so many miracles, nor the Ninevites were harmed by the fact that they did not have them; but since they themselves were disposed towards good, in a short time they became the best, although they were barbarians, foreigners, had not heard any divine words and lived somewhere far from Palestine. 15. What harm, tell me, did the disasters that befell them cause to the virtues of the three youths? Was it not then, when they were still young, and very young, at an early age, that they were subjected to terrible punishment and captivity, were taken far away and, having come to a foreign land, were deprived of their fatherland, and home, and church, and altar, and sacrifices, and offerings, and drink offerings, and the hymn itself? Not only was their home inaccessible to them, but at the same time, various types of worship were also inaccessible. Were they not delivered into barbarian hands, more to wolves than to people, and, what is most difficult, being in a barbarian land and in the most severe captivity, they had neither a teacher, nor a prophet, nor a leader? “And we have,” the Scripture says, “neither prince, nor prophet, nor leader... nor place for us to offer sacrifice to You and find Thy mercy” (“and there is... no prince and prophet and leader... nor place to devour before You and find mercy”) (Dan. 3:38, 39). Moreover, they were led into the royal house, as if onto some rock and cliff, and into a sea filled with underwater stones, and they were forced to sail on this terrible sea without a helmsman, without a helmsman, without shipmen and without sails, or, as it were, they were imprisoned in the royal palaces. They loved wisdom, stood above worldly affairs, trampled all human pride, were distinguished by their light wings, and therefore they considered their stay there to be an aggravation of their misfortunes. Being outside the palace, in a private house, they could enjoy great freedom; and having entered this prison (after all, they considered all the pomp there to be no better than the prison, the cliffs and the pitfalls), they immediately encountered a terrible difficulty. The king ordered them to participate in his own meal, luxurious, unclean and nasty; but to them it was not permissible and seemed harder than death; they were left alone, like lambs among many wolves. It was necessary either to suffer from hunger, or to face the death penalty, or to eat forbidden foods. What are these young men doing - orphans, captives, strangers, slaves who give them such commands? They did not think that the necessity and violence of the ruler of the city could serve as a sufficient excuse for them; but they use every means and effort to avoid sin, although they were completely defenseless. They could not win over to their side with money - how is this possible for the captives? - neither friendship nor acquaintance - how is this possible for aliens? - they couldn’t force anyone with power - how is this possible for slaves? - nor overcome by numbers - how is this possible for only three? Therefore, they came and began to convince with words the eunuch who had power here. Seeing that he is afraid, trembles and cares about his own salvation, and the insurmountable fear of death shakes his soul: “I am afraid,” he said, “of my lord, the king... if he sees your faces thinner than those of the youths your peers, then you will make my head guilty before the king” (“I am afraid of my lord the king... lest your faces be saddened more than the youths of your peers, and condemn my head to the king" (Dan. 1:10), they remove this fear from him and convince him to show mercy to them. And since they did everything on their part, then God did his own after that: it was not only God’s work that they had to receive a reward for, but first of all it depended on their spiritual disposition, which they showed valiant and firm - therefore they acquired God’s blessing for themselves and completed what they sought. 16. Do you see that no one else can harm someone who does not harm himself? Now, neither youth, nor captivity, nor orphanhood, nor removal to a foreign land, nor loneliness, nor the lack of intercessors, nor a strict command, nor the great fear of death that oppressed the soul of the eunuch, nor poverty, nor small numbers, nor being among the barbarians, nor the fact that the rulers were their enemies, nor the fact that they were betrayed into the hands of the king himself, nor separation from all relatives, nor removal from the priests and the prophets and others who took care of them, neither the lack of sacrifices and libations, nor the deprivation of the church and hymns, and nothing like that harmed them, but then they became much more glorious than when they used it in their fatherland. Thus, having accomplished the first feat, adorned with a bright crown, preserving the law in a foreign land, trampling on the command of the tyrant, defeating the fear of the avenger, and without suffering any harm, but having accomplished this deed with such ease, as if they were in the house and enjoying all the benefits, they were then called to other feats. And again they remained the same. They faced a feat even more difficult than before; the furnace was lit and the barbarian army, together with the king, armed themselves against them; all the Persian forces were in motion and everything was arranged to seduce or force them: various types of music, various methods of torment, threats, terrible phenomena from all sides, and even more terrible words; but despite the fact that since they did not betray themselves, but did everything necessary on their part, they did not suffer any harm, but, on the contrary, were adorned with even brighter crowns than before. Nebuchadnezzar tied them up and threw them into the furnace, but did not harm them, but brought even more benefit and made them more glorious. Those who had neither a church (I will say the same thing again), nor an altar, nor a fatherland, nor priests, nor prophets, in a foreign and barbaric country, even in the midst of the furnace itself, among the entire army, in the eyes of the king himself who did this, erected a brilliant trophy and won a famous victory, singing a wondrous and glorious song, which from that time until now has been sung throughout the entire universe and will be sung in subsequent times. generations. Thus, he who does not harm himself cannot experience any harm from others; I will never stop repeating this saying. If captivity, and slavery, and loneliness, and removal from the fatherland and from all relatives, and death, and burning, and such a great army, and such a cruel tyrant to three youths, young captives, slaves, strangers who were in a foreign land, could not cause any harm to their own virtue, but such violence still served as a reason for them to greater boldness, then what can harm a vigilant person? Nothing can, even if the entire universe is armed against him. “But then God,” you say, “appeared to them and delivered them from the flames.” Exactly like that; but if you do everything on your part, then, of course, after that God will do everything on His part. 17. However, I am not surprised at these youths, I please them and consider them worthy of emulation because they trampled on the flame and overcame the action of fire, but because they were bound, thrown into the oven and consigned to fire for the true teaching. From this came their entire trophy, and as soon as they were thrown into the oven, a crown was already placed on them, which began to be woven even before the deed was completed, when they, with great courage and boldness, presented themselves before the king, saying: “There is no need for us to answer you to this. Our God, whom we serve, is able to save us from the fiery furnace, and will deliver us from your hand, O king. If this does not happen, then let it be known to you, king, that we will not serve your gods and will not worship the golden image that you have set up" ("there is no need for us to tell you about this verb: for our God is in heaven, and it is Him we serve, who is able to take us out of the burning furnace and deliver us from your hand, king: otherwise, let it be known to you, the king, For we do not serve thy God, nor do we bow down to the golden body which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:16–18). For these words I praise them; With these words, having received a victorious reward, they went to the bright crown of martyrdom, adding confession in words to confession in deeds. And that the fire was ashamed of their bodies thrown into the oven, dissolved their bonds, giving them the opportunity to walk freely there and forgot about its own action, and the fiery oven became a source of cool waters, this was already a miracle of God’s grace and heavenly miracles. Thus, these warriors, even before such a miracle happened, as soon as they entered the flame, had already erected a trophy, won a victory, adorned themselves with a crown, were glorified in heaven and on earth, and nothing more remained for their glorification. What can you say to this? Have you been sent into exile and expelled from your fatherland? And so do they. Have you fallen into captivity and under the rule of the barbarians? The same thing, as you see, happened to them. Do you have no one who would be there with you, help you, instruct and teach you? And they were deprived of this help. Have you been tied up? Are you being burned? Are you being killed? You can’t say anything more painful than this; but here they were, having gone through all this, after each torment they became more glorious, more famous, and collected greater wealth in heaven. The Jews, having a church, and an altar, and an ark, and cherubim, and an atonement, and a veil, and an innumerable multitude of priests, and daily services, and morning and evening sacrifices, constantly listening to the prophets, living and dead, who filled their ears, preserving the memory of the miracles that happened in Egypt, in the wilderness, and about all the others, having them written on their hands and on the thresholds, having experienced the great miracles and other blessings of that time, they not only did not receive any benefit, but also received harm by placing idols in the church itself, slaying their sons and daughters under the trees, performing these lawless and wicked sacrifices almost throughout the entire country of Palestine, and doing thousands of other most vile deeds. And the youths, being among the barbarians, in an enemy and hostile land, in the house of a tyrant, deprived of all care, subjected to torture and the action of fire, not only did not suffer any harm from this, neither small nor great, but became even more glorified. So, knowing this and similar things, collected from the inspired and divine Scriptures (and many such examples can be found in other various persons), let us not think that the difficulties of time or circumstances, or necessity and coercion, or the violence of rulers can serve as a sufficient justification for us for our sins. What I said at the beginning, I will now end my speech with the same thing: if someone suffers harm and insults, he certainly suffers from himself, and not from others, even if there are many people who offend and oppress him. And if someone does not suffer from himself, then, even if all the inhabitants of the whole earth and sea attack him, they cannot cause the slightest harm to one who is vigilant about the Lord and attentive. Let us, I exhort you, be vigilant and vigilant always, and let us courageously endure all sorrows, so that we may receive eternal and imperishable blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: