Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom466[2.] What then does Paul do? He encourages them by the fathers; and before that by the commonnotions [of mankind]. 3204 For tell me, he says, since Faith is calumniated 3205 as being a thing withoutdemonstration 3206 and rather a matter of deceit, therefore he shows that the greatest things areattained through faith and not through reasonings. And how does he show this, tell me? 3207 It ismanifest, he saith, that God made the things which are, out of things which are not, 3208 things whichappear, out of things which appear not, things which subsist, out of things which subsist not. Butwhence [is it shown] that He did this even “by a Word”? For reason suggests nothing of this kind;but on the contrary, that the things which appear are [formed] out of things which appear.Therefore the philosophers expressly say that ‘nothing comes out of things that are not’ 3209being “sensual” ( Jude 19 ), and trusting nothing to Faith. And yet these same men, when theyhappen to say anything great and noble, are caught entrusting it to Faith. For instance, that “Godis without beginning, 3210 and unborn” 3211 ; for reason does not suggest this, but the contrary. Andconsider, I beseech you, their great folly. They say 3212 that God is without beginning; and yet thisis far more wonderful than the [creation] out of things that are not. For to say, that He is withoutbeginning, that He is unborn, neither begotten by Himself nor by another is more full of difficulties,3213than to say that God made the things which are, out of things which are not. For here there aremany things uncertain: as, that some one made it, that what was made had a beginning, that, in aword, it was made. But in the other case, what? He is self-existing, 3214 unborn, He neither hadbeginning nor time; tell me, do not these things require faith? But he did not assert this, which wasfar greater, but the lesser.Whence [does it appear], he would say, that God made these things? Reason does not suggestit; no one was present when it was done. Whence is it shown? It is plainly the result of faith.“Through faith we understand that the worlds were made.” Why “through faith”? Because “thethings that are seen were not made of things which do appear.” For this is Faith.[3.] Having thus stated the general [princi ple], 3215 he afterwards tests 3216 it by individuals. Fora man of note is equivalent to the world. This at all events he afterwards hinted. For when he hadmatched it against one or two hundred persons, and then saw the smallness of the number, heafterwards says, “by whom the world was outweighed in worth.” 3217 ( c. xi. 38 .)3204κοινῆς ἐννοίας3205Thus the sentence is inconsequent, as it stands in the best texts: in the common editions it is altered to, “ For inasmuchas the Faith was at that time calumniated, ” &c.3206ἀ ναπόδεικτον3207At this place and generally throughout the Homily: the later texts and the common editions insert the words of theEpistle, but not so the best mss. or the old translation.3208ἐ ξ οὐκ ὃντων , i.e. “ out of nothing. ”3209“De nihilo nihil” is probably referred to.3210ἄ ναρχος3211ἀ γέννητος3212λέγοντες , an irregular construction: the common texts substitute λέγουσιν3213ἀ πορώτερον3214αὐτόματος3215τὸ κοίνον3216γυμνάζει3217ἄ ξιος . St. Chrys. takes the word in its primary sense, “ of like value, ” “ worth as much as. ” See Hom. xxvii. [6], pp.489 sqq.674