Homilies on First Corinthians

⁹ “But unless wealth be useful,” says one, “wherefore has it been given by God?” And whence is it evident, that being rich is from God? “The Scripture says, 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' and to whomsoever I will, I will give it.” Here, if I were not doing an unseemly thing, I could at this moment laugh loudly, in derision of those who say these things: because as little children admitted to a King's table, together with that food they thrust into their mouth everything that comes to hand; so also do these together with the divine Scriptures privily bring in their own notions. For this, “the silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,” I know to have been spoken by the Prophet; but that, “to whomsoever I will, I will give it,” is not added, but is brought in by these offscourings of the people. And as to the former, why it was said, I will explain. The Prophet Haggai, because he was continually promising to the Jews after their return from Babylon, that he would show the temple in its former appearance, and some doubted of the thing spoken, and considered it to be well near impossible that after being reduced to dust and ashes, the house should appear again such as it was—he, to remove their unbelief, in the person of God says these things; as if he said, “Why are you afraid? And why do ye refuse to believe? 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' and I need not to borrow from others, and so to beautify the house.” And to show that this is the meaning he adds, “and the glory of this house, the latter glory shall be greater than the glory of the former.” Let us not then bring in spiders' webs upon the royal robe. For if any person, detected in weaving a counterfeit thread in a purple vest, is to suffer the severest punishment, much more in spiritual things; since neither is it an ordinary sin, which is hereby committed. And why say I, by adding and taking away? By a mere point, and by a mere circumstance of delivery in the reading, many impious thoughts have not seldom been brought into being.

“Whence then the rich,” says one? “for it has been said, 'Riches and poverty are from the Lord.'” Let us then ask those who object these things against us, whether all riches and all poverty are from the Lord? Nay, who would say this? For we see that both by rapine, and by wickedly breaking open of tombs, and by witchcraft, and by other such devices, great wealth is gathered by many, and the possessors are not worthy even to live. What then, tell me, do we say that this wealth is from God? Far from it. Whence then? From sin. For so the harlot by doing indignity to her own body grows rich, and a handsome youth oftentimes selling his bloom with disgrace brings himself gold, and the tomb-spoiler by breaking open men's sepulchres gathers together unjust wealth, and the robber by digging through walls. All wealth therefore is not from God. “What then,” says one, “shall we say to this expression?” Acquaint yourself first with a kind of poverty which proceeds not from God, and then we will proceed to the saying itself. I mean, that when any dissolute youth spends his wealth either on harlots, or on conjurors, or on any other such evil desires, and becomes poor, is it not very evident that this has not come from God, but from his own profligacy? Again, if any through idleness become poor, if any through folly be brought down to beggary, if any, by taking in hand perilous and unlawful practices; is it not quite evident, that neither has any one of these and other such persons been brought down to this their poverty by God?

“Does then the Scripture speak falsely?” God forbid! But they do foolishly, who neglect to examine with due exactness all things written. For if this on the one hand be acknowledged, that the Scriptures cannot lie; and this on the other hand proved, that not all wealth is from God; the weakness of inconsiderate readers is the cause of the difficulty.

10. Now it were right for us to dismiss you, having herein exculpated the Scripture, that you may suffer this punishment at our hands for your negligence concerning the Scriptures: but because I greatly spare you and cannot any longer bear to look on you confused and disturbed, let us also add the solution, having first mentioned the speaker, and when it was spoken, and to whom. For not alike to all does God speak, as neither do we deal alike with children and men. When then was it spoken, and by whom, and to whom? By Solomon in the Old Testament to the Jews, who knew no other than things of sense, and by these proved the power of God. For these are they who say, “Can He give bread also?” and, “What sign showest Thou unto us? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert:— whose God is their belly.” Since then they were proving Him by these things, He says to them, “This is also possible with God to make both rich and poor;” not that it is of course He Himself who makes them, but that He can, when He will. Just as when he says, “Who rebukes the sea, and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers,” and yet this was never done. How then does the prophet say so? Not as though it were a doing always, but as a thing that was possible for Him to do.

What kind of poverty then does He give, and what kind of wealth? Remember the patriarch, and you shall know the kind of wealth that is given by God. For He made both Abraham rich, and after him Job, even as Job himself says; “If we have received good from the Lord, shall we not also receive evil?” And the wealth of Jacob thence had its beginning. There is also a poverty which comes from Him, that which is commended, such as He once would have introduced to the knowledge of that rich man, saying, “If you would be perfect, sell your goods, and give to the poor, and come, follow Me.” And to the disciples again, making a law and saying, “Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor two coats.” Say not then that all wealth is His gift: seeing that cases have been pointed out of its being collected both by murderers, and by rapine, and by ten thousand other devices.

But again the discourse reverts to our former question: viz. “if the rich are no way useful to us, wherefore are they made rich?” What then must we say? That these are not useful who so make themselves rich; whereas those surely who are made so by God are in the highest degree useful. And do thou learn this from the very things done by those whom we just now mentioned. Thus Abraham possessed wealth for all strangers, and for all in need. For he who on the approach of three men, as he supposed, sacrificed a calf and kneaded three measures of fine flour, and that while sitting in his door in the heat of the day; consider with what liberality and readiness he used to spend his substance on all, together with his goods giving also the service of his body, and this at such an advanced age; being a harbor to strangers, to all who had come to any kind of want, and possessing nothing as his own, not even his son: since at God's command he actually delivered up even him; and along with his son he gave up also himself and all his house, when he hastened to snatch his brother's son out of danger; and this he did not for lucre's sake, but of mere humanity. When, for instance, they who were saved by him would put the spoils at his disposal, he rejected all, even to “a thread and a shoe-latchet.”

Such also was the blessed Job. “For my door,” says, was open to every one who came: “I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame: I was a father of the helpless, the stranger lodged not without, and the helpless, whatever need they had, failed not of it, neither suffered I one helpless man to go out of my door with a empty bosom.” And much more too than these, that we may not now recount all, he continued to do, spending all his wealth on the needy.