Eustathius as a second Moses: caring for the flock before holding office
Chrysostom is concluding his encomium by showing that Eustathius, like Moses, cared for God's people even before formally receiving authority, and he ends with a doxology.
If someone attacks me from outside and makes war on me, I can easily overcome him. But if the wound grows from within the body itself, the evil becomes hard to fight—and that is exactly what happened then. That is why he also exhorted them, saying, “Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock” (Acts 20:28). He did not say, “Abandon the sheep and flee outside.” The blessed Eustathius had been trained in these same things, and he exhorted his own disciples with them. When this wise and noble teacher heard these words, he fulfilled the saying in deed. So when those men came in, he did not abandon the sheep—even though he had not yet ascended the throne of office. But that meant nothing to that noble and virtuous soul. He left the honors of rulers to others, while he himself endured the labors of rulers, moving about in the midst of the wolves. The teeth of the beasts did him no harm, because his faith was stronger than their bites. Moving about within, then, and keeping all of them busy with the battle they waged against him, he secured great safety for the sheep. And he did not only do this by blocking their mouths and beating back their blasphemies; he also went around among the creatures themselves and examined them closely, in case any had received a dart, in case any had suffered a serious wound—and at once he applied the remedy. By doing this he leavened everyone into the true faith, and he did not withdraw until God prepared the blessed Meletius to come and take the whole lump. This man sowed; that man came and reaped. So it also happened with Moses and Aaron. For they too, moving about like leaven in the midst of the Egyptians, made many people zealous for their own piety. And Moses bears witness to this, saying that a great mixed crowd went up with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38). Imitating this Moses, Eustathius performed the works of office even before holding office. For Moses, before he had yet been entrusted with the leadership of the people, punished the wrongdoers with great vigor and courage, defended the wronged, and leaving behind the royal table, its honors and its seats of precedence, ran to the mud and the brickmaking, considering care for his own people more precious than all luxury, ease, and honor. Looking to him, Eustathius then urged all who were rulers to care for the people, and he placed labors before ease, taking upon himself unceasing hatred from every side each day. But everything was light for him, for the cause of what was happening gave him ample comfort in what he suffered. For all these things, then, let us give thanks to God and let us imitate the virtues of these saints, so that we may also share in their crowns, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, honor, and might forever and ever. Amen.
Greek
Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἔξωθέν μέ τις βάλλῃ καὶ πολεμῇ, ῥᾳδίως αὐτοῦ περιγενέσθαι δυνήσομαι· ἂν δὲ ἔνδοθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος φύῃ τὸ ἕλκος, δυσία τον γίνεται τὸ κακόν· ὃ δὴ καὶ τότε ἐγένετο. Διὸ καὶ παρῄνει λέγων, Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς καὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιμνίῳ· οὐκ εἶπε, Καταλιπόντες τὰ πρόβατα φεύγετε ἔξω. Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ μακάριος Εὐστάθιος πεπαιδευμένος παρῄνει τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς· ἅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ σοφὸς οὗτος καὶ γενναῖος διδάσκαλος ἀκούσας, ἔργῳ τὸν λόγον ἐπλήρωσεν. Εἰσιόντων γοῦν ἐκείνων, οὐκ ἀφῆκε τὰ πρόβατα, καίτοι γε οὐκ ἦν ἐπὶ τὸν θρό νον τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀνελθών· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοῦτο πρὸς τὴν γενναίαν ἐκείνην καὶ φιλόσοφον ψυχήν. Τὰς μὲν γὰρ τιμὰς τῶν ἀρχόντων ἑτέροις ἠφίει, τοὺς δὲ πόνους τῶν ἀρχόντων αὐτὸς ὑπέμενεν, ἔνδον μεταξὺ τῶν λύκων στρεφόμενος· οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν οἱ τῶν θηρίων ὀδόντες ἔβλαπτον, οὕτως ἰσχυροτέραν πίστιν εἶχε τῶν ἐκείνων δηγμάτων. Ἔνδον τοίνυν στρεφόμενος, καὶ τῇ γινομένῃ πρὸς αὐτὸν μάχῃ πάντας αὐτοὺς ἀσχολῶν, πολλὴν ἄδειαν τοῖς προβάτοις παρεσκεύαζεν. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐποίει ἐμφράττων αὐτῶν τὰ στόματα, ἀνακρουόμενος τὰς βλασφημίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ θρέμματα περιιὼν κατεμάνθανε, μή που βέλος ἐδέξατό τις, μή που τραῦμα χαλεπὸν ἔλαβε, καὶ εὐθέως τὸ φάρμακον ἐπετίθει. Καὶ ταῦτα ποιῶν ἐζύμωσεν ἅπαντας εἰς τὴν ἀληθῆ πίστιν, καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἀπέστη, ἕως ὁ Θεὸς τὸν μακάριον Μελέτιον παρεσκεύασεν ἐλθόντα τὸ φύραμα ἅπαν λαβεῖν· οὗτος ἔσπειρεν, ἐκεῖνος ἐλθὼν ἐθέρισεν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως καὶ Ἀαρὼν ἐγένετο. Καὶ γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι ζύμης δίκην ἐν μέσοις τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις στρεφόμενοι πολλοὺς τῆς οἰκείας εὐσεβείας ἐποίησαν ζηλωτάς. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τοῦτο Μωϋσῆς λέγων, ὅτι πολὺς ἐπίμικτος λαὸς συνανέβη μετὰ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν. Τοῦτον δὴ τὸν Μωϋσέα μιμούμενος οὗτος, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἔπραττε· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος οὐδέπω τοῦ λαοῦ τὴν προστασίαν ἐγχειρισθεὶς, ἐῤῥωμένως μάλα καὶ γενναίως τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἐκόλαζε, τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις ἤμυνε, καὶ βασιλικὴν τράπεζαν ἀφεὶς, καὶ τιμὰς, καὶ προεδρίας, πρὸς τὸν πηλὸν καὶ τὴν πλινθείαν ἔδραμε, πάσης τρυφῆς, καὶ ἀνέσεως, καὶ τιμῆς προτιμοτέραν εἶναι νομίζων τὴν τῶν οἰκείων κηδεμονίαν· πρὸς ὃν καὶ αὐτὸς βλέπων τότε πάντας ἄρχοντας τῇ περὶ τὸν λαὸν παρῄνει κηδεμονίᾳ, καὶ ἀνέσεως προετίθει πόνους καὶ τὸ πάντοθεν ἐλαύνεσθαι διηνεκεῖς καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἀναδεχόμενος ἀπεχθείας· ἀλλὰ πάντα ἦν αὐτῷ κοῦφα· ἡ γὰρ τῶν γινομένων ὑπόθε-σις ἱκανὴν αὐτῷ παρεῖχε τῶν συμβαινόντων παραμυθίαν. Διὰ δὴ ταῦτα πάντα εὐχαριστήσαντες τῷ Θεῷ, ζηλώσωμεν τῶν ἁγίων τούτων τὰς ἀρετὰς, ἵνα καὶ τῶν στεφάνων αὐτοῖς κοινωνήσωμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.