Baptismal Instructions · §2 · John Chrysostom

Deathbed baptism is no match for deliberate preparation

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Chrysostom is still addressing the catechumens, contrasting their deliberate preparation with those baptized at the last breath.

For even if the gifts of grace are equal for you and for those who are initiated at the end of life, the gifts of deliberate purpose are not equal, nor are the gifts of preparation for the realities. Those receive baptism in their bed, but you receive it in the bosom of the Church, the common mother of us all. Those are weeping and shedding tears, but you are rejoicing and celebrating. Those are groaning, but you are giving thanks. Those are weighed down by much fever, but you are filled with much spiritual pleasure. Therefore here everything is in harmony with the gift, but there everything is opposed to the gift. For there is much lamentation and wailing of those being initiated, and children stand around crying, and a wife tears her cheeks, and friends are downcast, and servants are full of tears. The whole appearance of the house imitates a wintry and gloomy day. And if you open up the heart of the one lying there, you will find it more sullen than these things. For just as winds rushing against each other with great force cut the sea into many parts, so the thoughts of the terrible things that then hold sway fall upon the soul of the sick person and split his mind into many cares. When he looks at his children, he thinks of their orphanhood. When he turns his eyes to his wife, he reckons her widowhood. When he sees his servants, he considers the desolation of the whole house. When he returns to himself, he remembers his present life, and being about to be torn away, he receives a great cloud of despondency. Such is the soul of the one about to be initiated. Then, in the midst of the confusion and its disturbance, the priest enters, more frightening than the fever itself and harsher than death to the sick person's relatives. For the entrance of the priest is considered a greater despair than the voice of the physician who gives up hope for his life, and the very subject of eternal life seems a symbol of death. But I have not yet put the capstone on the evils. For in the midst of the confusion of friends and their preparations, the soul often leaves the body behind and leaps away, and even when present it benefited many people not at all. For when the one about to be baptized does not recognize those present, nor hears a voice, nor is able to answer those words through which he will make the blessed covenant with the common Master of us all, but lies there like a useless log or stone, differing nothing from a corpse, what is the benefit of initiation in such insensibility?

For the one about to approach these sacred and awesome rites must be awake and alert, must be clean of every worldly care, must be full of much self-control and much eagerness, must banish from his mind every thought foreign to the sacred rites, and must prepare the house clean on every side, as if he were about to receive the King himself. Such is the preparation of your mind, such are the thoughts among you, such is the deliberate purpose of your soul. Therefore await the worthy recompense of this excellent resolve from God, who surpasses with his rewards those who show obedience to him. But since we must also contribute what is ours to our fellow servants, we will contribute what is from us—or rather, not even these things are ours, but these too belong to the Master.

Greek

Εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ τῆς χάριτος ἴσα ὑμῖν καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ τελευτῇ μυσταγωγουμένοις, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς προαιρέσεως οὐκ ἴσα, οὐδὲ τὰ τῆς παρασκευῆς τῶν πραγμάτων. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ λαμβάνουσιν, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς κοινῆς ἁπάντων ἡμῶν μητρός· κἀκεῖνοι μὲν ὀδυρόμενοι καὶ δακρύοντες, ὑμεῖς δὲ χαίροντες καὶ εὐφραινόμενοι· ἐκεῖνοι στένοντες, ὑμεῖς δὲ εὐχαριστοῦντες· κἀκεῖνοι μὲν πολλῷ κεκαρωμένοι τῷ πυρετῷ, ὑμεῖς δὲ πολλῆς ἐμπεπλησμένοι τῆς πνευματικῆς ἡδονῆς. Ὅθεν ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἅπαντα σύμφωνα τῇ δωρεᾷ, ἐκεῖ δὲ πάντα ἐναντία τῇ δωρεᾷ· καὶ γὰρ θρῆνος καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολὺς μυσταγωγουμένων, καὶ παιδία περιίσταται κλαίοντα, καὶ γυνὴ τὰς παρειὰς καταξαίνουσα, καὶ φίλοι κατηφεῖς, καὶ οἰκέται δακρύων γέμοντες, ὅλον τὸ τῆς οἰκίας σχῆμα χειμερινήν τινα καὶ ζοφώδη μιμεῖται ἡμέραν· ἐὰν δὲ αὐτὴν τοῦ κατακειμένου τὴν καρδίαν ἀναπτύξῃς, σκυθρωποτέραν τούτων εὑρήσεις. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἄνεμοι μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ῥύμης ἐξεναντίας ἀλλήλοις ἐμβάλλοντες εἰς πολλὰ τὸ πέλαγος διατέμνουσι μέρη· οὕτω καὶ οἱ λογισμοὶ τῶν τότε κατεχόντων δεινῶν εἰς τὴν τοῦ κάμνοντος ἐμπίπτοντες ψυχὴν, εἰς πολλὰς τὴν ἐκείνου διάνοιαν σχίζουσι φροντίδας. Ὅταν εἰς τὰ παιδία ἀπίδῃ, τὴν ὀρφανίαν αὐτῶν ἐννοεῖ· ὅταν πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα ἀποβλέψῃ, τὴν χηρείαν λογίζεται· ὅταν ἴδῃ τοὺς οἰκέτας, τὴν ἐρημίαν ἁπάσης σκοπεῖ τῆς οἰκίας· ὅταν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπανέλθῃ, τῆς παρούσης ἑαυτὸν ἀναμιμνήσκει ζωῆς, καὶ ἀποῤῥήγνυσθαι μέλλων, πολὺ δέχεται τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ νέφος. Τοιαύτη ἡ τοῦ μέλλοντος μυσταγωγεῖσθαι ψυχή. Εἶτα μεταξὺ τῶν θορύβων καὶ τῆς ταραχῆς αὐτῆς, ἐπεισέρχεται ὁ ἱερεὺς αὐτοῦ τοῦ πυρετοῦ φοβερώτερος ὢν, καὶ τοῦ θανάτου τοῖς τοῦ κάμνοντος προσήκουσιν ἀπηνέστερος· τῆς γὰρ τοῦ ἰατροῦ φωνῆς τῆς ἀπογινωσκούσης τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἐκείνου μείζων ἀπόγνωσις εἶναι νομίζεται ἡ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου εἴσοδος, καὶ θανάτου σύμβολον εἶναι δοκεῖ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἡ ὑπόθεσις. Ἀλλ' οὔπω τὸν κολοφῶνα ἐπέθηκα τῶν κακῶν· μεταξὺ γὰρ θορυβούντων τῶν ἐπιτηδείων καὶ παρασκευα49.225 ζομένων, παλλάκις ἔρημον ἀφεῖσα τὸ σῶμα ἀπεπήδησεν ἡ ψυχὴ, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ παροῦσα οὐδὲν ὤνησεν. Ὅταν γὰρ μήτε τοὺς παρόντας ἐπιγινώσκῃ, μήτε φωνῆς ἀκούῃ, μήτε ἀποκρίνασθαι δύνηται τὰ ῥήματα ἐκεῖνα, δι' ὧν τὴν μακαρίαν συνθήκην πρὸς τὸν κοινὸν ἡμῶν ἁπάντων καταθήσεται Δεσπότην, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ξύλον ἀργὸν ἢ λίθος, ὁ φωτίζεσθαι μέλλων πρόκειται νεκροῦ μηδὲν διαφέρων, τί τῆς μυσταγωγίας ὄφελος ἐν ἀναισθησίᾳ τοσαύτῃ; βʹ. Τὸν γὰρ τοῖς ἱεροῖς τούτοις καὶ φρικτοῖς μέλλοντα προσιέναι μυστηρίοις ἐγρηγορέναι χρὴ καὶ διεγηγέρθαι, πάσης βιωτικῆς φροντίδος εἶναι καθαρὸν, πολλῆς γέμειν σωφροσύνης, πολλῆς προθυμίας, πάντα τὸν μυστηρίων ἀλλότριον λογισμὸν ἐξορίζειν τῆς διανοίας, καὶ πάντοθεν καθαρὸν παρασκευάζειν τὸν οἶκον, ὥσπερ αὐτὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι μέλλοντα τὸν βασιλέα. Τοιαύτη τῆς ὑμετέρας διανοίας ἡ παρασκευὴ, τοιοῦτοι παρ' ὑμῖν οἱ λογισμοὶ, τοιαύτη τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ προαίρεσις. Τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀξίαν ἀμοιβὴν τῆς ἀρίστης ταύτης γνώμης ἀναμένετε παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τοῦ ταῖς ἀντιδόσεσι νικῶντος τοὺς τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἐπιδεικνυμένους τὴν πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ χρὴ καὶ τοῖς συνδούλοις τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσενεγκεῖν, καὶ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν εἰσοίσομεν, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἡμέτερα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα Δεσποτικά.

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About this text

John Chrysostom (c. 349–407) addressed these instructions to catechumens preparing for baptism. He gave them as two catechetical homilies for those about to be baptized, to guide baptismal preparation, moral purification and renunciation of Satan.

He first celebrates their decision and contrasts deliberate preparation with deathbed baptism, then explains the many names of baptism, above all the washing of regeneration, as recreation of the whole person rather than only forgiveness of sins. He urges control of the tongue by renouncing all oaths and reform of habits before baptism, and warns against luxury, especially women's jewelry, and pagan practices such as omens, amulets and incantations, calling readers to use the renunciation of Satan as a daily weapon. The reader meets Joseph, Pharaoh, Moses, David, Job, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and Alexander of Macedon. Paul, Christ, David, John the Baptist, Peter and an unnamed speaker of wisdom sayings are quoted at length, and demons are quoted speaking to Christ.

To be baptized renders the word for being enlightened, and enlightenment, initiation and sacred rites also refer to baptism and its rites, while washing of regeneration means complete re-creation. I renounce you, Satan is the baptismal renunciation, Satan's pageantry covers theaters, races, omens, amulets and all sin, and covenant and deposit describe the agreement with Christ and the grace entrusted at baptism. Oaths of every kind are forbidden, including perjury and truthful oaths, and omens, amulets and incantations mean pagan signs and spells. Uz renders Ausitis, the land of Uz and home of Job, and the coins of Alexander of Macedon were used as amulets. The quotations follow the Septuagint, here given with standard English Bible book names and Hebrew Psalm numbering, with a note where the Greek numbering is one behind.

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Translated from Migne PG text (Aegean University Digital Patrology, via (Greek)
Also checked Migne PG 49, archive.org scan patrologiae_cursus_completus_gr_vol_049 (Greek machine-read text) (Greek · check (same print; machine-read text compared word by word))

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