Homilies on Second Timothy — Homily 8

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting

[[2 Timothy 3.1]]-4

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

If any now takes offense at the existence of heretics, let him remember that it was so from the beginning, the devil always setting up error by the side of truth. God from the beginning promised good, the devil came too with a promise. God planted Paradise, the devil deceived, saying, You shall be as gods. [[Genesis 3.5]] For as he could show nothing in actions, he made the more promises in words. Such is the character of deceivers. After this were Cain and Abel, then the sons of Seth and the daughters of men; afterwards Ham and Japhet, Abraham and Pharaoh, Jacob and Esau; and so it is even to the end, Moses and the magicians, the Prophets and the false prophets, the Apostles and the false apostles, Christ and Antichrist. Thus it was then, both before and at that time. Then there was Theudas, then Simon, then were the Apostles, then too this party of Hermogenes and Philetus. In short, there was no time when falsehood was not set up in opposition to truth. Let us not therefore be distressed. That it would be so, was foretold from the beginning. Therefore he says, Know that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection. The unthankful then is unholy, and this is natural, for what will he be to others, who is not grateful to his benefactor? The unthankful man is a truce-breaker, he is without natural affection.

False accusers, that is, slanderers. For those who are conscious that they have no good in themselves, while they commit many sins and offenses, find consolation in defaming the characters of others.

Incontinent, with respect both to their tongue and their appetite, and everything else.

Fierce, hence their inhumanity and cruelty, when any one is covetous, selfish, ungrateful, licentious.

Despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady. Traitors, betrayers of friendship; heady, having no steadiness; high-minded, filled with arrogance. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

Ver. 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

In the Epistle to the Romans, he says somewhat on this wise, Having the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law [[Romans 2.20]], where he speaks in commendation of it: but here he speaks of this sin as an evil beyond all other defects. And why is this? Because he does not use the words in the same signification. For an image is often taken to signify a likeness; but sometimes a thing without life, and worthless. Thus he says himself in his Ep