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In sanctum Stephanum (homilia 9)

Of Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, encomium on Saint Stephen

1 Let the whole earth celebrate the festival for Stephen; for he cultivated all of it in succession with his words, and filled the whole world with sacred laws. He sowed the doctrines of piety everywhere, he granted to all the churches to be honored with the light of his teaching. And just as the sun, rising from some one corner of the sky, was allotted to illuminate the whole visible creation, so Stephen, full of grace, flashing forth from Jerusalem, filled whole cities and countries, nations and peoples, tribes and tongues with unquenchable theology.

2 But we rightly owe him more feasts, since he is a citizen of the Cross, a kinsman of Bethlehem, a descendant of the Resurrection, a table-steward of Sion, a herald of the Ascension. Among us he pitched his courts and his tents; among us he received the lot of the diaconate and the portion of martyrdom. Here he has the altar of sacrifice and the pulpit of blessing, the field of teaching, the theater of rhetoric. From here he was led up to heaven, and from us he departed to Christ.

3 Wherefore among us the spectacles of his feasts are frequent, and often we crown his bridal chamber, continuously we go up to the winepress leaping, and we sing a nuptial song, saying a vintage ode: “O Lord, with the shield of good will you have crowned us.” For the zeal of Stephen is a shield for the faithful, and his tongue a sword for the pious, and his boldness a preparation for confession, his courage an exhortation to manliness, his rhetoric the material of theology, his teaching an instruction of the law, a knowledge of the prophets, an acquaintance with the gospels, the contemplation of heavenly things, or rather an explanation of the mysteries beyond heaven.

4 But who is able to speak the praises of Stephen in detail? For what shall I call him? A martyr of the light, a deacon of life, a soldier of Christ, a lamp of the Word, a pearl of the Spirit, a flower of patience, a foundation of philosophy, a model of dispassion, a first-fruit of teachers, a pillar of the church, a tutor of grace, a ladder of virtues, a monument of progress, a forerunner of the apostles, the first-born of the martyrs, a leader of knowledge?

5 He was a minister to widows, but he becomes one having ordained himself for the churches; having been appointed to bring in food, he brings in doctrines instead. He changed the tables into altars; he made use of the breads from heaven, not those from earth. The mixing-bowl of drunkenness he changed into bowls of grace; instead of wine he mixed the spirit, instead of perceptible water he set forth the mystical and intelligible.

6 He was great both in speaking and in acting, teaching and working miracles, refuting the Jews, driving out demons, healing the infirmities of the body and of the soul at the same time. He opened his mouth, and hunted every ear; he moved his tongue, and death fled, falsehood was bound, love advanced. Being a lamb, he fought against the wolves on behalf of the shepherd; being a dove, he subdued the serpents for the eagle. While silent, he presented the appearance of an angel to his judges. He laughed, seeing the slanderers surrounding him; and beholding the false witnesses standing by, he said these things to himself from the psalmody of David: "The arrows of infants have their blows become." For whatever the slanderer shoots, the worker of truth is not wounded; whatever arrows the evil one lets fly, are moved in vain

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In sanctum Stephanum (homilia 9)

̔Ησυχίου, πρεσβυτέρου Ἱεροσολύμων, ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Στέφανον

1 Στεφάνῳ πᾶσα μὲν ἡ γῆ τελείτω τὴν πανήγυριν· πᾶσαν γὰρ ἐφεξῆς τοῖς λόγοις ἐγεώργησεν, καὶ νόμων ἱερῶν πανδημὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐνέπλησεν. Ἔσπειρεν πανταχοῦ τῆς εὐσεβείας τὰ δόγματα, ὅλαις φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῷ φωτὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίας ἔδωκεν. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐκ μιᾶς τινος γωνίας τῆς κατ' οὐρανὸν ἀνατέλλων ὁ ἥλιος φωτίζειν ὅλην τὴν κτίσιν τὴν ὁρωμένην ἔλαχεν, οὕτως ἐξ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἀστράψας ὁ τῶν χαρίτων Στέφανος πόλεις ὅλας καὶ χώρας, ἔθνη καὶ λαούς, φυλὰς καὶ γλώσσας ἀσβέστου θεολογίας ἐνέπλησεν.

2 Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς αὐτῷ πλείονας εἰκότως ἑορτὰς ἐποφείλομεν, ἐπειδὴ πολίτης ἐστὶν τοῦ Σταυροῦ, τῆς Βηθλεὲμ οἰκεῖος, τῆς Ἀναστάσεω<ς> ἔκγονος, τῆς Σιὼν τραπεζοποιός, κῆρυξ τῆς Ἀναλήψεως. Παρ' ἡμῖν τὰς αὐλὰς καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς ἐπήξατο· παρ' ἡμῖν τῆς διακονίας τὸν κλῆρον καὶ τὴν μερίδα τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἔλαχεν. Ἐνταῦθα τῆς θυσίας τὸν βωμὸν ἔχει καὶ τῆς εὐλογίας τὸ βῆμα, τῆς διδασκαλίας τὸν ἀγρόν, τῆς ῥητορείας τὸ θέατρον. Ἐντεῦθεν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνήχθη, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἀπεδήμησεν.

3 Ὅθεν αὐτῷ συχνὰ παρ' ἡμῖν τῶν ἑορτῶν τὰ θέατρα, καὶ πολλάκις αὐτοῦ τὴν παστάδα στεφανοῦμεν, συνεχῶς τὴν ληνὸν σκιρτῶντες ἀναβαίνομεν, καὶ μέλος ᾄδομεν γαμικόν, ᾠδὴν ἐπιλήνιον λέγοντες· «Κύριε, ὡς ὅπλῳ εὐδοκίας ἐστεφάνωσας ἡμᾶς.» Ὅπλον γὰρ τοῖς πιστοῖς ὁ τοῦ Στεφάνου ζῆλος, καὶ ἡ γλῶττα τοῖς εὐσεβοῦσι μάχαιρα, καὶ ἡ παρρησία ὁμολογίας παρασκευή, τὸ θάρσος ἀνδρείας προτροπή, ἡ ῥητορεία θεολογίας ὕλη, ἡ διδασκαλία νόμου κατήχησις, προφητῶν γνῶσις, εὐαγγε λίων εἴδησις, ἡ θεωρία τῶν κατ' οὐρανόν, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν ὑπὲρ οὐρανόν, μυστηρίων ἐξήγησις.

4 Ἀλλὰ τίς ἱκανὸς εἰπεῖν τοῦ Στεφάνου τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐγ κώμια; Τί γὰρ αὐτὸν εἴπω; Μάρτυρα τοῦ φωτός, διάκονον τῆς ζωῆς, στρατιώτην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, λυχνίαν τοῦ Λόγου, μαργαρίτην τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὑπομονῆς ἄνθος, φιλοσοφίας κρηπῖδα, ἀπαθείας ὑπόδειγμα, διδασκάλων ἀπαρχήν, στῦλον ἐκκλησίας, παιδαγωγὸν τῆς χάριτος, ἀρετῶν κλίμακα, προκοπῆς στήλην, πρόδρομον τῶν ἀποστόλων, τῶν μαρτύρων πρωτότοκον, ἡγεμόνα τῆς γνώ σεως;

5 Χηρῶν ἦν λειτουργός, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν χειροτονήσας γίνεται· ὄψα εἰσφέρειν ταχθείς, ἀντεισφέρει τὰ δόγματα. Εἰς θυσιαστήρια τὰς τραπέζας μετέβαλεν· τοῖς ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἄρτοις, οὐ τοῖς ἐκ γῆς ἐκέχρητο. Τὸν κρατῆρα τῆς μέ θης μετέθηκεν εἰς φιάλας τῆς χάριτος· ἀντὶ τοῦ οἴνου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκίρνα, ἀντὶ ὕδατος αἰσθητοῦ τὸ μυστικὸν καὶ νοητὸν προεβάλλετο.

6 Πολὺς ἦν καὶ λέγων καὶ πράττων, διδάσκων καὶ θαυ ματουργῶν, Ἰουδαίους ἐλέγχων, ἀπελαύνων τοὺς δαίμονας, ὁμοῦ τοῦ σώματος καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τὰς ἀρρωστίας ἰώμενος. Ἤνοιγεν τὸ στόμα, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀκοὴν ἐθήρα· ἐκίνει τὴν γλῶττα<ν>, καὶ ὁ θάνατος ἔφευγεν, τὸ ψεῦδος ἐδεσμεῖτο, ἡ ἀγάπη προέκοπτεν. Ἀμνὸς ὤν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποιμένος πρὸς τοὺς λύκους ἐμάχετο· πε ριστερὰ τυγχάνων, ὑπέταττε τῷ ἀετῷ τοὺς δράκοντας. Ἀγγέλου χαρακτῆρα παρεῖχε σιωπῶν τοῖς δικάζουσι. Ἐγέλα, κυκλοῦντας τοὺς συκοφάντας ὁρῶν· καὶ τοὺς ψευδεῖς θεωρῶν παρ ισταμένους μάρτυρας, ταῦτα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ∆αυὶδ κιθαρῳδίας ἔλεγεν· «Βέλη νηπίων ἐγενήθησαν αἱ πληγαὶ αὐ τῶν.» Ὅσα γὰρ ἂν ὁ συκοφάντης τοξεύσῃ, ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐργά της οὐ τιτρώσκεται· ὅσα βέλη ὁ πονηρὸς ἀφίησιν, μάτην κινεῖται