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Homilia ii in sanctum Longinum centurionem (homilia 20) [Dub.]

Of Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, encomium for Saint Longinus the Centurion.

1 The victors of the contest, the citizens of heaven, the soldiers of Christ, the heirs of the kingdom, the ambassadors of the world to the Lord, the assessors of the cherubim and physicians of the sick, the cleansers of lepers and putters-to-flight of demons, the witnesses of the faith, the trampers-on of idols, who through the body trampled on the devil and considered tortures as nothing, who muzzled wild beasts and blunted swords, who were sealed by Christ and known by him, the beautiful flowers of the churches, <the> mighty ambassadors, <the> stars of the world, the holy protomartyrs John the Baptist, Stephen, Longinus the centurion.

2 For when our master "Jesus Christ and Savior was born in Bethlehem of Judea," it was announced to King Herod that a king of Israel had been born. And Herod, having received the good news, for a little while storing it up in the hope of the Magi, but afterwards becoming enraged, sent Longinus the centurion, saying: "Go, learn exactly if a king has been born, so that I too may come and worship him, because I was mocked by those Magi." And Longinus, as he was going to Bethlehem of Judea, saw a great light shine around him on the way, and he heard a voice saying to him: "Come here, Longinus, my beloved, and I will make you a centurion of holy martyrs." And falling to the earth, he worshipped the one who had given him the voice and said: "Let it be to me according to your word, Lord, God," and he went away to Bethlehem of Judea to worship the child, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said to him: "Hail, king of the world."

3 And returning to Herod, he said to him: "Truly the one who has been born is the son of God, king and redeemer of the whole world." But Herod, becoming angry, said to him: "Do you testify about him under oath?" And the centurion Longinus says a second time: "Truly he is the son of God and redeemer of the world." And Herod said to Longinus: "Having seen what power performed by him do you say these things and consider him to be the son of God?" And the saint of God Longinus said to Herod: "As I was going to Bethlehem of Judea and reasoning with myself who the one born might be, behold, on the way a great light suddenly flashed around me and I became as if in a trance, and I was found in Bethlehem of Judea, and I was seeing 'the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the' infant and worshipping him, and the Holy Spirit descending upon him and power and glory overshadowing him, and I knew and was persuaded and believed that truly he is the son of God and redeemer of the world, the Christ."

4 And King Herod said to Longinus: "I will give you half of my kingdom, if you give him into my hands." But Saint Longinus said to Herod: "I have transferred my service to the army of the eternal king and I cannot do this; but if you wish, you too believe, and you will become an heir of eternal life and kingdom; for this is why, when sent away, I said: 'I will go to him and proclaim the good news to him, so that he may become an heir of eternal life and kingdom, and I may be deemed worthy of much honor, because I brought you good news.'"

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Homilia ii in sanctum Longinum centurionem (homilia 20) [Dub.]

Τοῦ Ἡσυχίου, πρεσβυτέρου Ἱεροσολύμων, ἐγκώμιον εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Λογγῖνον τὸν ἑκατόνταρχον.

1 Οἱ τῆς ἀθλήσεως νικηταί, οἱ οὐρανοπολῖται, οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιῶται, οἱ

τῆς βασιλείας κληρονόμοι, οἱ τοῦ κόσμου πρὸς κύ ριον πρεσβευταί, οἱ τῶν χερουβὶμ πάρεδροι καὶ νοσούντων ἰατροί, οἱ λεπρῶν καθαρισταὶ καὶ δαιμόνων φυγαδευταί, οἱ τῆς πίστεως μάρτυρες, οἱ τῶν εἰδώλων πατηταί, οἱ διὰ τοῦ σώματος τὸν διά βολον πατήσαντες καὶ βασάνους μηδὲν ἡγησάμενοι, οἱ θηρία φι μώσαντες καὶ ξίφη ἀμβλύναντες, οἱ ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ σφραγισθέντες καὶ ὑπὸ αὐτοῦ γνωσθέντες, τὰ καλὰ ἄνθη τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, <οἱ> πρεσ βευταὶ δυνατοί, <οἱ> ἀστέρες τῆς οἰκουμένης, οἱ ἅγιοι πρωτομάρτυ ρες Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής, Στέφανος, Λογγῖνος ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος.

2 Τοῦ γὰρ δεσπότου ἡμῶν «Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος γεν νηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας», ἀνηγγέλη τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἡρῴδῃ ὅτιπερ γεγέννηται βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης δεξάμενος τὴν εὐαγγελίαν, πρὸς ὀλίγον μὲν ταμιευσάμενος ἐπὶ τῇ ἐλ πίδι τῶν Μάγων, μετέπειτα δὲ θυμομαχήσας, ἀπέστειλεν Λογγῖνον τὸν ἑκατόνταρχον λέγων· «Ἄπελθε, μάθε ἀκριβῶς εἰ γεγέννηται βασιλεύς, ἵνα κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ, ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθην ὑπὸ τῶν Μάγων ἐκείνων.» Ὁ δὲ Λογγῖνος ἀπερχόμενος εἰς Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἶδεν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ φῶς μέγα περιλάμψαν αὐτόν, ἤκου σεν δὲ φωνῆς λεγούσης πρὸς αὐτόν· «∆εῦρο, Λογγῖνε, ὁ ἀγαπητός μου, καὶ ποιήσω σε ἑκατόνταρχον ἁγίων μαρτύρων.» Ὁ δὲ πε σὼν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν προσεκύνησεν τῷ δεδωκότι αὐτῷ τὴν φωνὴν καὶ εἶπεν· «Γένοιτό μοι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου, κύριε, ὁ θεός», καὶ ἀπ ῆλθεν εἰς Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας προσκυνῆσαι τῷ παιδίῳ, τῷ κυ ρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ. Καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· «Χαῖρε, βασιλεῦ τοῦ κόσμου».

3 Καὶ ἀναλύσας πρὸς Ἡρῴδην εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· «Ὄντως ὁ γεννηθεὶς θεοῦ υἱός ἐστιν, βασιλεὺς καὶ λυτρωτὴς παντὸς τοῦ κό σμου.» Θυμωθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἡρῴδης εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· «Σὺ μαρτυρεῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐνόρκως;» Ὁ δὲ ἑκατόνταρχος Λογγῖνος λέγει δευ τερώσας· «Ἀληθῶς θεοῦ υἱός ἐστιν καὶ λυτρωτὴς τοῦ κόσμου.» Εἶ πεν δὲ ὁ Ἡρῴδης πρὸς Λογγῖνον· «Ποίαν δύναμιν ἑωρακὼς γι νομένην ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ταῦτα λέγεις καὶ αὐτὸν θεοῦ υἱὸν εἶναι νομίζεις;» Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ Λογγῖνος εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν Ἡρῴδην· «Πορευόμενος ἐγὼ ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ διαλογιζόμενος ἐν ἑαυ τῷ τίς ἂν εἴη ἄρα ὁ γεννηθείς, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐξαίφνης περι ήστραψέν μοι φῶς μέγα καὶ γέγονα ὥσπερ ἐν ἐκστάσει, καὶ ηὑρέ θην ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ ἐθεώρουν «τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνεῳγ μένους καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἀναβαίνοντας καὶ καταβαίνον τας ἐπὶ τὸν» νήπιον καὶ σεβομένους αὐτόν, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καταβαῖνον ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ δύναμιν καὶ δόξαν ἐπισκιάζουσα<ν> ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἔγνων καὶ ἐπείσθην καὶ ἐπίστευσα ὅτι ὄντως θεοῦ υἱός ἐστιν καὶ λυτρωτὴς τοῦ κόσμου ὁ Χριστός.»

4 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἡρῴδης εἶπεν πρὸς Λογγῖνον· «Τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς βασιλείας μου δίδωμί σοι, ἐὰν δῷς μοι αὐτὸν εἰς τὰς χεῖράς μου.» Ὁ δὲ ἅγιος Λογγῖνος εἶπεν πρὸς Ἡρῴδην· «Ἐγὼ μετεστρατευσάμην εἰς τὴν τοῦ αἰωνίου βασιλέως στρατιὰν καὶ οὐ δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι· ἐὰν δὲ θέλῃς, πίστευσον καὶ σύ, καὶ γενήσει κληρονόμος τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς καὶ βασιλείας· τούτου γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἀπολύσας εἶ πον· ἀπελθὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐαγγελιοῦμαι αὐτῷ, ὅπως γένηται κληρο νόμος τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς καὶ βασιλείας, καὶ τιμῆς πολλῆς ἀξιωθῶ, ὅτι προσήνεγκά σοι εὐαγγελίαν ἀγαθήν.»