John Chrysostom, On the Cross and the Thief II

the removal of sins, there the reconciliation of the Master, there a feast and joy. For our Passover, he says, Christ has been sacrificed for us. Where was he sacrificed, tell me? Upon a high cross. New and strange is the altar, since the sacrifice is strange and different. For he himself is both sacrifice and priest; a sacrifice according to the flesh, but a priest according to the spirit; he himself both offered and was offered. Hear Paul saying again: For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God. Therefore it is necessary for this one also to have something to offer. Behold, for now he offers. And elsewhere he says again: so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many. Behold, here he was offered, there he offered himself. Do you see how he became both sacrifice and priest, and the cross was the altar? But it is necessary to learn for what reason the sacrifice is not offered in the temple, I mean the Jewish temple, but outside the city, outside the walls. For he was crucified outside the city, like some condemned man, that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, that "He was numbered with the transgressors." For what reason, then, was it outside the city, on high, and not under some roof? Not for no reason was this either, but that he might cleanse the nature of the air. For this reason also it was on high, and with no roof over it, but with the heaven over it instead of a roof, so that heaven might be cleansed at once, the lamb being sacrificed on high. Heaven was cleansed 49.409 therefore, and the earth was cleansed too. For the blood dripped from his side upon the earth, and cleansed all its pollution. But the sacrifice is not offered under a roof for this reason; but for what reason was it not in the Jewish temple itself? And this again not for no reason, but so that the Jews might not appropriate the sacrifice, so that you might not think the sacrifice was offered for that nation alone, for this reason it was outside the city, outside the walls, so that you might learn that the sacrifice is universal, so that you might learn that the offering is for the whole earth, and that the purification is common to our whole nature. For this reason God commanded the Jews to leave all the earth, and to offer sacrifice in one place, to pray in one place; because all the earth was then unclean from the smoke, and the savor of sacrifice, and the blood of idols, and the other pollutions of the Greeks; for this reason he appointed one place for them. But Christ, having come and suffered outside the city, cleansed the whole earth, he made every place a house of prayer. Do you want to learn how the whole earth henceforth became a temple, and how every place was established as a house of prayer? Hear again the blessed Paul saying: lifting up holy hands in every place, without wrath and dissension. Do you see how he cleansed the inhabited world? do you see how we are able to lift up holy hands everywhere? For all the earth has henceforth become holy, or rather, even holier than the holy things of the Jews. How? Because there an irrational lamb was brought, but here a rational one. Insofar then as the rational is better than the irrational, so much greater here is the sanctification also. Therefore the cross is truly a feast. Secondly. Do you want to learn another of his greatest achievements, surpassing all human understanding? The paradise which had been shut, today he opened; for today he brought the thief into it. Two are the greatest achievements: he both opened paradise, and brought in the thief; he gave back to him his ancient homeland, he led him back to his father's city. "Today you will be with me," he says, "in paradise." What are you saying? You have been crucified and nailed to the cross, and you promise paradise? How then do you grant such things? And yet Paul says, that "He was crucified through weakness;" but hear what follows: "but he lives," he says, "by the power of God." And again elsewhere: "For my power is made perfect in weakness." "For this reason on the cross now," he says, "I make this promise, so that through this you may also learn my power."

ἁμαρτημάτων ἀναίρεσις, ἐκεῖ καταλλαγὴ ∆εσπότου, ἐκεῖ ἑορτὴ καὶ χαρά. Τὸ Πάσχα ἡμῶν, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστός. Ποῦ ἐτύθη, εἰπέ; Ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ σταυροῦ. Καινὸν καὶ ξένον τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ἐπειδὴ ξένη καὶ παρηλλαγμένη ἡ θυσία. Ὁ αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ θυσία καὶ ἱερεύς· θυσία μὲν, κατὰ σάρκα, ἱερεὺς δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα· ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ προσῆγε καὶ προσήγετο. Ἄκουε πάλιν τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Πᾶς γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων λαμβανόμενος, ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ὅθεν ἀνάγκη ἔχειν τι καὶ τοῦτον, ὃ προσενέγκῃ. Ἰδοὺ τέως προσφέρει. Ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ πάλιν φησίν· Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἅπαξ προσενεχθεὶς εἰς τὸ πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν ἁμαρτίας. Ἰδοὺ ἐνταῦθα προσηνέχθη, ἐκεῖ ἑαυτὸν προσήνεγκεν. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ θυσία καὶ ἱερεὺς ἐγένετο, καὶ θυσιαστήριον ἦν ὁ σταυρός; Ἀλλ' ἀναγκαῖον μαθεῖν, τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐν τῷ ναῷ ἡ θυσία προσφέρεται, ἐν τῷ ναῷ λέγω τῷ Ἰουδαϊκῷ, ἀλλ' ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, ἔξω τῶν τειχῶν. Ἔξω γὰρ τῆς πόλεως ἐσταυρώθη, καθάπερ τις κατάδικος, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου, ὅτι Καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἀνόμοις ἐλογίσθη. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ οὐχ ὑπὸ στέγην τινά; Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοῦ ἀέρος καθάρῃ τὴν φύσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐπικειμένης στέγης, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ στέγης ἐπικειμένου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἵνα καθαρθῇ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἅπαξ, ἐφ' ὑψηλοῦ θυομένου τοῦ προβάτου. Ἐκαθάρθῃ 49.409 οὖν οὐρανὸς, ἐκαθάρθη δὲ καὶ ἡ γῆ. Ἔσταξε γὰρ τὸ αἷμα ἀπὸ τῆς πλευρᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὸν μολυσμὸν αὐτῆς ἅπαντα ἐξεκάθηρεν. Ἀλλ' ὑπὸ στέγην μὲν ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας οὐ προσφέρεται ἡ θυσία· τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐχὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ναῷ τῷ Ἰουδαϊκῷ; Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἰδιοποιήσωνται τὴν θυσίαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔθνους ἐκείνου μόνου τὴν θυσίαν προσφέρεσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, ἔξω τῶν τειχῶν, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι καθολική ἐστιν ἡ θυσία, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι ὑπὲρ τῆς γῆς ἁπάσης ἐστὶν ἡ προσφορὰ, καὶ ὅτι κοινὸς τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἁπάσης ἐστὶν ὁ καθαρισμός. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ Ἰουδαίοις διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Θεὸς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἀφιέναι, καὶ εἰς ἕνα τόπον προσφέρειν, εἰς ἕνα τόπον εὔχεσθαι· ἐπειδὴ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ τότε ἀκάθαρτος ἦν ἀπὸ τοῦ καπνοῦ, καὶ τῆς κνίσσης, καὶ τῶν εἰδωλικῶν αἱμάτων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μολυσμῶν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν· διὰ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς ἕνα τόπον ἐπέταξεν. Ἀλλ' ἐλθὼν ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἔξω παθὼν, πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐκάθηρε, πάντα τόπον εὐκτήριον εἰργάσατο. Βούλει μαθεῖν πῶς πᾶσα ἡ γῆ λοιπὸν ναὸς ἐγένετο, καὶ πῶς πᾶς τόπος εὐκτήριος κατέστη; Ἄκουσον πάλιν τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου λέγοντος· Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ἐπαίροντες ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ. Εἶδες πῶς ἐκάθηρε τὴν οἰκουμένην; εἶδες πῶς πανταχοῦ ἐπαίρειν ὁσίους χεῖρας δυνάμεθα; Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ γῆ γέγονεν ἁγία λοιπὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις ἁγίων ἁγιωτέρα. Πῶς; Ὅτε ἐκεῖ μὲν ἄλογον, ἐνταῦθα δὲ λογικὸν προσήχθη πρόβατον. Ὅσῳ τοίνυν κρεῖττον τὸ λογικὸν τοῦ ἀλόγου, τοσούτῳ πλείων ἐνταῦθα καὶ ὁ ἁγιασμός. Οὐκοῦν ἀληθῶς ἑορτὴ ὁ σταυρός. βʹ. Βούλει μαθεῖν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕτερον κατόρθωμα μέγιστον, πᾶσαν ὑπερβαῖνον ἀνθρωπίνην διάνοιαν; Τὸν παράδεισον ἀποκεκλεισμένον σήμερον ἀνέῳξε· σήμερον γὰρ τὸν λῃστὴν εἰσήγαγεν ἐν αὐτῷ. ∆ύο τὰ μέγιστα κατορθώματα, καὶ τὸν παράδεισον ἀνέῳξε, καὶ τὸν λῃστὴν εἰσήγαγεν· ἀπέδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχαίαν πατρίδα, ἐπανήγαγεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν πατρῴαν πόλιν. Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Τί λέγεις; ἐσταύρωσαι καὶ προσήλωσαι ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ ἥλοις, καὶ παράδεισον ἐπαγγέλλῃ; πῶς οὖν τοιαῦτα χαρίζῃ; Καὶ μὴν ὁ Παῦλος λέγει, ὅτι Ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας· ἀλλ' ἄκουε τῶν ἐπαγομένων· Ἀλλὰ ζῇ, φησὶν, ἐκ δυνάμεως Θεοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ νῦν, φησὶν, ἐπαγγέλλομαι, ἵνα καὶ διὰ τούτου τὴν ἐμὴν καταμάθῃς δύναμιν.