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being entrusted, of necessity they first received the knowledge of tongues. For no one can initiate one who has not first believed; and no one would believe, being inexperienced in the things being said. From this the grace of the Spirit began, and for this reason it first worked wonders concerning sounds. For their sound went forth into all the earth. It was about 52.809 to take possession of the inhabited world, and to be measured by the boundaries of the earth, and to leave no one untaught, nor to pass by anyone undisciplined.

And divided tongues were seen in the form of fire. For the tongues of the apostles were about to work the things of fire, and to show a twofold use; both to burn up the devil, and to enlighten those sitting in darkness. See for me a fire more gentle to the faithful than any oil; see for me a tongue more terrible to the devil than any fire; see for me a tongue burning up the thorns of impiety, and refreshing the crops of piety; see for me twelve disciples being taught by one teacher; see for me twelve generals being arranged under one king; see for me twelve bright luminaries rising from one peak; see for me twelve pure rays proceeding from one sun; see for me twelve torches being lit from one spark; see for me twelve branches that have sprouted from one clinging vine; see for me twelve baskets being filled from one table; see for me twelve rivers being brought forth from one spring; see for me twelve tongues speaking from one grace. And do not think them to be drunk, nor to be full of new wine, nor insult the gift with unbelief, nor imitate the accursed, nor call the energy of the Spirit drunkenness. For drunkenness does not know how to grant kinds of tongues, but even binds the one that each person has, and renders one senseless, and cuts off the course of speech, and just as one walking in darkness among rocks stumbles with their teeth; and now it possesses the mind, and produces confusion, and works illusion, and cuts off syllables.

And drunkenness is the dream of one who is awake, and the vision of one not sleeping, and a thirsty madness, and a hungry demon, and a devil sitting in wine, and a robber lying in wait at banquets, and one who burns up reason with unmixed wine, and one who works the medicine of a despondent soul into a poison. Drunkenness is of a nature to produce these things. The impious slandered the apostles with these things; and it is no wonder. The sober seemed to the Jews to be drunk; for 52.810 they turned to all insults against the saints, and mocked the prophets as being drunk. And if they should deny it, let us say to them: Are not these things so, sons of Israel? says the Lord. And you gave my consecrated ones wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying: Do not prophesy. But I myself also confess that they are drunk, but not with the drunkenness of which you yourself speak, but with that more divine and spiritual one, from which he who has drunk is filled with wisdom, from which he who has drunk is strengthened in mind, from which he who has drunk is awake (sic) and sober toward virtue, from which he who has drunk learns to love God, from which he who has drunk will never thirst for ever, from which he who has drunk is mad with Paul, and dares to face any fire and iron, and leaps into dangers, and embraces every misfortune as joy, and exults in reproaches as in praises, and glories in insults as in commendations, and is delicate in bonds for the Savior as if in royal crowns. This is the mixing bowl that intoxicated the apostles; this is the cup the Savior's disciples drank, and they were intoxicated with the most beautiful drunkenness, and were filled from the holy table, and say with the blessed David: You have prepared a table before me, in the presence of my enemies; you have anointed my head with oil, and your cup intoxicates me as the strongest, and your mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

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πιστευόμενοι, ἀναγκαίως πρότερον τῶν γλωσσῶν τὴν γνῶσιν ἐλάμβανον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δύναταί τις μυσταγωγεῖν τὸν μὴ πιστεύσαντα πρότερον· πιστεύει δ' ἂν οὐδεὶς, ἀπείρως ἔχων τῶν λεγομένων. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἤρξατο χάρις, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ περὶ τῶν φθόγγων πρότερον ἐθαυματούργησεν. Εἰς πᾶσαν γὰρ τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν. Ἔμελλε 52.809 καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην καταλαμβάνειν, καὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις τῆς γῆς μετρεῖσθαι, καὶ οὐδένα ἀδίδακτον παρεῖναι, οὐδὲ ἀμαθήτευτον παρατρέχειν.

Ὤφθησαν δὲ ἐν εἴδει πυρὸς μεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ἔμελλον ἐνεργεῖν τῶν ἀποστόλων αἱ γλῶσσαι, καὶ διπλῆν τὴν χρῆσιν δείκνυσθαι· καὶ τὸν μὲν διάβολον καταφλέγειν, φωτίζειν δὲ τοὺς καθημένους ἐν σκότει. Ὅρα μοι πῦρ παντὸς ἐλαίου τοῖς πιστοῖς προσηνέστερον· ὅρα μοι γλῶτταν παντὸς πυρὸς τῷ διαβόλῳ φοβερωτέραν· ὅρα μοι γλῶτταν τῆς ἀσεβείας τὰς ἀκάνθας συμφλέγουσαν, καὶ τὰ λήϊα τῆς εὐσεβείας δροσίζουσαν· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα μαθητὰς ἐξ ἑνὸς διδασκάλου παιδευομένους· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα στρατηγοὺς ὑφ' ἑνὶ βασιλεῖ ταττομένους· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα φωστῆρας λαμπροὺς ἐκ μιᾶς ἀνατέλλοντας κορυφῆς· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα καθαρὰς ἀκτῖνας ἐξ ἑνὸς προϊούσας ἡλίου· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα λαμπάδας ἐξ ἑνὸς ἁπτομένας σπινθῆρος· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα κλήματα ἐξ ἑνὸς ἁπτομένης ἀμπέλου βλαστήσαντα· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα κοφίνους ἐκ μιᾶς πληρουμένους τραπέζης· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα ποταμοὺς ἐκ μιᾶς προφερομένους πηγῆς· ὅρα μοι δώδεκα γλώττας ἐκ μιᾶς χάριτος φθεγγομένας. Καὶ μὴ νομίσῃς αὐτοὺς μεθύειν, μηδὲ γλεύκους εἶναι μεστοὺς, μηδὲ ὑβρίσῃς ἀπιστίᾳ τὸ δῶρον, μηδὲ μιμήσῃ τοὺς καταράτους, μηδὲ προσείπῃς μέθην τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν ἐνέργειαν. Μέθη μὲν γένη γλωσσῶν οὐκ οἶδε χαρίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν οὖσαν ἑκάστῳ δεσμεῖ, καὶ παράφρονα ἀπεργάζεται, καὶ κόπτει τοῦ λόγου τὸν δρόμον, καὶ καθάπερ ἐν πέτραις τῷ σκότῳ βαδίζουσα τοῖς ὀδοῦσι προσπταίει· καὶ νῦν ἔχει τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ταραχὴν ἐμποιεῖ, καὶ φαντασίαν ἐργάζεται, καὶ περιτέμνει τῶν συλλαβῶν.

Καὶ ἔστιν ἡ μέθη ὄναρ ἐγρηγορότος, καὶ ἐνύπνιον οὐ καθεύδοντος, καὶ μανία διψῶσα, καὶ δαίμων πεινώμενος, καὶ διάβολος ἐγκαθήμενος οἴνῳ, καὶ λῃστὴς ἐν συμποσίοις λοχῶν, καὶ τὸν λογισμὸν καταφλέγων ἀκράτῳ, καὶ φάρμακον τῆς ἀθυμούσης ψυχῆς δηλητήριον ἐργαζόμενος. Ταῦτα ἡ μέθη πέφυκεν ἐμποιεῖν. Ταῦτα τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐσυκοφάντουν οἱ δυσσεβεῖς· καὶ οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν. Οἱ νήφοντες μεθύειν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐδόκουν· πᾶσαι 52.810 γὰρ ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων ἐνετράπησαν ὕβρεσι, καὶ τοὺς προφήτας ἐχλεύαζον ὡς μεθύοντας. Κἂν ἀρνήσωνται, λέγωμεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μὴ οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ; λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ ἐποτίζετε τοὺς ἡγιασμένους μου οἶνον, καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἐνετέλλεσθε λέγοντες· Μὴ προφητεύετε. Ἐγὼ δὲ μεθύειν μὲν αὐτοὺς καὶ αὐτὸς ὁμολογῶ, ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν μέθην ἣν λέγεις αὐτὸς, ἀλλὰ τὴν θειοτέραν καὶ νοερὰν ἐκείνην, ἧς ὁ πεπωκὼς σοφίας ἐμπίπλαται, ἧς ὁ πεπωκὼς ἔῤῥωται τὴν διάνοιαν, ἧς ὁ πεπωκὼς ἐγρήγορε (σιξ) καὶ νήφει πρὸς ἀρετὴν, ἧς ὁ πεπωκὼς ἐρᾷν μανθάνει Θεοῦ, ἧς ὁ πεπωκὼς οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἧς ὁ πεπωκὼς μαίνεται μετὰ Παύλου, καὶ παντὸς πυρὸς καὶ σιδήρου κατατολμᾷ, καὶ τοῖς κινδύνοις ἐπιπηδᾷ, καὶ πᾶσαν συμφορὰν ὡς εὐφροσύνην ἀσπάζεται, καὶ ταῖς λοιδορίαις ὡς εὐφημίαις ἀγάλλεται, καὶ ταῖς ὕβρεσιν ὡς ἐπαίνοις ἐγκαλλωπίζεται, καὶ τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ Σωτῆρος δεσμοῖς ὡς ἐπὶ τοῖς βασιλικοῖς στεφάνοις ἁβρύνεται. Οὗτος ὁ κρατὴρ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐμέθυσε· τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον οἱ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἔπιον μαθηταὶ, καὶ τὴν καλλίστην ἐμεθύσθησαν μέθην, καὶ τῆς ἁγίας τραπέζης ἐνεφορήθησαν, καὶ λέγουσι μετὰ τοῦ μακαρίου ∆αυΐδ· Ἡτοίμασας ἐνώπιόν μου τράπεζαν, ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων με· ἐλίπανας ἐν ἐλαίῳ τὴν κεφαλήν μου, καὶ τὸ ποτήριόν σου μεθύσκον με ὡσεὶ κράτιστον, καὶ τὸ ἔλεός σου καταδιώξει με πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς μου.