John Chrysostom, On Peter's Denial

sheep are scattered, they leap away, and they flee; but if they only hear the shepherd whistling, they run again, and join one another; so also the disciples of the Lord, seeing the cross as a wolf, fled, leaped away; but they only heard of the Master's resurrection, and immediately they ran to him, and they knew, and were not estranged from the fold of heaven. Therefore, when the Lord said to his own disciples, that "You will all be offended because of me this night"; Peter, speaking figuratively, as he wished to present himself, and to be found more devoted to the Master than the rest of the disciples, or rather to speak more truly, to make public his own denial, said to the Master, What are you saying, Master? We all will be offended by you? And did you count me among them all? Do you so trust in my steadfastness? Shall I deny you, I who walked on the sea? I who was deemed worthy of the transfiguration on the mountain? I who put to flight a herd of demons? I who heal every affliction? Did I not know you before all others, and cry out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"? For which reason also, accepting my testimony, you blessed me, and called me the rock of the Church, saying, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Shall I then deny you, the chief of the apostles, the pillar of the Church? Therefore, trusting in myself, I cry out: Even if all are scandal- 59.617 ized, I will not be scandalized. But the Lord said to him: What are you saying and contradicting, Peter? Do you oppose God with your words? Have you found me to be a liar? You do not ask to be strengthened, but you promise not to be shaken? Did not this same fervor of yours make you much worse? You showed this rashness of yours also while walking on the sea, if I had not quickly stretched out my hand. Did you not also sin against me on the mountain of transfiguration, wanting to fashion three tabernacles, and ranking me the Master with my friends? Did you not beseech me not to go up to Jerusalem, unable to bear the threat of the Jews? I, Peter, did not wish to expose you, but you have disregarded the foreknowing eye of my divinity. Behold, I tell you what you are about to do, so that from your own actions you may know who you are. Truly, truly, I say to you, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. But Peter, his mind again stolen away, not conscious of the fickle nature of the human condition, answered the Lord, saying: Why do you frighten me? I know how to despise death, and I will not deny you. But the Lord said to Peter: You have agreed well, but not long after you will know; for the time is at the doors, so that both your resolve and my foreknowledge may be revealed. What then is the end of the matter? For the evening is at hand. For when the Lord was seized, and led into the court of the high priest, and all the disciples were scattered, Peter alone followed into the court of the high priest, as he was about to do the things he had resolved. And when the Lord was secured within, Peter sat in the outer court, bold, unbending, as if he had already won the victory. What then? As he sat there for a long time, seeing neither a sword being sharpened, nor torturers set forth, nor confiscation being promised, nor exile being decreed; but a little servant girl, bought with silver, of low-standing, approaching Peter says: What are you doing here, man? Where is the power of your Teacher? See, he is locked up within; see, he is about to be handed over to the cross. Peter, spitting out the boldness from his memory, answered saying, "Why are you buzzing around me, little girl? I do not know the man." Oh, what a turn of events! He who said, "Even if I must die with you," now denies him. Therefore, when this first denial had been made, Peter, being disturbed, leaped out of the courtyard as if from a fire, outside the

πρόβατα διασκορπίζονται, ἀποπηδῶσι, καὶ φεύγουσιν· ἐὰν δὲ μόνον ἀκούσωσι τοῦ ποιμένος συρίζοντος, πάλιν τρέχουσι, καὶ ἀλλήλοις συνάπτονται· οὕτω καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, ὡς λύκον τὸν σταυρὸν θεωρήσαντες, ἀπέφυγον, ἀπεπήδησαν· μόνον δὲ ἤκουσαν τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν ἀνάστασιν, καὶ εὐθέως προσέδραμον, καὶ ἐγνώρισαν, καὶ τῆς μάνδρας τῶν οὐρανῶν οὐκ ἠλλοτριώθησαν. Ταῦτα οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ μαθητὰς, ὅτι Πάντες σκανδαλισθήσεσθε τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ ἐν ἐμοί· ὁ Πέτρος ἀλληγορήσας, ὡς θέλει αὐτὸν παραθέσθαι, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν μαθητῶν φιλοδεσποτικώτερος εὑρεθῆναι, μᾶλλον δὲ τἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, δημοσιεῦσαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἄρνησιν, πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἔφη, Τί λέγεις, ∆έσποτα; πάντες σκανδαλισθῶμεν ἐπὶ σοί; καὶ μετὰ πάντων κἀμὲ συνηρίθμησας; οὕτω μου θαῤῥεῖς τῇ στεῤῥότητι; κἀγὼ ἀπαρνήσομαί σε, ὁ ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ περιπατήσας; ὁ τῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει μεταμορφώσεως ἀξιωθείς; ὁ ἀγέλην δαιμόνων φυγαδεύων; ὁ πᾶν πάθος θεραπεύων; οὐχὶ ἐγώ σε πρὸ πάντων ἐγνώρισα, καὶ ἀνεβόησα, Σὺ εἶ Χριστὸς, ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος; ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀποδεξάμενός μου τὴν μαρτυρίαν, ἐμακάρισας, καὶ πέτραν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας προσηγόρευσας λέγων· Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Ἐγὼ οὖν σε ἀπαρνήσομαι, ὁ κορυφαῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων, ὁ στῦλος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας; ∆ιὸ καὶ θαῤῥῶν ἐμαυτῷ, βοῶ· Κἂν πάντες σκανδαλι 59.617 σθήσωνται, ἐγὼ οὐ σκανδαλισθήσομαι. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος πρὸς αὐτόν· Τί λέγεις καὶ ἀντιλέγεις, Πέτρε; τοῖς ῥήμασιν ἀντιτάσσῃ Θεῷ; ψευδολογοῦντά με εὗρες; οὐ παρακαλεῖς στηριχθῆναι, ἀλλ' ἐπαγγέλλῃ μὴ σαλευθῆναι; οὐχὶ ἡ αὐτή σου θερμότης πολλῷ παρεσκεύασέ σε χείρω; ταύτην σου τὴν προπέτειαν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης βαδίζων ἐνεδείξω, εἰ μὴ θᾶττον ἐγὼ τὴν χεῖρα ἐξέτεινα. Οὐχὶ καὶ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῆς μεταμορφώσεως ἥμαρτες ἐν ἐμοὶ, τρεῖς σκηνὰς χαλκεύειν βουλόμενος, καὶ τοῖς φίλοις συντάττων ἐμὲ τὸν ∆εσπότην; οὐ παρεκάλεις μὴ ἀνελθεῖν με εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, μὴ φέρων τὴν ἀπειλὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων; Ἐγὼ μὲν, Πέτρε, οὐκ ἤθελόν σε δημοσιεύειν, σὺ δὲ παρεγράψω τὸν προγνωστικὸν τῆς θεότητός μου ὀφθαλμόν. Ἴδε σοι λέγω ἃ μέλλεις διαπράττεσθαι, ὅπως ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτὸν γνῷς ὅστις εἶ. Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, πρὶν ἀλέκτορα φωνῆσαι, τρὶς ἀπαρνήσῃ με. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος πάλιν κλαπεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν, μὴ συνειδὼς τὸ τρεπτὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἕξεως, ἀπεκρίνατο πρὸς τὸν Κύριον λέγων· Τί με φοβεῖς; οἶδα θανάτου καταφρονεῖν, καὶ οὐ μή σε ἀπαρνήσωμαι. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον· Καλῶς μὲν οὖν συνετάξω, ἀλλ' οὐ μετὰ πολὺ γνώσῃ· ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐπὶ θύραις, ὅπως φανερωθῇ καὶ ἡ σὴ σύνταξις, καὶ ἡ ἐμὴ πρόληψις. Τί οὖν τὸ πέρας τοῦ λόγου; ἡ ἑσπέρα γὰρ ἐπίκειται. Τοῦ γὰρ Κυρίου κρατηθέντος, καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ἀχθέντος, καὶ πάντων τῶν μαθητῶν σκορπισθέντων, ὁ Πέτρος μόνος ἠκολούθει εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, ὡς δεῖν μέλλειν ποιεῖν τὰ συναχθέντα. Τοῦ δὲ Κυρίου ἐνδότερον ἀσφαλισθέντος, ὁ Πέτρος ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τῇ ἐξωτέρᾳ ἐκαθέζετο θαρσαλέος, ἀκαμπὴς, ὡς δὴ τὸ νῖκος ἀπενεγκάμενος. Τί οὖν; Ἐπὶ πολὺ καθεζομένου αὐτοῦ, μήτε ξίφος θεασαμένου ὀξυνόμενον, μήτε στομωτῆρας προκειμένους, μὴ δήμευσιν ἐπαγγελλομένην, μήτε ἐξορίαν ἐπιγραφομένην· μικρὰ δὲ παιδίσκη, ἀργυρώνητος, εὐτελὴς, προσελθοῦσα τῷ Πέτρῳ λέγει· Τί ποιεῖς ἐνταῦθα, ἄνθρωπε; ποῦ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ ∆ιδασκάλου σου; ἴδε συγκέκλεισται ἔνδον· ἴδε μέλλει σταυρῷ παραδίδοσθαι. Ὁ Πέτρος ἀποπτύσας τῆς μνήμης τὴν παῤῥησίαν, ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων, Τί με περιβομβίζεις, κοράσιον; Οὐκ οἶδα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Ὢ τῶν πραγμάτων! ὁ λέγων, Κἂν δέῃ με σὺν σοὶ ἀποθανεῖν, ἄρτι ἀπαρνεῖται. Ταύτης οὖν τῆς ἀρνήσεως πρώτης γενομένης, θορυβηθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος, ὡς ἀπὸ πυρὸς τῆς αὐλῆς ἐξεπήδησεν, ἔξω τοῦ