John Chrysostom, Ascension Sermon 4

Scripture saying: And behold, two men stood by them in white garments, who also said. Nor is this without meaning; for that the men were clad in white is significant of a great feast. And what did they say? Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? The excessive wonder has terrified you; you have forgotten the one who said: I am going to my Father, and your Father, and my God, and your God, Or was it not for this reason that he said to you, I will not leave you orphans; and again, My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you? Did he not promise you the promise of the Paraclete, that is, of the Holy Spirit? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.

So will he come with the clouds of heaven, with great glory and power; so will he come in time, when he is about to judge the world in righteousness. For the Father has given him all judgment. Do you not remember that when he was with you, he said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me? Then the apostles, coming to themselves, returned, praising and blessing the Lord, and awaiting the divine gift, that is, the coming of the all-holy Spirit. And indeed that which was spoken in the Psalms was fulfilled: God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Clearly here the prophet signified the duality of natures in the economy of Christ; and in the same way Thomas also, after the Lord’s resurrection, having touched his side, cried out, saying: My Lord and my God.

God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. With a shout, indeed, because with unceasing voice they send up the thrice-holy hymn to God; and how he was taken up upon a Cheru 52.802 bic throne, we have already shown; But with the sound of a trumpet, of an archangel, that is, signifying his ascent into the heavens. But also the Holy Spirit proclaimed to the powers above with a commanding voice: Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. And the powers said: Who is this King of glory? Then the Spirit: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. For he conquered the Enemy, he armed himself against the tyranny of the devil in a human body, he extinguished his fiery darts; and being nailed to the cross, and having tasted death, being immortal, he despoiled Hades, and being proven a victor he rose from the dead; and having brought back the straying sheep, behold, he ascends bearing it on his shoulders to the ninety-nine that have not strayed, that are pastured in the mountains, that is, in the heavens. The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

And again he says: The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Therefore when the powers heard, The Lord of hosts, crying out with one voice the customary doxology, they received the Lord with joy, and sent him on to the high and exalted throne. And that which was spoken by David was fulfilled: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. O heretic, it was altogether concerning the flesh taken from us, ensouled from the holy Virgin.

Let them be ashamed, therefore, who confess one nature in Christ. For the divine nature was clearly eternally with the throne of majesty. But let the catholic Church be glorified. And may Christ our God show us all to be worthy of his eternal kingdom; to him be the glory and the power with the immaculate Father, together with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

Γραφὴ λέγουσα· Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο παρειστήκεισαν αὐτοῖς ἐν ἐσθῆσι λευκαῖς, οἳ καὶ εἶπον. Οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀργόν· τὸ γὰρ λευχείμονας ὑπάρχειν τοὺς ἄνδρας· ἑορτῆς μεγίστης σημαντικόν ἐστι. Τί δὲ εἶπαν; Ἄνδρες Γαλιλαῖοι, τί ἑστήκατε ἐμβλέποντες εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; Τὸ ὑπεράγαν θαῦμα κατέπτηξεν ὑμᾶς· ἐπελάθεσθε τοῦ εἰπόντος· Πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μου, καὶ Πατέρα ὑμῶν, καὶ Θεόν μου, καὶ Θεὸν ὑμῶν, Ἢ οὐχὶ ἕνεκεν τούτου ἔλεγε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, Οὐκ ἀφήσω ὑμᾶς ὀρφανούς· καὶ πάλιν, Εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν δίδωμι ὑμῖν, εἰρήνην τὴν ἐμὴν ἀφίημι ὑμῖν; Οὐ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Παρακλήτου, τουτέστι τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ὑπέσχετο ὑμῖν; Οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀναληφθεὶς ἀφ' ὑμῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὕτως ἐλεύσεται, ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσασθε πορευόμενον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν.

Οὕτως ἐλεύσεται μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, μετὰ δόξης καὶ δυνάμεως πολλῆς· οὕτως ἐλεύσεται ἐν καιρῷ, ὅταν μέλλῃ κρίνειν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ. Αὐτῷ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ δέδωκε τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν. Οὐ μνημονεύετε ὅτι ὢν σὺν ὑμῖν, ἔλεγεν· Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς; Τότε οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐν ἑαυτοῖς γενόμενοι, ὑπέστρεφον, αἰνοῦντες καὶ εὐλογοῦντες τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἀπεκδεχόμενοι τῆς θείας δωρεᾶς, τουτέστι τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος τὴν ἐπιφοίτησιν. Καὶ δὴ ἐπληρώθη τὸ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς εἰρημένον· Ἀνέβη ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, Κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος. Σαφῶς ἐνταῦθα ὁ προφήτης τὴν δυάδα τῶν φύσεων τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ οἰκονομίας ἐσήμανε· τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τρόπον καὶ Θωμᾶς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἀνάστασιν ψηλαφήσας τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ, ἐβόα λέγων· Ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου.

Ἀνέβη ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, Κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος. Ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ μὲν, ὅτι ἀκαταπαύστῳ φωνῇ τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον ἀναπέμπουσι τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ ὅπως ἐπὶ Χερου 52.802 βικοῦ θρόνου ἀνελήφθη, προαπεδείξαμεν· Ἐν φωνῇ δὲ σάλπιγγος, ἀρχαγγελικῆς δηλαδὴ, προσημαινούσης αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἄνοδον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσι τῇ προστακτικῇ φωνῇ ἀνεκήρυττεν· Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Αἱ δὲ δυνάμεις ἔλεγον· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης; Εἶτα τὸ Πνεῦμα· Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς, Κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ. Ἐνίκησε γὰρ τὸν Πολέμιον, ὡπλίσατο κατὰ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου τυραννίδος ἐν τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ σώματι, ἔσβεσεν αὐτοῦ τὰ πεπυρωμένα βέλη· καὶ τῷ σταυρῷ προσηλωθεὶς, καὶ θανάτου γευσάμενος, ἀθάνατος ὑπάρχων, ἐσκύλευσε τὸν ᾅδην, καὶ νικητὴς ἀποδειχθεὶς ἀνέστη ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν· καὶ τὸ πλανώμενον πρόβατον ἐπιστρέψας, ἰδοὺ ἀνέρχεται ἐπ' ὤμων τοῦτο φέρων πρὸς τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα τὰ ἀπλανῆ, τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι, τουτέστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς νεμόμενα. Κύριος κραταιὸς καὶ δυνατὸς, Κύριος δυνατὸς ἐν πολέμῳ.

Καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης. Αἱ οὖν δυνάμεις ὡς ἤκουσαν, Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁμοφώνως τὴν συνήθη δοξολογίαν ἐκβοῶντες, ἐδέχοντο μετὰ χαρᾶς τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἔπεμπον ἕως τοῦ ὑψηλοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐπηρμένου. Καὶ ἐπληρώθη τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἰρημένον· Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου· Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. Ὦ αἱρετικὲ, ἠπάντως πρὸς τὴν ἐξ ἡμῶν ληφθεῖσαν σάρκα, ἐψυχωμένην ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου.

Αἰσχυνέσθωσαν οὖν οἱ μίαν φύσιν ἐπὶ Χριστοῦ ὁμολογοῦντες. Ἡ γὰρ θεία φύσις εὔδηλον ὅτι συνῆν ἀϊδίως τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης. Ἡ δὲ καθολικὴ Ἐκκλησία δοξαζέσθω. Ἡμᾶς δὲ πάντας ἀξίους ἀναδείξῃ Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς τῆς αἰωνίου αὐτοῦ βασιλείας· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ ἀχράντῳ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.