Georgius Acropolita, Praise of Peter and Paul

would make equal for a panegyric? But, O revered dyad, be gracious to my words, condescend to the undertaking and give me words for the working of this discourse, having received power from Christ and having drawn to yourselves the spirit of Christ and having bestowed it upon us for the completion of the eulogy.

Peter and Paul then are disciples of Christ, and this has become a common characteristic of them both. For they differ not in small things, not in great things, I mean also in their intimacies with Christ, nor in being first or in surpassing all, but in certain particular properties, through which we have gained the comprehension of individuals; for after being or with being, identity and otherness are found in existing things. For existing things are neither separated from each other nor again are they contracted into the same thing by their commonality; for the former is a property of matter, the latter of God alone. If, then, identity in commonality has been observed simply in existing things, how much more so in things of the same genus or in things of the same species, most especially and properly; and if they should be equal in their principle or manner, the identity in them would be very great. We must therefore consider in those now being praised by us first the commonality inherent in them, which joins them into one and brings them together into a union, whether arising from their accidents or entering from their will and choice; then indeed let us also examine their otherness.

Both these men, then, as I had said, were disciples of Christ; what could be more blessed than this? And both had followed the gospel of Christ. To this work nothing could be comparable, not wealth, not glory, not good fortune, not the height of a kingdom, not the arrogance and pride of thrones, not anything else of those things that do not last and are perishable. Someone is made a disciple to Christ, and who else could appear more fortunate than he? Someone teaches the mysteries of Christ, and who is more sublime and exalted than he? For if pride and the desire for deification cast down the first man and made him dwell far from God and not only not become God but not even approach God at all, to walk about with God and to meet with God and to listen to the words of God and to enjoy His intimacy, how very great it is in worth and better and more precious than the restoration of the race to its ancient state. For these do not receive paradise nor a place of delight nor do they touch the tree of life in paradise, but they draw near to God and by their nearness become gods, just as transparent bodies drawing near to fire or the nature of air mixed with the light of the sun and shining back. This is the great mystery of the economy; for this reason God became flesh, that He might deify the flesh long ago corrupted by the devices of Satan; for this reason God was a man on earth, so that He might remold that which is according to the image and wipe clean the matter and lead it back to the likeness. What mind will be able to attain to such a mystery? What word will declare the majesty of the matter? At this angels are silent, at this even archangels are afraid, at this every principality and authority and lordship and power and the very cherubim and the seraphim with the thrones shudder, not being able to comprehend the magnitude of the mystery and the newness of the master; God is a humble man and a poor one, walking about and of no account and homeless, and not even, like the foxes, having the good fortune of some small covering, being insulted, being despised, being struck, being slandered, suffering all things for all people, having very few followers, and these not from the distinguished but from the very humblest, nor from the most glorious but from the utterly most dishonored. For what can one say is more obscure than a fisherman? And what is more dishonored than one mending nets? He does not, then, make a grand display in His travels, in order to teach men humility and not to put on airs and be exalted in the glories of the world.

πρὸς ἐγκώμιον ἐξισώσειεν; ἀλλ' ὦ δυὰς σεβασμία, ἱλήκοις τοῖς λόγοις, συγ καταβαίης τῷ ἐγχειρήματι καὶ λόγον διδοίης πρὸς ἐργασίαν τοῦ λόγου μοι, παρὰ Χριστοῦ προσειληφυῖα τὴν δύναμιν καὶ πνεῦμα προσεφελκυσαμένη Χριστοῦ καὶ ἡμῖν χαρισα μένη πρὸς τὴν τῆς εὐφημίας συντέλειαν.

7 Πέτρος μὲν οὖν καὶ Παῦλος Χριστοῦ μαθηταί, καὶ τοῦτο κοινὸν ἀμφοῖν καθέστηκε χαρακτήρισμα. διαφέρετον γὰρ οὐ μικροῖς, οὐ μεγάλοις, φημὶ καὶ ταῖς εἰς Χριστὸν οἰκειώσεσιν, οὐδὲ τῷ πρῶτοι εἶναι ἢ τῷ ὑπερφέρειν παντός, ἀλλ' ἰδιώμασί τισι μερικοῖς, δι' ὧν τὴν τῶν ἀτόμων κατά ληψιν ἔσχομεν· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ εἶναι ἢ σὺν τῷ εἶναι ταυτότης καὶ ἑτερότης ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν εὑρίσκεται. οὔτε γὰρ ἀπ' ἀλλή λων τὰ ὄντα ἀπέσχισται οὔτε μὴν πάλιν εἰς ταυτὸν συν έσταλται τῇ κοινότητι· ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὕλης, τοῦτο δὲ μόνον θεοῦ. εἰ γοῦν ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἁπλῶς ταυτότης ἐν κοινότητι τεθεώρηται, πολλῷ γε πλέον ἐν τοῖς ὁμογενέσιν ἢ ἐν τοῖς ὁμοειδέσι μάλιστά τε καὶ κυριώτατα· εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸν λόγον ἢ τὸν τρόπον ἰσάζοιντο, πλεῖστον ἂν εἴη ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ ταυ τόν. θεωρητέον οὖν κἀν τοῖς εὐφημουμένοις παρ' ἡμῖν ἀρτίως τὴν ἐνοῦσαν πρῶτον τούτοις κοινότητα, τὴν εἰς ἓν ἐκείνους συνάπτουσαν καὶ συνάγουσαν εἰς συνάφειαν, εἴτ' ἐκ συμβεβηκότων αὐτοῖς εἴτ' ἐκ γνώμης ἐπεισιοῦσαν καὶ προαιρέσεως· εἶτα δὴ καὶ τὸ ἑτεροῖον σκοπήσωμεν.

8 Ἄμφω μὲν οὖν τὼ ἄνδρε τούτω καθὼς εἰρήκειν μαθη ταὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· τούτου τί ἂν εἴη μακαριώτερον; καὶ ἄμφω ἠκολουθήκει τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ Χριστοῦ. τούτῳ τῷ ἔργῳ οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη κατάλληλον, οὐ πλοῦ τος, οὐ δόξα, οὐκ εὐτυχία, οὐ βασιλείας ὕψος, οὐ θρόνων ἀγερωχία καὶ ἔπαρσις, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῶν οὐ μενόντων καὶ φθειρομένων. μαθητεύεταί τις Χριστῷ, καὶ τίς ἂν ἄλλος φανείη τούτου εὐδαιμονέστε ρος; διδάσκει τις Χριστοῦ τὰ μυστήρια, καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ μετεωρότερος καὶ ὑψηλότερος; εἰ γὰρ τὸν πρῶτον ἄνθρωπον κατέβαλεν ἔπαρσις καὶ ἡ τῆς θεώσεως ἔφεσις καὶ τοῦτον μακρὰν θεοῦ σκηνῶσαι πεποίηκε καὶ μήτι θεὸν γενέσθαι ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πλησιάζειν ὅλως θεῷ, τὸ μετὰ θεοῦ συμπεριπολεῖν καὶ συντυγχάνειν θεῷ καὶ λόγων ἀκροᾶσθαι θεοῦ καὶ ἐπα πολαύειν τούτου τῆς οἰκειώσεως ὅσῳ μέγιστον εἰς ἀξίαν καὶ τῆς τοῦ γένους εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποκαταστάσεως κρεῖττον καὶ τιμιώτερον. οὐ γὰρ ἀπολαμβάνουσιν οὗτοι παράδεισον οὐδὲ χωρίον τρυφῆς οὐδ' ἐφάπτονται τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ξύλου ζωῆς, ἀλλὰ θεῷ προσεγγίζουσι καὶ θεοὶ τῇ ἐγγύ τητι γίνονται, ὡσεὶ τὰ διαφανῆ τῶν σωμάτων τὰ τῷ πυρὶ προσεγγίζοντα ἢ ἀέρος φύσις ἡλίου φωτὶ ἀνακεκραμένη καὶ ἀνταυγάζουσα. τοῦτο τὸ μέγα τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον· διὰ ταῦτα σὰρξ ὁ θεός, ἵνα θεώσῃ τὴν σάρκα πάλαι φθα ρεῖσαν τοῖς τοῦ σατὰν μηχανήμασι· διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ γῆς ἄνθρω πος ὁ θεός, ὅπως ἀναχωνεύσῃ τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ἀποσμήξῃ τὴν ὕλην καὶ ἐπανάξῃ ταύτην εἰς τὴν ὁμοίωσιν. τίς νοῦς ἐφικέσθαι τοῦ τοιούτου μυστηρίου δυνήσεται; ποῖος λόγος ἐξαγγελεῖ τὸ μεγαλεῖον τοῦ πράγματος; ἐν τούτῳ σιγῶσιν ἄγγελοι, ἐν τούτῳ δεδοίκασι καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι, ἐν τούτῳ πᾶσα ἀρχὴ καὶ ἐξουσία καὶ κυριότης καὶ δύναμις καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ χερουβὶμ καὶ τὰ σεραφὶμ σὺν τοῖς θρόνοις πεφρίκασι μὴ δυνάμενα συνορᾶν τοῦ μυστηρίου τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τοῦ δεσπότου τὴν καίνωσιν· ἄνθρωπος ταπεινὸς ὁ θεὸς καὶ πένης περιπολῶν καὶ εὐτελὴς καὶ ἀνέστιος καὶ οὐδὲ ὡς ἀλώπεκες μικροῦ τινος ἐπευμοιρῶν καλύμματος, ὑβριζόμενος ἐξουθενούμενος ῥαπιζόμενος διαβαλλόμενος, πάντα πάσχων ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων, ὀλίγους πάνυ ἔχων τοὺς ὀπηδοῦντας καὶ τούτους οὐ τῶν περιφανῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν εὐτελεστέρων, οὐδὲ τῶν ἐνδοξοτάτων ἀλλὰ καὶ πάμπαν ἀτιμοτάτων. τί γὰρ ἁλιέως ἔχει τις εἰπεῖν ἀφανέστερον; τί δὲ τοῦ τὸ δίκτυα ῥάπτοντος ἀτιμότερον; οὐ πομπάζει γοῦν τῇ περιστροφῇ, ἵνα διδάξῃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ταπείνωσιν καὶ μὴ τοῖς ἐν δόξοις τοῦ κόσμου ἐναβρύνεσθαί τε καὶ ὑπεραίρεσθαι.