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For how is it not great, in which Adam was refashioned, sin was abolished, death was destroyed, the potter received back the vessel, the shepherd the sheep, the merchant the pearl? “It shall be known to God.” For how will he who knows all things not especially recognize that day, on which he gave over his only-begotten son for sacrifice? “Not day nor night,” since the course of the day did not happen to be of the night. “Towards evening there shall be light”; when after the ninth hour the darkness ceased. Therefore the same became both night and day.

17 “And living water shall go out from Jerusalem.” From where? From the side of life; for from where Eve was fashioned, from there fittingly the church is fashioned. “Half of it into the first sea.” Namely, of bapti<s>m. “And half of it into the last sea.” Clearly, of repentance. For the tears of repentance are a remnant of the gift of baptism, and a clear proof: he who is not baptized repents in vain, unless he runs to be baptized; in vain he offers prayer, in vain he asks for forgiveness, in vain he pours forth tears. For without baptism forgiveness of sins is not accomplished. But he who has been baptized possesses an active repentance; he weeps and is loosed; he groans and mourns and prays, and immediately is cleansed.

18 But hear how also the rest of the law’s proclamation comes to pass: “In the morning you will say, ‘How might it become evening?’ And in the evening you will say, ‘How might it become morning?’” From where? “From the fear of your heart, with which you will be afraid, and from the sights of your eyes, which you will see.” Because of the signs and wonders that were being done at the time of the cross—the earth being shaken, the sun fleeing, the heaven being hidden, the rocks being split, the veil being torn, the tombs being opened—being afraid and disturbed, they were compelled to say fittingly to one another: “How might it become evening?” so that we might take down the life from the cross, hide in the earth the one from heaven, confine in a tomb the immortal one, remove the wonder from our midst, from which came such great terrors to us.

19 But even having done these things, they gained nothing of their purpose; but the undertaking turned out the opposite for them. And because of this they said in the evening: “How might it become morning?” Since the wonders accomplished in the night of the resurrection were again terrible, since they saw the tomb as a bridal chamber, the monument sealed and the dead man running out with life, the soldiers <as> dead, the women bearing myrrh, angels guarding the linen cloths, another sitting on the stone as a herald of the resurrection, then they said: “How might it become morning?” so that we might give silver to the soldiers, so that we might corrupt Pilate, so that we might steal the truth with deceit, so that we might spread the rumor “that his disciples came by night and stole him, while we were sleeping.”

20 These things the law and Moses through it, but in each of these God rather testifies against the ungrateful people; whom Stephen the theologian, in rebuking them, is called a blasphemer by them. And the high priest says: “Are these things so?” For do you not know how they are? Did you not devise the deceit? Did you not hire the slanderers? Are the witnesses of the deceit not in your pay? “But there is need,” he says, “of falsehood and hypocrisy; and we have need of deceit for the trap that has been set. Thus we have sold Joseph, we have murdered Naboth, we have crucified Christ.”

21 But Stephen, having found an opportunity for teaching, poured out many saving things into the ears of the people, and he added a conclusion to his speech, saying to him,

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Πῶς γὰρ οὐ μεγάλη, ἐν ᾗ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἀνεπλάσθη, ἡ ἁμαρτία κατηργήθη, κατελύθη ὁ θάνατος, ἀπέλαβεν τὸ σκεῦος ὁ κερα μεύς, τὸ πρόβατον ὁ ποιμήν, τὸν μαργαρίτην ὁ ἔμπορος; «Γνωσθήσεται τῷ θεῷ.» Πῶς γὰρ ὁ πάντα εἰδὼς ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν οὐκ ἐπιγνώσεται μάλιστα, ἐν ᾗ τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ πρὸς θυσίαν ἐκδέδωκεν; «Οὐχ ἡμέρα οὐδὲ νύξ», ἐπειδὴ δρόμος ἡμέρας οὐχὶ νυκτὸς ἐτύγχανεν. «Πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔσται φῶς»· ἡνίκα μετὰ τὴν ἐνάτην ὥραν τὸ σκότος ἐπαύ σατο. Οὐκοῦν ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ νὺξ ἄρα καὶ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο.

17 «Καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ὕδωρ ζῶν ἐξ Ἰερουσαλήμ.» Πόθεν; Ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς τῆς ζωῆς· ὅθεν γὰρ ἡ Εὔα ἀνεπλάσθη, ἐκεῖ θεν εἰκότως ἡ ἐκκλησία πλάττεται. «Τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν πρώτην.» ∆ηλαδὴ τοῦ βαπτί<σ>ματος. «Καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ἐσχάτην.» Τῆς μετα νοίας εὔδηλον. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς μετανοίας δάκρυα λείψανον τῆς δωρεᾶς ὑπάρχει τοῦ βαπτίσματος, ἀπόδειξις δὲ σαφής· ὁ μὴ βαπτισθεὶς μάτην μετανοεῖ, ἐὰν μὴ δραμὼν βαπτισθῇ· μά την θύει τὴν προσευχήν, μάτην αἰτεῖ συγγνώμην, μάτην πηγά ζει δάκρυα. Χωρὶς γὰρ βαπτίσματος ἄφεσις ἁμαρτημάτων οὐ πράττεται. Ὁ δὲ βαπτισθεὶς οὗτος ἐνεργὸν τὴν μετάνοιαν κέκτη ται· δακρύει καὶ λέλυται· στενάζει καὶ πενθεῖ καὶ προσεύ χεται, καὶ παραχρῆμα καθαίρεται.

18 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὅπως ἐκβαίνει καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς τοῦ νόμου προ αγορεύσεως ἄκουε· «Τὸ πρωῒ ἐρεῖς· "3Πῶς ἂν γένοιτο ἑσπέρα;"3 Καὶ τὸ ἑσπέρας ἐρεῖς· "3Πῶς ἂν γένοιτο πρωΐ;» Πόθεν; «Ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου τῆς καρδίας σου, ἃ φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ὁραμάτων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου, ὧν ὄψῃ.» Ἐπειδὴ τῶν σημείων καὶ τῶν θαυμάτων ἕνεκα, ἃ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ σταυροῦ ὑπῆρχε πραττόμενα, σειομένης τῆς γῆς, τοῦ ἡλίου φεύγοντος, κρυπτο μένου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, σχιζομένων τῶν πετρῶν, ῥηγνυμένου τοῦ κατα πετάσματος, ἀνοιγομένων τῶν μνημάτων, δειλιῶντες καὶ ταρατ τόμενοι, λέγειν εἰκότως πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἠναγκάζοντο· «Πῶς ἂν γένοιτο ἑσπέρα;» ἵνα καθέλωμεν τὴν ζωὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, κρύψωμεν εἰς γῆν τὸν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, συστείλωμεν ἐν τάφῳ τὸν ἀθάνατον, ἐκ μέσου τὸ θαῦμα ποιήσωμεν, ὅθεν ἡμῖν τὰ τηλι καῦτα φόβητρα.

19 Ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα πράξαντες, οὐδὲν ἀπώναντο τοῦ σκοποῦ· εἰς τοὐναντίον δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐγχειρηθὲν γίγνεται. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγον τὸ ἑσπέρας· «Πῶς ἂν γένοιτο πρωΐ;» Ἐπειδὴ φοβερὰ πάλιν τὰ ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τελούμενα θαύματα, ἐπειδὴ νυμφῶνα τὸν τάφον ἑώρων, ἐσφραγισμένον τὸ μνῆμα καὶ τὸν νεκρὸν μετὰ ζωῆς ἐκτρέχοντα, τοὺς στρατιώτας <ὡς> νε κρ<ούς>, τὰς γυναῖκας μυροφορούσας, ἀγγέλους τὰς ὀθόνας φυλάττοντας, ἄλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ λίθου καθεζόμενον τῆς ἀνα στάσεως κήρυκα, τότε ἔλεγον· «Πῶς ἂν γένοιτο πρωΐ;» ἵνα παράσχωμεν τοῖς στρατιώταις ἀργύρια, ἵνα τὸν Πιλᾶτον δια φθείρωμεν, ἵνα κλέψωμεν ἀπάτῃ τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἵνα φημίσωμεν «ὅτι οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς ἐλθόντες ἔκλεψαν αὐτόν, ἡμῶν κοιμωμένων».

20 Ταῦτα ὁ νόμος καὶ Μωυσῆς δι' αὐτοῦ, ἐν ἑκατέρῳ δὲ τού των μᾶλλον ὁ θεὸς μαρτύρεται τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἀγνώμονα· ὃν ἐλέγχων Στέφανος ὁ θεολόγος παρ' αὐτῶν ὀνομάζεται βλάσφη μος. Καί φησιν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς· «Εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει;» Οὐ γὰρ οἶδας ὅπως ἔχει; Οὐ σὺ τὸν δόλον ἐσκεύασας; Οὐ σὺ τοὺς συ κοφάντας ἐμισθώσω; Οὐ σοὶ μισθαρνοῦσιν οἱ τῆς ἀπάτης μάρ τυρες; «Ἀλλὰ χρεία, φησίν, ψεύδους καὶ ὑποκρίσεως· καὶ δό λου πρὸς τὴν παγίδα τὴν προβληθεῖσαν χρῄζομεν. Οὕτω τὸν Ἰωσὴφ πεπράκαμεν, τὸν Ναβουθαὶ πεφονεύκαμεν, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐσταυρώσαμεν.»

21 Στέφανος δὲ καιρὸν διδασκαλίας εὑρών, πολλὰ μὲν ὅσα σωτήρια τοῦ δήμου ταῖς ἀκοαῖς ἐξέχεεν, συμπέρασμα δὲ τῆς ῥητορείας ἐπήγαγεν, αὐτῷ τε λέγειν,