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as a witness of truth, and fitting for them to hear, as ones who have rushed to fight against God and who suffer from contradiction against the Spirit: “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”

22 And how is it that you say in the beginning: “Men, brethren, and fathers, hear me”? “Those things,” he says, “refer to the nobility of Abraham, but these things to their wickedness. Those things to the good root, these to the evil branches. Those things show the distinction of the flock, these things the disorder of the many, their hardness, their unbridled nature.” Toward that introduction Isaiah urged: “Say, ‘our brothers,’ to those who hate us and detest us, that the name of the Lord may be glorified.” But toward this conclusion they themselves, even against his will, compel the discourse: “I called them brothers, I addressed them as fathers, lest anyone think I was accusing them as enemies, or rebuking them as adversaries. But I addressed the same ones as hard-hearted and uncircumcised, since it is necessary to prefer the truth to kinship and not to spare either friends, or brothers, or fathers, or other relatives, when they transgress the law.”

23 But the children of the Jews did not endure these words, but gnashed their teeth like beasts, eager to devour Stephen while he was still speaking. “They gnashed their teeth.” For it was said of them: “Sons of men, whose teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” But Stephen had his eyes not on them, but on God, and having left the earth behind he hastened to the courts of heaven, and with a clear voice proclaimed, “Behold, I see the heavens opened.” That is: the gain is common, the way is prepared for all, the gate is opened for those who wish to enter. Let the brave one contend intensely; let the true soldier now use his weapons, now show the greatness of his strength. For the judge of the contest is watching; he stands by distributing the crowns and the prizes.

24 “Behold, I see the heavens opened.” And who it was that opened them, he did not leave anyone who wished to know in ignorance. And for this reason he cried out: “and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” meaning God the Word made flesh. For since the Son of God has become the Son of Man, since he who is from the Father is himself from a virgin and has stood as a boundary between earth and heaven, the middle wall of enmity has been taken away, the barrier is out of the way, the affairs of state are common to angels and men, if men are willing. It is possible for those on earth to serve as soldiers in heaven, to be below in the flesh, to be present above in the spirit, to be with the clay in the clay, but with God in the mind.

25 So Stephen spoke these things of God; but disordered shouts interrupted the orderly theology, and shouts followed shouts; and volleys of stones followed the doctrines of the sacred laws. Lacking weapons, they armed themselves from the earth; with no swords present, they fashioned stones with their right hands, and taking him outside the city, they sacrificed him. For the old Jerusalem was not fitting for the victim; but it was necessary for the lamb to be slain beside the lamb of the shepherd, for the soldier to receive there the pledges of victory, where the King had set up the trophy against all.

26 But what provision for the journey did he receive for his end? Prayer and the incense from it; and as he was putting off the flesh, he was putting on prayer. And what was the prayer? “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” that is: You, take what is yours; take back the deposit you gave; receive the pearl you entrusted; what I have in your image, this I send to you. “Receive my spirit”; for no longer do the souls of the just enter into the lamentation of Hades; no longer do the dark regions of death receive the spirits of the living. After you the first-fruits of the living and of the dead at the same time

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ὡς ἀληθείας μάρτυρι, κἀ κείνοις ἀκούειν, ὡς θεομαχεῖν ὡρμημένοις καὶ τὴν τοῦ πνεύ ματος νοσοῦσιν ἀντιλογίαν, πρόσφορον· «Σκληροκάρδιοι καὶ ἀπε ρίτμητοι τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ὠσίν, ὑμεῖς ἀεὶ τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀντιπίπτετε· ὡς οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν, καὶ ὑμεῖς.»

22 Καὶ πῶς ἐν ἀρχῇ λέγεις· «Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ Πατέρες, ἀκούσατέ μου»; «Ἐκεῖνα», φησίν, «τῆς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εὐγενείας, ταῦτα δὲ τῆς τούτων πονηρίας. Ἐκεῖνα τῆς ἀγαθῆς ῥίζης, ταῦτα τῶν πονηρῶν κλάδων. Ἐκεῖνα τῆς ἀγέλης τὸ ἐπίσημον δείκνυσιν, ταῦτα τῶν πολλῶν τὸ ἄτακτον, τὸ σκληρόν, τὸ ἀχα λίνωτον.» Πρὸς ἐκεῖνο τὸ προοίμιον Ἠσαΐου προέτρεπεν· «Εἴπατε, ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν, τοῖς μισοῦσιν ἡμᾶς καὶ βδελυσσομέ νοις, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου δοξασθῇ.» Πρὸς τουτὶ δὲ τὸ πέρας αὐτοὶ καὶ παρὰ γνώμην ἀναγκάζουσιν τὸν λόγον· «Ἀδελφοὺς ἐκάλεσα, πατέρας προσηγόρευσα, μή τις οἰηθῇ καθάπερ ἐχθρῶν κατηγορεῖν, ὡς πολεμίων ἐλέγχειν. Σκ<λ>ηροκαρδίους δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀπεριτμήτους προσεφώνησα, ἐπειδὴ τῆς συγγενείας προτιμᾶν δεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ μήτε φίλων μήτε ἀδελφῶν μήτε πατέρων μήτε ἄλλων οἰκείων, ἡνίκα παρανομοῦσιν, φείδε σθαι.»

23 Οὐ μὴν ἐκαρτέρουν οἱ παῖδες τῶν Ἰουδαίων ταῦτα τὰ ῥή ματα, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὀδόντας καθάπερ θῆρες ἔβρυχον, ἔτι ῥητορεύοντα τὸν Στέφανον καταπιεῖν ἐπειγόμενοι. «Ἔβρυχον τοὺς ὀδόντας.» Περὶ γὰρ αὐτῶν εἴρητο· «Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτῶν ὅπλα καὶ βέλη, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν μάχαιρα ὀξεῖα.» Στέφανος δὲ οὐ πρὸς αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλ μοὺς εἶχεν, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀφέμενος εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς τῶν οὐρανῶν ἠπείγετο, καὶ λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ «Ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνεῳγότας» ἐκήρυττεν. Τουτέστιν· τὸ κέρδος κοινόν, ἡ ὁδὸς πᾶσιν εὐτρεπής, ἡ πύλη τοῖς εἰσελθεῖν βουλομένοις ἀνέῳ κται. Ὁ ἀνδρεῖος συντόνως ἀθλείτω· ὁ γνήσιος ὁπλίτης νῦν χρη σάσθω τοῖς ὅπλοις, νῦν ἐνδειξάσθω τῆς ῥώμης τὸ μέγεθος. Ὁ γὰρ ἀγωνοθέτης ἐφορᾷ· τοὺς στεφάνους καὶ τὰ βραβεῖα διανέμων ἐφέστηκεν.

24 «Ἰδοὺ θεωρῶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἀνεῳγότας.» Καὶ τίς ὁ ἀνοίξας, οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἀγνοεῖν τὸν εἰδέναι βουλόμενον. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κέκραγεν· «Καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἑστῶτα ἐκ δε ξιῶν τοῦ θεοῦ», τὸν θεὸν Λόγον τὸν σαρκωθέντα λέγων. Ἀφ' οὗ γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου γεγένηται, ἀφ' οὗ ὁ ἐκ Πα τρὸς αὐτὸς ἐκ παρθένου ἐνέστη τῇ γῇ καὶ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ὅριον, περιῄρηται τῆς ἔχθρας τὸ μεσότοιχον, ἐκποδὼν ὁ φραγμός, κοινὰ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ τῆς πολιτείας, ἐὰν οἱ ἄνθρωποι βούλωνται. Ἔξεστιν ἐπὶ γῆς οὖσιν ἐν οὐρανῷ στρατεύε σθαι, κάτω τῇ σαρκὶ τυγχάνειν, ἄνω παρεῖναι τῷ πνεύματι, εἶναι μετὰ τοῦ πηλοῦ τῷ πηλῷ, μετὰ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ νῷ.

25 Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐθεολόγει Στέφανος· βοαὶ δὲ τὴν ἐν τά ξει θεολογίαν ἄτακτοι, καὶ βοαὶ τὰς βοὰς διεδέχοντο· καὶ σφενδόναι λίθων τοῖς τῶν ἱερῶν νόμων ἐπηκολούθουν δόγμασιν. Ὅπλων ἀποροῦντες, ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ὡπλίζοντο· ξίφων οὐ παρόν των, λίθους ταῖς δεξιαῖς ἐσχεδίαζον, καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἔξω λα βόντες ἔθυον. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἡ παλαιὰ τῷ θύματι πρέ πουσα· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀμνὸν ἐχρῆν παρὰ τὸν ἀμνὸν τὸν τοῦ ποιμένος σφάζεσθαι, ἐκεῖ λαμβάνειν τὸν στρατιώτην τὰ τῆς νίκης ἐνέχυρα, ἔνθα τὸ κατὰ πάντων τρόπαιον ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπήξατο.

26 Ἀλλὰ ποῖον ἐλάμβανεν τῆς τελευτῆς ἐφόδιον; Προσευχὴν καὶ τὸ ἐκ ταύτης θυμίαμα· καὶ τὴν σάρκα ἐκδυόμενος τὴν προσευχὴν ἐνεδύετο. Τί δὲ ἦν ἡ προσευχή; «Κύριε Ἰησοῦ, δέξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου», τουτέστιν· Σὺ λάβε τὸ σόν· ἣν ἔδωκας παραθήκην ἀνάλαβε· ὃν ἐπίστευσας μαργαρίτην ὑπόδεξαι· ὃ κατ' εἰκόνα σὴν ἔχω, τοῦτο πέμπω πρὸς σέ. «∆έξαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου»· οὐκέτι γὰρ εἰς ᾅδου κλαυθμῶνος αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν δικαίων εἰσέρχονται· οὐκέτι τὰ ζοφερὰ τοῦ θανάτου χωρία τὰ τῶν ζώντων παραλαμβάνει πνεύματα. Μετὰ σὲ τῶν ζώντων ἀπαρχὴν καὶ νεκρῶν ἅμα