having crushed and thus destroyed impiety; He who there shamed Nebuchadnezzar and here struck Herod; He who there burned the Babylonians and here took the Jews captive. But what is the beginning of the reading? It is necessary to set some things forth, and to store up others for another time. For you just heard the author Luke saying: About that time Herod the king laid hands on some of those from the church, to mistreat them. He killed James the brother of John with the sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also, whom he also seized and put in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. Truly we celebrate today, because we behold not only the struggles of the Lord but also of the martyrs; James is slain and John rejoices, Peter is imprisoned and the church prays, the chains are broken and the devil is torn asunder, the Passover of the Jews is fulfilled and the one sought is not found, Herod condemns the guards and Peter proclaims the miracle, the iron gate was opened and the Jewish heart was not opened. About that time Herod the king laid hands. What time? The time when the royal name of the savior granted running to the lame, drove away sicknesses by aprons, wiped away fevers by shadows, wove martyrs' crowns, adorned James with a martyr's crown, revealed John as a theologian, preserved Peter as a noble wrestler. About that time Herod the king laid hands. What time? When wooden images fell from their bases and idols had no strength to mock, when altars were dug up and priests were cut down, when ventriloquists were muzzled and the sorceries of amulets were thrown away. About that time Herod the king laid hands. What time? The time when the synagogue was being dissolved and the church was being strengthened, when the lawyers were at a loss and the apostles were prospering, when the circumcision of the flesh was diminishing and the seal of the heart was increasing, when the unleavened bread was fading and the heavenly bread was flourishing, when the seven-wicked lamp was being extinguished and the twelve-rayed cross was being kindled. About that time Herod the king laid hands on some of those from the church, to mistreat them. O the mindset of a king, or rather the attempt of a tyrant. For what kind of king, who is not in the hand of God, but in the counsel of the devil? You hasten to murder Peter, O Herod? Why? For did he plot a rebellion? Did he fashion a diadem? Did he acquire a purple robe? Did he multiply treasures of money? Did he hire soldiers? Did he raise up strong cities? Peter is naked and destitute in bodily things, he left even his ancestral nets and his fishing boat and he disdained the catching of fish. He was persuaded by Christ who for our sakes became poor, saying: Acquire neither copper nor a bag nor a purse nor a second tunic. O Herod, why leaving the barbarians do you war against the apostles? Why, idle from siege warfare, do you dig through the church? Why do you stretch out your hands, not to seize a tyrant's village, but to overturn the altar of Christ the king? About that time Herod the king laid hands on some of those from the church, to mistreat them. O hands of Herod, not stretched out for prayer, but armed for the murder of the just. For these hands, as you know, were armed against the pillar of the church. Seeing these hands, Peter cried out and prayed in the prison, saying the words of David: Do not destroy my soul with the ungodly, nor my life with men of blood, in whose hands are iniquities; their right hand is full of bribes. For unless Herod a reward

συντρίψας καὶ ὧδε τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἀφανίσας· ὁ κἀκεῖ τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ αἰσχύνας καὶ ὧδε τὸν Ἡρῴδην πατάξας· ὁ κἀκεῖ τοὺς Βαβυλωνίους συγκαύσας καὶ ὧδε τοὺς Ἰουδαίους αἰχμαλωτίσας. Τίς δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ ἀναγνώσματος; Ἀναγκαῖον τὰ μὲν παραθέσθαι, τὰ δὲ ἐν ἑτέρῳ καιρῷ ταμιεύσασθαι. Ἤκουες γὰρ ἀρτίως τοῦ συγγραφέως Λουκᾶ λέγοντος· Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. Ἀνεῖλε δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρᾳ. Ἰδὼν δὲ ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις προσέθετο συλλαβεῖν καὶ Πέτρον, ὃν καὶ πιάσας ἔθετο εἰς φυλακήν, παραδοὺς τέσσαρσι τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν αὐτόν, βουλόμενος μετὰ τὸ πάσχα ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν τῷ λαῷ. Ὄντως ἑορτάζομεν σήμερον, ὅτι οὐ μόνον δεσποτικοὺς ἀλλὰ καὶ μαρτυρικοὺς ἀγῶνας θεωροῦμεν· Ἰάκωβος σφάζεται καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀγάλλεται, Πέτρος φυλακίζεται καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία προσεύχεται, τὰ δεσμὰ διαρρήσσεται καὶ ὁ διάβολος περισχίζεται, τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων πεπλήρωται καὶ ὁ ζητούμενος οὐχ εὑρίσκεται, Ἡρῴδης τοὺς φύλακας κατακρίνει καὶ Πέτρος τὸ θαῦμα καταγγέλλει, ἡ σιδηρᾶ πύλη ἠνοίγετο καὶ ἡ Ἰουδαϊκὴ καρδία οὐ κατηνοίγετο. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας. Ποῖον καιρόν; Καθ' ὃν τὸ βασιλικὸν τοῦ σωτῆρος ὄνομα χωλοῖς δρόμον ἐχαρίζετο, σιμικινθίοις νόσους ἐφυγάδευσεν, σκιαῖς πυρετοὺς ἀπεσπόγγιζεν, μαρτυρικοὺς στεφάνους συνέπλεκεν, Ἰάκωβον στεφάνῳ μαρτυρικῷ κατεκόσμησεν, Ἰωάννην θεολόγον ἐδείκνυεν, Πέτρον παλαιστὴν γενναῖον ἐφύλαττεν. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας. Ποῖον καιρόν; Ὅτε ξόανα τῆς βάσεως ἔπιπτον καὶ εἴδωλα χλευάζειν οὐκ ἴσχυον, ὅτε βωμοὶ ἀνεσκάπτοντο καὶ ἱερεῖς ἐκόπτοντο, ὅτε ἐγγαστρίμυθοι ἐφιμοῦντο καὶ περιάπτων μαγγανεῖαι ἐρρίπτοντο. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας. Ποῖον καιρόν; Καθ' ὃν ἡ συναγωγὴ διελύετο καὶ ἡ ἐκκλησία συνεσφίγγετο, καθ' ὃν οἱ νομικοὶ ἠπόρουν καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ηὐπόρουν, καθ' ὃν ἡ περιτομὴ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐμειοῦτο καὶ ἡ σφραγὶς τῆς καρδίας ἐπληθύνετο, καθ' ὃν τὰ ἄζυμα ἐφθίνει καὶ ὁ ἐπουράνιος ἄρτος ἤνθει, καθ' ὃν ἡ ἑπτάμυξος λυχνία ἐσβέννυτο καὶ ὁ δωδεκάκτινος σταυρὸς ἀνήπτετο. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. Ὦ βασιλέως φρόνησις, μᾶλλον δὲ τυράννου ἐπιχείρησις. Ποῖος γὰρ βασιλεύς, ὁ μὴ ὢν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ βουλῇ τοῦ διαβόλου; Πέτρον σπεύδεις φονοκτονῆσαι, ὦ Ἡρῴδη; ∆ιὰ τί; Μὴ γὰρ ἀνταρσίαν ἐμελέτησεν; Μὴ γὰρ διάδημα κατεσκεύασεν; Μὴ γὰρ πορφύραν ἐκτήσατο; Μὴ γὰρ θησαυροὺς χρημάτων ἐπλήθυνεν; Μὴ γὰρ ὁπλίτας ἐμισθώσατο; Μὴ γὰρ πόλεις ἰσχυρὰς ἤγειρεν; Γυμνὸς καὶ ἄπορος ὑπάρχει ὁ Πέτρος ἐν τοῖς σωματικοῖς, κατέλιπε καὶ τὰ πατρῷα δίκτυα καὶ τὴν ἁλιευτικὴν σκάφην καὶ τῆς τῶν ἰχθύων ἄγρας κατεφρόνησεν. Ἐπείσθη τῷ δι' ἡμᾶς πτωχεύσαντι Χριστῷ λέγοντι· Μὴ κτήσησθε χαλκὸν ἢ πήραν ἢ βαλλάντιον μηδὲ διπλοῦν χιτῶνα. Ὦ Ἡρῴδη, τί τοὺς βαρβάρους καταλιπὼν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πολεμεῖς; Τί τειχομαχίας ἀργῶν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν διορύττεις; Τί τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείνεις, οὐχ ἵνα τυράννου τὴν κώμην κατάσχῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα θυσιαστήριον τοῦ βασιλέως Χριστοῦ στρέψῃς; Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. Ὦ χεῖρες Ἡρῴδου εἰς προσευχὴν μὴ ἐκτεινόμεναι, ἀλλ' εἰς δικαιοκτονίαν ὁπλιζόμεναι. Αὗται γὰρ αἱ χεῖρες, ὡς ἴστε, κατὰ τοῦ στύλου τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὡπλίσθησαν. Ταύτας τὰς χεῖρας θεωρήσας ὁ Πέτρος ἐβόα καὶ προσηύχετο ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ τὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ῥήματα λέγων· Μὴ συναπολέσῃς μετὰ ἀσεβῶν τὴν ψυχήν μου καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων τὴν ζωήν μου, ὧν ἐν χερσὶν αἱ ἀνομίαι· ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτῶν ἐπλήσθη δώρων. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ μισθὸν ὁ Ἡρῴδης