Eusebius of Caesarea, Fragments on Luke

tetrarch all the things being done by him. At the time of the Savior's presence, for the Jews the ancestral kingdom was already then dissolved; and their autonomy and freedom were dissolved, and their lawful priesthood. And they no longer had rulers according to the laws; but Herod and his sons Agrippa and Archelaus, foreigners by race, had been entrusted by the Romans with rule over them; and their country was divided into a tetrarchy; and the whole nation had become subject to tribute to the Romans, with the poll-tax being collected from time to time by procurators with a military hand. Therefore, the Savior, having exhorted his disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God first to them, called them the lost sheep of the house of Israel. For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him the Son of man will be ashamed. Having spoken the aforesaid things about the need for them also to become imitators of him, and not to flee death, but to be unsparing even of their own soul and life for the sake of the hope in him, he opportunely adds, delivering to them mysteries concerning his second theophany. And very consistently and necessarily he said these things to those who were about to go through torments for his sake, and to struggle unto death, showing them what would be the fruit of so great a struggle. For it was necessary for those who were about to follow him and go after him, and to take up their own cross in imitation of him, to know precisely who this one is for whom they were about to suffer such great things. And opportunely he called the one coming in these things "Son of man", in remembrance of the prophecy from Daniel, which said: And behold, a Son of man was coming upon the clouds; and he came to the Ancient of days. And to him was given the dominion and the honor and the kingdom. But when Peter confessed that he was the Christ, and the Son of the living God, from then he began to show them, that he must suffer many things and be killed; but when he himself exhorted them to be contemptuous of death, and taught that he must suffer many things, then at the opportune time he delivered the words concerning his second and glorious coming; so that they might know who it was who was about to suffer such great things at the hands of the Jews, and what would be for them the fruit of the struggle for his sake. -And indeed, having discussed these things with his disciples, and having told them the great and hidden mystery of his second theophany, so that he might not seem to be entrusting it to words and mere phrases alone, he necessarily proceeded to deeds, showing them with their own eyes the image of his divine 24.549 kingdom. Therefore, having said that he will be ashamed of the one who was ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of the Father, he adds next, saying: But I say to you truly, there are some of those standing here, etc. Taking Peter and John and James. And at the transfiguration, only three were deemed worthy to behold the kingdom of heaven which was seen by them in power; but at the consummation of the age, when the Lord arrives with the glory of the Father, no longer will only Moses and Elijah attend him as a bodyguard, nor will only three of the disciples be with him, but all the prophets and patriarchs and righteous ones; and he will lead those worthy of his divinity not to a high mountain, but up into heaven. Then his divinity will shine, not like the sun, but beyond every conceivable created light, both in things perceptible and in things intelligible; since he himself is the light that enlightens every man coming into the world; when he will also show his face; for not as he once said to Moses long ago, that "You shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen by you," so also will he do then; but he will so present himself to the saints, that all will be able to say: But we, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. And then

τετράρχης τὰ γινόμενα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πάντα. Ἐπὶ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Σωτῆρος, λέλυτο μὲν Ἰουδαίοις ἤδη λοιπὸν τὰ τῆς ἐκ προγόνων βασιλείας· λέλυτο δὲ τὰ τῆς αὐτονομίας καὶ ἐλευθερίας, τά τε τῆς ἐνθέσμου ἱερωσύνης. Καὶ οἱ μὲν κατὰ νόμους ἄρχοντες οὐκέτι ἦσαν αὐτοῖς· Ἡρώδης δὲ καὶ οἱ τούτου παῖδες Ἀγρίππας καὶ Ἀρχέλαος, τὸ γένος ἀλλόφυλοι, παρὰ Ῥωμαίων τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν ἦσαν ἀρχὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένοι· διῄρητό τε εἰς τετραρχίαν ἡ χώρα αὐτῶν· τό τε πᾶν ἔθνος ὑπόφορον καθειστήκει Ῥωμαίοις, τὸν κῆνσον κατὰ κεφαλὴν ἐπιτρόπων κατὰ καιροὺς εἰσπραττομένων σὺν χειρὶ στρατιωτικῇ. ∆ιὸ, τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείας τὸ κήρυγμα πρώτοις αὐτοῖς ἐπαγγέλλειν ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῖς αὐτοῦ μαθηταῖς παρακελευσάμενος, ἀπολωλότα πρόβατα οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ αὐτοὺς ὠνόμασε. Ὃς γὰρ ἐπαισχυνθῇ με καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους, τοῦτον ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπαισχυνθήσεται. ∆ιαλαλήσας τὰ εἰρημένα περὶ τοῦ δεῖν καὶ αὐτοὺς μιμητὰς αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι, καὶ μὴ φεύγειν τὸν θάνατον, ἀφειδεῖν δὲ καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς τε καὶ ζωῆς ἕνεκεν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδος, ἐπισυνάπτει εὐκαίρως τὰ περὶ τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ θεοφανείας παραδιδοὺς αὐτοῖς μυστήρια. Σφόδρα δὲ ἀκολούθως καὶ ἀναγκαίως ταῦτα ἔλεγε τοῖς μέλλουσιν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ διὰ βασάνων χωρεῖν, καὶ μέχρι θανάτου ἀγωνίζεσθαι, τίς ἔσται ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ τοσούτου ἀγῶνος παριστὰς αὐτοῖς. Ἔδει γὰρ τοὺς μέλλοντας ἕπεσθαι αὐτῷ καὶ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἀπιέναι, τόν τε ἴδιον σταυρὸν ἀναλαμβάνειν κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ μίμησιν, γνῶναι ἀκριβῶς τί ποτέ ἐστιν οὗτος ὑπὲρ οὗ τὰ τοσαῦτα μέλλουσι πάσχειν. Εὐκαίρως δὲ Υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου ἐν τούτοις τὸν ἐρχόμενον ὠνόμασεν, εἰς ὑπόμνησιν τῆς παρὰ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ προφητείας, ἥτις ἔλεγε· Καὶ ἰδοὺ Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος ἦν ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν· καὶ ἕως τοῦ Παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἔφθασε. Καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόθη ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία. Ἀλλ' ὅτε μὲν ὁ Πέτρος Χριστὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι ὡμολόγησε, καὶ Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο δεικνύναι αὐτοῖς, ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν πολλὰ παθεῖν καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι· ὅτε δὲ αὐτὸς καταφρονητικῶς ἔχειν τοῦ θανάτου παρεκελεύετο, ἐδίδαξε δὲ, ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν πολλὰ παθεῖν, τότε κατὰ καιρὸν τοὺς περὶ τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνδόξου παρουσίας λόγους παρεδίδου· ὡς ἂν εἰδέναι ἔχοιεν, τίς ποτε ἦν ὁ μέλλων τοσαῦτα πάσχειν ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων, καὶ τίς ἔσται αὐτοῖς ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀγῶνος. -Καὶ δὴ ταῦτα τοῖς μαθηταῖς διαλεχθεὶς, καὶ τὸ μέγα καὶ λανθάνον μυστήριον τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ θεοφανείας ἐξειπὼν αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μὴ λόγοις μόνον καὶ ψιλαῖς φράσεσι δοκῇ ἐμπιστεύειν, ἀναγκαίως ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα ἐχώρει, αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς δεικνὺς αὐτοῖς τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς θεϊκῆς αὐ 24.549 τοῦ βασιλείας. ∆ιόπερ εἰπὼν, ὅτι ἐπαισχυνθήσεται τὸν ἐπαισχυνθέντα αὐτὸν, ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἑξῆς ἐπισυνάπτει φάσκων· Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ἀληθῶς, εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων, κ. τ. λ. Παραλαβὼν τὸν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Ἰάκωβον. Καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ μεταμορφώσει τρεῖς μόνοι τὴν δυνάμει ὀφθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν θεάσασθαι ἠξιώθησαν· ἐν δὲ τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος, ἐπειδὰν μετὰ τῆς δόξης τῆς πατρικῆς ὁ Κύριος ἀφίκηται, οὐκέτι Μωϋσῆς μόνον καὶ Ἠλίας δορυφορήσουσιν αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ τρεῖς μόνοι τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτῷ συνέσονται, ἀλλὰ πάντες προφῆται καὶ πατριάρχαι καὶ δίκαιοι· καὶ οὐκ εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνάξει τοὺς ἀξίους τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητος. Τότε δὲ λάμψει ἡ θεότης αὐτοῦ οὐχ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ πᾶν ἐπινοούμενον ἔν τε αἰσθητοῖς καὶ ἐν νοητοῖς γεννητὸν φῶς· ἐπείπερ ἐστὶν αὐτὸς τὸ φῶς τὸ φωτίζον πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον· ὅτε καὶ δείξει αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον· οὐ γὰρ ὡς πάλαι τῷ Μωϋσεῖ ποτε ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Τὰ ὀπίσω μου ὄψει, τὸ δὲ πρόσωπόν μου οὐκ ὀφθήσεταί σοι, οὕτω καὶ τότε ποιήσει· ἀλλ' οὕτως ἑαυτὸν παρέξει τοῖς ἁγίοις, ὡς δύνασθαι πάντας λέγειν· Ἡμεῖς δὲ, ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμενοι, τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν. Καὶ τότε