John Chrysostom, On Holy Pentecost

received a tablet as a reminder of the coming disasters; but these received fire, so as to burn up the sins of the world, and to destroy all things. For just as fire falling among thorns will easily destroy them all, so also the grace of the Spirit consumed the sins of men. But the senseless Jews, when these things happened, instead of being astonished and trembling and worshipping the one giving the gift, again display their own folly by accusing of drunkenness the apostles who were filled with the Spirit; For these men, he says, are full of new wine. Consider the ingratitude of men, and observe the gratitude of angels. For the angels, when they saw our first-fruits being taken up, rejoiced and said: Lift up your gates, O princes, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in; but 50.461 men, seeing the grace of the Spirit coming down to us, say that those who received the grace are drunk, and not even the season of the year shamed them; for new wine could never be found in the spring season; and it was spring then. But let them be; let us consider the exchange from the loving God.

Christ took the first-fruits of our nature, and in return gave us the grace of the Spirit; and just as happens in a long war, when the battle is ended, and peace is made, those who were hostile to one another give pledges and hostages to each other in return; so also it happened between God and human nature; it sent him as pledges and hostages the first-fruits which Christ offered up; He in return sent us as pledges and hostages the Holy Spirit. That we have pledges and hostages is clear from this: for the pledges and hostages must be of royal lineage; for this reason the Holy Spirit was sent down to us, as being of the most royal substance; and He who was offered up from us was also of royal lineage; for He was of the seed of David. For this reason I no longer fear, because our first-fruits sits above; for this reason even if someone tells me of the undying worm, or the unquenchable fire, or other punishments and torments, I am no longer afraid; or rather, I am afraid, but I do not despair of my own salvation. For if God had not planned great good things for our race, He would not have taken our first-fruits above. Before this, looking to heaven and considering the incorporeal powers, we saw our own insignificance more clearly, from the comparison with the powers above; but now whenever we wish to see our noble birth, we look up to heaven, to the royal throne itself; for there sits the first-fruits from us. So also will the Son of God come from heaven to judge us. Let us prepare ourselves therefore, so that we may not fall from that glory; for our common Master will surely come and will not delay; He will come bringing armies, troops of angels, companies of archangels, brotherhoods of martyrs, choirs of the righteous, assemblies of prophets and apostles, and in the midst of those immaterial armies the King appearing in a certain ineffable and indescribable glory.

2. Let us therefore do everything, so as not to fall from that glory. Do you wish

me to speak also of the terrible things? not that I may grieve you, but that I may correct you. Then a river of fire is drawn before that tribunal; then the books are opened; a fearful and dreadful court is set. For this reason, just as in a court, the records of our life are read, and the prophets say many things about these books. And Moses says: If you will forgive their sin, forgive it; but if not, blot me also out of the book which you have written; and Christ again said to his disciples: Do not rejoice in this, that the demons are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in the heavens; and again the prophet David: In

μὲν γραμματεῖον ἐλάμβανε τῶν μελλουσῶν συμφορῶν ὑπόμνησιν· οὗτοι δὲ πῦρ ἐλάμβανον, ὥστε κατακαῦσαι τὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ ἀφανίσαι πάντα. Καθάπερ γὰρ πῦρ εἰς ἀκάνθας ἐμπῖπτον πάσας αὐτὰς ἀφανίσει ῥᾳδίως, οὕτω καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ χάρις ἐδαπάνα τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς ἁμαρτίας. Ἀλλ' οἱ ἀναίσθητοι Ἰουδαῖοι τούτων γενομένων, δέον καταπεπλῆχθαι καὶ τρέμειν καὶ προσκυνεῖν τὸν διδόντα τὴν δωρεὰν, πάλιν τὴν οἰκείαν ἄνοιαν ἐπιδείκνυνται μέθην κατηγοροῦντες τῶν πεπληρωμένων τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀποστόλων· Οὗτοι γὰρ, φησὶ, γλεύκους μεμεστωμένοι εἰσίν. Ἐννόησον ἀγνωμοσύνην ἀνθρώπων, καὶ σκόπησον εὐγνωμοσύνην ἀγγέλων. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄγγελοι ὅτε εἶδον τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἀναγομένην τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἔχαιρον καὶ ἔλεγον· Ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες, ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνιοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης· οἱ δὲ 50.461 ἄνθρωποι ἰδόντες τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν καταβᾶσαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγουσιν, ὅτι μεθύουσιν οἱ δεξάμενοι τὴν χάριν, καὶ οὐδὲ ἡ ὥρα τοῦ ἔτους αὐτοὺς ἐδυσώπησε· γλεῦκος γὰρ ἐν ἔαρος ὥρᾳ οὐκ ἂν εὑρεθείη ποτέ· τότε δὲ ἔαρ ἦν. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἀφείσθωσαν· ἡμεῖς δὲ σκοπῶμεν τὴν ἀντίδοσιν τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ.

Ἔλαβε τὴν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ ἀντέδωκεν ἡμῖν τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν· καὶ καθάπερ ἐν μακρῷ πολέμῳ γίνεται, ὅταν μάχη λυθῇ, καὶ εἰρήνη γένηται, οἱ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀπεχθῶς ἔχοντες ἐνέχυρα καὶ ὅμηρα ἀλλήλοις ἀντιδιδόασιν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἐγένετο φύσεως· ἔπεμψεν αὐτῷ ἐνέχυρα καὶ ὅμηρα τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἣν ἀνήνεγκεν ὁ Χριστός· ἀντέπεμψεν ἡμῖν αὐτὸς ἐνέχυρα καὶ ὅμηρα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Ὅτι δὲ ἐνέχυρα καὶ ὅμηρα ἔχομεν, δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν· τὰ γὰρ ἐνέχυρα καὶ ὅμηρα βασιλικοῦ γένους εἶναι χρή· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἡμῖν κατεπέμφθη, ὡς τῆς βασιλικωτάτης οὐσίας ὄν· καὶ ὁ παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ ἀνενεχθεὶς ἐκ γένους ἦν βασιλικοῦ· ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ σπέρματος ἦν ∆αυΐδ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔτι δέδοικα, ὅτι ἡ ἀπαρχὴ ἡμῶν ἄνω κάθηται· διὰ τοῦτο κἂν σκώληκά μοι τις εἴπῃ ἀτελεύτητον, κἂν πῦρ ἄσβεστον, κἂν ἑτέρας κολάσεις καὶ τιμωρίας, οὐ φοβοῦμαι λοιπόν· μᾶλλον δὲ φοβοῦμαι μὲν, οὐκ ἀπογινώσκω δὲ τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ μὴ μεγάλα ἀγαθὰ ὁ Θεὸς περὶ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν ἐβουλεύετο, οὐκ ἂν τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἡμῶν ἔλαβεν ἄνω. Πρὸ τούτου μὲν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέποντες καὶ τὰς ἀσωμάτους ἐννοοῦντες δυνάμεις σαφεστέραν τὴν εὐτέλειαν ὁρῶμεν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἀπὸ τῆς συγκρίσεως τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων· νῦν δὲ ὅταν βουληθῶμεν τὴν εὐγένειαν ἡμῶν ἰδεῖν, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἄνω βλέπομεν, εἰς τὸν θρόνον αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλικόν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἡ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀπαρχὴ κάθηται. Οὕτω καὶ ἐλεύσεται ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κρίνων ἡμᾶς. Παρασκευαζώμεθα τοίνυν, ὥστε μὴ τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης ἐκπεσεῖν· ἥξει γὰρ πάντως καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ ὁ κοινὸς ἡμῶν ∆εσπότης· ἥξει στρατόπεδα ἐπαγόμενος, ἀγγέλων τάγματα, ἀρχαγγέλων συμμορίας, μαρτύρων φρατρίας, δικαίων χοροὺς, προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων δήμους, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν στρατοπέδων ἀΰλων ἐκείνων ὁ βασιλεὺς φαινόμενος ἐν ἀῤῥήτῳ τινὶ καὶ ἀφράστῳ δόξῃ.

ʹ. Πάντα τοίνυν ποιῶμεν, ὥστε μὴ τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης ἐκπεσεῖν. Βούλεσθε

εἴπω καὶ τὰ φοβερά; οὐχ ἵνα λυπήσω, ἀλλ' ἵνα διορθώσωμαι. Τότε πυρὸς ποταμὸς πρὸ τοῦ βήματος ἐκείνου σύρεται· τότε βίβλοι ἀνοίγονται· δικαστήριον ἔστη φοβερὸν καὶ φρικῶδες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καθάπερ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ τὰ ὑπομνήματα τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς ἀναγινώσκεται, καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τῶν βιβλίων τούτων φασὶν οἱ προφῆται. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Μωϋσῆς φησιν· Εἰ μὲν ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μὴ, κἀμὲ ἐξάλειψον ἐκ τῆς βίβλου, ἧς ἔγραψας· ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς πάλιν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς ἔλεγεν· Ἐν τούτῳ μὴ χαίρετε, ὅτι τὰ δαιμόνια ὑμῖν ὑποτάσσεται· χαίρετε δὲ ὅτι τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν γέγραπται ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης ∆αυΐδ· Ἐν