John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

they knew, although they had received proofs. But Christ, just as He said, "Not many days hence," wishing them to be watchful, did not declare it openly; so also He does now. Besides, they here ask not about the consummation, but about the kingdom; wherefore also they said, "Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" But He did not reveal this to them either. And concerning the end, they asked this even before this; but not as there He answered more 60.27 severely, leading them away from thinking the deliverance to be near, and cast them into dangers; so also here, but more gently. For lest they should seem to be insulted, nor these things to be pretexts, hear how He immediately promises to give them that in which they rejoiced. For He added, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Then, lest they should ask Him again, He was immediately taken up. Just as, therefore, there He put them in the dark with fear, and by saying, "I do not know," so also here, by saying, "He was taken up." For they had a great desire for the thing, and would not have desisted, and it was very necessary for them not to learn it. For tell me, what do the Greeks disbelieve more? That there will be a consummation, or that God became man, and came forth from a Virgin's womb, and was seen by men with flesh? Is it not this? You too will certainly say so. But I am ashamed to be always speaking about this, as if about some indifferent matter. Then again, lest they should say, "Why do you magnify the matter?" "Which the Father," He says, "has set in His own authority." And yet the authority of the Father and of Him is one, as when He says, "For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will." If where it is necessary to work, He acts with the same authority as Him; where it is necessary to know, does He not know with the same authority? And yet, to raise the dead is far greater than to learn the day. If He does the greater thing with authority, does He not much more the other? 2. But that you may learn, I will make this clear by an example. Just as when we see a child crying its heart out, and continually wanting to receive something from us that is not necessary for it, we rather hide it, show our hands empty, saying, "See, we do not have it"; so also He has done to the Apostles. But just as that child, even when we are not showing it, persists in crying, knowing that it has been deceived; then leaving it we go away saying, "So-and-so is calling me," and we give it something else instead, wishing to lead it away from its purpose, and admiring that other thing instead of this, and having given it we run off; so also Christ did. They sought to receive; He said He did not have it. Yet first He frightened them; but when they sought again, He said again that He did not have it. However, He does not frighten them now, but after showing this which He has done, He also gives a plausible reason: that "The Father has set in His own authority." What then? Do you not know the things of the Father? But you know Him, but His things no longer? You yourself said, "No one knows the Father except the Son"; and, "The Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God"; but you do not even know this? Away with it. He has said this, not that we should suspect this, but He pretends to be ignorant, leading them away from the untimely 60.28 inquiry. They were afraid therefore to ask again, lest they should hear, "Are you also without understanding?" For they feared Him much more now than before. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." For just as there He did not answer what they asked (for this is the part of a teacher, not to teach what the disciple wishes, but what is profitable for him to learn); so also now, He foretells what they needed to learn for this reason, that they might not be troubled. Therefore they were still weak. And so that they might speak boldly, He lifted up their souls, and concealed the burdensome things. For since He was about to leave them shortly after, in discoursing on these things He says nothing simply grievous; but what? He speaks the grievous things with praise, as much as to say, "Do not be afraid;" "For you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in

ἔγνωσαν, καίτοι λαβόντες τεκμήρια. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς ὥσπερ εἶπεν, Οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας, ἀγρυπνεῖν αὐτοὺς βουλόμενος, καὶ οὐκ ἐδήλωσε φανερῶς· οὕτω καὶ νῦν ποιεῖ. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ ἐκεῖνοι ἐνταῦθα οὐ περὶ συντελείας, ἀλλὰ περὶ βασιλείας ἐρωτῶσι· διὸ καὶ, Εἰ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποκαθιστάνεις τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ; ἔλεγον. Ὁ δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς ἐξεκάλυψε. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ τέλους καὶ πρὸ τούτου τοῦτο ἠρώτων· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ ἀπεκρίνατο σφο 60.27 δρότερον, ἀπάγων αὐτοὺς τοῦ νομίζειν τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν εἶναι πλησίον, καὶ ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλ' ἡμερώτερον. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ δοκῶσιν ὑβρίσθαι μηδὲ προφάσεις εἶναι ταῦτα, ἄκουσον καὶ πῶς εὐθέως αὐτοῖς δώσειν ἐπαγγέλλεται ἐφ' ᾧ ἐχάρησαν. Ἐπήγαγε γοῦν· Ἀλλὰ λήψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἔν τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐρωτῶσιν, εὐθέως ἀνελήφθη. Καθάπερ οὖν ἐκεῖ τῷ φόβῳ αὐτοὺς ἐσκότωσε, καὶ τῷ εἰπεῖν, οὐκ οἶδα· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, τὸ Ἀνελήφθη εἰπών. Καὶ γὰρ πολλὴν τοῦ πράγματος εἶχον τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀπέστησαν, καὶ σφόδρα ἀναγκαῖον ἦν αὐτοὺς μὴ μαθεῖν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι· τί μᾶλλον ἀπιστοῦσιν Ἕλληνες; ὅτι συντέλεια ἔσται, ἢ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ἐκ Παρθένου προῆλθε μήτρας, καὶ μετὰ σαρκὸς ὤφθη ἀνθρώποις; ἆρ' οὐχὶ τοῦτο; Πάντως καὶ σὺ ἐρεῖς. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ αἰσχύνομαι συνεχῶς ὑπὲρ τούτου λέγων, ὡς περὶ πράγματός τινος ἀδιαφόρου. Εἶτα πάλιν ἵνα μὴ εἴπωσι, ∆ιατί ἐπαίρεις τὸ πρᾶγμα; Οὓς ὁ Πατὴρ, φησὶν, ἔθετο ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ. Καὶ μὴν μία Πατρὸς καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐξουσία, ὡς ὅταν λέγῃ· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ. Εἰ ἔνθα ἐργάσασθαι δεῖ, μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτῷ πράττει ἐξουσίας· ἔνθα εἰδέναι χρὴ, οὐχὶ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς οἶδεν ἐξουσίας; Καὶ μὴν τοῦ μαθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν πολλῷ μεῖζον τὸ νεκροὺς ἐγείρειν. Εἰ τὸ μεῖζον μετ' ἐξουσίας ποιεῖ, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ ἕτερον; βʹ. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθητε, ἐπὶ ὑποδείγματος ποιήσω τοῦτο φανερόν. Ὥσπερ ὅταν ἴδωμεν παιδίον ἀποκλαιόμενον, καὶ συνεχῶς βουλόμενόν τι λαβεῖν παρ' ἡμῶν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῷ, μᾶλλον ἀποκρύψαντες, γυμνὰς δείκνυμεν τὰς χεῖρας, λέγοντες, Ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔχομεν· οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πεποίηκεν. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὸ παιδίον ἐκεῖνο, καὶ μὴ δεικνύντων ἡμῶν ἐπίκειται κλαῖον, εἰδὸς ὅτι ἐξηπάτηται· εἶτα ἀφέντες ἄπιμεν λέγοντες· Καλεῖ με ὁ δεῖνα, καὶ ἕτερόν τι ἀντ' αὐτοῦ διδόαμεν, βουλόμενοι αὐτὸ ἀπαγαγεῖν τῆς προαιρέσεως, καὶ θαυμάζοντες ἐκεῖνο ἀντὶ τούτου, καὶ δόντες ἀποπηδῶμεν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησεν. Ἐζήτουν ἐκεῖνοι λαβεῖν· ἔφη οὗτος μὴ ἔχειν. Ὅμως καὶ πρῶτον ἐφόβησεν· ἐπεὶ δὲ πάλιν ἐζήτουν, ἔφη πάλιν μὴ ἔχειν. Πλὴν οὐ φοβεῖ νῦν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸ δεῖξαι τοῦτο ὃ πεποίηκε, λέγει καὶ εὐπρόσωπον ἀφορμήν· ὅτι Ὁ Πατὴρ ἔθετο ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ. Τί οὖν; σὺ οὐκ οἶδας τὰ τοῦ Πατρός; ἀλλ' αὐτὸν μὲν γινώσκεις, τὰ δὲ αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι; Αὐτὸς εἶπας· Οὐδεὶς γινώσκει τὸν Πατέρα, εἰ μὴ ὁ Υἱός· καὶ, Τὸ μὲν Πνεῦμα πάντα ἐρευνᾷ, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ· σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο οἶδας; Ἄπαγε. Οὐχ ἵνα τοῦτο ὑποπτεύσωμεν, τοῦτο εἴρηκεν· ἀλλ' ἀγνοεῖν προσποιεῖται, τῆς ἀκαίρου 60.28 ζητήσεως ἀπάγων αὐτούς. Ἐφοβήθησαν οὖν ἐρωτῆσαι πάλιν, ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσωσι· Καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε; Πολλῷ γὰρ μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἐφοβοῦντο νῦν, ἢ τὸ πρότερον. Ἀλλὰ λήψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ οὐ πρὸς ἃ ἠρώτησαν ἀπεκρίνατο (διδασκάλου γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι, μὴ ἃ βούλεται ὁ μαθητὴς, ἀλλ' ἃ συμφέρει μαθεῖν, διδάσκειν)· οὕτω καὶ νῦν, ἃ ἔδει μαθεῖν διὰ τοῦτο προλέγει, ἵνα μὴ ταραχθῶσιν. Ἄρα ἔτι ἀσθενεῖς ἦσαν. Ὥστε δὲ παῤῥησιάζεσθαι, ἐπῆρεν αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς, καὶ τὰ φορτικὰ συνεκάλυψεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν αὐτοὺς μικρὸν ὕστερον λοιπὸν καταλιμπάνειν, ταῦτα διαλεγόμενος οὐδὲν λέγει λυπηρὸν ἁπλῶς· ἀλλὰ τί; Μετ' ἐγκωμίου τὰ λυπηρά φησι, μονονουχὶ λέγων, Μὴ φοβηθῆτε· Λήψεσθε γὰρ δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἔν