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They rightly speak of his sin, showing that they are asking for a witness, not to increase the number, but not allowing it to be diminished. And they cast their lots (for the Spirit was not yet), and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Then, it says, they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. He says this to show that they did not walk a long way, so that no fear might arise in them, still trembling and afraid. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room. For they did not dare to appear in the city. And they rightly went up into the upper room, so that it would not be easy for them to be readily seized. And they were, it says, continuing with one accord in prayer. Do you see how watchful they were, persevering in prayer, and persevering with one accord as if from one soul? He bears witness to two things for them. Joseph, perhaps, had died. For he who had believed before all others would not have disbelieved when his brothers believed; at any rate he nowhere appears simply as a man having precedence, as his mother said: Your father and I have sought you sorrowing. So he knew him before all others. And to his brothers Christ said: The world cannot hate you; but me it hates. And see the fairness of James. He received the bishopric in Jerusalem, and yet at that time he says nothing. See also the great humility of the other disciples, how they yield the throne to him, and no longer dispute with one another. For that Church was as if in heaven, having nothing of this life, shining not with walls nor with marbles, but with the zeal of those who came together. There were about one hundred and twenty, it says; perhaps the seventy, whom he himself had chosen, or also others of the more zealous, such as Joseph and Matthias; and there were many women who followed him, they were all together. 60.37 3. This is the forethought of a teacher. This man first appointed a teacher. He did not say, We are sufficient; so free was he from all vainglory, and he looked to one thing only, although he did not have an equal standing with all, but these things rightly happened on account of the virtue of the man; and because at that time the oversight was not an honor, but a care for those who were governed. This neither caused those who were chosen to be lifted up; for they were called to dangers; nor those who were not chosen to be grieved as if dishonored. But now it is not so, but all the contrary. For see, there were one hundred and twenty, and he asks for one from the whole multitude; rightly. He is the first to take authority in the matter, since he himself was entrusted with them all. For to him Christ said: And when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren. Because He was numbered, it says, with us. For this reason it is fitting for another to be put forward, so as to become a witness in his place. And see how he imitates the teacher, everywhere reasoning from the Scriptures, and not yet saying anything about Christ, that He Himself often foretold it. And he does not say where his betrayal is mentioned; for instance, The mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; but where he made mention only of his punishment; for this for the time being was profitable for them. This especially shows again the Master’s love for mankind. Because He was numbered, it says, with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. He everywhere calls it a lot, showing that the whole thing is of God’s grace, and of His election, and reminding them of ancient things, that God had chosen him by lot, just as the Levites, and he dwells on the things concerning him, the reward of his betrayal has itself become the herald of his punishment. For he purchased, it says, a field with the reward of iniquity. See how what happened was God’s providence. Of iniquity, it says. Many are the iniquities, but nothing has ever been more iniquitous than this, so that the matter was one of iniquity. And what happened became known not only to those present, but also to all who came after, so that they unwittingly named it, not knowing, just as Caiaphas also prophesied

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Καλῶς λέγουσιν ἐκείνου τὸ ἁμάρτημα, δεικνύντες, ὅτι μάρτυρα αἰτοῦσιν, οὐ πλεονάζοντες τὸν ἀριθμὸν, ἀλλ' ἐλαττωθῆναι οὐκ ἐῶντες. Καὶ ἔδωκαν κλήρους αὐτῶν (οὐδέπω γὰρ Πνεῦμα ἦν), καὶ ὁ κλῆρος ἐπὶ Ματθίαν ἔπεσε, καὶ συγκατεψηφίσθη μετὰ τῶν ἕνδεκα ἀποστόλων. Τότε, φησὶν, ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀπὸ ὄρους τοῦ καλουμένου Ἐλαιῶνος, ὅ ἐστιν ἐγγὺς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, σαββάτου ἔχον ὁδόν. Τοῦτό φησιν, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι μακρὰν οὐ βαδίζουσιν ὁδὸν, ὡς φόβον τινὰ μὴ γενέσθαι τρέμουσιν ἔτι καὶ δεδοικόσιν αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθον, ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὸ ὑπερῷον. Οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν γὰρ φανῆναι ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως. Καὶ καλῶς εἰς τὸ ὑπερῷον ἀνέβησαν, ὥστε μὴ εἶναι εὔκολον ἐκ τοῦ ἑτοίμου συλληφθῆναι αὐτούς. Καὶ ἦσαν, φησὶ, προσκαρτεροῦντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν τῇ προσευχῇ. Ὁρᾷς, πῶς ἐγρηγορότες ἦσαν τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτεροῦντες, καὶ ὁμοθυμαδὸν ὥσπερ ἐκ μιᾶς ψυχῆς προσκαρτεροῦντες; ∆ύο αὐτοῖς μαρτυρεῖ. Ὁ μὲν Ἰωσὴφ ἴσως τετελευτηκὼς ἦν. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν τῶν ἀδελφῶν πιστευσάντων ἐκεῖνος ἠπίστησεν ὁ πρὸ πάντων πιστεύσας· ἀμέλει γοῦν οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς φαίνεται οὐδαμοῦ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ προέχων, καθάπερ ἡ μήτηρ ἔλεγεν· Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὀδυνώμενοι ἐζητοῦμέν σε. Ὥστε πρὸ πάντων αὐτὸς ἔγνω τοῦτον. Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἔλεγεν ὁ Χριστός· Οὐ δύναται ὁ κόσμος ὑμᾶς μισεῖν, ἐμὲ δὲ μισεῖ. Καὶ ὅρα τὴν ἐπιείκειαν Ἰακώβου. Αὐτὸς ἔλαβε τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν τὴν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις, καὶ ὅμως τότε οὐδὲν διαλέγεται. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μαθητῶν τὴν πολλὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην, πῶς αὐτῷ συγχωροῦσι τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ οὐκ ἔτι ἀμφισβητοῦσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἐκείνη ἦν, οὐδὲν ἔχουσα βιωτικὸν, οὐ τοίχοις, οὐδὲ μαρμάροις, ἀλλὰ προθυμίᾳ τῶν συνιόντων ἀπολάμπουσα. Ὡς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσιν ἦσαν, φησίν· οἱ ἑβδομήκοντα ἴσως, οὓς αὐτὸς ἐξελέξατο, ἢ καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν σπουδαιοτέρων, οἷον ὁ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ὁ Ματθίας· καὶ γυναῖκες ἦσαν πολλαὶ, αἳ ἠκολούθουν αὐτῷ, ἐπιτοαυτὸ πανταχοῦ ἦσαν. 60.37 γʹ. Αὕτη πρόνοια διδασκάλου. Πρῶτος οὗτος διδάσκαλον κατέστησεν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἀρκοῦμεν ἡμεῖς· οὕτω πάσης κενοδοξίας ἐκτὸς ἦν, καὶ πρὸς ἓν ἑώρα μόνον, καίτοι οὐδὲ ἰσότυπον ἅπασιν εἶχε τὴν κατάστασιν ἀλλ' εἰκότως ταῦτα ἐγένετο διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ἀνδρός· καὶ ὅτι τότε ἡ ἐπιστασία ἦν, οὐ τιμὴ, ἀλλὰ πρόνοια τῶν ἀρχομένων. Τοῦτο οὔτε τοὺς αἱρουμένους ἐποίει ἐπαίρεσθαι· ἐπὶ γὰρ κινδύνους ἐκαλοῦντο· οὔτε τοὺς μὴ αἱρεθέντας ὡς ἀτιμασθέντας ἀλγεῖν. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ νῦν οὕτω γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἅπαν τοὐναντίον. Ὅρα γὰρ, ἑκατὸν εἴκοσιν ἦσαν, καὶ ἕνα αἰτεῖ ἀπὸ παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους· εἰκότως. Πρῶτος τοῦ πράγματος αὐθεντεῖ, ἅτε αὐτὸς πάντας ἐγχειρισθείς. Πρὸς γὰρ τοῦτον εἶπεν ὁ Χριστός· Καὶ σύ ποτε ἐπιστρέψας, στήριξον τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου. Ὅτι Κατηριθμημένος ἦν, φησὶ, σὺν ἡμῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προσήκει ἕτερον προβάλλεσθαι, ὥστε μάρτυρα γενέσθαι εἰς τὸν ἐκείνου τόπον. Καὶ ὅρα, πῶς τὸν διδάσκαλον μιμεῖται, πανταχοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν διαλεγόμενος, καὶ οὐδὲν περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγων οὐδέπω, ὅτι προεῖπε πολλάκις αὐτός. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, ἔνθα τῆς προδοσίας αὐτοῦ μέμνηται· οἷον, Στόμα ἁμαρτωλοῦ, καὶ στόμα δολίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἠνοίχθη· ἀλλ' ἔνθα τῆς τιμωρίας αὐτοῦ μόνον τὴν μνήμην ἐποιήσατο· τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοὺς τέως ὠφέλει. Τοῦτο μάλιστα δείκνυσι πάλιν τοῦ ∆εσπότου τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν. Ὅτι Κατηριθμημένος ἦν, φησὶ, σὺν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἔλαχε τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης. Κλῆρον αὐτὸν πανταχοῦ καλεῖ, δεικνὺς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος τὸ πᾶν ὂν, καὶ τῆς ἐκλογῆς, καὶ ἀναμιμνήσκων αὐτοὺς τῶν παλαιῶν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἐκληρώσατο, καθάπερ τοὺς Λευΐτας, καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὁ τῆς προδοσίας μισθὸς αὐτὸς καὶ τῆς τιμωρίας γέγονε κήρυξ. Ἐκτήσατο γὰρ, φησὶ, χωρίον ἐκ μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας. Ὅρα πῶς Θεοῦ οἰκονομία τὸ γεγονὸς ἦν. Τῆς ἀδικίας, φησί. Πολλαὶ αἱ ἀδικίαι, ἀλλὰ ταύτης οὐδὲν ἀδικώτερον γέγονέ ποτε, ὥστε ἀδικίας ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα. Οὐχὶ δὲ μόνον τοῖς παροῦσι γέγονε δῆλον τὸ γενόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα, ὥστε ἄκοντες ὠνόμασαν οὐκ εἰδότες, καθάπερ καὶ Καϊάφας προεφήτευσεν