John Chrysostom, On the Beginning of Acts

making; for what is said is not ours, but of the grace of the Spirit stirring up the sloth of the more indolent, so that nothing is simply passed over. Rightly, therefore, we have called the apostleship a spiritual consulship. For the apostles are rulers ordained by God; rulers, not receiving different nations and cities, but all of them jointly entrusted with the whole world. And that they are spiritual rulers, I will also try to prove this, so that after the proof you may learn that the apostles are as much better than worldly rulers, as those worldly rulers themselves are better than playing children. For this rule is much greater than that one, and it holds our life together more, and if this is taken away, all is gone and dissolved. What, then, is a symbol of authority, and what must the ruler have? The authority of a prison, so that he is master to bind some, to loose others, to cast out some, to cast in others; again, to forgive debts of money, and he is master to release those who are liable, and to command others to pay; again, to lead away to death, and to call back from death; or rather, this is not a ruler's, but a king's alone; or rather, not even for a king is the 51.94 gift complete. For he does not call back from death one who is departing, but only from being led away, and he can annul a sentence, but he cannot recall from death; and so he has the lesser part, but is deprived of the better. Again, we recognize the ruler by his belt, by the herald's voice, by the lictors, by the chariot, by the sword; for all these are symbols of authority. Let us see, then, also the authority of the apostles, if it has these symbols; it has them, but not of such a kind, but much better ones, And that you may learn that these are names of things, but those are the reality of things; that you may learn the difference between the authorities of playing children, and the authorities of those who hold the authorities; and, if you wish, we will first reckon from the prison. For we have said that the ruler is master of binding and loosing. See, then, the apostles having this authority. For whatever you bind on earth, he says, will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. You have seen a prison, and the authority of a prison; and the name is the same, but the reality is not the same. Bonds, and bonds; but some on earth, others in heaven. For heaven is their prison. Learn, then, the greatness of the authority. Sitting on earth they cast their vote, and the power of the vote passes through the heavens. And just as kings, sitting in one city, vote and make laws, and the power of their decrees and laws runs through the whole world; so also then, the apostles, sitting in one place, enacted these laws; and the power of the laws, and of these bonds, not only ran through the world, but also ascended to the very height of the heavens. You have seen a prison, and a prison; one on earth, the other in heaven, one of bodies, the other of souls; or rather, both of souls and of bodies; for they did not bind bodies only, but also souls.

5. Do you wish to learn how they were masters also of forgiving debts? For here too you will see a great difference; for they did not forgive debts of money, but debts of sins; For whose sins, he says, you forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose you retain, they are retained. What need is there after this to prove that they also sent to death, and called back again from death, not from a sentence only, and a leading away, but also raising from death those who were already lying dead and corrupting? Where then did they condemn? And where did they deliver from death? Ananias and Sapphira were convicted of sacrilege; for though they stole their own money, nevertheless the audacious act was sacrilege; for after the promise the money was no longer theirs. What then does the Apostle do? Hear how, as if sitting in a court of justice, he brings in the sacrilegious man, and asks

ποιούμενοι· οὐ γὰρ ἡμέτερα τὰ λεγόμενα, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριτος τῶν ῥᾳθυμοτέρων τὴν νωθρίαν διεγειρούσης, ὥστε μηδὲν παρατρέχειν ἁπλῶς. Εἰκότως ἄρα ὑπατείαν πνευματικὴν ἐκαλέσαμεν τὴν ἀποστολήν. Ἄρχοντες γάρ εἰσιν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ χειροτονηθέντες οἱ ἀπόστολοι· ἄρχοντες, οὐκ ἔθνη καὶ πόλεις διαφόρους λαμβάνοντες, ἀλλὰ πάντες κοινῇ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐμπιστευθέντες. Καὶ ὅτι ἄρχοντές εἰσι πνευματικοὶ, καὶ τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι πειράσομαι, ἵνα μετὰ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν μάθητε, ὅτι τοσούτῳ βελτίους εἰσὶν οἱ ἀπόστολοι τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν βιωτικῶν, ὅσῳ αὐτοὶ οἱ βιωτικοὶ ἄρχοντες τῶν παίδων τῶν παιζόντων ἀμείνους εἰσί. Πολὺ γὰρ μείζων αὕτη ἐκείνης ἡ ἀρχὴ, καὶ μᾶλλον τὴν ἡμετέραν συνέχει ζωὴν, καὶ ταύτης ἀρθείσης πάντα οἴχεται καὶ διαλέλυται. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστιν ἀρχῆς σύμβολον, καὶ τίνα ἔχειν τὸν ἄρχοντα χρή; ∆εσμωτηρίου ἐξουσίαν, ὥστε τοὺς μὲν δῆσαι, τοὺς δὲ λῦσαι, τοὺς μὲν ἐκβάλλειν, τοὺς δὲ ἐμβάλλειν κύριός ἐστιν· ἀφεῖναι πάλιν χρημάτων ὀφλήματα, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀπολῦσαι ὄντας ὑπευθύνους, τοὺς δὲ κελεῦσαι ἀποδοῦναι κύριός ἐστιν· εἰς θάνατον πάλιν ἀπαγαγεῖν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ θανάτου καλέσαι· μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦτο ἄρχοντος μὲν οὐκ ἔστι, βασιλέως δὲ μόνον· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ βασιλέως ὁλόκληρόν ἐστι τὸ 51.94 δῶρον. Οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ θανάτου καλεῖ τὸν ἀπιόντα, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀπαγωγῆς μόνον, καὶ ἀπόφασιν μὲν λῦσαι δύναται, ἀπὸ θανάτου δὲ ἀνακαλέσασθαι οὐ δύναται· καὶ τὸ μὲν χεῖρον ἔχει, τοῦ βελτίονος δὲ ἀπεστέρηται. Ἀπὸ τῆς ζώνης δὲ πάλιν δοκιμάζομεν τὸν ἄρχοντα, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κήρυκος φωνῆς, ἀπὸ τῶν ῥαβδούχων, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀχήματος, ἀπὸ τοῦ ξίφους· ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα ἀρχῆς σύμβολα. Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀρχὴν, εἰ ταῦτα ἔχει τὰ σύμβολα· ἔχει μὲν, οὐ τοιαῦτα δὲ, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ βελτίονα, Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι ταῦτα μὲν ὀνόματα πραγμάτων, ἐκεῖνα δὲ ἀλήθεια πραγμάτων· ἵνα μάθῃς τὸ μέσον τῶν παιδίων τῶν παιζόντων ἀρχὰς, καὶ τῶν ἀρχῶν τῶν ἐχόντων τὰς ἀρχάς· καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε, ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου πρῶτον ἀριθμήσομεν. Καὶ γὰρ εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτι κύριος τοῦ δῆσαι καὶ λῦσαί ἐστιν ὁ ἄρχων. Ὅρα δὴ ταύτην τὴν ἀρχὴν τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἔχοντας. Ὅσους γὰρ ἂν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, φησὶν, ἔσονται δεδεμένοι ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· καὶ ὅσους ἂν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσονται λελυμένοι ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Εἶδες δεσμωτηρίου, καὶ δεσμωτηρίου ἐξουσίαν· καὶ τὸ μὲν ὄνομα τὸ αὐτὸ, τὸ δὲ πρᾶγμα οὐ τὸ αὐτό. ∆εσμὰ, καὶ δεσμά· ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ δὲ ἐν οὐρανῷ. Οὐρανὸς γάρ ἐστιν αὐτοῖς τὸ δεσμωτήριον. Μάθε τοίνυν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀρχῆς. Ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καθήμενοι φέρουσι τὴν ψῆφον, καὶ τῆς ψήφου ἡ δύναμις διαβαίνει τοὺς οὐρανούς. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ μὲν βασιλεῖς καθήμενοι ἐν μιᾷ πόλει ψηφίζονται καὶ νομοθετοῦσιν, ἡ δὲ τῶν ψηφισμάτων καὶ τῶν νόμων δύναμις πᾶσαν διατρέχει τὴν οἰκουμένην· οὕτω καὶ τότε, οἱ μὲν ἀπόστολοι ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ καθήμενοι ταῦτα ἐνομοθέτουν· ἡ δὲ τῶν νόμων δύναμις, καὶ τῶν δεσμῶν τούτων, οὐχὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην μόνον διέτρεχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ ὕψος τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνέβαινεν. Εἶδες δεσμωτήριον, καὶ δεσμωτήριον· τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ γῆς, τὸ δὲ ἐν οὐρανῷ, τὸ μὲν σωμάτων, τὸ δὲ ψυχῶν· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ψυχῶν καὶ σωμάτων· οὐ γὰρ σώματα ἐδέσμουν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχάς.

εʹ. Βούλει μαθεῖν πῶς κύριοι ἦσαν καὶ ὀφλήματα ἀφεῖναι; Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολὺ τὸ διάφορον ὄψει· οὐ γὰρ ὀφλήματα χρημάτων, ἀλλ' ὀφλήματα ἁμαρτημάτων ἀφίεσαν· Ὧν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφέωνται αὐτοῖς· καὶ ὧν ἂν κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται. Τί μετὰ τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι χρὴ, ὅτι καὶ εἰς θάνατον ἔπεμπον, καὶ ἀπὸ θανάτου πάλιν ἐκάλουν, οὐκ ἐξ ἀποφάσεως μόνης, καὶ ἀπαγωγῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ θανάτου τοὺς κειμένους ἤδη καὶ διαφθαρέντας ἀνιστῶντες; Ποῦ τοίνυν κατεδίκασαν; ποῦ δὲ ἀπήλλαξαν θανάτου; Ὁ Ἀνανίας καὶ ἡ Σάπφειρα ἱεροσυλίας ἑάλωσαν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἔκλεψαν χρήματα, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἱεροσυλίας τὸ τόλμημα ἦν· μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν οὐκ ἔτι ἦν αὐτῶν τὰ χρήματα. Τί οὖν ὁ Ἀπόστολος; Ἄκουσον πῶς, καθάπερ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ καθήμενος, τὸν ἱερόσυλον εἰσάγει, καὶ πεῦσιν