Eusebius of Caesarea, Fragments on Luke

Just as in the present life, the sun after the winter solstice, when spring begins, casting a warm ray, quickens the seeds hidden under the earth, having changed from their former shape, and it sprouts new and has blossomed, providing the beautiful and many-flowered growth of the newly sprouted plants; in the same way also the glorious arrival of the Only-begotten of God, illuminating the new age with life-giving rays of light, will bring forth into the light the seeds long hidden in the former age and scattered throughout the whole world, that is, those who have fallen asleep in the dust of the earth, with better bodies than before and more divinely transformed; and with death abolished, life itself then will reign in the new age. This generation will not pass away. What generation but the new and recent one, which he himself established? concerning which it was said in prophecies: Let this be written for another generation, and a people yet to be created shall praise the Lord; and again: The coming generation shall be told of the Lord. Therefore, looking demonstratively to his apostles and to the new generation of his holy Church which would be established from them and through them throughout the whole world, he said: This generation will not pass away, until all things 24.604 come to pass. For he says that his people and the Church will remain and endure until that time when it might see all things for itself, and might receive with its eyes the outcomes of the Savior's prophecies. Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation. He rouses the disciples to be always ready, being prepared for his coming, for which he himself made the words of his teaching, urging us all; and he exhorts to be sober and to be watchful, and to keep vigil through the whole night of this mortal life, because the time of the consummation is known to no one. -But you, he says, must guard against the weight from this, so that you may be able to be sober, lest that day come upon you suddenly; concerning which the holy Apostle also exhorted, writing: Brethren, you know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction comes upon them. But you are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. Therefore we must be watchful not only because of the sudden and unexpected arrival of the Master, but also because of the thief who lies in wait. And the thief is the time of each one's end; or also the angel who is about to take each one's soul. For like a snare the coming of the Lord will come upon all those on the earth; those therefore who take heed to themselves are saved, like a gazelle from the nets, and like a bird from the snare; but those weighed down by drunkenness, and slumbering unto death, fall into unexpected danger. Be watchful therefore at all times, praying, etc. In harmony with these things the Apostle said: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth. That you may eat and drink at my table. A table will be full of such good things, of which they will partake to whom he made the Covenant because they had remained with him in the trials; that they may eat and drink at his table; being nourished nutritiously by the heavenly bread of holy souls, and partaking of the wine of the new fruit of the true vine; which God of all himself cultivates, he will provide its new fruit to those then worthy. But he denied him, saying: Woman, I do not know him. But see the truthfulness of the evangelist, how he does not show favor to Peter, but relates his failing as it was, that the others indeed, having left the teacher, went away, but the one chosen before them all, both apostle and disciple, that very one who is called Peter, apart from tortures and the threat of a ruler, denied him a third time. 24.605

ὥσπερ κατὰ τὸν ἐνεστῶτα βίον ἥλιος μετὰ χειμερίους τροπὰς ἔαρος ἐνισταμένου θερμὴν ἀκτῖνα βάλλων, τὰ ὑπὸ γῆν κρυπτόμενα ζωοποιεῖ σπέρματα, τοῦ προτέρου μεταβαλόντα σχήματος, νεαρὰ δὲ φύει καὶ τέθηλεν, ὡραίαν καὶ πολυανθῆ τὴν τῶν ἄρτι φυέντων βλάστην παρεχόμενα· κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ἔνδοξος τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄφιξις, φωτὸς ζωογόνοις ἀκτῖσι τὸν νέον αἰῶνα καταυγάσασα, τὰ ἀποκρυφθέντα πάλαι κατὰ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν αἰῶνα, καὶ ἐν τῷ παντὶ κόσμῳ διασκεδασθέντα σπέρματα, τουτέστι τοὺς ἐν γῆς χώματι κεκοιμημένους, κρείττοσι σώμασιν ἢ κατὰ τὰ πρότερον θειότερόν τε μετεσχηματισμένοις εἰς φῶς προάξει· καὶ τοῦ θανάτου καταργηθέντος, αὐτὴ λοιπὸν ἡ ζωὴ βασιλεύσει τοῦ νέου αἰῶνος. Οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη. Ποία γενεὰ ἀλλ' ἡ καινὴ καὶ νέα, ἣν αὐτὸς συνεστήσατο; περὶ ἧς ἐν προφητείαις εἴρητο· Γραφήτω αὕτη εἰς γενεὰν ἑτέραν, καὶ λαὸς ὁ κτιζόμενος αἰνέσει τὸν Κύριον· καὶ πάλιν· Ἀναγγελήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ γενεὰ ἡ ἐρχομένη. ∆ιόπερ δεικτικῶς εἰς τοὺς ἀποστόλους αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ δι' αὐτῶν καθ' ὅλης τῆς οἰκουμένης συστησομένην καινὴν γενεὰν τῆς ἁγίας Ἐκκλησίας αὐτοῦ ἀφορῶν, ἔλεγεν· Οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη, ἕως ἂν πάντα γέ 24.604 νηται. ∆ιαμενεῖν γάρ φησι καὶ διαρκέσειν τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν εἰς ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ εἰς ὅτε αὐτοπτήσειε πάντα, καὶ τὰς ἐκβάσεις τῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος προῤῥήσεων ὀφθαλμοῖς παράλαβοι. Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς μήποτε βαρυνθῶσιν ὑμῶν αἱ καρδίαι ἐν κραιπάλῃ. ∆ιεγείρει τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐπὶ τὸ πάντοτε ἑτοίμους εἶναι παρασκευαζομένους εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν, ἐφ' ἣν αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς παρορμῶν τοὺς πάντας τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐποιεῖτο λόγους· νήφειν τε καὶ ἐγρηγορέναι παρακελεύεται, καὶ ἀγρυπνεῖν διὰ πάσης τῆς τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου νυκτὸς, διὰ τὸ μηδενὶ γνώριμον τὸν καιρὸν τῆς συντελείας ὑπάρχειν. -Ἀλλ' ὑμῖν γε, φησὶ, φυλακτέον τὸ ἐντεῦθεν βάρος, ἵνα δυνήσησθε νήφειν, μήποτε ἐπιστῇ αἰφνίδιος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη· περὶ ἧς καὶ ὁ ἱερὸς Ἀπόστολος παρῄνει γράφων· Ἀδελφοὶ, οἴδατε ἀκριβῶς, ὅτι ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου, ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ, οὕτως ἔρχεται. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπωσιν εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τότε αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος. Ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει, ἵνα ὑμᾶς ἡ ἡμέρα ὡς κλέπτης καταλάβῃ· πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς υἱοὶ φωτός ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ἡμέρας. Γρηγορητέον οὖν ἡμῖν οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν ἀθρόαν καὶ ἀπροσδόκητον τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἄφιξιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸν κλέπτην τὸν ἐφεδρεύοντα. Ὁ δὲ κλέπτης ἐστὶν ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἑκάστου τελευτῆς· ἢ καὶ ὁ μέλλων τὴν ἑκάστου ψυχὴν παραλαμβάνειν ἄγγελος. Ὡς παγὶς γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσία ἐπελεύσεται ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ γῇ· οἱ μὲν οὖν προσέχοντες ἑαυτοῖς σώζονται, ὥσπερ δορκὰς ἐκ βρόχων, καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρνεον ἐκ παγίδος· οἱ δὲ τῇ μέθῃ βεβαρημένοι, καὶ εἰς θάνατον ὑπνώττοντες, ἐκπίπτουσιν εἰς ἀδόκητον κίνδυνον. Ἀγρυπνεῖτε οὖν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ δεόμενοι, κ. τ. λ. Τούτοις συνᾴδων ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγε· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἀναλάβετε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα δυνηθῆτε ἀντιστῆναι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πονηρᾷ, καὶ ἅπαντα κατεργασάμενοι στῆναι. Στῆτε οὖν περιζωσάμενοι τὴν ὀσφὺν ὑμῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. Ἵνα ἐσθίητε καὶ πίνητε ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης μου. Τοιούτων ἔσται πλήρης ἀγαθῶν τράπεζα, ἧς μεταλήψονται οἷς τὴν ∆ιαθήκην διέθετο διὰ τὸ μεμενηκέναι μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς· ἵνα ἐσθίωσι καὶ πίωσιν ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης αὐτοῦ· ἄρτῳ μὲν οὐρανίῳ ψυχῶν ἁγίων θρεπτικῶς τραφησόμενοι, οἴνου δὲ τοῦ καινοῦ γεννήματος τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀμπέλου μεταληψόμενοι· ἣν αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς γεωργῶν τὸ καινὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς γέννημα τοῖς τότε ἀξίοις παρέξει. Ὁ δὲ ἠρνήσατο αὐτὸν, λέγων· Γύναι, οὐκ οἶδα αὐτόν. Ὅρα δὲ τὸ φιλάληθες τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ, πῶς οὐ καταχαρίζεται τῷ Πέτρῳ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πάθος αὐτοῦ ὡς ἔχει διηγεῖται, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι ἀπολιπόντες τὸν διδάσκαλον ᾤχοντο, ὁ δὲ πάντων αὐτῶν προκεκριμένος ἀπόστολός τε καὶ μαθητὴς, αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ βοώμενος Πέτρος, βασάνων ἐκτὸς καὶ ἀρχοντικῆς ἀπειλῆς, τρίτον αὐτὸν ἐξωμόσατο. 24.605