John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

they will dream dreams. See the sequence. First, sons; as David also says: Instead of your fathers, your sons were born; and Malachi again, Turning the hearts of fathers to children. And upon my menservants, and upon my maidservants. And this is a proof of virtue; for we have become His servants, 60.52 having been freed from sin. Great also is the gift, when the grace passes over to the other sex, and is not limited to one or two as in the old times, such as Deborah and Huldah. And he did not say that it is the Holy Spirit, nor did he interpret the prophet’s words; but he introduced the prophecy alone to plead for itself. And for the time being he says nothing about Judas, since it was clear to all what penalty he paid, but is silent, knowing that nothing is stronger than to discourse to them from prophecy; this is even stronger than the events themselves. For when Christ performed signs, they often contradicted him; but when Christ brought forward the prophet to them, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, they were so silenced, that no one was able to answer him a word from that time on. And in many places of the Scriptures he himself makes mention, saying: If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came. Or rather, one might find this everywhere. For this reason he also says here: I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; that is, the Gentiles. But he does not yet reveal it, nor does he interpret it; for it was not expedient, since this too is obscure. I will show wonders in heaven above. For being obscure, it frightened them the more. But if he had interpreted it, it would rather have stood in their way. Then he also passes it by as if it were clear, wishing to give such an impression. Of course, at any rate, he interprets it to them after this, when he discourses to them about the resurrection; when he had prepared the way by his speech. For this reason he willingly passes it by, since the good things were not sufficient to draw them; although this has never happened. For no one escaped then; but now the faithful escaped under Vespasian. And this is what he says: Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved. The more grievous thing happened first; for first it came to pass that the inhabitants were captured, and then the city was razed and burned. Then he persists in the metaphor, bringing the razing and the capture near to the sight of the hearers. The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood. What does it mean, for the moon to be turned into blood? It seems to me that by this he speaks of the excess of the slaughter, and deliberately fills the discourse with much perplexity. And it shall be, that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone, he says, whether he be a priest (but he does not yet reveal this), whether he be a slave, he says, whether he be free. For there is not male, nor female in Christ Jesus, not slave, not free. Rightly so; for these things are here, where all things are a shadow. For if in a palace no one is noble or base-born, but each is seen from his deeds, and in a craft each is shown from his work; much more so in that state. Whoever calls. Calls, not simply (For not everyone, he says, who says to me, Lord, Lord), but with disposition, with the best life, with fitting confidence. For the time being he makes his speech inoffensive, introducing the matter of faith, and not hiding the fearful matter of punishment. How? By showing that salvation is in the calling. 3. What do you say? Tell me: do you mention salvation after a cross? Bear with it for a while; for great is the love of God for mankind. And this no less than the resurrection 60.53 and the signs shows him to be God, that he calls these people. For that which is exceedingly good, this is most especially a property of God. For this reason he also says: No one is good, except one, God. But let us not take goodness as an occasion for indolence; for he also punishes just as God. At any rate, he himself who said, Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, brought these very things to pass. I am speaking of the things concerning Jerusalem, that unbearable punishment; of which I wish to say a few things to you, which are useful for us both against the Marcionites and against many other of the heretics. For since they say that Christ is a good God, but that one a wicked one,

ἐνυπνιασθήσονται. Ὅρα τὴν ἀκολουθίαν. Πρότερον υἱοί· καθὼς καὶ ὁ ∆αυΐδ φησιν· Ἀντὶ τῶν πατέρων σου ἐγεννήθησαν οἱ υἱοί σου· καὶ ὁ Μαλαχίας πάλιν, Ἐπιστρέψας καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα. Καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους μου, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας μου. Καὶ τοῦτο ἀρετῆς τεκμήριον· δοῦλοι 60.52 γὰρ αὐτοῦ γεγόναμεν, ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Πολλὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ δωρεὰ, ὅταν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἕτερον γένος μεταβαίνῃ τὸ χάρισμα, καὶ οὐχὶ πρὸς μίαν καὶ δευτέραν περιέστη ὥσπερ τὸ παλαιὸν, οἷον ∆εββώραν καὶ Ὀλδάν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἅγιον, οὐδὲ ἡρμήνευσε τὰ τοῦ προφήτου· ἀλλὰ τὴν προφητείαν μόνην εἰσήγαγε καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἀγωνιζομένην. Καὶ οὐδὲν περὶ Ἰούδα τέως φθέγγεται, ἐπειδὴ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἦν δῆλον, οἵαν ἔδωκε δίκην, ἀλλὰ σιγᾷ, εἰδὼς οὐδὲν ὂν ἰσχυρότερον τοῦ ἀπὸ προφητείας αὐτοῖς διαλέγεσθαι· τοῦτο καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν ἰσχυρότερον. Σημεῖα γὰρ ποιοῦντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πολλάκις ἀντέλεγον· ὅτε δὲ τὸν προφήτην παρήγαγεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Χριστὸς λέγοντα, Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἐσίγησαν οὕτως, ὡς μηδένα λοιπὸν ἰσχῦσαι ἀποκριθῆναι αὐτῷ λόγον. Καὶ πολλαχοῦ τῶν Γραφῶν καὶ αὐτὸς μέμνηται λέγων· Εἰ ἐκείνους θεοὺς εἶπε, πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγένετο. Μᾶλλον δὲ πανταχοῦ τοῦτο εὕροι τις ἄν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησιν· Ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα· τουτέστι, τὰ ἔθνη. Ἀλλ' οὐδέπω ἀποκαλύπτει, οὐδὲ ἑρμηνεύει· οὐδὲ γὰρ συνέφερεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο ἀσαφές. ∆ώσω τέρατα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω. Μᾶλλον γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐφόβει ἀσαφὲς ὄν. Εἰ δὲ ἡρμήνευσε, μᾶλλον ἂν αὐτοῖς καὶ προσέστη. Εἶτα καὶ ὡς δῆλον παρίησι, τοιαύτην βουλόμενος δοῦναι δόξαν. Ἀμέλει γοῦν μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτοῖς ἑρμηνεύει, ὅτε περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῖς διαλέγεται· ὅτε προωδοποίησε τῷ λόγῳ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἑκὼν παρίησιν, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἤρκει τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐπισπάσασθαι· καίτοι τοῦτο οὐδέποτε γέγονεν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ τότε διέφυγε· νῦν δὲ οἱ πιστοὶ διέφυγον ἐπὶ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὃ λέγει· Εἰ μὴ ἐκολοβώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐκεῖναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ. Τὸ χαλεπώτερον πρότερον γέγονε· πρῶτον γὰρ συνέβη τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἁλῶναι, καὶ τότε τὴν πόλιν κατασκαφῆναι καὶ ἐμπρησθῆναι. Εἶτα ἐπιμένει τῇ μεταφορᾷ, ἐγγὺς τῆς ὄψεως τῶν ἀκροατῶν ἄγων τὴν κατασκαφὴν καὶ τὴν ἅλωσιν. Ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα. Τί ἐστιν, εἰς αἷμα σελήνην μεταστραφῆναι; ∆οκεῖ μοι διὰ τούτου τὴν ὑπερβολὴν λέγειν τῆς σφαγῆς, καὶ πολλῆς ἀπορίας ἐπίτηδες τὸν λόγον ἐμπιπλᾷν. Καὶ ἔσται, πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, σωθήσεται. Πᾶς, φησὶ, κἂν ἱερεὺς ᾖ (ἀλλ' οὐδέπω ἀποκαλύπτει), κἂν δοῦλος ᾖ, φησὶ, κἂν ἐλεύθερος. Οὐκ ἄρσεν γὰρ, οὐ θῆλυ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, οὐ δοῦλος, οὐκ ἐλεύθερος. Εἰκότως· ταῦτα γὰρ ἐνταῦθα, ἔνθα πάντα σκιά. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν βασιλείοις οὐδεὶς εὐγενὴς οὐδὲ δυσγενὴς, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἕκαστος φαίνεται, καὶ ἐν τέχνῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔργου ἕκαστος δείκνυται· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ καταστάσει. Πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται. Ἐπικαλέσηται, οὐχ ἁπλῶς (Οὐ γὰρ πᾶς, φησὶν, ὁ λέγων μοι, Κύριε, Κύριε), ἀλλὰ μετὰ διαθέσεως, μετὰ βίου ἀρίστου, μετὰ παῤῥησίας τῆς προσηκούσης. Τέως ἀνεπαχθῆ ποιεῖ τὸν λόγον, τὸ τῆς πίστεως εἰσάγων, καὶ οὐ φοβερὸν κρύπτων τὸ τῆς κολάσεως. Πῶς; ∆εικνὺς, ὅτι ἐν ἐπικλήσει ἡ σωτηρία. γʹ. Τί λέγεις; εἰπέ μοι· σωτηρίας μέμνησαι μετὰ σταυρόν; Ἀνάσχου τέως· πολλὴ γὰρ ἡ φιλανθρωπία τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ ἧττον τῆς ἀναστάσεως 60.53 αὐτὸν δείκνυσι Θεὸν, καὶ τῶν σημείων, τὸ τούτους προσκαλεῖσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ σφόδρα ἀγαθὸν, τοῦτο Θεοῦ μάλιστα ἴδιον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ λέγει· Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς, εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλὰ μὴ τὴν ἀγαθότητα εἰς ἀφορμὴν ῥᾳθυμίας λάβωμεν· καὶ γὰρ καὶ κολάζει καθάπερ Θεός. Αὐτὰ γοῦν ταῦτα αὐτὸς εἰργάσατο ὁ εἰπὼν, Ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, σωθήσεται. Τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ λέγω, τὴν ἀφόρητον ἐκείνην κόλασιν· ἧς βούλομαι ὀλίγα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν, χρησιμεύοντα ἡμῖν καὶ πρὸς Μαρκιωνιστὰς καὶ πρὸς ἄλλους πολλοὺς τῶν αἱρετικῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ λέγουσιν ἀγαθὸν Θεὸν τὸν Χριστὸν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ πονηρὸν,